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Gather your minds wholly together, that ye may seek the Lord, and that ye may seek him while he is to be found. And I would not have you to think this to be an easy matter, to get your hearts drawn together. If ye will look where your hearts are now presently, ye will find them scattered here and there, with manyuncow (strange) thoughts, and with many shameful affections; and ye will see many shameful, albeit sinful, lusts into your hearts, and that in a very short time. How many vain and foohsh Imaginations will ye find there, if ye will take heed to them! Have ye not need, therefore, when ye are to worship the Lord, to have these barred to the door, and to have your hearts gathered together, that so with one heart and with one soul ye may seek and serve the Lord? What is the cause that ye are overtaken with sleep, when ye are here, but because ye gather not all your affections together to serve the Lord? Ye cannot pray aright when ye are here, nor hear, nor do no part of the work, as the Lord requires; and when ye begin afterwards to examine how ye have done the work, then ye think shame of yourselves that ye should have done it so. And what is the cause of this? Even because ye take not heed to yourselves in the beginning, to see where your hearts are, and to try them that they be right; and when ye find it to be poured out on the world or pleasure, etc., then to gather it together, and then say, Lord, through thy help I have gotten my heart and my affections together hold thou them together while I seek thee at this time, because thou requires that it should be so. And especially we should labour about this in these days. Its true, indeed, we should evermore, when we are about seeking of the Lord, do it with all our heart, and with all our soul, and all our strength, but there be sometimes when we should bend ourselves more than at other times. As under the law there was a fire on the altar at all times, morning and evening, on Sunday and Saturday,1 but if they had been to sacrifice an ox or a bullock, the fire was made greater than if they had been only to sacrifice a turtle, a pair of pigeons, a kid, or a lamb, even so should it be with us. When we have much ado with our zeal, then we should seek to have the fire thereof made bold; for that is a very ill thing, that when there is a great work ado, then our zeal shall be key-cold. And, indeed, it comes ofttimes to pass so. Folks in the time of prosperity, O they will seem to be fordward, and to have great zeal for a good cause, when there is nothing seen but fair weather: but when there is any small fear of any danger, then their zeal and courage decays. That is a token that their zeal has not been a true but a false zeal. And therefore get a coal or two more than ordinary; borrow them at this time, and lay them to the fire: get a burnwood2 or two more, so to speak, that so ye may discharge that duty which the Lord requires of you as it becomes. There is more ado now than ordinarily. It’s true, Christ has evermore enough to give; yet we should crave more earnestly at one time than at another, even at extraordinary times. And therefore, labour carefully and diligently upon your own hearts now, that so ye may have them present; and pray to God for this effect; and thus zeal and light shall increase into your souls; and so God shall have greater glory in the work, and your own souls shall have greater comfort, through Jesus Christ.