which a Man cannot but have the most intenfe Contemplation of the Deity; and, therefore, we have all imaginable, Reafon to believe that those who omit their Prayers do feldom find themselves at leisure, or difpofed, for ferious Meditation on these Subjects; confequently, all fuch Perfons must want that Check which thinking on God's Attributes must give them. How, then, is it poffible for them to be Religious and Virtuous? To attain the End without the Use of the neceffary Means? Nature is very corrupt and weak, Temptations are very numerous and ftrong; evil Spirits are very cunning and active, and able to give Temptations an additional Force: And can Man then, or will he refift Temptations, notwithstanding their natural Strength, aided by the grand Enemy, while he neglects the proper Means of Refiftance? No. He will, and must, be gradually carried down the Stream of Corruption, into an Ocean of Sin and Wickedness.

2dly, No Man can, in any measure, be good without God's Grace affifting him, the very weakest of our Inclinations being too ftrong for our natural Abilities to conquer. Heaven muft be called into our Defence, or else we muft yield ourselves Captives. This is the express Doctrine of the Gospel; this is the Language of our Articles, and Liturgy; this is a Truth acknowledged by all Chriftians. But, how, can the Affiftance of God's Grace be obtained without Prayer, because we cannot expect it without afking for it? This is another Truth as clearly laid

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faid down by Scripture, and our Church, and as univerfally affented to. God promifes Grace. Says he, afk and ye fhall have; which carries an Implication as ftrong as the moft pofitive Affertion, that without asking, God will not give it us: From whence it follows, that without Prayer it is impoffible for a Man to be a good CHRI

STIAN.

The next Affertion that I laid down is this, i. e. That, as a Man grows in Grace by his conftant Attendance on Prayer, and his due Performance of that Duty, fo in Proportion as he neglects to pray, or prays in an undue Manner, he will gradually decline in Religion and Virtue. This is evident from the Nature of Things. As bad Habits, unless reftrained, will grow stronger and stronger by Exercise; fo good ones, without conftant Exercise, and continual Supplies to forward their Growth, will daily grow weaker and weaker. Now, as has been fhewn, these fresh Supplies of Grace cannot be obtained without daily praying for Them; and, confequently, he that does not regularly and duly perform the Daty of Prayer, which is the most nourishing Food of the Soul, does, as I may fay, ftarve it, and thereby weaken its fpiritual Strength; his Virtues languish, and at laft for want of Recruits and Affiftance will expire; he returns into his natural State of Averfion to God, and Goodness, and, perhaps, refts there without fo much as attempting to recover himself. It is poffible, I confefs, that a Man who habitually neglects his Prayers, may not be fo debauched as to be no

toriously

torioufly wicked, and guilty of the moft fcandalous Enormities; fuch as habitual Drunkennefs, and Whoredom; Swearing, Curfing, and Damning himself and his Neighbours (tho' in This Cafe, he cannot anfwer for himself, that he fhall not, by degrees, be led into Them ;) yet, without fuch an extraordinary Degree of God's Grace, as no Man who has fo long neglected to afk for it, has any good Reafon to expect, he muft be void of all Religion, notwithstanding, and in a State of the most imminent Danger. There are many Perfons whom God, for wife and good Reafons, does not fuffer to be tempted; or the Devil, for malicious Reafons, will not tempt them to be guilty of fuch outrageous Wickedness. God reftrains, because he will not fuffer them to do fo much Mischief by their Examples; the Devil may not use all his Power, in hopes, by That Means, to be able the more effectually to ruin others by a lefs notorious, and fcandalous Degree of Impiety: Such Perfons, tho' not arrived to the highest Pitch of Iniquity, do, notwithstanding, want every, the smallest Grain of Religion; tho' They have not fo much actual Wickedness, They have every whit as little Goodness, as the most debauched Atheists. Nay, many Perfons make a decent Appearance in the World, and pass for tolerably good People, who, nevertheless, are utterly deftitute of all true Godlinefs. For, what is true Godliness? It is not a tolerable Outfide; it does not confist in abstaining from the worst of Crimes; it is not mere Sobriety, or Chastity, or any fuch outward Thing;

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it is an inward Difpofition of the Heart; it is a fixt, a fteady, a quick and active Defire, to the utmost of our Power, to conform ourselves to the Likeness of God's Nature, and to obferve all his Commands; it is a living Principle that will exert itself upon all proper Occafions; it is That whereby we take delight in fpiritual Things, and impatiently covet after them; and, like holy David, long and pant after God. This is Godliness, This is being truly Religious; and thus muft we endeavour to be if ever we expect to affociate with just Men made perfect in Heaven: Before we can be qualify'd for their Acquaintance, or their Employments, we must resemble Them in their Sentiments and Difpofitions; before we can be capable of feeing God, we must be Holy even as he bis Holy. And can such Sentiments and Dispofitions, as thefe, be acquired, or preferved, without Prayer? Can any one continue to delight in God without converfing with him? Can any one love Heaven above all Things who neglects an Acquaintance with That God, whofe immediate Prefence makes Heaven to be what it is? A

Man may become an Atheist for want of praying, but, I am fure, he cannot be truly holy without praying; for, no fooner does he cease to pray, but his Piety leffens of course; his Love of God is diminished, and his Religion moulders away and grows feeble, faints, and dies.

3dly, No Man can long continue in a State of deliberate, wilful Sin, who continually prays: I do not mean the formal Act of Prayer, but attentive and fervent Prayer. As to the proper Manner

Manner of performing This great Duty, I fhall confider it more at large in another Part of This Difcourfe. At prefent, I will only fuppofe a Man to believe that there is fuch a Being as he profeffes in his Prayers to believe; That God is infinitely Pure and Holy; that, in confequence of his own Nature, he must be a determined Enemy to all Vice, and will punish it. Let us, then, fuppofe that fuch a Man (for as to Infidels, or Perfons who make no Ufe of their Understanding, and act without meaning any thing by what They do, They are quite out of the Question) lives in the Habit of any known Sin, or frequently lapfes into fingle Acts of grofs Immorality, and, yet, daily, in a moft folemn Manner, falls upon his Knees before God, acknowledges his Guilt and Folly, and the Reasonableness of God's Laws; humbly and forrowfully afks Pardon, and promifes Amendment: Is it poffible for him long to continue in fuch a Contraft of daily Confeffion, and deliberate Sin? No. He must reform, or leave off Praying. Put the Cafe of an undutiful Child, Day after Day, acknowledging his Fault to an indulgent, but wife Father, who, he knows, will gladly receive him into Favour if he fhews the Sincerity of his Repentance, by an actual Amendment, but punih him with the greater Severity for continuing in his Difobedience, after fo many repeated Acknowledgements and Promifes, Would any one, that is not a Madman, or an Ideot, be able long to act fuch a Part? It is impoffible, utterly impoffible, He would shew that he was in earnest, or be