that have none to provide for them. Doth he feed and clothe his enemies, and will he forget his children? He heard the very

of Ishmael in distress, Gen. xxi. 17. cry O my unbelieving heart! dost thou yet doubt? Remember Hagar and her child.

7 Consid. Your poverty is not your sin, but your affliction only, if by sinful means you have not brought it upon yourselves; and if it be but an affliction, it may be born the easier for that.

It is hard indeed to bear an affliction coming upon us as the fruit and punishment of sin. When men are under trouble upon that account, they use to say, O if it were but a single affliction coming from the hand of God by way of trial, I could bear it; but I have brought it upon myself by sin, it comes as the punishment of sin; the marks of God's displeasure are upon it; it is the guilt within that troubles and galls more than the want without.

But it is not so here, and therefore you have no reason to be cast down under it.

Object. But though there be no sting of guilt, yet this condition wants not other stings as, first, the discredit of religion; I cannot comply with mine engagements in the world, and thereby religion is like to suffer.

Sol. It is well you have an heat to discharge every duty; yet, if God disable you by providence, it is no discredit to your profession, because you do not that which you cannot do, so long as it is your desire and endeavour to do what you can and ought to do; and in this case God's will is, that lenity and forbearance be exercised towards you, Deut. xxiv. 12, 13.

2 Object. But it grieves me to behold the necessities of others, whom I was wont to relieve and refresh, but now can

not.

Sol. If you cannot, it ceases to be -your duty, and God accepts the drawing out of your soul to the hungry in com passion and desire to help them, though you cannot draw forth a full purse to relieve and supply them.

3 Object. But I find such a condition full of temptations, a sore clog in the way to heaven.

Sol. Every condition in the world hath its clogs and attending temptations; and, were you in a prosperous condition, you might there meet with more temptations and fewer advantages than you now have: for though I confess poverty hath its temptations as well as prosperity, yet I am confident prosperity hath not those

excellent advantages that poverty hath ; for here you have an opportunity to discover the sincerity of your love to God, and you can live upon him, find enough in him, and constantly follow him, even when all external inducements and motives fail, And thus I have shewed you how to keep your hearts from the temptations and dangers attending a poor and low condition in the world; when want pinches and the heart begins to sink, then improve, and bless God for these helps to keep it.

6 Season.

The sixth season of ex< pressing this diligence in keeping the heart, is the season of duty. When we draw nigh to God in public, private or secret duties, then it is time to look to the heart; for the vanity of the heart seldom discovers itself more than at such times. How often doth the poor soul " cry out, O Lord, how fain would I serve thee, but vain thoughts will not let me ; I came to open my heart to thee, to delight my soul in communion with thee, but my corruptions have set upon me: Lord, raze off these vain thoughts, and suffer them not to prostitute the soul, which is espoused to thee, before thy face? The sixth case then is this $;

6 Case. How the heart may be kept

from distractions by vain thoughts, in the time of duty.

There is a twofold distraction or wand. ring of the heart in duty: 1, Voluntary and habitual, Psal. Ixxviii. 8. They set not their hearts aright, aud their spirit was not stedfast with God. This is the case of formalists, and it proceeds from the want of an holy bent and inclination of the heart to God; their hearts are under the power of their lusts, and therefore it is no wonder they go after their lusts, even when they are about holy things, Ezek. xxxiii. 31. 2, Involuntary and lamented distractions, Rom. vii. 21, 24. I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me; 0 wretched man that I am, &c. This proceeds not from the want of a holy bent and aim, but from the weakness and imperfection of grace and in this case the soul may make the like complaint against its own corruptions that Abijah did against Jeroboam, 2 Chr. xiii. 6, 7. Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat is risen up against his Lord, when Rehoboam was young ' and tender hearted, and could not with• stand them, and there are gathered un-* 'to him vain men, the children of Belial.' Grace hath a dominion, but lusts

are mutinous and seditious during the infancy thereof. But it is not my busi

ness to shew you how these distractions come into the heart, but rather how to get and keep them out of the heart; in order whereto, take these ten following. helps.

I Help. Sequester yourselves from all earthly employments, and set apart some time for solemn preparation to meet God in duty.

You cannot come reeking hot out of the world into God's presence, but you will find a tang of it in your duties; it is with the heart, a few minutes since plunged into the world, now at the feet of God, just as with the sea after a storm which still continues working, muddy and disquiet, though he wind be laid and storm over thy heart must have some time to settle. There are few musicians that can take down a late or viol, and play presently upon it, without some time to tune it; there are few Christians can presently say, as Psal. Ivii. 7. O God,. my heart is fixed, it is fixed.. O when thou goest to God in any duty, take thy heart aside, and say, O my soul, I am now addressing myself to the greatest work that ever a creature was employed about: I am going into the awful pre-sence of God, about business of everlast