heaven. There is a delight in coming near God, and warming the soul by
374 charnock's works. [Ps. XXXYII. 4.
nothing else but a presenting God with his own promise, desiring to work that in us and for us which he hath promised to us. None was more cheerful
in prayer than David, because none was more rejoicing in the statutes of God. God's statutes were his songs, Ps. cxix. 54 ; and the divine word was sweeter to him than the honey, and honeycomb. If our hearts leap not at divine promises, we are like to have but drowsy souls in desiring them. If our eye be not upon the dainties God sets before us, our desires cannot be strong
for him. If we have no delight in the great charters of heaven, the rich
legacies of God, how can we sue for them ? If we delight not in the covenant of grace, we shall not delight in prayers for grace. It was the hopes of reward made Moses so valiant in suffering ; and the joy set before Christ in a promise made him so cheerful in enduring the shame, Heb. xii. 1, 2.
4. A delight in prayer itself. A Christian's heart is in secret ravished into heaven. There is a delight in coming near God, and warming the soul by the fii'e of his love. The angels are cheerful in the act of praise ; their work
is their glory. A holy soul doth so delight in this duty, that if there were no comm.and to engage him, no promise to encourage him, he would be stepping
into God's courts ; he thinks it not a good day that passeth without some intercourse with God. David would have taken up his lodgings in the courts of God, and regards it as the only blessedness, Ps. Ixv. 4. And so great a dehght he had in being in God's presence, that he envies the birds the happiness of building their nests near his tabernacle. A delight there is in the holiness of prayer ; a natural man under some troubles may delight in God's comforting and easing presence, but not in his sanctifying presence
he may delight to pray to God as a storehouse to supply his wants, but not
as a refiner's fire to purge away his dross. Prayer, as praise, is a melody
to God in the heai't, Eph. v. 19 ; and the soul loves to be fingering the instrument and touching the strings.
5. A dehght in the things asked. This heavenly cheerfulness is most in heavenly things. What delight others have in asking worldly goods, that a gracious heart hath in begging the light of God's countenance. That soul cannot be dull in prayer that seriously considers he prays for no less than heaven and happiness, no less than the gloiy of the great God. A gracious man is never weary of spiritual things, as men are never weary of the sun, but though it is enjoyed every day, yet long for the rising of it again. From
this delight in the matter of prayer it is that the saints have redoubled and repeated their petitions, and often double the Amm at the end of prayer, to manifest the great affections to those things they have asked. The soul loves
to think of those things the heart is set upon, and frequent thoughts express a delight.
6. A delight] in those gi-aces and affections which are exercised in prayer. A gracious heart is most delighted with that prayer wherein grace hath been more stirring, and gracious affections have been boiling over. The soul de-
sires not only to speak to God, but to make melody to God ; the heart is the instrument, but graces are the strings, and prayer the touching them; and therefore he is more displeased with the flagging of his graces than with missing an answer. There may be a delight in gifts, in a man's own gifts, in the gifts of another, in the pomp and vamish of devotion, but a delight in
exercising spiritual graces is an ingredient in this true delight. The pharisees
are marked by Christ to make long prayers, vaunting in outward bravery of
W'Ords, as if they were playing the courtiers with God, and compHmenting him ; but the publican had a short prayer, but more grace, ' Lord, be merci-
ful to me a sinner.' There is reliance and humility. A gracious heart labours to bring flaming affections, and if he cannot bring flaming grace,