that they might, but ought. It is, indeed, a high privilege to us, and a great condescension in the high God, to give us leave thus to lie at his door, and to suffer oiu" prayers to be ever sounding in his ears. We should not like to have beggars knocking day and night at our doors ; but so infinitely good is God, that he not only allows us this boldness, but commands it ; that the fear of a sin might move us, if the loss of a privilege will not. Secondly, This perseverance in prayer is highly commended : indeed, perseverance crowns every grace^ and commends every duty, it is not ovu* faith and hope, but to hold fast oiu- confidence and the rejoicing of our hope firm to the end, that God looks at, Heb. iii. G ; not the seeming zeal and swiftness of our motion in the ways of God at our first start, but the constancy of a well-breathed soul in holding on his course till the race be finished, that Christ commends: ' If ye continue in my Avord, then are ye my disciples indeed,' John viii. 31. So in prayer, it is not the short spirits of an inconstant zeal, that begins to pray (as they say the French do to fight) like thunder and lightning, but if the first charge carries it not, then they are cowed in their spirits : no, it is not this soft metal, whose edge is thus easily turned, that God likes in prayer, but a zeal tempered and hardened so with resolution, that it cuts through all delays and difficulties ; this God highly commends : it got Jacob the name of a prince, so nobly he behaved in this duty, holding it out till break of day with God, and then would not let him go till he had blessed him. Thirdly, it is that which God intends by his delays and seeming denials. Why deals he thus with his people? Surely it is to put their graces to the trial, whether they will quit the siege for a few rep\ilses, or fall on with more courage ; he holds his peace, to make them cry the louder ; steps aside, to make them more eagerly seek after him. Now, two things God aims at especially by his people's perseverance in prayer. First, His own glory. What fairer occasion can the Christian have in his whole life to honour God, than by holding fast his integrity, and keeping his allegiance to him firm, when he seems to be neglected, yea, forsaken of him ? Certainly CJod M'ould never have put Job to so much trouble, nor have made him pray and stay so long for the gracious issues of his providence, but to glorify himself in the faith and patience of his servant. ' Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord,' James v. 11. Truly, we could not have heard so much of his patience, if we had not heard so much of his troubles ; had God put an end sooner to them, he might have had more ease, but not God more honour. This was it that God was pleased with, and counted himself highly honoured by, that Satan, with all his wiles, could not make Job give over praying, much less curse God ; no, not when God broke him with his tempest, and seemed not to regard him or his prayers. It pleaseth us most, when our prayers are in heaven and back again quickly ; but it glorifies God most, when he lays an embargo (as I may say) upon our prayers, so that no answer comes from heaven to us, and yet we will send more after them, as Jacob did Benjamin after his other son : when the poor soul will not be taken off the duty by any intervening discouragements, but presseth harder upon God from his seeming denials, this is indeed to give glory to God ; ' Blessed is he that hath not seen, and yet thus believes.' Secondly, God by his people's per- severing long in prayei-, before he gives in his gracious answer, intends them no small advantage. First, He usually pays them interest for their forbearance ; the longer they pray, the more redundant the mercy is when it comes. Such a mercy that comes as an answer to persevering prayers is compared to the husbandman's gains at harvest, which abundantly reconipenseth his whole j'ear's patience ; ' In due season we shall reap, if we faint not,' Gal. vi. 9. The breast is filling for the child, while the mother is sleeping : God sometimes seems to sleep and forget his poor children that cry to him, but he is preparing the fuller for them. Secondly, Such mercies as are got with long and great difficulties, come with sweetest manifestations of divine love. ' O woman, great is thy faith !' Matt. XV. 28. This poor woman had not her request so soon granted as some others, but she lost nothing by it ; for with the recovery of her child (which was all her errand) she carries away with her a high testimony from Christ's own mouth to the truth and eminence of her grace. Thirdly, Such mercies as are the issues of persevering prayers, are received usually with more joy and thankfulness than others : partly because the Christian's desires are more
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772 WITH ALL PERSEVERANCE.