fo ascend, with charity towards all men. He that is cruel and unmerciful to a man like himself, need not expect that God will forgive him. And our Saviour teaches us this charitable principle in his excellent prayer: "Forgive us our trefpaffes, as we forgive them who trefpafs against us." By foliciting heaven, in behalf of others, we piously acknowledge God to be the univerfal Father, Preserver, and Munificent Benefactor, to the whole human race, as well as ourselves; we generoufly exert all the good we can to all men, as our brethren, and confequently bring our minds more and more to the noble expanded principle of univerfal benevolence. By praying, even for our enemies, we naturally root out of our tempers all the rancour and bitterness of malice, fo inconfiftent with the amiable Chriftian difpofitions, which ought to unite mankind in the charitable bonds of focial virtue and felicity.

But, added to all, in our addreffes to our God, we must ever be mindful to ask all things in the name of Chrift; for he who is our Advocate with the Father, has thus commanded us to pray; and upon him, as our all-fufficient facrifice, are our hopes of acceptance with the Almighty

founded.

Having a moft merciful God, to whom we are permitted to offer up our petitions; a gracious High Prieft to intercede, that we may be heard, and accep

G

ted;

ted; "Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help us in time of need*."

OF THE SEVERAL KINDS OF PRAYER.

PRAYER, as to its matter, concerns either fpiritual or temporal bleffings. It may be diftinguifhed, either into mental fupplication, that is, when we addrefs God from our heart only, without the use of words; or, into vocal, which is, when we utter with our mouths what are the defires of our hearts.

The feveral kinds, or divifions of Prayer, may be distinguished into the following: ift, Ejaculatory. 2d, Private, or Clofet. 3d, Family. 4th, Public Prayer.

1. OF EJACULATORY PRAYER.

EJACULATORY PRAYER, is that by which a perfon pours out his thoughts unto God, by a fudden occafional addrefs, when any good occuring to his mind, fuggefts a vehement defire to be in poffeffion of it: or, when any bad thing prefents itself, of which his mind is abhorrent, he folicits God to preferve

Hebrews iv. 16.

preferve him from it. As circumstances require, it may either confift in petition, confeffion, or thanksgiving. It is not made up of many arguments, pleas, or acknowledgments, as other kinds of prayer generally are; but contains a single request, in one, or, at moft, a few, tranfient petitions. These fort of prayers, neither confume time, nor interrupt bufinefs. They are sudden, but strong emotions of the heart, accompanied with great fervour, arifing from things clearly and forcibly apprehended. They dart from the foul in its ftrength and vigour, like flathes of lightning, before the vehemence of defire has time to grow weak, or to be diffipated. But they are not giddily, but feriously, to be employed. They may be used amifs, when we haftily employ them as interjections of furprife; or when, from preffing circumstances of diftress, we pray for things in their own nature impoffible; or, when the intrinfic goodness of the things we folicit, are not proportioned to the ftrength of our desires.

But when one finds himself unawares entangled with temptation, like the chaste, the pious Jofeph, whofe heart recoiled from Committing great wickedness, because he would not fin against God." The ejaculatory prayer; "Lord, deliver me, by thy power, from this evil, and forbid that I fhould commit what my foul would afterwards

* Gen. xxxix. 9.

wards abhor," may not only be efficacious in drawing down ftrength from heaven to refift the fnare, but would arm the foul with refolution to guard against the indulgence of any inordinate appetite.

Those who are converfant in divine things, they who are accustomed to the fecret retirements of closet-worship, will al low that their hearts often follow after God in filent requests, formed and expreffed only in the mind, when it is inconvenient in any other way to utter their petitions, or to declare their acknowledgments to the Almighty: As, when unexpected deliverance from danger, is granted; fuccefs in any undertaking, is beftowed; help in any duty, contributed; mercies and favours unlooked for, have been received. The grateful mind waits not for times, nor places of retirement, to offer thanks; but, on the wings of a lively and pious gratitude, the foul wafts itself to God in ejaculatory homage, and the most speedy expreffions of a tributary praise. As cares and anxieties after the world, often enter into our minds in our most serious moments, and defile the purity of our devotions; fo, with the pious man, this kind of prayer often is exercised in fecret, and gives fuccefs to, and confecrates, all his fécular transactions.

The Scriptures abound with innumberable examples, how pious and devout men, in the times that are past, seasoned their callings and employments, that they might

not

not be flat or infipid to them, by the practice of ejaculatory, as well as the other kinds of prayer. Thus did Mofes, the

friend of God; thus did Samfon, the strong defender of Ifrael; fo did Jacob, Elisha, and Jehofophat, exercise themselves; and, not to mention more, the pious Stephen poured out the fhort ejaculatory fupplication for his enemies, "Lord lay not this fin to their charge; Lord Jefus receive my fpirit*;" and, when he had faid this, he yielded himself up into the arms of everlast

ing mercy.

The efficacy of fuch fallies of devotion are well known, to thofe efpecially who are acquainted with the duty of prayer. By thefe fhort fupplications, they preface their more extended acts of worship. By thefe, they at all times acknowledge the providence of God; they mantain a deep fense of their dependance upon him, on every occafion, and in all circumstances; they keep alive their faith in the Almighty goodnefs, that he is ever ready to help and to fave them; and, by thefe, they cultivate thofe noble difpofitions, that ever make them, to God's paternal eye, fit objects of compaffion, and fubjects, that his omnipotent arm will ever defend.'

* Acts. vii. 59, 60.

OF