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it, he now dares to meet his brother, of whom before he was so afraid.

6. Such motions as leave the heart barren, when yet they swim aloft in the brain plentifully, are delusive; as those lying items suggested to the ear from Satan's instruments, they please, but profit not : "Therefore they shall not profit this people at all." So these of Satan leave the heart fruitless. Satan's sweet bits nourish no more the soul, than those of that dissembling churl do the bodies of his guests. Like his sorcery of bringing a fair woman to another's bed, which in the morning proved a carcase. Satan's flattering motions, whenever suggested, are but as other flatteries, a pleasing song, and cheering blaze, but ending soon after in sadness and smoke: "The song of fools is like the crackling thorns under a pot." Like those that in seeking God, ("in their affliction they will seek me early,") they had such motions of returning to God: "Come let us return to God;" and of following on to know him: "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; but "their goodness was like the early dew and clouds vanishing away." So "in seeking God when he slew them," they had motions materially good, stirring: "For they considered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. But their heart was not right with God, neither were they steadfast in his covenant." It was then without force upon their hearts, which indeed were never sincere and serious, but deceitful. But when the Spirit moves upon the face of our souls in any ordinance, whether it be in and by motions of conviction, or

consolation, it makes the spices flow out, it causes the various graces of God in the soul to give their fragrant smell: "Awake, O north wind, and blow O south upon my garden, that the spices may flow out." When Christ comes to us in prayer, or in any other of his holy ordinances by the motions of his Spirit, he comes as showers that water the earth," the force thereof mollifies our souls, and makes them fruitful.

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7. Such motions as are various, confused, and independent one upon the other, or upon the present business which then we are in hand with in our prayers. Such, though they may be for the matter of them good, yet being not distinct, methodical, or seasonable, they are not from God's Spirit, but from some other delusive spirit. Such items are not words upon the wheels, in due order, according to our particular suits, which are then in motion and agitation. Christ's lips, when he speaks to us more immediately by his Spirit, or otherwise, "are as lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh." His words and motions come not in heaps but orderly, drop after drop, and pertinently; as of the same myrrhlike nature all of them, as he guides his truly wise servants, so that their tongue uses knowledge aright, so the fruit of his lips by his spirit flows forth aptly, dependingly, in a right order, season, and manner; but those of a delusive spirit, they are like sea waves, tumultuous, independing, in no certain course or channel.

8. Such motions materially good, as put us upon high thoughts of ourselves, and of our good estate, which heave up our spirits, are delusive, like those in

Zedekiah, who was confident that the Lord moved him to speak: "Thus saith the Lord, saith he, and that his spirit had been with him," yet see how proud he was, and how he despised Micaiah, who indeed was moved by God's Spirit to speak: "He smote him on the cheek, saying, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me, to speak unto thee?" The Spirit's motions in prayer tend to humble rather. As in Abraham's praying, and saying, "which am but dust." Those lilylike drops from Christ's lips, of which we spake, are as myrrh; of abasing, and mourning use, as myrrh used about dead bodies to keep them from putrefaction.

9. Such motions materially good, suggested in prayer, as put us upon any breach of special relations, or duties of our callings, are delusive. As when Jonah thinks how merciful is God, and thence is put upon it to turn aside from his calling to pray at Nineveh: "O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? therefore I fled before unto Tarshish, for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil." Or if a private man should be followed in prayer with Scriptures, urging him (as he thinks) to cast off civil subjection to higher powers: "Be not the servants of men;" or, "Then are the children free;" or if some private man should be moved in prayer very strongly, to kill such or such a wicked ruler, from Ehud's example. Such like motions would be found to be delusive. The apostle, to prevent such abuses, says: "As free, but not using your liberty as a cloak of maliciousness."

10. Such things materially good as are moved in prayer, either to justify some former evil thing in us, as Jonah in his prayer now mentioned. He revives in his mind those former thoughts of God's gracious nature, as a plea whereby to have justified him in that refusal to obey his call to Nineveh: "O Lord, was not this my saying," etc. Or when they are moved to ground some present distempered request in prayer, as that pretended humble motion of Job in prayer: "What is man, that thou visitest him?" brought in (as it may seem) to back his distempered desire not to live any longer in such misery: I loathe to live, my days are vanity;" and "what is man?" etc. So distempered Elias says: "He is no better than his fathers;" good, yea, but it is brought in to plead that God would despatch his life: "O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers;" and this was delusive.

Lastly, when God in judgment orders it to some false and perverse seekers of him, that some things which they conclude to be good shall be suggested to them, whilst seeking him; but in judgment for some inordinacy, or hypocrisy in their requests, and so in wrath not in mercy. God had once told Balaam inquiring of him, that he should not go with Balak's messengers, and yet out of his covetous mind, and desire of the wages of unrighteousness, he will go again to move him for his counsel about going: "Tarry ye here (says he to Balak's second messengers) this night, that I may know what the Lord will say more to me; " and "God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, If the men come to call thee, rise up and go with them." Balaam was in

ordinately set to go, and God, when he again inquires about going, does in judgment bid him go. For "The angel telleth him, Behold, I went to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me." "Every one that putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire of him concerning me, I the Lord will answer him that cometh by myself, according to the multitude of his idols." And as God deals judicially with such rotten-hearted ones inquiring after his counsel in the word, he in like sort deals with like persons inquiring after his counsel in prayer.

CHAPTER IV.

THE USE OF MEANS WITH PRAYER.

WE are now to proceed to some other cases of conscience about prayer.

A fourth case is, how far forth means are to be used together with our prayers?

In answer whereunto, let us show,

1. That means are to be used with prayer, and 2. How they are to be used.

That means are to be used with our prayers, is clear in all instances of the suppliants of God in their prayers, and in Christ's example also, using the means with his prayers. Nehemiah, as he prayed that he might be improved as an instrument of good to his distressed countrymen; so also did he use his

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