our drawing nigh to God aright in prayer, we must have sincerity of
heart: This includes in it much more than what is generally so called,
as opposed to dissimulation, in those who perform some good actions
merely to be seen of men, or who take up religion to answer some base
and vile end, which they have in view; in which respect a sincere person
is one that is no dissembler: But that sincerity, which we are speaking
of, consists in a person’s acting from a principle of grace implanted in
regeneration; or when a person can appeal to God, as Job does, _Thou
knowest that I am not wicked_, Job x. 7. that is, that there is no
reigning sin, whereby my heart is alienated from, or set against thee. A
sincere person is such an one as our Saviour describes, when he speaks
of Nathaniel, and gives him this character, _Behold an Israelite indeed,
in whom is no guile_, John i. 48. In this case a person’s heart and
actions go together; and he may truly say, as David does, _attend unto
my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips_,
Psal. xvii. 1. Thus concerning the graces that are to be exercised in
prayer, and what is necessary in order thereunto.
What is farther observed concerning this duty, is, that we are to
persevere in prayer; resolving not to desist from waiting on God
therein, whatever seeming discouragements may, at present, lie in our
way. Prayer is not a duty to be performed only at some certain times, as
the prophet speaks of those who, _in their affliction will seek God
early_, Hos. v. 15. or, as the mariners in Jonah, who _cried, every man
unto his god_, in a storm; though it is probable, they seldom prayed at
other times, Jon. i. 5. But we are to _pray always with all prayer and
supplication, and_ to _watch thereunto with all perseverance_, Eph. vi.
18. that is, we ought always to endeavour to be in a praying frame, and,
on all occasions, to lift up our hearts to God for direction,
assistance, and success in every thing we do, agreeable to his will, and
for a supply of those wants which daily recur upon us.
_1st_, By reason of the deadness and stupidity of our spirits, which we
cannot bring into a suitable frame for the discharge of this duty; and
therefore we are ready to conclude, that while we draw nigh to God with
our lips, our hearts are far from him. This is, indeed, a very
afflictive case; but we ought not from hence, to take occasion to lay
aside the duty but rather depend on the assistance of the Spirit, to
enable us to perform it in a right manner.
_2dly_, Another discouraging circumstance is, God’s denying us sensible
returns of prayer, which he may do for various reasons. Sometimes he
sees those defects that we are guilty of in prayer, which he is obliged
to testify his displeasure against; and this he sometimes does by hiding
himself, or, as it were, withdrawing from us, and, in all appearance,
shutting out our prayers, that we may take occasion to search out the
secret sin that lies at the root thereof; which we must confess and be
humbled for. Thus when Joshua, after a small defeat, which Israel had
received by the men of Ai, fell upon his face, and spread the matter
before the Lord in prayer, God condescends to tell him the reason of it;
‘Get thee up, wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath
sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded
them; for they have even taken of the accursed thing; therefore could
they not stand before their enemies,’ Josh. vii. 10-12. And when the sin
was discovered, and Achan, who troubled them punished, what he asked for
was granted. Again, God may deny an immediate answer to prayer, out of
his mere sovereignty, that hereby we may know, that it is not for us to
prescribe to him the time or way in which he shall dispense those
benefits, which are not owing to our merit, but his free grace.
_3dly_, Sometimes we pray, but do not use other means, which God has
appointed for the obtaining the blessing! Thus, when Israel was
disheartened, being pursued by Pharaoh and his host, and did not care to
move out of their places, Moses addresses himself to God in prayer, and
_the Lord said unto him, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the
children of Israel, that they go forward_; and then he ordered him to
_lift up his rod, and stretch it over the sea, and divide it, that they
might go through the midst thereof on dry ground_, Exod. xiv. 15, 16. We
are not only to pray, but to use other means that God has appointed;
without which, we cannot expect that prayer should be answered. Thus
Hezekiah, when sick, prayed to God, who assured him, that he had heard
his prayers, and would heal him; nevertheless, he was to use the means
which God had ordered, by _taking a lump of figs and laying it on the
boil_; which he did accordingly, and was restored to health, Isa.
xxxviii. 21. Do we pray for a comfortable subsistence in the world? we
must, if we expect that God should answer us, use industry in our
callings, as well as own him by prayer and supplications. Do we pray for
any of the graces of the Spirit in order to the beginning or carrying on
the work of sanctification? we must, at the same time, attend on the
means of grace, which God has ordained for that purpose: Or, do we pray
for assurance of the love of God, and that spiritual comfort which is
the result thereof? we must be diligent in the performance of the work
of self-examination; or else we are not to expect that God will answer
our prayers.
_4thly_, Sometimes God delays to answer our prayers, because we have not
given him the glory of former mercies; or else he designs hereby to try
our patience, whether we are not only inclined to wait upon him, but to
wait for him; as the prophet says, _I will stand upon my watch, and set
me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and
what I shall answer when I am reproved_, Hab. ii. 1. So the Psalmist
says, _As the eye of servants look unto the hands of their masters, and
the eyes of a maiden unto the hands of her mistress; so our eyes wait
upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us_, Psal. cxxiii.
2. And elsewhere the Psalmist, though he was in great _depths_, and
stood in need of an immediate answer, when he cried unto the Lord; yet
he determines to _wait for him_, and _hope in his word_; that is, while
he is expecting a mercy, he does not despair of having it in the end,
because he depends on God’s word of promise; but yet he resolves to
_wait as those that watch for the morning_, Psal. cxxx. 1, 5, 6, which
contains a mixture of two graces, namely, patiently waiting, and yet
earnestly desiring the blessing expected. This is our indispensable
duty, whereby we glorify God, as being sensible that it is not for us to
prescribe to him, when he should fulfil our desires: Whereas we should
say, with Jacob, _I will not let thee go, except thou bless me_, Gen.
xxxii. 26. I will persevere in prayer till thou art pleased to give me
all the blessings I stand in need of, and bring me into that state in
which I shall be satisfied with thy goodness, and my imperfect prayers
turned into endless praises.
Footnote 108:
_Many suppose that all those Psalms, in which some particular
expressions are referred to in the New Testament, as having their
accomplishment in Christ, are to be understood as containing a double
reference, namely, to David, as denoting his particular case, and to
Christ, of whom he was an eminent type. But as for Psalm xxii. there
are several expressions in it, not only applied to Christ in the New
Testament; but they cannot well be understood of any other but him. In
the first verse he uses the same words that were uttered by Christ on
the cross, Matt. xxvii. 46. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
and in ver. 8. he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him; let
him deliver him: This was an expression used by those who mocked and
derided him, Matt. xxvii. 41, 45. And what is said in verses 14, 17.
All my bones are out of joint; I may tell them, they look and stare
upon me; does not seem to be applicable to David, from any thing said
concerning him elsewhere; but they are a lively representation of the
torment a person endures, when hanging on a cross, as our Saviour did;
which has a tendency to disjoint the bones, and cause them to stick
out. And when it is said, ver. 16, 18. they pierced my hands and my
feet; and they part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my
vesture; the former was fulfilled in Christ’s being nailed to the
cross, and his side pierced with a spear; and the latter is expressly
referred to as fulfilled in the parting of Christ’s garments, and
casting lots upon his vesture, Matt. xxvii. 35. as an accomplishment
of what was foretold, by the royal prophet in this Psalm. These
expressions cannot, in the least, be applied to David, but are to be
understood of our Saviour; therefore, we may conclude that those words
in ver. 6. I am a worm, &c. are particularly applied to him._
Footnote 109:
What under one aspect is grace, under another is duty.
Quest. CLXXXVI., CLXXXVII.
QUEST. CLXXXVI. _What rule hath God given for our direction in the
duty of prayer?_
ANSW. The whole word of God is of use to direct us in the duty of
praying; but the special rule of direction, is that form of prayer,
which our Saviour Christ taught his disciples, commonly called the
Lord’s prayer.
QUEST. CLXXXVII. _How is the Lord’s prayer to be used?_
ANSW. The Lord’s prayer is not only for direction, as a pattern,
according to which we are to make other prayers, but may also be
used as a prayer, so that it be done with understanding, faith,
reverence, and other graces necessary to the right performance of
the duty.
As to what is said in the former of these answers, concerning the word
of God, being a rule for our direction in prayer, it may be observed,
I. That we need some direction in order to our performing this duty; for
man is naturally a stranger both to God and himself. He knows but little
of the glorious perfections of the divine nature, and is not duly
sensible of the guilt which he contracts, or of the mercies which he
receives; and without the knowledge hereof, we shall be at a loss as to
the matter of the duty which we are to engage in. It is certain, many
have a general notion of religion, or of some moral duties, which they
are sensible of their being obliged to perform: Nevertheless, they
cannot address themselves to God in such a manner as he requires; so
that it may truly be said of them, that _they cannot order their speech
by reason of darkness_, Job xxxvii. 19. We find that the disciples
themselves, who were intimately conversant with Christ, and, as it must
be supposed, often joined with him in prayer, were, notwithstanding, at
a loss, as to this duty; and therefore they say, _Lord teach us to pray,
as John also taught his disciples_, Luke xi. 1.
II. It is farther observed, that the word of God is to be made use of
for our direction in prayer. This is evident, inasmuch as we are to ask
for nothing but what is agreeable to his revealed will, which is
contained therein; and no one, who is well acquainted with it, will have
reason to say, that he wants sufficient matter for prayer. This is a
very useful head, and therefore we shall consider several things which
occur to us in scripture; which ought to be improved, in order to our
direction and assistance in the performance of this duty. And,
1. The historical parts of scripture, which contain an account of the
providences of God in the world, and the church, may be of use for our
direction in prayer, as we are to pray, not only for ourselves, but for
others: Therefore his former dealings with his people, will furnish us
with matter accommodated to our present observation of the necessities
of the church of God in our day: Accordingly we find,
(1.) That the sins which a professing people have committed, have been
followed with many terrible instances of the divine wrath and vengeance:
Thus we have an account, of the universal apostacy of the world from
God, which occasioned their being destroyed by a flood; and the
unnatural lusts of the inhabitants of Sodom, for which they were
consumed by fire from heaven; and of the idolatry and other abominations
committed by the Israelites, for which it is said, that _God was wroth,
and greatly abhorred them_; upon which they were exposed to many
temporal and spiritual judgments, so that, as the Psalmist says, _he
forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh, the tent which he placed among men;
and delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the
enemies hand_, Psal. lxxviii. 59-61. From hence we may take occasion to
enquire, whether we have not been guilty of sins equally great, and, it
may be, of the same kind, which are to be confessed, and the judgments
which have ensued to be deprecated by us? And when we read in the New
Testament, of some flourishing churches, planted by the apostles, in the
beginning of the gospel dispensation, that have nothing left but a sad
remembrance of the privileges which they once enjoyed; in whom, what
Christ says, concerning his removing _his candlestick out of its place_,
was soon fulfilled, Rev. iii. 15. This is of use for our direction in
prayer, that he would keep his church and people from running into the
same sins, and exposing themselves to the same judgments.
(2.) We have an account, in scripture, of the church’s increase and
preservation, notwithstanding the darkest dispensations of providence,
and the most violent persecutions which it has met with from its
enemies. When it was in hard bondage, and severely dealt with, in Egypt,
it is observed, that the more the Egyptians _afflicted them, the more
they multiplied and grew_, Exod. i. 12. and when they have, in all
appearance, been nearest to ruin, God has opened a door for their
deliverance, and oftentimes done great things in their behalf, which
they looked not for. We have also an historical account, in scripture,
of God’s owning and encouraging his people, so long as they have kept
close to him; and of his visiting their iniquities with a rod, when
backsliding from him; and, indeed, whatever we read concerning the
providences of God towards particular believers in the Old or New
Testament, the same may be observed therein, which is of very great use
for our direction in prayer; and accordingly their experiences are
recorded for our instruction, and their necessities, that we may know
what to pray for, as far as there is an agreement between the account we
have of them, and what we find in ourselves.
2. The word of God, as it is a rule of faith, contains those great
doctrines, without the knowledge whereof, we cannot pray aright. Thus we
have an account in scripture, not only of the Being and perfections of
God, which may be known by the light of nature, but of those glorious
truths which cannot be known but by divine revelation: And,
(1.) Of the personal glory of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; of the
Father’s giving all spiritual blessings to his people, in and through a
Mediator; and the Son is considered as invested in this office and
character, and, as God incarnate procuring for us, by his obedience and
death, forgiveness of sins, and a right to eternal life. We have also an
account of the Holy Ghost, as being a divine person, and therefore equal
with the Father and Son; yet as subservient to them in his method of
acting, as the application of redemption attains the end of the purchase
thereof, in like manner as the purchase of it was a means to bring about
that _purpose and grace which was given us in Christ before the world
began_, 2 Tim. i. 9. These doctrines are necessary to direct us in those
things which respect the distinct glory which we are to give to the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the method in which we are to hope for
the blessings which we ask for in prayer. Thus the apostle, speaking of
this duty, supposes that we are acquainted with this doctrine, when he
says, _Through him_, that is, Christ, _we have an access by one Spirit
unto the Father_, Eph. ii. 18.
(2.) In the word of God, we have not only an account of the works of
nature and providence, or God’s being the Creator and Governor of the
world, which we have some knowledge of, in a method of reasoning from
the divine perfections; but we have an account therein of those works
which have an immediate reference to our salvation, and that special
providence in which God expresses a greater regard to the heirs of
salvation than to all the world besides: When we draw nigh to God in
prayer, we are not barely to consider him as the God to whom we owe our
being, as men, but our well-being as christians, delivered from that
ruin which we brought on ourselves, by our apostacy from him; and also,
_what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward, who believe,
according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in
Christ, when he raised him from the dead_, chap. i. 18, 19. as the
apostle expresses it in that affectionate prayer put up for the church
at Ephesus. And when we survey the works of providence, we are not
barely to think of God as the Governor of the world in general, but to
consider what have been those special acts of providence, by which he
has governed man before and since the fall, and to consider the first
covenant as made with him in innocency; and the covenant of grace, as
being a dispensation of grace, established in and with Christ, as the
Head of the elect, in order to their being delivered from that state of
sin and misery into which they had brought themselves. These doctrines
will be of use for our direction in prayer, as hereby we are led to
acknowledge our fallen state, what we were by nature, and what we should
have been, had we been left in that state; and hereby we are also led to
adore the riches of God’s grace, as he brings the greatest good to his
saints out of the greatest evil.
(3.) The word of God gives us a distinct account of the offices in which
Christ is invested, as they are suited to the necessities of his people,
which is a means for our direction concerning what we are to ask for,
with a particular relation to each of them, and the hope we have that he
will grant our request. As he is appointed by the Father, to be our High
Priest, to make atonement for sin; our Advocate, to plead our cause; our
Prophet, to lead us in the way of salvation; and our King, to subdue us
to himself, and defend us from the assaults of our spiritual enemies. So
we are, in our prayers, to improve these discoveries which we have
thereof, as a means to direct us in those things which are the
subject-matter both of prayer and praise.
4. The word of God is of use for our direction in prayer, as we have an
account therein of those duties which are to be performed by us as men,
or christians, in every condition of life, and in all those relations
which we stand in to one another. As for that which is matter of duty in
general, or that obedience which we owe to God, this cannot be performed
but by his assistance; which is humbly to be asked in prayer: And
accordingly we are to say as one does, Lord, work in me that which thou
requirest, and then require what thou pleasest. Here we might shew how
all the duties which God has commanded, may be of use to direct us in
prayer: that hereby we may be led to apply ourselves to him, that he
would enable us to perform them; and all the sins forbidden in
scripture, may be of use to instruct us what to deprecate, when we pray
that God would keep us from our own iniquities, and what we are to
confess before him, and implore the forgiveness of; and all those
commands which respect instituted worship, _viz._ our attendance on the
ordinances, or the exercise of various graces therein, in the whole
course of our conversation: These are of use for our direction in
prayer, as hereby we know what to ask for, with relation thereunto; and
particularly as to what concerns the advantage we hope to receive, under
the means of grace, whenever we draw nigh to God in the way which he has
appointed.
5. As the word of God contains many promises and predictions, together
with their accomplishment, for the encouragement of our faith and hope
in prayer, it is of use to direct us in the performance of this duty. As
for the predictions that are fulfilled, so far as they respect the
blessings which God designed to bestow on his church, they are
equivalent to promises, and we are to take occasion from thence, to
adore and magnify his faithfulness; and hope that whatever remains to be
done for us, or his people in general, shall, in like manner, have its
accomplishment, which will afford matter of encouragement to us in
addressing ourselves to him for it.
The promises which are contained in scripture, are also a motive and
inducement to prayer. These are a declaration of God’s will to give the
blessings, which he sees necessary for us, and therefore are of great
use in order to our performing this duty aright. Thus God gives an
intimation of the great things that he will do for, or bestow upon his
people, when he says, in Jer. xxxi. 33. _I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and
they shall be people_: and there are many expressions of the like
nature, which contain the form of a promise. But besides these, there
are others which are equivalent to, and may be applied by us in like
manner as though they were laid down in the same form, as the promises
generally are; as,
(1.) When God is said, in his word, to be able to do his people good, or
bestow some particular blessings upon them, this gives them ground to
conclude, that he will do it, or that his power shall be engaged in
their behalf: Thus God is said, in Jude, ver. 24. to be _able to keep_
them _from falling, and to present them faultless before the presence of
his glory with exceeding joy_. And elsewhere it is said, 2 Cor. ix. 8.
that _God is able to make all grace abound towards_ his people, _that_
they _always having all-sufficiency in all things, may abound to every
good work_: This is the same as though it had been said, that he would
do this for them.
(2.) When God is said to glorify any of his perfections in giving those
blessings that his people want, this is also equivalent to a promise:
Thus, in Exod. xxxiv. 4, 6. when _the Lord passed by before Moses, and
proclaimed the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth_, &c. it is the same as though he had
said that he would shew mercy to them, since the design thereof is to
encourage them to hope for it.
(3.) Whatever blessings are said to be purchased by Christ as our
Redeemer, or prayed for by him as our Advocate, these may be included in
the number of promised blessings; for they will certainly be applied by
him, who will not lose what he has purchased by his blood, and is never
denied what he asks for.
(4.) The universal experience of believers, relating to the blessings
that accompany salvation, contains the nature, though not the form, of a
promise; and therefore, when this is recorded in scripture, for the
encouragement of others, in all succeeding ages, it is as much to be
applied by us when we are in like circumstances as though it were more
directly promised to us: Thus when God’s faithful servants are said, 1
Pet. i. 5. to be _kept by the power of God, through faith unto
salvation_; or, when the Psalmist says, in Psal. xxxvii. 25. _I have
been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread_; these, and such-like expressions, are to be
applied by us as promises.
(5.) That which is proposed to us, or which we are to have in view, as
the end of our attending on ordinances, is equivalent to a promise; and
accordingly, when we are commanded or encouraged to hope and pray for
any spiritual blessings, when waiting upon God therein, in such a way as
he requires, it is the same thing as though he had said, that he would
give us those blessings. If a believer is thirsty, and encouraged to
come to the waters; or if he wants grace or peace, and is told that
these are to be attained in ordinances, the bare intimation that we are
to seek these blessings in such a way is equivalent to a promise.