Behaviour. I ask, now, any fober Perfon living, whether this particular Acknowledgement in private be not more effectual than a general one, in company with others, where we only declare that he has been very kind to us all; whether my Friend would not expect it from me; and whether it would not more ftrongly excite Gratitude in me, and make me the more careful to please him? Or, if I have privately done a particular Injury to this very kind Friend, or endeavoured, or intended, to do it, and it, fome way, or other, comes to his Knowledge, fhould I only go along with feveral others, who have, likewife, injured, or affronted him, where I could have no Opportunity of mentioning my particular Offence, but only join with them in owning our common Offences, and afking his Pardon: Would he think this a fufficient Satisfaction? Or would this general Confeffion be equally efficacious towards creating in my Mind a proper Sense of Shame, and Sorrow, and a Refolution to behave better for the future? I fay, would this have the fame Effect as if I went by myself, laid open all the aggravating Circumstances of my Guilt, and humbled myself in Words, and Gestures, that may be more fuitable than fuch as I could decently ufe in publick, where the Publick are ignorant of the Fact, and of the Nature and Circumstances of it, and ought to be kept ignorant? I think this is fo obvious a Cafe, that I may truft the most ordinary Underftanding with the Determination of it, and leave him to draw the plain Comparison between this Cafe, ' and that of the fingular Mercies which we receive from God, and our particular Offences committed againft Him. This Method I would advife to be put in practice in the following Manner: To give an habitual Attention to our Thoughts, and Words, and Actions. This may be done in any Station of Life whatsoever. There may be fome Difficulty in doing it, efpecially at first, but by degrees it will grow more and more eafy. This will bring us acquainted with ourfelves, naturally increase our Watchfulness, and be the Means of preventing Sins, as well as of reclaiming us from the Repetition of them. Whenever we catch ourfelves at a Fault, if it be the Refult of natural Infirmity, it may be fufficient for fuch Escapes, if we immediately lift up our Minds to God (which may be done in Company), in a penitential Ejaculation. If the Fault be more deliberate and wilful, or the Repetition of one that we have often committed, we thould not only lift our Minds to God at that Inftant, but lay it up carefully in our Memories, and before we go to Bed weigh the Circumftances of it, and make a particular and folemn Acknowledgment of it. I add farther, that in the Cafe of very notorious Sins, fuch as that of David's, or an Escape from imminent Danger of our Lives, we thould not content ourfelves with a fingle Acknowledgment, but make it an Article in our daily Prayers in our Clofets. I would recommend the fame Method in regard to Temptations. Every one has fomething in his Conftitution, or Situation, that fubjects him to particular H cular Temptations, and, therefore, in our Closets, we should be particular in begging God's Grace to inable us to refift them. A Perfon naturally inclin'd to Lascivioufnefs, fhould daily pray for Chastity; the Proud, for Humility; the Cholerick, for Meekness, &c. The fame Course fhould be taken in respect to such Sins as we are in most danger of from our Circumftances in Life. The Rich fhould pray, particularly, against the natural and ufual Confequences of Riches upon the Minds and Manners of Men, and for a Difpofition to make a good ufe of them. Perfons, in the more elevated Stations of Life, and intrufted with Power and Influence, are fubject to more and greater Temptations, either to abuse their Truft, or to neglect the due Difcharge of it; They ftand in need of more Watchfulness, and more Affiftance from God's Grace; and, therefore, it is incumbent upon them to afk, particularly, for thofe Virtues which are neceffary to the Discharge of their great Truft; and, above all, that God would give them a true, publick Spirit, an inflamed Zeal for the Honour of God,. the Intereft of his Religion, and the Good of Mankind; fuch a Zeal as may guard them from low and mean Views; and I call all Views low and mean, which are inconfiftent with thofe, great ones that I have just now mentioned. I chufe not to be more particular in explaining myfelf: Thofe honeft Readers who are difpofed to make a good Ufe of a Hint, will take it, the reft will only be provok'd to Refentment. But before I quit this Head, I muft defire the Rea der to apply what I have faid concerning Men's particular Sins, and Temptations, to Sins of Omiffion, which I apprehend to be much more numerous than thofe of Commiffion, because they are more likely to efcape our Notice, and, confe quently, we more likely to lapfe into them.. Another Advantage I fhall barely mention, because it requires no Inlargement upon it: Every one has particular Friends and Benefactors, whom a generous and affectionate Mind wouldbe glad, in a particular Manner, to recommend to the Bleffing of God; which can be done only in our private Devotions, fince no CommonPrayer can defcend to fuch Particulars. And thus having mentioned the principal Advantages peculiar to private Prayer, I fhall fubjoin a neceffary Caution. Our bleffed Saviour has directed us to make our private Devotions as fecret as poffible; but this Direction must not be followed to the Neglect of fuch Prayers. As far as poffible we should make them fecret, but make them we must, though we should have no Opportunity of retiring from the Notice of every human Eye. Such Circumftances may, and often do, happen; and, in these Cases, it will be no pharifaical Oftentation, if we fuffer others to. fee us upon our Knees addreffing ourselves to God, but a neceffary Piece of Juftice to Religion, and to ourselves; but, then, what paffes between God and us may be fecret, for we need not speak fo as to be heard by any one; or we may only direct our Minds to God without speaking at all. H 2 These These are the principal Advantages peculiar to private Prayer: As to thofe which are peculiar to publick Prayer, I fhall take the Liberty of fetting them forth in a Tranfcript from that moft excellent Preacher and found Divine, as well as pious Chriftian, Archbishop Sharp, Vol. 4. p. 157. "It is the Fault of a great many, and even of fome that have otherwise an hearty *Senfe of Religion, that they have not that "Efteem and Value for the publick Worship of God, that, in the Nature of Things, it doth "call for. If they do but fay their Prayers devoutly in their Clofets, (and I would to God "that all Perfons did that) they think they have "done enough; all that is needful for the Dif charge of that Part of their Duty which concerns the Worship of God. The Church Prayers, "and, likewife, Prayers in their Families, they "can well enough fpare. And tho' they do, perhaps, now and then attend the publick Worship, yet it is not fo much for the Sake "of the Prayers, as for the Curiofity of hearing a Sermon; or, it may be, for the avoiding the "Scandal that their Abfence at fuch Times "would bring upon them. But, certainly, this "is far from being a right Notion of the Wor fhip of God; fo far from it, that I must say "it is a very abfurd one. We do own, that to "ferve God in private, is a neceffary Duty; nay, so neceffary, that there is no living an holy Christian Life without it. We own, likewife, that as the Thing is infinitely reafonable in itself, fo it is attended with Advan |