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А

METHOD

FOR

PRA Y E R,

WITH

SCRIPTURE-EXPRESSIONS,

Proper to be used under each Head.

CHA P. I.

Of the first part of Prayer, which is, addrefs to God, adoration of him, with fuitable acknowledgments, profeffions, and preparatory requests.

UR fpirits being compofed into a very reverend ferious frame, our thoughts gathered in, and all that is within us charged in the name of the great God carefully to attend the folemn and awful fervice that lies before us, and to keep close to it, we muft, with. a fixed intention and application of mind, and an active lively faith, fet the Lord before us, fee his eye upon us," and fet ourselves in his fpecial prefence, prefenting ourselves to him as living facrifices, which we defire may be holy and acceptable, and a reasonable fervice, and then bind thefe facrifices with cords to the horns of the altar, with fuch thoughts as thefe:

Let us now lift up our hearts, with our eyes, and our bands unto God in the heavens.

B

4

Let us

ftir

up

ourfelves to take hold on God, to feek his face, and to give him the glory due unto

his name.

Unto thee, O Lord, do we lift up our fouls.

Let us now, with humble boldnefs, enter into the holiest, by the blood of Jefus, in the new and living way, which he hath confecrated for us through the veil.

Let us now attend upon the Lord without diftraction, and let not our hearts be far from him when we draw nigh to him with our mouths, and honour him with our lips.

Let us now worship God, who is a spirit, in spirit and in truth, for fuch the father feeks to worship him.

Having thus engaged our hearts to approach unto God,

1. We must folemnly addrefs ourselves to that infinitely great and glorious Being with whom we have to do, as thofe that are poffeffed with a full belief of his prefence, and a holy awe and reverence of his Majefty; which we may do in fuch expreffions as thefe :

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which art, and waft, and art to come.

O thou, whofe name alone is Jehovah, and who art the Moft High over all the earth!

O God, thou art our God, early will we feek thee ; our God, and we will praife thee; our fathers God, and we will exalt thee.

O thou who art the true God, the living God, the only living and true God, and the everlafting King! the Lord our God, who is one Lord.

And we may thus diftinguifh ourselves from the worshipers of falfe gods.

The idols of the heathen are filver and gold, they are vanity and a lie, the work of mens hands, they that make them are like unto them, and fo is every one that trufteth in them. But the portion of Jacob is

not like them; for he is the former of all things, and Ifrael is the rod of his inheritance; the Lord of Hots is his name, God over all, bleffed for ever

more.

Their rock is not our rock, even the enemies themfelves being judges; for he is the rock of ages, the Lord Jehovah; with whom is everlasting ftrength; whofe name fhall endure for ever, and his memorial unto all generations, when the gods that have not made the heavens and the earth fhall perish from off the earth, and from under thefe heavens.

2. We must reverently adore God, as a Being tranfcendently bright and bleffed, felf-exiftent and felf-fufficient, an infinite and eternal fpirit, that has all perfections in himself, and give him the glory of his titles and attributes.

O Lord, our God, thou art very great, thou art cloathed with honour and majefty, thou covereft thyfelf with light- as with a garment, and yet, as to us, makest darknefs thy pavilion; for we cannot order our fpeech by reafon of darkness.

This is the meffage which we have heard of thee, and we set to our feal that it is true, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all; and, that God is love, and they that dwell in love dwell in God, and God in them.

Thou art the father of light, with whom is no variableness or fhadow of turning, and from whom proceedeth every good and perfect gift.

Thou art the bleffed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, who only haft immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath feen, nor can fee.

We must acknowledge his being to be unqueftionable, and past difpute.

The heavens declare thy glory, O God, and the firmament fheweth thy handy-work; and by the things that are made is clearly feen and understood

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