Orat. v. in 78, 79. ever befide he is doing, will be carking about his bags SERM. and treasures; an ambitious man will be devifing on his VI. plots and projects; a voluptuous man will have his mind in his dishes; a lafcivious man will be doting on his amours; a ftudious man will be mufing on his notions; every man, according to his particular inclination, will Vid. Chryf. lard his bufinefs and befprinkle all his actions with cares. Annam, and wishes tending to the enjoyment of what he moft tom. v. p. esteemeth and affecteth: fo may a good Chriftian, through all his undertakings, wind in devout reflections and pious motions of foul toward the chief object of his mind and affection. Moft businesses have wide gaps, all have fome chinks, at which devotion may flip in. Be we never fo urgently fet or closely intent upon any work, (be we feeding, be we travelling, be we trading, be we studying,) nothing yet can forbid, but that we may together wedge in a thought concerning God's goodness, and bolt forth a word of praise for it; but that we may reflect on our fins, and spend a penitential figh on them; but that we may defcry our need of God's help, and dispatch a brief petition for it: a God be praised, a Lord have mercy, a God blefs, or God help me, will nowife interrupt or disturb our proceedings. As worldly cares and defires do often intrude and creep into our devotions, distracting and defiling them; fo may spiritual thoughts and holy affections infinuate themselves into, and hallow our fecular tranfactions. This practice is very poffible, and it is no less expedient: for that if our employments be not thus seafoned, they can have no true life or favour in them; they will in themselves be dead and putrid, they will be foul and noisome, or at least flat and infipid unto us. There are fome other good meanings of this precept, according to which holy Scripture (backed with good reason) obligeth us to observe it: but thofe, (together with the general inducements to the practice of this duty,) that I may not farther now trefpafs on your patience, I fhall referve to another opportunity. • Εἰπὶ κατὰ διάνοια», Ἐλέησόν με, ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ ἀπήρτισαί σε ἡ εὐχή. Chryf. ibid. SERMON VII. OF THE DUTY OF PRAYER. SERM. VII. I THESS. V. 17. Pray without ceafing. WHAT the prayer here enjoined by St. Paul doth im port, and how by it univerfally all forts of devotion should be understood, we did formerly difcourfe. How also according to divers fenfes (grounded in holy Scripture, and enforced by good reason) we may perform this duty inceffantly, we did then declare; five fuch fenfes we did mention and profecute: I fhall now add two or three more, and press them. VI. Praying then inceffantly may imply, that we do appoint certain times conveniently distant for the practice of devotion, and carefully obferve them. To keep the Jews in a conftant exercise of divine worship, God did Dan. viii. conftitute a facrifice, which was called Tamidh, ( dianaVTÒS Juola) the continual facrifice. And as that sacrifice, being Neh. x. 33. constantly offered at fet times, was thence denominated continual; fo may we, by punctually observing fit returns of devotion, be faid to pray inceffantly. 11. Heb. xiii. 5. And great reafon there is that we should do fo. For we know that all perfons, who would not lead a loofe and flattering life, but defign with good affurance and advantage to profecute an orderly course of action, are wont to diftribute their time into feveral parcels; affigning fome part thereof to the neceffary refection of their bodies, fome to the convenient relaxation of their minds, : VII. some to the dispatch of their ordinary affairs, fome alfo SERM. to familiar conversation, and interchanging good offices with their friendsd; confidering, that otherwise they shall be uncertain, and unstable in all their ways. And in this diftribution of time devotion furely fhould not lack its share it rather juftly claimeth the choiceft portion to be allotted thereto, as being incomparably the nobleft part of our duty, and maineft concernment of our lives. The feeding our fouls and nourishing our spiritual life, the refreshing our spirits with those no less pleasant than wholesome exercises, the driving on our correfpondence and commerce with heaven, the improving our friendship and intereft with God, are affairs which above all others do best deserve, and most need being fecured. They must not therefore be left at random, to be done by the by, as it hitteth by chance, or as the fancy taketh us. If we do not depute vacant feasons, and fix periodical returns for devotion, engaging ourfelves by firm refolution, and inuring our minds by conftant ufage to the ftrict obfervance of them, fecluding from them, as from facred enclosures, all other bufineffes; we shall often be dangerously tempted to neglect it, we shall be commonly liftlefs to it, prone to defer it, eafily feduced from it by the encroachment of other affairs, or enticement of other pleafures. It is requifite that our fouls alfo (no less than our bodies) fhould have their meals, fettled at such intervals as the maintenance of their life, their health, their strength and vigour do require; that they may not perifh or languish for want of timely repafts; that a good appetite may duly spring up, prompting and inftigating to them; that a found temper and robust conftitution of foul may be preserved by them. Prayers are the bulwarks of piety and good conscience, the which ought to be placed fo as to flank and relieve one another, together with the interjacent spaces of our d Cur ipfi aliquid forenfibus negotiis, aliquid defideriis amicorum, aliquid rationibus domefticis, aliquid curæ corporis, nonnihil voluptati quotidie damus? Quint. i. 12. SERM. life; that the enemy (the fin which doth so easily befet us) VII. may not come on between, or at any time affault us, Neb. xii. 1. without a force fufficiently near to reach and repel him. In determining these seasons and measures of time according to just proportion, honest prudence (weighing the feveral conditions, capacities, and circumstances of each person) must arbitrate. For fome difference is to be made between a merchant and a monk, between those who follow a court, and those who refide in a cloister or a college. Some men having great encumbrances of business and duty by neceffity imposed on them, which consume much of their time, and engage their thoughts; of them in reason, neither so frequent recourses to, nor fo long continuance in prayer can be demanded, as from those who enjoy more abundant leifure, and freer fcope of thoughts. But fome fit times all may and must allow, which no avocation of bufinefs, no diftraction of care fhould purloin from them. Certain feasons and periods of this kind nature itself (in correspondence to her unalterable revolutions) doth seem to define and prescribe: those which the royal ProPfal. xcii.1, phet recommendeth, when he faith, It is a good thing to 2. lv. 17. give thanks unto the Lord, and to fing praises unto thy name, O thou most high: To fhew forth thy loving-kindness every morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Every day we do recover and receive a new life from God; every morning we do commence bufinefs, or revive it; from our bed of rest and security we then iffue forth, expofing ourselves to the cares and toils, to the dangers, troubles, and temptations of the world: then especially therefore it is reasonable, that we fhould facrifice thanks to the gracious preferver of our life, and the faithful restorer of its supports and comforts; that we should crave his direction and help in the pursuit of our honest undertakings; that to his protection from fin and mischief we fhould recommend ourselves and our affairs; that, by offering up to him the first-fruits of our diurnal labours, we fhould confecrate and confign them all to his bleffing; that as we are then wont to falute all the world, fo then VII. chiefly with humble obeifance we should accoft him, who SERM. is ever present with us, and continually watchful over us. Then alfo peculiarly devotion is most seasonable, because then our minds being lefs prepoffeffed and pestered with other cares, our fancies becoming lively and gay, our memories fresh and prompt, our spirits copious and brisk, we are better difpofed for it. Every night alfo reafon calleth for thefe duties; requiring that we fhould close our business and wind up all our cares in devotion; that we should then blefs God for his gracious prefervation of us from the manifold hazards and the fins to which we ftood obnoxious; that we fhould implore his mercy for the manifold neglects and tranfgreffions of our duty, which through the day paft we have incurred; that our minds being then fo tired with study and care, our fpirits fo wafted with labour and toil, that we cannot any longer fuftain ourselves, but do of our own accord fink down into a posture of death, we fhould, as dying men, refign our fouls into God's hand, depositing ourselves and our concernments into his cuftody, who alone doth never fleep nor flumber; praying that he would guard us from all the dangers, and difturbances incident to us in that state of forgetfulness, and interregnum of our reafon; that he would grant us a happy refurrection in fafety and health, with a good and cheerful mind, enabling us thereafter comfortably to enjoy ourselves, and delightfully to ferve him. Thus if we do conftantly bound and circumfcribe our days, dedicating those most remarkable breaks of time unto God's fervice, fince beginning and end do comprebend the whole, seeing, in the computation and style of Mofes, evening and morning do conftitute a day; we may with fome good congruity be said to pray inceffantly. Efpecially if at the middle distance between those extremes we are wont to interpose somewhat of devotion. For as then usually our fpirits, being somewhat shattered and spent, do need a recruit, enabling us to pass through. the refidue of the day with its incumbent business; so, then it would do well, and may be requifite, in a meal of |