The zealous Christian taking heavenThe zealovs Christian taking heaven

5. God may deny thee the mercy, not that he is unable, or unwilling to hear thee or relieve thee; but to make thee the more desirous of, and so the more fit for mercy. It may be yet thou art not fit for an answer. The Philosopher begged some money of Antigonus, he gave him a Drachme: He said, It is not for a King to give so little, a Talent had been a more suitable gift. The King replied, Though a Talent is fit for me ⟨p. 96⟩to give, yet thou art not fit to receive. So though God is always fit and ready to give an answer to our prayers, yet we are not always fit and ready to receive it. God bids us open our mouths wide, and I will fill it. God denies us, that we may open our mouths the wider, and enlarge our desires the more after mercy. The Lord doth by his people, as a father by his child; a father may seem to withdraw and hide himself from his child, to try its love to him; and the child begins to mourn and cry, yet the father comes not to the child; but when he hears the child cry aloud, then he comes to it and takes it up in his arms. So the Lord many times, sees his people pray, but he seems to withdraw from them, to hide himself from the prayers of his people; and goes as it were out of their sight, until they begin to cry aloud, to be very earnest and importunate in their prayers, till their desires be enlarged towards God; and then God graciously returns their prayers into their bosom. Now this is a very good reason, why God denies the prayers of his people. Desires deferred, ¹grow the stronger; but if the mercies be soon given, the desires grow cold, and the mercy grows contemptible. Manna lightly come, is lightly set by. God doth by us as a Fisher-man doth, he draws back the bait, that so the Fish may come after it ⟨p. 97⟩the more eagerly, and bite the harder. God seems to draw back a mercy, that we may more earnestly pursue it.

5. God may deny thee the mercy, not that he is unable, or unwilling to hear thee or relieve thee; but to make thee the more desirous of, and so the more fit for mercy. It may be yet thou art not fit for an answer. The Philosopher beg'd some mony of Antigonus, he gave him a Drachme: He said, It is not for a King to give so little, a Talent had been a more sutable gift. The King replied, Though a Talent is fit for me