CHAPTER 1.I. 135 Shippers. And it is a very culpable negligence to speak to God in such a rude and unseemly manner, as would ill become us in the presence of our fellow-creatures, when we address ourselves to them. Not but that God hears the language of the meanest soul in secret, though he is not capable of expressing himself with all the decencies that are to he desired ; yet it is certain, that we ought to seek to furnish ourselves With becoming methods of expression, that so our performance of this dutymay be ren- deredpleasing to those with whom we worship, and there is no ne- cessity of being rough and slovenly in order to sincere. Some- times persons have been guilty of great -indecencies, and exposed religion to ;profane scoffs, by a too familiar mention of the name of Christ, and by irreverent freedoms when they speak to God. I cannot approve of the phrases of rollingupon Christ, of swim- ming upon Christ to dry land,,of taking a lease of Christ for .all .eternity. I think we may fulfil that command of coming boldly to the throne of grace without such language, that can hardly be justified from rudeness and immodesty. Persons are sometimes in danger of indecencies in borrowing mean and trivial 9r uncleanly similitudes : they rake all the sinks of nastiness to fetch metaphors for their sins, and praying for the coming of Christ, they fold up the heavens like an old cloak, and . shovel days out of the way. By these few instances you may learn what to avoid ; and remember that words, as well as things, grow ,óld and uncomely ; and some expressions, that might appear decent threescore years ago, would be highly improper, and offensive to the-ears of the present age. It is therefore no suffi- cient apology for these phrases, that men of great learning and. anost eminent piety have made use of them. IV. Seek after those ways of expression that are pathetical, such as denote the fervency of affection, and carry life and spirit with them ; such as may awaken and exercise our love, our hope, our holy joy, our sorrow, our fear, and our faith, as well as express the activity of those graces. This is the way to raise, assist, and maintain devotion. We should therefore avoid such a sort 9f style as looks more like preaching, which some per- sons that affect long prayers have been guilty of to a great de- gree. They have been speaking to the people, and teaching them the doctrines of religion, and the mind and will of God, rather than speaking to God the desires of their own minds. They have wandered away from God -to preach to men. But this is quite contrary to the nature of prayer ; for prayer is our own address to God, declaring our, sense of divine things, and pouring out our hearts before him with warm and proper affec- tions. And there are several modes of expression that promote this end. As, 1. Exclamations, which serve to set forth an affectionate wonder, a sudden surprise, or violent impression of any thing
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