(G.) My sixth advice and counsel is this, B^ fervent, he warm, he importunate vnth God in all your closet duties and performances. James v. ] 6, ' The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much;' o-r, as the Greek hath it [iv^yovfuvrj], 'The working prayer;' that is, such working prayer as sets the whole man on work, as sets all the faculties of the soul, and all the graces in the soul, at work. The word signifies such a working as notes the liveliest activity that can be. Certainly, all those usual phrases of crying, wrestling, and striving -with God, which are scattered up and down in Scripture, do strongly argue that holy importunity and sacred violence that the saints of old have expressed in their addresses to God.* Fervency feathers the wings of prayer, and makes them fly the swifter to heaven. An arrow, if it be drawn up but a little way, flies not far; but if it be drawn up to the head, it will fly far, and pierce deeply: so fervent prayer flies as high as
» Prov. xxi. 27 ; Tsa i. 11, 12; Chap xxix. 18 ; Mat. xv, 7-9; Ezek. xxxiii. 30-82 ; Zech. vii. 4-6 ; 2 Cliion. xxv. 1,2; Ps, Ixxviii, 30, 37,
« Ps Iv. 1 ; Ps. Ixi. 1 ; I's. Ixiv. 1 ; Ps. Ixxxviii. 1, 13; Ps. cxix. 1G4 ; Jonah ii. 1, 2 ; Joel ii: y.i ; Ps, cxix. 145, 147 ; Pa, cxix. 20.
258 THE PRIVY KEY OF HEAVEN. [MaT. VI. 6.1
heaven, and will certainly bring down blessings from thence.* Cold prayers bespeak a denial, but fervent prayers offer a sacred violence both to heaven and eartli. Look, as in a painted fire there is no heat ; so in a cold prayer there is no heat, no warmth, no omnipotency, no devotion, no blessing. Cold prayers are like arrows without heads, as swords witliout edges, as birds without wings: they pierce not, they cut not, they fly not up toheaven. Such prayers as have no heavenly fire in them, do always freeze before they reach as high as heaven. Put fervent prayer is very prevalent with God : JLcts xii. 5, ' Peter, therefore, was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing.' The Greek word i>iTsvrii signifies instant prayer, earnest prayer, stretched out prayer; prayer stretched out upon the tenters, as it were. These gracious souls did in prayer strain and stretch themselves, as men do that are ruiming in a race; they prayed with all the strength of their souls, and with all the fervency of their spirits; and accordingly they carried the day with God, as you may see in the following verses. So Acts xxvi. 7, ' Unto which promise, our twelve tribes instantly serving God day and night,' or rather as the Greek hath it, Iv hnveitf,, ' in a stretched out manner, serving God day and night.' These twelve tribes, or the godly Jews of the twelve tribes of Israel, stretched out their hearts, their affections, their graces, to the utmost in prayer. In all your private retirements, do as the twelve tribes did. Rom. xii. 11, ' Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.' The Greek word ^iovrsg, signifies seething hot. God loves to see his people zealous and warm in his service. Without fervency of spirit, no service finds acceptance in heaven. God is a pure act, and he loves that his people should be lively and active in his service ; ver. 1 2, ' Continuing instant in prayer ;' cr^ocxa^rs^oDvrts, ' continuing with all your might in prayer.' It is a metaphor from hunting dogs, that will never give over the game till they have got it. Rom. xv. 30, ' That ye strive together with me, in your prayers to God for me ;' e\)mywitsa<sdai, strive mightily, strive as champions strive, even to an agony, as the word imports. It is a military word, and notes such fervent wrestling or striving, as is for life and death. CoL iv. 12, ' Always labouring fervently for you in prayer.' The Greek word a/ww^o/isvog, that is here used, signifies to strive or wrestle, as those do that strive for mastery; it notes the vehemency and fervour of Epaphras his prayers for the Colossians. Look, as the wrestlers do bend, and writhe, and stretch, and strain every joint of their bodies, that they may be victorious; so Epaphras did bend, and writhe, and stretch, and strain every joint of his soul, — if I may so speak, — that he might be victorious with God upon the Colossians' account. So, when Jacob was with God alone, ah how earnest and fer- vent was he in his wrestlings with God, Gen. xxxii. 24-27, Hosea xii. 4, 5. He wrestles and weeps, and weeps and wrestles ; he tugs hard with God, he holds his hold, and he will not let God go, till as a prince he had prevailed with him. Fervent prayer is the soul's contention, the soul struggling with God ; it is a sweating work, it is the sweat and blood of the soul, it is a laying out to the uttermost all the strength and powers of the soul. He that would gain victory over God in private prayer, must strain every string of his heart ; he must, in beseeching God, besiege him, and so get the better of him; be must ' ^t timide rogat, docet rugare, saith the philosopher,
Mat. VI. 6.] the privy key of heaven. 239
be like importunate beggars, that will not be put off with frowns, or silence, or sad answei-s. Those that would be masters of their requests, must, like the importunate widow, press God so far as to put him to an holy blush, as I may say with reverence: they must with an holy impudence, as Basil speaks, make God ashamed to look them in. the face, if he should deny the importunity of their souls.
Had Abraham had a little more of this impudence, saith one,^ when he made suit for Sodom, it might have done well. Abraham brought down the price to ten righteous, and there his modesty stayed him ; had he gone lower, God only knows what might have been done, for 'God went not away, saith the text, 'till he had left communing with Abraham,' that is, till Abraham had no more to say to God. Abraham left over asking, before God left over granting; he left over praying, before God left over bating; and so Sodom was lost.