benefits which the Son of God purchas'd and the Spirit applies to the Souls of unfeigned Believers Is it possible that one in a violent hot Countrey unacquainted with the blowing of Wind Is it possible that one that never tasted Honey Is it possible I say that the first and latter from the description either of the blowing of the Wind or of the nature of Honey in the most perspicuous words can so well understand or so firmly believe the blowing and refreshing effects of the Wind or the nature and the sweetness of the Honey as those who have enjoy'd of the first and tasted of the latter This is a true resemblance of their condition who are void of the real inward knowledge of Religion and their slighting and disbelief of the spiritual efficacy of the Ordinances cannot weaken the Faith of Believers who have experienced the reality thereof upon their Souls but give them greater establishment and afford them matter of repeated exercise of love to him who past by some and calls others and advances them to a further reliance upon him in the due use of means for the obtaining a richer abundance of the communications of the Holy Spirit When the Errors of the prophane and meerly professing Christians endanger the staggering of any real and true Christian it is often my fear least that Christian has been too careless of his Duties and has not improved the pure motions and assistance of the Spirit within and the advantage of the external means of Grace for else he would be above the impression of the objections of carnal persons against his own feeling Is it possible that force of the most powerful Argument of the greatest Rationalist covered with the finest dress of words against the sweetness of Honey can shake the Faith of any one that has tasted thereof perhaps he cannot discover the Sophistry of the Allegation but he knows it's false like the poor Woman when oppos'd by the enemies of Truth her Faith was firm in her Saviour and she answered all Arguments with these words I cannot dispute for Christ but I can die for him A sincere Christian can say I cannot perhaps demonstrate with rational arguing the Being of the Spirit of God and his effects of renewing the Soul conforming it to Christ's Image and spiritualizing its frame in Duties but I am well assured of it against all the Infidels on earth Let what I have said move thee O prophane and meer professing Christian to the use of observation and right performance of Prayer as helps by which you may experience the reality of inward Christian Religion yea let it move you O lazy Christian who know not so much of God in the Soul and of inward Religion as is attainable by you be more serious and constant in converse with God in the use of his means that you may enjoy what others have been acquainted with The wise and serious observer of Gods dealings with his Soul who frequently reflects upon them will better understand the harmonious agreement between the revelation of God in the Scripture the workings of the Holy Spirit and the divine disposals of things in this low life than another sincere Christian who does not acquaint himself so intimately with God by a constant application of himself to him in all the ways wherein he draws near to us It is the hand of the diligent in the use of means that makes rich so is it the mind of the diligent Christian in the use of means that is fill'd with knowledge God's private Councils are not to be div'd into but what is suitable to his Word is to be sought after and may be found out It 's the trial of his Word that brings Experience and Experience brings hope and it is the not trying the Truths of God that makes so many doubtings and shakings in a Christian's Faith and so much of unsetled hope of their inheritance above I return from the lazy Christian again to the meer Professor and Prophane and beg you 'd be entreated to join the easy and advantageous Duty of Prayer to all your endeavours not contenting your selves with the cold forms of words but mixing holy affections which are the life of Prayer and observing the gracious return of Prayer when perform'd by the assistance of the Spirit of Grace This is a Priviledge provided for you and to be obtain'd by you in the use and continued use of right means the reason you miss the Divine Bounty is because you don't present your self in God's way If a Beggar expects the Alms of a Prince he will endeavour to be in the same street he passes thorough and as near him as ever is possible he will neither go to a contrary street nor to the opposite side of the same street neither will he plead his Poverty alone but express all his Wants one after another as so many Motives to move charitable Compassion All Beggars keep not to the same form of words but open their Cries differently according to the different Sore Lameness Blindness or the like wherewithal they are afflicted sensibly with Prayer is God's way wherein a poor Creature may draw near to him without hindrance of this or the other diversion between his Soul and his King and when a Christian is once sensible of his Wants and of the All-sufficiency and Condescention that is in God it is not Form or fine words but fervent serious pouring out the desires that moves the compassionate Father in Christ A Closet-Prayer is oftentimes the opportunity of receiving great mercies from God and is many times the setling of a disquieted mind and the change of a carnal earthly frame to a spiritual heavenly one It allays our Sorrows and gives peace under sharp Afflictions This Duty spiritually and constantly perform'd will make you happy by Experience and to resolve with the Psalmist It 's good for me to draw near to God But to discourse more particularly concerning Prayer spiritually perform'd be pleas'd to remember the many Experiences in the forepart of this Discourse concerning spirituality in Prayer as evidential of its right performance yea God's acceptance thereof and of God's returning what was askt therein I hope with an humble rejoicing I may say that since ever I begun to experience a real heavenly frame in Prayer when my Soul therein has been carri'd forth to God with high spirituality concerning any one particular Event with full quiet of mind and sensible exercise of resignation at the time concerning it a return to that Address has never as yet failed me and that when my desire has been in exercise towards any one thing that God would not bestow I found my self by the strictest observation under a constraint from this spiritual frame yea sometimes from words to utter any Petition or when words have been utter'd it has been in the same manner as when I was altogether unacquainted with inward Religion These and other Experiences are built upon no
Scripture accompanied with great power to repel risings of Corruption towards Revenge and perfectly to quiet my Mind with a Reliance upon God concerning the matter The first Experience whereof met me in the Streets where hearing of a false and unmerited Aspersion upon my self at whose hands I deserv'd better immediately a design of Revenge was rising and was carried further on by meditating upon it till coming home and entring my Chamber and taking the Bible in my hands that very Scripture was offered to my View and by the influence of Heaven made an assisting-instrument of quiet at the time and ever since a strong help to watch my self in the like case Its suitableness to my circumstances its effectual power restraining me from complying with Satan and inward Corruption and inclining and enabling me to obey God whose Will is declared in his Word was a testimony that a gracious Providence brought that Scripture to my sight Ninthly When Reproaches against me and malicious Designs had a probability of taking effect and have been turn'd into other Events against the Design Wish or Expectation of my Enemies then that Scripture of the 11th verse of the 41st Psalm By this I know thou favourest me because my enemies triumph not over me has been not only confirm'd but imprest upon me with much inward Comfort At one time the whole 15th Psalm was bore upon my Thoughts with that strength and continuance that I was continually desiring Conformity to it and measuring my Actions by its Rule till God gave into my Soul the Evidence of some measure of Conformity to it with other spiritual Comforts at that time A multitude of other Scriptures have been applied to my Soul at the times of needing Comfort and Instruction but they would enlarge my Discourse too much and might occasion a discovery of the Author and therefore I chuse rather to stop here having enumerated so many as afford a Testimony to the reality of Christ's Spirit applying to the Precepts and Promises of the Word and bearing home Scripture Truths as instructive to instruct and remember us of our Duty and encourage us to persevere in it till we arrive at Heaven Experiences of God's Spirit 's sensible withdrawings in Prayer from helping the Christian to ask what he will not return though in his design to Petition THe First Experience whereof was That though I had designed to have Pray'd for an event yet in the Prayer I have not directed a Petition for it and though I have intended in the performance of that Duty several times to Pray for it I have been restrain'd Secondly When one day I designed to renew my Requests to God for obtaining a matter in my morning's Supplication my desires were fervently excited but in the afternoon I was much restrain'd and in some hours afterwards my Soul was drawn forth earnestly to seek it and upon enquiry I found that the three different alterations in the matter that day and the different times of the alterations exactly suited the times of different Prayer To illustrate which I 'll give you one instance amongst many concerning a Friend whose Circumstances I put up to the Lord three several times in one day and suitable to my great enlargement for them in my Morning-Prayer were much better but suitable to my Afternoons constraint were for some hours in racking misery and suitable to my return in spirituality in Prayer for them there was a return of mercy in their relief the circumstance of time exactly suited one another that there was a refreshment from Pains and a return of them according as Prayer was intense and enlarg'd or restrain'd of which I made careful Observation Thirdly Another Experience of constraint from Prayer has been concerning a matter which all circumstances considered was very likely to succeed but not finding my Heart in a frame to pray for it I suspected the issue and accordingly it was not effected An instance thereof was concerning the dearest Relation I had on Earth who being Sick for 6 weeks I was restrained from Prayer with Reliance upon God for restoring Mercy and the issue was the Death of that Beloved Person for whose recovery thorough the course of their Illness I could never put up one serious Petition Two very late passages I can set down greatly establishing my self and marvellous in themselves One was concerning a Person of great Worth of whose Death I had information in all probability certain but being in the Street all alone I found my self enlarged to pray for their Soul's Salvation and that with marvellous Pleasure as if I had been assuredly certain of their future eternal Happiness and being afterwards in serious Prayer I found the same sweetness as I have enjoyed in Spiritual Breathings from above upon this I humbly said to one who was my Bosome-friend I was not of the opinion that the Person I pray'd for was dead and imparted my Reason hereof That the Lord by his Spirit had help'd me in sweet spirituality to supplicate for them Accordingly we had an account of the Person 's being better but the next morning following I found such a restraint from Praying for that Person that I then said to my Friend That the Person was Dead and that very account we had presently after The other passage was Concerning one to be Executed for whose Salvation I found my Affections very ardently drawn forth in Prayer to the Father of Mercies but in Prayer for his Life my Desires were dried up and my Tongue did as it were cleave to the Roof of my Mouth Three times I found this change in my self being always carried out with fervency and freedom to Pray for his Soul but restrain'd and discourag'd to Pray for his Life observing this difference in my self I told an intimate Friend That I had good hope of his eternal Salvation but no hope of his Pardon The issue was the Condemned Person was Reprieved for two days and was afterward Executed and at his Death his Behaviour was so humble and Christian that the Minister that attended him declared his great satisfaction that he died a Penitent Believer Many instances of the same kind I could set down but I shall only add the following instance I was going to see a Friend that was Sick and addrest my self to God in secret Prayer before I went but a kind of terrour seiz'd my Mind and Words stopt that I could not offer up one Petition in any seriousness or with any hopes of being heard for recovery And going to see the Person found that they had been dead some time before This was a discovery to me that the Holy Spirit does often withdraw his Assistance to Ask for that which he knows God will not bestow Experiences of God's Method of training me to the serious aweful and delightful hearing of Sermons FIrst by suiting Sermons upon a Sabbath unexpectedly to things my Thoughts have greatly ruminated on through the week and by bearing home instruction
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-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-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
slenderer a foundation than God's own Word in Psal 10.17 according to the expression of the Psalmist Thou wilt prepare their heart to wit the hearts of the humble and of God's own Children and thou wilt cause thine ear to hear Is there any thing more plain or more fully experienc'd by observing Christians than that when God enclines his Ear to hear a Petition from a Child of his own that he prepares his heart aforehand to ask it He prepares the heart to ask by the influence of his Divine Spirit one part of whose work is said to be to help our infirmities and that infirmity of our not knowing what or how to ask by making intercession with us in Prayer for what God is to return as well as exciting us to ask what we should not have otherways done though really standing in need thereof As the spirit of a man knows the things of a man so the Spirit of God knows the mind of God and is it to be imagin'd that this Spirit knowing the mind of God concerning what he will return will raise a Christian's Soul to a heavenliness of frame and thereby prepare his heart to ask of God for an Event when he knows God will not return it A spiritual heavenly frame is not the fruit of Self-power otherwise a Christian would be capable of getting and retaining it when and as long as he pleas'd which from its sweetness in enjoyment would be desir'd for ever but it is the certain operation of the Divine Spirit influencing a Christian's Soul commonly in the use of means and extraordinarily without means for the end of letting the Soul experience the sweetness of nearness of fellowship with and access to God in Prayer as a foretaste and earnest of more intimate and lasting communion with him in Heaven and for the end of helping him to pray in such a manner as may be acceptable to God and return'd by him It is as yea more insupposable that the Spirit of God would help the Soul to plead with God for a thing contrary to his secret Will not a Secret to him as to help him to ask any thing contrary to his revealed Word and Will where his assistance is given to ask it is assuredly for the obtaining of what he knows God will bestow however the return be deferred and and Christians lose its sight by the intermission of observing of passages between the addressing God and God's giving in a return thereto Preparation to ask of God in Prayer obtain'd through the sensible comforting Influences of his Divine Spirit and preparations to petition the Lord obtain'd without any other sensible help than outward endeavour in the use of means are easily distinguished in their present sense and after-effects the one is sensibly the intercession of a Divine Spirit with the blessed effect of inward delight resignation of mind and return to the Prayer the other has nothing else apparent besides the Creature 's own strength without that inward comfort or return following it but the latter is often the means of obtaining the first I have often found and to be sure other observing Christians the same that when I have design'd and desir'd to lay a Petition before God in as serious a manner as possibly I could my preparatory means has been to bring my Mind in composure and my Body in gravity of gesture to read a Scripture again and again to fix my Thoughts with seriousness and to meditate upon the All-seeing Eye of God to whom I was to address on purpose to over-awe me from levity of mind in my Prayer But when I have been actually ingag'd in the Prayer thus prepared for the desir'd and design'd petition has never been mention'd either my Thoughts have been carry'd upon somewhat else undesign'd which I have with earnest affections and submission prayed for and has sensibly had it afterward return'd or if the desir'd and design'd petition has been exprest it has been in such a manner tho' sincere and unfeign'd yet sensibly a Prayer perform'd with Self preparation and greatly wanting heavenly supplies to enliven and spiritualize it and as spiritual and heavenly strength preparing to ask was with-held so was the return Yea besides the experience of correspondency of heavenliness of frame in Prayer the true comforting preparation of Christ's Spirit to that Prayer's return I hope I may sincerely witness that in the enjoyment of such a heavenly frame in Prayer words of Praise concerning the thing I design'd to petition for without the least fore-knowledge of the mercy obtain'd has been given in Who observes not these things at the time and lays them not up in their Diary till the Explicatory passage appear such lose the comfort of such enjoyments the Knowledge of God's deep ways and their Capacity of witnessing for him as others Some real sincere Christians may here perhaps advise and wisely too to have a care lest by God's changing this method observ'd as certain the ill consequence of darkness and Faith's staggering occur not leading to misdoubt both former experiences and the new methods of experience God gives in To which I say that any mistake concerning the Spirit of Christ interceding for any one thing in Prayer and the return thereof as certain is not because that ever it otherways has been or shall fall out God's word being true and the certain Foundation of this experience but by reason of some failure on the Christian's part thorough laziness in observation Again This Objection is evidence to me that thou O Christian art not in the way of Observation otherwise thou wouldest have known from experience God's infinite condescention to be such as to suit his Dispensations according to the State of the Soul in its Conversion and in its progress in Christianity To a new Convert the experiences of God are so marvellous and plain either in their Nature or by God's continuing to repeat them till the Christian understands them plainly If he apprehend not one he may others if he cannot see somewhat of a Divine Power in a common serious frame brought forth by the Soul 's own strength and sincere endeavour yet he may in a rais'd ravishing heavenly delightful frame coming suddenly and that again and again with returns to the latter and not to the first that the one may be the more distinguisht from the other and the ardently sought after The Leper weak in Faith had his Prayer immediately return'd but the Woman in Canaan great in Faith had the return of her petition deferred with the intermixture of many trying passages Thus by Observation of God's ways with my self I have found that my Prayers sincerely perform'd when first sensible of an inward change were immediately return'd that I had not time to lose sight of God and his condescending love in them But so soon as the Faith of the certainty of access to God in Prayer was established in me and Faith of reliance upon him was stronger then
his returns of such Prayers were greatly defer'd And as a condescending help to prevent desponding anxiety quiet of mind concerning the return to be defer'd always accompanied my supplication and the Lord left me not to the Dominion of corrupt nature or of Satan's suggestion Or if either had assaulted me the Divine strength raising me to an actual resignation to his Will at the time fortified me against them Again An Observing Christian sees so much of the depth of Wisdom in God's ways concerning them that it must be strange if he presum'd to confine God to one method when the variousness yea the contrariness of methods to bring about the same end is one great evidence of the Excellency of his Wisdom An observing Believer knows that God tries the strength of Christians various ways in order to their Establishment Not because he is ignorant of the exact measure of their growth in Christianity but from love to them that by their faithful continuance in Prayer deferr'd as to its return the Graces of the Spirit may be excited and exercised both to the honour of God and their inward Comfort For what can be more reviving than to find corruptions weaken'd and grace strengthened which is the sweet issue of many grievous afflictions that are not removed upon our renewed Petitions till we are purified by them Hereafter may some say Since spirituality in Prayer is the Spirit of God's gift and it unexpectedly comes we may lay by Prayer with our own Endeavours and wait as the Quakers say till the Spirit move and then to Pray To this I say Spirituality in Prayer is the alone Gift of Christ's Spirit and it comes when he pleases but by sincere Prayer we obtain this blessed Gift It is not the usual way of God to bestow it in more excellent degrees without our sincere asking it in the humble sense of our need of it The Quakers acknowledge as from converse with some of them I have heard they have an innate Spirit by which they are acted and according to its inward striving so they move in Duties I know in us all there is that innate Principle of Corruption which reigning makes our faculties of Soul and members of Body move as it listeth to evil but a principle of Grace that inspires us with new life in our Duties comes from Heaven and is obtain'd in the use of his Ordinances This does not in the least obscure the Glory of God's Free-Grace for his Spirit excites us to Duties and supplies us with strength to perform them but it directs us to seek God in the ways appointed that we may find him That therefore Christians may rightly judge of this heavenly frame and intercession of the Divine Spirit preparing them to ask from God what he is to return Errors herein proceeding either from mistaking the work of Christ's Spirit helping them to ask or from applying the return to what they ought not I shall give the following marks accompanying such a Prayer and that observ'd from my own personal Experience First A heighth of spiritual Thoughts and Affections throughout in Prayer or in one particular Petition thereof far beyond common seriousness which tho' by words it be almost inexplicable so as to make the unexperiencing Christian comprehend it yet it is easily perceiv'd by the experiencing Christian In this rais'd frame of the Soul either in solemn or ejaculatory Prayer there is such heavenliness of Thought as if the Soul were already in Heaven's Enjoyment And for the comfort of young Observers I must acknowledge that my spirituality of frame in Prayer the real preparation of Christ's Spirit to ask and certainly evidential of God's return was at first observ'd to be much less in degree tho' the same in nature than now it is one degree of experimental Knowledge preparing for farther degrees This brings to my Thoughts the gradual rise of Christians meetness for Heaven by Christ's Spirit in his common way of working by the use of means of which observing Christians are sweetly sensible Secondly Another mark of Christ's Spirit 's intercession in Prayer as token of God's acceptance thereof and his return thereto is when with an Address so spiritually perform'd goes along a comfortable quiet of mind concerning the Event tho' the praying-Believer be encompast with Afflictions A calm composure of mind in our trust upon the gracious Will and Wisdom of God to dispose of all things concerning us is our Duty but 't is the Gift and Work of the Holy Spirit who is stiled the Comforter We must observe in the Word of God what he Commands us to do he promises to enable us to do He Commands us That Sin should not reign in our mortal bodies and he has Promised That Sin shall not have dominion over us In like manner God Commands us To be careful for nothing but by supplication to lay our requests before God And certainly freedom from anxiety and disquiet and a full possession of the Soul in Patience concerning any thing in commending our Affairs to God by Prayer is the product of the Divine Spirit and not from the natural temper and stayedness of the Mind And where the Christian actually experiences it in Prayer he may safely conclude himself influenc'd by a Divine Spirit not only in raising his frame to ask but leaving it at God's footstool as to the Event and that as presaging of God's returning favour and introductive of his blessing The Promise of God is the foundation of this Trust Psal 37.5 Commit thy way unto the Lord and he shall bring it to pass The habit of Resignation may be in the Soul but 't is drawn forth into exercise by the renewed influences of the Spirit Thirdly You may judge of the intercession of Christ's Spirit in your Souls in addressing God by Prayer by the passages of Providence that bring about the return of this Prayer In the Observation whereof the speciality of a Divine Hand in the Providences bringing the return about is as discoverable as immediateness of a Divine Spirit influencing the Soul to ask with calm and resign'd submission as to the Event The observing Christians do often see these two joyned together and each illustrating one another where others do not or hardly are at the pains to observe the one or the other And what the Psalmist in the first ver of the 116th Psal in the fifth ver of the 118th Psalm and in the 121st Psalm finds that Prayers return observ'd and the passages of Providence discovering or bringing it about is powerful in bringing his Soul to the actual exercise of love to Reliance upon Admiration and Praise of God I love the Lord because he has heard my supplication I called to the Lord and he heard me therefore shall I see my desire and he is now my strength and my song I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation The unobserving Christian therefore of Prayer's return and of
the method bringing it about loses thereby the actual excitement of the excellent Graces and so miss of much comfort and light that others enjoy Fourthly You may judge of the intercession of Christ's Spirit in your Prayer by the never-failing correspondency between a Prayer perform'd as is exprest and a return thereto This is according to God's own Word and the Experience of diligent true observing Christians And if it were not so I doubt not but amongst thousands of Experiences training me to the knowledge thereof and establishment therein I should have met with one contradicting it I know I have met with many passages upon my advancement in the knowledge of God's ways that at first view seem'd greatly opposing of this and if a strict observation had been intermitted the shaking of my Faith or mistake therein had been the consequence but keeping strict to observation of Providences present and reflection upon past ones with patient waiting the full sight of the return to Prayer appear'd with that improvement of being more serious and considerate in the observation and comparing God's ways of Providence and inward workings of his Spirit according to his revealed Will. I would subjoin to these few marks of Prayer with the intercession of Christ's Spirit some things you are to beware of as occasions of mistaking this Prayer and deluding you with a false resemblance of it and something I would advise your observation of that may be a means to lead you into the performance of Prayer aright and thereby an opportunity of obtaining Christ's Spiritual influences therein I begin with the latter First Be advised to enter upon private Prayer without any discomposure of Spirit from the things Temporal that pleasantly affect us The thoughts of them will be ready to rush themselves upon your remembrance I could easily set down the many Prayers I have had spoil'd by such things rushing upon my thoughts at the time but circumstances will not permit Secondly Without any vexation upon your Spirit unless you use Prayer in such a circumstance as a help to quiet your mind and to suppress the further rise of corrupt motions for which end I dare recommend private Prayer as a healing means Thirdly Have your thoughts as free of worldly Persons and Things as possibly you can otherways passing immediately from Conversation with the world you will be apt to cast a lingring look back upon the world and to have thoughts stealing into you which will hinder the Spirit 's assistance to pray in the manner before charecteriz'd Fourthly Do not cursorily perform the Duty of Prayer to satisfie your mind that you have discharg'd the Duty and till night you are not to return to it but consider that Prayer is not only a Duty but a heavenly Priviledge wherein we may with a filial freedom address our selves to the Lord Almighty as our Father who from the infinite treasures of his love will supply all our wants and satisfie all our regular desires Therefore let us be liberal in the time for that Duty By continuance in Prayer our Hearts are more fully possest with God and by wrestling with him we get a holy heat of Affection tho' in our entrance into the Duty we were but coldly affected These are some of the hindrances which a Christian is to watch against and there are many other which the observing Christian will discover and endeavour to prevent Concerning the other to wit the occasions of mistaking the natural workings of the Affections for the Spirit 's work in Prayer I shall first in general say That the not considering the state of the Soul first designing to Pray in Praying and after Prayer leads into many mistakes According to the inward and habitual frame of the Soul such is the exercise of the Affections in that Duty and usually such are the influences of the Holy Spirit Secondly The judging that common seriousness in Christian Duties is all the spirituality that is necessary or attainable may be an occasion of mistake For this will make them content without seeking for supernatural influences and without the perception of them Close walking with God in the often use of Prayer is the best help to train this Soul in the further knowledge of the Breathings of Christ's Spirit Thirdly A more than ordinary seriousness from the ardent desire of obtaining the thing petition'd for may impose upon some with its resemblance to spirituality as also a Christian's indifferency in obtaining a thing pray'd for may impose a resemblance to the Souls of straitning in Prayer thorough Christ's withdrawings Fourthly The rational hope of obtaining our Petitions or the rational improbability of obtaining may sometimes impose a resemblance of spirituality and constraint in Prayer An Experience whereof I have had concerning Friends dangerously Ill who in my thoughts and in the judgment of their Physitians have been Dying from which seeming certainty of their Dying I have had an unwillingness as being altogether needless to pray for them I remember of a Child who was dangerously Ill without sensible pulse cold as clay and in the opinion of all Dying or Dead which rational conjecture so imprest me as to restrain me from Prayer concerning it But next morning in my Closet Prayers not designing a Petition for the Child supposing it then assuredly Dead a sudden seriousness and spirituality seized me carrying me forth in Prayer for this Child which at first astonish'd my Thoughts till sending to know if alive I heard of its life and great amendment To the praise of the infinite condescention of God I shall mention two directions as preventive of Error and Mistakes in the observation of Prayer and the enjoyments accompanying it and that as an encouragement to weak Christians to use these means without fear or doubting of God's wise and loving conduct of them to preserve them from Error unless God's permission thereof be for the Christian's good taking that way to establish Grace stronger in the Soul First His impressing me at the time with the true state of the matter that never to my remembrance was I under false resemblances of spirituality or constraint in Prayer but at the time I had some discovery of it Secondly Such dangers never occur'd to my Experience till God had establish'd my right knowledge both of spirituality and constraint in Prayer and that by Experiences in abundance a part of which is laid down in the Historical part of this Discourse I say this as a witness for God's Condescension and Wisdom in training the sincere diligent Christian groaning after the true knowledge of God's ways in the right use of means yet I say it not to encourage laziness either in the beginning or more grown Christian but excite them to more serious and strict observation of their Souls that they may not be deceived I find it more common with private Christians than formerly to observe enlargement in Prayer and constraint therein as forerunners of their injoying or not
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
best preparation for preaching and that according to his frame in Prayer in the Lord's-day morning such was the frame of his heart in preaching I have my self found that according to the holy exercise of my affections in my closet-Closet-Prayer such has been my enjoyment of God in publick Ordinances and especially in receiving the Sacrament The Professors of serious Religion but especially Ministers are more in the view of the world and more obvious to Censure therefore they should be very regular in their Conversations and watchful to prevent reproach upon Religion If a Divine Spirit once meet you in the use of these three means you will find that whereas you have formerly enjoyed the good things of this world without thankful thoughts of the bestower of them and of his rich mercy distinguishing you from others in a lower condition and without serious consideration that they are Talents committed to your trust to be improved for his honour and for which a strict account must be given you will by the observation of God's general and special Providence acknowledge him to be the Fountain of all your blessings and depend upon his condescending care of you in the use of due means and employ his benefits for his glory a sweet effect of observation You that pray'd because by Parents you were instructed commanded and had their example to move you to it will find that now you pray in obedience to God's Command as the blessed mean of acquaintance and fellowship with him and that if you express your self with never so free and learned utterance you are uneasy unless the frame of your minds has been serious and your affections heavenly and spiritual and you have some hope that he is pleased with your performance and has evidenced his acceptance There are not only many who are not at the pains to use means to come to such a comfortable knowledge but who will hardly observe whether ever they enjoyed the return of such a Prayer unless the return has come in soon after or in such a remarkable way that they could not but see it was a return to that Prayer by reason of which negligence God is sometimes pleased to defer a desired return but at last in compassion to his Children gives a remarkable Answer that deeply affects them and is for their great advantage You that read the Scriptures because your Parents led you into the road of a Chapter morning or evening or for the historical part thereof or to be knowing in the Notion of it for Conversation now find that your use of it is a mean for the right knowledge of God the comprehension of his Divine Truths and as a Directory to your life and as a help to your evidences in comparing your life to it and as a preservative from infectious Errors You that heard Sermons and appear'd serious all the while for fear of Reproach or to obtain a good Name without any thoughtfulness of the matter discours'd unless to pass a judgment of the ingeniousness or dulness of the Preacher and to entertain Company with Reflections upon the matter or manner of his Preaching find now such an inward change that every Sermon is transmitted to your hearts thorough your ear producing a Reflection upon it and a comparing it with your own experience I think nothing can be more pleasing than in hearing a Minister or in reading a Chapter to be able to seal the truth of either from our experience Instead of examining the words of a Sermon as to the Rhetorick you now mind the matter it self not so much if learnedly manag'd as to consider whether you have experienced its Truths which will he a comfortable evidence to the Soul or if you have not felt its efficacy it will excite earnest Prayer to God that he would make the instruction powerful in you O how reproving is this of the Prophane who slight the constant attending to the preaching of the Word it being unknown to them when and how God may work by it upon their hearts the neglect of a Sermon may be the loss of an eternal Blessing You that before converst about Religion in the Letter and Notion speak now your own experience You that aim'd at Reputation for your knowledge in Divine Things now design Honour to God and the Confirmation of the reality of revealed Religion You that aimed at worldly Interest now you aim at the enlarging of Christ's Kingdom where greatest Sâ—ncâ—rity reigns Self applause is least valued and greatest privacy sought for unless where God may be publickly honour'd The great and solemn judgment at the last day will pass sentence of Condemnation upon many whose character on earth was not disputed and were reputed holy and will acquit those whose fellowship on earth was with God and yet traduced as Hypocrites You that before ript open the Faults of others either from a corrupt Principle of reproaching inherent in the very nature of some more than others or from a desire of raising your Reputation by the depressing others you 'll compassionately bear with the infirmities of others knowing your own frailty You who before affected only such Professors as were of your own Opinion will now extend your Charity to all who believe the great Truths of the Gospel and live accordingly Can the World imagine otherwise but that those who press hard after strictness of Conversation by avoiding all liberty that may be an occasion to Sin have not the same natural corrupted Inclinations and Principles as others but they are cleansed and changed by power from above A rational Principle produces a rational Action A sensitive Principle produces a sensitive Action A corrupted Principle produces a corrupted Action A gracious Principle produces a gracious Action according therefore to the dominion of the inward Principle so the outward Action is or at least the Inclination towards it The Soul formerly under a Principle of Sin was enclin'd to sin and upon the occurrence of any Object to set this a moving the Soul was acted but now under the dominion of a Principle of Grace upon the occurrence of any good Object the gracious Inclination is active and with greater pleasure than under the power of the carnal Principle Prophane persons and strangers to the life of God are utterly mistaken to think that the Actions of the spiritual life are not mixt with the sweetest and most satisfying delight The outward Acts of Religion if they are not produced from a Principle of Life are without relish and toilsom to the carnal Nature but â—lowing from an inward and real Principle they are productive of the most solid and purest pleasure in the present exercise and in the joyful reflection and are the beginnings of heavenly fruition I have thought that to represent this with the greatest illustration is of no force without a method proposed to bring it to men's Experience that Proverb reigning amongst prophane and meer Professors That seeing is believing let therefore
THE Private Christian's WITNESS FOR Christianity In Opposition to the Notional and Erroneous Apprehensions OF THE Arminian Socinian and Deist of the AGE With the Easy and True Means leading the Prophane Meer Professor and Lazy Christian to the same Experience as Preservative against the Infection of each and against the ill Example of the Practical Blemishes in Lazy Christians Conversation LONDON Printed for Thomas Cockerill at the Three Legs in the Poultry 1697. THE PREFACE BY A Friend of the Author 's SINCE the Fall of Man by his Rebellious Sin he incurr'd the forfeiture of his Felicity that principally consisted in Communion with God The Divine Goodness is like a sealed Fountain all comforting Emanations are obstructed Divine Justice is a consuming Fire to all guilty and polluted Creatures The Son of God by his precious Merits and Intercession is a Mediator of Reconciliation and Communion All our Ascents to God in spiritual Duties and his Descents to us by communicating Graces and Comforts are through Christ He introduces our Persons into the Divine Presence he purifies our Services from their Defilements and Defects and presents them with acceptance to his Father Our Communion with God is managed by the Influences of the Holy Spirit into the Soul and the returns of the Soul to God by the Energy and Efficacy of the Spirit In all the parts of Divine Worship the Spirit composes the Mind with the Reverence of God's invisible and adorable Majesty He encourages our trust in his Mercy and raises our Affections from Earth to Heaven This is a difficult heighth which the carnal Nature cannot arrive to Prayer is a Duty of daily Revolution but cannot be performed in an acceptable manner without the Spirit 's Assistance The Holy Spirit is the Seal of God's Love to Believers that can never be cancell'd that distinguishes them from the unrenewed World and appropriates them to God He first works those Graces in the Soul wherein the Image of God consists and by illustrating them in the view of Conscience witnesses that they are God's Children He is therefore styled the Spirit of Adoption The Spirit ratifies the Truth of the Gospel to those who have felt his sanctifying and comsorting Operations There are some Doctrines in the Gospel of impossible discovery by the light of Reason and when reveal'd are incomprehensible Now there is such Evidence beyond all exception That the Gospel is a Divine Revelation that any Doctrine declared in it though sublime and supernatural and contrary to our carnal Prejudices and Passions justly requires our assent to it We must distinguish between the evidence of the Object and the evidence of the testimony An Object is evident by its own Light and the impression it makes immediately on the Mind Thus it discerns between Truth and Falshood between what is fair and what is fraudulent as the Eye sees the difference between the day and night The Evidence of the Testimony is when the proof of the Truth is resolved into the Veracity and Authority of God who is Infallible For he cannot be deceived nor deceive Now of the Gospel's Divine Original there are external Characters and Signs and internal Of the external Characters Miracles are the most conspicuous Of the internal the sanctifying and comforting Operations of the Spirit in the Souls of Men are most sensible and convincing For certainly humane Nature tho' assisted by Moral Counsels and Constancy could never produce such Divine Effects The Holiness and Comfort that the Spirit in Concomitancy with the Gospel works in sincere Christians produces a more clear and strong assurance of its Truth than the sight of Miracles For Holiness is an Attribute as truly Divine as Power and has a nearer Affinity with the Nature of God 't is his peculiar Glory The cleansing and changing the Heart of a Sinner the calming of the afflicted Conscience are a more eminent effect of Power than the turning of a Wilderness into a Paradise or the laying Storms and Tempests The sanctifying and comforting Virtue of the Spirit by the Word is a more inward and lasting proof than Miracles A Miracle like a sudden flash of Lightning astonishes Men at the present and causes them to consider what is proposed but when the surprize is over they may neglect their Duty But real Holiness in the heart and life like the Sun irradiates the Mind with a constant light He that believes has the witness within himself Inward Experimental Religion is perceived by the Sense of them that have it and cannot be so clearly demonstrated by Words Who can see a Taste From hence many ignorant and prophane Persons expose the Operations of the Spirit to ignominy and contempt as the dotages of Enthusiasts And Doctrinal Professors who owe their Religion to Tradition and Education and are meerly Titular Christians cannot understand and believe what the Saints really enjoy They are hardned in their Unbelief because many have father'd the bastards of their deluded fancies upon the Spirit But to shew the unreasonableness of this pretence consider It were strange that the low life of Sense has perceptive Faculties that living Creatures feel that they live and the spiritual Life more raised and excellent than the rational should not perceive it self Is it possible there should be such a Prodigy that the Soul should live the life of Holiness and Joy like a Plant without the knowledge of it Or Because many are deceived with a false Light and pleased with a Delusion does it follow that those who have vital Experience of Religion are deceived One may Dream that he is Awake but a Man that is Awake knows himself to be so The Delusion of one doth not weaken the assurance of another If it be enquir'd How shall we distinguish between the Genuine Operations of the Spirit and the Spurious and Counterfeit A clear answer may be given 1. By the light of the Spirit we may discover and know his Operations This is no vicious Circle I know I have a reasonable Soul by the light of Reason For the Understanding that discovers other objects in the direct act is the object of it self in the reflective act Thus I know that I have the Holy Spirit as a principle of Divine life acting in me by the light of the Spirit 2. It is the peculiar Character of the Spirit 's Operations they are all in Consent and Congruity with the Word of God for he is the Inditer of the Word and cannot contradict himself They make Men more Holy and Heavenly and as the Star directed the Wise-Men to Christ the light of the Spirit always directs us to him as the Fountain of Grace and Salvation And for the satisfaction of those who desire to know when the Blessings they receive are obtain'd by Prayer and are not the effects of God's general Providence I shall only desire them to consider whether their Prayers are by the Spirit 's Influence which is known by the frame of the Soul in
that Duty The Spirit knows the Mind of God and is the Intelligencer of Heaven he directs us to the most favourable Seasons and by soft Whispers and warm Impulses brings us in God's Presence to pray for Mercies when God is ready to bestow them He does with sensible Enlargements open our Hearts in the Duty And as under the Law when Fire fell from Heaven upon the Sacrifice 't was a sign of God's Acceptance so when a sacred Fire kindles our Affections 't is a sign our Requests are accepted He mixes in our Prayers Reverence with filial Confidence Resignation to the Will and Wisdom of God with Reliance upon his Love and Power And when a Mercy is bestowed the Spirit converts our Prayers into Praises and by the Mercy confirms our Faith inflames our Love and endears Obedience to us Concerning the Person of whom the following Papers give an account I shall only say He is a Christian inwardly who has had a stated Intercourse with Heaven and has recorded the gracious Passages of Providence the rich Returns of Prayer to him 'T is true there is a continual succession of Mercies through all the minutes of our lives which we cannot observe and remember but as there is a different Glory in the lights of Heaven One Glory of the Sun another of the Moon and another of the Stars so some are eminent and illustrious above others and ought to be remembred and acknowledg'd with Solemnity Of these Mercies he has been deeply sensible and could not be silent but opens the Treasures of his Experiences and with David the great Pattern of Thankfulness calls upon those that Fear the Lord to Read what he has done for his Soul His end is to Glorifie his Blessed Benefactors and to invite others to partake of the same Mercy May his Example excite us with diligence and delight to maintain Communion with God on Earth the sweet and sure anticipation and earnest of our Communion with him in his Temple above where Light and Love and Joy shine in their perfection for ever To the Reader WHO amongst the adopted Sons of God can behold the abounding Vice of the Prophane the profession of Christianity made a Cloak for Sin and Error and the laziness of Christians lives in our day and not awaken our selves to hear God speaking in the same language to us as to the children of Israel Isa 43.10 You are my witnesses Is God's Divine Providence practically deni'd or retrench'd when so much thereof is in the constant view of the sons of men Is the Word of Truth deni'd by a Sectary of Deists when so much thereof is felt as real in the Souls of Christians Is the Godhead of Christ with the Being of a Divine Spirit so audaciously and prophanely deni'd when those who have experienced the priviledges of the satisfaction of the first by the powerful application of the latter witness the reality of both I am resolved therefore to make no other Apology for my Printing the following Discourse than that it is in obedience to the Apostle's charge to all Believers in the 10th verse of the 4th Chapter of the first Epistle of Peter As every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God What I have imparted I have receiv'd and in these gradual steps and in the use of these means treated of in the first and latter part of the Discourse and therefore in the imparting of what God has done for my Soul and by what means I hope I stand his witness this day on the earth and approve my self a faithful Steward in ministring the same things to others and that in the way wherein they were received There seems to be a Confederacy between Satan and the men of this Age to discredit the Oracles of God but his Word is a firm foundation of Faith and sincere Christians clearly see the Characters of its Divinity and feel the sanctifying comforting efficacy of it and many have seal'd its truth with their blood Others in their dying hours when men speak with most feeling and least affectation have declared their unshaken belief of it and others in converse with those they most dearly love and therefore would not deceive Each Christian therefore is under obligation to glorify God according to their measure of experience concerning God and his Divine Truths All are not in the office of the Ministry and there seems in our day but small opportunity in conversation to witness for Christianity Converse with the Prophane is of so dangerous consequence that discourse of such things occasion God and his Truth to be mock'd yea to my certain knowledge blasphemed Converse with some under the character of greater Sobriety draws forth such open confidence in Error as to tell us God's Word the Rule of our Faith is to be laid aside and Debates in Christianity are to be left off at the first Chapter of Genesis they giving no credit to its Truths than so far as their natural Reason can comprehend whereas the Soul was corrupted in all its faculties by the Fall Although in the structure of the world and its preservation with the various turns of Providence there are clear discoveries of the Divine Maker yet how little advance did the wise Philosopher make to that perfection of Soul which was in man before the Fall or to that that is obtain'd under the influencing light of the Scripture and the Divine Spirit or shall be in man plac'd in a state of glory And though God has added to us his blessed Scripture in conjunction with the works of Creation and Providence to exercise our thoughts upon for the perfecting of our knowledge yet to what little advancement do many attain in the understanding of God and Divine Mysteries Therefore our compassionate Father in Christ sensible of our weakness in the real and firm understanding of Divine Things has given forth another help to our dark Soule in conjunction with the former even his Divine Spirit teaching us all truth and helping us to a rest and reliance upon his Word working in us a sense and feeling of those great and marvellous mysteries for preparing our Souls towards the more full and glorious perception of them The Revelation in the Old Testament was like the morning-light mixt with the shades of the night the Revelation in the New Testament is clear day but the Revelation of God and Christ in Heaven is like the Sun at noon in its full lustre If this therefore has been God's gradual method to restore men and we enjoy so bright a discovery of mercy to save us those who refuse to accept it cannot escape the condemnation due as the recompence of it the dwelling in darkness with the children of darkness and disobedience for ever Rom. 2. If those who have had no other help in the understanding of the invisible things of God besides the beholding of created things are
of God was soon accompanied with some sensible Changes never felt formerly but then so visible as forced me to commit them to a Diary some whereof were as follows First An Eye to God in all Things a Petitioning of Him for all Things with some beginnings of Resignation to his Will in all events It was not as before a trusting to nothing but what was sensible a distraction of Thoughts to find out this or the other instrument to bring about such an event but now I could hope in things unseen and instead of hurrying of Thoughts to find out means to bring about an event I began the pursuit of a design with serious address to Heaven for conduct to my self in the use of means and for a Blessing to the event according to his Pleasure enlargement in Prayer was not at this time understood only when an endeavour in the use of means and with address to God was made successful I could not but observe it with some excitings to love this God that had given me my Heart's Desire and that in answer to Prayer which brought me Secondly To some Trust to God Sense begun to be out of favour whereas formerly I could encourage my self in nothing but what was either in possession or in all probability certain now there were some sparklings of Trust to God and Love to Him I had been so obliged to by his Blessings Endeavours and answering of Prayers which would often raise that reflection in my Thoughts how gratefully and dutifully I ought to endeavour the pleasing of him whose Strength was my Assistance whose Ear was so open to my address which prov'd a sensible mean of bringing me Thirdly To a diligent search of the Scriptures therein to know his Will and by endeavouring conformity thereto to please him who had made himself to be observ'd thus loving whereas formerly with Historical delight only the Scriptures were made use of by me my Thoughts then run pleasantly after the Practical meaning as well as the Notional Knowledge of them at which time the 15th Psalm throughout greatly accompanied my Thoughts and enclin'd me for some considerable time to breathe forth continual Petitions for practical Conformity to it Fourthly Great exercise of Hatred to those Sins that usually did beset me While under the impression of Education and Religious Example and sober Society my outward life was free from single acts of common Vice yet upon the sense and feeling of an inward change a long roll of inward Corruptions I discover'd that the World and I were not judges of tho' then they offer'd themselves fully to my view Fifthly An inward seriousness of Thoughts as well as outward gravity in performance of Duties aiming then at pleasing God in the parts of his Worship Sixthly A serious free affection towards Holy Christians the least degree whereof I never had formerly any evidence their Conversation in Christianity having often prov'd confinement and burthensome unless where Relation and Friendship made it less tiresome The first sensible evidence whereof discover'd it self in my Carriage towards some who had falsly reproach'd me with an Aspersion base in its Nature and likely to be injurious to one against whom I had determin'd Prosecution but this inward change happening in the mean while both my malice and resolution of Revenge ceased at once with some uneasiness of mind till I had discoursed the thing with themselves and given them my own sense of its ill management they having been bound in conformity to God's Divine Word to have imparted the reproach first to my self by doing whereof its falshood would have been known and their spreading of a false reproach to the injury of others might have been prevented a caution to all Religious Professors giving too great heed to common Reproaches and too great way to their spreading them in Conversation My Malice and resolved Revenge were turn'd into affectionate Inclinations and good Actions after which instant a delight in Converse with Christians though mean in outward circumstances was more pleasing to me than all the hurrying joy of Companions abroad when at any time oblig'd to be witness thereto Seventhly A surprising compassion towards the Poor with continual Ejaculatory Praise that my Station was otherwise than theirs even when going along the Streets or Roads if objects of Charity presented themselves this frame of praising God was immediately upon me blessing him for my being in other Circumstances than theirs of want or bodily Imperfections with a watch over my self lest in my Charity desire of applause or any degree of unwillingness had appear'd Charity to be seen of men receives its reward when view'd by men unwillingness therein spoils it in its nature and takes off all expectation of a reward Eighthly A clearer sense of the Work of Redemption and of Christ the Redeemer Tho' I had the Notional Knowledge and Historical Faith of both yet in Prayer or Meditation my admiring Thoughts of free Grace and my words of Praise for its effects upon the Soul would continually center upon God the Father yea in Prayer there always would appear a constraint from giving any distinct Worship to Christ for his adorable love in the Work of Redemption and that for some time after the sensible evidence of this inward Charge which was an opportunity to Satan to argue against the Deity of Christ if God's restraining Power had not chain'd his Malice from trampling upon that tender Plant of Grace beginning to bud forth and tho' Satan was under constraint as to any Assault or Victory of this kind yet I found an uneasiness and dissatisfaction in my self for not being enabled to give Admiration and Prayers centering upon God the Son as well as upon God the Father which made me impart my concern of Mind to several Ministers of eminent Gifts but had Instruction from none save one who thus answer'd me out No wonder says he our Love and Admiration our Prayers and Praises run most towards God the Father these being as a natural Tribute which in nature we allow to God as Creator and Preserver of us Whereas a saving Eye to Christ as Redeemer or as God in Worship seems more the effect of the Blessed and Divine Spirit Which answer was accompanied at the time with some satisfaction of Mind but soon after this inward Change put forth such strong and numerous evidences with heart-service in the parts of Divine Worship as well as outward Gravity therein that self-sufficiency was laid aside and hope entirely dependent upon Christ's Satisfaction as the Fountain of all Gospel Priviledges was raised with a clear apprehension of Christ's Satisfaction and with a distinct Worship of him in Prayer from whence I was easily confirm'd that under the incapacity of Worshipping Christ as God I was not under the saving sensible power of Christianity but that now under this saving change of Soul producing among other things a clear view of Christ the foundation of our rich Privileges I could
Prayer and of the correspondency thereof to God's return Secondly Experiences of God's method of working sensibly and fructifying Faith and Reliance upon himself Thirdly Experiences of the with-holding Divine Influences in Prayer Fourthly Experiences of God's method of training the Soul to right hearing of the Word and participation of the Lord's Supper Experiences of the First take in the following Order My First Experience leading me to the certainty of what is express'd above was That when providentially call'd to the undertaking of any matter of great concern and difficulty that then according to the fervency and powerfulness of Soul carrying me forth to supplicate so encouragement has accompanied the management of such an Affair and when endeavour has been to be continued in according to the continuance or intermission of this frame so encouragement or discouragement has appeared some instances whereof I have experienced in the following method where the endeavour has been of three days duration The first day I have been Heavenlily carried out in Prayer the next two days this frame has been remov'd and the matter either neglected in Prayer or superficially given up to God And upon the examination of the success of Means throughout those three days I have sound eminent success the companion of the first days Endeavour but in the use of the two following days Endeavour a perfect discouragement and that exactly answering the two different postures of Soul that Prayer in these different days was put up to Heaven in A Second Experience was when in one Prayer I have Petition'd the Lord concerning two different matters and Pleading for the one my Thoughts have been ravishingly carried forth but supplicating for the other a damp has been upon my mind and neither life or vigour in its frame nor freedom of words in utterance concerning it Praying then no otherwise than while under the power of Education and ignorant of any inward change of Soul by the power of a Divine Spirit and in the enquiry have found that the design and desire Spiritually given up to God's Divine conduct has been successfully brought about but that the other was without imminent probability or real and certain success A Third Experience was When my frame of Mind has been cold listless and lazy continuing thus throughout a Prayer excepting one Petition that suddenly has seized my Thoughts and has been in sweet Heavenliness of frame put up yea so seriously and powerfully put up to God unconceivable by any unacquainted with fellowship with God in Prayer the Petitions before and after having been askt of God with great coldness of frame and constraint of words but this to which God was to return an answer and for which strength was conveyed to Petition corresponded a visible and eminent return of Prayer without the least measure of answer to the other parts of Prayer thus coldly given up to God Many instances of these Experiences I could bring forth and that fully discovering the nature of them more plainly but fear of being known confining me I shall only lay before you one which was marvellous in my eyes at the time and has often been repeated in my Experience since Having been for some days engaged in endeavouring to obtain a design of great moment in the diligent use of all visible means that only excepted of giving it up to Heaven by Prayer I resolved one afternoon to go abroad on purpose to know the success of means made use of but after walking down one pair of Stairs there suddenly seiz'd me an unexpressible force to return that I might first Petition the Lord concerning it and bowing my Knees a sweet serious frame seiz'd my Mind and my Thoughts were carried forth with great warmth and freedom of utterance concerning the matter After this Address to God and going forth I found that the least degree or shadow of success had never appeared till that very time in which I was under so undesign'd and sudden a force to Prayer and with so Heavenly a frame therein the times of both so exactly answer'd one another that I was under a meaning Meditation of the thing clearly evincing of a Power above ones self The circumstances in this instance most remarkable were first sudden and prevalent force to Prayer undesign'd by previous Meditation and altogether different from that of a sudden remembrance of any thing forgot but very suitable to the exciting-methods of Christ's Spirit and quickning Influences upon the Soul raising it out of a dead frame or exciting it to Duties omitted or carelesly performed Psal 65.4 Blessed is the man whom thou causest to approach unto thee and if this was not causing me to approach him never any motion was visible by the sudden and strong excitement to that Duty formerly omitted and by imparting Divine Strength to petition concerning it in Prayer and to resist the corrupted reluctancy to it A Second Thing remarkable in the instance was the struggle in my self at the first excitement to Prayer between an inclination and aversion to returning with the victorious strength of Divine influence bringing me to a willing performance of the Duty which circumstance prov'd amongst the first to confirm my Faith in the reality of there being a law in the Members warring against that law of the Mind A Third Circumstance in the instance was The exact correspondency of the time of Excitement and Heavenliness in Prayer to the time of the real tho' unexpected success a circumstance greatly discovering Self-insufficiency in the use of means without Divine conduct therein and Trust to God for the Event The Fourth Experience concerning Prayer was when any failure observ'd in Thought Word or Action and accompanied with concern of Mind and great Spirituality in Prayer in acknowledging it to God that then I have found as its immediate concommitant the uneasiness and concern perfectly gone off with full quiet possessing my Thoughts and the exercise of greater watch its consequent confirming the truth of the 6th and 7th verses of the 4th chapter of Philippians never experiencing either ease of Mind as to events giving up to Divine conduct as to concern for sinful failures but when carried forth heavenlily in Prayer for either I must subjoyn hereto an experienced circumstance That according to the greatness of my fear as to any event leading me the more frequently to Heaven by Prayer and the less to confidence in outward means the more unexpectedly eminent the return has been discovering the excellency of the Psalmist's method What time we are afraid we will trust in the Lord with the use of that Blessed means of serious Prayer I have oft experienced that Trust to an outward instrument for the bringing about any design with a resting therein without frequent and fervent Prayers for the same end has made the mean that was successful in the hands of others or that is in its self tending naturally to a successful event of none effect to me A Fifth Experience was
in the Lord 's affording me heavenliness of frame and the intercession of his Divine Spirit for an event in Prayer when all hopes from any thing else had been remov'd and no ground of hope left but what was drawn from this frame of Soul in Prayer and the full quiet of mind concerning the event brought forth by the same Divine Hand I could set down numerous instances of the imminency of Death to Friends and Acquaintances where nothing of probable hope was left but what was drawâ— from this experience of the Spirit of God interceding with me by carrying me out to ask in a manner far above my self for their Recovery and then against all probable expectation the recovery has followed Yea at this very time I can instance a Child who for some time was laid out as Dead but in my humble hope Alive and that purely from the sensible power given me to ask its life of the Lord Who knows the things of God but the Spirit of God as the Spirit of Man alone knows the secret Thoughts and Will of Man and if the Spirit of God know the Mind of God and his design of bestowing an event unknown to our selves it is not so strange that unexpectedly and suddenly in the use of that blessed Duty of Prayer Christ's Spirit should breathe upon us strength to ask what we designed not but what he knew would be through that method discovering the reality of a Divine Spirit who is to help our Infirmities who neither know what to ask nor how to ask of our selves only by keeping in the Obedience of God's Will to Prayer and thereby lay our selves in God's road to receive Divine Direction both to ask what we did not premeditate and in a manner above our own natural corrupted capacity If the Spirit of God know the Will of God against an event no wonder he draws his Divine influence from the Soul in Petitioning to obtain it and no other warmth in Prayer appears than what is the product of self and the great desire of obtaining it far differing from that seriousness that is the effect of a Divine Spirit the right observation whereof greatly helps the Christian to distinguish the one and the other I know that great care is here to be taken not to entertain hopes of obtaining every Petition that God has not absolutely promised or by Petitioning without Resignation to his Will but from experience of God's condescending-way of training up Babes in Christianity I hope I may say that the Spirit of God never intercedes with us in Prayer to God for any thing that is not to be obtain'd or without Resignation to his Blessed Will and any mistake herein must slow from either of these two Reasons First From an ignorance when Christ's Spirit does intercede with us in Prayer A natural tender affectionate Constitution and an ardent desire after the thing pray'd for imposes a likeness thereof in some and continual thoughtfulness of Mind or a sweet Tone and way of Expression brings sometimes others to a likeness of this frame Whereas the observing Christian from care therein finds this Prayer come suddenly upon him and with full gale of Strength far above his own drawing himself forth with that filial Boldness and near Familiarity and approach to God and with that quiet of Mind concerning the matter as if its answer was already return'd The observ'd experience whereof helps the Soul to answer all such cautionary Objections and discovers to its experience That Resignation to God's Will goes along with the Heavenliness of Frame to make up the evidence of Christ's Spirit helping us to ask without either of which the evidence seems cloudy dull and uncertain Or Secondly Mistakes may come by misapplying the return of Prayer through too soon judging of the Prayers return'd or by applying Prayer to somewhat else than is the real return of the Prayer the effect whereof has been oft so evil that even many gracious Children of God have been led into Darkness kept from that sense of intimacy that really they had judging their Prayers unreturn'd or at least bringing them under great Thoughtfulness though their Faith was fix'd upon God's Word yet how to reconcile former experiences to this of a Divine Spirit 's intercedings for them and yet unreturn'd My great help against such mistakes has been an exact observation of my different Utterance as well as my different Frames in Prayer and to set down the very Word express'd therein If the Spirit of God give and help the Utterance of Ministers as well as Spiritualize their Mind in Preaching that being recommended by Paul as a fit Petition upon his account and experienced as Truth by the worthiest of his Ministers Why not to give and to help Utterance in Prayer as well as a Heavenly Frame therein Whatever others imagine or ridicule concerning familiarity of Stile in Spiritual Prayer I can truly say That when my Frame of Soul has been thus suddenly chang'd from Lifelesness to great Spirituality I have then been in a maze to experience an unusual freeness of expression wondring at the Words themselves express'd and the nearness to God that I have thought my Soul approached to And upon some patient waiting before judging the return of the Prayer and comparing the parts and circumstances of the event to the words I was enabled to utter and had afterwards set down I found so much correspondency as is between a Seal and its impression I know those far excelling my self in Grace and Experience with God losing the sight of the return from God by misapplying the return not to the Words utter'd in Prayer but to what they so mightily desired I remember an instance in my self concerning a Servant's parting from me and Petitioning Heaven for his conduct to the use of means for another I found comfortable Divine Strength in Prayer and in some hours after happening in the company of one who formerly had recommended a Servant in most things acceptable he inform'd me of another with a Character far exceeding the first to which Providence I immediately implying Prayer express'd it at its return but afterward found disappointment as to them and difficulty in finding any other seemingly evidence of Prayer without Divine Strength put up and unaccepted by God but soon after by some special passages of Providence this Servant begg'd leave to stay tho' they had confidently despis'd my place and given warning to provide another in their room which prov'd better than changing at that time tho' a good one had fallen in my way which was a return exactly suiting the Utterance in Prayer confirm'd by the comparison of the latter Event to the Utterance set down As this was a plain instance of too hasty a judging the return of Prayer taking one Providential passage for return begun only by it and carried on by other passages adjoyn'd thereto so I shall lay before you another instance of misapplying the return to the
thing desired and not to the Utterance in the Prayer Spiritually perform'd and that by as eminent a Saint as ever liv'd on Earth tho' now gone off the stage of time without the sight of its return yet died in the Faith of my seeing its return but still his Thoughts was upon what he so mightily prest for in his own desire Providentially happening to design a matter of great concern and imparting the design with some passages of Providence exciting me first thereto to this Saint then on Earth he desired some time to think upon the matter ere he return'd his Advice which I found was on purpose to lay the whole affair before the Throne of Grace by repeated Addresses thereto After which he advis'd my undertaking the design from his sense of God's laying it in my way by special conduct of Providence and from his sense of his Petition accepted for Divine Assistance in it and marvellous Effects from it from which I engag'd in the endeavour but all attempts prov'd unsuccessful In the interim of which endeavour my Thoughts in Prayer never fixt to any one Petition concerning it besides Divine conduct in the use of means and Resignation to his Divine Will this endeavour between hopes from this Prayer accepted and discouragement from the unsuccessfulness of attempt continued for many months yet still easie and with amazing Resignation to God's Will till at last such a circumstance fell out as did unalterably obstruct the matter and the return that he applied his Prayer unto notwithstanding of which amongst his last words to me on Earth long after this disappointment he utter'd this Sentence with great exercise of Faith That I should meet with a full discovery of God's design therein and that in answer to his Prayer Prayer accepted and the intimation thereof given will never want its return clearly verified from comparing his Letters and Words to the Events that have attended my life since tho' the disappointment seemed an evidence of his Prayers lost yet really has led into such things as plainly appear his Prayer's return his mistake appearing to be fixing his Spirituality in Prayer with his other evidences of its acceptation to what he so much desir'd to wit the success of an outward endeavour whereas if his Utterance had been recorded reflected upon and compared with Events that even I begun to find from God in my self and did discover to him the mistake might have been prevented In one of his Letters he expresses himself thus It is becoming me with much humble sobriety to speak as to any impression on my Spirit with respect to your business though often I dare say I have had some special assurance from the Lord of his Gracious respect to you so as I could not question the evidence whereof was so full and clear and of so great testimony yet to you hereof in the way of Providence and am at the furthest of persuasion that such a breaking up of Light shall occur as shall be matter both of Joy and farther Establishment and if after such unusual and eminent Evidences he has given of his Respect and Favour to you beyond most in this day would it be strange or grievous if in so great a concern he should take a new trial of your Love and Resignation to him by giving it entirely up to his blessed disposal I know you have settled your Reliance on his Hand in ordering the present matter who has been your God and the God of your youth hitherto In another Letter his Words were You shall see the design of the Lord in this affair however dark it at present appear with that evidence as shall tend to a higher establishment of you in his Way and Truth and clear all former dark steps the greatest experiments of Trust has been most obtain'd in the greatest extremities of his Peoples case In another Letter his Words were Tho' it is not easie to write at such a distance yet I have confidence to say That one day rarely passes without some serious remembrance of you My last acquaintance with you has been amongst the most sweet remarks of my being in England especially as to the blessed way of God round you therein you have been a further strength to my Faith I know not how that matter is with you but I hope I may adventure to say That if ever I knew converse with Heaven here I have often had yea in some special way an answer of Peace and Assurance about the Lord 's Gracious Design of Grace for you and of his further testifying the same to your Soul I hope you are gaining new ground of a nearer acquaintance with the way of the Lord by which you will find that by the greatest tryals he takes of his followers here he then designs the greater tryal of himself and his Truth Now comparing the Words of this Saint express'd concerning the difficulty I was then under to my own experience of Divine Providence round me and to the Workings of Christ's Spirit in me since that time I cannot but confirm his Sense and Faith of Prayer accepted and witness its return to my self By the very words of his Letters the current of his Petitions and seeming Assurance run upon God's witnessing his special favour to me in the way of Providence and that such breaking up of Light should occur as might establish my Faith in God which blessed be his Name has been the real effect of God's disappointing my desire and endeavour after this outward thing yea has been a mean in God's hand to discover his special Love to my self in affording me a better Mercy in its room and establishing me thereby in a Trust to God as to all things else Besides since these outward attempts since those Letters receiv'd such marvellous occurrences of Providence I have enjoyed with such inward sensible workings of a Divine Spirit informing and comforting my Soul and making progress in that rich Grace of Faith and actual reliance upon God in all things both as to Soul and Body for conduct in the use of means and events following which makes out his Prayer accepted and that his assurance was firmly founded his failure being the misapplying the Prayer thus sweetly put up to a return of what he desired and not to the return exactly answering the Utterance of his Soul when Christ's Spirit breath'd upon his Petitions to God concerning the Lord's Gracious design and testimony thereof to my Soul I have had wonderful establishment no more amazing and assured to him in his actual strength to Petition it than to me in its enjoyment by way of his Prayers return'd It is conceivable by none but those who are strict observers of God's Ways How freely Words fly out of the Mouth of a Soul under a Heavenly ravishing in Prayer How familiarly they are express'd and with what quiet of Mind as to the return that if the Soul out of this frame would desire and do all that
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
his Children's food Mercies in answer to Prayer The Lord knew her strength and adapted his way of tryal thereto which issued in Honour to him and evidence to her self of the greatness of her Faith When Christ saw Peter's Faith as a Rock to build his Church upon he then tells him of the Sufferings to attend him and all that would follow after Christ his Faith being gradually brought up to such a strength enabled him to bear this report which perhaps in the beginning might have discouraged him to follow Christ or his Rules when therefore we are as Moses we may be kept six days on the Mount before the answer of Prayer comes Gen. c. 24. Let us therefore admire God's Wisdom and Love in first planting or further carrying on Grace in the Soul Let us be instructed not to limit God to any one way in converting or further perfecting a gracious Soul but let us keep in the use of all God's means with the observation of his various ways of Providence and Spirit established upon his Divine Word and experience in our Souls that so we may be confirm'd in the depth the length and height of the Love of God not only by a Faith wrought and kept in the Soul but by an evident sense thereof experimentally felt not yielding to that lazy excuse of the danger of fathoming him tho' we cannot find God out to Perfection yet we may comprehend much more of his ways than we do to keep us in continual admiration and praise of his Love making our life the nearer to resemble the work of Saints above not suffering his Ways to lie still in the depth without Record thereof or Reflection thereupon a method which might greatly prevent the many Fears that many gracious Souls meet with in their way and by which they dishonour God before the Wicked that by knowing their own Wants and God's Method of supplying them might be remedi'd A Sixth Experience of the Spirit of God's breathing upon the Soul in Prayer and of its correspondency to the certain return thereof was That according to my Morning's frame in giving up my self so has my frame continued thorough the day but most remarkably thus on a Sabbath-Day wherein I have found that my frame in hearing a Sermon has greatly answer'd to the frame of my Morning 's private Address to Heaven with that exactness that I could never observe or set it upon record without great amazement Herein mistake me not as if I passed my day without any other Address resting upon the comfortable experience of good frame in my Morning's Prayer but upon all occurrences throughout the day my supplication has been repeated my method being never to attempt any Service Civil or Spiritual without Address to God for conduct therein and when opportunity of set Prayer is deny'd the same Spirituality in Ejaculation and that correspondent to return is experienc'd confirming the truth of God's acceptance of the Spirit 's helping the Soul to groans not to be utter'd when the Soul in Meditation is under such a Heavenly Thoughtfulness to God as is impossible for it to utter I could set down numerous instances of God's acceptance of Prayer put up before entring into Company with freedom from Quarrel or Disquiet and when Disquiet of any kind has accompanied me I have found it at such a time when my Soul has been out of frame or my Addresses to God before my entring the Society has been neglected Who would not therefore advise me to rest upon God and to Petition him for all things and to have all things conveyed to me with a sight of his special Providence in it and as a return to Prayer for it that when my passage through this Wilderness is at end I may not enter unto an unknown God who has been a Father by his special conduct of Providence a Husbandman by the workings of his Divine Spirit my alone Friend to whom I have put up all my Requests and from whom I have receiv'd all the supplies of wants and that in a way of Communion with him neither to an unknown work but that of which I have had some foretaste in the use of Observation Prayer solemn and ejaculatory and Meditation admiring of God manifested and praising his Name for the experienc'd discovery of himself A Seventh Experience of Christ's Spirit exciting to Prayer and interceding with us in Prayer with the certain correspondency thereof by a return of that Prayer thus perform'd to God has been by putting words in my Mouth as well as Spirituality in the frame of my Mind and that suddenly unpremeditated yea sometimes contrary to matter and words design'd To clear this Experience I will give you amongst many instances the following one concerning a Friend's Distraction in a Fever for whom my design was to Petition God for his recovery but was carried out in Prayer and that powerfully too altogether for the return of their Reason without ever being able to ask one Petition for the abatement and removal of their Fever upon inquiry I found their Distraction gone off but the Fever remaining the same the return of their Reason exactly answering the time of the Supplication for it Another instance of this Experience was Concerning another Friend for whose Hâ—alth I had design'd to Petition God but found my Words in my Address to God strongly diverted from Petition to Praise blessing his Name for what he had done and that without any foreknowledge of amendment or probable reason to expect it but what I had from this powerful sudden and undesign'd utterance in Prayer Another instance of the same kind I very lately had concerning a Friend's beloved and only Child for whom I found in my self great and amazing freedom of Utterance and that by way of Praise tho' my design was to Petition God concerning it having all humane probability to expect its Death After the Experience of this Utterance in Prayer I was kept in the dark till at least ten days and then had the account of its recovery yea of its great amendment answerable to the time of the Utterance of Praising being strictly curious in the observation of the circumstance of time that none of these marvellous Experiences might afford the least doubting in their enjoyment but obtain a clear reception thereof and produce the greater establishment therein in the Soul Another instance of the Seventh Experience was Concerning some with whom I have had to do in matters of concern but at a distance from me and without any other opportunity of hearing the proceedings or success of endeavours than by Letter I have found that tho' I have design'd before the coming in of the Post to supplicate for a good account yet have not been able to say any thing at all concerning the matter answerable to which no Letter has come or other Petitions and Words concerning the matter has been Spiritually darted up to Heaven than was design'd correspondent to which the
Patience through former Experience and Prayer wait without disquiet till the Divine Providence has sweetly ordered that disappointment to be for my greater good I could instance in this Experience a matter of greatest worldly concern where disappointment has fallen out contrary to desire and probable expectation from whence has issued a Providence at first appearance not so desireable or pleasing but a Mercy far beyond what I now know the other would have been and has some comfortable circumstances in it not so common in such a matter One instance greatly advancing Reliance upon God and confirming what has been formerly laid down of a certain correspondency between Christ's Spirit helping the Soul to Ask in Prayer and the Lord 's returning it was that my frame in Prayer was my great support while under no other view than that of a disappointment Who would not in the Enjoyment of such eminent Experiences leave all things to Heaven's conduct and by entire dependance thereupon with continued Prayer to be interested therein spend a whole life through this Earth and that with greater success to outward Affairs less anxiety of Mind concerning them or toil of Body to obtain them and much more sweetness than when brought about and no other Agent seen therein but outward endeavour of our selves strength of Friends or the like upon whom our Trust was wholly fixed Seventeenthly To advance an entire general dependance upon God he has marvellously discovered immediateness of his Hand in matters of very small moment and that both as a return to Prayer concerning them and as a token of special favour in them and tho' they have been such things as are reputed small yet they have been accompanied with as immediateness of Providence as clear a discovery of Divine Love as in weighty concerns designing thereby to bring me into a Dependance upon him for all things the meanest not being excluded from the compass of his Providence Many instances of this Experience I could bring forth in respect of my going from one place to another of Servants coming to and going from me yea reaching even to irrational Creatures that I have made use of I have had Experience that according to my strength in Petitioning Divine Favour concerning them and according to the time of neglecting or beginning and continuing this seriousness so successfulness or unsuccessfulness has occurr'd At this very time of God's training me into a Dependance upon himself a powerful bearing home of Scriptures upon my Soul of Promise for instruction conduct and comfort has been a remarkable mean in God's Hand and marvellously blessed with that great end of removing Diffidence and setling Reliance upon himself The First whereof by way of Promise was that of the 6th Chapter of Matthew vers 33. Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you Of this Promise till now I could never feel the powerful Efficacy and apply it to my self for comfort At my first entrance upon Business in the world this Scripture suddenly seized my Thoughts without any previous Meditation thereupon or Reading it with remark in the Scriptures but with such constancy of impression that in diversions in real Business at home and abroad this Scripture would still rush upon my Thoughts Its suddenness and constancy of impression its suitableness to my circumstances at that time going to engage in the affairs of the world where Temptations to omit or intermit the seeking Grace in my Soul might abound and its correspondency to Experiences that afterward occurred in my concerns on Earth as means of sounding Grace in my Soul made me hope it was bore upon me by a Divine Power A further confirmation and certainty whereof I have had not only from its continuance even till this day in my Thoughts with the powerful influence of making me seek God first in all my concerns and to trust in him as the God that hears Prayers but also from the marvellous method of God in my life enabling me to use endeavours and giving his success to them chiefly when I am most diligent to advance his Kingdom of Grace in my Soul never could I say that I was diligent and spiritual in the means of Reading Prayer and the like for the advancement of Grace in my Soul but even then all outward Comforts flow'd in upon me with great sweetness in their Enjoyments and then Divine Providence has afforded me opportunities and success in my Temporal Affairs yea I never observ'd my self at any time disquieted or under the probable or real danger of the withdrawings of these Comforts but I always found my self out of the road of spirituality of frame and of the diligent use of means of Grace To the enjoyment of this Experience I am still held and do hope while I live shall be able to apply it as a special Gift from God's Divine and Merciful Hand Yea with the Psalmist in the 19th Psalm and 49th v. I have often found it a prevailing argument in Prayer That the Lord would remember the word to his servant upon which he had caus'd him to hope it was indeed his own work suddenly to bring and fix it upon my Thoughts at a time when I was altogether ignorant of such a thing as a spiritual Power accompanying any Scripture-Truth and a beginning only to be sensible of a special conduct of Providence round me but now it appears more plainly his work by its confirmation from the outward Providences and inward workings of Christ's Spirit in my Soul since till which confirmation I did not experimentally understand it and blessed be his Name I am at quiet that he will continue my hope therein till the Kingdom of Grace has had its Perfection here and I passed into his everlasting Kingdom of Glory where Promises shall be no more of use but there shall be the perfect Fruition of our rich Priviledges both of Grace and Glory A Second Scripture bore home upon my Soul with instruction and as a mean of advancing Reliance upon God more than upon means was That Scripture in Daniel wherein it is said That by the blessing of God the pulse nourished him that he looked fairer and fatter than these Children fed with King's meat One evening in Reading this passage of God's Word I found my Mind deeply imprest with Meditations upon it in an extraordinary manner tho' many a time I had read the same Scripture and with great seriousness but without such depth of Thought This made me hope at the time that it was the work of Christ's Spirit it proving afterwards a rule of action and a means of advancing greater Reliance upon a Divine Blessing to food than ever formerly I had observ'd in my self The Thoughts seizing me at the time were First The great weight to be laid upon a Divine Blessing for the nourishment of our Bodies as well as upon the food Eat Secondly The great seriousness that is necessary in
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
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
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
then to be sure a real Christian seriously performing a Prayer with a natural affecting way of expression may make a near resemblance to a heavenly Frame like unto that sensible preparation given in by a Divine Spirit to ask what God is to return Now to judge either of these Prayers seemingly put up in spirituality as really spiritual and to expect from thence the health and life of your Friend upon that sure foundation of God's Word telling us that he prepares the Christian to ask when he is to encline his ear and yet the person does not recover may greatly tend to make them mistake when they judge it from the ignorance of their minds and the delusion of Satan a failure in God's truth rather than a failure in themselves in judging that Prayer spiritual and presaging a gracious return which really bore no evidence of either But if you observe the Prayer of a Minister or other Christian in publick put up spiritually and judge it as God's Token given you for good You that are concern'd and really acquainted with experimental Christianity do not only find a sense and impression at the time of this Prayer as its being God's evidence of good but retiring your selves to your private Prayer you 'll find the same Frame upon your own Soul as evidence both of God's returning it and of the other's performing it spiritually and that your judgement therefore was right when a return is in God's design though his Spirit be one yet he influences many at the same time to ask the same thing of God Thus there are more Witnesses to his mercy and its greatness appears the more and he is the more honoured thereby Both Cautions I 'll endeavour to explain by a late Instance of my own Experience amongst many I could produce which for Brevity I must omit that thereby you may know how many times a Christian is help'd by a Divine Spirit to ask of God for a Friend's Recovery and yet unless continued thorough the whole Illness the Recovery has not issu'd thereby you may also know the right judging of another's spiritual frame in prayer The Instance is concerning a Friend of my own for whom the Lord was in a solemn manner addrest to by some Ministers who set apart some time for this very purpose they seemingly were wonderfully carri'd out in Prayer answerable to which there was a present Relief appear'd but went off soon after and continued not Throughout the course of their Illness I found in my self in Prayer a perfect driness as to the frame of my mind and words in Prayer for them which made me continually express my self with fear of their death excepting one Prayer in an evening in my Closet which upon discourse with other Friends I found to be the very exact time of others being united to pray and the time of there being some hopes of which joint and solemn Prayer I knew nothing at the time of my own observation which I had set down in my Diary till afterward in discourse with Friends and I had set it down with special Remark but excepting that one Prayer I found them lost in all my other Petitions and proclaim'd my fears when their Physicians had great hopes and their symptoms had some abatement with the wondring of Friends what could be my reason moving me to think this If any should ask me after what has been said concerning Spirituality in Prayer and its answerableness to return Whether Returns from God are only to such Petitions breath'd upon sensibly by Christ's Spirit and raising them to greater heavenliness of thought and word than commonly or if extended to Prayers perform'd with no other sensible seriousness than the sincere endeavour of a Christian's self Before the Answer I shall first lay down the difference between strengthning and comforting Influences of Christ's Spirit David had his withdrawings of comfortable Influences to such a degree and to such a time as made him cry out Psal 77.7 Is his mercy clean gone will he be favourable no more And in ver 8. Does his promise fail for evermore And yet at the same time though insensible then thereof he was under the strengthning Divine Influences of Christ's Spirit for when David comes to himself after he had said I have cleans'd my heart in vain and returning thence to the enjoyment of comforting Influences he says in ver 22 23. Though I was so foolish and carried my self as a beast before thee nevertheless thou hast holden me up by my right hand From whence I draw a Caution to dejected Christians Not to think that tho' God withdraw his comforting breathings formerly experienced and that for holy ends of Reproof for not better entertaining them formerly enjoy'd or of excitation to prize them more when they return and to keep closer and stricter and more continually to the use of means to obtain and to retain them that therefore they have lost the grace they had once the sensible evidence of by Christ's comforting Influences and so give Satan opportunity of following this thought with his suggestion of Apostacy and danger of damnation and the being no advantage in the further use of means whereas the continuance therein is evidence of spiritual supporting power and of God's holding them up from falling however unsensible they are of his comforting Influences Secondly There is a difference between spiritual Influences strengthning the Soul to the continued use of sincere Prayer and between spiritual Influences making the other comfortably sensible and carrying the Soul out thereby with more fervency and joy than at other times Thirdly That shorter Intermissions of Duties and sincere endeavours therein contribute greatly to the drawing down of continued comfortable Influences and that the more close we walk with God in the use of means the more clear comfortable delightful enjoyments occur I answer therefore first That a Return is certain to that Prayer that is directed by the Holy Spirit to God for obtaining a blessing for us and an evidence of this direction is by the heavenly frame of mind and more than ordinary freedom of utterance in the Duty Secondly That often God returns a Prayer perform'd with spiritual Influences though they are without that delightful evidence at the time of Prayer the Spirit of God exciting and strengthning the Soul to ask carries him to nothing but what is suitable to God's Word and with Resignation in the Christian's self whether this heavenliness of frame be sensible at the time of Prayer or not and therefore if God's Spirit be helping the Soul really tho' insensibly to the Christian or really and sensibly too a return certainly follows that Prayer but with this difference that under heavenliness of frame he enjoys the Comfort of the return aforehand and under strengthning influences he is not so certain of the spirituality of its performance or its acceptance with God till the return make it manifest Thirdly That such a comfortable sense of
God and Man in one Person when such a view of him will force their remembrance of denying him in their Minds and Hearts the Adoration due to him as God equal with the Father tho' he humbled himself that we might be exalted and might in Heaven see his Glory and be transform'd into his Glorious Likeness It will be righteous that those who vilified the Redeemer should not reign with him and since they deny that he washt away the guilt of their Sins with his Blood it 's righteous that their guilt should remain on them for ever He that feels the power of Christ strengthening him will notwithstanding the subtil Cavils of others glorifie him as the incarnate Son of God who purchas'd Grace and Glory for him by his Humiliation and confers it in his Exaltation As for Deists who deny all Reveal'd Religion their Error is brought for the support of Socinianism for in the Scripture there is so full a proof of the Eternal Deity of the Son of God and of the Holy Spirit which is a Doctrine supernatural and incomprehensible by our narrow minds that they will rather return to Heathenism than receive the Gospel Besides the purity and perfection of the Gospel in its Commands they will not obey and therefore will only follow the dim light of Nature that discovers not many Sins which they love nor some Duties from which they are averse You therefore under this Character Let me invite you to the trial of God's Word and if you find in your Experience any one thing that was incomprehensible to natural Reason but sensibly felt in your Souls it will lead you to the desire and endeavour of Experiencing more If in Prayer you come to understand a strength above your own even that of a Divine Spirit according to Scripture Revelation thereof you 'll desire to comprehend many other Christian Priviledges and Changes of the Soul by Grace of which you never formerly had any true Idea If once you come in the use of means to believe and trust things unseen which to a faithless Creature is a Mysterious Doctrine but of Scripture Revelation and certainly experienc'd as Truth by Holy Souls To what purpose O Deist should I trouble my self to argue the case of there being a spiritual heavenly frame in Prayer of there being a trust to a thing unseen more strong and durable than a trust to an object before the Eyes the one being supported by the Divine Truth and Power the other by a weak mutable Creature All the Argumentation and Oratory on Earth cannot make a sincere Christian doubt of the Truth of the Gospel which he has felt to be the power of God to save him from Sin and Hell A superficial assent to the Doctrine of the Gospel may be easily chang'd but when the Truth of it is fixt in the Soul by deep Experience a Christian is as stable as the Center against the strongest storms of opposition You may as well suppose a rational Soul to be without thinking as when it 's convinc'd by over-powering light and an inward real sense of the Truth of Religion Reveal'd from Heaven he should be apt to change his Faith and like a Drunken Man reel from one Opinion to another I therefore earnestly recommend the endeavour after an Experimental Sense of the Truth of the Gospel in the use of all Ordinances as the best preservative from Unbelief But now I come to the third and last mean of bringing Creatures into the certainty of God's Word and inward Religion and that is a right reading of the Scriptures not a superficial reading of them in Obedience to Parents or out of Custom a Chapter morning and evening without ever one thought reflective upon what is read but such a reading as may lay you in the way of the influence of a Divine Spirit who communicates light unto us in this Duty as well as in that of spiritual Observation and Prayer we must fix it in our thoughts as the Rule of our Life and particularly observe what may be directive in those Duties that belong to us and may serve for Comfort in disquieting Afflictions to which we may be expos'd Mr. Pool's Annotations are useful in our Reading This method was marvellously blessed to me in the practice of it with Observation and Prayer I soon saw the worth of God's Word the benefit of using it in this manner and my Soul was ardently and constantly desirous of Divine Grace to conform me entirely to the Precepts and Examples of Holiness set down in it The method I us'd at first was To Read a Chapter of the Old Testament a Psalm and a Chapter of the New with Pool's Annotations upon each and this sincere endeavour after the Knowledge of God in his Precepts was soon accompanied with the inward workings of a Divine Spirit influencing me with a desire after and in some measure Conformity thereto Psal 119. How shall a young man cleanse his ways It is by taking heed thereto according to God's Word Those that read not his Word or read it in a customary way obtain no knowledge thereof or at least what is only notional to discourse of How can a Christian cleanse his Heart and Ways or be in the means of obtaining Christ's Spirit helping forward this work but by comparing considerately his Ways and Thoughts to God's Divine Truths as he goes on in the reading of them and nothing more fixes the Thoughts to this than a reading with Annotations and many times in comparing Scripture to Annotation a comparison of ones self to Scripture either for instruction or comfort occurs reading with Thoughtfulness is a mean God many times blesses with sweet success that way Reading with reflecting the light of the Word upon the Soul warms it meets the Affections and makes them receptive of heavenly impressions The meer Professor Religious only from Education I greatly compassionate for this neglect it being for the serious a probable mean of affording establishment in their right notional Knowledge wherewith they have been imprest thorough the instruction of Education and applicative Reading the Scriptures is the means with the Spirit 's blessing of establishing us on that Divine Foundation of Faith and Obedience This Advice of Reading the Scriptures with Pool's Annotations is not to be limited to those only in younger years but necessarily to be extended to Persons of more mature Age. First I advise the younger That they would not rest satisfied to answer their Parents Instruction or in the customary method of reading so many Chapters a day and that at their usual times but to consider what degrees of knowledge of the Word and Conformity to it they are advanc'd to by it that by right Conceptions of God and his Holy Will they be preserv'd from youthful Lusts from the Erroneous Opinions and vicious and contagious Examples of others Let the first Principles of Religion in this way be deeply set in them before they read Controversies in
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
you met with therein and the Strength you had to resist them and that in answer to your Ejaculatory Prayer 3. Reflect upon the Issue whether it was freedom from being overcome by its Temptations and that in return to ejaculated Thoughts for Divine Strength to preserve you before entrance in it or at the time you were engaged with it The Improvement of which Reflections must needs be A Resolution to enter no Society but when under the constraint of lawful Business or Recreation and even then with an eye to God in the use of Ejaculatory Prayer either aforehand or while in Conversation for Strength to resist Temptations that may either endanger occasions to sin or of losing a spiritual Frame Fourthly Reflect upon the Failures of the Day and what you have let pass unobserv'd what Failures in your Business and Conversation have appear'd If the eye of God has been as much regarded as the eye of the World If the opportunity of Secresy has not clouded your fear of God If you have kept your Tongues with a Christian Bridle from Lying in telling Stories to divert Companions or as Excuses for Faults From Self-commendation with an inward design to disparage others From censuring others especially Christians and picking out somewhat in their life to make a discourse of to disparage their Profession rather than endeavour their amendment by acquainting themselves therewith And whatever in your Reflection you find has been amiss herein let particular acknowledgment be made that with the Psalmist you may thereby escape the punishment of your particular Sins and vow not to repeat it and tho repeated by you forbear not your Resolutions and Endeavours against it your unwilling breaches reflected upon will bring you soon out of your selves to a Redeemer and to cry for his Spirit to apply strength to your Souls to resist In reflection upon the passages of Providence through the day and upon the strength conveyed by a Divine Spirit to your Souls evident not only by your spiritual Frame in the Duties of the day but in the Improvement of its Providences by eying God in bringing them about by regarding his Will in the use of Means and trusting to him for Events with a constant watch to ejaculatory Prayer against the Temptations of Company In reflection thereupon arises a fair and comfortable discovery of your being under three blessed Conducts of God's Word Providence and Spirit and is laid before you as your last Evening-duty e're your head lies down upon your Pillow a private Prayer blessing God for the discovery of his Love in his Word Providence and Spirit blessing him particularly for each particular step therein and begging his further grace to be upheld in those means wherein he is pleased to discover so much of himself in strength and comfort to the Soul above what is attainable by other helps or comforts in this life Give therefore your selves up to God for conduct thorough the night that if your eyes should never open more upon this earth your Redeemer may find you laid at his Footstool as the last performance of your life and may raise you up to that glorious dignity of being embraced into Abraham's bosom a blessed issue to such comfortable endeavours And however tedious this Directory may seem in its reading yet I dare witness to this truth that the person in the greatest hurries of outward Affairs has time enough for this easy work it being easily to be intermixt in the throng of Affairs and the more Affairs are laid in your way the greater opportunity you have to observe God's Providence and his Spirit and that built upon his blessed Word as a Mean of keeping up the sense of God's Love in your Souls and the sense of your love to him that so Communion with God may be your Life on earth which will make you live comfortably and dye triumphantly I can do no more but lay the way before you and the Lord himself give you strength to chuse it and to walk in it FINIS
their Duty perform'd never seriously question in themselves whither any other thing than there petition of words in such serious a manner as the strength of Education and others discourse concerning God's greatness had brought them to was either necessary or actually in their Prayers or ever examin'd after Prayer was over whether it had return or not How this way of living should train a Soul to the experience and knowledge of access to and enjoyments with God in Prayer I know not speaking as to God's common way of bestowing such comfortable priviledges purchased by Christ for us To instruct you therefore from the Experience of God with my self O prophane and meer professing Christians I would with much sincerity and love 〈◊〉 â—ur selves beg your steps in the following 〈◊〉 When you are designing any matter or endeavouring the interest of this or the other mean to bring forth your purposed end resolve to address the Lord by Prayer for his guidance of you to the use of right means and his blessing the means to bring about your design unless inconsistent with his Honour and your Interest And if you are hinder'd from solemn Address make use of your Thoughts and dart them up to him with the same Petitions Mind not only the words in your solemn Prayer and your thoughts in Ejaculation but consider the frame of your Mind in both whether serious or not if as serious as when speaking to this or the other help to carry on your design at your first enterance I suppose not your acquaintance with spirituality of frame and if your frame be thus serious mind the issue of your affair if it be according to your Desire and Prayer impute not your success altogether to your outward help of this mean and the other but let Heaven's Blessing accompanying your diligent use of means have room in your Thoughts if not as chief yet as necessary and therefore you will improve this passage thus observ'd with a resolution to address God more seriously than ever in your next undertaking and accordingly perform your serious Prayer to him for his Divine Assistance which meeting with a sensible return you will improve with a more fixedness in your resolution to Petition him in all your after-concerns and with giving of him now the place of principal Agent with your means which will lay a foundation not only for a resolution and performance of Prayer and that seriously to God in all Occurrences but make a fair step towards the founding a Faith of Reliance upon God yea an endeavour of pleasing God to interest your selves in his favour and a perusal of the Scriptures to know the Will of God and the way of doing it and going on in this way of Prayer and Observation with such suitable improvement you know not neither is it in the power of the greatest exercise of a rational Soul to foresee or imagin aforehand what great and mysterious things may be laid before you to observe to wit of a Christian's advancement from the first step of Seriousness to a Reliance upon God as the alone power to be trusted to with such means he allows of and has witnessed his pleasure in by working with them for the bringing about such Events as are sought from natural strength by others but by them in Petitioning the Agency of his Power I don't mean by repeating of Words by way of Form and Rule given you in your Education but thorough a sense of the great advantage of his favour and a sincere desire to obtain it a carrying out of your desire with thoughts and words suitable to the present height of your longings which lays you in the way of meeting with the breathings of Christ's Spirit to help your infirmities and to raise your frame to such a posture of heavenliness as you never knew before unless by the hearing of the ear and will soon unfold what a dark state you have been in that all the seriousness you had in Prayer was no other than the strength of education and that there is something else in the Christian Religion you have never yet been senble of more suitable to the feeling of the Soul than to the utterance of the greatest Orator on earth The Spirit of God has express'd in the Scriptures these Mysteries in a stile suited to our understanding but when the same Spirit bears them home to the sensible feeling of a Christian what addition is given to the Christian's understanding of them and true Faith in them I go not therefore about to express these experienced Mysteries in a better stile for your understanding but to put you in a way of obtaining their experience upon your Souls by the working of a Divine Spirit in the use of common means You lose your labour in endeavouring to understand them in their saving efficacy by your natural reason without the help of a Divine Spirit and his internal Revelation What can better unfold or express the breathings of Christ's Spirit upon a Soul in its holy frame and performance of any Religious Duty than its resemblance to the blowing of the wind upon our Bodies which though sensibly felt yet is mysterious as to the parts of the Heavens from whence it blows or the way of its blowing upon us In like manner though the Spirit of God breathing upon a Soul in praying to God comes often suddenly like a gale of wind refreshing the Soul's dead frame with a ravishing heavenly life and power thoughts desires and all the affections being then carri'd heavenward like a Ship towards its Harbour with sweet delight therein and an actual undervaluing of the richest treasures and pleasures on earth in the balance with this comfortable sweetness for the time enjoy'd the continuance whereof would afford the Soul a Heaven on earth yet the Spirit of God in the excellency of his Divine Nature and in his method of thus changing the frame of the Soul is incomprehensible by the reach of human reason and to the experienc'd Soul there is but a discovery of him in his blessed effects and operations and a sight of him through a Glass darkly till that blessed change pass upon them and they obtain a perfect meetness to see and to understand him as he is No wonder therefore the prophane or meer professing Christian attempting to comprehend God's Word as to the work of the Spirit of God in planting Grace or watering it with constant influences to keep it in exercise find themselves at a loss how to understand it and therefore never feeling its effects upon their Souls either look upon it as Chimaera and the Being of the Spirit of God or his blessed operations of converting and spiritualizing a Soul to be only Notions of a melancholy Brain How many are there at this day who mock at the Spirit of God and the Divinity of our Blessed Redeemer and ridicule expressions of fellowship with him as canting discourse for they never receiv'd the precious