ume; fo that pious Chriftians, may, at a reasonable expense, diftribute them among fuch people, as either will not or cannot buy them; and the petitions, peculiar to the clergy, are thrown out.

The pious reader will find thefe Meditations and Prayers too long, according to the prefent division of them, to which there is no occafion of adhering. He may take them up, and lay them down, at his own difcretion and convenience. It is recommended to him to go thro' them regularly, and to continue the use of them his whole life, selecting such parts for more frequent meditation, as are best adapted to his neceffity and difpofition.

As prayer is one of the most important works, in which a man can be engaged, and few find themselves able to difcharge it in the manner, they wish to do; it is humbly hoped, that this book, if attended to, as it deferves, may with God's affiftance teach them to pray; may lead their thoughts to meditate on religious fubjects; and habituate them to clothe their meditations in the language of decent, pious, and fervent prayer.

That this valuable book may have this effect, is the earnest

prayer of

THE EDITOR.

ON

DEVOTION AND PRAYER.

TRU

RUE devotion confifts in having our hearts always devoted to God, as the fountain of all happiness; who is ready to hear and help his otherwise helpless, miserable creatures. It is to be attained,

ft. By earnest prayer. HE, THAT HUN

GERS AFTER RIGHTEOUSNESS, WILL CERTAINLY BE FILLED.

2dly. By poffeffing our hearts with a deep fense of our own mifery, wants, and danger; this is the grace of humility.

3dly. By confidering God's goodness, pow er, and readiness, to help us; this is called faith in God.

Laftly. By convincing our hearts of the infufficiency of every thing elfe to afford us any real help or comfort; this is to be effect-ed by felf denial.

Dying perfons are generally more devout

than others, because they then fee their own mifery, that nothing in this world can help them, and that God is their only refuge. We muft change our lives, if we defire to change our hearts. God will have no regard to the prayers of those, who have none to his com mands. The Spirit of God will not dwell in" a divided heart. We cannot feel the pleasure of devotion, while the world is our delight. Not that all pleasures are criminal; but the clofer union we have with the world, the lefs is our union with God. A Christian there-fore, who strives after devotion, should taste fenfual pleasures very fparingly, fhould make neceffity, not bodily delight, his rulé.

tive.

In order to difpofe our hearts to devotion,an active life is to be preferred to a contemplaDoing good to mankind difpofes the foul most powerfully to devotion. Indeed we are furrounded by motives to piety and devotion, if we would mind them: The poor· are defigned to excite our liberality; the mif erable, our pity; the fick, our affistance; the ignorant, our inftruction; thofe that are fal len, our helping hand. In the vain we fee the vanity of this world; in the wicked, our own