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V. It is difficult to Pray without some wandering Thoughts in Prayer.

It is very difficult to carry sincerity, and keep up a sense of God through every part of prayer, which is necessary to be endeavored, and is the life of the duty. I find it hard to keep my soul intent, for my thoughts are slippery and swift, and my heart is snatched away sometimes against my will, and before I am aware, yea, even then sometimes when I have made the greatest preparation, and have had the greatest resolutions through grace to avoid wandering thoughts. My best prayers therefore need Christ's incense to perfume them. VI. A deep Sense of God in Prayer is desirable and ravishing. Could I understand my near approach to God in prayer it would exalt my soul above measure. And why am I not ravished with the thoughts of being in the presence of God, and having the ear, yea, the heart of the King of heaven? It is nothing but want of faith, and the strange power of sense, that weaken my spiritual apprehensions, and keep me from an unspeakable delight in my addresses to God. What an high privilege is this to speak to the great Jehovah, as a child to a father, or a friend to a friend! But how slow of heart am I to conceive the glory and happiness thereof! Could I but manage this great duty as I ought, it would be an heaven upon earth, it would bring God down to me, or carry me up to him. Why should I not be carried above the world, when I am so near to God? Why should I not be changed into the same image from glory to glory? Why am I not even transported beyond myself?

VII. We ought to be constant in Prayer.

Inconstancy in prayer is not only sinful, but dangerous. Omission breeds dislike, strengthens corruption, discourages the spirit, and animates the unregenerate part. Constancy in this duty breeds an holy confidence towards God. Inconstancy breeds strangeness. Upon an omission I must never approach God again, or my next prayer must be an exercise of repentance for my last omission.

VIII. Sincere Prayers are never offered in vain.

Formality is apt to grow upon our secret prayers. One of the best ways to prevent it, is to come to God with an expectation. This sets an edge upon our spirits. I do not enough observe the returns of prayer, though God hath said, I shall never seek him in vain. But when I observe, I must acknowledge I have daily answers of my prayers in some kind or other. Nay, I think I may say I never offered a fervent prayer to God, but I received something from him, at least as to the frame of my own spirit.

IX. Prayer promotes Piety, and Godliness, and Acquaintance with God.

It is the Christian's duty in every thing to pray, and holiness lies at the bottom of this duty. If I in every thing commit myself to

God, I shall be sure to keep his ways, or my prayer will upbraid me. This keeps me from tempting him, and makes me careful to find a clear call in all I undertake, knowing that if I go only where I am sent, the angel of his presence will go before me, and my way will be cleared of all temptations and mischiefs. When our call is clear, our way is safe. Besides, the practice of this leads me into much acquaintance with God. My very praying is an acquainting myself with him; and if in every thing I pray, I shall in every thing give thanks, and this still brings me into more acquaintance with him. By this means my life will be filled up with a going to and a returning from God.

X. The real Christian loves Solitude.

Solitude is no burthen to a real Christian. He is least alone when alone. His solitude is as busy and laborious as any part of his life. It is impossible to be religious indeed, and not in some measure to love solitude, for all duties of religion cannot be performed in public. It is also a thing as noble as it is necessary, to love to converse with our own thoughts. The vain mind does not more naturally love company, than the divine mind doth frequent retirement. Such persons have work to do, and meat to eat, the world knows not of. Their pleasures are secret, and their chief delight is between God and themselves. The most pleasant part of their lives is not in but out of

the world.

XI. Religion gives us a real Enjoyment of God.

The true Christian lives above himself, not only in a way of selfdenial, but in the very enjoyment of God. His fellowship is with the Father and with the Son. He every where, and in every thing, seeks out God. In ordinances, duties, and providences, whether prosperous or adverse, nothing pleases unless God be found in them, or admitted into them. That is to him an ordinance indeed, in which he meets with God. That is a merciful providence indeed, in which there appears much of the finger of God. God is nearer to the true Christian than he is to others; for there is an inward feeling, an intellectual touch, which carnal men have not. And herein lies the very soul of religion, and the quintessence of it, that it unites us in a nearness to God, and gives us already to enjoy him.

XII. The Expectation of Death is profitable to a Christian.

The serious expectation of death, not forgetting judgment, frees us from the afflicting, discomposing apprehensions of it. It is of great service to the Christian, it takes off the soul from carnal pleasures, covetous desires, and ambitious pursuits, and assists patience and contentment. It helps the Christian to redeem his time, prompts him to settle the affairs of his soul, to put his heart and house in order, and to leave nothing to be done to-morrow that may be done to-day.

It excites to frequent examination, quickens repentance, and suffers him not to continue in sin. It assists fervency in prayer, as it drives away worldly cares, and helps against distractions; for death is a solemn thing, and the thoughts of it breed a passion in the mind, and all soft passions cherish devotion. The expectation of death sweetens all labor, work, and duty, because of the everlasting rest to which death leads us.

It moves us to pray for others, to counsel them, and do what we can for them. Thus death in the expectation of it is a blessing if we look for it as certain, and yet uncertain when it shall come, as followed with judgment, and as putting a full end to our state of trial. Thus death is ours.

HER RULES FOR PRACTICE.

I. Let love and charity be universal; for no pretence whatever, no, not religion and zeal for God, can justify your not loving any person in the world. Treat all men with kindness, and wish them well. Do them good according to their necessity, and your power and opportunity. If persons be above you, express your love to them, by paying them the honor and observance their place and authority call for. If they are in worldly respects beneath you, manifest your love by kindness, affability, and granting them an easy access to you. If they excel in natural or acquired endowments of mind, express your love to them by a due esteem of them. If they be rather wanting than excelling, shew your love by pitying them, and despise not their weakness. If any be in misery, compassionate them, pray for them, comfort them with your presence if you can reach them, and relieve them according to your power. If any be defamed, shew your love by stopping and rebuking the defamation.

II. Be very careful not to harbor any evil affection in your heart against any person whatever, for though you are far from intending any actual mischief yet you tempt God to let loose your corruption, and his providence to permit an opportunity; and so, ere you are aware, you may be drawn to an act you never before thought of. Besides, by an evil action harbored in your mind you will prevent the blessed illapses of the Spirit of God, and open a wide door for the entrance of the devil into your soul; and indeed an unkind disposition towards any man is so much akin to Satan that if you admit the one, you cannot exclude the other.

III. Despise none, for love never rides in triumph over inferiors. IV. Look upon all unavoidable temptations as opportunities for an high exercise of grace. Are you injured? be sorry for him who has done the wrong, and bless God for the opportunity of shewing yourself hereby to be a Christian, by patient bearing, forgiving, doing good against evil, treating your adversary with meekness, and break

ing his heart with love. Every provocation is a price in your get an heart to improve it.

hand;

V. Put a due value upon your name and reputation, but be not over solicitious about it, for that discovers some unmortified lust at the bottom.

VI. Pursue piety under the notion of an imitation of God, and then so great a pleasure will result from it, that neither men nor devils shall be able to make you question his being and attributes. This notion will raise an esteem of piety, will render it lovely, will make the several duties of religion more free and easy, and will gradually wear out the remains of unbelief, and unkind jealousies of God.

VII. Let humility be the constant covering of your soul, and let repentance follow all your performances. This will demonstrate your religion is inward, for if religion be suffered to enter deep into the heart, it will always find work for repentance, while we are in the state of imperfection.

VIII. Love nothing above God and Christ, for to love any thing more than God or Christ is the way either never to enjoy it, or to be soon deprived of it, or else to find yourself deceived in it.

IX. Do nothing upon which you dare not ask God's blessing.

X. Esteem time as your most precious talent, which when you bestow it upon any, you give them more than you can understand. All the power of men and angels cannot restore it to you again.

XI. Never speak of religion for the sake of discourse and entertainment, but for the purpose of piety.

XII. Upon the Lord's day consider in private the love of God in the several instances of it to yourself and the world, in Creation and Redemption, the promises of eternal life, the care of his providences and his mercies to you, your friends and family; and stay upon these considerations, till your heart be lifted up in his praise, and you can say with David, "Now will I go to God, my exceeding joy." Consider also your miscarriages in the week past, and industriously endeavor to prevent them in the week to come.

LADY ALICE LUCY.

THIS lady was honorably descended, though the particulars of her pedigree are not related in the Memoirs we have met with concerning her.

She entered early in life into the marriage state, though not sooner than she was qualified for it. To her husband, Sir Thomas Lucy, of Charlcot, in Warwickshire, she was reverently amiable; and from him, for all the virtues which an husband can wish for in a wife, she received as much honor as she could expect, or desire.

After this honorable pair had lived together in this near relation for thirty years with much endearment and delight, it pleased God to dissolve the tie, by taking away her support and honor, far dearer to her than her very life. But it pleased God also to shew himself very gracious to her, by upholding her, comforting her, and enabling her prudently to manage her great estate, and to order her numerous family with admirable wisdom, especially if we consider that her bodily infirmities for the most part confined her to her chamber, and seldom permitted her to stir abroad.

She continually carried about her the burden of a weak body, but she bore it with an exemplary patience, and improved it to her spiritual advantage. It was her great affliction that she could not visit the house of God, and attend upon the public ordinances, where God hath promised his presence, and where we may expect his blessing. But because she could not go from her own habitation to the house of God she made a church of her own house, where for several years she every Lord's-day in the evening, unless she were prevented by extraordinary weakness, heard the preaching of the word, strictly requiring the presence of all her family, and shewing herself an example of great reverence, and singular attention.

Her first employment every day was her humble addresses to Almighty God in secret. Her next was to read some portion out of the divine word, and of other good and profitable books; and indeed she had a library well stored with most of our excellent English authors. No sooner did she hear of the publication of any pious, book, but she endeavored to make it her own, and to make herself the better by it.

She spent much time in reading, and was able to give a good account of what she read; for she had an excellent understanding, as in secular so in spiritual things. Finding the benefit of this practice as to herself, she recommended it to her children, whom she caused every day to read some portions both of the Old and New Test

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