Reason. Now, the reason of this, that God's children can pray for them- selves, and must pray for themselves, it is because they are children ; and as soon as ever they are new born, they are knovra by their voice, by cry- ing. A child, as soon as he is born, he cries. A new-bom child cries as soon as he is new born. He cries, ' Abba, Father.' He goes to his Father presently. In Acts ix. 11, as soon as Paul was converted, he cries, he goes to God by prayer. Therefore God, when he directs Ananias to him, saith he. Go to such a place, and there thou shalt find Paul, ' he is praying.' As soon as he is converted he is praying.
God's children have the spirit of adoption, the spirit of sons. God is their Father, and they exercise the prerogative and privilege they have. They go to their Father, and ciy to him. In Zech. xii. 10, you have there a promise ' that God would pour the Spirit of supplication ' upon his children. They cannot pray of themselves, but God pours a Spirit of supphcation into their hearts ; and his Spirit being poured into them, they can pour forth their prayers to him again.
Use. The use of this is, not to content ourselves to turn over this duty of prayer to the minister and to good people, ' Oh, pray you for us.' Aye, we do so ; but pray for thyself. If thou wilt have another man's prayers do thee good, thou must help with thy own prayers, be good thyself.
Men turn it off with shght phrases and speeches, ' You must pray for us,' &c.
Alas ! what will our prayers do thee good if thou be a graceless, blas- phemous, carnal, brutish person ? If thy conscience tell thee by the light of nature (for the word of God it may be thou dost not care for) that thou art so, what can our prayers do thee good ? If thou mean to be so, though Noah, Daniel, and Job, saith God, should stand before me for this people, I would regard them for themselves, I would not hear them for this people, Ezek. xiv. 14. Let us be able and willing to help ourselves, and then we shall pray to some purpose.
God loves to hear the cries of his children. The very broken cries of a child are more pleasing than the eloquent speech of a servant. Sometimes the children of God have not the Spirit of prayer as at other times ; and then they must do as Hezekiah did, they must ' mourn as a dove, and chatter as a swallow,' Isa. xxx\dii. 14. And as Moses at the Ked Sea, he cried, and the Lord heard his prayer, though he spake never a word. So in Rom. viii. 26, ' The Spirit teacheth us to sigh and groan.'
When we cannot pray, we must strive with ourselves against unbelief, and deadness of heart, by all means possible. Sighs and groans are prayers to God, ' My groans and my sighs are not hid from thee,' saith the prophet David, Ps. xxxviii. 9. And so in Lam. iii. 56, the church being in distress, saith she, ' Thou hast heard my voice, hide not thine ear at my breathing.' Sometime the children of God can only sigh, and breathe, and groan to God ; for there is such a confusion in their thoughts, they are so
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 11, 181
amazed at their troubles, they are so surprised that they cannot utter a dis- tinct prayer; and then they sigh, and breathe, and groan; they help them- selves one way or other. If thou be a child of God, though thou bo oppressed with grief, yet cry and groan to God, strive against thy grief all thou canst ; and though thou canst not cry distinctly, yet mourn as well as thou canst, and God knows the groans of his own Spirit, and those cries are eloquent in his ears, they pierce heaven. But this being but supposed as a gi-ound, the third observation is, as God conveys all blessings by prayer, and God's chikben have a spirit of prayer ; so Gods ckUdren desire the jmiyers of others, and it is the duty of others to pray for them. ' You also helping by your prayer for us.'
Doctrine 3. Christians ouyht to help one another by 2^>'f'>/c>'-
The holy and blessed apostle was sure of God's love to him, and of his care of him ; yet notwithstanding he was as sure that God would use both the prayers of himself and others to continue this his goodness to him ; and therefore the greater foith, the greater care of prayer. And where there is no care of prayer, either of our own or of others for us, there is no faith at all.
There is an article of our faith, which, I think, is little believed. Though it be said over much, and heard often, yet it is little practised, ' I believe in the communion of saints.' Is there a communion of saints ? wherein doth this communion stand ? Among many other things, in this, that one saint prays for another.
This is one branch of the communion of saints, as they communicate in privileges ; for they are all the sons of God, they are all heirs of heaven, they are all members of Christ, they are all redeemed by the blood of Christ ; and so all other privileges belong to all ahke. As there is a communion in privileges, so there is a communion in duties one to an- other. One prays for another. There is a mutual intercourse of duty. And those that truly believe the communion of saints, do truly practise the duties belonging to that blessed society, that is, they pray for one another. I mean here on earth. Here we have a command, here we have a promise, here we have mutual necessities. I have need of them, and they have need of me. We have need one of another.