To the Christian Reader.  
HAving been informed upon very good grounds, that the former Sermons of Mr William Fenner, have found good acceptance, both in regard of the worthiness of the Author, and also in regard of the usefulness of the Sermons; I could not but give my approbation to these ensuing Sermons of the same author, and desire that they may find the like acceptance with all Godly wise Christians, and that they may become profitable to the Church of God.  
Imprimatur, EDM▪ CALAMY.   

THE SACRIFICE OF THE faithful. OR, A TREATISE showing the nature, property, and efficacy of Zealous Prayer; together with some Motives to Prayer, and Helps against discouragements in Prayer.  
To which is added seven profitable Sermons. 

1. The misery of the Creature by the sin of man, on Rom. 8. 22.  
2. The Christians imitation of Christ, on 1 Ioh. 2. 6  
3. The enmity of the wicked to the light of the Gospel, on John 3. 20  
4. God's impartiality, on Esay 42. 24.  
5. The great Dignity of the Saints, on Heb. 11. 28.  
6. The time of God's grace is limited, on Gen. 6. 3.  
7. A Sermon for spiritual Mortification, on Col. 3. 5.    
By William Fenner, Minister of the Gospel▪ Fellow of Pembroke Hall in Cambridge, and Lecturer of Rochford in Essex.  
LONDON, Printed for John Stafford, and are to be sold at his House over against bride's Church in Fleetstreet, 1648.   

The CONTENTS of the first Treatise on Lament. 3. 5. 7.  

THE opening of the words in which are three properties of effectual Prayer. pag. 1.  
1. The unsatiableness of it till it be heard.  
2. The sensibleness of it whether it be heard or no.  
3. The supply it hath against danger, and discouragement. p. 2.  
1. Doct: An effectual prayer is an unsatiable prayer. p. 3.  
Quest. Must a man always pray?  
Ans. A man must give over the act of prayer for other duties, but he must never give over the suit of Prayer. p. 5.  
Rules to know whether our Prayers be unsatiable or no.  
1. It is an earnest begging Prayer. p. 6.  
2. It is constant Prayer. p. 8.  
A godly man's Prayer is not out of his heart, till the grace he prayed for be in. p. 9  
3. It is a Prayer that is ever a beginning. ib.  
4. It is a proceeding Prayer, it winds up the heart higher, and higher. ibid.  
5. It is a Prayer that purifieth the heart. p. 10.  
It is more and more fervent. p. 11.  
And more and more frequent. p. 12.  
It will take time from lawful recreations, and from the lawful duties of our calling. p. 13.  
And it will add humiliation and fasting to Prayer. p. 14.  
Use. To condemn those who pray for grace, and yet sit down before grace is obtained. p. 15.  
Such Prayers are.  
1. Endless. p. 16.  
2. Fruitless. p. 17.  
2. Doct: A godly soul is sensible of God's hearing or not hearing his Prayer. p. 19  
Quest: How can the soul know whether it speed in Prayer or no?  
Answ. 1. When God gives a soul further and further ability to pray, it is a sign that God hears it. p. 20.  
But if the soul have no heart to continue its suit, it is a sign that God never means to hear that man's Prayer. p. 21.  
2. The preparedness of the heart to Prayer, is a sign that God means to hear. p. 21.  
3. God's gracious look is a sign that he will hear; for sometimes God answers his people by a cast of his countenance. p. 22.  
4. The conscience of a man will answer him, whether God hears his Prayer or no. p. 26.  
But a man's conscience may be misinformed. p. 27.  
A wicked man may have a truce, though no true peace in his conscience. p. 28.  
5. The getting of the grace that a man prays for, is a sign that God hears his Prayer. p. 29.  
But God may give many temporal blessings, and common graces, yet not in love, but in wrath. ibid.  
6. If a man have Faith given him to believe, it is a sign that God hears him. p. 30.  
Good works are good signs of Faith, but they are but rotten grounds of Faith. p. 31.  
Object: Every Promise runs with a condition. ibid.  
Ans. 1. The Promise is the ground of Faith, and the way to get the Condition. p. 32.  
2. Faith is the enabling cause to keep the Condition. p. 33.  
Two things do much hurt in Prayer.  
1. Groundless encouragement.  
2. Needless discouragement. p. 36.  
3. Doct. God would not have any Christian soul to be discouraged in Prayer. p. 39  
A definition of discouragement. ibid.  
4. Reasons. 1. Because discouragement hinders the soul in prayer. p. 42.  
2. Discouragement takes away the strength of the soul in Prayer. p. 43.  
3. If we have fearful apprehensions of our sins, so as to think they will never be forgiven, we can never pray aright. p. 45.  
4. If we have any secret despair, we can never pray to purpose. p. 46.  
There is a double desperation.  
1. Of infirmity, which draws the soul from God.  
2. Of extremity, which puts life into a man's Prayers and endeavours p. 47.  
A man never prays well till he feels himself undone. p. 49.  
We should take heed of discouragements; for  
1. Discouragements breed melancholiness in the soul. p. 53.  
2. They breed hard thoughts of God. p. 54.  
3. They will cause a man to think that God hates him. p. 56.  
4. They will bring a man to despair. p. 57  
Ministers should not preach the pure Law without the Gospel. p. 58.  
Secret discouragements in the heart  
1. They take away the Spirit in the use of the means. p. 62.  
2. They drive us from the use of means. p. 63.  
3 They make a man continually to poor on his sins, so as he shall never be able to get out of them. p. 64.  
4. They breed nothing but sorrow. p. 66.  
5. They leave the soul in a maze, that it knows not whether to turn itself. p. 67.  
6. They whisper into a man a sentence of Death, and an impossibility of escaping. p. 68  
The conclusion of the whole. p. 69.   

The Contents of that Sermon ROM. 8. 22.  

EVery creature hath a threefold goodness in it  
1. A goodness of end. p. 70.  
2. A goodness of nature. p. 71.  
3. A goodness of use. ibid.  
There be four evils under which every Creature groaneth. p. 73.  
1. The continual labour that the creature is put unto. ibid.  
2. The creature sometimes partakes of the plagues of the ungodly. ib.  
3. The Creature hath an instinctive fellow-feeling of man's wretchedness. p. 74.  
4. Because they are rent and torn from their proper Masters. ibid.  
Doct. Every Creature groaneth under the slavery of sin. p. 75.  
Not only under the slavery of sinful men, but so far as they minister to the flesh of the Saints, they groan under them. ibid.  
Object. Did ever any man hear any unreasonable creature groan under sin?  
Answ. It is spoken Hyperbolically, to declare the great misery the creatures are into serve sinful man. p. 76.  
2. Analogically in regard of a natural instinct of blind reason, that is in all the creatures. ibid.  
3. It is spoken by way of supposition, if they had reason they would groan. p. 77.  
4. Intelligently, because a man cannot wreng the creature, but he wrongs God in the creature. p. 78.  
5. Specifically, because the Godly come before God in the behalf of all the creatures, and mourn for the abuse of the creatures. p. 79.  
Four Reasons why the creatures groan.  
1. Because they are distracted in their service. p. 80.  
2. Because of the unprofitableness of their service. p. 82.  
3. Because of the uncessantness of their service. p. 83.  
4. Because of that misery and woe the creatures lie under. p. 84.  
Every creature hath,  
1. A specifical end. p. 85.  
2. An ultimate end. ibid.  
A wicked man hath no true right unto the creature. p. 86.  
But he hath  
1. A civil right. ibid.  
2. A providential right. ibid.  
3. A vindicative right. p. 87.  
4. A Creatures right, as he is a creature. ib.  
But he hath no filial right, no sonlike right in Christ. p. 89.  
Use. To show that wicked men have little cause to be merry at any time, because there is nothing near them, but groaneth under them. p. 90.  
All creatures groan to God for vengeance to be poured upon the wicked. p. 92.  
And these groans are  
1. Upbraiding groans. p. 95.  
2. Witnessing groans. p. 96.  
3. Accusing groans. p. 100  
4. Judging and condemning groans. ibid.  
Use. For exhortation.  
1. To take heed how we do abuse the Creatures of God. p. 101.  
2. Take heed of sinning against God by the Creatures. ibid.  
3 Take heed of setting thy heart upon the Creature. p. 102.  
4. Use all the Creatures in humility and thankfulness. p. 102.  
5. Use the Creatures as so many Ladders to help thee to climb up towards Heaven. p. 103.    

The Contents of that Sermon 1 JOHN. 2. 6.  

THE opening of the words in four particulars. p. 108.  
Doct. A true Christian walks as Christ walked. p. 109.  
A man must first be in Christ, before he can walk as Christ walked. p. 110.  
Object. Can any man walk as Christ walked? p. 111.  
Answ. None can walk as Christ walked in regard of equality; but in regard of similitude they may. p. 111.  
The life of Christ should be the Example of our life. p. 112.  
Christ came into the World to redeem us for our justification, and to be an example of life unto us for our sanctification. p. 114.  
This Question answered. viz.  
What it is to walk as Christ walked. p. 116.  
Four Reasons of the point.  
1. Because as Christ came into the World to justify the ungodly, so he came to conform them to his image. p. 117.  
2. Because in vain we are called Christians, if we be not imitators of Christ, and live as he lived. p. 119.  
3. Because all that are in Christ, are Members of his body, therefore they must have the same life, and be quickened by the same Spirit. p. 121.  
4. Because of that near relation that is betwixt Christ and every one of his Members. p. 123.  
1. Use. To show that all men that live not the life of Christ, do blaspheme the name of Christ. p. 127.  
Of all sins under Heaven, God cannot endure the sins of them that take the name of Christ upon them. p. 198.  
Doct: Every Minister is bound to preach home to men in particulars. p. 132.  
3. Reas. 1. Particulars are most operative. p. 133.  
2. Particulars are most distinct, and most powerful. p. 135.  
3. Particulars are most sensible. p. 137.  
Doct: Every Minister is bound to preach so, as to make a difference betwixt the precious and the vile. p. 138.  
Reas. 1. Because, otherwise a Minister profanes the holy things of God. p. 139.  
2. Otherwise he cannot be the Minister of Christ. p. 141.  
3. Otherwise he is like to do no good by his ministry. ibid.    

The Contents of that Sermon on JOHN 3. 20.  

THE Context opened in four particulars.  
1. What man's natural estate, and condition is without Christ. p. 145.  
2. God's gracious provision for man's salvation. p. 146.  
3. The condition required, viz. Faith. ibid.  
4. The reprobation of the World if they do not believe. ibid.  
But Christ is neither the efficient, nor deficient cause thereof. ibid.  
But the cause of their damnation is from themselves proved  
1 By their own conscience. p. 147.  
2 By experience. p. 148.  
3. By Reason. p. 149.  
In the words are two parts.  
1. The wickeds' rejection of the word of grace. ibid.  
2. The cause of that rejection. ib.  
viz. 1. First, from the qualification of their persons.  
2. From the disposition of their nature. ib.  
Doct: A wicked man hates the word of God's grace, yea grace itself. p. 150.  
This hatred is  
1. An actual hatred. ibid.  
2. It is a passion of the heart. p. 151.  
3. It causeth the heart to rise up against an union with the word. p. 153.  
This union of the word is set in opposition  
1. To general preaching. p. 154.  
2. To merciful preaching. p. 155.  
3. To now and then preaching. p. 156. to p. 160.  
If the World do not hate a righteous man, it is either  
1. Because he is a great man. p. 160.  
2. Because he is a man of admirable wit, end knowledge. ibid.  
3. Or because God gives him favour in the eyes of the World. ib.  
4. This hatred causeth the heart to rise against that which is repugnant to its lusts. p. 162.  
A wicked man may love 3 kinds of preaching.  
1. Eloquent preaching, that savours more of humanity then of Divinity. ib.  
2. Impertinent preaching. p. 163.  
3. Now and then some preaching, to satisfy the cravings of his Conscience. p. 164.  
Reas: 1. A wicked man hates the word▪ because he hates all truth, even the very being of the word. p. 165.  
2. Because he hates the very nature of the word. p. 167.  
3. Because he cannot endure the knowledge of the word. p. 169.  
All natural men hate the word.  
1. Because no entreaties, no beseeches can possibly reconcile them. p. 171.  
2. Because neither money, nor price can make them friends. p. 175.  
3. Because all the love in the World cannot unite them together. p. 176.  
4. Because neither the love of God, nor the blood of Christ will solder them together. p. 177.  
Every natural man had rather be damned then leave his sins, rather go to Hell then be a new creature. p. 178.    

The contents of that Sermon on ESAY. 42. 24.  

THE words contain five things.  
1. The Author of the destruction. p. 185.  
2. The causes of it. ibid.  
3. The judgement itself: p. 186.  
4. The people on whom it was inflicted. ibid.  
5. The effects of it. p. 187.  
1. Doct. God is the Author of all judgement that befalls a Nation. ibid.  
1. Use For comfort to God's children, seeing God is the Orderer of all events. p. 119.  
2. Use For terror to the wicked that God whom they hate shall be their judge. p. 190.  
3. Use. To learn in all calamities to look up unto God. p. 191.  
2. Doct. sin and disobedience against the Law of God, is that which brings down punishments, and judgements, upon a Nation, Church, or People. ibid.  
Use. 1. To discover the weakness of our Land, in what a poor condition it is by reason of sin. p. 193.  
2. To show who be the greatest traitors to a kingdom. p. 194.  
3. To teach all of us to set hand and heart, Prayers and tears a work against sin. p. 195.  
Especially it concerns those that are in places of Authority. p. 197.  
3. Doct. The Lord often times brings fearful, and unavoidable judgements, and punishments, upon his own professing people. p. 200.  
Four signs of Judgement a coming.  
1. When the Ministers of God with one voice, foretell judgements to come. p. 202.  
2. When sins of all sorts do abound. ib.  
3. When the devil and wicked men cast in bones of dissension. p. 203.  
4. When all men's hearts begin to fail. p. 204  
Three Directions, what is to be done in such times.  
1. Let us shake off the love of all things here below. p. 206.  
2. Let us lay our heads upon the block, and be willing that God should do what he will with us. p. 208.  
3. Let us pray and cry mightily to God, before we die, even all the time we have to live, for mercy, peace, and truth. ibid.  
The Church of England like the ship of Jonah. p. 209.  
The author's Admonition to the People. ib. & p. 210. &c.  
More than ordinary Faith requisite for these times of danger. p. 211. 212. &c.     

A DISCOURSE OF the nature of prevalent Prayer, together with some helps against discouragements in Prayer.  LAMENT. 3. VER. 57 Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee, thou saidst fear not. 
THis Book of the Lamentations doth plainly show what miseries and distresses sin is the cause of. Now this people of the Jews, because of their Idolatries, their contempt of God's Ordinances, their slighting and misusing the Prophets, &c. Their Cities were taken, the Temple burned, their liberties confiscated, themselves banished out of their country, and deprived of the ordinances of their God, and the signs of his presence, before they were rebellious: but now they sought God a long time; they prayed, but God would not hear, In so much that many poor souls amongst them were discouraged, and almost ready to despair; That had not the Lord put in some inklings of hope, they had utterly fainted. Now whilst these poor souls were praying and crying, and groaning, and now ready to give over for discouragement that God will not hear them, presently the Lord flings in comfort, and beckons to their hearts not to be discouraged, but to pray on and fear not. Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee, thou saidst fear not; the words contain in them three properties of effectual prayer.  
First, the unsatiableness of it till it be heard.  
Secondly, the sensibleness of it whether it be heard or Noah.  
Thirdly, the supplies it hath from dangers and discouragements that it is in.  
First the unsatiableness of it; All the prayers of this people though they had been of many years, yet they counted them as the prayers of one day; in the day that I called upon thee: They account all their thousands of supplications and prayers as one suit; never had they done their prayers till God did hear them.  
Secondly the sensibleness of it, whereby it is able to know whether God do hear it or no: Thou drewest near in the day that I called upon thee.  
Thirdly, the supplies it hath against dangers and discouragements; God slings in comfort into their hearts, giving them inklings of hope to support them against their discouragements, thou saidst fear not: from the first of these, observe  
That an effectual prayer is an unsatiable prayer, A man that prays effectually, sets down this in himself as his first conclusion never to cease, nor to give over praying till he speed: This is the first and prime thing that a godly heart looks at, as David in his prayers: He begins in this manner, hear my cry O God, attend unto my prayer. Psal. 61. 1. So, Give ear unto my prayer O God, and hide not thyself from my supplications, Psal. 55. 1. Hear my voice O God in my prayer, Psal. 64. 1. As if he should say, Lord, now I come to call upon thee: now that I come to thee, to beg these and these graces that my soul wants, I beseech thee to hear me: for I am resolved never to give over my suit, never to give thee rest, but for to continue my prayers and supplications, till thou give a gracious answer to my soul and hear me.  
This is the first and prime thing that the soul looks after, it being the very end of prayer to be heard; it is not with prayer as with Oratory; the end of oratory is not to persuade, but to speak perswasively; for a man may use all the persuasions that may be, and use all the persuasive arguments that the wit of man can invent, and speak as cuttingly, as perswasively as may be, and yet the heart may be so intractable as not to be persuaded; it is not so with prayer.  
The end of prayer is to prevail with God. Beloved, there is difference between the end and office of prayer; the office of prayer is to pray, the end of prayer is to prevail. There is many a man that doth the office of prayer, and yet never gets the end of prayer. A man hath never gotten the end of his prayers, till he hath gotten that he prayed for. It is not with prayer as with a Physician, that may give the best physic under heaven, and yet the Patient may die under his hands; and therefore one gives counsel that a Physician never meddle with a desperate man.  
But if the soul be an effectual suitor with God, it can never fail of its suit, because it is an unsatiable Suitor, that never leaves his prayer till it terminates the end of it. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. Jerom translates it for ever. Psal. 3. 4. never doth a child of God pray, but he prayeth so as that his prayer and God's ear may be joined together; I cried unto the Lord, and the Lord heard me: This also showeth how the Prophet cried and prayed, namely so as his crying and God's hearing were coupled together. But some may object, 
Object.  How can a man be unsatiable in his prayers till he speed? must a man be always a praying? God calls men to other duties of his worship, and of his own particular calling; after morning I must have done till noon, after noon I must have done till night: whether God hear me or no, must I be always a praying till I speed? then I should do nothing else but pray; how then are we to continue our prayers till God hear us, and give the grace that we pray for? to this I answer.  
A man must give over the words and 
Answ.  times of prayer for other duties, but a man must not give over the suit of prayer. A poor beggar comes to a housekeepers gate and begs, but none hears him; now he being a poor man, hath something else to do, and therefore he sits down or stands and knits or patches, and then he begs or knocks, and then to his work again; though he do not always continue knocking or begging, yet he always continues his suit: O that my suit might be granted me, or that I might have an alms here; so when the soul is begging of any grace, though it doth not always continue the words of prayer, yet it always continues the suit of prayer. David he would dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Psal. 23. 6. A wicked man it may be will turn into God's house and say a prayer, &c. but the Prophet would (and so all godly men must) dwell there for ever; his soul lieth always at the throne of grace begging for grace. A wicked man he prayeth as the cock croweth; the cock crows and ceaseth, and crows again and ceaseth again; and thinks not of crowing till he crows again: so a wicked man prays and ceaseth, prays and ceaseth again; his mind is never busied to think whether his prayers speed or no; he thinks it is good Religion for him to pray, and therefore he takes that for granted that his prayers speed, though in very deed God never hears his prayers, nor no more respects it, than he respects the lowing of Oxen, or the gruntling of hogs: he is found in his prayers as the wild ass in her months: Jer. 2. The wild ass in regard of her swiftness cannot be taken but in her months, she hath a sleepy month, and all that while she is so sleepy and dumpish that any man may take her; in her months you shall find her; so a wicked man hath his prayer months, his prayer fits: it may be in the morning, or in the evening, or day of his affliction and misery you shall have him at his prayers, at his prayer fits then you shall find him at it, but otherwise his mind is about other matters. But the child of God what ever he ails, he goes with his petition presently to the throne of grace, and there he never removes till he hath it granted him, as here we see the prayers of the Church consisting of many years, yet are counted but one suit; try therefore and examine whether thy prayers be unsatiable prayers yea or no; and for help herein take these marks; first if thy prayers be unsatiable prayers, than it is a begging prayer; thou prayest as if thou hadst never prayed before, as if thou hadst never begun to pray, and thou never thinkest that thou hast done any thing till thou hast done the deed. As a hungry man eats as if he had never eat before, so the unsatiable soul prays as if he had never prayed before, till he hath obtained that he hath prayed for; but a wicked man he prays not thus. Job speaking of carnal professors, Job 27. 10. Will he call upon God at all times? seest thou a wicked man go to a good duty, go to prayer, do you think that he will hold out always? he will never do it; for a wicked man he reasons with himself, I have called upon God thus & thus long, I hope I need not pray any more for this thing, & so he gives over.  
But a godly man he will be always calling upon God. Beloved, there is a beginning to an action, and a beginning of an action; thou never beginnest to lift up a weight till thou stirrest it from ground; indeed thou mayst begin towards the action by pulling at it, by reaching at it; but thou never beginnest the lifting up of the weight till thou stir it from its place: thou mayst give a pull at prayer, and tug at a grace, but thou hast not so much as begun that duty, till thou seest God begin to hear thee, till thou seest the grace a coming; therefore the Prophet David when he prayed and had not that he prayed for, his prayers returned into his own bosom, Psal. 35. 13. there to lie to be a continual suit unto God. A wicked man prays, and he leaves his prayer behind him in his pew, or in his hall, or chamber; but a godly man prays and his prayer is in his heart, his prayer is not out till the grace be in.  
Secondly an unsatiable prayer, it is evermore a proceeding prayer; you would think that these are two contraries and one opposite to the other, but they are not, only they are two several things: as it is ever a beginning prayer, because in his own thoughts he reckons or thinks that he hath nothing till he speeds; so the soul that is unsatiable in prayer, he proceeds, he gets near to God, he gains something, he winds up his heart higher, or something or other he gets: As a child that seeth the mother have an apple in her hand, and it would fain have it, it will come and pull at the mother's hand for it: now she lets go one finger and yet she holds it, and then he pulls again, and then she lets go another finger and yet she keeps it, and then the child pulls again, and will never leave pulling and crying till it hath got it from his mother: So a child of God seeing all graces to be in God, he draws near to the throne of grace begging for it, & by his earnest & faithful prayers, he opens the hands of God to him: God dealing as parents to their children, holds them off for a while, not that he is unwilling to give, but to make them more earnest with God: to draw them the nearer to himself; a wicked man prays and his prayers tumble down upon him again; and his heart is as dead as ever it was before, as sensual as ever, as carnal and earthly as ever, as hard, as impenitent and secure as ever.  
A godly man when he prays, though he have not gotten the thing total that he desired, yet he is nearer God than he was before; his heart grows every day better than other by his prayers; he obtains still something, as the Prophet Hoseah speaks of knowledge Hos. 6. 3. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord▪ so I may say of prayer, & of all other good duties, than we pray if we proceed on wards in prayer.  
A man may know and know, and yet never know the Lord, till he go on in knowledge; so a man may pray and pray, yet if he go not on-wards in his prayers, his prayers are nothing. A godly man prays as a builder builds; now a builder he first layeth a foundation, and because he cannot finish in one day, he comes the second day, and finds the frame standing that he made the first day, and then he adds a second days work, and then he comes a third day and finds his two former days work standing; then he proceeds to a third day's work, and makes walls to it, and so he goes on till his building be finished. So prayer it is the building of the soul till it reach up to heaven; therefore a godly heart prays and reacheth higher & higher in prayer, till at last his prayers reach up to God.  
It is a sign of a wicked man to pray and to let his prayers fall down again upon him. And here I appeal to the consciences of wicked men, if it be not so with them; they pray and pray, but their hearts are as dead and deceitful, as proud and vain, as ignorant, blockish and rebellious, as if they had never prayed.  
Thirdly, it is more and more a fervent prayer; if a little prayer will not serve the turn, if he speeds not to day, than he will pray more earnestly to morrow; and if that will not serve the turn, he will add more.  
As a man in winding up of a bucket, if two or three windings will not fetch it up, he will wind it up higher and higher, till it comes up; for if he should only wind up once or twice and no more, but hold it just at the same pin, the bucket would never come up; So if a man prays and prays, and winds not up his heart higher, but holds it just at the same peg it was, prays in the same fashion he did, grace will never come up. Mark then how thou prayest, examine thy heart; dost thou pray to day as yesterday, with no more zeal, nor feeling affection, nor sensible desire? thou prayest not unsatiably.  
No, thou restrainest thy praying from growing, an excellent description of an hypocrite, Job 14. 4. though falsely applied to Job. Thou restrainest prayer before God; in some translations it is Thou keepest thy prayers from growing, thou restrainest thy prayers as a dwarf is restrained from growing, so thou restrainest thy prayers from being more and more earnest and effectual and fervent, unsatiable prayer is growing in zeal and affection.  
Fourthly it is a more and more frequent prayer, so that if twice a day will not serve the turn, he will pray three times a day. Psal. 55. 17. and if that will not prevail, he will pray seven times a day. Psal. 119. 164. and when that is not enough, he will be even ever a praying, hardly broken off day or night. Psal. 88 1. he cares not how often he prays; it may be that thou hast been a suitor for strength and grace against corruptions, and hast put up many prayers to the same purpose. If now thou stickest at any prayers, thy prayers are not unsatiable; an unsatiable soul never resteth, though it have made ten thousand prayers, till it have gotten the grace; it is so with other things, and therefore we need not wonder at it; when a man doth his work one day, he will do it another, and so on as long as he lives till his work be done; so must we do for heaven and for grace.  
Fifthly it is ever more and more a backed prayer: if ordinary prayers will not serve the turn: a godly heart will cut off time from his recreations and pleasures, though in themselves lawful. Beloved, it may be with thy soul in its wrestlings and strivings for grace and power against corruptions, that ordinary prayers will not satisfy it, but it will be necessary to give over even lawful delights, and give that time to prayer; so a man will do for the world, if he have a business of importance, that will bring him in gain, he will be content to part with his delights, and recreations, and pleasures, to follow after it; so a man must do for his soul, and if that be not enough, then lay aside the duties of thy calling, to take time from that. If a man have two houses on fire both together, the one his mansion dwelling house, the other some back room or stable, if he can, he will save both; but if he see that by spending his time on quenching the fire on the stable, that his great mansion house will burn down, he will then neglect the other and let it burn if it will, and employ himself about his house; So when the soul is in misery under the want of grace, that it cannot live under, but must perish eternally if it have it not, than the soul being better than the body, rather than that the soul miscarry, we will neglect the body sometime. And if this will not serve, abstain from meat and drink, fast it out; thus the people of God are fain to do many times; their lust and corruptions being even as the devil himself, which cannot be cast out but by prayer and fasting; there is an excellent place: Joel: 2. 12. Therefore now turn unto the Lord with fasting, weeping and mourning, rent your hearts, &c. Therefore now, now your sins are so devilish, now your sins are so deeply rooted in your souls, now your corruptions are come to be such plague soars within you, do you not think that your ordinary repentance, and ordinary prayers and humiliations will serve the turn, but now back them with fasting and mourning. Here now thou mayst examine thy soul whether it have prayed effectually, unsatiably yea or no; hath it ever a begging prayer, that thou prayest as if thou hadst never prayed before? is it evermore a proceeding prayer, that thou dost every day draw nearer to God then other? is it more and more a backed prayer, a fervent and frequent prayer? hast thou taken from thy recreations, from thy calling to give to it, yea from thy belly and back, and used all means for a prevailing with God? then are thy prayers effectual and unsatiable.  
This then condemns the prayers of most 
Use.  men in the world, they pray and pray for grace, and their prayers come to an end, and cease before they have it; the angry fretchard prays for patience and meekness and yet sets down without it; the covetous worldling prays to be weaned from the world, and his prayers are done before he is so; so the lukewarmeling deadhearted and vain-thoughted professor prays for better thoughts, for more zeal, and yet comes to his be it so before he have it▪ and so every wicked man prays, and he is come to his Amen before the grace is given; let all such men know that such prayers first they are endless, secondly they are fruitless.  
First they are endless: The Philosopher said that that for which a thing is, that is the end of the thing: now prayer is for the speeding with God: and therefore he whose prayers speed not with God, his prayers are endless: thou hast prayed against thy pride, but art as proud still: thou hast prayed against thy choler and art as teachy still: thou hast prayed against earthliness and worldliness, and art earthly and worldly still: thou hast prayed against security and deadness of heart, and lukewarmeness in God's service, and art lukewarm, dead hearted and secure still: to what end are all thy prayers, when thou enjoyest not the end of thy prayers? to what end is ploughing of thy ground if it be not fallow? when thy ploughing is done, to what end is the work of thy servant, if thy business be not done, and dispatched when all is done? As good never pray as pray to no end, as good that thou never hadst begun to pray, as to cease, and to give over thy prayers before thou hast obtained the grace thou prayest for: The prayers of the wicked are an abomination unto the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight: Prov. 15. 8. that is, the prayers of a wicked man that continues in his wickedness, when his prayers are done, prayers are an abomination to the Lord: but the prayers of the upright though he were before he prayed never so wicked, yet if it be the prayer of an upright and godly man, when his prayers are done, that his prayers rid him of his sin, and make him an upright man, his prayers are God's delight.  
Beloved, many pray against distrust in God's providence, Infidelity in God's promises, Impatiency under God's corrections, &c. and yet have never the more trust and affiance in God, never the more patience under the hand of God, all these prayers are endless.  
Secondly, thy prayers are fruitless: to what purpose is a beggars begging of an alms? if he be gone before the alms be bestowed, his begging is fruitless; so all thy prayers are lost, if thou art gone from the Throne of grace, before grace is given thee: for if such a prayer be endless, then is it also fruitless: it will never do thee any good. what is a fruitless tree good for, but to be cut down? what is a fruitless Vine good for, but to be burned? So all thy prayers are lost, all thy beginnings of grace are lost. we know saith the man that was borne blind, John 9 that God heareth not sinners, we know it: Why may some say, how do you know that God hears not sinners? why, we know it by e●perience, by examples.  
A drunkard prayeth to God to cure him of his drunkenness, & yet he doth not leave his ill company; all the world may see that God hears not the drunkard's prayer because he cures him not, but lets him go on in his sin; and so for all other sins: seest thou a man go, on in his sins? thou mayest see that God heareth not his prayers. if a man should be sick on his death bed, and send for the Physicians and Apothecaries in the Country, and send for his Father, Mother, and for all his friends to come to him to minister to him: yet I know he is not cured by them so long as I see his deadly disease remains upon him; so if I see a man's pride, hypocrisy, security, deadness of heart, his lust, anger, &c. lie upon him: notwithstanding all his prayers, I know God hears not his prayers; he prays to be cleansed from his sins, and to be purged from his lust, and to be redeemed from his vain conversation: if now God let his sins continue in him, and lets him go on in them, we see plainly God hears not him. O what a pitiful and miserable case are such men in, that pray and pray, and yet all their prayers are endless and fruitless! is not that man in a pitiful case, that all physic, all cost and charges is lost upon him; when his eating and drinking, his sleeping, and winding and turning from this side to that side do him no good; do we not say of him that he is a dead man? so if a man's prayers and supplications to God be endless and fruitless: that man must needs be a dead and a damned man so long as he goeth on in that case.  
Now we come to the second part of the Text, the sensibleness of the godly soul. whether it speed or no, the soul that prays aright, that prays unsatiably: it is able to say the Lord doth hear me, the Lord doth grant me the thing that I prayed to him for; Thus saith Jonah, I cried unto the Lord and he heard me; out of the belly of Hell cried I, and thou heardst my voice, Jonah 2. 2. How could Jonah say God heard his voice, if he had not known it? therefore he knew it. But against this some may object,  
How can this be? how can the soul 
Object▪  know that God hears it? we have no Angels, nor voices from Heaven now to tell men, as the Angel told Cornelius that his prayers were accepted, and come up before God; or to say as Christ to the woman in the gospel, Be of good comfort, thy sins are forgiven thee; I know God hears me with his All-hearing ear, and therefore I have a good belief in God: but how shall I know that God hears my prayers in mercy, so as to grant that I pray for?  
There be six ways to know whether the soul shall speed in prayer, yea or no. 
Answ.   
The first is, the having of a Spirit of further and further praying. When God gives the soul a further and further ability to pray, when God opens a way for the soul to the Throne of grace, and gives him a free access to the gate of mercy, and a spirit to hold out in prayer: It is a sign that God means to hear it. When a Petitioner hath access to the King, and presents his Petition, If the King embolden him in his speech, and let him speak all that he would speak, it is a sign that the King means to grant that man his petition, because otherwise the King would never have endured to have heard him so long, but would have commanded him to be gone. So it is with the soul at the Throne of grace; if it come with a petition and prayer to God; if God dispatch the soul out of his presence, so that the soul hath no heart to pray, nor to continue its suit; but prays deadly and dully, and is glad when he hath said his prayers, and hath done: it is a fearful sign that God never means to hear that man's prayers: but if thou prayest and prayest, and hast not done in thy prayers, but God by casting in a spirit of prayer and zeal, and fervency in prayer, emboldens thy heart in its petitions, it is a sign that God will hear thee, and grant thee thy prayers.  
Blessed be God saith the Prophet, that hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me; How could the Prophet say that the Lord did not turn away his mercy from him? How! because he turned not away his prayer from him. Many Expositors expound it of not turning away his prayer from his heart; as if he should say, Lord, thou continuest my heart to pray, thou hast not taken away my prayer from my heart; therefore I know that thou continuest thy mercy unto me.  
Secondly, the preparedness of the heart to pray, is a sign that God means to hear. When the Merchant stretcheth his bag wider and wider, it is a sign that he means to put something in it: so when God opens the heart of a poor soul, it is a sign that he means to fill it; when God prepares the soul with more hunger and thirst after grace, with more longings and breathings: it is a sign that God hath already prepared his ear to hear that prayer; it is a sign that heart shall speed with God in prayer: Psal. 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble, thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear. First, God prepares the heart to pray, and then he bows his ear to hear.  
Examine thy soul then; art thou more and more prepared to pray? hath God spoken with a powerful voice to thy soul to open itself wide? it is a sign that God means to fill thy soul with his graces. But if thou canst rush into God's presence, and leave thy preparedness behind thee; leavest thy soul and thy thoughts, and thy affections behind thee; and comest with a straightened heart in thy deadness and lukewarmeness; this is a fearful sign that God will not hear thee.  
Thirdly, God's gracious look, is a sign that he will hear thee: for sometimes (beloved) God answers his people by a cast of his countenance, with a gracious smile of his face. Psal. 22. 24. he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, neither hath he hid his face from him, but when he cried unto him he heard. Hereby was the Prophet able to know that God did hear his prayer, because he did not hide his face from him; when his poor soul saw God smile on him, and set a favourable eye upon him, this made him say that God heard his cry.  
This is a riddle to the world.  
If you should ask the men of the world what the meaning of God's gracious countenance is, or what they see of it? alas, they can say nothing of it; they know not what it means; only the godly man understandeth, Psal. 34. 15. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry, These two go together, their prayers enter into God's ears, and they know it; why? because they see it in his countenance upon them, as a Petitioner may read his speeding with the King by his countenance towards him; so a poor soul may see how prayers prevail by God's countenance and look upon him.  
If thou then art a stranger to God's countenance, if God never admitted thee into his presence to see his face and countenance; it is a sign that God little regards thy prayers, and hath no mind to hear thee. A wicked man is like a varlet that stands without doors and begs an alms, but is not suffered to go into the gentleman's presence, and therefore knows not how he speeds, whether the Gentleman will give him an alms, or whether he be providing a cudgel to beat him away: so a wicked man prays and puts up his petitions to God, but he is not able to come before God: he cannot see whether God look as if he meant to hear his prayers, yea or no; he knows not but that God may be providing a curse and plague for him in stead of a blessing. But a child of God comes within the list of God's countenance; he can tell when God smiles on him: and when he takes another look: he is able to come into God's presence, Job 13. 16. He also (saith Job) shall be my salvation: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. A strange verse. Job saith, God is his salvation: and he gives this reason why he was able to say so: for an hypocrite shall not come before him. One would think that this were no reason: but yet it is an undeniable reason, as if Job had said, I come into his presence, and he looks like a Saviour, a Redeemer upon me; but an hypocrite shall not come before him: he stands like a rogue and begs without the gate.  
Indeed a wicked man comes into God's presence, in regard of God's Omnipresence: but this is not enough: thy ox, and thine ass stands in God's presence: yea so, the very Devils themselves are in God's presence. But if thou come not into God's presence of grace, if God do not admit thy soul into the list of his Throne: it is a sign that God hears thee not. Men should therefore examine their consciences, what face or presence of God they come into or see: when they pray in their prayers, whether they come before God, yea or no.  
Beloved, no wicked man under heaven can come before God: this is made the mark of a godly man only, Psal. 140. 13. The upright shall dwell in thy presence, (Mark here) dwelling in God's presence is only determined to the righteous: the upright shall dwell in thy presence: And here I appeal again to the hearts and consciences of wicked men, what presence of God do they find in their prayers? they see their Pews, and the walls or hangings, &c. before them: they see the heavens and the clouds above them: they are like rogues that know nothing within doors. Do they see God's presence and countenance? no: it is the upright man only that dwells in God's presence: He sees how God looks on him, how his face smiles on him: and therefore, it is not a wicked man's coming to Church, and falling on his knees, and uttering the words of prayer that is a coming into God's presence: then, this would be a false saying of the Prophet. For a wicked man may go to Church and fall upon his knees, &c. but never come before God.  
This presence, is, to see the face of God.  
Fourthly the conscience of a man doth answer him whether God hear him yea or no. As it was with the high priest, whensoever the high priest came into God's presence to inquire of him, though God did not appear visibly unto him, yet he might read God's answer in his urim and Thummim; he might there know God's mind: so a man's conscience is his Urim and Thummim. When he comes before God, his own conscience gives him an inkling whether he speed or no: 1 Ioh. 3. 20, 21. If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts & knoweth all things. Belived, if our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. If a man's conscience tell a man that his prayers are rotten, that his humiliation is rotten, that his heart is not upright, that yet he is not purged from his sins, that his seeking of God is feigned and hypocritical; it is the very voice of God in his soul: and if our consciences condemn us, God (saith the Apostle) is greater than our consciences.  
There no is condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. Rom. 8. 1. as if he should say, those that are in Christ, God doth not condemn them; they have not that condemnation: nay their own conscience doth not condemn them: so that, that man whom any condemnation either from God, or from his own conscience, condemns, that man is not in Christ; being not in Christ, he can never be heard.  
Indeed, a man's conscience may be misinformed by Satan under a temptation; as you may see in the verse before my text: Thou hast heard my voice: stop not thine ear from my cry. Here the Church being examined, their consciences told them they were heard in their prayers: but being under a temptation, their consciences were afraid that God heard not. So many a poor soul: examine it, and it cannot deny but that these and these tokens of grace and fruits of God's Spirit are in it; yet their consciences are afraid that the Lord will not give them these and these other graces that they want: that the Lord will not hear them for such and such blessings.  
I mean not neither a truce of conscience: for there may be a truce of conscience in wicked men. A truce may be between mortal enemies: but no peace but amongst friends. Wicked man's consciences are like the Lion, 1. King's 13. who when he had killed the Prophet, stood by the corpse, and by the ass, and did not eat the body, nor tear the ass; so a wicked man's conscience, it is as the devil's band-dog or roaring Lion: till it hath slain the sinner, it stands stone-still, and seems neither to meddle or make with him, but lies as seared or dead in him. I mean not this conscience. But when God hath sprinkled the conscience with the blood of Christ, and made the conscience pure: this is a sign that God hears his prayer.  
I mean not the stammering of conscience, when it is dazelled, or overwhelmed: but when it speaks down right as it means. A godly man's conscience sometimes may judge otherwise then the thing is. But, examine what thy conscience tells thee in sober sadness, deliberatey, convincingly,: and then, know that the Lord tells thee. If thy conscience says peremptorily that thy heart and ways are rotten, and unsound; then know that the Lord tells thee so, and that the Lord sayeth so to thy soul.  
Fifthly the getting of that grace that a man prays for, is a sign that God hears his prayers. But this is not a true sign always but with distinction.  
When the grace given, and the good will of God the giver, cannot be severed: then it is a true sign. But when the gift and the good will of the giver may be severed, than it is not a true sign.  
Thou Mayest pray unto God, and God may give thee many temporal blessings, and many common graces of his Spirit; God may give thee good parts, a good memory: he may give thee a good measure of knowledge and understanding, even in divers things; he may give thee some kind of humility, chastity, civility: thou Mayest be of a loving and flexible disposition: so he may give thee a good estate in the world, houses, lands, wife and children &c. God may give thee all these, and yet hate thee, and never hear one prayer thou makest; thou Mayst pray for a thousand blessings, and have them: and yet never be heard, so long as the good will of the giver is severed from them; all outward blessings and common graces may be severed from God's good pleasure to a man.  
Therefore in temporal blessings, or in common graces, if thou wouldst know whether God hear thee or no: know whether God hath given thee a sanctified use of them or no. If God hath given thee many common graces, or temporal blessings, and a heart to use them to his Glory; then every blessing thou hast (there is not a drop of drink, nor a bit of bread that thou hast, but) it is a sign of God's everlasting love to thee. Why? because this, and the good will of the giver can never be severed. But on the contrary, if a man have not a sanctified use of that he hath, than it is the greatest severity of God, and the most eminent plague and curse of God upon the soul to give it; for a man's parts may be his bane, his civility may be his curse, and means of the final hardness and impenitency of his heart.  
Sixthly faith; if a man have faith given him to believe, it is a sign that God hears him; be it to thee (saith Christ to the man in the gospel) according to thy faith; so go thou to God, and be it to thee as thou believest. Dost thou pray for grace? according as thou believest, so shalt thou receive.  
I have no sign that God will hear me; 
Object.  I have so many corruptions of my heart against me, and so many threatenings of God's frowns against me; I have no sign that God will hear me.  
Wouldst thou have a sign? 
Answ.  An evil and an adulterous generation seeketh a sign: this is a tempting faith, to seek for signs to believe. Thomas, said Christ, Joh. 20. 29. because thou hast seen me, thou hast belived: blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe. That man that believes because he feels grief in his heart, tears in his eyes, groans in his spirit, because he prays long and earnestly, and sweats in his prayer, or mourns in his humiliation, I suspect his humiliation, his tears, his grief, his prayers, and all that he hath. Why? these are good signs of faith: but rotten grounds of faith? the Word and promise of God must be thy ground. But against this the soul may object▪  
That every Promise runs with a Condition: 
Object.  and therefore if I have not the condition, how can I believe the promise God hath promised? Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied: There is a Promise of filling, but it is with a condition of hungering. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God, &c. if I have not the Condition annexed to the Promise, how dare or how can I believe the Promise?  
The Condition is not the way to get the Promise; the Promise is the ground of faith, 
Answ.  and the way to get the condition; because the promise is the Motive cause that moves the soul to get the condition. Now, the Mover must be before the Moved; then if belief of the Promise move thy soul to get the condition of the promise, than belief of the promise must be before that the soul can keep the condition of the promise.  
Saul made a promise to David, 1 Sam. 18. that he should be his son in law in one of his two daughters, upon condition that he should give him an hundred foreskins of the Philistines. Now, David did first believe the promise; and thereby he was allured to fight valiantly, to keep the condition, to get a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. So Psal. 116. I believed and therefore did I speak. He believed God's promise, and then he spoke with condition. So, we believe saith the Apostle, and therefore do we speak. First, the soul believes; and than every action of a Christian wherein it moves to the keeping of the condition, springs from this root; nay beloved, a man cannot keep any condition in the Bible without faith; he must believe.  
Secondly, faith is the enabling cause to keep the condition. Dost thou think to get weeping, mourning, and humiliation for thy sins, and then thereby to get the promise to thyself? then thou goest in thy own strength; and then, in God's account, thou dost just nothing, John 15. 5. Without me ye can do nothing, saith Christ; therefore first lay hold on me, believe in me, abide in me.  
What! do you first think to pray, to mourn, to lament and bewail your sins, to do this and that in turning yourselves, and sanctifying of yourselves? Indeed you may fumble about these things: but you can never do any of them in deed and to the purpose: without me ye can do nothing. I had fainted saith the Prophet, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, Psal. 27. 13. where we may see three things.  
First, the Promise that he should see the goodness of the Lord: otherwise he could not have believed.  
Secondly, the Condition: if he do not faint.  
Thirdly, the method the Prophet went by.  
First, he believed to see the goodness of the Lord. As if he had said, if he had not first laid hold on the Promise, if I had not believed to have seen the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living, I had fainted.  
Beloved, it is true that the keeping of the Condition, is before the fruition of the Promise: but not before believing the Promise: because the doing of the Condition is effected by believing the Promise.  
This is the cause that many fumble about grace, but never get it: they are ever repenting, but never repent: ever learning, but never learn the knowledge of the truth everlasting: ever striving, but never get power over their corruptions, &c. because they fumble about it in their own strength, and take it not in the right method.  
Let the soul come with faith in Christ, and believe it shall speed and have grace, and power from Christ his grace, and from Christ's power: and then it shall speed; Christ hath promised (John 16.) that whatsoever we ask the Father in his name, he will give it us. Christ (beloved) is an excellent Surety. Indeed, our credit is cracked in Heaven: we may think to go and fetch this and that grace in our own names, and miss of it: as the servant may go to the Merchant for wares in his own name, but the Merchant will not deliver them to him in his own name, unless he come in his Master's name and bring a ticket from him: and then when the servant showeth his Master's ticket, the Merchant will deliver him what wares he asketh for in his Master's name. So when a soul goeth to the Throne of grace with a ticket from Christ; if he can say Lord, it is for the honour of Christ: I come for grace and holiness, and strength against my corruptions: Lord, here is a ticket from Christ: most certainly, he shall speed.  
But, men must take heed that they foist not the name of Christ: that they foist not a ticket to say that Christ sent them, when it is their own self-love, and their own lust that sends them; it is not enough to pray and at the end to say through Christ our Lord, Amen. No: for this may be a mere foisting of the Name of Christ. But, canst thou pray and show that Christ sent thee, and say as the servant, I come from my Master, and he sent me? Lord, it is for Christ that I come: it is not to satisfy my own lust, nor to ease and deliver me from the galls of my conscience, nor to free me from hell; but for Christ; Lord, I beg grace and holiness, that I may have power to glorify Christ. It is for the honour of my Lord Christ that I come. When the soul comes thus in Christ's name, believing it shall speed, than his prayer shall prevail. Wbatsoever (saith Christ) ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you.  
We come now to the third and last part of our Text: to wit, the supplies they had against danger and discouragements. The Lord upheld their hearts from being dismayed in prayer; thou saidst fear not.  
There be two things that do much hurt in prayer.  
First, groundless encouragements.  
Secondly, needless discouragements.  
First, I say, greundlesse encouragements; and these the wicked are most subject to especially, who because they pray, hear the Word, and perform many duties of religion; therefore they encourage themselves in the goodness of their estates, judging themselves happy, though notwithstanding they go on and continue in the hardness of their hearts and rebellions against God.  
We have abundance of sayings amongst us, that if they were examined would prove false and unsound; As, that the vipers die when they bring forth their young; for (say they) the young eat out the old ones bowels; that bears shape all their young by licking of them; that the swan singeth sweetest at her death; that the Adamant stone is softened by goat's blood, &c. These things are not so, as may be shown out of ancient Writers.  
So, beloved, there are abundance of sayings, that go up and down amongst men concerning Divinity, which if they were examined, will prove to be rotten sayings; as, he that made them, will save them. It is not so, saith the Prophet, isaiah. 27. 11. He that made them, will not have mercy on them, and he that formed them, will not pity them. It is commonly believed, if men come to Church, hear the Word, and call upon God, that then presently they are good Christians. Beloved, it is not so, Matth. 7. 21. Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven.  
Men are ready when they can but call Lord have mercy on me; O sweet Saviour, pity me, most merciful Lord Jesus, have compassion on me: if they can pray in their families, and pray at Church, &c. to think, now, all is well with them, and Christ cannot but save them, and give them the kingdom of Heaven: but our Saviour puts a not upon it, and saith, not every one that saith Lord, Lord: it is not a Lord, a Lording of Christ with the tongue only: it is not a taking up of an outward profession of Christ only, that is sufficient for a man that shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven: no saith Christ: but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. But, of this by the by.  
Secondly, there are needless discouragements which do much hurt in prayer. Needless discouragements do much hurt to many a poor soul, that hath forcible wouldings, and wracked desires after grace and holiness, and yet is held by discouragements: yea, many a Christian heart lieth a long time under it wrestling and striving under its wants, and yet, kept out from grace, and from growing in grace, because of discouragements: yea the best and strongest of God's Saints, have been kept off, and have hung much on discouragements.  
fear not, saith God to Abraham, Genes. 15. 1. So, fear not Joshua, saith God to Joshua, Josh. 1. 9 Intimating that both Abraham and Joshua were afraid of discouragements: they were afraid that many evils would befall them, that they should meet with many rubs and difficulties that would be too hard for them: therefore the Lord calls to them, fear not, be not dismayed nor discouraged. Thou saidst fear not. Hence observe,  
That God would not have any Christian 
Doct.  soul to be discouraged in prayer. Thou saidst, fear not.  
For our clearer proceeding herein, first, let me show you what discouragement is: and secondly, how it comes to be dangerous and hurtful in prayer.  
What is discouragement? 
Quest. Answ.   
It is a base dismayment of spirit below or beneath the strength that is in a man, under the apprehension of some evil, as if it were too hard for him to grapple with it.  
There be four things in this definition.  
First, I say it is a base dismayment of spirit; and so I call it to distinguish it: for there is an humble dismayment which a Christian is commanded. A man is bound to be dismayed for his sins. isaiah. 32. 11. Tremble ye careless women that are at ease, be troubled ye careless ones: these careless ones went on in their sins, and feared not. God calls to them and bids them to be dismayed. But the dismayment and the discouragement I speak of, it is a base dismayment of spirit; which is either when he is dismayed that ought not: or he is dismayed at that whereat he ought not to fear: where no cause of fear is.  
As Vitello his man thought his Master had got skill in Optickes: he riding along upon the high way, spying a man's shape, thought it was some Spirit: and thereupon he sickened and died. So many a poor soul looking in the perfect Law of God, and seeing his own ugliness and filthiness, he is discouraged, and thinks himself undone; his heart waxeth cold within him, and he begins to fear that he is but a dead and damned man.  
Secondly, it is down beneath the strength that is in a man: that man is properly said to be discouraged: not that he hath no strength at all in him, nor no courage at all (for such a one is an enfeebled man, not a man discouraged) but a discouraged man is a man put besides the courage that is in him; when a man hath strength enough to grapple with the evil before him, but through dismayment of spirit he cannot put it forth.  
Have not I commanded thee? saith God to Joshua; Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, Josh. 9 God had given Joshua strength enough, whereby he was enabled to observe and do according to all that Law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded him; God had now doubled his Spirit upon him: yet he commands him, be not afraid, neither dismayed: as if he had said, Joshua, if thou be'st dismayed and discouraged, though thou hast strength and power to go through the business that I have called thee unto, yet thou wilt not be able to use it, nor to put it forth if thou be'st discouraged.  
Thirdly, it is at the apprehension of some evil. I say not at the sight of some evil: for a man may be dismayed at the apparition of good, as Mary when she saw nothing but a good angel, Luke 1. 29. she saw nothing but a glorious Angel: nevertheless she was afraid, and discouraged. Why? because she had a secret apprehension of some evil, either of some evil proceeded in the salutation, or some unworthiness in herself to receive such a gracious salutation: it cannot be the apprehension of any good that discourageth a man, but the apprehension of some evil.  
Fourthly, not of every evil neither; for if the evil be but small, courage will stand it out; but it is of such an evil as he fears he is not able to grapple withal. If the evil before him, be inferior to him, he scorns it as the barking of a toothless Dog. If it be but an evil equal to his strength, than he makes a tush at it, because he knows or thinks himself able to encounter with it.  
But if it be an evil above his strength, than his spirit melts and droops before him. See this in Saul, 1 Sam. 17. 11. and his people. When they saw the Champion of the Philistines coming against them, when they saw him so hugely and mervelously armed, and heard him speak such biggs words, they thought they were not able to stand and to encounter with him; and therefore saith the Text, when Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistim, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.  
Thus you see what discouragement is; such discouragements the Lord would not have our hearts to be in when we pray unto him.  
For first, God cannot give ear to that man that is out of heart in his prayers. Thou canst never pray if thou be'st dismayed in prayer. When the soul begins to fear and reason, O, I am so unworthy that God will not look at me; I am so sinful, so blockish, so dead, and dull to all good, that God will never regard me; thou canst never pray, Rom. 10. 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? If thou dost not believe that God will hear thee, if thou dost not believe that thou shalt prevail, that God will deliver thee out of these corruptions and that lust that thou prayest against; that God will give thee this grace or that grace: if thou dost not believe that God will own thee: if thou hast these doubtful discouragements, O, he will not grant me, I shall never get this or that: how canst thou call on him? thou mayest call so and so: but never canst thou call to any purpose, if thou dost not believe in him.  
A beggar though he be never so well able to beg, yet if when he comes to the housekeepers door, he be persuaded that he shall not speed, that let him beg as long as he will, he shall get nothing: this blunts his begging, and makes him give over his suit without any great importunity: So, it is impossible that ever a soul should hold out and pray that is discouraged in prayer.  
Secondly, thou canst not pray unless thou use all thy strength in prayer; If thou be discouraged, thou canst not use thy strength.  
A discouraged man, his strength melts into fear; and whatsoever strength he hath, he cannot put it forth. How came Jacob to prevail and to have power with God? Why, he used all his strength with God, and so prevailed, Hosea 12. 3. Thou canst never prevail with God by thy prayers, unless thou puttest forth all thy strength in prayer.  
If Jacob had reasoned I am but dust and ashes; how can I strive with God? I am sinful and evil, how can I contend with my Maker? and so have been discouraged in his wrestling, he could not have used all his strength with God, and so had never prevailed with God. No, Jacob he gathers all the arguments that he could make; he gathers together all the promises he could find in God's Book, or that he could hear off; he displays all the wants that he could show; he petitions all the graces that he could name; he used all his strength, and by his strength he had power with God.  
If thy confession of thy sins be strengthless; if thy petitions, and thanksgiving for grace, be strengthless; if thou use not all thy strength in prayer, thou canst never prevail, nor have any power with God. For how can that man prevail and have power with God that hath no power with himself?  
Thirdly, thou canst never pray, and have a fearful apprehension of evil in prayer; thou canst not. It is good to have a deep apprehension of thy sins: apprehend them to be as many hells as thou canst, thou canst never apprehend them deeply enough: but if thou hast a fearful apprehension of them, thou canst never pray.  
When the Apostle would exhort the Philippians to continue in one Spirit, and in one mind, fighting together through the faith of the gospel, he exhorts them that, in nothing they fear, Phil. 1. 27, 28. For if a man be terrified with his adversary, with the power of his adversary, and fears he shall never be able to withstand him but must fall before him through his subtlety, that he can never be wary enough for him: Alas, he can never strive with hope and courage against him. So, beloved, if we have a fearful and discouraged kind of apprehension of evil, we can never pray so as to prevail.  
Apprehend thy sins to be as hellish, and as damnable as thou canst: feel even the fire of hell in every one of them: but take heed of a fearful apprehension of them, so to apprehend the evil of them, as to think with thyself that because thou art guilty of these and these sins, that thou shalt never get in with God again, God will never be reconciled to thee: these will eat out thine heart in prayer.  
Fourthly, we can never pray if we have any secret despair that there is any difficulty too hard for us to grapple withal, or to get through in our prayers. Howsoever a man prays, yet if he have any spice of these fears in him, to think now I have taken a great deal of pains, but am never the better; I have prayed and prayed, but have got no good: I may go on and do thus and thus, but shall never prevail or speed; all my labours, all my prayers and endeavours will be lost; this takes away the very spirit and life of a man's prayers.  
Judas after he had betrayed the Lord Jesus, he was discouraged from ever praying for mercy. Why? because he thought it was impossible for him to get it; I have betrayed innocent blood, saith he. Matth. 27. as if he should say, I shall never out-wrastle this sin; this sin is my death: I have brought the blood of the son of God on me, I shall never claw off this sin: now Judas thus despairing, we never read one letter of any prayer that he made to God to get out of it; no, he thought it too hard for him to get mercy. Despair drives a man from that he did hope for; because now he thinks there is an impossibility in getting of it.  
Beloved, mistake me not; there is a double desperation.  
First, there is a desperation of infidelity; and that deads' and draws the soul from God.  
Secondly, there is a desperation of extremity; And, if ever you mean to come to God, and to get any grace from God, you must come with desperation of extremity. desperation puts life into a man's prayers and endeavours.  
As, a soldier when he seeth nothing but to kill or be killed, that he sees his state desperate; why, this will compel a very coward to fight; this will make a coward fight (as if he would kill the devil, saith the Proverb) it will make him fight like a spirit; he will be afraid of nothing. Take a soldier that fights desperately for his life, with a kill or be killed; he fears nothing; neither Pike, nor Sword, nor Gun? why. he fights for his life. Therefore one notes that sometimes it is the nearest way to victory to be desperate in attempts and in fight. Therefore when William the conqueror came first into England, at Hasting, he sent back his Ships again, that so the soldiers might have no hope of saving themselves by flying back. And so at Battle, at one encounter, a little Army of the English slew a great Army of the French. Why? they grew desperate.  
So, could men pray desperately, could they pray with a pray or be damned: beg with a beg or be damned; seek to God for grace that you want with a speed or be damned; then would their prayers be more earnest and powerful to get grace. O, did men pray thus, they would pray otherwise then they do.  
Men pray, but they pray deadly, coldly, and lazily, as if they had no need of prayer, or as if they had no need of the grace they pray for; they pray for grace, but get it not; they pray for zeal, but have it not; for repentance and holiness, but obtain it not.  
Beloved, either get zeal and holiness, or else there is no mercy: either get grace and repentance, or else there is no mercy for thee. Pray then when thou prayest for grace, with a speed or be damned: say unto thy soul, either we must speed and get grace soul, or else we must go to hell. If men would pray thus, with a speed or be damned, we should never see, nor God should never hear so many cold and dead prayers as now we pray.  
Despair makes a man a monk saith the Papist: but this despair makes a man a good Christian I say: never doth a man pray indeed till he feels himself in extremity, hopeless and desperate in regard of himself; so that he seeth no remedy at all but get Christ: get grace or be damned for ever. Get power and strength over these corruptions: otherwise they will destroy and damn thee; this would make a man pray for life. Men pray coldly and faintly: why? because though they see they have no grace, no zeal, no holiness, no repentance, no evidence of Christ: yet they hope to be saved notwithstanding. O beloved, the devil hath blinded these men to the intent they may be damned.  
But, if men would pray desperate prayers with a pray or be damned, seek with a find or be damned: men would then pray other prayers than they do. Such prayers did David pray Psal. 130. 1. Out of the deep places have I called unto thee O Lord, Lord hear my prayer: as if he should say, Lord, I am even in the depth of misery, plunged over head and ears, so that now I sink and perish if thou help not: Lord, hear my prayer. This desperation a Christian must have, this quickens up his Spirits, and puts life into him: but, take heed of the desperation of Infidelity: Saint Austen saith it is the murderer of the soul: the spice of it will eat out the heart of a man, and kill the strength of all his endeavours.  
I should now come to apply this doctrine; but I fear me there be many amongst us, that never come so far towards heaven, as to know what these discouragements mean. This is lamentable.  
It is true, discouragements are hideous cases in prayer, and a man may perish and go to hell that hath them: but yet, they are somewhat profitable signs that a man doth at the least look a little towards God, or else he could not know what they are. But there are abundance that never have attained so far in religion, as to understand what they mean: but go on in drinking, whoring, carding and dicing, hating and malicing, fretting and chafing, mocking & coveting; swearing and blaspheming, in security, in hardness of heart and impenitency: they are more careful for their dogs, for their pots, and for their tables, and for their shops, than they are of their souls: And which is enough to astonish any that is godly, these men scarce find any discouragements in prayer: O, they have a good courage to pray at all times: O, say they, God forbid that any man should be discouraged in prayer▪ I thank God I have a good hope in God; God hath given me a good heart of grace to call upon him, and I make no question but that God hears me: God would never bid us to pray if he did not mean to hear us.  
Beloved, these men that are so bold in the goodness of their hearts to call upon God, they never as yet prayed in all their lives: all the prayers of the wicked are indeed no prayers.  
Daniel confessing the sins of wicked Judah, saith, though all this evil be come upon us, yet made we not our prayer to turn from our wicked ways. Dan. 9 13. all the time of those seventy years, Daniel saith they never made prayer to God; yet they fasted every year, and prayed every day, twice every day at the least, which would amount in that time to 50000 and 100 prayers: how then could Daniel say they never made one prayer? I answer, (and pray mark it) because they never did quite turn from their evil ways. Though thou makest never so many prayers, though thou boastest of the goodness of thy condition, and snatchest at the Promises of God: yet if thou turnest not from thine iniquities, thou never as yet mad'st any prayer by the Judgement of God himself. Paul made many thousand prayers before his conversion, he could not have been a Pharisee else; but they were never accounted prayers to him: therefore as soon as ever he was converted, behold saith God he prayeth Acts 9  
A wicked man, a carnal Christian, though he have the righteousness of Saint Paul before his conversion, of living blameless, unreprovable in respect of the outward righteousness of the Law: yet he can never make an acceptable prayer till he be truly converted; his prayers are no better than howling of dogs, or lowing of Oxen, yea the Lord abhors them. O what poor encouragements canst thou have, seeing the Lord never talleys down any of thy prayers? wicked men are like Ulysses, who wept more for the death of his dog, then of his wife; so wicked men weep and mourn for the loss of their corn and their cattle, hawks and hounds, cards and dice: but never for the loss of their prayers. So long as thou continuest in thy profaneness and impenitency, thou losest all thy prayers: there is not one of them that God talleys down, or reckons for a prayer. Here we might have a great deal of matter, if time would suffer me. But it will not, only let me tell you, I speak only to those whose hearts God hath awakened out of their sins, but who are oft discouraged: take heed of these discouragements.  
For, first, they will drive thee to melancholy. Beloved, there are a great many melancholy men in the world, and this is the cause of it; men are contented to be converted by halves: because they are discouraged in the work. If thou suffer thyself to be discouraged, it will care up thy spirit and thou wilt be like a silly dove without a heart, Prov. 7. 11. A dove is a melancholy creature, that hath no heart to any thing; so Ephraim hath no heart to call upon God, no heart to return unto God: and this is the cause that men and women go whining and mourning under the burden of sin, and are not able to come out, because of discouragements: all the policy of hell is less than this policy of the devil, in driving men to despair or discouragements: this doth more hurt than all the rest of hell besides  
Secondly, if you do not take heed of them, they will bring you to speak against God, I have prayed, but the Lord will not hear me: I have called, and the Lord will not answer, but hath turned away his ears from me. Now, thou speakest against God. Num. 21. 4, 5. The soul of the people was much discouraged, and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, saying, Wherefore have you brought us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? for here is neither bread, nor water, and our soul loatheth this light bread. So, beloved, if we suffer our souls to be discouraged, we shall soon come to murmur against God: wherefore hath he brought me up to this strictness, and precisensse? when I was a drunkard, a worldling, when I followed the lust of my flesh and Liberty, than I enjoed onnions, garlic, and the fleshpots of Egypt: pleaures and delights for my soul: then I had a good hope in God, and a good persuasion that my soul should go to heaven: and then Preachers told me that if I would give over such and such sins, and look after Heaven a little more, and do such and such things, O than I should come to a Land flowing with milk and honey, than I should not miss of glory and salvation; But alas, I see nothing but giants and Anakim's; I am in a wilderness; now, now I see a man have a great deal of repentance, and yet be a castaway; A man may have a great deal of faith & yet be but a reprobate; A man may give over a great many sins, and yet perish in hell; now I see a man may live civilly and well, and have & do a great many good things, and yet be damned when he hath done all: A man may even go to Heaven Gates, and yet the gates be shut against him, and he turned into hell. Alas! my poor soul is in a wilderness; now I know not which way to go; I am ready to lose myself, I see nothing here now but huge giants, the sons of Anack, strong corruptions, inclining and forcing me to evil: most fearful and violent suggestions and temptations of the devil, ready to thrust me into the gulf of wickedness and despair.  
And now, the soul begins to think that it is good for it to return again into Egypt, to fall to its old courses again: for certainly God looks for no such matter, he requires no such strictness and preciseness: And so it falls a whining and repining at the Word and Ministers of God that have called men to it, and laid it upon them: and hath no heart now to do thus and thus any longer. And thus it falls into discouragements because of the way, and into a thousand quandaries whether it may not go back again or no. And all these murmurings and repinings, are because men suffer themselves to be discouraged.  
Thirdly, discouragements will cause thee to think that God hates thee. When the soul like Baal's Priests, hath been crying from morning to noon; ten, twenty, thirty years, it may be, and yet hath no answer: now, it will begin to think if God did love me, than he would grant me my petitions. Then hereupon comes into a man's secret thoughts and fears that God hardly loves his soul. So was it with Israel; when they were discouraged, they said, because the Lord hated us, therefore he brought us out of the Land of Egypt, Deut. 1. 27. Because that they were discouraged, and because that their Brethren that went for spies, had disheartened them; therefore they were apt to say the Lord hated them.  
Beloved, it is a miserable thing when the soul calls the love of God into question. Consider that as thou canst not have a friend if thou be'st suspicious and jealous of his love to thee: So, thou canst never have the love of God settled on thy heart so long as thou art jealous of his love to thee.  
Fourthly, If thou root them not out, it is to be feared that they will bring thee to despair. Melancholy thoughts and fears, and discouragements, drive the soul to despair. For when the soul sees itself still disappointed of its hopes, at the last it grows hopeless: If it have waited one day and the next day too: if it have prayed this week, this month, this year, and yet still it seeth itself held off and disappointed: it will at last grow hopeless. Take heed therefore, I beseech you, of all needless discouragements; to fear be ause that thou findest not that that thou wishedst or prayedst for, to day or to morrow, in thine own time, that therefore thou shalt never get it, that now thou shouldest for ever despair of the grace and love of God, and think that now God will never hear thee, that thou shalt never get grace and power over thy corruptions.  
Men think that the preaching of the Word of God brings men to despair, the preaching of such strict points, and the urging such precise doctrines makes men despair: men are loath to be at the pains to root out their discouragements: It is rather a cold or dead preaching of the Word that is the cause of this: for when the soul is instructed by holiness, humbled by holiness, converted by holiness, at the last when it comes to be thoroughly awakened, when it sees that this and this is required in a true conversion of the soul to God, that herein true repentance must declare and demonstrate itself by these and these fruits, or else it is but false and rotten: Why now, the soul must needs be brought to despair, because it seeth that though it have been thus and thus humbled, though it have prayed, fasted and mourned in this and this manner: yet it sees it hath not a soundness of grace.  
There is such a grace in it, such a work and such a fruit of God's Spirit in it, that yet he could never find in himself: this makes the soul to despair. Indeed Preachers may be too blame if they speak and preach only the terrors and condemnations of the Law without the promises of the Gospel: for these should be so tempered that every poor broken soul may see mercy and redemption for him upon his sound and unfeigned repentance and humiliation. But if men do despair, they may thank themselves for it, their own sins for it, their own discouragements for it, because they suffer these to continue in them.  
Cain his heart grew sad, his countenance fell, he was wroth and disquieted in his mind, and heavily discouraged; why? Gen. 4. Sin lay at the door, (what door?) the door of his conscience rapping and beating upon his heart.  
Beloved, when the soul lets sin lie at the door: drunkenness, pride and worldliness, security, hardness and deadness of heart lie at the door: when a man lets his negligent and fruitless hearing of the word lie at the door, when a man lets his vain and dead praying, his temporising and fashionary serving of God lie at the door of conscience, to tell him that all his hearing of the word of God profits him nothing, that his prayers are dead and vain, that his mourning, fasting, and all his humiliation is counterfeit and rotten, and that he hath no soundness of grace in him, but that for all this he may fall into hell: when sin lieth thus at the door, thus rapping at the conscience, it is no wonder if the soul fall into desperation.  
Cain let his sin lie at the door, there it lay rapping and beating, and told him that his carelessness and negligent sacrificing to God was not accepted: and therefore no marvel if Cain be so cast down in his countenance, and that he fall to despair.  
O beloved, when sin lieth bouncing and beating at the door of thy heart, when thy sin (whatsoever it is, search thy heart and find it out) lies knocking and rapping at the door of thy conscience day by day, and month by month, and thou art content to let it lie, and art unwilling to use means to remove it, and art loath to take the pains to get the blood of Christ to wash thy soul from it, or the Spirit of Christ to cleanse thee from it; then thy soul will despair, either in this world, or in the world to come. But let us take heed then, that our conscience condemn us not in any thing or course that we allow in ourselves: for if that do, then much more will God who is greater than our consciences, and knows all things.  
The Apostle hath an excellent Phrase: Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus &c. As if he should say, there is not one condemnation; there is none in Heaven, God doth not condemn them; there is none in earth, their own heart and conscience doth not condemn them; he that is in Christ Jesus, that walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, there is none, no not one condemnation to him; none, neither in Heaven nor in earth: no word, no commandment, no threatning condemns him. But if thy conscience condemn thee, and tell thee thou lettest sin lie at the door, rapping at thy conscience day after day, and month after month, telling thee that yet thou art without Christ, that yet thou never hadst any true faith in the Lord Jesus, that yet thou hast not truly repented, and turned from thy sins: this will at last drive thy soul into heavy discouragements, if not into final despair.  
O beloved, religion and piety, and the power of godliness, go down the wind everywhere. What is the reason of it, but because of these discouragements that men live and go in? Men pray and pray, and their prayers profit them not: men run up and down and come to the Church and hear the Word, and receive the Sacraments, and use the means of grace, but to no end: they are unprofitable to them: they remain in their sins still: the ordinances of God bring them not out of their lusts and corruptions: hereby they disgrace and discredit the ordinances of God in the eyes and account of the men of the world, making them think as if there were no more power nor force in the Ordinances of God than these men manifest.  
There is no life in many Christians, men's spirits are discouraged; these secret discouragements in their hearts take away their spirits in the use of the means, that though they use the means, yet it drives them to despair of reaping good or profit by them.  
Beloved, I could here tell you enough to make your hearts ache to hear it.  
First, all your complaints they are but wind, Job 6. 26. do you imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate which are as wind? Jobs friends taking Job to be a man of despair, they accounted all his words but as wind.  
Dost thou nestle any discouragement in thy heart? thou Mayst complain of sin as much as thou canst: yet all thy complainings are but as wind: thou Mayst cry out against thy corruptions, with weeping and tears, and pray and fight against them: and yet all thy weeping, mourning and praying is but as the wind: thou Mayest beg grace, thou Mayst seek after God, thou Mayst hear the Word, receive the Sacraments, and yet all will be to thee as wind: all will vanish, be unprofitable, not regarded.  
Secondly, discouragements drive us from the use of the means. If ever we mean to come out of our sins, if ever we mean to get grace and faith, and assurance, and zeal: we must constantly use the means, 1 Sam. 27. 1. David saith, there is nothing better for me then that I should speedily escape into the Land of the Philistines, and Saul shall despair of me to seek me any more. David thought in himself, if I can make him out of hope of finding me, certainly he will give over seeking of me. So when the soul hath any secret despair of finding the Lord, that soul will quickly be drawn from seeking of the Lord in the use of the means.  
What ever you do then, O be not discouraged, lest you be driven from the use of the means: if you be driven from the use of the means, woe is to you, you will never find God then. Be not driven from prayer, nor driven from holy conference, nor driven from the Word, nor driven from the Sacrament, nor from meditation, nor from the diligent and strict examination of thyself, of thy heart and of all thy ways: for these are the ways of finding the Lord. If you nourish any thoughts and fears of despair in you, if you be discouraged, you will be driven from the use of the means, which is a lamentable thing; therefore be not discouraged.  
Thirdly, discouragements will make you stand poring on your former courses, thus I should have done, and that I should have done, woe is me that I did it not▪ it will make a man stand poring on his sins, but never able to get out of them. So it was like to be with them in the Ship with Paul, Acts 27. 20. In the tempest at Sea, they were utterly discouraged from any hope of safety: now indeed Paul told them what they should have done if they had been wise: Sirs, you should have harkened to me, and not have loosed, ver. 21. as if he had said, you should have done thus and thus: but now do not stand poring too much on that, you should have harkened to me, and not have launched forth, &c. but that cannot be holpen, now: therefore I exhort you to be of good cheer, &c.  
So beloved, when the soul is discouraged upon these thoughts, I should have prayed better, I should have heard the Word of God better, and with more profit; I should have repented better, I should have performed this and that religious and good duty better; but ah wretch that I am, I have sinned thus and thus; it is always looking on this sin and that sin, this imperfection and that failing: when now I say the soul is discouraged, it will be always poring upon sin, but it will never come out of its sin; always poring upon its deadness, and unprofitableness, but never able to come out of it. O beloved, be of good cheer, and be not discouraged; it is true you should have prayed better; you should have heard the Word of God better heretofore, you should have been more careful and circumspect of your ways than you were; but now you cannot help it; these things and times are gone and cannot be recalled: such a one hath been a drunkard, a swearer, a worldling, &c. but he cannot help it now. True, he might have helped it, and because he did not, his heart shall bleed for it, if he belong to God: but do not stand poring too much upon it, but consider now what you have to do, now you are to humble your self, now you are to strive with God in all manner of prayer for more grace, and more power of obedience and assurance, and be not discouraged.  
Fourthly, if the soul be discouraged, it will breed nothing but sorrow. What is the reason that many Christians are always weeping, and mourning, and sighing, and sobbing, from day to day, all their life time, and will not be comforted? because of these discouragements, 1 Thes. 4. 13. Sorrow not saith the Apostle) as those that have no hope, as if he had said, sorrow if you will▪ but do not sorrow as they that have no hope.  
How is that? it is a sorrow with nothing but sorrow, from which they have no hope of enlargement or freedom.  
O than my brethren, suppose you have dead hearts, suppose you want zeal, you want assurance; suppose it be so, yet labour to attain these graces; sorrow and spare not; weep and mourn, and pour out whole buckets of tears for your sins, if you can: but, sorrow not with nothing but sorrow: be not discouraged: suppose that thou hast a dead heart, that thou art an hypocrite, that thou hast a rotten heart; it is a heavy thing, and a fearful case indeed, for which thou hast great cause of humiliation and sorrow; but yet sorrow not desperately as men without hope: be not wholly discouraged, but as you sorrow for your sins, so also labour with encouragement to get out and be rid of your sins.  
Fifthly, discouragements breed and procure a total perplexity. They leave the soul in a maze, that it knows not whether to turn itself. When men come to be discouraged, Oh what shall I do saith one, I am utterly undone saith another: I know not what will become of me, saith a third: Oh I am utterly lost, I shall perish one day, one day God will discover me, and be avenged on me for this and that sin: I were as good go to hell at the first as at the last, for that will be the end of me: I have gone to prayer, but that doth not help me: I have gone to Sacraments, but I find no help: still my soul lies under the power of sin, still my sins are as strong in me as ever: Thus the soul is discouraged and cries out, Oh, what shall I do? I know not what to do. What shall I do sayest thou?  
Alas, thou hast things enough to do, if thou wert not discouraged. Utterly undone! No, man, thou mightest see that thou art not utterly undone, but that thou art discouraged. Dost thou not know what will become of thee? yea, poor soul, there is mercy, grace and peace for thee, if thou wilt not be discouraged.  
Sixthly, discouragements whisper within a man a sentence of death, and an impossibility of escaping. As far as the discouragement of life goeth, so far goeth the sentence of death. We despaired of life, and had the sentence of death in ourselves, saith the Apostle, 2 Cor. 1. 8. 9 he despaired of life in himself, and therefore had the sentence of death in himself; this was good, but he did not despair of life in God; for than he should have had likewise the sentence of death from God in his conscience.  
If you despair in the Lord, you have the sentence of death and damnation from God in your conscience; take heed of this my beloved; be not discouraged in God: do not despair in the Lord: that will work a miserable effect in your souls: it will secretly whisper a sentence of damnation in your souls.  
It is strange to consider how many poor souls rub on with these whispering sentences in their bosoms, suffering their consciences day by day to tell them that they are rotten, to tell them that they were never yet converted, to tell them that they are yet in the state of damnation, and yet they will not root out these discouragements.  
O go to the Throne of grace, beg for grace and for mercy, and for power against sin, and be not discouraged. What? wilt thou carry thy own sentence of death in thy breast? if thou wilt not rouse up thy soul, and pray with more affection and confidence, and shake off discouragements, take heed lest thou carry the sentence of thy own death and damnation in thy bowels. O therefore once more let me beseech you to take heed of these discouragements, and now harken to the voice of God which calleth upon you, fear not. Thou drewest nigh in the day that I called upon thee, thou saidst fear not.  
FINIS.