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and dignities; not to wear your purple, and fare sumptuously every day: No, but to a gloomy prison of exquisite torments, from whence you shall never be released. Go to the place prepared for apostate spirits, dwell with them in misery, whom you chose to imitate in sin and rebellion against your Creator and Lord; dwell with them that hate you, that have sought your ruin, and now will triumph over you in it; and be as miserable as the mutual hatreds and contentions, the scorn and insults of enemies can make you; and what is still worse, dwell in all this misery and vexation for ever!

Thus is the horror and woe of this sentence fortified on every part; and thus must every wicked man expect to be treated in another life.

May such thoughts as these work in us such a change as may lay the foundation of the hopes of a welcome reception from the Lord of Life.

I shall conclude with that merciful warning which Christ our Judge has left us upon record. Take heed, says he, therefore, to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and so that day come upon us unawares. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth; watch ye, therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

SERMON VII.

THE

GREAT IMPORTANCE

OF

PRIVATE AND FAMILY PRAYER,

IN ORDER TO A

RELIGIOUS LIFE.

JOSHUA Xxiv. 15.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

FROM these words I shall take occasion to discourse to you of the necessity and great importance of private and family prayer. And, in order to this, I shall,

First, Shew that it is the indispensible duty of every one to retire into his closet, and pray to his heavenly Father in secret.

Secondly, That it is the duty of every governor of a family to call every one of his household together, and offer up their joint prayers to God for his blessing and protection.

Thirdly, I shall endeavour to answer the objections to this duty.

And, lastly, conclude with a suitable application.

First, I am to shew that it is the indispensible duty of every one to retire into his closet, and pray to his heavenly Father in secret.

And this is very evident from the nature of the thing itself. For private worship is a surer

testimony of our belief in God's omniscience, than public devotions can be, because it is not to be supposed that a man would shut himself in a closet and pray, unless he had a firm belief that he was addressing himself to a Being of infinite knowledge; a Being who knows the secrets of his heart, knows his wants and infirmities, and is all-powerful to grant his requests whenever he sees it fitting.

But in public prayer it may be otherwise. A man's heart is so treacherous, that he often deceives himself as well as the world, and makes himself believe that he is acting upon a religious motive, while he is influenced by views of interest, or a principle of vain glory: like the Pharisees of old, he prays in public, that he may be seen of men, out of custom, decency, or some worldly motive.

But in private prayer a person cannot be deceived, because praying in secret is founded upon the belief of God's omniscience, and the constant exercise of it must naturally keep up in our minds a due sense of being under the allseeing eye of God, which will be a means to restrain us from committing even the most secret sin; and it is our secret sin that we are in the greatest danger of.

Besides, in private we have an opportunity to be more particular in our prayers than it is possible to be in public. We have, all of us, some particular sins to confess; some particular temptations to pray against; some particular wants to be satisfied, and some particular blessings to give thanks for. Now, we cannot

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