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would they be? Would you not be ashamed to hear them all read over? would not the world cry," Shame upon you for mocking your dread Sovereign with such an impertinent address ?" O but thoughts are the same as words with God; nay, they speak louder in his ears than words do in ours, Amos iv. 13. He declares unto man what are his thoughts." And David says, "He tells my wanderings."

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Wherefore, when you enter this day into the sanctuary, or into your closets, shut the door of your heart, so that worldly thoughts may not enter to trouble you. Lay solemn obligations and charges upon your hearts, that they wander not from God; bind the sacrifice with cords to the altar's horns; and if the birds of prey come by surprise down upon the sacrifice, then, like Abraham, Gen. xv. 11. them presently away," and summon every thought to attend your main business. Retract every vain thought with a sigh, and chide with your hearts for vain excursions; check them as Christ did his drowsy disciples, What? cannot you watch, with Christ for one hour? How then will you like to be engaged in heaven's work to all eternity, where there is no interruption?

Again, consider the uncertainty of your time for prayer. Had a criminal but a quarter of an hour allotted him to beg his life before an earthly judge, would he spend it in gazing upon the court and their fine clothes, or in asking some ridiculous questions? No, he would entreat and beg his life with all the arguments and fervency he were capable of. O sinner, when thou kneelest down to beg thy soul's life at the hands of the Judge of the quick and dead, thou knowest not if thou shalt have so long as a quarter of an hour for it; and wilt thou trifle it away! What if death surprise thee, and find thy heart wandering from God.

For remedying of this evil, besides what is said, study to overawe your hearts this day with a sense of God's presence and omnicient eye. A servant will not sport himself in his master's presence, but carry gravely. Did you believe that God's eye is still upon you, and notices all your thoughts, words, looks, and gestures; would you not be more circumspect than you are? May not angels, when they see what gravity and decency you observe in presence of a prince, and your carelessness and irreverence in presence of a glorious God, conclude you no better than infi

dels in midst of God's house? Consider then how solemnly you should set yourselves in God's presence, when you attend public ordinances. It was the sense of this that made Barnard say, when he came to the church-door, "Stay here, all my earthly thoughts." But if they do thrust in after you, and come upon you to divert you this day, pretending necessary business, as Nehemiah's enemies did to him when about the temple work, then give them such a repulse as he did, Neh. vi. 3. "I am doing a great work, I cannot come down; why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you ?" And, like him, repeat this over and over, as they repeat their solicitations.

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, Psal. cxix. 113. "I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I love." Also, study to accustom 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 set on the world at other times, your thoughts will be driving thither in time of duty, whether praying or hearing: But if they be habitually set upon Christ, then will your prayers ascend to him like a pil

lar of incense.

Moreover, be putting up frequent ejaculations unto God, to fix your hearts, and gather your straying thoughts. Pray with the Psalmist, Psal. Ixxxvi. 11. "Unite my heart to fear thy name.' Look to him that can stay "the raging waves of the sea," to stay the wandering thoughts of your heart.

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Lastly, Consider how Jews and Heathens may put Christians to the blush in this matter. We read of surprising instances of their fixed devotion in their acts of worship. It is a strange constancy and fixedness that is spoken of the Jewish priests at Jerusalem, 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 such thing. Also, strange was the fixedness of that Spartan youth, that held the censer to Alexander while he offered sacrifice, who suffered a coal, that fell on his arm, to burn his flesh, rather than by crying, or letting fall the censer, he should disturb that worship. May not

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these instances shame us, that have more light, for our un fixedness and inconstancy in the service of the great Jeho

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IX. Wearying of the duties of the Sabbath is another evil we must guard against this day. O how many are there like those, Amos viii. 5. who say in their hearts, "When will the Sabbath be gone?" and with those, Mal. i. 13. "What a weariness is it" Many weary as much of sermons, as if they were in the stocks all the while they attend them. O what would come of you, if Christ were as soon 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 deafness to his knocks, and refusing to open to him, but continues still to knock ? Olet this shame us out of our wearying to knock at God's door. Alas! a quarter of an hour in prayer wea ries many of us. Is this the requital we give to Christ for all his love and patience? May not he say, "O believer, I did not soon weary of my bloody sweat in the garden for thee; nay, I was longer on the painful cross, than ever thou wast on thy knees in prayer, or meditating on my love and sufferings." O should a believer ever weary of that subject? Those 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 sermon in commendation of Christ, for the space of one hour? O where are these animal spirits that men have in worldly business? Where is that vigour and activity that many show in their bodily recreation, nay, in serving of their lusts 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 so much as one hour of his own day. You weary not to provide for your bodies and present things; but soon weary to provide for your souls and eternity. You weary not to bestow time and pains to purchase a small estate; but you can spare no time nor pains to seek 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 present. The Sabbath is a long and wearisome day to them. Some think both forenoon and afternoon of this day too much to be given to God; one of them may serve: Or they linger in coming to the

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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 steal away before worship be ended; they would rather spend the day any way than in God's service. O sinner. who is the loser by this, but thy own soul! Dost thou think a Sabbath long, a sermon long, a prayer long? How long then will it be to be banished from God's presence, 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 some graceless persons do in time of divine worship;) no, you will find hell's gates shut with invincible bolts, and mountains of brass rolled to them; and there you must dwell, and lie roaring, as prisoners of wrath for ever. Poor carnal wearying soul, canst thou ever think of going to heaven, to worship and adore God for ever without intermission, when so short a time of this work wearies thee now? To be sure, heaven would be a hell to thee in thy present unconverted state; thou wouldst give never so much to be out of it again, wert thou in it.

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But, O believer, how ill doth it become thee to weary of Sabbath-work here below, that professest 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 Christ, who wearies not to spend m many Sabbaths and years in serving thee? Consider how busy Christ 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 Christ; he is busy through the whole of it, pleading and making intercession for thee, without fainting in this work; and wilt thou so soon tire to act for him? Doth he mind thee so constantly, and wilt thou so soon weary to think on bim ?

X. Sleeping or drowsiness, in time of divine service, 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 service; they can spend whole nights in drinking, gaming, &c. without sleep; but cannot hold up their eyes half an hour in hearing a sermon. Consider what an evil custom 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 provision for himself and his

family, to fall asleep in the market-place, and so miss his errand. Do you not come on the Sabbath, which is heaven's market day, to the ordinances to get provision for your souls? and will you fall asleep in the mean time of the market, and so go home empty? What do you know but, while you slept, that truth was delivered which might have saved your souls? Will a man fall asleep at his food? and yet you sleep while the bread of life is breaking to you, and the waters of life are running by you. How sad is it, that the soul's mouth should at this time be closed with drowsiness and sleep, that it cannot receive one crumb or drop? O how would a damned soul prize the opportunity that sleep away! Remember it will not always last with you, the Sabbath and sermon 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 straight from the church to God's tribunal, would you not be more watchful in hearing? There is none can assure you but it may be so: but however that be, I can assure you, you must shortly answer for every sermon you are present at. God will ask, where are the fruits of so many sermons? It will be a fearful item in your accounts, so many sermons slept away: How will you answer for it ?

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Again, consider how provoking this practice is to God. Would not a prince be displeased with a subject, if he should fall asleep while he is speaking to him? Would not a judge be angry with a criminal, if he should sleep when he were about to pronounce his sentence? 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 stake when you are hearing 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 Eutychus when he slept in time of sermon, Acts xx. it almost cost him his life: God made him a monument of displeasure, for a warning to all sleepers: He got a sad fall, but you may get a worse; 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 sin is more aggravated than his: it was mid-night when he slept. but you sleep at midday: Paul had preached several hours, but half an hour

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