Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

Therefore I say every prayer will not prevail, it must be such a kind of prayer as God appoints. Now why hath God appointed prayer? It is that our hearts may be quickened and drawn near to the Lord, that our hearts may be put into a fitter frame of prayer. And therefore when thou shalt pray, and thy heart▪ never a whit the warmer, never a whit the nearer drawn to God by it, the business is not done. For the same rule is true in this as in other things; a business we say is not done, when the end is not obtained, when the enterprise is not brought to pass. So I say, you have not prayed, say what you will, express what you will except your hearts are made warmer by it, and drawn nearer to God by it, and brought ⟨p. 402⟩to a better frame by it. When you edify your selves, this is the prayer God accepts.

Therefore I say every prayer will not prevail, it must be such a kind of prayer as God appoints. Now why hath God appointed prayer? It is that our hearts may be quickened and drawn near to the Lord, that our hearts may be put into a fitter frame of prayer. And therefore when thou shalt pray, and thy heart▪ never a whit the warmer, never a whit the nearer drawn to God by it, the business is not done. For the same rule is true in this as in other things; a business we say is not done, when the end is not obtained, when the enterprize is not brought to pass. So I say, you have not prayed, say what you will, express what you will except your hearts are made warmer by it, and drawn nearer to God by it, and brought ⟨p. 402⟩to a better frame by it. When you edifie your selves, this is the prayer God accepts.

Therefore we must take heed of that common error, that because we hear that prayer will prevail; therefore we use some certain formalities, and make some petitions, and so we do make account to prevail with God; this is the common error of people: we are deceived in this, it is not every kind of prayer that will do it. An ordinary prayer would not have recovered Hezekiah, and restored him to health. It was the fault of Gehazi when he had got the staff, he thought to recover the child: but he wanted Elisha's spirit. A man may make a prayer to God, but when he wants the spirit of prayer, he cannot expect an answer: for the promise is not made to such: Therefore when we deliver this point to you, that prayer is an effectual means to prevail with God for any thing, you must understand that those conditions must accompany it that the Lord requires. And so much for this point, he prayed to the Lord, Who spake unto him.