·ON DEVOTION. AND PRAYER

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frailty. When we fee good men rewarded, it confirms our hope; and, when evil men are punished, it excites our fear.

He, that would be devout, muft beware of. indulging a habit of wandering in prayer. It is a crime, that will grow upon us, and will deprive us of the bleflings we pray for.

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Avoid as much, as may be, multiplicity of business. Neither the innocency, nor the goodness of the employment, will excufe us, if it poffefs our hearts, when we are praying to God. When our Lord bids us to take no thought for the morrow, he intended to hinder thofe cares and fears, which are apt to dif tract our devotions; which are the more unreasonable, because they never can change -the state of things.

Never be curious to know, what passes in the world, any farther than duty obliges you; it will only diftract the mind, when it should be better employed.

Never intermit devotion, if you can help it; you will return to your duty, like Samfon, when his locks were cut, weak and indifferent, as other people of the world. The

oftener we renew our intercourfe with God, the greater will be our devotion. Frequent prayer, as it is an exercise of holy thoughts, is a most natural remedy against the power of fin. Importunity makes no change in God, but it creates in us fuch difpofitions, as God thinks fit to reward.

Make it a law to yourself to meditate, before you pray; alfo to make certain pauses, to fee whether your heart go along with your lips. They, whofe hearts defire nothing, pray for nothing.

Give me, O God, the Spirit of true devotion; fuch, as may give life to all my pray ers, fo that they may find acceptance in thy fight, for Jefus Chrift's fake. Amen.

Sacra Privata.

Matth. vi. 6. Thou, when thou prayeft, enter into thy clofet; and, when thou haft fhut thy door, pray to thy Father, who is in fecret; and thy Father, who feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly.

HOW

OW good is God, who will not only give us, what we pray for; but reward us for going to him, and laying our wants before him! May I always present myself before God with firm faith and hope in his promises and mercy; with great reverence of his infinite majesty; with the humility of an offender; and with full purpose of keeping all his commandments !

May the thoughts of eternity quicken my devotions; my wants make me earnest; 'my backflidings make me perfevere; and may I never *wilfully give way to any distracting thoughts.

May I wait with patience, and leave it to Thee, my God and Father, how and when to grant my petitions.

He, that has learned to pray, as he ought, poffeffes the fecret of a holy life.

It is of greater advantage to us, than we imagine, that God does not grant our petitions immediately. We learn by this that, whereunto we have already attained, it was the gift of God.

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The best way to prevent wandering in prayer is, not to let the mind wander too much at other times; but to have God always in our minds in the whole courfe of our lives. The end of prayer is not to inform God, but to give man a fight of his own mifery; to raise his foul toward Heaven, and to put him in mind, that there is his Father and his inheritance.

Matth. vii. 7. Afk, and it fhall be given you. Grant me, Lord, that faith, which shall make me know my wants, that I may ask with earnestnefs and humility, and depend upon thy gracious promise.

The DUTIES of a CHRISTIAN.

That man leads a fincere Chriftian life, ift. Who endeavors to ferve and obey God to the best of his understanding and power. 2d. Who ftrives to please his neighbor to edification.

3d. Who endeavors to do his duty in that ftate of life, unto which it has pleased God to

call him.

Whoever would continue in the practice of these things unto his life's end, it is neceffary that he call himfelf often to account, whether he do fo or not; conftantly pray for grace to know, and to do his duty; and preferve himfelf in fuch a temper, as to be always ready to receive the truth, when it is fairly propofed to him. It is rudeness among men to afk a favor, and

not stay for an answer; and do we count it no fault to pray for bleffings, and never to think of them afterward, never to wait for them, never to give God thanks for them.

Let us make prayer familiar to us; for without the help of God we are every hour in danger. The Devil knows that, when we have a relish for prayer, and apply ourselves in good earnest to it, we are in the way of life; he therefore strives by alf ways poffible to divert

us.

Let us not run over our prayers with an infenfible and diftracted mind. Let our prayers be as particular, as may be, against the fins of our particular state, and for the graces, which in particular we most need. This is the best prefervative against fin; makes us best acquaint-ed with our condition; puts us continually in mind of mending, what is amifs; lets us fee, what particular graces we moft want, what are moft needful for the cure of our own particular corruption and diforder; and is the best trial of our hearts. For example; if I pray for charity, and for every inftance, which is neceffa-ry to render me truly charitable, I pray for grace, to avoid evilspeaking, to pray for my enemies, to do them good, &c. and fo of all other fins and graces.

God grant that I

vain !

Luke xi. 1.

may never seek his face in

upon us the fpirit of fupplication and prayer.