112 A GUIDE TO PRAYER. public and Private, when seasons are set apart for prayer, a re- gular premeditation is very useful and advantageous to persons of the highest attainments. 3. I grant farther, that there may be several calls of pro- vidence, which may demand such sudden addresses to God, even from persons of less skill and experience; and they have then reason to hope for more especial assistance from the Spirit of God, while they obey the call of present and necessary duty. But I am ready to suspect that some persons, who are unskilled in praying, and yet cry out against premeditation, do indulge a degree of spiritual sloth, that secretly prevails upon them, while they profess to be afraid of any thing that comes near to a form. The arguments that may incline and encourage younger ehristiaus to prepare their thoughts for prayer beforehand are these : 1. The common reason of man and light of nature teach us, that an affair of such solemnity and importance, which requires our utmost care to perform it well, cannot be done without some forethought. The skill of a christian in the inward exercise of grace, is to be learned and improved by forethought and dili- gence ; and much more in the external performance of a reli- gious duty. Now if the light of nature leads us to it, and scrip., tore no where forbids, why should we not pursue the practice ? The words of scripture seem toencourage such a premeditation, when it tells us, we should not be rash withour mouth, nor let our heart be hasty to utter any thing before God ; Eccles. v. 2. 2. That the heart should be prepared for prayer, is cer- tainly necessary ; the preparation of the heart is frequently. spo- ken of in the wordof God now the heart cannot be prepared for any act of worship, without some degree of premeditation. What is the use of reading the word of God just before prayer, in our families? Why are we so often advised to recollect the sermon we hear when we retire for prayer, but that by premedi- tation we may be better fitted with materials for this duty ? 3. 'There can be no such thing as learning to pray in a re- gular way without it. The distinction of the nature of prayer into its several parts, adoration, confession, petition, is all use-. less, if we must not think before-hand. The excellent rules that ministers lay down to teach us to pray, are mere trifling, if we must not think before-hand. If we may not consider, what our sins are, what our wants, and what our mercies, before we speak in prayer, there is no possibility of ever learning to per - form this part of christian worship with any tolerable measure of decency or profit. An 'utter aversion to think beforehand, what- ever the pretences are, will be a most effectual bar against the attainment of the gift of prayer in any considerable degree. 4. Due preparation for prayer is the way to serve God with
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