Section II. — He must watch in prayer. It is not enough to watch the cliild that he goes to school, but the master's eye must watch him in school. Tliou dost well to take care of thyself before prayer, but wilt thou now leave it at the school-door ? Truly then all thy former care is to little purpose. First, Tliou must watch thy outward man, and rouse that up from sleep and sloth. If the body be heavy-eyed in prayer, the soul must needs be heavy-heeled. ' Watch and pray,' saith Christ to his disciples ; he knew they could not do that work sleeping; and j'et how many do we see at the very time of prayer, so far from watching, that they invite sleep to come upon them by laying themselves in a lazy postiu'e ! Certaiidy, friends, communion with God is worth keeping our ej^es open. I wonder any can sleep at the worshij) of God, and not dream of hell-fire. But it is not enough to keep the eye awake, if thou sufierest it to wander ; ' Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken thou me in thy way,' Psa. cxix. 37. Secondly, thou must watch tiiy soul in prayer. The soul is the man ; and the soul in prayer is the very soul of prayer. Watcli what its ends and aims are, that it shoots not beside the mark ; watch what strength and force thy soul puts to the work : our prayers miscarry by shooting short as well as wide. In a word, thou must keep thy heart with all diligence from one end of the duty to the other, or else it will give tliee the slip. How often do our souls begin to speak with God in prayer, and on a sudden get into idle talk with the world ! One while our hearts are wariTi at the work, and we pursue hard after God with our affections ; but Instantly we are at a loss, and cold again. David was sensible of this, and therefore we have him, in the midst of this duty, begging help from God to call in his gadding heart ; ' Unite my heart to fear thy name,' Psa. Ixxxvi. 11.
Section III. — The Christian is to watch after prayer; First, By calling his soul to a review concerning the duty, how it was performed by him. God liim- self, when he had finished his M'orks of creation, looked back upon them. Gen. i. 31. He hath given us a faculty to reflect upon our actions, and expects we should use it ; yea, complains of those that do not consider their ways and doings. He that looks not back how he prayed, can he be humbled for the sins that cleaved to his prayers ? And will God pardon what the Christian takes no care to know, that he may show his repentance? Or will he mend those faults in the next praA'er, which he found not out in the former? No, but rather increase them. This is the sluggard, whose soul will soon run into a wilderness, and be overgrown with those sins, which may choke the very spirit of supplication in him. Secondly, By observing what is the success of his prayer. As he is to look back and see how he prayed, so forward to observe what return he finds of his prayer. To pray, and not watch what becomes of our prayer is a great folly, and no little sin. AVhat is this but to take tlie name of God in vain ? Yet thus do many knock at God's door, and then run away to the world, and think no more of their prayers ; like Pilate, who asked Christ, ' What is truth?' and when he had said this, went out to the Jews, forgetting what he asked. David did not think prayer such an idle errand ; Psa. v. 3 : ' My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord : in the morning will I direct my prayer imto thee, and will look up.' First, He is careful to take his aim right in delivering this arrow of prayer, which he sends with a message to heaven, — ' I will direct my prayer to thee;' then he is as careful to observe where his arrow lights, and what answer is made to it, — ' and I will look up,' which amounts to as much as, — ■' I will hear what God the Lord will speak,' Psa. Ixxxv. 8 ; that is, to him concerning the prayer which in those words immediately foregoing he had made, — ' Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant ns th)- salvation,' ver. 7. This, Christian, is to watch unto prayer, to wait for answers to prayer. Mordecai, no doubt, liad put up many prayers for Esther, and tlierefore he waits at the king's gate, looking what answer God would in his providence give tliereunto.
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WATCHING THEREUNTO.
CHAPTER XVI.
WHEREIN THE CHRISTIAN'S WATCH IS SET FOR HIM ABOUT PRAYER.
The third thing is to help the Christian in setting his watch, or to give some directions how he may keep his heart in a watchful frame ; for which take in these particulars.