shall find matters have been
first wrong there. Alienation and estrangement from God himself, in
immediate duties and secret approaches, hath made men's affections cool to
his interest in public duties. And believe it, the reason why so few great
men or none are so cordial, constant, and thorough in God's matters is
this,--they pray not in secret; they come to parliament or council where
public matters concerning the honour of God are to be debated, as any
statesmen of Venice would come to the senate. They have no dependence on
God to be guided in these matters; they are much in public duties, but
little in secret with God. Believe it, any man's private walking with God
shall be read upon his public carriage, whether he be minister or ruler.

There is yet another thing we would have you consider, to endear this duty
unto you, and bind upon your consciences an absolute necessity of being
much in it, and it is this. Prayer and calling on his name is often put
for all immediate worship of God, especially the more substantial and
moral part of service. This people was much in ceremonials, and they made
these their righteousness; nay, but there was little secret conversing
with God, walking humbly with him, loving him, believing in him. Well,
then, prayer is, as it were, a compend and sum of all duties; it contains
in it, faith, love, repentance; all these should breathe out in prayer. In
a word, if we say to you, be much in prayer, we have said all, and it is
more than all the rest, because it is a more near and immediate approach
to God, having more solid religion in it. If you be lively in this, you
are thriving Christians; and if you wither here, all must decay, for
prayer sappeth and watereth all other duties with the influence of heaven.

"That stirreth up himself to take hold on thee." This expresseth more of
their condition under the rod, and while God was threatening to depart and
leave them. None took so much notice of it, as to awake out of his dream,
to take a fast hold of God. It was but like the grip a man taketh in his
slumbering, that he soon quitteth in his sleep; none awaketh himself, as a
bird stirreth up itself with its wings to flight; none do so spread out
their sails to meet the wind. This importeth a great security and
negligence, a careless stupidity. To take hold, to grip strongly and
violently, importeth both faith acted on God, and communion with God; so
that the sense is, nobody careth whither th