dental; as times of affliction, holy-days, fafts, &c. Call upon the Lord in the time of trouble, faith David. When any calamity or affliction oppreffeth thee, then you need not stay for your fet time of prayer, but run immediately to God for help, and beg his comfortable affiftance. Holy-days and fafts are purposely design'd for the promotion of piety and devotion; and therefore on these days, besides our ordinary devotions, we must have some prayers which more immediately relate to the day, and we muft fpend more time in our prayers on fuch days, than we generally do on other days. There are days fet apart more peculiarly for God's fervice, and, as fuch, must be observed by us in our closets.

If men are careful to observe these rules, we shall have no reason to complain that they do not perform this duty of prayer so frequently as they fhould do. If they bear a conscientious regard to the first rule, they cannot fail of praying often; and if they omit this, and mind only the two laft, they will still pray much oftener than now they do.

VOL. III.

I

Seventh

Seventhly, The bodily pofture always to be used in prayer, both private and publick, is kneeling. Of this there can be no difpute, because we have an express command of God for it. Thus Pfalm xcv.6. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. And agreeable to this command was the practice of all holy men of old, nay, and our bleffed Saviour himself, of whom we read, Luke xxii. 41. that when he had withdrawn himself from his difciples, and went to pray privately to his Father, He kneeled down and prayed. If then our Saviour's example be worthy our imitation, and God forbid any of us fhould be fo prophane as to fay it is not, kneeling is that posture of body which we must always use, when we offer up our most private prayers.

Thus have I briefly run over the feveral heads, which I at firft proposed to fpeak to. But I cannot conclude this chapter, without inviting you to a frequent performance of this duty, from a prospect of thofe many advantages which will flow from it. As,

1. If you pray according to all the rules before laid down, in all probability you

will obtain what you pray for. I fay, in all probability; because it may poffibly fometimes happen, that God may deny you what you ask for, for fome wife and good reason unknown to you, even when you do not ask amifs. But, generally speaking, you fhall not be disappointed of your hope, but your prayers fhall be answered. But if you never pray at all, or pray not in this manner which God has prescribed, you have no reason to expect even the most trifling thing you want. To them that ask thus, God has promised that they shall have; but He has no where promised to bestow any thing upon them who do not pray to him.

2. If your petitions are not answered, you will still have this to comfort you, that it is not for want of your performance of this duty. He that is in want, and never prays, as he fhould do, to have his wants fupply'd, may thank himself for them: but the good man, who performs this duty confcientiously, whether his pray. ers are answered or no, has this to fatisfy his mind with, that his mifery does not proceed from his neglect of his duty, but that God in his wifdom thinks fit not

to give him what he asks for, and therefore he can quietly and contentedly bear his want.

3. Whether our prayers meet with their reward in this world or no, they will certainly not go unrewarded in the next. God has engaged his truth for this, and therefore we need not doubt of it. He has promised us, That if we thus pray unto him in fecret, he will reward us openly. He will at the great day of retribution, however he may think fit to deal with us in this world, before the face of men and angels, and all that great affembly which shall be then present, fhew us that he has heard our many pious prayers, by rewarding us for them with an eternity of happiness. Whatever disappointments therefore we may [aneet with, by not having our prayers anfwered in this world; yet ftill we will not be difcouraged. We know, O Lord, that thou art faithful who hast promised; and therefore though thou doft not reward our prayers with temporal blesfings, yet thou wilt give us that, if we ask as we ought to do, which we chiefly ask for, even eternal life and glory.

CHAF.

CHAP. VI.

Of THANKSGIVING.

E must always close up our prayers with a thanksgiving to God. For fo he himself commands, That we should give thanks for all things, and with our prayers and fupplications offer up our thanksgivings alfo. Phil. iv. 6.

To give God thanks is to acknowledge, with a heart truly fenfible of God's great goodness towards us, the many bleffings and mercies which he hath from time to time conferred upon us, to own that infinite mercy and kindness which he continually manifefts towards us, and to bless and praise his name for them. And tho' this is but a poor return for those many favours which we receive from God; yet he, out of his great love and condefcenfion to us, has been graciously pleased to affure I 3

us,