all till then; whatever fome ancient Fathers may have held: any more, than that Life and Immortality were not at all brought to Light before the Gospel. But as the Light, which Men had antecedently to our Saviour's Coming, was augmented inexpreffibly by it: fo the Kingdom of Heaven was fet open vaftly wider, in Confequence of his Sufferings, to receive Believers, not from one People only, and their Neighbours, but the whole Globe. To Him therefore, our Mediator now, at the right Hand of God, and who fball come to be our Judge, We addrefs our Prayers; that as we magnify him Day by Day, (and let us take Care to make good that Affertion,) fo he would keep us this and every Day without Sin; reftrain us from offending through Infirmity, as far as will be really for our inward Benefit, but especially from wilful and prefumptuous Tranfgreffion; and that his Mercy may lighten, that is, light or come, upon us, as our Truft is in Him.

Inftead of the Te Deum, another Canticle, or Song of Praife, much ancient、r, and even more anciently inferted into the Offices of the Church, is allowed to be fubftituted: which,

* Iræn. Tert. "Athanaf. Hieron. Aug. Ambr. Bafil. Greg Thaum. Cyril Hierof. & Alex. See Suicer in uxn.

1 2 Tim. i. 10.

from the firft Word of it in the Latin, bears the Name of Benedicite; and is taken from the Apocryphal Part of the Book of Daniel, where it is put into the Mouth of those, who are commonly called the three Children, or young Men, whom Nebuchadnezzar caft into the fiery Furnace. It is now very seldom used, at least in parochial Churches: but however contains a noble Acknowledgement of the Glory of God in his Works of Creation, the Memorial of which was the original Defign of the Sabbath Day; and might be justly preferred to the former, whenever there is particular Occafion to return Thanks for the Bleffings of Nature. An Objection indeed hath been started, that in it we pray to the Angels and Spirits of the Righteous, to blefs the Lord. And it might as well have been objected, that we pray to the Winds and Fire, the Frofts and Snow, to bless him. Plainly all this is no more than a Figure of Speech, though a very fublime one: lending as it were a Tongue even to inanimate Creatures, and calling both on those which do not, and thofe which cannot, hear us, to glorify our common Maker; just as is done in the 148th Pfalm, of which this Canticle is an evident Imitation.

Dan. iii. 21.

After

After the second Leffon, is appointed, either the Prophecy of Zacharias in St. Luke, or the 100th Pfalm: called for the Reafon, which I mentioned before, Benedictus and Jubilate. The former was uttered on the Birth of John the Baptift and is a Thanksgiving for the Redemption of Mankind, of which He was to publish the speedy Approach. It copies very nearly the Stile of the Jewish Prophets, who described spiritual Bleffings by temporal Images. Thus, meaning to praise the Father of Mercies a for delivering all Nations from the Dominion of the wicked one, it blesses the Lord God of Ifrael, for faving his People from their Enemies, and the Hand of those that hate them. Now this Kind of Language was laid aside after our • Saviour's Afcenfion : and therefore the Prophecy before us is not of later Date, but genuine. Yet it fufficiently explains, to what Sort of Salvation it refers by mentioning the Remiffion of Sins, the giving of Light to them that fat in Darkness, and guiding their Feet into the Way of Peace. And so it may teach us both the Fitness, and the Method, of affigning to the Old Teftament Predictions an Evangelic Interpretation. You will be fure, in repeating it, to re

member, that the Words, And thou, Child, fhalt be called the Prophet of the Highest, belong not to our Saviour, but the Baptift. And you will eafily apprehend, that if in the Dawning, which preceded the Sun of Righteousness', good Zacharias offered up his Thanks with fuch Tranfport, we, to whom he fhines out in full Splendor, ought to recite it with double Gratitude.

The 100th Pfalm, which, being fomewhat fhorter, and the Service long, we use the more frequently, is peculiarly proper after a Leffon from the Gofpel, fince it peculiarly relates to the Gofpel Times: as appears from its inviting all Lands to be joyful in the Lord, declaring them equally God's People, and the Sheep of his Pafture, and calling on them equally to go into his Gates, and praife him for his Mercy and Truth. And may we all accordingly fo praise and ferve him in his Courts here below, that we may for ever dwell in his Tabernacle and rest on his holy Hill above, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, &c.

Mal. iv. 2.

* Pf.

XV.

1.

SER

SERMON IX.

I COR. xiv. 15.

-I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the Understanding also: I will fing with the Spirit, and I will fing with the UnderStanding alfo.

I

HAVE hitherto explained and vindicated

the daily Service of our Church, as far as the

Creed: which is placed between the third Part of it, the Leffons; and the fourth, the Petitions that we may express that Faith in what we have heard, which is the Ground of what we are about to ask. For as Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God: fo we muft afk in Faith, if we think to receive any Thing of the Lord. For how shall we call upon Him, in whom we have not believed? b James i. 6, 7.

• Rom. x. 17.

e Rom. x. 14.

But