gg. It quite distempers his taste, and makes that only
savoury which is like itself, and all other things bitter. But, (3.)
Prayer must have hope in it. For how shall a man pray if he hope not to
come speed? If he maintain not a lively hope, he will cool in his
petitions. Insobriety is not consistent with hope to the end, 1 Pet. i.
17. He that would hope to the end must lift up his garments that hang
side, and take a lick(517) of every thing by the way; he must not let them
hang down, but gird up his affections with the girdle of truth and
sobriety. We observe, (4.) That prayer must come out of a pure heart, and
God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, John iv. 23, 24; 2 Tim. ii.
22. Insobriety makes an unclean heart; the lusts of the flesh, and the
love of the world defile the spirit, and makes it to send forth impure
streams. (5.) There cannot be lodging for the Spirit where there is much
love to the world. This grieves the Spirit, and makes him depart from us,
and so a man is best to express his own groans, or to have none at all,
which is worse. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty, and the
Spirit must have a clean house; ye must touch no unclean thing, if you
would have God to receive you into the holy adoption of his children. (6.)
Prayer cannot thrive where faith is not in a good condition. For faith
purifies the heart which sends out prayer, 1 Tim. i. 6; Acts xv. 9; 2 Tim.
ii. 22; and O! but insobriety makes an ill conscience; and faith and a
good conscience scarce sail in one bottom.(518) Both fall and stand
together. How then can the soul look that Holy One in the face whose eyes
are pure, and cannot look upon iniquity but with abhorrence? how can it
look upon his holiness, when it hath been going a-whoring after the world,
and forsaking the fountain of living waters? In a word, the heart that is
not dead to this present world, will neither pray much nor well; for the
heart is otherwise taken up, hath not many wants to spread before God, nor
room for spiritual things. The creature gives him no leave to come to God.
O but communion with God is a tender thing, and subject to many
alterations and changes of weather! A little more mirth than is needful
will indispose us for prayer. A little more sadness than is within bounds
will also indispose us for this duty. Carefulness and anxiety cannot pray.
Therefore it concerns all the saints to keep their hearts with all
diligence, to keep themselves unspo