CIIAPTERU. 121 in Christ Jesus, for the atonement and righteousness of the Son of God, in which we humbly hope to have an interest ; for the enlightening and sanctifgingwork of his own Spirit upon our hearts; for our expectations of,eternal glory : and by expressing the joys of our faith to God, we may often be made a means, in the hinds of the holy Spirit, to raise the faith and joy of others. In public worship, or family devotions, where saints and sinnersarepresent, a minister, or aChristian that speaks in prayer,. should consider the circumstancesof the whole congregation, or family, and plead for suitable mercies. But I think he should not be ashamed to express his faith and hope when he speaks to God, where there are litany to join with him in that holy lan- guage, though every single hearer cannot heartily join and con- sent. Perhaps this may be a way to make unconverted persons, that are present, blush, and be ashamed, and be inwardly griev- ed ; that they are forced to leave out many of the expressions of prayer used by the minister, and are convinced in themselves, and confounded, because they cannot join in the same language of faithand (tope, joy and thankfulness. For it is not necessary that every worshipper should lift up his soul to God according to every sentence spoken in social prayer, but only in such as aro suited to his own case and state, and such as he can sincerely speak to God himself. III. Do not affect to pray long, for the sake of length, or ' to stretch out your n. otter by labour and tail of thought, beyond the furniture of your own spirit. God is not the more pleased with prayers, merely because they are long, nor are Christians ever the more edified. It is much better to Make up by the fre- quency of our devotions what we-want in the length of them, when we feel our spirits dry, and our hearts straitened. We may also cry to God for the aids of his own holy Spirit, even in the middle of our prayer, to carry us forward in that work ; but everyman is not fit to pray long.. God has bestowed a variety of natural, as well as spiritual talents and gifts upon men ; nor is the best Christian, or a saint of the greatest gifts, always fit for long prayers ; for hereby he may fall into many inconveniences; the inconvenienciesof 'affected length in prayer, are these :- 1. Sometimes a person is betrayed by an affectation of tong prayers, into crude, rash andunseemly expressions, in the pre- sence of God; such as are unworthy of his divine Majesty; and unbecoming our meatiness ; sometimes he is forced into imperti_ .rtent digressions, and wanders away from the subject in hand, till his thoughts again recover themselves: and true spiritual, worship is hereby hindered and corrupted. We shall rather therefore take the advice of Solomon upon this Account ; Éc. Y. 2. Be not rash to utter any tiring before God; God is in heaven, and thou upen earth, therefore let thywords be fea;.
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