distemper, be sure, at thy return to the duty, that thou chargest this lionie upou thyself with shame and sorrow. This is the only way to stay God from com- mencing a suit against thee ; ' If we judge oiuselves we shall not be judged,' 1 Cor. xi. 31. If we do not, then God will do himself justice. Indeed, thou canst not in faith pray for pardon of these sins, till thou hast shewn thyself on God's side, by entering thy protest against them. Moses took the right method ; he expressed his zeal first for God against Israel's sin, and then fell hard to the work of prayer for the pardon of it: he durst not open his lips for them to G.od, till he had vented his zeal for him, Exod. xxxii. 2(5, compared with ver. ,"0, 31. And if he took this course to intercede for others, how much mox'e shouldst thou, when thou hast to pray for the pardon of thy own sin !
Again, If thou find thy heart was warm in the work, that thj^ affections flowed out to God, and his love again to thee, take heed that no secret pride robs thee of thy new got treasure ; be humble and thankful, remembering they were not thy own wings on which thou wert carried ; and also be careful to improve these divine favours, given to encourage thee in the work, as the handfuls of ears of corn let fall for Ruth in the field of Boaz : God would not that they should stop thy mouth, but open it wider when thou comest again to pray. Did thy heart begin to melt in thy bosom ? O, now cry for more brokenness of heart ! Did thy God cast a kind look on thee ? Let it set thee a longing for fuller discoveries of his love. When the beggar sees the rich man putting his hand into his purse, he cries more earnestly. When thou seest God giving, it should em- bolden thee to ask, as Abraham, who, as God yielded, made bis approaches closer, Gen. xviii. 27.
Section II. — How the Christian should carry himself when extraordinary prayer is over ; and this lies in a holy watch upon himself. He that prays and watcheth not, is like him that sows a field with precious seed, but leaves the gate open for hogs to come and rout it up. If Satan cannot beat thee in the field, yet he hopes to have thee at an advantage when thou hast disbanded thy forces, — when the duty is over, and thou liest in a careless posture. Esau promised himself an opportunity of avenging himself on Jacob ; ' The days of mourning,' saith he, ' for my father are at hand, then will I slay him,' Gen. xxvii. 41. Thus saith Satan, The days of mourning and fasting will soon be over, he will not be always upon his knees praying, not always beating down his body with fasting, and then I will fall upon him. One of these two ways thy danger is likely to come, either by his wounding thy faith, or slackening thy care in thy obedient walking ; and if he can do either, he will give a sad blow to thy prayers. First, Look, therefore, after such a day, to thy faith : to pray, and not to exercise thy faith, is to shoot, and not look where the arrow lights. Thou hast in prayer laboured to overcome God, to hear and help thee ; now take as much pains to overcome thy heart into a quiet waiting on God, and entire confidence in him. When Jehoshaphat had ended his public fast, he stands up the next day and speaks these words to his people, that hath joined with him : ' Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem ; believe in the Lord yoiu- God, so shall ye be established ; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper,' 2 Chron. xx. 20. So when our blessed Saviour had taught his disciples to pray, then he presseth them to commit themselves and their aflairs entirely to that God to whom they prayed. Matt. vi. 2.5, &c. Tndy, else ex- traordinary prayer is but extraordinary prattle : we mock God, and our prayers will mock us, for no fruit will come of them. The hunter may want his supper, though his dogs run fast and hunt well, if, when he comes at thepi'cy, he dares not fasten upon it. Now it is faith's office to fasten on the promise, and take hold of God, without which thy loud cry in prayer is fruitless. Canst thou trust thy cause with the lawyer, after opening it to him ; and put thy life into the physician's hand, by following his prescriptions, when thou hast ac- quainted him with thy disease? and darest thou not venture thy stake in God's hand, after thou hast poured thy soul forth to him in prayer ? Why shouldst thou think omnipotency cannot help, or truth and faithfulness will not ? This is a grievous sin, to bring the name of the great Cxod into question by thy vmbelief. Yet this our Saviour complains is the usage that God meets with at their hands from whom he migiit expect better : ' Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them /
716 WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.