ing in fuch words as are expreffive of defire, and his having a fenfe of what he means by thofe words, is not prayer, except his thoughts fo affect him, as to draw forth his defire in petition to God, for the obtaining of those things which he thinks and reflects upon. So, on the other fide, whatever is more than this, is not prayer. If, when a man fo thinks and confiders of any fub ject, as that it draws forth his defire in prayer to God, any other act of the mind accompanies or follows, it, whether it be love or hatred, hope or fear, anger, or the like, none of fuch acts are prayer. Thus, if a man fhould fo think of his fins, as to be induced thereby to defire God to forgive him; and if this fhould fo affect him, as to caufe him to be forry for his faults, and angry with himself that he has done fo fool. ifhly; in this cafe, his forrow for his fin, and his anger against himself, is not prayer, tho' they are very fuitable companions to it. The cafe is the fame with every other act of the mind, which may be exercifed in prayer, or may follow upon it.

And as thofe other acts of the mind are, in their proper places, fuitable companions to prayer; fo when they are exercised in a proper and due measure, they as helps to it. Thus, when a man fo reflects upon his fins, as to be deeply humbled with forrow and fhame, and indignation against himself, this has a natural tendency to create in him a strong defire that they may be forgiven him, and to put up that defire very earneftly to God for the obtaining that pardon. But when thofe other acts of the mind are exercifed in an undue measure, and exceed the bounds of reason, then they are so far from being helps, that on the contrary they are hindrances to prayer. Thus, if a man fhould be fo transported with grief and anger, when he reflects upon his fin, as

that

that he should wring his hands, and tear his hair, and rend his cloaths, and cast dust upon his head, and roll upon the ground, and the like, as fuch a tranfport of forrow and anger would make him more like a brute than a man, fo it would be a hindrance and not a help to prayer; for when mens minds are thus ruffled, and difcompofed, they are indifpofed thereby for the regular and proper exercife of any duty whatever. When the mind of man is in a regular and undisturbed ftate, that is, when it is governed by reason, then it is capable of putting forth any act with strength and vigour, then a man is capable of praying with fervency, viz. with a strong and earneft defire to obtain what he prays for; but when a man's mind is thrown into diforder, and is difcompofed by any ungoverned act, then he is weakened and indifpofed for the strong and vigorous exercise of this or any other duty.

If it fhould be here objected, that we have the declaration and examples of holy men in fcripture, who have been tranfported, as aforefaid. I anfwer, many declarations, which we have in fcripture, are delivered in figurative and borrow'd expreffions, and many others are a loftinefs of fpeech, which express much more than the speaker intends. And as to the practices of good men of old, they were rather a conformity to the cuftoms and usages of the times and places in which they lived, than the effect of a mind tranfported beyond due measure, that is, beyond the bounds of reafon. David danced before the ark in praifing God; but, I think, with fubmiffion, this dancing was not the effect of a mind difcomposed by a tranfport of joy, but was a conformity to the the ufage and cuftoms of thofe times, which expreffed their joy by dancing. But as cuftoms and.ufages change, fo now if a good man fhould,

in praifing God, dance as David did, he would make himself ridiculous. Befides, the good men of old, were like the good men now, that is, they were of like paffions with other men; and therefore it is not their examples, but the nature and reafon of the thing, which ought to determine in this cafe.

If it should be farther objected, that our Saviour, when he was in an agony, pray'd yet more earnestly. I answer, The true ftate of that cafe I take to be this: Our Saviour's ferious reflections upon that scene of miferies and temptations, which he was just then entering upon, put him into great fear, whether he fhould be able to ftand the trial. This fear had a two-fold effect upon him; first, upon his body, in that it caufed him to sweat to that degree, that it fell from him in great drops, like as blood ufeth to drop from a wound; for tho' his fweat is ufually called his bloody fweat, yet this is without warrant from the text; the text faith, that he fweat [as it were] great drops of blood, falling down to the ground. Secondly, It had an effect upon his mind; he prayed to his Father more earnestly, with fubmiffion to his will, that he might escape that which was the ground of his fear: Father, if it be paffible, let this cup pafs from me. And as he thus prayed with strong crying and tears, to him that was able to fave him from death; fo St. Paul faith, Heb. v. 7. That he was heard in that he feared, that is, his Father gave him ftrength fufficient for his trial; for he had an angel fent from heaven to strengthen and comfort him. Now, as this great fear, which our Saviour was under, made him to fweat to a very great degree, and as this fear, and the effect of it, is called, by the Evangelift, an agony, and as it caufed him to make more earneft fupplications and prayers, with ftrong

crying and tears to his Father, for an escape from that which was the ground of it; fo he ftill preferv'd in himself a regular and compos'd mind; a mind which was not diftracted, nor over-born by all that burden which lay upon it; a mind which prayed yet more earneftly, which fhews plainly that it was under the government of reafon, and not in agitation or difcompofure. As our Saviour was under great fear, fo that fear, or rather his ferious reflections upon that which was the ground of it, drew from him strong defires, and thefe defires he put up to his Father with great earneftnefs; but ftill maintain'd in him felf a mind regular and undisturbed, when those terms are oppofed to a mind ruffled and difcompos'd by an ungovern'd tranfport, whether of fear, joy, forrow, or the like. And as defire is stronger or weaker, and as the putting forth that defire is more or lefs earnest, fo this difference arifes, partly from the different temper and con ftitution of the petitioner, partly from the dif ferent fubjects it is exercis'd upon, partly from the different manners of our thinking and reflect, ing upon thofe fubjects, and partly from fome other caufes, I fay, partly from the different manners of our thinking and reflecting upon thofe fubjects; for as the fame words have a different effect upon the minds of men, from the different manners of their being exprefs'd, fo our own reflections have a different influence upon our own minds, from the different manner of reflecting. Thus, if a man should walk along the ftreets of a city, in a very flow pace, with his face to the ground, and fhould, with a flow and weak voice, fay fire, fire, and should fhew an unconcernedness at what he faid, this would make very little or no impreffion upon the minds of thofe that heard him. The manner of this ad U drefs

drefs would indifpofe people from being affected with it; whereas if the fame man fhould haftily walk along the streets of the fame city, and fhould, in a grave and ferious manner, with an audible voice, cry fire, as aforefaid, this would ftrongly affect all who heard him; because both the fubject, and the manner of addrefs, have a natural tendency to produce this effect. So in like manner when we think and reflect upon any fubject, in a flight, carelefs, and indifferent manner, fuch thoughts and reflections will have little or no effect upon our minds or lives; but when we think feriously, and with concern, upon the fame fubject, and with an earneft application of thought and reflection, this strongly affects us, and has a tendency to make a great and lafting impreffion upon us. Further, As prayer confifts in the going out of defire to God, and as this defire may be ftrong, or weak, and the putting forth of this defire may be more or lefs earneft; fo it certainly becomes us to reflect upon the subject of defire, with fuch ferioufnefs and concern as is fuitable to it, and may be productive of earnest supplication and prayer, feeing it is fuch as is moft acdeptable to God, and molt effectual to answer the ends of prayer. Our Lord reflected fo feriously upon the fufferings he was to undergo, that it produced fupplications and prayers with ftrong crying and tears. Not but that ftill we ought to keep our reflections within the bounds of reafon; because, when we go beyond this, they distract and fo weaken the mind, like as when a man runs along the streets of a city, and with a loud and hideous noife crys fire, fire, this furprizes and affrights, and fo weakens the minds of those that hear it. The manner of our reflecting is, for the raising or heightening of our affections, like wind

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