(4) The fourth means is earnest supplication.
Not a faint wish, but a resolved vow. "I have sworn that I will keep your righteous judgments" (Psa 119.106). All the delights and artifices of sin will not make me renounce my vow. There must be no hesitation, no consulting with flesh and blood, "Should I leave my sin or not?" But as with Ephraim, "What have I to do with idols anymore?" (Hos 14.8). I will not be engulfed by my sins anymore; I will no longer be fooled by Satan. This day I will put a bill of divorce into the hands of my lusts. Till we come to this peremptory resolution, sin will gain ground on us and we will never be able to shake off this viper. It is no wonder that someone who is not resolved to be an enemy of sin, is conquered by sin.
But this resolution must be built upon the strength of Christ more than our own. It must be a humble resolution. David, when he went against Goliath, put off his presumptuous confidence as well as his armor: "I come to you in the name of the Lord" (1Sam 17.45). So we must go out against our Goliath lusts, in the strength of Christ. It is usual for a person to make a bond with another. So, being conscious of our own inability to leave sin, let us bind ourselves to Christ, and engage his strength to mortify our corruption.
(4) The fourth means is earnest supplication.
The heathens laid one of their hands on the plow, and the other they lifted up to Ceres, the goddess of corn. So when we have used the means provided, let us look up to God for a blessing. Pray to him for a repenting heart: "You, Lord, who bid me to repent, give me grace to repent." Pray that our hearts may be a holy distillery, dripping tears.
Beg of Christ to give us such a look of love as he gave to Peter, which made him go out and weep bitterly. Implore the help of God's Spirit.
It is the Spirit's striking on the rock of our hearts 82 that makes the waters gush out: "He causes his wind to blow and the waters flow"
(Psa 147.18). When the wind of God's Spirit blows, then the water of tears will flow.
There is good reason we should go to God for repentance:
(1) Because it is his gift: "Then God also granted repentance to life to the Gentiles" (Act 11.18). The Arminians hold that it is in our