Directions and Instigations to the Duty of Prayer, Sermons · Sermon 4
SERMON IV.
1 Thes. 5. 17.
Pray without ceasing.
WE desire to commend the blessed and precious estate of those that are now exalted above the reach of this bles… exercise, and who have now made a blessed … precious exchange; that in stead of pray… without ceasing, they are now praising …hout ceasing. And, O beloved of the Lord … …so we may call you) whether is that blessed… gone which you did speak of, the enjoyment and fruition of Christ, so that if he would ha… required it of you, you would have pluckt … your right eyes, and given them to him? O! he become less precious, that your respect… him are so much impaired? Was it not o… your divine and blessed lot, that ye could … have lived one day without the enjoyment him, in whose face your eternal blessed… dothly? O! but absence and est…angem… from him, is thought a dispensable want those dayes? And that which is the ground the expostulation is, that ye are so little in g… ing obedience unto this blessed and precio… command, Pray without ceasing. Yea, if … stones and walls of this house, and if the ra… thereof could speak, they might utter this … plaint upon many of the inhabitants of … City, that they do not watch unto prayer, and … not exercising themselves in the entertaining divine & precious correspondance with hea… Oh! whither is the exercise of that preci… duty of prayer gone! O how independant are… in our walk with God! O! when did ye … so much of his sweetness, that when ye did … flect upon it, ye were forced to say, Did our hearts burn within us while he spake with When did he cast an indissolvable knot of … upon your hearts, which ye hoped et… could not loose nor dissolve? I wonder … this is not a question which we do not … debate. How such undervaluers of commu… and fellowship with God here below (… can live many dayes without seeing the S… Starrs, without beholding of him) can … with such woful contentment? O! can… a delusion overtake you as this, that ye …ign as Kings without Christ, and be rich and …ll without his fulnesse? It were, no doubt, …e special advantage of a Christian, to be retir…g from all things that are here below, and to … enclosing himself in a sconce, in a blessed and …vine contemplation of that invisible Majesty, …d to have our souls united to him by a three-…ld cord which is not easily broken.
But now to come to the words, the next …ing which we intend to speak from them, is, … know what is the most compendious way to …ep your souls in life, and to have them flou…hing as a watered garden in the exercise of …ayer, we shall say these four things unto ….
First, be much in the exercise of the grace … fear when ye go to pray, that ye may have …gh and reverent apprehensions of that glori…s and terrible Majesty before whom ye pray: …ere is a precious promise for this in Isa. 60. 5. …ou shalt fear, and be enlarged, &c. O! but our …heism (and our having that inscription en…en on all our devotion, worshipping of an un…own God) maketh us to have so little access to him, and taste so little of that sweetness, … causeth the lips of those that are asleep to …ak. How oftentimes go ye to prayer, and … no more in the exercise of fear, then if ye …re to speak to one that is below you? Those …ified spirits that are now about his Throne, with what holy reverence and fear do they …re him! And if it be the practice of the …her House, why ought it not then to he the …ctice of this Lower-house?
Secondly, if ye would attain to enlargement …he exercise of prayer, ye would be much in paying those vowes that ye have made to … when ye were enlarged. I am perswaded this, that our making inquiry after vow and our deferring to pay them, saying in … practice (before the Angel) It was an erro… doth, no doubt, obstruct our access and lib… to God: these two are conjoyned toget… paying of vowes, and access to God, Job 22. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he … hear thee (which is access) and thou shalt… thy vowes. Are there not many of us that crees many things with our selves, that are … established by God? O! when shall our …lutions and our practices be of like equall… tent!
There is a third thing we would give yo… a compendious way to attain to the exercise prayer, and enlargements in it, be much in … exercise of fervency. Ah! when we go … prayer under bonds and straitnings, we ta… berty to our selves to abreviate and cut … our prayers! O! do we know what a bl… practice this is to wrestle with God, were i… til the dawning of the day, and not to let hi… till he blesse us? What was it that made way Jacobs enlargements? Was it not his seri… nesse and fervency? And these two are of times conjoyned in the Psalm; I cryed, … heard me; the one importing his fervency, the other his access. Our prayers, for the … part, dies before they win up to heaven, … proceed with so little zeal and fervency … us. This was the saying of a holy Man, th… never went from God, without God; th… where he left him, he knew where to find … again. It is a saying that many of us doth n… such as endeavor to attain to. Alace! we may …, that sin of neutrality and indifferncy in …yer, hath slain its ten thousands of enjoy…nts, when other sins (in prayer) hath but in their thousands.
There is a fourth thing which we shall speak to, as the most compendious way to attain …argement in the exercise of prayer, and it is …s. Ye would be under a deep and divine im…ession of these things that ye are to speak of … to God in the exercise of prayer, either to …ve your spirits under an impression of sorrow, under an impression of joy. In a manner, a …ristian ought to speak his prayer to his own …rt, before he speak it to God; and if we spoke more nor what our hearts doth endite, our …yers would not be long, and we should eshew …se vain and needless repetitions that we use …he exercise of that duty of prayer. O! but … are exceeding rash with our mouth, and …ty with our spirits in uttering things before …d. Almost we never go to prayer, but if we …d so much grace as to reflect upon it, we …ght be convinced of this, that we have utte… things that have not been fit to be uttered God; as when ye speak of your burdens and …sses, which ye never did seriously premedi… upon; and likewise speak of these things, …our joy, in which ye did never rejoyce. O! …eive ye him to be altogether such an one …our self, that such a wofull cursed practice delusion as this, should overtake you? If a …istian would study before he go to prayer, …mprint and engrave his desires and petitions …n his heart, he might have more liberty and …sse in the proposing of them unto God.
Now that wherewith we shall shut up … discourse upon this noble grace and duty prayer, shall be this, To speak a little unto … answers and returns of prayer.
And the first thing which we shall speak up this subject, is, What can be the reason that … Christians in these dayes are so little expect… and waiting for the return and answer of t… prayers? For do we not oftentimes pray, … yet doth not know what it is to wait for answer and return to these prayers of o… This exercise which is so much undervalued us, the want of it, doth, no doubt, prove … marvelous decay that is in the work of C… stians graces, And we conceive, that the … waiting for the return and answer to pray doth proceed from the want of the solide … and of the absolute necessity that we st… of these things that we pray to God for (… strong necessities makes strong desires, and nest expectations) but we may say, that necessities dies with our petitions; we sh… be more in waiting for, and expecting the turns of our prayers.
There is this likewise that is the reaso… that wofull practice, We have not a lively deep impression of the burthen of these th… which we would have removed by God when one is praying for the removing of… lusts, and some pregnant and predominate … and yet never cares whether it be remove not: and the reason of this which mak… wait for and expect so little the answer a… turn of our prayers, is, because we are not g… ing under that yoke and burden, as tho… were unsupportable; but we walk lightly … that yoke and heavy burden, and therefore …e wait not for the answer of our prayers: We …ok upon our chains and fetters of iniquity, as …ough they were chains of gold, and fetters of …ver; and so it is no wonder that we are not …uch in the expectation and waiting for our … of prayer, and to have these chains and …s removed from off us.
And there is this likewise which is the occa…n of our little waiting for an answer to our …ayers; We have not a right apprehension …d uptaking of the preciousnesse and excellen… of those things that we seek from God; we … not know and understand what advantage …ould flow to us from the having of these …ings that we seek, and what marvelous disad…ntage shall flow to us from the want of them. …! but the people of this present generation, …erein we now live, have put a low rate upon … things of Religion, which are of their ever…ing and soul-concernment, even those things … were accounted most precious and excel… by all these that have gone before us, and …ve taken up their possessions & eternal …b…d… that blessed land which is above. There is …s one thing which we do undervalue and set nought, and that is our communion and fel…ship with God: We are indifferent in the …ving of i…, and cares not whether we have it not, which maketh us not earnestly to press …er the pursuing of it. O Christians, be per…ded of it, that there are these three disad…ntages that followeth unto a Christian that not much in waiting for the answer and re…n of his prayer after he hath prayed.
The first disadvantage is this, it is a compendious way to win to formality in the duty prayer. I will not say that one which do th… alwayes wait for an answer to his prayer, t… he cannot pray in spirit, and in sincerity … fervency: but I need not be afraid to say th… that he which is not much in the exercise waiting for a return and answer to, his pray… he prayes little to purpos… and it may be … monstrated and clearly shown by this reas… Can ye be serious in the accomplishment of … means, if ye do not propose some end and … sign before your eyes why ye do so? No… what is the end and scope that ye propose … fore your selves in your going about the exe… cise of that duty of prayer? I confesse, … ought to go about it, not only as a help … mean to remove our evils, and to obtain … advantages; but likewise we ought to go ab… it as a duty encumbent to us: but if we go … about the exercise of prayer, under both th… considerations, and except we wait for the… turn and answer, certainly we pray not ar… ▪
There is a second disadvantage which a Ch… stian hath that doth not wait for the answer… return of his prayer, he looseth many sweet … periences of the love and good will of God … wards him. It is no wonder that many of … doth not receive much from God; the rea… of it is, because we are not expecting and w… ing for much from him. I will not say bu… Christian that is not much in the execise waiting, may sometimes obtain the answer … return of his prayer; but we may say th… things to such persons, If your prayers be… swered, and ye have not waited for the re… and answer of them, surely ye lose much sw… …esse and preciousnesse of the answer of your …rayers. There is this likewise which we would …ay to such persons as these, If a Christians …rayer be answered when he doth not wait for …he answer of it, then the Christian cannot so …esolutely build his faith upon such an experience to believe that God again will answer his …rayers, as if he had been waiting upon a return.
There is this third disadvantage that follows … Christian who is not much in the exercise of waiting for the return and answer to his prayer, He cannot continue long in a praying frame. … conceive that the most fit and compendious way for a Christian to keep his spirit in a holy …d divine correspondance with God, is to have … alwayes in a holy and fit capacity to converse with God: this is a way to be much in the ex…rcise of waiting for the return and answer of …rayer. It is a sweet exercise to be expecting …nd waiting till the vision shall speak to you.
Now are there not many here who if ye …ere posed with this question, When were ye …ut to the serious exercise of waiting for the …eturn and answer of your prayers after ye have …rayed? I am perswaded of it, ye should find … difficulty to fall upon the number of the …yes wherein ye were taken up in this exer…se. I think that which doth so plainly demon…ate that wofull formality and dreadfull in…fferency that is amongst us (in going about … exercise of this duty of prayer) is this, We … not wait for the answers and returns of our …ayers from God. O Christians! are ye so …fectly compleat, or have ye already attained … the full stature of one in Christ, that ye do …t wait for the answers and returns of your prayers, that so ye may receive more from God▪
And I would say this to these Atheists a… strangers to God, who never knew what it w… to wait for an answer and return to their pr… ers: and are there not many such here, who their consciences were now posed when th… did wait for a return to their prayers, th… might (if they speak the truth) say that th… did never wait for an answer to their praye… I say to such, that they did never p… aright.
Now the second thing which we shall sp… upon the returns and answers of prayer, … How a Christian may come to the distinct kn… ledge of this, that his prayers are heard and … swered? A thing indeed, wee confesse, t… many of us are not much taken up with, we… being in the exercise to know such a thing.
And first, there is a difference betwixt … hearing of prayer, and of getting a return … answer to prayer. God, in the depth of his … searchable wisdom, may sometimes hear … prayers, and yet make a long time to interv… before he give the sensible return and ans… of that prayer: this is clear from Dan. 10. 12, … where it is said to Daniel, That from the … day that he afflicted his soul, his prayers and s…plications were heard; and yet it is one … twenty dayes before the answer and return his prayer did come. These are two dist… mercies to the Christian, the hearing of … Prayer, and the receiving the answer and re… of his prayer which he hath prayed for. A… it is clear from Psal. 34. 6. This poor man cr… and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of his trouble.
We shall say this secondly, that there is a eat and vast difference betwixt the returns prayer, and the delayes of the returns of it; …d yet it were a bad inference to infer that God …th deny to give us the answer of our pray…s, though he delay them a while, or to say …t we can have no answer at all, though we …nfesse that is the common place from which …ristians doth bring all their arguments to …ove that their prayers are not heard, even the …lay of the answer and return to their prayers: …d this is clear from Rev. 6. 10▪ 11. Where the …ls of these that are crying to God for the re…ge of their blood upon the earth, their prayer heard, and yet withall they are desired to stay …ittle, untill their brethren (that are to be slain) …ould be fulfilled, and then their prayer shall be …filled and accomplished unto them.
There is this thirdly, that we shall speak to▪ …d it is this, That sometimes our prayers may … both heard and answered, and yet we will …t believe that it is so, when we are waiting … the distinct and solide apprehension of this …rcy: and we conceive that this is either oc…sioned through the greatnesse of affliction …on a Christian, and the continuance of his …oke, as it is evidently clear from Job. 9. 16, 17. …here Job saith: If I had called, and he had an…ered me; yet would I not believe that he had …rkened unto my voice. And he gives this to the reason of it, For he breaketh me with a …pest, and multiplieth my wounds without ca…se▪ … this may be the reason of it likewise, Why? …en our prayers are both heard and answered, … believe not that it is so, and it is because of …e want of the exercise of waiting for … answer, and that we are not much taken up … expecting a return from God to our prayer… and therefore when our prayers are heard … answered, we cannot believe that it is so.
There is this fourth thing which wee sh… speak to, concerning the returns of prayer, th… the prayers and petitions of a Christian, ev… while he is under the exercise of misbelief, th… may be heard and taken off his hand, as it … clear from Psal. 116. 11, 12. I said in my ha… all men are liars: But there is a sweet and precious experience which followeth that, W… shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits … wards me? And this is clear from Jonah 2. … compared with verse 7. where he saith, I … cast out of thy sight; and yet he saith in verse… When my soul fainted within me, I remembred … Lord, and my prayer came in unto thee, unto th… holy Temple.
Now, to give some answer to the quest… which we proposed, how one may know wh… ther or not his prayers be answered: First, … Christian be enlarged, and enabled to go on… duty, though he do not receive a sensible ma… festation of the grant and acceptation of … prayer, but (in a manner) he is denied of … answer and return of it, yet if he do attain … such a length, as to pray without ceasing, and … have strength to accomplish this duty of pray… that is, (no doubt) a clear token and evid… that your prayers and supplications are h… by God, and in his own and appointed … these prayers of yours shall be answered, … this is clear in Psal. 138. 3. where David giv… this as a token and evidence that his pray… were heard and answered; In the day wh… cryed, thou answeredst me: And what is his argument that he bringeth to prove this, that his prayer was answered? It is, and strengthnedst me with strength in my soul. Certainly it is a bad sign, and an evil token that your prayers are not heard; if because he denieth your suit and petiition for a time, ye leave off the exercise of the duty of prayer, and fai…t in the day of your adversity.
There is a second thing by which you may know whether or not your prayers have met with a return and answer from God, and it is this: If your prayers be suitable unto his own word, and agreeable unto his holy and most divine will and pleasure, then you may be perswaded of this, that God hath heard your prayers, this is abundantly clear from, 1 John 5. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us. Certainly it is difficult and exceeding hard, we confesse, for a Christian to exercise faith upon the sure word of prayer, abstracting from all other grounds: But if we would have our faith elevated and raised to so divine a pitch, we would believe this precious …uth, that what soever we ask according to his will, he …eareth us, and that he will answer our supplications, therefore will ye wait patiently and faithfully upon God.
There is this third thing whereby you may know whether or not your prayers be heard, …d it is, if ye have delight and spiritual joy in …he exercise of this blessed duty of prayer, though ye have not the return and answer of your prayers, yet it is an evidence and token that your prayers are heard, and you shall shortly have an answer given to them; and when ye lose your delight in duties which ye once attained to, then ye may be afraid thereat: There is somewhat of this hinted at, in Job 27. 9, 10. where Job giveth this as a reason and ground that he will not hear the prayer & supplication of the hypocrites, because he delighteth not himself in the Almighty: Inferring this much, that if he would delight himself in God, then he would hear his prayer, and give him a return and answer to it.
There is this fourth thing whereby you may know whether or not your prayers are heard and answered, and it is when your sadnesse and anxiety (about that which you were asking from God in prayer) is removed and takes away; this is clear from, 1 Sam. 1. 18. when this is given as an evidence that Hanna w… heard in her prayer and supplication, beca… her countenance was no more sad: and certainly when our prayers have such a return, then … may know distinctly that they are answered b… the Lord.
And the fifth thing that we would propo… to you whereby ye may know whether or no… your prayers have met with a return and answer from God, if ye pray making use of Jesus Christ as a blessed Dayes-man to interpo… himself betwixt the Father and you; then y… may be perswaded of this, that your pray… are heard; this is clear, where it is twise … pe…ed, Joh. 14. 13, 14. Whatsoever ye ask… my name, you shall receive it, believe it, … can deny you nothing that you seek from him if you ask in faith.
Now, that which thirdlie we shall speak upon the return of prayer, it is, to these things which doth obstruct the hearing of our prayers, why they are not answered by him, so that oftentimes when we pray to him, he shutteth out our prayers from him, and covereth himself with a cloud, so that our prayers cannot passe thorow: O but if that dutie and precious councell which Hezekiah gave unto Isaiah 37. 4. (which trulie is worthie to be engraven on our hearts) Lift up thy prayer, &c. which doth import that it was a weighty thing which would require much seriousnesse in going about it: I say, if that worthie counsell were obeyed, we should not have need to propose these obstructions, and to complain of Gods wayes. Now we shall speak to these obstructions which hinders us.
First, hypocrisie which we have in the exer…ise of prayer: O but we pray much with our …dgement, when we pray not much with our …ffections! that is, our light will cry out, crucifie such a lust; and our affection will again …ry out, hold thy hand, it is a difficultie to have …he spirit of a Christian brought such a length, … to have his judgements and affections of like …easure and extent: Job giveth this as a rea…on why God will not hear a hypocrites prayer, …ob 27. 10. even because he is not constant▪ there … a woful disagreeance betwixt what we speak, …d what we think: We speaking many things …ith our mouth, which our hearts sometimes …ness that we would not have God granting us … a manner) our affection is a protestation a…inst the return to many of our prayers: Our …ols are so fixed in our hearts, that we spare …gag the King of our lusts, thogh there be given out a commandement from the Lord to destroy all these; and it may oftentimes speak, th… the bitterness of death is past out against us Seeing we do oftentimes spare them contrary to his blessed command.
There is a second thing which obstructs th… exercise of prayer, and it is that wofull a… cursed end that we propose to our selves in going about this duty, this is clear in James 4. 3… You ask, and receive not, because ye ask am… that you may consume it upon your lusts. Oh! that wofull idolatry that Christians does intertain in the exercise of Prayer! That glorious and inconceivable attribute of God, of bei… Alpha and Omega which we do sacrilegiously attribute to our selves in making our selves the beginning of our prayers and the end of the… also, it hinders much our return of prayer; certainly these wofull ends that we speak of … the beginning of our discourse (and all along… it) doth (no doubt) marvelously obstruct t… answers of our prayers.
Now the last thing that we shall speak up… the return of Prayer, shall be to some advantages which a Christian may have from th… that his prayers are answered, and that he h… received a return from the Lord, believe m… there is more love in the answer of one pray… than Eternity could make a commentary up… O what love is in this, that he should condescend to hear our prayers? That such a glorious and infinit Majesty should (in a manner deign himself to bow down his ear to take … tice of these petty desires that we propose u… him? And there are these five advantages th… a Christian may have from this.
First, it is an excellent way to keep the grace of love in exercise, this is clear in Psal. 116. 1. I love the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. O but love in some hath eminently taken fire when they have reflected upon this, that their prayers are heard.
There is this second Advantage that a Christian hath, It is an excellent motive and perswasion to make us constant and frequent in the exercise of prayer, this is clear in Psal. 116. 2. where hee reflecteth upon the hearing of his voice, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. I am perswaded of this, that our little exercise in prayer, doth much proceed from this, that we wait not for a return of prayer, and therefore oftentimes it is so that we do not receive a return. Believe me, there is more …oy and Divine satisfaction to be found in the solide and spiritual convictions of this that our prayers are heard, than we will have in the exercise of many prayers that we pray.
There is a third Advantage that a Christian hath from the return and answer of his prayers, it is an evident token from the Lord that …is prayer is accepted by him, when a Christian can read his reconciliation by the gracious returns of his prayer, and that he is in a gracious …st…te and condition, and, O! is not that a great Advantage? We confesse God may hear the prayers of the wicked for mercies that are common, but the hearing of a real Christians prayer both in mercies common and speciall, proveth that his person is accepted by God, For …e must be accepted of him through Jesus Christ, before that he can have pleasure in our …crifice, and is not this a precious Advantage to read your Adoption upon the returns and answers of your prayers from God? May not t… Christian say when he meets with such a retu… and answer of his prayer, Now I am perswad… that I am begotten unto a lively hope, because … hath heard the voice of my supplication▪ I… manner, it is a character wherein you may … your interest and infeftment in that precio… and most blessed inheritance that is above. … if there were no more to provoke you to w… for the return and answer of your prayers, n… this, it may be sufficient to u…ty many of the… debates and disputings that you have abo… your interest in Jesus Christ! And O may … this argument provoke you to love him.
There is a fourth Advantage that comes … the Christian from the consideration of the return and answers of prayer, It is a compendio… way to make us desist from the committing … iniquity: Hence is that word in Psal. 6. … Whereupon the consideration of the heari… of his prayer, he breaketh forth in that saying Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity; for … Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. I… manner, speaking so much, that he would ha… nothing to do with such ones as they were.
Lastly, the return and answer of prayer, i… an excellent way to keep our Faith in exercis… it is a sweet experience of the love of God, up on which we may build our hope in our darke… night, even to call to mind these things that … hath given to us in former dayes, certainly Holy and Divine reflection upon these thing might perswade us that he will not shut up … tender and loving mercies, into an everlasti… for getfulnesse.
Now to close up our discours upon this noble duty and grace of prayer, we shall desire this one thing of you, Who is begotten unto a lively and precious hope. That you may be more in that noble execise: I may say, that there is no sin which a Christian shall be more deeply convinced of in the day when his feet shal be standing upon the utmost line of time, as this sin of the neglect of the duty of prayer: And we confesse God may reprove many. That they bind heavy burdens on mens shoulders that are grievous to be born, and doth not so much themselves, as …uch them with one of their fingers.
But however, seriously enlarge your hearts unto this blessed exercise, for believe me, it is the way (if so we may speak) to bring down Heaven upon Earth: But alas, I am afraid that this duty of prayer is not much now in practice amongst many of us in these dayes: Is not prayer that noble duty almost laid by in this evil and perverse generation as a thing unsavo…y? Oh that ye had now a Divine anticipation of that glorious enjoyment of him, which you shall have throughout all the ages of Eternity if you be serious in this exercise! Oh, may we not walk mournfully many daies in the bitterness of our souls, because we are not more in the exercise of secret prayer? Oh! whither is our devotion gone in these daies? Oh! whither is it gone? I am afraid, that if these that have lived before in ancient dayes, were now alive, doubtlesse they would be ignorant of us, and they would not acknowledge us for Christians. I would say this for these who never seriously practised this duty as yet, of which number there are many. O but prayer be another thing then the most part of you conceives it to be; I think it is not only mysterious in its na ture, to conceive how the spirit of man can converse with him that is the Father of Spirits, how there should interveen a communion and fellowship betwixt such two? It is a mystery and riddle surely which we cannot easily unfold: But withal, This is a lamentation, and shall be for a lamentation, that the exercise and practice of prayer is grown as mysterious, as t… nature of it. O but there are many of you, that supposes ye are praying aright, & therefore you think all is well. Who shall be cut off as those that never prayed. I conceive if we believed all that is spoken upon this exercise of prayer, what Divine properties are requisit to a Christian that would seriously go about the exercise of that precious duty, we might cry forth, This is a ha… saying, who can hear it? And certainly it is altogether impossible for us, though it be not impossible for God to inlarge our hearts to pursue it, For with him nothing is impossible Oh! that if once ye might be perswaded to se… about the exercise of this precious and mo… excellent duty of prayer, which will be to yo… eternal advantage, and soul everlasting co… cernment! I am afraid (O Christians) that one from heaven (who hath entered into those everlasting and blessed possessions of that excellent and blessed estate of life) would co… down to earth (if so with reverence we may speak) and preach upon this Text of ours, Pray without ceasing, and speak of these precious and unspeakable advantages which doth accompa… the man that is much in the exercise of prayer there are many of us, I fear would scarcely b… enclined to hear such an exhortation. And more nor this, if one from the dead would …rise, and come from the pit unto this City, and preach upon this Text unto you, pray without ceasing, having the chains of everlasting wrath hanging about his neck, and preach upon these sad and unspeakable disadvantages which are to be found in the neglect of this blessed exercise of the duty of prayer, and should desire you to flee from that wrath that is to come. Oh! would there not be many of you (I am afraid) who would stop your ears, and would not listen unto the voice and language of such an exhortation? Ah! whether are many of us going? whether are we going? certainly the apprehensions and thoughts of everlasting separation from the presence of the Lord is not much engraven and deeply imprinted upon the spirits of the hypocritical Christians of this generation! We are not afraid of that wrath and eternal destruction which is approaching unto us.
But to you that are heirs of the promise, who are heirs of the grace of Life, and who are begotten again unto a lively hope, I would say this to you, Pray without ceasing. And once you shall …ng without all ceasing, and without all interruption: And to these that prayes not, the day is coming when they shall howl in that bottomlesse pit amongst those everlasting flames of fire and brimstone! when they shall be …rayed in the Morter of the wrath of God by …he Pestel of his severe Justice, when his Omni…otency shall uphold you, and his Justice shall …mite you eternally! Oh, it were many of your advantages that you were (indeed) Beasts without immortal souls. For to have soul doth capacitat you for an eternal being, a… for an eternal punishment.