2dly, The Exercife of Prayer is of infinite Service towards our living comfortably in all Circumftances of Life. That we ought to be fatisfied and easy under the different Difpenfations. of Providence, is fo plain a Truth, that I think no body can be ignorant of it. Our bleffed Lord teaches us to pray that God's Will may be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven; and, consequently, we are indifpenfably bound to fubmit to all the Difpofals of our heavenly Father; not only to be contented, but chearful under them. Now, in order to this State of Mind, two Things are neceffary.-First, That we be not over anxious about the Succefs of our Affairs.-Secondly, That we be not displeas'd with fuch Evils as are actually come upon us; and in both thefe Cafes the conftant Exercise of Prayer, when rightly performed, will be very helpful.

First, I fay, it makes Men perfectly eafy with respect to future Contingencies; with refpect to what may happen in the Changes of this uncertain Life. It is evident that an over-careful Temper is a great Misfortune, it robs a Man of all present Satisfaction, and makes his Life a Burden to him; but PRAYER removes this great Evil: He that is accuftom'd to converfe with his Creator, the wife and good Governour of the World, by fo doing practifes Refignation, gives himself up wholly into God's Hands, and thereby, acquires the Habit of being without Carefulness; because, having trufted all Things in the Hands of a good and gracious Mafter, of a kind and tender Father; he cannot but be affured that all

his Affairs fhall be fo order'd as, in the final If fue of things, fhall be beft for him; and Anxiety is fo utterly inconfiftent with this abfolute Refignation, that the Practice of the one must neceffarily destroy the other. Befides, he that does rightly perform the Duty of Prayer, does always pray for a Bleffing upon all his Endeavours; and whenever he fets about any particu lar Business, he begs God's peculiar Providence over him in it; when he has done this he cannot doubt of as much Succefs as is confiftent with his own real Good, tho', perhaps, not always what is most agreeable to him: And, therefore, every good Man, thus imploring the Bleffing of God upon his Endeavours, may depend upon Succefs whenever it is not better for him to be without it. For which Reafon, he that thus practises Prayer, can never be folicitous about Futurity; he is abfolutely certain that, upon the whole, every thing fhall turn out to his Advantage: This gives him a Tranquillity of Mind to which others must be Strangers. They are divided and torn to Pieces by perplexing Thoughts; their Minds, like the troubled Sea that cafteth up Mire and Dirt, is frequently foreboding Disasters; and, having placed no Confidence in God, the great Difpofer of all Things, they have no Security that any real Calamity which they dread fhall not happen, thwart their Designs, and bring them into Dif trefs. But,

Secondly, the Exercife of Prayer can make Men eafy under all thofe Calamities, which are

actually

actually fallen upon them. The beft Man upon Earth cannot promise himself an absolute Security from temporal Evils and Afflictions, because God oftentimes fees it convenient to lay Sorrows upon his choicest and most favourite Servants for their Good; fo that they muft tafte of That which, to Flesh and Blood, is a bitter Cup. Now, when thefe Calamities do befal us, certainly they are very burthenfome to human Nature; and, if we have not Affistance from Religion, we know not how to bear them with any Temper. We may be but too plainly convinced of this by obferving what many Perfons will do, how they will facrifize their Conscience, and risk their eternal Happiness, to avoid them, or to get rid of them and, therefore, it must needs be a great Happinefs to be delivered from the Burden of fuch fad Accidents as human Forefight cannot teach us to fhun, nor human Power enable us to remove: Nor, is it only our Happiness, but our Duty alfo, thus patiently to fubmit, and take off our bitter Portion with a chearful Refignation: God has pofitively commanded us not to murmur, or repine, but with all Readiness and Alacrity to receive his Chastisements, and to count it all Foy when we fall into diverfe Temptations, knowing that the Tryal of our Faith worketh Patience. This was the Practice of the blessed Apoftles, who were transported by their Sufferings for CHRIST; not into Defpair, nor an inveterate Hatred of the Rod that fmote them, but into triumphant Exultation, and the most Aaming Love of their Mafter, who counted them worthy

worthy to fuffer in his Name. This must be our Practice, too, if we expect to arrive at those happy Regions, where They who fuffer for the christian Faith, or, any ways, in the Discharge of their Duty, fhall be glorified together with CHRIST. But, bow is this abfolute Refignation, this neceffary Duty, poffible to him that does not practise the Duty of Prayer? He kicks against the Pricks; he makes his Misfortunes gall him the more by bearing the Yoke with Impatience: Whereas, he that prays to God in his Distress, knowing, that it is the Will of his heavenly Father that he should be afflicted, fubmits his Soul and Body to his Difpofal; begs his Affistance to enable him to bear the Crofs, and, then, is heartily willing to take it upon his Shoulders: He confiders that God is his Friend, who intends, and acts, for his Benefit; and, by frequent Converse with his Friend in Prayer, he becomes fo thoroughly fatisfied of his real Love, and Kindness towards him, that he never utters a repining Word, or entertains a difcontented Thought. Knowing that he has ufed his best Endeavours, if God fees fit that he should be dif appointed, he does not defire that the Ends of infinite Wisdom fhould be defeated: And, if at any time his Fortune be blafted, his Family vifited with Sickness, or himself caft upon a Bed of Sorrows; why, he is affured that Afflic tions do not rife out the Duft, but are fent for wife Purposes, by the fupreme Governour of the World; and, therefore, he retires within himfelf; converfes with that God who laid the

Trouble

as may

Trouble upon him; he tells him that he is entirely fatisfied, begs fuch a Measure of his Grace fuftain his loaded Mind from finking under the Weight of its Burden.-Every one knows what a Relief it is to a Perfon in Afflic tion to have a faithful Friend, to whom he can freely unbofom himself, especially if he be fuch a one as he knows to be both able and willing, to affift him. What infinite Satisfaction and Comfort, then, muft it be to an afflicted Soul to unbofom itself to its dear Redeemer and omni potent God, who, alone, is able, and who is moft certainly willing to help it, either by removing the Complaint, or turning it to a fpiritual Advantage, and amply rewarding it in another World. Under thefe Circumftances of Diftrefs, let us imagine fome fuch Converfation as this, between God and the afflicted Soul. "The Soul, by Prayer, laments its fad Condi❝tion, lays open all its Complaints and Griev

ances, acknowledges the Juftice, and mag"nifies the Love of God, in thus dealing with "him, humbly imploring the divine Affiftance "to comfort, fupport, and relieve it." In anfwer to this Addrefs, God, by the Holy Scriptures (which the Soul by Faith applies to itself) and the lecret Suggeftions of his Spirit, "Teftifies "his fincere Affection; kindly declares the

Reafons of his laying on the Burden, with an "Affurance that it fhall continue no longer than "Mercy itself fhall fee neceffary: comforts it "with Promifes of fufficient Affiftance, and

thews it the Glory of that Crown which fhall

" be