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ally-minded among us, must oftentimes be content to be entertained with fuch Thoughts as our Company, or our Temper, or the prefent Circumftances we are in, do fuggeft to us. And provided thofe Thoughts be innocent, and do not intrench upon the Laws of Piety, and Purity, and Charity; be they otherwise very trifling and impertinent: I fay, I would not look upon them as ill Thoughts, nor have any one angry at himself upon Account of them.

The Truth of it is, fo long as we consist of Bodies and Souls, we cannot always be thinking of ferious Things; they, indeed, are the wifeft that think of them moft, but it is even dangerous to attempt to think of them always. For, as moft Mens Conftitutions are, that is the ready way to spoil the Habit of our Bodies, and by that means, to render our Minds perfectly unfit for thinking at all, to any good Purposes.

Thus have I laid before you the Main Things wherein, as I do believe, the right Governing our Thoughts doth confift. And I doubt not they are fo fafe, and fo effectual, that whofoever will fincerely practise them, as far as he can, will fo keep his Heart, that the Iffues from thence in his Life and Converfa tion will be happy and profperous. I conclude all with the Collect of this Day.

Almighty God, who feeft that we have no Power of ourfelves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our Bodies, and inwardly in our Souls; that we may be defended from all Adverfities which may happen to the Body, and from all EVIL THOUGHTS, which may affault aud hurt the Soul, through Jefus Christ our Lord.

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And he spake a Parable unto them, to this End, That Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

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HE Parable which our Saviour fpake unto them, to this End, was this; There was in a City a Judge, who feared not God, nor regarded Men and there was a Widow in that City, and she came to him faying, Avenge me of my Adver fary; and he would not for a while: But afterwards he faid within himself, Tho' I fear not God, nor regard Man; Tet because this Widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, left by her continual coming she weary me.

The Application of this Parable is eafie and natural. If a Man that neither fears God, nor regards Men; hath neither Senfe of Religion nor Humanity; may be fuppofed to be fo far prevail'd upon by the earnest Prayer of a miferable neceffitous Perfon, as to grant the Request made to him, and to adminifter Relief

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lief to the Supplicant, merely upon Account of the Continuance, and Importunity of the Petitions that are put up: Then how much more ought we think that God, who is Infinite Goodness itfelf; who is always kind and bountiful to his Creatures; who delights to do Good to them, even without their feeking and defiring it; and who is fo far from being at any Pains or Trouble for the fupplying their Wants, that it is altogether as eafie for him to do what is requested of him, as not to do it: I fay, How much more ought we to think, that this God, upon our earnest and hearty Prayer to him for any Thing we ftand in need of, will return us a kind Anfwer, and grant us fuch Supplies as are proper for us. But then we are to remember, that we Pray always, and faint not. We muft be diligent, and importunate, and persevering in our Devotions, otherwife we are not to expect any more favourable Return of them, than the Judge in the Parable made to the Widow upon her once or twice putting up her Petitions to him.

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This is the Effect of the Parable. I mean not now farther to infift on it, but to ftick to that Point, for the fake of which, our Saviour framed it: Jefus pake a Parable unto them to this End, That Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.

But what is meant by praying always, and not fainting, which our Lord here obliges us to? Is it to be always on your Knees, and to mind no other Business but Devotion? So indeed, (they fay) fome of ancient Times expounded

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pounded it; but we meet with them no where,
but in the Catalogues of the Hereticks: No
certainly, to pray always, and not to faint, doth
imply a quite different Thing, of which I shall
give an Account in the following Particulars.

First, Thefe Words import, that we should
be always in a praying Temper, in fuch a Difpo-
fition of Mind, that we always carry about
us, and have within us the neceffary Requi-
fites of hearty Prayer; that is to fay, a firm
Belief of God and his Providence, a lively
Senfe of our own Sinfulness, and Weakness,
and manifold Neceffities; and an entire, hum-
ble, conftant Dependance upon the Divine
Goodness for the Supply of them. In fuch a
Frame of Soul as this, I take that Spirit of
Prayer and Supplication, mentioned in the Scrip-
tures, to confift.

Secondly, To pray always, likewife imports, That upon every folemn Occafion, we should actually addrefs ourselves to God, seeking Help from him in all the Straits and Difficulties we happen into; rendring our Acknowledgments for every Good that arrives to us in our Lives; and imploring his Protection, his Guidance, his Bleffing upon us, in every Work of Moment that we go about.

Thirdly, it imports farther, that we should, at leaft, twice every Day, either in publick, or in private, offer up the Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise in a folemn manner unto God. Lefs than this (I think) this Phrase of Praying always, as likewife that other Expreffion of St. Paul, that we fhould pray without ceafing: Lefs 1 Theff. than this, I say, they cannot fignifie; but 5 17 how

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how much more, I now enquire not. It is, indeed, very probable, as Interpreters have noted, that thefe Expreffions are borrowed from, and have refpect to the daily Sacrifices among the Jews. Every Day twice (that is to fay, in the Morning and in the Evening) by the Appointment of God, was offer'd up a Sacrifice in the Temple; to which the Devout People reforted: Which Sacrifice is in Scripture, called by the Name of the continual Sacrifice, the daily Sacrifice; the never-ceafing Sacrifice; and this in Contra-diftinction to the occafional Sacrifices, which pious Perfons used to bring thither. If now this be a true Account of thefe Expreffions, we cannot be said to pray always, to pray without ceafing, to pray continally, unless we do, at leaft, twice every Day, in the Morning, and in the Evening, offer up our folemn Sacrifice of Prayer to God.

But, Fourthly, To pray always, and not to faint, implies great Earnestness and Importunity in our Prayers: It imports, that we fhould not faintly Addrefs to God, but with Affection and Fervour, with a deep Senfe of our Sins, and of our Wants; and a serious and fixed Attention to what we are about; and with very ardent Defires, and hungring and thirsting after that Grace, or that Pardon, or that Blessing that we pray for. And this is that kind of Prayer, Ch.5.16. which St. James ftyles, The effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous Man, which, he faith, availeth much.

Laftly, To pray always, and not to faint, imports Continuance and Perfeverance in our Prayers. That we do not pray by Fits and Starts, and then intermit our Devotion; but conftantly

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