The zealous Christian taking heavenThe zealovs Christian taking heaven

3. It may be thou dost ask but slightly, and therefore thy prayers are not successful: As it is with a man, that asketh any thing of another man slightly and coldly, ⟨p. 95⟩he doth, as it were, desire him to say him nay. So when man asks mercies of God, carelessly and indifferently, this provokes God to give no answer. It may be thou prayest sleepily and drowsily, and with a wandering heart: And dost thou think God will hear that prayer, that thou dost not hear thy self? Dost thou think that God will accept of that prayer, when thou knowest not what thou sayest?

3. It may be thou dost ask but sleightly, and therefore thy prayers are not successful: As it is with a man, that asketh any thing of another man sleightly and coldly, ⟨p. 95⟩he doth, as it were, desire him to say him nay. So when man askes mercies of God, carelessly and indifferently, this provokes God to give no answer. It may be thou prayest sleepily and drouzily, and with a wandring heart: And dost thou think God will hear that prayer, that thou dost not hear thy self? Dost thou think that God will accept of that prayer, when thou knowest not what thou sayest?

4. God may give thee a mercy, and thou through thy incredulity, impatience, and inobservancie, not mind the returns that God gives. God may hear thy prayers, and yet thou not take any notice of it. This you may see in Job, Job 9. 16, 17. If I have called and God answered, yet I will not believe ¹that God hath heard me, because thou breakest me with thy tempest—Job was in a fit of impatience and unbelief. And though God did give him returns of prayer, yet he would not, did not observe them.