Spiritual .Perfection: watch and pray, that we may not enter into temptation. To watch without Prayer is to prefume upon our own Strength To pray without Watching is to pre- fume upon the Grace of God. The Lord's Prayer is the Rule of our Duty and Deliires : We are ingag'd by every Petition to co-operate and concur with Divine Grace to obtain what we pray for. Naaman prefum'd he fhould be im- mediately cleanfed from his Leprofie by the Prayer of Elifha ; but he was com- manded to go and wafh himfelf in 7or- dan feven times for his Purification. A fiream preferves its chriftal clearnefs by continual running ; if its courfe be ftop'd, it will ftagnate and putrifie. The purity of the Soul is preferv'd by the conflant exercife of habitual Grace. In fhort, we muff be jealous of our felves, to prevent our being furpriz'd by Sin, and continually addrefs to the ThroneofGrace, for the obtaining Grace and Mercy in time of need and by Faith apply the blood of fprinkling, that has a cleanfing Effi- cacy. The Death of Chrift meritori- oufly procures the Spirit of Life and Renovation, and is the ftrongeft ingage- ment upon Chriftians to mortifie thofe Sins that were the caufe of his Agonies and Sufferings. 2. The 9
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