from both which because we fhall never be utterly free in this world; therefore our devotion will never be fo conftant and uniform, but that it will have its interruptions and allays; and dulnefs and lifelefness will sometimes feize upon the best of Chriftians. But then, if this spiritual deadness in religious exercifes be fixed, conftant, and habitual, it must needs be a proof of a corrupt mind: for 'tis impoffible that there fhould be a true principle of grace within, which fhould never, or very rarely, fhew it felf in the fincerity and fervency of our devotion. How is it poffible that that man, who is generally flight and fuperficial in his confeffion, fhould have a true compunction and fincere contrition for fins? How is it poffible that he, who is generally indifferent, formal, and cold in his petitions, fhould have a just sense either of his wants or dangers; or a true value for the grace and favour of God? The fum is, deadness in duty is either general or rare, common or accidental: if it befals us commonly, 'tis an argument of an unregenerate heart; if rarely, 'tis not. But if the returns of life and deadnefs in duty be fo frequent and unconftant, that 'tis impoffible to determine whether the one or the other prevail moft; then 'tis Bb3 plain,

plain, that the ftate alfo of fuch a man iş very dubious.

2. Duty muft never be deftitute of fincerity, tho' it may of pleafure and tranfport; it must never be without ferioufnefs and concernment, tho' it may be very defective in the degrees of love and ardency. Thus in prayer, the tenderness and contrition of the foul, diffolved in love and forrow, is a frame of fpirit much above what the penitent commonly arrives at. But an averfion for fin, a firm resolution to forfake it, and a hearty defire to be enabled by the grace of God fo to do, is what he muft not want. So again, joy and tranfport, the ardor and exultancy of mind, is the ef fect of a clear underftanding, an affured confcience, an heart inflamed with love, and a ftrict life: whoever therefore falls fhort in the one, will generally fall fhort in the other too. But every Chriftian, that is truly fuch, muft have a true fenfe of his wants, a hearty defire to please God, a true notion of his goodness, and a fteddy dependence upon it through Chrift. And thefe things are fufficient to unite our hearts and our lips in the fame petitions: to make us in earneft, in all the duties we perform, and careful to intend the main end of them.

3. The

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3. The prayer of the perfect man is nerally offered up with the tendereft and moft exalted paffion; and a holy pleasure mingles it felf in every part of his office: his petitions and praises; his confeffions, deprecations and confidences, are all of them expreffions of warm and delightful paffions. And how can we well conceive it otherwife? Muft not those praifes and Magnificats be full of joy and tranfport, which flow from a full affurance of the divine favour, from a long experience of his love, and from the glorious profpect of a bleffed eternity? Can thofe deprecations and confidences want a heavenly calm and tranquillity of fpirit, which reft upon the Mediation of Jefus, the promises of an immutable God, and the pledge of his Spirit? Can thofe confeffions want contrition, that have all the tenderness that holy zeal and the humbleft reflections can inspire them with? which are poured forth by a foul enlightened, purified, ftrong in the faith, rooted and grounded in love; by a foul confequently that has the livelieft fenfe of the deformity and danger of fin, of the beauty and pleasure of holiness, of the infinite goodness of God, and of that love of Chrift that paffeth knowledge? Can, finally, thofe petitions want defire and flame, Bb 4

which

which are offered up by a foul that hungers and thirsts after righteoufnefs, that counts all things but dung and drofs in comparifon of Jefus, that pants after God, that longs to be diffolved and to be with Christ? And as we may thus, from the nature of things, collect what kind of prayers those of the perfect man generally are; fo may we, from the example of the royal Pfalmist, and others, demonftrate all this to be no vain fpeculation, but real matter of fact. 'Tis true, weight and dignity of matter, gravity and fignificancy of expreffion, are the character moft confpicuous in publick offices, in the best and most ancient prayers: and particularly in the Lord's prayer. We find in them few or no figures of fpeech, no vehemence of expreffion. But it is true too, that the devotion of a foul difengaged, as it were, from the body, retired from the world, collected within it felf, raised by daily contemplation, and accustomed to converfe with heaven, flows naturally and easily. Thofe great ideas, which fuch a prayer as that of our Lord's compofure present to the mind, inflame the defire, awaken all the paffions of the holy man, without any labour of imagination, or artifice of words.

Thus

Thus have I confidered the nature of lukewarmness; and fhewed how far the perfect man is removed from it. My next bufinefs is, to persuade and exhort men to quit it; and become fincere and zealous. Only I muft, firft, take notice by the way, that befides idlenefs and lukewarmness, there is fometimes a third cause or occafion of unfruitfulness; which deferves never to be flighted: that is, fickleness, unfteadiness, or inconftancy. Many there are, who often purpose, project, and refolve great matters; but never bring forth any fruit to perfection: what they build one day, they throw down another. They put on as many various moral forms, as Proteus in the poets does natural ones: fometimes they are in a fit of zeal; at other times nothing but coldnefs and bare form: fometimes they are in the camp of virtue; fometimes in that of vice. In a word, they halt, like the Ifraelites, between God and Baal; and are divided and distracted between a fenfe of duty, and the love of the world and the body; be tween the checks and incitements of confcience on the one hand, and fome foolish inclinations on the other. This ftate I have had an eye to very often, nor fhall I forget it here; but fhall propofe fuch a method for the cure of lukewarmnefs and formality, as may be also of very good use to all fuch, as

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