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Original, in our inward man.
in our outward man

Actual, both against Law and Gospel.
National and personal.
Omission and commission.
Thought, word, and deed.

Aggravations of them in general, by multitude and greatness.
in special, the kinds of sin.

in particular, the circumstances.

Punishments of them external, in our bodies, friends,

estates, and names,

internal; in respect of blessings,
natural and spiritual.

eternal, of loss and pain..

-PETITION.

SUPPLICATION FOR OURSELVES,

Deprecation against the evil of sin.

Comprecation.

in respect of its guilt for pardon, and for the evidence of pardon.

of its power.

against the evil of temptation by our corrupt nature, the Devil, and the world.

against the evil of punishment."

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For spiritual good in the sanctification of our nature, both inward and outward man. in the obedience of our lives, by the performance, continuance, and increase in the duties both of the Law and the Gospel,

For temporal good, in the provision for us, and pro tection of us,

INTERCESSION FOR OTHERS.

In general-the Catholic Church.

In special-Ordinary for the nations uncalled, as Infidels,

Jews, &c.

the nations called-our own nation,

allies.

Occasional, in times of War, Famine, Pesti

lence, &c

In particular-Ordinary for all relations, public or political,

private or economical. friendship or enmity. 'neighbourhood.

Occasional, for the afflicted in mind, body,

or estate.

THANKSGIVING.

Mercies to be enumerated.

Ordinary, Temporal, Private, as being, nature, birth, education, preservation, souls, bodies, friends, names, estates, &c.

Public, as fruitful, healthful, and peaceable seasons.

Spiritual, election, redemption, vocation, justification, sanctification, both as to its parts and means, hope of glory.

Occasional, for some particular preservation, recovery, or deliverance of ourselves, or others, in soul, or body.

Mercies to be amplified

Generally by their multitude.

greatness in respect of the giver, and as

to the receiver.

their continuance.

particularly by their circumstances, degrees, contraries.

Intermingled with all our prayers, should be the most profound and unfeigned ADORATION of that great God whom we worship. Of every prayer we should aim to be enabled to say with Nebuchadnezzar, I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth forever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation. Dan. iv, 34.

The order in which you bring forward the various parts of prayer, is of little importance, and may depend on the present state of your mind. Are you burdened by sin? begin by confessing your sins. Are you rejoicing in God's goodness? pour out your heart first in grateful thanksgivings, and then confess your unworthiness of every good. Is any afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing Psalms. James v, 5.

We will now enlarge upon each of the preceding parts of prayer.

I. CONFESSION.

Under this head express your present feelings respecting your sinfulness and guilt. The more particular you are in enumerating those sins of which conscience accuses you, the more you aggravate your offences, and condemn, and abase yourself before God, the more He will lift you up.

Acknowledge then His spotless holiness, His almighty power, His perfect justice, and that you cannot approach. with comfort or confidence, but through the advocate of sinners, Jesus Christ the righteous: and, with the feeling of the publican, cry only for mercy.

Do you feel your continual proneness and propensity to sin? Confess your ORIGINAL CORRUPTION. You are a transgressor from the womb; (Isaiah. xlviii, 8,) shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin; (Ps. li, 5.) by nature dead in · trespasses and sins, and the child of wrath. Eph. ii, 5. Mark also the progress of sin, the sins of childhood and of riper years: You may join Jeremiah in saying, We have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers even unto this day. Jer. iii, 25. Observe how this corruption has defiled your UNDERSTANDING, so that you may have often to apply the description, not liking to retain God in their knowledge, (Romans i, 28.) to yourself. Even your CONSCIENCE will at times, appear to be past feeling, being seared as with a hot iron. 1 Timothy iv, 2. Your AFFECTIONS have been fixed on evil things, (Matt. xv, 19.) and you can say from experience, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. John xvii, 9. The WILL

has become a servant to sin, (2 Pet. ii, 19,) brought in bondage unto corruption. The MEMORY has been forgetful of what is good, and retentive only of evil. Hebrews ii, 1.

The powers of the soul have thus been corrupted in the fall; nor have the MEMBERS OF THE BODY been less estranged from God.

The

eye is full of adultery, The ear uncircumcised, slander, malignity, and

pride, and envy. 2 Peter ii, 14. (Acts vii, 51,) often open to sin; and often shut against divine truth. The tongue is a world of iniquity, defiling the whole body. James iii, 6. The mouth full of cursing and bitterness. The feet swift in the ways of sin. Rom. iii, 15. In short all the members of the body have been yielded up as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. Romans vi, 13. Those who know their own hearts, will be ready to acknowledge, that the seeds of the worst and most aggravated wickednesses which have been practised by other men, lie hid therein, (Matthew xv, 19,) and are only restrained from bursting forth by God's grace. The pious Martyr, Bradford, when he saw a poor criminal led to execution, exclaimed, "there, but for the grace of God, goes John Bradford." He knew that the same evil principles were in his own heart which had brought the criminal to that shameful end..

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But should you, from ignorance of your own heart, be ready to think well of yourself, consider your ACTUAL TRANSGRESSIONS. Go through the ten commandments. See, in the first, how often you have loved the creature more than the Creator, and been among those who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. See, in the second, how often you have disregarded, or slightly performed his holy worship. In

the third, observe your profanation of his holy name. by an irreverent and careless use of it; and of his holy character by unholy words, or an unholy life. In the fourth, notice all your sins relating to the sabbath. In the fifth, your sins respecting your relatives, as parents, brothers, sisters, and others. In the sixth, your evil thoughts of others, remembering, he that hateth his brother is a murderer. In the seventh, your licentious imaginations-whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. By the eighth, you may bring to your recollection your partiality or hypocrisy in your dealings and transactions: by the ninth, your duplicity and want of truth; and, by the tenth, your covetousness and love of worldly things.

And in order to discover more of the full extent of your sinfulness, remember, that you are accountable to God, not only for SINS COMMITTED, but, for DUTIES OMITTED; and that your SINS IN THOUGHT, as well as those IN WORD AND ACTION, expose you to the displeasure of God; (Prov. xv, 26,) the thoughts of the wicked are an abomination unto the Lord.

These are sins more especially against the law of God. But in SINS RELATING TO THE GOSPEL, you will see more of the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and thence have a more abundant cause of penitent confession. Sin, when you have heard and received the Gospel, becomes peculiarly hateful, as it is sin against love itself. Hence, unbelief, impenitence, and self-righteousness, are so burdensome to the mind of the believer, and so much humble him before his God.

Any unbelief in or doubt about the love and grace of God after such displays of that love as the Bible

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