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It has been already obferv'd, that when he came early to Church; and was fo happy as to get a retir'd Place, he continu'd at his Private Devotions, till the Publick Service began, or a very little before: And how he employ'd thofe happy Moments of Privacy and Devotion, in the Houfe of God: The following Prayer, mention'd, as us'd by him in the Church, before Morning Prayer began, will fhew.

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Behold, O Lord, this Portion of thy Family, whom in this Place Thou haft fo often graciouflv vifited, and favour'd; and who have addicted, and given up themselves to thy Service; are here met together, in behalf of our felves, and of the reft of our happy number; and of all our Chriftian Brethren, even thy whole Church. We . beseech thee to unite our Hearts more and more in thy felf, that we may have but one ' Heart, and one Mind, as we have but one Design, one Aim and Hope. Let us now welcome each other (with Hearts full of Love and Joy) unto thy Prefence, as we hope one day to welcome each other into thy Prefence in Glory. Let our Civil Refpects (before thy Service begins) be fuch hearty and holy Salutations, as the blefled Elizabeth gave to the Mother of our Lord: And may we have leave to say to each other, Hail, Thon that art favour'd of God, the Lord is with Thee. Behold we come with united Hearts, to beg of Thee, the confirming of thy Grace and Favour to us;

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we come, to present our felves before thee, with most thankful Acknowledgments < for thy Mercies received; and to adore Thee,who haft fo graciously vifited us. We come humbly to implore of Thee, ftrength against our respective Temptations and Dif ficulties in Life; to befeech Thee to fupply all our Weakneflès, to make us happily vi&torious against all our Corruptions; and more than Conquerors, thro' Thee who haft loved us. But, O our bountiful Lord God! If it be fuch Joy to meet those whom we love, now in thy Prefence; what will it be to meet Ten Thousand Glorifi'd Spirits, ' each of which we fhall love infinitely more in thy Kingdom of Glory, than we can do any Creature here! Glory be to Thee, O 'Lord of Glory and of Love; who haft given us fuch prefent Pleasure in thy Service, and fuch Comfortable Hopes of thofe Eternal good things, which Thou haft prepar'd for them that love Thee. Amen.

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He had the jufteft Value, and highest Vene- His Ffleem ration for that great Repofitory of true De, for the Liturvotion, the Liturgy of our Church; for which, gy of our his Regard was not in the leaft abated, by the great Fervour of his private Prayers. For tho' his Devotion was very Intenfe, and full of Life and Warmth; yet it was Calm and Governable, and confin'd within the strictest bounds of Sobriety and Reafon. And fuch awful Apprehenfions had he, of the Prefence of God; fo cautious was he of uttering any thing rafh with his Mouth, before his adora

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ble Majefty; that even his private Prayers, were a well digefted Form: From which he fometimes Vary'd, according to the particular Wants and Defires of his Soul; tho' even thefe Variations he ufually put in Writing; and to that purpose, had his Prayers reduc'd to Heads, in feveral Columns, with Blanks for his Additions, and Variations; frequently Reviewing and Correcting the whole. But for all Publick Occafions, for Congregations gather'd in Churches; he efteem'd Forms of Prayer, not only Expedient, but Neceffary. And fuch right Notions had he, of the Ufefulness of Them, and of that popular, but mistaken Phrafe, of Praying by the Spirit; that I fall here give the Reader his Thoughts of both, in his own Words,

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Perhaps fome of us have been too Zealous, in crying down this Phrafe of Praying by the Spirit: 'Tis certain that all good Men have the Spirit of Chrift, infpiring them with "the Temper of Chriftianity. This Temper breeds in them good Defires; and Nature furnishes thefe defires with fit and fuitable Expreffions. It is the Infpiring us with thefe Holy Defires, flowing from the temper of chriftianity,which is the peculiar Work of the Spirit of God. Thus the Spirit of God, fpeaks in us, and makes Interceffion for us, with these holy Defires, with which it Infpires us; and therefore the Expreffion may be very well allow'd that holy Men fo Inspir'd, do Pray by the Spirit. But as upon an extraordinary Occafion, I fhou'd not refufe to join with a

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holy Man, in fuch an Extemporary Prayer; (God forbid I fhou'd) fo for ordinary Occafions, fince the Spirit comes and goes; and the moft Holy Man, has not always fuch immediate Influences from it; I fhou'd think, that Prayers compos'd by holy Men, fet apart for that Work, and defiring the Affiftance of God's Spirit to it; fhou'd have a greater Portion of His Spirit in them, than any other conftant Extemporary Prayer. And for a Man's private Ufe, the Occafions of his Soul do feldom fo much Vary, but that by degrees, and the constant Exer'cife of this Duty, he must come up to a kind ' of Form, or way of Expreffing his Needs, in the most perfect manner for himself; from which there need be very little Variation for extraordinary Emergencies. And when all the Parts of it are thus fettled and ( adjusted, his Duty obliges him, not to omit any of these Parts; and this is the constant Exercife of private Devotion, in which a 'Man with a good Confcience, can't allow himself to fail.

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These were his Sentiments of the Ufefulnefs of Forms of Prayer, confirm d by his conftantly attending our Churches Service,and by his Practice in Private; tho' at the same time, he cou'd not allow himself to be Severe in his Cenfures of thofe who made Choice of another Way of Worship, when he believ'd Confcience was their Motive. Railing Accufations, never came out of his Mouth against any: They were too contrary to the

Example of his Great Master, and that Humility and Meekness, which fhin'd in his Life, and appear'd in his Words, and all his Actions. He honour'd true Piety, wherever he faw it; and lov'd thofe, who he believ'd, ferv'd God fincerely; tho'their way of Worfhip differ'd from his own. None confider'd more, the Power of Cuftom, and Education; and the difficulty of Relishing Modes of Worhip, we are Strangers to, till Practice remove our Prejudices, and Obfervation and Experience reconcile us to them. To this purpose, he Expresses himself in the following Meditation.

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'Lord, we blefs Thee, for the free Liberty of Worshipping Thee in the Way in which we have been brought up; in the Way, in which we have partaken of Thy Grace, and receiv'd thy Spirit. It is not in our power, to reconcile our felves to any Way of Worship (tho' we thought it lawful) at our Pleafures. The Grace of "Devotion is easily check'd and stop'd; and little Informalities have a great Influence and effect, upon the Spiritual part of our . Minds, by which Devotion is exercis'd: Yet if the liberty of Worshipping God, in the Way I am us'd to, be taken from me; and Another afforded me, which I am not 'us'd to, and judge lawful, I will endeavour as faft as I can, to acquaint my Mind with that Way; and in time I doubt not, but God will enable me to receive Benefit

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