The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 52
CHAP LII. A Queſtion, how Saints may recover out of deadneſſe in prayer anſwered; ſomething about formes.
Queſt. BUt how ſhall I ſtirre up my ſelfe to ſeek the Lord? How ſhall I recover out of this ſtrange deadneſſe and formality of ſpirit which I am fallen into?
Anſw. (1) Ʋſe not to ſet upon the duties in which you approach to God, without meditation. David ſays of himſelfe, whiles I was muſing the fire kindled, Pſal. 39. 3. Meditate principally upon the moſt proper moving objects of every grace. Faith acts upon Gods (faithfulneſſe) in his promiſes; to ſtirre up faith (therefore) meditate upon God in his faithfulneſſe, and that, as declared in ſome ſpecial promiſe, that concerns thy caſe, and condition. Love and thankfulneſſe, are exerciſed upon the goodneſſe of God; Meditate upon the goodneſſe of God to thee in particular, to ſtirre up thoſe graces; humility is moſt affected with a mans own vileneſſe and Gods glory compared together; here then, ſet out God in his majeſty, as gloriouſly as thou canſt, in thy meditations; then view thy ſelfe, and thy own vileneſſe, eſpecially reflecting upon thoſe ſinnes of thine, which have had moſt vileneſſe and loathſomneſſe of circumſtances, and are attended with the moſt abhominable aggravations. And ſo in other graces.
2. Chooſe the moſt free and lively ſeaſons for duty. The morning, before worldly buſines hath deadned & flatted the ſpirit, is of ſpecial uſe for prayer. 'Twas not for nothing that David ſo often made choyce of that time, Pſalm 5. 3. & 59. 16. & 88. 13. & 119. 147. & 63. 1. 108. 2. &c. If a man will attend any buſineſſe without diſtraction or diſturbance, that is the time to be beforehand with the diſturbances of dayly buſineſſes, and occaſions. When we ſlip out of every worldly imployment into prayer, or at night when we are half aſleep, mix nods with petitions, no wonder if we complain of deadneſſe, and dulneſs and diſtraction.
3. Watch to prayer, Col. 4. 2. Continue in prayer, and watch thereunto, &c. 1 Pet. 4. 7. Be ſober and watch unto prayer. Watch againſt Satan, who will then be buſie to diſturbe you, it may be with Atheiſtical and blaſphemous thoughts and other ſuch diſtracting ſuggeſtions; and you then watch againſt him, when you ſet your heart againſt them, and turne your prayers edge againſt them, till you have caſt them out, and then returne to your duty again. Watch againſt your uſual careleſneſſe, and when you find it growing upon you, do likewiſe. Watch againſt vain wandring thoughts, and throw them out by a ſpeedy laying hold upon ſome more weighty Meditation, if any ſuch be at hand: if not (but thou findeſt thy ſelf wholly poſſeſt with ſuch fancies) do as before I adviſed, turn the edge of thy prayer for that while againſt them. Watch the kindlings of the Spirit, and where thou findeſt but one little ſpark of fervency and zeal, glowing, ply that Meditation, that Subject hard that kindleth it. Follow the Veyne, and thou wilt be Maſter of the Mine at laſt.
4 Be much in begging the Spirit of prayer, and calling him in to conſtant aſſiſtance in the Duty. Urge his Office upon him, he is a Spirit of Grace and Supplication. And to enliven and embolden the Saints is his principal work.
5 Reſt not in formes of Prayer. I do no way doubt but that a godly perſon newly brought in to the exerciſes of Religion, may be ſometimes to ſeek in expreſſing himſelf, before others, and in ſuch a caſe (if a publick perſon or Maſter of a Family) I am not ſo ſevere as to forbid him the uſe of a good form, either of his own or others framing: and in the cloſet it may be good to read now and then for example and pattern, the formes of others, but eſpecially the prayers of the Saints recorded in Scripture (and among them the Pſalmes, which are (moſt of them) made up of matter of prayer, either in way of Confeſſion, Petition, or Thankſgiving) that they may ſuggeſt to us quickning matter of prayer. Nay, whiles I read anothers form, wherein I meet with paſſages ſutable to my condition, I know not why I may not ſay Amen to ſuch Petitions: But yet I know not by what warrant any one in private, or conſtantly before others, binds himſelf to the very ſame ſeries and frame of words. Nay, I think it is an Argument either of much lazineſſe, in not improving the utmoſt of a mans owne abilities and intereſts in the Spirit to enable him, or at leaſt it proceeds from a fond and erroneous conceit of God, as if he minded more an exact compoſure of Petitions, then the real (although immethodical, and leſſe quaintly dreſſed) deſires of a mans heart. The truth is, no man uſeth a form of prayer much, but finds it (if hee know his owne heart) a great deadning, to his Spirit. If a Preacher ſhould twenty times in a year preach over the ſame Sermon, would not the veryeſt Formaliſts of his Congregation (and indeed all others) ſleep and grow weary under ſuch preaching? And do we not ſee the ſame effects generally under a form of Prayer? or (at leaſt) is there not the ſame reaſon, why wee ſhould expect them? A perpetual uſe of the ſame form, is a more tedious tautology, then that which ſuch perſons often blame in conceived Prayer; viz. the repeating againe and againe the ſame Petitions in the ſame prayer. For this may proceed from fervency. See Pſalm 124. 4, 5. and 116. 14, 18. and 80. 3, 7, 19. The other imports, or begets lazineſſe; at leaſt it gives ſuſpicion of it (and that not altogether cauſeleſs) to others, which hath much of the appearance of evil in it.
Object. But (Sir) will you have us alwayes adventure upon an extemporary way of prayer? Shall I offer to God that that coſt me nothing?
Anſ. No, by no meanes. But you muſt know that conceived Prayers, upon the variation of a mans condition, or other occaſions, are not the ſame with extempore prayers.
1 A man may pray extempore in a forme; if he come unprepared, and ruſh upon it, as too many do, as the horſe into the battel, he offers up the Sacrifice of fools, and is raſh with his lips before the Lord, which is forbidden, Eccl. 5. 1, 2.
2 And (on the other ſide) a man may alwayes very as occaſions vary, and yet not pray extempore, having before meditated upon the matter of his Petitions, and layd up ſtore of furniture for prayer, though he truſt much to preſent gifts for expreſſions; I cannot call this extemporary praying.
3. Neither yet is it unlawful (upon ſome occaſions, and in ſome caſes) to adventure upon this Duty extempore, both for matter and form. As in daily and hourly occaſional Ejaculations, in caſe of a ſudden call unto the Duty by any unexpected providence, &c. in which caſes, Chriſtian prudence being the Judg, and judging rightly, the petitions are nevertheleſſe welcome to God for their extemporarineſſe.
4 (And laſtly) yet muſt we uſe this liberty very tenderly and ſuſpiciouſly, leſt our hearts perſwade us that there is a greater frequency of ſuch occaſions then there is, and ſo it prove a ſnare to us (when we find (it may be) more then ordinary abilityes, without ordinary endeavors; as ſomtimes when God calls to ſudden ſervice, he gives in ſudden ſupplies) we may be tempted to expect the ſame abilities in the ſame way, without the ſame call. We muſt not tempt the Lord our God. And that is done (one way) when we expect extraordinary ſupplies from him in the neglect of the ordinary way appointed by Mat. 4. 7.him for the attainment of them.