moniing till night ! Secondly, No passage of tky life is so small wherein thou mayest not fall into some great danger. How many have been choked with their food at their own table, — received their deadly wound by a beam from their own house ! Knowest thou what will be the end of any action when thou beginnest it? Joseph was sent by his father to see his brethren in the field, and neither of them thought of a longer journey ; yet this proved the sad occasion of his captivity in a strange land. Job's servants wei-e destroyed with lightning from heaven when they were abroad about their master's business. Where canst thou be safe if Heaven's eye be not on thee? A slip of thy foot as thou walkest, or a trip of thy horse as thou ridest, may break thy bones. O, what need then of a God to make thy path plain before thee ! Is it he that preserves man and beast? And canst thou have faith to expect his protection, when thou liast not a heart to bespeak it in thy humble prayers at his hand ? What reason hath God to take care for thy safety, who carest not for his honour ?
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE SECOND IMPORTANCE OF PRAYING IN ALL CONDITIONS ; AND WHY THIS DUTY IS SO TO BE PERFORMED.
To pray always, may import as much, as to pray in all conditions ; that is, in prosperity, as well as in adversity. Indeed, when God afflicts, he puts an espe- cial season for prayer into our hands ; but when he enlargeth our state, he doth not discharge us of the duty, as if we might then lay it aside, as the traveller doth his cloak when the weather is warm. Prayer is not a winter garment: it is then to be worn indeed, but not to be left off in the summer of prosperity. If you would find some at pi'ayer, you must stay till it thunders and lightens; and not go to them except it be in a storm. These are like some birds that are never heard to cry or make a noise but in or against foul weather. This is not to pray always; not to serve God, but to serve ourselves; to visit God, not as a friend, for love of his company, but as a mere beggar for relief of our present necessity; using prayer as that pope is said to have used preaching, for a net to procure some mercy we want, and when the fish is got, then to throw away the duty. Well, Christian, take heed of this ; thou hast arguments enough to keep this duty always on its wheels, let thy condition be what it will. First, Pray in prosperity, that thou mayest speed when thou pray est in adversity; own God now, that he may acknowledge thee then. Shall that friend be welcome to us, who never gives us a visit but when he comes to borrow? This is acting the part of a beggar, not a friend. Secondly, Pray in prosperity, to prove that thou didst not pray in hypocrisy when thou wert afflicted. One prayer now, will be a better evidence for thy sincerity, than a whole bundle of duties performed in adversity. Colours are better distinguished by day-light, than by candle-light. I am sure the truth and plainness of our hearts in duty will be best discovered in prosperity. In affliction, even gracious souls have scruples upon their spirits, which they seek themselves ; pain, they fear, makes them cry, till they remem- ber that their acquaintance with God did not begin in their affliction, but that they took delight in his company before these straits drove them to him. Thirdly, Pray in jirosperity, that thou mayest not be ensnared by it. Ephraim and Manasses were brethren ; and so are plenty and for-ge/fidness, the significa- tion of their name. Prosperity is no friend to the memory, tlierefore we are cau- tioned so much to beware when we are full, lest we forget God. He is a holy man indeed, whose present prosperity doth not prove a snare to him, when it smiles most pleasingly on him. O, how hard it is to be pleased with it, and not be ensnared by it ! ' Strong drink,' Solomon saith, ' is a mocker ;' it soon puts him that is too bold with it, to shame; — prosperity doth the same. A little of it makes us drunk, and then we know not what we do. This hath often proved an hour of temptation to the best of men. You shall find, in Sci'ipture, that the saints have had their saddest falls on the most even ground. Noah, who had seen tlie whole world drowned in water, no sooner was safe on shore, but him- self is drowned in wine. David's heart was fixed when in the wilderness, but his wanton eye rolled and wandered when he walked upon the terrace of his palace. Health, honour, riches, and pleasures, with the rest of this world's
Q'jQ PRAYING ALWAYS, ETC.