360 PRAYERS FOR CHI /JAEN. love you notwithstanding all your offences? This leads me tq the third consideration. III. " Consider what are your wants." Those wants, which you take the first and most common notice of, are such as relate to your bodies and your present life, which are called temporal wants. Do you not stand in daily need of food and raiment, that you may not suffer sharp hunger and cold ? Do you not want the continuance of your health and your ease, that you may not pine away with sickness and pain Can you keep yourselves alive, or can any of your friends, here on earth, keep you from dying ? Do you not know, that God is the author of all your comforts, and it is on hirn you depend for daily food and clothing, fòr health and strength and ease, for recovery from sickness, and for preservation from death ? ' It is certainly from God, that you must seek all these things by prayer. Are you not exposed to dangers every day, and every night ?_ Do you not want the care of God to keep you both night and day ? to preserveyou from mischief, from fires, from violent and cruel men, and from all evils of every, kind ? And since you de- serve nothing at the hand of God, can you suppose he will watch over you, as with his eye, and cover you from all evil, as with his hand, if you never call upon him, nor ask his favour? But in the next place, do you not know, that you have a soul as well as a body, and that you want some spiritual bless sings, for your souls, as well as temporal blessings, that belong to your bodies? Let us now consider what these spiritual wants are. Since you are guilty creatures, do you not greatly want the forgiveness of your sins? Have you not been taught, that your sins have deserved great and sore punishments, both here and, hereafter ? And are you not very desirous to be delivered from this punishment ? But can you expect Godwin pardon and deli- ver you, if you never pray to him for pardon ? And since you cannot do any thing, to make recompence to the great and holy God, for your offences, how speedily should you apply to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who now dwells in heaven, and who did once, here on earth, make recompence by his death, for the sins and offences of men ? He is the great Mediator and Peace-maker between God and man. How ear- nestly should you pray, that you may enjoy the benefit of his me- diation, and that he may bring you into a state of peace with God, and reconcile you to him ? How should you cry to God, that he would forgive you, for the sake of his well- beloved Soh Jesus Christ? Methinks, since you are sensible that you are guilty sinners, you should not be easy one day, without seeking, tù God for mercy and forgiveness.
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