abroad, steals to bed at night, for fear of a chiding from his father. Sin and prayer are such contraries, that it is impossible at one stride to step from one to another. It is an ill time when the fountain is stopped or muddied, to go to draw water. If the workman's tools be blunt, no work can well be done till a new edge is set on them. It is the devil's policy, thus to disturb and unfit the Christian for duty, that he may leave it undone. Therefore, be it thy first care to keep the fountain of thy heart clear, remembering that from it those holy afi'ections, which in prayer thou art to pour forth to God, must be drawn. Look thou lendest not any power of thy soul to be Satan's instnunent in sin's foul work, lest thou find it out of order when thou art to use it in this spiritual service. A good servant will not have her dishes foul when tliey should be used, but clean, and ready against they are called for. ' If a man, therefore, purge him- self from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified and meet for the master's use, and prepared for every good work.' Secondly, If thou findest guilt contracted, and, consequently, a fear to come so nigh God, as this duty will bring thee, yea, an estrangement also upon thy heart from this work, thy best way is speedily to sue for pardoning mercy and purging grace. New breaches are made up better than long quarrels : new wounds are healed easier than old sores. Get thee to the throne of grace. Water the earth, if thou canst, with thy tears, and fill heaven with thy sorrowful sighs for thy sin ; but by no means shift off thy duty on this pretence; for that is not the way to mend the matter, but make it worse. Jonah did ill to consult his credit rather than the exaltation of God's mercy; and how he shoidd come honourably oflTwith his embassy, than how the name of the great God, his master, that sent him, might be magnified. But he did worse when these sinful thoughts, stii-red in him, (which he should have humbled himself for,) made him run away from his Master's work also.
Thus, Christian, it is ill done of thee to make a breach in thy holy course, by tampering with any sin ; but thou wilt connnit a greater, if thou turnest thy back on God also in that ordinance where thou shouldst hiunble thyself for thy former sin. Can one sin be a good argument for committing another ? Thou hast fallen into sin in the day, wilt thou not, therefore, pray at night? Surely it were better to beg of God forgiveness of this, and more grace, that thou mayest not do the like to-morrow. Neglect of duty is not the way to help thee out of the pit thou art in, nor keep thee from falling into another. Take lieed thou I'un not farther into temptation. Now is the time for the devil to set upon thee, when this weapon is out of thy hand. The best thou canst look for is a storm from God to bring thee back to thy work again ; and the sooner it comes, the more merciful he is to thee.
Section III. — If, upon faithful inquiry, thou findest not thy heart reproach thee with having indisposed thyself for duty by any known sin in the course of thy life, and yet thy heart continues hunpish and unfit for prayer, then pro- bably thou wilt think thyself tardy in thy actual preparation for the duty. Hast thou solemnly endeavoured, by suitable meditations, to blow the coal of thy habitual grace which, though not quenched by any gross sin, yet may be deadened and covered with some ashes by thy being over busy in thy worldly employments ? The well is seldom so full that water will at first pumping flow forth ; neither is the heart commonly so spiritual, after our best care in our worldly converse, (much less when we somewhat overdo therein) as to pour itself into God's bosom freely, withoxit something to raise and elevate it ; yea, often, the springs of grace lie so low, that pumjjing only will not fetch the heart up to a praying frame, but argvnnents must be poured into the soul before the afiections rise. Hence are those soliloquies and discourses which we find holy men use with their own hearts to bring them into a gracious tempei", suitable for communion with God in ordinances: ' Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me bless his holy name : Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,' Psa. ciii. 1,2. It seems David either found or feared his heart would not be in so good a frame as he desired, consequently he redoubles his charge: he found his heart somewhat drowsy, which made him thus rouse himself. Sometimes calling and exciting the heart will not do, but the heart must be chid : so David was fain to deal with himself at another time ; Psa. xlii. 5, ' Why art thou cast down, O my soul! and why art thou disquieted in
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