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word 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 pure and he loves that his people should be lively and active in his service, verse 12. "Continuing instant in prayer; continuing with all your might in prayer." "Tis 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, strive mightily, strive as champions strive, even to an agony," as the word imports: 'tis a military word, and notes such fervent wrestling and striving, as fer life and death. Col. iv 12. "Always labouring fervently for you in prayer: the Greek word that is here used, signifies strive or wrestle, as those who strive for mastery; it notes the vehemency and fervour of the prayers of Epaphras for Colossians. Wrestlers bend, and stretch, and strain, the every joint of their bodies that they may be victorious so Epaphras did bend, stretchand 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 how earnest and fervent was he in his wrestlings with God! 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's struggling with God; it is a sweating work, it is the sweat and blood of the soul, it's 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; he must be like importunate beggars, that will not be put off with frowns, or silence, or sad answers. 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.

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If 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 stopped 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 off asking, before God left off granting; he left over praying, before God left over bating; and so Sodom was lost.

O the heavenly fire, the holy fervency that was in Daniel's closet prayer; "O Lord hear, O Lord forgive, Lord hearken and do, defer not for thine own sake." As there are two kinds of antidotes against poison, viz. hot, and cold; so there are two kinds of antidotes against all the troubles of this life, viz. fervent prayers, and holy patience; the one hot, the other cold; the one quickening, and the other quenching, and holy Daniel made use of them both. Fervency in prayer, is as the fire was to the spices in the censor, or as wings to the bird, or as

oil to the wheels; and this Daniel found out by experience. God looks not for any James with horny knees through assiduity at prayer; nor for any Bartholomew with a century of prayers for the morning, and as many for the evening; but for fervency of spirit in prayer, which alone carries all with God. Feeble prayers, like weak pangs go over, and never bring a mercy to the birth. Cold prayers are stillborn children, in whom the Father of spirits can take no pleasure; so a cold prayer is no prayer. Such prayers never win upon the heart of God, that do not first warm our own hearts: As a body without a soul, much wood without fire, a bullet in a gun without powder, so are all prayers without fervency of prayer.

Luther terms prayer bumbarda christianorum, the gun or cannon of christians, or the christian's gunshot.

The hottest springs send forth their waters by ebullitions. Cold prayers make a smoke, a smother in in the eyes of God. Lazy prayers never procure noble answers. Lazy beggars may starve for all their

begging.

Such as have a male in their flock, and offer to the Lord a female: such as offer to the Lord the torn and the lame, and the sick; such as turn off God with their cold, lazy, sleepy, and formal devotions, are condemned and cursed by God. David compares his prayers to incense, and no incense was offered without fire; it was that which made the smoke of it to ascend. 'Tis only fervent prayer that hits the mark, and that pierces the walls of heaven, though like those of Gaza, made of brass and iron. While

the child only whimpers and pines in the cradle, the mother lets it alone; but when once it sets up its note, and cries outright, then she runs and takes it up. So 'tis with a christian, Psalm xxxiv. 6. "this poor man cried," there is his fervency, he cried, but it was silently and secretly, (in the presence of king Achish,) as Moses did at the Red Sea, and as Nehemiah did in the presence of the king of Persia, "and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles; here is his prevalency. So Latimer plyed the throne of grace with great fervency, crying out Once again Lord, once again restore the gospel to England,' and God heard him.

Hudson the martyr deserted at the stake, went from under his chain, and having prayed fervently, he was comforted immediately, and suffered valiently.

I have read of one Giles of Brussels a Dutch martyr, who was so fervent in prayer, kneeling by himself in some secret place of the prison where he was, that he seemed to forget himself; and being called to his meat, he neither heard nor saw who stood by him, till he was lifted up by the arms, and then he would speak gently to them, as one awaked out of

a trance.

So Gregory Nazianzen, speaking of his sister Gorgonia, saith, that in the vehemency of her prayer, she came to a religious impudency with God, so as to threaten heaven, and tell God, that she would never depart from his altar, till she had her petition granted.

Let us make it our business to follow these noble

examples, as ever we would so prince it in prayer as to prevail with God. Animportunate soul in prayer, is like the poor beggar, that prays and knocks, that prays and waits, that prays and works, that knocks and knits, that begs and patches, and will not stir from the door till he hath alms. Well friends, remember this, God respects luke-warm prayers, no more than luke warm persons; and they are such, that he hath threatened to spew out of his mouth. Those prayers that are but lip labour, are lost labour and therefore in all your closet prayers, look to the fervency of your spirits.

Be constant as well as fervent in closet prayer; look that you hold on, and hold out, and that you persevere to the end in private prayer. 1 Thes. v. 17. "Pray without ceasing." A man must always pray habitually, though not actually; he must have his heart in a praying disposition, in all estates and conditions: though closet prayer may have an intermission, yet it must never have a cessation. Luke xviii. 1. And he spake a parable unto them, to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint," or as the Greek hath it, not to shrink back, as sluggards in work, or cowards in war. Closet prayer is a fire, like that on the altar, that was never to go out, day, nor night. 1 Thes. iii. 10. "Night and 'day praying exceedingly:" Paul speaks like a man made all up of prayer, like a man that minded nothing so much as prayer. So Eph. vi. 18. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance.” Calvin makes this difference between praying always,

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