ers to God, because our Affections are placed upon other Objects. And, God knows, fuch is the Corruption and Weakness of our Nature, fince the Fall of Adam, fuch its ftrong Bias towards worldly and fenfual Things, and fo converfant are we with thofe Objects, naturally agreeable to us, that it is exceeding hard to keep ourfelves from being too fond of them. But, if they do engrofs our Affections, our Prayers will be lifeless and irkfome. And if we pray without Devotion, we fhall pray without Pleasure, and .be glad when it is over. But, these Difficulties, though I mention them as Reafons against Defpondency, on account of the Coldness of our Devotions, yet they ought to be made Inducements to Watchfulness and Industry. While we are Men, we fhall feel the Infirmities of human Nature; but, ftill, we muft continually strive against them. While the Duties of our Station require us to be converfant with the World, we fhall be apt to grow worldly-minded, and therefore we fhould be the more upon our Guard to secure our Hearts against their Enchantments. God is invifible, material Objects are conftantly prefenting themselves, and foliciting our Affections"; for which Reafons we fhould be the more affiduous to abftract our Thoughts, and lift up our Hearts to God. The natural Means of doing this, I have already hinted to you under the Head of Attention. If we often think of God, his Attributes, and Difpenfations, thefe Thoughts will tend to kindle pious Difpofitions: If we acquire just Notions of his Perfections, we fhall praise

you

praife him with fuitable Difpofitions: A juft Senfe of his Goodness will infufe Gratitude and Joy into our Thanksgivings: If we apprehend what miferable Creatures we fhould all be without the Continuance of his Bounty and Mercy, this would make us importunate and earneft in our Petitions for temporal and spiritual Bleffings: The Consciousnefs of our own Vileness, and God's Purity, will make our Confeffions forrowful and humble. This is the natural Way of acquiring Fervency and Devotion in our Pray

ers.

I can think of nothing, in the natural Way, more likely to make a Person pious and devout, than Mr. Harvey's Meditations, especially thofe upon the Tombs and the Starry Heavens, which are extremely folemn, yet adorn'd with fuch a Variety of beautiful Images, and enlivened with fo much Ingenuity, that they are as entertaining, as they are affecting. I thankfully congratulate this very worthy Gentleman upon the Credit and Pleasure of having done fo much Good, and being likely to do a great deal more.

But thefe natural Means alone will not do God's Grace is neceffary to affift our Endeavours; and, therefore, in all our Prayers, whether publick or private, we must first look up to God, and beg him to give us his Holy Spirit, to compofe our Minds, to fix our Thoughts, and raise our Affections; which is the more needful by reason of the Artifices of our grand Deceiver, who, as he is watchful to obstruct all good Actions and Difpofitions, fo he will be more

particularly

4

particularly induftrious to hinder the Succefs of our Devotions, which are fo acceptable to God, and fo great a Means of Grace and Improvement. Against this ftrong Hold he will be fure to plant all his Batteries, and employ all his Stratagems; and, therefore, befides our utmost Vigilance and Endeavours to fecure our Minds against his Suggeftions, we must always, before we enter upon the Duty, moft humbly and heartily implore the divine Affiftance; and whenever we find our Thoughts wandering, and our Hearts growing cold and lifeless, we should immediately, in a fhort Ejaculation, apply ourselves to him who only can enable us to refift the De vil, that he may flee from us.

What I have faid concerning Attention and Fervency, is equally applicable to private and publick Prayer, and is the Worship only of the Mind; but we must worship God with our Bodies alfo, that we may pay him the Devotion of our whole Natures. God has a Right to the Worfhip of our Minds, because he created them; and St. Paul commands us to glorify him with our Bodies, because be bought them with a Price, the Price of his Blood, 1 fhall confider bodily Worship, as it relates to publick and private Prayer.

First, As it relates to publick Prayer.

Now the Defign of bodily Worthip in a Congregation, being to exprefs to others the inward Worthip of the Mind, we must do it by fuch outward Tokens as by Nature and Custom are the common Significations of it. I fay Nature and

Cuftom;

Cuftom; for, fome external Expreffions of our inward Sentiments and Affections, are as unalterable as our Natures, while others are of arbitrary Inftitution by an Agreement amongst ourfelves. All external Expreffions of our Thoughts may be brought under the three following Heads, our Looks, our Voices, and our Gestures. The two first are the unalterable Language of Nature, the laft, of human Inflitution by Agreement. In all of them we must exprefs the Sentiments and Difpofitions of the Mind, in the fame Manner at our Devotions, as we exprefs them at other Times, or else we do not manifeft them to others, which is the Intention of external Worhip. By this unerring Rule let us examine our Behaviour at our publick Devotions.

Firft, as to our Looks. Dr. Watts has expreffed himself fo pertinently and handsomely upon this Point, that I will not undertake to exprefs myself better, and therefore I fhall give the Reader the Paffage in the Doctor's own Words, Page 80." In the Face the God of Nature has "written various Indications of the Temper of "the Mind, and efpecially when it is moved by

any warm Affection. In divine Worship the "whole Visage fhould be compofed to Gravity "and Solemnity, to exprefs a holy Awe and "Reverence of the divine Majefty of God, and "the high Importance of the Work wherein "we are engag'd. In Confeffion of Sin, while "we exprefs the Sorrows of our Soul, Melan

choly will appear in our Countenances; the "Dejection of the Mind may be read there, and, " according

" according to the Language of Scripture, Shame "and Confufion will cover our Faces. The hum"ble Sinner blushes before God at the Remem

brance of his Guilt, Jer. li. 51. Ezra ix. 6. «Fervency in our Petitions, and holy Joy when "we give Thanks to God for his Mercies, and "rejoice in our higheft Hope, will be discovered

by very agreeable and pleafing Traces in the * Features and Countenance." This Obfervation of the pious and ingenious Author is fo true, that where there are no Appearances of thefe Paffions in the Countenance, we have no reafon to think that the Paffions are, at that Time, in the Mind; and, the stronger the Paffions, the ftronger will be thofe Appearances, which are the natural Indications, because they are the natural Effects, of them. Intenfenefs, Earnestness, and Anxiety of Mind for the Success of our Prayers will fhew themselves in a steddy Eye, and a fixed Compofure of the Features. Obferve any Man when he is intent upon any difficult Point of Learning, or fettling an intricate Account, that requires clofe Application of Thought, and you may read his Attention very legibly in his Looks. Obferve another that is going upon fome Bufinefs of the laft Confequence to him, and you may fee that the Event engroffes the whole Man; you may pafs by him, and he will not fee you; you may fpeak to him, and he will not hear you; all the Senfes are locked up; external Objects can get no Admittance. But let any one go into a Church, and take a View of the Countenances of the Congregation, will he

be