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The faithful and conftant Practice of these Means, and a ftedfaft Purpose of pursuing your Perfection, will not fail of meeting with the defired Succefs; for this Fervour of Mind, this conftant Difpofition of Soul to ferve God to the utmost of our Power, confifts in conftantly aiming at being perfect as God is perfect, and in defiring above all Things to pleafe Him.

THE

THE

PRACTICE OF TRUE DEVOTION,

IN RELATION TO THE

MEANS

OF

RELIGION.

CHAP. XIII.

General Reflections upon that Devotion that..... relates to the Means of Religion.

Ir is not my Design to prefs you to the daily Obfervation of all thofe Means the Chriftian Religion enjoins for our Growth in Grace: Soine of them have their stated Seafons, and the Enjoyment of them depends upon others doing their Duty; befides, the Affairs and Bufinefs of the World challenge a Part of our Time; fo that it is not expected that we should every Day go through them all. What I defire of you is, that after hav

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ing perufed them all, and having informed yourself in the Nature of them, you take Care to make ufe of them upon all convenient Opportunities, and always with that Profpect and Defign for which they were enjoined. The Main of Religion must not be placed in them, but they must be used as Helps to make us pious and virtuous; and if we do not ufe them for this Purpose, they are altogether infignificant and ufelefs. Before I come to the particular Enumeration of them, I defire you to make fome important Reflections upon them in general.

1. Their Ufefulness. There is no attaining the End, without the Practice of thofe Means that lead to it; a Man may as well pretend to be learned without Study, and Rich without Induftry, as Pious and Virtuous without obferving that Method God has enjoined for becoming fo. Befides, confidering the Weaknefs and Impotency of our Nature, we are not of ourselves able to do any Thing that is Good; there is a Law in our Members warring againft the Law of our Minds, and all our Sufficiency is from God: Now the Means of Religion are established, on Purpofe for the Conveyance of that Grace and Afliftance, which is neceflary to enable us to perform our Duty; fo that he who neglects the Ufe of the Means, forfeits his Share of that fupernatural Strength without which his Endeavours will prove ineffectual. The great Happines

Happiness a Chriftian aims at in the next Life, is the enjoyment of God, which a Man muft be qualified for a by a pious and virtuous Difpofition of Mind in this Life; and in order to acquire this happy Frame and Temper of Soul, he muft frequently pray to God for his Grace to effect it: He muft take all Occafions of approaching the Altar, that he may be nourished with all Goodnefs; he muft attentively read his Word, that he may be thoroughly inftructed in all the Particulars of his Duty, &c. Never complain that the Dicipline of Religion is burthenfome; that the conftant Practice of the Means lays a Refiraint upon our Liberty; if it were much more fo, the Neceffity of them, in order to our Happiness, fhould more influence a wife Man, than any Difficulty that attends them: The great Advantages we receive from them, fhould be fufficient to oblige us to practife them.

II. The Abuse of them. Never deceive yourfeif, as too many ignorant Chriftians are apt to do, who falfly perfuade themselves that their Salvation is fecure, though their Lives are ftained with many fcandalous Vices, becanfe they conftantly practife thofe Means that are enjoined for the working out their Salvation; they go to Church, they pray, they hear Sermons, and receive the holy Sacrament: Such an Abufe will as certainly deftroy thee, as it has already ruined many a Thoufand.

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Remem

Remember always, that the Goodness of the Means must be estimated by their Serviceableness to the End; they are never enjoined for their own Sake, but in order to conduct us to the End propofed; fo that he who refts in them, and allows himfelf at the fame Time, any known Iniquity, endeavours to impofe upon God, and betrays his own Soul.

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He that pretends to the Perfection of true Piety without the Ufe of Means, is prefumptuous; and he that places all Religion in fuch Performances, is weak and foolish. We muft ufe the Means, because God has enjoined them, and our own Weakness has made them neceffary; and at the fame Time we must carefully avoid every Thing that is Evil: And if we are fo unfortunate as upon any Occafion to tranfgrefs our Duty, we must not defpair of the Goodness of God, who, for the Sake of our Saviour's Sufferings, is ready to receive us upon our fincere Repentance, and to enable us by his Grace to refift the Temptation for the Time to come.

III. The Attention with which they ought to be performed. We must not only use the Means prefcribed, but in fuch a Way and Manner, that they may become moft effectual. They must have very odd Notions of the Deity, who think to please Him by drawing nigh to Him with their Lips, when their Hearts are far from Him. To multiply Prayers and Sacraments, without Attention,

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