CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

4. Repetition of the same matter may be when he would by faith persuade our heart of the certainty of the thing we pray for; Thus that crying Abba Father, did not only argue zeal but assurance and certainty: They were so fully persuaded that they were bold to speak it again and again, and so also it's a Rule among the Hebrews, to express the certainty of a thing by the ingemination of it: Thus dying thou shalt die, So when it's said Amen and Amen, that repetition is to show their affection, that they would have it so, or that it is so, and thus indeed those Petitions which God sets home with certainty upon the heart they are again and again mentioned, The Lord will do them yea, he hath done them.

4. Repetition of the same matter may be when he would by faith perswade our heart of the certainty of the thing we pray for; Thus that crying Abba Father, did not only argue zeal but assurance and certainty: They were so fully perswaded that they were bold to speak it again and again, and so also it's a Rule among the Hebrews, to expresse the certainty of a thing by the ingemination of it: Thus dying thou shalt die, So when it's said Amen and Amen, that repetition is to shew their affection, that they would have it so, or that it is so, and thus indeed those Petitions which God sets home with certainty upon the heart they are again and again mentioned, The Lord will do them yea, he hath done them.

Lastly, There may be a repetition of some Petitions especially in public Prayer, when the matter doth greatly concern us; and so it's such as we ought to be deeply affected with, for as it is with Preaching, that matter which doth greatly concern the hearer, it's lawful to mention it over and over again, as the Apostle ⟨p. 135⟩Peter did think fit to write the very same things which he had formerly delivered, as also the Apostle Jude in his Epistle did; So it is in public prayer, such sins as we would have the Congregation sensible of in their confessions, such duties as we would have them diligently perform, it's useful in prayer to mention these more then once, for how dull and distracted are our thoughts, how hard and senseless are they? So that like Moses his rock, till we be stricken over and over again, water cannot come forth, like the Shunamites dead child; Till we be often rubbed over there cannot come any spiritual heat into us; Do not then always look for new matter, but rather desire thy heart may be affected with that which is old sometimes; It's a great sin in all, that they endeavour not to have their hearts affected in public prayer, in our Congregations, we should all be like so many Jacobs wrestling with God, We should be like so many Hezekiahs or Jonahs crying out of the Whales belly, but oh how few when God takes notice doth he find that have spiritual mourning hearts, some sleeping, some roving, some weary and wishing it over.