But how may we get tliis fervency of spirit in prayer? If tlioii hast it not, Christian, another question must precede this. How thou, who art at present in a state of spiritual death, mayest have Hfe? There must be life in the soul, before there can be life in the duty. All the rugs in the upholsterer's shop will not fetch a dead man to warmth, nor any arguments, though taken from the most moving topics in the Scripture, will make thee pray fervently, while thy soul lies in a dead state. Christ must first give thee life, and having life, there is hope of bringing thee into some heat. But if thou art a saint, it calls for thy utmost care ; and when thou hast it, keep it. As a bird cannot rise, nor stay in the air long, without some labour and motion with its wings, the saints have a spark of heavenly fire in their bosom, but this needs their care and dili- gence to keep it alive. Deadness in the heart of a saint will damp his zeal, if not cleared by daily watchfulness. Observe, therefore, what is thy chief impe- diment to fervency in prayer, and set thyself vigorously against it : if thou art i-emiss in this, thou wilt be much more so in prayer itself. He that knows of a slough in the way, and mends it not before he takes his journey, bath no cause to wonder when bis chariot is laid fiist in it. Certainly were not the firmament of the saint's soul cooled with some malignant vapours, that arise from within his own breast, and weaken the force of divine grace in him, it would be summer all the year long with him ; his heart would be ever warm, and his affections lively in duty. Look, therefore, narrowly whence thy cooling comes ; perhaps thy heart is too much let out upon the world in the day, and at night thy spirits are spent, when thou shouldst be in prayer. If thou wilt be hotter in duty, thou must be colder towards the world. Wood that loath the sap in it will not easily burn ; neither will thy heart readily take fire in holy duties when it is full of the world : drain therefore thy heart of these carnal affections, if thou meanest to be Vv'arm and lively in this duty. Now, there is no better way for this, than to set thy soul imder the frequent meditation of Christ's love to thee, thy relation to him, with the great and glorious things thou expectest from him ; but if you let your heart continue soaking in the thoughts of an inordinate love to the world, you will find when you come to pray, that your hearts will be in duty as a Vt'et log at the back of a fire, long in kindling, and soon out again. Perhaps the deadness of thy heart in prayer, arisetb from not having a deep sense of thy wants, and the mercies thou art in need of. Couldst thou but pray feelingly, thou wouldst pray fervently. The hungry man needs no help to teach him how to beg. Is it pardon of sin thou wouldst pray for ? First apply such considerations to thy soul, as may make thee feel its smart ; then go and sleep at prayer if thou canst. David expressing the anguish of his soul for his sin, Psa. xxxviii. 4, ' Mine iniquities are gone over my head ; as a heavy burthen, they are too heavy for me;' now, when his heart is sick with these thoughts, he pours out his soul in prayer to God, — ' All my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hid from thee,' ver. 9. Art thou to pray for others? First, pierce thy heart through with their sorrows, and by a spirit of sympathy bring thyself to feel their miseries ; then will thy heart be warm in prayer for them. Thus we read, Christ troubled himself for Lazarus, before he lifted up his eyes to heaven for him, John xi. 33, 38. It may be thy want of zeal proceeds from a defect in thy faith ; .faith is the back of steel to the bow of prayer ; this sends the arrow with force to heaven ; wiicre faith is weak, the cry will not be strong. He that goes about a business with little hope of succeeding, will do it but faintly ; the less we hope the less we endeavour. We read of strong cries that Christ put up in the days of his flesh ; mark what enforced his prayer, — ' luito him that was able to save him ;' not only so, but if you look into tliat prayer, you shall find he called upon God as his God, — ' My God, My God ;' his hold on God held up his spirit ui prayer. So in several of the saints upon record, you may see how the spirit of prayer ebbed and flowed as their faith was up and down. This made David })ress so hard upon God in his distress ; ' I believed, therefore have I spoken; I was greatly aiflicted,' Psa. cxvi. 10. This made the woman of Caanan so irresistibly importunate; let Christ frown and chide,
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