Instance 1. And first, for convictions of ungodliness. There are many that call themselves Christians, whose consciences tell them God is to be daily and duly worshipped by them, both in family and closet-prayer. It sets before them tJoshua's pious practice, Joshua xxiv. 15. " As for me and my house, we will serve the " Lord.'' They know God is the founder, the owner, the master of their families ; that all family-blessings are from him, and there- fore he is to be owned, acknowledged, and sought, in daily family prayers and praises. It tells them the curse of God hangs over prayerless families, Jer. x. 25. and that they live in the inexcusa- ble neglects of these duties, seldom worshipping God with their families, or in their closets ; and that therefore they live without God in the world. And dreadful will the account and reckoning be at the great day, for their own souls, which they have starved for want of closet-prayer, and for the souls committed to their charge, which perish for want of family-duties. This is the case of many, who yet will needs pass for professors of Christianity.
Lord, how sad a case is here ? How can men possibly hve in the daily neglect of so great, so necessary a duty ? Certainly it is not for want of light and conviction ; the very light of nature, if we had no Bibles, discovers these duties. But three things hold this truth of God dictated by men's consciences in unrighteousness, viz.
1. The love of the world,
2. Consciousness of inability.
3. A disinclined heart.
1. The love of the world chokes this conviction in the souls of some : and they think it enough to plead for their excuse, the want of opportunities, and many encumbrances they have, which will not allow them time for these duties. The world is a severe task-master, and fills their heads and hands all the day witli cai'es and toils.
And must the mouth of conscience then be stopped with such a plea as this ? No ; God and conscience will not be answered and put off so. The greatest number of persons in the world, from whom God hath the most spiritual and excellent worship, are of the lower and poorer rank, Psal. Ixxiv. 20. James ii. 5. And it is highly probable your necessities had been less, if yoiu" prayers had been more. And what sweeter outlet and vent to all these trou- bles can you find than prayer ? This would sweeten all your la- bours and sorrows in the world,
2. Conscimisness and sense of inability atid want of gifts, restrain this conviction m others. Should they attempt such duties before
S80 AN APPENDIX TO ENGLAND'S DUTY.
others they shall but expose their own ignorance and shame.
But this is a vain pretence to shake oiF duty. The neglect of prayer is a principal cause of that inabihty you complain of; gifts, as well as grace, groAv by exercise. To him that hath shall be givcin, and he shall have more abundantly. And besides, it is the fruit of pride, and argues your eye to be more upon your own honour than God's. The Lord regards not oratory in prayer ; your broken expressions, yea, your groans and sighs please him more than all the eloquence in the world.
3. But the principal thing that restrains men from obeying their convictions as to family and closet prayer, is a disinclined heait ; that is the root and true cause of these sinful neglects and omis- sions. You savour not the sweetness of these things, and what a man rehshes no sweetness in, or finds no necessity of, is easily omitted and let pass.
But woe to you that go from day to day self-condemned for the neglect of so known, so sweet, and so necessary a duty ; if our hearts condemn us, Goi is greater than our hearts, 1 John iii. 20. He that lives without prayer is dead whilst he lives ; and let men talk what they please of secret communion with God, I am sure, if religion did thrive in the closet, it would never be banished out of the family. The time is coming also when death will dis- band and break up your families, separate the wife from the hus- band, the child from the parent, the servant from the master ; and then where shall you find relief and comfort, who have spent your time together so sinfully and vainly, I cannot tell, nor what account you can give to God in the great day. Think sadly on these things, they are worth thinking on.
Instance % A second instance of ungodliness continued in under the convictions of conscience, y& formality in all the external duties of rehgion and ordinances of God. Have not the consciences of some of you often, and plainly told you, that though you be often engaged in the public duties of hearing, prayer, &c. yet your hearts are not with God in those duties .? They do not work after communion and fellowship with him therein. It is no- thing but the force of education, custom, and care of reputation brings you there.
Such a conviction as this could it work home, and do its work thoroughly, would be the salvation of thy soul ; were power added to the i'orm, as conscience would have it, thou wert then a real Christian, and out of the danger of hell. The want of this thy conscience sees will be thy ruin, and accordingly gives thee plain warning of it. O what pity is it such a conviction as this should be held in unrighteousness ! But so it is in very many souls, and that on several accounts.
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1. Because hypocrisy is so odious and abominable a sin, that men are loth to own and acknowledge it, how guilty soever they be of it. What, dissemble with God, and play the hypocrite with him ! it is so black and foul a crime, that men cannot easily be brought to cha)-ge themselves with it. They may have the infirmities which rae common to the best of men, but yet they are not hypo. crites. Thus pride of heart casts a chain upon conviction, and binds it, that it cannot do its work.
2. It is a cheap and easy way to give God the external service and worship of the body, but heart-work is hard work. To sit or kneel an hour or two is no great matter : but to search, humble, and break the heart for sin ; to work up the dead and earthly affec- tions into a spiritual heavenly frame, this will cost many a hard tug. It is no severe task to sit before God as his people, whilst the fancy and thoughts are left at liberty to wander which way they please, as the thoughts of formal hypocrites use to do, Ezek. xxxiii. 31. but to set a watch upon the heart, to summon in the thoughts of God, to retract every wandering thought with a sigh ; this is dif- ficult, and the difficulty over-powers conviction of duty,
3. The atheism of the heart quenches this conviction in men's souls. Formality is a secret invisible sin, not discernible by man ; the outside of religion looks fair to a man's eye, and so long it is well enough, as if there was not a God that trieth the hearts and the reins. Thus, when a beam of light and conviction shines into the soul, a cloud of natural atheism over-shadows and darkens it.