Directions for Prayer. may be of the most abundant usefulness*. I confess I cannot but wish that some who take upon them to be mouths of others, had a greater diffidence of themselves. To hear a man before others praying absurdly, improperly, and incoherently, is as offensive to men, as it must be displeasing to God; and can serve only to shew the pride, not the humility of the speaker, and the folly, not the teachableness of the hearers. Prayer must be ever a reasonable service; it ceases to be so when in such hands. But the sloth of some, and too great concern of others about the manner of acquitting themselves in prayer, are equally sinful. Instead of improving their gifts and graces, they continue servilely bound to a form, however in itself good. They to whom it is given, should use to the honour of the Giver the gift he bestows; but if we make not the trial, we cannot tell what our gifts are. As every gift improves by exercise, so does the gift of prayer particularly. We know not what we can do till we try; and it is a certain fact that persons of very slender abilities, and who could * As many sincere people, who stand in need of helps, either for private or social prayer, may be at a loss for proper forms, I would therefore recommend Mr. JENKS'S Devotions, as by far the most animated and spiritual of any I ever met with, and best suited both for families and the states and exigencies of particular Christians. There are also in that Manual some excellent prayers and meditations for the assistance of pious Communicants, and a very sweet and devout paraphrase upon the Creed. 1 Directions for Prayer. scarce express themselves clearly on any other subject, have obtained, by exercise in prayer, not only method, but propriety; and many a heart hath been warmed with the prayers of those whom the world hath accounted weak as well as illiterate. Every person therefore should make the attempt. There is a shame and diffidence which usually attend the first essays, which may for a little while distract the attention, and make us too solicitous about the persons with whom we are, instead of being wholly taken up with the consideration of Him to whom we speak; but this in general is soon got over by use. Meantime, I suppose it would be very profitable for such as begin the worship of God in their houses, or with their friends, to have before them some evangelical book of devotions, that if they found themselves confused, or barren of thought, they might recur to it, till they had attained greater ease, and overcome that bashfulness which hurried them. Where there is really not a gift of prayer-where persons are conscious that they cannot so profitably perform the exercise of devotion without the help of a composed prayer, there it would be sinful in them not to make use of it. I have heard of some, that because they could not pray extempore in their families, would not pray at all with them; which seems as absurd as to say, because I cannot feed my family with delicacies of my own providing, they shall starve; though I might Directions for Prayer. have made use of my neighbour's offers, who had broken his bread on purpose for my use. It must be observed that there are persons who have much of the gift of prayer, who have not the spirit of prayer; these, like the ravens who fed Elijah, bring good food to those who join with them, whilst their own pride, and vanity of their abilities, is the carrion on which they feed themselves. Their prayers may be blessed unto others, but they are an abomination to God, and bring a curse upon their own souls. It will be needless to say many things in commendation of prayer, either respecting its necessity or excellence. The soul, who is brought to a sensibility about his real state, feels both, with an evidence which is beyond all that we can speak; and the soul who is yet dead in trespasses and sins, cannot pray, though we should write volumes to persuade him to it. For he that cometh to God, must first believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. All the miscalled prayers of unbelievers have no more of a spiritual service in them, than howling hath of harmony. For the sake of those who have need of assistance, have subjoined some few helps to prayer, which may be enlarged upon, and made particularly applicable to the case of those who use them; intimating, by the way, that the more we unbosom the very thoughts and secrets of our souls to God, the more profitable will be the service. Directions for Prayer. Praying that a spirit of prayer and supplication may be poured out upon every soul into whose hands this book may fall, I commend them and it to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. AS no Communicant can live without daily application to a throne of grace, the hints about prayer before given, have an evident connection with the subject of the foregoing chapters. I have only to observe farther, that in the specimen of a prayer which follows, I have descended from general confession to particular-from general wants to particular ones. Persons must examine themselves where their bosom sin lies, what graces they most need, what temptations they most labour under, and adapt any portion of what follows to their own state and circumstances; it being designed not so much as a form, as to assist the infirmities of the weak. If the following be used as an assistant for social worship, then the alteration of we for I, us for me, our for my or mine, is easily made; and in this case all the mention of particulars should be omitted, and the prayer confined to the general confessions and requests, omitting the particular ones where the blank spaces stand within hooks [] thus. Directions for Prayer. ¶ You may observe several breaks, which may be considered as containing so many new heads of prayer. Thus you are to connect any parts of it, or omit, as you see occasion. O THOU most High and most Holy! whose name is JEHOVAH, the all-seeing and heart-searching GOD, over all blessed for ever, look down in mercy on a poor unworthy sinner, desiring to draw near the throne of grace in the name of the incarnate Saviour, and making mention of his righteousness only*: [No other hope hath my sinful soul, no other help I find but in him; for his dear sake regard my cries, and let my prayer enter into thine ears, O Lord, my GOD!] [I come before thee acknowledging my sin; and my iniquities, Lord, would I not hide from thee. Indeed they cannot be hid, for from thee nothing is hid, nothing is secret. Yet, Lord, I have too long and too often covered myself with thick darkness, and neither saw nor desired to see the evil which was in me. Blessed be thy name, that thou hast caused the light to shine into my heart, and hast given me any knowledge of the hidden mystery of iniquity there.] Behold, Lord, I was shapen in wickedness, and in sin did my mother conceive me; yet how little did * Whatever is between hooks thus [] may be omitted without any hurt to the sense or connection; or if you choose to use any part of it, you may, as shall appear proper to your case. |