become effectual and if you slight a weaker Preacher under whose Instruction you are by the Designation of Providence and chuse to go to one more learned and pleasing you have not so good a Warrant to expect a Blessing partly because of your neglecting the appointed means for your spiritual Profit partly lest you be in danger to limit God to afford his Blessing to the Preaching of one and not of another whereas his working is as glorious if not more with a weak instrument than by a strong and it is the plain serious Sermon that I have many times found most pleasing to my self however other sorts have ravished my Senses at the time The Method I used that my hearing the Word Preach'd might be profitable was and is to examine my self whether I could assent to the Truth of what I heard from my own Experience as well as the Minister's Assertion by which I was established and comforted when my private Experience was consonant to the Doctrine of a publick Preacher But when this was wanting if the Doctrine was proved from Scripture my Petitions to Heaven have been spiritually carried forth That the Truth might be sealed to my Soul by feeling its Efficacy and I have in a short time found my Desires answered by the operations of Divine Providence and of the Holy Spirit in me The right hearing of the Word consists not in a grave outward gesture or giving ear to a Sermon either upon the Fundamental Principles of Christianity to be believ'd or the practical Duties to be perform'd but you must compare your Faith and Life with the Doctrine of the Gospel and that seriously without the intermixture of wandring Thoughts and with fervent Prayer for a Divine Blessing sometimes God is pleased to give Grace more richly by a weak than by a more able instrument This reproves many who content themselves with attendance upon the Ministry of the Word and with an outward grave behaviour in Hearing but never seek after an inward frame of Heart suitable to the Word so that a serious frame of Soul as well as a grave gesture of Body a reflecting upon and comparing it with your own Experience as well as a reflecting upon and comparing it to your own Notions I recommend to all that would hear God's Word Preach'd with profit thereby Experiences of God's Method in training me to the Knowledge of right participating the Lord's Supper PRevious to which let me premise my Opinion thereof and Practice then while only under the Notional Knowledge of Christianity and the Power of Education and that in the following Parts First That by the strength of Education I believ'd the Sacrament an extraordinary Ordinance solemnly to be gone about and extraordinarily to be prepared for wonderful Communion with God being there to be enjoy'd of which I never then had felt any Experience tho' I had once partaken of it with all seriousness by the instruction and example of others and my own Thoughts of the solemnity of that Ordinance but without any other seriousness than what is wrought by a Minister's affecting Discourse and delivery of an affecting Subject but spiritual Communion with Christ without which Sacrament Communion is unprofitable and the discovery of God's love to the Soul which Holy Ministers have spoke of as more valuable than all the World all this was Mystery to me and not desired but now blessed be his Name has been Reveal'd and Experimented in my Soul by the means of Grace Secondly When I felt an inward change in my Soul and I had clearer knowledge of the Nature and End of that Ordinance my intention and manner of performance was Spiritual and the Benefits concomitant and consequent with that Ordinance were enjoy'd It 's true that Prayer was the first Duty wherein I felt a serious hearty delight and understood fellowship with God but gradually I advanc'd to the Experience of the same delight and heavenliness of frame in other Duties and amongst the rest in that Duty of the Sacrament but without that high flight of Joy as sometimes I have had in Prayer but I still imagin'd that though I had not attain'd its experience so much in that Duty yet it was to be enjoy'd therein and that God would please in due time to give me the Sense thereof Thirdly That no sooner I had the Sense of this inward change but as soon my judgment was clear as to the repetition of this Duty of the Sacrament for before neither the Reading of the Institution nor Ministers preaching thereupon were so powerful as to induce me to its often performance which frequency I once imagin'd Sinful or at least the occasion of leading to a careless Sinful performance thereof Satan like an Angel of light disturb'd my tender Conscience with this Argument against frequent Communion That I was not to partake of the Lord's Table without a Week's solemn Preparation but I was more instructed concerning my Duty by my own Call afterward for once being in great Affliction both inward and outward I resolved to go to the Lord's Supper imagining it a season in which I could best be serious and thereby better prepar'd than when the pressure of the Affliction was over And if there were any such thing to be experienc'd as the great Comforts the Saints declar'd I might then probably feel them and accordingly did partake with greater Gravity and inward Thoughtfulness than otherwise I should have been able to do but I did not feel those raised Affections nor that inward Fellowship with God or ravishing Joy that I did expect which disappointment greatly concern'd me Satan forcing home upon me this suggestion of its being an Evidence how unprepar'd I was and what an unacceptable Sacrifice I offered to God which made me consult a spiritual Friend whose Sincerity and Judgment I had in very high value His Answer was The Spirit of God is not to be limited God's ways of imparting himself is not confin'd to the time of Partaking this Ordinance but you may judge of your right Performance by your frame before and after as well as in the Duty This greatly reviv'd me and was a mean of quieting me and of keeping me in the frequent Participation of the Ordinance the Truth of his Words I have found by many Experiences Fourthly I have sometimes found great heavenliness of frame before the Partaking of the Ordinance and sometimes after it even when in the time of the Duty I have been coldly affected and without sensible Comfort Upon hearing my complaint my Friend reply'd Though God in training you to the knowledge of himself and his ways has dealt with you as a darling Child with wonderful smiling providences think it not strange if having obtain'd his end of working Faith of Reliance he change his Method and tries the Grace he has wrought in your Soul Fifthly In the mean time this Blessed Saint being at a distance from me I often pray'd O that I had fellowship with God
and admiration of God and to a meetness for that Heaven wherein in all his Childrens Servants shall be spiritual and heavenly A Prayer spiritually perform'd seems to fly with wings by the gale of Christ's Spirit blowing upon the Soul making it sail towards God with such words and thoughts as appear more the fruit of a Divine Spirit than of great memory and judgment Let us but make observation of one man's Prayer at one time and another when the judgment 〈…〉 are left only at the helm how 〈◊〉 and faintly does his words drop though never â—o fine but when God breathes suddenly and freely upon the Soul his frame is visibly chang'd is more affecting to the hearer and is admitted to plead with God in greater familiarity with greater power and readier expression It is experimentally known how much more pleasing and affecting a spiritual Prayer is though perform'd by an illiterate hand than the Prayer perform'd by the most ingenious but unspiritual There needs no other way to converse with the experienced Christians but by bringing Experiences to their memories but for others unacquainted with experimental Christianity I hope the use of the means treated of will bring you to the same Experience and then your arguings upon Air will vanish and they 'll find the Christian Religion solid and true and filled with all solid comfort and establishment to your Souls Abandon therefore Circumstantial Niceties as evidential of your right-perform'd Prayer restrict your self to no place in performing the Duty or in debating concerning Prayer but where you find most privacy and greatest assistance towards a good frame of Soul confine your self not to morning or evening Prayer only but throughout the whole day upon any occurrency of affair or company you are call'd to distrust your self without begging God's conduct therein and if under constraint from Set-Prayer endeavour after a good frame of mind in ejaculating a Petition to God which will issue in as sweet and remarkable a return by which means the frame of your mind is kept in a continual seriousness to answer that Command of praying without ceasing as was said before and as a mean to repel forgetfulness of God And to hinder the danger of running to an extreme in lawful diversion which at this day is an occasion leading to much evil even amongst real Christians lengthen out your Prayer according to your Suits you find you stand in need of or are sensible of at the time and if you are heavenly you will lengthen it out with pleasure use form or extemporariness not because you have been so educated or because those of your Party do and plead for it but try both and then use what you find most serviceable towards a good frame of Soul These Errors being remov'd I come to give you my Experience of right perform'd Prayer not by Philosophical Definition or Distinctions there being sufficiency thereof by excellent hands already in Print but by Enlargement according to my method of experiencing the gradual steps of knowledge God was pleas'd to afford concerning Prayer in the performance and continuance of it In general therefore judge of your right performance in Prayer by the following marks which were the two I was first of all made sensible of tho' afterward others of which you shall hear in the repetition of the same two with the addition of others occur'd But I chose rather to keep them in the method of time as well as matter that they were experienced in not so much for grown Christians who have experienced the same with my self and therefore may be comfortably established thereby but for the sake of the illiterate and meer Professors though notionally learned that they and all unacquainted with Experience may be led step by step to the right knowledge and performance thereof First You may judge of your right performance of Prayer by the frame of your mind in it if spiritual and heavenly if your thoughts are carri'd upwards with sincerity and fervency the same time your words pass your lips the power of Instruction Custom or Applause having small room as Motives thereto but the obedience of God's Command the sense of your need of and insufficiency to bring about what you ask The sense of power in God and of his willingness to bestow if for your good moving you to address him after the experience whereof and strict continuance in the use of set and ejaculatory Prayer with observation of what occurs therein you will find more knowledge and enjoyment creep upon you than all the Divines on earth that ever I have met with has been able to express or impart Secondly You may judge of your right and acceptable performance by returns to your Prayers Such objections that a return may come to a Prayer and the Christian not know it to be the return or that a return may be so long deferr'd as when it comes in the Prayer that Petition'd it being out of the Christians Thoughts he is in danger of mistake by imagining the Prayers not being spiritually perform'd not accepted of God or return'd by him when the Prayer has been perform'd aright God pleased with it and yet answer'd Such Objections shall fully be answer'd in further discoursing concerning Prayer Only give me leave to say that when a return comes to a Prayer and the return not known to be such it is certain argument to me of laziness in that Christian and that a general and exact observation of the Enjoyments accompanying spiritual and continued Prayer has not been the practice of that Soul and that that Prayer has not at first been remarkt God's ways between the Praying and its return not exactly observ'd and reflected upon and consequently the return given iâ— not compar'd but unsuitably applied to notion and fancy the neglect of the observation of this God's common method extreamly hinders the knowledge of a Prayer right perform'd and really return'd and is the true and often â—â—â—â—sion of false and erroneous Thoughts both of God and our selves Again It has 〈◊〉 been my own Experience 〈◊〉 the return of a Prayer has been to 〈…〉 that at the time of the performance I have had an 〈◊〉 pâ—werful sense of God's acceptance thereof 〈◊〉 it was God's work and not my own from its sudden and powerful fixedness in my Soul neither the work of Satan or inward Corruption by reason of its effect in the Soul afterward abiding even full pleasedness and quiet of Mind concerning the Event tho' the return was deferred neither any repine but continued exercise of Resignation Love to and Reliance upon God which clearly discovers the power of a Divine Spirit these going along takes off the Thoughts of Prayers being unspiritual unacceptable or not to be return'd tho' the return be deferr'd There are many at this day under no other advancement in Christianity than its meer Profession who are constant to their Duty of Prayer but either reflect not or in reflecting upon
all his ways more strictly and pray more frequently and fervently and read and hear the Word with more application they will feel the power of Godliness reviving in their Souls and will shew forth the beauty of Holiness in their Conversation which will be convincing of others that Religion is a Divine disposition productive of fruits suitable to it A holy habit of Soul may be preserv'd in the business and diversions of the world by our constant converse with Heaven every day You have two excellent motives to this Exhortation First Because it may be done without any hindrance to your business and lawful diversions How easie is it in the morning before you enter into worldly Affairs to read a Chapter with Pool's Annotations and to give your selves and all your concerns by Prayer to the conduct of a Divine Hand to direct and succeed your lawful Endeavours How easie is it thorough the day while in the midst and course of your lawful business to direct an ejaculatory desire Lord Let my endeavour be according to Duty on my part and accompanied with a discovery of Mercy in the Event and according to the many endeavours you are active in throughout a day so many Ejaculatory Petitions in a serious frame to be repeated which you 'll observe to issue in great inward Knowledge and perhaps great success to business as an occasion of turning your many and various Ejaculatory Petitions to one solemn Duty of Praise in the evening How easy is it in an evening in your Shops or Closets to record that in such an endeavour you were kept serious with God in your thoughts and you were blest accordingly The remembrance whereof will make you ready in all your Affairs to pray for the Divine Blessing and depend upon God in doing your Duty and thankful for his succeeding your endeavours The second is That this constant looking to God in Prayer ejaculatory or solemn with the use of means will enable us to perform the works of our ordinary Callings with less trouble to our Mind and toil to our Bodies This will cure the anxiety of our Minds concerning the Event and consequently make us more moderate and orderly in the use of means It is the anxious desire of obtaining an Event the great fear of losing it that sets peoples minds on the rack to contrive means and their Bodies on the hurry to use these means and how often does unsuccessfulness accompany both Whereas by Observation of God the Governor of all things access to him for his favour in any thing is discovered to the Soul and that the dutiful use of means is successful by his favour when the eager pursuit of a desir'd thing has been ineffectual This has been verified to all by many Experiences and therefore shall add this Advice as the sum of all To use means with the same diligence as if by them alone without a Divine Hand Events were to be obtain'd To eye God with a reliance upon him for Events as much as if they were to be brought forth by him without the use of means By which Rule I would reprove the Censures against God's Children who from their dutiful diligence in business without the intermixture of pleasure in fear of losing providential opportunities in it are reputed Covetous And advise others to judge themselves by their inward aims if conform to God's Will and whatever be the Censure of Men they thereby prevent the condemning sentence of Christ the Redeemer and Judge It is neither the Character or Censure of any that ought to bound our Endeavours but the being in Duty or out of Duty and the regarding of the Lord in all our ways Reflections that must naturally follow the perusal of what is written First THAT the Author having felt such Experience of an inward change upon his Soul without any other hand of his own therein than the use of the means above recited Ought I not to believe there is a Knowledge above human Judgment and a power above natural Strength for otherwise he had continued in the same ignorance of God then appearing sufficient knowledge wherein he was involv'd for many years tho' enjoying the outward dispensation of the Gospel Secondly That it was but suitable to Christian Affection in him to endeavour that others may tread in the same steps with the same success especially finding some Ministers in their Sermons to run from plainness and experience to Rhetorick and Notion and finding the care of Christians more to run out upon arguing the Notions of Religion than the confirming Divine Truths and the establishing the Minds of others by the Seals of their own Experience If experimental Religion was more Taught in Sermons and Discourst of amongst Christians the performance of Holy Duties wherein it 's obtain'd would not be thought a meer fancy and the light and beauty of Grace would more shine in the Church of Christ A Third Meditation ensuing upon the second may be Whether you have not some longings after the same establishing Experiences If you have these longings may be kindled by the consideration of their being attainable I was once so carnal as only to look to things seen and thought the Reliance upon an unseen Superiour power to be a vain imagination but God in his excellent Mercy has convinc'd me beyond all doubt of his governing Providence that disposes of Events for the good of those who wait upon him and the same goodness will be extended to all that sincerely seek his face for ever We must regard the Word as our Rule the Spirit as our Guide to direct us by that Rule and the Dispensations of Providence correspondent to that Rule and we shall be preserv'd from the Atheistical neglect of God and from the fancies and phrensies of those who pretend to Inspiration from above and from doing those things which are directly and scandalously contrary to the reveal'd Will of God O that Christians would earnestly pray for the Holy Spirit that by his directing-light they may understand the Scriptures and by his warm impressing them on their Hearts they may feel their cleansing and comforting power but truly Christians in our day are not much concerned to mind and try the work of God in their own Souls nor seek after knowledge of him by his Operations in others The Observations of our selves and the Communion of Saints are rare Duties We live at a distance from our selves and in converse with others the subject of our discourse is the present World or Notional Religion which occasions Dissention and Faction whereas the mutual communicating of Christians to one another what God has done for their Souls and how variously according to their wants their desires their sorrows and fears he has attempered his Dispensations would be an excellent means to raise their admiration of his condescending and compassionate Goodness and of his Wisdom and establish their joyful trust in him Fourthly If you have any longing and find it
powerfully to pray for strength to resist the temptations of reproaching others either through the natural tendency thereto the common example of others or out of the tempting-design of self-applause in the disparagement of others and answerable hereto marvellous strength of Christ's Spirit was afforded me with special Providences discovering this spiritual strength accompanied with the bearing home upon my thoughts that of St. Matthew chap. 7. ver 12. All things whatsoever you would that men should do unto you do you even so with them That then I could not but observe my self against my own corrupted inclination and others example preserv'd from this too natural and common Vice even of lazy and professing Christians who by the actual remembrance of this very passage might be an excellent means to preserve them from the malignant infection of reproaching others Fifthly I experienc'd a wonderful strength to pray for a continued sense of God's All-seeing Eye as well in Conversation as in the performance of Religious Duties suitable to which not only awful thoughts of his Majesty approach'd in Duties preventing Distraction therein seiz'd me but even a powerful awe of God affected me in common and private Actions always considering any Circumstance in the Action as might destroy God's accepting thereof especially as to Acts of Charity wherein I have found such a watch over my self as I could not have been satisfied without strict enquiry Whether unwillingliness was not in the action Whether some desire of applause or only pity and natural tenderness were not the Motives of this charitable action and nothing then has been more pleasing than to find that a willingliness to obey God's Command on purpose to please him in the compassionate relief of others a chearfulness without the least intermixture of reluctancy a sincerity without the least desire of its being known were the ingredients of the Duty I desire to witness the difficulty of thus performing actions without great and actual influences of strength from above the reception whereof is often obtain'd by that blessed means of solemn or ejaculatory Prayer wherein the Spirit of Christ intercedes for his People The same Spirit of Prayer imprest upon me a sense of God's all-seeing Eye and that Scripture was continually in my Thoughts Of doing all things as unto the Lord the constant remembrance whereof I have found greatly advancing that Gospel-perfection of an unfeigned sincerity both in converse with God in Holy Duties and with one another in common Actions and Discourses Sixthly I can tell you that at another time I have been powerfully helpt to Petition for the exercise of love to God and answerable to this I have been helpt in Prayer and in worldly Business to draw forth kindlers of Love to God from all sensible circumstances of my self and others even from the poor in the Streets both as to their poverty and imperfections of Body blessing the Lord with sweet exercise of Love to him yea this Grace of Love to God has been excited from the observation of fulness and prosperity in some but with great emptiness of the inward comfort of the experiencing Christian's Soul for sensual pleasures divert their Thoughts from the observation and enjoyment of what is much more to be valued in their Nature and lasting in their Duration At this very time happening to be alone in a Coach remarking such kindlers of Love from circumstances of others appearing in the streets suddenly and strongly this suggestion forc'd it self upon my mind How was it That God did show such special favour to me beyond others yea to make me differ so much from my self in former times with amazing Thoughts of the change upon my Soul and immediately that Scripture over-awed me from corrupt rational arguing or from Satan's darkening or deviateing me from right Conceptions of God and his Ways I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion from whence happened such quiet of Mind as has by the blessing of God still'd my Thoughts perfectly as to that great point of Election which is the great effect of free unmerited Mercy and in the use of means brings the children of Mercy safely to salvation This warmly excited my Love to God having an evidence of my share in his Electing Mercy by the inseparable effects of it the work of Grace begun in me and preparing me for the Heavenly Glory A Seventh Experience was When altogether insensible of the growth of Faith and when the Lord by a marvellous method was to establish it in my Soul even then I observ'd for some considerable time that I was carried out in Prayer and Meditation with zealous Affection that the Lord would turn my Eye and trust from sensible things to a trust and reliance upon God himself as to all outward things and as to the inward advancement of Hâ—liness as a mean tending to future Salvation answerable to which God has discovered himself marvellously in the steps of outward Providential Dispensations and by the inward workings of his Spirit as means of founding and establishing this Grace of Reliance in my Soul which I hope shall be increasing in the use of means till Faith obtain its perfect end the Fruition of God in Glory And tho' I hope I may say in Humility that my Soul is raised above sensible things to look to things unseen and to set my Esteem and Reliance with comfort and satisfaction upon them independently upon worldly things yet I am asham'd for the small growth of Reliance in me and that greater improvement therein has not been the fruit of the infinitely wise and condescending method of God's goodness in training me to live by Faith in his Promises and Perfections Experience of God's Method in training me to the first sense of Reliance with its further establishment and growth and that exactly as they are set down in Record in my Diary THE first Experience leading me to observe God's following Method with me was that of carrying me forth in Prayer to petition establishment of Faith in my Soul which begun most remarkably after a Fit of Sickness and has continued to be upon my Mind in all my Suits greater or lesser since that and I hope will continue to the end of my Militant Warfare A second Experience leading me to Reliance upon God was by removing all dependance from these outward fabulous Passages reckoned as ominous of such and such certain Events which undoubtedly were at first the effect of ignorance of the true God amongst the Heathen World who notwithstanding the discoveries of God in his Nature and Providence by visible things the Effects of his Power yet natural things keep first in their view and had the preheminency of God in their minds and hearts And though we enjoy the discovery of God in his Word and Providence so plainly yet how do we retain the example in reducing those things to Natural Causes that are to be appli'd
in this Ordinance that I might feel therein what others do or what I have felt in other Duties I should be satisfied if I should never enjoy it there again unbelief still working in me It pleased God in his wonderful Condescention to comply with this desire and thereby to discover the greatness of my weakness as well as the advantage of Reliance upon God in the use of means without limiting him to our desires for in the participating of the next Sacrament I was admitted to such a sweet ravishing Enjoyment that I never had before Experienc'd in that Duty which persuaded me of the Truth of what I have often heard but such a disquieting darkness was consequent both in my Mind and outward Affairs that I by the rich Mercy and Power of God was then help'd sweetly to resign my desire to his Will and to supplicate for his influences as he pleased to dispense them never limiting God to things or times further than as suitable to his Omniscient Will by this Experience I was helpt in all my concerns less as well as greater to cast them at Heaven's Gate to hope in his Mercy for them with this desire only that I might by the Spirit of Grace and Supplication be assisted to make known my Requests to God with Faith and Resignation so as to be accepted of him and in this I find my Hearts Ease I have since esteem'd it Duty and had ardent Desire of Partaking the Lord's Supper every Month. While my Religion was merely from Education I thought once in a year or two enough to partake of this Ordinance but since my regard to my Sovereign's and Saviour's Command Do this in remembrance of me and my performance in Obedience to this Command I have enjoy'd ravishing sweetness in Communion with Christ in this Duty And I shall add That the frequent repeating of this Ordinance is attended with great advantage for by Preparatory Examination I am more fully acquainted with my Spiritual State with my present Corruptions and Graces stronger or weaker and the way how God makes this Duty a mean to suppress the one and raise the other with my Defects in the performance of this Duty and I have a fuller sight of Christ in all-sufficient merits in his Treasures of Grace that are open'd to all that come with Holy Affections to him The serious and frequent renewing our Covenant with Christ in this Ordinance will endear him to us and engage us to live to him who died for us and the warm impression of his love will be maintain'd in our Souls which is too apt to cool and decline unless fed and reviv'd by the frequent Contemplation of our Crucified Saviour Seventhly In the beginning of the Celebration of this Ordinance I have oft been in a cold frame but at the approach of the Elements this frame has chang'd and my Soul has been sweetly carried forth to petition for the imparting the Priviledges of Christ's Body broken and Benefits annext to it and I have found from receiving the Elements the strengthening power of the Spirit verifying our Saviour's Words That his flesh is meat indeed and his blood drink indeed This has been a means to preserve me from Anxieties and to persevere in the frequent Commemorating of Christ's Death prescrib'd in his last Will I also find that the more frequent renewing my Vows makes me more careful to perform them and that it 's more easie to take an account of our Faithfulness to God and our Souls or of our Neglects once every Month than when there is a greater distance between the time of our Receiving and Examining our selves how correspondent our Conversations have been to our Covenant seal'd in that Ordinance Eighthly At the time of partaking this Ordinance I have often desir'd with ardent Affections two Things That I might be spiritually-minded in the whole course of my life and that Holiness may be advancing in my Soul till I arrive at perfection This will be attended with solid Comfort according to the Promise Great peace to those who keep thy law And altho' we are to seek the shining face of God the joyful assurance of his love in the use of his Ordinances yet since the shedding abroad in the Soul the clear Evidences of God's Love is a free Dispensation according to the Divine Pleasure my principal request has been to have a pure Heart and Holy Conversation depending upon God for inward Comfort From which Experiences you may upon good ground fear that when the excuse of neglecting the Sacrament is because of its being a Solemn Ordinance and therefore to be seldom receiv'd is an Error of the Carnal Mind and a Temptation of Satan to divert us from using frequently that means of Grace which confirms our Faith inflames our Love and secures our hope of Glory and makes us more exact and constant and comfortable in the everlasting way I shall conclude this with Advice to those who have not felt those Joyful Emanations in this Ordinance which they have expected and others of the Saints have enjoy'd Be not discourag'd from your Duty but with unfainting perseverance continue in the use of the means of Grace The Lord waits to be gracious to bestow his Comforts in the best season There is sweet Peace in our Obedience to the Divine Commands tho' we have not raptures of Joy And our Obedience is more pleasing to God when notwithstanding all difficulties and discouragements it 's with Conscience to his commanding-Will perform'd than when it 's made easie by sensible Comforts THE APPLICATORY AND SECOND PART OF This Discourse CHristianity as is described in the Gospel is Experienc'd in the Souls of Real Christians in different degrees of Knowledge and Power but the most who are Christians in Profession are strangers to its vital Efficacy The reason of this diversity is Because the most rest in the speculative Notion of the Christian Religion and are contented with the external Character of others others are cleansed and changed by the Truths of the Gospel and are inward Christians Among Christians in Title there are various Divisions and contrary Sentiments according to the Principles of the Education which often cause violent Contentions among them Among real Christians there are Differences but not of so deep a nature Some Christians are weaker by damping of this powerful Principle of Regeneration through too long omission of the means of Grace or by too deep mixing the Thoughts and Affections in the Business of the World or by a levity of Mind in their indulging too free a use of sensitive Pleasures that are innocent in their nature And from these Reasons it is that spiritual Influences are obstructed and the Divine Nature in Christians is not so lively and vigorous as in others who regard their Souls and internal things with great application and diligence sometimes carnal Pride insinuates into those who are real Christians and to maintain their Parties and to be distinguish'd from others
injoying what is Petition'd from God but in Conversation I find their observation as too narrow and confined looking upon that that may be a Christian's common Food in the close continuance in the means of Grace as an extraordinary Feast and minding it mostly concerning the recovery or the dying of Friends and not extending it to all things hoping the life or fearing the death of one from a Minister's pouring forth his Soul or from a private Christian's fervent address to God or the constraint of both It makes me remember how extraordinarily amazing and delightful such Experiences were when at first observ'd by me in the more tender days of my Knowledge in Experimental Christianity and makes me greatly afraid that however notional Knowledge abound amongst Ministers and People that have liv'd so many years under Gospel Instruction yet Heart-Service to God in the performance of Duties or at least strict continuance therein especially this delightful Duty of private Prayer is not so common and so the Enjoyments that follow are less and seldomer experienc'd But to this real and comfortable Experience of Enlargement in Prayer concerning the recovery of Friends that is more observ'd by Christians let me give you two cautionary Instructions from my own Experience therein and of which some observing Christians are not at the pains to remark concerning this Enlargement in Prayer First of all Not peremptorily to hope the recovery of a Friend from once observing your selves or others carried out in a heavenly manner in Prayer concerning them and tho' answerable to this once observ'd spirituality appear some real amendment at the time yet often without the continuance of Prayer thus spiritual their amendment falls off and suitable to their omission of further Praying thus their Friend Dies unless God act in a stream of more than ordinarily condescention to weak Christians I know not but the Reliance upon the Evidence of one Prayer spiritually put up for a Person 's Recovery may occasion carelesness in the Duty afterward and so hinder the obtaining the blessing that was thought to be coming to us I remember a Holy Christian who was in great Thoughtfulness concerning the Recovery of his Wife for whom he had so near access to God in Prayer that he had great hopes of her life but she dying gave him some more concern of Thought that he should hope on so good ground and yet be mistaken whereas his near access to God in Prayer was but once experienc'd his Eye was upon the frame of his Soul in Prayer and not upon the Words utter'd while under this Divine Influence His omission of continuing thus to Pray hindered him from clearer discovery of God's Ways His missing the observation of his Words rendered him incapable of applying the return to what God helped him to Ask to wit God's love to her Soul greatly manifested in her passage hence At this very time I can instance in a Child for whom I found great spirituality in Prayer but without the least appearance of amendment for a fourth night's time which seem'd to oppose all former Experience and might have occasion'd great mistake if I had not recorded my words as well as frame in Prayer spiritually perform'd which were centered in one Petition without the least deviating from it throughout the whole fourth night That the Lord would spare his life and that his life might be precious in his sight without the least inter-mixture of desire or word in Prayer for Health or Recovery When a Prayer spiritually put up is remarkt as such and corresponded with a return of amendment but followed with after-laziness and forbearance of the same diligence no wonder the return stopt and a contrary effect to what was desir'd or imminent appear If therefore your heavenly frame in petitioning Health or the like be once observ'd and continued in I never knew such petitions return to fail but if this frame be obtain'd but once and afterward it go off you 'll undoubtedly find amendment answerable to the time of having strength spiritually to petition it but such a frame going off either thorough the intermission of your own endeavour after or God's with-holding it nothing else but disappointment to your expectation and desire and justly to your dependance upon once experiencing the frame falls out It is laziness in the right performance of means and not continuing therein that keeps off the many experiences of inward Religion or occasions the mistakes that abounds concerning the great things of inward Religion however some satisfie themselves with the ill usage of that Proposition God's ways are in the depth It is from multitudes of instances experienc'd that if the Soul be carried forth in Prayer for any Friend ill that suitable thereto there is many times visible hopes but if this frame is not continu'd in the Friend does decline and die I know that once feeling this hopeful frame has made some Christians lazy and secure and not by serious Address afterward lay themselves in God's way to obtain the continuance of this frame and so their Health and Life has gone To conclude thence That return is not always suited to spirituality of frame is mistake and erroneous and evidence of your lazy unexactness in observation of God with the Soul Right observation hereof would discover condescending Mercy in God on purpose to keep the Christian continually holding on that Duty of Prayer till the final determination issu'd which meets commonly with great reward tho' the continuance and spirituality of Prayer continued in be his own work in the Soul A second Cautionary Instruction is Not to be peremptory in judging the spirituality of another man's Frame or an Event answerable thereto but to be strict and diligent in judging your own Frame and Events consequential to it I would advise great carefulness in judging another man's spirituality in Prayer as presaging of certain return answerable to the spirituality supposed in his Frame 1. First Because of the difficulty of judging another man's heart in Prayer It requires exactness of Observation to raise a Christian to the capacity of knowing his own Frame when spiritual or to raise him to an establishment in the reality of Correspondency between his Prayer's spirituality and its certain return but how can we be sure of another man's heavenliness I have known many under no other knowledge of Christianity than what is Notional acquainted with no other power in performing Duties than that of Education and Self-strength and yet pray with that sense distinctness and outwardly appearing heavenliness that the Hearers have been affected with a good hope of the person and a delightful thought of their spiritual seriousness in Prayer yea the strength of natural parts in the exercise of Prayer may heat the affections and may persuade a person and others that he prays in the Holy Ghost If therefore you may hear a Prayer from a meer Professor so near resembling a Christian's Prayer influenced by Christ's Spirit
spiritual Supplies to ask is many times the reward of serious self-denying Christians and truly depending upon God in Prayer and that the other is the allowance of real Christians but less watchful and not searching into and desirous of the knowledge of God's ways and therefore have not that assurance of present acceptance and after-return as the serious observing Christians have Fourthly That comforting Influences are more experienc'd as the portion of beginning Christians and training up to the knowledge of God of tender hearted Christians and of those who walk continually with God in their thoughts by ejaculation Fifthly The evidence of supporting Influences without the other is continuance in serious use of means notwithstanding God with-holds its comfort which must evidence a power above the carnal nature My Advice therefore is To begin the use of serious Prayer as well as of observation of outward Providences that you may have fellowship with the Godhead even on earth and come to the knowledge of God's ways without the fear of mistake because of the infinite wisdom and tender love that is in your Guide and Conductor leading you in the right way unless you stand still and walk not further on in the use of means or walk in them inadvertently Pray the Lord to prepare you to ask the things which he has declar'd in his Word he is ready to give and in his time you shall obtain them This humble constant and affectionate continuance in Prayer will be an excellent means to make you understand the method of God's bestowing mercies as the certain sign of his Favour By this Duty of Prayer and observation therein you 'll be able to expose all the Errors of the Age you 'll see Arminianism at the root of our new-sprung Errors for if they cannot defend Self-sufficiency to will and chuse spiritual things and to comply with saving means they must look to Christ and acknowledge that conversion from its beginning to its perfection is to be ascribed to Divine Grace Others deny the Deity of Christ and think him as meer Man like themselves inferior to the Devils who acknowledged him the Son of God his power over them by begging he would not torment them but finding the Doctrine of Jesus Christ's being God so clearly asserted in the Scriptures they turn Deists and deny all revealed Religion that so we may have nothing above our own Reason and Self-sufficiency to recur to for the obtaining the Favour of God here and of Heaven hereafter God believ'd as Creator and men living in the practice of publick moral Vertue though private Vices are allowed is sufficient in the opinion of some for their present peace and esteem and their future happiness But the Scripture and Experience does strongly refute those Arminian Errors in that first Chapter of John and the 13th verse We are not born of the will of man but of God And in the second Chapter of the Philippians ver 13. It is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure These Texts are confirmed by the experience of all sincere Christians who feel the grace of God in turning them from the love of Sin to the love of Holiness and carrying them thro' a tempting World to the eternal Kingdom exposing both with the embracers of their Errors in their true Colours Their growth is no marvel to me their not being more is a greater wonder Prophaneness in Practice Christianity in meer Profession Experimental Religion discouraged by some and neglected too much in the Conversation of God's own Children with their divisions and unnecessary â—eats being the great Nourishers of such wild Grapes I do believe I may without the breach of Charity say That if Arminians in this Age are understanding in God's Word their knowledge thereof is meerly Notional with Self-Paraphrases thereupon but ignorant of its reality from the experience thereof in their own Soul That what I say may not seem Censure but what has true ground for suggesting I 'll call forth all the experienced Christians on earth to witness If any one of them was ever able to bring themselves by their own strength and when they would to a heavenly frame of Soul in Prayer yea though God has given forth means to obtain this frame I appeal to their experience whether their reliance upon these means has not often obstructed this Gift of Christ's Spirit influencing the Soul depending thereupon in the use of means We have Millions of Instances and I believe I could produce thousands from my own personal experience of being out of a heavenly frame of mind and that suddenly and unexpectedly a ravishing heavenly frame has seized me without any previous working my self therein only suddenly this frame has seized my Soul like a sudden Gale of Wind filling the Sails of the Faculties of the Soul and driving the Ship towards the heavenly Harbour of God's Throne We have also multitudes of Experiences of the same power of Christ's Spirit suddenly undesignedly and powerfully working with a verse of a Chapter read and with a sentence of a Sermon preached both the conversion of Christians and also the spiritualizing of their frames without the least design or fore-thought in the Creature 's self and without any other strength of man than laying himself in God's Road and Highway of Duties in which he commonly walks and by which he acts when and how he pleases My Argument is from lesser to greater If a Christian cannot bring forth nor retain a spiritual frame in the Soul when or as long as he will how much less is an Unbeliever capable of chusing and working Grace in his Soul when he will Where is that Instance of a Christian that dare pretend when he is in a heavenly frame to be able so to keep himself I dare say any that ever had it in reality and power would desire no other lot on earth but to be kept in this Heaven on earth If thou therefore O Arminian art uncapable of believing without a Divine Power or to exercise a heavenly frame in Prayer when thou wouldest or to retain a spiritual frame when thou art in its enjoyment lay by Self and forge no more lying delusions for thy Bulwark all experiencing Christians find out thy falshood and bemoan thy misery I should rejoice if God should honour me as an Instrument to prevail with thee to walk in those means in the method mentioned that with a Divine Spirit accompanying them you might be led to a discovery of your Errors through blindness and the evil of broaching and fructifying them on earth Apprehend with your selves how unmeet you 'll be to admire the Infiniteness of Mercy in providing these blessed helps of Divine Revelation Divine Providence and Divine Spirit and how unfit to praise his Name for either when now you derogate from all to affix it upon Self Let not matters unexperienced and capable of being experienced in the use of few and easy means
left without excuse for not improving that light and being obedient to it How much more inexcusable shall they be who have the light of Life shining upon them do not believe the Supernatural Truths revealed by it and will rather charge the Doctrines of the Gospel with Impossibility than acknowledge the narrowness of their understandings Converse with some real Christians in a way of Experience is greatly laid aside feasting discoursing the common affairs of the Nation the recommendation of Self-notions in Religion and the disparaging of others are put in the room of such Conference that the serious Christian putting in sentences of experimental Religion is immediately repulsed with the pleasing though lazy Excuse of Experiences being too nice and dangerous to be talk'd of which perhaps is found so when either triflingly observed or biassed with the vicious design of applause and mutual instruction and comfort out of the Soul's aim Printing therefore I have made choice of It s commonness and unsucccssfulness in the hands of the most Learned and most Holy of God's Children had greatly discourag'd me if God's special method of discovering Himself and his Word to my Soul and that in so short a while had not put me under a greater obligation than ordinary to witness for him when so many bear false witness against his Attributes and Revealed Will. And therein I design not to debate the Reality of Inward Religion being come blessed be his Name to full establishment and assurance thereof but to tell you That Christianity is somewhat else than an outward Profession more powerful in its dominion than the by-ends of Applause outward Interest or the strength of Education and never to be understood by corrupt Reason alone without the help of Divine Revelation and a Divine Spirit and to convince hereof I design not sensible demonstration but first of all to give you a Narrative of some Mysteries experienc'd I formerly was unacquainted with as Evidences of an inward change and of the life of Religion to be between God and the Soul my outward Conversation while under the power of Education having been in great measure as unblameable in appearance as now 2. To tell you the Means made effectual to enlighten my dark mind to understand the reality of Divine Spiritual Mysteries that so you walking in the same road may meet with the same knowledge of God and his Word as true and then you 'll bid adieu to all your spreading Errors and find them rather confirmation to Christianity than shaking to your Faith Resemblance being generally a Companion to Reality you 'll be chang'd from co-operating with Satan to the pleasing of him and your own inward Lust to the working together with God pleasing of him and the obtaining Salvation to your Souls Farewell Page 137. after Line 3. add what here follows A second Argument to persuade to the Duty of Observation is That it is introductory to greater matter of Observation 'T is known to all observing Christians That the more they have observed the greater things have been brought to their view and lesser Providences remark'd have led to greater the smallest step a Christian makes toward God it 's greatly encouraged by him and he will enable us to further Progress in his ways How evident is this from Christ's words to Nathanael Believest thou because I said I saw thee under the fig-tree thou shalt see greater things heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of man By the observation of outward Providences you will see God in the Blessings he bestows Jacob when he met his Brother Esau Gen. 33.10 says with a Rapture of Affection I have seen thy face as tho I had seen the face of God This at first view looks almost like Blasphemy but in Esau's reconciled face to him he saw the Face Presence and Favour of God the principal Object was not so much Esau's reconciliation to him as the Favour and Hand of God in bringing it about this raised his Spirit to such an Exclamation Such a sight of God in the going forth of his Divine Providence necessarily supposes its Observation Is it therefore possible to observe means probable of bringing forth such designs but made unsuccessful The contrivances of the Wise brought to other ends than they purposed The evil Craftiness of others to their Dishonour and Ruin when design'd for their Honour and Preferment Yea means in appearance tending to hurt bringing forth great good Is it possible I say to observe these things and not to discover another Power above Human Policy to contrive or Human Strength to effectuate Even the Sovereign Power of an Infinite God who many times determines Events contrary to mens designs but still for the bringing forth his own THE Private Christian's Witness for CHRISTIANITY c. THE following Discourse I divide into Two Parts The First Contains an Historical Account of my self under no other Religion than that of Education with the outward Providences and inward Workings of a Divine Spirit changing me from thence to a sensible feeling of a more inward powerful Principle than that of Education opening a door of Knowledge of God of Divine Mysteries of my own State before and of my present State thus Inlightened The Second Contains an Application thereof to the Prophane and meer Professor or unto the real though lazy Christian First I begin with the Narrative and take this Account of my self under no other power of Christianity than the effect of Religious Education One Born within the Pale of the Church instructed in the knowledge of the True Principles of the Christian Religion and enabled to discourse of them with the Character of knowing the Things of God tho' but Notionally then Trained up with the continued Example of performing all the Duties of Hearing Reading and Praying with that powerful influence that publick or private Devotion were seldom neglected but not diligent and serious in the perusal of the Scriptures Besides all this under the advantage of Religious Conversation and Holy Practice was so powerfully impressing that in the course of my Life never one single act of the common Vices of Drinking Swearing or Uncleanness tainted my Conversation Yea the impression continued so strong as after my departure from under this strictness of instruction and example still the same exactness in Duties and Conversation remain'd tho' Youthful Temptations surrounded me God's restraining Grace was my preservative and my natural desire to be in Business was a means of preventing the impression of Temptations yet still I was in the dark as to the saving knowledge of True Christianity or the inward power of Grace sensibly acting in the Soul my natural disposition inclining me more to Observation than to much Talk in Conversation led me not only to observe the Discourse and Actions of others but even to remark the Events attending my Life with Reflections thereupon without any regard to it as Duty or productive of the
knowledge of Divine Things but purely as the effect of natural Curiosity inducing me both to observe and to record them with great pleasure in reviewing them and finding the more I observ'd the greater and more numerous things were presented to me I became stricter in observing things of great and smaller moment While I continued in this practice a Dispensation of Providence occurr'd that induced me not to trust in my self or second Causes but by a siducial assent to the Being of a God in his full governing Power as to Persons and Things with a full desire of being interested in the favour of this Great and Omnipotent God to live in an entire dependance upon Him The Providence was as follows Being call'd to attempt a matter of great concern that many far excelling me in Age rational Judgment and natural Activity had endeavour'd though unsuccessfully to bring about I brought the Business and that in a very few days to all seeming probability of success but being obliged by a Providential Occasion to be absent and to appear where those that had try'd their endeavour to no effect did usually reside I found the progress I had already made with the prospect of perfecting the matter had so increased the esteem of my self that disparaging of those was the Game I then exercised my self withal but returning to the place where the Business was to be performed matters were altogether chang'd for the worst and upon enquiry of the time this change happen'd my custom of Observation having brought me to some more than ordinary curiosity in it I found it exactly answering the time my Lust of Pride put forth its Tyranny in my Conversation and stepping from the Floor to my Bed that very night this Suggestion suddenly and strongly darted into my Mind That by my ill return to God's Kindness affording such hopes of success in detracting from Him the Praise that was entirely due for such an eminent Providence and in not retaining an humble Sense of my own Unworthiness and Insufficiency I had provoked the Lord thus to turn the course of the Affair immediately convincing me who it was that had made me to differ from others of more promising Abilities than I and impressing my Mind with great seriousness of Thought and force to Prayer begging Pardon from Him and His further assistance in the matter with a full resolution of looking to God extolling Him and debasing my self in the success My Prayer was immediately return'd evident by the great alteration that immediately happened as a sweet Condescention of God to train a poor Creature to the Knowledge of Himself and to delight in Him but in a weeks time more being call'd to the same place as before I found the same Self-applause return This was a full conviction to me of the great need of continued supplies of Heaven after the greatest confirmations of God's Love to preserve us from forgetting his Mercies or repeating failures and correspondent to this the same unsuccessful turn happened in the affair which was so powerfully bore home upon my Soul that I could not but see God with favour in one hand and punishment in another marvellous Mercy in bringing me to the sense of my failure and the repetition of my Address to Heaven Punishment in withholding his assistance the just merit of my forgetfulness and of my repeated failure Upon Address to God by serious and sincere Prayer with unfeign'd Confession the Business turn'd again with a favourable aspect of success suitable to the Psalmist I confessed my Sin and thou forgavest the Iniquity or Punishment of my Sin And at last by his Divine Assistance attain'd a final and perfect success though between my first undertaking and this final Issue there was four turns of Providence exactly answering my Soul's posture From hence I date my first sence of inward serious thoughtfulness of passages of Divine Providence of minding God in all undertakings with an entire dependance upon him for conduct to the right use of means and for a Divine Blessing to make them successful of the certainty of access to him for this very end with a distrust of self-sufficiency all which met as it were in a moment in my Soul by the Spirit of God's bearing home this passage upon me But from the Observation of God's further method of outward Providence and inward Workings of his Spirit I have found that these were but little glimmerings of light an Eye beginning to be open'd after a sound and secure sleep God having marvellously enlightn'd my Eyes since and made me to see what before I knew only in the notion enabling me to discourse thereof but what now I hope I may say I have felt and am well assured of even the truth of an inward change upon the Soul putting it self forth with such power as to hinder Thought Words and Actions to run in the same course from the same principle or towards the same end as before but to tread according to a Rule not of self but of God's Will I could subjoin many circumstances of this Providence here related that might marvellously affect the Reader yea other Providences concerning the Lord's first exciting designs as well as his method in bringing them successfully about were it not that I am unwilling to be known to the World and that for these Reasons First That Mockers at and Unbelievers of these great things experimental Religion has made known to my Soul may not prejudice themselves by imagining show self-commendation and applause at the bottom of this design the faithful aim thereof being to bring men off their reliance upon notional Religion and their trusting to their rational conclusions as fittest means to inform them of Christianity or to their own strength as sufficient help to the right performance of Gospel Duties and to lead them to the vital part of Christianity experiences therein not to be maintain'd by notional knowledge or quarrelling Debates but by a serious and strict use of means God commonly imparts the experience of himself and his Word by The Lord has given forth great Truths to be tryed and experienced in the Christian Soul but we are not at the pains either to observe them or by mutual converse to confirm one another in the truth of them A Second Reason is Lest it prove Temptation to my self exciting a corrupt Principle within to puffing up whereas great Humility is the companion of such Experiences when first felt in the Soul and ought to be preserv'd in imparting them to others lest we our selves be exalted above measure or ingage others to think of us above what we are Again this change wrought in my Soul is the Lord 's own doing let it therefore in its declaration glorifie him by Confirming some and Instructing others without any knowledge of my self therein but with full discovery of the actings of a Divine Spirit This Seriousness brought forth by the means of so remarkable an outward Providence in the Hand
perform a distinct worship of Christ in Prayer and do hope that I am under the instruction and inward power of that Divine Spirit whom he has promised should guide us unto all Truth in the use of his means John 14.26 What is a guide otherwise in Nature and way of power upon the Soul than that the product only of religious Education and of the Notional Knowledge of Christianity As by the word of Truth with a frequent use of the Sacrament so by this very experience I have been wonderfully established in the truth of the Godhead of Christ against all the Socinianism falsehoods of the men of this Age in that Duty of the Holy Sacrament I have often been so ravish'd with the Contemplation of Christ's Love in himself as God and Man that at the very time I have been in great exercise of pity towards those poor Creatures who deny his Godhead and have oft thought with my self that unacquaintance with themselves on God's own word experience in their Soul was the occasion of their distrust of Christ as God How weak are the Socinian Arguments against our Blessed Redeemer as God And tho they be prevalent upon some unacquainted with God's word at least not experimentally felt as truth upon their Souls yet they are easily to be repell'd by the Scriptural discovery of Christ's Two distinct Natures in One Person for ever And how much more weak will they appear at that blessed day of Resurrection when they shall see him in his perfect Glory as God-Man Redeemer of lost Man and the Judge of them that would not comprehend him as a Glorious God What is more plain than that Scriptural evidence of the Godhead of Christ in the First Epistle of John chap. 5. v. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us understanding that we might know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Christ Jesus this is the true God and eternal life if we are in him ingrasted by the operation of his Divine Spirit we shall draw forth such knowledge of him both as certainly come against all the Jews on Earth and as God and Eternal Life against all the Socinians at this day from my own experience I desire to put my poor Seal to this Scripture-truth discoverable in what I have already laid before you I do believe That the Professor of Christianity turning Socinian never knew Christ any other way than by a notional Knowledge pleasing to its self but never feeling that saving-knowledge of him by the work of a Divine Spirit in the use of means planting or watring Grace in the Soul John c. 1. v. 3. All things were made by him and in v 10. The world was made by him and it knew him not undoubtedly therefore he made up one of them Gen. 1.26 who said Let us make man one in Nature though three Persons distinct Is not the Soul a Man One in Essence tho' different in its Faculties of Judgment Will and Affections Colos ch 1. v. 14 15 16. By him to wit the Son that Redeemed us the Image of God the first born from the Dead all things were Created he was before all things and all things consist by him which are never applicable to Christ unless he be God as well as Man Again God's attribute of Omnipotence could never be appropriated to him if he were not God as well as Man John 2.24 But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all Men. John 6.64 For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believ'd not and who should betray him In the sixth verse of the same Chapter it is said That Jesus knew he had been a long time in that case Isaiah 8.13 Sanctifie the Lord of Host let him be your fear and dread he shall be for a sanctuary but for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to both houses of Israel Who is this Lord of Hosts that is to be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence It is express'd in the ninth Chapter of the Romans and 32 Verse They stumbled at the stumbling-stone Isaiah c. 6. Who can read it throughout and compare it with the 12th chapter of John v. 38. and not be convinced of the Deity of Christ therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see and be converted as is set down in the latter part of that 6th Chapter of Isaiah and in the 41st verse of the same chapter of John it is express'd These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him as in the former part of that 6th chapter he did express it Sitting upon a throne high and lifted up his train filling the temple Seraphims standing above it crying one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory by the comparing of both Chapters its plain that it was Christ that is thus described and whether such a description be applicable to meer man I leave it to any Christian to judge of Withour further running over the Scriptures attesting the Divinity of Christ or further enlarging upon the personal experience of freeness of worship to him in Prayer and other Duties in that change of Soul wherein Faith to Christ was implanted I 'll only add one Scripture more not only accusing of Socinians themselves but these of Christ's Flock who encourage their Erroneous Doctrine by too familiar converse with their persons It is the 2d Epistle of John the 9th and 10th verses Who abides not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God and if that of his being God but now made out be not one great part of the Doctrine of Christ I know not how we shall understand his satisfaction of God as is described in his word In the 10th verse it is said If any deceivers come unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive them not in your house neither bid them speed both being an argument of Familliarity but justly reproving those who are so far from giving such discouragement to Deceivers that if by them can be diverted Splenetick Vapours by acuteness of their Wit and diverting Conversation they shall have as great if not greater room in their Society or Houses as those whose delight is to communicate and discourse the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Grace By this means we hug the tools of spreading Errors in our Bosoms To proceed in the Narrative of God's further method of carrying on this great inward change in the use of his usual means I shall First of all lay before you the Experiences of the certainty of the Souls access to God in Prayer of the seriousness of frame therein that the prophane and meer Professor though never so outwardly Religious are altogether unacquainted with the experiences of the certainty of Christ's Spirit interceding in us in
his own strength could afford yet he shall not attain that height of free utterance so Heavenly a Style or so familiar and near an approach to God in Prayer as sometimes suddenly in the twinkling of an Eye he shall be brought to and that by the blowings afresh of Christ's Divine Influences I have my self while under no other power than that of Education stood in a maze to hear Ministers express Communion with God in Duties the Influences of Christ's Spirit and the like imagining these as words chosen to set off Religion and to make it the more amiable to Souls till experience discover'd the reality thereof and since the discovery thereof to my self I have often with great concern of Soul heard Christ's Spirit mockt at Emanations and Influences from him so ridiculed that I could not but exercise Compassion comparing their Words to my own Thoughts while under the same circumstance of ignorance of Experimental Religion and the inward power of Christianity no less instruction being capable of illuminating such dark Minds than what is an emanation and influence of that Spirit so revil'd and set at nought in their Thoughts such a one and the Creature setting Christ in his Divine Nature at nought I place in the same Categorical line To this Fifth Experience I subjoin the following instance of an Undertaking where the Eyes Hands and Wishes of many were against me and no probable hope of success in a rational way but what I had from the marvellous frame of Soul and near access to God concerning it and like a Miracle the use of means obtain'd and the desired end was brought forth Here I subjoin the Experience of humble Awe and Fear always attending the clearest Heavenly frame and most satisfied quiet of Mind I ever had concerning any one thing confidence looking to me too much ominous of somewhat of Satan and commonly proves a mean of security and of less diligence in petitioning Heaven and depending upon God than when the Soul has an humble Awe going along with its erperience of God's approach to its Soul A Sixth Experience of God's Spirit carrying forth the Soul to Petition according to what God was to bestow was not only by changing of the Souls frame concerning any one Event but even by changing the verbal Petitions in the change of circumstances in the same thing As for instance At the first discovery of my inward change my words in Prayer for any undertaking would run upon its success and hardly upon the use of means to which the condescention of my Heavenly Father complied by numerous and continual returns of success tho' my endeavours at my first acquaintance with and observation of God's Ways were not so exact but upon further knowledge of his ways and greater progress and reliance upon God for conduct to the use and right use of means then my words were chang'd running out in Prayer after Divine Assistance in the performance of Duty resigning the issue to his Will answerable to which a more diligent watch over my self in the use of means and the less anxiety concerning the event appeared an experience greatly helping the Soul against mistaking God or themselves when his Ways run not in the same stream towards them their advancement in strength being gradual and many times according to the different steps of growth in Grace so God walks in different steps round them requiring a constant observation of his ways admiring their variety and bringing forth suitable improvement of knowledge of God love to him and dependance upon him How infinite therefore is the Wisdom of our Blessed God who knows the various Constitutions and the things their Thoughts are most fixt to that his breathing Divine Influence thereupon may be his readier mean to bring them to a serious discovery of God and their selves thereby How infinite is the Wisdom Love and Tenderness of our blessed Husband-man in the gradual growth of all the young tender Branches in his Vineyard and in training up his Babes in the first knowledge of him feeding the one with Milk and the other with Meat knowing well what each stand in need of and can bear either of his Smiles or correcting Stripes ordering each by degrees to the perfecting of Grace in the Soul and making it mete for Eternal Glory The Experience whereof helps the Soul to answer the Objection of some serious Christians but not exact Observers who will reply upon imparting a particular method of God with a Soul by way of caution You must be careful not to depend upon that particular way God acts with you in lest Satan make it a temptation to unbelief and distrust of God and your selves when he shall please to walk in another road with your Soul but general and strict Observers find God's Ways to be thus That according to the infancy or manhood of the Soul in Christianity or according to the different steps of advancing the Soul towards this Manhood so God's Ways to be various and according to his different ends so his courses leading thereto usually to be different marvellous argument indeed of infinite Wisdom Love and Compassion in our great God! instruction enough to make us stand off from prescribing methods according to our Inclinations or Expectations but instruction to keep our selves close in the observation of his Ways in continual Prayer for a sight of his design and the obtaining the establishment of Faith tho' the method of God be never so various with us Hereto relates my Experience of God with my own Soul that according to the beginnings and progress of my Faith of Reliance so God's Method has varied for while in the beginning of this Trust to God I think I may say That never a Prayer Spiritually perform'd wanted its return immediately and that exactly suitable to my words in Prayer but upon further strength of this Grace of Reliance upon God I have found the return of my Prayer longer defer'd yea sometimes to the last pinch of extremity but still answerable to the frame of Soul and Words utter'd in Prayer when this frame and utterance were above my own strength thorough Divine Influence argument enough of Divine Wisdom adapting his various Ways to the various Circumstances of his Childrens weakness and strength of Divine Love establishing their Trust to himself and trying their Reliance upon him as a comfortable evidence of that strength of Grace and thereby to lead them to the Sacrifice of continual Praise Admiration and Love to him How different was Christ's carriage to the Leper from his acting with the Woman of Canaan whose Faith far exceeded the other The Leper much weaker in Faith had the return of his Prayer immediately but she much stronger in Faith has the return greatly defer'd with the intermixture of many trying passages of Christ with his own silence to her own Petition and with his calling her a Dog as if she were unworthy to be taken notice of much less to receive of
account receiv'd has exactly answer'd the Petitions and Utterance actually put forth and not to them only design'd to be express'd in Prayer A Ninth Experience of certainty of access to God and of his Spirit 's breathing power on the Soul to ask what he knew was to be return'd has been concerning a design of three different endeavours at one time and Prayer for guidance a mean made use of I have found all shadow of Spiritual enlargement in Prayer concerning it strongly withheld and so indeed has the least degree of successful endeavour but for the second enlargement only once suitable to which successful endeavour in one circumstance thereof and at that very time did occur and for the third such Heavenliness of frame in Petitioning not only once but all along continued upon the Soul and so successful endeavour without one cloud prov'd the issue Plainer expression I cannot well use and instances I must forbear left it occasion the discovery of my self A Tenth Experience of the Lord 's exciting and preparing to ask what he was in his good pleasure to return was That of his exciting and powerfully strengthening of my Soul for a continued time to Pray for self-abasement when at the same time no outward Temptation has been my motive thereto though soon after has appeared some outward advancement and correspondent to the Divine Wisdom and loving care of Christ's Spirit enabling me to ask the exercise of Humility Self-loathing has always accompanied such outward smiles yea from observation of this Experience I have imagin'd a smiling Providence eminent from the frequency of this suit to the Lord undesign'd but greatly assisted to Petition it I have often experienced That when my Soul has not been thus carried out to Petition lowness of Mind either before or in the enjoyment of outward advancement that either security therein has fallen out afterward imbittering my Thoughts or some circumstances in the thing enjoy'd that has imbittered its sweetness or remov'd its satisfaction nothing being more satisfactory to a Christian Soul as the reception of an outward favour by special steps of Providence argument of Divine favour accompanied with such strength of a Divine Spirit as enables the Soul to improve it with the exercise of Love and Reliance upon the Bestower and to keep the Souls satisfaction therein in its true Bounds more upon the discovery of God's Love thereby than upon the thing it self enjoyed As the Experiences already laid before you relate to outward Enjoyments so now I shall give you some Experiences respecting Spiritual Enjoyments answerable to Christ's Spirit breathing influencing-strength to Petition them A First Experience thereof was When Spiritually carried out to ask for Humility previous to any Spiritual Improvement as well as before any Temporal Enjoyment and when security accompanied with the intermission of the means of Grace has followed any inward advancement then has a cloudying of what was an inward comforting evidence to the Soul issued but when the Soul has been carried forth to ask it before hand or in the time by way of return thereto the Soul's posture has been in the exercise of self-debasement and exultation of and dependance upon Christ's Spirit for producing such a marvellous change in the Soul without the least exalting thought of self I remember that one day in Conversation with that Holy Saint mentioned before I express'd my self concern'd to know the reality of my Grace to which he humbly reply'd I have not had the least Cloud as to my interest in Heaven but should rejoyce to experience that measure of confirming passages of God's special love as I know you have enjoy'd the effect whereof I found some quiet of Mind but by the wise over-ruling hand of God was follow'd with such cloudy darkness of Mind lest Satan had excited self-exultation or sinful security till in the following Evening-Prayer God carrying me forth to bless his Name for the evidences of his Love and to Petition Humillity in their enjoyment the darkness disappear'd and his discourse was bore home with the alone effect of quiet of Mind Love to and Reliance upon God and that with humble Thoughts of self Secondly I have found that previous to any victory over some particular Sins I have been help'd wonderfully to plead with God on this very account in a most near and sensible approach to him for Conquest over Sin that Scripture being at the time often and comfortable in my Thoughts Nay more than Conquerors through him that loved us answerable to which Temptations to these has occur'd Sins but victory of them has been my Mercy both as a return to the Prayer Christ's Spirit helpt me to ask and as an evidence of such a change in my Soul as bespoke my interest in Christ by the evident supplies of his strength enabling me to be victor of those Sins that formerly I gave way to Thirdly When God has been to afford me the evidence of great supply of strength to suppress wandering Thoughts in Duties suddenly and powerfully for some time ardent desire and great spirituality in Petitioning God has seiz'd me answerable to which marvellous freedom from wandering Thoughts has occur'd and that in all the Duties I have been exercised in A remarkable instance of this Experience was When at a certain time my Petitions run out for strength to overcome wandring in Duty with full assistance of God's Spirit to supplicate and by a passage of Providence establishing my comfort though wandrings prevail'd and a mean of helping forward my victory therein The passage of Providence was thus Being one Sabbath-morning hinder'd from my ordinary place of Hearing and having an opportunity of hearing Sermon in the afternoon I found my desire with a constâ—aining force towards another place and Minister which was so strong without any rational Motives thereto that I would not be hinder'd though several difficulties occur'd in my way in the hearing of which Sermon my disposition was so spiritual that my Thoughts had full flight thither and I in the exercise of low esteem of the Earth with all its Allurements but which was the Circumstance most remarkable is a Question a Minister was desir'd to answer to What should be done to help wandring thoughts in Duties Which was the very thing my mind was hurried withal then the thing Christ's Spirit was helping me to petition strength against and to which he was giving return with sensible Supplies and with this passage of Providence quieting my mind and as a help to forward my endeavour and victory over it his word was That it is a Complaint common to all Believers so long as there is a sense and concern for it the Christian is not overcome by it go therefore on not only striving against it but begging the Lord's aid to vanquish it Fourthly Previous to a sensible change in my self as to watchfulness in Conversation against reproaching of others suddenly and undesignedly and for some continued time my Soul was carri'd
it has been more acceptable to my Soul than an outward Blessing wherein special Love has not been so clearly discoverable The Method of God's advancing Reliance has been by sometimes delaying the answer of Prayer and with-holding its return longer than usual though there has been evidence of its acceptance in Heaven and that sometimes to the last extremity of a matter concern'd An eminent Instance whereof was concerning an Affair where acting or not acting in it carri'd along the danger of great disgrace and disadvantage and determining with my self not to act was by an irresistible passage of Providence constrain'd to move in the matter which at first seem'd to damp my hopes that my Prayer concerning it was accepted but the return exactly suited my frame and desires exprest in Prayer though its discovery was so long defer'd even till upon the very brink of acting and then providentially effected other ways a passage which at the time ravish'd me with astonishment An Instance instructive not to limit God to time or desire but to commend our case to God as our Father intirely to depend on himself for the Event in his own method and time with a diligent acting Duty on our part and then the blessing will be the sweeter and more remarkable yea with great honour to God by such an actual exercise of Reliance upon himself A Twelfth Experience of God's Method to establish my dependance upon him has been by laying in my way outward Vexations for the bringing of me in to a serious spiritual frame of Soul the experience whereof seems as it were naturally to prevent murmuring at Disquiets and to keep me often upon my knees with heavenliness of thought and in the exercise of trust to God who discovers in afflicting Providences great love in their effects of changing the Soul's posture and making them a mean of preserving dependance brought forth in the Soul A Thirteenth Experience of God's Method to continue and heighten dependance upon himself was By giving great raisedness of frame of Mind and high exercise thereof in Prayer as a Forerunner of some Disquiet that from this Experience Anxiety and Despondency under it might be prevented and I notwithstanding thereof kept on in Reliance upon God who in condescending Favour gave such sweet strengthning allowance as might hold out in the ensuing Providence and that against the rising of Sin within and the force of Temptations without And here I subjoin an Instance of the inefficacy of the latter when one day I in sweet communion with God in Prayer and at the time of Enjoyment under the actual sense of some Disquiet having observ'd in the Method of God that a sense of Disquiet and Fellowship with God at the same time have met together as a Forerunner of some Affliction that would happen so soon as I was off my knees to walk up and down in my Chamber as soon like Lightning Satan threw this Suggestion upon me That I had better be without these Enjoyments than have the Disquiets that follow them My Fellowship with God in Prayer was too strong at that time to receive any impression of that kind and blessed be his Name the Suggestion was so bare faced and clearly diabolical that I was immediately strengthened to repel it as a Trifle The Effects of which Experience were First A further establishment in the truth of that Scripture All things work together for good to them that love God Secondly A continued hope in his mercy which since that time has been greatly establish'd by the enjoyment of the Psalmist's words as certain truth The Lord delights in them that fear him and in them that hope in his mercy That methinks all my Arguments with God are bound up in this one of the greatness of his mercy in Christ the observation of special favour in all smiling and frowning passages of Providence the advancement of Reliance upon God in all things brought forth by God's Divine Spirit in the use of that mean of observation has further establish'd and fix'd my hope upon his mercy in Christ and that for other changes within and future happiness hereafter A Fourteenth experience of God's Method of training me into dependance upon himself was from the observation of God's way of freeing my Thoughts from concern under Disquiets and carrying my concern off from the thing disquieting to a search and desire after Enjoyment of God in Prayer put up for the disquiets which is the alone Gift of Christ's Spirit the Promise of Divine Scripture and my alone comfort under disquiet This is to me the evidence of my Petitions being accepted and the Token of special Guidance from Heaven throughout the disquiet In confirming the truth of which experience the Scripture is plain charging us to be careful for nothing but by supplication to make our request to God and when by the intercession of a Divine Spirit we are enabled to make our request the experiencing Christian can truly say that anxiety is taken off and full exercise of reliance upon God is in its room both for conduct to the Soul throughout the disquiet and for the removing of it in his own time and way if God's Method herein was more observ'd there would be less trust on outward helps and more reliance upon God in Prayer join'd with the due use of means and would by a blessing attending them be convincing to the men of this World who are led by sense and disbelieve the Prerogative-Power of God's Providence in all things A Fifteenth experience of God's Method of advancing my reliance has been by fixing my desire delight and longing after spirituality of frame with all and every one of the most comforting outward mercies of the present Life in the desires of the best of outward blessings I find an unexpressible fixedness of thought upon these two things One is That it may be convey'd by Providences arguing speciality of love another is that this conveyance may be a means of heightning reliance upon God and raising me to more sweet and intimate Communion with him And I hope I may with some humble awe say that my Eye is so much upon God's hand in bringing about and upon Communion with God in the enjoyment of all things on Earth that the more I see and enjoy of the outward pleasures of this Life the more they are undervalued by me and the more I am afraid of them by reason of the temptations attending them to the breaking off of Heavenliness of frame which is the true inward comfort of the Soul of an experiencing Christian This very Experience has made me sensible of the following things First That the best of them of which I have not wanted some taste afford not that solid abounding sweet satisfaction as I do really experience in Heavenliness of frame and therefore do exercise great pity towards them who know nothing of fellowship with God in the frame of their minds or in the performance of duties
Petitioning a Divine Blessing and the exact extension of our Petitions to all things receiv'd for that end of nourishment thereby reproving my self and others for the formal and overly addressing God herein and not endeavouring the same seriousness and spirituality of Frame as in other set and solemn Petitions and not Petitioning God's Divine Blessing for every thing we desire Nourishment from or Pleasure in Thirdly A Resolution and I hope I may say a Performance at least much better than ever before to extend my Supplications to God for all things taken for the support of life and in as serious a manner as for matters of higher concern God being the same when then address'd to as when by solemn long and numerous Petitions and though to others Food comes in a common way of Providence yet to God's own Children in a line of special Favour and therefore more Obligatory upon them to show their Trust to God for Mercies seemingly in common with others as well as for more special concerns and that in a way becoming the God they are more especially acquainted with and the greater Trust they pretend and do give to God than others who only enjoy all those Favours as out of the hand of a general Provider in a common way of Distribution The effect of which Instruction Reproof and Resolution has been in my self to avoid all opportunity of publick Petitioning a Divine Blessing upon these outward Favours and that upon the following accounts First Because of the necessity of going out of the common road if my Resolution be faithfully performed and any thing uncommon either in spiritual or outward things draws forth many times Reproachings from Carnal Persons yea the very apprehension of such Persons present to my certain experience is the occasion of marring a serious spiritual Petitioning God's Divine Blessing The common road of Professors in this Duty is form and brevity and considering the mixt Company this Duty is often to be performed with a petition for God's Divine Blessing with the serious thoughtfulness upon what is expressed many times prevents the Mockings that attend a Spiritual posture of Soul in the performance of this Duty without a Form there being many conversant with us at Meals who were it not for the power of Education and fear of Reproach would please their Palates without any Blessing petition'd thereupon and I 'm sure with greater comfort than when burden'd with a Serious Address to God or Religious Conversation amongst themselves I rather therefore eschew the opportunity than spoil my serious Address to God having little satisfaction in performing this Duty unspiritually And sure I am that the mind confin'd to a Form of Thoughts and Words aforehand must needs lay occasion of restraint upon the Breathings of a Divine Spirit which runs with strong force of Thought upon the Soul and great extension of Word as any acquainted therewith will witness of me I grant a seriousness of thought is very agreeable to a Form in this Duty but far different from that spirituality of Soul evidential sensible of Christ's Spirit acting therewith yea from my own Experience I can witness that I have had my frame of mind that has been in a spiritual posture allay'd with an overly performance of this Duty Brevity I accuse as marring of a Heavenly Frame I must testify that sometimes I have been in the beginning of Prayer Cold and Lazy in the Frame of my Soul but in the progress thereof a holy heat has been diffused in my Affections and therefore justly may fear that if my frame be cold passing immediately from the World to this Duty a repeating some short Sentences in a Form will be over before Spirituality has seized my Thoughts and so prove an occasion of preventing Spirituality But for a serious spiritual Soul I think him hardly capable of performing this Duty with common brevity he being carried out many times beyond designs and words both exposing him and the Duty to the Mocking of such if then present and therefore reservedness in the publick performance of this Duty I greatly affect Take therefore my reason thus for eschewing the Publick performance of this duty that I may neither keep off Divine influences by form nor short'n the sweetness thereof by brevity nor expose my self and the duty to the ridiculing of those who either would willingly feast upon God's good things without ever acknowledging him the Giver or petition his blessing to follow them rather than cool the Victuals a degree-more than suits their Palate and gratifies the sensual Appetite A Second reason of eschewing Publick performance of this duty has been because of this Spiritual frame and Heavenliness of mind I endeavour after throughout the day out of duty as well as in duty which hinders a rushing from Worldly Discourse to a petitioning of God with Three or Four Sentences by Roat and sets forth a duty proceeding from a mind spiritual and actually serious Besides when at any time I am Heavenlily carry'd out petitioning God in any duty I find that often Petitions and Expressions will run upon Matter that I have been formerly pleading for throughout the day of which I should not willingly desire any Company perhaps to know of and to restrain my self in this Frame is what would greatly burden my Soul and rather incline me to lose such Comforts tho' never so grateful to Sense My Method therefore and great Endeavour is That whether others perform this Duty or my self I may if possible meet with nothing that may occasion its unspiritual performance And when others are so short my Soul is not at ease till I have seriously ejaculated my Thoughts to Heaven easily done without the least knowledge to the Short-sighted Professor's round and privacy to my self I make choice of unless Family-relation engage me that so neither Form nor Brevity may hinder me of so sweet an Enjoyment as spiritual Frame in the Duty and that what bears most in my Thoughts towards God through the day may not be prevented from being utter'd through the fear of others knowing it or ridiculing the Duty because of it Thirdly Another Scripture was bore home upon my Soul by way of Instruction and Comfort when one day I happen'd to be out of all Business respecting my Calling and discovering one of the same way with my self in great hurry therein some repining melancholy Thoughts begun to spring up of which I was concernedly sensible at the time and anxious how to suppress them but after walking some four or five paces I see the Bible before me which I took up without any design of serious reading therein But the first Verse that my eyes fixt upon was that of the 9th Verse of the 5th Chapter of James Grudge not one against the other which immediately bore home upon me with astonishing amazement that so exactly it should suit my Circumstances which perhaps might have from Lust within and Satan without occasion'd the neglect of regarding
God in all Events and the attributing this to Chance or some external Accident if I had not discover'd God's own hand in the matter For besides God's adapting it so suitably to my present Case by the true meaning of the words there immediately issued relief to my anxiety and full quiet of mind and comfortable satisfaction without the least repining And I still find upon the occurrences of the like temptation a power not reduceable to my self as the Fountain but proceeding from Christ and conveyed by his Spirit working mightily in my Soul Let therefore these prosper and others excel me my satisfaction is founded on God's special conduct of Providence round me God's over-ruling all Events for such an end as the dethroning of Corruption and the raising of Grace to such perfection of Faith and meetness for Heaven as will be rewarded with an abundant entrance into that blessed Kingdom This divine calm of Mind was the product of the Holy Spirit the great Comforter for meer Reason and natural Constitution cannot quiet us upon such Motives and are but weak Bulwarks to defend against disquieting impressions when difficulties occur Fourthly Having set apart some time for private Prayer concerning a more than ordinary Affair and reading some Scripture before it one Verse thereof affected my thoughts by way of Instruction more than the other parts of that portion of Scripture it was the last Verse of the 10th Chapter of Ecclesiastes Curse not the King in thy thoughts nor the rich in thy bed-chamber for the birds of the air shall declare the voice and the fowl with wings shall tell the matter In the reading whereof such a divine Power accompanied me that set me a resolving from that moment to eschew speaking evil privately and that by way of whisper against my Superiors and others and to leave whatever might be express'd against my self in such a manner to the permission of a Divine Hand under whose especial Conduct I had some comfortable evidence of being stated having at this very time often and often experienc'd that upon reporting any thing injurious to others either from a foundation of Self-applause or of spreading a reproach with that privacy that I have imagin'd it impossible the reproach could ever reach their ear yet it has been heard of and providentially return'd me with the just punishment of Reproach either from the same person or from another by a reproach of the same kind And that this resolution of Conformity to this Scriptural Lesson might be the more effectually perform'd I set it upon Record with a design of viewing it every morning before my entrance upon publick Conversation to help forward that resolved watch of taking heed to my ways not to sin with my tongue To the intermission of which watch so many daily Temptations occur not only from natural inclination to applaud one's self and to disparage others but from the ill example of others who upon pretension of concern and friendship for a person and trusting to their privacy they are conversing with whisper an ill report with the name of the person reproach'd and thereby draw forth a mutual discourse upon the thing that aggravates and fixes its belief upon their minds and thoughts that it is ready to break forth on all occasions while the person reproached is perfectly ignorant and perhaps as truly innocent This is the abounding Sin of the Christians of this day either to believe a Reproach too soon or to aggravate it in its after-report and neglect the speaking to the persons concern'd for their amendment This is privately contrary to the Rule of the Gospel and hinders the obtaining of spiritual Blessings yea brings Men under the danger of that denunciation Psal 101.5 Whoso privily slanders his neighbour him will I cut off Fifthly When I have been under great concern for the omission of Duty and losing that delight therein that I had formerly enjoyed then the Lord has made that verse of the 7th Chapter of the Romans a powerful relief to my fear of its being evidence of no grace The law of the mind warring against the law of the members And when I have found before the performance of Prayer a struggle between doing and neglecting it and the most trifling occasion looking out at a Window a great noise and the like delaying of my Duty then my Soul labour'd under the weight of concern lest it betoken'd my being altogether empty of Grace and that till God was pleas'd to bear home this express Scripture-truth to be experienc'd in my self and to quiet my Mind by a Sermon Preach'd upon the 1st v. of the 4th chap. of the Hebrews Let us fear lest we come short of that rest wherein in the Explication of Fear so far as Duty he discover'd the mixture of Corruption and Grace in a Christian Soul here on Earth and that strugglings often rising thence would cause fear in the Soul but what was no ground of fear unless when overcome by them after which time I begun to observe the victory over these disturbing fears within and the exercise of a greater watch unto Prayer to endeavour their repulse Sixthly Another Scripture powerfully bore home has been that of the 16th of Matthew where Christ desires his Disciples to Remember the five Loaves which Scripture then and ever since in the steps of God's advancing Reliance in my Soul has been of great use and when God has seem'd to withdraw any sorts of Mercies it has made me have immediate recourse to former Experiences with the good effect of accusing my self for my little faith and forgetfulness so soon of his former preventing Mercies hastening me to Prayer for strength of Faith and Reliance upon him Let this be upon the Thoughts of poor Creatures under God's sensible withdrawings to prevent sinking fears lest they are without Grace when there is Grace in Sincerity but not in that sensible strength which by Prayer and the remembrance of God's former Mercies they should diligently endeavour to obtain Seventhly That Scripture of seeking the Lord while he may be found and calling upon him while he is near bore home in sweet Exercise at such a time when God's Breathing has been sensibly upon my Soul raising my frame to a Heavenliness of Mind when the Holy Spirit by warm influences excites the Soul 't is a season of Grace to the unrenewed and a precious opportunity and advantage to the real Christian This has made me to prize the smallest motions of the Divine Spirit not to quench them and watchful of entertaining them in the exercise of Meditation and Prayer eschewing what Conversation might at that time bring levity of Mind to dethrone them Eighthly Another Scripture imprest seriously upon my Heart was the 21st and 22d verses of the 18th chapter of Matthew Then said Peter Lord how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him till seven times And Jesus said unto him Vntil seventy times seven This has been a
and comfort to my Soul thereby One instance without expressing many I could give was when through the week greatly thoughtful concerning the knowledge of effectual calling and my evidence thereof in my Soul and happening to be one day in a Friend's Closet where several Books lay I lookt into one and being pleased with the subject I brought it home without knowing that any thing concerning Effectual Calling was in it in the perusal whereof I found an Appendix concerning Effectual Calling which greatly pleased me at the time my Thoughts being then in great Exercise concerning it but still without any sensible satisfaction in my self from using it The following Sabbath I found a strong inclination to hear another Minister than whom I usually heard without argument to my self against him or any sensible and more grateful motion to hear another The Inclination grew so strongly and suddenly that no objection could stop my design tho' I met with several and at my hearing the Minister found his Sermon upon Effectual Calling and accompanied with such satisfactory Instructions and sweet Sense of my being effectually called that I was amazed and ravished at the time which plainly proved the word Preached to be the power of God bringing forth evidences which are means to Salvation Secondly By bearing home Duties with such Power of Christ's Spirit in the hearing of a Sermon that immediately their performance has been resolved and the practice dutifully and delightfully continued One remarkable instance was By a Sermon of a faithful Minister of Christ Mr. Showers in a December Preparatory to the Sacrament wherein he prest That as People at that time usually were a considering their Account-Books to know their Circumstances so we might at the same time every year take an Account of our Souls to know the State of Grace whether growing decaying or at a stand which greatly imprest me at the time and was a mean in God's Hand to persuade me to the Custom thereof which ever since I have used and not only then but every night and at the end of every month and blessed be God it has been of great Service to my self in the discovery of the advancement of my inward Change and in the preserving of me from misapprehensions of God's Ways with me helping me to know what Grace is most in exercise and what Corruption most tempting and a continual discovery of God's Method suiting his Providences to each I impart it as an Example to others and to help forward their comfortable Pilgrimage on Earth Another instance of that Experience was In the powerful Influence that accompanied my Soul in hearing the Sermons Preached upon Family-Duty by which tho' I always perform'd Evening Family-Prayer yet had never performed it in the Morning till by that means God was pleased to inforce it as Duty and help me to practice it with Comfort And if these Ministers had no other Seal accompanying their Religious Undertakings this one may Comfort them and let them know it was not in vain Thirdly By influencing Sermons with a power to suppress Evils predominant at the time of hearing which gave me ground to fear they would interrupt me in that Duty I have often found my self under Disquiet and in great fear lest the Disquiet should occasion an unprofitable Hearing it being natural for a thing disquieting to draw forth the Mind upon it even when it ought to fix upon a thing of higher concern and yet I have been so far from losing the advantage of this blessed mean of Grace that it has been through the Blessing of God effectual to remove the Disquiet it self and to bring me into a sweet spiritual frame of Soul How ought this greatly to caution us not to add one folly to another and by pretension of unfitness to hear to neglect hearing it being a means by Divine Assistance to make you sit How often have the Prophane of the Earth vainly said They were as knowing as their Ministers and understood as much as they could acquaint them And why should they go to hear what they know before-hand Never considering Hearing as a means not only instructing their Judgments but changing their Hearts establishing them Experimentally in what they know and raising them by a Divine Hand to a serious spiritual heavenly frame of Soul the Element a Saint desires continually to breathe in Fourthly By ordering the Sermons of Persons dislik'd from some circumstances in their way as means both of Instruction and Comsort and the circumstance despised more spiritualizing my frame than ordinary to prevent partial respects to Ministers and to see the assisting means that God affords us and to encourage us in the use of the means that God affords us the most unlikely means being truly successful as it is influenced with a Divine Spirit One instance whereof was Before I happened to know or hear a worthy Minister of this City I ordinarily exclaim'd against his Singing of Hymns not as unlawful for Hymns Psalms and Spiritual Songs are the parts of Praise under the New Testament but lest it should give encouragement to others not so sound in Learning and Divinity not only to neglect the use of Psalms but to compose what might be erroneous weak and dissonant from them one day I found a mighty inclination in my self to hear him without any rational motion to it at the time And tho' I was in an extraordinary lazy cold frame yet no sooner did I enter the place but I met with the Hymn I had so much exclaim'd against plainly made use of as a mean to bring me into a most ravishing spiritual frame of Soul which continued with me in all the after publick and private Duties of the day I have also Experienc'd That when upon the consideration of a low esteem of a Minister for his weak parts and unsuitable way of Preaching to what I wanted I have withdrawn to some place else that that very day I have had an unusual Testimony of the Worth of this Minister's Sermon whom I left and instead of meeting with that sweetness I have expected or sometimes have had from the other when I have gone with some inward constraint I have found my self in as bad a frame as ever without any satisfaction and establishment but rather an uneasiness of Mind concerning it O how instructing is this of the Inefficacy of the best means without a Divine Power and of the Efficacy of the weakest means with a Divine Power It is neither learned matter nor fine Oratory that will savingly instruct the Mind or comfort the Soul though it may affect the fancy and inform the judgment for a time how instructing is it of a dependance upon God in the use of means he lays providentially in our way as our Duty unless when God goes out of his ordinary road of which we are not to make a Rule If they be weak means or strong means it is according to the influence of a Divine Spirit that they
Christians yea Nations and Churches to great imminent Dangers before he pours out his Smiles on purpose to make us sensible of that regard of God we ought to have in his Providences round us of our Duty to cry unto him in Publick and Closet-Addresses And if these were the Effects of our Troubles at this day if we were brought to far greater Pinches of Extremity than we are or can be at I should not doubt but to behold the Returns of Providential Smiles upon our outward things and spiritual Influences upon our Souls with Riches and inward Peace amongst Christians yet in our Land It was but this Summer when God providentially by the great and continued Rains threatned Scarcity of Bread and in merciful Condescention suffer'd it to fall out when a Fast was appointed to be kept for Success to our KING that at the same time by the Rains visible before us we might join in Prayers to Goâ— for the one as well as the other otherwise we might perhaps have been brought nearer to an Extremity Before we had publickly â—ought God on that account an additional stâ—p 〈…〉 the other was in God's 〈…〉 Rains immediately as 〈…〉 very Evening of the 〈…〉 weather By 〈…〉 thus with us 〈…〉 see God in his Pâ—oviâ—â—â—â—â—◠〈…〉 in the use of 〈…〉 such 〈…〉 the following 〈…〉 for not going 〈…〉 we may know what that blessed Duty of Dependance upon God means and may taste of its blessed fruits both upon Souls and Bodies In this discovery of a Divine Hand in the out-going of Pâ—ovidences a fair reproof arises First To the Prophane who reject the impression of a Divine Providence and will not observe his ways of it lest they be brought to a Sense of the just Power above and be under terrour for despising his Laws that are not pleasing to the Carnal Appetites Secondly To the meer Professor and lazy Christian who would limit God in his Providence to matters of great moment and not extend it to all events tho' the Scripture as well as Christian Experience bears sufficient Testimony thereto The Scripture tells us Matthew 10.30 Luk. 12.7 That the very hairs of our heads are all numbred and that consequently his Divine Providence influenceth the most minute things by upholding and ordering the world If this be true as to a general Providence over the whole Earth How is it much more clear as to a special Providence respecting his own Children in their Pilgrimage and Warfare here below even then that as it 's said by our Saviour Luk 21.18 One hair of his Disciples heads should not perish Christian Experience confirms this Truth That in the most mean Events God's over-ruling Hand is greatly discover'd and Prayers put up for small matters are return'd with such full discovery of him in the bringing them about that the observation thereof afford greater inward Comfort in the enjoyment of the outward benefit were this more firmly rooted in the Hearts of professing Christians we should have less talk of Fortune and Chance and less Trust to Humane Endeavours distinct from a Divine Influence Secondly By the Observation of outward Providences you may not only discover God therein but even from thence be led to a Dependance upon and a Trust to him and that for matters of great moment and also for your smallest concern on Earth you will say with the Psalmist Thy right hand saved us and as in the 6th verse I will therefore not trust in bow and as in the 8th verse I will boast in God all the day long and praise his name for ever You wont with the Prophane confine the acknowledgment of God your Address to him and Reliance upon him to pinches of extremity when Evils seem nigh at hand forcing the Creature by the very light of Nature to cry out for help from God or to desire those they have formerly mockt at as Religious to supplicate Heaven to withhold the Evil or that God would have Mercy upon them in it You wont with the meer Professor express only your trust to God's over-ruling Providence in Words censuring those that deny it and yet live as without the sense of a God therein by doing Evil privately without considering his All-seeing Eye or endeavour to obtain things desired in the use of ill means without considering his over-ruling Power in the bringing forth of all Events You wont with the lazy Christian limit his governing-hand but clearly know the extension of his Power towards all things determining small Events in the lawful use of means as well as greater and that God's conduct of his Children in their small concerns as much honours his condescending Goodness as his regard of them in their most difficult concerns glorifies his Power and Godhead The exact Observers of his special Providence find as truly his Compassionate Care in answering their Requests for smaller things as in the greatest concerns of their Life Yea that when matteas of small moment has been manag'd in the use of means with Dependance and Resignation to him they have then had both a better Event than if the whole strength of humane Power and Policy had been trusted to or ill means made use of for its obtaining And that the honouring of God so faithfully in the diligent use of means and true Reliance upon him for the Event of a small concern has been encourag'd by God's laying a greater matter in their way and greatly Honouring them therein It is therefore your Duty to trust God in all circumstances afflicting or smiling in your Souls and in small as well as greater things that concern our Temporal State and give up the least concern of your life to his conduct address him for his Guidance in it and depend upon him for the Events This is to be recommended to all To the Prophane who mind not God in the goings forth of his Providence and to the meer Professor who acknowledge him in Word but in Action deny his over-ruling Power and even to the lazy Christian who minds not God in matters of small concern and gives not God the same Tribute of real Reliance for such things as for matters of weighty concern and this many times causes a slight and formal performance of our Duties to God which is a dishonouring of God as truly as the more visible Sins of those who are Strangers to the Covenant Thirdly By the observation of outward Providences and of God therein with a reliance upon him you are in the way of obtaining a discovery of the inward workings of Christ's Spirit in the Soul an enjoyment making you sensible of what formerly you could not give credit to though exactly describ'd in his Word and making you bless his Name that he ever put it in your thoughts to practise that excellent and greatly neglected Duty of observation that is the promise of Christ To him that hath shall be given The conscientious regard of external Providences will lead us to a discovery of greater
finds to please and to obey him in all his preceptive Commands and that his Experience of Free-Grace no ways tend to a Licentious Life Whatever the Notional Knowledge of Free-Grace may do amongst those who know nothing of a real Faith and experience of God's Grace in their Soul and where unstrictness and unholiness of life appears in the greatest Zealot for Free Grace it savours of nothing more than its Notion in their Brain Again the Experiencing Christian finds that when he sets himself to be most diligent to perform Good Works and Religious Duties yet in the first he is often overtaken with faults and in the latter constant failures â—â—â—ur wandering Thoughts therein discomposure of Mind from some disquiet falling in before or some suggestion from Satan or corruption within rising up at the time which forces the Soul to lay by trust to Self-sufficiency and to have recourse to the Free-Grace of God in Christ that through his Divine Spirit supplies may be conveyed enabling of us to do Works though our own yet perform'd by Christ's supplies enabling of us and accepted from us thorough his Merits perfuming them that being our alone argument to obtain both for the sake of the multitude of his tender Mercies the opening and pouring forth of which we owe to our Blessed Redeemer who has remov'd the flaming Sword and given us access to the Throne of Free-Grace but still in the use of the blessed mean of Prayer And I think it more a Soul 's concern to try the Truth of access to the Throne of Grace by Prayer in our own endeavour and observation if return'd that being a mean of obtaining of Prayer in Christ's Strength than before the trial of Prayer to pursue first the Knowledge whether Justification be previously necessary before access to this Grace as is set down in the first verse of the fifth chapter of the Romans Alas While we are a striving which things go first we are in danger of missing all while we are debating about the Notions of Religion we suffer the Truths of God in their Experience to drop Oh that our Debates were more at home with our inward Corruption sighting it with the continued use of means capable by Christ's Strength meeting us in them to overcome it and to fructifie Grace in its room and less with our fellow Christians unless in point of strict and Holy Lives Christianity needs no other bulwark from us than the true plain meaning of Scripture-truth and putting Souls in the use of such Means as God conveys the experience in and where the power of Christianity is felt let him be Church of England or Dissenter under all its Subdivisions he becomes the Object of my love because of the Impression the Divine Spirit seems to have stamp'd upon him Of their being such we may easily have discovery in discourse one with another and that without any extraordinary gift of discerning However others think of this Gospel-priviledge there is such a difference between the Nature of Notional and Experienc'd Christianity between the way and words of a meer Notional Professor though never so outwardly strict and of an experiencing Christian that to my self I find not the least difficulty And it is greatly suitable to the forecited Text in the Hebrews where it is said That it is the priviledge of grown Christians to discern good and evil and these Christians are such who have grown thereto by use and experience And where I can discover nothing of this whatever Party he is of let his Notions and Zeal in spreading them fly never so high I am always afraid that the Motive of Self bears too much room in his witnessing for God and his Truth Let all therefore be reprov'd who set up Variance with those that bear Christ's Image upon their Hearts and Lives and only differ in their Notions and Conceptions about the Truths of God Let Holy Lives and Acquaintance in Conversation with their experiencing Christianity in their Souls be the Touchstone of trying and esteeming them By the denying familiarity with such upon such differences you pinch the great evidence of loving the Brethren and shew to the world that such an one is laid aside or introduc'd to your Favour from having a name of being one of such a Party and so give occasion of producing Proselites in profession to such a Party to obtain interest and encourage thereby others to ridicule Christianity because of such Professors blemishes through the want of Christianity's power in their Souls though these inward enjoyments into which observation of outward Providences lead as a mean are incomprehensible by the prophane and meer Professor while in that state yet they are outward passages greatly discovering God bringing forth good where all evil is ominous if observ'd by meer Professors It is experimentally known that a passage of Providence dark and afflicting in its first approach has many times had in its bosom a rich mercy There is a known passage of one who broke his Leg in his Journey to go a Ship-board a dark and afflicting Providence both by reason of his breaking his Leg and the disappointment of his Voyage but in its bosom was that great mercy of saving his life the Ship being lost in which he was to have gone It is not long ago since a Wind hindring our Fleet to go forth was afflicting but in it was that great mercy of the preventing of a French Invasion such passages the prophane and meer Professor cannot dive into and if each were but observant of such like they would be reckon'd by Millions round Nations and People and all with a discovery of God the Governor of all things and would help us against repining for disappointments and advance a reliance upon him in all things by committing them to a Divine Conduct by Prayer and diligently using means providentially laid in our ways Again Is it not known with experimental Christians that the Lord many times introduces a rich spiritual mercy by a dark Providence a spiritual instruction for their establishment by an afflicting Providence It has oft been their experience to be brought under an outward disquiet on purpose to free them from a cold lazy frame of mind and to introduce a sweet heavenly posture of Soul who therefore from continued observation of this experience will not forbear repining and exercise patience till the discovery of God's design therein appears yea work together with him for the same end by addressing the Lord for strength to stand firm in the exercise of reliance and love to him which greatly establishes the Soul in the exercise of these Graces and therein honours God and is even met many times with a visible reward suited to that particular Action tho' performed by his own Divine strength the observation whereof has oft brought that Scripture to my thoughts Psal 31. Great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them
rational Comprehension than the other I don't therefore much wonder at the prophane or meer Professors who have no other sense of Divine Things than what is Notionally imparted and comprehended by them My greater admiration is That Christians indeed who feel the certainty of what others have but heard of Notionally and much more than can be exprest by any should not be more endeavouring the witnessing for God's Truth in Preaching Printing and Conversation and less for the setting forth of their own Parts or Notional Controversies not so material in our day where the Truth of God's Word is so much exposed and struck at A Third Motive to this Duty of Observation is That it is no hindrance to your worldly Business or lawful Pleasures but rather by fixing your Thoughts upon an adjutant to your ordinary means even a Divine Hand and Blessing you may conform to his Will and receive the reward of such a Duty The Experience of Christians discover that a laying aside anxiety of Mind and hurry of Body and a laying the matter before God with the diligent use of means occuring in their way obtains more business better success and greater Peace and Comfort both in the way of obtaining it and its after-enjoyment than when they ey'd nothing else besides natural Contrivances which when mightily made use of is apt to lead a Man beyond true sincere Uprightness and their diligent lawful Industry unless for some special end of cutting down a Corruption or for some differences of the temper of the Mind God's Method differs with the Soul but whatever difference be in his Method it will end in the same delight easie endeavour and discovery of Mystery I add nothing more to this Motive being it belongs also to the other means to be mentioned which tho' commonly talkt of yet not so Experimentally treated of nor Practised in such a manner as bring in Knowledge of God and themselves or afford that inward Comfort that might be attained thereby Let therefore your observation be general as to all the steps of God's Providences round your Bodies and Soul and you will see God in all and may be brought to rely upon him for all and have discovered such a Mysterious Work as the implanting and growing of Grace in your Souls yea you may be led to more than ordinary fellowship with the Godhead with the discovery of such steps as even other Christians have never been admitted to or have let slip in their reflection and improvement of and thereby be made more capable of witnessing for God than others and better judges of meetness for Heaven than otherwise you should have been and all this without hindering your lawful Business but rather with less anxiety of Mind and hurry of Body yea with greater success and more inward comfort without confining you from Pleasure unless it run to an extream either of being Sin it self or the occasion endangering you to Sin The Second mean you are desir'd to be in the use of to bring you into the knowledge of Experimental Religâ—on and thereby the certainty of God's Word and of his Ways with the Soul against Errors abroad and Darkness within is that of Prayer In this very Duty did I first understand the meaning of Fellowship and Communion with God of Divine Influences Spiritual Emanations spirituality and heavenliness of Frame which are words mockt at by the Prophane in our days and was unintelligible to my self while only under the instruction and power of Education and must be incomprehensible to all others under the meer profession of Christianity let their outward Behaviour be never so innocent and their Duties never so gravely perform'd to the obtaining a name on Earth While I was under the power of Education I seldom miss'd my set times of Prayer with as grave a gesture as now at this day and my concern us'd to be more for neglect of Prayer than for not performing it aright but after the Eying of God in all things by the mean of observation of outward Providences I began to think that if I would have God's favour acting and shining in any passage concerning me I ought to ask it and in asking by Prayer to do it with a real design and desire of obtaining it First of all I found a seriousness therein like unto the sincerity and unwanderings of one Man's speaking to another to obtain any favour but soon after I was carried beyond this with an awful Sense of the Majesty of God who behov'd to be of great Might to bring forth all Things and to act in all Things so visibly as I had observ'd and with such height of sincerity and heavenliness of Mind that my Thoughts darted upwards as with Wings the same time my Words were exprest and that with such pleasure of Mind as I had never observed before in Prayer all my delight formerly having been that I performed and not miss'd my times of Prayer but according to my usual time and way had the satisfaction of doing it and so from this went on as I have described in the Experiences concerning Prayer I know there are many prophane Creatures whose Education perhaps has not been Religious and so this Duty of Prayer has never been enforced upon them They live without the sight of God in his common Providences and therefore are the less mov'd to call upon him by Prayer for his favour in them unless in a pinch of extremity where by the very light of Nature and the power of their Conscience they are forced to lift up a Petition to him but perhaps without any apprehension of God at the time or concern of seeing their request brought forth in a discovery of him in passages of Providence bringing it about or in a way of return to that Petition their concern chiefly running upon the Deliverance whatever way it come But alas there are others amongst whom I was and for whom I am now under great concern and for whose sake I have so particularly exprest the steps of going off from formality in Prayer to its spiritual and right performance and from my Soul I wish have and shall beg of God that what I am to say concerning Prayer might influence their Minds with a sense of their State and a desire to be out of it in the right use of these few means They are such who have had Religious Education who profess the Christian Religion even in a stricter way than others who perform all outward acts of Worship with outward Gravity who are free from known Vice and still from no other Principle than either that of Parents instruction and example fear of offending them or of reproach from others but void of inward seriousness of Mind in the Service of God yea in hearing Ministers or Christians express in Duty or out of Duty Communion with God Divine Emanations and the like apprehend the Words without any inward sense of their meaning and as little desire after it or
mock at such words as too familiar and inconsistent with the greatness of that Majesty we approach unto in Prayer not knowing experimentally the Mercy of God as well as his Power the Wisdom of God in expressing his own Mysterious Truths by Words inferiour to the Mysteries but proportioned to our weaknesses as well as the condescending steps of God with a poor guilty Creature in first planting Grace in the Soul and I am confident not knowing experimentally what a heavenly frame in Prayer is for then when the Soul is in a ravishing spiritual posture words of this kind are forc'd to drop from their Mouths and there is more satisfaction in the Soul and greater acceptance with God from a familiar style to him influenc'd by his Divine Spirit than from a whole Prayer of another where distance appears either from the words fine style therein or length of Prayer but unspiritually perform'd Yea from this very principle of Education there are some who have an outward sincerity and from thence an inward satisfaction in their Profession with a resting in their knowledge and practice as all the Religion to be obtain'd with good hopes of their state for Heaven without ever doubting either their profession or security for Heaven There are others under the power of Education alone who tho' unspiritual in their Minds in Prayer yet upon any failure of their set times are really uneasie and dissatisfied especially the breach of their continued custom And as it is for these my concern is greatly put forth so it is with those that many times greatest difficulty is to reclaim It is well known how deeply are fixt the Impressions of Education and that nothing but a spiritual working of Christ's Spirit is able to blot them out or to impress them a-new upon which very account Childrens Education with true Notions of the Christian Religion can never enough pay their Obligation to such Instructors it being an excellent preparation for renewing the practical impressions of the same Notions upon their Hearts as well as upon their Brains In a word Religion is between God and the Soul and according to the heavenliness or un-heavenliness of the Temper and frame of the Soul so a thought word or action in Duties or out of Duties is either acceptable or unacceptable to God Before therefore you leave off the Errors of Education to a right notion and performance of Prayer you are first of all to be convinced of what is Erroneous and then of what is True and Right First Therefore a laying too great a weight upon a particular place for the performance of Prayer is an error of Education I know there are some so strictly addicted to Prayer in a Church that neither earliness nor lateness will obstruct their Custom herein as if it were a circumstance material in God's account It is not against Prayer in a Church that I set my self to oppose but the great stress some from Education are pleas'd to lay upon it I do believe that if others were as painful to bring their Minds into a serious posture as these are by retrenching their natural Rest in a morning retiring themselves from Diversion through a day or at an evening to have their Bodies in the Church at the times Prayer would be better known and much more pursued in its right performance than at this day For my own part if my Soul be right with God it is neither to House or Church I affix my self but the place I can be most private in either from the diverting sight of others or their discomposing noise and if I have opportunity of choice no place is more grateful to me than that in which I have had greatest enjoyments of God in Prayer Privacy I greatly value from an unwillingness to expose my self to the Censure of Shew and Applause or a Prayer acceptably performed to the mocking of some finding it impossible to restrain my self from more than ordinary flood of words and from a more than ordinary audible voice when the LORD is pleas'd to raise my affections above my ordinary frame The reason of chusing a place favour'd with God's presence to my Soul is that the memorial thereof may excite the greater endeavour after it and former Experiences may be one of my pleading Arguments for it This is abundantly suitable to the example of David who would often say Psal 42.6 That he remembred the hill Hermon-Missar and other places which were remarkable to him from the rich entertainment of God's presence in them from all which I drive only thither to make you know how little the consideration of Place Prayer is performed in avails in God's account or comforts the Christian's Soul within whatever customary performance or outward applause afford Privacy is recommended from Christ's own example who would retire to the Fields on that very account yea part then from his own Disciples and constant Companions And truly the more serious a Soul is the more willing to be from all and to center all his thoughts upon his dear God If therefore any labour under this failure of Education let me advise against it unless on the account of better performance of Prayer and because I hope there are some who on this very account give strict example thereof let me advise all from censuring such an Action the doing of it for a greater meetness for fellowship with God in Prayer makes it a Circumstance congruous to a well-perform'd Duty but the Circumstance of pleading for it in Conversation and fixing it upon others from a liking of the way argues it rather an Error of Education than a Circumstance experienc'd in themselves helping forward their seriousness with God for though to some it may have this advantage yet to my self it could not have the seeing of any before or with me in any performance of private Prayer proving many times visible hindrances Secondly A laying too great weight upon punctual keeping of set-times to pray is an Error of Education There are many in no other state of Christianity than that of its meer Profession and outward Acts of Worship who with marvellous strictness perform the set-times of Morning and Evening-Prayer purely from the Rule of Education but still at a loss what communion and fellowship with God in Prayer means I accuse not their praying at set-times but Professors confidence therein as evidence of their religious state or their Prayers right performance David's set-times of Prayer are instanced in his Book of Psalms and I hope there is not any experiencing Christian on earth at this day who slights their appointed seasons of private Prayer to supplicate the Lord's conduct from morning till night and from evening to morning yea by observation of continued Mercies through the day are kept in a posture of Soul fitted to ejaculate Praise and by observation of continual Wants fitted to ejaculate Supplication throughout the whole course of the day and so kept in obedience to that Divine
Command of praying without ceasing even amidst diligent endeavours in business and outward lawful pleasures as well as in the performance of morning noon and evening Sacrifices My Challenge therefore takes place when exactness in that Circumstance proceeds from no other foundation than that of Education or guided by no other Rule than that of others Example and tending towards no other ends than Applause or pleasing themselves by their Customariness therein The former experience of my self under the alone power of Education and now under the power of Christianity gave me occasion to reprehend this Error having then found my self more uneasy at the neglect of a set-time of Prayer than I am at this day when a lawful occurrence falls in my way to hinder my performance of Prayer at my usual set-time then I have found my self still under anxiety for the omission only but blessed be the Lord my experience is such that a heavenly Frame the continual desire of my Soul is neither confin'd to set-words nor set-times of Prayer and follow'd with as evident returns when put forth in Ejaculation as when in Solemn Prayer Thirdly A laying too great a weight upon the performance of Prayer in form or extemporary is an Error of Education the frame and posture of the Soul in Prayer is the touchstone of its right performance and therefore either of which the Christian finds most raising a spiritual frame that I think safest for a Christian to stick to For my own part without regard to the opinion and way either of the Church of England or Dissenter but purely to personal experience founded I hope upon Scripture-Revelation I must say that when in Closet or Family-Prayer my frame of mind has been rais'd to great spirituality and heavenliness my words then have run from me with an amazing freedom and current and in a most affecting way to my self and others from whence I must imagine that the Soul confining himself to words in a form of Prayer gives an occasional hindrance of this spiritual frame by confinement to what is design'd to be utter'd and so keeping off such Divine Influences which we are uncapable of bounding either in the frame of the Soul or in the Christian's outward expression Again There is a mighty difference between a Christian's seriousness when nothing else is sensibly productive thereof but the strength of the Creature 's self by the means either of thinking upon God's All seeing Eye upon the greatness of the Majesty approach'd to or by the means of drawing off the thoughts from distracting things There is vast difference I say between this serious frame and a spiritual heavenly frame sensibly suddenly and powerfully influencing the Soul without any thing of Self unless as in the use of Prayer but sensibly rais'd from a higher hand to thoughts and words far beyond the other I bless the Lord without the latter I am never satisfi'd and I know the first may be perform'd and yet without sensible fellowship with God but perhaps real fellowship with him by his strengthning influences and nothing more fixes the thoughts from diversion or discovers Self and Christ's spiritual Influences and carries the Soul more out of Self to cry and depend on Christ's Supplies than such extemporary Prayer with observation But if this Experience can be opposed by others who for any thing I know may find less distraction and greater heavenliness of frame in a form'd Prayer whatever their opinion be I shall never offer my Censure against the Circumstance of formed or extemporary Prayer being only to be accused when either it 's perform'd stuck to and pleaded for because of Education and not by reason of the one or the other's being a better mean towards performing of Prayer in a more heavenly and spiritual manner if our Concern run more upon the observation of the Soul's frame in the performance of Duties than upon the various methods of their outward performance the common distinction of opinions and quarrellings about needless Circumstances would soon be abandon'd I dissent from all tho' of my own opinion who lay weight upon any Circumstance but in so far as it contributes to greater spirituality in Prayer and shall never censure those of another opinion who stick fast to some Circumstances and thereby differ from me purely because such Circumstances are more serviceable to their Souls in raising their frames to greater spirituality than when otherwise perform'd But to be strict in their use and to plead for them in conversation purely because of being educated with them without trying the contrary way pleaded for and experienc'd by others seems to me the product of Self rather than the Spirit of God Again I am of the opinion that Children educated with Forms of Prayer are led to greater laziness in their more grown years and often proves a mean of rendring them secure without fellowship with God in Duties Not as if I confin'd God's spiritual Influences to an extemporary Prayer or that there were never a spiritual frame in praying with Form but that the latter more consines the Soul with its thoughts in the Duty and so fits the Soul far less to receive spiritual breathings than an extemporary Prayer And when a Soul in the use of Form in Prayer is raised by Christ's Spirit to a heavenly frame I think I may say that then the Soul goes beyond the path of Form it begun the Prayer in and reaches further in expression than what his Soul design'd by his usual Form Fourthly A laying too great a weight upon the Circumstance of Length in Prayer is another Error of Education especially amongst the Youth of Dissenters who are as much pleas'd herewith as those of the Church of England are with Form in Prayer Length in Prayer I accuse not absolutely for if the Soul be in a heavenly frame and admitted to near approach to God in Prayer its delight therein is such that it is unwilling to yea can hardly give over but when Length in Prayer proceeds from no other foundation than Education or Custom it is a Circumstance no ways promoting the Soul's heavenliness in it or God's acceptance of it There are many who from being train'd up in the way of extemporary Prayer can with strength of memory judgment and readiness of expression lengthen out Prayer to their own conceit and satisfaction and with applause from others and yet never know at the same time the meaning of access to God in Prayer it is a Consideration that has often moved me to concern for some under good Education and religious Character but altogether unacquainted with inward Religion The meaning of outward Worship to God is to honour him on earth amongst our selves and the service that is proportion'd to God is spiritual in the Soul expression being no acceptable Sacrifice to him unless upon that account of spiritual Worship it 's that which assimilates a man most to God and brings a man sooner to the knowledge
Religion I do really acknowledge that from reading a Chapter with Mr. Pool's Annotations concerning a point I have had more clear knowledge and confirmation than by reading Controversial Books And I do believe it one of the most common failures of Youth under Religious Education not reading the Scriptures with Annotations which greatly fixes the Thoughts upon ones self and God's Divine Rule if conform unto it either in Heart or Life Be advised therefore to begin your knowledge of Spiritual Things right and not to end where you should have begun and to read but one Chapter with Annotations and Observation rather than many slightly remarking that part of Scripture your Thoughts at the time of reading mostly fix to and observe the method of Providence afterward appearing and perhaps you may discover its correspondency to the matter remarkt either as Instruction or Comfort Secondly I advise grown Professors who busie themselves with Controversies and with Books Eloquently written or of high Notions but still are without an affectionate vital knowledge of Divine Truths and in danger of being infected with this or the other new-sprung Error I say to such That I am afraid the advice given to younger Persons has not been follow'd by them I therefore earnestly exhort them to read the Scriptures with a design to be enlightned and sanctified by them and with the assistance of a sound Expositor that their imperfect and unsetled Conceptions of Divine Things may be rectified and strongly imprest within them and the power of them may be visible in their lives If you cannot enjoy full measure of time once a day do it by parts Many sit in their Shops waiting for their Customers and Reading of Books of no value or thinking upon what they can give no account of afterward that have great opportunity of using this method Many might detract from their great time spent in Dressings and Visitings and thereby might have more leisure for this profitable and â—ounding work I am hopeful if this method was once in use there might be an excellent foundation laid for your Knowledge of God the Lawgiver and of your own Loyalty and Duty to him in Heart and Life The delight the Soul would taste in Reading the Word would cause us to disrelish all other Books tho' never so pleasing to the carnal Fancy and Desires that govern the unrenewed part of Mankind I have often thought upon the fancy so delighted with variety and have pitied some such who would be taken with every new thing but did not Experimentally know the varieties of things in the Scriptures greatly alluring worth the reading and the contemplating and the varieties of impressions affecting the mind in reading the same Scripture at various times But I have observ'd the better the Duty is the more instruction and comfort abound therein inward corruption and Satan keeps the Soul the more backward from it And let any experiencing Christian reflect upon the days of their Ignorance and the Beginnings of their spiritual Knowledge they 'll find When Hearing and Prayer has been practised by them yet serious Reading was greatly neglected especially with an Expositor A Duty establishing and comforting a Christian is the Duty Satan loses most by to Read matter indifferent overcomes neither Satan nor Corruption but Scripture-Revelation discovers both in their natural Colours and a way to escape the Tyranny of either I remember the neglect of Reading the Scripture while only under the power of Religious Education kept me in darkness and security for not bringing the false hopes of the goodness of my spiritual State to the Touch I presum'd that I was in a safe condition but by serious Reading the Scripture I had a true discovery of God and my self and I delighted in the discovery and the blessed means of it That which before was so unpleasant to the corrupt Nature was sweeter than the Honey-Comb This is the usual Reward that is joyn'd with our Obedience to the Divine Command Of searching the Scriptures I am afraid the neglect of this Duty keeps not only prophane and meer professing Christians from a change to a state of real Christianity but even real Christians in a careless neglect of their Conversations The serious Reading a Chapter in the morning would so fix the matter upon the Christian's Thoughts that now and then he would be reflecting whether he has stept aside from Conformity to what he had Read in the morning and would make him watchful against Temptations that surrounded him lest he be surprised by them How sad is the carelesness even of real Christians with respect to the inward frame of their Souls and their outward Conversation which I do believe may in some measure proceed from the neglect or at least the unserious performance of this Duty and the not considering that God sees them in their Companies in their Families in their Closets and in their Hearts and their neglect of serious yielding themselves to the conduct of the Holy Spirit thorough the day I remember a passage I heard of a Minister who had neglected his serious morning-Prayer before his going forth upon that Sacred Work of Preaching and after Reading his Text was stopt that he could go on no further and another was forc'd to supply in his room and upon review found that his neglect of Praying for Divine Assistance and dependance upon it was the cause why he was so deserted If Christians were more concerned to have their morning Duties strictly perform'd their Conversations would be strict and spiritual thorough the day they would not disparage their Profession and dishonour God by so many blemishes in their Actions they would not so harden the prophane and meer titular Christians in their sinful state whereas Prayer joyn'd with the Reading the Word in the morning is a blessed means to maintain our Communion with God in all the business and lawful refreshments of the day If innocent Recreations by fixing our thoughts upon them or by reason of the length of time we are in them lessen our seriousness we should be less frequent and shorter in them let the Conversation be never so innocent and the Company never so dear they must not deprive us of communion with Heaven we must so use the world as we may enjoy God I think visiting of Friends a Duty as well as diversion but prolonged to a day or an afternoon meddling in others affairs censuring some and commending others perhaps without reason is grieving to a spiritual-minded Christian unless where he may either do or receive some spiritual good The serious exercise of our minds upon spiritual things and discourse of them preserves the sacred fire burning in our breasts Spiritual Conversation is as rare amongst Christians as it 's profitable it 's the beginning of Heaven and reduces friendship to the state of Paradise But we are so sadly declin'd that unless he is a person of eminent holiness and gravity that interposes divine discourse in Conversation
it 's entertained very coldly or with contempt and derision As to Recreations doubtful amongst Christians playing at Cards and the like whether lawful or unlawful I think it is best to keep the judgment free from entangling Scruples but to restrain our practice and accordingly I desire to order my Conversation and that for these three Reasons 1. Because since nothing in Christ's Commands or Example or of the Apostles is express herein I judge it best to regulate my practice by the example of the most holy and heavenly Christians who I know have abstained from Recreations of a suspected nature A second Reason to me is That Recreations though seeming innocent have often been and are dangerous snares to men How many have resolved to spend an hour in a Recreation and have spent many to the irreparable loss of precious time How many have begun with Pence and ended with Pounds to the wasting their Estates and impoverishing of Families The perfect forbearance from such allurements is our security and happiness and that others who allow themselves in such things are not overcome is from restraining Grace and not from corrupt Nature Thirdly Because to my own experience such things wither a heavenly spiritual frame of Soul by drawing off the thoughts from seriousness to a little levity and from less to more till a heavenly frame be gone The heavenly-minded Christian is the only Judge of this matter the prophane and meer Professor never having had a heavenly frame can hardly be said to judge of or be concern'd for its decay or removal neither the lazy though real Christian who if serious in his morning or evening duties matter not the want of a heavenly serious frame of Soul throughout the day in his business and pleasures of the number whereof too many abound in our Age by reason whereof while under afflictions or in their dying hours when their evidences should shine not only with light to themselves but as witnesses for God to others they appear more dark and clouded than in those whose life has been a continued enjoyment of God How many real Christians have bitterly lamented their time mis-spent in Vanities and when near Eternity have had gloomy thoughts and distracting doubts of the Eternal State when those who have used the world with indifferent affections and have been serious in working out their salvation have rejoiced in the Lord. In short a heavenly frame of Spirit is the best Antidote against the infection of sensual pleasures The main Reasons to press Christians strictness of Conversation in doubtful things are from pity to the prophane and meer Professor and to prevent the drying up of spiritual seriousness of frame in real Christians the latter sort I hope thorough the exercise of Grace may limit their pleasures and diversions from being inductive of Sin but the carnal are hardned in their profuse wasting time and their indulging their sensual desires even by Saints innocent Recreation of themselves in them pleading for themselves by such a Question Does not such an one do so and so Ministers of all other Christians should be very diligent to prevent a taking occasion and encouragement from their example to Licentiousness in things of this kind they have the best opportunity to spiritualize Conversation with their People and improving time to the most excellent advantage that is to increase their knowledge holiness and comfort This was the practice of Paul who was so great a Lover of Christ and Souls this practice would refel the double Accusation of Ministers in our days First That they are so much seen in the Affairs of the world and are so little at home conversing with God and themselves and seldom with their People unless in outward enjoyments and without spiritual profit to them Secondly The other Accusation is their ignorance of their Peoples spiritual state and their more applying themselves to maintain such Doctrines as are the Characters of their Party than to preach Truths suitable to the Case of the Congregations Some Preachers are called Legal others Evangelical and according to the different opinions and affections of the Hearers are censured or commended but a Minister of the Gospel defames and pollutes his Profession who does not make it his sole end to glorify Christ and save Souls and for that end the Law is to be preached discovering the undone condition of Sinners that they may come weary and heavy-laden to our compassionate Saviour making him appear the more lovely to their view that they may with unfeign'd willingness walk in those means wherein his Spirit may be found to apply Christ with all his Benefits to the needy Soul I cannot but mention what I have observ'd in my self that upon any stirring of corrupt nature tending to puff me up after enjoy'd communion with God or leaving a kind of security in the following Duties what need I have had of reflecting upon the Law shewing thereby to my self how insufficient I was to give full obedience thereto or to perform any one part thereof aright unless by the continued assistance of a Divine Spirit to be obtain'd in the use of means and therefore it is Duty to be in the close work of using means and to ascribe benefit obtained therein to the free and powerful Grace of God and not to any dispositions or strength of our own Therefore the meditation of Law and Grace must be join'd the first leads to the other and greatly discovers the efficacy thereof yea more than that contemplated alone shall I see the precious excellency of Christ and not see my lost corrupted deprav'd state Shall I see the need of a Divine Power in working and planting Grace not seeing my own insufficiency to act without it Again before the close of the same evening I have been brought under such concern for one failure or other that the necessity and excellency of the free-grace of God in Christ has convincingly and comfortably by serious reflection wanted to have been appli'd to my Soul shall therefore one Christian need the bearing home of both the Law of God and the Free-grace of God in Christ in one day how much more shall a Congregation made up of Christians whereof some are secure and others tender and self-condemning stand in need of Sermons of both sorts or of a Sermon made up of both It is therefore the great Duty of Ministers to be frequent and fervent in their Prayers to God that by Divine influence they may be directed in the choice of fit Subjects and assisted in their preparatory Studies and in their preaching the Word in demonstration of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2.4 Not with enticing words only of man's wisdom that it may be beneficial and saving to their Hearers the neglect of this method may occasion the choice of an unsuitable Subject and its delivery to be unsavoury unless to the meer Notional Christian A Minister of eminent Holiness told me That Converse with God in Prayer was his
feeling in the Soul be believing The days have been when in all the outward parts of God's Worship I have made a specious show but from no other principle than that of Education being altogether ignorant of any inward Comfort in Duties and without longing after it imagining it to be more talkt of than really enjoy'd This cannot have been my case alone but I dare say the case of many professing Christians who have had Religious Education and therefore my method has been not only to show the evidences of a Change but the steps of God's way thereto and the few easie means made use of by my self and successfully blessed by the Divine Spirit And if this be not the fruit of my labour to bring you to the use of these means that you may lay your self in the way of receiving Divine Influences my Experience will make but small impression but if the Lord accompany your sincere endeavour in these few means believe me the internal sweetness of inward Religion of fellowship with God in Prayer of Reading the Scriptures with improvement of observing God's Dispensations with Reliance upon him for all things will so affect you that you will need no other motive to persevere in the use of means and you will abstain from all carnal Diversions that alienate the Heart from Communion with God The preserving a spiritual frame in the Soul every day keeps us watchful lest Temptations should break in and Corruptions break out This affords us a foretaste of Heaven and an assurance of it who can doubt of the Hell that is reveal'd in Scripture who feels the tormenting fire of guilt and extends his Fears to Eternity These are the beginnings of Sorrow Who can doubt of the Heaven reveal'd in the Gospel who has felt in his Soul a Joy unspeakable and glorious and differing from the Joy in Heaven only in the degree and the manner of Divine Fruition I do believe the Conceptions of prophane stupid Sinners concerning spiritual Comfort in the Soul and concerning inward Agonies for Sin are as doubtful as they are of the reality of Heaven and Hell in the future State Oh! Therefore let not Christians be discouraged by the Atheism the Infidelity and Wickedness of this Age but let them pray and labour to obtain a more full experimental sense of things reveal'd by the Word of God which will be a powerful preservative from the Errors and Vices of the infectious World and will make them admire Divine Grace that distinguishes them from others and will make them compassionate those who are careless of things that concern their precious and immortal Souls And to preserve a spiritual frame in its liveliness and vigour let those be our chosen and intimate Friends in whom the Image of God shines who partake of a Divine Nature that declares it self in spiritual Communion where we may be confirm'd and comforted in the serious practice of Godliness and prepared for the Joy that flows from the Divine presence above to the blessed Celestial Society Besides these three means of right Observation right Prayer and right Reading of the Scriptures there are other means of God's own appointment such as the Hearing of God's Word the Participation of the Lord's Supper and Communion with Saints but I have confin'd my self to these three upon the following Accounts First Because Observation was the means of my own sensible Conversion and the other two the special means of further growth in Grace Secondly By reason of the Christian's tendency to the right and continued performance of the other means when excited and allured by the Enjoyments that attend the right performance of those three Thirdly That my invitation to the prophane and meer professing Christian may meet the sooner with successful acceptance the apprehension of the difficulty and of the burthen of real Christianity as if it were inconsistent with natural pleasant enjoyments frights many from the acceptance of the Gospel and Obedience to it the falshood whereof I have endeavoured to shew in that spiritual Religion allows a modest temperate use of sensitive Pleasures and Religion when seriously practised sweetens those Duties which to Carnalists are so uneasie for when the Soul is cleans'd from sinful Affections and chang'd into the Divine likeness the suitableness between the Duties of Religion and the Soul causes the purest pleasure Since our Redeemer had reconciled God by his Meritorious Sufferings and Mediation and has obtain'd such precious privileges for all that will accept of him our present Pardon and future Glory Holiness and Happiness in perfection How can reasonable Creatures neglect the great Salvation so dearly bought and so freely offered to them in the use of so easie and few means Methinks we should hear convinc'd and alarm'd Sinners cry out What shall we do to be saved and apply themselves to the Redeemer to obtain spiritual and eternal Life by him The Pearl of Price is offered to all that sincerely accept of it To press the Duties of Christianity upon a prophane and meer professing Christian is as if Food was offered to a Dead Body to receive and digest as if the carrying of heavy Burthens were recommended in exchange with an easie quiet and pleasant course of life The prophane Creature is Dead in Sin though his Ear be open as the effect of natural Life yet his Soul is shut from the reception of spiritual Truths as the effect of a spiritual Death Now to shut up all I 'll give you my repeated Exhortation with some Reflections annexed to it respecting the foregoing Discourse Be exhorted therefore O prophane meer professor and careless Christian to walk in the use of the three means mention'd and take an estimate of your performance from the extensiveness of your observing the passages of Providence from the spirituality of your Prayer solemn or ejaculatory from the strictness of your conformity to God's Word the Rule of Obedience and you will obtain the first life of Grace and an experimental encrease of Holiness and Joy The world is blinded and secure from Lusts that darken the Mind and from tempting objects in the world that divert from the serious thoughts of the righteous God who is terrible against Rebellious Sinners Now the observing of visible Vengeance that often falls upon the wicked will strike men with the fear of God which is the first motive to fly to his Mercy Or men are blinded and secure upon the account of external profession and outward performance of Christian Duties and a notional Knowledge of the Gospel The remedy of this destructive delusion is the frequent and serious addressing to God by Prayer to obtain a living principle of Holiness that will be permanent and powerful in the Soul There are real Christians who by neglect of their Duty decline from God and disparage their Profession Let such be excited to a constant and serious use of those means whereby Grace is convey'd into our Souls If they will observe God in
begin your Morning Duties with reading a Psalm or a Chapter by Pool's Annotations observe the Words and Sentences thereof that impress your minds most with serious advertency to them observe the thoughts that thence arise at the time if tending to explain what formerly you were ignorant of if tending to establish you in what formerly you had the knowledge of if tending to make you resolve you 'll conform to it or if tending to comfort you as having walk'd conform to it and thereby discovering your self in the reading such a Portion of Scripture Thirdly Enter upon private Prayer with a serious Acknowledgment of God's Favour in conducting you through the Night and with a sincere Supplication to him for his conduct thro' the Day by his special Providence and Spirit that from the evidence of both thorough the Day you may discover his special Favour to your souls as a comfortable evening Cordial and that by his supplies of Grace throughout the day you may be enabled to bring forth the blessed Improvement of both by the exercise of Trust in and Love to the Godhead for life and salvation Observe your frame of soul throughout this Prayer observe if it continue in the same degree of seriousness throughout the whole or vary according to the various Petitions put up Observe and record the different Frames and different Petitions Fourthly Go forth thus prepared to your lawful Business and Conversation In your Business through the day observe First The Passages of Providence that seem to bring Undertakings to your hand Secondly Observe your own Endeavour in the use of Means And Thirdly The Event of each Undertaking In your Conversation through the day observe 1. The Occasions of your Entrance into it whether Idleness Lust within Necessity or Recreation 2. The Frame of your Mind while in it whether on your watch against the evils thereof And 3. The Issue of it whether freedom from or commission of Sins But now in the evening of the day Reflection according to the Observation and Record of the day is the Duty preceding your last Closet Prayer and to be recommended to your practice Perform it in the following Parts First Reflect upon the frame of your Souls that you observ'd in the morning whether by the Duties of Reading and Prayer it was not brought to a seriousness if observ'd to be unserious or to a greater seriousness than the degree of seriousness at first observ'd yea perhaps to great Heavenliness The improvement whereof must needs be that it is good to draw near to God in the Duties he has prescrib'd and a fix'd resolution to walk therein and perhaps daily continuance may bring in daily additions of the Enjoyments of Grace and preserve the Christian in daily heavenliness of Soul as Bulwark against all the Temptations of the day with Honour to God and great inward Peace Secondly Reflect upon the passages of Providence round you through the day and First of all compare them to the parts of the Scripture you read in the morning and to the Thoughts that then most imprest your Minds to see whether or not these passages of Divine Providence afford you some discovery of the reality of that part of the Scripture thus observ'd establishing your Faith in it The improvement whereof must needs be a resolution to go on in the same Duty of reading the Scripture in the morning before the entring upon the business of the day and perhaps there will arise to your sensible Experience greater knowledge of God's Word than ever yet has been observ'd by you in the enjoyment of outward Instruction yea such establishment to its truth and reality as could not be brought forth by the strongest arguings of the most Learn'd and into which the strongest Dart of Erroneous Sophistry can never pierce enabling your Soul not only to see the Reality but even Harmony of God's Word to his Providence and Spirit Secondly Compare the Providences of the Day to your Morning-Duty of Closet-Prayer to the Petitions therein put up and to the frame of Soul you were then under that you may discover what Passages of Providence seem to be afforded you in return to Prayer and what Frame your Soul was in and what was your Utterance in that Prayer or part thereof that was return'd The improvement whereof must needs be a discovery of the Certainty of Access to God by Prayer and a Desire to be always in that Frame wherein you was when you pray'd that Prayer that is so visibly return'd It will help you to see a difference between one kind of Prayer and another between a Prayer with our own Spirit and with the Spirit of Christ between a Prayer with the Spirit of Christ enabling to ask sincerely and a Prayer with the Spirit of Christ giving the Soul the comfortable sense of it as such and discovering the Reality of a Divine Strength above our selves both bringing the Providences of the day to us and bringing forth the improvement thereof in us by a gradual advancement of relyance upon and love to the free Grace of God in Christ by whose satisfaction this once-seal'd Fountain is open'd and by whose Spirit its Waters of Spiritual Life continually flow upon us and in the use of Duties apply'd to us Thirdly Reflect upon your own way of managing Business and Conversation with others that so you may not only discover a special Providence round you but the actings of a Divine Spirit within you and that by comparing First Your Frame of Soul to the Passages of Providence laying Undertakings in your way through the day reflecting whether God was observed in bringing them about as a discovery of Divine Strength in you carrying your observation beyond the enjoyment even to God himself Secondly By comparing your Frame of Soul to your method of using Means and managing Endeavours thus providentially laid in your way not only whether God was regarded therein laying Providences in your way or helping you to observe him but whether your concern run out chiefly upon doing Duty neither designing ill ends nor endeavouring to bring about any purpose in the use of ill means but regarding Duty to him in all Thirdly Compare your Frame of Soul to the Events of such Undertakings thus providentially laid in your way and thus faithfully managed by you if they are according to expectation or better than expectation Reflect whether exercise of the Grace of Love and Faith were not and ought not to be brought forth by such a Discovery and a fix'd resolution to keep on in the same lawful use of means with a trust to Divine Supply for Events as full evidence of the working of Christ's Spirit in your Soul and of your being under his Spiritual Conduct In Conversation with others 1. Reflect upon your Entrance to it whether its occasions were Necessity and innocent Recreation with a previous Address for Divine Conduct in it 2. Reflect upon your Carriage in it thus prepared the Temptations