that a tranfitory spark of devotion will inflame our Prayers fo as to make them a

facrifice acceptable to God. Some heavy misfortune, or impending danger, fome stroke of fickness, fome bad confequence of our evil courses; fome more than ufually fevere remonftrance of conscience, may make the wickedeft man alive, in his agony and fright, betake himself to Prayer, till his danger is over and his confcience lulled afleep. But the man who is really in earnest, and concerned for the fuccefs of his prayers, who is willing to perform the conditions, that he may be entitled to the bleffings which God has promised, in whatever ftate he is, whether in sickness or in health, in profperity or adverfity, perfeveres steadily in an habit of Prayer; he reflects, that those who are so often in want, fo often entangled in fin, fhould often pray for the relief of the one and the forgive

forgiveness of the other; and he confiders it as his great bleffing, that in his diftreffes he has fo kind a God to whom he may betake himself, fo prevailing a means as Prayer by which he may apply to him. If his defires are not immediately granted, he does not defift from this duty, but perfeveres inviolably in it, firmly believing that he shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. God may for a time, in his wife and good providence, with-hold our defires from us, and yet fulfill them afterwards, when they more contribute to his glory or our good; and the parable of the unjust Judge, and poor Widow, doth very strongly enforce on us that duty, which our Saviour intended to confirm in it, always to pray, and not to faint.

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To the abovementioned qualifications of an acceptable Prayer we must add, lastly, a lively Faith in Chrift; fuch a Faith as may be a proper foundation for us to build the other qualifications upon, fuch a Faith as doth not overthrow good works, but produceth them, herfelf working by Love. The light of natural reafon directs us to offer up our Prayers to God only; but the Scriptures further inform us, that they must be offered up through Christ. It is by his merits only, that we can expect to have our fins forgiven, and our wants fupplied. He is the merciful High Prieft, who having felt our infirmities has learned to compaffionate them; having experienced our diftreffes, is become willing to relieve them; and having borne temptation, is both able and willing to affift us in, and deliver us out of it: he receives our prayers, offers them

them up to God, intercedes in our behalf, and backs our petitions with his own prevailing merits; fo that there is no good thing which we may not hope for, through his mediation.

Pleasure, Honour, and Profit, are the three great idols of the modern world, and engrofs the adoration of much the greatest part of mankind, the Senfual, the Ambitious, and the Covetous. It is through the inducements of thefe prevailing paffions, that our hearts are entirely weaned from the confideration of another life, and rivetted on this; it is one or all of these which make us fit loofe to the duty of Prayer, and think every moment spent therein precious time loft from the pursuit of our darling objects. But if it will appear (as to an unprejudiced perfon I am fure it will) that Prayer is the best means of afford

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ing not only one of thefe advantages feparately, but all of them conjunctively, and each of them in a greater degree than we could enjoy without it, then we certainly have a very strong argument to enforce this duty, as well upon the interests as the confciences of mankind.

The man of Pleasure may boaft of his enjoyments, and thofe noble indulgencies of his fenfuality, in which the Brutes may vie with him, nay, in one respect, far excell him, in that they feel no remorse, no compunction afterwards, and to fuch an one (whilst he continues fuch) it will be in vain to represent the more folid, lasting, and fuperior pleasures which are to be found in a fincere performance of the duty of Prayer. But if we make our appeal to the hearts of those who are inflamed with true devotion, and can relish the exercifes