"

VIII.

He prayed and gave thanks before his DISC. "God, as he did aforetime." Prayer and thanksgiving therefore were the two parts of his daily fervice. What the nature of his prayer was, we may know from that recorded in the ixth chapter, where he sets himself to confefs his fins, and thofe of his countrymen, and to intreat for mercy on Jerufalem, with a fervour and affection never to be exceeded. Our devotions then, according to this model, muft confift of confeffion of fins; deprecation of the punishments and judgments acknowleged to be justly due to them; fupplication for pardon, deliverance, and grace; and interceffion for the church, and all included in her, our relations, friends, countrymen, and fellow Chriftians, and more especially for all the fons and daughters of affliction; the whole to be concluded with thankfgiving; concerning which we may ob

a Let me be permitted to recommend to the reader, for his companion and directory in this way, The Devotions of Bishop ANDREWs, tranflated from the Greek by Dean STANHOPE; a new and beautiful edition of which has been lately printed for Mr. RIVINGTON, in St. Paul's Church-yard.

DISC. ferve, that no fituation in this world can

VIII. exclude the neceffity, and take away the

ground of it; fince we find Daniel "giving "thanks," when the city and temple of God were in athes, and himself a captive in Babylon. Even then he not only "pray"ed," but alfo "

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gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." And indeed nothing but a brutish ftupidity can hinder any man from feeing reafon to thank God, fo long as he grants him life, and space, by repentance and faith, to fecure to himfelf a part and portion in the glories of eternity. The pooreft beggar, in rags upon a dunghill, ought to blefs and praise the Lord without ceafing, that he has yet this privilege allowed him; a privilege denied to fo many thousand miserable spirits; whofe day of grace has long fince expired in the night of everlasting death. Whatever therefore be our lot in this world, let us remember the apoftolical injunction, "In all things give thanks :" and in order to ftir ourselves up to the obeying it, let us only recount the mercies we have re

VIII.

ceived through our Lord Jefus Chrift, at DISC. fundry times, and in divers manners, fpiritual and temporal, from the day of our birth to this prefent moment; and the refult will be, it must be, that we fhall all, the poorest and most afflicted among us, make the Pfalmift's refolution our own; "will always give thanks unto the Lord," "his praise fhall ever be in my mouth :" and whenever, like holy Daniel, we "kneel

σε

" I

upon our knees to pray," we shall, at the fame time, like him, "" give thanks "before our God."

Thus therefore does Daniel not only strip us of every excufe for neglecting our devotions, but give us likewife full inftructions how to perform them, with regard to place, pofture, time, and matter. And let the bleffed effect and reward of his devotion fire our fouls to an imitation of fo great and glorious an example. Would we be delivered from the power of the devil, and the bitter pains of eternal death? Would we be holy, and juft, and good? P 3 Would

DISC. Would we be filled with wifdom and un

VIII.

derstanding in the counfels of the Almighty? Would we be high in the favour of Heaven? Nay, would we be saved from temporal calamities, and brought to honour, esteem, and reverence, in the fight of men? Conftancy in prayer can open a way to all thefe bleffings. For if we afk, why Daniel was preferved from the lions? Why he was endued with such innocency of life? Why he was admitted into the fecrets of the divine oeconomy? Why he was ftyled, by way of eminence," the "man greatly beloved?" And why the name of God was glorified by his promotion in a heathen court? The answer to all is" He kneeled upon his knees three "times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks "before his God."

DISCOURSE IX.

THE REDEMPTION OF TIME.

EPHESIANS V. 16.

Redeeming the Time.

AN is often in Scripture compar- DISC.

MA

ed to a merchant; and there are IX. three things more especially, which, confidered in that capacity, he is enjoined to purchase at any rate. The first is the Kingdom of Heaven, likened by our Saviour, in one of his parables, to "a pearl of great

price, which a merchant having met "with, went and fold all that he had, and bought it." The fecond is Truth. "Buy "the