Entered, according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1844, by ALEXANDER W. MITCHELL, M. D., in the office of the Clerk of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Printed by S. DOUGLAS WYETH PRAYER FOR MINISTERS. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified.—2 THESS. iii. 1. PAUL, the apostle to the Gentiles, often requested the prayers of his Christian brethren. In 1 Thess. v. 25, he writes, Brethren, pray for us. In Col. iv. 2-4, Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, &c. To the Ephesians, Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, &c. Eph. vi. 18-20. And the text, Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified. 2 Thess. iii. 1, 2. If Paul felt it necessary to request the prayers of his brethren, how much more. needful is it for the ministers of Christ now to make the same request! Well may they adopt the language of the text as their own, and repeat it on all suitable occasions, Brethren, pray for us, &c. Two prominent ideas are suggested: I. The duty of praying for ministers; and II. The considerations by which the duty is enforced. In the opening and enforcement of these ideas, may the Lord himself be our Teacher and our Helper, that the considerations may move us to the performance of the duty! I. The duty-Brethren, pray for us. 1. This duty is implied in those general directions of prayer which are contained in the Scriptures. Thus Paul to Timothy, I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority, &c. 1 Tim. ii. 1-3. To the Ephesians, in a passage already quoted, Praying always with all prayer . . . for all saints. If for all saints, then of course for them who stand as watchmen on the walls of Zion. The whole includes the parts; and when we are taught to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, for the welfare of the church of God, Ps. cxxii. 6, the duty of praying for the ministry is implied. So it is when the prophet saith, Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Isa. lxii. 5-7. In this glorious consummation, how much depends upon the ministry of reconciliation! For though God gives the increase, Paul plants and Apollos waters- and the increase is given in answer to prayer. 1 Cor. iii. 5—7. Are we taught to pray for the establishment and extension of the church, and yet may we neglect to pray for them who must bear so important a part in her every onward movement? Never! The very reason why they who make mention of the Lord, are not to keep silence, is, because watchmen are set upon the walls of Jerusalem. Isa. lxii. 6. And with what earnestness does Paul address the Romans, Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me. . . . that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. Rom. xv. 30-32. 2. The duty is inseparable from the relation of minister and people. He is to seek their good, by imparting to them the instructions of the word of God, and by his intercessions and prayers in their behalf. They are to hear the word of God at his lips, and endeavour to receive profit from all his ministrations. He is their pastor; they his people. Mutual duties grow out of this relation. If the pastor has duties, so have the people. And whether the relation shall be comfortable and happy, and whether it shall be crowned with blessed results, must, under God, depend very much upon two considerations:-1. whether the minister himself possesses the right spirit; and, 2, whether this spirit is possessed by the people. Now, the preparations of the heart in man, as well as the answer of the tongue, are from the Lord. Prov. xvi. 1. If the people are not much engaged in prayer for themselves and their minister, they are not prepared to be benefitted by the ministrations even of an angel; nor can they, without prayer, expect their minister to be prepared greatly to benefit them. The most profitable sermons, usually, are those in which the people feel most interested; but how can they be interested if they offer no prayer for him who breaks to them the bread of life? It is better to preach the gospel in the midst of the darkness of heathenism, than to a church which offers no prayer for its pastor, and thus manifests the most painful indifference to its own spiritual advancement. Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves; for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief; for that is unprofitable for you. Pray for us-which is the oft repeated and earnest request of the devoted and zealous Paul. Heb. xiii. 17, 18. 3. The peculiar duties and trials of ministers bespeak for them an interest in the prayers of their people. No class of men have more difficulties to encounter, more trials to meet, more discouragements to depress and overwhelm them. They have to meet constant drafts upon their intellectual powers, and they must come in contact with a thousand things which have a tendency to counteract the natural and cheerful flow of the animal spirits. They have every sort of taste to please, every kind of objection to meet, every degree of prejudice to overcome. They have to deal with the indifference of those who are out of the church, and with the coldness of those who are within. They must preach to those who are dead in sin, prophesy to the dry bones, and often see no signs of life, and be obliged to exclaim, Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Eph. ii. 1; Ezek. xxxvii. 1-10; Isa. liii. 1 And who is sufficient for these things? 2 Cor. ii. 16. Who can perform the duties and meet the trials of the ministry in his own strength? Our sufficiency is of God. 2 Cor. iii. 5. And shall they to whom we minister take no interest in our duties and trials? Shall they offer no prayer in our behalf? Shall they be informed that our sufficiency is of God, and yet not seek for us that grace by which we are enabled to do all things? 1 Cor. xv. 10; 2 Cor. xii. 9; Phil. iv. 13.-Brethren, pray for us! But there is in your minds no question as to the duty. You need not to have it proved, but enforced. The duty is admitted. It is binding upon all Christians in every age. They who labour in word and doctrine are to be esteemed worthy of double honour; and that esteem will lead us to remember them at the throne of grace. 1 Tim. v. 17. Now observe, if it is duty to pray for all ministers, as is readily granted, then it must be duty to pray for your own. But while the duty is admitted in the general, and perhaps performed, how is it in this particular instance? Is your own pastor remembered in your prayers? Pause and think of your closet duties. Perhaps you have no closet, and no secret prayer! Then give up your hope as a Christian, and repent of your wickedness! If a Christian, you have a closet. Do you remember your minister there? Suppose now the growth of piety in your own soul, and the progress of your church in holiness, and the increase of its numbers by additions from the world, all depended upon your closet prayers for your minister. Would you not feel under such circumstances, that you ought to pray much more for him in secret than you now do? Or, suppose that a revival of religion among you were suspended upon the secret prayers of your church for its pastor. How long, think you, must you wait before receiving it? You go on the Sabbath to hear him preach; do you pray for him in your closet in the morning? When about to go up to the house of the Lord, do you retire to seek God's blessing on the ser |