it to every ordinance of God, so as we are to use them with a comfortable persuasion that we shall receive abundance of grace from them. As the Lord promiseth we shall draw waters from out of them, we shall not only use them, but draw from them with joy. Therefore when we pray, meditate, hear, confer, fast, in every duty apply this promise, and you shall find him faithful which promiseth. When thou prayest. Apply these promises for the strengthening of thy faith, and for thy hearing,-"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.a "Pray to thy Father which seeth in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.b "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. "Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name I will do it.d "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.e "Ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.f 66 "Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.g a Matt. vii. 7. b Matt. vi. 6. c Matt. xxi. 22. d Johu xiv. 13, 14. e John xvi. 24. f John xv. 7. g Isa. lxv. 24. *Thou shalt make thy prayers unto him, and he shall hear thee; and if thou seek him, he will be found."a When thou meditatest. "Mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.b "The loving-kindness of the Lord endureth for ever, to them which think upon his commandments to do them.c "Think on these things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, and the God of peace shall be with you." If thou desirest mercy, or the truth of God, to be for thy good, or the loving-kindness of the Lord to be for ever towards thee, and that God which brings peace with him to be with thee; then meditate on good things; and with such a meditation as may stir thee up to practice, and then all these promises shall surely be performed to thee. And because meditation is a hard duty, therefore encourage thyself to it by the benefit it brings; and being a way of God, he will give thee his Spirit to cause thee to walk in it. a Job xxii. 27. b Prov. xiv. 22. è Psalm ciii. 17, 18. d Phil. iv. 8, 9. In meditating, conferring, and reading God's word. "Let not this book of the law depart out of thy mouth, but meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."a In reading of the word, if thou understandest not. "I will pour out my Spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.b "It gives subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.c "The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes."¿ If thou canst not confer. When thou canst not speak in conference to edification, but feelest thy heart shut up, apply, "He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters. "The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom.f "A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.g 8. a Josh. i. 8. b Prov. i. 23. c Prov. i. 4. d Psalm xix e John vii. 38. f Prov. x. 31. g Prov. xii. 14. "The tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak plainlysa "The dumb man's tongue shall sing."b When thou art with the people of God, that thou mayest receive good from them, and do them good, apply, "He that walketh with wise men, shall be wise. His fruit shall be meat, and his leaves medicine."d If thou findest thy soul stand in need of wisdom, keep company with the people of God, who are the only wise people, and then thou hast the only sure promises of the Lord, thou shalt be wise. If thou hungerest after good, resort to the righteous, and thou shalt be satisfied with good things. If thou feel thyself dead, apply, "Out of him shall flow rivers of water of life," for thy quickening. If thy soul be faint or sick, apply, "His fruit shall be meat, and his leaves medicine." Let all this good which is gotten by their fellowship, cause thee to delight in them; and take heed of forsaking the fellowship of the saints. When thou goest into company, apply these promises to thyself, that thou mayest be so to others; and hinder not thyself by unbelief. a Isa. xxxii. 4. b Isa. xxxv. 6. c Prov. xiii. 20. d Prov. xii. 14. John vii. 38. Ezek. xlvii. 12. When thou art to go to the assemblies, to participate in the ordinances. "In places where I record my name, I will come to thee and bless thee."a If thou wantest the Lord or his blessing, go to his house, and thou shalt find him. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thine house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures; for with thee is the fountain of life, and in thy light shall we see light. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thine holy temple.c "The Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold.d "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.e "The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion. In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined."* a Exod. xx. 24. d Psalm 1xxxiv. 11. 5. g Isa. xxv. 6. b Psalm xxxvi. 8, 9. c Psalm lxv. 4. *The short glance which the prophet gives in the 24th chapter, of the deliverance of Israel, and the Messiah's L |