The zealous Christian taking heavenThe zealovs Christian taking heaven

Now I shall answer that in these particulars.

Answ. 1 1. Mercies are returns of prayer, when the receiving of mercy is a means to ⟨p. 84⟩quicken the heart to beg for other mercies at the hands of God: when the mercy shall make thee more to love prayer, more to use prayer. This you find proved by Davids experience, Psal. 116. 2. Because he hath ¹heard my voice, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. You see here, because God had heard Davids prayer, and given him the mercy he begged, he makes an argument, and an engagement to himself to pray as long as he lived. So that to continue prayer, is a means to get more mercy; and the leaving off of prayer when you have a mercy, is a means to loose that which you have obtained at the hands of God. But as for the wicked it is not so with them. Mercies received only from a common, or general providence, have no such efficacy, as you may see, Job 21. 7, 8, &c. there Job tells you,—the wicked live, become old, yea, ²mighty in power: Their seed is established in their sight with them, and their off-spring before their eyes. Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them. Their bull gendereth, and faileth not, their cow calveth, and casteth not her calf. And so he goes on, describing that happy condition that wicked men were in, and how God followed them with mercy after mercy. Well, what was the effect of this? Did this engage them to call upon God? Did this make them in love with prayer? No, it had a quite ⟨p. 85⟩contrary effect, vers. 14. Therefore they say