fees the Lord upon his throne, furrounded with ten thousand of his angels and faints miniftring unto him.' When thou comeft from a duty in which thy heart hath been toying and wandering, thou mayeft fay, Verily, God was in this place, and I knew it not. Suppofe all the impertinencies and vanities which have paft through thine heart in duty were written out, and interlined with thy petitions, couldeft thou have the face to prefent it to God? Should thy tongue but utter all the thoughts of thy heart in prayer, would not men abhor thee? Why, thy thoughts are vocal to God, Pfal. cxxxix. 2. If thou wert petitioning the king for thy life, would it not provoke him to fee thee playing with thy bandftrings, or catching at every fly that lights upon thy cloaths, whilft thou art fpeaking to him about fuch ferious matters think fadly upon that fcripture, Pfal. Ixxxvii. 7. "God is greatly to be feared in the affemblies of his faints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are round "about him." Why did God defcend in thunderings and lightnings, and dark clouds upon Sinai? Exod. xix. 16-18. Why did the mountains fmoke under him? The people quake and tremble round about him, yea, Mofes himself not exempted? but to teach the people that great truth, Heb. xii. 28, 29. "Let us have grace whereby we may ferve him acceptably, "with reverence and godly fear, for our God is a confuming "fire!" Prefent God thus before thee, and thy vain heart will quickly be reduced to a more ferious frame.

Help 5. Maintain a praying frame of heart in the intervals of duty. What is the reafon our hearts are fo dull, careless, and wandering, when we come to hear or pray, but because there have been fuch long intermiffions in our communion with God; by reafon whereof the heart is out of a praying frame? If that fpiritual warmth, thofe holy impreffions we carry from God in one duty, were but preferved to kindle another duty, it would be of marvellous advantage to keep the heart intent and ferious with God.

To this purpose those intermediate ejaculations, betwixt stated and folemn duties, are of moft fweet and excellent ufe; by these one duty is, as it were, linked to another, and fo the foul, as it were, wraps up itfelf in a chain of duties. That Chriftian feldom miffes his mark in folemn duty, that fhoots up many of thefe darts in the intervals of duty. It is an excellent commendation Christ bestows upon the spouse, Cant. iv. 11. “ Thy lips, O my fpoufe, drop as the honey-comb." Upon which text one gives this fweet note; The honey-comb drops actually but fometimes, but it always hangs full of fweet drops ready

to fall: If our ejaculations were more, our lamentations upon this account would be fewer.

Help 6. Endeavour to engage and raife thy affections to God in duty, if thou wouldst have thy distractions cured.

A drooping eye, and a melting heart, are feldom troubled as others are upon this account: When the foul is intent upon any work, it gathers in its ftrength, and bends all the thoughts about it; and when it is deeply affected, it will be intent: the affections command the thoughts to go after them; deadnels caufes distraction, and distraction increafes deadnefs: Could you but look upon duties as the galleries of communion in which you walk with God, where your fouls may be filled with those ravishing and matchlefs delights that are in his prefence, your foul would not offer to ftir from thence.

It is with the heart in duty, as it is with thofe that dig for golden ore; they try here, and finding none, try there; and fo go from place to place, till at laft they hit upon the rich vein, and there they fit down. If thy heart could but once hit the rich vein in duty, it would dwell and abide there with delight and conftancy. "O how I love thy law, it is my meditation day and night!" Pfl. cxix. 97. The foul could dwell day and night upon its knees, when once its delights, loves, and defires are engaged. What is the reafon your hearts are fo fhuffling, efpecially in fecret duties? Why are you ready to be gone, almost as soon as you are come into the prefence of God, but becaule your affections are not engaged?

Help 7. Mourn over the matter to God, and call in affiftance from heaven, when vain thoughts affault thy heart in duty.

When the meffenger of Satan buffeted Paul by wicked injections, as is fuppofed, he goes to God, and mourns over it before him, 2 Cor. xii. 8. never flight wandering thoughts in duty as fmall matters: follow every vain thought with a deep figh, turn thee to God, with fuch words as thefe; Lord, I came hither to speak with thee, and here a buty devil and a vain heart confpiring together have fet upon me. O my God! what an heart have I Shall I never wait upon thee without diftraction! whea fhall I enjoy an hour of free communion with thee? Help me, my God, this once; do but difplay thy glory before mine eyes, and my heart fhall quickly be recovered: Thou knowest I came hither to enjoy thee, and fhall I go away without thee? See, how the heart of thy poor child works towards thee! strives to get near thee, but cannot : My heart is a-ground, come thou north-wind, blow fouth-wind;" O for a fresh gale now from

66

thy Spirit, to fet my affections a-float! Couldst thou but thus affectionately bewail thy distractions to God, thou mighteft obtain help and deliverance from them: He would fay to Satan, and thine imperious lufts, as Abafuerus faid of Haman, What, will be force the queen before my face? Who are thefe, that fet upon my child in my work and prefence ?

Help 8 Look upon the fuccefs and Sweetness of thy duties, as very much depending upon the keeping of thy heart clife with God

in them

These two things, the fuccefs and sweetness of duty, are as dear to a Chriftian as his two eyes; and both of thefe muft neceffarily be loft, if the heart be loft in duty. Job xxxv. 13. "Surely, God heareth not vanity, neither doth the Almighty regard it." The promife is made to an heart engaged, Jer. xxix. 13. "Then fhall ye feek me, and find me, when ye fhall "fearch for me with all your hearts." Well, then, when thou findeft thy heart under the power of deadnefs and distraction, fay to thy foul, O what do I lose by a careless heart now ! my praying times are the choiceft parts, the golden fpots of all my time: Could I but get up this heart with God, I might now obtain fuch mercies as would be matter for a long to all eternity.

:

Help 9. Look upon it as a great discovery of the fincerity or hypocrify of your hearts, according as you find them careful, or careless, in this matter.

Nothing will startle an upright heart more than this: What, fhall I give way to a cuftomary wandering of heart from God) Shall the fpot of the hypocrite appear upon my foul? They indeed can drudge on in the round of duty, never regarding the frames of their hearts, Ezek xxxiii. 31, 32. but shall I do fo? When men come into the prefence chamber, and the king is not there, they bow to the empty chair. O never let me be fatisfied with empty duties! never let me take my leave of a duty, "until mine eyes have feen the king, the Lord of hosts.”

Help 10. Lastly, It will be of special use to keep thine heart with God in duties, to confider what influence all thy duties have into thy eternity.

These are your feed-times, and what you fow in your duties in this world, you must look to reap the fruits of it in another world, Gal. vi. 7. 8. If you fow to the flesh, of that you shall 7, reap corruption; but if to the Spirit, life everlafting. O my foul, anfwer feriously, wouldft thou be willing to reap the fruit of vanity, in the world to come? Dareft thou fay, when thy thoughts are roving to the ends of the earth in duty, when

thou fcarce mindest what thou fayeft or heareft; now, Lord, I am fowing to the Spirit; now I am providing, and laying up for eternity; now I am feeking for glory, honour, and immortality; now I am striving to enter in at the ftrait gate; now I am taking the kingdom of heaven by an holy violence? O fuch a confideration as this should make the multitudes of vain thoughts that prefs in upon the heart in duty, to fly leven ways before it. And thus I have fhewn you how to keep your hearts in the times of duty.

Season 7. The feventh feafon calling for more than common diligence to keep the heart, is, when we receive injuries, and ' abuses from men. Such is the depravednefs and corruption ' of man in his collapfed ftate, that homo homini lupus, one man ' is become a wolf, a tyger, to another: They are, as the pro" phet complains, Hab. i. 14. " As the fishes of the fea, and as "the creeping things, that have no ruler over them;” and as ' wicked men are cruel and oppreffive one to another, so they confpire together to abuse and wrong the people of God, as the fame prophet complains, ver. 13." The wicked devour"-"eth the man that is more righteous than he." Now when we are thus abused and wronged, it is hard to keep the heart ⚫ from revengeful motions; to make it meekly and quietly to commit the caufe to him that judgeth righteously; to exercise ' no other affection but pity towards them that abuse us. Surely the spirit that is in us lufteth to revenge, but it must not be fo; you have choice helps in the gospel to keep down your hearts from fuch finful motions againft your enemies, and to fweeten your imbittered fpirits. The feventh cafe, then, fhall be this,

Cafe 7. How a Chriftian may keep his heart from revengeful motions, under the greatest injuries and abufes from men.

The gospel, indeed, allows a liberty to vindicate our intocency, and affert our rights, but not to vent our corruptions, and invade God's right. When, therefore, thou findeft thy heart begin to be inflamed by revengeful motions, prefently apply the following remedies; and the firft is this,

Remedy 1. Urge upon thy heart the fevere prohibitions of revenge by the law of God. Remember that this is forbidden fruit, how pleasant and luscious foever it be to our vitiated appetites. O, faith nature, revenge is fweet: O but, faith God, the effects thereof shall be bitter. How plainly hath God interdicted this flesh-pleafing fin, Prov. xx. 22. Say not, I will recom. pence evil." Prov. xxiv. 29. Say not I will do fo to him as he hath done to me." Rom. xii. 17. "Recompence to no

"

"man evil for evil." And ver. 19. "Avenge not yourselves, "but rather give place to wrath." Nay, that is not all; but Prov. xxv. 21. "If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he "thirst, give him drink." The word feed him, as critics obferve, fignifies to feed chearfully, and tenderly, as birds do their young ones: The fcripture is a great friend to the peace and tranquillity of human fociety, which can never be preserved, if revenge be not depofed. It was wont to be an argument urged by the Chriftians to prove their religion to be fupernatuaral and pure, that forbids revenge, which is fo fweet to nature; and verily it is a thousand pities fuch an argument fhould be loft. Well, then, awe your hearts with the authority of God in these scriptures, and when carnal reason faith, mine enemy deferves to be hated, let confcience reply, but doth God deferve to be difobeyed? Thus, and thus, hath he done, and fo he hath wronged me; but what hath God done, that I should wrong him? If he dare be fo bold to break the peace, thall I be fo wicked to break the precept? If he fears not to wrong me, shall not I fear to wrong God? Olet the fear of God's threatnings reprefs fuch fintul motions.

Remedy 2. Set before your eyes the most eminent patterns of meekness and forgiveness, that your fouls may fall in love with them.

This is the way to cut off thofe common pleas of the flesh for revenge: As thus, no man would bear fuch an affront: Yes, fuch and fuch have borne as bad and worse. I fhall be reckoned a coward, a fool, if I pafs by this: No matter, as Jong as I follow the examples of the wifeft, and holiest of men; never did any fuffer more, and greater abufes from men, than Chrift did, and never did any carry it more peaceably, and forgivingly, Ifa. liii. 7. "He was oppreffed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the "slaughter," &c. This pattern of our Lord the apoftle fets, before you for your imitation, i Pet. ii. 21, 22, 23. "For even

* hereunto are you called, because Christ also fuffered for us, leaving us an example that we fhould follow his fteps: Who' "when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himfelf to him that judg eth righteoufly:" To be of a meek, forgiving fpirit, is Chrift-like, God-iike; "then fhall you be the children of your Father, which is in heaven; for he maketh his fun to "rife upon the evil and upon the good, and fendeth rain on the just and unjust," Matth. v. 45 How eminently, alfo, did this Spirit of Chrift rest upon his apoftles? Never were,