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when they knock for entrance. Pray that the whole congregation may get grace to hear fermons, and put up prayers this day, as if they were the last that ever they were to hear or put up in this world: And that Zion's King may take to himself his glorious conquer ing power, and in his majefty ride profperously; and that he may make the arrows of his word "fharp in the hearts of his enemies, fo that the people may fall

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IX. You must take care, that your fecret prayers on Sabbath morning be early and seasonable, that they interfere not with family-worship, which ought this mor ning to be timeously performed before the public wor fhip begin; for one duty muft not juftle with another, every duty is beautiful in its feafon. And in family prayer you must be more folemn and particular than at other occafions; our facrifices this day ought to be doubled. O it were happy, if fecret and family duties were our fouls delight on this day; and if we had fuch fpiritual skill to perform them, that they might be helps, not hindrances to public ordinances.

Laftly, Having this morning put up your fervent prayers to God, you ought to look and wait for a return of them through the day. A wife merchant, that sends a fhip to the tea, will enquire after her. Prayer brings your food from afar, look what becomes of it. If you prefent a petition to a prince, you wait what answer will be returned; and are ye not much more concerned in this cafe to do it? If you look not after your pray ers, it is a fign you have little fenfe of your needs; little fenfe of the burden and yoke of fin; little fenfe of the precioufnefs of Chrift, or the excellency of thefe mer cies you have been fecking. You ought this day to be able to fay, as Pfal. xxv. 5. "On thee do I wait all the day." Your fouls should be still panting after God and the light of Lis countenance, faying, "O that i may this day behold the beauty of the Lord! O that I may fee his power and glory! O that I may tafte that he is good? O that I may hear his voice, may bear iis i mage, may be brought into the chamber of presence, and fee him through the lattefs of ordinances.

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If ye would have a gracious return this day, you must be looking above ordinances and duties to him, who is "the dew of Ifrael," and expect the heavenly rain from himself; otherwise your fleece will remain dry, for all that men or angels can do. Therefore plead with God that he will blefs and concur with the means, and "breathe upon your dry bones," without which the breath of men can never make them alive.

III. Of Self fearching.

As to the duty of felf-fearching, it is very neceffary on the Sabbath morning, in order to prepare your fouls for the work of the day.

I Enquire into your own ftate; try whether you be in nature or grace, that, when you hear the word, you may know what belongs to you: For, if you be ignorant, of your condition, you may apply pro nifes for threatenings; conclude for heaven, when you are heirs of wrath; perfuade yourselves of the love of God, when you are in a state of enmity.

II. Enquire into your particular neceffities, what are thefe wants you would have fupplied by the word, thefe fins and lufts you would have flain by it, what are these weak graces you would have ftrengthened by it, what are thefe doubts you would have refolved by it, and thefe heart-plagues you would have cured.

III. Enquire into the frames of your hearts, and fee if they be duly qualified and disposed for attending the public ordinances.

Quest. What fort of hearts ought we to bring with us? Anf 1. Bring humble hearts. Confider that you are pieces of mean and vile duft venturing into the prefence of an infinitely glorious God, to hear the "voice of the Lord, that is full of majefty," and folemnly to converfe with him, before whom the "angels vail their faces."

2. Bring foft hearts, that the word may make fome impreffion on them; for an arrow fhot against a flone fticks not, but falls to the ground. Labour to get the "fallow ground of your hearts plowed up, and broken,"

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before you come to receive the "feed of the word," according to Hofea x. 12. If you would have the fal low ground plowed up, you must feek the Lord by fervent and heart-breaking prayer.

3. Bring hunger and thirft with you to God's banqueting houfe; bring a deep fenfe of foul wants and neceffities, and longing defires to meet with Chrift in the ordinances For he "fills the hungry with good things, when the rich are fent away empty." O for the hungry appetites of God's children, when we come to God's houfe! Say, "O that, like a new born child, I may this day defire the fincere milk of the word for my nourishment! and, O that, like a true child of my heavenly Father, I may love that milk best which comes warm from the breasts of public ordinances !"

IV. Search into these lufts and evils that hinder the fuccefs of ordinances; caft them out, and guard carefully against them. If you would have God this day to hear your prayers, and accept of your facrifices, you muft "regard no iniquity in your hearts," you must throw out all bofom lufts and idols. Chrift faith to you this day, as once he did to Judas in another cafe, John xviii. 8" If therefore you feek me, let these go their way" Let your pride, worldlinefs, prejudice, &c. go away; for they bar Chrift out of the heart.

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1. Throw out worldlinefs, and all thoughts about the world, that you may with your whole fouls this day attend upon God: Say to the cares of the world, as Abraham to his fervants, Gen. xxii. "Stay ye here till I go yonder to worship God." Suffer not a vain thought this day to take up its lodging in your heart, according to Jer. iv. 14. It is faid of Bernard, that, when he came to the church door, he would fay, Stay here, all my earthly thoughts." Nay, fay this alfo before you come from home. Worldly hearts will hinder you from getting good of the ordinances; they will make the church like the market-place to you, full of tumult and diftraction; they will make fuch a noife and buz zing in your ears, that you cannot hear; or they will make you wander in time of hearing, as thofe, Ezek.

xxxiii.

xxxii. 3. Nay, they will make you weary of all Sab bath work, as thofe, Amos viii. 5.

2. Lay afide felf-conceit, or a good opinion of yourfelves, your duties and performances; count all thefe but "dung and lofs for the faving knowledge of Chrift." For, if you lean upon your prayers and preparations this day, as any piece of righteoufnefs before God, this will mar your accefs to God this day, and make the ordinances prove dry breasts to you.

3. Throw out all prejudices against minifters, and against the laws of Chrift; and with meeknefs lay your ear and heart open to receive instruction, faying with Paul," Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and with Samuel, Speak, Lord, for thy fervant heareth."

4. Guard against doubtings concerning the truths of God, and myfteries of religion: Let us captivate and fubject reason to faith, and deal with it, as Joshua did with the Gibeonites; he made them "hewers of wood, and drawers of water, for the fervice of the temple :" So let us make reafon fubject to faith, and ferviceable to religion; but nowife fet it up as a standard for examining its myfteries by, fince they are above its reach.

5. Beware of erroneous principles; for these will mar the good of ordinances to you, while there is an error in the foundation, you cannot be " built up in the moft holy faith." Chrift bids us "be wife as ferpents;" and ferpents (they fay) whatever injury is offered to them, their great care is to preferve their head. Let it be our great care, then, not only to preserve our hearts and hands from fin, but our heads from error; efpecially when there are so many falfe teachers going abroad, feeking to "pervert the fimple, by fair words and falfe fpeeches."

6. Beware likewife of fchifm and divifion, and guard against those who are inftruments to divide and scatter Chrift's fheep. Do not ftraggle from Christ's flock, but abide close by the place where the good Shepherd feeds his flock, "and makes them to reft at noon," and do not" turn aside after the flocks of the companions," Cant. i. 7.

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I refer the handling of the duties of masters of fami lies, as fuch, till afterwards: Only, it ought to be their cate early to call their families together to pray with ther, and praise God; and to cause them rife as early this day as ot' ers. Let not your fervants and children wafte away this morning in flep and idlenefs, but call them up as early to God's work this day, as you do to your own upon other days.

How blame-worthy are thefe families, and especially the mafters thereof, who on week-days can rife betimes to follow their worldly bufinefs, but on the Lord's day do ly longer in bed than ordinary, giving themselves to carnal ease and reft? Is this to keep holy the Sabbath day, thus to fleep and loiter away the firft and chiefeft part thereof? Is this the way to accomplish the work of the Sabbath, to promote the glory of God, and carry on the work of your falvation? All of you have great work to do this day; therefore rife early to it, as the Ifraelites did to the befieging of Jericho: They had been encompaffing the city fix days before; but we are told, Joshua vi. 15. That " on the feventh day, they rofe early about the dawning of the day, and compaff d the city feven times:" And fo that day they became mafters of the city. And, according to the best expo fitors, this seventh day, on which the walls of Jericho fell down, was the Sabbath. Now, O Chriftian, as the Ifraelites had the strong walls of Jericho, fo haft thou the ftrong holds of fin to batter down this day; thou haft these Canaanites to conquer, which would keep thee out of the promised land: Therefore imitate the Ifraelites, and rife early this morning to your work: The walls are thick, your enemies ftrong; if you would expect then to conquer on the Sabbath-day, and triumph against night, see that you begin the siege early.

And, if you would manage the work fuccefsfully, you must fet about and carry it on conjunctly, as well as feparately; by family-prayer, as well as fecret-prayer: And fee that all in the family attend family-worfhip this morning. Likewife, as occafion offers, exhort your children and fervants to prepare themselves for

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