Now Stirring Religion will work out sin, especially every allowed sin. The life of a Christian is a warfare; there is a conflict betwixt the flesh and spirit.” The flesh lusteth, “ (Gal. 5: 17,)-lusteth, that is, fighteth; sin fighteth against grace, and grace fighteth against sin. Sin fights for the Devil, to set him up, and to lay the government on his shoulder; and grace fights for God, to lift the LORD up, and to give Him the pre-eminence in the soul. GOD will no longer stay in the heart,. than lie may have the pre-eminence; if he may not have the pre-eminence, lie will be gone and leave you to the Devil; in such a case never talk that you hope GOD is within you; where sin or the world bears rule, GOD is not there.

 

 When grace revives, and the heart takes part with grace, nourishing, and cherishing, and abetting the better part, then sin will be put to it, and must away. Christians, your hearts would quickly be too hot for your sins, if the grace that is in you were once well roused up. When the live coals are blown up into a flame, the smoke is consumed and vanisheth.

 

 Do not sluggishly lie down and complain that you cannot master your sins; that you are proud, and cannot help it; that you are earthly, and worldly, and cannot help it; that you are forward, and passionate, and peevish, and cannot overcome your passions: do not say, you cannot overcome, you cannot prevail; if there be grace in your hearts, and you will set to it, tor stir up the grace that is in you, this will overcome. What! do you think that if your love to CHRIST were blown up into a flame, it would not quench the flame of lust It is a sign that religion is asleep; grace is asleep, conscience is asleep, when your earthliness thus rides -in triumph over you: put your grace to it, let it but engage heartily in the fight, and sin will quit the field.

 

 Loitering, and idleness, and laziness, beget and nourish evil humors; exercise and activity will subdue and work them out: he that lives a stirring life is usually the most strong and healthful.

 

 If you would be hearty and healthful, and overcome those corruptions that are the diseases of your souls, resolve upon a stirring life; pray, and let no praying satisfy,. but stirring prayer; let your thoughts be stirring, let your affections be stirring, let conscience be stirring, let your conversations be stirring conversations: be not the carcasses of Christians that have no life; show forth the spirit of Christianity as much as possible; be all soul, and life, and spirit, and keep yourselves in lively action, and then let. your sins stand before you if they can. The quick running rivers keep themselves pure; they are the dead and, standing pools that gather mud and dirt.

 

 What will ye do Your light grows dim, and your day misty; your waters are mudded; ye are a company of dark, polluted souls, such as the LORD can take little pleasure in; what must ye do to help it If you will bestir yourselves, you may help all. Get religion to be afloat, let that living stream be running, let the coals be blowing; and then you shall see your mud will be cleansed, and your dross will be purged away. Never think it will be better by sitting still and complaining how bad it is.

 

 To work, to work with these lazy hearts! To work with those earthly minds! Rouse ye up out of sleep; up and be doing; and see if you find not the same success against your sins as the LORD promised against the Devil: “Resist the Devil, and he shall flee from you: “ (James 4: 7:) Resist sin, and it shall fall under you.

 

 Now if ye can but get -your sins out; if ye can subdue your iniquities so far that not one of them be allowed; if your special sins, your most beloved lusts, those that have most of all taken with you, that have been your special hindrances either in holiness or comfort, be mortified and brought under'; you shall not have reason to complain, that the LORD is departed from you: that which would have driven Him away will then be removed.

 

 2. Stirring Religion will improve and increase those good things, which the LORD will delight in, and will not forsake. As it will work out iniquity, so it will work up grace and holiness. Stirring Christians will be thriving Christians: it is for want of action and industry that our souls are in this poor case. It was once said, “Except we had lingered; we had returned the second time.” (Gen. xliii. 1O.) And so, if we had not lingered and loitered, we might have had twice as much grace, twice as much holiness, as now we have: it is our lingering that keeps us so poor; we may thank our sloth and our carelessness that there is so little of GOD in us. While your souls flourish in grace, the LORD will never leave you nor forsake you. The more you have of the grace and holiness of GOD in you, the more the LORD has to lose: the greater treasure the LORD has in your hearts, the closer guard will he keep about it, that it be not lost. Those of you whose religion has so abounded that your soul is filled with the fruits of religion, fear not: God will stand at your right hand. If you make the Most High your habitation, and keep his habitation clean and well furnished, he will delight to dwell with you. No gracious person, that made it his work to please the LORD, could ever say, The LORD has forsaken me. Keep close to GOD, keep up the holiness of GOD, and God will never be gone. If at any time, while you are walking uprightly before him, your heart should whisper to you, GOD is departed, give check to such a thought, and say as the Psalmist did, “ This is my infirmity, “-this is my mistake; the LORD is still with me, and holdeth me by his right hand.

 

 V. I am to show, fifthly, How we should stir up ourselves. To the directions I have hitherto occasionally given, I shall add these that follow:-First, Make your advantage of stirring Providences. Secondly, Put yourselves upon stirring Thoughts. Thirdly, Get stirring Affections. Fourthly, Get stirring Consciences. Fifthly, Be much conversant in stirring Society. Sixthly, Be much exercised, in stirring Duties.

 

 First, Make your advantage of stirring Providences; times of trouble, and affliction, and persecution; especially such troubles as threaten the eclipse, if not the putting out, of the light of the Gospel. Such Providences are awakening Providences; and that upon a double account: 1. As they are signs of a Storm coming: 2. As they are tokens of a Night approaching.

 

 1. As they are signs of a Storm coming. When workmen in the fields lie loitering or asleep under the cocks, if they espy a storm rising, then they are all up, and every man falls to his work, that they may despatch it before the storm falls, and they be beaten out of the field.

 

 2. Threatening Providences are tokens of a Night approaching. What a stirring Providence this is, will appear if we consider the properties of Night. These are as follow:

 

 (1) Night is dark. Night is the dark part of our time: both are joined together as signifying the same thing;” Children of night and of darkness.” (1 Thess. 5: 5.) It is the dark that makes it night, as it is the light that makes it day. When the sun is set, the Sun of Righteousness that shines in the Gospel, what spiritual darkness follows! Those parts of the world where the Gospel is not, are the dark places of the earth; and whenever the light of the Gospel is removed from those parts where it has shined, darkness overspreads them.

 

 (2.) Night is cold. The light of the sun has heat going with it: as the sun withdraws, it grows cold. It was given by CHRIST, as a sign of night approaching on Jerusalem, “ The love of many shall wax cold.” (Matt. 24: 12.) As the sun grows low, the cold increases; and when it is but almost night, much more when night has overtaken us, when its darkness has overspread us, that is the cold part of our time. Whatever heats there are now upon our spirits, it is to be doubted how cold we may grow when night overtakes us. If the love of so many, if the religion of so many of us, be waxen so cold already, when it is but almost night, it should make us tremble to consider, how much colder we are likely to grow, when it comes to be quite night with us.

 

 (3.) Night is a time of silence. It is often called the silent night. Those that now speak to you, and call upon you to keep you waking, may, in the night that is coming upon us, be silenced, and not suffered to speak any more to you. And when the watchmen must hold their peace, that is a sad and dismal time.

 

 (4.) Night is a time of sleep. a They that sleep, sleep in the night.” That is likely to be the unhappiness of people, that, whatever be the miseries of a spiritual night, they are likely to fall asleep under all, and to be without sense of their invaluable loss: it will leave men stupid and senseless. You that do not prize nor improve the Gospel-light, this is likely to be your case: when it is gone, you will not bewail its loss, but your souls will fall asleep. O if you be such sleepy souls whilst you have the light with you, if the word of the Gospel will not awaken you, what a deep sleep will the want of the Gospel bring upon you! Friends, you have need to rouse up, every one of you, now whilst the Gospel calls to you,-”Awake, you that steepest.” If you will not, but will continue, under the preaching_ of the Gospel, a company of drowsy souls, whilst you have the light among you, how do you think it will be with you when night overtakes you The Devil will say to you then, as CHRIST did once to his sleepy disciples, “ Sleep on now.” (Matt. 26: 45.) Nay, CHRIST himself may do the same;-since ye would not watch in the day, whilst ye had light, now even sleep on while ye will; sleep on to the death.

 

 And you that hope you have life in you, and yet will not be awakened by the day-light, but will sleep on still, whom neither the lightning nor the thunder of the Word will awaken, pray tell me what dead sleepers you also are likely to continue in the dark and silent night

 

 (5.) Night is no time for work.” The night cometh, wherein no man can work.” Work there is, that lies upon every one of you, and such work wherein your life is concerned. I will not say only with the Apostle, “ He that will not work shall not eat, “ (1 Ness. 3: 1O,) but He that will not work shall not live: you shalt die the death, who dost not in the day work out the work which GOD has committed to thee to do. You have every one of you your work to do; and it is a great work, and of great consequence. You are to work for your living, for an eternal livelihood; you are to work out your salvation. That is your work in the general; and in this there are many particular works comprehended. There is the work of repentance and mortification of sin; there is grace to be gotten and improved; there is your peace with God to be made. Have ye done these works Have you repented Are your sins mortified Have you grace in your hearts Have you made your peace with GOD You that have, there is still all this to be maintained and carried on, that ye lose not the things which you have wrought. But are all these things yet to do with so many of you Are you yet without repentance Have you yet to seek for grace Have you got never a drop of the holy oil into your vessels Are you without the knowledge of GOD, without faith in CHRIST, without repentance Is your peace with God yet to make Doth the wrath of GOD still abide upon you What, and yet asleep What, and yet such idle, careless, loitering souls What if this work should never be done If you should never have more of CHRIST, and his grace; never have more of faith and repentance, than you now have Why then you must go down among the dead! Look ye down; cast an eye down on those chambers of darkness, that place of pitch and brimstone, that place of fire and everlasting burnings; look ye down into that horrible pit, and see where you must lie, and what your place and your portion must be for ever, if you arise not and work these works of God: ye cannot live, but must die; and that is the death you must die, you must burn, you must be tormented night and day for ever and ever!

 

You see there is great work to be done, and to be done by every one of you; you see what will follow if it be not done, you must die the death. O methinks now this word should be a stirring word to you; awaken, every one of you; arise, and apply to your work: “ the night cometh when no man can work.” And let it not suffice you to say, I hope this work is done, and therefore there can be no such danger if I be fallen asleep: “ but know, that if the grace which you seem to have, makes you grow secure; if you grow bold to be idle and careless upon the confidence that the work is done; that confidence of yours is a deadly sign that the work is not done, no, nor savingly begun upon you. Whatever work there may be done upon you, your life lieth upon your careful and vigorous carrying it on: if you do not hold out to the end, and keep working to the end, ye cannot be saved. And is not this a stirring word to you also that are sleeping and loitering professors Awake, or perish; to your work or be damned!

 

 Secondly, Put yourselves upon stirring thoughts. Our thoughts are apt to be busy, and too busy where they should not; like little children which will be busy from morning till night about doing nothing. Keep your thoughts employed, and well employed. There are wandering thoughts which are too busy, roving and flying up and down this way and that, which, like the eyes of a fool, “ are in the ends of the earth.” (Prov. 17: 24.) There are the wanderings of our thoughts after sin, and vanity, and impertinencies; we are thinking too much and too often of what we should not think. And sometimes there are wanderings after good things; sometimes our thoughts wander to heaven, wander up and down about things spiritual a4114Oernal; though we think sometimes of these better things, it is but with wandering thoughts; though we light upon them, yet we fix not. We are not like the bee which wanders from flower to flower, but pitches and stays upon each flower till' it has got the honey; but we are more like the fly that leaps up and down, that is here and there and every where, sometimes upon a wall, sometimes on a flower, and sometimes on a dunghill, but stays nowhere. Our better thoughts are so transient, that they are to no purpose. Sometimes one Scripture comes to mind, but before any thing is made of it, away we go from that to another. 

 

 Such hoverings up and down there are from this thing to that, as bring an utter confusion of heart. These also may be reckoned among our vain thoughts, against which we are cautioned: “ How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee” (Jer. 4: 14.) Not only our thoughts of vanity, but our thinking of good things in vain, and to no purpose, these also are vain thoughts. Exercise your thoughts upon good things, upon the matters of GOD and your souls, and exercise them to some purpose.

 

 That your thoughts may be stirring thoughts, so as to stir up your hearts towards GOD and godliness, they must be, 1. Searching thoughts; looking upon, and looking into, the things of God. “` SPIRIT made diligent search.” (Ps. lxxvii. 6.) Searching looks deep into things. There are three great deeps into which we should he searching the deep of the heart, and what we can find there either of good or evil;--the deep of the pit, the infernal pit, for what he can find there to awaken us;-and the deep mysteries of God and his Gospel, for what we can find there to keep us doing. If you would be thinking more what there is within you, and what a world of wickedness there is in your hearts; if you would be thinking oftener what there is beneath, what a dismal place your sins are preparing for you; if you would be thinking more of the mysteries of GOD and godliness, of the counsels, and instructions, and ways of GOD, of the kindnesses and compassions of GOD, of the severities and wrath of God,-looking narrowly and deeply into them; such thoughts as these would be awakening and stirring thoughts: but then they must be,

 

 2. Working thoughts; looking into these things, and staying, and dwelling, and working upon them. Think upon your evil hearts, and never leave thinking and thinking, till you be affected with what you find in them; think till your hearts ache for the evil you see in them; think upon your sins till your hearts tremble and turn from your sins. It was said of PETER, “When lie thought thereon he wept.” (Murk 14:72.)” I thought on my ways, “ said the Psalmist, “ and turned my feet to thy testimonies.” (Ps. cxix. 59.) Think on all your evils, till your hearts be thus affected with them, and thereupon be put to flight, to make a hasty escape from them: think on God, and on holiness, and on grace, till your hearts be athirst for GOD and his grace, so as to put yourselves upon following hard after him. Think on these things with an eye to yourselves yet again, bethink yourselves, whether you have escaped, or how you may escape, the evils that are within or before you; whether you have obtained, or how you may obtain the good things you desire. Think how it is with you, how much you are under the power of sin, how short you are of the grace of GOD, or, if you have any, how very low it is with your souls in this respect, how little you have gotten, or how much you have lost. And when you find how bad it is, then think farther, “ Is it good for me, is it safe for me, to continue at this pass Is there any hope that I may recover out of this case Is it worth my pains to seek an escape What shall I do 

 

 Shall I venture on in this idle, trifling, carnal way, as I have done Shall I venture an eternal loss, rather than put myself to it to recover Shall I venture my soul on these cobwebs, these rotten and deceitful boughs, on which I have hanged my hopes Shall I sin, and sleep, and loiter, in hope that yet I shall obtain mercy Is it not most evident, that the hope which serves for nothing but to secure men in a carnal, sinful, careless way, is a lying hope, a damning hope It is a lie, this carnal hope; it is a lie that I have in, hand; I shall be undone by it for ever and ever; there is no hope but I shall be lost and perish eternally, unless I shake off my sins, and shake up mine heart to follow on after the LORD.”

 

 Would not such thoughts as these be stirring thoughts Could you sleep in your sins or under your backslidings, were you more exercised in such thoughts as these O put yourselves upon such thoughts; think of the sad case your souls are in, and think till you weep over yourselves; think of the dreadful things you are in danger of, and think till you tremble; think of the things you have received and heard from the LORD, and think till they pierce and enter into your souls.

 

 I beseech you in the LORD, that you deny me not this request, that you will every one of you bestow some thoughts upon your soul's. What, will you deny me in this Will you not grant me thus much I do not now persuade you to spend your money upon your souls, or to be at the charge of all your substance for your soul's recovery: what I would desire of you at present is, that you would every day spend some serious thoughts about them; and what, will you not do thus much, nor spare a few thoughts for your eternal welfare Is not the escaping the fire worth your thinking of I know you will say, “O it is worth thinking, and working, and running, and laboring, all that ever I can, and spending all that ever I have, to save my life, to save my soul;”: every one of you will say so; and yet, for all that, I doubt there are many of you that will not be persuaded to do this little thing,-to spend some serious thoughts daily upon it.

 

 Well, whether you will remember this or forget it, that my soul may not be guilty of your eternal miscarriage, of your dying in your sins, or of your sleeping to death in your languishing state, I once again warn you, to bethink yourselves how it is with you, and every day to bestow such serious thoughts upon the important matters of God and your souls, as may tend to your recovery.

 

 Thirdly, Get stirring affections. 1. Stir up godly sorrow. The Apostle wrote such a letter to the Corinthians, as made their hearts ache: “ I made you sorry with a letter: “ (2 Gor. 8: 8:) and this sorrow, what a stir it made in their hearts! It stirred up 49 care, “ and a fear, “ and a indignation, “ and a vehement desire, “ and a revenge” upon themselves for their faults end neglects.

 

 O that my preaching to you might have the same effect upon you, that the Apostle's letter had upon them; that I might make you sorry, sorry at the heart, for the case that many of your souls are in; yea, and set you to it, to stir up this godly sorrow in yourselves. The King said to NEHEMIAH, “ Why is thy countenance sad, since you art not sick” (chap. 2: 2.) I may say to you, Why is your countenance not sad, since you are so sick What, sick at heart, and yet so merry Look inward, and see how it is with you; probe your sores and wounds, till you have made them bleed and smart. Sure you. have forgotten what has been said, if you yet find not for what to mourn. Remember yourselves: is it no matter of sorrow to you to see what your sin has made What, is the head sick, and the heart faint, and the whole man become wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores;” and is all this nothing to you What, is your religion, the Gospel, and the name of your GOD, wounded by you,-by your backslidings, and by your walking in a way so unworthy of that worthy Name, and does not this move you Have you grieved your GOD by your falls, by your follies, by your falsehood to his covenant, and declining from his way Shall Your REDEEMER weep over you, because of the hardness of your hearts, and the SPIRIT of grace be grieved, by whom you have been sealed to the day of redemption; and will not this grieve your hearts 

 

 O study what matter of sorrow you have, and desist not from that study till tears come. What, is it with you as it was with Israel; are you which were once “holiness unto the LORD, and” as” the first-fruits of his increase, “ (Jer. 2: 3,) now laid in common to the world Have you” changed your glory for that which doth not profit” (ver. 11.) Have you “forsaken the fountain of living waters, and hewed out” to yourselves” cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (ver. 13.) 

 

 Is the Lord become as a wilderness to you, and as a land of darkness; and is this world become your paradise Have you lost the” kindness of your youth, and the love of your espousals;” and is your love to CHRIST swallowed up of your lust after vanity See, if this be the case of any of you; and if it be, O make not light of it, but lay it deeply to heart; and let your own” wickedness correct” you, and your ”backslidings reprove” you; and ”know and see that it is an evil thing, and bitter, that you have thus” forsaken the LORD, “ and that his fear is so much departed from you.

 

 O that my word may put you to grief, and make you sorry. What, art you not sorry for all this Canst you net yet say, 111 am pained at the heart for mine iniquities; my backslidings reprove me, my foolishness corrects me, and makes my soul within me to mourn” Art you at ease in such a case Is your heart quiet, as if all were well O how little hope is there then of thee that you wilt be recovered If I could but make you sorry, if you would but stir up a godly sorrow in your souls, O bow mightily would this work to your recovery! Then what fear would there be of continuing thus any longer, and what indignation against yourselves for your own follies, in departing thus from the living GOD! Then what care would there be, and what vehement desire after a speedy escape and recovery!

 

 2. Stir up fear. But what cause have you of fear. Search, and you may find cause enough. Is there no matter of fear in your present case (1.) You that are in your sins; you ignorant, impenitent, ungodly ones, is there no fear for you Are your souls safe Are they not in danger Is there no fear for unbelievers No fear for the drunkards, the covetous, the proud, liars, and loose livers Art you such a one, and is there! “No fear what may become of thee Art you under condemnation, and yet not under fear As the penitent thief said to the other, “ Dost not you fear Got)” (Luke 23: 4O.) Fearest you not God, sinner, who art under condemnation And if you fearest not God, fearest you not the Devil neither, and fearest you not hell neither O stupid, senseless souls! What, under condemnation, and yet not afraid

 

 (2.) You that hope you have grace, and yet continue low in grace, is there no fear concerning you No fear of idlers and loiterers You that have but little, and satisfy yourselves with that little, is there no fear that that something may be nothing Is there no fear that though you think yourselves to be something, and to have something of Christianity in you, something of saving grace, yet you may at last be found to have nothing, and so be deceived Is there no fear of deceiving yourselves in a matter of such importance Are you in such danger of being deceived, and yet not afraid Or if you have something of CHRIST or religion in you, is there no fear that you may lose that little which you have, and so come to nothing at last What means that exhortation, “ Hold fast what you hast” (Rev. 3: 11.) What means that caution, “ That we lose not the things that we have wrought;” (2 John S;) what mean these words, if there be no danger of losing what we have

 

 (3.) You that are already fallen to decay, that have lost your first love, is there no fear of your losing all Is there no fear, but you shall recover all again Or is there no fear of you, whether ever you do recover or no Is there no fear of backsliders, no fear of revolters, and apostates. Wherever there is danger, there should be fear. What, unbelievers, and in no danger What, backsliders, apostates, and yet in no danger What, can you say, “ There is no danger to men in my case” Can you say, “ I thank GOD, whoever be in danger, my soul is out of danger” There is not one of you dares say so! You have lost the understandings of men, if you confess not, f' The LORD be merciful to me, my soul is in great danger.” What, are you in danger, and yet not in fear In such great danger, and yet not afraid Not afraid of the Devil, Hot afraid of death, not afraid of hell, when in such great danger of it When CHRIST says, “ Fear not them that kill the body;” (Luke 12: 4;) wilt you say, “ No, nor will I fear him that can destroy both body and soul” O poor stupid souls, awaken your fears; open your eyes, and see your danger! The LORD open your eyes before it be too late, and make you see the fearful case you are in, and so make you afraid! If I could rouse up your fears, it would he as the stirring up a nest of hornets about your ears, which sure would make you run for it. “Happy is the man that feareth.” (Prow. 27: 14.) If there were more fear in you, there were more hope of you. I should have done GOD and your souls good service this day, if I could but preach you into fear, if I could but make you afraid of yourselves, if this word might run through all the three sorts of you, the impenitent, the loiterers, and the backsliders: “Woe is me, wretched creature, I am afraid, I am afraid what will become of me; I am afraid I shall go to hell; I am afraid the Devil will have me at last!” If such a word might come through all your hearts, the next word I should hope to hear, would lle this, “Well, I see there is ppa safe abiding thus; I am undone if I continue as I am; arise, O my soul, flee out of this sinful state, and get thee into CHRIST; shake thee out of this sloth, recover out of this languishing, recover thy first love, return to thy first works, or I shall lose my crown and my soul.” Stir up such a fear in yourselves; do not bide your danger from your own eyes, till it be too late; dare not to say, “I trust my soul is in no danger;” but deal plainly with yourselves, and come to understand the truth, and the worst of your case: cease not to study your danger, till you have stirred up your fear; and when your fear is once up, this, there is hope, will stir up all within You to make after an escape:

 

 3. Stir up desire. Desire is the thirst of the soul; and thirst is a stirring appetite, as I have already showed. Desire will stir up to labor; therefore it is that SOLOMON says, “ The desire of the slothful kills him.” (Prow. 21: 25.). It is death to the slothful to labor, and yet his desire will push him upon it. ”One thing have I desired, that I will seek after.” (Ps. 27: 4.)”One thins have I desired: “ that notes a stirring desire. When the motions of the soul run in one channel, and all after one thing, then they run more strongly and impetuously; and this strong desire puts him upon earnestly seeking the satisfaction of it.” When the desire cometh, it is a tree of life:' (.Prov. 13: 12:) and what is so sweet when it comes, will be the more earnestly pursued before it comes.

 

 Would you be zealous followers of GOD, and followers of holiness Get stronger desires after the LORD and his holiness. Strong desires will pour forth strong cries; your souls will go on crying after the LORD, crying after his grace, and the power of his SPIRIT, if ye do in earnest desire it. Cold desires, or none at all, leave the soul as a ship becalmed, that stirs not on; when the wind is quick, and the sails are filled, its motion is swift; but when the wind lies, it moves not at all. If you inquire into the reason of our slight and slow endeavors in following GOD, it is because desire fails. Stir up your desires; get you quick and strong desires, and these will not suffer you to be so sluggish. But how must we stir up our desires after GOD

 

 (1.) Suppress your carnal desires: desire earth less, and you will desire heaven more. A river that is divided into several channels, runs more weakly in either; when our streams are united, and run all in one channel, they are much the stronger.” Unite mine heart to fear thy name, “ says the Psalmist: (Ps. `Ixxxvi. 11:) Let me fear GOD, and let me fear none but GOD. So let your souls say, Unite mine heart to love thy name, and to desire thee, let me love nothing but GOD, let me desire nothing but God; let me able to say, as the Psalmist, “Whom have I in heaven but thee And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee” (Ps. lxxiii. 25.) You hast all my love; and all my desire is towards thy name. When you love nothing but GOD, when you desire nothing but GOD, this will be strong love, these will be strong desires: what you inordinately love or desire besides the LORD, this will abate your love and your desires after him. Your desires after this world, your appetite after meat, and drink, and money, and carnal pleasures, are too eager to let you have any strong desires after the LORD. Quench your carnal thirst, if you would have your souls to pant after Go D and spiritual things: be more indifferent what you have, or how it is with you, in respect of earthly things,-whether you have more or less, whether it be better or worse with you in respect of these; leave it to GOD, to do with you what he will, to let forth these nether streams, or to dam them up, to make you rich or poor, prosperous or afflicted; and the more patient you are of wanting the nether streams, the more impatient will be your thirst after the upper streams. It is hard to find any persons that have a greedy appetite to things below, who have any strong desire upwards. “If any man love the world, the love of the FATHER is not in him: “ (1 John 2: 15:) and so, if any man desire the world, the desire after God is not in him. Methinks this word should shake the hearts of some. There are, I doubt, many that go under the name of Christians, who are as excessively hungry after this world, whose souls are hunting after, and heaping up, whatever they can catch of this earth, with as great zeal as any of those do, or can, who have nothing of Christianity, nor pretend to any such thing. It is a shame and a reproach to the Gospel that it should be so, and woe be to them by whom the reproach cometh: but yet it is too true, that there are, amongst the number of professors, some whose hunger and labor after the world can hardly be overmatched by any of those that have no part nor portion in CHRIST, nor name in his churches.

 

 I pray deal faithfully in this matter with yourselves. Ask your hearts, “How stand I affected to this world” Are you as impatient when you sink and decay in religion, as if you were sunk and fallen to decay in your outward estates Can you truly say, “I am not so much athirst to grow rich in this world; but I am more athirst to grow rich towards GOD” Nay, can you say this,-” I am so much athirst for GOD, that this has quenched my thirst, and allayed my desires, after this world I am become more indifferent what I have here, whether more or less: my heart sits loose from all below, through the strength of my desires after God” Can you say so

 

 Well, know that it is impossible you should desire GOD and this world together: one of the two must fall; you must strike sail as to your earthly affections, or your soul will never hoist up sail heaven-wards. And this is the first direction for kindling and quickening your desires heaven-ward;-suppress your earthly desires.

 

 (2.) Be sensible of your necessity: necessity kindles desire. ”My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longs for thee.” (Ps. lxiii. 1.) Whence are this thirst and longing O they are from his necessity.”I am in a dry land, where no water is.” I have need of thee, LORD,-need of thy water-brooks; for out of thee I have none; it is all a dry land; there is no water, below thee, to quench my thirst.

 

 Would you be satisfied in your desires after more grace Be sensible of your barrenness and your want. Do you wish to be in a better case than you are Have you grace enough to supply your necessities Those that are very poor outwardly, whose poverty pinches them, their necessity will make them beg. How is it there are so many poor, so many necessitous souls, and yet so few begging souls

 

 Even ready to starve for want of bread, and yet crying no more after it Why, it is because, however we are in necessity, yet we have not a due sense of our necessity; our poverty doth not pinch us: men that are extremely poor in the world, their poverty pinches them; but for souls, the poorer they are, the less they are pinched with it. If you were more pinched with your spiritual poverty,-if those dry and, lean souls did but feel how lean you are, if you were touched with a feeling of your necessities,-if your cold wishes, “I would I had more grace, “ were come to, “ I must have more; I must be more holy; I must be more heavenly-minded; I must be more zealous for GOD, and more busy and active in following him; a necessity lies upon me, and woe is rue if I continue as now I am; “the sense of your necessity of getting into a better case would enlarge your desires after it.

 

 4. Stir up hope. You say, “ I do desire it were better with me; I see it would be happy for me, if I could obtain; but, the LORD help me! I have little hope of it: I have desired so Ion-, and waited so long, and yet it comes not but my poor and barren soul, after all, still abides in the same dead and lifeless state as ever, arid is so far short, and at so great a distance from that blessed state, that I am even quite discouraged, and am in doubt I shall never obtain.” Be not discouraged: “hope in Go D.” To stir up this hope consider, (I.) The promise of GOD. (2.) The earnest that you have already received.

 

 (1.) Consider the promise of GOD. The hope of the saints is called” the hope of the promise of GOD.” (Acts 26: 6.) The promise, which is the foundation of our hope, is our encouragement against all despondencies. Amongst the many promises that we have for our encouragement I shall mention one: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asks receiveth; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your FATTIER which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him” (Mutt. 8: 7-9, 11.) Here I shall show,

 

 [1.] The matter of the promise, or what GOD Will Give; that is, good things. In Luke 11: 13, it is expressed, “give the HOLY SPIRIT;”-there is all that you needest in one word. In giving the HOLY SPIRIT, is included the giving of all good things. What is it you want, to help your weak and languishing souls Is it a spirit of wisdom and understanding that you want Is it a spirit of holiness Is it a spirit of grace and supplication Is it a spirit of faith and of power Is it the teachings, the motions, the quickening, the conduct, of the SPIRIT How is it with them that are taught by the SPIRIT, led by the SPIRIT, worship GOD in the SPIRIT, and walk in the SPIRIT So shall it be with you, if ye obtain the HOLY SPIRIT upon your asking him. This grace, the grace of the SPIRIT, shall be sufficient for you, to make the dry tree to sprout, and the barren to bring forth fruit.

 

 [2.] The means of obtaining this promise. Ask, seek, knock; this denotes prayer, importunity in prayer, arid the use of all means, that must go along with prayer. Ask, seek, knock: pray, and pray instantly, and follow on after the LORD, and ye shall have, ye shall obtain; this gracious, this all-sufficient SPIRIT shall be yours.

 

 [3.] The assurance of prevailing. This arisesr1. From the promise; ye shall have, ye shall find, it shall be opened; the heart and the hand of the all-sufficient GOD, the bowels of CHRIST, the covenant, all the treasures of the Gospel, shall be opened to you. You who art afraid that the heart of the LORD is straitened towards thee, that the bowels of his compassion are shut up against thee, that the treasures of the Gospel are all locked up from thee; ask, and knock, and all shall be opened. If all the help that is in heaven, if all the riches of CHRIST, if all the treasures of the Gospel, will recover and raise up that weak and withering soul of your, take the right course, and you shalt have it; all these treasures shall be opened; thou hast Gun's word for it, the word of promise, which GOD that cannot lie harh given thee to put thee out of doubt. 2. From experience. Every one that asks receives. There is no man in the world that has taken this course, that ever failed: find out any one if you canst, that can say, a GOD has been worse to me than his word;” and surely you mayest boldly say, “He that never failed any one of his servants will not fail me.”-3. 

 

 From the relation of GOD to his saints; lie is their FATHER; whence he reasons thus: If the fathers of your flesh will not deny the children of their own bowels (“ Which of you, if his son ask bread, “ &c.) any good thing which you need and ask, how much less will your FATHER in heaven, who is a GOD of bowels, of infinite compassion, deny his HOLY SPIRIT to those that ask it of him

 

 Christians, study this promise, trust upon this promise and, whatever your fears and discouragements are that you shall never obtain, use GOD's means, ask, and seek, and knock,. follow on instantly and earnestly in God's way, and then hope in GOD, and be no longer dismayed.

 

 (2,) Consider the earnest that you have already received, and what pledges GOD has given you, for the performance of his promise. What, is nothing of this promise performed to thee Dost you answer, “I hope there is; something 1--have gotten from it; but it is so very little, that this discourages me.” Why this little you hast received is a great encouragement to hope for more. I say, though you have asked, and sought, and knocked, and yet have but little come, yet that very little which you have obtained is great ground for you to hope for all that you need. Every little that you receive from the promise of GOD, is an earnest to assure you of all that is behind. Have you received but the first-fruits of the SPIRIT, a little grace, a little strength, a little improvement in grace Is its a little better with you than it has been This is a pledge to you from the LORD, that if ya follow on ye shall have more and more. There is hope in what the LORD has given you, in what lie has done for your souls: “ He that has delivered, and doth deliver; we trust that lie will deliver. (2 Cor. 1: 1O.) He has supplied and doth help you; hence you may hope, that he will supply all your needs, out of the riches of his grace, by CHRIST JESUS. If the LORD’s from above have yet but dropped upon you, and that grace which your parched souls, like the thirsty earth, have received, has come in but drop by drop, you may from those drops have the more hope of a shower that shall rain down righteousness upon you, until your souls become as a well-watered garden, and as a spring of waters whose waters fail not. Is thy soul as the chapped ground, opening and gasping. after the influences of the LORD; and has it begun to drop Is there something come down Art you a little quickened,' a little revived Those very drops are the forerunners of a shower, that will fill all thy furrows. O look about you: see, after all the means that GOD has been using to quicken and improve your souls, see if any drops be fallen upon you: if it be a little better, if there be something done towards your recovery, be not discouraged that it is no more; there is so much the more hope, that he who has begun will perfect a cure upon you.

 

 Thus stir up your hope in GOD, by considering the promise, and any little degree of its performance. But beware! I cannot too often give you this caution;-use not this hope to make you secure and careless; say not, for your lives, As bad as it is with me, I hope it will be better; and thereupon sleep on, and neglect to follow after! There is no hope for such a soul. Let not your hope secure you in your negligence, but establish you against your discouragement; let it not secure you against diligence, but encourage you unto diligence. Since the matter stands thus,-as great a distance as there is betwixt your present state, and that prosperous state of soul which you desire and wish for, and as great a difficulty as you imagine it, for you ever to get to such a state,-yet since both the promise and experience give you such ground of hope, that even you with whore it is so very low may get comfortably up, therefore be encouraged to take all the pains possible. Look on Acts 26: 7, and there see how hope will work “Unto which promise, our twelve tribes, instantly serving God night and day, hope to come.” Observe it; God gave there a promise, the promise gave them hope, and their hope encourages and provokes them on, instantly to serve the LORD; and this instant serving of GOD is their way to the possession of the promise.

 

 Let all this which hath been spoken engage you to all manner of diligence, and fortify you against all manner of discouragements. Come on, Christians, come on in the name of the LORD! You have heard many directions that I have given you, and some more there are which yet remain; O set your hearts to the practice of all these words, and, how hard so ever it may seem to be, take the way prescribed, and then commit your way to the LORD. Hope in him, and he will bring it to pass, and give you your heart's desire: only when you have done all, and no success appears, yet still wait for the LORD. As there must be the expectation of hope, so there must be the patience of hope. Wait on the LORD, and keep his way. Be not weary in well-doing; and in the end ye shall reap, if ye faint not. Follow on after the LORD, and encourage yourselves by your hope in Gon. Pray for more grace; pray for more life, and more power; and pray as men of hope. Strive and stir up your sleepy hearts, and strive as men of hope: as low as it is with you, there is yet hope for you to get up. Be encouraged by the promise: be encouraged by every little that you have received. Has the Lo ltn but begun to awaken you Let that be his security to you, that he will do more and better things for you. Are you yet a great way short Are there many difficulties, yet before you, to break through Are there any fears and misgivings of heart, that ye shall not obtain Yet do not discourage yourselves: hope in God, hope in the promise of Go n, and in the help the promise offers. Be not dismayed: say to your hearts in the words of the Psalmist, “ Why art you cast down, O my soul Why art you discouraged, O my soul Hope in God, and you shalt yet praise him, who will be the health of thy countenance, and thy GOD. (Ps. xliii. 5.) Though my flesh and mine heart fail me, yet he is the strength of mine heart, and in him shall be my hope and my trust. There is a promise before me; and unto this promise, if I can but instantly seek and serve the LORD, I have hope to come.

 

 Fourthly, Get a stirring conscience. GOD Math made conscience overseer and ruler in the heart. He has advanced conscience in the heart to the same dominion to which POTIPHER advanced JOSEPH in his house; he made him overseer of his house, and put all that he had into his hand;-or as PHARAOH advanced him in his kingdom, when he said, “You shalt be over mine house, and according to thy word shall all my people be ruled; only in the throne will I' be greater than thou.” Conscience is subject to none but Gon. God is greater than conscience c” GOD is greater than our hearts, “ (1 John 3: 2O,) that is, than our consciences. But next under God, conscience path, the supreme dominion in the soul; and as the Centurion said to the soldiers, so conscience, where it maintains authority, says to all the faculties of the soul, “to one, Go, and it goeth; to another, Come, and it cometh_;” and to every one, Do this, and it must be done.

 

 Now as conscience is faithful and diligent, or as it is careless and negligent, so do matters go in the soul: a faithful, watchful conscience sets the whole soul in good order; a negligent, sleepy conscience lets all run to ruin. When conscience slumbers, the whole soul falls asleep; or, which is worse, runs out into all manner of disorders. When God will awaken sleepy souls, he begins with conscience; awaken conscience first, and that will awaken all their powers. Go D awakens conscience, mostly by frights, as the Gaoler by an earthquake, and SAUL by an affrighting voice from heaven cc Soul, soul, what art you doing Why slightest you the LORD Why fightest you against GOD” There is nothing but such thunder from heaven that will rouse a sleepy conscience. But though there is none but God that can awaken conscience, yet God ordinarily does it by ourselves: lie sets the soul on work upon itself, to its own awakening; a word, or it may be but a thought, comes into the heart, which is made to stick in the con science, and to sting it out of sleep: and when conscience is stung, and begins to stir, there is no more sleep, no more quiet in the soul. When the master of the house is up and about, he rouses all the servants. O get your consciences to be awakened, get your consciences to be stirring, and then all your faculties will up and be doing. That conscience may be a stirring conscience, 1. Let conscience open its ears, and hear. 2. Let it open its eyes, and see. 3. Let the mouth of conscience be open, and speak. 4. Let it be quick and tender.

 

 1. Let conscience open its ears, and hear what the LORD speaks. Let the voice of the LORD have an impression upon conscience: when the word comes in-to the thoughts only, it is quickly gone, and does nothing; or when it has some sudden work upon the affections, that wears off; but conscience hears the word of the LORD: when the word which we preach from God is, as the Apostle's word, “ made manifest in the conscience, “ (2 Cor. 5: 11,) then it is in a way to prosper. Let conscience open its ears first; and

 

 2. Let conscience open its eyes and see;-see how it is with the soul; see how sad and miserable the state and way of the soul is; see how it is likely to be, to grow worse and worse; see how it should be, and what is to be done that it may be better.

 

 3. Let conscience have its mouth open. Sleepy consciences are silent consciences; those that see nothing will say. nothing. Let your consciences speak to you: whatever the word preaches to conscience, let conscience preach it to the whole heart. O that we could so preach to you, as to. set your consciences a preaching to you the same things; that when we preach to you, “ Repent, and recover yourselves out of the snares of the Devil, “ we could get your consciences to preach repentance to you; that there were such a voile as this heard within you, “ I see I must repent; I am lost and undone if I repent not;” that when we give up rebuke to you out of the word, your consciences also would rebuke you! If the word calls you, “ You unbeliever, you child of the Devil, you loiterer, you backslider, “ let conscience say the same.” It is true, what the word speaks; I am an unbeliever, I am a child of the Devil, an idler, a backsliding soul; I cannot deny it; it is too true what the word speaks concerning me. If the word threatens, a You shalt have thy portion with unbelievers, thy place among the children of the Devil, if you speedily repent not; let conscience say the same, “ This must be my place, and my portion, if I amend not; there is no help for me, there is no hope for me, if I continue and go on as I am.” If the word exhorts you, “Be converted, you unbelieving soul; arise, sluggard; return, O backsliding soul, remember whence you art fallen, and recover thy first love, and do thy first works;” let conscience speak the same words;” Go to CHRIST, O my soul, turn from: my sins, make thy peace with GOD, get thee a new heart, be upright with GOD, be sound in the faith, follow the LORD thoroughly, follow the LORD fully; as ever you look for mercy do it, as ever you hopest for pardon do it; wouldest you ever see the salvation of God, you must seek after the grace of God, and increase and abound therein unto the end: Then something would be like to be done.

 

 4. Let conscience be quick and tender:-(I.) Let the ears of conscience be open, and let it be quick of hearing. (2.) Let its eyes be open, and let it be quick-sighted. (3.) Let its month be open, and let it speak quick and home.

 

 (1.) Let its ears be open, and let it be quick of hearing. Be not one of those fat and gross souls, which are dull of hearing. How many deaf ears do we preach to, that hear nothing, whose hearts will hear no more than the stone inn the wall, or the beam of the timber! And of those that will hear something, how many are dull of hearing! We have much work, and hard work, to beat any thing into them. O get a hearing ear, and be quick of hearing!

 

 (2.) Let the eyes of conscience be open, and let it be quick-sighted; so that it may espy and observe the smallest matter of duty and sin. And let it be tender-eyed, and not able to bear the least of evils; some men's eyes can see none but the grossest of evils; can see drunkenness to be evil, or swearing or gross lying to be evils; but so they do not eat and drink themselves into very beasts, though they sit with drunkards, and waste their time with them, they see no evil in it. Other men see smaller evils, yet their consciences can swallow them: though conscience be quick-sighted, it wants tenderness, and they can dispense with themselves in smaller matters: but you will never come to much in religion, unless your hearts be tender of the smallest evils.

 

 (3.) Let the mouth of conscience speak quick and home. I will not say concerning conscience, as the Apostle concerning the tongue, “ Be swift to hear, slow to speak;” but let it be swift to hear, and swift to speak. Let it speak quick, and speak home. Let it speak home, and speak LORD; let not your consciences be muzzled or mealymouthed; let them speak, and speak closely, and deal plainly with you; let them not whisper out a warning, or a reproof; but if they may not otherwise be heard, let them do as the Prophet was to do, “ Cry a LORD, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet.” (Isa. lviii. 1.) Let conscience never leave speaking and crying, till it be heard; such a conscience as this is like to be a stirring conscience.

 

 That is a stirring conscience that will maintain its authority and integrity, whatever difficulties or pains it cost; which will be faithful in instructing, admonishing, and rebuking, and will not allow that its word or authority be slighted; which will not suffer itself to be abused, nor to be baffled, or put off with shifts, and excuses, or delays. Such a conscience will be obeyed; you shall have little ease, it will not suffer you to have any quiet, if you will not hearken to it. As the Apostle said lie would not spare, so neither will conscience; it” will not spare them that have sinned.” (2 Cor. 13: 2,) If conscience gives an ad, monition, or a warning, Take heed of pride, beware of covetousness, or forwardness, or loitering and coldness in matters of religion: “ if conscience gives warning, “ Take heed of this worldly, lazy, trifling life;” and if a warning will not do,-it will check, and chide, and rebuke, and scourge the heart: if its voice may not be heard, it will set in its teeth; it will bite, and sting, and weary the soul; if once speaking, or chiding, or scourging, will not do, it will hold on, and lie at the soul from day to day, and give no rest till it prevail.

 

 O what stirring Christians should we be, had we such stirring consciences! That we sink as we do, shuffle in our religion, turn aside after the world, play the formalist in our duties, let all run to ruin within us, and suffer ourselves to continue asleep,-this is much our consciences' faults. Conscience lets us alone, and either does not speak, or if it speak, it is too softly; it does not chide or scourge us; it doth not come to us with a rod to smite us for our faults. You that can go on in your sins, or go so coldly on in your religion; you with whom the world is so much risen, and godliness so much fallen; how is it with your consciences meanwhile What says conscience to you in this case It may be just nothing! Conscience is asleep as well as you. O if we could but awaken your conscience, if the stirring words the LORD sends among you might have but this effect, this would awaken you all to another manner of life, and to activity in religion.

 

 If your consciences would fall upon you, and sting you for your neglects, and fright you out of your security, by telling you, and laying before you, the dreadful reward of sleepers, and such idle servants; if they would cast in some of that fire into your hearts, which your sin and your sloth are preparing for you; if your hearts would condemn you for your follies, and tell you downright,-” This way I am in is the way of death; these my paths lead down to hell; I am sleeping upon a rock, slumbering upon a mast; the waves are ready to sweep away this sleeping soul of mine, and drown it in everlasting perdition;”-had you but such a stirring conscience as this, O what a cure, what a change, would it speedily make upon you Brethren, awaken conscience, that conscience may awaken you; look to your consciences, that conscience may look

 

-better to you.”-*, man, what of the right” Is it day-break Doth sleep begin to depart from your eyes What, is the watchman asleep Awake, sleeper; it is high time to awake out of sleep! Speak thus to your consciences, and then hear what conscience will speak to you.

 

 Friend, art you fallen Art you come to this, that if you canst but grow rich in the world, you considerest not how poor it is with thee in thy soul Whilst you hast been so busy for thy flesh, hast you let fall the care of your heart Whilst you hast turned aside after thy pleasures, and after thy lovers, hast you lost the sight of GOD Have thy carnal correspondences and compliances made thee a stranger in heaven What says conscience Ask, “Is it peace Is it well Is it with me as it has been Is it with me as it should be” Speak, conscience; go tell this man, u I have something against thee; you hast left thy first love; remember whence you art fallen; return to thy first husband, for then it was better with thee than now. What hast you gotten since thy departing from thy GOD You hast gotten more of the world, more friends than heretofore, more esteem and reputation but wert you not a better man, when you wert a poorer man Hadst you not more of a Christian in the days of old, when you hadst less of this world Remember the sweet days that you hadst, when you walkedst humbly with thy GOD; remember the hopes, and the joys, and the peace, that you hadst in thy Beloved. Now you canst snatch at a duty, a word and away, scarce considering what you dost; you halt thy long dinners, but short duties; long markets, but short prayers, and as slight as they are short.” What says thy conscience to this Does it not tell thee that you hast made a dear bargain It is a great price that thy riches have cost thee, that thy ease and thy pleasures have cost thee! Better you hadst kept thee a poor man still, and been holy, and humble, and tender, and upright, than. O to have made a purchase of the world at so dear a rate as the loss of your integrity and tenderness. 

 

 Speak, *, be heard where mine may not! Conscience, art you awakened Get thee about, and walk the rounds, and speak according to what you findest. Go into the city, and observe the professors there. Go into their chambers, and see if you find them not in their beds, when they should be on their knees. Go into their wardrobes, search after their gaudy clothing, their ornaments and attires, and see if you find not such habits and dressings as are fitter for a stage-player than a Christian. Go into the parlor, and hear whether there be any more seriousness in their discourses, than amongst them that know not GOD. Go to their tables, and observe their superfluities and curiosities; how delicately, how sumptuously they fare every day. Go into their shops and their markets, and observe if there be no lying and deceitful dealings, even as amongst others; observe how little difference you canst find betwixt these in their dealings, and those that pretend to no religion. If I could but set your consciences thus upon you; or if you would set them upon yourselves; you would both hear of more that is amiss in you, than now you will acknowledge, and would find no quiet till you set upon amending.

 

 Fifthly, Be much conversant with stirring society and acquaintance, and be stirring among them. And here I shall endeavor the reviving of that too obsolete practice of holy and quickening discourse, the neglect whereof is both a cause, a sign, and an effect of the decay of religion among us. For the recovering and promoting of this holy practice, I shall give you, first, Directions for the bringing upon it, and the better managing of it; secondly, An Argument to persuade you to it.

 

 For the Directions, they are these that follow. 1. Get your hearts well filled with the grace of God. ' Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.”. Men ordinarily fetch their words out of their hearts. As it is said of a fiery tongue, `' It is set on fire of hell;” (James 3: 6;) that is, of that hell of malice that is in the heart;-so of aa holy tongue it may be said, all the good that comes from it is kindled from heaven, from that heaven that is in the heart.-It is the abundance of the heart that is most apt to come forth at the lips. In some hearts there is a little good, but much evil; in others there is much good and less evil; it is that which abounds in the heart, that which is most in the heart, that has the command of the tongue.

 

 See that there be grace in your hearts, and that the grace of GOD abound in you; a little grace will not do; that which most abounds within will have the easiest vent” I am full of matter, my spirit within me constraineth me: “ (Job xxxii. 18:) I am full of matter, and therefore will I speak. A heart full of grace must and will have a vent by the speech: the HOLY SPIRIT within us will constrain us: where there is little good coming forth, it is a sign there is not so much as there should be within.

 

 A frill heart will be the best help for a stammering tongue. Let us get an increase of inward grace, let its get more of the HOLY SPIRIT, of the Spirit of life, and love, and power within us; and then our friends and acquaintance are likely to hear of it oftener, and to better purpose, than they do. We are empty, we are empty: our insides have no good filling! “Be ye filled with the SPIRIT, “ says the Apostle, “ speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs;” and the more we speak thus to ourselves, the more freely shall we speak to others. In vain shall I exhort you to use your tongues more for God, till you be nursed up from children to more strength in grace. Would you ever come to be more fruitful and useful in your generations This must be your way to it, get more inward grace.

 

 2. Let your thoughts be working more about holy things. Thinking makes way for speaking: what our thoughts run most upon, that ordinarily our tongues will run upon. We cannot know each other's thoughts; but we may give a near guess at them by the words that are spoken. Men whose thoughts are most in the earth, and who are still thinking of their money, or their trades, or their pleasures, can hardly forbear talking of these things: And if our thoughts were more of GOD, and of our souls, of religion, of righteousness, and of holiness, we should certainly have more of GOD and of heaven in our mouths.

 

 Be much in thinking: think of the goodness, and kindness, and holiness, and compassions of the LORD; think of CHRIST, of his love, of his life, of his death, of his bowels, and everlasting kindness; think often what great things the LORD has done for your souls; think what ye would that he should do for you. Much thinking on God and holy things will leave a holy tincture on your hearts, and will by degrees do much to the begetting holy habits and dispositions in you. The LORD uses to convey much of his holy image and likeness upon the heart by the thoughts. Such of you as find but little of the image of GOD Upon your hearts, consider if you be not too great strangers to the thoughts of GOD. How often in a day are your thoughts in heaven How seldom is it that you are seriously looking either upwards or inwards No wonder if your tongues be so silent of God, whilst your thoughts are such strangers from GOD!

 

 3. Get a zeal for the honor of CHRIST, and for doing him the best service you can. Consider often, Wherefore has the LORD made me this living soul That I should be” thankful to Him, and speak good of his name.” Wherefore am I redeemed Why was that precious blood shed for me For what was it that CHRIST died “That they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them.” (2 Cor. 5: 15.) Wherefore am I called, and sanctified, and separated from the ungodly world, by the SPIRIT of CHRIST Why was I not left among the men of this world Wherefore is it that I was not left among the drunkards and profane of the earth, among the heathens and infidels, among the blind and ignorant multitude Wherefore is it that I and my brethren in CHRIST are called, and are become “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people” That we might “show forth the virtues of Him that has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Consider farther, What shall I do to answer these great ends, to serve the LORD, to live unto CHRIST, to show forth his virtues and praises: How happy would it be for me if I could serve to these holy ends! Is it not my duty thus to live- Is not the LORD worthy whom I should serve Is not CHRIST worthy to whom I should live What can I do better than to con. secrate my life to him This is a life for a Christian, this is a life for the redeemed of the LORD; so to carry it in their whole conversation, that CHRIST may be magnified in them. O let my love, and my labor, and my care, let the strength of my heart, let the ardent zeal of my soul, be all spent upon this very thing, that CHRIST may be honored and magnified in me.

 

 If we were wrought up to this holy zeal for CHRIST, would it suffer us to dwell in silence The zeal of our hearts would open our lips;” our mouth would show forth his praise;” the tongue of the dumb would be loosed, the dumb would speak, and speak good of his name; our delight would be in speaking of our Beloved. You dost not so much want a tongue to speak, as you wantest a heart to speak. Hadst you more love to CHRIST, more zeal for CHRIST within thee, this would open thy mouth; if you couldst but find thee a heart, thy heart would find thee a tongue. If thy heart were as hot as that of the holy Prophet was, you wouldst say as lie did, “I am weary of forbearing: “ (Jer. 20: 9:) 

 

 I cannot hold, but I must speak. You wouldst then be as weary of forbearing, as now you art weary of speaking. Christians, get you such a zealous heart; let your hearts be once firmly set to do CHRIST all the honor you can; be more heartily concerned for the glory of his kingdom, and for having your hand in the propagation of his Gospel. Be more thoroughly possessed of his love, more firmly devoted to his service, and I need say no more; this zeal of your hearts would put grace into your lips.

 

 4. Get more compassion to souls. The Apostle, when exhorting Christians to be active for the good of souls, requires, On some have compassion, putting a difference; others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire.” The meaning is,-Put a difference in your dealings betwixt the weak and the wilful; on the weak have compassion; deal more gently and tenderly with them, but more roughly with those that are wilful; save then with fear, fright them out of the fire. Compassion must be either as a means for restoring sinners; and thus some must be dealt compassionately with, others more roughly: (in this sense there must be compassion exercised towards the weak, but not towards the wilful:)-or else our compassion must be our motive to put us upon dealing with souls; and thus, on all we must have compassion, without making a difference; or, if any difference be, the worst of sinners must be the objects of our greatest compassion. We must have compassion on the most obstinate and willful sinners; upon the wickedest of men; those that will have no compassion on you, if they have you in their power; those that have no compassion on themselves; those that are the most hardened in their sins;-towards these especially should be our great compassion; those who are in the greatest misery, in the greatest danger, are the greatest objects of compassion.

 

 O friends, have compassion on one another's souls, and this will open your mouths. Dost you see a company of poor sinners, held in the snares of the Devil, running headlong to the pit, damning themselves with all their might Dost you see a company of blind sinners, of sick sinners, ready to die of the plague of their hearts Dost you see the Devil butchering and murdering so many, and dragging them on, one after another, as the ox to the slaughter Where are thy bowels Hast you no pity within thee towards such miserable ones How canst you say, “ I pity them, “ when you wilt not speak a word to recover them out of their misery How canst you say, “ There is a poor drunkard, I pity him, “ when you wilt not speak one word to reform him How canst you say, “ There is a poor, blind, ignorant soul, I pity his ignorance, “ when you wilt not speak a word to instruct him How canst you say, “ There is a poor worldling, I pity him, to see how he is eaten up of worldly cares, “ when you wilt not speak a word to convince him of his danger How canst you say, It grieves mine heart to see how some pine away, and consume; what backsliders they are, how cold and careless and dead-hearted” 

 

 How canst you say, “I pity these backsliders, I pity these wasted and decayed souls, “ when you wilt not speak a word, to make them remember from whence they are fallen If you wouldst be faithful, who knows but you mightest save poor, lost, and languishing souls Dost you pity them notwithstanding No! You art a heard-hearted one, you hast shut up thy bowels against them, who shuttest up thy mouth from yielding that help you mightest for their recovery. Be pitiful, Christians; pity poor drunkards; pity poor, blind, and hardened sinners; pity poor lukewarm and backsliding professors; and in your pity, go speak to them. Parents, pity your poor, ignorant, rebellious children; husbands, pity your poor carnal wives; masters, pity your poor families; every one of you, pity your poor carnal friends and acquaintance; and in your pity labor for their conversion and salvation.

 

 The miseries of poor souls cry in your ears, a You that have the heart of a Christian, pity me.” Whilst sinners' mouths are full of scorn at you, whilst they laugh and mock at any good which they see or hear, yet the miseries their souls are in, cry for your pity. Though some of them will reply, if you offer a word about the danger of their states, “ What is that to you Look to yourselves, meddle with your own business;” yet still the more pity is to be showed to them. If you could hear the voice of their misery this would be it, “O an undone, a lost, a perishing soul; a captive to the Devil, yea, and not willing to be delivered, running on upon mine own ruin, almost past recovery. Is it nothing to you that stand by Behold, and see if there be any misery like my misery! O be neither deaf nor dumb to me: open your ears, and hear the cry of my misery; and then open your mouths, and tell one what I must do to be saved; but open your bowels first, and that will most effectually open your hearts and mouths.

 

 5. Go always well provided. Get yourselves well furnished with matter for holy discourse. The great hinderance is the want of a heart; but in some, though they have a heart to speak, yet they know not where to begin. But “Every Scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is a householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” (Matt. 13: 52.)

 

 Here several things are to be noted:-I. Good men have a treasure within them; they are well furnished, and have in readiness for all holy uses. 2. Their treasure is laid in by instruction, by what they have learned and beard. 3. A good man's treasure is long in gathering; he has within him “things new and old.” 4. A good man doth retain his instruction; old things are not passed away with him; the things that he heard many years ago are still with him; he has hid the word in his heart, as the Psalmist did, and where he hides it there he finds it. Of MARY it is said, that she kept all the sayings of CHRIST in her heart. 5. Out of this treasure it is, that he brings forth for the benefit of others: his treasure, though it be hid in his heart, yet it is not buried there.

 

 For want of this provision and preparation, some men are silent, they have nothing to speak; other men, if they speak, speak nothing to purpose: to prevent both these, both sinful silence and impertinent speaking, this is the best course I can advise you to; go always prepared of what to speak. Provide yourselves,

 

 (1.) From the Scriptures. When you read a chapter, lay up in your memories any special things which you find there. Think with yourselves, Here is a word, that I may shortly have occasion to make use of in my family, or amongst others; and so remember it that you may have it in readiness when occasion shall arise.

 

 (2.) From the Sermons you hear. It would be a special help to holy discourse, if what you hear preached on the LORD's day, you would make the matter of your discourse the week following. Hereby you may the more fix what you hear in your own hearts, and be supplied with fresh matter. I exhort you again to practice this useful direction; what you hear on the LORD's days, discourse of on the week-days.

 

 (3.) From your own Experiences of the dealings of GOD with your own souls.” Come, and hear, all you that fear GOD, and I will tell you what he has done for my soul.” (Ps. lxvi. 16.) Self-observing Christians have many experiences by them, which may be useful for others. You may be telling one another what experiences you have had of the workings of sin in you, and of temptations; what experiences of the workings of grace, and of your victories over corruption and temptation; what comforts you have had, and how you came by them; what distresses and fears you have been under, and how you were relieved; what difficulties you have found in your work, how long you groaned under them, and how at length you overcame them. Many cases you may have been in, out of which much may be brought forth for the benefit of others, who are or may be in the same.

 

 (4.) From the consideration of the Company, amongst whom at such or such a time you may be likely to be cast. Some days, it may be, you may see your necessary business leading you amongst sinners: you must work with them, in the same field, or the same shop; or you must travel with them the same journey. you may foresee in the morning, that some with whom you must converse in the day may be blind or ignorant sinners, or profane and lewd sinners, or mocking and scoffing sinners: whatever temper they are of, the consideration of it will give you a hint what to provide: for the ignorant, you must go provided with words.

 

 Of instruction; for the profane, with a word of reproof; for all sorts, such words as you judge most proper for their case, and most likely to do 'their souls good.

 

 Sometimes you may see that your converse is likely to be among Christians. And then consider, whether they be” 'weak Christians, and need your help, and what their weaknesses are, and go provided with a word accordingly;-a word of comfort to the troubled; a quickening word to the dead-hearted, or slothful; a recovering, awakening word to the backsliders. Or else they may be stronger and more judicious Christians; then your study should be, to go prepared with such questions, touching your own case, touching any doubts, or fears, or spiritual wants, or difficulties you are under, that you may receive benefit from them.

 

 These directions are all practicable, and may be exceedingly useful: it will cost you pains to inure yourselves to this holy practice; but by taking pains a while, and the help of GOD with you, it may come to be more easy and where it is but seriously set on foot, and carefully carried on, you cannot easily imagine, what an advance to you it will be in the state of your own soul, and what a blessed expedient to propagate religion where it is not, and to recover it where it is fallen.

 

 This is the sum of all the directions hitherto given, Go always with your bow bent, and your arrow upon the string; with a heart disposed to speak, and a word ready to be spoken.

 

 6. Take a right method, by which you may with the most ease attain to this holy' use of your tongues. You will say it is hard service, and so it is: but are you willing to try to come to it” Why, what method will you prescribe to us that we may attain” I answer,

 

 (l.) Begin this practice within yourselves; speak often to your own hearts.” Commune with your own hearts;” (Ps. 4: 4;) maintain a holy discourse with yourselves. Stir up yourselves in the first place; say to your own hearts, “ Arise, steeper,-there is a GOD before thee, there is a CHRIST before thee, there is a Gospel and a Covenant of Grace before thee; lay hold on this GOD, lay hold on this covenant, walk worthy of the LORD, and be faithful in the covenant of thy GOD.” Speak thus to your own souls; reason with them about it; reason with thy soul, in thy deadness, or in thy hardness, or any other case you art in, “ Why art you lifted up, O my soul Why so hardened Fear Goo: Why so proud Why so slothful” Humble thyself, shake thyself, quicken and rouse up your own sleepy heart.

 

 Brethren, till we stir up ourselves, we shall never do any thing to purpose at stirring up one another. Kindle a holy fire in your own breasts: set your own affections more strongly working upwards: if we can get our own hearts into a more serious, lively frame, then there is hope we shall effectually help others.

 

 (2.) Next set upon this holy practice in your Families. Inure yourselves to be speaking of GOD among your own; with them you can be more free and bold. There is no such great difficulty for a father to speak to his children, or for a master to speak to his household; and by speaking much to these, you will by degrees grow more free and more able to speak to others. Fall therefore more closely upon this practice: fathers, speak often to your children; husbands, speak often to your wives; masters, speak to your servants; servants, speak one to another.” These my words shall be in your heart, and in thy soul: “-Speak them to thyself first, and then-” ye shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sittest in your house, and when you walkest by the way, when you liest down, and when you risest up.” (Deut. 11: 18, 19.) Charity begins at home, and so must all religion: religion must begin at home, in your own heart first, and then in your house, and thence you wilt get ability and aptness to diffuse it abroad.

 

Consider, Beloved, how it is with you at your homes upon this account What religion is there going in your families How often do your children, and your servants, hear any gracious words from you Do all you can to make all yours partakers of the grace you have received. Is the word of the LORD in your own heart Let your whole household hear oftener of it, as you sit at your tables, as you sit at your fires, or are walking in your houses: it is not now any stated way of instruction, by reading the word, repeating sermons, or catechizing, that I am dealing with you about; but that, in away of familiar discourse, you would be often dropping some gracious word. Have you a conscience towards GOD What conscience is that, that will suffer you to live in the neglect of so known and necessary a duty Can you with any conscience withhold bread or clothes from your own With what conscience, then, can you withhold counsel and instruction Will you make yours partakers of all you have in the world, and so act that they shall have no benefit only by the knowledge or grace you have received Let your bowels instruct you to be kind to their souls; and if you will by any means be persuaded to be thus kind to your own, you will thereby be prepared, and get such a holy habit, as will make it more familiar and easy to live profitably amongst others.

 

 Beloved, hearken to me in this thing; try what you can do. If ever you would stand up, in your generations, as persons of any use to CHRIST, and the interest of his Gospel, if you would not stand as insignificant ciphers, or as dumb idols that have mouths and speak not, use your tongues to better purpose at home.

 

 (3.) Next speak to your Brethren and fellow Christians, to those that fear the LORD. It may be you may be more abashed to speak to those that are without; you know not how they will take it: you doubt they may be dogs, that will tear and rend you; or at least that they be swine, and trample under feet, and scorn and despise those holy words but with your brethren in the LORD you may be more free, in confidence that they will take in good part the good words you speak, and will also be tender to you, and bear with your infirmities in speaking.

 

 Labor for a more profitable converse, Christians with Christians, believers with believers. This will be more easy, because you may presume one another to be of the same spirit; your good words will be unto them acceptable words, and the sense of that will invite you to speak.

 

 Christians have need of one another, to help each other in the LORD; and yet there is a great fault amongst us, that we are not thus mutually helpful. Learn to amend this fault: let us, as we have opportunity, build up one another in our most holy faith;” let us consider one another, to provoke to love and to good works.” Do not tempt one another (as perhaps too often you do) to be vain as you are vain, to be carnal as you are carnal; do not chill and damp each other's spirits, by your frothy and impertinent discourses; but quicken one another, and do what you can to whet and set an edge upon each other's spirits, and holy affections. What, have you nothing to talk of when you come together, but of your trades and your fields, or of news, or of the weather Have you not a GOD Have you not souls Have you not a country whither you are traveling Are you not upon a journey to that blessed land Have you not friends and kindred above, that are worth the speaking of Have you not enemies and temptations here below, an evil world to travel through, many corruptions and afflictions to conflict withal,-and have you not need of mutual counsel, comfort, encouragement, and establishment How is it that you can find room for so much idle talk, when you have matters of such moment to fill up your time When do you use to return with most comfort and satisfaction upon your spirits When you have been vainly merry together, or when you have been edifying one another in the faith

 

 (4.) In the next place, speak to those which are without, to poor sinners that are yet in their sins.” Then will I teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Ps. li. 13.) Your special work possibly may lie amongst the household of faith; but, as you have opportunity, you must do good to all. (Gal. 6: 1O.) All that need you must be made partakers of your spiritual as well as of your temporal things: those that fear GOD, it may be, may sometimes hear some good words from you; but have you never a word for those that fear not GOD

 

 O pity your poor unconverted neighbors, and in your compassion do what you can to pull them out of the fire convince them of their sins, warn them of their miseries, persuade them back from the Devil, invite and allure them to CHRIST; let them hear often of grace and sin, of heaven and hell, of death and judgment, from your lips. See how the compassions of the church work towards the heathen world,--” We have a little sister that has no breasts; what shall we do for our sister” (Cant. viii. S.) The poor Gentiles, they have no Scriptures, no Prophets, no ordinances, no breasts of consolation:'“ We have a poor sister that has no breasts, what shall we do for her” They pitied the poor Gentiles, and in their pity they consider what they might do for them. And why do not we carry it so to unconverted sinners We have poor children, poor neighbors, that have no eyes, no heart; that have no CHRIST, no knowledge; no grace; poor blind neighbors, poor hardened ones; poor lost and undone souls! ’O what shall we do for these poor children and neighbours Have I never a word to speak, that might do them good Shall I be silent to them, whilst I see them perishing for want of instruction Christians, have you the light with you Are there the words of wisdom and instruction with you Is there ever a word of grace laid up in your hearts O keep it not in; withhold it not from perishing souls; speak to poor sinners, affright them from their sins, provoke them to repentance, persuade them to pray, to hear, to read, to consider, and to turn from the evil of their ways;-and who knows what such words might do to their conversion and salvation. These are the Directions for the performance of this holy practice.

 

 The Argument that I shall use to persuade you to it, shall be from the advantage of this practice for the reviving and improving our own souls in the grace of GOD. The advantage will be great,

 

 1. From our necessary preparations to this duty. I have told you, that it is necessary to the better performance of this duty, to get your own hearts well furnished with grace, to live more in the affecting thoughts of GOD, to get a zeal for CHRIST, to do him all the honor you can, and to get more compassion to souls: without these things, whatever our attempts are to converse more profitably and. spiritually one with another, we shall make nothing of it; and these our preparations are our improvements.

 

 2. From the practice of this duty. Holy discourse will keep our graces in action. It is for want of action that our talents grow rusty; by rubbing up the spirits of our brethren, we shall whet our own. Though the edge of your knife will be blunted by long cutting, it is not so here; the edge of your spirits will grow keener by use; your very work will be instead of a whetstone.

 

 Who is likely to grow rich in this world; he that lets his stock lie dead by him, or he that puts it to use, or employs it in trade Those that occupy with their talents, made this return;” Thy pound, LORD, hash gained ten pounds, “ says one;” Thy pound has gained rove pounds, “ says another: (Luke xix. 13, &c.:) but what could he say, that bound un his talent in a napkin What greater encouragement to diligence in trading than the hope of increase The hope of the ingathering of the husbandman is his encouragement in his more plentiful sowing.” Be that soweth plentifully shall reap plentifully, “ (2 Cor. 9: 6,) and therefore, “ Blessed are they that sow beside all waters.” (Isa. xxxii. 2O.) The communicative Christian is sowing wherever he comes; and wherever lie sows, thence shalt he also reap, and (rather his sheaves into his own bosom.

 

 Christians, you say you have but little grace, and it is likely enough that you say true; but would you have more Go forth to sow with that little you have. The more you scatter, the more you gather. Would you have more love, and life, and power to serve and glorify the LORD Be more diligent in shedding abroad what you have. Resolve no longer to keep your religion to yourselves; put not u your light under a bushel;” put it on a candlestick, that it may give light to others, and GOD will increase both your light and your life. It is to little purpose to think of hearing more, or of praying more for a better heart this alone will never do: converse like Christians, and then ye shall be every day more Christians than ye are. Learn of sinners: drunkards converse like drunkards, rioters converse like rioters, profane hearts had ever a profane converse: what do their tongues run upon what is their talk, when they come together, but of their cups, and their harlots, and their sports And what is their ordinary fruit Why, hereby they not only propagate their own wickedness in others, one drunkard making another, and he another, and these more; but also, they every one improve their own cursed stock, heating and stirring up their own heart's lusts. Christians, learn of these brutes. Do drunkards converse like drunkards, and worldlings converse like worldlings And do you not see how mightily they grow and improve hereby in their wickedness What should this teach you, but that Christians should converse like Christians Let your religion be the business of your conversation, and then look for as much advance to your souls, to thrive in wickedness by their wicked conversation one with another.

 

 I have been somewhat large in this direction; but is there not need of more words than these Is not this holy practice sadly let fall amongst us Doth not the world, something or other of it, either quite shoulder it out, or thrust it into a narrow room Our heads are so full, and our hearts are so full, and hence our mouths are so full, of carnal things, that there is little room left for a few words about GOD, and the things of eternity, to be interposed: and O what is the fruit Surely that dreadful fall, which is so visible in the spirit and the whole practice of piety, is both the mother and the offspring of this grievous neglect; we are fallen sick, and therefore are speechless; and then we spend and waste more and more by silence: whilst sick bodies waste by speaking, sick souls waste more by silence.

 

 What shall I say farther in this matter The LORD heal a poor, barren, languishing people! The LORD touch our hearts with a coal from his altar, and then touch our lips with a coal from our hearts! Brethren, I hope you come hither to learn your duty, and I hope you have a conscience that will put you upon the practice of what you learn. Have you learned what an advantage it is to have lips of knowledge, and what a duty it is that your speech be with grace Remember what your Master said, If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13: 17.) I would not that a man of you should be so unhappy as to know and not to do. Do you know and believe that holy communication would be an advance to your religion Then what shall be your practice in this matter Have you a tongue for the world, a tongue for your flesh, and no tongue for GOD O might I hear that word from your mouths, “ Thy word, O LORD, is within me as fire; I will speak that I may be refreshed; LORD, open you my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.”

 

 Sixthly, Put yourselves upon stirring duties. I shall mention only two:-I. Prayer. 2. Fasting.

 

 1. Prayer. Prayer in the text is noted to be a stirring duty: There is none that calls upon thy name, that stirreth up himself.” Had they prayed, and prayed as they ought, this would have stirred them up to take hold of GOD; but neglecting to pray, they therein neglected to stir up themselves.

 

 Prayer is a stirring duty. (1.) It stirs up the LORD to their help: “ Stir up thyself, and awaken to my judgment, my GOD and my LORD.” (Ps. xxxv. 23.) The GOD of Israel sometimes seems to be asleep, as ELIJAH once said, mocking, of that false god Baal, “It may be he is asleep, and must be awakened.” (1 Kings 18: 27.) Though he be” the keeper of Israel, and never slumbereth nor sleepeth, “ yet he sometimes carries it towards them, as if he were asleep, and expects to be awakened by their cries unto him. (2.) Especially, prayer tends to stir up ourselves.-There is a sort of dull, and cold, and formal praying, that is good for nothing, but to lay our souls asleep. When conscience begins to stir, and run upon sinners, and fright them for their neglect of God, then they will go to their prayers and blind devotions; and these must serve them as a charm to quiet conscience, as DAVID'S music did to drive away that evil spirit which vexed SAUL. Some sinners' consciences will not let them be quiet, but haunt them, and fright them into something of religion: something must be done, which they call praying; and then they are at ease, and go on quietly in their sins. These men's praying serves them for nothing, but to lull them asleep in their sins.-But Prayer, rightly performed, will stir and awaken: Prayer is” a striving with GOD.” (Rom. 15: 3O;)” a wrestling with GOD;” (Gen. xxxii. 24;) and this is our most effectual striving with God, and wrestling with God, our striving with and stirring up our own hearts. Praying is not the saying of some good words, but the calling up all our powers to come in and join in seeking the LORD. That you may particularly understand what a stirring duty prayer is, consider,

 

 [1.] That in prayer we set ourselves under the eye of the great and mighty._ God of heaven and earth. It is a drawing nigh unto God; a lifting up our eyes to the everlasting hills; a presenting ourselves before the throne of GOD, the throne of his grace; a setting all the attributes of GOD before our eyes, his almightiness, his all-sufficiency, his infinite greatness, dreadfulness, goodness, and grace, which all make up” that fearful Name, the LORD our God.” (Dent. 28: 58.) And surely such a sight of the glorious and dreadful God will be a stirring sight.

 

 [2.] In prayer we come to deal with GOD about all the wonderful and astonishing things of eternity; we are to have eternal life and death in our eye, when we pray; and what will stir us, if eternity, if a sense that we are now treating with the eternal GOD about eternal things, will not O, a sense of this, that we are begging for our lives, begging for our immortal souls, begging the everlasting kingdom, seeking our escape from everlasting fire,-a deep sense of this upon our hearts will awaken them!

 

 [3.] In prayer there is a ripping open of all the affrighting evils that are in our hearts. Confession unbowels the soul, fetches up all the rottenness of the heart, and lays open all deadly diseases that are in the heart. Every wicked thought, and filthy lust, and vile affection, all the falsehood and hypocrisy, all the pride, and malice, and envy, and forwardness of the heart, are in our confessions brought forth, and laid open before the LORD. The devils are roused that lodged within us, and were taken too little notice of; and all the danger that our souls are in, by these our wickednesses, will in our confessions be made to stand before our eyes and there cannot be such a discovery of our wicked hearts, and of the danger we are in, but it will awaken us.

 

 [4.] Prayer is the uniting of all our powers, and the engaging them all in seeking the LORD. It strains every string, it bends all our forces upon the duty; it sets-all our faculties, our understandings, our memories, our wills, our affections, our consciences on work. As the Psalmist said, “ Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name;” (Ps. cut. 1;) so should we say, “ Pray to the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, call upon Ins name.” Prayer is not tongue-work, or kneework, but soul-work;-11 Bless the LORD, O my soul: “and it is not a piece of a heart, one string of the instrument, but every string, that must be strained and struck up; understanding, memory, will, affections, all must join:

 

 All, that is within me, bless his holy name.” All our faculties, and all our graces, cur faith, our love, our hope, our desires, whatever we have of GOD within us, all must be called forth to join in seeking him.

 

 [3.] Prayer is nut only the employing and exercising of our Souls, with all their faculties and graces, but the putting them forth to the height; not only the striking every string, but the straining every string to the height. The word in the original, which is translated, “Prayer without ceasing, “ (Acts 12: 5,) signifies, instant, earnest prayer.” With my soul have I desired thee: (Isa. 26: 9:) -the straining and working up all within us, every faculty and grace of our hearts, to the height; the stirring all our strength in the work; this is that “praying instantly, “ which is required, (Rom. 12: l9,) that “praying fervently, “ ('dames 5: 16,) that” crying, “ and” crying mightily unto GOD, “ unto which the Scriptures promise audience.

 

 Now when prayer has thus roused up our sleepy souls, set all our faculties and graces a stirring within us, and so produced a heat in the heart, by the joint and vigorous exercise of all within us in the duty,-when we have prayed our souls awake, and all our graces awake, and our heart is waxen hot within us,-we are therein prepared and put in readiness for, and disposedness to, and shall feel ourselves bent upon, the practice of every holy duty.

 

 This therefore is my next direction; Put yourselves upon praying, and such stirring praying. Go, set the LORD and all his glory before your eyes, and get a sense of eternity upon your hearts; rip open, and lay forth to the light, all that fill yours and rottenness that are within you; bend all within you to seek the LORD, and go cry unto him; and cry so LORD, that your own souls may be awakened by your cry. Do not neglect prayer, and do not deceive and undo yourselves by your prayers; do not pray your souls asleep, do not pray your consciences asleep, but awaken them.

 

 It is a miserable thing to consider, how little some are in secret prayer; sometimes they pray, and sometimes they cannot tend it; their closet is so seldom visited, that it may be said of the way to it, as of the way to Sion, “ The ways of Sion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: “ (Lam. 1: 4:) the grass grew upon their paths, because they were so little trod. It is a miserable thing that there is so little praying, such seldom praying, as there is; but a worse evil than this, is, that that little which is, is worth nothing. We go to pray, many of us, ’as if we had a mind to mock GOD, and provoke him to his face; we go to this duty, as if we had a mind to lay up our souls to sleep, rather than to stir up and awaken them. It is no wonder there is no more light in our paths, when there is no more life in our duties. It is no wonder that there are so many gray hairs on the head, so many wrinkles in the face of our religion, when we are so cold at the heart. When our secret recesses and retirements with GOD are so heartless and spiritless, it is no wonder that sin, and lust, and vanity, swell and abound; or that grace and holiness sink and disappear, when that which should kill sin, and keep grace, (the soul of duty,) is so little to be found.

 

 If ever you would recover the beauty of your ways, begin in secret, and revive the power of prayer. Pray, constantly, pray fervently, and be fervent in prayer; pray and strive with GOD in prayer; pray and strive with your own hearts in prayer; pray and wrestle against the Devil, and the world, and your sins, in prayer. Such praying would make the nest too hot for the Devil, and your sins; such praying in the morning might be a means to keep you warm all day; and such praying in the evening would make you awake warm the next morning.

 

 Consider with yourselves what you mean to do in this thing. Will you begin this night Go not to pray as at other times, but put yourself upon the life of the duty; and then I shall hope to see a blessed and visible change upon the whole frame of your conversation. What say you, therefore Will you do it I am in great earnest with you in this thing; since the success of all that I have said, in order to the recovery of the decaying interest of religion among you, depends so much upon this one thing; and therefore I pray deny me not; and that you may not deny me, take particular notice of this one word more that I shall add, Remember these words in the evening, when you are going to pray; then remember what I have now spoken from the LORD to you; and accordingly set your hearts to it: and the LORD grant you the presence of his gracious and almighty SPIRIT, to help you herein, to the praise of his grace, and the comfort and advantage of your souls!

 

 For the more effectually fixing this direction upon you, and for your improvement by it, I shall here remind you of two directions. First, Be so earnest and intent in this duty, that you may feel your hearts enlarged, in the lively actings and exercise of grace; and so raised and warmed by your sensible communion with GOD, as may put you into a spiritual and heavenly flame, that, if it be possible, you may come off your knees in a more lively disposition of soul, than you had in your entrance upon your duty. Do not satisfy yourselves with the work done; but let your endeavors be, to get something more of GOD, which you may have to carry away with you when you depart; that you may come out of your closets, as MOSES came down from the Mount, whose “face did shine, “ (Exod. xxxiv. 29,) which was a token that he had been conversing with GOD. O let there, at such times, be a shining and a burning light raised up within you; come from your duties as men coming out of heaven, with the very sun-beams shining in your countenance, and with some tincture of heaven upon your spirits. We come many times with no other spirit from our duties, than that in which we come out of our shops or fields; with no more sense and savor of GOD, than if we had never been near him. O, it is a sign that you hast but trifled in thy duties, that you neither hadst, nor much remindest to have, communion with GOD in them! Certainly, sincere communion with GOD will leave some divine impressions behind it. Well, every time you go to pray, labor hard for it, to get yourselves into such a divine and spiritual frame, before you have done.

 

 Secondly, Whatever more spiritual frame you experience in duty, be careful to keep it alive afterwards. See to it, that your spirits do not presently sink and cool, and grow dull and carnal again, when you have been thus quickened and spiritualized. Has there been a holy fire kindled in you O keep it burning, keep it flaming, and let it not be covered over with ashes: get your hearts to be alive in your duties, and keep them alive from duty to duty. In the Old Testament, though their sacrifices were offered but morning and evening, yet the fire that kindled them was required not to go out night nor day; there must be fire kept alive from the morning sacrifice to kindle the evening sacrifice, and fire left from the evening to kindle the morning sacrifice. O friends, how often is it the case, that though at our morning sacrifice a fire be kindled, it is quenched and lost before the evening, through the carelessness and negligence' of our hearts! Sin and the world have a whole day's tune to quench and put out, what an hour's duty has been kindling; and so at the return of our duty-seasons, we find our hearts at the same loss, and in the same deadness and hardness, as before. Beloved, though there be some difficulty in these two directions, of getting our hearts into a lively frame of duty, and of keeping up that holy frame from duty to duty, and it will cost you pains to practise them to purpose, yet the advantage you will hereby gain will be abundantly worth all your pains; and therefore I pray remember them. If you do in good earnest intend advancing in religion, let these two directions be before your eyes every day: you have them preached to you, and you have them written for your use; the LORD write them upon your hearts, and hold them before your eyes! This course will be as the whetting our instruments, and keeping them keen for our work. How much work may be done, and with much more ease, by a cutting than a blunted instrument! A dull heart will do little, and not without much pains. By the course prescribed whet your spirits, and keep them with a good edge; and then all your work will be the more easily carried on. To this I shall add,

 

 Thirdly, Let your prayers be pursued in your practice. Whatever grace you pray for, whatever sin you pray against, follow after the one, and light against the other, in your daily practice: let prayer and practice join hand in hand, and both drive the same way. Think not you have done your whole day's work, when you have prayed morning and evening. Religion must be the business of your whole time: “Be you in the fear of the LORD, “ be you at the work of thy LORD, “all the day long;” (prom. 23: 17;) and make it not merely the business of an hour or two. When you have been praying that GOD would help you to live in the spirit, to set your affections on things above, and to have your conversation in heaven; when you, have ended your prayer, what should ye now do Why, think on heavenly things: let your thoughts throughout the day, run upon these holy things;-to pray for a heavenly mind, and never to think of heavenly things till you come to pray again, what will such praying come to When you pray for a willing, obedient, and fruitful life, what should you do Go and take pains with your hearts, to bring them on, and to hold them close to your several duties. 

 

 When you have been praying against sin, for power over a proud heart, or a forward heart, or a covetous, ’worldly heart, what should you now do Why set your watch against your sins; take heed of every proud thought, of every forward word; beware of all covetous practices; set yourselves to the mortifying of these sins, and to restraining your selves from the actings of them:-to pray against covetousness, and as soon as you have done, to leave your hearts loose for it, to carry it as proudly, or as forwardly as before, to be as busy for the world, as eager in hunting after it, what is this but to set your prayers and your practices together by the ears, to destroy the things you have been building, to destroy by your practices what you have been building by your prayers Whilst this has been the voice of your prayer, “LORD, deliver me from a proud, or forward, or covetous heart, “ your practices say, 111 care not whether this prayer be heard or no; I had rather be let alone, and left under the power of them.” If ever you would that your praying should come to any thing, let your prayers and practices drive the same way. Let it not suffice you to pray for a more mortified heart, and a more self denying course; but set to it to put your prayers into practice. Let the stream of your care, the stream of your endeavors, run the same way with the stream of your prayers; and that is the stirring prayer I would have you give yourselves to, such as may effectually overpower the stream of your life, and carry it on according to the stream of your prayers.

 

 If of all that I have said, these three last words migl•t be remembered;-(1.) If in every prayer you henceforth make, you would diligently strive to get up into a spiritual and lively frame; (2.) If you would carefully maintain this blessed frame afterwards, from duty to duty; (3.) If you would set to the practice of those things which you pray that GOD would enable you to perform; O what a cure would be wrought! O what a blessed change might we expect to appear upon you and all your religion!

 

 2. Fasting and Prayer. In the former particular I spoke of Prayer as an ordinary duty, here, as an extraordinary one, annexed to that of Fasting and Humiliation.

 

Hitherto I have spoken mostly to our personal cases. Now I shall speak with more respect to the public case of our people and age, and shall direct you, (1.) How you may most effectually stir up a spirit of prayer, in your Days of Humiliation; (2.) How you may most successfully perform this duty.

 

 (1.) How you may most effectually stir up a spirit of prayer, in your days of humiliation.

 

 [1.] There is something in the very Abstinence, that conduceth to the stirring up the spirit of prayer. Abstinence is pinching upon the flesh; and should be so much, in such days, as may afflict the body first, and thereby the soul. The abstinence of a Fast should be afflicting abstinence, as far forth as the body will bear it, without prejudice to its health, and so becoming a hindrance rather, than a furtherance of the duty.

 

 There is a two-fold failing too common in our Days of Humiliation.

 

 First, In the Time: mostly what we call a Day of Humiliation; comes to no more but a few hours of prayer. It is said of a Fast, “ It shall be a Sabbath of rest to you;” (Lev. 16: 31;) that is, 1. It was to be a whole day, as a Sabbath is; 2. It must be wholly spent ita the proper exercises of it; a Sabbath of rest it must be in this extraordinary duty; there must be a laying aside of our ordinary works, and the whole time must be spent either in the public or private worship of the day. How seldom is it that we hear of such a Fast! Some hours, as I said, we sometimes spend together in seeking the LORD; but when do” we keep a day to the LORD The morning of the day is usually as other mornings; we are as busy at our callings, and it may be, more busy to despatch our work out of hand; and so we come hot out of our shops and fields, with our heads full, and hearts full, of our worldly affairs, and as soon as ever the public duty is over, then away we go to our work again. Is it such a Fast as the LORD has chosen Will ye call this a Day of Humiliation

 

 Christians, it is well that you spend some hours in prayer, but call not that a Day of Humiliation. Whenever you set apart a day for fasting, let it be a Sabbath of rest to you: begin it in secret, and separating yourselves from all your ordinary works, hold you to the duty of the day, as your strength will bear it, to the end of the day. Let the private part of it, both before and after public exercises, be spent as your LORD's-Days are, in suitable converses with GOD. Were this more observed, we might expect more of spirit and of power in the duty, and more fruits afterwards.

 

 Secondly, There is also a failing in the Abstinence of the day. How often have I known it, that the abstinence in a day of humiliation, has been no more than the sparing of one meal, which has been made up by a larger breakfast, and perhaps a feast, or at least a full meal, at supper No particular rules for the degree of abstinence can be prescribed to all sorts of persons; but this should be observed in the general; 1. That there be such abstinence used, both as to quantity and quality, as may best subserve the spiritual duties of the day, especially that of afflicting the soul; and therefore 2. That not only our full meals be forborne,. but no wine or strong drink, no, nor so much as a pipe of tobacco, be allowed for the present pleasure or refreshment of it: if it be really needed, as in some cases it may, and by some persons, let it be used: but if DANIEL would eat no pleasant bread, and. neither flesh nor wine came into his mouth; (Dan. 10: 3;) if the Jews be reproved, (Is. lviii. 31,) that in the day of their fast” they did find their pleasure;”' then any thing taken as an exhilarating refreshment, which is riot necessary to the present duty, is a transgression.

 

 Well, this will be something towards the stirring us up in prayer,-self afflicting abstinence. But,

 

 [2.] Especially, a deep consideration of the case we are in, will most effectually do it: tempests will teach even profane mariners to pray; if any thing will do it, afflictions will fetch out our very hearts in our prayers; and is not iniquity an affliction Surely, if it be, we are in an afflicted state; for consider how grievously iniquity cloth abound! I shall not now lead you a voyage over the seas, and remind you how it is abroad; how the Devil drives almost all the world before him, filling them with all unrighteousness; and what a small handful there are that follow CHRIST, and how very little of serious religion there is in those few. Let us at present inquire, how it is with us at home. To put in but a word of the profane rout, the open enemies of religion, whose wickedness has left the covert of the night, and who are grown up to that impudence as to show their shame in the sun-light;-not to speak much neither of their prophets and teachers, amongst whom (though there are that deal faithfully, yet) some of them cannot, others will not, tell them of their transgressions; (what snuffs are therein some of the candlesticks! what dark lanterns are many of those that should be burning and shining lights! seers without eyes, lame leaders, sickly healers of the hurt of the daughter of our people!)-to let these pass also, let us consider how it is with the sinners in Zion, with those of us who profess to have separated ourselves from the follies and fill yours of the land. What is our religion What is our righteousness' What a tattered maimed thing! Ah, how little religion is there in our religion How little of the spirit, how little of the power; how glorious soever the form appears How much unrighteousness is there mingled with our righteousness Is not our gold mixed with dross, and our wine with water What a spirit of vanity, what pride, headiness, censoriousness, peevishness, are to be found among us What wood, and hay, and stubble, are built upon the foundation

 

 And amongst theta that were once better, how many are there that must go on with the complaint, and confess, “ We all do fade as a leaf, “-we wither, and waste, and consume, and are even dried away And it is not here and there a-fading leaf; does not the tree fade, so that it is but here and there a leaf that is not withered Were it only a few backsliding persons, the matter were not so sad; but is it not a backsliding age May we not be called a backsliding people, for the multitude of backsliders that are amongst us Scarce living enough to serve for mourners over the dead!

 

 Were it only the wilderness of the world, and the tents of the uncircumcised, that we had to complain of, it were sad enough. But O! the field of the LORD, his floor, his fold, his family, his vineyard! What tares are there in his fields What a deal of chaff in his floor! What a general bane is there among his flock,-few sound ones left! What a hospital is his house, of blind, and lame, and sick souls! What wild vines fill up his vineyard!

 

 Should you see your houses fallen into ruinous heaps, your fruitful fields become a prey to the locusts and caterpillars, your flocks dying away, your poor children, that were once strong, beautiful, healthful, and hopeful, one bewitched into a changeling, another a cripple, another a lunatic, a fool, or idiot,-O how would such a sight rend your bowels, and tear the very call of your heart! And is not this lamentable case, the case of the household of GOD.

 

 But is this all May we not go on with the complaint “ And yet there is none (very few) that calls upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee.” O what hard work have the poor Ministers of CHRIST to stir any of these miserable souls, to bring them to their senses, to bung them to their knees, to awaken them to seek out after their recovery! They will not stir up themselves; nor will they be stirred up by us, by all our cries and callings upon them: though we call upon them, yet we cannot bring them to it, to call upon Gon. Some of them will not be brought to know their disease: and those that cannot but know it, yet will not consider it, nor concern themselves so much about it as to seek their cure; but there (poor wretches) they lie, dying away in their sleep themselves, and every one infecting others with the same lethargy, and going on to rock one another, till even a whole country become a generation of sleepers

 

 Open your eyes, and see if the symptoms of desolation be not visible among us; go into the city, go into the villages, go into the sanctuary, go into our habitations, and see if death be not come up into our windows, and desolation ready to enter. How is it that your mouths are not sounding with such lamentations as these,-” My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart: my heart maketli a noise within me, mine eyes do fail with tears, my liver is poured out. O that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night, for the fallen daughter of my people.”

 

(2.) How you may most successfully perform this duty. In answer to this, take these few directions

 

 [1.] Make God your friend, and see that there be no standing controversy betwixt him and your souls. See that you be sincere converts to GOD, and have a good conscience towards G-on; see that ye be reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus, and that matters be kept fair and clear betwixt God and your souls. Is it peace betwixt the LORD and you, or is there not a particular controversy that he has with you Consider, if the LORD has not somewhat against you, and such as has provoked him to anger: make your own peace first, and then you will be fit to be intercessors for others.

 

 If I had a petition to present to the King, I would not put it into the hands of a rebel; no, nor into his who was under his prince's frown. I would put it into the hands of a favorite, and so should have the more hope to speed. If you would do your friends a kindness in heaven, see that you hold your own friendship there. “If I regard iniquity in mine heart, GOD will not hear my prayer.” (Ps. lxvi. 1S.) Pray for whom you will, for yourself, or your friends, it is like to come to all one as if you held your peace; GOD will not hear you, whilst you regard iniquity in your hearts. Hast you sin in thee, and sin that you allowest in thyself Whatever it be, great or little, open or secret, purge it away, and cast it from thee; or God will not hear thee. “The prayer of the upright is his delight.” (Prom. 15: S.) Give me the holy souls, the humble, the tender, the watchful, the Daniels, the Noahs, the plain-hearted, them that walk with GOD, and are highly favored of the Most High, to appear before the LORD for me.

 

 Those that are in their sins, and strangers from GOD, and those that have declined in godliness, and are become wanderers from the LORD, what hope is there of any service that their prayers will do” GOD heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of GOD, and does his will, him he heareth.” (John 9: 31.)

 

 Beloved, a poor languishing nation calls upon you for the help of your prayers; but, alas, what help is there in them To have a company of hard-hearted, impenitent, and dead sinners, or of sick, and loose, and carnal professors, together to pray; there is as much hope in it, as if the blind, and the lame, and the bed-ridden of a nation, should be gathered together into an army to fight: as great success is likely to be obtained by such a congregation assembled to pray, as by such an army gathered together to fight: one sincere upright-hearted saint will do more than a whole congregation of praying sinners.

 

 Indeed it is the duty of sinners to be present in the exercises of humiliation: and there may be this advantage of it;-they may by this means be converted; and so there is one more added to the number of God's remembrancers; there is one more soldier added to the praying army. If there were hundreds or thousands of converts more brought in, so many would there be added to wrestle with Gon. By every new convert, GOD's interest is increased in such a people; the more converts there are, the more has God to lose, if such a people should miscarry.-This is the first direction, if you would that your praying should be to any purpose, make GOD your friend.

 

 [2.] Make often use, of your friend in your personal cases; live a praying life; those that are much in prayer, are most likely to be mighty in prayer. He that deals much with the LORD in prayer, will have many experiences of God's gracious dealings with him in answer to his prayers. You will hereby prove, that prayer is not an insignificant duty; you will never give up your cases for hopeless, whilst there is this way open to go to GOD.

 

 He that uses to go before the LORD, will be the more able to go with boldness and confidence before him: he that has been often heard for himself, in his personal or family necessities, will speak with the more confidence for his friends or people. He will say, “ I have seen how prayer will help a distressed person, and a distressed family; and why may it not prevail for a diseased and distressed nation Since I have found that the LORD has heard me, when I have been seeking him for myself, and for mine house, what hope doth this give that be will also hear me, now I am seeking him for his own house”

 

 Beloved, when any of you that fear God are under any pressing straits, and desire the help of prayer, to whom do you use to seek’ You do not call together the lazy, and the idle, and the careless ones, that use not to call upon GOD; you do not send to such to come and pray for you; but you will pick out and call together the praying people, those that are most conversant in this duty; your consciences tell you, that if there be any whose prayers are likely to help you, these are they, the men of prayer. Be you such, in both these respects be ye thus prepared, be the friends of GOD,-and be often with GOD; and then I will add no more, but as the Prophet: (Joel 2: 15, 16,17:) Then come and” sanctify your fasts, call your solemn assemblies; gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders; let the bridegroom go forth out of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet;” let the tradesmen come out of their shops, and the husbandmen out of the fields; let the ministers and people of the LORD weep before his altar; and let them say, and cry, and cry LORD, “ Spare thy people, O LORD: heal thy languishing heritage; be not angry with them till you hast consumed them; let not the ungodly say to them in thy reproach, Where is your God, your CHRIST, and your religion” And who knows but the LORD may hear, and, whatever evils be upon us, and to whatever distance he is withdrawn from us, lie may yet return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, and may be jealous for his land, and pity his people and heal them.

 

 For a Conclusion, let me add a word or two, both to those that have heard, and to them also that read these words. I am unwilling to make an end, before the work be done, for which all this has been spoken and written. Have I been all this while beating the air, or speaking to the wind, or writing in sand Must I at last sit down with the grief of the disappointed Mine heart and mine eye is upon success; I have been ploughing in hope, and harrowing and sowing in hope: O You who art the hope of Israel, make thy servant partaker of his hope!

 

 Where is the LORD-He who has said, “ My word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Wherefore has the LORD spoken Is it that we may go and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and -taken Is it for the hardening of those that have sinned, that they may not repent Is it for the sealing up, of the eyes of those that see not, that they may be the more blind GOD forbid, GOD forbid! We hope better things; we long, we wait for better issues; and if the LORD has any pleasure in us, if utter ruin be not determined upon us, he will humble and heal us. Success is of GOD. O, our GOD, we have no might, nor know we what to do: only our eyes are upon thee

 

 But though it be the LORD that gives success, it is we and you all that must seek it, and be working towards it. It is not the best physician that can cure you, unless you take his medicines, and follow his prescriptions: he that reaches down his hand to help you out of the pit into which you are fallen, will not lift you out, unless you will do what you can to help yourselves.

 

 In order to your obtaining good success, let me ask,

 

 1. You whose eyes are now upon these words, art you one of them whose cases have been here opened and lamented Art you a sleeper, a loitering or backsliding soul Whilst you hast been looking on this glass, hast you not seen your own face in the company Has not this word found thee out, and said unto thee, even unto thee, as NATHAN to DAVID, “You art the man” Or hast you so much as asked the question of thyself, “Ain I not one of them” If you hast not, read over again; go back before you read forward; consider again and again, before you conclude, 111 am none of them, whoever they be; mine heart, I hope, is right with GOD; I am free.” Put me not off with an” I hope I am none of them, “ but inquire more narrowly, till you hast put it out of doubt what you art.

 

 2. If you seest you art one of those wretched souls, art you content to continue thus Is it safe, is it comfortable to thee thus to live Wilt you die a backslider. Wilt you venture it to continue as you art Art you at a point with CHRIST, that you wilt have no more of him than you hast; and that he shall have no more of thee Wilt not you come back to be only. his Wilt you say as those, “ There is no hope;” (Jcr. 2: 25;) no hope of prevailing with me Wilt you say, “ I have loved strangers, and-after them will I go” “I love this world, I love my carnal friends, I love my ease and my idleness, and my liberty, and I cannot part with them; the life I live is better than that severe life you call me to.” Art you indeed of this mind, and dost you mean to hold thee of the same mind till you comest to the grave Do thy tenderhearted friends weep over thee, and dost you bless thyself, and say you art well enough Carest you not that you perish Fearest you not that thy sickness and thy sleep may be unto death Man, what meanest thou What a heart hast thou, that either you wilt not know you art in an evil case, or dost not regard whether it be so or no Hast you never a tear to let fall over thy miserable soul Never a sigh to breathe out after redemption If you say, it is not so bad with thee, take heed; how canst you say, I am not polluted How canst you say, I am regenerated” See thy way in the valley, and know what you hast done: “ (Jer. 2: 23:) trace thyself in all thy goings and dealings with GOD in the world. Ask thy closet, which is so seldom visited; ask thy Bible, which is so seldom looked into; ask thy companions, and thy unsavory converse with them; ask thy family, and thy unprofitable converse with them; ask thy fields and thy farms, thy shop and thy money, with whom thy heart has so long dwelt; yea, and ask thy conscience a little more strictly than you usest to do, and see if all will not tell thee, that the charge of the LORD against thee is too true. And hast you yet no mind to amendment When shall it once be What never Must we leave you thus Must we continue preaching to you, and crying after you, so long in vain, till the LORD say to us, “ Let them alone, speak no more to them, pray no more for them, let them perish in the hardness of their heart.” Shall this be all the good we can do, to mourn over you, that we can do you no good Or shall there be yet hope among you concerning this thing, that at length ye will repent and return

 

 The truth is, our spiritual diseases so lurk, that they are not easily discerned; and having pleasure in them, the patient is impatient of a cure.” LORD, if you wilt, “ says the leper, “ you canst make me clean.”“ Sinner, “ says the LORD, “ if you wilt, I will, be you clean;” but though GOD would, yet sinners will not.

 

 What DEMAS is there of you, that has forsaken the LORD, and embraced this present world, that, from walking humbly with GOD, has his heart lifted up, and loves the pre-eminence;-that do heartily wish, O that my soul and this world were once again parted O that the LORD would humble me, and lay me low, and bring my aspiring heart to the dust How few of all that are fallen are willing to rise! How few of all that have wandered are willing to return! O how light do they make of all our calling upon them; and after all we can do to reduce them, they hold on their way! Dost you not see, dost you not feel, that for thy part it is just thus with thee You that art proud, covetous, or slothful, art you riot content in this wretched case Really, Sirs, I must fear, that if I had the tongue of men and of angels, it would hardly change your mind and ways. I have seen so great disappointments hitherto, that I fear how it may be still; and under these fears, my soul, travail you in pain, and thus groan, being thus burdened: LORD, LORD, have I not called upon them LORD, have I not called after them” Has not my very soul been poured out to them and for them And after all, have they heard Have they repented Are they recovered What they will do, O LORD, you knowest; but thy servant is in great doubt. Ah, LORD, art you not he that canst and must do the cure When, LoRn, when shall it once be O when shall it be said again, “ He has made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the sick to rise and walk, and the dead to live”

 

 Carnal Professors, let not these words depart from your hearts till they have done their work; till they have showed you your folly, and taught you” the wisdom which is from above;” till your own mouths be forced to acknowledge, -` 1 have wandered from my GOD, and turned to mine own way, and this my way is my folly; and now, through the help of the LORD, I will return.” Wilt you so Wilt you return and recover I will then add but this one word more: When you art recovered, do thy best towards the recovery of thy brethren: pity thy fallen friends, and help them to arise: who knows what a small beginning may rise to in the end A few returned persons may fetch in more, and these more; a few souls raised from the dead, may be the first-fruits of a more glorious, resurrection; the light and the life which is sprung up in your heart, if it be well improved, may enlighten and enliven many. O be solicitous, first for your own recovery, and then for the recovery of more: so shall there be, after all our darkness, a hopeful dawning towards a comfortable day; so may we hope that our’ shining lights, which now stand so thin, “ as a beacon on a hill, as a cottage in a vineyard, “ may grow so numerous, that we may become a land of light, and our Jerusalem may be made a praise in the earth!