Why the Unconverted Must Pray

I apprehend, say you, that i am an unconverted person, and you know that it is only the prayer of the upright that is His delight; of the righteous that availeth much, but the prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, and they that are in the flesh cannot please God; and why should we do that which is a high provocation to God?

I answer: (1) These expressions only denote the misery of the sinner’s present condition, but not his freedom from an obligation to pray; for this is a duty bound upon him, both by natural and supernatural bonds. The meaning then of these Scriptures is, that while the wicked man continues in his natural state, neither his person nor his performances are acceptable to God. They are out of Christ, in whom alone God is well-pleased; and till they be in Him, God can never be pleased with their persons or duties.

(2) But is this intimated to them to discourage them from praying? Is it their duty to lie in that miserable state and never seek union to Christ? Nay, it is rather to drive them to pray for escape from this misery, and for union to the Son of God, in whom their prayer may come to be acceptable to God. Who was more vile than Simon Magus? He was in the gall of bitterness, and yet the apostle calls him to pray to God, if perhaps the thought of his heart might be forgiven him. This says that prayer is a means required even of the wicked in order to their obtaining grace; hence, after God had promised a new heart and new spirit, Ezekiel 36:26, he adds, verse 37, “For this will I be inquired of.”

(3) There is a difference between one sinner and another. Some sinners are secure and presumptuous; others are convinced and awakened and under a mighty concern about salvation. Some pretend to pray, and yet secretly resolve to continue in sin; they look upon their verbal confessions and petitions as a kind of atonement for, and payment of, their former debts, and are thence encouraged to return afresh to the commission of them. Or they make use of prayer as a cloak or cover for their secret wickedness, that they may go on in it without any suspicion from others, as our Savior tells us of the Pharisees—that for a pretence they made long prayers. Such prayers as these cannot but be an abomination to the Lord. We do not bid the thief to pray that he may prosper in his theft, or the wicked man to pray that he may indulge himself in wickedness, for this is not properly praying, but a mocking of God’s holy majesty. They ask, and have not, because they ask amiss, that they may consume it on their lusts. But there is a great difference between these wicked prayers, which are the breathings of depraved nature, and such prayers as are the effects of the Spirit’s influences, though in a common degree. As far as they are influenced by the divine Spirit, so far are they pleasing to God. I’ll tell you three ways wherein God may be said to be pleased with the duties and endeavors even of men not yet translated from death to life—though they are looking with nature’s eye, with weeping and supplication towards God, and being a little anointed with the common operations of the Spirit—I say in these three respects He may be said to be pleased with them, namely, positively, comparatively, and relatively. [1 ] Positively, because as to the matter and substance these duties are good and agreeable to the rule; though as to the manner and way of performance, they are defective; and thus God was not displeased with the humiliation of a wicked Ahab. [2] Comparatively. Certainly God is better pleased with such approaches to Him, than with a turning from Him; such endeavors are more agreeable to the will of God than the omission of them. [3] Relatively, as a means which God has appointed to be a way of conveying grace, and which is insofar acceptable because God usually makes them reach the end; thus faith cometh by hearing, and why not by praying? Cornelius was praying, and behold a messenger from heaven was sent to him to show him what he should do (Acts 10:30). Though God be not tied to means, nor yet can be obliged by our best endeavors, yet He has bound us to the means. “Seek the Lord while He is to be found, and call on Him while He is near.” Outside of His own way we cannot expect to meet with Him. In a word, the state of unconverted sinners is very deplorable, a state not to be rested in, for until a sanctifying change pass upon them, they are under the unhappy necessity of sinning more or less in whatever they do. The plowing of the wicked is sin. They need, therefore, to pray and wrestle as they can to be freed from this state. Surely the performance of this duty will lay them under less guilt than the total neglect of it will bring them under. Who dare say that it is not the duty of the wicked to pray to God, to pray for faith, to pray for an interest in Christ? I am sure it can never be your duty to go on in the way to hell and damnation. Oh, thou whose trade has been to destroy yourself in departing from God, all ye who are strangers to this heavenly employment of speaking to your Maker, I have a glad message to you today. Whatever have been your past sins, or whatever be your present fears, yet look up to Him by prayer whom you have so often provoked, and there may be hope in Israel concerning you. Do not argue yourselves out of your duty. Is it not your duty to go and bemoan your condition before the Lord? Is not grace lovely and desirable, and is not Christ worth seeking after? Have you not the command of God for your warrant? Are there not many sad threatenings against prayerless persons and families? Is not prayer a converting ordinance, and not only the means, but the first fruit of conversion? Have you not many encouragements to set you to work? May not the least probability of success be a cord to draw you near to God? Are not His bowels open and His arms stretched forth, to embrace you in ordinances? Have you not His call and invitation, His counsels and expostulations, yes, His solemn protestation that He delighteth not in the death of sinners? If the King of glory invites traitors to come and seek His pardon, what should discourage you? Has God appointed this ordinance of prayer in vain?

But alas, if I be a wicked man, how can I lay hold on a promise for audience and success, for I have no right to any promise while I am in a natural state?

Answer: (1) Though a wicked man can lay claim to no qualified or conditional promise—because he wants the condition which the promise supposes in him to whom the promise is made— yet there are absolute promises which he is to plead in prayer. By conditional promises I mean the promises that are made to grace; thus there are promises made to the grace of faith, to the grace of love, to the grace of humility. Now an unconverted man cannot plead the promises that are made to graces because as yet he lacks true grace. But then, by the absolute promises, I mean the promises that are made of grace. There is a promise of grace, a promise of a new heart, a promise of faith: God has promised to quicken the dead, to write His laws upon our hearts, and the like. Now who knows that he is not under the absolute promise? Who dare say: You are not the man, or the woman, to whom the promise of grace is made, and in whom the promise shall be accomplished, especially if thou art panting after the Lord and wrestling at the throne by prayer?

(2) The promises, for the most part, are conceived in such general terms, without any qualification, that you may not question or dispute about your interest in them, and to show that there is room enough left for you to come and write down your name. “Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”

(3) God’s call and command has a promise in it. God does not compliment you, when He calls you to come to Him. Nay, if you come, you shall be welcome, for “him that cometh He will in nowise cast out.”

(4) All the promises are yea and amen in Christ, and this blessed Lord and Savior is offered to you in this everlasting gospel. Therefore if you doubt your right to the promise as a foundation of prayer, let your prayer be a coming to Christ, and then you have all the promises in Him. And indeed, sirs, this is all that I desire to drive at in the whole of this subject, that you may come to Christ by prayer. When I call you to pray, I call you to seek Jesus of Nazareth in this duty of prayer. I call you to seek Him who came to seek and save you. Many, when they pray, seek themselves; they seek their own applause; they seek their credit; they seek to have a name; they seek only to ease their natural conscience; they seek to establish a righteousness of their own; but woe to you if you never have a better errand in prayer, for it is to seek Christ that I call you to pray. Seek His person; seek His righteousness; seek His Spirit; seek His grace; seek His love; seek His heart. And, indeed, if Christ were not to be found in this duty, I should never have insisted so long upon it Oh, is there none here that see their need of Christ, that they may seek Him in secret and family prayer? Do we not all need His merit to justify us, His Spirit to sanctify us, His blood to wash us? We need Him to procure daily pardon for us and to convey daily supplies of grace to us. We need Him when we are in bondage, to relieve us; when we are dead, to quick en us; when we are in the dark, to enlighten us; when we are in doubts, to resolve us; when we are in fears, to encourage us; when we are fallen, to raise us; when we are straitened, to enlarge us; when we are sad, to comfort us; when we are tempted, to succor us; when we are weak, to strengthen us; when we are wandering, to restore us. None but Christ can do all this and a thousand times more than all this. Therefore, seek Him in prayer; cast away all your objections as Bartimaeus did his garments when Christ called him. Do not dispute away the market-day, nor let the golden opportunity slip; as you would not weep and wail for ever for losing such an occasion, and as you would not grieve the Spirit of Christ by your enmity and unbelief. Oh, that there were a seeking and searching after the Lord among us; and a running to him as Jerome did; an ancient father who said, “If my father were weeping on his knees before me, and my mother hanging about my neck behind me, my brother, sister, and kinsfolk wailing on every side of me to retain me in a sinful course, I would run over my father, I would fling my mother to the ground and trample all my kindred under my feet, that I might run to Christ.” Oh, that there were such a seeking of Christ over all objections and impediments! Oh, lay aside the weight and earth that easily beset you, and turn to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the knees of your heart, and say, I am not worthy to be called Thy son, and when He sees you yet afar off, He may meet you and fall on your neck and kiss you. Thus He hath dealt with such prodigals, and will He not also thus welcome you? There is none in earth or in hell that can say that they took this course and constantly pursued it, and yet were rejected of God. None ever met with a repulse, who continued instant in prayer.

Rev. Ralph Erskine (1685–1752) was a Scottish seceding divine together with his brother, Ebenezer, and Thomas Boston. The writings of these divines were highly recommended by Rev. Kersten. Rev. R. Erskine’s complete works of seven volumes of sermons and sonnets have long been prized by Cod’s people.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen