Chapter IV
The third case, about such prayers wherein others join with us. How therein
to discern the influence of our own prayers.
3. THE third case to be considered is, when a man prays for something with
others, or which others likewise pray for with him, so as he is not alone in
it ; how then should he know that his prayers have a hand in obtaining it, as well as theirs ? For in such cases Satan is apt to object, Though the thing is granted indeed, yet not for thy prayers, but for the prayers of those others joined in it with thee.
(1.) If thy heart did sympathise and accord in the same holy affections with those others in praying, then it is certain thy voice hath helped to carry
it : If two agree on earth, says Christ, Matt, xviii. 19, the word is a\j^wrr
(tuffiv that is, if they harmonially agree to play the same tune ; for prayers are music in God s ears, and so called melody to God, Eph. v. 19. It is not simply their agreeing in the thing prayed for, but in the affections ; for
it is the affections that make the concert and the melody. Now if the same
holy affections were touched and struck by God s Spirit in thy heart that
in theirs, then thou doest help to make up the concert, and without thee it would have been imperfect ; yea, without thee the thing might not have been done, for God stands sometimes upon such a number of voices, and one voice casts it ; as when he named ten righteous persons to save So dom. When therefore the same holy motives and affections affected thee in
thy prayer which did them in theirs, it was the work of the same Spirit both in them and thee, and God hath heard thee.
Especially if God did stir up the same secret instinct in thee to sympathise with another in praying for such a thing unbeknown one to another, as some times it falls out ; then surely thy prayers are in it as well as his. You shall observe sometimes a general instinct of the Spirit put into God s people s
hearts, generally to pray for or against a thing, without each other s stirring up one another; even as Ezekiel by the river Chebar prophesied the same
things Jeremiah did at home at Jerusalem. Thus against the time that Christ the Messiah came in the flesh, there was a great expectation raised up in the hearts of the godly people to look and pray for him, Luke ii. 27, 38.
(2.) God doth usually and often evidence to a man, that his prayers con
tributed and went among the rest towards the obtaining of it ; as
[1.] By some circumstance : as, for example, sometimes by ordering it so-
that that man that prayed most for a thing of concernment, should have the
first news of it when it comes to be accomplished ; which God doth, as
knowing it will be most welcome news to him. God doth herein as we do with a friend, who we know is cordial in, and wisheth well to a business ; he
sends him the first word of it who was most hearty in it, and prayed most about it. Good old Simeon had surely been earnest in seeking the Lord, as well
CHAP. IV.] THE RETURN OF PRAYERS. 373
as the rest in Jerusalem, to send the Messiah into the world, to restore and raise up the ruins of Israel ; for God did reveal to him that he should see him before he died : and therefore to evidence to him his respect to his
prayers, God carried the good old man into the temple just at the time when the child was brought into the temple, for to be presented to the Lord/ Luke ii. 27, 28. And in like manner good Anna, who had served God with fasting and prayer, night and day, God ordereth it so that she must also come in at the same instant, Luke ii. 38. By some such like
peculiar circumstance or other doth God often use to witness to a man s heart that he hath heard him in businesses prayed for in common with others.
[2.] By filling the heart with much joy in the accomplishment of what a man prayed for : which is an evident argument that his prayers did move the Lord to effect it, as well as the prayers of others. Thus that good old Simeon, seeing his prayers now answered, he was even willing to die through joy ; and thought he could not die in a better time : Lord, now let thy ser vant depart in peace. For when the desires have vented and laid out much of themselves, then when the return comes home, they have an answerable
part and share in the comfort of it : and as desires abounded in praying, so will joy and comfort also in the accomplishment. As when a ship comes home, not only the chief owners, but every one that ventured shall have a
.share out of the return, in a proportion to the adventure ; so here, though some one whom it mainly concerns hath especial interest in the mercy obtained, yet thou shalt have thy prayers out in joy from God that the
thing is granted. St Paul had planted a church at Thessalonica, but he could not stay to water it with his own preaching, yet when absent he waters those plants which he had set, with prayers, night and day: 1 Thess. iii. 10, * Night and day praying exceedingly for you, says he. And as his prayers were exceeding abundant for them, so was his joy as abundant in them, when he had heard that they stood steadfast, and fell not back again :
* Now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord, ver. 8. And what thanks can we render to God for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before the Lord? ver. 9.
[3.] If God give you a heart thankful for a blessing vouchsafed to another, prayed for by you with others, it is another sign your prayers have some hand in it. St Paul knew not what thanks to give for the answering of his
prayers, as in that forementioned place. Old Eli had put up but one short
c The Lord
ejaculatory petition, that we read of, for Hannah ; and that was,
! 1 Sam. i. 17 j and for the return of that one prayer, when Hannah related how God had answered her, ver. 26, 27, he returned solemn thanks : and he worshipped the Lord there, ver. 28.
grant thy petition
(3.) And, lastly, in case the thing concerned thyself, which was prayed for
5 by others helping thee therein, what cause hast thou but to think that it was granted for thy own prayers, and not for theirs only
1 ? seeing God stirred up their hearts to pray for thee, and gave thee a heart to pray for thyself, and besides gave thee the thing which thou desiredst. Which argues thou
* I know this shall
, art beloved as well as they, and accepted as well as they.
; turn to my salvation through your prayers, saifeh St Paul, Phil. i. 19.
i Though their prayers went to the business, yet had not St Paul been ac
cepted himself, the prayers of all the men in the world would have done him but little good. God may hear the prayers of the godly for wicked
men, when they do not pray themselves, in temporal things
: so he did hear
374 THE RETURN OF PRAYERS. [CHAP. IV.
Moses for Pharaoh, Abraham for Abimelech : and he may hear godly men the sooner for others prayers ; so he heard Aaron and Miriam the sooner for Moses s sake, Num. xii. 13. But if God stirs up thy heart to pray for thy self, as well as others for thee, then God that gave thee a heart to pray hath heard thy prayers also, and hath had a respect to them more in it than to
theirs, because it concerned thyself, as a more special mercy unto thee.
CHAP. V.] THE RETURN OF PRAYERS. 375