The Grace and Duty of Being Spiritually Minded

And, which is yet more astonishable, men abide in the Duty of Prayer, and that in constancy, in their Families, and otherwise, and yet live in known sins. Whatever spiritual thoughts such men have in and by their Prayers, they are not spiritually minded. Shall we now say that all such Persons are gross Hypocrites; such as know they do but mock God and Man; know that they have not Desires nor Aims after the things which they mention in their own Prayers; but do these things either for some corrupt end, or at best to satisfy their Convictions? Could we thus resolve, the whole difficulty of the Case were taken off. For such double minded Men have no Reason to think that they shall receive any thing of the Lord, as James speaks, Chap. 1.7. Indeed they do not. They never Act Faith with reference unto their own Prayers. But it is not so with all of this sort. Some judge themselves Sincere, and in good Earnest in their Prayers, not without some Hopes and Expectations of Success. I will not say of all such Persons, that they are among the Number of them concerning whom the Wisdom of God says, Because I called unto them, and they refused; they shall call on ⟨p. 34⟩me, but I will not answer, they shall seek me early, and shall not find me. Prov. 1.18, 19, 20, 21. And although we may say unto such Persons in general, Either leave your Sinning, or leave your Praying, from Psal. 50.16, 17. and that with respect unto present Scandal, and certain Miscarriage in the End if both be continued in; yet in particular I would not advise any such Person to leave off his Praying until he had left his Sin. This were to advise a sick Man to use no Remedies until he were well cured. Who knows but that the Holy Spirit who works when and how he pleaseth, may take a Time to Animate these lifeless Prayers, and make them a means of Deliverance from the Power of this Sin. In the mean time the Fault and Guilt is wholly their own, who have effected a Consistency between a way in Sinning and a Course in Praying. And it ariseth from hence, that they have never laboured to fill up their Requests with Grace. What there hath been of Earnestness or Diligence in them, hath been from a Force put upon them by their Convictions and Fears. For no man was ever absolutely prevailed on by Sin, who prayed for Deliverance according to the mind of God. Every Praying man that perisheth was an Hypocrite.