and ftate. Strange indeed! that when we confider the great and eternal God with whom we have to do, we fhould find fo much difficulty in maintaining a ferious and attentive frame of fpirit that when we lie under fo great and unfpeakable obligations to his mercy, our fenfe of gratitude should be fo weak and languid! that when we have bleffings to afk of fo ineftimable value, we should notwithstanding do it with fo much indifference! And what is ftranger ftill, are there not many who have tasted, in fome degree, the sweetness and confolation of communion with God, and yet are ready to return to a ftate of coldness and negligence!

I am perfuaded I need not tell any ferious perfon in this affembly the danger or frequency of the Chriftian's being feized with a flothfulnefs, coldness, or fecurity of fpirit. It is probable many are at this moment inwardly ashamed on being thus barely put in mind of it. How often is it the reproach and ftain of all our wor⚫ hip, in public, in family, and in fecret! how eafily do we degenerate into a form! how hardly is the spirit and affection kept alive! How many are there over whom confcience has fo much power, that they neither dare abfent themselves from public ordinances, nor difcontinue the form of fecret duty; and yet they may continue long in a heartless, lifeless, and unprofitable attendance upon both! Times of deep conviction, of heavy affliction, or haraffing temptation, are more diftreffing; but they are not fo enfnaring, as this leprofy that creeps up

оп

The o

on us in a season of quiet and ferenity. ther difficulties, if I may fpeak fo, force us to wrestle with them, because they leave us no peace; but this tempts us to fit ftill under it, becaufe it. gives us no disturbance.

He that wrestles with God in prayer, then, muft maintain a conflict with the flothfulness of his own fpirit, and endeavour to preserve that vigour and fervency of affection fo neceffary to the right performance of the duty. You will fay, perhaps, With what propriety is this called wrestling with God? it is rather wrestling with himself. But when we confider, that every gracious difpofition must come down from above, from the Father of lights, and author of every. good and perfect gift; and, in particular, that the spirit of prayer is one of his most precious and excellent gifts; the juftnefs and propriety of this language will manifeftly appear. The coldness of our hearts, and deadness of our af fections in worship, ought, on the one hand, to be imputed to, ourselves as the immediate and finful caufe, and, on the other, may be confi. dered as a part of God's moft holy providence, who withdraws his Spirit in righteous judgement. Thus the Pfalmift very beautifully fays, Pf. lxv. 4. "Bleffed is the man whom thou chufeft, "and caufeft to approach unto thee, that he "may dwell in thy courts." And thus the fpirit of fupplication is a remarkable gospel-promife: Zech. xii. 10. "And I will pour upon the house "of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufa"lem, the fpirit of grace and of fupplications,

"and

" and they shall look upon me whom they have "pierced, and they fhall mourn for him, as one "mourneth for his only fon, and shall be in "bitternefs for him, as one that is in bitterness "for his firft-born."

;

My brethren, there is the greatest reafon for every Chriftian, not only to wrestle against a flothful difpofition as a fin, but to fear its influence as a judgement; for if among spiritual judgements it holds a chief place, when God giveth"the spirit of flumber; eyes that they "should not fee, and cars that they should not "hear;" it ought to be treated in the fame man. ner with all other obftructions, that is to fay, encountered by vigorous refiftance. Like all other enemies, it acquires courage by fuccefs like all other fins, it is ftrengthened by indulgence. And yet, alas! how often is this very circumftance made ufe of as an excufe for the omiffion of prayer? When the Chriftian finds himself lifeless and indifpofed to prayer, it makes him either neglect it altogether, or flur over the performance in a careless and triffing manner, faying to himself, I am not now in a fit temper for it.' Nay, fometimes he reafons himself even religioufly out of his duty, faying, 'dishonour God by fuch a heartless and therefore I had better delay it

a frame that is fitter for it.' But

I fhall but facrifice; till I be in

if the time

and other circumftances call for the duty, our own indifpofition of heart is, of all others, the moft foolish and criminal excufe,

better would it be to wrestle as

How much.

Jacob in the

text, and infift upon the bleffing; which cannot be more fenfibly illuftrated with respect to this particular branch, than by mentioning to you a refolution which an eminent Christian entered into for his own practice: That he would not be baffled by a treacherous fpirit; for he would never give over the work of praise, till his affections were stirred, and he was brought to a sense of gratitude for divine goodness; and that he would never give over enumerating and confeffing his fins, till his heart was melted in contrition and penitential forrow!

5. I may mention one other difficulty with which we have to struggle in prayer, viz. when it pleases God to poftpone, for a season, his compliance with our requests. Though his ears are always open to the cry of his people, he fometimes carries in fuch a manner, as if they were faft closed against them. Though their petitions be offered up in faith, and on a subject agreeable to the will of God, they may not al ways be granted in the manner, in the measure, or in the season that they themselves defire, or even in their imperfect judgement may think moft proper. Many examples might be given of this. A minifter praying for the fuccefs of his labours, may be heard in mercy, though it do not happen fo foon, and though he cannot fee it fo clearly, as it is natural for him to defire. He may have many feals of his ministry, although he meet with disappointment. in fome of thofe on whom he looked with the

most favourable eye. A parent may pray for

the

the falvation of his children, and his defires may have gone up with acceptance before the throne, although the accomplishment be yet far diftant, and they feem, for the time, to increase unto more ungodlinefs. An afflicted perfon may have actually obtained the fanctified improvement of his affliction, although he cannot yet perceive the ends of divine providence in it, the comfortable discovery of which may be a feast reserved for him at fome future feafon; or, in general, a mercy may be granted with advantage and increase, though it be fufpended for a time.

In this interval, however, the Christian's eyes may be ready to fail with looking long; he may be in danger of ceafing his application, or abating his fervour, through defpair of fuccefs. Therefore we have many exhortations in fcripture to perseverance and importunity in prayer. We are exhorted to pray without cea fing, and to continue inftant in prayer. Our Saviour, Luke xviii. 1. fpoke a parable on purpose to teach men, that they ought always to pray, and not to faint: Heb. x. 36. 37. "For ye have need of patience; that after ye "have done the will of God, ye might receive "the promise. For yet a little while, and he "that shall come will come, and will not tarry." Habakkuk ii. 3. "For the vifion is yet for "an appointed time, but at the end it fhall "speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for "it, because it will furely come, it will not tar"ry." To which paffage I fhall only add Lamentations, chap. iii. 25. 26. "The

Lord is

"good