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Lam.3.22. It is of the Lords mercy that we are not confumed, because his compaßions fail not. V.23. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulneffe.

V.24. The Lord is my portion, faith my foul, therefore I will hope in him.

V.25. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the foul that feeketh him.

Pfal.73.25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon the Earth that I defire befides thee.

Eph.5.14. Wherefore he faith. Awake thou that Sleepeft, and arife from the dead, and Chrift fhall give thee Light.

Rom.13.11. And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of fleep for now is our falvation neerer, than when we believed. V.12. The night is far spent, the day is at band: let us therefore caft off the works of darknesse, and let us put on the armour of Light. Eph.5.15. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wife.

Rom.13.13. Let us walk boneftly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkennesse, not in chambering and wantonneffe, not in ftrife and en vying. V.14. But put ye on the Lord Fefus Chrift, and make not provifion for the flesh, to fulfill the lufts therof.

Pfal.63.

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Pfal.63.1. O God, thou art my God, early will I feck thee: my foul thirfteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry, and thirsty Land,

where no water is.

Pfal.59.16. But I will fing of thy power: yea I will fing alond of thy mercy in the morning, for thou hast been my defence, and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Pfal.35.28. And my tongue shall speak of thy righteoufneffe, and of thy praife all the day long. Pfal.3 5. I laid me down and flept; I awaked, for the Lord fuftained me.

Pfal.91.1. He that dwelleth in the fecret place of the most high, fhall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

V.4. He hall cover thee with his feathers, and under bis wings fhalt thou trust; his truth fhall be thy fhield and buckler.

Pfal.4.6. There be many that fay, who will shew us any good? Lord lift then up the Light of thy Countenance upon us.

Pfal.32.8. I will inftruct thee, and teach thee in

the way which thou shalt go, I will guid thee with mine eye.

Pfal.86.11. Teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy Truth: unite my heart to fear thy

Name.

Pfal. 17.5. Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps flip not.

Pfal.90.17. And let the beauty of the Lord our

God

God be upon us, &eftablish thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands, eftablife thou it.

Secondly, Omit not daily to poure forth thy Soul in fecret and fervent prayer before the Lord, humbly confeffing, and bewailing thy fins, with a deep fenfe and feeling of the evil, danger, and defert of them; begging earneftly (as for thy life) a ful and free pardon and dif charge of them all in the blood of Chrift, and humbly imploring the aid and affiftance of the holy Spirit, to enable thee to mortifie thy corruptions, to refift temptations, and to perform in a right manner all the duties required of

thee.

Be much in this duty of fecret prayer, if ever thou intendeft to fave thy foul, to honour God here, or to be happy with him hereafter, And remember that to pray unto God in an accepta ble manner, is not to fay over a few prayers, or to utter a few petitions (Parrat-like) in a formal, cold, cuftomary manner; where there is not a true fenfe and feeling of fin and mifery; and where the defires of the foul are not carried out earnestly to feck for mercy, and relief from God through Chrift, there can be no true hear ty praying, fuch as God will accept, though the outfide and external part of the duty be per formed

formed never fo fpecioufly. God more regards the fighes, and tears, and broken expreffions of a truly contrite and humble heart, that are powred forth in fecret before him, than the most set, and exactly form'd devotions, that proceed either from formality or hypocrifie. If thou wouldest therefore pray aright, beg the affiftance of the holy Spirit of God, to help and enable thee; for we know not how to pray as we ought, except the Spirit help our infirmities. Beg therefore the affiftance of the Spirit, to work, and quicken in thy heart thofe apprehenfions, affections, and Graces, which are requifite for the right performance of this duty, And with that gracious affiftance labour to pray,

1. With humility, and reverence, having an high and awful apprehenfion of the Majefty of God.

2. With a deep fenfe and feeling of thy wants and neceffities and with brokenneffe of heart, and true contrition for thy fins.

3. Offer up thy prayers and fupplications to God in the Name of Chrift, the only Mediatour between God and man, not barely mentioning his Name, but drawing thy encourage ment to pray, and thy hope of acceptance in prayer, from his Merits, Mediation, and Interceffion.

4. Pray in, Faith, humbly trufting in Gods Power, Goodneffe, Faithfulneffe, and graci

ous

ous promises made in Chrift; not so much a Chriftians prayer, as his Faith in prayer preVaileth with God. And 'tis a great encouragement to Faith, to confider, there is not only bounty in God, but bounty engaged by promife. O how great are the priviledges of Saints? God is their Father willing to hear their prayers; Chrift is their Advocate willing to prefent their requests; the holy Ghost is their helper and affifter to draw up their requests for them.

5. Lift up pure hands without wrath, as the Apoftle advieth, 1 Tim.2.8. Before thou fetteft thy felf to this duty, labour to get thy heart purged of all malice, wrath, ill will, and defire of revenge, if there be any fuch vile affection in thee towards any body. When thou goeft to pray, thou goeft to beg forgiveneffe of thy manifold fins from God; which thou canst not reasonably expect, if thou art not willing to forgive others: Our Saviour hath taught us to pray, forgive us our trespaßes, as we forgive them that trefpaffe against us. And this is very remarkeable, he refumes this petition of all the reft to explain and by a strong reason to enforce; Mat.6.14,15. For if you forgive men their trefpaffes, your Heavenly Father will alfo forgive you, but if ye forgive not men their trefpaffes, neither will your Father forgive your trefpafes. Remember therefore, that it is

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