tegrity of heart, are the conditions requifite to render our prayers acceptable to him.

Let us then, as often as we return to this houfe of prayer, bring with us a mind ferious, devout, and difengaged; neither ruffled with cares, nor diffipated by pleafure; that we may ferve God with an undivided attention, and with a heart devoted folely to the right difcharge of the duty which we profefs to perform. Let no inadvertent behaviour betray our abfence from GOD, and the indifpofition of our heart to pay him that homage which with our lips we acknowledge to be due to him. Let not the fufpenfion of his blesfings difcourage our perfeverance; for though he favours not our first, he may our repeated, petitions. Let them be accompanied with humility of heart; with an abfolute, unreferved fubmiffion to the fovereign will of HIM whofe goodness to us is expreffed fometimes by gratifying, fometimes by disappointing, our hopes; and with a firm dependence on his provi

dence, and a trust that he will order all things for our good. And let them be offered up with a mind pure and uncorrupted.

To the First, the Greatest, and the Best of Beings, be it our care to pay our daily homage. We are every day dependent on GOD; and every day fhould begin, and clofe, with pious acknowledgments of our dependence. Every morning, we fhould look up to him for a renewal of his mercies; and, every evening, ask forgiveness for the errors of the preceding day. When we rife, we should implore his guidance; and when we ly down, we fhould fupplicate his protection. Often fhould we lift up our fouls in occafional fupplications to the great Preferver of our being, and recommend ourfelves and our concernments to his providence.

Neither private nor public devotion fhould be omitted; for each has its diftin&t and peculiar advantages. Private devotion is better fitted to afk particular bleffings, or to request the forgiveness of pri

vate tranfgreffions.

In the clofet-retirement, where the fupplicant withdraws from the world to hold converfe with his GOD, and is under no eye but that of Heaven, he may pour out the fighings of a contrite heart; may unburden his dif confolate bofom; may disclose those fecret griefs and neceffities which are not to be revealed to the eye of the world. There he may indulge all the fervour of piety, without fufpicion of hypocrify or oftentation; there alfo he is better able to fix his attention, which public objects, by offering themselves to our notice, are but too apt to interrupt and divert,

On the other hand, public addreffes to GOD, are better adapted to acknowledge general mercies, to bring down common bleffings, and to avert public judgments. Here alfo the folemnity of the house of GOD, reminds us of the reverence due to his awful prefence; and the piety of our fellow fupplicants may excite and animate our devotions, and invite us to an holy emulation. We cannot doubt the accep

tance

tance of both our public and retired devotions. When we are here gathered together, we have our SAVIOUR's promise that he will be in the midst of us; and we have the fame affurance that if we pray to our FATHER in fecret, our FATHER which is in fecret fhall reward us openly.

Let us not then neglect to pay this homage, fo refpectful to GOD, and fo beneficial to ourselves. Let us not neglect to ask the mercies he delights to grant. Should we never obtain the bleffings we afk, yet the confcioufnefs of having done our duty in afking, will always administer fatisfaction. But to this duty we are encouraged by the strongest affurances from the GoD of truth, that our prayers fhall not afcend to heaven in vain; and that if we reap not the immediate fruit of them, yet bleffings will be laid up in store, and referved for us against the great day of retribution.

SER

SERMON XIX.

On DEAT H.

HEB. ix. 27.

It is appointed unto men once to die.

HESE words lead to fome confi

TH

derations on that event which is appointed to all men: An event which need not to alarm, to intimidate, or afflict us; fince our religion affures us, that though we die, yet fhall we live; that though death clofes the prefent scene of mortality, yet it draws afide the veil that now intercepts our profpect of futurity, and opens to us an entrance into another world, a world of endlefs and inconceivable bliss.

Death,