198 A GUIDE TO PRAYER. acceptable to the world : their talents would be attractive of multitudes to their place of worship ; the hearers would be raised in their spirits while the preacher prays with a regular and divine eloquence; and they would receive those sermons with double influence and, success, which are attended With such prayers. VI. The last attempt I shall make to convince christians of the necessity of seeking this gift, shall be merelyby representing the ill consequences of the neglect of it. If you take no pains to learn to pray, you will unavoidably fall into one of these three evils : Either first, you will drag on heavily in the work of prayer all your clays, even in your closets as well as your family, and be liable' to so many imperfections in the perfor- mance, as will rob your own soul of a great part of the be- nefit and the delight of this sweet duty, and give neither pleasure nor profit to them that hear you : The ignorant part of your household will sleep under you, while the more knowing are in pain for you. And perhaps you will sometimes think to make amends for the dulness of the devotion, by increasing the length of it : But this is tò add one error to another, and lay more burdens upon them that are weary. Or secondly, If you find that you cannot carry on the constancy of this duty with tolerable satisfaction, you will give yourself up to a morning and evening form, and in them from year to year. ów though it may be possible for some persons to use a form without deadness and formality of spirit, yet such as from a mere principle of sloth, neglect to learn to pray, are most likely to fall into formality and slothfulness itt the use of forms, and the power of religion will be lost: Or, in the last place, if you have been bred up with an universal hatred of all forms of psayer, and yet know not how to pray without them, you will grow first inconstant in the dis- charge of this duty ; every little hindrancewill put youby ; and at last perhaps you will leave it off entirely, and your house and your closet too in time will be without prayer. Christians, which of these three evils will ye chuse ? Can ye be satisfied to drudge onto your life's end, among improprieties and indecencies ; and thus expose prayer to contempt ? Orwill yoar minds beeasy to be confined'for ever to a form or two of slothful devotion ? Or shall prayer be banished out of your houses, and all appear- ance of religion be lost among you ? Parents, which of these evils do ye chase for your children ? you charge them to pray daily, you tell them the sin and danger of dwelling all upon prayer-books, and yet you scarce ever give them any regular instructions how to perform this duty. How can ye expect they should maintain religion honourably in their families, and avoid the things you forbid 1 But whatsoever ill consequences
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