120 A GUIDE TO PRAYER. it were useless and dead : then we give thanks to him, that he bath secured us from the spirits of darkness, and given us rest in measure, and raised us in peace ; I laid one down and slept, with comfort ; I awoke, for the Lord sustained one i Ps. iii. 5. Then we petition for divine counsel in all the affairs of the day, and the presence of God with us, through all the cares, busi- nesses, dangers and duties of it. In the eveningwe give thanks to God for the mercies of the day, for which we oll-red our petitions in the morning : We confess the sins and follies of the day, and humble our souls before God; we petition for proper mercies the succeeding night ; with expressions of adoration, confession, and self resignation, suited to the time ; Ps. iv. $. I will down in peace, O Lord, and sleep; for thou only snakest me to dwell in safety. Thus when we pray before or after meat : thus on the Lord's-day, or our common days of bu- siness; in a time of war or peace ; a season of public or private rejoicing ; a day of trouble or humiliation : let the several ex, pressions of our prayer, in the various parts of it, he suited to the particular season. 2. The place, and the persons. If in our secret retire- ments, then we adore God in this language, O Lord God, who seat in secret, who knowest the way that I take, thou hast corn- manded that thy children should seek thee in their closets, and thou bast promised to rward them openly. 'Here also we ought to confess our more particular sins, which the world knows not, and pour out our whole souls before God, with great freedom and plainness : tell him all our follies, our infirmities, our joys and sorrows; our brightest hopes, and our most gloomy and dismal fears, and all the inward workings of our hearts, either towards himself, or towards the creatures. Then we converse with God aright in prayer, when we, as it were, maintain a divine friendship with him in secret, and in our humble addresses hold correspondence with him as our heavenly andcondescend- ing Friend. When we pray iu a 'family, the matter mustbe suited to the circumstances of the household, in confession of family-sins, petitions and thanksgivings for family-mercies; whether those with whom we live are sick or in health ; whether they are in distress or in peace; whether fixed its their habitations, or re- moving: and our language to God ought to be suited to this variety of conditions. If we pray among a select society of christians, we draw near unto God with holy boldness, something like what we use in our duties of secret worship ; we have reason to take more freedom among those that are fellow-saints, and whose hearts have felt many of the same workings with our own. Then when our faith is lively, we should give thanks to God fd our election
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