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formal, hypocritical Part. You must endeavour to be at Church before the Service begins; and after your private Devotions, keep yourfelf in filent Meditation, that your Mind may be the better difpofed for the enfuing Duties and never fuffer yourself to talk with others till the Minifter begins, either upon News or Bufinefs, which may distract you to avoid obferving the Rules of Ceremony, in bowing to others, when Prayers are begun. In God's prefence, your Attention fhould be fo fixt, that you should not have Leisure to mind any Thing else.

You must have a particular Regard to the Pofture of your Mind, that you join fervently in the Prayers of the Church; that you hear God's holy Word, and thofe Inftructions from the Pulpit with Reverence and Attention, and with a Refolution to practise what you fhall be convinced to be your Duty; that you offer your Charity, if there be any Collection, in Compliance with the Precepts that enjoin it, and with an Acknowledgment of God's Right to all you enjoy: And above all, that you receive the bleffed Sacrament with great Humility and Devotion.

Take Care you do not turn your Back upon the Holy Table, when the Heavenly Banquet is prepared. I cannot understand how you can keep the Lord's Day as you ought, if you refufe any Opportunity that is

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then offered you of Communion with him, in the most folemn A&t of his public Worhip. If thou endeavoureft to live like a good Chriftian, thou art certainly well prepared, and will find a gracious Reception from thy compaffionate Saviour: But if thou refuseft to come, when thou art called with fo much earneft Kindness, thou neglecteft thy own true Intereft, and omitteft an eafy Teftimony of thy Gratitude and Thankfulness.

In private upon this Day you should enlarge your ordinary Devotions, and fhould make the Subject of them chiefly to confift in Thanksgivings for the Works of Creation and Redemption; withal recollecting the particular Mercics you have received from the Bounty of God, through the whole Courfe of your Life. You fhould improve your Knowledge, by Reading and Meditating upon divine Subjects: you fhould inftru&t your Children and Servants in the great Duties of Christianity; you should vifit the Sick and Needy, and adminifter to them Comfort and converse with your Relief: And if you Friends or Neighbours, feafon your Difcourfe with prudent and profitable Hints for the Advancement of Piety. Let your ferious Frame of Mind be free from all Sournefs and Morofenefs.

If you commemorate any of the Mysteries of our Redemption, as the Incarnation, Crucifixions

cifixion, Refurrection, or Afcenfion of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, confirm your Belief of them, by confidering all thofe Reasons upon which they are built, that you may be able to give a good Account of the Hope that is in you, and refolve to practife all those Duties that refult from the Belief of them. Offer up your Praises and Thanksgivings to God, that he vouchfafed to confider your miferable and, forlorn Condition; and that he was pleased to work your Recovery in fuch a wonderful Manner.

When the Church fets the Example of any Saint before you, confider the Virtues he was most eminent for, and celebrate his Memory by the Imitation of his Piety.

XII. FASTING DAYS. Most of the Mifchiefs that happen to us in Life, are occafioned by our ungovernable Appetites; and the indulging of them by our firft Parents brought Death into the World; fo that we fhould use Fafting and Abftinence, as a Means to keep them under Subjection and Government, and as a Remedy against those Evils which the fatisfying of them to the full often expofe us to. Our Saviour joins this Duty with Almfgiving and Prayer; and the Directions he has given in his admirable Sermon upon the Mount, concerning the Performance of it, fuppofes the Neceffity of the Duty. It was all along observed by

devout Men, and acceptable to God under the Old and New Teftament, both as it was helpful to their Devotion, and as it became a Part of it.

Sometimes, when your Health will permit, abftain from Eating and Drinking till the Evening, and then refresh yourself sparingly as to the Quantity, and plainly as to the Quality of your Food. At other Times upon thofe Days when you do not avoid your ordinary Meals, abftain from Variety, and from what is moft nourishing and delicate, and what gratifies your Palate moft, that you may by Degrees get the Maftery of you fenfual Appetites; this Difcipline is confiftent with the Works of your Calling, and you may thereby have more Leifure for fpiritual Exercifes.

Upon your Fafting Days, be fure to enlarge your Devotions; reflect particularly upon the State of your Soul; bewail your Şins, and earneftly beg God's Pardon: Contrive, if poffible, to do fome little Charity at thofe Times, which is the best Method to make your Humiliation acceptable to God.

If private Fafts, keep the Knowledge of them from others as much as you can, that you may not appear unto Men to faft. Be careful not to cenfure others that do not tie themfelves up to fuch Rules; do not value yourselves upon fuch bodily Exercises, nor think they will make amends for the Neglect

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of more fubftantial Duties; thefe Things ought you to do, but not to leave greater undone: Above all, at fuch Times guard yourself against Morofenefs, Peevithness, or Fretfulness, which Fafting inclines some People to.

CHAP. II.

That Chriftian Perfection confifts in the right Performance of fuch Actions as ordinarily occur every Day.

HAVING in the former Chapter given Rules in relation to fuch Actions as daily occur in the Courfe of our Lives, in order to perfuade Chriftians to a careful Performance of them, according to the Measures there laid down; I will now endeavour to convince them that true Chriftian Perfection confists in an exact Discharge of fuch Duties; and confequently, that their eternal Happinefs, or eternal Mifery, will be determined by them.

If Chriftian Perfection was only to be at tained by Retirement and Contemplation, by abftracting ourselves from the World, and by giving up ourselves entirely to Meditation and spiritual Exercifes, confidering the Ne

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