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moft honourable. We fear to die, and yet ufe all the means we can to make death terrible and dangerous. We are bufy in the faults of others, and negligent of our own. We live the life of fpies, striving to know others, and to be unknown ourfelves. We worship and flatter fome men, and fome things, because we fear them, not because we love them. We are ambitious of greatness, and covetous of wealth; and all that we get by it is, that we are more fplendidly tempted. We make ourfelves unfafe by committing wickedness; and then we add more wickedness, to make us fafe and beyond punishment. We are more fervile for one kindness that we hope for, than for twenty that we have received. We entertain flanderersa and without choice fpread their calumnies; we cherish flatterers, and know they abuse us. And if we should gather all the abuses, and impieties, and deceptions of the heart together, they would feem almost remedilefs, and beyond the cure of watchfulness and religion. Indeed they are great and many; but the grace of God VOL. IV.

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is greater and if iniquity abounds, then doth grace much more abound. And that is our comfort, and our medicine; which we must thus ufe:

Let us watch our heart at every turn.

Let us deny it all its defires, that do not directly, or by confequence, end in godlinefs: At no hand fhould we be indulgent to its fondneffes and peevish appetites.

Let us fufpect it as an enemy.

And not trust to it in any thing.

But beg the grace of God, with perpetual and importunate prayer; that he would be pleased to bring good out of these evils; and, by the merits of Christ's death and paffion, that he would rectify our hearts, and finally fit us for his everlafting kingdom.

SERMON

SERMON II.

Hinderances of Prayer.

[ From Bishop TAYLOR's Sermons. ]

JOHN ix. 31.

Now we know, that God heareth not finners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he beareth.

I

KNOW not which is the greater wonder, either that prayer, which is

a duty fo eafy, and adapted to the powers and skill and opportunities of every man, fhould have fo great effects, and be productive of fuch mighty bleffings; or, that we should be fo unwilling to use fo ready an inftrument of procuring fo much good. The firft declares God's goodness; but this publishes man's folly and weakness, who finds in himself fo € 2 much

much difficulty to perform a condition fo eafy and full of advantage. But the truth is, the very eafinefs of the thing becomes its objection. And, in every of its stages, we make or find withal fome difficulties. At first we do not know what to afk; and when we do, then we find difficulty to bring our will to defire it; and when that is prepared and inftructed, it mingles intereft, and confounds the purposes; and when it is forced to afk honeftly and feverely, it fometimes turns that into eagernefs, and that eagerness turns into murmurs or unquietnefs; or if it avoids that, the indifference turns into coolness and difregard, or the fire burns violently, and is quickly fpent; our defires are dull as a rock, or fugitive as lightning; either we afk ill things earneftly, or good things remifsly; we either court our own danger, or are not zealous for our real fafety. Or if we be right in our matter, or earnest in our affections, yet we miss in the manner; and either we ask for evil ends, or without religious and awful apprehenfions; or we reft in the words and fignification

cation of the prayer, and never take care to pass on to action.

Whereas God never accepts, or delights, in a prayer, unless it be for an holy thing, to a lawful end, prefented unto him upon the wings of zeal and love, of religious forrow, or religious joy; by fanctified lips, and pure hands, and a fincere heart. It must be the prayer of a gracious man; and he only is gracious before God, and acceptable, and effective in his prayer, whofe life is holy, and whofe prayer is holy. For both these are neceffary ingredients to the conftitution of a prevailing prayer. There is an holiness peculiar to the man, and an holiness peculiar to the prayer, that muft adorn the prayer before it can be united to the interceffion of the holy Jefus, in which union alone our prayers can be prevailing.-God heareth not finners:-And this is introduced with an expreffion of affurance Now we know that God heareth not finners. For this was a proverbial faying among the Jews, and every where recorded in the fcriptures, which were read in the fyna

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