Exhortation for Prayer on Sabbath Morning

All our life is nothing but prayer and thanksgiving, that is to say, we should cry to God every day in our prayers for his blessing, assistance, comfort, and grace, and when these are obtained, we should give thanks unto him with all our hearts.  Therefore, O believer! when thou dost awake in the morning from thy slumbers, let it be thy first care to raise thine eyes to heaven, think not immediately of thy business and thy toils, plunge not at once into the search of gain, but fall upon thy knees, thank God, and commend thyself to his gracious protection.  Do not think it a loss of time to devote half an hour of time in the morning to prayer.  Oh no! the time consumed in prayer will return with usury a thousand fold in thy labors, and what thou readest will lie in thy mouth all the day like honeycomb.  When thou awakest, therefore, and arisest in the morning, hale and strong, reflect:

1. How many a devout Christian, more faithful, perhaps, than thyself, has spent the past night in fear and sorrow, in sickness, in suffering, in terror and great anxiety, of which thou hast experienced nothing.

2. Consider that others in the world have fallen into misfortune, loss, danger and trouble, which thou hast been spared, and thank God therefore.

3. Pray to God at daybreak to keep thee throughout the day in his grace, that thou mayest not sin against him nor against thy neighbor.

4. Pray God to guide thee throughout the day, to preserve thee, and to bless thee in thy business and occupation.

5. Yea, surrender thyself unto God, so that throughout the day thou mayest stand in his love, speak of him, think of him, and not offend him wittingly or willingly, and then doubt not that the Lord will be graciously pleased to hear thy sighs and prayers, and give and grant unto thee throughout the day the things that shall be profitable to thy body and thy soul.

The true Believer prays on partaking of the Lord's Supper

EXHORTATION

The Lord’s Supper is one of the means to strengthen faith and love. In it Jesus enters the believer’s heart. He dwells in his soul to reign over and sanctify him, and keep him faithful to the end.

1. Hence no true Christian can neglect this ordinance like the people of the world, who are so much distracted by their vanity, love of the world, wrath, malice, pride, and luxury, that they have no time to think of this pledge of the soul.

2. The true believer does not come to the Lord’s table as a matter of mere custom, but with an humble, penitent, and believing heart, full of good resolves to be steadfast in the love of Jesus and the fear of God.

3. After partaking of the Lord’s Supper, the believer strives more than ever to surrender himself entirely to God to become by virtue of this nourishment of the soul, daily more pious, devout, and zealous, in godliness and in the performance of Christian virtues, and to be faithful to his God even until death.