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of earthly Rubbish, with which they are over whelmed. Our daily converfe with material Objects, would make us wholly fenfual, and the Spirit would, in a manner, be loft in the Flesh. And fo it doth really fare with all those that live without Devotion towards God. However they may retain fo much worldly Prudence, as to enable them to govern their Temporal Affairs to their Advantage; yet their Souls do perfectly grovel upon the Earth, they are utterly devoid of the Spiritual Life; they have no more Sense of the nobleft and beft Things, which it is the Perfection of their Faculties to be employed about, than a blind Man hath of Colours. Into this dull State we shall all fink,if we do not take Care to maintain a conftant Devotion towards God; for it is by That, that the Senfe of Good nefs is kept alive in us. It is That that raises us above this World, and preferves our Minds from the Defilements of the Earth, which, by their continual mingling with material Things, they would otherwife neceffarily contract.

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But further, Prayer doth not only tend to the bettering the Conftitution of our Minds But the Benefits and good Influences of it do extend alfo to all the Affairs and Actions of our Lives. No-body can tell, but he that hath tryed, how much devout and Affectionate Prayer doth difpofe a Man to go about his Bufineß in the World. So far is this Exercife from hindring our Employments, as is commonly pretended, that, in Truth, it is a great Fur

therance to them.

Besides; it is the best Antidote in the World against all Difappointments and Vexations that F f

VOL. I.

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we can meet with; against every ungrateful and difpleafing Accident that comes upon us in the Courfe of our Lives. He that converseth much with God, and useth to make all his Concernments known to him, is prepared to bear all things patiently, and evenly, whatfoever happen; nor can be light into any Circumstances of Life, which will not be not only Jupportable to him, but eafie alfo.

Add to this, in the laft Place, that it is Prayer that fecures the Bleffing of God, both upon our Perfons and upon our Labours; upon our Bafket and Store, upon our Families; upon our Employments; and upon all that we have, or do. So great is the Vertue of Prayer, that it turns all the Actions of our natural or civil Life, however indifferent they be, into Actions of Religion. And every Thing that we have, or comes to us, is thereby made a Bleffing of God, which without it, perhaps, might have been a Cross and Affliction. It is Prayer by which every Thing, and every Action is fanctified to Believers.

I might name feveral other Benefits and Advantages to be reap'd from the conscientious Practice of this Duty; but thofe that I have mention'd, may, (I think) if they be confidered, be fufficient to recommend it to any Man whatfoever, that hath the leaft Kindnes for himself and therefore I will not burthen your Memories, with heaping up more Motives. Only one Thing I defire Leave to prefs a little more earnestly, and particularly, than I have yet done, and that is, The Abfolute Neceffity of Conftant Prayer, in Order to a Holy and Vertuous Life.

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Do any of you, here prefent, in good Earneft, mean to live as you fhould do? Do you really intend or defire to endeavour after fuch a Pitch of Vertue and Holiness, as will be available for the faving of your Souls everlastingly? If you do not, 'tis in vain to attempt the perfuading you to any Thing of this Nature. If you do, then give me leave to tell you, that it is abfolutely neceffary that you should live in the conftant Exercife of Prayer, otherwise you will never do your Bufinefs. And on the other fide, I dare affure you, if you do thus practise, you will not fail of attaining the End you aim at.

Thefe Three Things I dare lay down for Truth in this Matter.

First, It is impoffible for any Man to be Good that lives without conftant Praying.

Secondly, Whoever is Good at the prefent, yet, if he difufe himfelf in the Point, he will not continue Good long.

And Laftly, Whoever makes a Confcience of Praying frequently and heartily, and continues fo to do, tho' he cannot at prefent be faid to be a good Man, yet it is impoffible for him long to continue bad; he will certainly at laft get the Victory over his Lufts and evil Habits. So that Prayer is both the Means, without which Vertue cannot be attained; And the Means that never fails of attaining it; And the Security of it when it is attained. Of thefe Three Things very briefly, and I have done.

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First, I fay, no Man can be a vertuous Man that lives without Praying. I do not deny, that

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fome who make no great Confcience of this Duty, but live in an habitual Neglect of it, may so far retain the Notions of Good and Evil, and thofe Notions may fo far influence their Adions, as that they fhall not be notoriously and fcandaloufly vicious. It may be they will not lye, nor cheat, nor oppress any one. It may be they do not live in a Courfe of Lewdness and Debauchery; nor will be engag'd in any Defign or Action that is apparently bafe or difhonourable. But all this while, thefe Men are far fron, being vertuous in the Sense we now fpeak of. For we fpeak of fuch a Vertue as recommends us to God; fuch a Vertue as will be effectual for our Salvation in the other World. Now to fuch a Vertue as this, there goes nothing less than an Univerfal Care over all our Actions; a ferious Endeavour to frame all our Conversation suitably and conformably to the Laws of our Saviour. But how can any Man think he takes Care of this, that knowingly and willingly lives in a conftant Contradiction to one of the principal Duties of our Saviour's Religion.

Our whole Duty is made up but of Three Things; That a Man live foberly with refpect to himself; righteously with refpect to his Neighbour; and piously with respect to God. Suppofing now, that a Man take Care of the Two former, that is, of doing his Duty to himfelf and his Neighbour, (which yet I believe never any Man did, that made no Confcience of neglecting his Prayer:) But fuppofe a Man could fatisfie himfelf as to thefe Two Points of his Duty; yet if he make no Confcience of the Third, that is, of Piety towards God (as no Man can make Confcience of that, who makes it not Matter of Confcience whether he fays his Prayers or no) in what Senfe or Notion can this Man be faid to have done his Duty, or to lead a vertuous Life? Certainly in no Senfe at all. For as to one Third Part of his Duty (which is, indeed as confiderable, at leaft, if not more than either of the other) he is a notorious

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Tranfgreffor. And tho' he be not unjust, tho' he be not debauched, yet wanting Piety towards God, he is Impious; and that will as certainly damn him, as either of the other. Either therefore one of thefe two Things must be made appear, that is to fay, that there may be Vertue, fuch Vertue as will recommend us to God without Piety: Or that there may be Piety without ever Praying, or Worfhipping God, (neither of which I believe will be eafily affirmed;) or it will follow, that where there is no Praying, there is no Vertue, and confequently no Salvation.

But befides; We all know there is no Poffibility of Living a Holy, and Vertuous Life, fuch a Life as our Religion requires of us, and which alone will ftand us in ftead in the Day of Judgment, without the Grace of God, and the Affiftances of his Holy Spirit. And we all know likewise, that these are no way to be come by, but by earneft, and affectionate, and conftant Prayer. How therefore is it poffible, that any Man, who is not very ferious and frequent in the Exercife of Devotion, fhould ever be able to live a Holy Life? He may, indeed, by his own Study, and for his own Intereft, poffefs himfelf of fuch good Qualities, as may make a fair Shew in the World, and recommend him to all about him: But the inward Principle of Goodness and Holinefs he cannot have; because he doth not practise the Means of obtaining the Grace and Spirit of God, by which alone that Principle is to be wrought in him,

But, Secondly, Let a Man at prefent be in a good State of Soul, yet it is impoffible to preferve himfelf in that State, without the conftant Exercise of Devotion. If a Man once begin to neglect his Prayers, or to grow more dull or remifs in them, or more averse to them, it is a certain Argument, that he is in a declining Condition, as to Vertue and Goodness, And as that Neglect, or that Dulness, or that Averfion increases, in the fame Degree doth the Goodness

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