4. Faith is necessary, that we may resolve to stick fast to God, with- out carnal shifts, whatever cometh of it, and not to use any means of deliverance, but what are every way consistent with our duty to God. I take this to be the case of the text ; he speaks this when christians had divers cases to be resolved, saith he, ' Let us pray in faith, nothing wavering ; ' and in ver. 8, ' A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways : ' he is divided between God and the world, and in doubt whether the ways of God be still to be adhered to and owned, and whether we should continue waiting upon God quietly, however things succeed with us, or else shift for ourselves. This man is in a waver- ing condition ; and therefore to keep us in a close adherency to God, and in a quiet dependence upon him for the issue of all our troubles, there is need of faith ; for he that cannot trust God cannot long to be true to him. Therefore ' let him ask in faith,' that is, adhering to God's all-sufficiency , he that is persuaded of God's power and good- will, and doth refer himself to him, to bear him out in his duty, this man will be faithful to God.
5. Faith is necessary, that we may wait God's leisure : Hab. ii. 3,
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' The vision is for an appointed time ; ' we must not be too hasty : Isa. xxviii. 16, ' He that belie veth will not make haste.' Precipitancy is the cause of much evil ; Saul could not tarry till Samuel came, but would go and offer sacrifice himself, and that lost him his kingdom. So when we are hasty, and cannot tarry the Lord's coming, we miscarry. Use 1. Here is reproof —
1. To them that will not pray, when God alloweth us, yea, commands us, to pray in faith, and with a confidence that we shall speed the better. If there were but a loose possibility, we should pray : Acts viii. 22, ' Eepent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee ; ' it is a very great diffi- culty, yet pray ; so Bxod. xxxii. 30, ' And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin, and now I will go up unto the Lord, peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin ; ' so 2 Kings xix. 4, ' It may be the Lord thy God will hear all the words of Kabshakeh ; ' so Joel ii. 14, ' Who knoweth, but the Lord will return, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him ? ' Faith can stand upon one weak leg ; if there be but a ' may be,' we should go to the throne of grace.
2. It reproveth those that do not look for any success in prayer, that pray only out of course, and throw away their prayers ; as children shoot away their arrows, and never look after them any more ; that do not gather uj) the fruit of their prayers : Ps. v. 3, ' In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up ; ' and Hab. ii. 1, ' I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower and will watch to see what he will say unto me.' He was spying and observing what came in by his dealing with God in prayer ; he was looking to see the blessing coming. Besides, when we do not look after the success of our prayers, we lose many gracious experiences that would confirm our faith : Ps. xviii. 30, ' The word of the Lord is a tried word.' I have found that it is not time lost to go and plead the promises with God. And it will awaken our love : Ps. cxvi. 1, ' I will love the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplication ; ' and it will quicken us to holy living, and a life of praise.
3. It reproveth those that have many doubtings and dark thoughts about what they pray for, about the mercy and power of God ; this is an evil incident to God's own children. There is a twofold unbelief, a reigning unbelief, and a doubting unbelief. The reigning unbelief is in those that were never acquainted with God : Mai. iii. 14, ' Ye have said, It is in vain to serve God, and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances ? ' But then there is a doubting unbelief, which is a weakness left upon the saints, which though it make their prayers very uncomfortable, yet it doth not make void their prayers — ' O thou of little faith! wherefore didst thou doubt?' Mat. xiv. 31. Peter ven- tured out of the ship at Christ's call, but his feet were ready to sink ever and anon. David was surprised v^ith this unbelief, but the Lord heard him : Ps. xxxi. 22, ' I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes : nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplication when I cried unto thee.' If faith be weak, we must not cease to pray, but pray the more, that faith may be confirmed, and that we may be assured of God's favour, and may grow up into a confidence in this duty.