deny and rcbuko, slie yet makes her appronclies nearer and nearer, gathering argiuneuts from liis very denials; and Christ tells us what kept up her spirit undaunted, 'O woman, great is thy faith ?' Maybe it proceeds from some distaste thou hast given to the Holy Spirit, who alone can blow up thy alfections ; then no wonder thou art cold in prayer, when he is gone that should keep thy heart warm. What is the body without the soul, but cold clay, dead earth ? And^the sold without the spirit is no better. O, invite bini back, or thy praying is at an end ; and if thou wouldst persuade him to return, remove what drove him away.
CHAPTER VII.
SINCERITY REQUIRED TO PRAY WITH OUR SPIRIT.
The third thing required to praying with ovir spiint, is sincerity. There maj'^ be much fervour where there is little or no sincei'ity ; and this is strange fire, not the natural heat of the new creature, which both comes from and acts for God, whereas the other is from, and ends in self. Indeed, the fire which self kindles, serves only to warm the man's own hands that makes it : ' Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks,' Isa. 1. 11. The pi'ophet represents them as sitting down about the fire they had made. Self-acting, and self-aiming ever go together ; therefore our Saviour with spirit requires truth; 'the Father seeketh such to worship him,' as will 'worship him in spirit and in truth,' John iv. 23, 24.
But wherein consists this sincere fervency ? Zeal warms the affections, sin- cerity directs their end, and shews their purity and incorruption. The affections are often strong when the heart is insincere : therefore the apostle exhorts, that we ' love one another with a pure heart fervently,' 1 Peter i. 22 ; and speaks in ano-her place of sorrowing after a godly sort, that is, sincerely. Now the sin- cerity of the heart in prayer appears, when a person prays from pure principles to pure ends. First, When he is real in what he presents to God in prayer, the index of his tongue without, and the working of his heart within, go together ; doth not declaim against a sin with his lips, which he favours with his heart ; he doth not make a loud cry for that grace, which he would be sorry to have granted him. This is the true badge of a hypocrite, who often would be loth God should take him at his word; a dismal day it will be to such, when God shall bring in their own conscience to witness against them, that their hearts never sealed the requests they made. There is a policy sometimes used by princes, to send ambassadors, and set treaties on foot when no peace is intended ; such a deceit is to be found in the false heart of man, to blind and cover secret purposes of war and rebellion against God, with fair overtures in prayer to him for peace. Secondly, When the person is not only sincere in wdiat he desires, but this from a pure principle to a pure end. I doubt not that a hypocrite in confession may have a real trouble upon his spirit for his sins, and passionately desire pardoning mercy, but not from a pure principle, a hatred of sin, but an abhorrence of wrath he sees hastening to him for it ; not for a pure end, that the glory of God's mercy may be magnified in and by him, but that himself may not be tormented by God's just wrath. He may desire the graces of his Spirit, but not out of any love to them, but only as an expedient, without which he knows that to hell he must go ; as a sick man in great pain calls for some potion he loathes, because he knows he cannot have ease except he drinks it ; whereas the sincere soul desires grace, not only as physic, but food ; he craves it not only as necessary, but as sweet to his palate; the intrinsical excellency of holiness inflames him with love to it: as one, taken with the beauty of a virgin, saith he will marry her, though he hath nothing with her but the clothes on her back ; so the sincere heart would have holiness, though it brought no other advantages with it, than what is found in its own lovely nature. Now, he that would pray acceptably, must pray thus in his spirit, that is, with the sincerity of his spirit; 'the prayer of the upright is his delight.' Nadab and Abihu were destroyed by fire, because they ' offered strange fire before the Lord,' Lev. x. 1 ; and such is all zeal, that is not taken from the altar cf a sincere heart. ' The fervent prayer' can do much, but it must be ' of a righteous man,' and such the sincere man only is. And no wonder that God
^52 ^^ "T^^ SPIRIT.