and advancing forward; have a sincere and unfeigned love to all the commandments of God, and diligently endeavour to observe them; that vehemently hate what most pleases their corrupt nature, and love the command that crosses it most. This is an imperfect kind of perfection".

1

n

On the other side, evil-doers are they that commit sin with greediness; that walk in it, make it their way, that live in sin as their element, taking pleasure in unrighteousness, as the Apostle speaks "; their great faculty and their great delight lies in sin, they are skilful and chearful evil-doers: not any one man in all kind of sins, that is impossible; there is a concatenation of sin, and one disposes and induces to another; but yet one ungodly man is commonly more versed in and delighted with some one kind of sin, another with some other. He forbears none because it is evil and hateful to God, but as he cannot travel over the whole globe of wickedness, and go the full circuit, he walks up and down in his accustomed way of sin. No one mechanic is good at all trades, nor is any man expert in all arts; but he is an evil-doer that follows the particular trade of the sin he hath chosen, is active and diligent in that, and finds it sweet. In a word, this opposition lieth mainly in the bent of the affection, or in the way it is set. The godly man hates the evil he possibly by temptation hath been drawn to do, and loves the good he is frustrate of, and having intended, hath not attained to do. The sinner that hath his denomination from sin, as his course, hates the good that sometimes he is forced to do, and loves that sin which many times he does not; either wanting occasion and means, and so he cannot do it, or through check of an enlightened conscience, possibly dares not do: and though so bound up from the act as a dog in a chain, yet the habit, the natural inclination and desire in him, is still the same, the strength of his affection is carried to sin; as in the weakest godly man, there is that

m Phil, iii. 12. 15.

n 2 Thess, xi. 12.

predominant sincerity and desire of holy walking, according to which he is called a righteous person. The Lord is pleased to give him that name, and account him so, being upright in heart, though often failing. There is a righteousness of a higher strain, upon which his salvation hangs, that is not in him, but upon him; he is cloathed with it: but this other of sincerity, and of true and hearty, though imperfect, obedience, is the righteousness here meant and opposed to evil doing,

2dly, Their opposite condition or portion is expressed in the highest notion of it; that wherein the very being of happiness and misery lieth, the favour and anger of God. As their As their natures differ most, by the habit of their affection towards God, as their main distinguishing character, so the difference of their estate consists in the point of his affection towards them, spoke here in our language by the divers aspects of his countenance; because our love and hatred usually looks out, and shews itself that way.

Now for the other word, expressing his favour to the righteous, by the openness of his ear, the opposition in the other needed not to be exprest; for either the wicked pray not, or if they do, it is indeed no prayer, the Lord doth not account nor receive it as such; and if his face be set against them, certainly his car is shut against them too, and so shut that it openeth not to their loudest prayer, Though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them, says the Lord.

And before we pass to the particulars of their condition, as here we have them, this we would consider a little, and apply it to our present business, who are persous whom the Lord thus regards, the and to whose prayer he opens his ear.

This we pretend to be seeking after, that the Lord would look favourably upon us, and hearken to our suits, for ourselves, and this land, and the whole church of God within these kingdoms. In

• Ezek. viii. 18.

deed the fervent prayer of a faithful man availeth much, [ix] it is of great strength, a mighty thing, that can bind and loose the influences of heaven (as there is instanced'); and the prayer of a righteous man, be it but of one righteous man; how much more the combined cries of many of them together. And, that we judge not the righteousness there and here mentioned, to be a thing above human estate, Elias, says the Apostle, was a man, and a man subject to like passions as we are, and yet such a righteous person as the Lord had an eye and gave ear to in so great a matter. But where are those righteous fasters and prayers in great congregations? How few, if any, to be found, that are but such in the lowest sense and measure, real lovers and enquirers after holiness? What are our meetings here, but assemblies of evil-doers, rebellious children, ignorant and profane persons, or dead formal professors, and so the more of us the worse, incensing the Lord more; and the multitude of prayers, though we could and would continue many days, all to no purpose, from such as we: Though ye make make many prayers, when ye multiply prayer, I will not hear: and when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you". Your hands are so filthy, that if you would follow me to lay hold on me with them, you drive me further off; as one with foul hands following a person that is neat to catch hold of him: and if you spread them out be- . fore me, my eyes are pure, you will make me turn away. I cannot endure to look upon them, I will hide mine eyes from you. And fasting, added with prayer, will not do it, nor make it pass; When they fast, I will not hear their cry.

It is the sin of his people that provokes him, instead of looking favourably upon them, to have his eyes upon them for evil and not for good, as he threatens; and therefore, without putting away of that, prayer is lost breath, and doth no good.

a Ja. v. 16, 17.

b Isa. i. 11.

Jer. xiv. 12.

VOL. I.

Amos ix. 4.
Li

They that still retain their sins, and will not hearken to his voice, how can they expect but that justly threatened retaliation, and that the Lord, in holy scorn in the day of their distress, should send them for help and comfort to those things which they have made their gods, and preferred before him in their trouble? They will say, Arise and save us; but where are the gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble'.

He

And not only do open and gross impieties thus disappoint our prayers, but the lodging of any sin in our affection. If I regard iniquity in my heart, (says the Psalmist,) the Lord will not hear my voice; the word is, If I see iniquity, if mine eye look pleasantly upon it, his will not look so upon me, nor shall I find his ear so ready and open. says not, if I do sin, but, If I regard it in my heart. The heart entertaining and embracing a sin, though it be a smaller sin, is more than the simple falling into sin. And as the ungodly do for this reason lose all their prayers, a godly man may suffer this way, in some degree, upon some degree of guiltiness; this way the heart seduced, it may be, and entangled for a time by some sinful lust, they are sure to find a stop in their prayers, that they neither go nor come so quickly, and so comfortably as before. Any sinful humour, as rheums do our voice, binds up the voice of prayer, makes it not so clear and shrill as it was wont; and the accusing guilt of it ascending, shuts up the Lord's ear, that he doth not so readily hear and answer as before. And thus that sweet correspondence is interrupted, which all the delights of the world cannot compensate.

If, then, you would have easy and sweet accesses to God in prayer, 1. Seek an holy heart, entertain a constant care and study of holiness; admit no parley with sin; do not so inuch as hearken to it, if you would be readily heard.

e Prov. i. 26. 28.

Jer. ii. 28.

g Psal. lxvi. 18.

2. Seek a broken heart, the Lord is ever at hand to that, as it is in", whence the apostle cites the words now under our consideration, He is nigh to them that are of a contrite spirit, v. 18, &c. it is an excellent way to prevail. The breaking of the heart multiplies petitioners, every piece of it hath a voice; and a very strong and very moving voice, that enters his ear, and stirs the bowels and compassions of the Lord towards it.

3. Seek an humble heart. That may present its suit always, the court is constantly there, even within it, the great king loves to make his abode and residence in it'. This is the thing that the Lord so delights in and requires, he will not fail to accept of it, it is his choice, Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, &c. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly, and love mercy. There is this righteousness, and that as a great part making it up, to walk humbly with thy God; in the original, humble to walk with thy God, he cannot agree with a proud heart; he hates and resists it, and two cannot walk together unless they be agreed, as the prophet speaks. The humble heart only is company for God, hath liberty to walk and converse with him. He gives grace to the humble; he bows his ear, if thou lift not up thy neck: proud beggars he turns away with disdain, and the humblest suitors always speed best with him, the righteous, not such in their own eyes, but in his, through his gracious dignation and acceptance. And is there not reason to come humbly before him, base worms, to the most holy and most high God?

The eyes of the Lord.] We see, 1. That both are in his sight, the righteous and the wicked; all of them, and all their ways; his eye is on the one, and his face on the other, as the word is, but so on these as against them. It is therefore rendered his eye of knowledge and of observance, marking them and * Mic. vi. 7, 8.

Psal. xxxiv.

1 Isa. lvii. 15.
Amos iii. 3.