Use 2. It informeth us of a necessary truth ; if we must pray ever- more, then there must be an endeavour to keep up our hearts still in a praying temper, or in a disposition to go to God upon all occasions, that when God offereth these occasions, there may not want a suitable frame of heart. The disposition and temper of heart fit for prayer
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must never be lost. Satan is a great enemy to tliis commerce with God, and our hearts soon grow unfit for it. It is a difficult thing to keep up this praying frame, yet this must be a christian's constant work and care. The whole spiritual life is but a watching unto prayer. Now this praying frame lieth in three things —
1. A broken-hearted sense of our spiritual wants. We have a quick and tender feeling of bodily wants, for these are evident to natural sense, and we love the body more than the soul, and are tender of our bodily interests ; but we should be alike affected with soul-necessities, or else there will be no life in our prayers, God 'filleth the hungry with good things, and the rich he hatli sent empty away,' Luke i. 53. The poor in spirit do most mourn before the Lord, and hunger and thirst after righteousness : Mat. v. 3-6, ' Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.' Now, that which hindereth this brokenness of heart is carnal pleasures, which bring on a brawn and senseless deadness upon the soul. Therefore the apostle saith, 1 Peter iv. 7, ' Be sober, and watch unto prayer.' Now sobriety is a sparing use of sensual and worldly delights, or a moderation in all earthly things. This you must labour after, if you would keep up your cor- respondency with God by prayer in a lively manner.
2. A strong and earnest bent of heart towards God and heaven, and so towards spiritual and heavenly things : Isa. xxvi. 9, ' With my soul have I desired thee in the night ; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early.' Tlie soul that is set to seek the Lord is most fit for this duty. But unless the heart be thus set towards God and heavenly things, prayer will be as a customary task ; we shall ask for fashion's sake, pray from our memories rather than our conscience, and from our conscience rather than heart and affections ; or from affections actually excited and stirred, rather than from an heart renewed, or that habitual bent and tendency towards God which is at the bottom of prayer. The heart sensibly stirred in one duty may do well for the time, but it is soon lost, and controlled and mastered by contrary affections. That which doth habitually dispose and incline you to pray always is the fixed bent of heart towards God and heaven. There are three agents in prayer, as in every holy duty — the human spirit, the new nature, and the Spirit of God. The human spirit, or my natural faculties, that by my understanding I may work upon my will and aftec- tions, and rouse up myself ; for the Holy Ghost doth not work upon a man as upon a block. Then the new nature, which inclineth us to God as our chief good and last end ; for the Holy Ghost doth not blow as to a dead coal. Then the divine Spirit, which exciteth those graces in us which incline us to God ; as faith or a belief of his being, provi- dence and covenant, love and desire of the full fruition of him in the heavenly glory, and hope of the means and end ; of the means by which we attain the end, and the end that we shall thus enjoy by the means. These are the three agents in prayer and every holy work. I must do something as a reasonable creature, something as a new creature, and the Spirit influenceth all. The second we are now speak-
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ing of, the new nature or inclination to God ; which inclination is not barely natural as the inclination of creatures without life, as in fire or hght bodies to ascend, or in a stone or heavy bodies to descend ; but voluntary, as in a rational agent, and therefore it is not so indecliuably set but it needeth to be strengthened, excited, and increased in us ; and this I now press you to if you would keep up your praying frame.
3. There is a liberty or confidence which ariseth from our peace and friendship with God : 1 John iii. 21, ' If our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence, ix-apprjo-iav, towards God.' When we walk unevenly, we grow shy of God; our mouths are shut, our prayers choked in the utterance. Therefore we should take heed we do not interrupt our peace : 1 Peter iii. 7, ' Dwelling as heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.' Our access to God in prayer can- not be carried on so cheerfully unless we walk orderly and peaceably in our relations. A christian is very careful that he may not interrupt his communion with God, but must avoid heinous wounding sins. And because, do what we can do, daily infirmities will break out, he often renews his covenant with God, that his heart may be settled.