CONSOLATORY THOUGHTS FOR THE CHRISTIAN TOO MUCH DOWNCAST THROUGH WANDERINGS IN PRAYER 2/2

2. Thought.  Know these be the necessary infirmities of thy imperfect state; and, so long as thou art faithful to resist and mourn for them, they rather move God’s pity to thee than wrath against thee.  It is one thing for a child, employed by his father, willingly or negligently to spoil the work he sets him about; and another, when through natural weakness he fails in the exact doing of it.  Should a master bid his serv­ant give him a cup of wine, and he should willingly throw both glass and wine on the ground, he might expect his master’s just displeasure.  But if, through some unsteadiness—it may be palsy in his hand—he should, notwithstanding all his care, spill some of it in the bringing, an ingenuous master will rather pity him for his disease, than be angry for the wine that is lost.  And did God ever give his servants occasion to think him a hard master?  Hath he not promised, ‘that he will spare us as a father his child that serves him?’  From whence come all the apologies which he makes for his people's failings if not from his merciful heart, interpreting them candidly to proceed rather from their want of skill than will, power, or desire? ‘Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?’ Zech. 3:2, is Christ’s answer in the behalf of Joshua, whom Satan accused for his filthy garments.  ‘The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak,’ Matt. 26:41, was his fav­ourable gloss for his disciples’ drowsiness in prayer.
3. Thought.  Believers’ prayers pass a refining before they come into God’s hands.  Did he indeed read them with their impertinences, and take our blotted copy out of our hand, we could not fear too much what the issue might be.  But they come under the corrector’s hand.  Our Lord Jesus hath the inspec­tion of them, who sets right all our broken requests and misplaced petitions.  He washes out our blots with his blood.  His mediation is the fine searce^[2] through which our prayers are bolted.  All that is coarse and heterogeneous he severs from the pure. What is of his own Spirit’s breathing he presents, and what our fleshly part added he hides, that it shall not prejudice us or our prayers.  This was the sweet gos­pel truth wrapped up in the priest’s bearing the sins of their holy offerings, Ex. 28:38.
4. Thought.  Though the presence of these be a great affliction to thee, yet God will make them of singular use to thee.  (1.) To humble thee, and take all glorying from thee, that thou shalt not pride thy­self in thy other assistances, which thou wouldst be prone to do if thy prayer had not this lame foot to humble thee.  (2.) To keep thee wakeful and circum­spect in thy Christian course.  By thy disturbance from these thou seest the war is not yet quite done. The Canaanite is yet in the land.  Though not master of the field, he is yet skulking in his holes and fast­nesses, out of which he comes like an adder in the path, that by these sudden surprises and nibbling at thy heel he may make thee, like the rider, fall back­ward, and so steal a victory unawares of thee, whom he despairs to overcome in a pitched battle by sins more deliberate.  And truly, if he dare be so bold as to set upon thee when in communion with God—so nigh thy rock and castle—doth it not behoove thee, Christian, to look about thee, that he gets no greater advantage of thee when thou art at further distance from him in thy worldly employments?  (3.) God will make thee by these more merciful to, and less censor­ious of, thy brethren of greater failings.
5. Thought.  In thy faithful conflict with them thou mayest promise thyself, at last, victory over them.  But expect this gradually to be done; not at once, nor hastily, to be delivered into thy hands, as God said of Israel’s enemies.  Therefore, maintain the fight: faint not at their stubborn resistance; pray, and mourn that thou canst pray no better; mourn and fight again; fight and believe them down, though sometimes they get thee under their feet.  God made a promise to Noah after the flood, in which he gave him a sovereignty over the creatures.  ‘The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth,’ Gen. 9:2.  But we see many beasts are fierce, savage, and cruel to mankind.  Yet thus it is fulfilled —that none are so fierce and unruly but, by man’s art and industry, they have been and still are taken and tamed, as the apostle hath it, James 3:7.  Thus God hath given his saints by promise, a sovereignty over sin and Satan; he will subdue both under your feet. The dread of the saints shall fall on the proudest devil, and his foot shall be set on the neck of the fiercest lust.  Yet this will cost hot work before the one or other be effected.