and the temple without inspiration, and wrought every thing as well and in a manner as acceptable to God as those who were at first in. spired; and for brevity sake, I leave you to make the application.

2. There are several sorts of Prayer, and one common part of all sorts of prayer, viz. Invocation.

3. The sorts of prayer are V. Confession of sins and begging pardon for them: Petition for mercies and blessings we stand in need of, which when it is for others, is called intercession: Depre cation of God's anger and judgments: Thanksgiving for blessings received; and praising God for the infinite excellencies of his nature. 4. A prayer is longer or shorter, as it consists of more or fewer, longer or shorter parts of prayer.

5. It is easy to make a mere scheme or enumeration of heads of prayer of half an hour long, and by consequence for a man of good memory and confidence to make one prayer two or three hours long upon those heads, if he have bodily strength to speak so long.

6. It is indifferent whether we pray unto God in one long, or ma ny shorter prayers, or in prescribed forms of prayer, or forms not prescribed, as extemporary prayers are to the hearers.

7. But in what manner soever we pray, we ought to invoke God with hearty reverence, to confess our sins with hearty shame and sorrow, and to beg pardon for them with hearty and earnest desires. With the same hearty and earnest desires ought we to petition him for all mercies and blessings for ourselves and others, and deprecate his anger and judgments. In like manner ought we to give him thanks with hearty thankfulness, and praise him with an hearty admiration of the infinite excellencies of his nature. And whosoever prays to God in all or any of the aforesaid parts or sorts of prayer, with those hearty affections and dispositions that are respectively due unto them, be it in his own or other men's words, in forms prescribed, or forms not prescribed, in forms read, or in forms spoken without reading, in one continued, or many distinct prayers, he prays in a manner acceptable to God, and according to the rules of worshipping God delivered in his word.

8. He may also be said to pray by the spirit, because the spirit of God helps us to prepare our minds for prayer by working in us an hearty and devout desire to pray, together with those hearty dispositions and affections which belong to the several parts and sorts of prayer; and this is all which the spirit of God hath for many ages ordinarily done for men in prayer.

9. If men are not affected with prescribed forms of prayer, it is because they have not minds prepared for prayer, or because they do not attend to them, or else because they come with prejudice to them for other christians, eminent both for knowledge and piety, are much affected with them, as is visible in our churches, where godly men and women of all ranks may be seen most fervent in their devotions, and offering up their common prayers with sighs and tears. I have known several dissenters most passionately af fected with the church prayers upon their sick and death beds, when sickness made them truly devout, and helped to purge their DD d

minds now intent upon heaven, from preconceited opinions against forms of prayer.

10. The gift of extemporary prayer is an acquired gift, or habit got by art and exercise, as the gift of extemporary preaching, pleading, declaiming, or making verses is; and, like those gifts, it is common to good and bad, to the hypocrite and sincere, to the worst as well as the best men. Major Weire of Edinburgh (not to mention others) who was as bad as a man could be, indeed little better than a devil, had it in greater perfection than any man was ever yet known to have it. You may see an account of him in Ravillac Redivivus.

11. They were popish priests in the time of Q. Elizabeth who first magnified extemporary prayer in opposition to the church's liturgy, calling it spiritual prayer, or praying by the spirit, as you may see proved in a little book called Foxes and Firebrands, with which the papists being charged in the late controversy, could not tell what to reply.

12. Almost all the reformed churches worship God by prescribed forms as well as ours, and particularly the Lutheran, French and Helvetian protestants.

[To be continued.]

A Survey of the Seven Churches of Asia, as they now lie

in their ruins.

[From Travels in the East, by THOMAS SMITH, B. D. Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. 8vo. 1678.]

[Concluded from page 314.]
PHILADELPHIA.

THIS City, distant from Sardes to the south-east about twenty-seven miles, is situated upon the rising of mount Tmolus; the streets to a good height lying one above another, which gives it a very advantageous prospect from most parts into the plain both toward the north and east.

It is called by the Turks Alah Shahr, or the fair city; which must be understood only in reference to the situation, for there is nothing of building in it to make it deserve that name. A city formerly of as great strength as beauty, having had three strong walls toward the plain; a great part of the inmost wall yet standing, though decayed and broken down in several places, with several bastions upon it. Defended by them, but more by the valor of the inhabitants, it maintained its liberty, and held out against Ur-chan and Morat the first, when all the lesser Asia besides had been overrun by the Ottoman forces; but at last, in the reign of Bayazid the first, whom the Turks call Yilderim or Lightning, after a long resistance, the Philadelphians having made several sallies, but all in vain, to remove and raise the siege, it was forced to submit to the fate of other cities, and became a prey to the barbarous conqueror, who was not wanting in cruelty to express his revenge and furious rage against the distressed citizens, for daring to withstand so long his victorious arms; there being about a mile and a half out of town to the south, a thick wall of

men's bones confusedly cemented together with the stones; in all probability raised by his command; (for sure none but such a barbarian would have done it) in compliance, perchance, with some rash wow that he had made, when he lay fretting and storming before it. The churches felt the terrible effects of his fury, as well as the inhabitants; most of them being demolished and turned into dung-hills; as is that of St. John to the south-east, most probably its cathedral for its largeness, where they throw rubbish and filth; and the rest -made moschs. Southward is the river Cogamus flowing from the hill; abundance of vineyards all along, which the poor Greeks used to cultivate, but at that time deterred from making wine, by reason of the severe prohibition of the Grand Seignior; so that here, as a Greek Pappus told us, they had scarce wine enough for the Sacrament. The city is very populous, there being above five hundred Janazaries in it, who according to their privileges, (the government being so much in their favor) can be judged only by their Serdar or captain; the Cady or civil governor having no power over them in the least. Next to Smyrna, Philadelphia has the greatest number of christians, above the other metropolitical seats, there being above two hundred houses of them there, and four churches; whereof the chief is dedicated to the Holy Virgin Mary; the other three to St. George, (a great saint among them) St. Theodore, and St. Taxiarchus.

On the 12th, after three hours riding from Philadelphia, we past over the river Cogamus, whose channel was narrow, but stream deep and full; and leaving the plains some hours after, we climbed up the Tmolus, which we found in some places steep and rocky; on each side covered with vast numbers of pine and fir-trees and having gained the top, we entered into a wood very dangerous to passengers, there being that shelter for thieves in it, and that advantage they have, keeping together upon the hills, between which the road lies, to pour their shot upon them; after three hours past out of it, and getting on the other side of the mountain, we came at last to a village called Kosh-yenigehkuy, where we lodged that night, having travelled twelve hours complete.

On the 13th, about a quarter of a mile from hence, we went to several ruins, which in all probability by their distance from Hierapolis, must be those of Tripolis; of which nothing is left but huge massy stones lying confusedly in heaps, and the appearance of a castle and theatre near to which we forded the Meander, and about four hours after, we came to

HIERAPOLIS.

HIERAPOLIS, (now called by the Turks, Pambuch Kulasi, or the Cotton Tower, by reason of the white cliffs lying thereabouts) a city of the greater Phrygia, lies under a high hill to the north, having to the southward of it a fair and large plain about five miles over, almost directly opposite Laodicea, the river Lycus running between, but nearer the latter; now utterly forsaken and desolate, but whose ruins are so glorious and magnificent, that they will strike one with horror at the first view of them, and with admiration too; such walls, and arches, and pillars of so vast a height, and so curiously wrought,

being still to be found there, that one may well judge, that when it stood, it was one of the most glorious cities not only of the east, but of the world.

The numerousness of the temples there erected in time of idolatry with so much art and cost, might sufficiently confirm the title of the Holy City, which it had at first, derived from the holy waters flowing from several springs, to which they ascribed a divine healing virtue, and which made the city so famous: and for this cause Apollo, whom both Greeks and Romans adored as the god of medicine, had his votaries and altars here, and was very probably their chiefest deity. In the theatre, which is of a large compass and height from the top, there being above forty stone seats, we found upon a curious piece of wrought marble belonging to a portal, this inscription—

To APOLLO the Chief President;

a title peculiar to him. Where these springs arise is a very large bath, curiously paved with white marble, about which formerly stood several pillars, now thrown into it.

Hence the waters make their way through several channels which they have formed for themselves, oftentimes overflowing them, and which crusting the ground thereabous, which is a whitish sort of earth, turns the superficial part into a tophus. Several tombs still remain; some of them almost entire, very stately and glorious, as if it had been accounted a kind of sacrilege to injure the dead; and upon that account they had abstained from defacing the monuments; entire stones of a great length and height, some covered with stones shaped into the form of a cube, others ridge-wise.

On the 14th, in the morning, we set forward for Colosse, where within an hour and a half we arrived.

COLOSSE.

COLOSSE, by the Turks called Chonos, is situated very high upon a hill, the plains under it very pleasant; but we were no sooner entered into it, but we thought fit to leave it, the inhabitants being a vile sort of people, so that me doubted of our safety among them. There still remain some poor christians, notwithstanding those horrid abuses they are forced to endure, but without any church or priest: poor miserable Greeks, who amidst that ignorance and oppression they labor under, retain the profession of christianity still, though they have forgot their own language, and speak only Turkish. Hastily quitting the town, not long after we met the Vaivode of Dingilsley, a very large and handsome Turkish town, about four miles to the south from Laodicea, with about three hundred horse in pursuit of a famous robber called Inge Morad, who with a party of two and twenty horse, had alarmed the whole country. Our way lay almost west to Laodicea, where we arrived after six hours and a half, and passing down the hill, lodged at the bottom of it, to the north of the ruins, in a poor village called Congeleh.

LAODICEA.

LAODICEA, (called by the Turks, Eski Hisar, or the Old Castle) a city of Lydia, according to the geography of the ancients, is above

twenty miles distant from Colosse, situated upon six or seven hills, taking up a vast compass of ground. To the north and north-east of it, runs the river Lycus at about a mile and a half distance; but more nearly watered by two little rivers, Asopus and Caper; the other to the south-east; both which pass into the Lycus, and that into the Mæander. It is now utterly desolated, and without any inhabitant, except wolves, jackals, and foxes; but the ruins show sufficiently what it has been formerly; the three theatres and the circus adding much to the the stateliness of it, and arguing its greatness. That whose entrance is to the north-east is very large, and might contain between twenty and thirty thousand men, having above fifty steps which are about a yard broad, and a foot and a quarter in height one from another, the plain at the bottom being about thirty yards over. A second that opens to the west; and a third, a small one, whose entrance is to the south: the circus has about two and twenty steps, which remain firm and entire, and is above three hundred and forty paces in length from one end to the other: the entrance to the east. At the opposite extremity is a cave that has a very handsome arch.

To the south-east are the ruins of a fortification cut for an aqueduct, the channel of which is cut through massy stones: formerly there were two rows of pillars from south-east to the north-west, the bases only remaining, continued on a great way, and other rows from north-east to south-east, which probably might bound the walk leading to some palace.

The walls of a very large church still remain: to the west side of which are adjoining three very curious arches.

More to the southward, two rows of arches, five on each side. On the 16th we left the village an hour after sun-set, the moon favoring us; and after six hours and a half, at the bottom of a small hill, but not far distant from a very high one, we saw a boiling fountain, whose waters were extraordinary hot and scalding; it sent forth a very thick vapor like the smoke of charcoal, which diffused itself over the plain. About half a mile thence we cross again the Meander over a very rotten and dangerous wooden bridge, a fair and large bridge of stone somewhat above it, being so broken in the midst, that there is no passing over it, and so entered upon the pleasant and fruitful plains of Apamea, watered by the Meander, whose various windings and turnings we observed with great pleasure and satisfaction riding all along its banks for several hours. After almost seventeen hours riding, arrived at Nozli.

On the 18th after we had rode three hours from Nozli, we came to a village called Teke-kuy, very pleasantly situated, and about a quarter of a mile thence, on the right hand, went to see several great ruins that lie on the north upon a hill; between which and the opposite great hill is a very lovely plain. We made up to the ruins of the castle, and a great aqueduct; other vast ruins lying dispersed up and down for a great way: these ruins are called by the Turks, Sultan Hisar, or the Sultan's castle; and can be no other than those of Tralles, formerly the seat of a bishop, and a famous city in the first beginnings of christianity; situated about three quarters of a mile