CHAPTER II. 117 and spiritual, and eternal, as well as temporal : That theywire granted before you sought them, or as soon as asked, &c. And let your petitions and your thanksgiving in a special manner be suited to the placeitnd circumstances of yourselves, and those that you pray with, toed those that you pray for. Our burdens, Our cares, our wants, and sins are many ; so are our mercies also, and our hopes, so are the attributes of our God, his pro- mises and his graces ; if we open our mouths wide, he will fill and satisfy us with good things, according to his word. If ge- nerals were sufficient for us, one short form would make all others needless ; it would be enough to express ourselves in this manner to God. O Lord, thou art great and good, but we are zile sinners, give us all the mercies we stand in need offor time andfor eternity, for the sake of Jesus Christ ; and through him accept all our thanksgivings for whatsoever we have and hope for : to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be eternal glory. Amén. This is a most general and comprehensive prayer, and in- cludes in it every thing necessary : But there is no christian can satisfy his soul, to go from clay to day to the mercy-seat, and say nothing else but this. A saint in a right frame loves to pour out his soul before God in a hundred particulars ; and God expects to see his children sensibly affected with their own special wants, and his peculiar mercies, and to take notice of the lesser, as well "as of the more considerable circumstances of them. Let us not be straitened in ourselves then, for , the hand of God and his heart are not straitened. Our Lord Jesus bids us ask, andpro- mises it shall begiven ; Mat. vii. 7. The apostle Paul bids tis in every thingby prayer and supplicationto make knownn oil?" re- quests to God Phil. iv. 6. And the apostle James tells us, we receive not, because we ask not; James iv. 2. IV. Rule. In order to furnish our minds with matter_ for prayer, it is veryconvenient at solemn seasons of worship to read some part -of the word of God, or some spiritual treatise written by holy men, or to converse with fellow- christians about divine things, or to spend some time in recollection or meditation of things that belong to religion. This will not only supply us with divine matter, but will compose our thoughts to a solem- nity : just before we engage in that work, we should be absent a little from the world, that our spirits may be freer for converse with God : we May borrow matter for prayer from the word which we read, from inward reflections of our own souls, as well as from holy conferences; andmany a saint hath found this true, that while he mused, thefire burned within him; Psalm xxxix. 3. and while we speak to men about the affairs of religion and inward piety, we shall certainly find something to say to God. V. Rule. Ifwe find our hearts, after all, very barren, and 11 3
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