and compofes the foul, and administers comfort and tranquillity under troubles and difappointments. Therefore Saint James recommends it to fuch as are in affliction; chap. V. 13. Is any among you afflicted, let him pray. A man who lives in the neglect of this duty, tho otherwife he may be skilful and prudent enough in the management of his affairs, yet when he hath ufed all the fkill that he is mafter of, is liable to a great deal of anxiety and follicitude; and is apt to be reftlefs and uneafy within himself, for fear the event fhould not anfwer expectation, and things fhould not fucceed in proportion to the care and diligence which he hath used, about them: and if at laft he be difappointed, he lofes all patience, and has no longer the command of himself. But a pious and devout is anxiously follicitous about nothing, but in every thing by prayer and fupplication makes known his requests unto God. And the fruit of it is this, that he hath the peace of God, which paffeth all understanding, to keep his heart and mind through Chrift Fefus.

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Thus prayer is useful to ourselves. But befides that, it also makes us useful to others. A praying chriftian is a publick

publick bleffing: he obtains mercies, not only for himself, but alfo for his relations and friends, and for the land of his nativity. Abraham's prayers avert ed the judgments of God from Abimelech and his family, when he had offended in his conduct with regard to Abraham's wife; as you may read in the XXth chapter of Genefis. The wrath of God was kindled against the three friends of Job, because they had not Spoken concerning him the thing which was right but on Job's praying for them God forgave them, and received them again into favour; as you may read in the XLIId chapter of Job. Mofes by his prayers often appeafed the wrath of God againft the rebellious Ifraelites and I queftion not but many a nation, and ours in particular, has been faved from ruin by the prayers of the righteous men who were in it. Let us not then be remifs in the practice of a duty whereby we may become fo extenfively ufeful. The meaneft chriftian may be ferviceable by his prayers as well as the greateft. A poor man may pray for the peace of Jerufalem, and pray as acceptably too, as the richest; for God regards not the prayer of the

rich more than the prayer of the poor.

2. I will exhort you to prayer from the confideration of the eafinefs and pleasantness of it. There are some duties of religion which are very harsh and unpleasant. 'Tis hard to mortify our lufts, and to govern our paffions; to live in a tempting enfnaring world, and yet to keep ourfelves unfpotted from it; to converfe with things below, and yet fet our affection on things above; to be rich and powerful, and yet humble and lowly; to be poor and defpifed, and yet contented and thankful; to be patient in tribulation, and joyful in perfecution; to love our enemies; to bless them that curfe us; and do good to them that hate us; to hate father and mother, and wife and chil dren, and brethren and fifters, yea, and our own lives alfo, and to bear our cross and come after Chrift. These things, how juft and reafonable foever they may be, yet are very difficult to be practifed, because they thwart the appetites and inclinations of men, and oppose their temporal interefts. But what is there in prayer that should make men averfe from the practice of it? Surely, it is

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no fuch hard talk to declare our wants, and humbly pray for the fupply of them: an illiterate chriftian may perform this duty as well as a learned one, it requires nothing but a fincerity of heart and every body may be fincere if he please. There is no great labour and fatigue in it, it need take up but little of our time a fhort prayer is better than a long one, because it is more likely to be accompanied with the heart and affections. Whilft our devotions are contracted within a little room, there is fome ftrength and folidity, fome life and spirit in them; but when they are drawn out to a prodigious length, they lofe all their nerves, and grow dull and flat, weak and languid.

And as prayer is eafy to be performed, fo it is pleasant and delightful too. `Can there be a more delightful exercise than to converse with God? Men generally take pleafure in the fociety of their friends on earth, who are attended with many frailties and imperfections: how much greater pleasure muft that man feel, who maintains friendship and communion with the beft and moft perfect being? Indeed to vicious men it may feem a paradox, that there fhould be any

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pleasure felt in communion with a being who is not the object of any of our fenfes. But it is no wonder that men who are immerfed in fenfual pleafures have no notion of those which are

fpiritual. And it no more follows that there are no pleasures to be found in exercises of religion, because a wicked man has no idea of them, than it follows that there are no colours in the world, because a man born blind has no idea of them. Therefore let impious men deride communion with God as much as they please; a devout perfon will refolutely maintain his intercourse with heaven, defpifing their fcoffs as much as they defpife his joys: for they speak evil of the things which they know not, and in a question which must be decided by experience, peremptorily determine without making the experiment.

3. And lastly: I will exhort you to prayer from the example of Christ. We profess to be his disciples; therefore we should imitate his virtues. Now devotion was a very fhining part of our Lord's character whilft he lived upon earth. See the XIVth chapter of Matt. ver. 23. And when he had fent the mul