May 10

Take with you words, and turn to the Lord.—Hosea 14:2.

THIS advice of the prophet, Take with you words, importeth the serious pondering and choosing of requests to put up to God. The mother of Artaxerxes, in Plutarch, was wont to say, that they who would address themselves unto princes, must use silken words.—Surely he that would approach unto God, must consider and look as well to his words as to his feet. He is so holy and jealous of his worship, that he expects there should be preparation in our access unto him: preparation of our persons, by purity of life; preparation of our services, by choice of matter; preparation of our hearts, by finding them out, stirring them up, fixing them, fetching them in, and calling together all that is within us, to prevail with God.

The services which we thus prepare, must be taken from him. They must not be the issues of our own private and fleshly hearts: for nothing can go to God, but that which comes from him. And this phrase seemeth to import these three things: 1. We must attend unto his will, as the rule of our prayers. 2. We must attend unto his precepts and promises, as the matter of our prayers. 3. We must attend unto the guidance of his Holy Spirit, as the life and principle of our prayers, without which we know not what to ask.

And prayers, thus regulated, are most seasonable and sovereign duties in times of trouble; the key which openeth a door of mercy; the sluice which keepeth out an inundation of judgments. Jacob wrestled and obtained a blessing. Amos prayed, and removed a curse. The woman of Canaan will not be denied with a denial. The people of Israel will beg for deliverance even then, when God had positively told them that he would deliver them no more. Jonah will venture a prayer from the bottom of the sea, when double death had seized upon him, the belly of the deep, and the belly of the whale; and that prayer of his did "open the doors" of the Leviathan, as it is expressed in Job 41:14, and made one of those deaths a deliverance from the other.

O let the Lord's remembrances give him no rest! There is a kind of omnipotency in prayer, as having an interest and prevalence with God's omnipotency. It hath loosed iron chains; it hath opened iron gates; it hath unlocked the windows of heaven; it hath broken the bars of death. Satan hath three titles given him in the Scriptures, setting forth his malignity against the church of God: a "dragon," to note his malice; a "serpent," to note his subtilty; and a "lion," to note his strength. But none of all these can stand before prayer. The greatest malice, the malice of Haman, sinks under the prayer of Esther; the deepest policy, the counsel of Ahithophel, withers before the prayer of David; the hugest army, an host of a thousand thousand Ethiopians, run away like cowards before the prayer of Ass.

How should this encourage us to treasure up our prayers, to besiege the throne of grace with armies of supplications, to refuse a denial, to break through a repulse! He hath blessed those whom he did cripple: he hath answered those whom he did reproach: he hath delivered those whom he did deny. And he is the same yesterday and to-day. If he save in six and in seven troubles, should not we pray in six and seven extremities? Certainly in all the afflictions of the church, when prayers are strongest, mercies are nearest.