Oh my God, just and good, how great is thy love and mercy to mankind, that heaven is thus every where open, and Christ thus the common Saviour, to all that turn the desire of their hearts to thee! Oh sweet power of the bruiser of the serpent, that stirs and works in every man, who has a desire, to find his happiness in God! O holy Jesus, heavenly _light, that lighteth every man that cometh into the world_, that redeemeth every soul that followeth thy light: O holy Trinity, immense ocean of love, in which all mankind live, and move, and have their being! None live out of thy love, but all are embraced in the arms of thy mercy, as soon as their heart is turned to thee! Oh plain, and easy, and simple way of salvation, wanting no subtleties of art or science, no borrowed learning, no refinements of reason, but all done by the simple motion of every heart, that truly longs after God. For no sooner is the desire of the creature in motion towards God, but the desire of God co-operates with it. And in this united desire of God, and the creature, is the salvation of the soul brought forth. For the soul is shut out of God, and imprisoned in its own dark workings of flesh and blood, merely because it desires to live to the vanity of this world. This desire is its darkness, its death, its imprisonment, and separation from God. When therefore the _first spark_ of a desire after God arises in thy soul, cherish it with all thy care, it is nothing less than a touch of the divine loadstone, that is to draw thee out of the vanity of time, into the riches of eternity. Get up therefore and follow it as gladly as the wise-men of the East followed the star from heaven that appeared to them. Christ saith, “I am the light of the world, he that followeth me, walketh not in darkness.” He directs us only to himself. He is the morning star, and is generated and riseth in us, and shineth in the darkness of our nature. O how great a triumph is there in the soul, when he ariseth in it! Then a man knows, as he never knew before, that he is a stranger in a foreign land. * * * * * *_A_ PRAYER. OH heavenly Father, infinite, fathomless depth of never ceasing love, save me from myself, from the disorderly workings of my fallen, corrupted nature, and let mine eyes see, my heart, and spirit feel and find thy salvation in Christ Jesus. O God, who madest me for thyself, to shew forth thy goodness in me, manifest, I humbly beseech thee, the life-giving power of thy holy nature within me; help me to such a true and living faith in thee, such hunger and thirst after the life of thy holy Jesus in my soul, that all that is within me, may be turned from every inward thought, or outward work, that is not thee, thy holy Jesus, and heavenly working in my soul. _Amen._ An Extract from Mr. LAW’s Spirit of PRAYER. PART II.