190 A G111DE TO PRAYER. And shall not the language wherein Wi'd.converse with heaven and the living God, be thought worth equal pains ? How nicely do some persons study the art of conversation, that they may accepted in xll company, and share in the favour of men ? Is not the same care clue, to seek all methods of acceptance with God, that we may approve ourselves in his presence ? What a high value is set upon human oratory, or the art of persuasion, whereby we are fitted to discourse, and prevail with our fellow- creatures ? And is this art of divine oratory'of no esteem with us, which teaches us to utter our inward breathings of soul, and plead and prevail with our Creator through the assistance of the holy Spirit and mediation of our Lord Jesus? O let the excel- : lency and high value of this gift of prayer engage our earnestness and endeavours in proportion to its superior dignity: Let us covet .the best Of gifts with the warmest desire, and pray for it with ardent supplications ; 1 Cor. xii. 31. Another argument may be borrowed from our very charac- ter and profession as christians; some measure of the gift of prayer is of great necessity and universal use to all that are cal- led by the name. Shall we profess to be followers of Christ, and not know to speak to theFather ? Are we commanded to pray always, and upen all occasions, to be constant and feryent in it, and shall we be contented with ignorance and incapacity to obey this command ? Are we invited by the warmest exhortations, and encouraged by the highest hopes to draw near to God with ail our wants and our sorrows, and shall we not learn to express those wants, and pour out those sorrows before the Lord ? Is there a way made for our access to the throne by the blood and intercession of Jesus Christ, and shall we not know how to form a prayer to be sent to 'heaven, and spread before the throne by this glorious intercession ? Is his holy Spirit promised to teach us to pray, and -shall a christian be'careless or unwilling to receive such divine teachings? There is not any faculty in the whole christian life that is called out into so frequent exercise as this ; and it is a most unhappy thing to be always at a loss to perform the work which daily necessity requires, and daily duty de- mands. Will a person profess to be a scholar that cannot read ? Shall any man pretend to be a minister that cannot preach ? And it is but a poor pretence we make to christianity, if we are not able, at least in secret, to supply ourselves with a few meditations or expressions, to continue a little in this work of prayer. Remember then, O christian, this is not a gift that belongs to ministers alone, nor alone to governors of families, who ace under constant obligations to pray in public; though it most highly concerns them to be expert in this holy skill, that with courage and presence of mind, with honour and decency, they
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