we can meet with; against every ungrateful and difpleafing Accident that comes upon us in the Courfe of our Lives. He that converfeth much with God, and ufeth to make all his Concernments known to him, is prepared to bear all Things patiently, and evenly, whatfoever happen; nor can he light into any Circumftances of Life, which will not be, not only Supportable to him, but eafy alfo.

Add to this in the laft Place, that it is Prayer that fecures the Bleffing of God, both upon our Perfons and upon our Labours; upon our Basket and Store; upon our Families; upon our Employments; and upon all that we have, or do. So great is the Virtue of Prayer, that it turns all the Actions of our natural or civil Life, however indifferent they be, into Actions of Religion. And every Thing that we have, or comes to us, is thereby made a Bleffing of God, which without it, perhaps, might have been a Cross and Affliction. It is Prayer by which every Thing, and every Action is fanctified to Believers.

I might name feveral other Benefits and Advantages to be reap'd from the confcientious Practice of this Duty; but thofe that I have mention'd, may, (I think) if they be confidered, be fufficient to recommend it to any Man whatsoever, that hath the leaft Kindnefs for himfelf: And therefore I will not burthen your Memories, with heaping up more Motives. Only one Thing I defire leave to prefs a little more carneftly, and particularly, than I have yet done, and that is, The abfolute Neceffity of Conftant Prayer, in Order to a Holy and Virtuous Life.

Do

Do any of you, here prefent, in good Earneft, mean to live as you fhould do? Do you really in tend or defire to endeavour after fuch a Pitch of Virtue and Holiness, as will be available for the faving of your Souls everlastingly? If you do not, 'tis in vain to attempt the perfwading you to any Thing of this Nature. If you do, then give me leave to tell you, that it is abfolutely neceffary that you should live in the conftant Exercife of Prayer, otherwise you will never do your Bufinefs. And on the other Side, I dare affure you, if you do thus practife, you will not fail of attaining the End you aim at.

Thefe Three Things I dare lay down for Truth in this Matter.

First, It is impoffible for any Man to be Good, that lives without conftant Praying.

Secondly, Whoever is Good at the prefent, yet if he difufe himself in this Point, he will not continue Good long.

And Laftly, Whoever makes a Conscience of Praying frequently and heartily, and continues fo to do, tho' he cannot at present be faid to be a good Man, yet it is impoffible for him long to continue bad; he will certainly at laft get the Victory over his Lufts and evil Habits. So that Prayer is both the Means, without which Virtue cannot be attained; and the Means that never fails of attaining it; and the Security of it when it is attained. Of thefe Three Things very briefly, and I have done.

First, I fay, no Man can be a virtuous Man that lives without Praying. I do not deny, that Ff2

fome

fome who make no great Confcience of this Duty, but live in an habitual Neglect of it, may fo far retain the Notions of Good and Evil, and thofe Notions may fo far influence their Actions, as that they fhall not be notoriously and feandaloufly vicious. It may be they will not lye, nor cheat, nor oppress any one. It may be they do not live in a Courfe of Lewdness and Debauchery; nor will be engag'd in any Defign or Action that is aparently bate or difhonourable. But all this while, thefe Men are far from being virtuous in the Sense we now fpeak of. For we fpeak of fuch a Virtue as recommends us to God; fuch a Virtue as will be effectual for our Salvation in the other World. Now to fuch a Virtue as this, there goes nothing less than an Universal Care over all our Actions; a ferious Endeavour to frame all our Converfation fuitably and conformably to the Laws of our Saviour. But how can any Man think he takes Care of this, that knowingly and willingly lives in a constant Contradiction to one of the prin cipal Duties of our Saviour's Religion?

Our whole Duty is made up but of Three Things; That a Man live foberly with refpect to himself; righteously with respect to his Neighbour; and piously with refpect to God. Suppofing now, that a Man take Care of the Two former, that is, of doing his Duty to himself and his Neighbour, (which yet I believe never any Man did, that made no Confcience of neglecting his Prayer: but fuppofe a Man could fatisfy himfelf as to thefe Two Points of his Duty) yet if he make no Confcience of the Third, that is, of Piety towards God (as no Man can make Confcience of that, who makes it no Matter of Confcience, whether he fays his Prayers or no) in what Senfe or Notion can this Man be faid to have done his Duty, or to lead a virtuous Life? Certainly in no Senfe at all. For as to one Third Part of his Duty (which is, indeed as confiderable, at least, if not more, than either of the other) he is a notorious

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Tranfgreffor. And tho' he be not unjust, tho' he be not debauched, yet wanting Piety towards God, he is Impious; and that will as certainly damn him, as either of the other. Either therefore one of these Two Things must be made appear, that is to fay, that there may be Virtue, fuch Virtue as will recommend us to God without Piety: Or that there may be Piety without ever Praying, or Worshipping God, (neither of which I believe will be easily affirmed;) or it will follow, That where there is no Praying, there is no Virtue, and confequently no Salvation.

But befides; We all know there is no Poffibility of living a Holy and Virtuous Life, fuch a Life as our Religion requires of us, and which alone will ftand us in ftead in the Day of Judgment) without the Grace of God, and the Affiftances of his Holy Spirit. And we all know likewife, that these are no way to be come by, but by earnest, and affectionate, and conftant Prayer. How therefore is it poffible, that any Man, who is not very serious and frequent in the Exercife of Devotion, fhould ever be able to live a Holy Life? He may, indeed, by his own Study, and for his own Intereft, poffefs himfelf of fuch good Qualities, as may make a fair Shew in the World, and recommend him to all about him: But the inward Principle of Goodness and Holinefs he cannot have; because he doth not practise the Means of obtaining the Grace and Spirit of God, by which alone, that Principle is to be wrought in him.

. But, Secondly, Let a Man at prefent be in a good State of Soul, yet it is impoffible to preferve himfelf in that State, without the conftant Exercife of Devotion. If a Man once begin to neglect his Prayèrs, or to grow more dull or remifs in them, or more averfe to them, it is a certain Argument, that he is in a declining Condition, as to Virtue and Goodness. And as that Neglect, or that Dulness, or that Averfion increases, in the fame Degree doth the Goodness

of

of his Condition abate alfo. And when once it is come to that pafs with him, that the Flame of Devotion is quite extinguished in his Heart; fo that he can live, and enjoy himself without any Converse or Intercourse with God in Prayer; he may from that Period, date the Lofs of his Spiritual Life. He is reduced to the State of a fenfual, natural Man; alive to the World, and to his Lufts, but perfectly dead to God.

The plain English is, Prayer and Devotion is as neceffary a Means to preferve the Union between the Soul and God, in which our Spiritual Life confifts, as Meat and Drink is, to preferve the Union between our Souls and Bodies, in which our Natural Life confifts, and we may every whit as reasonably expect to keep our Bodies alive, without the conftant and daily Ufe of Eating and Drinking; as we can expect to keep our Souls alive to God, without the conftant and daily Exercife of Devotion.

This may to fome appear strange Doctrine: but I do believe, I may appeal to Experience for the Truth of it. Nay, I dare put the Question to any one, that ever took any ferious Care of his Soul, and fincerely endeavoured to live virtuously, and to please God, whether he hath not found the Matter to be fo as I have represented?

Have not fuch always found, that fo long as they kept up the Fervour and Vigour of their Devotion, fo long as they were constant and diligent in their Prayers, and other Holy Exercifes; fo long nothing could hurt them, fo long they have always maintain'd their Poft, and rather grown better than worfe? And tho' they have fometimes been foully overtaken by fome Sin that they refolved againft, yet that Relapse hath done them no Mischief. Their Continuance in their Prayers, hath been an Antidote against the Malignity of the Sin; and they have presently weather'd it out, and fuffered no ill Confequence by it; but it has rather made them more

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