WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT, AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING.
3. A third sort of prayer that God will not accept is when they either pray for wrong or right things, yet the thing prayed for might be spent upon their lusts and laid out to evil ends. Some have not, because they ask not, saith James, and others ask and have not, because they ask amiss, that they may consume it on their lusts (James 4 2-4). Ends contrary to God's will are an excellent argument with God to frustrate the petitions presented before him. Hence, so many pray for this and that, yet receive it not. God answers them only with silence; they have their words for their labour, and that is all. Object. But God hears some persons, though their hearts be not right with him, as he did Israel, in giving quails. Still, they spent them upon their lusts (Psa 106:14). Answ. If he doth, it is in judgment, not in mercy. He gave them their desire, but they had better have been without it, for he "sent leanness into their soul" (Psa 106:15). Woe be to that man that God answered thus.
4. Other prayers that are not answered are made by men, and presented to God in their own persons only, without their appearing in the Lord Jesus. For though God hath appointed prayer and promised to hear the prayer of the creature, not the prayer of any beast that comes not in Christ. "If ye shall ask anything in my name." And whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (Col 3:17). "If ye shall ask anything in my name," &c., (John 14:13, 14), though you be never so devout, zealous, earnest and constant in prayer, yet it is in Christ only that you must be heard and accepted. But, alas! Most men know not what it is to come to him in the name of the Lord Jesus, which is the reason they either live wicked, pray wicked, and also die wicked. Or else, that they attain to nothing else but what a mere natural man may attain unto, as to be exact in word and deed betwixt man and man, and only with the righteousness of the law to appear before God.
5. The last thing that hinders prayer is the form of it without the power. It is easy for men to be very hot for such things as forms of prayer, as they are written in a book; yet they are altogether forgetful to inquire whether they have the spirit and power of prayer. These men are like a painted man, and their prayers like a false voice. They in person appear as hypocrites, and their prayers are an abomination (Prov 28:9). When they say they have been pouring out their souls to God, he saith they have been howling like dogs (Hosea 7:14).
When therefore thou intendest, or art minded to pray to the Lord of heaven and earth, consider these following particulars. 1. Consider seriously what thou wantest. Do not, as many who in their words only beat the air, and ask for such things as indeed they do not desire, nor see that they stand in need thereof. 2. When thou seest what thou wantest, keep to that, and take heed thou pray sensibly.
Object. But I have a sense of nothing; then, by your argument, I must not pray at all.
Answ. 1. If thou findest thyself senseless in some sad measure, yet thou canst not complain of that senselessness, but by being sensible there is a sense of senselessness. According to thy sense, then, that thou hast of the need of anything, so pray; (Luke 8:9), and if thou art sensible of thy senselessness, pray the Lord to make thee sensible of whatever thou findest thine heart senseless of. This was the usual practice of the holy men of God. "Lord, make me to know mine end," saith David (Psa 39:4). "Lord, open to us this parable," said the disciples (Luke 8:9). And to this is annexed the promise, "Call unto me and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not," that thou art not sensible of (Jer 33:3). But,
Answ. 2. Take heed that thy heart go to God as well as thy mouth. Let not thy mouth go any further than thou strivest to draw thine heart along with it. David would lift his heart and soul to the Lord; and good reason; for so far as a man's mouth goeth along without his heart, so far it is but lip-labour only; and though God calls for, and accepteth the calves of the lips, yet the lips without the heart argues, not only senselessness, but our being without sense of our senselessness; and therefore if thou hast a mind to enlarge in prayer before God, see that it be with thy heart.
Answ. 3. Take heed of affecting expressions, and so to please thyself with their use, that thou forget not the life of prayer.
I shall conclude this use with a caution or two.