But Fourthly: Who ever stayed, and waited long upon God, but he had more than he prayed for? Either God answers your prayers presently; or if he do not, he will not only pay you the principal, but he will pay you forbearance money, and you shall have good Security, and a pledge for the principal too. The desire, is a pledge of the thing desired; Prayer is a pledge of the thing prayed for; a waiting heart, is a pledge of the thing waited for: and the longer you stay, the more your hearts shall be weaned from the thing prayed for, and the more you shall be taught to wait upon God; and sometimes a waiting frame of heart, is a greater mercy than the thing waited for. By this means also, you shall be weaned from your prayer, so as not to rest on it. A Child may so love the Nurse, as to forget the Mother; and one may possibly so love Duty, as to forget Christ; but by Gods delaying to answer, you are weaned from this Nurse, and kept from resting on it. Or it may be, you came to Duty with too high esteem of your own performance, and too low esteem of the Duty it self: Hereby God teacheth you to come to the Duty with high esteem of it, and with low esteem of your own doing it. Yea, the longer you stay, the more you shall be humbled; and your self-despising thoughts, because you cannot pray, may please God more than your best prayer: You see that when a man angles, he throws his line into the Water, and there is the hook, and the bait, those are heavy; then there is the Cork, and that is light; and when the Fisher, or the Angler, sees that the light cork is drawn under water, now the Fish bites, saith he, now there is hope, now there is something coming: So, you go to prayer, and there is somewhat heavy, and weighty in your spirit; but there is something that is of a corky, and light Nature in your spirit; the longer you stay, the more your Cork shall be drawn under water, that lightness of Spirit shall be drawn under water, and so the more you shall be humble, and humbled. Thereby you are caught to fan your prayers: There is much Chaff amongst the good Wheat of our Duties, and Gods delaying time, is our fanning time: when the Fish doth not bite, the Fisher mends his bait; it may be, saith he, my hook is not well baited: So should you do, when you take nothing by prayer, Gods delay calls for your amending.
But Fourthly: Who ever stayed, and waited long upon God, but he had more than he prayed for? Either God answers your prayers presently; or if he do not, he will not only pay you the principal, but he wil pay you forbearance money, and you shal have good Security, and a pledg for the principal too. The desire, is a pledg of the thing desired; Prayer is a pledg of the thing prayed for; a waiting heart, is a pledg of the thing waited for: and the longer you stay, the more your hearts shal be weaned from the thing prayed for, and the more you shal be taught to wait upon God; and somtimes a waiting frame of heart, is a greater mercy than the thing waited for. By this means also, you shal be weaned from your prayer, so as not to rest on it. A Child may so love the Nu•se, as to forget the Mother; and one may possibly so love Duty, as to forget Christ; but by Gods delaying to answer, you are weaned from this Nurse, and kept from resting on it. Or it may be, you came to Duty with too high esteem of your own performance, and too low esteem of the Duty it self: Hereby God teachech you to come to the Duty with high esteem of it, and with low esteem of your own doing it. Yea, the longer you stay, the more you shal be humbled; and your self-despising thoughts, because you cannot pray, may please God more than your best prayer: You see that when a man angles, he throws his line into the Water, and there is the hook, and the bait, those are heavy; then there is the Cork, and that is light; and when the Fisher, or the Angler, sees that the light cork is drawn under water, now the Fish bites, saith he, now there is hope, now there is somthing coming: So, you go to prayer, and there is somwhat heavy, and weighty in your spirit; but there is somthing that is of a corky, and light Nature in your spirit; the longer you stay, the more your Cork shall be drawn under water, that lightness of Spirit shal be drawn under water, and so the more you shall be humble, and humbled. Thereby you are caught to fan your prayers: There is much Chaff amongst the good Wheat of our Duties, and Gods delaying time, is our fanning time: when the Fish doth not bite, the Fisher mends his bait; it may be, saith he, my hook is not well baited: So should you do, when you take nothing by prayer, Gods delay cals for your amending.
