of Judea, inquired how it failed witli his brethren there ; and from the sad re- port he heai'd of their afflictions, is put into a bitter passion, which he emptied with prayers and tears for them, into the bosom of God, Neh. i. 4. How could he have done this so feelingly, had he not first been acquainted with their dis- tressed condition? We are, many of us, asking often, What news? and reading books of intelligence ; but is it as Athenians, or as Christians ? — to fill our heads or to affect our hearts ? — to furnish us with matter to talk by the fireside with our neighbours, or of prayer to our God ? Thirdly, Labour for a wide heart in prayer for all saints. God gave Solomon a large heart of knowledge and wisdom, as the sand of the sea, 1 Kings iv. 29. Behold a mercy greater than that which was granted to Solomon is here ; a large heart is better than a large head, — to do good, than to know it. Nothing is more unworthy than a • selfish spirit ; and no selfishness is worse than that which is vented in prayer. A heathen could blame that Athenian who, in a drought, prayed for his own city, but forgot that his neighbours wanted as well as himself. Many heathens were great admirers of this virtue of charity ; for instance, it was a law among the Romans, that none should come near the emperor's tent in the night, upon pain of death : now one night a certain soldier was apprehended standing near the emperor's tent with a petition to deliver unto him, who was therefore ordered to be executed; but the emperor hearing the noise from within his pavilion, called out, saying,— If it be for himself, let him die; if for another, spare his life. Being examined, it was found his petition was for two of his fellow-soldiers that were taken asleep on the watch ; so both he escaped death, and they punishment. Was this office of charity so pleasing to an earthly prince, as to dispense with a law for its sake ? O how acceptable then to our merciful God is it to intercede for our fellow-saints? But the more to provoke you to this duty : First, Pray- ing for all saints will prove that thy love toward them is sincere. A man, in praying for himself, or relations, stands not at that advantage to see the actings of pure grace, as when he prays for such as have not these carnal dependencies on him. When thou prayest for thyself in want or sickness, how knowest thou that it is any more than the natural cry of the creature ? Is it for thy family ? Still thy flesh hath an interest in the work, and may help to quicken thee, if it be not the chief spring to set thee going ; but when thy heart beats strongly with a sense of another's misery, who hath nothing to move thee but his Chris- tianity, and thou canst in secret plead with God for him as feelingly as if thou didst go on thy own errand, truly thou breathest a gracious spirit. Secondly, As it will speak for the truth of thy grace, so for the vigour of it. It is cor- ruption that contracts our hearts. They were none of the best Christians of whom Paul gives this character, 'They sought their own.' As the heart advances in grace, so it grows more public-spirited : the higher a man ascends a hill, the larger will be his prospect : his eye is not confined within the com- pass of his own wall. The carnal spirit thinks of none but himself; whereas grace elevates the soul, and the more grace a man hath, the more it will enable him to look from himself into the condition of his brethren: such a one par- takes of the nature of tlie heavenly bodies, which shed their influences down upon the whole world; especially this would speak gi'ace high in its exercise if these circumstances concur with it. 1. When a person is himself swimming in the abundance of all enjoyments, and can then lay aside his own joy to weep and mourn for and with any afflicted saints, thoxigh at ever so great a distance from them : thus did Nehemiah for his brethren at Jerusalem, when himself had all the enjoyments that a prince's court could aflPord. It is not usual for any but those of great grace to feel the cords of the church's afflictions through a bed of down : it must be a David that can prefer Jerusalem above his chief joy. 2. On the other hand, when, in the depth of our own personal troubles, we can yet reserve a large space in our prayers for other saints, bespeaks a great measure of grace. To be able to lend auxiliary prayers to other afflicted saints, when thou art engaged deeply with private sorrows, shews a very gracious spirit. 3. When in our distresses we can entertain the tidings of any other saint's mercies with joy and thankfulness; this requires great grace. The prosperity of others too often breeds envy in them that want it ; if, therefore, thou canst praise God for mercies granted to others, while the tears stand in thy eyes for thine own miseries, it is what flesh and blood never learnt thee.
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