Ohs. God will deliver the ministers hif the jyeople's prayers.
God will be good to the ministers for the prayers of the people. This concerns us that are ministers. Prayer is prevailing even for us. And as it is our duty to give ourselves to preaching and prayer, so it is the people's duty to pray for us likewise, and for these particulars, as I named.
To pray for ability, — to pray for a willing mind to discharge that ability, — to pray for success of that discharge. For we must be able to preach to the people of God, and we must be willing, and there must be success. It doth much discourage God's people, and those that are ministers, when they find no success of their labours. Isa. xlix. 4, saith the prophet, ' I have laboured in vain.' Elias was much discouraged in his time, Romans xi. 4, 1 Kings xix. 18 ; and Isaiah and Elias were good men, yet they were much discouraged. They saw httle fruit of their labour. Therefore let us help the ministers with our prayers in this respect, that God would enable them ; that God would enlarge their hearts with willingness. For there are many that are of ability, but they are so proud, and so idle, that they think themselves too good to preach to them, whom God and the chm-ch hath called them to bestow their labours on. They have ability, but they want a large heart. And those that have both ability and a large heart,
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they want success, they see little frnit ; because the people pray not for them ; and they perhaps are negligent in the duty themselves ; their labours are not steeped in prayers.
Again, a fourth thing that we ought to pray for for them, is strength and ahilitji of the outn-anl man ; and all that fear God, and have felt the benefit of the ministry, they do this, and God doth answer it.
Likewise to pray for protection and deliverance from nnreasonahle men, to pray for strength of spirit, and likewise for protection. Voy, as St Paul saith, ' All men have not faith. Pray for us, that we may be delivered from uni'easonable, absurd men : all have not faith,' 2 Thess. iii. 2. Men that believe not God's truth, that believe not God's word, that are full of atheism, full of contempt and scorn, they are ' absurd men.' Though they think themselves the witty '"' men of the world, yet they are unreasonable and absurd men. ' Pray for us, that we may be delivered from unreason- able men.'
Likewise from him that is the head of wicked men, the Devil, He sees that the ministers they are the standard-bearers, they are the captains of God's army. They stand not alone, and they fall not alone. Many others fall with them. There is no calling under heaven by which God conveys so much good, as by the dispensation of his ordinance in the ministry ; therefore we should help them by our prayers. There are no men better if they be good, nor none more hurtful if they be bad ; none worse. As Christ saith, ' They are the salt of the earth,' to season the misavoury world, ' and if the salt have lost the savour, it is good for nothing but to be cast on the dunghill,' Luke xiv. 34, 35. Therefore pray that God would deliver them from the devil, who maligns them. They are the buttf of his malice, by his instruments.
There are many that come to hear the word to carp, and to cavil, and to sit as judges to examine, but how few are there that pray for the ministers ! and surely, because they pray not, they profit not. If we could pray more, we should profit more. I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, put up your petitions to God, that God would teach us (that are inferior to you in other respects, setting aside our calling) that we may teach you, that we may instruct his people. As John Baptist saith, ' The friends of the bride learn of the bridegroom,' John iii. 29, what to speak to the spouse. So we learn from prayer, and from reading, we learn from Christ what to teach you. If you pray to God to teach us that we may teach you, you shall never go away without a blessing.
And therefore, as I said, wo see how the apostle desires the Romans to strive and contend with him in prayer. He useth all protestations, and obtestations, ' For the love of Christ and of his Spirit,' &c., Romans xv. 80. And, pray for us, ' that the word may have a free passage, and be glorified,' 2 Thess. iii. 1. In every epistle still he urgeth, ' Pray for us.' The blessed apostle was so heavenly -minded, that he would neglect no help that might further him in the ministry. So if we have Christian hearts, we will neglect no helps, not the help of the meanest Christian that we are ac- quainted with. When he that was a great apostle saith, ' Pray for us, strive in prayer for us,' he prays for the help of others' prayer. So the more gracious we are, and the nearer to God, the more we understand the things of God, the more careful we shall be of this Christian duty of prayer, for the ministers, and for ourselves, and others. Upon this ground, that it is God's ordinance ; and there is nothing established by God that shall * That is, ' wise.'— G, t That is, 'mark.'— G.