The Christian’s guard or watch about prayer set for him 1/3

           Third. The third thing I promised was to set the Christian’s watch for him, by giving some little coun­sel and help towards his constant performing this duty of watchfulness.  In doing this, we take the fol­lowing particulars.

1. Particular.  Harbour not any known sin in thy bosom.  Sin hath two contrary effects on the con­science, and both sad enough.  Either it fills the con­science with horror, or benumbs and stupifies it; it breaks the soul’s rest, or takes away its sense.  The latter is the more common.  Suffer the devil to anoint thy temples with this opium, and thou art in danger to fall into the sleeping disease of a stupid con­science; little list then thou wilt have to pray.  Or if it hath the other effect upon thee, thou wilt be as much afraid, as now thou dost little desire, to pray.
2. Particular.  Beware of any excess in thy affec­tions to the creature.  A drunken man, of all other, is most unfitting to watch.  Such a one will be asleep as soon as he is set in his chair.  Now all inordinacy of affection is a spiritual drunkenness.  Christ joins both together, ‘Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares,’ Luke 21:34.  It is a pre­servative against drowsiness of spirit, that the day of the Lord might not take them napping.  And of the two, the drunkenness of the affection is the worse. He that is bodily drunk over-night, is sober by the morn­ing; but he that is overcharged with the cares or love of the world, rises as drunk as when he lay down; and how can he then watch unto prayer?  We have there­fore these two often joined together, ‘Let us watch and be sober,’ I Thes. 5:6; ‘Be ye therefore sober, and watch,’ I Peter 4:7.  Whatever the affection is, the in­temperance of it lays the soul under a distemper, and indisposeth it to prayer.  Is it sorrow?  Our Saviour finds his disciples ‘sleeping for sorrow,’ when they should have watched and prayed, Luke 22:45.  Is it love?  This laid Samson asleep in Delilah’s lap.  The heart of man hath not room enough for God and the world too.  Worldly affec­tions do not befriend spir­itual.  The heart which spends itself in mourning for worldly crosses, will find the stream runs low when he should weep for his sins.  If the cares of this life fill his head and heart he will have little list to wait on God for spiritual purposes.  It is no wonder that the master finds his servant asleep in the day, when he should be at work for him, if he sat up revelling all the night.

3. Particular.  Resist this spiritual drowsiness when it first creeps upon thee.  Sleep is easier kept off when approaching, than shaken off when it hath got possession and bound the senses.  This sleepy disease of the soul steals insensibly upon us, even as the night steps in by little and little.  When, therefore, thou findest it coming, rouse up thyself; as a man who hath business to do would start up from his chair to shake off his drowsiness.  Now thou mayst observe these few symptoms of this distemper invading thee.