III. over again, which they daily repeat, and take CHAP. no Care to avoid. The very Shame of Mind, added to the Pain and Irksomeness of the Reflection, muft needs make them at length, either quit their Sins, or their Prayers. But, if they are daily conftant in the latter, the repeated Dif cipline of Reproach and Admonition, arifing out of the Confeffion of Sin, not forgetting the Aggravations, nor favouring with Excuses, every Excufe of Sin being an actual Accufation of God. That there must be no Chofen, no willing Regard to Iniquity in our Heart, as ever we expect Him to regard our Prayers; muft in time be effectual to make them forfake it; and make them moreover lefs fevere, and more candid to the Faults of others, which is the Perfection of Repentance. Thus the Son of Syrach recommends Prayer, Return unto the Lord, and forfake thy Sins, make thy Prayer before bis Face, and offend lefs, Eccluf. xvii. 25. THUS daily Prayer is fitted, and therefore prefcribed continually, and without ceafing, (which implies no more than being conftant twice a Day, according to the Analogy of the continual and unceasing Sacrifice at the Temple, tho' but twice regularly every Day) and fo much preffed and required for exercifing the Mind in thofe Habits and Difpofitions, as fhall regularly flow and shed their Influence into the feveral Acts of performing the Whole Duty of Man, as Occafion offers; as is well fummed up in a Prayer of that Book; with refpect to God," For improving "in the Knowledge of him, and in Works fuit"able to that Knoweldge, in a true Faith, pu"rifying Hope, unfeigned Love, full Truft in "him Zeal for him, Reverence of all Things " that III. CHAP" that relate to him, Fearful to offend him, "Humble under his Corrections, Devout in his "Service, Sorrowful for our Sins. With refpe&t to ourselves, it impreffes Meeknefs, Humility, "Contentedness, Diligence in all Duties, Watch"fulness against all Temptations, perfect Purity "and Temperance, and fuch Moderation in all "lawful Enjoyments, as never to become a Snare ❝ unto us. With regard to our Neighbour, that "we do as we would be done by, yielding to all "whatever by any Kind of Right becomes their "Due, that we put on fuch Bowels of Mercy "and Compaffion, as never to fail doing all Acts " of Charity to all Men, whether Friends or Ene"mies according to the Divine Example." Now the conftant Exercife of Prayer preferves, ftrengthens, and perfects the Will in its true Liberty and Choice of loving the Divine Perfections, and Heavenly Things, by the natural Efficacy of Difcipline and godly Cuftom; its Influence over the reft of the Subject Powers, is thereby gained more and more; and repeated Acts of this Godliness augments the Power of refifting Temptations, deadens the Love of the World, and quickens and improves our Faith, Affections, and Affiance in another; and at the fame Time brings in all the Joy and Enjoyment receivable from worldly Things, fubordinated to that Expectation. And therefore it is faid, that Godliness [Exercife in this Godliness, in Oppofition to bodily Exercife for bodily Emoluments only, which profiteth little or nothing, nothing to be fure comparatively fpeaking] is profitable for all Things, having the Promife of this Life, &c. [for it gives Chearfulness to the Spirits, and Marrow to the Bones, which, cæteris paribus, fecures, III. fecures, and prolongs the Enjoyment, of this Life, CHAP. had there been no Commandment with Promife of that Sort.] Befides, that daily Converse in Spirit, daily impreffes a Sense of the SpiritualBeing, and Prefence of God; our continual Dependance upon, and Obligations to him, and fets them daily in Prefence, and before the Face of our Understanding, Will, and Affections, as fenfible Objects are daily before our Senfes. Now all these are neceffary for imprinting, and preferving the Sense and Sincerity, and for keeping up the Power of Religion, which is the Spirit of Power and a found Mind in us; as neceffary to the good-liking and well-being of our Souls, as daily Bread and Breathing is to that of our Bodies. AND because the Exercise and Difcipline of that Duty is fo efficacious for increasing our Virtues, and leffening our Tranfgreffions, and Omiffions; that gives us, at once, the true Reasons of Fervency therein, and of the many Commandments for its Frequency, attended always with that Fervency. Fervency makes the Impreffion of Godliness, and Frequency ftrikes it deeper. For the greater the Earneftnefs of Heart and Defire exerted towards the Things prayed for, in Oppofition to Coldness and Indifference; and the oftener it accompanies our Devotion, the more powerfully it produces thofe good Effects in us, which God, in Chrift the Mediator, intended from it; viz. to keep us in a State of continual Dependance upon him, through that Mediator, in a thorough Senfe of our Weakness and Wants, and of his Mercy, his Fulness, and his Promifes to fupply all, through him. THUS he grants to Importunity, in his Son's Name, and encourages it, not because it moves, ΟΙ III. CHAP. or makes a Change in him; but as it repeatedly contributes to work in us, changeable Creatures, an Alteration for the better, and a more fteddy cleaving to our Calling in that Name that we call upon, and is called upon us. It is moft apparent that the End and Appointment of Prayer was wholly and folely for our Benefit; forafmuch as the Majesty of Heaven, to whom we address, is incapable of any Addition from any of his Creatures; when we have done our best in that, and every other Respect, we are ftill but unprofitable Servants. And therefore there can be no other Inducement in God, to approve and require that incumbent Duty arifing out of the State of our Wants, after Sin entered into the World; but because it turns to our Advantage altogether, and is an improving Exercife of our Faculties, for meliorating them, and advancing us in Goodness, to render us more and more fuitable Objects of his increafing Favour, and Loving-Kindness. And when we are careful to answer that End of Prayer, by growing better in the Use of it, and proceeding to the Perfection, our Nature in its prefent Imbecility is capable of, in performing the Religion of the End; we certainly arrive at that Perfection, Happiness, and End, which God propofed from our Compliance with that Means of his own appointing. AND as that Way of coming to God only through the one Mediator Jefus Chrift, in Spirit and in Truth, in the Spirit of Adoption, and the true Mediator, is the only true Worship of God, ever fince the Fall: Whatever differs from it, must be accounted either ignorant, falfe, or perverfe Worship as worshiping without a Mediator, the Cafe of Jews; Mahometans; and Deifts III. in a Christian Country. Or Idolatrous, or in an CHAP. idolatrous Manner, when by any other than the one Lord and only true Mediator; whether thro' one, or many Lords Mediators, to one fupreme God, much diverfify'd; as fome of the Pagans applied to one Supreme under one Name, fome under another; fome to one Mediator, fome to another, (though at the first Introduction of Idolatry, the Idols or Images were erected not to the fupreme God, but to their feveral Mediators only * :) Or by any other in Conjunction with the true * Vid. Prideaux's Letter to the Deifts, pag. 146. &c. Id. Connect. pag. 177. The Paffage from this last Book of that learned Author is worthy to be laid before the Reader. "The true Religion which Noah taught his Pofterity, was "that which Abraham practised; the worshipping of one "God, the fupreme Governor, and Creator of all Things, "with Hopes in his Mercy through a Mediator. For the "Neceffity of a Mediator between God and Man, was a ge "neral Notion, which obtained among all Mankind from the "Beginning. For being confcious of their own Meanness, "Vilenefs and Impurity, they could not conceive how it was "poffible for them, of themselves alone, to have any Access "to the all-holy, all-glorious, and fupreme Governor of all "Things. They confidered him as too high and too pure " and themselves too low, and polluted, for fuch a Converse: "And therefore concluded there must be a Mediator, by "whofe Means only they could make any Address unto him, " and by whose Interceffion alone, any of their Petitions could "be accepted of. But no clear Revelation being then made "of the Mediator whom God had appointed, because, as yet, " he had not been manifefted to the World, they took upon "them to addrefs unto him by Mediators of their own chufing. "And their Notion of the Sun, Moon, and Stars, being, that they were the Tabernacles, or Habitations of Intelligences, "which animated those Orbs in the fame manner, as the Soul "of Man animates his Body, and were the Causes of all their "Motions, and that these Intelligences were of a middle Na"ture between God and them; they thought these the pro"perest Beings to become Mediators between God and them. “And therefore the Planets being the nearest to them of all "thefe |