savily required to the use of our armour. Tlie latter I shall follow, partly because it hath no piece of material armour allotted to it for a resemblance ; as also, by the connexion it hath with the whole discourse of the armour, it seems to be superadded as a general duty influential upon all the pieces before named, and may be i-ead M'ith every piece : take the girdle of truth, praying with all prayer, &c. : having on the breastplate of righteousness, praying with all prayer, &c. The Christian's armour will rust, except it be furbished with the oil of prayer. What the key is to the watch, prayer is to our graces, — it winds them up, and sets them going. In the words observe, — First, The duty commanded, — Prayer ; with the end for whicli it is appointed, namely, as a help to all his graces and means to carry on his war against sin and Satan. Secondly, A directory for prayer, wherein we are instructed how to perform this duty, in six distinct heads. First, The time for prayer, — 'Praying always.' Secondly, The kinds and sorts of prayer, — 'With all prayer and supplication.' Thirdly, The inward principle of prayer, from wliich it must flow, — ' In the Spirit.' Fourthly, The guard to be set about the duty of prayer, — ' Watching thereimto.' Fifthly, The ini wearied constancy to be exercised in the duty,— ' With perseverance.' Sixthly, The comprehensiveness of the duty, or persons for whom we are to pray, — ' For all saints.'
CHAPTER I.
prayer's usefulness and necessity for the saint's defence in his warfare
SHEWN, and one REASON GIVEN OF THE POINT.
We begin witrh the first, the duty in general, together with the connexion it hath with the whole preceding discourse of the armour, implied in the partici- ple, 'praying;' that is, furnish yourselves with the armour of God, and join prayer to all these graces for your defence against your spii-itual enemies.
Section I. — Prayer is a necessary duty to be performed by the Christian, and used with all other means in his spiritual warfare. This is the silver trumpet, by the sound of which he is to alarm heaven, and call in God to his succoiu". Numb. x. 3.5. The saint's enemies will not fall till God riseth ; and God stays to be raised by his prayers, Psa. Ixviii. 1 ; — ' Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered.' Prayer is a dutj' and means to be made use of in all our affairs. What bread and salt are to our table, prayer is to the Christian in all his undertakings, enjoyments, and temptations. Whatever our meal is, bread and salt are set on the board ; and whatever onr condition is, prayer must not be forgot. As we dip all our morsels in salt, and eat them with bread, so we are to exercise every grace, season every enjoyment, mingle every duty, and op- pose every temptation with prayer. It hath been the constant practice of the saints, in all their dangers and straits, whether from sin, devils, or men, to be- take themselves to the throne of grace, and draw a line of prayer about them ; accounting this the only safe posture to stand in for their defence. When God called Abraham from Haran into a strange country, wliere he wandered from place to place amidst strangers, who could not but have him in some suspicion, and tliis created many dangers to this holy man from the kings round about ; now observe what coin-se Abraham takes for his defence : you shall find in his* removals, the memorable thing recorded of him, is, that he ' erected an altar, and called upon the name of the Lord,' Gen. xii. 7, 8 ; xiii. 3, 4. This was the breastwork he raised, and intrenched himself in. When he had once by prayer cast himself into the arms of God for protection, then he made accoimt that he was in his castle. But what need Abraham put himself so often to this trouble? Had he not the security of God's promise when he set forth, that God would bless them that blessed him, and curse them that cursed him? And had he not faith to believe God would perform what he promised? Both. But neither God's promise nor Abraham's faith gave any license to supersede his duty of prayer. The promise is given as a ground of faith, and faith as an encouraging help in prayer ; but neither intended to dischai'ge us of our dut}', and save us the labour of that work. And what Abraham did, tlie same have all the saints ever done. The great spoils which they ever got from their enemies, was in the field of pi-ayer. If Moses sends Joshua into the valley against Amalek, himself will be on the mount to storm heaven by prayer, while he is engaged in fight
PRAYING ALWAYS, ETC. Q25