praying upon particular occafions (feveral of which prayers are recorded by the Evangelifts) but it is faid, upon one occafion, that he spent even a whole night in prayer to God, Luke vi. 12. as if he who received the moft from God, and who was therefore the most dependent upon him, thought it neceffary to be more particularly careful to exprefs that dependence. Our Lord even encourages great earnestness and importunity in prayer; one of his parables being particularly calculated to excite men "always to pray, and not to faint." Luke xviii. 1. &c. "What man is there of you," says he, addreffing himself to a great multitude, Matt. vii. 9. &c. " whom, if his fon afk bread, will he

give him a ftone? Or if he ask a fifh, will he "give him a ferpent? If ye then, being evil, "know how to give good gifts unto your chil"dren, how much more fhall your father who is "in heaven give good things to them that afk " him?"

Our Lord is very careful, however, to inculcate a right difpofition of mind in prayer, and particularly cautions his difciples to avoid the oftentation of the Pharifees, and the clamorous repetitions of the heathens upon that occafion, Matt. vi. 5. &c. "When thou prayeft, thou shalt not be as the

hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in "the fynagogues, and in the corners of the streets, "that they may be feen of men. Verily, I fay unto you, they have their reward. But thou,

K 4

"when

"when thou prayeft, enter into thy closet, and "when thou haft fhut thy door, pray to thy fa• "ther who is in fecret, and thy father who "feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly. But "when ye pray, ufe not vain repetitions, as the heathen do for they think that they fhall be "heard for their much fpeaking. Be not ye, "therefore, like unto them: for your father know"eth what things ye have need of, before ye afk "him." To these excellent admonitions, he fubjoins that pattern of prayer which we usually call the Lord's prayer, which is admirably fimple and expreffive; and as the most important of all our petitions is that which we make for the forgiveness of our fins, he is particularly careful to infift upon it, that we make that request with a heart thoroughly reconciled to all those who have offended us. Matt. vi. 14. &c. "For, if ye forgive men their "trefpaffes, your heavenly father will also forgive 86 you. But if ye forgive not men their tref"paffes, neither will your father forgive your "trefpaffes."

The apostles alfo, upon a great variety of occafions, most earnestly recommend frequent prayer, I Thef. v. 17. "Pray without ceafing." Rom. xii. 12. "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribu"lation; continuing inftant in prayer." Philip. iv. 6. "Be careful for nothing; but in every "thing, by prayer and fupplication, with thankf “giving,

"giving, let your requests be made known unto "God." I Tim. ii. 1. &c. "I exhort that "fupplications, prayers, interceffions, and giving "of thanks, be made for all men: for kings, and "for all that are in authority." This apoftle does not fail, however, to recommend a proper temper of mind in prayer, when he adds, v. 8. "I will "that men pray every where, lifting up holy "hands, without wrath and doubting."

When perfons are under affliction, they are more efpecially difpofed to have recourfe to prayer. Seeing no other hope, they fly to God, as their all-fufficient Saviour, and friend; and this natural propenfity of the mind is particularly encouraged by the apostle James, v. 13. "Is any among you "afflicted? let him pray."

Though the greatest stress is laid, in the fcriptures, upon private devotion, it is by no means fo much fo, as to fet afide the obligation of facial worship, which is also much infifted upon in them. The facrifices which were appointed to be made every morning and evening in the Jewish tabernacle or temple, were offered in the name of the whole nation; and as many perfons as conveniently could, did ufually attend during the ceremony, and offered up their prayers, while the priest went into the temple to burn incenfe. Luke i. 10. "And the "whole multitude of the people were praying with"out at the time of incenfe." David expreffes

the highest fatisfaction which he received from those opportunities of public worship in feveral of his pfalms, as Pf. xxvi. 8. "Lord, I have loved "the habitation of thy house, and the place where "thine honour dwelleth." Pf. cxxii. 1. " I

was glad when they faid unto me, Let us go "into the house of the Lord." And Pf. lxxxiv.

I.

"How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hofts! A day in thy courts is better than a "thoufand." He alfo recommends the greatest reverence upon these occafions. Pf. lxxxix. 7. "God is greatly to be feared in the affembly of the faints: and to be had in reverence of all them "that are about him."

Though we have no particular accounts of the cuftom of the Jews, in antient times, with refpect to the manner in which they spent their fabbaths, yet fince they were commanded to reft from all labour on those days, and were enjoined to read and meditate on their law" at all times," Deut. vi. 7. we cannot but fuppofe that they employed those days, in which they had moft leifure for that purpofe, in reading, meditation, and prayer; and feveral paffages in the Old Teftament feem pretty plainly to allude to fuch a cuftom. We find, however, in the time of our Saviour, that synagogues were established through the whole country of Judea, and in all other countries where the Jews had any fettlement; and in thefe places the books of

the

the law and the prophets were regularly read, and prayers made every fabbath day. Thefe fervices our Lord himself statedly attended, as Luke informs us, ch. iv. 16. "As his cuftom was, he "went into the fynagogue on the fabbath-day." And the fame exercises were continued by the apostles in all chriftian churches, which were formed upon the fame general plan, and have been tranfmitted through all ages to this day.

SECTION II.

Of the focial duties.

T would be tedious, and is by no means neceffary

to go over all the articles of focial duty, as they are explained and enforced in the fcriptures. Whatever I have observed in the first part of thefe Institutes, as the dictate of Nature, is strongly inculcated in the books of the Old and New Teftament, and recommended by motives and confiderations peculiar to revelation. I muft not omit, however, to obferve that the prophets in the Old Teftament, and our Saviour, and the apostles in the New, do not content themselves with giving inftructions, concerning men's conduct in particular cafes and inftances, but are more especially careful to inculcate the neceffity of cultivating fuch an inward