Some considerations pressing the duty of persevering prayer 2/2

   Fourth Consideration.  Consider it is as sinful as foolish to give over this duty.  ‘Thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God,’ Job 15:4.  It is a high crime for one trusted with a castle for his prince to deliver it cowardly into his enemy’s hand, espe­cially if he hath provision wherewithal to defend it. Now hath not God provided sufficiently to enable the Christian to maintain this duty against all the armies of men and devils, afflictions and temptations, that can oppose it? Princes are most careful to enforce and supply frontier castles above others with all necessaries for defence, because most assaulted.  Prayer is a duty that is as hard laid at by Satan as any, and hath many other difficulties that render it no easy matter for the Christian to be instant and constant at it.  God hath considered this, and accordingly pro­vided succour.  He gives his Spirit to help the Chris­tian—because of his many infirmities—what and how to pray; who, if he be used kindly, will not be wanting to lift with him in the work.  And, while the Spirit is ready to pray in him, Christ is as ready in heaven to pray for him; who also sends the precious promise of the gospel—as messengers into a besieged town—to assure the soul relief is coming from heaven to him, be the affliction or temptation never so great and formidable that besets it.  Now, to faint in the work, and, by giving over the duty, to open the city gates of his soul, for Satan to enter and triumph over God with his insulting blasphemies—O what gracious soul, that hath any spark of loyalty in his breast unquenched to his God, doth not tremble at the thought of such a treasonable action!  We cannot cast off prayer, but we cast some dishonourable reflection upon God; for, as one saith well, every real defect in the creature proceeds from an imaginary defect which he falsely supposeth to be in God.  Men first conceive unworthily of God, and then carry themselves un­worthily and undutifully to him.  Now the causes from which this fainting in prayer proceeds are all evil and bitter, as by and by will appear.

           Fifth Consideration.  As it is foolish and evil, so it is of dangerous consequence to ourselves, to faint, and cease to pray.

1. It is the ready way to bring some stinging affliction upon us.  This is the best that can come of it.  Art thou a servant of God, and fleest from his face?  Art thou a child, and playest the truant?  Look that thy heavenly Father will send thee to school with a rod at thy back.

           2. Cease to pray, and thou wilt begin to sin. Prayer is not only a means to prevail for mercy, but also to prevent sin.  ‘Pray that ye enter not into temptation.’  The thief comes when the candles are out and all the house in their beds. Christ could not keep his disciples awake at their devotions; and how soon were they put to the rout when the tempter came!  When the courtier in a discontent withdraws, and gives over his attendance at court, he is more easily wound in to disloyal practices against his prince.  Discontent softens the heart to receive sinful impressions from the tempter.  ‘Thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer before God,’ Job 15:4.  Eliphaz’s doctrine was true, though his application was false.  When Saul gave over in a pet to pray to God, then he sought to a witch.  Sins of commission are the usual punishments that God inflicts on persons for sins of omission.  He that leaves a duty may fear to be left to commit a crime; he that turns his ear from the truth takes the ready course to be given over to believe fables, II Tim. 4:4.  He that casteth off prayer, it is a wonder if you find him not ere long cast into some foul sin.

Some considerations pressing the duty of persevering prayer 1/2

           Third. Having shown why we are to persevere in prayer, I come no to the third place, to cast in some considerations to move us to the duty.  Christ bestowed a parable on his disciples for this very end, to show that ‘men ought always to pray and not to faint.’  Surely, then, it deserves an exhortation. Now to enforce the exhortation, take these five particulars into your consideration.

           First Consideration. The prevalency of perse­verance in prayer.  This is emphatically expressed by that question of our Saviour in his parable upon this subject: ‘Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?’ Luke 18:7.  As if he had said, Can you think that God will send away those who are so near and dear to him, his own elect, with a denial and that when he hath made full proof of their faith and patience in waiting long upon him for an answer?  ‘I tell you,’ saith Christ, ‘that he will avenge them speedily.’  Men seek to please their old customers that are constant to their shop, whoever else they send away; so will God those that are in constant trading with him at the throne of grace.  ‘They that wait upon the Lord are not ashamed.’  David is careful for our encouragement to let us know how well he sped after his long waiting at God's door: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry,’ Ps. 40:1; Hebrew ‘in waiting I waited;’ that is, I stayed waiting long, and at last he came.  But David was a favourite; may others look to speed as he did?  See ver. 3, ‘Many shall see it,...and shall trust in him.’  Answer of prayers is a covenant privilege.  It is not a monopoly given to one or two, but a charter granted to the whole corporation of saints to the end of the world: ‘He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer,’ Ps. 102:17.  Now mark what follows, ‘This shall be written for the generation to come,’ ver. 18.

           Second Consideration.  Thy perseverance in prayer will help to evidence thy state to be gracious. The hypocrite is oft uncased here; will he pray always? Job 27:10.  Many will come into a workman’s shop, and take up his tools to work with them for awhile, and lay them down again by and by, who would never yield to be bound to his trade and serve out an apprenticeship at it.  Thus an unsound heart will be meddling with this duty now and then, but grows weary of the work at last, especially if he be made to wait long for an answer.  Saul prays to God, and because he hears not from him, goes at last to seek to the devil.  Observe what effect God’s silence, frowns, and seeming denials produce in thy heart, and thou mayest know the temper of thy spirit there­by.  Do they wear off thy edge to prayer, or sharpen it?  Do they make thee fall off, and send thee away from God’s door—as some sturdy beggars go from ours when denied an alms—with clamours in thy mouth, and discontent in thy heart, resolved to beg no more there?  Or do they make thee fall on with more courage, and enkindle thy affections to God and this duty more ardently? as the suitor, whose love is heightened by repulses, and importunity doubled by being obstructed and opposed.  Truly, if thou findest the latter, thou mayest conclude, if this instant constancy in prayer be for spiritual blessings—Christ and his sanctifying graces—that divine virtue, and that good store hath gone from Christ into thy soul. ‘O woman, great is thy faith!’

           Third Consideration.  Consider the great folly of fainting in prayer.  Thou dost a foolish and irrational act.  Haply thou art in a deserted condition, prayest for comfort, but none comes; for victory over such a temptation without or corruption within, but art foiled in both, for all thy praying; therefore thou first faintest in the duty, and then givest it over.  What egregious folly is this!  Because mercy comes not in all haste to thee, therefore thou wilt run from it —which thou dost in ceasing to pray!  When the fisher misseth his draught, he doth not presently give over his trade, but falls a mending his net.  O cease not to pray, but mend thy praying!  See at what hole the fish went out—the mercy was lost; double thy diligence, and all shall be well at last.  If thy pain con­tinues while the plaster is on, dost think it will cease when it is taken off?  Whatever the mercy is thou wouldst have, must it not come from God’s hands? Now will God give the mercy to thee who rejectest his counsel for the obtaining of it?  Is not prayer, and that ‘with all perseverance,’ the way he directs all his people to take? Suppose a physician, who is sent for to a sick patient, should give the messenger an elec­tuary to carry back with him, and saith, It will be some time before I come myself to the sick man, but charge him to take a good quantity of this as oft as he finds himself ill, every day, till I come, and he shall do well.  Now the patient begins to follow his physi­cian’s directions, but, staying longer than he likes before he comes, and finding his trouble continue, sets it away, and takes no more of it.  The physician at last sets forth, and, as he is on his way to him, hears of it, turns back, and comes not at him; so the poor man dies by his own hasty folly.  Truly this is our case.  God, for reasons best known to himself, stays some while before he comes to his tempted distressed servants, for their deliverance, but leaves order when any of them ail anything—so the word 6"6`B"2,Ã, James 5:13, signifies—that they should pray, apply themselves to the use of this duty; yea, continue the spiritual constant use of it till he comes; and withal assures us he will come soon enough to save us.  Now, what folly is it to cast off this means so strictly prescribed?  Surely, thought there were noth­ing else, this is enough to turn God back when on his way of mercy to do us good.