3. He stirreth up suitable affections in prayer, Rom. viii. 26. And hence those groans and tears, those gaspings and vehement anhe- lation. But notwithstanding all our abilities, both habitual and ac- tual, be from the Spirit, and not from ourselves, yet are they capable of improvement by us : For though in respect of acquirement, there be a great difference betwixt natural and supernatural habits, yet theh' improvement is in the same way and manner ; and this improve- ment may be made divers ways : For,
First, Though you have the Spirit, and can pray, yet you may learn to pray more humbly than before : Though you rise no higher as to words, yet you may learn to lay yourselves lower before the Lord, as Abraham and Ezra did, Gen xviii. 27. Ezra ix. 6.
Secondly, You may learn to pray with more sincerity than formerly : Ah ! there is much hypocrisy and Jbrm edit ij in our 2)r ay e?'s, much of custom, &c. Now you may learn to pour out more aordial jpraye?'S, See Psal. xvii. 1. Psal. cxix. 10.
Thirdly, You may learn to pray with more zeal and earnestness than before : Some saints have excelled and been remarkable for this, Dan. ix. 19. Hosea xii, 4. James v. 16.
Fourthly, With more assiduity and readiness at all times for it, Eph. vL 18. Praying always, with all prayer. Hence Christ gives that commendation to the church, Cant. iv. 11. "Thy lips, O my ** spouse, drop as the honey-comb.'' The honey-comh often drops, but always hangs full of drops ready to fall.
Fifthly, You may learn to pray with more faith : Oh the qualms of unbelief that go over our hearts in a duty; faith is the soul of prayer, and according to the faith God finds in them, he accepts and values them. Now in all these things you may improve your- selves abundantly.
1. By being more frequent in the duty, Job xxii. 21. " Ac- *' quaint thyself with the Almighty ;" in the Hebrew it is, accustom
THE BEST WORK IN THE WORST TIMES. 07
thyself: Those that have been excellent have also been abundant in it, Psal. xv. 17.
2. By taking heed that you grieve not the Spirit, on whose influ- ences and assistances you so entirely depend : Even as much as a ship doth upon the gales of wind for its motion.
ii. By honouring the Spirit which enables you to pray, and that especially two ways; (1.) By dependence on him; go not forth in your own strength to the duty, trust not to your own promptness, or preparations. (2.) By returning, and with thankfulness ascrib- ing the praise of all to him ; be humble under all enlargements : say, Not /, hut grace.
4. By searching your own hearts, and examining your necessities and wants, when you draw nigh to God ; this will be a fountain of matter, and give you a deep resentment of the worth of mercies prayed for.
5. Lastly, By looking more at the exercise of graces, and less at the discovery of parts ; by labouring for impressions more, and pumping for expressions less. And thus I have briefly shewed you how to furnish yourselves with this needful qualification also.
Wherein is shewed the necessity of going out of ourselves, even when our habitual and actual preparations are at the greatest height ; and depending as constantly and entirely upon the Spirit^ who is Lo7^d of all gracious influences, as if we had done nothing : Toge- ther with the means qjf^ working the heart to such a frame.
A HUS you have seen your habitual and actual readiness for sufi*erings, and blessed is the soul that gives diligence to this work : But now lest all that T have said and you have wrought, should be in vain ; I must let you know, that all this will not secure you, unless you can, by humility, faith, and self-denial, go out of yourselves to Christ, and live upon him daily for supply of grace, as much as if you had none of all this furniture and provision for suf- ferings. I confess grace is a very beautiful and lovely creature, and it is hard for a man to look upon his own graces, and not doat upon them. But yet know, that if you had all these excellent prepara- tions that have been mentioned, yea, and all angelical perfections superadded, yet are you not complete without this dependence upon Christ, Col. ii. 10. Whenever you go forth to suffer for Christ, you should say at the head of all your excellent graces, duties, and preparations, as Jehoshaphat did, when at tlie head of a puissant and mighty army, 2 Chron. xx. 12. '' O Lord, I have no might nor *• strength, but my eyes are unto tliee.'' This is one thing in which Paul excelled, and was a special part of his readiness. See 1 Cor. Vol. VI. E
C8 PREPARAtlONS FOR SL'FFERIXGS ; OR,
XV. 10. What a poor creature is the eminentest saint, left to him- self in an hour of trial ? the hop^ the ivy, and the zvoodbine, are taught by nature to cling about stronger props and supporters : What they do by nature, /we should do by grace.
The necessity and great advantage of this will appear upon divers considerations.
Consid. 1. The Christian's own imbecility and insufficiency, even in the strength and height of all his acquirements and preparations ; what are you, to grapple with such an adversary ? Certainly you are no match for him that conquered Adam hand to hand in his state of integrity. It is not your inherent strength that enables you to stand, but what you receive and daily derive from Jesus Christ, John xv. 5. " Without me," or never so little separated from me, " ye can " do nothing ; all your sufficiency is of God," 2 Cor. iii. 5. Upon this very consideration it was, that the>apostle exhorts the Ephesians " to be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might," i. e. not to depend upon their own stock and furniture ; but Divine assist- ances and daily communications; " For we wrestle not with flesh " and blood, but principalities and powers," Eph. vi. 10, 12. In his own strength shall no man prevail.