February 16

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same, with thanksgiving.—Colossians 4:16.

"For," says Chrysostom, "since continuing in prayer makes persons listless, therefore he saith watching, that is, sober, not wandering. For the devil knoweth, he knoweth, how great a good prayer is; therefore he presseth heavily. And Paul also knoweth how careless many are when they pray, wherefore he saith continue in prayer, as of somewhat laborious, watching in the same with thanksgiving." For inadvertency or want of attendance to the sense and intention of our prayers is certainly an effect of lukewarmness, and a certain companion and appendage to human infirmity: and is only so remedied as our prayers are made zealous and our infirmities pass into the strengths of the Spirit. But if we were quick in our perceptions either concerning our danger or our need, or the excellency of the object, or the glories of God, or the niceties and perfections of religion, we should not dare to throw away our prayers so like fools, or come to God and say a prayer with our mind standing at a distance, trifling like untaught boys at their books with a truantly spirit. I shall say no more to this, but that, in reason, we can never hope, that God in heaven will hear our prayers which we ourselves speak, and yet hear not at the same time, when we ourselves speak them with instruments joined to our ears; even with those organs which are parts of our hearing faculties. If they be not worth our own attending to, they are not worth God's hearing; if they are worth God's attending to, we must make them so by our own zeal, and passion, and industry, and observation, and a present and a holy spirit.

But concerning perseverance, the consideration is something distinct. For when our prayer is for a great matter and a great necessity, strictly attended to, yet we pursue it only by chance or humor, by the strength of fancy and natural disposition; or else our choice is cool as soon as hot, like the emissions of lightning, or like a sunbeam often interrupted with a cloud or cooled with intervening showers: and our prayer is without fruit because the desire lasts not, and the prayer lives like the repentance of Simon Magus, or the trembling of Felix, or the Jews' devotion for seven days of unleavened bread during the passover, or the feast of tabernacles: but if we would secure the blessing of our prayers, and the effect of our prayers, we must never leave off till we have obtained what we need.

There are many that pray against a temptation for a month together, and so long as the prayer is fervent, so long the man hath an unwillingness, and a direct enmity against the lust; he consents not all that while; but when the month is gone, and the prayer is removed, or becomes less active, then the temptation returns, and forages, and prevails, and seizes upon all our unguarded strengths. There are some desires which have a period, and God's visitations expire in mercy at the revolution of a certain number of days; and our prayers must dwell so long as God's anger abides; and in all the storm we must outcry the noise of the tempest, and the voices of that thunder. But if we become hardened, and by custom and cohabitation with the danger lose our fears, and abate of our desires and devotions many times, we shall find that God, by a sudden breach upon us, will chastise us for letting our hands go down. Israel prevailed no longer than Moses held up his hands in prayer; and he was forced to continue his prayer, till the going down of the sun; that is, till the danger was over, till the battle was done. But when our desires, and prayers, are in the matter of spiritual danger, they must never be remitted, because danger continues for ever, and, therefore, so must our watchfulness, and our guards. "God loves to be invited," says St. Gregory, "entreated, importuned, with an unquiet, restless desire and a persevering prayer." That is a holy and a religious prayer that never gives over, but renews the prayer, and dwells upon the desire; for this only is effectual. "God hears the persevering man, and the unwearied prayer." For it is very considerable, that we be very curious to observe that many times a lust is sopita, non mortua, "it is asleep;" the enemy is at truce, and at quiet for awhile, but not conquered, "not dead;" and if we put off our armor too soon, we lose all the benefit of our former war, and are surprised by indiligence and a careless guard. For God sometimes binds the devil in a short chain, and gives his servants respite, that they may feel the short pleasures of a peace, and the rest of innocence; and perceive what are the eternal felicities of heaven, where it shall be so for ever; but then we must return to our warfare again; and every second assault is more troublesome, because it finds our spirits at ease, and without watchfulness, and delighted with a spiritual rest, and keeping holiday. But let us take heed; for whatsoever temptation we can be troubled withal by our natural temper, or by the condition of our life, or the evil circumstances of our condition, so long as we have capacity to feel it, so long we are in danger, and must "watch thereunto with prayer" and continual diligence. And when your temptations let you alone, let not your God alone; but lay up prayers and the blessings of a constant devotion against the day of trial. Well may your temptation sleep, but if your prayers do so, you may chance to be weakened with an assault that may ruin you. However, the rule is easy: Whatsoever you need, ask it of God as long as you want it, even till you have it. For God, therefore, many times defers to grant, that thou mayest persevere to ask; and because every holy prayer is a glorification of God by the confessing many of his attributes, a lasting and a persevering prayer is a little image of the hallelujahs and services of eternity; it is a continuation to do that, according to our measures, which we shall be doing to eternal ages: therefore, think not that five or six hearty prayers can secure to thee a great blessing, and the supply of a mighty necessity. He that prays so, and then leaves off, hath said some prayers, and done the ordinary offices of his religion; but hath not secured the blessing, nor used means reasonably proportionable to a mighty interest.