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miffion to the Will of God, are both fignified in the strongest Manner in the Prayer he then offered up to his heavenly Father: O my Father, if it be poffible, let this Cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt. Matt. xxvi. 39. and he repeated it again, O my Father, if this Cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy Will be done. Ver. 42. Thefe Words are not to be taken feparately, as two distinct Petitions; but they are to be taken complexly, as making up one Prayer, in which he fignified, that fo dreadful were the Sufferings he was to undergo, in giving himself a Sacrifice for Sinners, and bearing their Iniquities, that the Sense of them ftruck his Soul with Amazement, fo that he would have chosen to be freed from them, if the Glory of God and the Salvation of Mankind could have been equally promoted any other Way: But, fince he knew that it was the Father's Will, for the most important Purposes, that he fhould fuffer, be fubmitted and refigned himself wholly unto him, and defired that his Will fhould be done, whatever Sorrows and Agonies it might coft him.

Thus hath our Lord Jefus given us an Example of the most perfect Refignation to the Will of God, in the most difficult Inftance that can be conceived; and there

by

by hath taught us not to fet up our own Self-Will, or our natural Defires and Inclinations, to be our Rule; but, even under the fevereft Trials we can poffibly meet with, to yield up ourselves unto God, and to refolve our Will wholly into the Divine: Which is one of the nobleft, and at the fame Time moft difficult, Exercises of a true and eminent Piety.

Fourthly, The laft Thing I would obferve, with Regard to the Example Christ hath left us of Piety towards God, is, that he was diligent in immediate Acts of Devotion, and in the Exercises of religious Worship, both public and priváte. It might be thought that he, who fet the Lord always before him, whofe every Day might be called a Sabbath, wholly taken up in Serving and Glorifying God, in holy Difcourfes, and in kind and beneficent Actions, did not need to retire apart for Converfing with the Deity. If ever any Perfon might be thought to be above the Ufe of Ordinances, it was he. The conftant habitual Temper of his Mind was good and holy in the moft perfect Degree, and therefore he needed not fuch Helps as we do to confirm pious Refolutions, and to excite and enlarge devout Affections in his Heart: But yet, that, in this as well as other Inftances, he might be a perfect X 2 Pattern

Pattern for us to imitate, we find by the Account given of him, that he was very affiduous in religious Exercises, and in obferving all the Divine Institutions.

And, Firft, with Regard to the more private Exercises of Devotion, it appears that he himself practised, what he recommended to his Difciples, the Praying to his heavenly Father in fecret. Matt. vi. 6. Thus we are told that, after he had ordered his Difciples to go before him in a Ship to the other Side, when he had fent the Multitudes away, he went up into a Mountain apart to pray; and, when the Evening was come, he was there alone. Matt. xiv. 23, and employed a great Part of the Night in Prayer and Meditation and Converfing with God: For it appeareth, from Ver. 25, that it was not till the fourth Watch of the Night that he came to his Difciples, walking upon the Sea. At another Time, when he had fpent the Day in attending on public Worship in the Synagogue, in teaching the People and performing his beneficent Miracles; and when, in the Evening of that Day, the People came thronging about him, and brought great Numbers of difeafed Perfons to him, and be healed them all, which, one fhould think, must have been no fmall Fatigue; yet this did not hinder but that, next Morning, rifing up a great

While before Day, he went out, and departed into a folitary Place, and there prayed. Mark i. 34. So, on another Occafion, after performing many miraculous Cures on Multitudes that came to him, we read, that he withdrew himself into the Wilderness and prayed. Luke v. 16. And, again, he went out into a Mountain to pray, and continued all Night in Prayer to God. Luke vi. 12. And, as he frequently retired for folitary Secret Prayer and Intercourfe with God, fo he often prayed with and before his Difciples, who were his own proper Family and immediate Attendants. Thus we read, Luke ix. 18, that he was alone praying, and his Difciples were with him. He was alone, i. e. he was retired apart from the Multitude; but his Difciples were with him, when be prayed. The fame Thing is fignified, Luke xi. 1, where it is said, that, as he was praying in a certain Place, when be had ceafed, one of his Difciples faid unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, &c.

On which Occafion he gave them excellent Directions, and very encouraging Promifes to engage them to a perfevering Importunity and Earneftness in Prayer. Before bis Transfiguration, he took Peter, James, and John with him, and went up into a Mountain to pray. Luke ix. 28. And, in his Entrance on his laft Sufferings, he offerX 3

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ed up an admirable Prayer before his Difciples, in which, with the moft tender and affectionate Concern, he recommended them to his heavenly Father, and prayed for their Prefervation, for their Sanctification, and for their being Sharers in his heavenly Glory. Thus it appears how fiduous and fervent he was in that facred Exercife, both by himself alone, and with his Difciples: And therefore thofe that allow themselves in the habitual Neglect of this Duty, in vain pretend to be Followers of the holy Jefus. If he was fo careful to render this Inftance of religious Homage to his heavenly Father, fhould not we do fo, who have so many Sins to bewail, fo many Wants to be fupplied, and who stand in fuch continual Need of the Influences and Aids of God's Grace and Spirit? His Prayers were accepted, on his own Account, as he was perfectly pure and holy, the only Begotten of the Father, full of Grace and Truth. And how encouraging is it to think that, in his prevailing Name, we are commanded to offer up our Prayers; and that, though they be mixed with many Infirmities, they shall be accepted through him, if offered up from fincere and upright Hearts! Whatfoever ye afk the Father in -my Name (faith he) be will give it you. John

xvi. 23.

And