clothes, or in afking fome ridiculous queftions? No, he would intreat and beg his life with all the arguments and fervency he were capable of. O finner, when thou kneeleft down to beg thy foul's life at the hands of the Judge of the quick and dead, thou knoweft not if thou thalt have fo long as a quarter of an hour for it; and wilt thou trifle it away? What if death furprise thee, and find thy heart wandering from God?

For remedying of this evil, befides what is faid, study to overawe your hearts this day with a fenfe of God's prefence and omniscient eye. A fervant will not sport himfelf in his mafter's prefence, but carry gravely, Did you believe that God's eye is ftill upon you, and notices all your thoughts, words, looks, and geftures; would you not be more circumfpect than you are? May not angels, when they fee what gravity and decency you obferve in prefence of a prince, and your carelefnefs and irreverence in prefence of a glorious God, conclude you no better than infidels in midst of God's houfe? Confider then how folemnly you fet yourfelves in God's prefence, when you attend public ordinances. It was the sense of this that made Bernard fay, when he came to the church-door, "Stay here, all my earthly thoughts." But if they do thruft in after you and come upon you, to divert you this day, pretending neceffary bufinefs, as Nehemiah's enemies did to him when about the temple work, then give them fuch a repulfe as he did, Neh. vi. 3 "I am doing a great work, cannot come down; why fhould the work ceafe, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?" and, like him, repeat this over and over, as they repeat their folicita tions.

Again, get love to God and his ordinances; for what we love, that we fix our minds upon, be it gain, honours or pleasures. David found love to the word a good remedy against wandering thoughts in time of reading or hearing it, Pfal. cxix. 113. "I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love," Alfo, ftudy to accuftom yourselves to holy thoughts at other times; for a vain heart out of duty will be little better in duty. If your hearts be much fet on the world at other times,

your

your thoughts will be driving thither in time of duty, whether praying or hearing But if they be habitually fet upon Chrift, then will your prayers afcend to him like a pillar of incense.

Moreover, be putting up frequent ejaculations unto God, to fix your hearts, and gather your ftraying thoughts. Pray with the pfalmift, Pfal. lxxxvi. 11. "Unite my heart to fear thy name." Look to him that can ftay" the raging waves of the fea," to stay the wandering thoughts of your heart.

Laftly, Confider how Jews and Heathens may put Chriftians to the blush in this matter. We read of surprifing inftances of their fixed devotion in their acts of worship. It is a ftrange conftancy and fixednefs that is fpoken of the Jewish priests at Jerufalem, that when the Romans broke into the city, and rushed into the temple ready to kill them: yet they went on with the rites of the temple, as if there had been no fuch thing. Also, ftrange was the fixednefs of that Spartan youth, that held the cenfer to Alexander while he offered facrifice, who fuffered a coal, that fell on his arm, to burn his flesh, rather than by crying, or letting fall the cenfer, he fhould disturb that worthip. May not thefe inftances. fhame us, that have more light, for our unfixedness and inconftancy in the fervice of the great Jehovah ?

IX. Wearying of the duties of the Sabbath is another evil we muft guard against this day. O how many are there like thofe, Amos viii. 5. who fay in their hearts, "When will the Sabbath be gone?" and with those, Mal. i. 13. "What a wearinefs is it?" Many weary as much of fermons, as if they were in the stocks all the while they attend them. O what would come of you, if Chrift were as foon weary of calling, as you are of hearing! How many Sabbaths have you kept Christ standing and knocking at your doors, and he is not yet weary, for all your long deafnefs to his knocks, and refufing to open to him, but continues ftill to knock ? O let this fhame us out of our wearying to knock at God's door. Alas! a quarter of an hour in prayer wearies many of us. Is this the requital we give to Christ for all his love and patience? May not he say, "O belie

ver,

ver, I did not foon weary of my bloody fweat in the gar den for thee; nay, I was longer on the painful crofs, than ever thou waft on thy knees in prayer, or meditating on my love and fufferings. O fhould a believer ever weary of that fubject? Thofe idolators, Acts xix. 34. could " cry out with a loud voice for the space of two hours," and not weary in commending their idol Diana ; and shall we weary of hearing a fermon in commendation of Chrift, for the fpace of one hour? O where are thefe animal fpirits that men have in worldly bufinefs? where is that vigour and activity that many fhew in their bodily recreations, nay, in ferving of their lufts? Many weary not to spend whole days and nights in drinking and gaming; but they grudge to give God one day for his worship, or fo much as one hour of his own day. You weary not to provide for your bodies and prefent things, but foon weary to provide for your fouls and eternity: You weary not to beftow time and pains to purchafe a small eftate; but you can fpare no time nor pains to feek the kingdom of heaven. Many are quick enough about worldly things, but, like Dagon, they have no head to think, nor hands to act, when the ark is prefent. The Sabbath is a long and wearifome day to them. Some think both forenoon and afternoon of this day too much to be given to God; one of them may ferve: Or they linger in coming to the church in the morning, as being glad to have a part of God's day and worship driven by ere they come; and not a few fteal away before worship be ended; they'd rather fpend the day any way than in God's fervice. O fin ner, who is the lofer by this, but thy own foul! Doft thou think a Sabbath long, a fermon long, a prayer long? How long then will it be to be banished from God's prefence, and lie on beds of fire through a whole eternity? You will weary eternally there, but it will not mend you: The doors are not open there, as the church doors now are, to let you go in and out at your pleasure (as fome graceless perfons do in time of divine worship) no, you will find hell's gates fhut with invincible boits, and mountains of brass rolled to them; VOL. IV.

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and there you must dwell and lie roaring, as prisoners of wrath for ever. Poor carnal wearying foul, canft thou ever think of going to heaven, to worship and adore God for ever without intermiffion, when fo fhort a time of this work wearies thee now? To be sure, heaven would be a hell to thee in thy prefent unconverted state; thou wouldst give never fo much to be out of it again, wert thou in it.

But, O believer, how ill doth it become thee to weary of Sabbath-work here below, that profeffeft to be preparing for that everlasting Sabbath above, the work of which hath no end? Wilt thou weary to spend one whole Sabbath here in serving Chrift, who wearies not to spend many whole Sabbaths and years in ferving thee? Confider how bufy Chrift is this day in heaven in thy behalf: Though the Sabbath be a day of rest to us from our ordinary work, yet it is none to Chrift; he is bufy through the whole of it pleading and making interceffion for thee, without fainting in this work; and wilt thou fo foon tire to act for him? Doth he mind thee fo conftantly, and wilt thou fo foon weary to think on him?

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X. Sleeping or drow finefs, in time of divine fervice, is a profanation of the Lord's day, and hinders our profiting by the ordinances. Therefore guard against it. Many are watchful enough about the devil's fervice; they can spend whole nights in drinking, gaming, &c. without fleep; but cannot hold up their eyes half an hour in hearing a fermon. Confider what an evil cuftom this is, you who are chargeable with it, and reform it. How ridiculous were it for a man that came to the market to buy provifion for himself and his family, to fall afleep in the market-place, and fo mifs his errand? Do you not come on the Sabbath, which is heaven's market day, to the ordinances to get provision for your fouls; and will you fall afleep in the mean time of the market, and fo go home empty? What do you know but, while you flept, that truth was delivered that might have faved your fouls? Will a man fall afleep at his food? and yet you fleep while the bread of life is breaking to you, and the waters of life are running by

you.

you. How fad is it, that the foul's mouth fhould at this time be clothed with drowsiness and afleep, that it cannot receive one crumb or drop? O how would a damned foul prize the opportunity that you fleep away! Remember it will not always laft with you, the Sabbath and fermon will quickly come that will be your last; and who knows but this or the next may be it? If you thought you were going ftraight from the church to God's tribunal, would you not be more watchful in hearing? There is none can affure you but it may be fo: However that be, I can affure you, you must shortly anfwer for every fermon you are prefent at. God will afk, Where are the fruits of so many fermons? It will be a fearful item in your accounts, So many fermons slept away: How will you anfwer for it?

Again, confider how provoking this practice is to God. Would not a prince be displeased with a fubject, if he fhould fall afleep while he is fpeaking to him? would not a judge be angry with a criminal, if he fhould fleep when he were about to pronounce his fentence? And have you not to do with the "King of kings," and "Judge of the world," while you are hearing the word? Is not your life at the ftake when you are hear ing it? according to that word in Deut. xxxii. 46. 47.

Set your hearts unto all the words which I testify among you this day; for it is not a vain thing for you: because it is your life." Remember what befel Euty. chus when he flept in time of fermon, Acts xx. it almost coft him his life: God made him a monument of dif pleasure, for a warning to all fleepers: He got a fad fall, but you may get a worfe; he fell to the ground, but you may fall to the lowest hell, and there you will not get a Paul to take you up as he got. Your fin is more aggravated than his: it was mid-night when he flept, but you fleep at mid-day; Paul had preached feveral hours, but half an hour and lefs puts you afleep. You have caufe to fear, left God make you a monument of his wrath, or that he say, Sleep on, till the flames of hell awake you. It is truly a wonder how any can fleep at the worship of God, either in the church or family, and not dream of hell-fire in their fleep; for their danLI 2

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