ed upon me, 0 Jacob, thou hast been weary of me, 0 Israel." Perseverance in the duty of prayer is very much insisted on in the New Testament; as Luke xviii. at the beginning, "A man ought always to pray, and not to faint;" i. e. not to be discouraged or weary of the duty; but should always continue in it. Again, Luke xxi. 36. "Watch ye therefore, and pray always." We have the example of Anna the prophetess set before us, Luke i. 36, &c. who, though she had lived to be more than an hundred years old, yet never was weary of this duty. It is said, "She departed not from the temple, but served God, with fastings and prayers, night and day." Cornelius also is commended for his constancy in this duty. It is said, that he prayed to God always; Acts 10:2. The Apostle Paul, in his epistles, insists very much on constancy in this duty; Rom. 12:12. "Continuing instant in prayer." Eph. 6:18,19. "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance." Col. 4:2. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same." I Thess. 5:17. "Pray without ceasing." To the same effect the Apostle Peter, 1 Pet. 4:7. "Watch unto prayer."....Thus abundantly the scripture insists upon it, that we should persevere in the duty of prayer; which shows that, it is of very great importance that we should persevere. If the contrary be the manner of hypocrites, as hath been shown in the doctrine, then surely we ought to beware of this leaven. But here let the following things be particularly considered as motives to perseverance in this duty. 1. That perseverance in the way of duty is necessary to salvation, and is abundantly declared so to be in the holy scriptures; as Isai. 64:5. "Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that remember thee in thy ways: Behold, thou art wroth, for we have sinned: In those is continuance, and we shall be saved." Heb. 10:38, 39. "Now the just shall live by faith: But if any ...
