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Suppofe one would fet himself to perfwade any of us to the Practice of fome particular thing which he hath a Mind to recommend to us; what more effectual Method could he take for the carrying of his Point, than to lay before us the common Heads of Arguments, by which all Mankind are prevailed upon to undertake any Bufinefs or Action? And then to convince us, that the Thing he would perfwade us to, is recommendable upon all these Accounts. As for Inftance, That it is a Thing fit, and decent, and reafonable to done. Nay, 'tis a Thing we are oblig'd in Duty to do, even fo far oblig'd, that we act against our Natures, if we do it not; nor have we any juft Exception against it; it is the moft eafie Thing in the World; it will put us to no manner of Trouble, or Pains, or Self-Denial. So far from that, that it is very pleasant and delightful. And not only fo, but also highly creditable and honourable. And, which is the Top of all, the Benefits and Advantages we shall receive from it are extremely great in all Refpects. If now, I fay, a Man can make all thefe Things good of the Point he would perfwade us to; fure all the World muft account us out of our Wits, if we do not follow his Advice,

Yet all thefe Things, it may be evidently made to appear, are true of Prayer, and that too in a higher Degree than of moft Things in the World, What therefore can be defired in this Exercife to recommend the Practice thereof to us that it hath not? And what must be concluded of us, if, notwithstanding all this,

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we continue obftinate in our Neglects of it? Give me leave to fpeak a little to these several Particulars.

First of all; Doth it recommend any Thing to our Practice that is fit and decent, and reaJonable to be done? Then certainly we must needs think ourselves obliged to the conftant Practice of this Point we are speaking of. For there is nothing that doth more become us; nor is any Thing more undecent, or more unreasonable than the Neglect of it.

Is it not fit that the Sovereign Lord of us, and of the World fhould be acknowledged by us? That we, who do continually depend upon him, fhould ever and anon be looking up to him, and expreffing that Dependence? Is it not fit that we, who every Moment expeperience a Thousand Inftances of his Kindness, partake of a Thoufand Mercies and Favours of his, and must perifh the next Minute, unless they be continued to us; Is it not highly fit and reasonable (I fay) that we should take notice, at leaft, of thefe Things to this our Benefactor?

We should think it very ill Manners to pafs by our Prince, or even any of our Betters, without faluting them, or fome way or other teftifying our Refpect to them, tho' they had no way particularly obliged us: But if we were beholden to them for our daily Bread; to come into their Prefence without taking Notice of them, or their Bounty to us, would be intolerable. How much more intolerable therefore muft it be, to pafs by God Almighty Day after Day; nay, to be in his Prefence continually,

tinually, (as indeed we always are) and yet neither to pay any Homage or Reverence to him, as he is our fupreme Lord, nor to make any Acknowledgments, as he is our daily Preferver and Benefactor.

If we had any Senfe of Ingenuity, we should blush to think of paffing a Day without feveral Times lifting up our Minds, and doing our Refpects to Almighty God, tho' there was no other Ill in the Neglect, than only the horrible Rudeness and Ill-Manners that it difcovers in us.

But, Secondly, The conftant Exercife of Prayer is not only recommended to us under the Notion of a very decent and reafonable Thing, but as an indifpenfable Duty. God Almighty hath most strictly charged it upon us, and we are Tranfgreffors of his Laws, if we do not practise it,

Nature itself speaks fufficiently plain, in this Matter. And where-ever God hath to the Law of Nature fuper-added any Revelation of his Will, this Duty we are fpeaking of, fails not to make up a confiderable Part of it. It would be endless to mention all that is faid upon this Head by our Lord and his Apoftles in the New Teftament. I have toldyou already, that they oblige us to no less than Praying always, Praying without ceafing. They ufe likewife abundance of other Expreffions to the like Purpose. They bid us, every where to lift up holy Hands. In every Thing to make our Supplications known unto God. To pray in the Spirit with all Prayer and Supplication, and to watch thereunto with all Perfeverance,

If it be faid, there is no fuch express Command for Prayer in that Revelation which was made to the Jews; I Anfwer, It is a great Miftake. The Prophets do over and over again injoin it as the Principal Part of the Worship of God. And thofe that live without Praying, Pfalm 58. are, by thofe Infpired Writers, rank'd among 1.4. the Atheists. And as for the Law of Moses itfelf, it is obvious to obferve, that the greatest Part of it is concerning Sacrifices. Now Sacrifices, if we will understand them right, were nothing else but that Form or Method of putting up Prayers to God, that was in those Times ufed in the World. So that, in Truth, fo far was Prayer from being left as a Matter of Indifferency to the Jews, that most of their Religion confifted in it.

And accordingly all the Devout Men of that Church spent much of their Time in this Exercife. David's manner was to pray Seven Times a Day. And Daniel took himself to be fo much obliged to the frequent Practice of this Duty, that rather than break this Cuftom of performing his Solemn Devotions Three Times a Day, he would expofe himself to the Den of Lyons.

Nay, Thirdly; So great is our Obligation to frequent Prayer, that he acts against his Nature, whofoever doth not practise it. For, in Truth, Prayer is the proper and peculiar Duty of Man, as he is a Man.

That which conftitutes the Nature of Man, and doth formally difference, and diftinguish him from all other Animals, is, not fo much the Power of Reason, as the Capacity of being Re

ligious.

ligious. There are fome Foot-steps of an obfcure Reafon to be obferved in many Creatures befides Man; but in none, except Him, is there found any Senfe of a Deity, or Difpofition towards: Religion, or any Thing that looks like it. That feems to be the Prerogative of Mankind. God endowed them, and them only, with Spirits capable of reflecting upon the Author of their Beings, and of making Acknowledgments and performing Religious Worfhip to him.

So that to worship God, to converfe with him in the Exercife of Devotion, to pray, and give Thanks for his Benefits, may be truly faid to be the proper Office of a Man as Man; The natural Exercife of those Faculties that diftinguifh him from brute Creatures. And confequently, thofe that live in a continual Neglect of this, what must be faid of them, but that they act unfuitably to their Natures, and are degenerated into a fort of Brutishness.

It appears then, that our Obligations to this Duty are many and great, and fuch as there is no Poffibility of evading. But here is our Unhappiness, that thofe Duties which we are moft ftrictly obliged to, are not thofe that we are always moft inclined to practife. There may be fomething in the most indifpenfable Duties fo harsh and unpleafant; fo difagreeing with our other Appetites or Interefts- they may be fo hard to be performed; fo Laborious, or fo Expenfive, or, upon fome other Account, fo ungrateful, that we fhall naturally put ourfel ves upon the finding out Excufes for the ridding our Hands of them, and cafily fatisfie our Minds for fo doing.

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