and to restrain them from profaning this day; and, if they will not be reclaimed, to expel them from your house: If they neglect or mifmanage your work, would ye not use your power and authority with them, to cause them help their faults? And, were you in as good carneft for God's fervice on the Sabbath, as for your awn upon week days, I am perfuaded ye might bring your children and servants to serve God, and keep this day far better than they do.

Queft. III. What are the fecret duties requifite upon the Lord's day?.

Anf. It is not enough that we worship God this day in conjunction with others, whether in the congregation or in families: The right fanctification of the Sabbath includes fecret duties alfo, fuch as prayer, reading, meditation, &c. That religion is not true, which is all visible to the world; for the life of religion lies in the fecret intercourses which are betwixt God and the foul, that the eyes of men do not penetrate into. Secret duties are the best trial of our fincerity; the Lord, that feeth in fecret, takes special notice of them, and, if duly performed, he will openly reward them. Let us therefore make confcience of them, and that efpecially upon God's holy day, which is entirely fet apart for holy duties: And labour to time duties fo this day, as one duty may not juftle out another. As you must not let family duties interfere with public duties; fo you muft take care that fecret duties do not interfere with family ones. But, more particularly.

1. Secret prayer is a duty neceffary on the Lord's day, both for preparing us to attend the public ordinances, and for improving and reaping benefit by them afterwards. I do not mean, that this duty is to be confined to the Sabbath only: No; it is neceffary every day, according to David's example, Pfalm lv. 17. but that is especially requifite as a part of the worship of this day. Prayer is fo neceffary, that it is put for the whole worship of God, Acts ii. 21. It is the character of a converted foul," Behold he prays," Acts ix, 11. but it is the mark of an atheist, that he calls not upon God," Pfal. xiv. And, in a fpecial manner, se

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*cret prayer is what every carnal man hath an averfion to. The devil can allow men their church prayers, their family prayers; but, for clofet prayers he cannot away with, efpecially when they are frequent and conftant, because they are too much an argument of fincerity. A hypocrite takes no delight in fecret prayer, nor in any duty but what is feen of men, and will gain him a name. But, reader, if thou art fincere, thou wilt confider that God's eye is upon thee in private, as well as in public; and therefore wilt feek to approve thyfelf to God in fecret duties, as well as public. As fecret prayer was our Saviour's conftant practice while on earth, fo it was his fpecial injunction to all his followers, Mat. vi. 6. You need not fear that your secret prayers will be forgotten. No: God is every where: he has an ear to hear your fecret groans, and an eye to fee your fecret tears: Yea, he has a bottle to preferve them, fo as a drop of them fhall not be loft.

In our fecret addreffes, which are more stated and folemn, let us carefully remember the thrée parts of prayer, confeffion, petition and thanksgiving. Let us confefs the fins we are guilty of, cry for the mercies we want, and thank God for those we enjoy. Let us mind that this is not only a commanded duty, but our dignity and privilege. What an honour is it for dust and alhes to be allowed access to the great God! for a worm to fpeak freely to its Creator! for a poor beggår to converfe familiarly with the King of heaven? O finner, would not all thy neighbours envy thee, if thou wert fo honoured by an earthly king? Be exhorted then to value and make ufe of this liberty.

2. Confider at what a dear rate Chrift hath bought this freedom for us: How much did it cost him to erect a throne of grace, to which we may repair with confidence? And, will not we make use of this privilege with thanksgiving?

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3. Confider the profit of it: It is like the fhip, Prov. xxxi. 14. that brings our food from afar." By it we trade with heaven, and bring down Chrift's unfearchable riches: It is a key to open the treasure of God's mercies to us in the morning, and

to lock us up under God's protection at night. By it we prevail with God, fcreen ourselves from wrath, and put fatan to flight. In a word, prayer is a key to heaven, a fhield to the foul, a facrifice to God, and a fcourge to the devil.

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4. It is the way to make up and preferve acquaintance with God, which will be of great ufe to you in the time of trouble, or at the hour of death: It is no small encouragement to you to addrefs one for help, with whom you have had long acquaintance and familiarity, and of whofe kindness you have had frequent experience. But, prayerlefs man, it will be a moft melancholy cafe, when you are going out of the world, to put to cry to that God you have been an utter ftratger to all your life; or to be forced to appear before that God you never loved, or, defired to converfe with; or to be fain to challenge acquaintance with him, who . will utterly disclaim you, and fay, "Depart from me, I never knew you." But, O praying foul! that hast acquaintance with God, death will have another view to thee; thou mayft look on it, as Jacob did on the waggons fent to carry him to his friend Jofeph, and fay, "Now I am going to God, whom I know; I am go"ing to meet with that Friend, with whom I have had

a long acquaintance, to whom I have paid many a "vifit, and with whom I have had sweet fecret converfe, and whom I have longed to fee, and who will " embrace me in his arms, and welcome me to glory.”

5. Confider what a mercy it is, O man, that God is yet calling thee to prayer, and continuing thee in the land of prayer, when so many thousands, as deferving, are beyond prayer, and loft for ever. O then pray now, while thou haft time to pray, health to pray, helps to pray, and encouragement to pray. Read the gracious promifes of life and falvation to you, if you do it, Plał. Ixix. 32. Rom. x.`13. Make this world a time for prayer, and the next shall be a feafon for praife. Doft thou think to be faved without prayer? Doft thou expect to have thy life without begging it at God's hands? O what oil will it add to thy flames in hell, when confcience will tell thee, If thou hadft prayed, thou hadst

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not been there? Well then, now thou haft a feafon for prayer; but, remember, it will not always laft: If thou improve it not, expect that God will turn a deaf ear to you in the day of your calamity, at a death bed, or a tribunal. Read, and tremble at that word, Prov. i. 26. 27. 28. God fays, "He will not hear you when you cry." And, if he refufe to hear you, then, who will hear you? Angels will not, faints will not, nearest relations will not, hills and mountains will not: And, what a wretched, forlorn and forfaken creature wilt thou be? There will be none to own thee then, if thou acquaint not thyfelf with God by prayer now. See the answer the foolish virgins got, when they came after the door was fhut. Matth. xxv. See what an answer the rich man got, when he begged for " a drop of cold water to cool his tongue," Luke xvi. "Seek God, then, while he may be found; call on him while he is near" Otherwife your late untimely cries will not be regarded.

Object. "O, fay fome, we have not the gift of prayer, we cannot pray."

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Anf. I have faid enough in anfwer to this a little be fore. Ifhall only add one word; Art thou a Christian, O maa, and cant not pray? Thou nayft as well fay, thou art a fcholar, but canit not read; a foldier, but cant not fight. Prayer is as effential to a true Chrif tian, as breath is to the body: Why? prayer is the very breathing of the foul to God. So it is called, Lam. iii. 56. O man, have you nothing to say in prayer? then go to God, and tell him fo; fit down on your knees, and fay, "Here a poor ignorant creature, that cannot pray; Lord, teach me to pray." The publican made a very short prayer, Luke xviii. "God be merciful to me a finner;" yet it was accepted, fince it came from a humble heart. O! if your heart be broken, your words will be accepted, although they be broken and few. The fillicft beggar will find fomething to. fay at your door, though he expect but a crumb; and can you find nothing to fay at God's door, when you have a foul to fave, a hell to fhun, and Jefus Christ and a kingdom in your view?

But,

But, befides that fort of fecret prayer which is more stated and folemn, there is prayer that is more fudden and ejaculatory, when we lift up our hearts to God with fome thort petitions, on any occafion or emergen cy. Ejaculatory prayers are useful on every day, but you should have them more frequent on the Sabbathday: For, fince on this day you maft" not think your own thoughts, or find your own pleasures," heavenly breathings and pious ejaculations should iffue forth continually By feeking pardon for fuch a fin, ftrength against fuch a luft, victory over fuch a temptation, and grace to fpend Sabbath time faitably. Are you going to the church, or returning from it? Are you reading, hearing, communicating, praifing, or about any other duty? be frequently making use of this kind of prayer, particularly begin and end every duty with it; look up before for affiftance, and look up after it for acceptance, and that infirmities in it, for Chrift's fake, may be pardoned. Thefe prayers, of all others, are the freeft of distraction, they being put up and over before ever fatan be awakened to tempt us. As for other prayers, our preparations to them, though only by the alteration of our posture, give notice to fatan what we are about to do but ejaculatory prayers are fo quickly darted up to God, that they will be in heaven before fatan can fhoot any of his darts against us. They are used to keep up communion with God in the intervals of other duties, and for keeping the heart in the fear of God all the day long. As the priests under the law were not only to offer up the morning and evening facrifice duly," but to keep the fire burning on the altar all the day;" fo we must not fatisfy ourselves with folemn and ftated duties only, but should study to keep in the fire always by holy thoughts and ejaculations, Chrift faith of the fpoufe, that "her lips drop as an honey comb," which is either still dropping, or in a continual forwardnefs to drop. Some of God's people have more devotion this way in their fhops, than others have in their clofets; and while walking in the streets, or working in the fields, than others have when praying on their knees: They have ftricter communion with God this VOL. IV.

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