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ties, which arife from the belief of fuch an article. commemorate any faint, we should confider the virtues for which he was moft diftinguished, and by what steps he arrived at fo great perfection; and then examine ourselves how far we are wanting in our duty, and earnestly beg God's pardon for our paft failings, and his grace to inable us to conform our lives to thofe admirable examples, which the faints have left for our imitation.

V. As we are thus to express our thankfulness to God for mercies received, and the good examples fet before Inobferving

the church.

us for our imitation; we are with the fame view of the fafts of honouring God, by acts of humiliation and repentance, to keep holy thofe faft-days fet apart by the church, or by civil authority, or by our own appointment, to humble ourfelves before God, in punishing our bodies, and afflicting our fouls in order to a real repentance: by outward tokens teftifying our grief for fins paft, and by using them In what as a means to fecure us from returning to thofe fins, manner. for which we express so great a deteftation. And this must be done, not only by interrupting and abridging the care of our body, but by carefully inquiring into the ftate of our fouls; charging ourselves with all thofe tranfgreffions we have committed against God's laws, humbly confefling them with fhame and confufion of face, with hearty contrition and forrow for them; praying that God will not fuffer his whole difpleafure to arife, and begging him to turn away his anger from us; by interceding with him for fuch fpiritual and temporal bleffings upon ourselves, and others, as are needful and convenient; by improving our knowledge in all the particulars of our duty; by relieving the wants and neceffities of the poor, that our humiliation and prayers may find acceptance with God. And, if the faft be public, we must attend the public place of God's worship, always taking particular care to avoid all vanity, and valuing ourselves upon fuch performances; and therefore, in our private fafts, we must not proclaim then to others by any outward fhew; that we may not appear unto rmen to faft. We must not defpife or judge our neighbour, who doth not, and it may be he hath not the fame reason to tie himself up to fuch methods. We must not destroy the health

Of the faft of Lent.

health of our bodies by too great aufterity, left thereby we make them unfit inftruments for the improvement of our minds, or the discharge of our worldly employments. Particular care ought to be taken that we grow not thereby morofé and four, peevish and fretful towards others, which feverity to ourfelves may be apt to incline us to; for that is fo far from expreffing our repentance, that it makes a fresh work for it by increafing our guilt. And therefore, when thou fafteft, be not as the hypocrites are of a fad countenance, &c. Wherefore, The church of Chrift having in all ages appointed folemn fafts to be obferved by her members upon particular occafions, we ftill retain fome of them; amongst which, the faft of Lent deferves our particular regard; concerning which I would have you make thefe obfervations: As to the limitation of time for the keeping of this faft, the church had, I fuppofe, a refpect to the particular space of time wherein our Saviour fafted, which was forty days, as what was esteemed a proper penitential feason: and as to the intention, end, or defign of this faft of Lent, it is fet apart as a Why infti- proper feafon for mortification, and the exercife of Luted. felf-denial; to humble and afflict ourselves for our fins; not by endeavouring to faft continually forty days, but by frequent faftings, as may be learnt from the practice of the church in all ages; and to punish our too often abuses of God's creatures, by abftinence, and by forbearing the lawful enjoyment of them; to form and fettle firm purposes of holy obedience; to pray frequently to God both in private and public for pardon, and his holy fpirit to put us in mind of that fore trial and temptation, which Chrift then endured for our fakes; particularly to perpetuate the memory of our Savour's fufferings; and to make, as it were, a public confeffion of our belief, that he died for our falvation; and confequently, for fitting ourselves to receive the tokens and pledges of his love with greater joy and gladness.

For which reason, this chriftian inftitution of Lent ought How to be to be spent in fasting, and in abftinence, according obferved: to the circumftances of our health, and outward condition in the world; and this with a defign to deny and punifh ourselves, and to exprefs our humiliation before God

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for paft tranfgreffions: the ornament of attire may be laid afide the frequency of receiving and paying vifits may be interrupted: public affemblies for pleasure and diversion fhould be avoided: our retirement fhould be filled with reading pious difcourfes, and with frequent prayer, and with examining the state of our minds: and the public devotion, and those instructing exhortations from the pulpit, which are fo generally established in many churches in this season, should be constantly attended. Befides, we should be liberal in our alms, and very ready to employ ourselves on all opportunities of relieving either the temporal or spiritual wants of our neighbour: For the Lord fays by the prophet Ifaiah, Is not this the faft I have chofen, to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppreffed go free, and that we break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out of thy houfe? when thou seeft the naked, that thou cover him, and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? ch. lviii. ver. 6, 7.

SUNDAY II. PART II.

VI. Fourthly, we are in a more fpecial manner to express our reverence to God by honouring his HOLY God must be WORD; and we honour his holy word by hearing, honoured in reading, and practifing what is therein contained bis word. for our comfort and inftruction. This word of God is commonly called by way of eminence the holy fcriptures, which we are obliged to fearch, because they contain the The holy terms and conditions of our common falvation; Scripture. without the knowledge and practice of which we can never attain eternal happiness. I fay, whatever is necessary for us to know and believe, to hope for and practise, in order to falvation, is fully contained in thofe holy books. This then is the rule of our faith. Every doctrine that The rule of is there delivered we must believe: but as for any faith. doctrine that is not there plainly delivered, nor can be clearly deduced from thence; we are not bound to believe that as an article of faith, let it come ever fo well recommended:

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See the help to reading the Scriptures at the end of this Book.

I would recommend this way of inftruction to parents and masters of families, with refpect to their chilA duty on parents and dren and fervants. For I do not think that this mafters, &c. work fhould lie wholly upon minifters. You must do your part at home, who, always living with your families, have better and more eafy opportunities of fixing the principles of religion upon your children and fervants. Neither muft fuch as have been fo unfortunate as to grow in years without this inftruction, imagine they are exempt from it; for, as foon as they are able to fee their own danger and discover their own ignorance, they must apply in good earneft to this means of obtaining the first things to be known in the chriftian religion. Therefore, whoever he be, of what age and condition foever, that finds his own ignorance in the mysteries of his religion and service of God, or in any fuch degree thereof, as he feels a want of any part of neceffary faving knowledge, let him, as he loves his foul, and would rifque it from eternal death, set out for instruction, first, by the means of catechifing, and then he shall profit through God's grace by the word preached. For,

Secondly, PREACHING is not only a publication of God's In preach- mercy, favour, bleflings, grace, and promises to ing. those who love him and keep his commandments, but it is alfo a declaration of thofe threats and punishments recorded in the word of God against the obftinate and evil-doer. Its ufe is to put us in mind of our duty, and to exhort and aflift us to withstand thofe lufts and temptations which fet us at enmity with God. Confequently, we honour The ufe of God by attending to his holy Word, read and Jermon. preached to us, with a refolution of mind to perform what we shall be convinced is our duty; with fuch Tubmiffion of our understanding as is due to the oracles of God; and with a particular application of general inftructions to the state of our own minds, that we may grow in grace, and in the knowledge of God the Father, and of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Therefore, at hearing the word How to be preached, we should give our attention with great beard. reverence, and take heed how we hear, left our negligence be interpreted as a contempt of that authority

which

which speaks to us; and not, as the manner of fome is, who at church place their public worship, not in their hearts and knees, but in lolling, gazing, and unfeemly geftures; and employ their ears, the channel by which faith is conveyed into our fouls, not to hear their duty, but to find fome unreasonable fault with their teacher: For, inftead of improving the word of God preached for their inftruction, when they return home, their whole difcourfe turns upon the man, and not his fermon. And fuch hearers never want fubject of complaint against the preacher, that they may in fome meafure fcreen their own neglect of duty to God, their neighbour, and themselves. Thus at one time they find fault with his memory, because too fhort; or with his fentences, because too long: if he be young, they defpife his youth, and fay that he does but prate: if he is aged, they feldom fcruple to term his zeal for their fouls, and good instructions, the dictates of one in his dotage, that knows not what he fays. Again, if he preaches in a plain style suitable to weak capacities, they call him a floven, a bad master of languages; if he is folid, then he preaches flat: but, if he be not plain, then he is too witty: and, if not folid, he is certainly accused of levity, and ridiculing the word of God: if he be unlearned, they justly fay he is not worthy of fo great a calling; and, if he be endued with the qualifications of a good pastor and teacher, he is immediately proclaimed unfit for fo plain and ignorant a people. In fine, when the fermon must be confeffed to be very excellent, then they fay hè preaches for gain; and, if it be but ordinary, they cry, they can read as good at home. But now

What can be thought to be the end of fuch men? God may justly give them up to a reprobate mind, and The danger withdraw that grace, which they have abused; and of fome then it is no wonder they turn the moft ferious bearers. things into ridicule, and hear the terrors of the Lord without the least sense of their own guilt. Pray God that this may not be the cafe of many, who stay from church under a pretence that they cannot benefit under fuch and fuch a minifter! And let not thofe, who conftantly attend on stated days, to hear God's word preached, and still continue in their habitual

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