But this should move us, to pray while we have time, and while our Bodies have strength, and our spirits have vigour and alacrity to serve us, seeing we are so uncertain of bodily disposition and capacity, so near our end: O pray, and pray with all your hearts, before any Fever or Deliration ⟨p. 74⟩overthrow your understandings or your memories; before your thoughts are all commanded to attend your pains; and before your decayed spirits fail you, and deny their necessary service to your suits; and before the apprehensions of your speedy approach to the presence of the most Holy God, and your entrance upon an endless state, do amaze, confound and overwhelm your Souls with fear and perturbation. O Christians, what folly, what sin and shame is it to us, that now while we have time to pray, and leave to pray, and helps to pray, and have no such disturbing hindrances, we should yet want hearts; and have no mind, no life and fervour for so great a work! O pray now, lest you are unable to pray then: And if you are then hindered but by such bodily undisposedness, God will understand your habitual desires, and your groans, and take it as if you had actually prayed; Pray now, that so you may be acquainted with the God that then you must fly unto for mercy, and may not be strangers to him or unto Prayer; and that he may not find then that your prayers are but the expressions of your fears, and not of your Love, and are constrained and not voluntary motions unto God: Pray now in preparation to your dying prayers. O what a terrible thing it is to be to learn to pray in that hour of extremity; and to have then no principle to pray by but natural self-love which every Thief hath at the gallows! To be then without the Spirit of prayer, ⟨p. 75⟩when without it there cannot an acceptable word or groan be uttered, and when the rejection of our suits and person, will be the prologue to the final judicial rejection, and will be a distress so grievous as presumptuous Souls will not believe, till sad experience become their Tutor:
But this should move us, to pray while we have time, and while our Bodies have strength, and our spirits have vigour and alacrity to serve us, seeing we are so uncertain of bodily disposition and capacity, so near our end: O pray, and pray with all your hearts, before any Fever or Deliration ⟨p. 74⟩overthrow your understandings or your memories; before your thoughts are all commanded to attend your pains; and before your decayed spirits fail you, and deny their necessary service to your suits; and before the apprehensions of your speedy approach to the presence of the most Holy God, and your entrance upon an endless state, do amaze, confound and overwhelm your Souls with fear and perturbation. O Christians, what folly, what sin and shame is it to us, that now while we have time to pray, and leave to pray, and helps to pray, and have no such disturbing hindrances, we should yet want hearts; and have no mind, no life and fervour for so great a work! O pray now, lest you are unable to pray then: And if you are then hindred but by such bodily undisposedness, God will understand your habitual desires, and your groans, and take it as if you had actually prayed; Pray now, that so you may be acquainted with the God that then you must fly unto for mercy, and may not be strangers to him or unto Prayer; and that he may not find then that your prayers are but the expressions of your fears, and not of your Love, and are constrained and not voluntary motions unto God: Pray now in preparation to your dying prayers. O what a terrible thing it is to be to learn to pray in that hour of extreamity; and to have then no principle to pray by but natural self-love which every Thief hath at the gallows! To be then without the Spirit of prayer, ⟨p. 75⟩when without it there cannot an acceptable word or groan be uttered, and when the rejection of our suits and person, will be the prologue to the final judicial rejection, and will be a distress so grievous as presumptuous Souls will not believe, till sad experience become their Tutor:
