What in God’s deportment to a Christian after prayer Satan falsifies 5/5

   Yet it is as true, that more commonly mercies that are won by prayer come not with this pomp and observation.  But, as converting grace oft steals into the hearts of some with less terror and noise of humiliation than it doth into others; so, truly, do answers in prayer—and that more commonly—come with more silence, and in the ordinary road by the concurring help of second causes.  As, the Christian praying for the temporal provisions of this life, God answers his prayer by blessing his diligence in his calling.  The sick Christian praying, hath his food and physic thoroughly sanctified, and so recovers.  Now, though God hath left himself at liberty, either to send his mercies by secondary hands, or, when he pleaseth, to be the messenger himself, and bring them in an extraordinary way with his immediate hand; yet hath he not left us at liberty to leave the ordinary road, and neglect the means, under a pretence of expecting extraordinary ways to have our desires.  Now as to this ordinary way of giving in mercies in answer to prayer, these two things are to be inquired for:—

         (1.) Inquire whether thou who didst put up the prayer beest in a covenant state.  When God gives a mercy in answer to prayer, he is said to ‘remember his covenant,’ Ps. 105:34 compared with ver. 8, and to be ‘mindful of his covenant,’ Ps. 111:5. His eye is first on the person, taking notice who he is, whether his child or no, and then his ear is open to his cry: ‘The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry,’ Ps. 34:15.  ‘Who art thou, my son?’ said Isaac to Jacob, before he gave him the blessing.  If God sees thou art not his child—and his eyes are not dim, like old Isaac’s, that he can be deceived—thy prayer is not accepted.  Indeed, neither canst thou, in that state, pray in a gospel sense, nor God graciously bid thy prayer welcome; for the spirit of prayer is a covenant grace, and interest in the mediation of Christ a covenant privilege, without both which no prayer is accepted. God hears not any that have not his Spirit to pray in them, and his Son to pray for them; and none have these but such as are in a covenant state.

         (2.) Inquire what thy frame of heart was in the duty of prayer, and also after its performance.  Thy not being in a covenant state will prove thy prayer was not heard, and consequently that the mercy received came not as a gracious answer to it; but thy being in a covenant state is an insufficient ground for thee to conclude that this particular prayer that now thou puttest up is accepted, because there may intervene something to hinder the present benefit of this privilege which is annexed to thy covenant state.  For, though thy state be good, yet thy present frame and behaviour may be naught.  Thou mayest, though a child of God, be under fresh guilt and defilement as yet unrepented of.  Now in this case God can shut his door upon his own child.  Thou hast indeed jus in re, but not aptitudinem ad rem—as a saint, thou hast a right to all the promises of the covenant, and to this, of having God’s ear open to thy prayers among the rest; but as thou art a saint under guilt, or the defilement of any sin that thou hast not yet repented of, thou art not fit to enjoy what thou hast a right to as a saint.  God doth not disinherit thee indeed, but he sequesters the promise from thee, and the rents of it shall not be paid to thee, till thou renewest thy repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus for the pardon of it.  Thy God will choose a fitter time than this is to signify his love to thee.  The leper under the law was to stand off while purified; and so will thy God turn his back of thy prayer, till thou beest cleansed of thy sin.

         Again, suppose thou art a saint, and hast not thus defiled thyself with any gross sin, yet thy graces might not be exercised in the duty of prayer; haply thou didst pray, but no faith or fervency were exerted in it.  There may be grace in the heart, but none in the duty; and such a prayer shall not speed. The promise is to the saint acting his faith and fervency in prayer.  ‘The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,’ James 5:16.  ‘Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart,’ Jer. 29:13.

         Lastly, Though thou wert stirred up in prayer, yet may be thy heart was not raised up to rely on God after prayer for the answer.  Then we pray in faith when we so take hold of God by faith in prayer, as to wait and stay ourselves on God for a return of mercy from him.  Now by putting all these together, thou mayest come to the resolution of the question in hand.  If thou beest in a covenant state, and liest not in any known sin unrepented of—if thou prayest fervently, and actest faith on God, so as to stay thy soul upon God for an answer, though accompanied with many weaknesses and staggerings—truly thou mayest, without presumption, conclude the mercy which finds thee in this orderly manner waiting upon God comes in a gracious answer to thy prayer.  We do not fear to break open a letter when we find our name in the superscription directing it to us.  Search the promises, and thou shalt find them directed by name to thee who prayest thus.

What in God’s deportment to a Christian after prayer Satan falsifies 4/5

         Consideration (b).  Consider how thou prayedst when thou didst meet with this denial.  Didst thou pray peremptorily and absolutely, or conditionally, with submission to the will of God?  If peremptorily, thou wert beside the rule, and art the cause why thy prayer came back without its errand.  God will not hear, or bear, commanding prayers.  He that must have a temporal mercy, if he gets it, he may have a spiritual curse, but is sure to have a temporal cross. So Delilah proved to Samson, who would not take his parents’ counsel, but must have her whatever comes of it: ‘Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well,’ Judges 14:3.  But he paid dearly for his choice.  May be such an employment pleaseth thee well.  Thy carnal heart is in love with it; and that sets the a praying inordinately for it.  Alas! poor creature, if thou hadst it, what wouldst thou do with it?  Thou wouldst fondly lay thy head in its lap and let it rock thy grace asleep, and then betray thee into the hand of some sin and judgment!  But, if thou sayest that thou prayedst with a submissive spirit, on condition it liked God as well as thyself; if so, why then dost thou now recant thy prayer, seeing God hath declared his will that it is not good for thee to have thy desire?  Wilt thou not be determined by him to whom thou didst refer thyself? Hast thou not reason to think that God takes the best way for thee?  There is never a prayer put up but God doth, as it were, weigh and ponder it, and then his love sets his wisdom on work to make such a return as may be most for his own glory and his child’s good. Now, it being the product of such infinite wisdom and love, thou oughtest to acquiesce in it, yea to praise God for it.  Thus did David in a great strait, ‘O my God, I cry in the daytime, and thou hearest not,’ Ps. 22:2.  Well, what hears God from him now he hears nothing from God (as to the deliverance prayed for)? No murmuring nor cavilling at God’s proceedings —nay, he hears the quite contrary; for he justifies and praises God, ‘But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel,’ ver. 3.

         Consideration (c).  Observe whether thou canst not gather something from the manner of God’s denying the thing prayed for, which may sweeten it to thee.  Haply thou shalt find he denies thee, but it is with a smiling countenance, and ushers it in with some expression of grace and favour that may assure thee his denial proceeds not from displeasure.  As you would do with a dear friend, who, may be, comes to borrow a sum of money of you—lend it you dare not, because you see plainly it is not for his good. But, in giving him the denial, lest he should misinterpret it, as proceeding from want of love and respect, you therefore preface it in with some kind of language of you hearty affection to him, as that you love him, and therefore deny him, and shall be ready to do for him more than that comes too.  Thus God sometimes wraps up his denials in such sweet sugared intimations of his love as prevent all jealousies from arising in the hearts of his people.  When David was denied to build a temple for God, as was in his heart to do, God gave him a large testimony of his affection, how highly he accepted his good-will therein.  Though he should not build a temple for him, yet his desire was so kindly taken that God would build a house for him that should last forever.

         Thus, sometimes a faithful minister prays earnestly that God would bless his labours to the converting of his people, and is denied; yet intimations of God’s love to his person are dropped, with a promise that, however, ‘his reward is with the Lord.’  So that his prayer, though denied as to them, is returned with peace into his own bosom.  Another prays passionately, ‘O that I might see Jerusalem a quiet habitation,  and that truth and peace might flourish in his days!’  This, may be, is not granted, because his desire antedates the period which God hath fixed in his purpose for the fulfilling of his promise to his church: but he withal manifests his love to him, and expresseth how highly he resents[4] his love to the church.  Thus God did by Daniel, to whom an angel was sent to let him know what kind entertainment his prayer had, and that he was a man ‘greatly beloved of God,’ Dan. 9:21.  So in temporal mercies.  Haply thou art pleading with God for deliverance out of this trouble and that affliction, and it is denied thee, but a message [is] with the denial that recompenseth it double.  May be some sweet illapses of his love he drops into thy bosom, or assurance of seasonable succours that shall be sent in to enable thee to charge through them with faith and victory.  So God dealt by Paul, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee.’  I hope now thou wilt not say thy prayer is lost.  When Saul sought his father’s asses, was he not shrewdly hurt to find a kingdom instead of them?  The holy women that went to the sepulchre to anoint the body of Jesus with their spices, did not lose their labour though they found him risen.  Were they, thinkest thou, sorry for that?  What are all the enjoyments of the world to the spiritual mercies and comfort of the promises which thou findest in thy attendance on God?  Not so much as the dead body of our risen Saviour.  Thou findest not some dead creature-comfort, but thou meetest with embraces from a living God.

         Argument 3.  The third and last thing that Satan abuseth the Christian with, to make him doubtful of the acceptance of his prayer, and also to question, when a mercy is given in after prayer, whether it comes as a gracious answer to it or no, is taken from the common providence of God, that dispenseth the same things to the wicked without praying which the saints receive praying.  Now, with Satan, how knowest thou that thy mercies come to thee as an answer to thy prayer, and not at the door of common providence with them?   For the extricating thee out of this snare thou must know, that we are not to expect the extraordinary ways to determine this, but must satisfy ourselves with what light the word of God affords, which is able to resolve, not only this, but all our cases of conscience. It is true that God doth sometimes cast in some such circumstances as bring an evidence with them that the mercy flies to us on the wings of prayer.  As when, upon Abraham’s servant’s praying at the well for God’s gracious conduct and help to despatch his master’s business prosperously, that Rebecca should presently come forth, and, by her kind carriage and invitation, so fitly answer the mould of his prayer, even as the lock doth the key made for it.  Here heaven declared to his very sense, that his prayer found the right way to heaven. When, upon prayer, the mercy is thus cast in strangely and suddenly without the concurrence of second causes—yea, when they all lie under a visible sentence of death, and the thing is put beyond the activity of their sphere to work—here there is no rival to stand in competition with prayer.  Thus, when the apostles healed the sick upon a short prayer darted up to heaven—not so much as a doctor’s advice asked in the cure.  When Peter knocked at the door where the church was praying for him, what but prayer bound his keeper’s senses so fast in the chains of sleep, and made those with which Peter was bound to fall off without any kind hand to help, but heaven’s?  What made the iron gate so officious to open to him that had no key in his hand to unlock it?  Surely we must confess, prayer opened heaven door, and heaven, at the church’s prayer, opened the prison door.

What in God’s deportment to a Christian after prayer Satan falsifies 3/5

         [2.]  It may assure thee that his ear is open to thy cry when his face is hid from thine eye.  For, consider but who this Spirit is that thus helps thee in prayer, and furnisheth thee with all thy spiritual ammunition with which thou so pliest and batterest the throne of grace.  Is he not one that knows the mind of God? and that would not have a hand in that petition which should not be welcome to heaven? Having therefore this assistance from the Spirit, doubt not thy acceptance with the Father.  In a word, the Spirit that helps thee to thy groans and sighs in prayer is no other than that God thou prayest to; and will God deny himself?  This I conceive part, if not the principal part, of the scripture’s meaning, ‘I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain,’ Isa. 45:19.  That is, whenever I stir up a soul to pray, and empower him with my Spirit to perform it feelingly, fervently, and after a holy manner, it is always to purpose.  God never said thus to any, ‘Seek ye me in vain.’

         (3.) The third thing from which Satan takes his advantage to breed scruples in the Christian’s mind concerning the acceptance of his prayer, is the denial of mercy in kind which is prayed for.  We are prone enough to have such thoughts ourselves, and Satan will not be wanting to feed any bad humour that is stirring in us.  Or, if our hearts seem pacified with this dealing of God, he hath his ways and wiles to conjure up this evil spirit of discontent and unbelief. On this errand he sent Job’s wife, to make him think and speak evil of God: ‘Dost thou still retain thy integrity?’  As if she had said, ‘What! art thou at thy old work?—still praying and praising God?  Dost thou not see how much he regards thee, or thy serving of him?  What hast thou got by all thy devotion?  Is not thy estate gone?—thy children slain and buried in one grave, and thyself left a poor loathsome cripple? —thy life serving for nothing but to make thee feel thy present misery and feed on thy past crosses?’

         Indeed, it requires a good insight into the nature of the promises, and the divers ways God takes to fulfil them, to enable us to spell an answer out of a denial of the thing we pray for.  Yet, such a ‘good understanding have all they that do his commandments,’ Ps. 111:10.  They can clear God and justify his faithfulness in all his dealings, though, when he comes to answer their prayers, he chooseth not to enter in at that door which they set open in their own thoughts and hopes for him, nor treads in the very steps of their express desires.  The whole psalm contains a testimony given to the faithfulness of God in his providential works, at which, though a carnal cursory eye—from the mysteries hid therein—is scandalized and takes offence, yet the gracious soul, by his more curious observance of and inquiry into them, finds a sweet harmony between them and the promise, and therefore concludes, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’  They, having a key to God’s character, can read the hand of his providence, and so are able to praise him —knowing him faithful—when others are ready to curse him.

         But, to help thee out or keep thee from falling into this temptation, thou art in the first place to consider what mercy it is that God denies thee.  Is it not of that sort of blessings which are not necessary unto thy happiness as a saint?  Such all temporal mercies are.  The kingdom of God consists not in meat and drink.  Thou wilt find an absolute denial for no other; he hath bid us take no denial for his love and favour, grace and glory: ‘Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore,’ Ps. 105:4—that is, be not put off for these, but live and die at God’s door till he brings this alms to thee.  Well, we will take this for granted it is a temporal mercy thou art denied. Now, when thou art tempted to question the love of God, or acceptance of thy prayer, let me desire thee to weigh this THREEFOLD CONSIDERATION.

         Consideration (a).  Consider how ill God may take this at thy hand; and that in a double respect.  [1.] That thou dost suspect his love on so slight and trivial a matter as the temporal enjoyments of this life are, which he thinks are not worth enough to be put into the promise any otherwise than they are subservient to the spiritual and eternal blessings of the covenant: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you,’ Matt. 6:33—that is, as you need them.  He casts them into the other more grand blessings, as a tradesman would do thread or paper, or a skein of silk, into a parcel of rich commodities that a customer buys of him.  Suppose a child should ask his father for money to buy some toy or trifle that pleaseth his green head, but the father denies him the thing.  If, now, the child should go and make proclamation in the open street, to the disgrace of his father, that his father did neither love nor regard him—though he wants neither food nor raiment—would this be well taken at the child’s hand?  This thou dost, Christian, in this case, though thou thinkest not so much; and hath not thy heavenly Father more reason to question thy love for taking away his good name, than thou to suspect his for his denial?  But again, [2.] He may take it ill that thou hast aspersed his wisdom.  Is there no way but this for the wise God to show his love and answer thy prayer? Cannot he deny health and give patience?—take away thy estate and turn it into contentation?—teaching thee to be abased, and to bless God thou art made low.  He that will make thee so happy in heaven, where few of this world’s enjoyments shall be seen, cannot he make thy life comfortable on earth without some of them?

What in God’s deportment to a Christian after prayer Satan falsifies 2/5

         (2.) The second thing which Satan gathers from God's deportment towards the Christian, thereby to bring the hearing of his prayer into question in his anxious thoughts, is, his frowns against the Christian. It cannot be denied but sometimes a dear saint of God may go away from duty with an aching heart, by reason of the sad impressions of an angry God left upon his spirit.  And when thus it fares with the Christian, Satan’s time is come, he thinks, to lead him into this temptation, by persuading him he may read what entertainment his prayer had at God’s hands in the language of his countenance and his carriage towards him.  If God, saith he, had heard thy prayer, would he handle thee thus?  No sure; he would rather have taken thee up into his arms, and kissed thee with the kisses of his mouth, than thus trample thee under is feet.  Thou shouldst have had darts of love shot from his pitiful eye, to imitate the purposes of his grace, and not arrows headed with his wrath, to stick in thy soul, and thus drink up thy very spirits.  Can these be the wounds of a friend?—this the deportment that means thee well?  This was the temptation which ruffled Job’s thoughts, and embittered his spirit, Job 9:17.  He could not believe God answered his prayer, ‘because he broke with his tempest.’  As if God’s mercy came always in the still voice, and never in the whirlwind!  Now in this case take this double word of COUNSEL.

         Counsel (a).  Inquire whether this tempest comes to find any Jonah in thy ship; whether it takes thee sinning, or soaking in any past sin unrepented; or whether thy conscience, diligently listened to, doth witness that thou art sincere in thy course, though compassed with many failings.  If it overtakes thee in a runaway voyage, with Jonah, or rambling course with the prodigal from thy father’s house, then indeed thou hast reason to question, yea it is beyond all question, that an acceptable prayer in this posture cannot drop from thy lips.  What! run from God, and then send to him thy prayers!  This is to desire mercy to spend upon thy lust.  But if, upon thy faithful search, thou findest this storm overtakes thee in the way of duty and exercise of thy sincerity, like the tempest that met the disciples at sea—when at Christ’s command they launched forth—then be not discouraged.  For it is ordinary with God to put on the dis¬guise of an angry countenance, and to use rough language, when his heart is resolved upon ways of mercy, and mediates love to his people.  Jacob, you know, wrestled hard and long before victory inclined to his side.  And the woman of Canaan was kicked away like a dog with harsh language, who at last was owned of Christ for a dear child, and sent away to her heart’s content.  Sincerity needs fear no ill from God.  This very consideration kept Job’s head as another time above water, Job 16:12.  There we find God taking him by the neck, shaking him as it were to pieces, and setting him up for his mark.  But, ver. 17, this upheld his troubled spirit—that all this befell him walking in obedience—‘Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.’  Wherefore he rears up his confidence, ‘Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.  My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God,’ ver. 19, 20.  The holy man was not, for all this, scared from the throne of grace, but still looked on God, though with tears in his eyes, expecting good news at last after so much bed.  And we have warrant to do the same.  ‘If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God,’ I John 3:21.  And this brings me to the second word of counsel I have to give thee.

         Counsel (b).  Inquire whether under these frowns from God there be yet a spirit of prayer working in thee.  Haply thou canst not deny but that thy heart is rather stirred up from these to lament after the Lord with more restless sighs and groans, to pray with more feeling and fervency, than driven away from duty.  The spirit of prayer upheld in thee may assure of these two things:—

         [1.]  That the cloud of anger which seems to sit on God’s brow is not in his heart.  It is but a thin veil, through which thy faith might see the working of his bowels towards thee.  The presence of the Spirit of God at work thus in a soul cannot stand with his real anger.  If his wrath were up, this in thee would be down.  Thou shouldst have him soon calling back this his ambassador of peace, at least suspending and withdrawing his assistance.  When that sad breach was made between God and David in the matter of Uriah, David’s heart was presently out of tune; his ‘right hand had forgot its cunning,’ and the spirit of prayer had received a sad damp in his heart.  Where is the psalm to be found that was penned by David in that interregnum, as I may so say, of his grace?  I do not say he did never pray all the time he lay soaking in that sin; but those prayers were not fit to be joined with the holy breathings of that spirit which acted him before his fall and after his recovery.  And therefore, good man, when by repentance he came to himself, like one recovering out of a dangerous sickness —which had for a time taken away his senses—he be¬gins to feel himself weak, and how much the Spirit of grace was by his sin enfeebled in him, which makes him so vehemently beg that God would ‘renew a right spirit in him,’ and ‘not take his Holy Spirit from him,’ Ps. 51:10, 11.  The Spirit is so choice and peculiar a mercy, that if thou canst find lively actings of his grace in thee—and where are they more sensibly felt than in prayer, helping the soul to sighs and groans which cannot be uttered?—thou canst not in reason think God is not friends with thee, though it were at present as dark as midnight with thy soul.

What in God’s deportment to a Christian after prayer Satan falsifies 1/5

         (1.) His silence after prayer.  As wicked men sometimes sin, and God keeps silence, which makes them bold to think God approves of them and their way; so, sometimes a gracious soul prays, and God holds his peace here also; and the poor soul begins to fear that neither his person nor his duty are approved of God.  Now Satan, knowing what thoughts are like to rise in the Christian’s own heart, falls in and joins issue with the Christian’s bosom enemy, labouring to confirm him in these his unbelieving fears.

         To disentangle and help thee out of this brier, take these directions:—

         (a.)  Learn to distinguish betwixt God’s hearing and his answering the saint’s prayer.  Every faithful prayer is heard, and makes an acceptable report in God’s ear as soon as it is shot; but God doth not always speedily answer it.  The father, at the reading of his son’s letter—which comes haply on some begging errand—likes the motion; his heart closeth with it, and a grant is there passed; but he takes his own time to send his despatch, and let his son know this.  Princes have their books of remembrance, wherein they write the names of their favourites whom they intend to prefer, haply some years before their gracious purpose opens itself to them.  Mordecai’s name stood in Ahasuerus’ book some while before his honour was conferred.  Thus God records the names of his saints and their prayers.  ‘The Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name,’ Mal. 3:16.  But they hear not of God in his providential answer, haply, a long time after.  Abraham prays for a child, and is heard, but how many years interpose before he hath him in his arms?  Truly so many that he goes into Hagar—partly by his wife’s counsel and his own weakness—to obtain that with a by blow for which God himself had undertaken.

         Take heed, Christian, thou beest not led into this temptation, to question whether God hears thee, because thou hearest not from him presently.  Be patient, and thou shalt find, the longer a mercy goes before its delivery, the more perfect it will come forth at last.  God gave a speedy answer to Abraham for his son Ishmael, ‘O that Ishmael might live!’  ‘I have heard thee,’ saith God concerning Ishmael, Gen. 17:20. Indeed he flourished and spread into a great nation before Isaac's stem almost budded.  What a small number was the family of Jacob at their going down into Egypt! but when the date of God’s bond was near expiring, and the time of the promise drew nigh, then God paid interest for his stay.  None gain more at the throne of grace than those who trade for time, and can forbear the payment of a mercy longest.

         (b.)  Consider, when thou findest the deepest silence in God’s providence concerning the thing prayed for, then thou hast a loud answer in the promise.  Say not therefore, ‘Who shall ascend to heaven, to bring thee intelligence whether thy prayer hath got safe thither, and had favourable audience in God’s ear?’  God himself hath saved thee this labour: the promise will satisfy thee, which assures thee that if it be duly qualified it cannot find the heart of God shut against it.  ‘The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,’ James 5:16.  So assured have the saints been of this, that they, before any inkling from providence hath been heard—to bring them the news of a mercy coming—have taken up joy upon the credit of the naked promise, and feasted themselves with the hopes of what they expected, but had not yet received at the cost and charge of God’s faithfulness, with which the promise is sealed, ‘In God I will praise his word,’ Ps. 56:4.  Mark the phrase.  He had not as yet the desired mercy, only a word of promise that it should come.  Now, considering the power and truth of God the promiser, he is as merry as if he were put in possession of it, and pays his praises before God performs the promise.

SATAN’S ARGUMENTS to make the believer doubt whether his prayer is heard.

Argument 1. The first argument by which Satan would make the Christian out of love with himself and his duty, is taken from those sinful infirmities cleaving to both—his person and prayer alike. There¬by he would quash the saint’s hope of any favourable reception that his prayer hath found in heaven. What! thy stammering prayers make music in God’s ear! Will the Lord foul his fingers with thy besmeared duties? If thou wert a Samuel or Daniel, and couldst claim thy place among those worthies that are re¬nowned for the eminent service they have done God in their generation, then thou mightest hope to have the ear of God to thy suit; but thou, alas! art a puny stripling, a froward child, in whom there is more sin than grace to be found, and dost thou think to be heard? Truly, though this argument weighs little, having no countenance from the tenor of the covenant, whose privileges are not impropriated to a few favourites, more eminent in grace than their brethren, but stand open to the whole family—it being ‘a common salvation,’ and ‘like precious faith,’ that all the saints partake of; yet it is the great bugbear with which many of them are scared.

A word or two therefore to arm thee against this argument. Only this premised—which I must take for granted—that these sinful infirmities are lament¬ed and not cockered by thee—that indeed would turn infirmity into presumption; as also that thou neglect¬est not to apply the most effectual means for their cure—though, as in hereditary diseases, all the physic thou takest will not here perfectly rid thee of them: this granted, for thy comfort know thy prayers are not so offensive to God as to thyself. Thy prayers pass such a refining in Christ’s mediation, that their ill scent is taken away.

Doth thy scruple arise from the sinful failings of thy daily conversation and Christian course? To re¬move this, ob¬serve how the Spirit of God, when he in¬stanceth in Elias as a person whose prayers are ex¬ceedingly prevalent with God, doth not describe him by the transcendency of his grace above others, but by his infirmities like unto them: ‘Elias was a man sub¬ject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earn¬estly that it might not rain: and it rained not,’ James 5:17. As if God should say, Were I so curious in my scrutiny, as you fear, Elias’s prayer would have been stopped, for he was not without his infirmities. How many failings do we find in David’s unseemly carriage before Achish, for which he was turned out of the king’s presence under the notion of a madman? Yet his prayer at that time, when he betrayed so many unbelieving fears, found favour with God. ‘I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears,’ Ps. 34:4. Read the title, and you shall find it, ‘A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.’

Are they the sinful infirmities which escape thee in the duty of prayer? Canst thou find more in any prayer thou puttest up, than were in the disciples’, for one so short?—where they exercised so little faith that Christ calls it ‘no faith,’ Mark 4:40. ‘Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?’ Yea, they pray to Christ, and chide him in the same breath, ‘Master, carest thou not that we perish?’ Yet Christ could find sincerity hid, like Saul, in this stuff of their infirmities, and granted their request. It is true he rebuked them, but it is as true that he rebuked the wind also. God’s promise for hearing of prayer shall not be made void by the saint’s weakness in prayer. Yea, for thy further comfort, know, that the less pow¬er these have to shake or disturb thy spirit in expect¬ing a gracious answer, the more kindly God will take it at thy hand. ‘Abraham,’ it is said, ‘believed, not considering his own body, or the deadness of Sarah’s womb;’ and for this was highly commended, because he thereby did signally glorify the power of God, to which he believed their bodily indisposition should not be any obstacle. Truly thus it will be highly pleas¬ing to God, if thou canst rely—staggering not at thy spiritual indispositions, and that deadness of thy heart which rises up as a great objection in thy thoughts against the success of thy prayer; for by this thou givest Christ both the honour of his death, by which he purchased this free access for thy weak prayers to the throne of grace, and also of his inter¬cession, which clarifies them from all their sinful mixtures.

Argument 2. Satan draws his argument from God’s deportment to the soul in and after prayer. In this argument there are three things he commonly in¬sists upon—by them to create trouble to the Chris¬tian’s thoughts. (1.) His silence, which he would have the Christian interpret to be God’s slighting or dis¬regarding of him and his prayer. (2.) His frowns, from which he would have him conclude neither he nor his duty are accepted. (3.) His not giving the mercy in kind; and this he tells the Christian amounts to a denial.

Satan would hinder the success of prayers by preventing the saint’s belief that they were heard

Second Way of Hinderance. Now we come to the second stratagem that Satan useth to hinder the success of the Christian’s prayer, which I called a partial hinderance or miscarriage thereof, when the prayer itself is not lost—which comes to pass only when it finds not acceptance with God —but when the Christian doth not believe on earth that his prayer is heard in heaven, though indeed it is. By his ques¬tioning thereof, however, he loseth the revenue of that present peace which otherwise would be paid unto him from the expectation of its certain return with a joyful answer. As a merchant that gives his ship for castaway, when indeed it is safe and richly laden (only stays for a fair wind); he not knowing or believing this, puts himself to as much trouble and sorrow as if it were in truth as he feared. Fancy and imagination, even when without ground and reason, are able to produce real effects and sad consequences in the minds of men. The false news of Joseph’s death caused as much sorrow to old Jacob, yea more, than if he had seen him laid out, and had followed him to the grave. The jailer, from a fear his prisoners were gone, and he accountable for them, had fore¬done himself, by falling on his own sword, if Paul had not seasonably cried out, ‘Do thyself no harm, for we are all here.’

And truly our unbelieving fears have no less power upon our hearts. They rob the Christian of the joy of his life—and man is but a sour piece of clay when that is gone. It is not praying, but believing prayer heard, that will make a glad heart and a cheer¬ful countenance. Hannah often prayed; she was ac¬quainted with the work many years, yet never had the burden of her spirit taken off till she had faith she should speed. Yea, moreover, they [unbelieving fears] weaken the spirit of prayer. He that expects little from prayer, will not be much in prayer. That trade is best tended which it is hoped will pay a man best for his pains in it. ‘Who is there among you,’ saith God, ‘that would shut the doors for nought? nei¬ther do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought,’ Mal. 1:10. The husbandman throws his seed freely, be¬cause he sows in hope; and his preciousest seed on his fattest soil, because there he looks to find it again with the greatest increase. This made David like praying work so well that he will never leave it: ‘I have prayed, and the Lord hath heard, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.’ As a merchant, finding his sweet gain come trouling in, converts his whole estate into stock; so David devotes himself wholly to prayer: ‘For my love they are my adver¬saries,’ %-/% *"!$, Ps. 109:4, ‘but I was prayer.’ This was the only weapon I lift up for my defence against all their darts. Whereas, unbelief betrays the soul unto many uncomely thoughts of God, which reflect sadly upon his name, so as to weaken his reputation in the creature's thoughts, and bring him either to a disuse of this duty, or hopeless performance of it, and this Satan loves alife. 

When a merchant thinks his goods miscarry, he grows presently jealous of his fac¬tor, questioning his care, faithfulness, or ability to despatch his business. Such whisperings we shall hear, if we listen to our unbelieving hearts sometimes, when our prayers make not so short an quick a voyage as we desire. It was a high charge that Job brought against God—though he lived to see he had little reason to do it; yea, afterward charged himself for charging God—‘I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not,’ Job 30:20. This holy man was now as deep in God’s books, and as great a favourite with him, as ever; yet so far had Satan wound into him, as to make him listen to those false reports which he brought unto him of God—taking the advantage of his present cloudy providence to colour his calumnies, insomuch that he began to give credit unto this liar. Now if this may become a stone of offence to Job, how much more mayest thou fear dashing thy foot against it? Let it be thy care to countermine Satan in this his spiteful plot against God and thee. Surely it should not be a little matter that makes thee throw up thy prayers, and give away so rich an adventure as thou hast swim¬ming in this bottom. Esau hath the brand of a ‘pro¬fane person,’ for so cheaply parting with his inherit-ance. If thou beest a believer, thou art an heir of promise, and, amongst promises, this is not the least —that what thou askest in Christ’s name, be¬lieving, thou shalt receive. Now, it is too like Esau’s profane¬ness to part with this piece of thy heritage—which thou canst not do without impeaching the faithfulness of God that gave thee an estate in the promise.

We highly commend Job for his heroic resolution at another time: ‘God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me,’ Job 27:5. How much more shouldst thou say to Satan, ‘God forbid that I should justify thee, thou wicked fiend, or thy false charge against my God; I will hold fast his integrity and faithfulness till I die.’ Surely Daniel, who ventured his life rather than not pray, would have parted with a thousand lives rather than have given is prayers for lost, and thereby have blotted the good name of God, whose faithfulness stands bound to return every prayer of faith with a gracious answer into the saint’s bosom.

But, the more to fortify you against this design of Satan, let us inquire into a few of those arguments with which Satan—abusing the Christian’s credulity —leads him into this temptation, if not absolutely to conclude, yet unbelieving to dispute and question it in his heart, whether his prayer be heard or no. I shall reduce them to three heads. First. The first argument by which he scruples the Christian, and nourishes his unbelieving fears, is taken from those sinful infirmities that cleave to his person and prayer. Second. Another argument is taken from the deport¬ment of God to him in and after prayer. Third. The last is taken from the common providence of God, that dispenseth the same things to the wicked without praying, which the saints receive praying.

Four rules whereby to know if we act faith in prayer or no 3/3

         (c.)  If thou actest faith in prayer, thy faith will not only make thee choice of the means thou usest, but curious and careful in using the means that God chooseth for thee.  Thou wilt be afraid lest it should stand in God’s light, by stealing thy confidence in him to trust in it.  Faith will teach thee to use means as God’s ordinance, but rely on God to bless it.  While faith’s hand is on the plow, her eye is to heaven. Annus non ager facit fructum—the influences of heaven, not the tillage of the husband, make it a fruit¬ful year.  Sometimes the physician appoints a powder to be taken in wine or beer.  Now it is not the beer or wine that does the cure, but the powder, which they are only used to convey and carry into the stomach. Thus mercy is handed over to us by the blessing of God in the use of means, yet think not the means do it, but the blessing of God mingled with it and infused into it.

         (d.)  If thou actest faith in prayer, as thou wilt be careful to improve means when God provides them, so thou wilt not suspend thy faith when God denies them.  The believing soul dares not trust to the means when he hath them, therefore he dares not distrust God when he wants them.  Faith knows, though God useth means, yet he needs none.  The sun and showers are the means he useth for the growth of the grass and herbs; yet he made these to grow out of the earth before there was sun or rain, Gen. 1:11.  Ploughing and sowing are the ordinary means whereby man is provided with bread; but he fed Israel with bread without their pains and husbandry.  Ships [are] the means to waft us over the seas; but God carried Israel through the Red Sea without ship or boat.  May be times are hard, and thou art poor; thy charge is great, and thy comings in little; with the widow in the prophet, thou art making the last cake of the little meal that is left.  To reason and sense thou must either beg, steal, or die.  Canst thou now, upon praying to thy God, wait upon his promise which tells thee, ‘verily, thou shalt be fed,’ Ps. 37:3; and on his providence, which records his care of the sparrows on purpose to assure us he will much more provide for his children?  Or, at least, dost thou chide thy heart for its distrustful fears after praying, charging it to hope in God, to whom thou hast made thy moan? Truly, if thy heart hath not some hold on God after duty to stay it, more than before in this thy strait; either thou hast no faith, or if thou hast faith, thou didst not act it in that prayer.  True faith will either expel these dejections of heart, or at least protest against them.

Four rules whereby to know if we act faith in prayer or no 2/3

         (3.) Rule.  Dost thou stint God, or canst thou trust him to answer thy prayer in his own way without thy prescription?  When we deal with a man whose ability or faithfulness we have in doubt, then we labour to make sure of him by tying him up to our terms.  But if we stand assured of their power and truth, we leave them to themselves.  Thus the patient sends for the physician, desires his help, but leaves him to write his own bill.  The merchant sends over his goods to his factor, and relies on him to make such returns as his wisdom tells him will come to the best market.  Thus the believing soul, when he hath opened his heart to God in prayer, resigns himself to the goodness, wisdom, and faithfulness of God to return an answer: ‘Remember me, O my God,’ said Nehemiah, ‘concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy,’ Neh. 13:22.  See here, this good man makes bold to be God’s remembrancer, but dares not be his counsellor or prescriber. He remits the shaping of the answer to ‘the greatness of his mercy.’  Hence it follows, that whatever way God cometh in, the believing soul bids him welcome.

         Doth he pray for health, and miss of that? yet he blesseth God for support under sickness.  Doth he pray for his children, and they notwithstanding prove a cross? yet he finds an answer another way, and satisfies himself with it.  After many a prayer that David had put up no doubt for his family, we find him entertaining an answer to those prayers with a composed spirit, though they came not in at the fore door, buy having mercy in the letter: ‘Though my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,’ &c.; and this, he tells us, is ‘all his desire,’ II Sam. 23:5.  Indeed, a believer cannot miss his desires, ‘He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him,’ Ps. 145:19.  Because they disown those desires which clash with God’s will.  Who could pray more fervently for their children than Job did for his? He was with God for them every day; but, after all his religious care of them, he meets with heavy tidings, and hears them to be made a sacrifice by death for whom he had offered up so many sacrifices to God; yet he doth not foolishly charge God, or say it was in vain that he prayed: no, that ointment was not lost the savour whereof was poured into his own soul, from the posture of which we might read a gracious answer, in the supporting grace that enabled him to love and bless God over the gravestone of his slain children.

         (4.) Rule.  By the soul’s comporting itself towards the means used for obtaining the mercy prayed for.

         (a.)  If thou prayedst in faith, it will set thee to use other means besides prayer.  Mark how the apostle joins these together, ‘Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer,’ Rom. 12:11, 12.  As faith useth her wings of prayer to fly to heaven; so she useth her feet of duty and obedi¬ence, with which she walks and bestirs herself on earth.

         (b.)  Faith will make thee, as use means, so to be choice of the means thou usest for the obtaining what thou bespeakest of God in prayer.  Faith is a working grace, but it will be set on work by none but God.  Am I in God’s way, saith faith? Is this the means he hath appointed?  If it be not, away he turns from it, disdaining to work with any of the devil's tools.  God can never answer my prayer, saith the believer, without the help of my sin.  If riches be good for me, I need not be at the cost to purchase them with a lie or a cheat.  If health be a mercy, he can send me it, though I advise not with the devil’s doctors.  If joy and comfort, there is no need to take down the devil’s music.  If times be evil, he can hide me without running under the skirt of this great man and that by base flattery and dissimulation.  When Ezra had committed himself and his company to God—now on their march towards Jerusalem—by a solemn day of fasting and prayer, and had made a holy boast of his God, what he would do for them that seek him, he thought it unbeseeming his professed faith, and also dishonourable to his God, whom he had so magnified in the hearing of the Persian king, to beg armed troops for a convoy to them in their way, lest his faith should be brought into suspicion for an empty bravado and groundless confidence: ‘I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him;’ Ezra 8:22.

Four rules whereby to know if we act faith in prayer or no 1/3

         (1.) Rule.  We may know if we have acted faith by the serenity and composure of our spirits after prayer.  Faith may live in a storm, but it will not suffer a storm to live in it.  As faith rises, so the blustering wind of discontented troublesome thoughts go down.  In the same proportion that there is faith in the heart there is peace also.  They are joined together, ‘quietness and confidence,’ Isa. 30:15: ‘In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.’  Therefore called ‘peace in believing,’ Rom. 15:13. Even where it is weakest it will not let the unquietness of the heart pass without a chiding.  ‘Why art thou disquieted, O my soul! trust still in God,’ Ps. 42:5, 11.  What! soul no sooner off thy knees, but clamorous!  Hast not thou made thy moan to a God able to help thee, and will not that ease thee? Faith disburdens the soul in prayer of that which oppresses it; whereas the unbelieving soul still carries about it the cause of its trouble, because it had not strength to cast forth it sorrows, and roul its cares upon God in the duty. Christian, dost thou carry away the same burden on thy back from prayer which thou didst bring to it? surely thou didst want faith to lift it off thy shoulder. Had faith been there, and that been active and lively, it would have bestowed this elsewhere, and brought thee away with a light heart: as Hannah, who rose from praying ‘to eat, and her countenance was no more sad;’ and as Christ, who kneeled down with as sorrowful a heart as ever any, but comes off with a holy courage, to go and meet his approaching death, and his bloody enemies now on the way to attack him.  ‘Rise,’ saith he to his disciples, ‘let us be going, behold he is at hand that doth betray me,’ Matt. 26:46. May it not put us to the blush to think that we could come less satisfied from God’s presence than we do sometimes from a sorry man’s?  If you were poor, and had a rich friend that bids you send your children to him, and he will provide for them; would not this ease your mind of all your cares and distracting thoughts concerning their maintenance?  And doth not God promise more that this comes to when he bids us ‘be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God?’

         (2.) Rule.  Dost thou continue praying even when God continues to deny?  An unbelieving heart may have some mettle at hand, but will be sure to jade in a long journey.  Faith will throw in the net of prayer again and again, as long as God commands and the promise encourageth.  The greyhound hunts by sight, when he cannot see his game he gives over running; but the true hound by scent, he hunts over hedge and ditch though he sees not the hare he pursues all the day long.  An unbelieving heart, may be, drawn out, upon some visible probabilities and sensible hopes of a mercy coming, to pray, but when these are out of sight his heart fails him; but faith keeps the scent of the promise and gives not over the chase.