ought therefore to pray always, without fainting, or being wearied out; and this is the sense of praying always, according to the text. But there is another way, which to me seems the most excellent of all. When Saint Paul advises the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing, he adds, in every thing give thanks. This cannot be done, unless the mind be in a constant habitual frame of devotion; using itself to the daily custom of setting God alway before it, and walking with him in all the actions of life; endeavouring to turn all things to his glory. Believers are to consider God, in his power, his wisdom, his providence; in all which he hath made, in all which he hath given, in all which he hath done, and all which he doth do for the children of men: in his blessings, his judgments, his visitations, his corrections: under a persuasion that every thing we see is formed by his wisdom, every thing that happens in the world is from his justice, mercy, or goodness; and therefore, that every thing he does is right, and is to be so received by us. We are to give thanks for good, because it is a present blessing; for evil, because it will be a future blessing, if God pleases.

There is no object of nature, nor any occasion of man's natural life in this world, which may not be improved to some holy purpose; if we learn to understand objects, as the Gospel hath applied them, and then make them the subject of some petition. There is no great difficulty in the thing: custom will keep the mind ready and in a godly frame; and use will make is pleasant. Thus the duty of praying always will be fulfilled in a way, of which the world hath very little knowledge. We cannot begin too soon in the morning and there is no better object in the world to begin with, than the light of the day. As soon as

we see it, we should utter some thanksgiving to the Almighty Creator; who hath given to us, not only the natural light, but the light of truth, the light of the Gospel; and hath promised us an inheritance of the saints in the light of the new Jerusalem. When we awake to such thoughts, we awake as men and Christians, not as beasts; who receive the benefit of the light, without knowing what glorious things are to be understood by it. When we see the sun in his daily course, we should say to ourselves, such is the Sun of Righteousness, and thus did he rise upon the world, and thus will he rise again to dispel the darkness of the shadow of death, and begin the glorious day of Eternity. As the natural light moves from East to West, so hath the Gospel shined throughout the world: as the day declines, and the evening comes on, so doth the life of man decline. When this happens, we should say with the two Disciples, when they invited Christ to tarry with them at Emmaus, "abide with us, for the day is far spent."

The elements and the changes of the weather will supply us with more matter of the same sort. If there cometh rain to water the earth, let us be thankful, not only for that, but for the grace of God, and the word of truth, which cometh down from heaven as the rain : that the soul of man may be fruitful in works of righteousness. As the earth is parched in a time of drought, and cracked with dryness, so should man open his mouth, and say with the Psalmist, " my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh also longeth after thee, in a barren and dry land where no water is." If there cometh thunder, we should listen to it, as to the voice of God; which, what noise soever men may make below, will be heard above all. How insignificant do the word and power of man appear, whenever God is

pleases to shew himself, and his lightning shines from one end of heaven to the .other! This appearance should always remind us, that the Lord will at last be revealed in flaming fire.. What will then become of us, if we have never thought of his judgments, till they are upon us, and the great account is to be given by all sinners? He who lives by the rule I am now giving, will never be surprized. He sets the Lord always before him, therefore he shall not be moved: if his heart is ready, he will in every place find matter for prayer or for praise. If he is in a garden, he thinks on Paradise: how it was lost by the first Adam, who ate in sin; and how it was regained by the second Adam, who fasted in the wilderness. If he is in the fields or meadows, by the river side, and sees the flocks and herds feeding,, he remembers, that he himself, belongs to God's pasture: he prays, that the Lord, the keeper of Israel, who is his Shepherd, will convert and bring him back, when he strays from the paths of righteousness, and will lead him forth beside the waters of comfort: under these circumstances he may be disposed to repeat the twenty-third Psalm; and he will then feel the force of it.

The husbandman, who is employed in the works of the field, has many opportunities beyond other men; all his works are of such a sort, as may suggest religious thoughts, and lead his mind to devotion: our blessed Saviour took one of his finest parables from the labours of the field; where the ground, good and bad, is the heart of man; the seed is the word of God; the wheat the righteous; the tares the ungodly; the harvest the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. Who can have these things before him, without thinking about himself; what he is, and what is to become of him? and these thoughts will lead him to

his prayers; that he may be ready to

receive into his mind the good seed of God's word, and to lay it up in his heart, as the grain is covered in the earth, that it may bring forth fruit to life eternal. Then shall the angels come at the end of the world, when the great harvest shall be gathered, to take the elect into the kingdom of God. If the husbandman thinks on these things, his work will be sanctified; and he himself will be brought nearer every day to the kingdom of heaven. It is very truly said of the husbandman, that his work is never done; every season, every day, brings some new employment with it. It is the same with the Christian: his work is never done; and he would be under a dangerous mistake, if he should think it is for the tempter is always at some new device, to give a christian sorrow or trouble; he never thinks his work done, till the man is destroyed, and made a child of hell, instead of a child of God.

I would have it here to be remembered, that I am only giving a few examples, which the learner is to practise upon, and be multiplying all the days of his life. I open a school-door, into which he that is disposed may enter and profit according to his capacity; the employment is delightful; and the matter inexhaustible.

In our observations upon other people, charity and all the christian virtues will be exceedingly promoted, if we use ourselves to make a short prayer on what passes before our eyes. Thus if we see one that is blind; how proper would it be to say, "Lord, thou hast taken from that man bodily sight, give him the sight of the mind, which is far better." If you see one that is lame, you may say, "O thou who didst enable the lame to walk; though thou art not now present with us, to heal the infirmities of our bodies, thou

canst still show us the path of life, and enable us to walk in the way everlasting: thus shall the halt and lame enter into life." If we hear of any one that is fallen into some dreadful sin or calamity, it would be proper to say, "Lord, I bless thy name, that I myself am not made an example to lhat man, who is now made an example to me: raise up him that is fallen; and let me not be high minded, but fear; for blessed is the man that feareth always in such a world as this." If you should hear the bell sound for a funeral, you may say, "Lord, make me wise to consider my latter end: that while I live I may live unto thee, and when I die, I may die unto thee, so that living and dying I may be thine."

Once more if you should be present when criminals are judged at an assize; think of the great tribunal of Jesus Christ: think, how we shall all be called out of our graves, to stand before his judgment-seat in which case it is hardly possible for a man to turn his eyes towards himself, without saying,

Lord, how, where, shall I appear in that dreadful day? Olet thy holy angels find me, to strengthen and encourage me, before I dare to look upon thy face; that so I may have boldness in the day of judgment, and find myself placed on thy right hand among the heirs of salvation: Lord remember me in that day; for my heart panteth, my strength faileth, when I think of it but thou didst expire upon the Cross, to lessen the terrors of it to me and all poor penitent

sinners."

There would be no end, if we were to collect such other examples as might be thought of; the day, the night, the sea, the land, the heaven above, and the earth beneath, abound with objects to exercise our devotion I would now say a word or two on the ad