fain persuade himself there is no God ; and when he hath got so far the mastery of his conscience as to blot God out of his creed, he then soon leaves him out of his paternoster, Psa. xiv. 1.
But some will ask, if I think that any, where the gospel is preached, neglect prayer on this account ? I do ; and, which is more, I think there are worse atheists to be found under the meridian light of the gospel than in the darkest nook in America. As weeds grow rankest in richest groimds, and fruits ripest in hottest climates, so do sins grow to the greatest height where the gospel sun climbs highest. * Who is blind, but my servant? — and blind as the Lord's servant,' Isa. xlii. 19. Who are such atheists as those that have their eyes put out by the light of the gospel? The poor Indians' little knowledge of a God is for want of light, which may be cured when it is brought to them; but if a judiciary atheism (as that in gospel times and places commonly is) falls upon a soul so rebelling against the light, this is incurable ; here the very visual faculty is perished, and the eye bored out.
CHAPTER VI.
AN EXHORTATION TO THE SAINTS, THAT THE'X ABOUND IN THIS DUTY.
Christian, be you provoked to ply this oar more diligently : if this be neg- lected, a universal decay of all your graces follows. When the ports and havens of a kingdom are blocked up, that the merchant cannot go forth, there follows a damp on all the inland trade, so that an enemy needs not strike a stroke, but stand still to see them eat up one another. The psalmist tells us of a stream which makes glad the city of God, Psa. xlvi. 4. The promise is this stream, upon which the saints have all their provisions brought to their doors : if this be kept open, Satan cannot much distress them, which is done when they can send out their prayers on this stream to heaven ; but if once this trade be stopped, then they are hard put to it. It is observed of our neighbours in the Netherlands, that whereas other nations are generally made poor by war, they have grown rich by it, because by their wars they enlarge their trade. And if thou wouldst thi-ive by all thy temptations, thou must tak§ the same course ; whatever thou dost, stop not thy trade with heaven. God hath (to make thee more diligent in this duty) so ordered things, that all the treasure of the promises is to be conveyed to thee in prayer. This is like the merchant ship, ' it brings thy food from afar.' If thy mercies were of the growth of thy own country, thou mightest spare a voyage to heaven : but, alas ! when thy storehouse is full, if no supplies come to thee from heaven, how soon woiddst thou be brought, with the poor widow, to eat thy last cake, and die ? It was not her little meal in her barrel, nor oil at the bottom of her cruse, but God's blessing multiplying them, that made them hold out so long : so it is not thy present grace, strength, or comfort, but God's feeding these with a new spring, that thou must live upon : cease pi-aying, and the oil of grace will cease running : ' Ye have not, because ye ask not.' And when the store is spent, the city must yield. As thou wouldst not fall into Satan's hands, keep up a good correspondence with God at the throne of grace. Satan hath received so many overthrows by the saints' prayers, that he trembles at the force of this great ordinance of Heaven. This is the mighty voice of God in his saints, which shakes these mountains of pride, divides the flames of their fiery temptations, and makes them cast forth their abortive counsels to their shame and disappointment ; ' O Lord, I pray thee turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness;' 2 Sam. xv. 3L This one prayer made both Ahithophel a fool, and him that set him on also, defeating the wisdom both of man and devil. Satan hath such an impression of dread upon him, from the remembrance of what he hath suffered trom prayer, that he will try every way to obstruct thee in it. What do we ? said the Pharisees concerning Christ, for this man does many miracles ; if we let him alone, the Romans will come, and take away both our place and nation. Satan cannot deny but great wonders have been wrought by prayer. As the spirit of prayer goes up, so his kingdom goes down. It is of the royal seed ; he can no more stand before it, than fall- ing Haman before rising Mordecai. And, therefore, seeing this is likely to do thee such great service against him, it behoves thee the more to defend it from
PRAYING ALWAYS, ETC. QS^
his stratagems. Because the great artillery of an army is so useful to it, and formidable to the enemy, it hath a strong guard set about it. Now Satan's stratagems against prayer are three. First, If he can, he will keep thee from prayer. If that be not feasible, — Secondly, He will strive to interrupt thee in prayer. And, Thirdly, If that plot takes not, he will labour to hinder the success of thy prayer.
CHAPTER VIL