Chap. 2 2. !n Bxpofttien upon Floe Book of O B. Verf.. 2 r, therebe flore of treafure and rich Commodity in the place,yet he can barre up all, that no good can come unto us; yea,the Lord in fuch cafes doth often lay a Itop upon the fpirit ofprayer in his own people,and when the heart is ftopt that we cannot pray,then urn- ally good is flopt and kept back fromcoming to us; Prayer is that which fetches in mercy and good things through the loveofGod in Jens Chrift. Prayer may have a twofold ftop.Firft,prayer may have a flop in the heart; fecondly,Prayer which comes forth ofthe heart may have a flop in heaven, the Lord doth even (hut out prayer fometimes, and when prayer is (hut out, no good can.get out to us. Prayer is tent upon a meffage to heaven, and if our meff.nger be (hut out of doors and not admitted in, what anfwer can we expert by his meffage. And the Lord as he doth flop fuck from the receiving offurther good, (o from receivingofgood by what theyhave already. We may have that which in the nature of it is good, and yet have nogood by it ; God can flop thecreature inour hands, that it flail not at all giveus any Comfort, as well as he canVia any creature comfort from coming into our hands, Llalefe the Lord (in onefence) flop thecreature, it quickly leaks out all the Comfort which he lath put into it, and proves to tre indeed, what fin lath made it,a broken Cifloll : And unleffe the Lord open the creature, the creature cannot give forth that good which it hath ; It will be to us as a Cittern without a vent to paffe out the water for our ufe. There's many a ont who bath enough in his hand(take it anykind) but he enjoyes nothing ofit,becau(e theLord locks up the conduit,or the cifterne,and then howmuch good foever there is it-lit, there's none for him. It isall one tous, whether we haveonely a broken Cifterne forour portion, or a Cifterne alwayes lockt up ; foras the one lets all the water run out,fo the other holds all the water in;we are as £arre from good, ifour Cifterne hold all, as if it held nothing at all. It is thennot only our dutyand our holineffe to acquaint our felves and beat peace with God, but ourwifdome and our interef} ; for it is as he pleaferh, alwayes, and ufually as we pleafe him, that either we have any thing that is good coming to us, or that anygood corn- eth tous by that which we have. Secondly, Note (which is aCorallary from the former obfer- vation, f That 217
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