my

ing from spiritual indecencies, and in readiness to do good actions: that it may not be said of us as God once complained of his people, Why hath beloved done wickedness in my house? (Jer. xi. 15.) 1 9. God is in every creature: be cruel towards none, neither abuse any by intemperance. Remember that the creatures, and every member of thy own body is one of the lesser cabinets and receptacles of God. They are such which God hath, blessed with his presence, hallowed by his touch, and separated from unholy use by making them belong to his dwelling.

10. He walks as in the presence of God, that converses with him in frequent prayer, and frequent communion, that runs to him in all his necessities, that asks counsel of him in all his doubtings, that opens all his wants to him, that weeps before him for his sins, that asks remedy and support for his weakness, that fears him as a judge, reverences him as a Lord, obeys him as a Father, and loves him as a Patron.

The Benefits of this Exercise.

The benefits of this consideration and exercise being universal upon all the parts of piety, I shall less need to specify any particulars; but yet most properly this exercise of considering the divine presence is,

1. An excellent help to prayer, producing in us reverence and awfulness to the divine Majesty of God; and actual devotion in our offices.

2. It produces a confidence in God, and fearlessness of our enemies, patience in trouble, and hope of remedy, since God is so nigh in all our sad accidents, he is a disposer of the hearts of men, and the events of things, he proportions out our trials, and supplies us with the remedy, and where his rod strikes us, his staff supports us. To which we may add this, That God, who is always with us, is especially by promise with us in tribulation, to turn the misery into a mercy, and that our greatest trouble may become our advantage, by entitling us to a new manner of the divine presence.

3. It is apt to produce joy and rejoicing in God, we being more apt to delight in the partners and witnesses of our conversation; every degree of mu tual abiding and conversing being a relation and an endearment: we are of the sanie household with God; he is with us in our natural actions to preserve us, in our recreations to restrain us, in our public actions to applaud or reprove us, in our private to observe us, in our sleeps to watch by us, in our watchings to refresh us; and if we walk with God in all his ways, as he walks with us in all ours, we shall find perpetual reasons to enable us to keep that rule of God, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. And this puts me in mind of a saying of an old religious person: "There is one way of overcoming our ghostly enemies; spiritual mirth, and a perpetual bearing of God in our minds." This effectually resists the devil, and suffers us to receive no hurt from him. me

4. This exercise is apt also to enkindle holy desires of the enjoyment of God, because it produces joy when we do enjoy him; the same desires that a weak man hath for a defender, the sick man for a physician, the poor for a patron, the child for his father, the espoused lover for her betrothed.

5. From the same fountain are apt to issue humility of spirit, apprehensions of our great distance and our great needs, our daily wants and hourly supplies, admiration of God's unspeakable mercies: it is the cause of great modesty and decency in our actions; it helps to recollection of mind, and restrains the scatterings and looseness of wandering thoughts; it establishes the heart in good purposes, and leadeth on to perseverance: it gains purity and perfection, according to the saying of God to Abraham, Walk before me, and be perfect, holy fear, and holy love, and indeed every thing that pertains to holy living: when we see ourselves placed in the eye of God, who sets us on work, and will reward us plenteously, to serve him with an eye-service is very unpleasing; for he also sees the heart: and the want of this consideration was declared to be the cause why Israel sinned so grievously, For they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not: therefore the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness. (Ezek. ix. 9. Psal. x. 11.) What a child would do in the eye of his father, and a pulpit before his tutor pupil and a wife in the presence of her husband, and

servant in the sight of his master, let us always do

No. 2

the same: for we are made a spectacle to God, to angels, and to men: we are always in the sight and presence of the All-seeing and Almighty God, who also is to us a Father and a guardian, a husband and a Lord.

Prayers and Devotions according to the Religion and Purposes of the foregoing Considerations.

I.

For Grace to spend our Time well.

O ETERNAL God, who from all eternity dost behold and love thy own glories and perfections infinite, and hast created me to do the work of God after the manner of men, and to serve Thee in this generation, and according to my capacities; give me thy grace that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time, so as I may best prevent or resist all temptation, and be profitable to the Christian commonwealth, and, by discharging all my duty, may glorify thy name. Take from me all slothfulness, and give me a diligent and active spirit, and wisdom to choose my employment, that I may do works proportionable to my person, and to the dignity of a Christian, and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity; that when the devil assaults me, he may not find me idle, and my dearest Lord at his sudden coming may find me busy in lawful, necessary, and pious actions, improving my talent entrusted to me

by thee, my Lord, that I may enter into the joy of my Lord, to partake of his eternal felicities, even for thy mercies' sake, and for my dearest Saviour's sake. Amen.

Here follows the devotion of ordinary days; for the right employment of those portions of time which every day must allow for religion.

The first prayers in the morning as soon as we are dréssed,

Humbly and reverently compose yourself, with heart lift up to God, and your head bowed, and meekly kneeling upon your knees, say the Lord's Prayer: after which use the following Collects, or as many of them as you shall choose,

Our Father which art in Heaven, &c,

I.

An Act of Adoration, being the Song that the Angels sing in Heaven.

HOLY, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come: (Rev. xi. 17.) heaven and earth, angels and men, the air and the sea give glory, and honour, and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever. (Rev. v. 10. 13.) All the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous, cast their crowns before the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour,