38 i Christ's kingdom and
thereunto are opposed and slighted? When we do sometimes wait upon God, do not many seem to ask amiss, to spend it on their lusts ; — not waiting on him poor, hungry, empty, to know his will, to receive direction from him; hut rather going full, fixed, resolved, settled on thoughts, perhaps prejudices, of our own, — almost taking upon us to prescribe unto the Almighty, and to impose our poor, low, carnal thoughts upon his wisdom and care of his church? Oh, where is that holy and that humble frame wherewith at first we followed our God into the wilderness, where we have been fed and clothed, preserved and protected for so many years? Hence is it that the works of God are become strange, and terrible, and dark unto us ; and of necessity some of us, many of us, must shut up all with disappointment and sorrow. We fill our souls boldly, confidently, with cross and con- trary apprehensions of the intendments of God, and of the mediums whereby he will accomplish his ends; and do not consider that this is not a frame of men who had given up themselves to the all-suffi- ciency of God. Some, perhaps, will say, this belongs not unto them; they have waited upon God, and they do know his mind, and what are the things he will do, and are not blind also, nor in the dark, as otlier men. But if it be so, " what means this bleating of sheep and oxen in mine ears?" yea, what means that roaring and foaming of unquiet waves which we hear and see ; — ^hard speeches, passionate re- proaches, sharp revilings of their brethren, in boundless confidence, endless enmity, causing evil surmises, biting, tearing, devouring tenns and expressions, casting out the names of men upright in then gene- rations, saying. The Lord be praised? When the Lord discovers his mind and will, it settleth the heart, composeth the mind, fills the soul with reverence and godly fear, conforms the heart unto itself, — fills it with peace, love, meekness, gentleness. And shall we be thought to have received the mind, the will of God, when om- hearts, words, ways, are full of contrary qualities? Let it be called what it ^vill, I shall not desire to share in that which Avoidd bring my heart into such a frame. Well, then, beloved, take this for your first di- rection: Be more abundant with God in faith aud prayer, deal with him in public and private, take counsel of him, l)end your hearts through his grace to your old frame, when it was your joy to meet in this place, — which now, I fear, to many is their burden. Seek the Lord and his face, " seek him while he may be found." And hereby, —
[1.] You will empty your hearts of many porploxiiig contrivances of your own, and you will find faith in this conumuiion with God, l;y little and little, working out, killing, slaying these prejudices and presumptions which you may be strong in, that are not according to tlie will of God; so you be sure to come not to have your own lusts
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and carnal conceptions answered, but to have the will of God ful- filled. When men come unto the Lord to have their own visions fulfilled, it is righteous with God to answer them according to those visions, and confirm them in them, to their own disturbance, and the disturbance of others.
[2.] You shall certainly have peace in your otun hearts in the all-suf- ficiency of God. This he mil give in upon your spirits, that whatever he doth, all his ways shall be to you mercy, truth, faithfulness, and peace ; — yea, the discoveries which you shall have of his own fulness, sweetness, suitableness, and the excellency of things which are not seen, will work your hearts to such a frame, that you shall attend to the things here below, merely upon the account of duty, with the gTeatest calmness and quietness of mind imaginable.
[3.] You shall surely know your own particular paths, wherein you ought to walk in sei-ving God in your generation. Those that wait upon him, he will guide in judgment; he will not leave them in the dark, nor to distracted, divided, piercing thoughts. But whatever others do, you shall be guided into ways of peace. This you shall have when the lusts of men will neither let themselves nor others be at quiet. Oh, then, return to your rest; look to Him from whom you have gone astray. Take no more disturbing counsel with yourselves, or others; renew your old frame of humble dependence on God, and earnest seeking his face. You have certainly backslidden in this thing. Is the Lord not the God of counsel and wisdom, as well as the God of force and power, that you run to hun when in a strait in your actions, but when your counsels seem sometimes to be mixed ^rith a spirit of difficulty and trouble, he is neglected? Only come mth humble, dependmg hearts ;— not every one to bring the devices, imaginations, opinions, prejudices, and lusts of their own hearts, be- fore him.
(2.) For the troubles that arise from the lusts of other men, and that about the gosjiel and the 2}ro2Jagation thereof (the tumultuat- ing of the lusts of men in reference whereunto I gave you an account of formerly), there are many piercing thoughts of heart. What ex- tremes, I had almost said extravagances, men have in this matter run out into, I shall now not insist upon ; only I shall give you a few directions for your own practice.