III. Be constant and diligent in prayer to God. Intreat him to give his blessing to what you read and hear, and to all your concerns. As we are weak and needy creatures, always dependent upon God, and always receiving mercies and favours from him, we ought to be frequent and earnest in prayer. Daniel was accustomed to pray three times in the day [Dan. vi. 10.; Ephes. ii. 12.]. I hope you will be punctual in prayer, morning and evening, at least. So long as any of you live without prayer, you live without Christ, without hope, and without God in the world. They, who do not pray to God while upon earth, will not be admitted to praise him in heaven. When the rich careless man who had fared sumptuously every day, for a time, lifted up his eyes in torments, he only desired and prayed for a drop of water to cool his tongue, but it was not granted to him. Oh! if you value your souls, pray earnestly to God. Consider your obligations to do so. He is your Creator, Preserver, Benefactor. In him you live and move, and have your being. And therefore not to acknowledge, by prayer, your dependence upon him, would manifest the greatest ingratitude and insensibility. Consider, likewise, the encouragement you have to pray. Though you are by nature sinners, and by practice enemies and rebels, he gives you free and sure promises, that whoever is disposed to return to him, and seek him by earnest prayer, shall not seek him in vain. Oh! my brethren, that there was less cursing and swearing, and more prayer among you! After these positive directions what you ought TO DO, I proceed to some necessary cautions, against what you ought to avoid. I. Profane swearing is one thing against which I am especially bound to warn you, because it is an evil which so much abounds amongst you. God has said, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that taketh his name in vain. Our Saviour likewise has said, Swear not at all [Exod. xx. 7.; Matt. v. 34.]. But how can you reconcile these prohibitions to your conduct; or your consciences? When instead of not swearing at all, many of you seldom open your lips, but the first and last words which you utter, are blasphemous oaths, and horrid imprecations? Is this acting like rational or accountable creatures? Who gave you the powers of reason and speech? Was it not God? And can you think that he gave them to you, that you may blaspheme his holy name, and to use the most profane, obscene, and desperately wicked language your hearts can invent; a language only fit for incarnate devils, and shocking to the ears of the ignorant heathens? This is a dreadful evil which you may be assured, will not pass unpunished. This sin has often brought heavy judgments upon individuals, families, and kingdoms. Because of swearing the land mourneth [Jer. xxiii. 10]. Shall not I visit for these things, saith the Lord?