In 1744 a group of ministers in Scotland joined together and issued a Memorial to continue in a Concert of Prayer which was intended to encourage people to pray for true revival in Scotland and other nations. Jonathan Edwards responded to this by writing what was published as a book in 1747 and was an extended call to people to pray for God to cover the earth with the knowledge of His glory. The book of Edwards was edited by John Sutcliff and published in England in 1789. In Sutcliff’s preface to the book, regarding an association of Baptist churches, he noted that in 1784 “a resolution was formed to establish through the association, a meeting of prayer for the general revival and spread of religion.” In 1786 “another Baptist association, commonly called the Midland… entered into the same resolution. Many other churches, particularly in Yorkshire, have adopted, and now follow, the above practice.”
The present intent with this very condensed work of Jonathan Edwards is to encourage people to seek broken hearts and the Lord for true revival. What follows is an attempt to get at the core of what Edwards wrote, to encourage people to read his whole work, and above all to seek the Lord in prayer. Prayerless people are powerless in the spiritual realm and God does not move in the midst of a prayerless people. Prayerless preachers are powerless preachers in the spiritual realm. If even the best of our prayers are dead we can see that we must ask the Lord to teach us to pray. Unless something is done in our day, the United States and other countries will continue their quick descent into spiritual darkness and judgment even while there are glowing reports given by religious organizations.
It is beyond question when the professing Church in America is set beside Holy Scripture that the judgment of God is upon us. The judgment He has sent is one that is spiritual and bears awful consequences. We have not seen a true revival in the United States since the time of the Civil War. It is certainly possible if not probable that we have been in spiritual decline since that time as well, though there may have been small revivals in certain places. God has sent upon us a famine of hearing and understanding the Word of God (Amos 8:11). He has turned His face from us and has turned us over to the power of our sin (Isaiah 63:17-64:7). The professing Church has added great numbers in terms of people and of offerings, but despite those things we are in great darkness in terms of spiritual things.
“So, brethren, think what you and I would be without the light of God’s countenance. Picture a church growing, as some churches do grow, without any light from heaven, a cavern full of strange birds and blanched vegetation. What a terrible place for anyone to visit! There is a cave of that sort at Rome, and there are others in various parts of the earth’ but woe unto those who go to live in such dismal dens!” (Charles Spurgeon). This is the state of the professing Church in our day. The outward form of Christianity is carried on in some ways and yet the very heart of Christianity has been lost because God has turned His face from us. There is nothing we can do to merit the Lord to cause His face to shine upon us and His desolate sanctuary. All we can do is to plead with the Lord for His name’s sake to return and shine forth His glory. There is nothing we can do but seek the Lord and pray and there is nothing better to do but to truly pray. Unless the Lord gives us a heart to truly pray, the professing Church will continue to go down into a deeper and deeper darkness. We must be awakened to even see the depths of our distress. It should not be imagined that by working up a few desires here and there and committing some time to utter words before the Lord that true revival will come. Instead we must begin by searching our hearts and asking the Lord to search our hearts with the Divine spotlight. The Lord only dwells with the contrite and lowly. Unless He is pleased to break our hearts from our pride, we will not see our sin and will continue in our religious observances in love for ourselves rather than for Him. We must begin to ask the Lord to break us from ourselves so that we may truly pray for His glory for His name’s sake.
This is a call for each church and each person to start by at least seeking the Lord on the first Monday of each month around 7:00 that night. It is hoped that individuals will at the minimum make this a weekly event and then a gathering for corporate prayer once a month specifically to pray for God to shine His face upon us and grant us His light. This is not a time to pray for anything else but for God to shine His glory upon His desolate sanctuary. When the Lord begins to move in a heart or hearts there may be a time of confession and even great brokenness. Those things are to be seen as the beginning of the Lord moving in His people, but the great end or goal is for the Lord to return to His people. It is to be hoped that at some point churches will meet together for the purpose of seeking the Lord together. It is also to be hoped that if the Lord begins to move that each church will begin to meet more often.
As noted by Edwards: “We should unite two things which our Savior united in His precept: PRAYING and NOT FAINTING. If we pray for years and it should appear that God has not heard and answered, we would act in a way very unbecoming to believers if we should be disheartened and grow dull and slack in seeking God. It should be considered that it’s a poor business if our faith and patience is so short-winded that we cannot be willing to wait upon God for years in seeking a mercy so infinitely vast.” This is not a call to pray for a few months and see what happens; this is a call to pray for revival until it happens or until we die. We live in times where true Christianity is in dire straits. Let us begin by asking the Lord to give us light and break our hearts from all loves but a love for Him and His glory. Let us also remember Paul’s words as breathed by the Spirit: “pray without ceasing.”
“We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations to advance the Church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man or to sink the man in the plan or organization… What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use-men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men-men of prayer.” (The Complete Works of E.M. Bounds on Prayer, p. 447)
An Humble Attempt to Promote Explicit Agreement and Visible Union of God’s People, in Extraordinary Prayer, for the Revival of Religion and the Advancement of Christ’s Kingdom on Earth.
By Jonathan Edwards
(Abridged)
Zechariah 8:20-22 – “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘It will yet be that peoples will come, even the inhabitants of many cities. ‘The inhabitants of one will go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD, and to seek the LORD of hosts; I will also go.” ‘So many peoples and mighty nations will come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD.'”
PART 1
THE TEXT OPENED, AND AN ACCOUNT GIVEN OF THE AFFAIR PROPOSED IN THE MEMORIAL FROM SCOTLAND.
SECTION 1
Explanatory Introduction.
In this chapter we have a prophecy of a future glorious advancement of the church of God. It is evident that something further is intended than was ever fulfilled to the Jewish nation under the Old Testament. For here are plain prophecies of such things as never were fulfilled before the coming of the Messiah. In particular, what is said in the two last verses in the chapter of many strong nations worshipping and seeking the true God and of so great an accession of Gentile nations to the church of God so that by far the greater part of the visible worshippers should consist of this new accession so that they should be to the other as ten to one. There never happened any thing to answer this prophecy from the time of the prophet Zechariah to the coming of Christ. It has no fulfillment either in the calling of the Gentiles in and after the days of the apostles or in the future glorious enlargement of the church of God in the latter ages of the world so often foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. It is most probable that the Spirit of God refers to the last and most glorious advancement of the church of God on earth.
SECTION 2
Observations on the text.
1. The duty of prayer. Prayer is to be taken here as a synecdoche (one word standing for a whole) for the whole of divine worship since prayer is a principal part of worship in the days of the gospel. If so, this is to be understood only as a prophecy of a great revival, of the true worship of God among his visible people, the accession of others to the church, and the turning of multitudes from idolatry to the worship of the true God. But something more special is intended here, with regard to the duty of prayer, considering that prayer is here expressly and repeatedly mentioned. Notice also how parallel this place is with many other prophecies that speak of an extraordinary spirit of prayer as preceding and introducing that glorious day of religious revival and advancement of the church’s peace and prosperity. This is agreeable with what is said afterwards (12:10) of the pouring out of a spirit of grace and supplication as that with which this great revival of religion shall begin.
2. The good that shall be sought by prayer: God himself. It is said once and again, “They shall go to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts.” This is the good they ask for, and seek by prayer, The Lord of hosts Himself. To seek God as the expression is sometimes used in Scripture may signify no more than seeking the favor or mercy of God. And if it is taken that way here, then praying before the Lord and seeking the Lord of hosts must be synonymous expressions. This is a common thing in Scripture to signify the same thing by various expressions for the greater emphasis. But certainly that expression of seeking the Lord is very commonly used to signify something more. It implies that God Himself is the great good that is desired and sought after and that the blessings pursued are God’s gracious presence. His presence is the manifestation of Him along with union and intercourse with Him. It is, in short, God’s manifestations and communications of Himself by his Holy Spirit. Thus the psalmist desired God, thirsted after him, and sought him. (Psalm 63:1, 2, 8; 73:25; Psalm 143:1) This is the distinct character of the saints that they seek God (Psalm 24:6; 69:32). By seeking the Lord of hosts we must understand this to be a seeking of God who has withdrawn and hid Himself for a long time. We would seek Him to return to His church and grant the tokens and fruits of His gracious presence which is the blessed communications of His Spirit to His people. It is seeking the Lord and His being found by them (Jer 29:10,14; Isaiah 45:15; 52:6-8; 57:17; Hosea 5:15).
3. Those who will be united in seeking the Lord of hosts. This will be the inhabitants of many cities, countries, and strong nations. Great multitudes in different parts of the world shall unite in prayer. In this prophecy it will be fulfilled by God giving a spirit of prayer to God’s people and disposing them to come into an express agreement to pray with unity to God in an extraordinary manner. Then He will appear for the help of His church and in mercy to mankind will pour out His Spirit, revive His work, and advance His spiritual kingdom in the world as He has promised. This disposition to prayer and the union of God’s people will lead to true worship which will be the means of awakening others to what is lacking in their souls. This will lead them to a great concern for their spiritual and everlasting good. Whole nations will be awakened and many of the chief nations of the world will be added to the church of God.
4. The mode of their union in this duty. It is a visible union and an explicit agreement of a joint resolution. The inhabitants of one city shall apply themselves to the inhabitants of another saying, “let us go.” Those to whom the motion is made shall comply with it and it shall spread and others shall go also.
5. We may observe the manner of prayer agreed upon. Let us go SPEEDILY (continually) to pray. This is a very strong expression in Hebrew. It implies the superlative degree of a thing as the holy of holies signifies the most holy. It signifies the utmost degree of a thing and its great certainty. It points to the peremptoriness and terribleness of a threatening, the greatness and certainty of a promise, the strictness of a command, and the earnestness of a request. So when it is said in the text, “Let us go in going, and pray before the Lord,” the strength of the expression represents the earnestness of those that make the proposal and their great engagedness in the affair. And with respect to the duty proposed, it may be understood to signify that they should be speedy, fervent, and constant in it. In other words, it should be thoroughly performed.
PART 2
MOTIVES TO A COMPLIANCE WITH WHAT IS PROPOSED IN THE MEMORIAL.
SECTION 1
promises of future glory
It is evident from the Scripture that there is yet remaining a great advancement of the interest of religion and the kingdom of Christ in this world by an abundant outpouring of the Spirit of God that is far greater and more extensive than has ever been seen. It is certain that many things which are spoken concerning a glorious time of the church’s enlargement and prosperity in the latter days have never yet been fulfilled. There has never yet been any propagation and prevalence of religion of that extent and universality which the prophecies represent (Psalm 65:2; 72:11, 17; Isaiah 2:2; 11:9; 40:5; 45:23; 66:23; Jeremiah 3:17)
SECTION 2
The future glory is unspeakably great.
The promised advancement of the kingdom of Christ is an event unspeakably happy and glorious. The Scriptures speak of it as a time wherein God and his Son Jesus Christ will be most eminently glorified on earth. It is a time when God, who till then had dwelt between the cherubim’s — and concealed Himself in the holy of holies, in the secret of His tabernacle, behind the veil, in the thick darkness — should openly shine forth, and all flesh should see His glory. God’s people have as great a privilege as the High Priest alone had once a year or as Moses had in the mount (Revelation 11:9; Isaiah 60:19; Jeremiah 32:39; Psalm 89:15)
SECTION 3
How much Christ prayed, labored, and suffered, for that future glory.
The sum of the blessings Christ sought and suffered in the work of redemption was the Holy Spirit. The heart of redemption is that the Father provides and gives the Redeemer. The price of redemption is offered to Him and He grants the benefit purchased. The Son is the Redeemer who gives the price and is also the price offered. The Holy Spirit is the grand blessing obtained by the price offered and bestowed on the redeemed. The Holy Spirit by His indwelling presence is the sum of all grace, holiness, comfort, and joy. In a word, the Holy Spirit is all the spiritual good Christ purchased for men in this world and the sum of all perfection, glory, and eternal joy that He purchased for them in another world. The Holy Spirit is the subject matter of the promises in both the eternal covenant of redemption and of the covenant of grace. This is the grand subject of the promises of the Old Testament, the chief subject of the promises of the New Testament; and particularly of the covenant of grace delivered by Jesus Christ to his disciples in His last will and testament as set forth in the 14th, 15th and 16th chapters of John. This being the great blessing Christ purchased by His labors and sufferings on earth, it was that which He received of the Father when He ascended into heaven and entered into the holy of holies with His own blood that He might communicate it to those whom He had redeemed (John 14:16-17; 16:7; 17; Acts 2:33).
SECTION 4
Precepts, encouragement’s, and examples.
The word of God is full of precepts, encouragements, and examples, tending to induce the people of God to be much in prayer for this mercy. The Spirit of God is the chief of blessings as He is the sum of all spiritual blessings which we need infinitely more than others and wherein our true and eternal handiness consists. He who is the sum of the blessings which Christ purchased is the sum of the blessings Christians have to pray for. The disciples came to Christ asking Him to teach them to pray in Luke 11. He gave them particular directions for the performance of this duty in verse 13. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” From these words of Christ we may observe that there is no blessing we have so great encouragement to pray for as the Spirit of God. There is great encouragement to pray as in Isaiah 62:6, 7 where the people of God are called upon to be importunate for this mercy: “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.”
SECTION 5
Motives to excite us.
We are presented with many motives by divine providence to move us to be much in prayer for this mercy. There is much in providence to show us our need of it. The great outward calamities in which the world is involved should make us earnestly long and pray for that day when the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the nations shall beat their swords into plow-shares. The spiritual calamities and miseries of the present time show our great need of that blessed effusion of God’s Spirit. For such a long time the Spirit has been withheld from the greater part of the Christian world and with dismal consequences. There has been a great decay of vital piety and the prevalence of infidelity, heresy, and all manner of vice and wickedness. How strong and deeply rooted are the prejudices that prevail against vital religion and the power of godliness. How are the hearts of people everywhere shut up against all means and endeavors to awaken sinners and revive religion? There is vice and immorality of all kinds increasing and unusually prevailing. May not a consideration of the state of things in our day by those who love Christ and His Church provoke and move us to earnestness to God in prayer for a general outpouring of His Spirit? The pouring out of the Spirit is the only true effectual remedy for these evils.
SECTION 6
The beauty and good tendency of such union.
How beautiful it would be for multitudes of Christians in various parts of the world unite by explicit agreement in prayer. Union is one of the most amiable things that pertains to human society and makes earth most like heaven. Union is spoken of in Scripture as the peculiar beauty of the church of Christ (Song of Solomon 6:9; Psalm 122:5. Ephesians 4:3-6, 16). It is the glory of the church of Christ that all her members be one holy society, one city, one family, and one body. It is becoming for Christians to pray for that mercy wherein consists the true good of the whole body of Christ of which they are members and for the good of all mankind. It is unbecoming of Christians to be of a narrow and selfish spirit and not unite in prayer for these things. An agreement in prayer is especially becoming when Christians pray for that mercy which above all other things concerns them as united and tends to the relief, prosperity, and glory of the whole body as well as each individuals member. Such a union in prayer for the general outpouring of the Spirit of God would be both beautiful and profitable (Mat 18:19).
Concluding considerations.
I desire every serious Christian who may read this discourse to solemnly consider whether s/he can be excused from complying with this proposal. God has stirred up a part of His church to seek and cry to Him in an extraordinary manner for His favor. Let us go speedily and constantly to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts. Will it not become us to say “I will go also?” I desire that it may be considered if we will not sin against God if we refuse to comply with this proposal. If we give it only a little attention, we are disregarding God’s call to us.
I think that none can be in the way of their duty by neglecting such an excellent proposal made with upright intentions (Scottish Ministers). How can we have one good reason to refuse a compliance with this proposal? The more disorders, extravagances, and delusions of the devil that prevail the more need we have to pray earnestly to God for His Holy Spirit to promote true religion. The more such prayer is proposed and then carried out, the more effectually will all that is contrary to sober and pure religion be exploded.
One would think that all those who love the Church of Christ would rejoice to hear that God is stirring up a number of His ministers and people to unite in extraordinary prayer for the revival of religion and the advancement of His kingdom. If we lay to heart the present calamities of the church of Christ and long for that blessed alteration which God has promised, one would think it should be natural to rejoice at the appearance of something in so dark a day which is so promising a token. If we can get our neighbors to join with us in praying societies, this would be most desirable. But if not, we should not neglect this. We can pray alone united in heart and practice with others in distant places who are engaged in prayer at the same time.
We should unite two things which our Savior united in His precept: PRAYING and NOT FAINTING. If we pray for years and it should appear that God has not heard and answered, we would act in a way very unbecoming to believers if we should be disheartened and grow dull and slack in seeking God. It should be considered that it is a poor business if our faith and patience is so short-winded that we cannot be willing to wait upon God for years in seeking a mercy so infinitely vast. Whatever our hopes may be in this respect, we must be content to be ignorant of the times and seasons which the Father hath put in His power and must be willing that God should answer prayer and fulfill His own glorious promises in His own time (Psalm 27:14; Hebrews 2:3-4; Micah 7:7; Isaiah 25:8-9).
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