hath engaged to spread his own honors, and to magnify his name, and the name of his Son; we should, as it were, exult and triumph in those glories, which God, our God, possesses, and rejoice to think he shall forever possess them.

Then we conclude the whole prayer with our amen of sincerity and of faith, in one short word, expressing over again our adorations, our confessions, and our petitions; trusting and hoping for the audience of our prayers, and acceptance of our persons; from whence we should take encouragement to rise from this duty with a sweet serenity and composure of mind, and maintain a joyful and heavenly frame, as those that have been with God.

But lest some pious and humble souls should be discouraged, when they find not these lively exercises of faith, hope, love, fervency of desire, and divine delight in worship, and thence conclude, that they have not the grace of prayer, I would add this caution, viz. That all the graces of prayer are seldom at work in the soul at once, in an eminent and sensible degree; sometimes one prevails more, and sometimes another, in this feeble and imperfect state and when a Christian comes before God with much deadness of heart, much overcome with carnal thoughts, and feels great reluctance even to the duty of prayer, and falls down before God, mourning, complaining, self-condemning, and, with sighs and deep groans in secret, makes known his burden and his sins to God; though he can but speak a few words before him, such a frame and temper of mind will be approved by that God who judges

the secrets of the heart, and makes most compas sionate allowances for the infirmity of our flesh and will acknowledge his own grace working in that soul, though it be but just breathing and struggling upward through loads of sin and sor

row.

SECTION IV.

DIRECTIONS TO ATTAIN THE GRACE OF PRAYER.

In order to direct us in the spiritual performance of this duty, we must consider it as a holy converse maintained between earth and heaven; betwixt the great and holy God, and mean and sinful creatures. Now the most natural rules that I can think of, to carry on this converse, are such as these :

Direction 1. Possess your hearts with a most affecting sense of the characters of the two parties that are to maintain this correspondence; that is, God and yourselves. This, indeed, is one direction for the gift of prayer; but it is also most necessary to attain the grace. Let us consider who this glorious Being is, that invites us to this fellowship with himself: how awful in Majesty ! how terrible in righteousness! how irresistible in power! how unsearchable in wisdom! how allsufficient in blessedness! how condescending in mercy! Let us again consider, who are we that are invited to this correspondence? How vile in our original! how guilty in our hearts and lives! how needy of every blessing! how utterly in

capable to help ourselves! and how miserable forever, if we are without God.

And if we have sincerely obeyed the call of his gospel, and have attained to some comfortable hope of his love; let us consider, how infinite are our obligations to him, and how necessary, and how delightful it is to enjoy his visits here, with whom it will be our happiness to dwell forever. When we feel our spirits deeply impressed with such thoughts as these, we are in the best frame, and most likely way to pray with grace in our hearts.

Direction 2. When you come before God, remember the nature of this correspondence, it is all spiritual; remember the dignity and privilege, the design, and importance of it.

A sense of the high favor, in being admitted to this privilege and honor, will fill your souls with humble wonder, and with heavenly joy, such as become the favorites and worshippers of an infinite God. A due attendance to the design and importance of this duty, will fix your thoughts to the most immovable attention, and strict watchfulness; it will overspread your spirit with seriousness; it will command all your inward powers of devotion, and will raise your desires to holy fervency. You pray to him that hath power to save and to destroy, about your eternal destruction, or eternal salvation; and if eternity, with all its awful attendants, will not awaken some of the graces of prayer, the soul must be in a very stupid frame.

Direction 3. Seek earnestly a state of friendship with him with whom you converse, and labor

after a good hope and assurance of that friendship. "We are all by nature enemies to God, and children of his wrath." Rom. viii. 7, and Eph. ii. 2. If we are not reconciled, we can never hold communion with him. How can we delight in converse with an enemy so almighty; or pay him due worship, while we believe he hates, and will destroy us? But oh! how unspeakable is the pleasure in holding converse with so infinite, so almighty, and so compassionate a friend! And how ready will all the powers of nature be to render every honor to him, while we feel and know ourselves to be his favorites, and the children of his grace! While we believe that all his honors are our glory in this state of friendship, and each of his perfections is a pillar of our hope, and an assurance of our happiness !

Now, in order to obtain this friendship, and to promote this divine fellowship, I recommend you to the next direction.

Direction 4. Live much upon, and with Jesus the Mediator; by whose interest alone you can come near God, and be brought into his company. "Christ is the way, the truth, and the life: and no man comes to the Father, but by him." John xiv. 6. "Through him Jews and Gentiles have access unto the Father." Eph. ii. 11. Live much upon him, therefore, by trust and dependance; and live much with him by meditation and love.

When a sinner, under first conviction, sees with horror the dreadful holiness of God, and his own guilt, and desert of damnation; how fearful is he to draw near to God in prayer! And

how much discouraged while he abides without hope! But when he first beholds Christ in his mediatorial offices, and his glorious all-sufficiency to save, when he first beholds this new and living way of access to God, consecrated by the blood of Christ; how cheerfully doth he come before the throne of God, and pour out his whole soul in prayer! And how lively is his nature in the exercise of every grace suited to his duty! How deep his humility! How fervent his desires! How importunate his pleadings! How warm and hearty are his thanksgivings!

And we have need always to maintain upon our spirits a deep sense of the evil of sin, of our desert of death, of the dreadful holiness of God, and the impossibility of our converse with him without a mediator, that so the name of Jesus may be ever precious to us, and that we may never venture into the presence of God in set and solemn prayer, without the eye of our soul to Christ, our glorious Introducer.

Direction 5. Maintain always a praying frame; a temper of mind ready to converse with God. This will be one way to keep all praying graces ever ready for exercise. Visit him, therefore, often and upon all occasions, with whom you would obtain some immediate communion at solemn seasons of devotion, and make the work of prayer your delight; nor rest satisfied till you find pleasure in it.

What advantages and opportunities soever you enjoy for social prayer, do not neglect praying in secret; at least once a day constrain the business of life, to give you leave to say something to God alone.