and peace among yourselves; and the God of love and peace, that hath been, will be with you. Amen."

To one who desired his direction for the attaining the gift of prayer he wrote the following letter of advice.

If you would be able in words and expressions of your own, without the help of a form, to offer up prayers to God, observe these following rules of direction, in the use whereof, by God's blessing, you may, in time, attain thereunto.

1. You must be thoroughly convinced, that, where such a gift is, it is of great use to a Christian, both very comfortable, and very profitable, and therefore very desirable, and worth your serious endeavours. This must first be, or else all that follows will signify nothing. For, it is as the wise man saith, Proverbs, xviii. 1, Through desire, a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom; that is, till we are brought, in some good measure, to desire the end, we shall never, in good earnest, apply ourselves to the use of means for the obtaining of it. It is a gift that fits a person to be of use to others in the duty of prayer, according as there is occasion, either in a family, or in christian communion.* It is also of great advantage to ourselves. For, how can any form, though never so exact, be possibly contrived, so as to reach all the circumstances of my particular case? And yet it is my duty, in every thing, to make my requests known to God.

2. As you should be persuaded of the excellent use of it, where it is attained, so also you should believe, that, where it is not, it may be attained, and that without any great difficulty. No doubt but many are discouraged from endeavouring after it by an opinion they have that it is to no purpose: they think it a thing so far above their abilities, that they were as good sit still, and never attempt it. This is of very bad consequence, as in other matters of religion, so particularly in this; and, therefore, watch against this suggestion, and conclude, that, though it may be harder to some than to others, yet it is impossible to none. Nay, this wisdom is easy to him that understandeth, where means are used in the fear of God.

3. You must rightly understand and consider who it is,† with

An ingenuous man would be ashamed to pretend unto any art or faculty, wherein he is grossly ignorant: so may that man be to profess religion, who neglects to attain this gift. A christian that cannot pray, is like an orator that cannot speak, or a traveller that cannot go. Bishop Wilkins on Prayer, p. 23, ut supra.

By prayer we honour God in the acknowledgment of our dependance upon him, and in the owning of him as all-sufficient, able to supply all our needs; also an allseeing, and all-knowing God. Therefore, to restrain prayer, is to deny him that service and homage which are his due. But then prayer is an inward thing. 'Tis heart-work. It must be done in the spirit, Ephesians, vi. 18. He regards not what words, but what desires. Desires without words are prayers; but words without desires are but babbling. P. Henry, Orig. MS.

whom you have to do in prayer, for your encouragement to come to him, though in the midst of many infirmities and imperfections. He is your Father, your loving, tender-hearted Father, who knows your frame, and remembers you are but dust; who is not extreme to mark what we do amiss in manner and expression, where the heart is upright with him. You may judge a little concerning his love, by the disposition that is in you towards your children, when they come to ask things needful of you. And, believe him to be infinitely more merciful and compassionate than the most merciful and compassionate of fathers and mothers are or can be; especially remembering that we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, who is the great High Priest of our profession, and whom he heareth always.

4. You must pray that you may pray.* Beg of God, the Father of lights, from whom every good and perfect gift comes, to bestow this gift upon you. We read, Luke, xi. 1, that one of the disciples came to Jesus Christ upon this errand; Lord, teach us to pray! And he had his request granted presently. Go you to him on the same errand. You may plead the relation of a child, from that scripture, Galatians, iv. 6,-And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father! And the promise also from that scripture, Zechariah, xii. 10, I will pour upon the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; which two, relation and a promise, if they be not sufficient to encourage your faith and hope in this address, what is, or can be?

5. It is good, before you address yourself to the duty, to read a portion of Holy Scripture, which will be of great use to furnish you both with matter and words for prayer, especially David's Psalms and Paul's Epistles. The Holy Spirit hath provided for us a treasury, or store-house, of what is suitable for all occasions, and where both the word and the matter are his own, and of his own framing and inditing; if affections be stirring in us accordingly, we have great reason to believe he will accept of us. In divers places he hath himself put words into our mouths for the purpose; as, Hosea, xiv. 2, Take with you words; Matthew, vi. 9, After this manner, therefore, pray ye; and often elsewhere.

6. There must be some acquaintance with our own hearts, with our spiritual state and condition, our wants and ways, or else no good will be done in this matter. It is sense of need, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness, that supplies the poor beggar at your door with pertinent expressions and arguments; he needs not the help of any friend or book to furnish him. So if we know ourselves, and feel our condition, and set God before us as our God, able and

* Do but think how a poor condemned creature would carry it, if he might but find so much favour as to be admitted into the King's presence, to speak for himself. P. Henry. Orig. MS.

ready to help us, words will easily follow wherewith to offer up our desires to him, who understands the language even of sighs, and tears, and groanings which cannot be uttered. Romans, viii. 26.*

7. It is of use in stated prayer ordinarily to observe a method, according to the several parts of prayer, which are these four.

1. Compellation, or adoration, which is the giving of due titles to God in our addresses to him, and therein ascribing to him the glory due unto his name. With this we are to begin our prayers, both for the working of a holy awe and dread upon our hearts towards him on the account of his greatness and majesty; as also for the strengthening of our faith and hope in him, upon the account of his goodness and mercy.

2. Confession. Sin is to be confessed in every prayer; original sin as the root, spring-head, and fountain; and actual sin as the fruit and stream proceeding from it. Herein you must not rest in generals, as the most do, but especially when you are in secret before the Lord, you must descend to particulars, opening the whole wound, hiding nothing from him, also aggravating the fault from the circumstances of it, judging and condemning yourself for it in the sight of God. And, for your help herein, you must. acquaint yourself with the divine law, the precepts and prohibitions of it, especially their extent and spiritual nature, as the rule, and then bring your own thonghts, words, and actions to it daily, to be tried by it.

3. Petition, for such good things as God hath promised, and you have need of, both concerning this life and that which is to come. As to the latter, you are to pray for mercy to pardon, and grace to help in time of need. As to the former, for bread to eat, and raiment to put on, and a heart to be therewith contented. You are to pray for others also, the church of God, the land of your nativity, magistrates, ministers, relations, and friends, not forgetting the afflictions of the afflicted.

4. Thanksgiving, which should have a considerable share in every prayer; for, our duty is, in every thing to give thanks for mercies received, publick and personal, which is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us.

This rule of method is not so necessary to be observed in prayer,

Prayers not felt by us, are seldom heard by God. P. Henry. Com. P. Book. Orig. MŠ.

+ Pardon of sin is set forth in scripture by various expressions. Covering, concealing, as the nakedness and blemishes of the body by a garment, Ps. xxxii. 1. Prov. xxv. ii. Easing, as from a burden, Matt. xi. 28. Ps. ii. 1.-forgiving, Hebr.-lifted off,-healing as a disease, Ps. ciii. 3. Hos. xiv. 4.-Blotting out, as a debt, Isa. xiiii. 25. Acts, iii. 19.-Casting behind his back, Isa. xxxviii. 17.— Yea, into the depths of the sea. Mic. vii. 18, 19.-Cleansing, as from filthiness, Jer. xxxiii. 8. Ps. li. 2, 7. 10. Zech. xiii. 1, &c. P. Henry. Orig. MS.

When our hearts and mouths are enlarged in praise to God, God's heart and hand will be enlarged in mercy to us. P. Henry. Orig. MS.

as in no case to be varied from; but it is certainly very useful and expedient, and a great help to young beginners in that duty.

8. My advice is, that you would delay no longer, but forthwith apply yourself, in the strength of Jesus Christ, to this sweet and excellent way of praying; and, I dare say, in a short time, you will find, through the aids and supplies of divine grace, what is at first hard and difficult, will, by degrees, be easy and delightful. The promise is, that, to him that hath, i. e. that hath, and useth what he hath, more shall be given. Though you cannot do what you would, yet fail not to do what you can, wherein the Lord will accept of you, according to his everlasting covenant in Christ Jesus, for we are not under the law, but under grace.

* Prayer is the echo of a promise. P. Henry. Orig. MS.

CHAPTER XI.

A short Account of some of his Friends, especially his Brethren in the Ministry, that died before him.

WE think ourselves obliged to add this account out of his own papers, partly as an evidence of the great esteem he had of the gifts and graces of others, to whom he delighted to do honour; (an instance of that humility which he was in all respects a great example of;) and partly that we may preserve the remembrance of some in that country, whose names ought not to be buried in oblivion. It is part of that honour which we owe to them that fear the Lord: to mention them with respect when they are dead and gone, that we may contribute something to the fulfilling of the promise,-That the righteous, and especially they who turn many to righteousness, shall be had in everlasting remembrance. While their glorified souls shine as the stars in the firmament of our Father, it is fit that their embalmed memories should, in these lower regions, go forth as a lamp that burneth. The Jewish Rabbins read, Proverbs, x. 7, as a precept,-Let the memory of the just be blessed. We will take them in the order wherein we find them in his Diary, according to the time of their death, premising only this note of his, occasioned by a particular instance,-"Such a day I read the life of old Mr. Bruen,* of Stapleford, in which I met with some things that shame me, some things that confirm me, and some things that quicken me. Blessed be God for that cloud of witnesses we are compassed about with.

[1661, January 14. At Wrexham, died my friend Captain Gerard Barber, he was a pious, prudent Christian, and had the good word of all, even the vilest.

On the 17th I went to Wrexham, where I performed the last office of my love to my dear deceased friend, Captain Barber, the saint of the Lord, accompanying him to his grave, where he rests, as in a bed of spices, till the day of the restitution of all things. I hope to see him again, and so we shall be together for ever with the Lord.

Duod. 1641.