E 167 thy duty, heartily to forgive those that have done thee any wrong; and to pray for them, that God would pardon them in his Son, and give them fuch a frame of heart, that they may please him, and be bleffed by him, both here and hereafter. This is a good figne of Grace, to pray for a bleffing on our very enemies. 6. Pray in fincerity, Looke that thy end be right, and that thy aim be at the Glory of God. There is a great deal of difference betwixt a car nal defire, and a gracious fupplication, Fam.4. 13: Te ask and have not, because ye ask amiffe, to fpendit on your Lufts. Praiers that want a good aim, do ufually want a good iffue. When thou findeft thy heart running out by a perverfe aim, check it, and difclaim it the more folemnly. If our praiers be not directed to the Glory of God, there is little hope that when we receive the ta lent we pray for, we shall employ it to our Mafters ufe. They that cannot ask a mercy well, feldome use it well, 7. Labour to pray with zeal, fervency, warmth, and holy importunity, with fenfibleneffe, and strong workings of affection. 'Tis eafie to say a prayer in a formal, cold manner, when the heart is nothing affected with it, but poffibly wandring, while the lips are praying? But that is true prayer, when the foul reaches out after those things it praies for, in holy, ar dent, and fpiritual defires. Sighs and groans N Chap.5. are the Language God understands. When God meaneth to beftow any bleffing, he ufually ftirs up the hearts of his people earnestly to pray for it. And the effufion of the Spirit of fupplication, that holy, yet humble importu nity, that fpiritual violence, and wrestling and ftriving, and pleading with the Almighty, is a happy prefage of an approaching bleffing. 8. Beg fpiritual bleffings, and the things appertaining to the foul primarily, and with greatest earnestneffe: Beg temporall mercies, and fuch as concern this life, and thy welfare here, with an humble fubmiffion unto God, refigning thy will to his moft holy will; earnestly begging, that, what he fees not good for thee, nor fit to be granted thee, he would make thee willing and contented to be without. 9. To fupplication, forget not to adde praifes and thanksgivings to the Lord for all his benefits; for his innumerable favours confer'd on thee in the courfe of thy life paft, and also for thy prefent enjoyments. Efpecially quicken and provoke and awaken thy foul to lift up the high praises of God, for his ineftimable love in fending his Son, to be a ranfome for fin, and fending his Holy Spirit to convince of fin, and ofrighteoufneffe, and to perfwade, and enable thy heart to close with Chrift. And lastly, upon the receipt of any new mercy and favour from God, offer up a cheerful and hearty facri fice of praife and thanksgiving, in and through the mediation of Christ, by whom alone our Perfons, and Sacrifices are accepted with God. And to direct and quicken thee to this duty, of rendring praises to the Lord; Confider, 1. That praife is Gods Tribute, his Cuftom, 's is all the Impoft he fets upon his Bleffings. There are three things to be confidered in a mercy. 1. The mercy it felf. 2. The Comfort, and sweetneffe that may be enjoyed in the use of it. 3. The Glory, Honour, and Praise that is due for it. The two former God freely gives us; he only referves the latter as a tribute and homage to himself. 2. Praifing God for former mercies, invites him to bestow new mercies. God will be boantifuil to thofe that he fees thankfull; and from whom he receives Glory and acknowledgment. 3. Praifing God is the beginning of Heaven, 'cis the employment of the holy Angels, and glorified Saints there. 4. To have a heart delighting in praifing God, is a great evidence (in conjunction with others) of fincerity; felf-love forceth prayer oftentimes from us, but to praise God aright, cometh from a more heavenly affect on, and a fanctified frame of heart. 5. To fet upon this duty of praifing God is one of the best waies to mitigate any forrowes that at any time are upon us. If we can work N 2 our hearts to praise him for the mercies that are continued to us, it will exceedingly abate the fenfe and feeling of any prefent Croffe, or affliЄtion that lies upon us. 6. Confider who they are that are the most unthankfull to God; even Devils, and damned Spirits, who are full of envy, malice, and pride; they will not praife God, but do wretchedly blafpheme him; and wicked men, who imitate their Father the devil. And wouldest thou be like these? Upon these Confiderations ftir up thy heart to be much in this heavenly duty of praifing God, and remember 1. To praise him with thy heart. 2. To praife him with thy tongue. 3. To praife him with thy life. Let there be an abiding fenfe of his favours on thy heart, and let thy life and conversation praise him alfo. Let thy works praise him. that others feeing thy good works, may glorifie thy hea venly Father. Labour to fecure thy state in Grace, and thy intereft in Gods tavour,through Christ, and then thou maist be affured, that whatever God gives thee,he gives it thee in pure love, all comes (wimming to thee in the blood of Chrift; and this Confideration will exceedingly raise thy heart to thankfulneffe, and make thy tongue found forth the praises of the most High. Thefe Directions may help thee in the performance formance of that great Chriftian duty of praier, and thanksgiving, After thou haft praied, Confider 1. What thou haft praied for. As before praier we should confider and labour to find out our wants; So after prayer we should confider of our petitions, and what we have begged of God 2. Humbly expect a gracious answer, and return to thy praiers, not for any worthineffe or defert in thy felf, or praiers, but for Christ's fake alone. 3. Serve Providence in the use of fair and lawful means, for the attaining those good things thou haft prayed for. 4. To Prayer add watchfulneffe. If through Grace thy heart hath been wrought to a good temper, and holy frame in prayer; labour co keep it afterward; labour to preserve those apprehenfions and thofe affections in thy foul, which thou foundeft in time of prayer; And therefore one well adviseth, that for fome little time after we have prayed, we should keep our felves filent, and quiet; nor presently (and in the next moment as fome do,) but fair and foftly removing our hearts from our prayers to Qur worldly bufineffes and occafions. Zach. 12.10. And I will poure upon the House of David, and upon the inhabitants of Ferufa N 3 Lem |