But above all, what is so planted and watered, will certainly have an increase from God. You will then speak from your heart, your soul will be awake, your prayers will refresh you like meat and drink, you will feel what you say, and begin to know what saints and holy men have meant by fervour in devotion.
8. Hoping therefore that you are now convinced of the necessity of rising early to your prayers, I shall proceed to lay before you a method of daily prayer.
I don’t take upon me to prescribe to you the use of any _particular forms_ of prayer, but you will here find some helps, how to furnish yourself with such as may be useful. And if your heart is ready to pray in its own language, I press no necessity of borrowed forms.
For tho’ I think a form of prayer very _necessary_ to _public_ worship, yet if any one can find a better way of raising his heart unto God in private, I have nothing to object against it; my design being only to assist and direct such as stand in need of this assistance.
It seems right for such an one to begin with a _form_ of prayer; and if, in the midst of it he finds his heart ready to break forth into other words, he may leave his _form_, and follow those fervours of his heart, till it again want the assistance of his usual petitions.
*This seems to be the _true liberty_ of _private_ devotion: it may be under the direction of some _form_; yet not so tied down to it, but that it may be free to take such new expressions as its present fervours furnish it with, which sometimes carry the soul more powerfully to God, than any expressions that were ever used before.
9. Most people are changeable in regard to devotion. Sometimes our hearts have such _strong_ apprehensions of the divine presence, and are so full of compunction, that we cannot speak in any language but that of _tears_.
Sometimes the light of God’s countenance shines so bright, we see so far into the invisible world, we are so affected with the wonders of the goodness of God, that our hearts worship in a language higher than that of words, and we feel transports of devotion, which only can be felt.
On the other hand, sometimes we are so sunk into our bodies, so _dull_ and _unaffected_ with that which concerns our souls, that we cannot keep pace with our _forms_ of confession, or feel half of that in our hearts, which we have in our mouths; we thank and praise God with forms of words, but our hearts have little or no share in them.
We may provide against this _inconstancy_ of our hearts, by having at hand such _forms_ of prayer, as may best suit us when our hearts are in their _best_ state, and also be most likely to stir them up, when they are _sunk_ into _dulness_.
10. The first thing you are to do, when you are upon your knees, is, with a short _silence_, let your soul place itself in the presence of God; use this, or some other method, to separate yourself from all common thoughts, and make your heart as sensible as you can of the divine presence.
Now, if this recollection of spirit is necessary, as who can say it is not? How poorly must they perform their devotions, who are always in a _hurry_; who begin them in haste, and hardly allow themselves time to repeat their very _form_, with attention? Theirs is properly _saying_ prayers, instead of _praying_.
If you was to use yourself, as far as you can, to pray always in the same place; if you was to reserve that place for devotion, and not allow yourself to do any thing common in it; if you was never to be there yourself, but in times of devotion; if any _little room_, or, if that cannot be, if any particular _part_ of a room was thus used, this kind of consecration of it, as a place _holy_ unto God, would much assist your devotion.
11. It may be of use to you to observe this farther rule: when at any time, either in reading the _scripture_, or any book of _piety_, you meet with a passage, that more than ordinarily affects your mind, turn it into the _form_ of a petition, and give it a place in your prayers.
At all the _stated hours_ of prayer, it may be of benefit to you, to have something _fixed_, and something at _liberty_, in your devotions.
You may have some _fixed_ subject to be the chief matter of your prayer at that particular time; and yet have liberty to add such _other petitions_, as your condition may then require.
For instance; as the _morning_ is to you the beginning of a new life; as God has then given you a new enjoyment of yourself, and a fresh entrance into the world, it is highly proper that your _first_ devotions should be _praise_ and thanksgiving to God, as for a new creation; and that you should devote _body_ and _soul_, all you _are_, and all you _have_, to his service and glory.