any particular spirit or private temper, or any more exceeded the plain doctrine of scripture, than if I had declared against drunkenness and debauchery. Let a man but be fo much a Chriftian, as not to think it too high a degree of perfection, or too strict and rigid to be in earnest in these two petitions, Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; and he has Chriftianity enough to persuade him, that it is neither too high perfection, nor too ftrict and rigid, conftantly to declare against, and always to avoid the entertainment of the fage. CHA P. XII. Chriftians are called to a conftant state of prayer and devotion. IT is one principal article of our religion to believe, that our Bleffed Saviour is now at the right hand of God, there making perpetual interceffion for us, till the redemption of mankind is finifh'd. Prayer therefore is undoubtedly a proper means of drawing near to God, a neceffary method of restoring finners to his favour; fince he, who has conquer'd fin and death, who is conftituted Lord of all, is yet, as the great Advocate for finners, oblig'd to make perpetual interceffion for them. WHENEVER therefore we are in the fpirit of prayer; when our hearts are lifted up to God, breathing out holy petitions to the throne of grace, we have this encouragement to be conftant and fervent in it, that we are then joining with an interceffion at the right hand of God, and doing that for our felves on earth, which our Bleffed Saviour is perpetually doing for us in heaven. This reafon of prayer is perhaps not much confider'd; Z3 confider'd; yet it ctainly contains a most powerful motive to it. For who, that confiders his redemption as now carrying on by an interceffion in heaven, can think him el. fo agreeable to God, io like his Saviour, as when the conftancy of his own prayers bears some refemblance to that never-ceafing interceffion which is made above? This fhews us alfo, that we are most of all to defire thofe prayers which are offer'd up at the altar, where the body and blood of Christˇare joined with them. For as our prayers are only acceptable to God through the merits of Jesus Christ; fo we may be fure that we are praying to God in the moft prevailing way, when we thus pray in the name of Chrift, and plead his merits in the highest manner that we can. DEVOTION may be confider'd either as an exercife of publick or private prayers at fet times and occafions; or as a temper of the mind, a state and difpofition of the heart, which is rightly affected with such exercises. Now external acts of devotion, are like other external actions, very liable to falseness, and are only fo far good and valuable, as they proceed from a right difpofition of heart and mind. Zealous profeffions of friendship are but the more abominable hypocrify for being often repeated, unless there be an equal zeal in the heart; fo folemn prayers, rapturous devotions, are but repeated hypocrifies, unless the heart and mind be conformable to them. Since therefore it is the heart only that is devout; fince the regularity and fervency of the heart is the regularity and fervency of devotion; I fhall confider devotion chiefly in this refpect, as it is a state and temper of the heart. For it is in this fenfe only, that Christians are called to a conftant ftate of devotion; they are not to be always on their knees in acts of prayer; but they are to be always in the state and temper of devotion. FRIENDSHIP does not require us to be always waiting upon our friends in external fervices; these offices have their times and seasons of intermiffion; it is only the fervice of the heart, the friendship of the mind, that is never to intermit; it is not to begin and end, as external fervices do; but is to perfevere in a conftancy like the motion of our heart, or the beating of our pulfe. It is just fo in devotion; prayers have their hours, their beginning and ending; but that turn of mind, that difpofition of the heart towards God, which is the life and spirit of prayer, is to be as constant and lasting as our own life and spirit. THE repeating of a creed at certain times, is an act of faith; but that faith, which overcometh the world, ftays neither for times nor feasons, but is a living principle of the foul, that is always believing, trusting, and depending upon God. In the fame manner, verbal prayers are acts of devotion; but that prayer which faveth, which openeth the gates of heaven, itops not at forms and manuals of devotion; but is a language of the foul, a judgment of the heart, which worships, adores, and delights in God, at all times and seasons. THE neceffity and reafon of prayer, is like all other duties of piety, founded in the nature of God, and the nature of man. It is founded in the nature of God, as he is the fole fountain and cause of all happinefs; it is founded in the nature of man, as he is weak and helplefs, and full of wants. So that prayer is an earneft application or afcent of the heart to God, as to the fole caufe of all happiness. He therefore that most truly feels the mifery, corruption and weakness of his own nature; who is most fully convinced that a relief from all these disorders, and a true happiness, is to be found in God alone; he who is most fully convinced of these two truths, is moft fully poffeffed of the fpirit of prayer. There is but one way therefore to arrive at a true state of devotion, and that is, to get right notions of our felves, and of the divine Nature; that having a full view of the relation we bear to God, our fouls may as conftantly afpire to him, as they as conftantly afpire after happiness. This alfo fhews us the abfolute neceffity of all thofe fore-mention'd doctrines of humility, Self Self-denial, and renunciation of the world. For if devotion is founded in a sense of the poverty, misery and weakness of our nature, then nothing can more effectually destroy the spirit of devotion, than pride, vanity, and indulgence of any kind. These things ftop the breath of prayer, and as neceffarily extinguish the flame of devotion, as water extinguishes common fire. I prayer is alfo founded in right notions of God, in believing him to be the fole fountain and cause of all our happiness; then every thing that takes this truth out of our minds, that makes us lefs fenfible of it, makes us fo far lefs capable of devotion; fo that worldly cares, vain pleasures, falfe fatisfactions, are all to be renounced, that we may be able to pray. For the spirit of prayer has no farther hold of us, than fo far as we fee our wants, imperfections and weakness, and likewife the infinite fulness and all-fufficiency of God; when we thoroughly feel these two great truths, then are we in the true fpirit of prayer. Would you therefore be in the ftate and temper of devotion, you muft practise all those ways of life that may humble you in your own fight; you must forbear all those indulgences and vanities which blind your heart, and give you falfe notions of your felf; you must feek that way of life, accuftom your felf to fuch practices, as beft convince you of the vanity of the world, and the littleness of every thing but God. This is the only foundation of prayer. When you don't enough fee either your own littlenefs, or the greatness of God; when you either feek for pleasure in your felf, or think that it is any where to be found, except in God, you put your felf out of a state of devotion. For you can defire nothing, but what you think you want; and you can defire it only in fuch a degree, as you feel the want of it. It is certain therefore, that whatever leffens or abates the feeling of your own wants; whatever takes you from looking to God, as the only poffible relief of them, fo far leffens and abates the spirit and fervour of your devotion. may WE WE fometimes exhort people to fervour in devotion; but this can only mean as to the outward acts of it: for to exhort people to be fervent in devotion, as that implies a temper of the heart, is to as little purpose as to exhort people to be merry or to be forry. For thefe tempers always follow the judgments and opinions of our minds; when we perceive things to be as we like them, then we are merry; when we find things in a contrary ftate, then we are forry. It comes to pafs after the fame manner in devotion; bid a man be fervent in devotion, tell him it is an excellent temper; he knows no more how to go about it, than how to be merry, because he is bid to be fo. Stay till old age, till fickness, misfortunes, or the approach of death, has convinc'd him that he has nothing good in himself; that there is nothing valuable in the world; that all that is good, or great, or glorious, is in God alone; and then he will find himself as difpos'd to devotion, and zealous defires after God, as the man is difpos'd' to cheerfulness, who fees things in that ftate in which he would have them to be. So that the one and only way to be devout, is to fee and feel our own weakness," the vanity of the world, and the greatnefs of God, as dying men fee and feel them. It is as impoffible to be devout without feeing things in this view, as it is impoffible to be cheerful without perceiving fomething in our condition that is according to our mind. Hence therefore we may learn to admire the wisdom and divinity of the Chriftian religion, which calls all its members to humility, felf-denial, and a renunciation of worldly tempers, as a neceffary foundation of piety and devotion. It was in thefe practices, that our Saviour first inftituted his religion; it was on thefe conditions, that the apostles embrac'd it, and taught it to others; it was in these doctrines, that the primitive Chriftians became fuch worthy followers of our Saviour and his apoftles. Thefe doctrines are ftill in the gospel, and till they are to be found in our lives, we fhall never find our felves in a ftate of devotion. For I muit again repeat, |