Don't Pray Like The Heathen.

We must not use vain repetitions in prayer. Though the life of prayer lies in lifting up the soul and pouring out the heart, yet there is some interest which words have in prayer, especially in joint prayer for in that, words are necessary, and it should seem that our Saviour speaks here especially of that for before he said, when thou prayest, he here, when ye pray and the Lord's prayer which follows is a joint prayer, and in that, he that is the mouth of others is most tempted to an ostentation of language and expression, against which we are here warned use not vain repetitions, either alone or with others: the Pharisees affected this, they made long prayers (Matthew 23:14), all their care was to make them long. Now observe,

What the fault is that is here reproved and condemned it is making a mere lip-labour of the duty of prayer, the service of the tongue, when it is not the service of the soul. This is expressed here by two words, Battologia, Polylogia. Vain repetitions--tautology, battology, idle babbling over the same words again and again to no purpose, like Battus, Sub illis montibus erant, erant sub montibus illis like that imitation of the wordiness of a fool, Ecclesiastes 10:14, A man cannot tell what shall be and what shall be after him who can tell? which is indecent and nauseous in any discourse, much more in speaking to God. It is not all repetition in prayer that is here condemned, but vain repetitions. Christ himself prayed, saying the same words (Matthew 26:44), out of more than ordinary fervour and zeal, Luke 22:44. So Daniel, Daniel 9:18,19. And there is a very elegant repetition of the same words, Psalm 136:1-26. It may be of use both to express our own affections, and to excite the affections of others. But the superstitious rehearsing of a tale of words, without regard to the sense of them, as the papists saying by their beads so many Ave-Marys and Paternosters or the barren and dry going over of the same things again and again, merely to drill out the prayer to such a length, and to make a show of affection when really there is none these are the vain repetitions here condemned. When we would fain say much, but cannot say much to the purpose this is displeasing to God and all wise men.

Much speaking, an affectation of prolixity in prayer, either out of pride or superstition, or an opinion that God needs either to be informed or argued with by us, or out of mere folly and impertinence, because men love to hear themselves talk. Not that all long prayers are forbidden Christ prayed all night, Luke 6:12. Solomon's was a long prayer. There is sometimes need of long prayers when our errands and our affections are extraordinary but merely to prolong the prayer, as if it would make it more pleasing or more prevailing with God, is that which is here condemned it is not much praying that is condemned no, we are bid to pray always, but much speaking the danger of this error is when we only say our prayers, and not when we pray them. This caution is explained by that of Solomon (Ecclesiastes 5:2), Let thy words be few, considerate and well weighed take with you words (Hosea 14:2), choose out words (Job 9:14), and do not say every thing that comes uppermost.

This is the way of the heathen, as the heathen do and it ill becomes Christians to worship their God as the Gentiles worship theirs. The heathen were taught by the light of nature to worship God but becoming vain in their imaginations concerning the object of their worship, no wonder they became so concerning the manner of it, and particularly in this instance thinking God altogether such a one as themselves, they thought he needed many words to make him understand what was said to him, or to bring him to comply with their requests as if he were weak and ignorant, and hard to be entreated. Thus Baal's priests were hard at it from morning till almost night with their vain repetitions O Baal, hear us O Baal, hear us and vain petitions they were but Elijah, in a grave, composed frame, with a very concise prayer, prevailed for fire from heaven first, and then water, 1 Kings 18:26,36. Lip-labour in prayer, though ever so well laboured, if that be all, is but lost labour. - Matthew Henry