‘Tis foolish to pray against sin, and then to sin against prayer; a spiritual prayer, like the spirits of Wine, must be refined, and taken off the Lees and dregs of sin, Mal. 3. 3. That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness: If the heart be holy, this Altar will sanctifie the gift.

7. A spiritual prayer is an humble prayer, Psa. 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Prayer is the asking of an Alms, which requires humility, Luke 18. 13. The Publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a⁷ sinner. Gods incomprehensible glory may even amaze us, and strike an holy consternation into us when we approach nigh to him, Ezra 9. 6. O my God I blush to lift up my face to thee: ‘Tis comely to see a poor nothing lye prostrate at the feet of its Maker, Gen. 18. 27. Behold, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends.

8. A spiritual prayer is when we pray in the name of Christ: To pray in the name of Christ, is not only to name Christ in prayer, but to pray in the hope and confidence of Christs mediation: as a Childe claims his Estate in the right of his Father who purchased it, so we come for mercy in Christs Name, who hath purchased it for us in his bloud; unless we pray thus, we do not pray at all, nay, we rather provoke God; as it was with Uzziah, when he would offer Incense without a Priest, God was angry, and struck him with Leprosie, 2 Chron. 26. 16. So when we do not come in Christs Name in prayer, we offer up Incense without a Priest, and what can we expect but to meet with wrath?

9. A spiritual prayer is when we pray out of love to prayer; A wicked man may pray, but he doth not love prayer, Iob 27. 10. Will he delight himself in the Almighty? A godly man is carried upon the wings of delight; he is never so well as when he is praying; he is not forced with fear, but fired with love, Isa. 56. 7. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer.

10. A spiritual prayer is, when we have spiritual ends in prayer: There is a vast difference between a spiritual prayer, and a carnal desire; the ends of an Hypocrite are secular and carnal; he looks asquint in prayer; it is not the sense of his spiritual wants that moves him, but rather lust, Iam. 4. 3. Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. The sinner prays more for food than Grace; this God doth not interpret praying, but howling, Hosea 7. 14. They howled upon their beds, they assemble for corn and wine. —Da modo lucra mihi.— (Ovid)

Prayers which want a good aim, want a good answer: A godly man hath spiritual ends in prayer; he sends out his prayer, as a Merchant sends out his Ship, that he may have large returns of spiritual blessings; his design in prayer is, that his heart may be more holy, and that he may have more communion with God: A godly man drives the Trade of prayer, that he may encrease the stock of Grace.

11. A spiritual prayer is accompanied with the use of means; there must be […] as well as […]: When Hezekiah was sick, he did not only pray for recovery, but he laid a lump of figs to the boyl, Isa. 38. 21. Thus it is in case of the soul, when we pray against sin, and avoid temptations; when we pray for Grace, and improve opportunities, this is the laying a fig to the boil, which wil make us recover: To pray for holiness, and neglect the means, is like winding up the Clock, and pulling off the weights.

12. A spiritual prayer is that which leaves a spiritual frame behind upon the heart; a Christian is better after prayer, he hath gotten more strength over sin, as a man by exercise gets strength: The heart after prayer keeps a tincture of holiness, as the Vessel savours and relisheth of the Wine that is put into it. Moses having been with God on the Mount, his face shined; so having been on the Mount of prayer, our Graces shine, and our lives shine: This is the sign of a godly man, he prays in the spirit: This is the right kind of praying; the gift of prayer is ordinary, like Culinary fire; but spiritual prayer is more rare and excellent, like Elementary fire which comes from heaven.

Use 1. Is a godly man of a praying spirit?⁸ then this excludes them from being godly,

1. Who pray not at all: Their houses are unhallowed houses; ‘tis made the note of a Reprobate, he calls not upon God, Psal. 14. 4. Doth that indigent creature think to have an Alms who never asks it? Do they think to have mercy from God who never seek it? Truly then God should befriend them more than he did his own Son; he offered up prayers and supplications with strong cryes, Heb. 5. 7. None of Gods Children are tongue tyed, Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father. Creatures by the instinct of Nature cry to God, Psal. 147. 9. The young Ravens which cry: Psal. 104. 21. The Lyons seek their meat from God: Not to cry to God, is worse than bruitish.

2. Others pray, but it is seldome; like that prophane Atheist Heylin speaks of, who told God he was no common begger, he never troubled him before, and if he would hear him now, he would never trouble him again.

3. Others pray, but not in the Holy Ghost, Iude 20. They are rather Parrots, than weeping Doves; their hearts do not melt in prayer; they exercise their invention more then their affection.

Use 2. Use 2. As you would evidence the New-birth, (Exhort) cry Abba Father; be men of prayer; pray at least twice a day: In the Temple there was the Morning and Evening Sacrifice: Daniel prayed three times a day; nay, so did he love prayer, that he would not neglect prayer to save his life, Dan. 6. 10. Luther spent three hours every day in prayer.

Object. But what needs prayer, when God hath made so many promises of blessings?

Answ. Prayer is the condition annexed to the Promise: Promises turn upon the hinge of prayer, Ezek. 36. 37. I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel. A King promiseth a pardon, but it must be sued out. David had a promise that God would build him an house, but he sues out the promise by prayer, 2 Sam. 7. 25. Christ himself had all the promises made sure to him, yet he prayed, and spent whole nights in prayer.

Therefore if you would be counted godly, be given to⁹ Prayer: Prayer sanctifies your mercies, 1 Tim. 4. 5. prayer weeds out sin, and waters Grace.

That I may encourage Christians, and hold up their heads in prayer, as Aaron and Hur held up Moses hands, let me propound these few considerations.

1. Prayer is a seed sown in Gods ears; other seed sown in the ground may be picked up by the Birds, but this seed (especially if watred with tears) is too precious to be lost.

2. Consider the power of prayer: The Apostle having set down the whole Armour of a Christian, brings in prayer as the chief part, Eph. 6. 18. Without this (saith Zanchy) all the rest are little¹⁰ worth: By prayer Moses divided the Red Sea; Ioshua stop’d the course of the Sun, and made it stand still, Iosh. 10. 13. Nay, prayer made the Sun of Righteousness stand still, Luke 18. 40. And Iesus stood still. Prayer is the in-let to all blessings, spiritual and temporal. When Aurelius Antonius went against the Germans, he had in his Army a Regiment of Christians, who upon their earnest prayer, obtained Rain for the refreshment of his Army; and because of the power of their prayers, he called them the Thundering Regiment. Prayer hath a power in it to destroy the insolent Enemies of the Church. We read, the two Witnesses have a flame at their lips; fire proceeds out of their mouths which devoures their Enemies, Rev. 11. 5. This fire is certainly to be interpreted of their¹¹ prayers: David prayed, Lord turn the counsel of Achitophel into foolishness, 2 Sam. 15. 31. This prayer made Achitophel hang himself. Moses prayer against Amalek did more than Ioshua’s Sword: Prayer hath a kind of Omnipotency in it, it hath raised the dead, overcome Angels, cast out Devils; it hath influence upon God (Exod. 32. 10) himself: Iacobs prayer held God· Gen. 32. 26. I will not let thee go till thou bless¹² me. Prayer finds God free, but leaves him bound.

3, Jesus Christ prays over our prayers again; he takes the dross out, and presents nothing but pure gold to his Father. Christ mingles his sweet odours with the prayers of the Saints, Rev. 5. 8. Think of the dignity of his person, he is God; and the sweetness of his Relation, he is a Son: Oh then what encouragement is here for us to pray! Our prayers are put in the hand of a Mediator; though as they come from us they are weak and imperfect, yet as they come from Christ, they are mighty and powerful.

4. The sweet promises which God hath made to prayer, Isa. 30. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry, Ier. 29. 13, 14. Then shall ye go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you; and ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. And Isaiah 65. 24. Before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. These promises keep the head of prayer above water; God is bound with his own promises, as Sampson was bound with his own hair.

Let us then double our files, and with our Saviour, pray yet more earnestly, Luke 22. 44. Let us be importunate Suitors, and resolve with S. Bernard, that we will not come away from God without¹³ God: prayer is a Petarr, which will make heaven gates fly open.

Quest. How shall we do to pray aright?

Answ. Implore the Spirit of God, Iude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost both Indights prayer, and inflames it: God understands no other language but that of his spirit; pray for the Holy Ghost, that you may pray in the Holy Ghost.

Footnotes

1. 12 Character. ↩

2. Oratio est clavis diei. ↩

3. Prius in Capitolium quàm Seratum. Plutarch. ↩

4. Clamor iste penetrat nubes, ac pertingit usque ad aures Dei. Luther. ↩

5. Qui timide rogat docet negare. Seneca. ↩

6. Invoco te Domine quanquam languida & imbecilla fide, tamen fide. Caspar. Cruciger. ↩

7. Quanto cum tremore, quantâ humilitate, accedere debet à Palude sua repens ranuncula vilis Bern. de mod. Orandi. ↩

8. Vse. 1. ↩

9. Deus nunquam frustra quaeritur, imò ne tunc cum inveniri non potest. Bernard. ↩

10. Reliqua arma Parum prosunt. Zanch. ↩

11. […]. Macar. Hom. ↩

12. Precibus suis velut vinculis ligatum tenuit Deum. ↩

13. Nunquam à te Domine absque te recedam. Bern. ↩