pose, and of wandering far from our proposed subject and design; which can never be acceptable to God. And sometimes, when the mind is not regularly furnished, the natural spirits are put into a hurry, and we run into a confused, incoherent, and impertinent rhapsody of words, whereby both God may be dishonored, and our own edification and the edification of others, spoiled; while the Spirit of God stands afar off from us for a season, it may be on purpose to reprove our negligence of a wise and holy care to learn to pray.

Some such unhappy practices as these in the last age, have given great offence to the pious, and been a stumbling-block, and scandal to the profane. The wicked and profane world, have taken occasion from hence, to throw loads of reproach on all conceived prayer, under the name of praying extempore, and have endeavored to render all prayer, without books and forms, as odious as possible under this name. The more sober and pious part of the church of England, that usually worship God by liturgies, and precomposed forms, have been too ready to give ear to these reproaches, and have, by this mean, been confirmed in their confinement to liturgies and prayer books; they have been hardened hereby against attempting to seek the gift of prayer themselves, and been tempted to oppose and censure those that have attained it. No small share of this public scandal will be found at the door of those few bold, ignorant, and careless men, who have been guilty of such rash and

thoughtless addresses to God under a pretence of praying by the Spirit.

In opposition to this practice of premeditation, some pious and sincere Christian may say, "I have now and then meditated many things, which I designed to speak in prayer, but when I came to pray, I have found my thoughts enlarged beyond all my preparations, and carried away to dwell in prayer upon subjects and petitions of a very different kind; and in a much more lively manner, to express my thoughts than I had before conceived." Now, I would persuade such a person to receive this divine assistance, not as an argument to neglect premeditation for the future, but as a reward of his diligence in preparing his heart beforehand for this work.

Another Christian will tell me, that sometimes, when he has thought over many materials for his prayer before, he has found a greater confusion in his mind, between his former preparations and his present suggestions, than if he had prayed in an extemporary way.

In reply to this objection, I must confess that I have sometimes had the same unhappy experience: but I impute it to one of these three defects:

Either my premeditation was very slight and imperfect, as to the matter or method; so that I had not arranged the materials of my prayer in any settled form and order in my memory, but left them almost as much at uncertainty as new thoughts that might occur to my mind in praying. And

it is more troublesome sometimes to mend and finish what is very imperfect, than to make entirely

new..

Or, perhaps, my premeditation had been chiefly the work of my head, without so due a consultation of the frame of my heart.-I had prepared my head but not my heart for prayer; and then it was no wonder, that when the heart comes to be warmly engaged in praying, it runs far away from the mere premeditation of the head; and sometimes, betwixt both, create a confusion in the mind.

Or, it may be, my soul hath been out of frame and indisposed for prayer; and then I would not lay the fault upon premeditation, which would have been as bad or worse without it.

But where my preparation, both of head and heart, hath been carefully and wisely managed, I have had several experiences of the conveniency and usefulness of it, especially in my younger years, and upon some extraordinary and solemn occasions.

After all, if some particular persons have conscientiously, and with due diligence, attempted this way, and find they always pray more usefully and more honorably, with more regularity and delight, by the mere preparation of the heart for this duty, without fixing the parts and method of the prayer in their memory beforehand, they must follow those methods of devotion themselves, which they have found most effectual to attain the best ends; but not forbid the use of premeditation to others, whom God hath owned and approved in that way.

And let this be observed, that there are but a few Christians that attain so great a readiness and regularity in the gift of prayer, without learning by premeditation; far greater is the number of those, whose performances are very mean, for want of thinking beforehand.

Having thus endeavored to secure you from these two dangerous extremes, viz. a perpetual confinement to forms on the one hand, and a neglect of all premeditation on the other; I proceed.

In the gift of prayer, we are to consider these five things: The matter, the method, the expression, the voice, and the gesture. I shall treat of each of these at large.

SECTION III.

OF THE MATTER OF PRAYER.

FIRST, It is necessary to furnish ourselves with proper matter, that we may be able to hold much converse with God; to entertain our souls, and others, agreeably and devoutly in worship; to assist the exercises of our own graces, and others, by a rich supply of divine thoughts and desires in prayer, that we may not be forced to make too long and indecent pauses, whilst we are performing that duty; nor break off abruptly, as soon as we have begun, for want of matter; nor pour out abundance of words to dress up narrow and scanty sense, want of variety of devout thoughts,

for

I shall, therefore, first, propose some rules in order to furnish ourselves with proper matter for prayer; and then, lay down some directions concerning these materials of prayer, with which our souls are furnished.

Rules to furnish us with matter, are these:

1st Rule. Labor after a large acquaintance with all things that belong to religion;—for there is nothing that relates to religion, but may properly make some part of the matter of our prayer. This is, therefore, the most general advice, and the most universal rule that can be given in this case ;-let us daily seek after a more extensive, and a more affecting knowledge of God, and of ourselves; a great acquaintance with God in his nature, in his person, in his perfections, in his works, and in his word, will supply us with abundant furniture for invocation, adoration and praise, for thanksgiving and blessing; and will suggest to us many arguments in pleading with God for mercy. An intimate acquaintance with ourselves, and a lively sense of our own frames of spirit, our wants, our sorrows, and our joys, will also supply us with proper thoughts for confession, for petition, and for giving of thanks. We should acquaint ourselves, therefore, with the word of God in a great degree; for it is there he reveals himself to us, and there he discovers us also to ourselves. Let the word of Christ dwell richly in you in all wisdom, that you may be furnished with petitions and praises.

We should also be watchful observers of the dealings of God with us, in every ordinance, and