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to his ways whose heart thou knowest." God searches the heart both of sincere and false Christians, in all their doings, to give to every one according to his ways, to the false heart indignation and wrath, but to them that are sincere, and seek for glory, he gives honor and immortality. For of all others, upright ones have the successful influences of all others' prayers with their own prayers; each sincere one prays that God would do good to them. As for others, they are left to be discovered, and left to such courses at the length, as shall declare them to be evil-doers. The continuance of God's faithfulness to sincere ones is the joint request of all that are godly, and the several petitions of each of them.

3. Consider the evils of hypocrisy in prayer. God esteems such prayers as but dross of some silver. It is as but as an offensive odor rising from a dead person. He eyes us then as speaking lies rather than uttering prayers, because we pretend to pray, and worship and serve God, but do indeed therein but serve our own base lusts, become petitioners for them, and speak against God rather than for God. "They lied against me," says God, yet in pretence cried to him; but in truth they did not cry to him when they howled on their beds; their ends were carnal, and they make God as carnal as they; a God that would further the desires of lusts; else why do they petition him thereto? and this is to belie the Lord. The Lord answers such according to their heart's desire, according to their heart idols, and not their lip hypocrisy; he gives them up to their lusts; they secretly choose delusions, notwithstanding other pretences of sacrificing, and the Lord lets them have their choice,

and at length takes away that good that they seem to have, and to prayer they become as speechless, deprived of all ability to pray.

CHAPTER VII.

WATCHFULNESS REQUIRED IN PRAYER.

HAVING handled three of the conditions required to the incessant practice of this duty of prayer, we now speak of the fourth and last requisite, namely, watchfulness; which is threefold. 1. Watching unto prayer. 2. Watching in prayer. 3. Watching after

prayer.

In which let us consider severally three things.

1. The nature of the duty in the three forementioned branches thereof.

2. The reasons and motives urging to the practice thereof.

3. Some helps furthering the performance of the

same.

Watchfulness unto prayer consists in these four particulars :

1. Being of a wakeful spirit, ready and fit to take the due seasons of prayer, as the Lord requires: "Call upon him while he is near," as the saints' usual practice is; and that is a part of their special privilege so to do: "They call upon God in a time wherein he may be found." There is a morning of opportunity which David will take for prayer. True

it is, that God is up before us, he is stirring early for his people's help; as soon as the face of the morning or season of showing mercy to them appears, he helps them. Yet we may not be up in our spirits; we had need rouse up our hearts, as being too oft drowsy and not watching for the first daybreak of a season of mercy. So that as David did, when he would praise God, that are we to do when we would pray to him: "Awake early." There is much spiritual sluggishness cleaving to the spirits of the best in spiritual services; as sometimes the eyes of their bodies were covered with sleep when they should have prayed; so is it too oft in our spirits when they are not in wakeful plight. In Deborah's song of praise to God, see how she doubles and redoubles the word awake: "Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, awake, utter a song." It is not a little calling that will awake our slumbering, heavy-eyed spirits. Sometimes they call up a sleeping Jonah to arise and call upon his God. Zachariah must be roused out of his sleepiness to observe the vision, by the angel. When the Lord Jesus would hear his dove's voice in prayer, see how oft he calls to her to arise and come away. Sometimes the Spirit of God in their consciences and spirits calls them up to attend this holy employment, if any morning light of approaching grace peeps forth, or season of doing the Lord service in prayer is observed, as in Deborah and David, and others of the saints. If ever our spirits. had need be up and ready, they had need be so when we are to pray. A sleepy spirit will scarce speak sense to God in prayer. It is burdensome to a friend to stand listening to a sleepy, broken discourse, con

sisting of half words and sentences indistinctly placed and uttered in his ears, though it be by his friend. So is it in a like spiritual, disorderly, drowsy praying and speaking to the Lord; as men in a sleepy fit, rather than lose something they got in their hand, than get more unto the same, by craving it in such a drowsy sort. So we are losers and not gainers by prayer whereunto our spirits are not awakened to be fit to speak to the Lord as becomes him and us.

2. In heeding to make use of all holy and special advantages unto prayer that Divine Providence offers. When Christians wait for providence, such speaking invitations to prayer, then they watch unto prayer indeed. As at the posts of the doors of Christ, so are the saints to watch and wait. Though the Lord in respect of his own disposition to mercy, be always ready to hear and help his people, yet he is not always to be spoken withal for that end; neither are we so fit to speak to him. Sometimes again it is in our hearts to pray to the Lord, as David said, “ He found in his heart to pray that prayer to God." At other times, that advantage was to seek. It requires much holy skill and care to discern advantages to prayer. A watchless, sluggish eye discerns not the

same.

3. In observing narrowly and distinctly what necessary and weighty occasions of prayer we have, searching our ways for that purpose, and then lifting up heart and hand in prayer. Like pleaders, saints ought to be good students, that they may be the fitter to plead; we are to study our hearts and lives, and the cases of both, before we plead them. Or

as tradesmen look over and set their marks upon their parcels ere they retail them; so in this case ought the saints to look over the particulars of their hearts and lives, before they approach God in prayer about the same.

4. In observing wisely the frame of spirit in which we are, when we address ourselves to prayer; how fit or unfit for prayer; how far lively, or dead hearted; how far serious, or slighty; what faith is stirring, or what distrusts, doubts, or temptations, and like musicians, when they are to play, as they are about to tune their instruments, make use of their musical ear, attending how far each string is in tune, too high or too low, too sharp or too flat; so the suppliants of God, who are harpers, as we have showed, have a musical ear, an attentive, discerning spirit, and can tell when their spirits are prepared or unprepared, and how far forth prepared or not prepared to seek the Lord. David had not only a forelook to that, that his heart might be prepared to praise God; but he had a reflex look upon the same, and gives his censure upon it, that as far as he could judge, his heart was in tune to praise God. And the like observation did the Church make of her heart when seeking the Lord; strong and lively desires of God and his favor were stirring in her, and she is resolved to improve them that way to the utmost. How many people pretend to be seekers of God, who are utterly careless in making these observations, and being thus heart-awaked for this duty! which I leave to their own consciences seriously to consider. That the people of God ought thus to watch unto prayer,

appears,

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