which arises from an ostentation of their parts from a superstitious hope of pleasing God better by saying many words, or from a trifling frame of spirit; I would not have my readers imagine that the shortest prayers are always the best. Our sinful natures are too ready to put off God, in secret or in the family, with a few minutes of worship, from mere sloth and weariness of holy things which is equally to be blamed; for hereby we omit a great part of the necessary work of prayer, in confessions, petitions, pleadings for mercy, or thanksgivings. Nor do I think that prayer in public assemblies should be so short, as though the only design of it were a mere preface before the sermon, or a benediction after it. Whereas, social prayer is one considerable part, (if not the chief duty,) of public worship; and we ought generally to continue so long in it, as to run through the most necessary and important purposes of a social address to the throne of grace. Christian prudence will teach us to determine the length of our prayers, agreeably to the occasion and present circumstances, and according to the measure of our own ability for this work.

SECTION IV.

OF THE METHOD OF PRAYER.

I PROCEED now to the second thing to be considered in the gift of prayer, and that is, Method. Method is necessary to guide our thoughts, to

regulate our expressions, and dispose of the several parts of prayer in such an order as is most easy to be understood by those that join with us, and most proper to excite and maintain our own devotion and theirs. Though there is not a necessity of the same just and exact regularity here, as in preaching the word, yet a well regulated prayer is most agreeable to men, honorable in the sight of the world, and not at all the less pleasing to God. The Spirit of God, when he is poured out as a Spirit of prayer in the most glorious measures, doth not contradict the rules of natural and reasonable method, although his methods may have infinite variety in them.

Some method must be used, in order to secure us from confusion, that our thoughts may not be ill sorted, or mingled and huddled together in a tumultuary and unseemly manner. This will be of use also to prevent tautologies or repetitions of the same thing, when each part of prayer is disposed into its proper place: this will guard us against roving digressions, when we have arranged our thoughts into order throughout every step of our prayer. Our judgment infers what sort of matter properly and naturally follows that which we are at present speaking: so that there is no need to fill up any empty spaces with matter that is not proper, or not suited to the purpose. Those persons that profess to pray without observing any method at all, if they are very acceptable and affecting to others in their gift, do certainly use a secret and natural method, and proper connexions of one thing with another, though they have not lain down any rule to

themselves for it, nor take notice of the order of their own prayers.

The general rules of method in prayer, which I would recommend to you, are these three :

Rule 1. Let the general and the particular heads in prayer, be well distinguished, and usually let generals be mentioned first, and particulars follow. As for example: in adoration, we acknowledge that God is glorious in his nature, self-sufficient and all-sufficient and we mention this with the deepest reverence and universal abasement of soul; and then we descend to praise him for his particular attributes of power, wisdom, goodness, &c. and exercise our particular graces accordingly. So in confession, we first acknowledge ourselves vile sinners, corrupt by nature, and of the same sinful mass with the rest of mankind, and then we confess our particular iniquities and our special guilt. So in our petitions, we pray first for the churches of Christ all over the world, and his interest and his gospel throughout the earth, and then we petition for the churches in this nation, in this city, or that particular church of Christ to which we belong.

Sometimes, indeed, there is a beauty also in summing up all the particulars at last in one general; as when we have praised God for his several perfections to the utmost of our capacity, we cry out, "Lord, thou art exalted above all our praises, thou art altogether great and glorious." Or when we have confessed several particular sins, we fall down before God, as persons that are all over defiled and guilty. When we have petitioned for particular mercies, we then ask

that God, who is able to do for us above what we can ask or think, that he would bestow all other comforts, and every blessing that he knows needful for us. But still this rule must be observed, that general and particular heads ought to be so distinguished, as to make our method of prayer natural and agreeable.

Rule 2. Let things of the same kind, for the most part, be put together in prayer. We should not run from one part to another, by starts and sudden wild thoughts, and then return often to the same part again, going backward and forward in confusion. This bewilders the mind of him that prays, disgusts our fellow-worshippers, and injures their devotion. This will lead us into vain repetitions, and we shall lose ourselves in the work.

Yet I would give this limitation, that sometimes the same matter may come in naturally, under two or three parts of prayer, and be properly disposed of in two or three places by a judicious worshipper. As the mention of some of the attributes of God, under the head of adoration, where we praise him for his own perfections: and under the head of pleading for mercy, when we use his power, his wisdom, or his goodness, as an argument to enforce our petitions; and under the head of thanksgiving also, when we bless him for the benefits that proceed from his goodness, his power, or his wisdom. So in the beginning of a prayer, in our invocation of God, we put in a sentence or two of confession of our unworthiness, and of petition for divine assistance. So toward the conclusion of prayer, it is not amiss to use a

sentence or two consisting of such matter as may leave a suitable impression upon our minds, though perhaps something of the same matter may have been before mentioned: as to ask forgiveness of all the imperfections of our holy things: to entreat that God would hear all our requests, in the name of our Lord Jesus: to recommend our prayers into the hands of our Redeemer, our great High Priest, and to commit our whole selves to the conduct of divine grace, till we are brought safe to glory. But then all this must be done with such a variety of expression, and with such proper connexions, as will render it agreeable in itself, and will entertain the minds of those that join with us, and give them delight, rather than hinder their devotion.

Rule 3. Let those things, in every part of prayer, which are the proper objects of our judgment, be first mentioned, and then those that influence and move our affections; not that we should follow such a manner of prayer, as is more like preaching, as some imprudently have done, speaking many divine truths, without the form or air of praying. It is a very improper custom, which some persons have taken up and indulged, when divine truths come to be mentioned in prayer, they run great lengths in a doctrinal way; yet there is occasion frequently in prayer, under the several parts of it, for the recollecting of divine truths; and these lay a proper foundation for warm and pathetical expressions to follow. As, "O Lord, thou art good, and thou doest good; why should I continue so long, without partaking of thy goodness? My sins are great, and my in