refolutions, than when they entered on them? If this be unin telligible to those who themfelves have long difufed them, we must return to the furer proof of a good life, and the more eminent degrees of righteoufnefs prevailing amongft thofe, wha fanctify and improve the common duties of their station by reguiar returns to this hely intercourfe with their Maker.

Now this one obfervation removes the grounds of every difficulty that can be raifed concerning the fuccefs of prayer, or its influence and prevalence with the Deity. For though God fees and knows our wants without our telling Him, tho' he is difpofed to relieve them without being wearied into charity by our importunity, and though all his counfels are immutable, and not liable to be changed by the earnest requests of others; yet our prayers having fuch an influence and effect upon ourselves, may make us the proper objects of the divine favour; which otherwife we fhould not have been; and may thereby entitle us to the divine promifes; which without this. method we should have forfeited. We do not therefore in these cafes pray to God to change his mind; but we pray that we may attain thofe qualifications, which, according to his eternal and immutable purpose, are the neceffary conditions of his favour. It is a moft undoubted truth, that He grants favours of many kinds to men upon their earnest prayers, which He would not have granted without them; but where is the change in fuch a cafe? In ourselves moft certainly, if we attentively confider the matter, and not in our Maker. His defign was always the fame, to receive and hear and affift fuch as come to Him with real fincerity of heart, with humble confeffion of mouth, and with fuitable holiness of life. Thefe are the terms which alone can entitle us to his favour; and when we have fulfilled them; when a fincere defire of obedience has led us to devotion; and devotion has excited us to and confirmed us in righteousness, then we may reasonably expect mercies from our Maker through the merits of our Redeemer; which we had no pretensions to expect before. God is ftill the fame, but we ourfelves are now different perfons, and by devotion, contrition and amendment are now become objects of his favour; whit they who continue regardless of Him, and difobedient to Him, remain the juft objects of his wrath and difpleasure.

There may be fome confufion in our ideas, or difficulty in our expreffions, when we think or write on this fubject; but if we apprehend the cafe rightly, and ftate it clearly, there is no real mystery in it. The laws of God are unalterable; the conditions on which He will receive us to favour, are publifhed, and will not, cannot be reverfed. Thefe conditions are well known to be, that we addrefs ourfelves to Him for afliftance

both

both in our fpiritual and temporal concerns, and that with faithful diligence in both inftances we apply that affiftance. Devotion therefore and induftry and holinefs are the neceffary terms of the divine favour; and when we pray to God, and perform our own part, and reform our own lives, then we are entitled to acceptance; and may reasonably expect a bleffing, which they have no reason to expect, who do not comply with thefe terms. In fuch fuppofed cafe, the divine purpose is not altered but compleated by our becoming fuch perfons, as the promifes, according to their original intent, were calculated for, and propofed to. There is no alteration in the divine attributes, or in the effects of them. The wisdom, juftice and goodness of God did from all eternity propofe the acceptance c returning finners, who fhould apply for mercy in the method of true prayer, and fhould thereby form themfeives to a temper, which fhould make them meet to be partakers of the divine grace. And this general purpofe is fulfilled in particular inftances, when men who heretofore were corrupt, thoughtless of duty, and deftitute of grace, do yet in time recollect themselves, pour out their hearts with fincerity to their Maker, exert their own best endeavours, recover in fome degree to a state of holinefs, and thereby recover a proportionable degree of favour with their Maker.

All this is fo far from implying any change in the Deity, that it illuftrates the fteady and invariable rule by which He acts. It fhews that He is not influenced by caprice or weaknefs, but that He will always do that which is right, and will render to every one according to his works. He would be truly liable to this charge, if He acted otherwife; if He ever deviated from this unerring rule, and made no diftinction between those who are fo much distinguished in their behaviour towards Him. If the devout, who daily apply to God in prayer, were no otherwife regarded by Him, than thofe who own no Providence, or exprefs no dependence on Him, then He might be thought to act by fome other principle than the harmony of the divine attributes; and mutability might be the confequence, if infinite wisdom and holiness and juftice did not direct every difpenfation; and if a due regard was not expreffed to a due imitation of thofe adorable perfections.'

Having confidered the reafonablenefs and efficacy of prayer, when offered up for our felves, the author proceeds to fhew its ufe and propriety when offered up for others.

Thofe writers, fays he, either have entirely mistaken the intent of this inftitution, or very fuperficially have confidered it, who have argued, however plaufibly, that men's own private prayers would be fufficient, if they were in earneft them

felves;

felves; and that if they were not, the prayers of others could be of no fervice to them. More public interceffions may excite the devotion of the thoughtless, and improve that of the pious, and may be the means of bringing the wicked to a ferious fenfe of things, as well as of exalting the virtues of good men. In all events they promote our love of each other, and even the glory of our common Creator, as far as dependent creatures can do it, by confeffing our dependence on him, by acknowledging our infirmities natural and moral, and our only hope of relief in application to the divine perfections and attributes.'

Thefe confiderations lead him to obferve, that it should be the great defign of all devotional compofitions, to inculcate plainly and exprefs ftrongly thofe duties which are the terms of the Chriftian covenant; to promote that pious, benevolent and humble frame of mind which is the neceffary qualification for the future state of happiness. He adds: The love of God and man, and the due regulation of our own paffions and defires may be taught in the very form of our addreffes to our Maker; and may more warmly affect the heart in this, than in any other form or method of teaching. It is a failure in the

execution, and not in the defign, if these prayers here offered for public ufe, are not properly suited for inftruction and admonition. It has been long my endeavour to accommodate them to the use of finners, as indifpenfibly obliged to the condition of reformation, yet as founding all their hopes, after their best proficiency, only on the merits of their Saviour's fufferings. This notion of the terms of falvation, with a fincere regard to the observance of them, it has been my faithful care to inculcate; that they, for whose affistance this collection is intended, might, as bishop Taylor advises, read their duty in their petitions.”

It will be readily acknowledged, that this defign is useful and judicious; but as nothing has been more common than false notions concerning the terms of our acceptance, writers in compofitions of this kind should be particularly careful not to suggest any idea which may beget an unwarrantable dependence, or which is not perfectly reconcileable with the genuine and uncorrupted doctrines of divine revelation. It must be confeffed, that few books of devotion are in this refpect more unexceptionable than the prefent; yet we do not apprehend, that there is any occafion, in our addreffes to the Deity, to fpeak of the meritorious facrifice, the all-fufficient merits, the all-fufficient atonement, and the all-fufficient fatisfaction of Jefus Chrift; nor does it appear that these expreffions are authorized by our Saviour or his apoftles, though we find them frequently used by theolo gical writers.

The

The author juftly obferves, that in devotional compofitions fuch a dignity of language fhould be maintained as may preferve the reverence due to the fupreme Difpofer of all bleffings; and fuch a plainnefs obferved, as that the meaneft understanding may be able to go along with the prayers, and may not lie under the imputation of praying in an unknown tongue. • Somewhat, he fays, of this kind has appeared to me to need correction even in the collection moft in ufe, and generally reputed the best by my brethren of the clergy. The file is fometimes too lofty, and fometimes too low, and not seldom intricate and obfcure. Figurative expreffions, and allufions to parts of the Old Testament little known and lefs understood by the common people, have darkened many paffages in it; and emblems taken from particular profeffions, or particular infirmities, have been carried on fo far, that they look more like an exertion of wit, than an effort of devotion; and have not been fuitable to that folemn ferious ftrain in which humble penitents fhould apply to God for the pardon of all their fins, and fupply of all their wants. The language of our prayers fhould neither be unintelligible, nor yet over-familiar, but fuch as may both excite our devotion and may express it.' This remark is unquestionably just. The language of our devotions ought to be plain, and yet pathetical. In our religious exercises the mind is apt to be cold and languid; and therefore we want to have the attention awakened, and every generous affection warmed and exalted. But this can never be effected by dull, tedious, and infipid forms of prayer, which are more likely to lull the petitioner afleep, than excite his devotion.

Let us fee how these compofitions are calculated to enliven the affections.

O Gracious God, who in the midst of judgment haft remembered mercy, and haft made the foreft calamities to which we are liable, to be attended with some advantages; give thy grace to this thy fervant, that he may look on the distressful part of his condition, to remind him of his fins, and on the beneficial part of it, to remind him of thy mercy; by both to quicken him to earnest repentance. Let the tedious distemper, which he fuffers under, raife his thoughts to the caufe of all human forrow in the difobedience of man, and to an humble reflection on the disobedience of each man, as the just cause of each one's fuffering, &c.'

In the latter part of this quotation we have a formal, unintelligible piece of logic.-Let us take another example.

O bleffed Jefus, to thee, who art fuch an high-prieft as can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; to thee,

who

who when on earth waft made perfect through fuffering, we Befire to pour forth our hearts, and utter our fupplications. Have pity on us, we beseech thee, when in this human nature, which thou once affumedst, we become fubject to fuch fevere fufferings, as thou didst once experience; and relieve us under them, either by the removal of them, or by converting them, through a patient endurance of them, to our greater advantage, &c.'

This concluding period is intolerably rough and uncouth. Some people, however, may think, that fimoothness of stile is of no confequence in forms of prayer. But they are mistaken; the language which is offenfive to the ear is not likely to engage the attention, or affect the heart.

Once more.

• We confefs, O Lord, that of ourselves we are not able to think or to do that which is right, but we can do all things through Chrift that ftrengtheneth us. For his grace we apply, that when it is present with us to will that which is good, we may likewise be able to perform it. And fince it is the fingular recommendation of our duty, that we always judge in favour of it, when we are best able to judge of it, when we are free from the influence of temptation, give us the grace to be more careful against it, to decline, as much as poffible, the path of it; or to leffen its weight, or to refift its strongest efforts.'

This paffage is grievously encumbered by the repetition of the pronoun it; and is utterly deftitute of that warmth and energy which the most infenfible reader may perceive in the following collect:

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Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all defires known, and from whom no fecrets are hid; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy Holy Name, through Christ our Lord."

This fhort address to the Deity is plain, fimple, and unaffected; yet at the fame time expreffed with remarkable force and folemnity. In our Liturgy there are many others which, in this refpect, are admirable. But above all, the prayer which our Saviour has taught us, is inimitable. If we view that facred compofition with a critical eye, we perceive no impropriety, redundancy, or defect. It is fo fhort, that the meanest may learn; fo eafy, that the most ignorant may understand it: and yet fo perfect, that it intimates all our duty, and comprehends all our neceffities. In this excellent prayer there is no thing mean, intricate, or obfcure; there are none of thofe myftical expreffions, thofe enthufiaftic rants, thofe rapturous flights