186 A GUIDE TO PRAYER. religion. The Spirit of God will come and revisit the mourners Jer. xxxi. 20. When God heard Ephraim bemoaning himself, he turned hisface toward himwith compassion. II. Look back and remark the steps whereby the Spirit of God withdrew himself, and search after the sins that provoked him to depart. He is not wont to go away and leave his saints, except they grieve him. See if you cannot find some Sensual iniquity indulged. He hates this, for he is a Spirit of purity. David might well fear, after his scandalous sin, that God would take away his holy Spiritfrom him ; Ps. li. 11. Recollect, if you have not rushed upon some presumptuous sin, and run counter to your own light and knowledge : this is a sure way to make him withdraw his favourable presence. Askyour conscience, whether you have not resisted this blessed Spirit, when he bath brought a word of conviction, or command, or reproof, to your soul ? Whether you have not refused to obey some holy influ- ence, and been heedless of his kind motions in any duty or wor- ship ? This highly deserves his resentment and departure. Re- flect whether you have, not absented yourself sinfully from your closet often, or often left it, almost as soon as you came to it, from a prevailing carnality of mind, and sinful weariness of duty ; and often shuffled off - the work like a tiresome task, because you fancied the world' called you : it is no wonder then if the Spirit of prayer absent himself from your closet, even when the world gives you leave to go thither. And you may expect also, that if you decline secret prayer, the Spirit will not always attend you in public. Consider whether youhave not grown proud and vain in gifts'and attainments ; and thus the holy. Spirit hath been provoked to leave you to yourself, to spew you your own weakness and insufficiency, and to abase your pride. Cry earnestly to him, and beg that he would discover his own enemy, which hath given him so just offence : and when you have found it out, bring it, and slay it before the Lord. Confess the sin before him with deep humiliation and self-abase- ment ; abhor, renounce and abandon it for ever. Bring it to the cross of Christ for pardon, and there let it be crucified and put to death. Cry daily for strength against it from heaven, re- new your engagements to be the Lord's, and to walk more watch- fully before him. III. Remember how you obtained the Spirit of prayer at first : read over all the foregoing directions, and put them all afresh in practice. Was it by faith in Christ Jesus, that the Spirit was first received ? Then by renewing acts of faith in Christ seek his - return ; it is he who first gives, and he who restores this glorious gift. Was it in the way of labour, duty, and diligence, that you found the Spirit's first assistance ? Then stir up all the powers of your soul to the same diligence in duty
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