forgiveness, that those who stand in need of many good, and in fear of many evil things, fhould petition for the obtaining of the one, and preventing of the other, if it is reasonable to return thanks for benefits received, and evils prevented, to love our brethren, and to pay regard to the concerns of those persons with whom our own are connected, then it is in all these feveral respects highly reasonable, that we should discharge the duty of Prayer to Almighty God.

This is fo evident, that we should scarce believe, did we not daily fee it, that a rational creature could live in the grofs neglect and open contempt of a duty, which, merely as a rational creature, he cannot but know that he ought to perform; which is not more strongly recommended by Scripture, than by Reason itself, the darling idol of the modern world; and the contempt of which must not only rank him amongst the irreligious, but which he may perhaps think worse, amongst the unreasonable part

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of

of the creation. Notwithstanding this, there are men in the world, and those mighty Pretenders to Reason, who openly decry this duty, at least all the external parts of it, well knowing that without them the duty itself cannot long subsist, and artfully found their objections against it, upon an acknowledgement of, and a seeming veneration for, the divine attributes, and the honour of God's nature.

If, fay they, God is of infinite knowledge, as those who pray to him must certainly allow, what occafion is there for us to confefs our fins, and express our forrow for them, to lay open our wants and neceffities to him, who by the neceffary perfection of his nature fees into our hearts, and

difcerns every motion there much plainer than we can poffibly express them,

Such objectors will do well to confider, that our Prayers are not intended to give any information to God, which he before had not, but to implant deeply in our own

breafts

breasts a proper sense of what we have done, and a due estimation of what we want; fo that the pardon of our fins, and supply of our neceflities may have their due weight with us. Our thoughts come upon us fo fuddenly, and fo quickly pass away, that it is fcarce poffible accurately to remember the thoughts even of a few hours; but when we give them birth, and bring them forth in proper words, they are then strongly impreft on our minds, and by a constant repetition of the fame means by which they first struck root, must always live and flourish in our memories. When the thoughts which we entertain upon a furvey of our fins and neceffities fo far influence us as to incline us to Prayer, when we bring them forth before the Most High, cloathed in proper expreffions and attended with fuitable geftures, they are thereby moft deeply imprinted on our minds, and by a steady and uniform performance of this duty, are at last fixed in such strong colours, as never to be discharged; whereas had they never iffued from the closet of our hearts, they might

have

have been strangled in the birth, or proved the children but of a melancholy moment.

To be in fault, and ashamed to confefs it and ask pardon, to be in want and ashamed to acknowledge it and afk relief, are most certain figns of an obftinate and proud temper; a temper not at all qualified to receive bleffings from God, who refifteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Before we can expect favours from God, we must entirely root out these faults, and in their stead implant humility and meeknefs; nor is there any better way of enabling us fo to do, no other way of fhewing that we have fo done, than the performance of the duty of Prayer.

In the common affairs of this world we do not expect our faults to be pardoned, nor our wants to be relieved before they are made known, and furely in point of common decency we cannot expect inestimable bleffings from a Being fuch as God is, upon easier terms than those which we perform

to

to our Brethren, for things of little or no confequence. However extenfive the divine knowledge may be, how intimately foever God may be acquainted with our wants before we cry unto him, yet we must not expect that he will interest himself in our behalf, until we shew by Prayer, that we are known not only to him, but also to ourfelves, the most difficult but most neceffary of all knowledge, which should always accompany, and can scarce fubfift, with→ out the performance of this duty.

be rea

But, fay they again, though it may sonable and neceffary to pray to a Being of infinite knowledge, furely it cannot be so to pray to a Being of perfect Goodness, who is readier to hear than we to pray, readier to forgive our fins, and relieve our wants, than we are even to acknowledge them.

Those who argue thus have very miftaken notions of the divine nature; they confider God's Attributes abstractedly from, nay, in oppofition to, each other, and there

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