more ease then is found, when it is poured into the lap of a confident and fympathizing friend, though unable to help; yet much more of one that can help. And, of all friends, our God is, beyond all compariton, the fureft, and moft affectionate, and moft powerful, So, Ifa. lxiii. 9. both compaffion and effectual falvation are expreffed, In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his prefence faved them in his love and in his pity be redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. And fo, refting on his love, power, and gracious promifes, the foul quiets itself in God, upon this affurance, thạt it is not vain to feek him, and that he defpifeth not the fighing of the poor, Pfal. xii. 5.

2. The foul is more fpiritually affected with its own condition, by laying it open before the Lord; more deeply fenfible of fin, and ashamed in his fight, in confefling it before him; more dilated and enlarged to receive the mercies fued for; as the opening wide of the mouth of the foul that it may be filled, Pial. lxxxi. 10; more difpofed to obferve the Lord in anfvering; and to bless him, and truft on him, upon the renewed experiences of his regard to its diftref fes and defires.

3. All the graces of the Spirit, in prayer, are stirred and exercised; and, by exercife, ftrengthened and increased. Faith, in applying the divine promises, which are the very ground that the foul goes upon to God; and Hope looking out to their performance; and Love particularly expreffing itself, in that sweet converfe, and delighting in it, as love doth in the company of the perfon loved; thinks all hours too fhort in fpeaking with him: Oh! how the foul is refreshed with freedom of fpeech with its beloved Lord! And as it delights in that, fo it is continually advanced, and grows by each meeting and conference; beholding the excellency of God, and relishing the pure and fublime pleafures that are in near communion with him. 1. Looking upon the Father VOL. II. A a

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in the face of Chrift, and using him as a mediator in prayer, as ftill it muft, it is drawn to further admiration of that bottomlefs love, which found that way of agreement, that new and living way of our access, when all was fhut up, and we to have been fhut out for ever. And then the affectionate expreffions of that reflex love, finding that vent in prayer, do kindle higher; and being as it were fanned and blown up, rife to a greater, and higher, and purer flame, and fo tend upwards the more ftrongly. David, as he doth profefs his love to God in prayer in his Pfalms, fo no doubt it grew in the expreffing, I will love thee, O Lord my ftrength, Pfal. xviii. I.; and Pfal. cxvi. 1. doth raife an incentive of love out of this very confideration of the correfpondence of prayers; I love the Lord because be bath beard, and refolves thereafter upon perfistance in that courfe, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. And as the graces of the Spirit are advanced in prayer by their actings; fo for this further reafon, because prayer fets the foul particularly near unto God in Jefus Chrift. It is then in his prefence, and being much with God in this way, it is powerfully affimilated to him by converse with him; as we readily contract their habits with whom we have much intercourfe, efpecially if they be fuch as we fingularly love and respect. Thus the foul is moulded further to the likeness of God, is ftamped with brighter characters of him, by being much with him; becomes liker God, more holy and spiritual, and, like Mofes, brings back a bright fhining from the mount, Exod. xxxiv. 29, 30.

4. And not only thus, by a natural influence, doth prayer work this advantage, but even by a federal efficacy, fuing for, and upon fuit obtaining, fupplies of grace, as the chief good; and befides all other needful mercies, it is a real means of receiving Whatsoever you fall afk, that I will do, fays our Saviour, John xiv. 13.; God having established this intercourse, and engaged his truth and goodness in it

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that if they call on him, they fhall be heard and anfwered. If they prepare the heart to call, he will incline his ear to bear; and our Saviour hath affured us, that we may build upon his goodness, and the affection of a Father in him; that he will give good things to them that afk, fays one Evangelift, Math. vii. 11.; and the Holy Spirit to them that afk it, fays another, Luke xi. 13. as being the good indeed, the highest of gifts, and the fum of all good things, and that for which his children are most carneft fupplicants. Prayer for grace doth, as it were, fet the mouth of the foul to the fpring, draws from Jefus Christ, and is replenished out of his fulness, thirfting after it, and drawing from it that way.

And for this reason it is, that our Saviour, and from him, and according to his example, the Apostles, recommend prayer fo much; Watch and pray, fays our Saviour, Math. xxvi. 41.; and St Paul, Pray continually, 1 Theff. v. 17. And our Apostle here particularly fpecifies this, as the grand mean of attaining that conformity with Chrift which he preffes; this is the highway to it, Be fober, and watch unto prayer, He that is much in prayer, fhall grow rich in grace. He fhall thrive and increase most that is bufieft in this, which is our very traffic with heaven, and fetches the most precious commodities thence. He that fets ofteneft out these ships of defire, that makes the moft voyages to that land of fpices and pearls, fhall be fure to improve his ftock moft, and have most of heaven upon earth.

But the true art of this trading is very rare. Every trade hath something wherein the skill of it lies; but this is deep and fupernatural, is not reached by human industry. Industry is to be used in it, but we muft know the faculty of it comes from above; that Spirit of prayer, without which learning, and wit, and religious breeding, can do nothing: Therefore, this is to be our prayer often, our great fuit for the Spirit of prayer, that we may speak the language of

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the fons of God by the Spirit of God, which alone teaches the heart to pronounce aright those things, that the tongue of many hypocrites can articulate well to man's ear; and only the children in that right strain that takes him, call God their Father, and cry unto him as their Father. And therefore many poor unlettered Chriftians far outstrip your school-rabbies in this faculty, because it is not effectually taught in thefe lower academies; they must be in God's own school, children of his house, that speak this language. Men may give fpiritual rules and directions in this, and fuch as may be useful, drawn from the word, that furnishes us with all needful precepts; but you are ftill to bring thefe into the feat of this faculty of prayer, the heart; and ftamp them upon it, and fo to teach it to pray, without which, there is no prayer; this is the prerogative royal of Him that framed the heart of man within him.

But, for advancing in this, and growing more skilful in it, prayer is, with continual dependence on the Spirit, to be much used. Praying much thou fhalt be bleft with much faculty for it. So then, afkeft thou, what fhall I do that I may learn to pray? There be things here to be confidered, that are expreffed as ferving this end; but for prefent this, and chiefly this," by praying thou fhalt learn to pray.' Thou shalt both obtain more of the Spirit, and find more the cheerful working of it in prayer, when thou putteft it often to that work for which it is received, and wherein it is delighted; and as both advantaging all graces, and the graces, and the grace of prayer itself, this frequency and abounding in prayer is here very clearly intended, in that the Apoftle makes it as the main of our work, and would have us to keep our hearts in a conftant aptness for it; Be fober and watch; to what end? unto prayer.

2. Sobriety is recommended; Be fober. They that have no better, muft make the beft they can of car

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nal delights. It is no wonder they take as large a fhare of them as they can bear, and fometimes more. But the Christian is called to a more excellent ftate, and higher pleasures; fo that he may behold men glutting themselves with these base things, and be aslittle moved to fhare with them, as men are taken with the pleasure a fwine hath in wallowing in the mire, 2 Pet. ii. 22.

It becomes the heirs of heaven to be far above the love of the earth; and in the neceffary ufe of any earthly things, ftill to keep within the due measure of their use, and to keep their heart wholly difengaged from an exceffive affection to them. This is the fobriety to which we are here exhorted.

It is true, that, in the most common sense of the word, it is very commendable, and it is fit to be fo confidered by a Chriftian, that he fly grofs intemper-. ance, as a thing moft contrary to his condition, and holy calling, and wholly inconfiftent with the fpiritual temper of a renewed mind, and those exercises to which it is called, and its progrefs in its way homewards. It is a moft unfeemly fight to behold one, fimply by outward profeffion a Christian, overtaken with furfeiting and drunkenness, much more to be given to the vile cuftom of it: All fenfual delights, even the filthy luft of uncleannefs, go under the common name of infobriety, intemperance, axolaria; and they all degrade and deftroy the noble foul; are unworthy of man, much more of a Chriftian; and the contempt of them preferves the foul, and elevates it.

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But the fobriety here recommended, though it takes in that too, yet reaches further than temperance in meat and drink. It is the fpiritual temperance of a Chriftian mind in all earthly things, as our Saviour: joins these together, Luke xxi. 34.; Surfeiting and drunkenness, and cares of this life: And under the cares are comprehended all the exceffive defires and delights of this life, which cannot be followed and attended without distempered carefulness.

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