and earth. Whatever you want, prayer can supply you. Do you want your corruptions abated? Pray against them. Would you have your graces increased? Pray for them. Would you have the afflicted churches comforted, and our own church and kingdom restored to peace and tranquillity? You may relieve them by prayer. If God intends to try us with greater troubles and persecutions, prayer is necessary, that you may be fitted for them. On all these accounts you cannot but see that there is great need of prayer, and if you do pray, that there are great hopes of success. Oh then let us lay aside all trifling matters, and attend strictly to this. Let us leave off so much talking about what belongs to statesmen, let our subject be what belongs to private Christians. Let us pray more, and talk less. Let us speak more to God, and less of men. Speak as much as you will for men, but say nothing against them out of an ordinance. Whatever you have to say against them, let it be in prayer to God for them. This is the Christian's duty, and God grant it may be the Christian's practice.

Let me leave this one consideration upon your minds. When the public exercises of the Lord's-Day are ended, take up the bible, and read the history we have been meditating upon. See whether it does not contain more encouragements to pray for the peace of our Jerusalem than I have now used-And while your heart is warm with the subject, put it in practice. Go to the throne of grace at the appointed hour, and use your interest with him that sitteth upon the throne. Do not spend your evening in talking of other men's matters, but mind your own duty. The less they mind theirs, the more should you pray for them. And instead of prating, as I hear many professors of religion prate, "Oh that we might have more public fasts, more public "meetings for prayer, more general reformations, &c." get thee into thy closet, and set about thy own reformation as soon as thou wilt. Pray and fast, as long as thou wilt, and the more thou growest in grace, the

more wilt thou pray for others, as well as thyself. Let us all then with one heart and one voice now begin, and God grant we may pray without ceasing, as they did in the text, until we obtain the like deliverance. And what sweeter, what more suitable, what more devout words can we find wherewith to conclude, than the collect of our church for this day.

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Almighty and everlasting God, who dost govern "all things in heaven and earth, mercifully hear the "supplications of thy people, and grant us thy peace "all the days of our life, through Jesus Christ our "Lord." Amen.

For further encouragement to practise the duty recommended in this discourse, see a little tract entitled, "An earnest Invitation to the Friends of the "Established Church, to set apart one hour in every "week for Prayer and Supplication, during the present "troublesome times," &c. Printed in Vol. II. p. 295.

VOL. VI.

THE KNOWLEDGE OF SALVATION PRECIOUS IN

THE HOUR OF DEATH:

PROVED IN A

SERMON

PREACHED JANUARY 4th, 1759,

UPON THE DEATH OF

THE REV. MR. JAMES HERVEY,

RECTOR OF WESTON FAVEL IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.

Righteousness delivereth from death.-PROV. x. 2.

& 2