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and graciously co-operating for his good. Left to ourselves, what miferable creatures fhould we be? but happily for us we have a fupport much better than ourselves, and where man fails, God ftrengthens and fupports. Happy are we, would we but be wife enough to know, and humble enough to acknowledge it, in the affistance of an almighty power, the direction of an allcomprehending wifdom, the liberality of an all-fuftaining goodness.

Here then is thy ftay O man, here is thy only folid dependance. Throw off those vain and deceitful dependances which arife from things tranfitory, repofe thyself upon thy Maker, and get thee to thy God right humbly. To him apply who is always ready to hear, and able to relieve thee; on him depend, who will not, who cannot deceive thee. Whether thou dost petition

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for the obtaining of what thou wantest, or the continuance of what thou haft, for things of greater or lefs confequence, whether matters of conveniency and comfort are the fubjects of thy prayers, or in the humility of thine heart thou askest only for thy daily Bread literally understood, be affured that if you pray as you ought, you shall obtain what you pray for, if it is really for your good.

And this leads me to confider, which I fhall make the remaining business of this discourse, what qualifications are requisite, to fanctify our offering up of this petition, to render it acceptable in the fight of God, and procure an happy return to it.

The first thing neceffary towards procuring what we want, is a proper use of what we have; and this petition doth naturally

VOL. IV.

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naturally warn us against the dangerous extremes of extravagance and avarice, and recommends to us that liberality on the one hand, which in oppofition to avarice, enables us to enjoy what we have, and that frugality on the other, which in oppofition to extravagance, ferves to render our enjoyments lafting. Vain and prefumptuous is it for man to expect that the liberal hand of Providence will continue to shower down bleffings upon him, which he ungratefully makes a bad use of, or not lefs ungratefully makes no ufe at all. Inftances there are, and not a few in the world, of men, who seem to think that Providence is employed entirely for them, and that the chief business of the general fupporter of mankind is a particular. attention to, and a constant readiness to furnish them with materials to gratify their moft irregular inclinations, and fupport

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them in their extravagancies; whilft others not lefs mistaken, esteem themselves moft justly entitled to the favours of Providence, because they with great good œconomy make no use of them at all; have neither the heart to enjoy their riches themselves, nor to communicate them to others. The truth indeed is this; both these extremes are bad, both difqualify us from being worthy repeaters of this petition, and cut off those hopes which we otherwise might reasonably entertain of offering it up with fuccefs. The extravagant man is guilty of prefumption, in daring to depend upon a continuance of thofe bleffings which he continually abuses; and the covetous man, whilft he is fearful of using what he hath left he should come to want, is guilty of that distrust in Providence, which is contrary to the defign, and deftructive of the foundation of this petition. In a word, those

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those who fhew themselves unworthy of poffeffing what they have, fhew themselves unworthy alfo of obtaining what they ask.

The next thing neceffary to render this petition fuccessful, is moderation in our requests. A great privilege it is, a real bleffing, that God commands us to offer up, and promises to receive, our prayers; but great and ungrateful infolence surely it is in us, if we abuse that privilege, if we prefume upon that promise fo far as to afk more than God hath given us warrant to expect. Though the goodness of the divine nature is fuch, that he is willing to overlook our infirmities, and put our fins far from us, though he hath graciously promised to listen to our petitions, and grant our requests, yet this promise is made to us not abfolutely, but ftill at the dif cretion of his perfect wisdom; and greatly

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