CHAP. XXX.

UPON THE GREAT NEGLECT OF THE DUTY OF

PRAYER.

LORD,

XWHEN I feriously confider how manifold

and great my failings are, when I think of the fhortness and uncertainty of life, of the folemnity of death, of the eternity ofhappiness, of misery after death, and by all these of the neceffity, usefulne's and excellency of prayer, I may well wonder that I am ever from my knees.

My life is all fin, and had therefore need to be all forrow; the greatness and continuance of my fins have added to the greatness and continuance of my mifery, and there is none but thou (O Lord) that can relieve me; there is no coming to thee but by prayer, and no prayer powerful with thee, but that which is fervent.

This is that eye of my affection that woundeth the heart of thy compaffion; this is that holy viclence that taketh heaven by force, that furprifeth thy mercy, that manicles thy juftice, that wrestles with thy love, and will not let thee go without a bleffing: this is my trong armour to defend me,

my daily food to fuftain me, my, my fafe repofe to refresh me, my fweet content for ever to delight me.

Blessed Lord, how wonderful is thy defire to man? how gracioufly doft thou provide for him? how daily art thou mindful of him? thy words inftruct me, thy promises allure me, thy graces fuftain me, thy facraments ftrengthen me, thy vifits comfort me, thy embraces ravifh me; and as if all this were not yet enough to manifeft thy favor towards me, fo unspeakable is thy love, fo earnest thy defires unto me, that thou haft even given me thyfelf, to be overcome by me. Lord, thou art all love, when I strive with thee for mercy, I overcome thee by thyfelf, how great is thy goodness, how tender are thy mercies unto man, for whose fake thou contendeft even with thine own effence! Thou haft given thy Son to die for me, and in him thyfelf to be overcome by me.

Lord, let this teach me to renew my acquaintance often with thee, to labour, to be powerful in my prayers; to ftudy to be humble, zealous, earneft, even importunate in my devotions; to let no finful thoughts pafs me without a figh, no finful action without holy contrition, no divine favors without devout and thankful acknowledgment: that foul which is truly fenfible of the burden of fin, will haften unto that heavenly help that can

give it ease; and that heart which is once truly inflamed with thy love, will readily inftruct the tongue to be zealous in thy praife. Lord let me first seek mine own heart, before I prefume to come before thy mercy-feat, left if I recall it not from the vanities of this life, my very prayers become fin, and so while I expect a bleffing, I deserve a curse,

Let no vain excufe, no barren pretence of this life, perfuade me to intermit this holy duty, left carelessness, and coldness in devotion, beget in me a loathing of that course, which by conftant practice will become my conftant comfort: Lord, make me to confider of the fweetnefs, of the excellency of this gift, that I may daily labour to improve it to my foul's eternal happiness; that when I often fall (as I needs must through the weakness of the flesh) thou, O Lord, in mercy mayft reftore me through my bleffed importunity of spirit.

WITH grief of heart (Lord) I confess that my great neglect of this holy duty, hath moft juftly occafioned the great abatement of thy holy fpirit in me, and long with-holdings of thine outward bleffings from me.

Lord, give me yet an heart to serve thee, and then take from me what thou wilt: I defire nothing

without thee, for I know affuredly, that with thee I canot but enjoy all things needful for me.

O make me to bewail mine own unworthiness, my drowsiness, my dulnefs, my carelesness, my inuch untowardness in thy fervice: create in me a clean heart (O Lord) and renew a right spirit within me, that I may praise thee with alacrity and fervency of foul; that I may be daily ravifhed with contemplation of eternity, and hourly fatisfy my thoughts with apprehenfion of the sweetness of my prefent fafety, of my future glory.

Lord, make me every day more earneft in this holy duty; O give me fuch affectionate defires; fuch holy longings, fuch infatiate appetites, fuch earneft importunities of heart for heavenly graces, that I may not only beg of thee, but even wrestle with thee for this bleffing, although the finful defires of my corrupt flefh go halting to the grave.

Be merciful unto me (O Lord) for my foul trusteth in thee, and in the fhadow of thy wings will I make my refuge until thefe calamities (of fins and miferies) be overpaft.

Lord, hear the voice of my humble petitions when I cry unto thee, when I hold up my hands towards thy mercy feat, fhew thy fervant the light of thy countenance, and fave me for thy mercy, fake, Pfal. 28. 2. Pfal. 31, 18.

CHAP. XXXI.

UPON THE GREAT NEGLECT OF READING THE.

SACRED SCRIPTURES.

ALAS my foul, how unbefeeming thy, profeffion; is this thy backwardness to holy duties P how long wilt thou grovel on this element of earth? how long be cheated with these counterfeit com-. modities, thefe childish toys of outward enjoyments? what sweetness canft thou find in those things which favor of corruption? what comfort. in those joys which are but vain, vexatious, toilfome, tranfitory? whofe feeming beauties are fuddenly paffing, never returning: O let this move thee to delight in that which cannot pass, to remember whence, thou art, and whither thou art going, that thou mayeft thereby raife thy thoughts to immortality..

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Look upon the beauty of thofe facred leaves, and thou wilt loath the falfhood of this world's e braces; thou mayeft there find the fum of all that was, or is, or is to come, conducing to thy real happiness; there is nature unbowelled, hell opened, and heaven unveiled; thou mayeft there fee the creature to be vanity, thyself mifery, thy Saviour felicity; thou haft there his counsel to guide thee,