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As it is a commendation to long prayer,

understands not. The word that is not understood | turn. cannot sink into the heart and sanctify it; or if that the pharisees made it their pretence for the

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it be not well and soundly understood, it is easily stolen away by the tempter. If understanding be necessary in our common conversations, much more in our holy addresses to the Almighty. A man of understanding is of an excellent spirit;' but God hath no pleasure in fools' or in their 'sacrifices,' nor is pleased with a parrot-like lip-service, which is not understood. He saith, in detestation of the hypocrites, This people draweth near unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.' I hope then when we call you to serve God in judgment, and with understanding, we call you to nothing that a Christian should make question of. 4. God is a Spirit,' and they that serve him must serve him in spirit and in truth.-The Father seeketh such to worship him.' He calls for the heart; he looks for the inward desires of the soul: he converses with minds that are abstracted from vanity, are seriously taken up in attending him, and are intent upon the work they do: the words of a prayer, separated from the life of it, is abhorred before the holy God. As he will be loved, so will he be served, with all the heart, and soul, and might.' Do we call you then to any thing that is doubtful, when we call you to the spiritual worshipping of God?

devouring of widows' houses: and those that call them hypocrites that are much in holy exercises and speeches, should consider that if holy exercises and speeches were not good, they were not fit for the hypocrite's design; evil will not be a fit cloak for evil; that which the hypocrite thinks necessary to the covering of his sin, we must think more necessary to the cure of our sin and the saving of our souls; the way to avoid hypocrisy, is not by running into impiety and profaneness; we must do more than the hypocrite, and not less, else he will rise up in judgment against you and condemn you, if he would do more to seem good, than you would do to be good, and to please your Maker; if a pharisee will pray longer to colour his oppression, than you will do to attain salvation. The mischief of hypocrisy is, that the soul of religion is wanting, while the body is present: will you cast away both soul and body, both inside and outside, in opposition to hypocrisy? If others seem to love God when they do not, will you therefore not so much as seem to do it? So here about reverence in the service of God: the hypocrite should not exceed the sincere in any thing that is truly good. This is the manner of God's service that I persuade you to, and to no other: is there any thing of controversy in this? Prefer but the spiritual part, and know but what that means, I will have mercy and not sacrifice,' that so you may not condemn the innocent;' and you shall never say that we will be more backward than you to decency, and rever ent behaviour in God's service.

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5. Yet we maintain that the body hath its part in the service of God as well as the soul, and the body must express the inward reverence and devotion of the soul; though not in a way of hypocritical ostentation, yet in a way of serious adoration. The bowing of the knee, the uncovering of the head, reverent deportment, and 6. God will be served in purity and holiness, whatsoever nature, or common use, and holy insti- with clean hearts and hands, and not with such tution hath made an expression of holy affections, as remain defiled with guilt of any sinful sin. and a decent and grave behaviour of ourselves, He abhors the sacrifice of the wicked and disobeshould be carefully observed in the presence of dient. He that turneth away his ear from hearthe Most High; and the holy things of God more ing the law, his prayers are abominable.—To reverently to be respected than the presence what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices of any mortal man. And they rather, because unto me? saith the Lord (to oppressing wicked that a grave, reverent, and holy manner of de- men).—When you come to appear before me, portment in God's worship, reflects upon the who hath required this at your hand, to tread my heart, and helps us in our inward and spiritual courts? Bring no more vain oblations: incense devotion; it helps the beholders, and awakens is an abomination to me; the new moons and them to reverent thoughts of God, and holy sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away things, which a regardless and common manner with it is iniquity even the solemn meeting, &c. of deportment would extinguish. It is no dis--And when you spread forth your hands I will honour to reverent behaviour, that it is the use of hypocrites, but rather an honour to it; for it is something that is good that the hypocrite uses for the cloak of his secret emptiness or evil: if there were nothing good in reverent behaviour before God, it would not serve the hypocrite's

hide mine eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead

for the widow; come now and let us reason to- | in heaven. This is part of the service of God gether, saith the Lord.'

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that we exhort you to, even to visit, relieve, and love Christ in his members and brethren. there any thing of doubt or controversy in all this?

To play the glutton, or drunkard, or filthy fornicator, in the day time, and then to come to God at night, as if it were to make him amends by a hypocritical prayer; to blaspheme God's name and oppose his rule, yea, oppose his kingdom and government in yourselves and others, to do your own will, to hate and scorn them that do his will, and study his will that they may do it, and then to pray that God's name may be hallowed, his kingdom come, and his will be done,' is an abusing God, and not serving or pleasing him. Live according to your prayers, and let your lives show, as well as your words, what it is that you desire. This is the service of God that we call you to: and can you say that there is any thing controvertible in all this; are there any men of any party among Christians, or so-be glad with all my heart to hearken to you. ber infidels, that dare contradict it?

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8. Moreover, God will be served with love, willingness, and delight: it is the most gainful, honourable, blessed, and pleasant work in the world, which he hath appointed you, and not a toilsome task or slavery; and therefore it is not a melancholy, pining, troublesome course of life that we persuade you to, under the name of godliness; but it is to rejoice in the Lord, and to live in the joyful expectations of eternal life, and in the sense and assurance of the love of God. If you could show us any probability of a more pleasant and joyful life on earth, than that which serious holiness doth afford, I should

I am ready to tell you what is the ground of our comforts, which faith reveals: if you will come, and soberly debate the case, and show us the matter and ground of your comforts, which you have or hope for in any other way; if yours prove greater, better, and surer than the joys of faith, we will hearken to you, and be of your mind and side.

7. God will be served entirely and universally, in all his commands, and with all your faculties; in works of piety, justice, and charity, which must never be separated. You must not hold up your charity against duties of piety; for God is to be preferred in your estimation, love, and service; and all that is done for man must be done for his sake. You must not set up The matter of the joys of a believer is, that duties of piety against duties of justice, charity, all his sins are pardoned; that God is reconciled and sobriety: it is not true piety that will not to him in Christ; that he hath the promise of bring forth these. God must be loved above all, God, that all things, even the greatest sufferings, and our neighbour as ourselves; and these two shall work together for his good; that he is sorts of love are inseparable. Do all the good always in the love, care, and hands of God; that you can to all while you have opportunity; he hath leave to draw near him by holy prayer, especially to them of the household of faith.' and open his heart to him in all his straits and What good you would hear of in the day of wants; that he may solace himself in his praise your accounts, that do now, speedily, diligently, and thanksgiving, and in other parts of holy and sincerely, according to your power. Say worship; that he may read and hear his holy not, I may come to want myself, but cast thy word, the sure discovery of the will of God, and bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after revelation of the things unseen, and the charter many days; give a portion to seven, and also of his inheritance; that he may exercise his soul to eight, for thou knowest not what evil shall be in the serious believing thoughts of the love of upon the earth,' and whether all may not quickly God revealed in the wonderful work of our rebe taken from thee; and then thou wilt wish demption, of the person, offices, and grace of thou hadst done good with it while thou hadst Jesus Christ our Redeemer; and that he may it, lent it to the Lord, and trusted him with thy love that God who hath so wonderfully loved emainder, who intrusted thee with his blessings; him; that he hath the Spirit of God to quicken and hadst made thee friends of the mammon of and actuate his soul, to supply his spiritual deunrighteousness, that when all fail they might fects, kill his sins, and help him to believe, to receive thee into the everlasting habitations.' love, to rejoice, to pray that this Spirit is God's Drop not now and then a scanty and grudging seal upon him, and the earnest of everlasting alms, as if thou wert a loser by it, and God life; that death shall not kill his hopes, nor end must be beholden to thee; but believe, that the his happiness, but that his felicity and fullest greatest gain is to thyself, and look after such joy begins, when that of worldlings hath an end, bargain, and do good as readily, gladly, and li- and their endless misery begins; that he is berally, as one that verily expects a full reward delivered from everlasting torment by the re

demption of Christ, and the sanctification of the Spirit; that angels will attend his departing soul into the presence of his Father; that he shall be with his glorified Redeemer and behold his glory; that his body shall be raised to everlasting life; that he shall be justified by Christ from all the accusations of the devil, and all the slanders of the malicious world; that he shall live with God in endless glory, and see and enjoy the glory of his Creator, and shall never more be troubled with enemies, with sin or sorrow, but among his holy ones shall perfectly and most joyfully love and praise the Lord

for ever.

These are the matter of a believer's joy: these, purchased by Christ, revealed in his word, sealed by his miracles, his blood, his ordinances, and his Spirit, are our comfort. This is the religion, the labour that we invite you to: it is not to despair, nor to some dry, unprofitable toil, nor to self-troubling, grieving, miserable melancholy, nor to costly sacrifices, or idle ceremonies, or irrational service, such as the heathens offered to their idols; it is not to cast away all mirth and comfort, to turn unsociable, morose, and sour; but it is to the greatest joys that the world allows, and nature is here capable of, and reason can discern and own: it is to begin a truly sociable life: it is to fly from fear and sorrow, in flying from sin and hell, and from the consuming wrath of God: it is to the foretastes of everlasting joys, and to the beginnings of eternal life. This is the labour, the religion which we would have you to follow with all your might.

If you have better things to seek, follow, and find, let us see them, that we may be as wise as you. If you have not, for your soul's sake, make not choice of vanity, which will deceive you in the day of your necessity.

sure, as to choose a life of miserable sadness, or refuse a life of true delight. If we could hear from any man, or find, by the most diligent inquiry, that there is a more full, sweet, rational, satisfactory, and durable delight to be had in any other way than that of serious faith and holiness, which Christ in scripture hath revealed to us, we are like enough to hearken after it.

But can the distracted, sensual world believe that it is sweeter and happier to brave it out in fleshly gallantry and sport, and to rage against the godly for a while till the vengeance of God lay hold upon them, and give them their reward, than to live in the love of God, and wait in patience for the performance of God's promise of everlasting joy? O what a thing is fleshly passion, raging sensuality, and blind unbelief! The Lord have mercy upon deluded sinners; the devil's business is to turn the world into a bedlam; and alas, how strangely hath he prevailed; that so many men can take their greatest misery for their happiness, and the only happiness for an intolerable life! Yea, and be so angry with all that are not of their mind, and will not set as much by filth and foolery, and as little by God and glory as they! Like the nobleman that was lunatic, or mad by fits, and whenever he was mad, he would swear all were mad, that said not as he said, and would make all his servants be sent to bedlam that would not imitate him, and there they must lie as madmen till their lord was recovered from his madness. So are God's servants used and talked of in the world, as if they were beside themselves, as long as the world is not cured of its madness. As the man is, so is his judgment, and such is his relish, desire, and delight. When I was a child, I had far more desire to fill my pin-box, than now I have to fill my purse, and accounted it a greater treasure, and had much more delight and contentment in it. And alas, we may remember since we were strangers to the relish of heavenly things, that we found more pleasure in that of which we are now ashamed, than we did in the most high and excellent things. Let us therefore pity and pray for those that are distempered with the same disease.

But you must not think to make us believe that a great house, or a horse, or a licentious course, or a feast, or a flatterer, or fine clothes, or any childish toys, or brutish filthiness, are more comfortable things than Christ, and everlasting life; or that it is sweeter and better to love a harlot, or lands, or money, than to love God, grace, and glory; nor that any thing that will go no further than the grave with you, is as I have been longer on this than I thought to good as that which will endure to eternity; nor have been, because men think that we call them that any pleasure which an animal hath, is equal from all mirth, joy, and pleasure, to a heavy, to the delights of the angels of heaven: if you melancholy life, when we call them to a serious would have us of your mind, you must not be diligence for their salvation. As if levity and of this mind, nor persuade us to such horrible folly were the only friends to pleasure, and it things as these. But we profess to you and all were only to be found in childish, worthless, the world, that we are not so in love with sorrows transitory things. And as if the greatest everor sourness, nor so fallen out with joy and plea-lasting happiness were no matter of true delight,

nor seriousness; nor diligence, a friend to | shall be as a thousand witnesses, that if you will joy.

9. Moreover, as to the manner; God will be served with absolute self-resignation, without exceptions, limitations or reserves: not with the dregs of the flesh, nor with a proviso that you may not suffer by your religion, or be poor, or despised, or abused by the world: but with selfdenial you must lay down all the interests of the flesh at his feet; you must take up your cross, and follow a suffering Christ to glory. You must serve him as those that are wholly his, and not your own; have nothing but what is his, and therefore nothing to be excepted, reserved, or saved from him; but must be content that you and all your interests be in his hands, and saved by him, if saved at all. I know these terms seem hard to flesh and blood; but should heaven be the crown and reward to them that have undergone no trial for it? But here is nothing but what is past all controversy, and what all Christians confess is the word of Christ.

go on in ungodly, worldly lives, and refuse the serious diligence of Christians in this religion which yourselves profess, it shall be so far from being any excuse or ease to you, that there were hypocrites, or heretics, or schismatics, or different opinions in religion in the world; that this very thing shall aggravate your sin and condemnation; that all these hypocrites, schismatics, or different parties in the church, did agree in the confession of all these things, and yet for all that you would not practise them; no, nor practise what yourselves confessed: all these parties or sects shall rise up against the sensual and profane ungodly sinner, and say, 'Though we are ignorant or doubtful of many other things, yet we are all agreed in these; we gave our concurrent testimony of them; we tempted no man to doubt of these, or to deny them.' If you will err more than a hypocrite or a schismatic, and be far worse than those that are such, or you account such, and think to excuse it, because they erred in lesser things, it is as if the devil should excuse his sin by saying, Lord, thy saints did none of them love thee as they should, hypocrites did but seem to love thee, and therefore I thought I might hate thee and set against thy ways.

But, saith the ungodly sensualist, I will never believe that God delights in long and earnest prayers; or that he is moved by the passions or the words of men; and therefore I take this but for babbling, which you call the serious diligence of believers, in their serving God.

To this impious objection, I return these se

10. Lastly, God will be served resolvedly and constantly: if you will reign, you must conquer and endure to the end. Opposition you must expect; and overcome it if you would not be overcome. It is not good beginnings that will serve the purpose, unless you also persevere, and fight out the good fight of faith, finish your course, and patiently wait to the last breath, for 'the crown of righteousness, which the righteous judge will give' the conquerors, when the unbelieving world shall say of all their delight and hope, 'It is past and gone, we shall never see or taste it more, but must now taste of that end-veral answers. less wrath of God which we were treasuring up, 1. Suppose this were true as you imagine, when we should have worked out our salvation.' what is this to you that serve God no way at all I have all this while been describing to you, with any serious diligence; that live in sensualiboth as to the principles, the matter and the man-ty, and wilful disobedience to his laws, do more ner, what that religion and service of God is, in for your bodies than for your souls, and for temwhich you must labour with all your might; that poral things than for eternal? you may see that it is no factious or private 2. Who, do you think, is likeliest to understand opinions or practices that we call you to do; God's mind, and what is pleasing to him,-himand that your consciences may no longer be de- self or you? Is any thing more plainly comluded with the pretences of men's different opi-manded in God's word, than praying with frenions in religion; that the names of prelatical, quency, fervency, and importunity. And will presbyterian, puritan, papist, nor any other you tell God that he hath but dissembled with sounding in your ears, may not so distract you, you, and told you that he is pleased with that as to make you forget the name of Christian, which is not pleasing to him? which you have all undertaken, nor what the Christian religion is. You see now that it is nothing, no not a syllable or tittle, which all sober Christians are not agreed in, that we persuade you to do as the work of your religion: therefore I tell you again here, before that God that shall be your judge, and that conscience that

3. What is the reason of your unbelief? forsooth, because God is not moved with human words or passions! I grant he is not. But what of that; hath prayer no other use to move God? It is enough, First, That it moves and fits us to receive his mercies. Second, That God hath made it necessary to the effect, and a means or condi

tion without which he will not give the blessing. Do you think, if you judge but by natural reason, that a person is as fit for a mercy that knows not the want or worth of it, and would not be thankful for it if he had it, as one that values it, and is disposed to thankfulness and improvement? Do not you know that holy prayer is nothing but the actuating of holy desires, and the exercise of all those graces which are suited to the due estimation and improvement of the mercy? If God be not moved and drawn to us, it is enough that we are moved and drawn to God: and withal that God may give us his own blessings, to whom and upon what terms he please, and that he hath assured us he will give them only to those that value, desire, and seek them, and that with faith, fervency, and importunity.

And yet I may add, that God is so far above us, as that his incomprehensible essence and blessed nature is very little known to us; and therefore though we know and confess that he hath no human passions nor imperfections, yet if he assume to himself the title of such a thing as love, desire, joy, or wrath, we must in reason believe, that though these are not in God as they are in man, with any imperfection, yet there is something in God that cannot be represented to man, nor be understood by man, than by the images of such expressions as God himself is pleased to use.

3. But I beseech you hearken to nature itself. Doth it not teach all rational creatures, in necessity, to pray to God? A storm will teach the profane seaman to pray, and that with continuance and fervency. The mariners could say to Jonah in their danger, what meanest thou, O sleeper! arise, call upon thy God; if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.' And they themselves cried every man unto his god. When thou comest to die, and seest there is no more delay, nor any more hope from the pleasures of sin, or from any of thy old companions or old deceits, then tell me whether na ture teach thee not to cry, and cry mightily for pardon, mercy, and help to God? Then we shall hear thee crying, O mercy, mercy, Lord, upon a miserable sinner, though now thou wilt not believe that prayer doth any good.

I will say no more to thee of this: if nature be not conquered, and grace have not forsaken thee, thou wilt be taught at home to answer this objection. Surely thou canst not easily so far conquer reason, as to believe that there is no God. If thou believe that there is a God, thou canst not believe that he is not to be worshipped,

and that with the greatest seriousness and dili gence; nor that he is not the giver of all that thou dost want; or that the governor of the world regards not the dispositions and actions of his subjects, but will equally reward the good and bad, give to all alike, and have no respect to men's preparations for his reward. What heathen that believes that there is a God, doth not believe that prayer to him is a necessary part of his worship?

Obj. But is not your strict observation of the Lord's day a controverted thing?

Answ. In this also I will strip thee of this excuse. Spend the Lord's day but according to the common principles of Christianity and reason, and it shall suffice: spend it but as one that loves God better than any thing in the world, and that takes more pleasure in his service than in sin and vanity spend it but as the necessities of thy own soul and thy families require; as one that is glad of so honourable, gainful, and delightful an employment, as the public and private worshipping of God, and the serious contemplation of the life to come: as one that knows the need and benefit of having stated times for the service of God; and what would come of all religion, if the time were left to each one's will? Spend it as men that put a just difference between the common business of this world, and the things that concern your endless state; and that have considered the proportion of one day in seven, in reference to this different consequence of the work: spend it as men that have lost as much time as you have done, and have need to make the best of the little that is left; and that are behind-hand so far in the matters of your salvation, and have need to work with all your might, and should be more glad of the helps of such a day, than of thousands of gold and silver: spend it as those that believe that we owe God as much service as the Jews did: spend it as the ancient Christians spent it, that were wont to stay together almost from morning till night iu public worship and communion: spend it as the King's declaration requires, which saith, our purpose and resolution is, and shall be, to take care that the Lord's day be applied to holy exercise, without unnecessary divertisements.'

I have done my part to open to you the necessity of serious diligence, and to call up the sluggish souls of sinners to mind the work of their salvation, and to do it speedily and with all their might; I must now leave the success to God and you. What use you will make of it, and what you will be and do for the time to come, is a matter that more concerns your

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