AMEN

he did it not in judgment, nor according to God's order and appointment. (1 Chron. xv. 13.)

2. We must "watch unto prayer.” (Matt. xxvi. 41; 1 Peter iv. 7.) -For the devil is there; as to catch away the good seed, so to catch us away by every wandering thought. Peter and John were at Christ's transfiguration in the mount, but were sadly "heavy with sleep." (Luke ix. 32.) It is strange, when they should have been taken up with raptures and ecstasies of joy, that they should be so drossy and drowsy. But how hard a matter it is for to watch with Christ one hour in duty! (Matt. xxvi. 40.) Grief might make them heavy in the garden; and yet Christ's propassion, and sweating drops of blood, was enough to have put them into an agony of compassion. But, alas! neither the garden nor the mount is able to transport us, or keep up intension of soul or affection, unless God keep fire on his own altar, and blow-up our spark into a flame.

3. Our intension cannot last long; our actions depending on the body, and those spirits, the finer particles of the blood, separated from it by the alembic of the brain. And as it is some time ere they rise, so their height and speed is soon over, and then we run down into phlegm and heaviness. Therefore, in all public duties, (solemn fastings excepted, for humbling soul and body,) we ought not to be too prolix, but to labour for strength rather than length.-Thick and short; as David's panting, (Psalm xlii. 1,) and Daniel's praying: "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name." (Chap. ix. 19.) When weighty petitions are sent up for the whole church, they draw universal consent. Not that we ought, for brevity's sake, to confine all prayer to the Lord's Prayer, as if no bushel was a bushel but the standard; so, to fall down at this, and stand up against all others: whereas it is so diffused in sense, and so contracted in words, that the text may very well admit a comment in conformity to its sense; and we need a more comprehensive mind than the vulgar have, to fill those words with.

4. When all is done, there is nothing done, but all to do, till we implore the good Spirit of God.-Which he gave the Jews here: "Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst." (Neh. ix. 20.) And he bade them work; for his Spirit was with them, and should remain among them, when they built the temple: "Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts: according to the word that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, so my Spirit remaineth among you : fear ye not." (Haggai ii. 4, 5.) Christ bade his disciples tarry at Jerusalem, till they were "endued with power from on high;" (Luke xxiv. 49;) there was no preaching or praying without this " Spirit of grace and supplications." (Zech. xii. 10.) It is impossible [that] the organs of our bodies or faculties of our souls should praise God aright, unless

this Spirit of God fill them, and blow them up. He must expnys, (Phil. i. 19,) "tune the praise, and form the prayer," in us; he must EVEрYEV, (James v. 16,) "inlay it, and work it," both in and out; and he is "the Master of the choir," to hold and keep us in frame, as well as set us in, and enable us to drive all our petitions home and through, to a fervent Amen. Deus solus docere potest ut velit se orari, as Tertullian says: "None but God can teach us how to pray to God." That Spirit of adoption that enableth us to say, "Abba, Father," (Rom. viii. 15,) can only teach us how to pronounce, "Amen, Amen."

CASUISTICAL MORNING EXERCISES.

[AT CRIPPLEGATE.]

THE FOURTH VOLUME.

BY SEVERAL MINISTERS IN AND ABOUT LONDON.

PREACHED IN OCTOBER, MDCLXXXIX.

I have sent unto you my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings.-Jeremiah xxxv. 15.

TO THE READER.

THESE Sermons are sent out into the world upon the same design with the former, namely, to promote practical godliness. Though none, I hope, will be offended with the matter, yet the circumstances require some apology, which serious readers will candidly interpret. This collection is less than the former, the usual time of the Exercise being contracted from a month to a fortnight, and I could in modesty crave but a week's addition. Besides, a less disorderly paging is made use of, to prevent a greater;* while all errors of this kind could not possibly be avoided; the book being wrought off at several

*

According to this account, the fourth volume was put to press within a week after the last sermon had been preached, which was at the close of October, 1689; and the copy would consequently be in the hands of the printers early in November. It seems to have been ready for delivery to the subscribers about the middle of December; Dr. Annesley having dated his preface the 4th of that month.

Of the four volumes of "the Morning Exercise at Cripplegate," as well as of that against Popery, the first edition of each is exceedingly irregular in the numbering of its pages. This arose from the hasty mode of printing. To expedite publication, the manuscripts of the different sermons were confided to several printers, who do not appear to have been as great adepts in "casting-off copy," as are many of the modern members of the profession. Thus, in the seven offices in which the second volume of the series, called "the Supplement," was printed, the copy must have been very incorrectly calculated and apportioned; for it was executed in the following manner:-The first printer commenced with page 1, and ended at page 154; the second numbered his "taking 111-180; the third, 241-296; the fourth, 225-432; the fifth, 335--424; the sixth, 476566; and the seventh, 601-887.

This is the glaring irregularity to which Dr. Annesley alludes, when he calls the centenary method, which he adopted in "the Casuistical Morning Exercises," a less disorderly paging. The four printing-offices at which this volume was completed, commenced the portion of it which had been consigned to their execution, severally, with the signatures A, 2 A, 3 A, 4 A; the first beginning with the figure 1, the second with 200, the third with 300, and the fourth with 400; and, instead of the former irregular plan of paging, the consecutive notation of each part was marked with folios. This was a manifest improvement upon the former volumes of the "Exercises;" but though the commencement exhibited the semblance of order, the termination was very "disorderly." The first portion numbered its sheets from folio 1-76, being actually 153 quarto pages; the others concluded thus, 200-261, 300-361, 400-440.-EDIT.