Wherein watchfulness unto prayer consists 2/2

2) The Christian must watch in prayer.  It is not enough to watch the child that he goes to school, but the master’s eye must watch him in school; to be idle at school is as bad as to truant from it.  Thou dost well, Christian, to take care of thyself before prayer, and to see that the duty be not omitted; but wilt thou now leave it at the school-door?  Truly then all thy former care is to little purpose.

           (1.) Thou must watch thy outward man, and rouse that up from sleep and sloth.  If the body be heavy-eyed in prayer the soul must needs be heavy-heeled; the pen drops out of the writer’s hand when he falls asleep.  ‘Watch and pray,’ saith Christ to his disciples; he knew that they could not do that work nodding.  And yet, how many do we see at the very time of prayer in our congregations so far from watch­ing, in this sense, that they invite sleep to come upon them by laying themselves in a lazy posture?  Cer­tainly, friends, communion with God is worth keep­ing our eyes open.  Little do these drones think what contempt they cast upon God and his ordinance.  I wonder any can sleep at the worship of God and not dream of hell‑fire in their sleep.  But it is not enough to keep thy awaked, if thou sufferest it to wander. ‘Turn away mine eyes,’ saith David, ‘from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way,’ Ps. 119:37.

           (2.) Thou must watch thy soul in prayer.  The soul is the man, and the soul in prayer is the very soul of prayer.  Watch what its ends and aims are, that it shoots not beside the mark.  Watch what strength and force thy soul puts to the work.  Our prayers miscarry by shooting short as well as wide.  In a word, thou must keep thy heart with all diligence from one end of the duty to the other, or else it will give thee the slip before thou art aware.  How oft, alas! do our souls begin to speak with God in prayer, and on a sudden fall a chatting with the world!  One while, our hearts are warm at the work, and we pursue hard after God with full cry of our affections; but in­stantly we are at a loss and hunt cold again.  Holy David was sensible of this, and therefore we have him in the midst of this duty begging help from God to call in his gadding heart: ‘Unite my heart to fear thy name,’ Ps. 86:11.

3. The Christian is to watch after prayer.

           (1.) By calling his soul to a review concerning the duty, how it was performed by him.  God himself, when he had finished the works of creation, looks back upon them, ‘And God saw every thing that he had made,’ Gen. 1:31; that is, he viewed his work, as an artist would do a piece he had drawn. He hath given us all a faculty to reflect upon our actions, and looks we should use it, yea, complains of those that do not ‘consider their ways and doings.’  Many duties de­pend upon this.  He that looks not back how he prayed, can he be humbled for the sins that cleaved to it?  And will God pardon what he takes no care to know, that he may show his repentance for them?  Or will he mend those faults in the next prayer which he found not out in the former?  No, but rather increase them.  We need not water weeds; let them but stand unplucked up and they will grow alone.  This is the sluggard whose soul will soon run into a wilderness, and be overgrown with those sins in prayer, which at last may choke the very spirit of supplication in him.

           (2.) By observing what is the issue and success of his prayer.  As he is to look back and see how he prayed, so forward to observe what return he finds of his prayer.  To pray, and not watch what becomes of our prayer, is a great folly and no little sin; like chil­dren that throw stones into a river, which they never look to see more.  What is this but to take the name of God in vain, and play with an ordinance that is holy and sacred?  Yet thus, alas! do many knock at God’s door—as idle children at ours—and then run away to the world, as they to their play, and think no more of their prayers.  Or, like Pilate, who asked Christ, ‘What is truth?’ and, when he had said this, went out to the Jews, forgetting what he asked.  Holy David did not think prayer such an idle errand.  ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up,’ Ps. 5:3.  First, he is careful to take his aim right in delivering this arrow of prayer, which he sends with a message to heaven, ‘I will direct my prayer unto thee.’  Then he is as careful to observe where his arrow lights, and what answer is made to it, ‘and I will look up,’ which amounts to as much as that expression, ‘I will hear what God the Lord will speak,’ Ps. 85:8, that is, to me, concerning the prayer which in those words immediately foregoing he had made, ‘Show us thy mercy, O lord, and grant us thy salvation.’  When the merchant hath sent his ship to sea, he is inquiring at the exchange after her, to hear how she got to her port, whether on her return, and with what lading.  When the husbandman hath cast his seed into the ground, then he comes every day al­most to see how it comes up.  This, Christian, is to watch unto prayer, to wait for answers to prayer. Mor­decai, no doubt had put up many prayers for Esther, and therefore he waits at the kings gate, looking what answer God would in his providence give thereunto.

Wherein watchfulness unto prayer consists 1/2

           Second. The second thing I promised was to show wherein the Christian is to express his watchful­ness in reference to this duty of prayer.  Take it in these three particulars.  1. He is to watch before prayer.  2. He is to watch in prayer.  3. He is to watch after prayer.

1. The Christian is to show his watchfulness be­fore prayer; and that,

           (1.) By watching for the fit season to pray in. We cannot be always on our knees.  We may serve God all the day, but worship him we cannot; this is a duty that requires some set times for its exercises.  Now it is our duty to watch for the season of prayer as the merchant watcheth for the exchange hour; he orders his other occasions so that by no means he may miss that.  Thus the Christian should endeavour to dispose his occasions so that his devotions be not shut out or crowded up into straits of time by his improvidence; no, nor interfere with other necessary duties.  Many a fair child is lost by an untimely birth, and good duty spoiled by being unseasonably performed.

           (2.) By keeping a strict watch over himself in his whole course.

           (a) By shunning all that may defile his con­science, and so render him unmeet for communion with God.  Thus the priest was to watch himself that he touched no unclean thing, God thereby signifying that he will have them to be holy in their lives that approach near to him in the duties of his worship.

           (b) By a holy care to observe and lay up the most remarkable passages of God’s providence to him, as also the frame and behaviour of his own heart to God all along the interval between prayer and prayer.  The want of this part of watchfulness is the cause why we are so jejune and barren in the performance of this duty.  It is no wonder that he should want matter for his prayer at night, and trifle in it with impertinences, who did not treasure up what passed in the day be­twixt God and him.  Though the minister be not mak­ing his sermon all the week, yet by observing in his other studies what may be useful for him in that work, he is furnished with many hints that help him when he goes about it.  Such an advantage the Christian will find for prayer by laying up the remarkable in­stances of God’s providences to him and of his carriage to God again under them; these will furnish him with necessary materials for the performance. The bag is filling while the kine are feeding or chewing the cud, and accordingly yields more plentily when milked at night.  Truly thus it is here.  That Christian must needs be most fruitful and plentiful in his devotions, when he comes to pour out his heart to God in prayer, that hath been thus filling it all the day with meditations suitable and helpful to the duty. Would he praise God?  He hath the preservations, deliverances, and assistances which God hath given into him at hand, in the commonplace‑book of his memory, which another hath lost for want of writing them down in this book of remembrance.  Would he humbly confess the sins of the day?  He presently recalls, ‘In this company I forgat myself and spake unadvisedly with my lips; in that enjoyment I ob­served my heart to be inordinate; this duty I omitted; that I was remiss and negligent in doing.’  Now what a wonderful help hath such a soul above another that walks at random to get his soul into a melting mourn­ful frame?  The eye affects the heart.  The presence of the object actuates the affection.  The sight of an enemy stirs up anger; the sight of a dear friend excites love, and puts a man into a sudden ravishment —whom, may be, he should not have thought on, if he had not seen him.  How can they mourn for the sins of the day at night who remember them no more than Nebuchadnezzar his dream?

           (c) By the frequent exercise of ejaculatory prayer.  He doth not watch to pray that never thinks on God but when he is on his knees; for, by this long discontinuing his acquaintance with God, he indis­poseth himself for the more solemn addresses of his soul to him.  Long fasting takes away the stomach. The Christian will find that the oftener he is refresh­ing his spirit with those little sips and short gusts of heaven, the larger draught he will be able to take when he returns to his set meal of morning and even­ing prayer.  For, by the means of these he will be se­cured from worldly affections, which exceedingly deaden the heart, and also be seasoned and prepared for further communion with God.  These short walks often taken keep the soul in breath for a longer journey.