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to the felf-fame thing, and give us the earnest of the fpirit in our hearts.

O that we may now have our converfation in heaven; that we may from thence, with comfort, look for the Saviour, the Lord Jefus, who fhall change our vile bodies, that they may be fathioned like unto his glorious body.

O that now we may fet our affections on things above, and that our life may be hid with Christ in God, that when Chrift, who is our life, fhall appear, we alfo may appear with him in glory; that when he hall appear, we may be like him, and may fee him as he is, may behold his face in righteousness, and when we awake may be fatisfied with his likenefs.

When we fail, let us be received into everlasting habitations, in the city that hath foundation, whofe builder and maker is God, that we may be together for ever with the Lord, to fee as we are feen, and know as we are known.

And in the mean time help us to comfort curfelves and one another, with thefe words; and having this hope in us, to purify ourfelves; even as Christ is

pure.

Now our Lord Jefus Chrift himself, and God, even our father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlafting confolation, and good hope, through grace, comfort our hearts, and establish us in every good word and work.

5. We must pray for the good things of life, with an humble fubmiflion to the will of God.

Lord, thou haft told us that godliness hath the promife of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come: And that, if we feek firft the kingdom of God, and the righteoufaefs thereof, other things fhall be added to us; and therefore we caft all our care about these things upon thee, who careft for us, for our heavenly father knows that we have need of all these things.

1. We must pray to be preferved from the calamities to which we are expofed.

Thou, Lord, art our refuge and our fortrefs, and under thy wings will we truft, thy truth fhall be our fhield and buckler; let us therefore not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Having made the Lord our refuge, and the Moft High our habitation, let no evil befal us, nor any plague come nigh our dwelling.

Let the Lord be our keeper, even he that keepeth Ifrael, and neither flumbers nor fleeps. Let the Lord be our shade on our right hand, that the fun may not fmite us by day, nor the moon by night; let the Lord preferve us from all evil, the Lord preferve our fouls; the Lord preferve our going out, and coming in, from this time forth, and even for evermore.

Lord, make a hedge about us, about our houses, and about all that we have round about ; and take ficknefs from the midst of us. away

2. We must pray to be fupplied with the comforts and fupports we daily ftand in need of,

O that the beauty of the Lord our God may be upon us, prosper thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish thou it: Save now, we befeech thee, O Lord; O Lord, we befeech thee, fend now profperity.

Let our fons be as plants grown up in their youth, and our daughters as corner ftones, polifhed after the fimilitude of a palace: Let our garners be full, affording all manner of store; and let there be no breaking in or going out, no complaining in our ftreets: Happy is the people that is in fach a cafe, yea, rather, happy is the people whofe God is the Lord.

Let us be bleffed in the city, and bleffed in the field, let our basket and our flore be bleffed, let us be bleffed when we come in, and when we go out. Let thy good providence fo order all events concerning us, as that they may be made to work for

good to us, as thou haft promised they fhall to all that love thee, and are called according to thy purpose.

Give us to truft in the Lord, and do good, and then we shall dwell in the land, and verily we shall be fed; and be thou pleased to bring forth our righ teoufnefs as the light, and our judgment as the noonday.

Let us be hid from the fcourge of the tongue, and not be afraid of deftruction when it cometh; let us be in league with the stones of the field, and let the beafts of the field be at peace with us; let us know that our tabernacle is in peace, and let us vifit our habitation, and not fin.

And if God will be with us, and will keep us in the way that we go, during our pilgrimage in this world, and will give us bread to eat, and raiment to put on, fo that we may come to our heavenly father's houfe in peace, then the Lord fhall be our God.

6. We muft plead the promises of God for the enforcing of all our petitions, put these promises in suit, and refer ourfelves to them.

Lord, thou haft given us many exceeding great and pracious promifes, which are all, yea, and amen, in Christ. Now be it unto thy fervants according to the word which thou haft fpoken.

Give us to draw water with joy out of those wells of falvation, to fuck and be fatisfied from thefe breasts of confolation: And now, O Lord God, let the word which thou haft fpoken concerning thy fervants be established for ever, and do as thou haft said.

Deal with us according to the tenor of the everlafting covenant, which is well ordered in all things, and fure, and which is all our salvation, and all our defire.

Look upon us, and be merciful unto us, as thou ufed to do unto thofe that love thy name, and do more for us than we are able to afk or think, and fupply all our needs, according to thy riches, in glory, by Chrift Jefus.

CHA P. IV.

Of the Fourth Part of Prayer, which is thanksgivings for the mercies we have received from God, and the many favours of his we are interested in, and have hope for benefit by.

OUR errand at the throne of grace is not only to

feek the favour of God, but to give unto him the glory due unto his name, and that not only by an awful adoration of his infinite perfections, but by a grateful acknowledgment of his goodnefs to us, which cannot indeed add any thing to his glory, but he is pleafed to accept of it, and to reckon himfelf glorified by it, if it comes from a heart that is humbly fenfible of its own unworthinefs to receive any favour from God, that values the gifts, and loves the giver of them.

1. We must stir up ourselves to praise God, with the consideration both of the reafon and of the encouragement we have to praise him.

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks, for that thy name is near, thy wonderous works declare.

Let our fouls blefs the Lord, and let all that is within us blefs his holy name; yea, let our fouls bless the Lord, and not forget any of his benefits.

We will praife the Lord, for it is good, it is pleafant, and praise is comely for the upright, yea, it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and fing praises unto thy name, O Moft High, to fhew forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

We will extol thee, our God, O King, and will blefs thy name for ever and ever: Every day will we bless thee, and will praise thy name for ever and ever;

we will abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and fing of thy righteousness.

We will fing unto the Lord a new song, and his praife in the congregation of faints: O let Ifrael rejoice in him that made him, let the children of Zion be joyful in their King; let the faints be joyful in glory, and let the high praifes of God be in their hearts, and in their mouths.

While we live we will blefs the Lord, and will fing praife unto our God while we have any being; and when we have no being on earth, we hope to have a being in heaven, to be doing it better.

We are here through Jefus Chrift to offer the facrifice of praife to thee, which we defire to do continually, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to thy name. And thou haft faid, that he that offers praife, glorifies thee, and that this alfo thall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

We will mention the loving kindneffes of the Lord, and the praifes of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath beftowed on us, and the great goodness towards the house of Ifrael, which he hath bettowed on them, according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

1. We must be particular in our thanksgivings to God. 1. For the discoveries which he has made to us in his word of the goodness of his nature.

We give thanks unto the God of Gods, unto the Lord of Lords, for his mercy endures for ever.

Thy goodness is thy glory, and it is for that which all thy works do praise thee, and thy faints do blefs thee.

Thou art gracious and full of compassion, flow to anger, and of great mercy, and haft told us, that thou dolt not afflict willingly, or grieve the children of men, but though thou caufe grief, yet thou wilt have compaffion, according to the multitude of thy mercies.

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