-~--· ----,_------------ Book IV. Looking unto :Jefus. Chap.3 .Sect. 2 -----------------------------------· . - taine without any of his difciples, or domdlicks abom him .1c: March. 6. 6. pra)lf> alone; thus, when thou prayeft enttr into thy clofet, (faith Chnfi)_ and when the.u h..Jl /h11t t,hy doore, pray to thy Father which t:J in fecret, and thy Fttther which fceth in fecret jhall reward thee , openly. Sometimes we finde Chrifi praying at night : in the day ,Luke :s. 37. time he.wru teaching iN the Temple, and at night he went out and abode in the mount, that is called the mount of olives: See Chrifi in the exercife of his double office, he preacheth all day, and prayes all night; this text tell~ us, h: ~ontimud all night in pra;er. Nightprayers have the1r fpwal, fpmtual advantages; I. It is a time fitter for compunCtion, and heart· contrition, all the night makg I l'Ca\.6. 6. · my bed tGjwim, !water my couch with my teares. Asf<>me things are by heat parc~ed in the day, but cooled in the night; tO many fins contracted m the day, are feafonably · repel!ted lt night : night-teares are as fweet dews that coole the heat and pride of our fpirits. 2. It is a time of filence and free from difiraction . then ~ll tumults ceafe, and in the fecret of our fc.uts we may ft: lently g<;> and fpeak with our heavenly Father. In ch;s refpeCl: we have a bl~ifed example ofChrifi praying at night, and efpedally now ; 0 he was about the great work offending his Minifiers through all the world, and therefore now he fpends all tae nightlong in prayer to his Father; a great and extrllordinary work. u ' nGt to be [et upon, without extraordinary pra;er. 4 . The company out of whom they are chofen, he called unto him his di[ciples, and out of thr:m he chofe twelve: a difciple of · Chrifi is one thing, and an Apofile of Chrifi is another thing ; thofe were Chrifis difciples that embraced Chriftsdoctrine of faith and repentance ; it was not material to the conflituting of a difciple ofChrifr, whether they followed Chrifi as many did, or they returned to their own homes, as fome others did. The man out ofwhom the le~ionsof devils was call, befought Cbrift that be Luk s. 3s ,39 ,might be with him, but {efP-s fent him away, {lllJing, returne to thine ' own houfe, andfhew how great things GoJ hath done to thee. I make no quefiion but Cbrifi at the election of his Apoflles had many difciples both waiting on him, and abient from him ; and out of them that waited on him his ApoiHes were chofen; { hrifls Mi- . r-iflers jhould ftrft be difciples, 0 how unfit are any to take upon them the Miniil:ry ofChrift that were never yet the difciples of - Chrifi ?- / '
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