Section 12

12. A godly man is a praying man: This is in the Text, Every one that is godly shall pray unto thee. As soon as Grace is poured in; prayer is poured out, Psalm 109 verse 4. But I give my self to prayer; in the Hebrew it is, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]but I prayer: Prayer and I are all one; Prayer is the Souls traffic with heaven; God comes down to us by his Spirit, and we go up to him by prayer. Caligula placed his Effigies in the Capitol, whispering in Jupiters ear; prayer whispers in Gods ear. A godly man cannot live without prayer: A man cannot live unless he takes his breath; not can the Soul, unless it breathes forth its desires to God: As soon as the Babe of Grace is born it cries; no sooner was Paul converted, but, behold he prayeth, Acts 9 verse 11. No doubt he prayed before being a Pharisee, but it was either superficially, or superstitiously; but when the work of Grace had passed upon his soul, behold, now, he prays: A godly man is every day upon the Mount of Prayer; he begins the day with prayer, before he opens his shop, he opens his heart to God. We use to burn sweet perfumes in our houses; a godly mans house is domus aromatum, an house of perfume, he airs it with the incense of prayer; he engages in no business without seeking God: Scipio never entered into the Senate House, but first he ascended the Capitol, where he did his devotion: A godly man consults with God in every thing, he asks his leave, and his blessing: The Grecians asked counsel at their Oracles; so does a godly man enquire at the Divine Oracle, Genesis 24 verse 12. 1 Samuel 23 verses 3, 4. A true Saint continually shoots up his heart to heaven by sacred ejaculations.

Question. Is Prayer a sign of a godly man, may not a hypocrite pray eloquently, and with seeming devotion?

Answer. He may, Isaiah 58 verse 2. they seek me daily; but a hypocrite does not pray [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], in the spirit, Ephesians 6 verse 18. A man may have the gift of prayer, and not have the spirit of prayer.

Question. How shall we know that we have the Spirit of Prayer?

Answer. When the prayer which we make is spiritual.

Question. What is it to make a Spiritual Prayer?

Answer. 1. When we pray with knowledge; under the Law, Aaron was to light the Lamps, when he burned the Incense upon the Altar, Exodus 30 verse 7. Incense did typify prayer, and the lighting of the Lamps did typify knowledge; when the Incense of prayer burns, the Lamp of knowledge must be lighted, 1 Corinthians 14 verse 15. I will pray with the understanding. We must know the Majesty and Holiness of God, that we may be deeply affected with reverence when we come before him; we must put up such Petitions as are exactly adequate and agreeable to Gods will. Ecclesiastes 5 verse 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, to utter any thing before God: The Lord would not have the blind offered to him, Malachi 1 verse 8. How can we pray with affection, when we do not pray with judgment? The Papists pray in an unknown tongue; Christ may reply to them as he did to the Mother of Zebedee's Children, Matthew 20 verse 22. Ye ask ye know not what. He that prays he knows not how, shall be heard he knows not when.

2. A spiritual prayer is, when the heart and spirit pray; there are not only words but desires: It is excellent when a man can say, Lord, my heart prays, 1 Samuel 1 verse 13. Hannah prayed in her heart: The sound of a Trumpet comes from within; and the excellent Music of Prayer comes from within the heart; if the heart does not go along in duty, it is speaking, not praying.

3. A spiritual Prayer is a fervent Prayer, James 5 verse 16. An effectual fervent prayer prevails much. The heart, like the Primum Mobile, should carry the affections in a most zealous and rapid manner; fervency is the wing of Prayer, by which it ascends to heaven; Prayer is expressed by sighs and groans, Romans 8 verse 26. It is not so much the gifts of the spirit, as the groans of the spirit God likes: Prayer is called a wrestling, Genesis 32 verse 24. and a pouring out of the Soul, 1 Samuel 1 verse 15. Prayer is compared to Incense, Psalm 141 verse 2. Incense without fire makes no sweet smell; Prayer without fervency, is like Incense without fire: Christ prayed with strong cries and tears, Hebrews 5 verse 7. crying Prayer prevails: When the heart is inflamed in Prayer, a Christian is carried as it were in a Fiery Chariot up to heaven.

4. A Spiritual Prayer is such as comes from a broken heart, Psalm 51 verse 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. The Incense was to be beaten, to typify the breaking of the heart in Prayer: It is not the voluble tongue, but the melting heart God accepts: Oh saith a Christian, I cannot pray as others; as Moses said to the Lord, I am not eloquent: But can you weep and sigh? Does your soul melt out at your eyes? God accepts broken expressions, when they come from broken hearts. I have read of a Plant that bears no fruit, but it weeps forth a kind of Gum which is very costly: So, though you do not flourish with those gifts and expressions as others, yet if you can weep forth tears from a contrite heart, these are exceeding precious to God, and he will put them in his bottle. Jacob wept in prayer, and had power over the Angel, Hosea 12 verse 4.

5. A spiritual Prayer is a believing Prayer, Matthew 21 verse 22. Whatever ye shall ask in prayer believing, ye shall receive: The reason why so many Prayers suffer shipwreck, is because they split against the Rock of unbelief; Praying without Faith, is shooting without bullets: When Faith takes Prayer by the hand, then we draw near to God; we should come to God in Prayer; as the Leper, Matthew 8 verse 2. Lord if thou wilt, thou canst heal me: It is a disparagement to Deity, to have such a whisper in the heart, that Gods ear is heavy, and cannot hear: What is said of the people of Israel, may be applied to Prayer, It could not enter in, because of unbelief.

6. A Spiritual Prayer is a holy Prayer, 1 Timothy 2 verse 8. Wherefore lift up pure hands: Prayer must be offered upon the Altar of a pure heart; sin lived in, makes the heart hard, and Gods ear deaf; sin stops the mouth of Prayer, it does as the Thief to the Traveler, puts a Gag in his mouth, that he cannot speak; sin poisons and infects prayer: A wicked mans prayer is sick of the Plague, and will God come near him? The Lodestone loses its virtue, when it is spread with Garlic: so does prayer, when it is polluted with sin, Psalm 66 verse 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

It is 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, Malachi 3 verse 3. That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness: If the heart be holy, this Altar will sanctify the gift.

7. A spiritual prayer is a humble prayer, Psalm 10 verse 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble. Prayer is the asking of an Alms, which requires humility, Luke 18 verse 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 a sinner. Gods incomprehensible glory may even amaze us, and strike a holy consternation into us when we approach nigh to him, Ezra 9 verse 6. O my God I blush to lift up my face to thee: It is comely to see a poor nothing lie prostrate at the feet of its Maker, Genesis 18 verse 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 Christ's mediation: as a Child claims his Estate in the right of his Father who purchased it, so we come for mercy in Christ's Name, who has purchased it for us in his blood; 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 Leprosy, 2 Chronicles 26 verse 16. So when we do not come in Christ's 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 does not love prayer, Job 27 verse 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, Isaiah 56 verse 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 a 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, James 4 verse 3. Ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. The sinner prays more for food than Grace; this God does not interpret praying, but howling, Hosea 7 verse 14. They howled upon their beds, they assemble for corn and wine.—Da modo lucra mihi.—

Prayers which want a good aim, want a good answer: A godly man has 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 increase the stock of Grace.

11. A spiritual prayer is accompanied with the use of means; there must be [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉] as well as [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉]: When Hezekiah was sick, he did not only pray for recovery, but he laid a lump of figs to the boil, Isaiah 38 verse 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 will 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 has gotten more strength over sin, as a man by exercise gets strength: The heart after prayer keeps a tincture of holiness, as the Vessel savors and relishes 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? then this excludes them from being godly,

1. Who pray not at all: Their houses are unhallowed houses; it is made the note of a Reprobate, he calls not upon God, Psalm 14 verse 4. Does 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 cries, Hebrews 5 verse 7. None of Gods Children are tongue tied, Galatians 4 verse 6. Because ye are sons, God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father. Creatures by the instinct of Nature cry to God, Psalm 147 verse 9. The young Ravens which cry: Psalm 104 verse 21. The Lions seek their meat from God: Not to cry to God, is worse than brutish.

2. Others pray, but it is seldom; like that profane Atheist Heylin speaks of, who told God he was no common beggar, 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, Jude 20. They are rather Parrots, than weeping Doves; their hearts do not melt in prayer; they exercise their invention more than their affection.

Use 2. As you would evidence the New-birth, 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, Daniel 6. 10. Luther spent three hours every day in prayer.

Objection. But what needs prayer, when God has made so many promises of blessings?

Answer. Prayer is the condition annexed to the Promise: Promises turn upon the hinge of prayer, Ezekiel 36. 37. I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel. A King promises a pardon, but it must be sued out. David had a promise that God would build him a house, but he sues out the promise by prayer, 2 Samuel 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 to Prayer: Prayer sanctifies your mercies, 1 Timothy 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 God's ears; other seed sown in the ground may be picked up by the Birds, but this seed (especially if watered 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, Ephesians 6. 18. Without this (says Zanchy) all the rest are little worth: By prayer Moses divided the Red Sea; Joshua stopped the course of the Sun, and made it stand still, Joshua 10. 13. Nay, prayer made the Sun of Righteousness stand still, Luke 18. 40. And Jesus stood still. Prayer is the inlet to all blessings, spiritual and temporal. When Aurelius Antoninus 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 has 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 devours their Enemies, Revelation 11. 5. This fire is certainly to be interpreted of their prayers: David prayed, Lord turn the counsel of Achitophel into foolishness, 2 Samuel 15. 31. This prayer made Achitophel hang himself. Moses' prayer against Amalek did more than Joshua's Sword: Prayer has a kind of Omnipotency in it, it has raised the dead, overcome Angels, cast out Devils; it has influence upon God himself: Jacob's prayer held God, Genesis 32. 26. I will not let thee go till thou bless 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 odors with the prayers of the Saints, Revelation 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 has made to prayer, Isaiah 30. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry, Jeremiah 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 Samson was bound with his own hair.

Let us then double our files, and with our Savior, pray yet more earnestly, Luke 22. 44. Let us be importunate Suitors, and resolve with Saint Bernard, that we will not come away from God without God: prayer is a Petard, which will make heaven gates fly open.

Question. How shall we do to pray rightly?

Answer. Implore the Spirit of God, Jude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost both indites 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.

12. A godly man is a praying man. This is stated in the text: Everyone that is godly shall pray to You. As soon as grace is poured in, prayer is poured out. Psalm 109:4: But I am prayer — in the Hebrew, I am prayer itself; prayer and I are one. Prayer is the soul's commerce with heaven — God comes down to us by His Spirit, and we go up to Him by prayer. Caligula placed his statue in the Capitol, whispering in Jupiter's ear — prayer whispers in God's ear. A godly man cannot live without prayer, just as a person cannot live without breathing. The soul cannot live unless it breathes out its desires to God. As soon as the newborn child of grace arrives, it cries — no sooner was Paul converted than Scripture says: Behold, he is praying, as Acts 9:11 shows. No doubt he prayed before, as a Pharisee, but it was either superficial or superstitious. When the work of grace had passed through his soul, now — truly — he prayed. A godly man spends time every day on the mountain of prayer. He begins the day with prayer — before he opens his shop, he opens his heart to God. We burn sweet fragrances in our homes; a godly man's home is a house of incense — he fills it with the fragrance of prayer. He engages in no business without first seeking God. Scipio never entered the Senate house without first going up to the Capitol to offer his devotion. A godly man consults God in everything — he asks His permission and His blessing. The Greeks sought counsel from their oracles; in the same way, a godly man inquires of the divine Oracle, as Genesis 24:12 and 1 Samuel 23:3-4 show. A true saint constantly sends up his heart to heaven through brief, spontaneous prayers.

Question: Is prayer a sign of a godly man? Can a hypocrite not pray eloquently and with apparent devotion?

Answer: He can. Isaiah 58:2: They seek Me daily. But a hypocrite does not pray in the Spirit, as Ephesians 6:18 says. A person can have the gift of prayer without having the spirit of prayer.

Question: How do we know that we have the spirit of prayer?

Answer: When the prayer we make is spiritual.

Question: What does it mean to pray a spiritual prayer?

Answer: 1. When we pray with understanding. Under the Old Testament law, Aaron was to light the lamps when he burned incense on the altar, as Exodus 30:7 says. The incense pictured prayer, and the lighting of the lamps pictured knowledge — when the incense of prayer burns, the lamp of knowledge must be lit. 1 Corinthians 14:15: I will pray with the understanding. We must know the majesty and holiness of God so that we are moved with genuine reverence when we come before Him. We must bring petitions that align exactly with God's will. Ecclesiastes 5:2: Do not be hasty with your mouth or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter before God. God refused to accept what was blind and defective, as Malachi 1:8 says. How can we pray with real feeling when we do not pray with understanding? Roman Catholics pray in an unknown language. Christ could reply to them as He did to the mother of Zebedee's sons: Matthew 20:22: You do not know what you are asking. The person who prays without knowing what he asks will be heard he knows not when.

2. A spiritual prayer is one in which the heart and spirit pray — not only words, but genuine desire. It is wonderful when a person can say: Lord, my heart prays. 1 Samuel 1:13: Hannah prayed in her heart. The sound of a trumpet comes from within; and the finest music of prayer comes from within the heart. If the heart does not go along with the act, it is speaking, not praying.

3. A spiritual prayer is a fervent prayer. James 5:16: The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much. The heart, like the first mover in the old astronomical model, should carry the affections along in the most zealous and vigorous way. Fervency is the wing of prayer — it is what carries prayer upward to heaven. Prayer is expressed through sighs and groans, as Romans 8:26 says. It is not so much the eloquence of the spirit as the groans of the spirit that God values. Prayer is called a wrestling in Genesis 32:24, and a pouring out of the soul in 1 Samuel 1:15. Prayer is compared to incense in Psalm 141:2. Incense without fire produces no sweet smell — prayer without fervency is like incense without fire. Christ prayed with strong crying and tears, as Hebrews 5:7 says — crying prayer prevails. When the heart is on fire in prayer, a Christian is carried as if in a fiery chariot straight up to heaven.

4. A spiritual prayer is one that rises from a broken heart. Psalm 51:17: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. The incense in the tabernacle was to be ground fine, picturing the breaking of the heart in prayer. It is not the fluent tongue but the melting heart that God accepts. A Christian may say: I cannot pray as others can — as Moses said to God: I am not eloquent. But can you weep and sigh? Does your soul pour out through your eyes? God accepts broken expressions when they come from broken hearts. I have read of a plant that bears no fruit, but it weeps out a kind of gum that is very precious. In the same way, though you do not flourish with the gifts and expressions of others, if you can weep tears from a contrite heart, these are exceedingly precious to God, and He will put them in His bottle. Jacob wept in prayer and prevailed with the angel, as Hosea 12:4 says.

5. A spiritual prayer is a believing prayer. Matthew 21:22: Whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. The reason so many prayers sink and are lost is that they crash against the rock of unbelief. Praying without faith is shooting without a bullet. When faith takes prayer by the hand, we draw near to God. We should come to God in prayer as the leper did: Matthew 8:2: Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean. It dishonors God to have even a whisper in the heart suggesting that His ear is heavy and He cannot hear. What was said of Israel in the wilderness can be applied to prayerless prayer — it could not enter in, because of unbelief.

6. A spiritual prayer is a holy prayer. 1 Timothy 2:8: Lift up holy hands. Prayer must be offered on the altar of a pure heart. Sin that is lived in makes the heart hard and God's ear deaf. Sin stops the mouth of prayer the way a robber gags a traveler — it keeps him from speaking. Sin poisons and contaminates prayer. A wicked man's prayer is infected with plague — and will God come near it? A magnet loses its power when coated with garlic, and prayer loses its power when polluted with sin. Psalm 66:18: If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

It is senseless to pray against sin, and then to sin against prayer. A spiritual prayer, like distilled spirits, must be refined and separated from the dregs of sin. Malachi 3:3: That they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. If the heart is holy, this altar will sanctify the offering.

7. A spiritual prayer is a humble prayer. Psalm 10:17: Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble. Prayer is the asking of a gift, which calls for humility. Luke 18:13: The tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, God, be merciful to me, a sinner! God's incomprehensible glory can strike us with holy awe when we draw near to Him. Ezra 9:6: O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to You. There is something right and beautiful about a creature lying prostrate at the feet of its Maker. Genesis 18:27: Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. The lower the heart descends, the higher the prayer ascends.

8. A spiritual prayer is praying in the name of Christ. To pray in Christ's name is not merely to mention His name in prayer, but to pray in reliance on His intercession. Just as a child claims his inheritance in the right of his father who secured it, we come for mercy in Christ's name — He has purchased it for us with His blood. Unless we pray in this way, we are not truly praying at all — in fact, we provoke God. It was the same with Uzziah, who tried to offer incense without a priest and God struck him with leprosy, as 2 Chronicles 26:16 says. When we do not come in Christ's name in prayer, we are offering incense without a priest — and what can we expect but to encounter wrath?

9. A spiritual prayer is one offered out of love for prayer. A wicked man may pray, but he does not love to pray. Job 27:10: Will he delight himself in the Almighty? A godly man is carried on wings of delight — he is never better than when he is praying. He is not driven by fear but fired by love. Isaiah 56:7: I will make them joyful in My house of prayer.

10. A spiritual prayer is one offered with spiritual aims. There is a vast difference between a spiritual prayer and a self-centered request. The hypocrite's aims are worldly and fleshly — he looks sideways in prayer. It is not a sense of his spiritual needs that drives him, but desire. James 4:3: You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. The sinner prays more for food than for grace. God does not regard this as praying but as howling. Hosea 7:14: They cry to Me, but do not cry out to Me from the heart, but wail upon their beds for grain and wine. Just give me the profit.

Prayers with no good aim receive no good answer. A godly man has spiritual aims in prayer. He sends out his prayer as a merchant sends out his ship — expecting great returns of spiritual blessing. His purpose in prayer is that his heart may be made holier and that he may have deeper communion with God. A godly man keeps the trade of prayer going in order to grow the stock of grace.

11. A spiritual prayer is accompanied by the use of means. We need both prayer and practical action working together. When Hezekiah was sick, he not only prayed for recovery but also applied a poultice of figs to the boil, as Isaiah 38:21 says. It is the same with the soul — when we pray against sin and also avoid temptation, when we pray for grace and also make use of every opportunity, this is the applying of the fig poultice, which will bring healing. To pray for holiness while neglecting the means is like winding up a clock and then pulling off the weights.

12. A spiritual prayer is one that leaves the heart in a spiritual condition afterward. A Christian is better after prayer — he has gained more strength over sin, just as a person gains physical strength through exercise. After prayer the heart retains a tint of holiness, as a vessel keeps the scent of the wine that has been in it. When Moses had been with God on the mountain, his face shone. In the same way, having been on the mountain of prayer, our graces shine and our lives shine. This is the mark of a godly man — he prays in the Spirit. This is the right kind of prayer. The gift of prayer is common, like ordinary fire used in a kitchen. But spiritual prayer is rarer and more excellent, like lightning that comes down from heaven.

Application 1: Since the godly man is a man of prayer, this excludes from godliness those who:

1. Who do not pray at all. Their homes are unhallowed houses. It is listed as a mark of the reprobate: He does not call upon God, as Psalm 14:4 says. Does the person in need expect to receive help who never asks for it? Do they expect mercy from God who never seek it? If so, God would be treating them better than He treated His own Son — who offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying, as Hebrews 5:7 says. None of God's children are speechless. Galatians 4:6: Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father! Even creatures by natural instinct cry to God. Psalm 147:9: The young ravens cry. Psalm 104:21: The young lions seek their food from God. To not cry to God is worse than animal behavior.

2. Others pray, but only rarely. Like that godless man Heylin describes, who told God he was no common beggar, had never troubled Him before, and if God would hear him now, he would never trouble Him again.

3. Others pray, but not in the Holy Spirit, as Jude 20 says. They are more like parrots than weeping doves — their hearts do not melt in prayer. They exercise their minds more than their feelings.

Application 2: If you want to give evidence of the new birth, cry out Abba, Father! Be men and women of prayer. Pray at least twice a day — in the temple there was a morning and an evening sacrifice. Daniel prayed three times a day. In fact, he loved prayer so much that he would not give it up even to save his life, as Daniel 6:10 shows. Luther spent three hours every day in prayer.

Objection: But why do we need to pray, when God has already made so many promises of blessing?

Answer: Prayer is the condition attached to the promise — promises turn on the hinge of prayer. Ezekiel 36:37: I will also let the house of Israel ask Me to do this for them. A king promises a pardon, but it must be formally requested. David had a promise that God would build him a house, but he claimed that promise through prayer, as 2 Samuel 7:25 shows. Christ Himself had all the promises secured to Him, yet He prayed — and spent entire nights in prayer.

So if you would be counted godly, devote yourself to prayer. Prayer sanctifies your blessings, as 1 Timothy 4:5 says. Prayer weeds out sin and waters grace.

To encourage Christians and strengthen their resolve in prayer — as Aaron and Hur held up Moses' arms — let me offer these few considerations.

1. Prayer is seed sown in God's ears. Other seed sown in the ground can be picked up by birds — but this seed, especially when watered with tears, is too precious to be lost.

2. Consider the power of prayer. After laying out the full armor of a Christian, the apostle crowns everything with prayer as its chief component, as Ephesians 6:18 says. Without prayer, says Zanchius, all the rest is worth little. Through prayer, Moses divided the Red Sea. Joshua stopped the movement of the sun and made it stand still, as Joshua 10:13 records. Indeed, prayer made the Sun of Righteousness stand still — Luke 18:40: And Jesus stood still. Prayer is the doorway to every blessing, spiritual and physical. When the emperor Aurelius Antoninus marched against the Germans, he had in his army a regiment of Christians whose fervent prayers brought rain to refresh the whole army — and because of the power of their prayers, he named them the Thundering Regiment. Prayer has power to bring down the proud enemies of the church. We read that the two witnesses have fire at their lips — fire that comes from their mouths and devours their enemies, as Revelation 11:5 says. This fire is surely to be understood as their prayers. David prayed: Lord, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness, as 2 Samuel 15:31 says — and that prayer caused Ahithophel to hang himself. Moses' prayer against Amalek accomplished more than Joshua's sword. Prayer has a kind of divine power — it has raised the dead, prevailed with angels, cast out demons, and even moved God Himself. Jacob's prayer held God fast. Genesis 32:26: I will not let You go unless You bless me. Prayer finds God free and leaves Him bound.

3. Jesus Christ prays over our prayers again — He removes the dross and presents nothing but pure gold to His Father. Christ mingles His sweet incense with the prayers of the saints, as Revelation 5:8 says. Think about the dignity of His person — He is God. Think about the tenderness of His relationship — He is a Son. What encouragement this gives us to pray! Our prayers are placed in the hands of a mediator. Though as they leave us they are weak and imperfect, as they reach the Father through Christ they are mighty and powerful.

4. The sweet promises God has made to prayer. Isaiah 30:19: He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry. Jeremiah 29:13-14: You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. Isaiah 65:24: Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. These promises keep the head of prayer above water. God is bound by His own promises, as Samson was bound by his own hair.

Let us then redouble our efforts and, like our Savior, pray even more earnestly, as Luke 22:44 says. Let us be persistent in our pleading, and resolve with Bernard that we will not leave God's presence until we have God Himself. Prayer is a battering ram that will make the gates of heaven fly open.

Question: How should we go about praying rightly?

Answer: Call on the Spirit of God. Jude 20: Praying in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit both composes prayer and sets it on fire. God recognizes no other language but that of His own Spirit. Pray for the Holy Spirit, so that you may pray in the Holy Spirit.