132 A OU11)E TO PRAYER. fastened by the master of assemblies: that is, that they might leave a strong and lasting impression on those that hear, that by piercingdeep into the heart as goads, they might be fixed as nails. And there is the saine reason for the choice of proper words in prayer. H. Use such a way of speaking, as may be most natural and easy to be understood, and most agreeable to those that join with you. The apostle gives this direction to the Corinthians, concerning their public worship ; 1 Cor. xiv. 9. Except ye ut- ter by the tongue words easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken ? for ye shall speak into the air. Avoid therefore all foreign and uncommon words, which are borrowed from other languages, and not sufficiently naturalized, or which are old and worn out of use. Avoid those expressions which are too philosophical, and those which savour too muchof mystical divinity. Avoid a long train of dark metaphors, or of expressions that are usedonly by some particular violent party- men. Avoid length and obscurity in your sentences, and in the placingof your words; and do not interline your expressions with too many parentheses, which cloud and entangle the sense. And here I beg leave to give one or two instances of each of these improper methods of speakini: not that ever I heard these very phrasesused by any ministers or private christians in prayer. But as vices of the life are rendered most hateful, and are best cured or prevented by seeing them represented in the plainest and most odious colours ; so the vices of speech, and improprieties of expression are best avoided by a plain represen- 4ation of them in their own complete deformity. This will deter us from coming near them, and make us watchful against all 'those forms of speaking that border upon these follies. And in- deed, without giving examples of each of these faults, I know not how to make the unlearned christian understand the things -be ought to avoid. By uncommon words, I mean such as are either too new, or too old for common use. Old and obsolete words are such as -these ; we do thee to wit, for, we acquaint thee. Leasing, for lying. A gin, for a snare. Some such words as these yet stand in our translation of thebible ; many of these you may find in the old translation of the psalms in the common-prayer book, :and in the metre of Hopkins and Sternhold ; which might be proper in the agewhen they were written, but are now grown into contempt. New words are for the most part borrowed from foreign languages, and should not be uaed in social prayer, till trey are gro:vu so common, that thereappears no difficulty to the hearers, nor affectation in the speaker. Stich as these, which have a French original : Thou, O Lord, art our dernier resort, that is, our lust refuge. Thewhole world is but one great ma-
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