An Exhortation to the Saints

Comer ye people beloved, you that are highly fayoured; the Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst men and women. The lines are fallen to you in a pleasant place, yea, you have a goodly heritage. Come and enter upon your lot; let your hearts be glad, let your glory rejoice, but that your joy may be full, hearken to these following counsels: I. Make sure your interest in the covenant.

Rejoice not in that which is none of thine. Make sure, all lies upon this: your life, and all the comforts and concerns of it, both your eternal safety hereafter, and your success in all the parts of your christian course here, depend on your interest in the covenant. What have you if Christ be not yours? and what have you in Christ, if you be not in covenant? whence are your hopes, either of mercy at last, or of prospering in any thing at present, put from the covenant of promise? And what have you thence, if your name be not in it? O give not rest to yourselves, till this. be put out of doubt; whatever duties you perform, whatever ease or hope you find hereupon, whatever transport of affection you feel in your hearts, in the midst of all inquire — But am I in covenant? How shall I know that? you will say. Why make a strict and narrow inquiry, whether those special graces already mentioned, be wrought upon you. Common mercies, though even these be covenant mercies to the saints, yet will they not prove themselves so to be; but special graces will be their own evidence. Things outward fall alike to all; ‘‘ No man knows love or hatred by ought that befalls him,” Ecc. ix.1. Thou mayest be a son or a bastard, notwithstanding all that thou enjoyest or sufferest here; but not one of the fore-mentioned graces, but is a child’s portion, God’s mark upon the heart, to distinguish children from strangers. Prove that thou truly knowest the Lord, hast one heart, a tender heart, &c. and thou therein provest thyself to be a-child of promise. Read over the descriptions that have been given of these graces; observe diligently where the main difference lies betwixt common and special grace; compare thine heart with it, and thereby thou mayest give a judgment of thy state. If it be yet questionable, whether it be found or not, sit not down till thou hast obtained; but having obtained,

II. Keep your evidences clear.

Have you peace? maintain it carefully. The hidden manna will never breed worms by long keeping. Content not yourselves that you once had peace ;- it will be but a poor livelihood you will get out of what is wasted and lost. Get you good evidences that God is yours, and keep them by you, till you need them no more. Grace is your best evidence, cherish and preserve it. Get a seeing eye, and keep your eye open; get a single heart, and let it not be again divided; get a tender heart, and keep it tender; let the love and fear of God be acted in holy obedience. An obedient, gracious, watchful, active life, will keep grace in heart; and flourishing grace will speak for itself and you. Look not that the Lord should so far countenance your declinings to a more fleshly careless state, as to smile upon you in such a state; God will not be an abetter to sin. Count upon it, that your grace and peace, your duty and comfort will rise and fall together; suspect those comforts that accompany you into the tents of wickedness, and forsake you not, when you forsake your God. Keep up your spirits, and then lift up your heads, keep heedfully on your way, and

your joy shall no man take from you. Particularly,

1. Keep close to God.

2. Keep hold on Christ.

8. Quench not the Spirit.

4, Keep in with conscience.:

1. Keep close to God. Keep thyself under his eye and influences. Both thy grace and thy comforts as they had their birth, so must they have their nourishment from Heaven. Lose the sight of the sun, and darkness follows. Let thine eyes be towards the hills. Let divine love be the pleasure of thy life. Let it be thy Lord’s cord upon thine heart, let it bind thee to him; he loves captives, let thine ear be bored to the threshold, be familiar in heaven, keep thine acquaintance there, and be at peace; chide back thy gadding heart. Soul, whither art thou going? who hath the words of eternal life? Let the interviews of love betwixt thy Lord and thee, be constant; let them not be only on some few holy days of thy life.

Count not thou hast lived that day, in which thou hast not lived with God.

Keep close to God, by keeping close to duty Keep close to duty, and keep close to God in duty. Call not that a duty, which thou canst not call communion with God. Make not duty to do the work of sin, to take God out of sight. Let not prayer, or hearing, or sacraments, be instead of a God to thee. Such praying and hearing there is amongst many, but know not thou anything for religion,

wherein thou meetest not with God.

Behold the face of God, but behold his face in righteousness, Psa. xvii. 15. It is ill-looking on God with a blood-shot eye. Guilt upon the heart, will be a cloud that will make the sun as darkness to thee. Walk in the light of the Lord. Walk in the light, as he is in the light. In thy light (the holiness of thy life) thou shalt see his light. The light of his holiness in thee, will be attended with the light of his countenance upon thee. By the light of his countenance, thou wilt both see thyself in thy way to thy hopes, and learn thy way more perfectly, “Make thy face to shine upon thy servant, and teach me thy statutes,” Psa. cxix. 135. God hath many ways of teaching; he teaches by book, he teaches by his finger, he teaches by his — rod; but his most comfortable and effectual teaching is by the light of his eye. Send forth thy light and thy truth, let them lead me, let them bring me to thy holy hill.

2. Keep hold on Christ. He is thy peace. Ap- — pear not before God, but in the blood of the Lamb let him carry up thy duties, and own not that for a comfort, which is not brought thee by his hand. — Let him be thy way to the Father, and thy Father’s — i way to thee. Keep fresh upon thine heart the memory of his death and satisfaction, and let that be thy life, and thy hope. Hast thou cast anchor on this rock? loose not thy hold; hang upon the horns of the altar. Thou canst not live, but there; if thou must die, say, But I will die here. Put forth

- fresh acts of faith every day and hour. Believe, pelieve, believe, and thou shalt be established. Fall

not into unbelief, then thou art gone; thou departest from the living God, Heb. i. 12.

3. Quench not the Spirit. Observe and obey his motions; when he excites, get thee on; when

he checks, get thee back; know the holy from the

evil spirit, by its according or differing with the scriptures; reject that spirit in the heart that is not the same with the Spirit in the word. Try the wind, what and whence it is, by the card and compass; to the law and to the testimony. And when thou perceivest it is from above, hoist up thy sails, and get thee on. Quench not the Spirit: grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby thou art sealed to the day of redemption.

4. Keep in with conscience. Make not thy witness thine enemy. Deal friendly with it; thou wilt need its good word, which thou canst not have if it receive blows from thee; it will not learn this lesson, to speak good for evil; or if thou shouldest bear it into it, thou art undone; if an abused conscience speak peace, it becomes thy traitor.

Give due respect to conscience. Let it abide

with thee, in peace and in power. Keep up its

authority as God’s vicegerent. Next under God,

‘commit the keeping of thy soul to conscience; as the

Lord hath made, so do thou make it superintendent in thy soul; the judge and overseer of all thy motions and actions. Let conscience counsel thee, and tell thee thy way; let conscience quicken thee, and put thee on in thy way; let conscience watch thee, that thou turn not out of thy way; let conscience check thee, and reduce thee into thy way. Wherever thou goest, carry conscience along with thee; carry conscience into thy closet, let it watch thee how thou behavest thyself there; carry conscience into thy shop, let it eye thee what thou dost there; carry conscience into thy fields, into the market, amongst thy friends, amongst thine enemies, let it observe how thou behavest thyself amongst them; carry conscience with thee to thy recreation, to thy bed, to thy table; wherever thou goest, there is like to be but sad work, if conscience be not with thee. Commit the keeping of thy covenant to conscience; let it be the ark in which the tables of the testimony are kept and preserved; let it be the executor of thy testament. Conscience is bound by the covenant, the covenant lays hold on it, let it lay hold on thee. Is thy conscience bound? seek not to be loosed; is thy conscience bound? give it leave to bind thy whole man. Let it bind thy thoughts, and bind thy will, and bind thy affections, and bind thy tongue, and thy whole practice; thou never livest as a man in covenant, longer than thou livest as a man of conscience. What becomes of the covenant, when a breach is made upon conscience? Oh what is there in the world when conscience is not? What faith, or truth, or peace is there left alive? What are vows, and covenants, and promises What are our duties to the Lord, our dealings) men, when there is no conscience towards — Keep thy conscience, and thou keepest thy keep thy conscience, and thou keepest thy cove keep thy covenant, and thou keepest thy peace; let that go, and all is lost. ‘Let conscience govern what God hath put under its power, and let it resist all adverse power. Let it resist temptations. Whenever Satan and thy flesh fall upon thee, and tempt thee, saying, Pity thyself, spare thyself, take thy liberty, take thine ease, take thy pleasure, provide for thy safety; what need is there of so much ado? Why canst thou not take the same liberty, and allow thyself the same latitude as others do? They have souls as well as thou, and they have dangers as well as thou; and they have hopes as well as thou; and they have reasons and understandings to know what they do as well as thou; and why canst thou not be content to do as they? Why, let this be thy answer, But what conscience is there for it? With what conscience can I be idle, when I have said, I will be doing? With what conscience can I take mine ease, when I have said, I will take pains? With what conscience can I serve my flesh, when I have said, I will crucify it? With what conscience can I love this world, when I have said, I will renounce it? With what conscience can [ walk at liberty, when I have said, I will walk circumspectly? If all this were more than needs, (far be it from me to have such a thought, till the serving my God, and the saving my soul, be more than needs,) but if it were more than needs, yet is it any more than I am bound to? Are there any such jiberties put into my indentures? Was there any ‘exception made of this duty, or that duty? Was there any limitation made to this measure or that

measure; hitherto will I go, and no further; this - jittle T will do, and no more? Was-there any such

proviso put in, I will serve the Lord, provided I hs 2¥ may with ease or with safety? Have I not solemnly engaged to the Lord, to obey him in all things, to follow him fully, to love him, and serve him, with all my heart, with all my, soul, with all my strength, and this to the death? And oh shall I ‘lie unto God? Is it more than needful to be righteous, and to keep my faith? Come, O my soul, come.on; thou hast opened thy mouth to the Lord, and thou must not go back. Be true, pe honest; be honest, though thou must swear: for it; be honest, though thou suffer for it. Remember what thy mouth hath spoken, and see that thou fulfil it with thy hand.;

Keep conscience pure. It is the book in which ail thy records are written, let no blot be upon thy book. Beware of sinning against conscience. Every sin against conscience is a blot upon conscience; and blots upon conscience are blots upon thy covenant-evidence; thou wilt not .be able to read whether there be anything written there for thee or not. Ah foolish soul, what art thou doing? Dashing out all thine hopes with thine own hand. Beware thou content not thyself with blotted evidences.

Christians, forget not this counsel; keep your evidences clear. He who hath his whole estate in bonds or writings, how carefully will he keep them! If these be torn, or lost, or so blurred, that they cannot be read, he is undone. Whatever else be lost, if his money be gone, if his goods be lost, if house be burnt, yet if his writings be safe, he is well enough. O take heed, and keep your writings safe and fair; keep your title to your God clear, and you can never be poor and miserable. Whatever earth or hell can do against you, till they can tear the covenant of your God, or make you blot out your own names, they have left you abundantly enough, even when they have left you nothing. Oh how highly are we concerned to be tender of conscience, and yet how little care is there taken of - it! What is become of the authority of conscience, when thy thoughts and thy passions, when thine eyes, and thine ears, and thine appetite, and thy tongue, are left unbridled and unconquered? When every servant is set up to be master, and bears rule in thee, where is thy conscience? what is become of its authority? When thy soul hath been no better kept, what poverty and leanness is there grown upon it, what a starveling is it become both in grace and peace, eaten out with lust, evaporated into vanity, sunk into sensuality, thy spirit even transubstantjated into flesh, ready to perish, and die away, for want of good looking to! When thy soul hath been no better kept; where is thy conscience? when thy covenant hath been no better kept, when thy duties thou hast vowed to perform, are so hastily and heedlessly shuffled over, if not totally thrust aside; when thy hours of prayer are such short: hours, thy sabbaths such winter days, so short and so cold too; when thy God is so shamefully neglected, can never hear of thee, but when thow hast nothing else to do, and, perhaps, not even then; when. thy spare hours are hardly spared for God; when this earth, thy corn, and thy cattle, and thy pleasures, and thy friends, which thou hast vowed to renounce, are let in again upon thy heart, and have stolen it away from heaven, where is thy conscience? When thou sleepest so, and hast let the enemy come in and sow his tares in thy field; when thou ‘art such a busy-body in other men’s maiters, 2Fr2 and thine own vineyard thou hast not kept, but hast

let it lie fallow, like the field of the sluggard, all overgrown with thorns and nettles; when both th

heart and thy house are so much out of order. When thy wife, and thy children, and thy servants are left at random, to do all that is right in their own eyes; when more care is taken for the asses than for thy sons and daughters; when thy house is a very hospital of blind, and lame, and sick souls, ready to die for want of instruction and good discipline; where is thy conscience? and if conscience be not, where is thy covenant? and if thy covenant be not, oh where is thy God and thy peace?

-Ah conscience! where art thou? what is become

of that good thing committed to thee? yea, what is become of thee? ba

Ah soul! where is thy peace? how is the keeper of thy peace laid low, and the covenant of thy peace broken! what! peace whilst no conscience, and what hast thou left, whilst no peace? Ah Lord! thy treacherous dealers, how treacherously have they

dealt with thee! thy children have forgotten thee,

thy servants are runaways from thee; thou art our father, but where is thine honour? thou art our master, but where is thy fear? we are thy servants, but where is our faith? Ah Lord, we have deait falsely in thy covenant.

Return, O Lord, return; repair thy watches, recover thine honours, reduce thy wanderers, restore conscience, revive our peace, cause us to return, and

renew our covenant; and remember, break not thou

thy covenant with us. Christians, let us bewail lost conscience, and let

it be recovered; let us weep over our dead, and let their souls return into them. Let those of us that have obtained grace to be faithful, and watchful, and

tender, rejoice and take heed: let him that standeth

take heed: lest he fall. Go on in the name of the Lord: remember his counsels; keep close by God,

keep hold on Christ, quench not the Spirit, keep in —

with conscience; keep thy heart, keep thy garments, keep up thy watch, keep on thy way, finish thy course, keep the faith; and then let the devil do his worst, thy peace shall be extended to thee as a river, and established as a rock; and thou shalt be able to say in the words, and in the faith of the apostle, “Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which God, the righteous Judge, shall give unto me at that day, and not to me only, but to all that love his appearing.”

Ill. Add to your covenant your sacrifice. «“Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice,”’ Psa. 1. 5. God hath made with you, and he expects that you make covenant with him by sacrifice. Sacrifices were seals of the covenant. As God’s part of the ‘covenant, so our part also must be sealed, and sealed with blood; his with the plood of his Son, ours with the blood of our sins.

[ beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God,” Rom. xii. 1. The sacrificing of ourselves to the Lord, comprehends jn it three things: — 1, Alienation; 2. Dedication; 8. Oblation.

1, Alienation, or the passing away of ourselves from ourselves. “Ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price.” Thus he hath said, and he expects that we should say also, True, Lord, I am

not mine own.
2r3

2, Dedication, or the passing over ourselves ta.

the Lord. “Ye have consecrated yourselves to the Lord,” 2 Chron. xxix. 31. His we are by purchase, but he expects that we be his also by donation: his

we are by conquest, but he expects we should be his.

by consent also. Though he may challenge us as his right, yet the most acceptable claim is, when he hath us by gift. When our hearts say, I am thine, Lord; then his heart will answer, Soul, thou art mine. tyre 3. Oblation, or the actual surrender or offering up ourselves to him. In the offering this sacrifice is included the immolation, or slaying of it. We must slay ourselves, (in a spiritual sense,) be mortified, be crucified with Christ, and so offered up a sacrifice to him. You will say, How is it then required that we offer up ourselves a living sacrifice? Answer. We are never truly alive till we are dead. “Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God,” Col. iii. 3. When our flesh is dead, our spirit is life, Rom. viii. 10. As the apostle, ‘* That which thou sowest,” so that which thou sacrificest “is not quickened, except it die,” 1 Cor. xv. 36.

It is only the mortified christian that is a living —

sacrifice. Christians, come and sacrifice yourselves to th Lord, come and slay your sacrifices, and so offer

them up. Your sacrifice is then slam (as before it —

is intimated) when your carnal self, your old man, is crucified with Christ, and the body of sin destroyed, Rom. vi. 6. when the wisdom of the flesh is crucified, and made to vanish before the wisdom of ‘od; when the will of the flesh is subdued, and swallowed up of the will of God; when the lusts of the flesh are vanquished, and made captives by the law of God. ‘

- Christians, it may be you are willing to make your claim to the covenant of God, but have you

made covenant-with him? You have entered into

covenant with God, but will you confirm your covenant by sacrifice? You will give yourselves a sacrifice to the Lord, but is your sacrifice slain? Is the wisdom of the flesh made foolishness? How is it with your carnal wills? Is the will of the flesh broken, and brought into subjection, yielding itself up to the Lord? O for an emptying of wills into

- the will of God! What wilt thou do? what wilt

thou have? Nothing but what God will. What the Lord will have me do, or avoid, or suffer, I can no longer say him nay. Is this the will of God, my sanctification? so it is mine. Is this the will of God, my humiliation? so it is mine? Is this the will of God, my tribulation? so it is mine. Is God for holiness? through grace so am I. Is God for his own will? soam I. This is all the will I have,

‘that the Lord may have his will of me; may be all

to me, have all from me, rule all in me, and dispose of all that concerns me..

How is it with your carnal affections, and fleshly lusts? are these slain? Is your covetousness, your sensuality, your pride and envy; are your carnal joys, and fears, and worldly sorrows, are these destroyed; those wild-fires of passion, and fury, and rage, are these quenched? Come, put the knife to the throat of all these, and then there is a sacrifice for God. Go and offer it up, and let it be, 1. A freewill offering; 2. A thank-offering.

C1.) A freewill offering. Offer yourselves will-

“ingly to the Lord. “Thy people shal’ be willing

in the day of thy power,” Psa, ex. 3. O may that glorious day dawn upon us! God loves a cheerful giver; offer up your hearts with all your heart; grudge not what the Lord requires, but bless God that he will accept of an offering; this hath a comfortable signification. If the Lord had meant to

destroy us, he would not have accepted an offering at our hands, Judg. xiii. 23. i (2.) A thank-offering. Offer unto God thanksiving, and pay thy vows unto the Most High. Offer up yourselves in token of your thankfulness to the Lord. Be ye both the priests and the lambs for the sacrifice. Present yourselves to the Lord as the accomplishments of his covenant, as the fruits of the death of your Redeemer, as the trophies of his victory, as the spoils which he hath recovered from death and hell, making a show of them openly, that it may be seen that the promise of God is not of none effect, and that Christ did not die in vain. Let your Lord Jesus, when he comes down into his garden, where he left his blood, reap his pleasant fruits, and carry up your purified souls, as the sig: nals of his glorious achievement. Offer up your sins to the Lord; these unclean beasts will be an acceptable sacrifice. There is more real honour growing up to the Lord from one mortified saint, than froin ten thousand anthems from the most seraphic tongues. Offer up your duties to the Lord; your obedience for a sacrifice. To obey is better than sacrifice, than thousands of rams, and ten thousands of rivers of oil. Let your whole life be this sacrifice. Let every day be a sabbath, every duty an eucharist, every member a cymbal, sounding out the praises of God. Offer up the calves of your lips unto the Lord. Olet your souls be filled with wonder, and your mouths with praise. ‘ Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Luke i, 43. Oh whence is this to us, that the Lord our Father should come, and come so near to us! Oh whence is it that the mighty God should indent, and come into bond with sinful man! That he who was free from all men should make himself debtor to any! That the high and lofty One, that inhabits eternity, should dwell in houses of clay, and pitch his tabernacle’in the dust! That he who humbleth himself to behold the heavens should come down into the earth; and after what is he come down, but after so degraded a creature as man! That he should make a league with the stones of the ground, with the beasts of the field, and creeping things! Should espouse dust and ashes, and gather up vile worms into his bosom! Should set his heart upon shadows, and adopt the refuse of the earth for sons and daughters to himself! Should raise the poor out of the dust, and the beggar from the dunghill! Should do such great things, and should choose the foolish, and the weak, and the base, and the contemptible, and bestow on them among all the world these high honours! Should make them the head and the honourable, whom the world hath made the tail, the filth, and the off-scouring of all things! Should give himself to be the portion, his Son to be the ransom, his kingdom to be the heritage of -bankrupts, prisoners, and captives! Lord, what is man that thou art thus mindful of him! Soul, what is God that thou shouldst be yet unmindful of him! How is it that the tongue of the dumb is not yet loosened, that the feet of the lame do not leap as an hart?:

Oh what is that love whence this strange thing hath broken forth? This, this is the womb that bare thee; hence hath thy righteousness sprung forth; hence have thy dignities, thy astonishing hope, and joys arisen to thee; this is it that yearned upon thee in thy misery, that reprieved thee from death, redeemed thee from darkness, rescued thee as a brand out of the burning; that pitied thee in thy blood, washed thee from thy blood, spared thee, pardoned thee, reconciled thee, and brought thee an enemy, a rebel, a traitor, into a covenant of peace with the God of glory. Ah contemptible dust! that ever there should be such compassionate contrivances, and such astonishing condescensions of the eternal Deity, towards so vile a thing! O love the Lord, all ye his saints! O bless the Lord, ye beloved, ye people near unto the Lord. Alas, that our hearts should be so narrow, that ‘the waters should be so shallow with us; where are our eyes if we be not yet filled with wonders? what hearts have we if we have not yet filled our lips with praise! Open all thy springs, O my soul, let them flow forth in streams of love and joy; let every faculty be tuned and strained to the height; let heart, and hands, and tongue, and eyes lift up their voice; be astonished, O heavens; be moved, ye strong foundations of the earth; fall down, yeelders; strike up, ye heavenly choir; lend, poor mortals, your notes, to sing forth the high praises of God, who rideth on the heavens, and hath caused us to ride on the high places of the earth, and made us sit together in heavenly places, showing forth the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus,

Awake up my glory, awake psaltery and harp, I myself will awake right early; my soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour; for he that is mighty hath done for me great things, and holy is his name. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath visited and redeemed his people, who hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, who hath laid help on one who is mighty, and exalted one chosen among the people, and hath given him for a covenant to them. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name; who hath redeemed thy life from death, and crowned thee with loving kindness and tender mercies. Salvation to our God that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. - Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to. receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and glory, and honour, and blessing; for thou livedst, and wast dead, and art alive for evermore. Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us kings and priests unto our God for ever. Halleluiah, halleluiah.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE RIGHT PERFORMANCE

OF

THE DUTY OF PRAYER:

EXTRACTED FROM VINDICI® PIETATIS; OR, A VINDICATION OF GODLINESS,

BY THE REY. RICHARD ALLEINE.

I. Brine yourselves, and hold yourselves to a frequent and constant performance of this duty.

There must be performance, or there cannot be — aright performance. As to those that pray not, or but seldom, it is a plain sign that the root of the matter is not in them; they that can live without prayer are dead while they are alive. Prayer is the — first fruits of christianity; it was said of Saul, as a token that he was a convert, “Behold he prayeth.” The living child comes crying into the world; and as it isa token of life, so it is a means by which this new life is nourished. Prayer is a christian’s key to unlock the store-houses and the treasuries of souls: he that can pray, God hath given him a key to all his treasuries. Prayer will not only unlock the clouds, as Elijah’s prayer did, and bring down rain to refresh the dry and parched earth, but it will unlock heaven too. It will unlock the ark, and the mercy-seat, and get down spiritual blessings on the — soul, Praying is a christian’s knocking at the gate — of heaven, that knocking to which the promise is — inade, “Knock and it shall be opened,” Matt. vil. 7. The word which the Lord speaks to us is God’s knocking at our doors; ‘‘ Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” Rev. iii. 20. And praying is our knocking at the Lord’s door, at the gate of heaven, that this may be opened. By the way learn, that if -you will not hear God’s knock, it is just not to hear yours. If God’s voice may not be heard on earth,

our voice will not be heard in heaven; fear not, you shall be heard if you will hear; hear him that speaks to you from heaven, and your cry shall enter into heaven.:

Our souls will never thrive or flourish, unless the rain and the showers of heavenly grace descend and fall upon them: and we cannot look that those showers should come down, unless we look up.

Persons that pray not may be written among the heathen; “Pour out thy fury upon the heathen, and the families that call not on thy name,” Jer. x. 25. and among the profane ones of the earth, who are described by this character; ‘‘ They call not upon God; they are altogether become filthy and abominable, there is none that doeth good, they call not upon God,” Psa. xiv. 34.

“Be ye sober and watch unto prayer,” 1 Pet. iv.7. Be ye instant, be constant in prayer; set up your resolutions and set your time; set your times, and keep your time; do not put off this duty. by pretending you pray always, every day and every hour; as the pretence of an every day’s sabbath comes just to no sabbath; so it is usually in the case of prayer; some carnal wretches’ praying always is not praying at all; “Get thee into thy closet,” saith Christ; get thee a place, set thee a time, wherein thou mayest make it thy business to seek the Lord.

Il. Come to pray with an actual and great expectation of obtaining help and grace from God.

Do not barely impose this duty upon you, as

2G your task, but excite and encourage yourselves to it, by looking for a return: think what it is that you would have, and look to receive it. The reason why we obtain no more in prayer, is, because we expect no more. God usually answers us according to our own hearts: narrow hearts and low expectations have usually as little as they look for or desire: large expectations are ordinarily answered with large returns. Expectation will put life into action: you will then pray with most enlarged hearts, when you are most full of hopes; the reward that is looked for in the evening will much encourage and quicken the labour of the day, fear not to expect too much from Heaven. Be not straitened in our own heart, and you shall not be straitened in the God of compassion: open thy mouth wide, and he will fill it. God will never upbraid his beggars for looking for too great an alms; he hath enough to supply them, and he hath a heart to bestow it. God will never say to you, You are too bold, you ask too much; too much grace, too much holiness, why cannot less content you? God hath given you commission to ask what you will, not to the one half, but the whole of his kingdom; the kingdom you shall have, if no less will serve your turn.

Christians, be thankful for every little you receive, but look for much: be thankful for every little, every little received from God is much: a drop from that fountain is worth the world, yet content not yourselves with gome drops, when, if —

you will, the fountain may be yours. The king of — glory loves to give like a king, and will never say, — This is too much either for a king to give, ora beggar to receive; since he hath given you leave,

RIGHT PERFORMANCE OF PRAYER. 351.

spare not to speak in large your desires. God hath promised you, and therefore you may promise yourselves; whatever you ask (that is good for you) you shall not ask in vain. Oh, if we had so much in our eye when we come before the throne of grace, we should be oftener there, and yet still return with our load. Well christians, remember this whenever you come to beg, look to receive, come not to prayer as to an empty cistern that will yield no water.

III. Learn the skill to plead with God in prayer.

Though the Lord be willing to give those that ask, yet he will have them first prove they are in earnest, Store of arguments he hath furnished us with to press him withal, but he will have us use them: we must strive with God if we will prevail, and the best striving is with his own weapons. The counsel I give you in this is; Plead hard with God, but plead with ben upon his own arguments: there are amongst many others these four grounds on which to found your plea:

1. On God himself. 2. On Christ. 3. On the promises. 4. On experiences.

1, On God himself, And there are two special things, from which you may plead here.

(1.) His gracious nature. F etch your arguments by which you plead with God for mercy thence, whence he originally fetched his arguments to persuade himself to show mercy; from his own compassion, from his gracious nature, from his natural goodness and gracious inclination to mercy; ‘ God ‘0 loved the world, that he gave his only Son,” &c. John iii, 16. ‘ Having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the

2a2 praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath — made us accepted in the Beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded towards us, in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed of himself,” Eph. 1. 5 — 9. Here we have heaped up, in a few words, the riches of mercy which God hath bestowed on his people. Christ his beloved, redemption through Christ, and the forgiveness of our sins, the adoption of children, acceptance in his sight, the revelation of the mystery of his will, or the discovering or making known these glorious mercies to us. But whence is all this? who is it, or what was it, that persuaded the Lord to this abundant kindness? Why, all this arose from himself. He purposed it in himself. He consulted no other argument, but what he found in his own heart: it was from his love, the good pleasure of his will, his grace, the riches of his grace, wherein he hath abounded towards us, Hos. xi. 8, 9. How shall I give thee up Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee up Israel? I cannot do it, I will not doit. I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not destroy Ephraim. But why wilt thou be angry, Lord? why wilt thou not destroy Ephraim? Oh, says the Lord, mine heart is turned within me; my heart says, Spare him; my compassion says, Destroy him not. Iam God and not man. I love him, and my love is the love of a God. I have compassion on him, and my compassion is the pity of a God: I will bear with him, I am a God of patience: love is my nature; pity, and mercy, and compassion are my nature: I cannot destroy Ephraim, but [ must deny mine own nature. Love, and pity, and mercy, and goodness are essential to God. He can as soon cease to be God, as to be gracious, and this is the fountain of all our mercy; hence Christ sprung, hence the gospel came, and all the unsearchable riches of mercy prepared for poor lost and undone creatures.

“When you come to pray, fetch your arguments hence. Plead with the Lord upon his own nature, his natural love, grace, and goodness. Thus we find the apostle Peter praying for the christians to whom he wrote, “* The God of all grace, make you perfect; stablish, stren gthen, settle you,” 1 Pet. v. 10. Plead with the Lord in your prayers, as the psalmist pleads with himself in his affliction, “Will the Lord cast off for ever, and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever, hath God forgotten to be gracious, hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Is his mercy clean gone? Hath God forgotten to be gracious?’ Psa. lxxvii, 7 — 9. That men should be merciless, that men should forget themselves, and their friends, in their low estate, is no such wonder. But hath God, who is all grace, all mercy, all pity, hath God forgotten? Doth mercy cease to be merciful, grace cease to be

acious? do compassions cease to be pitiful? hath God not only forgotten his servant, but forgotten himself? Remember thyself, Lord, thine own heart, thine own soul, and according to it, remember me.

(2.) His glorious name. The Lord’s nature is to be gracious, and according to his nature such is his name; ‘* The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and. gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” Exod. xxxiv. 6. This is an argument - which the Lord puts into the mouths of his people, 2a3

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telling them, “I had pity for my holy name; this I do, not for your sakes, but for my holy name’s sake,” Ezek. xxxvi. 21, 22. And upon this we find them frequently pleading with him; “For thy — name’s sake, lead me, and guide me,” Psa. xxxi. 3. “Do not abhor us for thy name’s sake; do not disgrace the throne of thy glory; remember, break not thy covenant with us,” Jer. xiv. 21. Go you and do likewise.

2. On Christ. And there are four things from. which you may plead with God upon this account.

(1.) The Lord’s giving of Christ to you as your Lord and your Saviour. Upon which gift, you may call him your own.

(2.) The purchase of Christ; who hath bought from the hands of the Father, all that you stand in need of: he hath bought your lives; “Ye are bought with a price,” 1 Cor. vi. 20. He hath bought you a livelihood, hath purchased an inheritance and possession for you, 1 Pet. i.

(3.) The interest that Christ hath in the Father; being the Son of God, the Son of his love, the Servant of God, in whom his soul delights; ‘* Behold my servant whom I have chosen, mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth,” Isa. xlii, 1. whose name is so precious, and powerful with the Father, that it will carry any suit, obtain any request; ‘‘ Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it you,” John xvi. 23..

(4.) The interest that you have in Christ. As he is precious to his Father, so you are precious to him; as the Father can deny him nothing, so he can deny his nothing; “Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, I will do it,” John xiv. 13. He gives you commission to put his name upon all aN

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your requests, and whatsoever prayer comes up with this name upon it, he will procure it an answer

Now when you are praying for any mercy, especially for any soul-mercy, make use of all these arguments; Lord, hast thou given Christ unto me, and wilt thou not with him give me all things I stand in need of? Hast thou given me the fountain, and wilt thou deny me the stream? When I beg pardon of sin, when I beg power against sin, when I beg holiness, &c. is not all this granted me, in thy gift of Christ to me? Is Christ mine, and is not his blood mine, to procure my pardon? his Spirit mine to subdue my iniquities? Are these mine, and wilt thou withhold them from me? Oh, shall this guilt lie upon me, these sins live in me, these lusts rule over me, when by giving me in hand that whereof thou hast already given me a grant, all this would be removed from me? look upon Christ, Lord; thou hast said to me, Look unto Jesus, and give thy servant leave to say the same to thee, Look thou upon Jesus, and give out to me, what thou hast given me, in giving him to me. Look upon the purchase of Christ; do I want any thing, or desire anything but what my Lord hath bought and paid for, and thou hast accepted of the price? Look upon the name of Christ, which thou mayest behold written upon every prayer I make; though thou mayest say, For thy own sake thou shalt have nothing, not a drop, not a crumb, yet wilt thou say, Nor for his name’s sake neither? Is not that name still a mighty name, a precious name before the Lord? &c. By these hints you may learn how to plead with God from any other arguments drawn eee his promises, your experience, &c.

Question. These arguments the saints may use in prayer: but is there no plea for poor natural men, that are yet in their sins, to make use of? what may they say for themselves, when they come before the Lord? Have you never a word to put in their mouths? they have more need of arguments than any? What shall they say? P

Answer 1. I shall. premise; that it is the duty of mere natural men to pray; For, 1. Prayer is a part

of God’s natural worship. If there were no positive

law requiring it, yet the law of nature enjoins it, and no man is exempted from the obligation of the law

of nature. 2. Otherwise it were none of their sin”

to neglect and restrain prayer; where no law is, there 1s. no transgression. Now we find in scripture, that neglect of prayer is reckoned up amongst wicked men’s sins, “They are altogether become filthy, &c. they call not upon God,” Psa, xiv. 3, 4. Sin, though it doth disable, yet it doth not disoblige to duty. ae ee

When a sinner, being struck with a sense of hig sin, and of his necessity of changing his way, and of his utter inability to turn of himself, under the fears and troubles of his heart, goes to God and cries out, Lord, what shall Ido; I see I am in an evil case, my soul is running on in sin, and thy curse

and wrath I behold running on upon me; ‘Lord, save

me; Lord, help me; Lord, pardon, Lord convert me, break me off from my sins, break me off from my sinful companions; I cannot get loose, my heart is too hard, my lusts are too strong, my temptations are too many for me to overcome of myself, Lord help me; turn me and I shall be turned, pluck

my foot out of the snare, that I be not utterly de-. stroyed; forgive mine iniquity, make me a clean

heart, make me thy child, make me thy servant; that I may never again yield up myself a servant to sin: such a prayer as this, if it be hearty and in earnest, if there be no promise of audience, yet at least there is a half promise; who can tell? it may be the Lord will hear. ne

Consider that sinners, if they have but a heart to it, have also a price in their hands; God hath put arguments into their mouths also, to plead with him for mercy, as, =~ Me:

1. The grace of God or his gracious nature; his readiness to show mercy; this even strangers may — lay hold upon. E

“2, God’s call or gracious invitation, “* Ho, every one that thirsteth, come to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; buy wine and milk, without money and without price,” Isa. lv. 1. “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” ‘ Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Rise sinner, he calleth thee: go to the Lord, and when thou goest, tell him, Lord, thou hast bid me come, and behold here I am; I come, Lord, at thy word, I come for a little water, I come for thy wine and thy milk; I have brought no price in my hand, but thou hast bid me come, and buy without money and without price. Though I have no grace, yet beholdat thy word I come for grace; though I have no

‘Christ, yet I come for Christ; though I cannot call thee Father, yet beg called, I come to thee as fatherless; ‘¢ With thee the fatherless. shall find mercy.” If I am not thy child, may I not be made thy child? Hast thou nota child’s blessing left yet to bestow upon me? Thou hast bid me come, come for a blessing, bless me, even me also, O Lord. Wherefore hast thou sent for me? Shall I be sent

away as I came; I come at thy word, do not say again, Begone, begone out of my sight; I cannot go at thy word; I will not go; for, “whither shall I go from thee? thou hast the words of eternal life.” Since thou wilt have me speak, Lord answer; though I dare not say, Be just to me a saint, yet I do-say, I will say, I must say, ‘* Lord, be merciful to me a sinner.” ag 8 3. Christ. And there are two things in Christ, upon which sinners may plead with God. tte, (1.) His sufficiency. There is enough in Christ, in his obedience and death, to save the worst of sinners, to save the whole world of sinners. There is a fulness in Christ, “It pleased the Father, that in him should all fulness dwell,” Col. i. 19. There is a fulness of merit to obtain pardon, to make reconciliation for whoever comes; a fulness of the Spirit to sanctify, and cleanse them from their sins. .“He is able to save unto the uttermost, all those that come unto God by him.” From this, sinners may reason thus with the Lord. O Lord, I do not come to beg that of thee, which cannot be had; thou hast enough by thee; Look upon Jesus that sits at thy right hand: is there not righteousness enough in him to answer for all my unrighteousness? Are there not riches enough in him to supply my poverty? Hear, Lord, send me not away without an alms, when thou hast it by thee.

(2.) His office: which is to bring sinners to God, to make reconciliation for sinners, to make intercession for transgressors, Isa. liii. 12. “Thou hast received gifts for men, yea even for the rebellious also,” Psa. xviii. 18. What a strange and mighty plea is here for poor sinners! Oh, it is true, Lord, ] ama

transgressor, and have been from the womb: I have played the traitor, and been a rebel against thee all — my days; but is there none in heaven that will intercede for a- transgressor? Hath the Lord Jesus received no gift for this poor rebel, that falls down before thee? though I am a rebel, Lord, yet I am a returning rebel: though I am a rebel, yet let me receive a rebel’s gift, not a rebel’s reward, (Lord, that would be dreadful, ) but some of those gifts which - Christ received for the rebellious. Doth Christ make intercession for transgressors, and shall not he be heard? If thou wilt not hear me who am a sinner, yet wilt thou not hear Him that speaks for sinners, whose blood speaks, whose mercy speaks, whose Spirit speaks? Doth he speak for sinners, and yet not forme? aces

4. Their own necessity. Sinners are necessitous creatures, they have nothing of value left them; in the fulness of their sufficiency they are in straits. As a sinner of a hundred years is but a child, so a sinner of thousands by the year is but a beggar; poor, miserable, blind, and naked: he can want nothing, and yet doth want every thing that is good. Sin hath stripped him to the skin; stabbed him to the heart, the iron hath entered into his soul, it hath left him nothing but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: it is thy case, sinner, and hast

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thou nothing to say? Spread thy wants and necessities before the Lord, and let these speak for thee.

Open thy wounds and thy sores, tell him how desperately sad thy case is, tell him of the guilt that is upon thy head, the curse that is on thy back, the

lague that is in thy heart: God of compassion look hither, behold what a poor, blind, dead, hard- — ened, unclean, guilty creature, what a naked, empty, helpless creature I am: look upon my sin and my misery, and let thine eye affect thine heart:

One deep calls to another,” a deep of misery cries out to a deep of mercy. Oh my very sins, which ery so loud against me, speak also for me. My misery speaks, my curses, the woe and the wrath that lies upon me; my bones speak, my perishing soul speaks, and all cry in thine ears, Help, Lord, God of pity, help, help and heal me, help and save me: come unto me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord: 1 dare not say as once it was said, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man: come, Lord, for T am a sinful man. Thou couldst never come where is more need: who have need of the physician

but the sick? Come, Lord; I have too often said, —

Depart from me, but if fon wilt not. say, Depart, to me, I hope I shall never again say, Depart, to thee. My misery saith, Come; my wants say, Come; my guilt and my sins say, Gone.; and my soul baits Come. Come and pardon, come and convert, come and teach, come and sanctify, come and save me; even so come Lord Jesus.

Thus you have the sinner’s plea. Poor sinner, art thou willing to return from thy sins, fear not to go to thy God. Go, and the Lord help thee, give thee thy heart’s desire, and fulfil all thy mind, and for thy encouragement take along with thee this scripture; ‘‘ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and

he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for,

he will abundantly pardon,” Isa. lv. 6, 7.