was despatching his sons back again to Egypt, and with the greatest prudence provided for their journey, (by furnisliing them with double money, and a choice present in their hand to appease the governor of tlie land,) that he might engage Heaven on their side, he breathes forth this cjaculatory prayer, ' God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that lie may send away your other brother, and Benjamin!' Gen. xliii. 14. And David, when intelligence came that Ahithophel was of Absalom's counsel, let fly that dart to heaven, which came down upon his head with a vengeance, ' O Lord, I pray thee turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness,' 2 Sam. xv. 31. This kind of praying David probably might mean, Psa. cxix. 164, when he saith, 'Seven times a day do I praise thee ;' not as if he had seven set hoiu-s for this duty evei-y da}^ as the Papists would have it, to countenance their seven canonical hours, but rather a definite number is put for an indefinite, and so amounts to this, — he did very often in a day praise God, his holy heart taking the hint of every providence to carry him to heaven on this errand of prayer and praise.
Now, to despatch this kind of pi-ayer, I shall. First, Shew why the Christian, besides his stated hours for prayer, wherein he holds more solenm commerce with God, should also visit God occasionally, and step into his presence, whatever he is about, with these ejaculatory breathings of his heart ; for this is a kind of prayer that needs not interrupt the Christian in his other employments. Is he on a journey ? he may go to heaven in these short sallies of his soul, and make no less way for them. Is he in the field at work? his plough needs not stand still for this. As the meadow is not the worse for what the bee sucks from its flowers, so neither do a man's worldly occasions suffer from the spiritual im- provement which a gracious soul thus makes of them.
Section I. — The first reason may be taken from God, who, to shew his great delight in his children's prayers, lets his door stand always wide open, that whenever we may have but a heart to step in to visit him with aprayer, weshallbe welcome ; nay, he doth not only give us liberty, but lays it as a law upon us, to let him hear from us as often as possible, and therefore commands us to ' pray without ceasing,' 1 Thess. v. 17 ; and, whatever we do, in word or deed, to do all in the name of our Lord Jesus, giving thanks to the Father by him. What do the such-like places signify but that we should take every occasion that his Spirit and providence bring to our hand for the lifting our hearts up to him in prayer. And can we suppose that a prayer at our first setting forth in the morning, with never thinking of God any moi-e till we come to our round for prayer at night again, will pass for a praying continually ? When a father chargeth his son that lives abroad to let him hear from him as often as possible, though he doth not expect a long epistle from him by every messenger that comes that way, yet he looks for some short i-emembrance of his duty by word of mouth, and it is accepted till he hath more leisure to write his full mind. God bids us pray continually : now, he knows we cannot be always on our knees in the solemn performance of this duty ; therefore he expects to hear the oftener from us in these occasional remembrances of him, (hinted to us all the day by emerging providences,) which the Holy Spirit stands ready to convey unto him.
Section II. — From the excellent use of ejaculatoryprayer in the Christian'.s whole course of life. First, They are of excellent use to be set against those sudden injections of Satan which he will be darting into our minds. It were strange if the best of saints should not find the devil busy with them in this prayer : there are none whose chastity of mind this foul spirit dares not assault ; and when his temptations have once coloured our imagination, it is difficult to wipe them off before they soak so deep as to leave some malignant tincture on our affections. Now, when any such dart from hell is shot in at thy window, the best way to overcome the temptation is to shoot thy darts to heaven in some holy ejaculation. Our Saviour taught his disciples to use this weapon, ' Pray that ye enter not into temptation.' Now, when thou canst not draw out the long sword of solemn prayer, then go to the short dagger of ejaculatory prayer ; and witli this in the hand of faith thou mayest stab thy enemy to the heart. He that at one short prayer could infatuate Ahithophel, an oracle for policy, can befool the devil himself, and will at thy prayer of faith. ' The Lord rebuke thee, Satan,' said Christ. It is time for Satan to be gone
2x2
g76 PRAYING ALWAYS, ETC.