it: Mens Souls cleave to outward Ac commodations; therefore the Lord useth to part us and our Idol, that we may take hold of him the faiter. It is Union with himself, that is our Felicity, and it is that which God most endeavoureth. When he removeth beloved Jewels, it is because they were a ftumbling Block, and divorced the Soul from God: When he feemeth to withdraw himself, his going proclaimeth fo much, Oh follow, or perih.

Thirdly, It is a very dangerous Thing, when he withdraweth and you follow not, when he is angry, and you care not, doth not fly in to make Peace with him; certainly his Anger muft wax hotter, and Defertion will become a fpiritual Plague, Rods must be tempered with much Bitternefs. What Mixture of Mercy can be in fuch a Difpenfation, where the Fruit of it is to harden: But if the Lord's hardeft dealing wrought you to more Nearness and Communion with himfelt; then certainly you have a fair Advantage against the pre

beginneth to trouble us, and hides his Face, then it is a Time to awake out of Sleep, before all be gone: And there ought to be first, more Diligence in Duties and Approaching to God, because your Cafe furnisheth more Matter of Supplication; and as Matter of Supplication groweth, Prayer fhould grow. If Neceffity grow, and the Cry be not according to Neceffity, it is ominous. And theretore David ufeth to make his Cry go up according to his Trouble. In a profperous Condition, tho' every Thing might call a tender hearted loving Chrifti an to fome Nearnefs to God; yet or dinarily, if Neceffity prefs not, Prayer languifheth and groweth formal. Senfe of Need putteth an Edge on Supplication, whereas Profperity blunteth it. The Heart miffing nothing, cannot go above fublunary Things; but let it not have its Will here, and the Need of Heaven will be the greater. Now I fay, if you fit fo many Calls, both from a Command, and from your own Neceffities, you do fo much the more Sin. Affliction wilent Trouble, and you have your Cup make even a Hypocrite leek bim, and pour out a Prayer and wifit bim, Pial Ixxviii. and Ija. xxvi. And if you do not take Advantage of all thefe Preffures, you must be fo much the more guilty; and therefore, God, as is were, wondereth at their Obftinacy, They return not to bim that fmiteth them: All this is come upon us, yet have we not prayed. And Secondly, It is fent for that End, that you may be more ferious; and therefore you ought fo much the more to awake, to lay hold on him. This is the Way the Lord ufeth with his fecure and wandring Children, Pfal. cxix. 67. For the Lord findeth us often gripping too ftrongly to a prefent World; and taking it in our Arms, as if we were never to part with

mixed. You fhall at length blefs God for uch Difpenfations; they may be reckoned for Good to you. Next, There ought to be more Exercife of Faith, and laying hold on the Grounds of Confolation in God, in fuch a Time. First, For as Dif ficulties grow, Faith should fortify itself against them fo much the more. The greater the Storm be, it should fy the more into the Chambers. Faith in the Time of a calm Day getteth no Trial; Faith bulketh much, because it hath not much to do. But except there be fome fresh and new Supplies, it cannot hold out in a Temptation: But it is a fingular Proof of a noble and divine Faith, that can lay hold on him, and keep him, when he would go, that can challenge Kind

nefs

And this com

thou art my Portion.
mendeth God moft, when he is fet alone.
Profperity bringeth him down among.
Creatures, and fecure Faith naketh little
Diftinction; but awakening Faith grip-
peth ftrongly and fingly, putteth God
alone.

nefs on a miskenning Jefus, that can stand
on the Ground of the Promifes, when
there is not a Foot-breadth of a Difpen-
fation to build on: While all Things go
with you, ye have no Difficulty to main-
tain your Faith; nay, but when the Lord
feemeth to look angry, then awake and
gather Strength, take hold on his Strength;
look what is in your Condition, or his
Difpenfation, what is Good or Ominous,
then take hold on the other Hand on him,
and look what is in him to anfwer it,
and fwallow it up: Ye ought to be well
acquaint with the Grounds of Confolation
that are in God, in the worst Case; and
then ye might lay hold on him, tho' he
feemed a confuming Fire. It is then a
Time that calleth moft for fecuring your
Interest in him, a Time when there is
no external Advantage to beguile you, a
Time when the only Happiness is to be
one with God. Therefore the Man who
in fuch Calamities and Judgments, is not
awaked to put his eternal Eftate out of
queftion, he is in a dangerous Cafe: For
do not moft Part drive over their Days,
and have no Affurance of Salvation, they
It
dare not fay, either pro, or contra.
may be, and it may not be. And this is
the length that the moft Part come, a
negative Peace; no pofitive Confidence;
no clear concluding on fure Grounds an
Intereft. Always ye are moft called to
this, when God afflicteth the Land, or
you: If ye do not then make Peace, it is
moft dangerous. Thirdly, The Lord lov-
eth Faith in a Difficulty beft, it is the
fingleft and the cleanlieft, it is that which
moft honoureth him, and' glorifieth his
Truth and Faithfulnefs, and Sufficiency
and Mercy; for then it is moft purely
elevated above Creatures, and pitcheth
moft on God; and therefore bringeth
Men to this, No Help for my Soul, but

This

Secondly, Oftentimes, when God is de parting, none ftirreth up himself to lay hold on him. Altho' there may be praying and doing of many Duties, yet there is nothing beyond the ordinary. The Varieties and Acceffions of new Grounds of Supplications doth never make greater Frequency, nor more Fervency. our Experience may clear unto us both in Duties and Faith. First, There is very little Diligence in feeking of God in the Way and Means appointed, even when God feeméth to bid farewel to the Land, and go away: No body cometh in as an Interceffor. Men keep on their old Way of praying, and never addeth to it, come what like. Who is it that riseth above his Ordinary, as the Tide of God's Difpenfation is? There ought to be such an Impreffion made by the Changes of God's Countenance, as might be read on the Duties of his People. There should be fuch a Distance between your ordinary and fuch Times, as between a fleeping Man and a waking Man, that whatever your Attainment of Access to God be, ye might stir up and go beyond it, according as Matters call. Will God count your publick Fafts a Performance of this Duty? Alas, we faft fleeping, and none stirreth up himself to these Things. Is there any Difference betwixt your folemn Humiliation and another Sabbath? And is there any Difference between a Sabbath and a Week-day, fave the external Duty? Is not this palpably our Cafe? Is there any wakening among us? No, Security

is

plaint; and it is become an incurable Difeafe, fince it became a Complaint. Doth any of you pray more in private than ye ufed? Or what Edge is on your Prayers? Alas, the Lord will get good leave to go from us; it feareth me, that we would give Chrift a Teftimonial to go over Seas. Hold him, bold him. Nay, the Multitude would be gladly quite of him, they cannot abide his Yoke, his Work is a Burden, his Word is a Torment, his Difcipune is Bands and Cords; and what Heart can ye then have to keep Chrift? What Violence can ye offer to him to hold him full? All your Intreaties may be fair Compliments, but they would never rent his Garment. Secondly, There is no up-ftirring to Faith among us, and laying hold on Jefus Chrift, albeit all his Difpenfations warn us that it is now high Time. There are not many who are about this Point effectually to ftir up their Faith, or to fecure their Intereft. Think ye that Conjectures will carry you thorough Difficulties. The Multitude think they believe much, but any Temptation proveth their Mistake. The most Part of Scotland would deny God and his Son Jefus Chrift, if they were put to it. Always it is a Time ye would not ly out from your strong Hold, Faith only uniteth you to Chrift, and if ye would be kept in any Trial, ftir up Faith.

is both the univerfal Disease and Com- to call him Abba, Fatber. Faith ufeth to vent itself in Prayer; I say, much Contideration of God, and claiming in to him, and to the Grounds of Confidence in him, muft both make Prayer acceptable, and carry the Stamp and Impreffi on of God's Name, or Chrift's Name on it, and alfo make much Prayer: For when a Soul hath pitched on God, as its only Felicity, and thus made choice of him, it findeth in him all Sufficiency, all Things for all Things; there is no Neceffity, but it findeth a Supply in his Fulnefs for it; and therefore it applyeth a Man to the Fountain, to draw out of the Wells of Salvation. There is nothing can be fo fweet and refreshing, a for fuch a Soul to pour out itself every Day in him, to talk with him Face to Face. Faith engageth the Heart to come to God with all Things; whereas many Difficulties would have been, and the fecure or unfettled Heart would have gone as many different Ways to help them: Faith layeth hold on God, knoweth but one, and bringeth all here; and therefore Accefs to God is a Fruit of it, Access unto the Grace wherein we stand by Faith. And again, how can Prayer be acceptable, as long as Faith doth not principle it? it is but like a Beast groaning under a Burden. Laying hold on God himself makes a Man's Duties acceptable, becaufe he fpeaks and asks, believing that he shall receive, he trufteth God, and doth not tempt him. Where lively Faith is not entertained, there cannot be much Affection, which is the Oil of the Wheels. There may be in fome Bitterness of Spirit much Vehemency, but that is not a pure Flame of divine Love that burneth upward to him, and it is foon extinguished, and lafteth no longer nor prefent Senfe, and then the Soul groweth harder, as Iron

Thirdly, Prayer and Faith, Diligence and laying hold on God, must go to gether, and help one another. No calling on his Name, and not laying hos on him go together, and have Influence one upon another. First, Faith hath In fluence on Prayer. Laying hold on God in Chrift, will make right calling on his Name, it learneth Men how to call God,

that

that had been in the Fire. Secondly, When there is not much Prayer and Calling, Faith cannot be frong and violent; for Prayer is even the Exercife of Faith, if you wear out of that, Faith 'rufteth. There may be much Quietnefs with little Prayer, but there cannot be much and ftrong and lively Faith; for where it getteth not continual Imployment it faggs. And indeed Prayer is a special Point of holding God faft, and keeping him; therefore join thefe, if ye would thrive Your unbelieving in any one of them. Complaints are not Prayers and calling on his Name, because they are not mixed with Faith. As the Apoftle faid of the Word, fo may it be faid of Prayer, your Prayers are not profitable, are not heard, Ye ufe to because not mixed with Faith. doubt, that ye may be fervent, to question your Intereft, that ye may ftir up your Spirits to Prayer: But alas, what a fimple grofs Mistake is that? Poor Soul, tho' thou get more Liberty, fhall it be counted Access to God? Tho' you have more Grief, and your Bitterness doth indite more Eloquence, shall God be moved with it? Know ye not that you should ask without wavering, and lift up pure Hands without Wrath and Doubting? And yet both are there.

Fourthly, The Duty we are called to in fuch a Time when God is angry, is to lay hold on him. We would fpeak a Word more of it: And firft, We ought to hold a departing Lord, by wrestling with him in Supplication, not to let him depart till be bless, Hof. xii. 3, 4. The Application of Jacob's Victory over the Angel is thus, Turn ye to the Lord, and wait on bim, &c. How had Jacob Power over the Angel? By Supplication and Weeping; fo that Prayer is a Victory over God, even the Lord God of Hofts.

We ought (as it were) to strive against
outward Difpenfation; when it faith, He
is gone, when our Condition faith, He is
gone, or going, we ought to wrestle with
ir. No Submiffion to fuch a departing,
it.
I mean, no Submiffion that fitteth down
with it, and is not careful how it be.
Now this Time calleth you to fuch an
Exercife. The Lord feemeth to be angry
with us; there is a strong Cloud over the
Land, and like to pour down upon us,
the Lord is drawing a Sword again, and
beginning now to lay on: Many Threat-
nings would not put us to Supplication.
Now, what will the laying on of the
Rod do? If the former Days be return
ing wherein ye faw much Sorrow; is it
not then high Time for the Lord's Re-
membrancers, and for the Lord's Chil-
dren to wrestle with God? As Efau
was coming on Jacob, fo hath God armed
Men, and fuch defperate Men, as he hath
made a Rod to us before. If we be
twice beaten with it,' it is very juft, for
before we did not feek in to him who
You would know this, that
fmote us.
the Lord is but feeking Imployment, and
if ye would deal with him, ye may make
Advantage of the prefent and futuré Cala-
And look to this laying hold on
mities.
him: This is the chief Thing ye should
now heed. It is God himself that should
be your principal Object: Praying should
be a laying hold on God, it fhould meet
with himself.

For the moft Part in the Time of Profperity, we cannot' meet with God fingly, we have fo much to do with Creatures, we keep Tryfis fo. punctually with them, fo that we cannot keep with God: We have fo many Things in our Affections and Thoughts, that God cannot get Place, he cannot get us at Leifure for the Throng of our Business : We lofs God, by catching at Shadows. LIII

Well

Well then, we are called in fuch a Time, Now from this, lay hold on Chrift as