(Calvin, On Prayer. part 2)

Lord. Thus Daniel, on whom the Lord himself bestowed such high 
commendation, says, "We do not present our supplications before thee for 
our righteousness but for thy great mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, 
forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my 
God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name." This he does 
not indirectly in the usual manner, as if he were one of the individuals 
in a crowd: he rather confesses his guilt apart, and as a suppliant 
betaking himself to the asylum of pardon, he distinctly declares that he 
was confessing his own sin, and the sin of his people Israel, (Dan. ix. 
18-20.) David also sets us an example of this humility: "Enter not into 
judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be 
justified," (Psalm cxliii. 2.) In like manner, Isaiah prays, "Behold, 
thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we 
shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our 
righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and 
our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is none 
that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of 
thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because 
of our iniquities. But now, O Lord, thou art our Father; we are the 
clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand. Be not 
wroth very sore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever: Behold, 
see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people." (Isa. lxiv. 5-9.) You see 
how they put no confidence in any thing but this: considering that they 
are the Lord's, they despair not of being the objects of his care. In 
the same way, Jeremiah says, "O Lord, though our iniquities testify 
against us, do thou it for thy name's sake," (Jer. xiv. 7.) For it was 
most truly and piously written by the uncertain author (whoever he may 
have been) that wrote the book which is attributed to the prophet 
Baruch,[2] "But the soul that is greatly vexed, which goeth stooping and 
feeble, and the eyes that fail, and the hungry soul, will give thee 
praise and righteousness, O Lord. Therefore, we do not make our humble 
supplication before thee, O Lord our God, for the righteousness of our 
fathers, and of our kings." "Hear, O Lord, and have mercy; for thou art 
merciful: and have pity upon us, because we have sinned before thee," 
(Baruch ii. 18, 19; iii. 2.) 
     9. In fine, supplication for pardon, with humble and ingenuous 
confession of guilt, forms both the preparation and commencement of 
right prayer. For the holiest of men cannot hope to obtain any thing 
from God until he has been freely reconciled to him. God cannot be 
propitious to any but those whom he pardons. Hence it is not strange 
that this is the key by which believers open the door of prayer, as we 
learn from several passages in The Psalms. David, when presenting a 
request on a different subject, says, "Remember not the sins of my 
youth, nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy remember me, for 
thy goodness sake, O Lord," (Psalm xxv. 7.) Again, "Look upon my 
affliction and my pain, and forgive my sins," (Psalm xxv. 18.) Here also 
we see that it is not sufficient to call ourselves to account for the 
sins of each passing day; we must also call to mind those which might 
seem to have been long before buried in oblivion. For in another passage 
the same prophet, confessing one grievous crime, takes occasion to go 
back to his very birth, "I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my 
mother conceive me," (Psalm li. 5;) not to extenuate the fault by the 
corruption of his nature, but as it were to accumulate the sins of his 
whole life, that the stricter he was in condemning himself, the more 
placable God might be. But although the saints do not always in express 
terms ask forgiveness of sins, yet if we carefully ponder those prayers 
as given in Scripture, the truth of what I say will readily appear; 
namely, that their courage to pray was derived solely from the mercy of 
God, and that they always began with appeasing him. For when a man 
interrogates his conscience, so far is he from presuming to lay his 
cares familiarly before God, that if he did not trust to mercy and 
pardon, he would tremble at the very thought of approaching him. There 
is, indeed, another special confession. When believers long for 
deliverance from punishment, they at the same time pray that their sins 
may be pardoned;[3] for it were absurd to wish that the effect should be 
taken away while the cause remains. For we must beware of imitating 
foolish patients whon anxious only about curing accidental symptoms, 
neglect the root of the disease.[4] Nay, our endeavour must be to have 
God propitious even before he attests his favour by external signs, both 
because this is the order which he himself chooses, and it were of 
little avail to experience his kindness, did not conscience feel that he 
is appeased, and thus enable us to regard him as altogether lovely. Of 
this we are even reminded by our Saviour's reply. Having determined to 
cure the paralytic, he says, "Thy sins are forgiven thee;" in other 
words, he raises our thoughts to the object which is especially to be 
desired, viz. admission into the favour of God, and then gives the fruit 
of reconciliation by bringing assistance to us. But besides that special 
confession of present guilt which believers employ, in supplicating for 
pardon of every fault and punishment, that general introduction which 
procures favour for our prayers must never be omitted, because prayers 
will never reach God unless they are founded on free mercy. To this we 
may refer the words of John, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and 
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness," 
(1 John i. 9.) Hence, under the law it was necessary to consecrate 
prayers by the expiation of blood, both that they might be accepted, and 
that the people might be warned that they were unworthy of the high 
privilege until, being purged from their defilements, they founded their 
confidence in prayer entirely on the mercy of God. 
     10. Sometimes, however, the saints in supplicating God, seem to 
appeal to their own righteousness, as when David says, "Preserve my 
soul; for I am holy," (Ps. lxxxvi. 2.) Also Hezekiah, "Remember now, O 
Lord, I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a 
perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight," (Is. 
xxxviii. 2.) All they mean by such expressions is, that regeneration 
declares them to be among the servants and children to whom God engages 
that he will show favour. We have already seen how he declares by the 
Psalmist that his eyes "are upon the righteous, and his ears are open 
unto their cry," (Ps. xxxiv. 16:) and again by the apostle, that 
"whatsoever we ask of him we obtain, because we keep his commandments," 
(John iii. 22.) In these passages he does not fix a value on prayer as a 
meritorious work, but designs to establish the confidence of those who 
are conscious of an unfeigned integrity and innocence, such as all 
believers should possess. For the saying of the blind man who had 
received his sight is in perfect accordance with divine truth, And God 
heareth not sinners (John ix. 31;) provided we take the term sinners in 
the sense commonly used by Scripture to mean those who, without any 
desire for righteousness, are sleeping secure in their sins; since no 
heart will ever rise to genuine prayer that does not at the same time 
long for holiness. Those supplications in which the saints allude to 
their purity and integrity correspond to such promises, that they may 
thus have, in their own experience, a manifestation of that which all 
the servants of God are made to expect. Thus they almost always use this 
mode of prayer when before God they compare themselves with their 
enemies, from whose injustice they long to be delivered by his hand. 
When making such comparisons, there is no wonder that they bring forward 
their integrity and simplicity of heart, that thus, by the justice of 
their cause, the Lord may be the more disposed to give them succour. We 
rob not the pious breast of the privilege of enjoying a consciousness of 
purity before the Lord, and thus feeling assured of the promises with 
which he comforts and supports his true worshippers, but we would have 
them to lay aside all thought of their own merits and found their 
confidence of success in prayer solely on the divine mercy. 
     11. The fourth rule of prayer is, that notwithstanding of our being 
thus abased and truly humbled, we should be animated to pray with the 
sure hope of succeeding. There is, indeed, an appearance of 
contradiction between the two things, between a sense of the just 
vengeance of God and firm confidence in his favour, and yet they are 
perfectly accordant, if it is the mere goodness of God that raises up 
those who are overwhelmed by their own sins. For, as we have formerly 
shown (chap. iii. sec. 17 2) that repentance and faith go hand in hand, 
being united by an indissoluble tie, the one causing terror, the other 
joy, so in prayer they must both be present. This concurrence David 
expresses in a few words: "But as for me, I will come into thy house in 
the multitude of thy mercy, and in thy fear will I worship toward thy 
holy temple," (Ps. v. 7.) Under the goodness of God he comprehends 
faith, at the same time not excluding fear; for not only does his 
majesty compel our reverence, but our own unworthiness also divests us 
of all pride and confidence, and keeps us in fear. The confidence of 
which I speak is not one which frees the mind from all anxiety, and 
soothes it with sweet and perfect rest; such rest is peculiar to those 
who, while all their affairs are flowing to a wish are annoyed by no 
care, stung with no regret, agitated by no fear. But the best stimulus 
which the saints have to prayer is when, in consequence of their own 
necessities, they feel the greatest disquietude, and are all but driven 
to despair, until faith seasonably comes to their aid; because in such 
straits the goodness of God so shines upon them, that while they groan, 
burdened by the weight of present calamities, and tormented with the 
fear of greater, they yet trust to this goodness, and in this way both 
lighten the difficulty of endurance, and take comfort in the hope of 
final deliverance. It is necessary therefore, that the prayer of the 
believer should be the result of both feelings, and exhibit the 
influence of both; namely, that while he groans under present and 
anxiously dreads new evils, he should, at the same times have recourse 
to God, not at all doubting that God is ready to stretch out a helping 
hand to him. For it is not easy to say how much God is irritated by our 
distrust, when we ask what we expect not of his goodness. Hence, nothing 
is more accordant to the nature of prayer than to lay it down as a fixed 
rule, that it is not to come forth at random, but is to follow in the 
footsteps of faith. To this principle Christ directs all of us in these 
words, "Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye 
pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them," (Mark xi. 
24.) The same thing he declares in another passage, "All things, 
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive," (Matth. 
xxi. 22.) In accordance with this are the words of James, "If any of you 
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and 
upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, 
nothing wavering," (James i. 5.) He most aptly expresses the power of 
faith by opposing it to wavering. No less worthy of notice is his 
additional statement, that those who approach God with a doubting, 
hesitating mind, without feeling assured whether they are to be heard or 
not, gain nothing by their prayers. Such persons he compares to a wave 
of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. Hence, in another passage 
he terms genuine prayer "the prayer of faith," (James v. 15.) Again, 
since God so often declares that he will give to every man according to 
his faith he intimates that we cannot obtain any thing without faith. In 
short, it is faith which obtains every thing that is granted to prayer. 
This is the meaning of Paul in the well known passage to which dull men 
give too little heed, "How then shall they call upon him in whom they 
have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have 
not heard?" "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of 
God," (Rom. x. 14,17.) Gradually deducing the origin of prayer from 
faith, he distinctly maintains that God cannot be invoked sincerely 
except by those to whom, by the preaching of the Gospel, his mercy and 
willingness have been made known, nay, familiarly explained. 
     12. This necessity our opponents do not at all consider. Therefore, 
when we say that believers ought to feel firmly assured, they think we 
are saying the absurdest thing in the world. But if they had any 
experience in true prayer, they would assuredly understand that God 
cannot be duly invoked without this firm sense of the Divine 
benevolence. But as no man can well perceive the power of faith, without 
at the same time feeling it in his heart, what profit is there in 
disputing with men of this character, who plainly show that they have 
never had more than a vain imagination? The value and necessity of that 
assurance for which we contend is learned chiefly from prayer. Every one 
who does not see this gives proof of a very stupid conscience. 
Therefore, leaving those who are thus blinded, let us fix our thoughts 
on the words of Paul, that God can only be invoked by such as have 
obtained a knowledge of his mercy from the Gospel, and feel firmly 
assured that that mercy is ready to be bestowed upon them. What kind of 
prayer would this be? "O Lord, I am indeed doubtful whether or not thou 
art inclined to hear me; but being oppressed with anxiety I fly to thee 
that if I am worthy, thou mayest assist me." None of the saints whose 
prayers are given in Scripture thus supplicated. Nor are we thus taught 
by the Holy Spirit, who tells us to "come boldly unto the throne of 
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of 
need," (Heb. iv. 16;) and elsewhere teaches us to "have boldness and 
access with confidence by the faith of Christ," (Eph. iii. 12.) This 
confidence of obtaining what we ask, a confidence which the Lord 
commands, and all the saints teach by their example, we must therefore 
hold fast with both hands, if we would pray to any advantage. The only 
prayer acceptable to God is that which springs (if I may so express it) 
from this presumption of faith, and is founded on the full assurance of 
hope. He might have been contented to use the simple name of faith, but 
he adds not only confidence, but liberty or boldness, that by this mark 
he might distinguish us from unbelievers, who indeed like us pray to 
God, but pray at random. Hence, the whole Church thus prays "Let thy 
mercy O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee," (Ps. xxxiii. 
22.) The same condition is set down by the Psalmist in another passage, 
"When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know, 
for God is for me," (Ps. lvi. 9.) Again, "In the morning will I direct 
my prayer unto thee, and will look up," (Ps. v. 3.) From these words we 
gather, that prayers are vainly poured out into the air unless 
accompanied with faith, in which, as from a watchtower, we may quietly 
wait for God. With this agrees the order of Paul's exhortation. For 
before urging believers to pray in the Spirit always, with vigilance and 
assiduity, he enjoins them to take "the shield of faith," "the helmet of 
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," (Eph. 
vi. 16-18.) 
     Let the reader here call to mind what I formerly observed, that 
faith by no means fails though accompanied with a recognition of our 
wretcchedness, poverty, and pollution. How much soever believers may feel 
that they are oppressed by a heavy load of iniquity, and are not only 
devoid of every thing which can procure the favour of God for them, but 
justly burdened with many sins which make him an object of dread, yet 
they cease not to present themselves, this feeling not deterring them 
from appearing in his presence, because there is no other access to him. 
Genuine prayer is not that by which we arrogantly extol ourselves before 
God, or set a great value on any thing of our own, but that by which, 
while confessing our guilt, we utter our sorrows before God, just as 
children familiarly lay their complaints before their parents. Nay, the 
immense accumulation of our sins should rather spur us on and incite us 
to prayer. Of this the Psalmist gives us an example, "Heal my soul: for 
I have sinned against thee," (Ps. xli. 4.) I confess, indeed, that these 
stings would prove mortal darts, did not God give succour; but our 
heavenly Father has, in ineffable kindness, added a remedy, by which, 
calming all perturbation, soothing our cares, and dispelling our fears 
he condescendingly allures us to himself; nay, removing all doubts, not 
to say obstacles, makes the way smooth before us. 
     13. And first, indeed in enjoining us to pray, he by the very 
injunction convicts us of impious contumacy if we obey not. He could not 
give a more precise command than that which is contained in the psalms: 
"Call upon me in the day of trouble," (Ps. l. 15.) But as there is no 
office of piety more frequently enjoined by Scripture, there is no 
occasion for here dwelling longer upon it. "Ask," says our Divine 
Master, "and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and 
it shall be opened unto you," (Matth. vii. 7.) Here, indeed, a promise 
is added to the precept, and this is necessary. For though all confess 
that we must obey the precept, yet the greater part would shun the 
invitation of God, did he not promise that he would listen and be ready 
to answer. These two positions being laid down, it is certain that all 
who cavillingly allege that they are not to come to God directly, are 
not only rebellious and disobedient but are also convicted of unbelief, 
inasmuch as they distrust the promises. There is the more occasion to 
attend to this, because hypocrites, under a pretense of humility and 
modesty, proudly contemn the precept, as well as deny all credit to the 
gracious invitation of God; nay, rob him of a principal part of his 
worship. For when he rejected sacrifices, in which all holiness seemed 
then to consist, he declared that the chief thing, that which above all 
others is precious in his sight, is to be invoked in the day of 
necessity. Therefore, when he demands that which is his own, and urges 
us to alacrity in obeying, no pretexts for doubt, how specious soever 
they may be, can excuse us. Hence, all the passages throughout Scripture 
in which we are commanded to pray, are set up before our eyes as so many 
banners, to inspire us with confidence. It were presumption to go 
forward into the presence of God, did he not anticipate us by his 
invitation. Accordingly, he opens up the way for us by his own voice, "I 
will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God," 
(Zech. xiii. 9.) We see how he anticipates his worshippers, and desires 
them to follow, and therefore we cannot fear that the melody which he 
himself dictates will prove unpleasing. Especially let us call to mind 
that noble description of the divine character, by trusting to which we 
shall easily overcome every obstacle: O thou that hearest prayer, unto 
thee shall all flesh come," (Ps. lxv. 2.) What can be more lovely or 
soothing than to see God invested with a title which assures us that 
nothing is more proper to his nature than to listen to the prayers of 
suppliants? Hence the Psalmist infers, that free access is given not to 
a few individuals, but to all men, since God addresses all in these 
terms, "Call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and 
thou shalt glorify me," (Ps. l. 15.) David, accordingly, appeals to the 
promise thus given in order to obtain what he asks: "Thou, O Lord of 
hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build 
thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray 
this prayer unto thee" (2 Sam. vii. 27.) Here we infer, that he would 
have been afraid but for the promise which emboldened him. So in another 
passage he fortifies himself with the general doctrine, "He will fulfil 
the desire of them that fear him," (Ps. cxlv. 19.) Nay, we may observe 
in The Psalms how the continuity of prayer is broken, and a transition 
is made at one time to the power of God, at another to his goodness, at 
another to the faithfulness of his promises. It might seem that David, 
by introducing these sentiments, unseasonably mutilates his prayers; but 
believers well know by experience, that their ardour grows languid 
unless new fuel be added, and, therefore, that meditation as well on the 
nature as on the word of God during prayer, is by no means superfluous. 
Let us not decline to imitate the example of David, and introduce 
thoughts which may reanimate our languid minds with new vigour. 
     14. It is strange that these delightful promises affect us coldly, 
or scarcely at all, so that the generality of men prefer to wander up 
and down, forsaking the fountain of living waters, and hewing out to 
themselves broken cisterns, rather than embrace the divine liberality 
voluntarily offered to them (Jer. ii.13). "The name of the Lord," says 
Solomon, "is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is 
safe." (Pr. xviii.10) Joel, after predicting the fearful disaster which 
was at hand, subjoins the following memorable sentence: "And it shall 
come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be 
delivered." (Joel ii. 32) This we know properly refers to the course of 
the Gospel. Scarcely one in a hundred is moved to come into the presence 
of God, though he himself exclaims by Isaiah, "And it shall come to 
pass, that before they call, I will ansever; and while they are yet 
speaking, I will hear." (Is. lxv. 24) This honour he elsewhere bestows 
upon the whole Church in general, as belonging to all the members of 
Christ: "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with 
him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him." (Ps. xci.15) My 
intention, however, as I already observed, is not to enumerate all, but 
only select some admirable passages as a specimen how kindly God allures 
us to himself, and how extreme our ingratitude must be when with such 
powerful motives our sluggislmess still retards us. Wherefore, let these 
words always resound in our ears: "The Lord is nigh unto all them that 
call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth," (Ps. cxlv. 18.) 
Likewise those passages which we have quoted from Isaiah and Joel, in 
which God declares that his ear is open to our prayers, and that he is 
delighted as with a sacrifice of sweet savour when we cast our cares 
upon him. The special benefit of these promises we receive when we frame 
our prayer, not timorously or doubtingly, but when trusting to his word 
whose majesty might otherwise deter us, we are bold to call him Father, 
he himself deigning to suggest this most delightful name. Fortified by 
such invitations it remains for us to know that we have therein 
sufficient materials for prayer, since our prayers depend on no merit of 
our own, but all their worth and hope of success are founded and depend 
on the promises of God, so that they need no other support, and require 
not to look up and down on this hand and on that. It must therefore be 
fixed in our minds, that though we equal not the lauded sanctity of 
patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, yet as the command to pray is common 
to us as well as them, and faith is common, so if we lean on the word of 
God, we are in respect of this privilege their associates. For God 
declaring, as has already been seen, that he will listen and be 
favourable to all, encourages the most wretched to hope that they shall 
obtain what they ask; and, accordingly, we should attend to the general 
forms of expression, which, as it is commonly expressed, exclude none 
from first to last; only let there be sincerity of heart, self- 
dissatisfaction humility, and faith, that we may not, by the hypocrisy 
of a deceitful prayer, profane the name of God. Our most merciful Father 
will not reject those whom he not only encourages to come, but urges in 
every possible way. Hence David's method of prayer to which I lately 
referred: "And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be 
true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant, that it may 
continue for ever before thee" (2 Sam. vii. 28.) So also, in another 
passage, "Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, 
according to thy word unto thy servant," (Psalm cxix. 76.) And the whole 
body of the Israelites, whenever they fortify themselves with the 
remembrance of the covenant, plainly declare, that since God thus 
prescribes they are not to pray timorously, (Gen. xxxii. 13.) In this 
they imitated the example of the patriarchs, particularly Jacob, who, 
after confessing that he was unworthy of the many mercies which he had 
received of the Lord's hand, says, that he is encouraged to make still 
larger requests, because God had promised that he would grant them. But 
whatever be the pretexts which unbelievers employ, when they do not flee 
to God as often as necessity urges, nor seek after him, nor implore his 
aid, they defraud him of his due honour just as much as if they were 
fabricating to themselves new gods and idols, since in this way they 
deny that God is the author of all their blessings. On the contrary, 
nothing more effectually frees pious minds from every doubt, than to be 
armed with the thought that no obstacle should impede them while they 
are obeying the command of God, who declares that nothing is more 
grateful to him than obedience. Hence, again, what I have previously 
said becomes still more clear, namely, that a bold spirit in prayer well 
accords with fear, reverence, and anxiety, and that there is no 
inconsistency when God raises up those who had fallen prostrate. In this 
way forms of expression apparently inconsistent admirably haronize. 
Jeremiah and David speak of humbly laying their supplications[5] before 
God (Jer. xlii. 9; Dan. ix. 18.) In another passage Jeremiah says "Let, 
we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for 
us unto the Lord thy God, even for all this remnant." (Jer. xlii. 2) On 
the other hand, believers are often said to _lift up prayer_. Thus 
Hezekiah speaks, when asking the prophet to undertake the office of 
interceding (2 Kings xix. 4.) And David says, "Let my prayer be set 
forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the 
evening sacrifice." (Ps. cxli. 2) The explanation is, that though 
believers, persuaded of the paternal love of God, cheerfully rely on his 
faithfulness, and have no hesitation in imploring the aid which he 
voluntarily offers, they are not elated with supine or presumptuous 
security; but climbing up by the ladder of the promises, still remain 
humble and abased suppliants. 
     15. Here, by way of objection, several questions are raised. 
Scripture relates that God sometimes complied with certain prayers which 
had been dictated by minds not duly calmed or regulated. It is true, 
that the cause for which Jotham imprecated on the inhabitants of Shechem 
the disaster which afterwards befell them was well founded; but still he 
was inflamed with anger and revenge, (Judges ix. 20;) and hence God, by 
complying with the execration, seems to approve of passionate impulses. 
Similar fervour also seized Samson, when he prayed, "Strengthen me, I 
pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the 
Philistines for my two eyes," (Judges xvi. 28.) For although there was 
some mixture of good zeal, yet his ruling feeling was a fervid, and 
therefore vicious longing for vengeance. God assents, and hence 
apparently it might be inferred that prayers are effectual, though not 
framed in conformity to the rule of the word. But I answer, _first_, 
that a perpetual law is not abrogated by singular examples; and, 
_secondly_, that special suggestions have sometimes been made to a few 
individuals, whose case thus becomes different from that of the 
generality of men. For we should attend to the answer which our Saviour 
gave to his disciples when they inconsiderately wished to imitate the 
example of Elias, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of," (Luke 
ix. 55.) We must, however, go farther and say, that the wishes to which 
God assents are not always pleasing to him; but he assents, because it 
is necessary, by way of example, to give clear evidence of the doctrine 
of Scripture, viz., that he assists the miserable, and hears the groans 
of those who unjustly afflicted implore his aid: and, accordingly, he 
executes his judgments when the complaints of the needy, though in 
themselves unworthy of attention, ascend to him. For how often, in 
inflicting punishment on the ungodly for cruelty, rapine, violence, 
lust, and other crimes, in curbing audacity and fury, and also in 
overthrowing tyrannical power, has he declared that he gives assistance 
to those who are unworthily oppressed though they by addressing an 
unknown deity only beat the air? There is one psalm which clearly 
teaches that prayers are not without effect, though they do not 
penetrate to heaven by faith, (Ps. cvii. 6,13,19.) For it enumerates the 
prayers which, by natural instinct, necessity extorts from unbelievers 
not less than from believers, and to which it shows by the event, that 
God is, notwithstanding, propitious. Is it to testify by such readiness 
to hear that their prayers are agreeable to him? Nay; it is, first, to 
magnify or display his mercy by the circumstance, that even the wishes 
of unbelievers are not denied; and, secondly, to stimulate his true 
worshippers to more urgent prayer, when they see that sometimes even the 
wailings of the ungodly are not without avail. This, however, is no 
reason why believers should deviate from the law divinely imposed upon 
them, or envy unbelievers, as if they gained much in obtaining what they 
wished. We have observed, (chap. iii. sec. 25,) that in this way God 
yielded to the feigned repentance of Ahab, that he might show how ready 
he is to listen to his elect when, with true contrition, they seek his 
favour. Accordingly, he upbraids the Jews, that shortly after 
experiencing his readiness to listen to their prayers, they returned to 
their own perverse inclinations. It is also plain from the Book of 
Judges that, whenever they wept, though their tears were deceitful, they 
were delivered from the hands of their enemies. Therefore, as God sends 
his sun indiscriminately on the evil and on the good, so he despises not 
the tears of those who have a good cause, and whose sorrows are 

deserving of relief. Meanwhile, though he hears them, it has no more to 
do with salvation than the supply of food which he gives to other 
despisers of his goodness. 
     There seems to be a more difficult question concerning Abraham and 
Samuel, the one of whom, without any instruction from the word of God, 
prayed in behalf of the people of Sodom, and the other, contrary to an 
express prohibition, prayed in behalf of Saul, (Gen. xviii. 23; 1 Sam. 
xv. 11.) Similar is the case of Jeremiah, who prayed that the city might 
not be destroyed, (Jer. xxxii. 16ff.) It is true their prayers were 
refused, but it seems harsh to affirm that thev prayed without faith. 
Modest readers will, I hope, be satisfied with this solution, viz., that 
leaning to the general principle on which God enjoins us to be merciful 
even to the unworthy, they were not altogether devoid of faith, though 
in this particular instance their wish was disappointed. Augustine 
shrewdly remarks, "How do the saints pray in faith when they ask from 
God contrary to what he has decreed? Namely, because they pray according 
to his will, not his hidden and immutable will, but that which he 
suggests to them, that he may hear them in another manner; as he wisely 
distinguishes," (August. de Civit. Dei, Lib. xxii. c. 2.) This is truly 
said: for, in his incomprehensible counsel, he so regulates events, that 
the prayers of the saints, though involving a mixture of faith and 
error, are not in vain. And yet this no more sanctions imitation than it 
excuses the saints themselves, who I deny not exceeded due bounds. 
Wherefore, whenever no certain promise exists, our request to God must 
have a condition annexed to it. Here we may refer to the prayer of 
David, "Awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded," (Ps. 
vii. 6;) for he reminds us that he had received special instruction to 
pray for a temporal blessing.[6] 
     16. It is also of importance to observe, that the four laws of 
prayer of which I have treated are not so rigorously enforced, as that 
God rejects the prayers in which he does not find perfect faith or 
repentance, accompanied with fervent zeal and wishes duly framed. We 
have said, (sec. 4,) that though prayer is the familiar intercourse of 
believers with God, yet reverence and modesty must be observed: we must 
not give loose reins to our wishes, nor long for any thing farther than 
God permits; and, moreover, lest the majesty of God should be despised, 
our minds must be elevated to pure and chaste veneration. This no man 
ever performed with due perfection. For, not to speak of the generality 
of men, how often do David's complaints savour of intemperance? Not that 
he actually means to expostulate vith God, or murmur at his judgments, 
but failing, through infirmity, he finds no better solace than to pour 
his griefs into the bosom of his heavenly Father. Nay, even our 
stammering is tolerated by God, and pardon is granted to our ignorance 
as often as any thing rashly escapes us: indeed, without this 
indulgence, we should have no freedom to pray. But although it was 
David's intention to submit himself entirely to the will of God, and he 
prayed with no less patience than fervour, yet irregular emotions 
appear, nay, sometimes burst forth,-emotions not a little at variance 
with the first law which we laid down. In particular, we may see in a 
clause of the thirty-ninth Psalm, how this saint was carried away by the 
vehemence of his grief, and unable to keep within bounds. "O spare 
me,[7] that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more," 
(Ps. xxxix. 13.) You would call this the language of a desperate man, 
who had no other desire than that God should withdraw and leave him to 
relish in his distresses. Not that his devout mind rushes into such 
intemperance, or that, as the reprobate are wont, he wishes to have done 
with God; he only complains that the divine anger is more than he can 
bear. During those trials, wishes often escape which are not in 
accordance with the rule of the word, and in which the saints do not 
duly consider what is lawful and expedient. Prayers contaminated by such 
faults, indeed, deserve to be rejected; yet provided the saints lament, 
administer self-correction and return to themselves, God pardons. 
     Similar faults are committed in regard to the second law, (as to 
which, see sec. 6,) for the saints have often to struggle with their own 
coldness, their want and misery not urging them sufficiently to serious 
prayer. It often happens, also, that their minds wander, and are almost 
lost; hence in this matter also there is need of pardon, lest their 
prayers, from being languid or mutilated, or interrupted and wandering, 
should meet with a refusal. One of the natural feelings which God has 
imprinted on our mind is, that prayer is not genuine unless the thoughts 
are turned upward. Hence the ceremony of raising the hands, to which we 
have adverted, a ceremony known to all ages and nations, and still in 
common use. But who, in lifting up his hands, is not conscious of 
sluggishness, the heart cleaving to the earth? In regard to the petition 
for remission of sins, (sec. 8,) though no believer omits it, yet all 
who are truly exercised in prayer feel that they bring scarcely a tenth 
of the sacrifice of which David speaks, "The sacrifices of God are a 
broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not 
despise," (Ps. li. 17.) Thus a twofold pardon is always to be asked; 
first, because they are conscious of many faults the sense of which, 
however, does not touch them so as to make them feel dissatisfied with 
themselves as they ought; and, secondly, in so far as they have been 
enabled to profit in repentance and the fear of God, they are humbled 
with just sorrow for their offenses, and pray for the remission of 
punishment by the judge. The thing which most of all vitiates prayer, 
did not God indulgently interpose, is weakness or imperfection of faith; 
but it is not wonderful that this defect is pardoned by God, who often 
exercises his people with severe trials, as if he actually wished to 
extinguish their faith. The hardest of such trials is when believers are 
forced to exclaim, "O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry 
against the prayer of thy people?" (Ps. lxxx. 4,) as if their very 
prayers offended him. In like manner, when Jeremiah says "Also when I 
cry and shout, he shutteth out my prayers (Lam. iii. 8,) there cannot be 

(continued in part 3...)



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