affairs, fo great a deliverance, fuch a mighty falvation as it must neceffarily excite our joy, fo fhould it quicken our gratitude, and incline us to return thee thanks, O God, as for our creation, prefervation, and all the bleffings of this life, fo above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jefus Chrift, for the means of Grace, and for the hope of Glory.

If we confider, that the whole race of men are mutually related to each other, that their concerns are too clofely connected to bear a feparation, that they came out of the hands of the fame Creator, are sustained by the Providence of the fame Preferver, and purchased by the blood of the fame Redeemer, we cannot but acknowledge the reasonableness of the duty which the Scriptures lay upon every man, of praying for his neighbour as well as for himfelf; of offering up his petitions to Almighty God, and interceding for them, that he will turn from them whatever may do them harm, and be pleased to give unto them what he fees needful either for their bodies or their fouls.

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On the whole if it is reasonable that the Creature should acknowledge his dependance on the Creator, that thofe who have done amifs fhould confefs it, and afk forgiveness, that those who stand in need of many good, and in fear of many evil things, fhould petition for the obtaining of the one, and preventing of the other, if it is reasonable to return thanks for benefits received, and evils prevented, to love our brethren, and to pay regard to the concerns of those persons with whom our own are connected, then it is in all thefe feveral refpects highly reasonable, that we should difcharge the duty of prayer to Almighty God.

This is fo evident, that we should fcarce believe, did we not daily fee it, that a rational creature could live in the grofs neglect and open contempt of a duty, which, merely as a rational creature, he cannot but know that he ought to perform; which is not more strongly recommended by Scripture, than by Reason itself, the darling idol of the modern world; and the contempt of which must not only rank him amongst the irreligious, but which he mayperhaps

perhaps think worse, amongst the unreasonable part of the creation. Notwithstanding this, there are men in the world, and those mighty Pretenders to Reason, who openly decry this duty, at least all the external parts of it, well knowing that without them the duty of itself cannot long fubfift, and artfully found their objections against it, upon an acknowledgment of, and a seeming veneration for, the divine attributes, and the honour of God's nature.

If, fay they, God is of infinite knowledge, as those who pray to him must certainly allow, what occafion is there for us to confefs our fins, and express our forrow for them, to lay open our wants and necessities to him, who by the necessary perfection of his nature fees into our hearts, and difcerns every motion there much plainer than we can poffibly express them.

Such objectors will do well to confider, that our prayers are not intended to give any information to God, which he before had not, but to implant deeply in our own breasts a proper fense

fenfe of what we have done, and a due eftima'tion of what we want; fo that the pardon of our fins, and fupply of our neceffities may have their due weight with us. Our thoughts come upon us so fuddenly, and fo quickly pass away, that it is fcarce poffible accurately to remember the thoughts even of a few hours; but when we give them birth, and bring them forth in proper words, they are then strongly impreft on our minds, and by a constant repetition of the fame means by which they first ftruck root, must always live and flourish in our memories. When the thoughts which we entertain upon a furvey of our fins and neceffities fo far influence us as to incline us to prayer, when we bring them forth before the Most High, cloathed in proper expreffions, and attended with suitable geftures, they are thereby moft deeply imprinted on our minds, and by a steady and uniform performance of this duty, are at last fixed in fuch strong colours, as never to be difcharged; whereas had they never iffued from the closets of our hearts, they might have been strangled in the birth, or proved the children but of a melancholy mo

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To be in fault, and ashamed to confefs it and ask pardon, to be in want and ashamed to acknowledge it and ask relief, are most certain figns of an obftinate and proud temper; a temper not at all qualified to receive bleffings from God, who refifteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

Before we can expect favours from God, we must entirely root out these faults, and in their stead implant humility and meeknefs; nor is there any better way of enabling us fo to do, no other way of fhewing that we have fo done, than the performance of the duty of Prayer.

In the common affairs of this world we do not expect our faults to be pardoned, nor our wants to be relieved before they are made known, and furely in point of common decency we cannot expect inestimable blessings from a Being fuch as God is, upon easier terms than those which we perform to our Brethren,

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