Whence Spring the Prayers of Almost Christians.
A MAN may be much in prayer—a may pray often, and much; and yet be but almost a christian. So did the Pharisees whom yet our Lord Christ rejects for hypocrites. Objection. But is not a praying frame an argument of a sincere heart? Are not the saints of God called the “generation of them that seek the face of God?” Answer. A man is not therefore a christian because he is much in prayer. I grant that those prayers that are from the workings and sighings of God’s Spirit in us; from sincere hearts lifted up to God; from a sense of our own emptiness, and God’s infinite fullness; that are suited to God’s will, the great rule of prayer; that are for spiritual things more than for temporal; that are accompanied by faith and dependence—such prayers speak a man altogether a christian. But now a man may be much in prayer, and yet be a stranger to such a prayer; as 1. Nature may put a man upon prayer; for it is a part of natural worship. It may put a child of God upon prayer; so it did Christ: “He went and fell on his face and prayed, saying, O my Father! if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” This was a prayer of Christ which flowed from the sinless strugglings of nature, seeking its own preservation. 2. A man may pray in pretence, for a covering to some sin; so did those devout Pharisees. “Wo to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” So Papists seem very devout to pray a rich man out of purgatory; but it is to cheat the heir of much of his estate, under pretence of praying for his father’s soul. 3. A man may pray, and yet love sin; as Austin before conversion prayed against his sin, but was afraid God should hear him and take him at his word. Now God hears not such prayers: “If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear me.” 4. A man may pray much for temporal things, and little for spiritual things; and such are the prayers of most men, crying out most for temporal things. More for “Who will show us any good?” than for “Lord, lift upon us the light of thy countenance.” David copies out the prayer of such: “That our sons may be as plants, and that our daughters may be as corner-stones, polished after the similitude of a palace; that our garners may be full. . . . “Happy is the people that is in such a case.” This is carnal prayer; and this David calls vanity. “They are strange children whose mouth speaketh vanity.” 5. A man may pray and yet be far from God in prayer: “This people draw nigh to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” A man may pray, and yet have no heart in prayer, and that God chiefly looks at: “My son give me thy heart.” The Jews have this sentence written upon their synagogues, “Prayer without the intention of the mind is but a body without the soul.” It is not enough to be conscionable to use prayer, but we must be conscionable to the use of prayer. Many are so conscientious that they dare not but pray; and yet so irreligious that they have no heart in prayer. A common work of God may make a man conscionable to do duties, but nothing less than giving grace in the heart will make a man conscionable in the doing of them. 6. A man’s prayer may be a lie. As a profession without sanctity is a lie to the world, so prayer without sincerity is a lie to God. It is said of Israel, that they “sought God and inquired early after him.” They were much in prayer, and God calls all but a lie. “Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied to them with their tongues, for their heart was not right with him.” “Hearken to my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips,” saith David. 7. Affection and the pressure of outward evils will make a man pray, and pray much. “When he slew them, then they sought him, and returned, and inquired early after God.” The mariners called every man upon his God when in a storm; when they feared drowning then they fell to praying. Jonah i, 5. Mariners are for the most part none of the devoutest, nor much addicted to prayer. They will swear twice where they pray once; and yet it is said, “They cry to God in their trouble,” and hence you have a proverb, “He that cannot pray let him go to sea.” “They poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.” Now then, if nature may put a man upon prayer; if a man may pray in pretence and design; if a man may pray and yet love sin; if a man may pray mostly for temporal things; if a man may pray and yet be far from God in prayer; if prayer may be a lie, or it may be only a cry of the soul in affection—sure then a man may be much in prayer and yet be but almost a christian. Objection. But suppose a man pray, and prevail with God in prayer; surely that is a witness from heaven of a man’s sincerity in prayer: now I pray and prevail; I ask and am answered. Answer. A man may pray, and be answered; for God many times answers prayer in judgments. As God is sometimes silent in mercy, so he speaks in wrath; and as he sometimes denies prayer in mercy, so he sometimes answers in judgment; when men are over-importunate in something their lusts are upon, and will take no nay, then God answers in judgment. “He gave them their own desire.” They had desired quails, and God sent them; but now mark the judgment: “While the meat was in their mouths the wrath of God came upon them and slew them.” Objection. But suppose a man’s affections are much stirred in prayer, how then? Is not that a true note of christianity? Now my affections are much stirred in prayer. Answer. So was Esau’s, when he sought the blessing. “He sought it carefully with tears.” A man may be affected with his own parts in a duty, while good notions pass through his head, and good words through his lips: some good motions also may stir in his heart, but they are but sparks which fly out at the tunnel of the chimney, and suddenly vanish; so that it is possible to pray and prevail in prayer, pray and be affected in prayer, and yet be but almost a christian.—Matthew Mead’s Almost Christian.