222 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VI. 6.
influences, and deny the soul his assistance ; and what can a Christian then say or do ? h\it,
[2.] Secondly, I answer, Tfiou canst not pray ; hut canst thou not »igh, nor groan neither ? 1 here may be the Spirit of**adoption in sighs and groans, as well as in vocal prayer, Rom. viii. 26. The force, the virtue, the efficacy, the excellency of prayer doth not consist in the number and flourish of words, but in the supernatural motions of the Spirit, in sighs, and groans, and pangs, and strong affections of heart, that are unspeakable and unutterable. Certainly, the very soul of prayer lies in the pouring out of a man's soul before the Lord, though it be but in sighs, groans, and tears, I Sam. i. 13-19. One sigh and groan from a broken heart, is better pleasing to God, than all human eloquence. But,
[3.] Thirdly, I answer, Beg of God to teach thee to pray. Oh beg the Holy Spirit, that is a Spirit of prayer. God hath promised his Holy Spirit to them that avsk it, Luke xi, 13. 'If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children : how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him !* Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. ' A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within jou, and cause you to walk in my statutes ; and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them,' Ezek. xi. 19. 'And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them ; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh,' Zech. xii. 10. ' I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication.' Now gracious promises are God's bonds, and he loves to see his people put them in suit. God expects that we should be his remembrancers, and that we should pray over his promises, Isa. Ixii. 6, 7 ; Isa. xlii. 25, 26. When he had promised great things to his people concerning justi- fication, sanctification, and preservation, he subjoins, 'Yet, I will for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it,' Ezek. xxxvi. 37. God looks that we should spread his gracious promises before him, as Hezekiah did Sennacherib's letter, Isa. xxxvii. 14. God is never better pleased than when his people importune him in his own words, and urge him with arguments taken from his own promises. Though God be a very affectionate father, and a very liberal father, yet he is not a prodigal father, for he will never throw away his mercies on such as will not stoutly and humbly plead out his promises with him. God loves to take state upon him, and will be sought unto, both for his giving in of mer- cies, and for his making good of precious promises. Thou sayest thou canst not pray; why ! canst thou not go into a corner, and spread the promises last cited before the Lord, and tell him how much it concerns his honour and glory, as well as thy own internal and eternal good, to make good those gracious promises that he hath made concerning his giving of his Spirit to them that ask him, and his putting his Spirit within them, and his pouring out a Spirit of grace and supplication upon them ?
We read of Tamar, Gen. xxxviii. 18, 25, that when Judah her father- in-law lay with her, she took as a pledge his signet, bracelets, and staff;
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 223
and afterwards, when she was in great distress, and ready to be burnt as an harlot, she then brought out her staff, and signet, and bracelets, and said, ' By the man whose these are, am I with child,' and thereby she saved her life. The promises are as so many rich mines, tliey are as so many choice flowers of paradise, they are the food, life, and strength of the soul. They are as a staff" to support the soul, and they are as a signet and bracelets to adorn the soul, and to enrich the soul ; and therefore poor sinners should bring them forth, and lay them before the Lord, and urge God with them, there being no way on earth to save a man's soul, and to prevent a burning in hell like this. Con- cerning precious promisevS, let me give you these eight hints.
[1,] First, That they are truly propounded and stated by God, Mark x. .30.
[2.] Secondly, That they sJiall certainly be performed, 2 Cor. i. 20, they being all made in and through Christ. They are made first to Christ, and then to all that have union and communion with him.
Sirtorius, saith Plutarch, paid what he promised with fair words ; but so doth not God. Men many times say and unsay ; they often eat their words as soon as they have spoken them ; but God will never eat the words that are gone out of his mouth : Isa. xlvi. 10, 1 J, ' My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure : yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass : I have purposed it, I will also do it.'
[3.] Thirdly, That they all issue from free grace, from special love, from divine goodness, Hos. xiv. 4.
[4<.] Fourthly, That they are all as unchangeable as he is that made tJiem, Jer. xxxi. 3,
[5.] Fifthly, That they are all bottomed and founded upon the truth, faithfulness, and all-suffi.ciency of God, Mai. iii. 6.
[6.] Sixthly, T/tat they are pledges and pawns of great things that God will do for his people in tirfie, Heb. xiii. 5.
[7.] Seventhly, That they are m,ost sure and certain evidences of divine favour, and a declaration of the heart and good-will of God to his poor people, Heb. vi. 12, Num. xxiii. 19.
[8.] Eighthly, That they are the price of Christ's blood.
Now how should all these things encourage poor souls to be still a-pressing of God with his promises. But,
[4.] Fourthly, You say you cannot pray, &c. Oh that you would leave off objecting, and fall upon praying. If you cannot pray as you would, nor as you should, pray as well as you can. Joseph's brethren stood so long dallying, and delaying, and trifling out the time, that, having a journey to go to buy corn, they might have bought and re- turned twice before they went and bought once. When Elijah called Elizeus, he goes about the bush, and he must needs go bid his father and mother farewell before he could follow the prophet, 1 Kings xix. 20. O friends ! take heed of dallying, delaying, trifling, and going about the bush, when you should be a-falling upon the work of prayer. What though with Hannah thou canst but weep out a prayer, or with Moses stammer out a prayer, or with Hezekiah chatter out a prayei", yet do as well as thou canst, and thou shalt find acceptance with God : 2 Cpr. viii. 12, ' For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted ac- cording to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.'
224; THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VI. 6.