Firft Commandment. g 3 --------------------~~ Duty;. but be not afuamed to Pray; for our Saviour hath told_ us, Ma~k 8. 38. That whofoever j1Jall be ajhamed of him itz this adulterom and jinfu~ generat,on, ?f hi~ alfo flJal! the Son of man be afoamed, whe? he c~meth in rhe glory of hu Father, wuh. hu holy .AJt.!elH And therefore fince there 1s no JUft Reafon why tf1ou lhouldft refra.m P:ayer tfom the :Almighty whofoever thou art that doeft fo, . be thy Conve~fanon 111 all other refpects never' fo blamelefs, (which yet is n?t very probable that It lhould be, when thou beggcft not Grac~ from God to direCt It) thou art a propha~c.P~rfoQ, and de. c!arert thy fclf to be fo by thy negletl of the mort Holy and Spmtual of all thofe Duties wherein we are to draw nigh unto God. , , Four-thly, He is a prophane Perfon, that pcr~orms holy J?ut!es ~1ghtly an.d fupcr- 4 • . ficially: AI_! our Duties ought tO be warmed with Zeal, wmg d Wtth Alfc(\:ton, and •fhot up to Heaven from the whole bent of the Sou~ .. Om;.wh~le Hearts muft g~ into them; and the ftrength and vigour ·Of our. Spmts muft dtffitfe themfelves mto every part of them, to animate and quicken them: And therefore _the Apof_tle commands us, Rom. I 2 . I r. To be fervent in .fpir:it, feroin,~ t~e Lord. Sa,cnfic~s (which under the 'Je.wifl: Oeconomy were the greateft part of GOds folemn Worflup) were commanded to be offered up with Fire; and no other fire could f::md:lfie them, but that which miracu louOy fhot it felf dmvn from Heaven, or from the prefence of God uv. 9 .lof. in the S:~nd:uary; which was ever afte·r kept burning for that very ufc : So truly all uo. 6·i· our Chrifl:ian Sacrifices both of Praife and of Prayer, murt be offer'd up unto God with fire; and that fire '\vhich alone can fand:ifie them, mufl: be darted down from Heaven:, the celefl:ial flame of Zeal and Love, which comes down from Heaven, a'nd hath a natural tendency to afcend thither again, and to carry up our Hearts and Souls upon its wings with it. · But indeed commonty our Duties are either, Ftrft, Offered up with ftrangc unhal1 • low'd fire; they are fired by fome unrnly paffion of hn_red, or felf-love, or pride a11d vain glory. Like thofe cholerick Difciples that prefently wonld command ijre to come down from Heaven to confume thofe who had '!_ffronted them by refufing to l.uk l give them entertainment? only that God by fitch a fe\rcre Miracle might vindicate i 9 ' + their Reputation, and revenge the Contmnely that was done them. But this is a fire kindled from bene:tth, and fmells fl:rong of Brimftone 7 and therefore·our· Saviour himfclf fharply checks their furious Zeal, Ye know not what manner offpirit ye are L keg SS· of And certainly whcnfoever we pray thus in the bitternefs of our Spirits, dcvo- 11 • • ting our Enemies to deftruCtion, and that becaufe they are ours, rather than God's; when we pQnr om a great deal of Gall mingled with our Petitions) fuch a Prayer cannot be from the Dovc-li~e Spirit of God, _which is meek and gentle; and makes thofe fo who are led and it1fpired by him. Every p1rty and perfuafion of Men is very reJdy boldly to prefcribe unto God thofe Ways and Methods by which he ought to he glorified; and if any Ch11l but queftion their Principles, or oppofe their rafh. aud unwarr:mtJble Proceedings, their touchy Zeal is frraight kindled, and nothing Iefs than folemn Prayers mufl: be made, to devote flich an one to ruin and dcftrnd:ion, as an Enemy to God and to Religion. Here's fire indeed ! but it is Wildfire kindled from beneath, the Fewel of it is Fad:ion, POpularity, Pride, Con.tenti~ on, and vain Glory:, and it fends forth a great deal of fmolk from corrupt and inordi nate P:tffions. Or SecondLy, If there be none of th~ former Incentives to heat them; then our 2 • Duties are commonly vc~y cold and h~a_rtlefs ;. o~r PraYers are dull and yawning, ~nd dr?p over our L1ps Without any fpmt or life m them : How often do we beg God to hear us, when we fcarce hear our felves; and to grant us an anf\ver, when we fcarce know what it is that we have askt? We make out· Requell:s (o coldly and indifferently). as if we only begg'd a Denial. So likewife in our hearing of the Word we bring with us very night and prophane Spirits to thofe holy and lively Oracles; what elfe. means the vagrancy and wanderings 'Of our Thoughts, our l.ny and unbe~ feemiug Poll:urcs, which would be counted rude and unmannerly to be ufed in the prefence of fome of thofe that are here w_ith us, were they any where elfc but in the C_hurch? What means our wearinefs, our watching every S:md thlt runs) our defpl~ng the Simplicity of the Gofpel, our prizing the found qf Words more than the wetght of Things, but efpecially our indulged Sloth aQ.d Drowzinefs? a Sin that I ha.ve obferved too common in this place. What, cannot you watch with God one hour? Do we fpeak Poppy and Opium to you? Or do you cxped that God will now · yeveal himfelf to Y?U in Dre~m~?. , Hav~. ye not H?nfes, have y_c not Beds to fleep 111; or do you dcfp1fc the Church of Chnlt? Certatnly God reqmres our mort wakc0 Bb M
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