Section II. — Strengthen then thy faith on the providence of God for the things of this life. A distrustful heart is ever thoughtful : whatever he is doing, his thoughts will be on that which he fears he shall lose. When the merchant's adventure is insured, (that whatever comes he cannot lose much,) his heart then is at rest ; he can eat his bread with quietness, and sleep without dreaming of shipwrecks and pirates; while another, whose estate is at sea, and fears what will become of it, O how is this poor man haunted wherever he is going, what- ever he is doing, with disquieting thovights ! If he hears the wind but a little loud, he cannot sleep for fear for his ship at sea. Truly, thus a soul by faith rolled on the promise, will find a happy deliverance from that disturbance which another is pestered with in pi'ayer ; wherefore God in particular directs us to lay this burden from our shoulders on his, when we go to pray, that no by- thoughts, arising from these cares, may disturb us. ' Be careful for nothing, but let your requests be made known to God,' Phil. iv. 6. As if he had said, Leave me to take care for your work, and mind you to do mine ; if things go amiss in your estates, names, families, I will take the blame, and give you leave to say God was not carefiil enough of you. When the males of Israel went to worship God at Jei'usalem, that they might not carry distracted minds with them, for the fear of their families left behind, without a man to fight for them if an enemy should come, God takes the special care of their families in their absence, Exod. xxxiv. 24. If we have a faithful servant, who we believe will look to our business as carefully as ourselves, this makes us go forth with a quiet spirit, and not trouble oiu'selves with what is done at home. O, then, let us be ashamed if our faith on God's providence be not much more able to ease us of the burden of distracting cares !
CHAPTER XVI.
THE LAST CAUSE OF WANDERING THOUGHTS IN PRAYER, AND ITS REMEDY.
These wandering thoughts are occasioned by the Christian's non-observance of his heart in tlie act of prayer. Let him be at never so much pains before duty, yet if he doth not watch narrowly in the duty itself, his heart will leave it, and run into a thousand vanities. The mind of man is a nimble creature: one moment in heaven, and the next on the earth : like Philip, who being joined to the eunuch's chariot, on a sudden was carried out of his sight, and found at Azotus, a place far distant. Thus our hearts are soon gone away from the duty, and taken a journey to the farthest part of the world in their wild imagination ; yea, which is worse, sometimes the mind is off and gadding, but the Christian goes on with his lip laboui', and takes no notice that his thoughts are gone astray ; as Joseph and Mary were gone a day's journey before they missed their child. Thus the Christian loses his heart in duty, and goes on with a careless formality, that sometimes the pi'ayer is almost done before he observes his spirit hath not borne him company all the way ; who, had he, at the first stepping aside of his thoughts, been aware, might have recovered and rescued them out of the hands of those vanities which stole them, as David did his wives and children from the Amalekites, without any great trouble or loss. Therefore keep thy heart with all diligence, observe whether it doth its part in the duty. As you do with your children, so you had need with your mind : haply they wait on you to church, but if not awed by your eye, they are gone, and play all the sermon tune ; to prevent which, you set them before you, that you may see their behaviour. If thou didst thus pray, observing and watching thy thoughts, thou wouldst find more composure in thy spirit than thou dost : nay, do not only observe thy thoughts in duty, but call them to a review after duty. Many go from prayer like boys from school, who think no more of their lesson till they return : they leave praying and all thoughts how they have behaved themselves in prayer together. If thou neglectest to take an account of thyself, consider that thou must give an account of thy neglect to God himself, who will have the
PRAYING ALWAYS, ETC. (J5 1