only detracted from her Neighbours and Friends, because she was vifiting, but now the vifits for the Sake of Detraction. Credula is hardened and cruel in evil Speaking, for the fame Reason, that Butchers are unhuman and cruel, because fhe has been so long used to murder the Reputation of her Neighbours. She has killed all her own Family over and over, and if the feeks new Acquaintance, it is to get fresh Matter for Scandal; now all this change in Credula, is purely owing to her indulging a talkative Temper.

Now every thing that we use our felves to, enters into our Nature in this Manner, and becomes a part of us before we are aware. It is common to obferve, that fome People tell a Story fo long, till they have forgotten that they invented it. This is not as is fuppofed, through a bad Memory, but because the things which we make conftant and familiar, will by Degrees fteal the Approbation of the Heart. If therefore we would but be often on our Knees, putting up our Prayers to God, though for a while it was only Form and outward Compliance, yet our Hearts would by Degrees learn the Language of our Mouths. The Subject of our Prayers would become the Subject of our Hearts, we should pray our felves into Devotion,

and

and it would become a part of us, in the fame manner that all other ways enter into our Nature. Our Reafon and Judgment would at last consent to our Lips, and by faying the fame things often, we fhould come to believe and feel them in a proper Manner. For it is a very reafonable Thing, to judge of the Effects of good Cuftoms, by what we fee to be Effects of bad ones. They therefore who are hafty in their Devotions, and think a little will do, are Strangers both to the Nature of Devotion and the Nature of Man; they do not know that they are to learn to pray, and that Prayer is to be learnt, as they learn all other things, by Frequency, Conftancy, and Perfeverance.

SECONDLY, There is another great Advantage in frequent and continued Pray

ers.

THE Cares and Pleasures of Life, the Levity, Vanity, and Dulness of our Minds, make us all more or lefs unfit for our Devotions. We enter into our Closets thus unprepared for Prayer; now if our Petitions are very fhort, we fhall end our Prayers before our Devotion is begun, before we have time to collect our Minds, or turn our Hearts to the Business we are upon.

Now

Now continuance in Prayer, is as great relief against these Indifpofitions, not only as it gives the Heart leifure to fall from worldly Cares and Concerns, but as it Exercises the Mind upon fuch Subjects, as are likely to abate its Vanity and Distraction, and raile it into a State of Seriousness and Attention. It is the Cafe of all People, to find themselves Inconftant in their Prayers, joining heartily with fome Petitions, and wandering away from others; it is therefore but common Prudence to continue our Prayers, that our Minds which will wander from fome Parts, may have others to join in. If we were Mafters of our Attention, and could be as Fervent as we pleased, then indeed fewer Words might ferve for our Devotion, but fince our Minds are weak, inconftant, and ungovernable, we muft endeavour to catch and win them to Devotion, by fuch Means as are fuited to fuch a State of Weakness, Dulnefs, and Inconftancy. He that goes to his Clofet in a hurry, only to repeat a hort Form of Words, may pray all his Life without any Devotion, and perhaps he had been a devout Man long ago, if it had ever entered into his Head, that Meditation and Continuance in Prayer are neceffury to excite Devotion. If a Man was to make it a Law, to himself, to Medi

G g

tate

tate a while before he began his Prayers, if he was to force his Mind to think, what Prayer is, what he prays for, and to whom he prays; if he fhould again make it a Rule to ftop in fome Part of his Prayers, to ask his Heart, whether it really prays, or to let his Soul rife up in filence unto God; prayers thus performed, thus affifted by Meditation and Continuance, would in all likelihood foon render the Mind truly Devout. It is not intended by this, to impofe any particular Method upon all People; it is only to fhew us, that there are certain Means of affifting our Devotion, fome Rules, though little in themfelves, yet of great ufe to render our Minds Attentive and Fervent in our Applications to God. It is the Bufinefs therefore of every fincere Chriftian, to be as wife as he can in these Arts and Methods of Self-government. As we our felves know most of the Falfenefs of our own Hearts, of the Temper of our Minds, and the Occafion of our Defects, so if we would but be fo wife, as to think the Amendment of our Hearts, the best and greatest Work, that we can do, every one's Reason would help him to fuch ufeful Rules, as had a peculiar fitness to his own State. Self-reflection is the fhortest and most certain

Way

Way of becoming truly Wife, and truly Pious.

THERE are two Seasons of our Hearts, which if we would but reflect upon, we might get much Knowledge of our felves, and learn how to affift our Devotion. I mean the time when we are most affected with our Devotions, and the time when we are most indifpofed to pray. Both these Seafons equally ferve to inftruct us in the Knowledge of our felves, and how to govern the Motions of our Hearts.

REFLECT with your felf, how it was with you, what Circumftances you was in, what had happened to you, what you had been doing, what Thoughts you had in your Head at fuch a Time, when you found your felf fo affected with your Devotions. Now if you find out what State you was then in, when you was difpofed to pray fo Fervently, then you have found out a certain Way of railing your Devotion at another time. For do but put your felf in the fame State, recal the fame Thoughts, and do as you had then been doing, and you will find the fame Caufes will again produce the fame Effects, and you will be again in the fame Temper of Devotion. If you was then to put down in Writing, fome fhort Remembrances of the chief Things, that ever raised your Heart to FerGg 2 vency