21. Part 3, Chapter 5. Time Spent in Prayer
CHAPTER V.
ABOUT TIME SPENT IN PRAYER.
Having briefly despatched this case, about the use of means with prayer, we shall go on to speak to a fifth case, namely, concerning the time to be spent in prayer, How long, or how short we may be in prayer? To which I answer, more generally, that the space of time is not fixed or limited; but the text plainly shows, that much time is to be spent in prayer: “Pray without ceasing,” implies, be much in prayer; spend much time about it. For, 1. The heart is not so suddenly or easily got upon the wing; yet in that doth the nature and life of prayer consist. It is a lifting up the heart, “I lift up my heart to thee;” that is, I pray. We pray indeed, when our hearts are elevated in prayer. Many weights are ofttimes upon our spirits to press them down, not so easily removed:many bonds, yea, knots in these cords, straitening our spirit, not easily unloosed: we need enlargement of our hearts to run any such way of God’s commandments. We would, as men sometimes in their sleep, fain cry, but there is such a weight upon our breasts, that we cannot; deadness seizes upon us, and much rubbing is needful ere life is recovered: dulness annoys us, and much whetting is requisite, ere our hearts get a spiritual edge upon them: we may say with the church, “Quicken us, sowill we call upon thee.” If the iron be blunt, the more pains is taken to sharpen it, so it is here with our blunt spirits in prayer.
2. The necessities of the soul of the best, are so many and weighty, that a little time will not suffice to express them; yea, it being the trade of a gracious soul to be thus merchandising, his business being to be thus pleading, his calling as a saint being to call upon God; surely a little time should not be taken up in this his proper employment.
3. As the time in prayer is improved, all the rest of our time is either blessed or blasted to us. That morning that the soul speeds well, that day all goes the better; and on the contrary. If Jacob see God’s face in prayer the night before, he is confident to speed well the next morrow. If the instrument of a Christian’s spirit be not well tuned in prayer, truly he will make but bad music all the day after in his calling and employments. If we speed not well at. heaven’s court, we shall not do so well in earth’s country. If at this holy mart and port we get not well stored, and full lading, we shall make but poor markets elsewhere. But to answer more particularly. Sometimes in special sort we are to be long in prayer; other times there are when it is meet to be but short. We are to be long in prayer,
1. When some extraordinary occasion of the church or commonwealth, or of our own or other Christians call for it. Prayer of eight hours long was made on that fast-day. Nehemiah himself spends whole days in prayer and fasting. Prayers stretched out upon the tenters (as the Greek word is) was made by the church for Peter’s enlargement.
Upon the calling of Christ’s twelve disciples, he spent a whole night in prayer, and so in families, Christians for a time are to be as only sequestered to prayer and fasting: “Abstain with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to prayer.”
2. When strong and long temptations are upon us. Jesus Christ in that strong and bloody conflict in his soul, being in an agony, he prayed, εκτενεστερον, in a more extended manner. Then the Psalmist cries himself hoarse with long crying, when in these quagmires, that deep pit, those deep waters: “I sink in the mire, I am weary with crying, my throat is dry.” Lord, in trouble they have poured out a prayer to thee: “They do not only barely drop, but plentifully pour out prayers.” Psalms 102:1-28, title: “A prayer of the afflicted, when in distress he poureth out his complaint,” and that prayer following is longer than others. When Satan, ο Αντιδικος the law adversary does extend his pleas against us, it is meet that we should enlarge our counter pleas for our own souls; as the powers of darkness do lengthen and multiply their wrestlings, so must we our counter wrestlings of prayer: “We wrestle with principalities, and powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world.” Praying with all manner of prayers.
3. When some sad trials and sufferings are approaching, then will Jesus Christ spend night after night in prayer, not long before his bitter sufferings. “For my love they are my adversaries,” (says the Psalmist,) but I pray, or I give myself to prayer, whilst they are treacherously plotting my ruin. We must lay in a magazine of prayers, against such a spiritual siege, and sorest sufferings; wherein, if not then so fit to pray, we may have the benefit of former prayers.
4. When we are in any special spiritual frames, then spread out your sails and hoist them up to receive and improve the wind, as long as any spiritual gales last. When liberty of speech is granted and given us, then speak on. When the cloud fills the temple, now is a time, if ever, for Solomon to make his long prayer: “When we are filled with the Spirit, we may well continue pouring out prayer.”
5. When we are not like to live long. Christ knowing he had but few days to live, spent the more time in prayer: “The end of all things is at hand, therefore be sober, and watch unto prayer.” If heaven’s pleaders have but a little while allotted them, they had not need lose any of that little time to plead in. When such spiritual merchants are shortly to go out of this country of trading so by prayer, they had need bestow themselves to purpose. When these travellers are so shortly to take their long journey home, they had need improve every moment for the despatch of the remaining part of their prayer business here. Sickness allows but little respite and free space for prayer. Other work of the poor soul is so various then, and perplexing, that it takes up the whole man to despatch that. And indeed when sincere ones have not long to live, they are the fitter for prayer. When the saints are near the ocean of eternity, then the rivulets of grace in their souls wax stronger. Weakly persons who are godly, are so often minded of eternity, and perpetuity, as time’s successors, that they bear an image of perpetuity; it is deeply instamped upon them in their spirituals. But some will say, shall not suppliants then wander and vanish into forbidden repetitions, if they are long in prayer?
1. The saints are and may be helped with such holy variety, that unlawful repetitions may be avoided, as might be evinced by many reasons, if need were.
2. We distinguish of repetitions in prayer; some are lawful, and some are unlawful. The Scripture frequently gives us instances of lawful repetitions, as Amos 7:2. It is twice repeated: “By whom shall Jacob arise? for he is small.” And in Solomon’s prayer, he oft repeats this clause: “Then hear thou in heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive.” Of this sort of lawful repetitions in prayer, are these:— First, such which are wrung from the strength of pinching necessities, or temptations; as when Christ was so hard bestead in the garden, be oft, even a third time spake the same words, entreating his Father, that if it were his will, that the cup might pass, and “Eli, Eli, Lama sabachthani, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” So Paul, in a like sort, besought God thrice in the same manner:
“For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me.” Like children in great pain, when they are to tell where it is, they iterate and reiterate this cry, O here, here, here, O here; or like men in a ditch, or among thieves, iterating this outcry, Help, help, help; or as prisoners in straits, crying, Bread, bread, for the Lord’s sake, bread, a little bread for Christ’s sake; or as it is with men, when their houses are on fire in the night, they cry, Fire, fire, fire.
Secondly, such repetitions wherein the heart is carried out with equal strength of feeling and holy affections, at a third, as at a first time; so was Christ in his iterated cries: “He made supplication with strong crying and tears.” So Daniel often iterates:
“O Lord, hear.” When there is in a gracious supplicant so much strength of love, desire, and esteem, and suitable reachings after mercies begged, that the soul is not content to speak once, but it must speak it over and over again. As friends when commending some business of greatest weight to their friend’s care, they will be often repeating, Be sure you forget me not in such or such a thing. So is it here in making known our requests to God. Or as a cry uttered with greatest strength, causes the iteration of a like echo, so repetitions in prayer are the echoes of strong cries of spirit; as a ball banded with great strength, makes many rebounds, so the heart, carried out with great strength of holy affections, is apt to make these holy rebounds of such repetitions; or as a bell, which having been but then ringing, doubles and redoubles its knells, from the strength put forth in its ringing, so will the gracious heart be giving many reiterated lifts, and those sounding out in like expressions of the lips in prayer. Hence that reiterated desire of the saints, “Amen and amen.”
3. Such repetitions in prayer are lawful, as spring from some strong workings of faith, in the expectation of mercies: such was that iterated cry and prayer, “Amen, even so” (which is the sense of the same) “Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly,” as believing Christ’s word then mentioned, “Lo, I come quickly.” So the Psalmist concluding that God had heard his prayer, says, “Blessed be the Lord, Amen and amen:” such was that frequent repetition of David in his prayer to God to bless his house, as building upon the truth of his promise for that end. Thus is faith letting down the same bucket into the well, which is presented to it:when the believing soul hears assuredly that its friend, the Lord, is within hearing, it knocks thus again and again, in the same sort as before.
4. Such repetitions in prayer as spring from love, or are accompanied with special delight and spiritual stirring of heart in the very mention thereof. Such was their reiterated cry in solemn worship of God: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty;” such strains of love and holy delight may often be reiterated in holy musical divisions, (as I may call them,) though there be little variation. As where a speech is pleasing, a motion is wont to be made to hear that over again; so the spirit of Christ liking to hear us speak so very savorly and sincerely in this or that passage in prayer, may bid us speak that again. In sundry passages of the saints’ prayers, the Holy Ghost in special manner spake in them and with them, and such like double speeches of God’s saints and Spirit speaking together, may well be repeated. But yet. there are repetitions in prayer which are unlawful, as,
1. Such which are affected: as strains of eloquence, uttered in a rhetorical way. Such were those of the Gentiles: “Use not vain repetitions as the heathen.” These may please men’s ears; but in prayer, whereas suppliants should be most humble and self-denying, they are loathsome to the Lord.
2. Such repetitions which are vain, “Use not vain repetitions:” vain, that is, empty, frothy, impertinent, unprofitable repetitions, wherein is no spiritual life, heat, vigor, nor yet solidity nor integrity.
3. Such repetitions which are idolized, “They think they shall be heard for their much speaking: “ to think that God would not, or could not take notice of our wants, unless we should word it in that sort with him, is a great dishonor to his free and rich grace, and to his faithful and watchful care and respect to his suppliants: or to rest and trust in our repetitions, that God will the rather regard us, is to make God like a mortal man.
4. Such repetitions as spring from hypocrisy, namely, from secret desire to seem to be fervent in prayer, or to be thought of others to spend much time in prayer, or to stop the mouth of an accusing conscience, which would else be quarrelling at per. Sons if too brief in prayer, and therefore to fill up time, men will be making such repetitions of the same things and phrases, in their prayers; such like repetitions as these are sinful and heathenish: men thereby take God’s name in vain, abuse his holy ear, willing to draw him to listen to babblings, they derogate from the glory of God’s wisdom, as one that is dull of hearing or conceiving, as childish as the sons of men; like Baal, needing long and loud crying to awaken him by a vain reiteration, 0, Baal, hear us. Such cast dishonor upon the renowned ordinance of prayer, making it to be but as empty expense of time in airy, vain expressions. So much for the answer to the former part respecting length of prayer. Now consider in what cases, and with what cautions we may be short in prayer.
We may be short in prayer, 1. In case of bodily sickness, pain, faintness, and death approaching: “How can thy servant talk with this my Lord, there remaining no strength in me?” Sick Hezekiah and Jacob were short in prayer: “Jacob worshippeth God leaning on his staff.”
2. In case of pressing occasions, unavoidable by ordinary prudence or providence: when the Philistines came suddenly upon Samuel and upon Saul in prayer, they soon despatch.
3. In case of prevailing indisposedness of heart to pray; after much strivings to pray, yet distempers and hurries of spirit abate not: better then be short, than multiply words in any senseless and tumultuous manner, and take God’s name in vain.
4. In case a Christian be personally persecuted, and may not stay long in one place.
5. In case the prayer to be made be only occasional, above that of our ordinary course. In such a case Hezekiah is short.
Only in spending so little time in prayer, take we these cautions.
1. That it be not usual with us so to do, but rather occasional: to be ordinarily so brief in prayer, would argue unacquaintedness with the Lord, men not using to hold any long discourse with strangers. It would manifest suspicion and distrust, and slighting of God; as men that use to speak either seldom or but little at once, with persons they suspect or dare not trust, or who are not regarded. Besides, it would evidence a self-sufficient spirit; they have little business with the Lord, and therefore will not exchange many words before him: however, it will be an argument at best, of slender abilities and weakness of mind, that they cannot hold any long discourse with God.
2. That it be not out of a worldly spirit, so intent upon the world, as affording scarce time for God. Family and closet services of God, must therefore be despatched usually in a hurry: there are so many that call upon such persons without, that they have not leisure to be with God in prayer, within: they are so familiarly and fully employed with these new friends, that they speak but by snatches with God. They are so much abroad, that they can be but little at home: when these choking weeds of the world spread so fast, and so far, that they crowd and thrust the good grain, herbs, and fruits into a very narrow compass.
3. That it be not from negligence or slightness, or profaneness of spirit, supposing that such a short good-morrow, or good-evening will serve the Lord’s turn well enough.
4. That it be not out of improvidence, when by the use of godly foresight, and prudence, such straits of time for prayer might have been prevented: for that will sadly afflict and abase a Christian, if he be indeed gracious and tender-hearted.