Remains of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…Remaines of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…

Secondly. Have I not prayed to no purpose, or let Roving thoughts eat out my Duty? Take an account every Evening what you have gained by that days Prayers, if we did so, this would be brave; then we should grow apace. But this is our great loss, that we content our selves with the duty done, and do not look to the manner of performance, or the doing of the Duty; therefore if thou wouldst gain by thy duties, see HOW as well as WHAT thou didst pray. How did I pray! was my heart lively or dull? Let it not be enough that your hearts do acquit you in this, that you have not neglected duty, but whether you have not been slack in the duty. And because vain thoughts are our great enemies here, look that these do not eat up thy Sacrifice; we have been often complaining of these, but we are not eased of them: And what is the reason? because we do not take our hearts to Task about it, for our vain thoughts in duty every day; if we did but ask our hearts this every Evening, our hearts would be ashamed to be found guilty every day.

Thirdly. Have I not neglected, or been very overly in the Reading of Gods holy Word? I am afraid that many of us do neglect this duty, doth not there pass over our heads many a day wherein we Read not a Chapter? And yet I fear more of the manner how you Read. Did you begin with Prayer, and observe what promises, or Commands, or Threatenings, or Examples were there for you to Imitate, or to fear and avoid? And did you ⟨p. 9⟩turn it into Prayer afterwards? That I would advise you to, to turn some of the Chapter into prayer afterward. O that we should slight the word, that the Saints of God have set such a price upon! The word! why 'tis the word of God, and when we see the hand of God to it, this should affect us.

Thirdly. Have I not neglected, or been very overly in the Reading of Gods holy Word? I am afraid that many of us do neglect this duty, doth not there pass over our heads many a day wherein we Read not a Chapter? And yet I fear more of the manner how you Read. Did you begin with Prayer, and observe what promises, or Commands, or Threatnings, or Examples were there for you to Imitate, or to fear and avoid? And did you