. Ministers must pray much, if they would be successful.—The apostles spent their time this way. (Acts 6:4.) Yea, our Lord Jesus preached all day, and continued all night alone in prayer to God. Ministers should be much in prayer. They use to reckon how many hours they spend in reading and study; it were far better both with ourselves and the church of God, if more time were spent in prayer. Luther's spending three hours daily in secret prayer, Bradford's studying on his knees, and other instances of men in our time, are talked of, rather than imitated. Ministers should pray much for themselves; for they have corruptions like other men, and have temptations that none but ministers are assaulted with. They should pray for their message: how sweet and easy is it for a minister (and likely it is to be the more profitable to the people) to bring forth that scripture as food to the souls of his people, that he hath got opened to his own heart by the power of the Holy Ghost in the exercise of faith and love in prayer. A minister should pray for the blessing on the word; and he should be much in seeking God particularly for the people. It may be, this may be the reason why some ministers of meaner gifts and parts are more successful than some that are far above them in abilities:—not because they preach better, so much as because they pray more. Many good sermons are lost for lack of much prayer in study.

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