Advice to a Friend Author:Simon Patrick Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: numbed Joints. And if you would love God, I have told you the ready way to it; which is by preserving in your mind a constant and lively sense of his infinite lo... more »ve and good will already expressed to you : for this will naturally and easily produce a reciprocal love to him ; and that will make you look for more of his mercy, even to Eternal Life. This you understand so well, that I shall not say a word to you more about it; but proceed to the next, when I have left a few words with you to say to God. A PRAYER. OGOD, how great is thy love ! how excellent is thy loving kindness towards us thy unworthy Creatures! To whom than takest such pleasure in com municating thy blessings, that thou dust not stay till we ask them of thee, but pourest them down plentifully before and beyond all our desires. O the inconceivable depth of that love, from whence thy Son Jesus was sent to dwell among us ! who hath done so much for us, that he hath left us nothing to do, but to consider and lay to heart thy love, which hath so marvellously abounded towards us. For all things, I know, are easy and pleasant to those that loveThee. Great Peace have they that love thy Law: and nothing shall offend them. 0 possess this heart, which opens itself to thy gracious influences, with such a mighty love to thee, as may set Thee al'May before me ; and carry forth my Soul in ardent desires after thee ; and fill me with an humble confidence in thee : and make me watchful, active and zealous in my duty ; and never suffer me to distrust thy pity and indulgence when I unwillingly offend thee ; and assure me of thy kind intentions in all the cross accidents of this life, which are most offensive to me. I doubt not, 0 Lord, of a power from above continually to attend me, now that 1 feel thy love so strong...« less