gospel sense, nor God graciously bid thy prayer welcome ; for the spirit of prayer is a covenant grace, and interest in the mediation of Christ, a covenant privilege ; without both which no prajer is accepted. God hears not any that have not his Spirit to pray in them, and his Son to pray for them ; and none liave these but such as are in a covenant state. Secondly, Inquire what thy frame of heart was in the duty of pra3^er, and also after its performance. Thy not being in a covenant state will prove thy prayer was not heard, and, consequently, that the mercy received came not as a gracious answer to it ; but thy being in a covenant state is an insufHcient ground for thee to conclude that tliis particular ])rayer that thou puttest up is accepted, because tliere may intervene something to hinder the present benefit of this privilege which is annexed to thy covenant state ; for, though thy state be good, yet thy present frame and behaviour may be naught. Thou mayest, though a child of God, be under fresh guilt and defilement as yet unrepented of. Now, in this case, God can shut his door upon his own child. As a saint, thou hast a right to all the promises of the (jovenant ; but as thou art a saint under guilt, or tlie defilement of any sin that thou hast not yet repented of, thou art not fit to enjoy what thou hast a right to as a saint. God doth not disinherit thee, indeed, but he sequestrates the promise from thee, and the rents of it shall not be paid to thee till thou renewest thy repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus, for the pardon of it. Th}' God will choose a fitter time than this is to signify his love to thee. The leper, under the law, was to stand oft' till purified ; and so will thy God turn his back on thy prayer till thou art cleansed of thy sin. Again, suppose thou art a saint, and hast not thus defiled thyself with any gross sin, yet thy graces might not be exercised in the duty of prayer ; haply thou didst pray, but no faith or fervency were in it. There may be grace in the heart, but none in the duty ; and such a prayer shall not speed : the promise is to the saint exercising liis faith and fervency in prayer : ' The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,' James v. 16. ' Ye shall seek me, and find me, when 3^e shall search for me with all your heart,' Jei'. xxix. 13. Lastly, Though thou wert stirred up in prayer, yet, may be, thy heart was not raised up to rely on God after prayer for an answer. Then we pray in faith, when we so take hold of God by faith in prayer as to wait and stay ourselves upon God for a retiu'ii of mercy from him. Now, by all these together thou mayest resolve the question whether thou art in a covenant state, andliest not in any known sin imrepented of : if thou prayest fervently, through faith on God, so as to stay thy soul upon him for an answer, though accompanied with many weaknesses and staggerings, truly thou mayest without presumption conclude that the mercy which finds thee in this orderly manner waiting upon God, comes as a gracious answer to thy prayer. We do not fear to break open a letter Avhen we find our name in the superscription directing it to us. Search the pi'omises, aiul thou shalt find them directed by name to thee who prayest thus.
CHAPTER XXVn.
THE FIRST IMPORTANCE OF ' PRAYING ALWAYS ' SHEWN TO AMOUNT TO AS MUCH AS PRAYING IN EVERYTHING; AND WHY ALL OUR AFFAIRS AND ACTIONS ARE TO BE ENCIRCLED WITHIN THE DUTY OF PRAYER.
Having despatched the duty of prayer in general, we now come to give an account of the several branches in the exhortation, which together make up an excellent directory to the Christian for his better performing of this duty. Indeed, the apostle here not only teacheth the Christian how to pray, but the minister also how to preach, in that he doth not nakedly tell them what is their duty, and so leave them to their own skill in the management of it ; but that he may facilitate the duty, he annexeth such directions that they shall not easily miscarry in the performance thereof. That preacher who presseth a duty, though with never so much zeal, but doth not chalk out the way how it is to be done, is like one that brings a man to a door that is locked, and bids him go into the house, but gives him no key to open it ; or, that sends a company to sea, but lends them no chart by which they should steer their course. But to come to the directions, which arc six.
First, The time for this duty — a/ways; and this hatli a threefold importance :
570 PRAYING ALWAi'S, ETC.