96 THE SPIRITUAL FAVOURITE
seutly for the very cry (a). But if it be not one that is a child, but is of grown years, the father looks for arguments that are moving to press him with. So here, Nehcmiah he prosseth God with moving and strong argu- ments, and he repeats and forccth them. He doth not only allege them, but cnforceth them : ' 0 Lord, I beseech thee, let thine ear be attent to the prayer of thy servant, and of thy servants that desire to fear thy name.'
Ho desircth God to be ' attentive.' He prosseth God ; and indeed he doth it to warm his own heart, for when we have humbled our heart low enough, and broken it with the consideration of our own unworthiness, and then warmed it with the consideration of God's goodness, and strengthened it with the consideration of God's promise and truth, then we are sure of a gracious success.
* Let thine ear be attent to the prayer of thy servant, and of thy servants.'
How did then know that tlicy icere thine ?
Because there was no other people in the world that knew God but they. And he knew that the saints, wherever they were, had a spirit of prayer, and would remember the case of the church. Therefore he saith, remember ' my prayer and the prayer of thy servants.' For if ' the prayer of one righteous man prevaileth much,' James, v. 16, much more the prayer of many. If there had been but ten righteous in Sodom, Sodom had been preserved. Now this he allegeth to God, * remember the prayer of thy servant,' of mine, and the prayer of thy servants. As TertuUian, an ancient father, saith very well, ' AVhen men join together, they ofler a holy kind of violence to God ' (b). Prayer is a kind of wrestling and contending with God, a striving with him. ' Let me alone,' saith God to Moses, Exod. sxxii. 10. It is a binding of him with arguments and promises of his own, and it is so forcible, that he desires, as it were, to be let alone. Now, if the prayer of one be a wrestling, and striving, and forcing of him, as it were, against his will, that he said, ' Let me alone,' as if he could do nothing except he gave over praying, what are the prayers of many, when there is a multitude of them ?
Therefore we may look for a comfortable issue of our prayers and humi- liation that is performed at this time.- The desires of so many Christian souls touched with the Spirit of God, and with the case of the church, which God doth tender,! cannot be ineffectual. It must needs draw plenty of blessings from heaven. I will not enter into the commonplace of prayer, having spoken of it upon another occasion ; but surely you see the holy man Nehemiah stood so much upon it, that he hoped to speed, because he and others prayed : holy Daniel, and others with him. It was such a gracious messenger to send to heaven for help and for all good, that Daniel, though it cost him his life, that he should be cast into the lion's den, he would not omit it for his life. Take away prayer, and take away the life and breath of the soul. Take away breath and the man dies ; as soon as the soul of a Christian begins to live he prays (c). As soon as Paul was converted, 'Behold he prayeth,' Acts ix. 10. A child, as soon as he is born, he cries, and a Christian will not lose his prayer for his life, as we see in holy Daniel. For what is all the comfort that he hath, but that that is derived from God ? and God will be sued unto for all the favours he bestows. Whatsoever is from his favour, it comes as a fruit of praj^er for the most part. Though ho go beyond our desires many times, yet ordinarily, what we have if we be his children, we have it as a fruit of prayer. Therefore,
* A ' National Humiliation ' by royal proclamation' — G. t That is, = ' caro for,' regard. — G.
AT THE THKONE OF GRACE. 97
I beseech you, let us be stirred up to this duty, as we see Nehemiah here • ♦Kemeraber the praj^er of thy servant,' &c.
And when we pray to God, let us press him, as we see here, ' Be atten- tive, verse G, and here again, ' be attentive.' He presseth upon God It is no sinful tautology to come again and again. God loves to hear the same song agam and again. This music is not tedious but pleasin- to him And this pressing is for us to warm our hearts ; perhaps one petition will not warm them, and when they are warmed by a second, let us labour to warm them more and more, and never give over till we have thoroucrhlv warmed our hearts. ' Be attentive, be attentive to my prayer •' and if mine will not prevail, be attentive to the prayers of others ; let the prayers oi all prevail—' the prayer of thy servant, and of thy servants."