_The great masters and teachers in Christian doctrine have always found
in prayer their highest source of illumination. Not to go beyond the
limits of the English Church, it is recorded of Bishop Andrewes that he
spent five hours daily on his knees. The greatest practical resolves
that have enriched and beautified human life in Christian times have
been arrived at in prayer._—CANON LIDDON.
While many private prayers, in the nature of things, must be short;
while public prayers, as a rule, ought to be short and condensed; while
there is ample room for and value put on ejaculatory prayer—yet in our
private communions with God time is a feature essential to its value.
Much time spent with God is the secret of all successful praying. Prayer
which is felt as a mighty force is the mediate or immediate product of
much time spent with God. Our short prayers owe their point and
efficiency to the long ones that have preceded them. The short
prevailing prayer cannot be prayed by one who has not prevailed with God
in a mightier struggle of long continuance. Jacob's victory of faith
could not have been gained without that all-night wrestling. God's
acquaintance is not made hurriedly. He does not bestow His gifts on the
casual or hasty comer and goer. To be much alone with God is the secret
of knowing Him and of influence with Him. He yields to the persistency
of a faith that knows Him. He bestows His richest gifts upon those who
declare their desire for and appreciation of those gifts by the
constancy as well as earnestness of their importunity. Christ, who in
this as well as other things is our Example, spent many whole nights in
prayer. His custom was to pray much. He had His habitual place to pray.
Many long seasons of praying make up His history and character. Paul
prayed day and night. It took time from very important interests for
Daniel to pray three times a day. David's morning, noon, and night
praying were doubtless on many occasions very protracted. While we have
no specific account of the time these Bible saints spent in prayer, yet
the indications are that they consumed much time in prayer, and on some
occasions long seasons of praying was their custom.
We would not have any think that the value of their prayers is to be
measured by the clock, but our purpose is to impress on our minds the
necessity of being much alone with God; and that if this feature has not
been produced by our faith, then our faith is of a feeble and surface
type.
The men who have most fully illustrated Christ in their character, and
have most powerfully affected the world for Him, have been men who spent
so much time with God as to make it a notable feature of their lives.
Charles Simeon devoted the hours from four till eight in the morning to
God. Mr. Wesley spent two hours daily in prayer. He began at four in the
morning. Of him, one who knew him well wrote: "He thought prayer to be
more his business than anything else, and I have seen him come out of
his closet with a serenity of face next to shining." John Fletcher
stained the walls of his room by the breath of his prayers. Sometimes he
would pray all night; always, frequently, and with great earnestness.
His whole life was a life of prayer. "I would not rise from my seat," he
said, "without lifting my heart to God." His greeting to a friend was
always: "Do I meet you praying?" Luther said: "If I fail to spend two
hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the
day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three
hours daily in prayer." He had a motto: "He that has prayed well has
studied well."
Archbishop Leighton was so much alone with God that he seemed to be in a
perpetual meditation. "Prayer and praise were his business and his
pleasure," says his biographer. Bishop Ken was so much with God that his
soul was said to be God-enamoured. He was with God before the clock
struck three every morning. Bishop Asbury said: "I propose to rise at
four o'clock as often as I can and spend two hours in prayer and
meditation." Samuel Rutherford, the fragrance of whose piety is still
rich, rose at three in the morning to meet God in prayer. Joseph Alleine
arose at four o'clock for his business of praying till eight. If he
heard other tradesmen plying their business before he was up, he would
exclaim: "O how this shames me! Doth not my Master deserve more than
theirs?" He who has learned this trade well draws at will, on sight, and
with the acceptance of heaven's unfailing bank.
One of the holiest and most gifted of Scottish preachers says: "I ought
to spend the best hours in communion with God. It is my noblest and most
fruitful employment, and is not to be thrust into a corner. The morning
hours, from six to eight, are the most uninterrupted and should be thus
employed. After tea is my best hour, and that should be solemnly
dedicated to God. I ought not to give up the good old habit of prayer
before going to bed; but guard must be kept against sleep. When I awake
in the night, I ought to rise and pray. A little time after breakfast
might be given to intercession." This was the praying plan of Robert
McCheyne. The memorable Methodist band in their praying shame us. "From
four or five in the morning, private prayer; from five to six in the
evening, private prayer."
John Welch, the holy and wonderful Scotch preacher, thought the day ill
spent if he did not spend eight or ten hours in prayer. He kept a plaid
that he might wrap himself when he arose to pray at night. His wife
would complain when she found him lying on the ground weeping. He would
reply: "O woman I have the souls of three thousand to answer for, and I
know not how it is with many of them!"