The Duty of Prayer by Jonathan Edwards

“Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer”

Excerpt from Jonathan Edwards, the Preacher by Ralph G. Turnbull.

“In the sermon, “Hypocrites Deficient in the Duty of Prayer,” Edwards writes in a quiet, sustained rhythmical prose:

“How is a life, in great measure prayerless, consistent with a holy life? To lead a holy life is to lead a life devoted to God; a life of worshipping and serving God; a life consecrated to the service of God. But how doth he lead such a life who doth not so much maintain the duty of prayer? How can such a man be a servant of the Most High God? A holy life is a life of faith. The life that true Christians live in the world, they live by the faith of the Son of God. But who can believe that that man lives by faith who lives without prayer which is the natural expression of faith? Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life; and to say a man lives a life of faith, and yet lives a prayerless life, is every whit as inconsistent and incredible, as to say, that a man lives without breathing. A prayerless life is so far from being a holy life, that it is called a profane life; he that lives so, lives like a heathen, who calleth not on God’s name; he that lives a prayerless life, lives without God in the world.”