fectionate Prayers cannot be acceptable to God, for he loveth nothing but what cometh through the Son; Prayer muft have an evil Savour, when it is not put in the golden Cenfer, that this Angel hath to offer up Incenfe with the Prayers of the Saints. And likewife you would know God's Juftice and Wrath, that you may ferve in Fear and Trembling: And when trembling is joined with the rejoycing of Faith, this is acceptable Service. You ought to fear to offend his Holinefs, while you are before him. Let God's Terribleness have a deep Impreffion on your Spirits both to make Sin bitter, and to make Mercy more fweet. Thus fhould Prayer afcend with the Seal of God's Attributes, and then is it a calling on his Name. Now, is there any calling on his Name among us? Who maketh it his Study to take up God in his glorious Names? Therefore you call not on a known God, and cannot name him. Now, all of you take this Rule to judge your Prayers by.. Think you not that you make many Prayers? You both think it and fay it, as you use to fay, I pray both Day and Night. Nay, but count after this Rule, and there will be found few Prayers in Scotland, albeit you reckon up both private and publick. Once fcrape out of the Count the Prayers of the prophane and fcandalous, whofe Practice defileth their Prayers; and again, blot out the Prayers of Mens Tongues and Mouths when Hearts are abfent; and again, fet afide the formal, dwyning, coldrife, indifferent Supplications of Saints, and the Prayers that carry no Seal of God's Name and Attributes on them, Prayers made to an unknown God, and will you find many behind? No certainly, any of you may take up the Complaint in Behalf of the Land, There is none that calleth

on thy Name, or few to count upon. You may fay fo of yourselves if you judge thus, I have almost never prayed, God hath never heard my Voice, and you may fay fo of the Land. This would be a well spent Day, if this were but our Exercife, to find out the Sins of our Duties in former Humiliation: If the Spirit did fo convince you, as to blot out of the Roll of Fafts all the former. If you come this length as to be convinced folidly that you have never yet prayed and mourned for Sin. I have lived this long, and been babling all this while, I have never once spoken to God, but worfhipped I know not what, fancied a God like myfelf, that would be as foon pleased with me, I was with myself. If the Lord wrought thus on your Hearts, to put you off your own Righteoufnefs, you should have more Advantage in this, than in all your Sabbaths and Fafts hitherto.

Secondly, Altho' the Lord's Hand be upon them, and they fade as a Leaf, and ́ are driven into another Land, yet none calleth on bis Name; this maketh the Complaint more lamentable, and no doubt is looked upon as a dreadful Sign and Token of God's Difpleasure, and of forer Strokes. Daniel an Eye-witness confirmeth this foretold Truth, Chap. ix. 13. All this is come upon us, yet have ve not made our Prayers to the Lord our God. Well may the Lord make a Suppofition and Doubt of it, Lev. xxvi. 40, 41. After fo many Plagues are come on, feven addeth to feven, and again feven Times more, and yet they will not be humt led. when it is even at the Door next to utter Deftruction and Confumption, he addeth, if then their uncircumcifed Hearts be bumbled, and they take with the Punishment of Sin, &c. We need ask no ReaKkkk

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fon for this, for bray a Fool in a Morter, bis Folly will not depart from bim, Prov. xxvii. 22. Poor foolish Man is a foolish Man, Folly is born with him, Folly is his Name, and fo is he. He hath not fo much Wisdom as to hear the Voice of the Rod, and bum that ap pointeth it. Poor Ephraim is an undaunted Heifer. Nature is a Bullock unaccustomed with the Yoke, and fo it is chaftifed more and more, Jer. xxxi. 18. Man is like an untamed Beaft, as the Horfe, or as the Mule. Threatnings will not do it, God Specketh once, yea twice, and Man perceiveth it not, Job Xxxiii. 14. God inftructeth by the Word, and Men receive no Instruction: All the Warnings to flee from the Wrath to come, are as fo many Tales to make Children afraid. He faith in his Heart, Ifhall bave Peace, tho' I walk in the Imagination of my own Heart. Since

therefore he will not incline his Ear to the Word, God fendeth his Rod to feal the Word, and yet Men are fo wild that they fight with God's Rods, and will not fubmit to him: A Yoke must be put on Ephraim, a Bridle in Mens Mouths, Pfal. xxxii. 9. They will put God to more Pains than speaking, and it fhall coft them more Pain For he that will not be drawn with the Cords of a Man, Love and Intreaties, must be drawn with the Cords of a Beaft, and yoked in a heavy Yoke. Yet Men are unruly, and the Yoke groweth the heavier and forer, that they ftrive to shake it off. An uncircumcifed Heart cannot be humbled, How can the Leopard change bis Spots, no more can my People return to me, Jer. xiii. 23. It is ftrange that a People fo afflicted, will not take with the Punishment of their Iniquity, but will fay in their Heart, Wherefore come these

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Things upon me? But here it is, how can an uncirumcifed Heart be humbled? God may beat on Men with Rods as on a Dog, but be will run away from him fill the more, Ifa. ix. 13. Nay, it may be, there will be more ftirring after God, and more awaking by the first Stroke of Affliction, than when they are continued and multiplied: The Uncouthnefs of Rods may affect People something, but when his Hand lyeth on but a little. Cuftom breedeth Hardness, and more and more alienateth Spirits from him.

Now we need no more to feal this Truth, but our own Experience. I think never People might speak more sensibly of it. It hath been the Manner of the Lord's dealing with us, to use fair Means to gain us, to threaten before he laid on, to give a Proclamation before his Stroke; and yet it hath been our Manner from our Youth up to harden ourselves against him; and go on in our own Way. Therefore hath the Lord after long Patience laid on fad Strokes, and smitten us, yet have we not turned to him. It may be when the Chaftisement was fresh and green, fome poured out a Prayer, and in Trouble vifited God, Ifa. xxvi. 18. but the Body of the Land hath not known him that fmote them, and never ran into their hiding Place, but the Temptation of the Time like a Flood hath carried them away with it. And for the Lord's Chil dren, how foon doth the Cuftom of a Rod eat out the Sense of it, and Prayer doth not grow proportionably to the Lord's Rods. The Lord hath expected that fome might fand in the Gap and interceed, yet few or none called on bis Name. General Corrections of the Land hath made general Apoftacy from God, not a turning in to God; fo that we may fay, we never entered a Furnace, but we

Would you know the Original of many a publick Man's Apoftacy and Backfliding in the Caufe of God, what maketh them fo foon forget their folama Engagements, and grow particular, feeking their own Things, untender in feeking the Things of God? Would you trace back the De. fertion up to the Fountain-head? Then come and fee. Look upon fuch a Man's walking with God in private, fuch a Man's praying, and you shall find Matters have been first wrong there. Alienation and Eftrangement from God himself in immediate Duties and fecret. Approaches, hath made Mens Affections cool to his Intereft in publick Duties. And believe it, the Reason why fo few great Men or none are fo cordial, conftant and thorough in God's Matters is this, they pray not in Secret; they come to Parliament or Council, where publick Matters concerning the Honour of God are to be debated, as any Statesman of Venice would come to the Senate; they have no Dependence on God to be guided in these Matters; they are much in publick Duties, but little in fecret with God: Believe it, any Man's private walking with God, shall be read upon his publick Carriage, whether he be Minifter or Ruler.

There is yet another Thing we would have you confider, to endear this Duty unto you, and bind upon your Confciences, ah abfolute Neceffity of being much in it; and it is this. Prayer and calling on his Name is often put for all immediate Worfhip of God, especially the more fubftantial and moral Part of Service. This People was much in Ceremonials, and they made thefe their Righteoufnefs; nay, but there was little fecret converfing with God, walking humbly with him, loving him, believing in him: Well then, Prayer is, as it were, a Compend and Sum of all

Duties; it contains in it, Faith, Love, Repentance, all these should breathe out in Prayer. In a Word, if we say unto you, be much in Prayer, we have faid all, and it is more than all the rest, because it is a more near and immediate Approach to God, having more folid Religion in it; if you be lively in this, you are thriving Chriftians; if you wither here, all muit decay, for Prayer fappeth and waterech all other Duties with the Influence of Heaven.

That stirreth up bimfelf to take Hold on thee] This expreffeth more of their Condition under the Rod, and while God was threatning to depart and leave them, none took fo much Notice of it, as to awake out of his Dream, to take a faft Hold of God; it was but like the Grip a Man taketh in his flumbering, that he foon quitteth in his Sleep, none awakeṁń himself, as a Bird ftirreth up itself with its Wings to Flight; none do fo fpread out their Sails to meet the Wind: This inporteth a great Security and Negligence, a careless Stupidity; to take hold, to grip ftrongly and violently, importeth both Faith acted on God, and Communion with God, fo that the Senfe is, no body careth whither thou go, there is none that firreth up himself to take violent Hold of thee; Men ly loofe in their Intereft, and indifferent in the one Thing neceffary, do not ftrongly grip to it. No body keepeth thee by Prayer and laterceffion, fo that there is no Diligence added to Diligence, there is no stirring up of ourfelves in Security.

First, When the Lord feemeth to withdraw, and when he is angry, it is our Duty to take hold the more on him; and not only to act Faith, and call on bin by Prayer, but to add to ordinary Diligence, it fhould be extraordinary. First then