134 A GUIDE TO PRAYER. anger and uncharitableness, for we are bid to lift up holy hands without wrath ; 1 Tim. ii. 8. When I recommend such expressions as are easy to be understood, it is evident that you should avoid long and en- tangled sentences, and place your thoughts and words in such an order, as the heart of the hearers may be able to receive and join in the worship, as fast as their ears receive the words : as in all our conversations and conferences, and discourses; we should labour to make every thing we say to be understood immedi- ately ; so especially in prayer, where the affections should be moved, which cannot well be done if the judgment must take much pains to understand the meaning of what is said. III. Let your language be grave and decent, which is a medium between magnificence and meanness. Let it be plain, but not coarse. Let it be clean, but not at all lofty and glitter- ing. Job speaks of chusing his words to reason with God ; Job ix. 14. Some words are choice and beautiful, others are un- seemly and disagreeable. Have a care of all wild, irregular and vain expressions, that are unsuited to so solemn a part of worship. The best direction I can give you in this case, is to make use of such language as you generally use in your seri- ous discourses upon religious subjects, when you confer with one another about the things of God. For then the mind is com- posed to gravity, and The tongue should answer and interpret the mind. The language of a christian in prayer, is the cloath- ing Of his thoughts, or the dress of the soul ; and it should be composed like the dress of his body, decent and neat, but not pompous or gaudy ; simple and plain, but not careless, uncleanly or rude. Avoid therefore glittering language, and affected style. When you address God in worship, it is a fault to be ever bor- rowing phrases from the theatre and profane poets. This does not seem to be the language of Canaan. Many of their expres- sions are too light, and wild, and airy for so awful a duty. An excessive fondness of elegance, and finery of style in prayer, discovers the same pride and vanity of mind, as an affectation of many jewels and fine apparel in the house of God : it betrays as into a neglect of our hearts, and of experimental religion, by an affectation, to make the nicest speech, and say thefinest things we can, instead of sincere devotion, and praying in the Spirit. Besides, if we will deal in lofty phrases, scripture itself suffici- ently abounds with them ; and these are the most agreeable to God, and most affecting to his oWn people. Avoid mean and coarse and too famili r expressions, such as excite any contemptible or ridiculous ideas, such as raise any improper or irreverent thoughts in the mind, orbase and impure images; for these much injure the devotion of our fellow-tvor-
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