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and alfo irreligiously thinking light of the curfe of God: or else it is without any fuch defire or intention; and then it is profanely fuppofing God to have no regard to their behaviour: they should recollect that the vengeance of God will find them out, not only for the evil deeds they commit, but for the profane folly (fo frequent among us) of wishing that damnation to themselves, which they otherways but too well deserve. They, who thus add to the guilt of their fins the binding power of a curfe, are doubly unpardonable; they confent to their punishment, as they before consented to their crime; and their damnation therefore is every way juft. And these faults are the more inexcufable, because there cannot here be pretended, as in most other vices, any natuNo tempta- ral temptation. There is no fenfual pleasure in tion to them. them, because they are not found in the temper of the body: No man, I think, is born with a swearing or curfing conftitution, tho' it may be a man fhall be naturally prone to anger or luft. Befides, there is as little profit as pleasure in them; for the common and trivial ufe of oaths and curfes makes them perfectly infignificant to their end, and is fo far from giving credit to a man's word, that it rather weakens its credit: for common fwearing and curfing always argue in a man a perpetual diftruft of his own reputation, and is an acknowledgment that he thinks his bare word not worthy to be taken. Neither can they be faid to adorn and fill a man's difcourfe; for it highly offends and grates upon all fober and confiderate perfons, who cannot be prefumed with any manner of eafe and patience to hear God fo affronted upon every flight account. Moreover,

no excuje.

av ided.

It is a crime for which men can plead no excufe. They who pretend to do it ignorantly, and not observAdmits of ing and knowing what they do, are inexcufable; and must be because, certainly, it is no extenuation of a fault, that a man hath got the habit of it fo perfect, that he commits it when he does not think thereof. Neither is that any juft excufe, wherewith many deceive themselves, when they fwear by any other thing, and not by their Maker: For this very precaution fhews, that they could as cafily, if they were careful, avoid the fin wholly, as attend to a parti

cular

cular circumstance in the manner of committing it. Which circumstance, nevertheless, does not at all hinder it from amounting in reality to the very fame thing. For as, in common speech, that usual prayer, Heaven bless or rewarda man, is evidently of the very fame import, as if therein had been more exprefly mentioned God, who dwelleth in heaven: fo fwearing by any creature does in truth amount to the same thing as fwearing by the name of God, whofe creature it is, and who alone indeed can finally be fuppofed to be appealed to for the truth of the thing affirmed, and for the fincerity of the intention. A confideration which fhould make men oppofe the beginning of this vice, left it grow into a habit very hard to be overcome. It must be a great charity that can find out a way to reconcile a common cuftom of fwearing with a ferious belief of the chriftian religion.

Of rows,

VIII. The name of God is alfo profaned by careless and inconfiderate Vows: when the matter of them is either unjust, impoffible, or unreasonable; or the thing avowed be unprofitable, and of no tendency to promote true religion; or the manner of making the vow be rash and irreligious. Therefore the best and only good rule in this matter is, that among chriftians there is no ufe, no benefit, no encouragement given to any fuch thing as making any vows at all: For why should men needlefsly bring fnares upon their own fouls, or intangle themselves in difficulties, where there is no command? The vows mentioned in the Old Teftament are all either parts of the Jewish ceremonial law, which is now wholly abolished; or elfe they fignify only general refolutions of ferving and obeying God, which can never too often or too seriously be renewed; as when Jacob vowed, that the Lord fhould be his God; that is, that he would always continue ftedfast in the true religion. In the New Teftament there is (I think) no one inftance of any vow made by a Chriftian: the vow of Aquila, and that of the four perfons with whom St. Paul purified himself, being both of them vows which had been made before their converfion to chriftianity. Baptifin indeed and the Lord's fupper are folemn vows of obe iience towards God; but the matter of them is fuch as was our indifpenfab le duty before:

and

and such folemn renewing our holy refolutions of doing what is of abfolute neceffity to be done, is undoubtedly of great and perpetual use. But in other cafes, vows are at beft nothing but needlefs fnares upon men; and generally they are of fuperftitious and unwarrantable practice: For what is fit to be done may be done without laying upon ourselves unneceffary obligations; and fuch obligations can be of no benefit, but needlessly to involve men in fnares and scruples. So that the best direction to be given to chriftians concerning this matter is never to intangle themfelves in any other obligations at all; but only take care to keep thofe facred vows and refolutions, which they folemnly enter into at baptism and the fupper of the Lord.

SUNDAY VII.

I. Of the WORSHIP due to God's name; fetting forth the feveral parts of PRAYER, II. Of publick prayer, in the church, in the family; and of our behaviour after publick prayer. III. Of private prayer. IV. Of the necellary condition of prayer. V. Of its only object; as alfo of its power and efficacy; with anfwers to objections against this duty. VI. Of repentance, and the danger of delaying it; and VII, Of fafting, as a part of repentance.

Of the wor fhip due to God.

I.

THE

HE next duty we owe to God is WorSHIP: a duty peculiar to God alone; and is to be performed both by our fouls and bodies. At present therefore I fhall only direct you to the duty of worshipping God in prayer, which is the part performed by Prayer, its the foul. The foul addreffes itself to God, and the parts. mind raifes itself towards heaven, by PRAYER; which receives different names according to thofe various fubjects the mind is employed about in fuch addreffes. When we bewail our particular fins with forrow, and full purposes of amendment, it is called confeffion; when we implore God's mercy, and defire any favour from him, petition; when for the averting any evil, deprecation or fupplication; when we exprefs a grateful fenfe of benefits received, thanksgiving;

when

when we beg any thing for others, it is styled interceffion; when we acknowledge and adóre the divine perfections, praife. So that in all these acts we have the great honour to be admitted into God's prefence, and to treat with him about those things which chiefly concern our own happiness, or that of our neighbour. But,

Adoration.

In the first place, let us compofe our fpirits, and gather in our thoughts from the mazes of the world; and then begin our prayers with folemnly addreffing ourselves to that Lord God almighty with whom we have to do; declaring, both by our inward compofure, and outward behaviour, our full belief of his prefence, and an holy awe and reverence to his Majesty, and an intire reliance on the Lord Jefus Chrift alone, for acceptance of our imperfect prayers before God the Father.

Having thus given glory to God, we must humbly confefs our fins committed in thought, word, or deed, and

earnestly request pardon for all our fins of omif- Confeffion. fion and ignorance. Thus confeffion is either a general or a more particular acknowledging of our fins before God: the former of which is a neceffary part of all our publick prayers, the latter is most proper in our private prayers only. Not thereby that we can inform God of what he does not know but in a true sense of our own fimplicity, corruption, and wretchednefs, to humble ourselves before the throne of his grace, and own ourselves liable to what punishment his juftice fhall condemn us. But above all, we must be most heartily thankful to God the Father, for his patience and long-fuffering towards us, and for his readiness to be reconciled to us through Jefus Chrift his only Son, concluding always with humble profeffions of forrow and shame for fin, and firm refolutions of amendment; refolving, through the affiftance of divine grace, that we will be better, and do better, for the time to come.

The next part of prayer is that commonly called petition 3 or the intreating of God to grant unto us all those Petition. things that are needful both for our fouls and bodies: For our fouls, as our fins are what we ought to be most afraid

2

For our fouls.

afraid of, let our confeffions be always attended with petitions for pardon and forgiveness, thro' the merits of Chrift Jefus, that he will grant us his favour, For pardon blefling, and gracious repentance; that he will of our fins. pleafe to grant us a comfortable fenfe of his pardon of us; and that we may abound in righteousness, hope, quietness, and affurance, forever, thro' the power of the Holy Ghoft; that God will please to strengthen us with his grace against every evil thought, word, or deed, and all the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; directing our confciences, fhewing us the way of our duty, and making us wife and humble Chriftians; and that he will plant in us all holy principles and difpofitions, and increase every grace in our hearts, as faith, fear, love, charity, felf-denial, humility, meeknefs, patience, contentment, and hope in God and Chrift, but efpecially those graces which we are moft in want of; and a hope of eternal life, prepared for fuch as love God and keep his commandments; and that he will make us prudent and difcreet, honeft and fincere, active and diligent, refolute and courageous, pleafant and chearful, and univerfally confcientious in every event of providence, every condition of life, and in every relation wherein we stand towards God or our neighbour; that he will make us wifer and better every day than other; and that he will please to prepare us for an happy death, that we may at length enjoy the manfions of eternal happiness. And,

The kingdom of God and his righteoufnefs being thus peFor our bo- titioned or fought for, we may have the boldness dies. to beg that all other things, the neceffaries, the comforts and fupports of this world, may be added unto us: that we may enjoy the good things of this life, as well as be preferved from the calamities to which we are conftantly subject. And let all our petitions conclude with this humbleness of heart, Lord, thou haft given us many and exceeding great and precious promifes, which are all certain in Chrift: therefore, be it now unto thy fervant according to thy word. The third part of prayer is deprecation; which is a praying to God, that he will turn away from us fome evil either of fin or punishment.

Depreca

tion..

We

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