at night? Alas ! thy cowardice and sloth will get to heaven before thy prayei-, and put thee to shame, when thou comest on such an errand. The saint's prayer may miscarry from some secret grudge that is lodged in his heart against his brother. Anger and wrath ai-e strange fire to put to oiir incense. It is a law written upon every gate of God's house, (eveiy ordinance, I mean,) at which we are to enter into communion with God, that we must love our brethren. When we go to hear the word, what is the caveat, but that we should 'lay aside all malice, envy, and evil-speaking, and as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word ?' The gospel will not speak peace to a wrathful spirit. Anger and malice, like a salt-corroding humour in the stomach, make us throw up the milk of the word, that it cannot stay with us for nourishment. Is it the gospel-supper thou sittest at ? This is a love-feast ; and though it maybe eaten with the bitter herbs of sin's sorrow, yet not with the sour leaven of wrath and malice ; 1 Cor. xi. 18 : 'When ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you,' &c. Now, mark what follows, ver. 20 : 'This is not to eat the Lord's supper.' Christ will not com- municate with a wrangling, jangling company. When such guests come, he riseth from his own table, as David's children did from Absalom's upon the murder of their brother Amnon, 1 Sam. xiii. 29. And for prayer, you know the law thereof: 'Lift up holy hands, without wrath and doubting,' 1 Tim. ii. 8 ; implying that it is impossible to pray in faith and in wrath. Our prayer may be hindered two ways ; by lying in any sin we commit against God ; or in wrath, by not forgiving our brother's sin committed against us. Those two in cm- Lord's prayer cannot be divorced, ' Forgive us, as we forgive.' This is that which makes our prayers as ineffectual to us, as the plaster is to the wound in which the bullet still remains. Now the reason why God is so ciu-ious in this point is, because himself is so gracious ; and he being love, can bid none wel- come that are not in love. The heathens had such a notion, that the gods would not like the sacrifice and service of any, but such as were like themselves. And, therefore, to the sacrifices of Hercules none were to be admitted that were dwarfs ; to the sacrifice of Bacchus, a merry god, none that were sad and pen- sive, as not suiting their genius. An excellent truth may be drawn from this their folly ; he that would please God, must be like to God. Now our God is a God of peace ; our heavenly Father is merciful ; and therefoi'e to him, none can have friendly access, but those that are children of peace, and merciful as their Father is. O, watch then thy heart, that Satan's fire-balls (which upon every little occasion he will be throwing in at thy window) take not hold of thy spirit, to kindle any heart-burning in thee against thy brother. If at any time thou seest the least smoke, or smellest the least scent of this fire in thy bosom, sleep not till it is quenched ; be more careful to lay this fire in thy heart aside, when thou goest to bed, than that on thy hearth. How canst thou by prayer commit thyself into God's hands at night, when thou earnest a spai'k thereof smothered in thy breast? As a frail man, thou canst not hinder but such a spark may light on thee ; yet, if thou wilt prove thyself a Christian, and have thy prayer find God's ear or heart open to it, thou must do thy utmost to quench it in thy brother's heart, as well as thy own. It is not enough that thou earnest peace in thy heart to him, except thou endeavourest that he may be at jDcace with thee also. ' If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest thy brother hath aught against thee,'&c., Matt. v. 23 : Jerome brings in the Chris- tian here expostulating his cause with God, why he will not hear his prayer. 'What is it to me, Lord, that my brother is offended with me? I cannot help that. Wilt thou not receive my gift for his fault?' To whom he brings God thus answering : 'What is it, naughty servant, that thou sayest? I understand thy meaning : What is it to thee ? Hast thou nothing against him ? Dost thou love him ? Wherefore then wouldst not thou save his soul ? Go and beg of him to be at peace with thee, that thy bi'other's soul may be saved. ' I speak the more of this particular, being sensible what an age of temptation we live in, by i-eason of the sad differences of judgment among Chiistians, which have changed their affections into wrath and bitterness ; yea, a wonderful cure it will be, if it can be prevented from ending in an irrecovei-able consumption of love among a great part of this present generation, especially considering what malignity is dropped into these church contentions by those national divisions
PUAYINU ALWAYS, ETC. 557