duty ; but a day of prayer and fasting, wluM-cin they are to pinch themselves a little, this will not go down. But is there no feast except that which goes down the throat, and satisfies hunger ! Certainly this blessed duty deserves not the ill name it hath given unto it by men of sensual spirits. It is indeed to carnal wretches a heavy yoke. As the milch kine tliat carried the ark went bellowing for their calves that were taken from them, so do these in a fast-day after their employments and enjoyments of the world, which for that time they are depri- ved of. Alas ! poor creatures, as the ark was nothing but a burden to the kine, so the duty is no other to them. But the true saint, that knows what ease his poor licart feels in exonerating his conscience by hiunble confession of sin, wliat sweet satisfaction his soul meets with in conununion witli (iod, and wluit faith aiul inward peace he carries away with him from the duty, will give you another character of (iiis ordinance: he will tell y(m he had rather be fasting with God, than feasting at a king's table. What saint had not rather be fasting on the mount with Moses, than eating and playing with the carnal Israelites below the hill.' Who would not miss a meal for his body, to satiate his soul with those de- lights which the presence of God in such an ordinance affords ? Who would not take pleasm-e in mourning and weeping for sin, to have the tears he sheds dried up with kisses from his Saviour's lips ? It is indeed to him that attends only to the external part of the duty, a dry, sapless service, but to the saint, who drinks full draughts of the love of God, it is a most sweet soul- ravishing ordi- nance. The lower, exterior part of the duty, like the bottoni of Jacob's ladder, stands on the earth, and leaves the creature on the earth also, for liodily ex- ercise profits little ; but the top and spiritual part of it reacheth to heaven, and mounts the gracious soul tliither, even imto bosom communion with Ciod. There is as much difference between a saint and a carnal soul in this duty, as there is between a thief locked up with his keeper in a prison, and a scholar locking up himself in his study, to read some book that he is greatly delighted with ; to the one it is a grievous burden, to the other an incomparable pleasure.
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE SEASONS FOR EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER.
What are these special seasons wherein the Christian is to practise this duty of extraordinary prayer? First, In general, any extraordinary occasion, as it oceurreth in the course of providence in the Christian's life. This kiiul of pi-ayer is not of constant use, as ordinary prayer is : the latter is food : the former, physic ; and it were absurd to be taking physic all the yearlong: which shews the folly of the Papists in their fasts, which are holden at set times, wjiether aflairs be prosperous or not, ordinary or extraordinary ; but I would not be thought to speak against set fasts. We shall instance a few special seasons, wherein the Christian hath a fit occasion to make use of this extraor- dinary duty.
Section I. — When he is to set upon any extraordinary enterprise, wherein he may meet with great difficulty or danger, and the issue whereof will be a great mercy or affliction. Now is a fit season to take up this duty, as an excellent means whereby all mountains of intervening difficulties may be levelled, and his mulertaking crowned with happy success. Thus Esther, before she ad- ventured upon that heroic attempt of going uncalled into the king's presence, an action that carried death and danger on the face of it, to beg the life of her people, who were given up to butchery and slaughter by the king's seal, at bloody Haman's request, first goes to God by fasting and prayer, and gets all the auxiliary forces of others' prayers she can; and, attended with this convoy, she, against the Persian law, presents herself before the king, and succeeds; for, instead of losing her own life, which was forfeited bj' the law for this attempt, she reverseth the unjust judgment passed upon the life of her people, and re- coils it upon the head of him that laid the ])lot. Prayer had so unlocked and opened the king's heart, that she had what she asked at his hands. There is no such engine to facilitate and carry on any great design, as extraordinary prayer. Who could have believed that Ezra and his company of pilgrims should all get safe from Babylon to Jerusalem, being so generally hated everywhere? Now, what stratagem doth this leader of his people use to secure his passage and
-JQ^, WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.