Section 25

Section 25

But we have reason to fear, that in case of tk prevalence of popery, far the greater part of the nation would have yielded to it, and have gonedowB the stream; those who are under the power of inf-delity and impiety, and are indeed of no religioi, will readily be of any religion, especially of tbtt which will indulge them in their lusts. And the tyranny of popery over the souls of sinners, is a much greater mischief, and of more fatal consequence, than \^ tyranny over the bodies.of saints, and will appear so, if we look forward to the fatuit state. And that is it which I would at this time opoi to you.

The Romish clergy show themselves not to he the followeri of Christ, by their affecting a worldly dominion, and the pomp and grandeur that attend it Christ has said. My kingdom is not of this world;^ and gave that as a reason why his servants did not draw the sword in his defence. The kings of tbe earth, and those commissioned by them, exercise Lordship, but the disciples of Christ '* shall not be so,'"" the weapons of their warfare are not carnal, it is the sword of the Spirit that is put into their hands, which is the word of God, and with that they are to fight his battles. Those, therefore, who propagate the faith, and suppress heresy, by croisades, and inquisitions, and massacres, and assassinations, and writs de haretico comhurendo — of burning a heretic aie certainly destitute of the Spirit of Christ and his gospel. Jesus we know, and Paul we know, but rAs are these f

Yet this is not all; they show themselves to be enemies of Christ, and rebels against him, by affecting a spiritual dominion over the souls and consciences of men; and that is the dominion wbicli (whatever they pretend) they thus violently contend i Zech. iv. 6.

k Rev. xii. 11.

1 John xvili. 301

» Lukeuii.l&

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

619 for, and are so zealous for the maintenance and support of. It is not the faith of Christ, or the power of godliness, that they thus lay out themselves for the propagation of, but the advancement of their own wealth and power.

It has been commonly said, that popery and tyranny go together, and mutually befriend each other. I remember it was said by a great man at the time of the popish plot in King Charles the II.'s time, that he apprehended the project to be thus laid, " That in England popery was to bring in slavery, and in Scotland slavery was to bring in popery."* But with this I meddle not. As to our civil rights and liberties, we have great reason to thank God for our present enjoyment of them under a good government, and to pray to God for the continuance of them ; but as to the claiming and adjusting of them, and contending for them, it must be left to the proper persons, to lawyers, parliaments, and diets; the original contracts and pacta conventa — agreed covenants of the nations—to states and statesmen, Tractent fabrilia fahri — The engineers nuinage the machines. But that which I have now to say against popery is, that it is itself the worst of tyrannies ; it is a spiritual tyranny, and usurpation; it is a traitorous confederacy against the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ—and that is the kingdom of God, which we are in the first place to seek, and to value ourselves upon our relation to.

Now I shall endeavour to make out, I. That popery is an invasion upon the prerogatives of Christ, the Prince; and, II. Upon the rights and liberties of Christians, the subjects of this kingdom; and so it is a direct and daring violation of the everlasting lospel, the magna cbarta by which this kingdom is incorporated, and an impudent oppression of the souls of men, saying to them. Bow down, that we tnay go over, I. The papal power usurps the prerogatives of our Lord Jesus, plucks the flowers of his crown, plunders the jewels of it, nay, it profanes his crown, by casting it to the ground, and, which is worse, putting it upon the head of a man of sin; and therefore, when our Lord appears against this bold but base usurpation, for the bringing of it to ruin, his manifesto, by which he justifies his declaration of war, is included in the name written on bis vesture, and on his thigh. King of kings, and lord of Lords,^

Christ is the Sovereign of the heart, the rightful Sovereign ; for him the throne is to be reserved. Conscience is bis deputy; by him it is to be commanded, and .to him it is accountable; it is the *' word of Christ ** that is to dwell in the soul, and to rule there, and to him only every thought is to be brought into obedience, into a blessed captivity f The kingdom of God is within you,

• See the Bishop of Clogher's Sermon, Oct. 23,1713. n Rev. xix. 16. o a Cor. x. 5 p Phil. ii. 9,10. q V. II.

Christ is the King of the church, the political head of that body ; to him all judgment is committed, both the legislative and the judicial power, foi he has all power given him both in heaven and in earth; in the treaty of peace between God and man, he is the sole plenipotentiary, for the Father loveth the Son, and has given all things into his hand,^ It is proclaimed before him, as it was before Joseph, Bow the knee; bow the soul ; every tongue must confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.^ Now this indisputable right which Christ alone has to say to souls, Boto down, is usurped in the church of Rome.

For, I. The pope is made to be the sovereign of the heart, and the head of the church, and to him they ascribe such a supremacy as is no way consistent with the honour of our Lord Jesus, and his just demands. Jesus Christ is our Lord and our God, but it is frequent with them to call the pope, Domi-nus Deus noster Papa, — Our Lord God the Pope, f This was not a hasty word slipt from them, but some of their writers undertake to make out that he ought to be called so.

Christ is the great Law-giver, who is able to save and to destroy; but they lodge in the pope a power to make laws immediately to bind conscience, though there be neither Scripture nor reason for them; nay, though they be directly contrary both to Scripture and reason ; and it is a principle of their canon law, that the pope has all rights and all laws in his breast, and papajudicatur a nemine — is accountable to none.I

It is one of the new articles of Pope Pius the 4th'8 Creed, that the bishop of Rome, as successor of St. Peter there, t> the supreme and universal pastor of Christ's church by divine appointment,^ and that all churches, all Christians, all souls, are bound to yield an implicit obedience to his commands. The papists will not allow the Scriptures to have any authority but what is derived from the pope, and their church; and whereas it is Christ's prerogative to have the keys of hell and death, they put these into the hands of the bishop of Rome. Christ is the chief Shepherd, but they make the pope to be pastor pastorum — the chief shepherd; and though they pretend to make him only Christ's vicar, they really make him a rival with Christ for the throne. It is by Christ that kings reign, and princedecree justice,' and it is his law that every soul should be subject to the higher powers ; but the church of Rome not only exempts its clergy from the jurisdiction of princes and civil powers, but subjects kings and emperors to the pope, and gives him a power to dispose of their kingdoms.

Thus is the kingly ol Rce of our Lord Jesus invaded by that man of sin, who exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped;' and if t Olon. Extrevag. t Gratian, Deer. f Decret. i. 3. tit. 23. r Prov. viil. 15. t 3 Tbess. ii. 4. e2o

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY. he have snch a power as be pretends to, it will follow of course, that he may say to men's souls at bis pleasure, Bow down that we may go over,

2. They make the pope an infallible director and judg:e, in matters of faith ; and as one lie must be called in to maintain another, so this of the pope's infallibility must be advanced to support his supremacy. They maintain that their church never erred, nor can err, that the pope, when he is in cathedrA — the pontifical chairs is an oracle. One of their most celebrated doctors has plainly said, If the pope should err in commanding vices, and forbidding virtues, yet the church is bound to believe vices to be good, and virtues to be evil, or else she sins against conscience,* It is a great slaivery to be bound to an implicit obedience, but it is worse, and a greater reproach, to be bound to an implicit faith.

Our Lord Jesus has forbidden his disciples to be themselves called " Rabbi," because " One is our master, even Christ," and his dictates alone are to be subscribed to as infallible; he has forbidden us to call any man Father upon earth, because one is our Father in heaven,^ on whom we depend for our education and direction; yet the pope will have all to call him Father, most holy Father, and to follow him blindfold as their guide. The apostles pretended not to have dominion over the faith " of Christians; but the church of Rome undertakes to frame new creeds; witness that of Trent. Blessed Paul anathematized himself if he should preach any other gospel to Christians than what they had received ;' but the church of Rome anathematizes all who adhere to the gospel they had received, and will not embrace that which they add to it, and sentences them to the pit of hell. We are directed to take heed to the Scriptures, as to a light shining in a darh place," and to have recourse to the law and the testimony,* and try by that touchstone; and to that we must bow our understanding: no, say they, you must refer yourselves to the pope's infallibility, and to him your understandings must be captivated.

And what sort of men do you think these bishops of Rome have been, who have been intrusted with this pretended infallibility? Were they holy men, such as they were who were moved by the Holy Ghost to write the Scriptures ? No; one of themselves, even an historian of their own, confesses that many of them were hominum portenta — monsters of men ; and that there were eighteen popes successively, one after another, who were magicians, and in league with the devil,f And another eminent writer among them owns. There were scarce any sins, except that of heresy i which the bishops of Rome were not guilty of.

And what use have they made of their infallibility ? Have they with the help of it expounded the

Bellarm. Lib. 4. De sum. Pontif. Cap. 5. » Malt, xxiii. 8,u. u I Cor. ii 5. • Gal 1. 8. dark places of Scripture, or accommodated differences among Christians ? No, but only have supported with it their own secular pomp and power, and the dominion they claim over the consciences of men in competition with, and therefore id opposition to, the prophetical office of Jesus Christ, in whom alone we are to believe.

3. They give the pope a power to forgive sin, and to absolve from the punishment of it; and this is another invasion upon the prerogatives of Christ, who has the power on earth to forgive sin ; and herein they are worse than the Scribes and Pharisees, whose principle it was, none can forgive sins but GodomlyJ

They have a groundless notion that the sptre merits of good men, by their works of supererogation, or superfluous satisfactions, which they bad no occasion to make use of themselves, are laid up in the treasures of the church, which the pope has the key of, and grants the benefit of, for a sum of money, to such as he thinks qualified for it, by the fulness of his apostolical power. This is as daring t usurpation upon the royalties of the Lord Jesus, as it would be upon the prerogative of the sovereign for any subject, and especially one who is himself a criminal, to undertake to pardon crimes committed against the majesty of the prince, or to remit any part of the punishment; which would be so far from being pleadable in any court of justice, that to pretend to it would be a heinous crime.

The selling of the pope's indulgences was the first thing that Luther witnessed against, of all the delusions of the church of Rome, in the year 1517, and it broke the ice of the reformation; for his sister having a mind to purchase a pardon, he dissuaded her from it, which displeased the priest who had the selling of them, who complained that Lather marred his markets; which gave him occasion to study the point, and that led him to a farther discovery of that great and complicated mystery of iniquity.

But their doctrine of indulgences is so miserably patched up by themselves, that it plainly appears to be a mere artifice for the magnifying of the power of the pope, and the amusing of people into a bliod veneration for him, and subjection to him; and the filling of his coffers with vast sums of money, which have enabled him to support his tyranny.

4. They make all this power to extend to the universal church ; nay, and to all the world* declaring it by their canon law absolutely necessary to salvation, for every human creature to he subject to the bishop of Rome; and not only all the reformed churches, but all the Greek churches, are cutoff from the catholic church by their sentence, because they own not the pope for their supreme head.

It is Christ's prerogative to have power over all w 2 Pet i. la f Platina in Pool, s In. vtn. 2a

7 MaikiiT.

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

' flesh;' his the kingdom is, and he is the goveraor ' among the nations;* he is the only universal monarch, to whom every tongue must swear ;^ he is the centre of the church's unity, to whom are gathered together all the children of God who were scattered abroad.^ This honour the pope usurps, though he knows not a great part of the world, nor can have any correspondence with it, or be any way of use to it; yet he will have all power derived from him, and depend upon him ; and all churches to meet in him. And herein he is a genuine king of Babylon, a son and successor of Nebuchadnezzar, that son of pride, who affected to have all people, nations, and languages, to tremble and fear before him.^

Thus is popery an impious usurpation of the powers and prerogatives of the Lord Jesus, and therefore ought to be looked upon with a jealous eye, by all who know themselves obliged—to honour the Son as they honour the Father f and therefore to be as far from other Christs, as from other Gods; and to call them Anti-gods, and Anti-christs, however they pretend to be Vice-christs and Vice-gods.

II. The papal power invades the rights and liberties of the subjects of Christ's kingdom, enslaves them, oppresses them, and tyrannizes over them, and says to their souls. Bow down, and worship the image of the beast, that golden image of paganism, the first beast, which they have set up / Bow down, that we may go over. As one of the popes made the emperor bow down, and then set his foot upon bis neck, impiously applying that promise to it. Thou thalt tread upon the Hon and the adder. And thus have the Romish priests gloried in their triumphs over the souls of men: one of them said, ** If Luther had not appeared when he did, they should have brought the people to eat grass like oxen.''

Let us observe some of the many instances that might be given of the tyranny of the church of Rome over the souls of men.

1. They oblige people to believe as true, whatever their church requires them to believe, though never so contrary to sense and reason; and not only so, but to curse and condemn as heretical, whatever the council of Trent has adjudged to be so. They do in effect require men to give up their understandings, and to pin their faith upon the pope's sleeve, though they know not whither be will carry it, and suffer him to put out their eyes, and lead them whithersoever he pleases. All freedom of thought, and with it all the dignities and privileges of the human soul, as rational and intelligent, are surrendered and betrayed; no liberty left for the use of reason when a man is tied jurare in verba magistri — to swear every thing that their church says, though it should be that black is white, and white black. The Collier's faith, ** I believe as the church believes.

John xtH. 2. • P8. «ii. 28. b In. xlv 03. r John xi. S2. and the church believes as I believe," which all wise men make a jest of, they make the foundation of their faith, and a sovereign antidote against infidelity.

A grosser instance of this cannot be given, than the belief of the doctrine of transubstantiation, which was introduced for no other end but to magnify the priests, and make poor people admire them, and give up themselves to their conduct, though they were ever so ignorant and scandalous. Was ever such a tyranny over the souls of men, as making them believe that that which they see and feel, and smell and taste, to be bread, is not bread, but the body of a man ; and that which they see, and smell, and taste to be wine, is not wine, but the blood of a man; and this prodigious imaginary change to be wrought by the priest's pronouncing five words over it, Hoe est enim corpus meum—for this is my body. Our Saviour appealed to men's senses: for the proof of his miracles, Go tell John what ye hear and see; and of his resurrection. Handle me, and see me. This is dealing with men as men, and putting an honour upon their nature; but the church of Rome demands the belief of that which bids defiance to four of our five senses at once, and is directly contradicted by them. So that, as the excellent Archbishop Tillotson speaks, " The business of transubstantiation is not a controversy of Scripture against Scripture, or of reason against reason, but of downright impudence against the plain meaning of Scripture, and all the sense and reason of mankind. It is a most self-evident falsehood, and there is no doctrine or proposition in the world that is of itself more evidently true, than transubstantiation is evidently false." And yet the papists as firmly believe it as that there is a God ; nor do they leave it to be a matter of doubtful disputation in the schools, but have reduced it to practice: for if they do not believe it, they must own themselves to be the most gross idolaters, in worshipping the bread they suppose to be thus metamorphosed; and the most barbarous murderers, in putting those to death with inhuman cruelty who will not believe it too. For (as Fuller observes) this was in Queen Mary's time " The burning doctrine, the test by which the martyrs were tried; and the popish persecutors then were so perfectly lost to all sense of reason and honour, as to condemn the most valuable lives to so great a death as being burnt at a stake, only because they could not believe this monstrous absurdity. Were ever the powers and faculties of the human soul so trampled upon, and trodden into the dirt? Yet those who receive popery must receive this.

And when the soul is brought to bow down to this, they are ready to go over it with troops of strong delusions, and make it believe a thousand lies, when d Dan. ▼. 18.

t John T. 93.

f Rev. xiii. lA.

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

once it is persuaded to believe this. For as conscience, so faith, when it is thoroughly debauched in one instance, lies exposed in any other. Those who have once swallowed transubstantiation, will never be choked with any of the forgeries of their lying legends, or the imposturesof their miracles and relics, which some of themselves have the honesty to own to be frauds, but the wickedness to call pious frauds. And to say, " If people will be deceived, let them be deceived,'' though it may serve them to laugh in their sleeves with now, will prove but a miserable excuse for their impiety and villany in the great day.

2. They oblige people to obey all the commands of their church, though ever so contrary to the divine commands. I remember, in a little catechism published here by the Romish emissaries in King James the II.'s time, the answer to that question, '< What is sin V* was, *^ Sin is the transgression of the law of God, or of the church ;'' so making the laws of their church equally binding with the laws of God: nay, they make them to be of a superior obligation ; and if men make conscience of observing the law of God, they say to such consciences. Bow tlawHj that we may go over; you are to obey the church, and not God.

A plain proof of this is their worship of images. God has expressly forbidden it, and frequently, in his word, has given many reasons for that prohibition ; there is no sin which has been more severely punished by the righteoas God, nor more courageously witnessed against by righteous men; and yet the charch of Rome commands and compels all its members to fall down and worship images of God, Christ, and the saints; to pray before them, and bum incense to them; to adore the consecrated host with the same worship that they would give to Christ himself. And to show that they command this in contempt and defiance of the law of God, and in pursuance of their own authority over the souls of men, they leave the second commandment out of the ten, in all their catechisms and books of devotion, and have done so for many ages, and so they call the third commandment the second, the fourth the third, and so on ; but because people had heard that there were ten, lest they should miss that precious jewel which they have stolen, they divide the tenth into two ; and the ninth commandment with them is, Thou thalt not covet thy neighbour's house, and the tenth, Thou shait not covet thy neighbour s wife. You will scarce believe that men could be guilty of such impudence and impiety, and imposition upon souls, but I assure you it is true.

It is the express command of God, Thou shalt wor-ship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve ; but contrary to this command, they require people

V Rev. xtx. 10. h Rer. xxii. 9. to pray to saints and angels, which is expressly l» bidden to St. John by an angel himself, Seetkmk it not;' but worship God.*" They require I knovvk what higher degree of worship to be paid to Hi Virgin Mary, than to other saints, and desire terti command her Sou to help them ; and give noreiMi for this and many other such impositions, bat m volo, sic jubeo, stat pro raiione voluntoM — thus I w thus I command, my will stands/or reason, Nowkt miserably must the souls of men be racked and im by this usurped power, when their own reasoo ul conscience tell them, they mast worship God ul Christ only, but their priests tell them, inobediew to the church they must pray to this and the otkr saint. No man indeed can serve two fnmsters, wkl their commands thus contradict one another; ui, therefore, they must certainly disown God for tkk master, who take their charch for their mistral; and a miserable choice they make, for God sijfsti the soul. Lift it up, that he may receive and embmi it; they say to the soul. Bow dawn that thej wtf go over it, and trample upon it.

3. They forbid the use of the Scriptures tothecoa-mon people, and oblige them (as the heathen pen cutors of old forced the Christians) to surreate their Bibles ; because they coald not enslave thai if they did not first pat out their eyes, and disva them of the sword of the Spirit.

It is the privilege of reasonable creatares to jodge for themselves, and therefore, in all matters of eoa-cern, to be furnished with the proper rale they areli judge by; but papists resign this privilege to Acir priests, who bid them leave it to them to choose kt them. It is the privilege of Christians, as fomeriy of the Jews, that to them are committed the oraeki of God,* the sure word of prophecy; they hsn Moses and the prophets,^ and are cmmaixied li hear them. The Bereans are commended, beeaia they searched the Scriptures daily, whether tkii things were so which the apostles themselves i»^eacl* ed to them. But the church of Rome will not aliof Christians to consult this oracle, forbids what Ckrii has commanded, not only as in other things to ibev her authority, but because she cannot othenriie support her authority ; for if people might but kave liberty to look with an unprejudiced eye into tk word of God, they would not suffer themselves to be thus enslaved by the craft of men. Bat they wte impose on their customers with counterfeit goodi, find it their interest to keep their shops dark. Tie Philistines could never have made Samson grind in their prison-house, if they had not first blinded him.

This is not only an imperious piece of tynwjr, but a barbarous piece of cruelty to the soals of boi; for they who take away the key of knowledge fiw i John V. 39.

k Luke xvi. wU.

I

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

623 men, shat up the kingdom of heaven against them. And " it is a very hard case'' (says Archbishop Til-lotson) '* to which the church of Rome has reduced men, that it will neither allow them salvation out of their church, nor the best and most effectual means of salvation when they are in it.'

4. They take away the cup in the Lord's supper from the laity, and will allow them to communicate bat in one kind. This is a great affront to our Lord Jesus, who, in the institution of this ordinance, appointed his disciples, all of them to drink of the cup, as well as to eat of the bread; and that decree of the Romish Church, which forbids the people the use of the cup, did it with an express non obstante — notwithstanding opposed to the divine institution. So said the council of Constance, " Though Christ did administer this sacrament under both kinds, yet notwithstanding this, the custom of communicating onder one kind only, is now to be taken for a law;'' that is, you who make conscience of conforming to the will of Christ, must quit that principle, and must bow d9wny that we may go over.

But this is not all: as it is an affront to Christ, so it is a great wrong and injury to Christians, and deprives them of part of the legacy which their Redeemer left them; in denying them the cup of blessings, they do, as far as they can, deny them the blessings themselves. And as those are reckoned to tyrannize over the bodies of men, who take away their goods which they are legally entitled to; so they certainly tyrannize over men's souls, who deprive them of a privilege they are evangelically entitled to: for, as an excellent pen well expresses it, '* Look what benefit a man would be robbed of, in being deprived of Christ's blood; that comfort he is robbed of, who is deprived of this cup."

5. They make the validity and virtue of the sacraments, to depend upon the intention of the priest or minister.* So the council of Trent has decreed; and hence it will follow, that if the priest either be carelessly thinking of something else, or wilfully and wickedly design something else, when he baptizes, or consecrates the bread and wine, it is no sacrament at all, nor has any virtue in it to the receiver ; the person so baptized is no member of the church ; the host so consecrated is not the body of Christ, and therefore it is idolatry to worship it

Now can any thing tyrannize more over the souls of men than this ? or put it more into the power of every profane, ignorant, drunken priest, to tyrannize over them,—^when they lie at his mercy, and in a thing too which they can never be sure of, whether they shall have any benefit by the sacraments ? '* So that when a man has done all he can to work out his own salvation, he shall be never the nearer, only

1 Compare Matt xziii. la witb Luke li. 51. • Can. 11. for want of that which is wholly out of his power ;-!-the right intention of the priest."

6. They offer up their public prayers and praises in a language, which the generality of the people do not understand. The mass is all in Latin, which is not at this day the vulgar tongue in any nation; so are their psalms, and other devotions. And this is designed to support the reputation of their priests, that they maybe thought to have more learning than their neighbours; and to train people up in that blind devotion of their church, which they boast that ignorance is the mother of.

This is a great dishonour to God, it is taking his name in vain, and bringing the blind for sacrifice ; it is directly contrary to the law of Christ, who has commanded us (o pray and praise with understanding ; and so full and plain is the apostle's discourse against it, (I Cor. xiv.) that a papist happening to read that chapter, which he had been kept in ignorance of before, professed he thought St. Paul was a Lutheran.

But that which I now condemn it for is, its tyranny over the souls of men ; it deprives them of the comfort and benefit of prayer; utterly disables them to pray in faith, and in the Spirit; and puts it in the power of the priest (and that is it which by all means possible must be supported) to make the people say Amen to the most direful imprecations, or execrations, which a wicked priest, by the change of a word or two, unobserved, and undiscovered, may turn the prayers into. Thus as ip believing and obeying, so in praying, the souls of men, considered as rational, are tyrannized over, and are put under the priests' girdles.

7. They oblige all people at some certain times to confess all their sins privately to a priest, in order to their receiving absolution from him. This is as mischievous an engine of papal tyranny as any other, and is as perfect a rack to the consciences of men. Thus men are made to stand in awe of, and are brought into subjection to, their priests, as the fathers of their spirits, as having it in their power to admit them into, or shut them out of the kingdom of heaven. By this artifice they let themselves into the secrets of men's lives and affairs, which makes it every man's interest to please them, and upon any terms to keep in witli them.

Scire volunt secreta domus atque inde limert.|— They wish to know the secrets of the house, that thus they may be feared.

This province therefore, of receiving confessions, of all the orders of the Romish clergy, the Jesuits have most applied themselves to, who are most slaves to the pope, enemies to the protestants, and lords over the souls of men ; and with the help of this POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY. carry on their feat design to aggrandize and enrich themselves, and enslave and impoverish those ahout them.

8. They impose what penances they please upon those who come to them to receive absolution, and force them to submit to them, by denying them absolution unless they do. Never did any prince pretend to such an authority over a subject, any parent over a child, or master over his servant, as the confessor claims over his penitent, which he is told he is bound in conscience to submit to, though the services enjoined be never so absurd, and the injunction never so arbitrary. Judges must give sentence according to law, but confessors accordingto humour, whether a gay humour, which makes the penance like children's play, or an imperious malicious one, which makes it worse than bridewell. These things are industriously kept private; but I have been told of some, who, by pilgrimages to, and penances in, St. Winifred's well, in my country, imposed upon them by their priests, have ruined their health, and lost their lives, and it is easy to say at whose hands their blood will be required, for God never required these things at their hands.

And that which in this matter is the greatest imposition of all is, that they are made to believe, that these corporal austerities (or barbarities rather) make satisfaction to God's justice for their sins ; which is a great indignity done to Christ, as if his satisfaction were deficient, and needed to be thus helped out, and a great cheat put upon the souls of men. But thus do they triumph over conscience, and take a pride in making that a duty and debt to God, which is done in pure obedience to them.

Even crowned heads, by bringing conscience into the case, have been made to submit to this tyranny; witness our king Henry II. who, because he complained, and very justly, of the insolent and traitorous carriage of Thomas a Becket, then bishop of Canterbury, whence some ruffians who heard him, took occasion, utterly unknown to him, to go and kill the bishop, was obliged to go to Canterbury, and when he came within sight of Becket's church, he alighted from his horse, put off his shoes and stockings, and walked bare-foot to Becket's tomb, and there suffered himself to be whipped on the naked back, by the monks of Canterbury.* This is popery, this is tyranny, this is saying to men's souls, Jiow down that we nuiy go over.

9. They undertake to absolve men from their lawful oaths, and to dissolve and dispense with the most solemn and sacred obligations; and thus triumph over conscience as much by the looses they give it, contrary to the law of God, as by the bonds they lay upon it, contrary to that law.

There is nothing which the light of nature, and

Fuller's Ch. Hist Lib. 3. consent of nations, teach men to have more a TeB ration for, and a deeper sense of the obligatioB cf, than the ordinances of marriage, and an oath, which men who have any thing of conscience left, wiO make conscience of being true to; and yet tbe church of Rome has ways of breaking these boids in sunder.

As in the case of marriage, they exercise their tyranny in forbidding marriage to ministers at all times, and forbidding it to all people at some certaiD seasons of the year; so they do in dissolving marriages, when the parties enter into religpion, (as tbej call it,) and are professed.

And if a prince disoblige the pope so far, that be adjudged him a heretic, his subjects are absohed from their oath of allegiance to him; though he be ever so able and willing to protect them, and goven them according to law, they ought not to defend him, or stand by him ; and if any think themsehei bound by their oath, they shall be told, that the pope has dispensed with that; and thus does he sa; ti men's souls. Bow down,

10. By the fear of purgatory, and the hope of advantage which men's souls may have by maascf said for them after they are dead, they amass to themselves vast riches, to the ruin of families, and the civil interests of the nations; and this is another instance of the tyranny of popery.

When men have thoughts of death, and see it at the door, then, if ever, conscience is awake, and then it is seasonable to take hold of it, that in cod-sideration of it, the soul may be effectuflly brought to repentance and faith, and resignation to God, and a holy heavenly temper; and they who are so influenced by it, may go comfortably under the conduct of our Lord Jesus into another world: but here the Romish clergy put in for a dominion over men's consciences; they possess even good men with a dreadful apprehension of the pains of purgatoij, which they must endure for a great while before they can go to heaven, in order to their cleansiDg, that they may enter pure into eternal life; it i& ire, it is a prison; and after all, it is a fancy, a mere chimera, an invention of their own, that has no foundation in the word of God. But they have a way to lighten and shorten these pains; leave the church, the priest, or the convent, a good legacy, leave them a part of your estates, and by masses you shall soon have a discharge procured for yon. Thus they frighten people with an imaginary evil, which Christ never threatened, to seek for an iaa-ginary deliverance, which Christ never promised; by endowing monasteries, and maintaining priests in superstition and idolatry, a service which Christ never required.

" Purgatory pick-purse/' so it has been called for POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

626 this reason; the locnsts of the Romish clergy have been wont to swarm ahoat the beds of dying men, to gain from them—or about their graves, to gain from their surviving friends—grants of lands, or sums of money, to pray them out of purgatory; and thus, by tyrannizing over men's souls, they vastly enrich themselves and their church, and so become capable of tyrannizing over men in every thing else.

In the dark times of popery, grants to the religious, as they called them, and the religious houses, were become so many, and so rich, that the wisdom of the state saw fit to restrain them by the statute of Mortmain, in the third year of Edward I. which made it necessary to have the royal licence for such endowments ; otherwise, says our historian, all England would in a short time have become one entire continued monastery.* The like laws for limiting men's liberality to the church, had been made a little before in France and Spain ; which could never have been done at that time, if the fatal consequences of it had not been most apparently clear; and if the guardians of the public peace and welfare had not plainly seen what they were aiming at, who said to their souls, Bow dowUj that we may go over ; nothing less than enslaving the kingdom too.

11. The greatest instance of the tyranny of the ehnrch of Rome over the souls of men, is their making princes and magistrates, and others, the conscientious tools of their persecuting rage, against those who will not receive the mark of the beast in tiieir foreheads or their right hands.

When princes make bloody laws against their own subjects, who willingly pay them tribute, are ready to serve them, pray for them, and live quiet and peaceable lives under them, and contribute their share to the nations' wealth and strength, rendering in every thing to Caesar the things that are Csesar's, only desiring to reserve their consciences for God, because they are his; when edicts made for their protection, and solemnly ratified, are most perfidi-eusly and ungratefully repealed after a thousand direct violations of them, and troops of dragoons, those booted apostles, are commissioned (by the most barbarous and inhuman outrages and tortures that ever the malice of bell invented) to force men's eonsciences, or destroy their lives and families; when those who might be the profitable members of m state, are thrown into bonds or banishment, against all the true politics of a nation ; when courts of inquisition are kept up, their proceedings connte-muiced against all the established rules of justice and equity, and their most unrighteous sentences executed blindfold by the secular arm; when all the bowels of humanity are put off, and all the bonds of relation, friendship, and neighbourhood, are broken through, and those who are both harm-

Fulleri Ch. Hirt. Lib. 3.1274

less and resistless are massacred in their beds and houses in cold blood, as many thousands of protest-ants were in Paris, and other parts of France, in 1572, and in Ireland in 1641;—and lastly, when princes, whose persons are taken under the particular protection of the laws of God and man, are barbarously assassinated by their own subjects, as Henry IV. of France was by Ravillac;—it is natural to inquire, how it is possible that men should act so contrary to tlic dictates of nature and reason, and interest, how one man could be such a bear, such a beast, to another; and it will be found upon inquiry, that the power of the church of Rome over misguided consciences is at the bottom of all this; the bigoted clergy said to their souls, Bow down, that we may go over, and then they are at their service, not only to do the greatest drudgery, and think it no dishonour to themselves, but to perpetrate the greatest villany, and to think it no dishonour to God, as long as they are made to believe it is for the advantage of the church, the propagating of the faith, and the extirpation of heresy. A zeal for that which they call the catholic cause is thought sufficient, not only to justify, but even to sanctify, murder, treason, perjury, and all manner of wickedness.

Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum. — To so much evil could their religion persuade them.

In them is fulfilled what Christ said to his disciples, that those who killed them would think they did God service;" and what God of old said by the prophet concerning his people, that those who hated them, and cast them out, would say, Let the Lord he glorified,^ But what an insult is this upon conscience ! what a tyranny over it! what a force put upon it! Such a dominion could never have been gained over it, but by the power of strong delusions. Surely never were kings and kingdoms so ridden, never were princes so intoxicated,® as those are who have given their power and honour to the beast.

Many more instances mighty be given for the proof of this charge that popery is a spiritual tyranny, but these shall suffice.

The Application.

1. Let this confirm and increase our pious zeal against popery, and a holy indignation at the pride and tyranny of the church and court of Rome. We may now be tempted to cry out, *' O Jesus, are these thy Christians?" Are these the followers of the meek and lowly Saviour, who did not strive or cry; who came into the world not to be ministered unto, but to minister ;P not to destroy mens lives, but to save them?^ Are these professors of that gospel, which makes these two of its first precepts, humility

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY. and charity ? Can those be ever owned as friends of Christ, who ride over the beads,' and set their feet upon the necks, and, which is worst of all, trample upon the consciences, of the free-born subjects of G od's kingdom in the world ?

Is it possible that under the umbrage of Christ's name—and that particularly by such, as from his saving, healing name Jesus call themselves Jesuits —^so much opposition should be given, and so much mischief done, to pure Christianity? But therefore popery is called a mystery of iniquity,* because it has a show of piety and devotion. It is that beast that has horns like a lamb, and yet speaks as a dragon ;' that enemy that sits in the temple of God, and yet there tramples on all that is sacred.

Far be it from me to possess you with hatred against the persons of any ; no, we ought to love our enemies, and do them good; but it is the way of popery, as it is contrary to the way of Christianity, that I think we all ought to conceive and retain a dislike of, and an antipathy to.

Our Lord Jesus, in his preaching, was never so severe upon any sort of sinners as he was upon the Scribes and Pharisees, who buoying themselves up with the traditions of the elders, bound heavy burthens upon men's consciences, and grievous to be borne;" nor is there any thing more contrary to the temper and constitution of the gospel, than ministers' lording it over God's heritage,* for it is by the power of truth, and reason, and holiness, and love, that they are to rule; nor than Christians making themselves the servants of men * in things pertaining unto God, for where the SpiHt of the Lord is, there it liberty,*

It may justly be wondered at, that such a spiritual tyranny as this has continued so long in the church, that God has so long suffered it, and men have so long submitted to it; but God has wise and holy ends in permitting it, It must needs be that such offences comcy that they which are perfect may be made manifest; and it ought not to be a stumbling-block to us, for we are told before that the holy city must be trodden under foot forty and two months ;7 and as for those who submit to it, we have reason to fear that God has herein given them up to a judicial infatuation, because they received not the love of tlie truth that they might be saved.* They who shake off the easy gentle yoke of God's government, it is just with him to leave them to submit to the iron yoke of the king of Babylon. They shall he his servants (says God,) that they may know the difference between my service and the service of the hiny-doms of the countries,^ Because Israel had despised God's statutes, therefore he gave them statutes that were not good,** he left them to be subject to the imposition of their proud oppressors. But though this T Ps. IxTi. 12. • 2Then. ii. 7. t Rev. xiii. » 1 Pet. V. 3. w I Cor. vii. 23.

II. n Matt, xxiii. 4. X a Cor. iii. 17. usurped, abused dominion has continued long, wt may hope it will not continue always; its day shall come to fall, for the Lord whose name is jealous, is a jealous God, and will fulfil every word that be has spoken.

2. Let us pity and pray for those nations of (be earth who are under the yoke of this tyranny and oppression, and I wish I could say were groaning under it. It is sad to think how many there are who have a zeal for God, but it is not according to knowledge,^ for they are kept in ignorance of the Scripture, and so are easily led into idolatry and false worship, and their devotion is misplaced. We ought to look upon them with compassion, and to pray that God would send the light of the gospel among them, and open their eyes to receive it; tbat those who mean honestly, may be brought to tbe knowledge of the truth. O that God would effectually call his people out of that captivity ; and that Zion, who dwells with the daughter of Babylon,^ woakl deliver herself and that God would deliver her; that God would by his Spirit stir up the captives to arise and shake themselves from their dust, and loose themselves from the bands of their neck.' 0 that the same spirit of life that entered into the dry bones at the Reformation, might put life into tbe bones that are yet dead, for they are very many, and lo, they are very dry. We should pray earnestly for the conversion of the papists who are of our own nation, and live among us, that their mistakes may be rectified, and their prejudices removed, and I heartily wish that more were done toward it by tbe rational, gentle methods of the gospel, than is; and particularly for the instruction of the papists in Ireland, by the carrying on of that which seems to be a very excellent design, of preaching the gospel to them in their own language.

We have reason to fear there are many who are convinced of the errors of popery, but are carried down the stream in them (Eamus ad c&mmmum error em — Let us join in the popular error, J and ara held by force and fear in practices contrary to theii convictions, and know not how to help themselves* Did we, as we ought, put our souls into their souls' stead, we should pity their case; and, O that God would hear the sorrowful sighings of those prisoners, and find out a way to deliver them from the insults of those who say to their souls. Bow domm, that wt may go over. It is the case of those they call the new converts in France; O that by some means or other, Pharaoh and his task-masters may be eooi-pel led to let God's people go, that they may serve him.

And by the prophecies in the Revelation, it is intimated to us, that we should pray particularly for the kings of the earth, that God would put it into tiieir yRev. xL2. 12 Then. il. 10. a 2 Chron. zH & k Esek. zx. 25. • Rum. x. 2. « Zech. ii.7. « ba.lD.2

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

627 hearts to assert the rights of their crovms against the bold invasions of the man of sin; and to give their power and honour to the Lord Jesus ; that he -would inspire them with hatred of this mother of harlots, that, as it is prophesied, they may make her desolate and naked ;^ that the righteous men may judge her after the manner of adulteresses,* and free themselves and their kingdoms from the papal yoke. But who shall live when God docs this ?

3. Let us bless God that we of this nation are by the providence and grace of God delivered out of this house of bondage; that we are a protestant nation, were made so above 150 years ago, and continue so to this day, notwithstanding the restless designs of our popish enemies to bring us back into Egypt again, like Pharaoh's to re-enslave Israel. Many a weapon has been formed against us and our holy religion, which has not prospered. Here we may set up our Eben-ezer, for hitherto the Lord has helped us. No etichantment has hitherto prevailed mgainst our Jaeoh, nor any divination against our Israel but according to this time it has been said, and shall be said, of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought /

We can never be enough thankful to God for the abolishing of the papal power in these islands, and the preventing of its return. Happy art thou, O Great Britain ; who is like nnto thee, O people, saved by the Lord ? Think what a mercy it is to us that we have the Scriptures in a language we understand, our Father's will in our mother tongue; that the pure word of God is read in our synagogues every sabbath day ; that we have plenty of Bibles; that care is taken to teach even the children of the poor to read, and that we have so many helps in searching the Scriptures, that we may understand them; that we may see with our own eyes, and may find our religion there, where alone we are to seek it, in the word of God ; that our public prayers and praises are offered up so that we may join in them with understanding; that we have the Lord's supper in both kinds, and not maimed; that we worship God only, and are not compelled to pay the homage to saints and angels which is his due, and to say more Ave-Marys than Pater-Nosters. That we are not imposed upon by the frauds and forgeries of popish priests, as the poor deluded members of the church of Rome are; but have the bread of life broken to us by the stewards of the mysteries of God, and are nourished up with the words of truth and good doctrine ;* and what is the chaff to that wheat ? We can never be enough thankful to God for these privileges, and ought to take care, lest by oar unthankfulness for them, we provoke God to deprive us of them.

4. Being delivered from this spiritual oppression, f Rev. xvii. le. r Ezek. niii. 4Si h Numb. xxiW. 23. 2 8 2 let us serve God the more cheerfully in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our lives.^ What will it avail us to be protestants in profession, if we be not Christians in sincerity ? to be of a reformed church, if we be not reformed in our own conversations, and transformed through the grace of God by the renewing of our minds ? This is that which, with all earnestness, I would now in the close press upon you all.

Brethren, we are delivered from the power of the man of sin at Rome, but what the better shall we be for that, if we continue under the power of the man of sin in our own hearts, the anti-christ in our own bosoms, which will be to us the more dangerous enemy. You can glory in it that you are not priest-ridden, but your glory may well be turned into shame if you be pride-ridden, and passion-ridden, and lust-ridden. You thank God that you are not drudges to the pope, and slaves to the French, and you have reason to do so; but your thanks are thankless, if by covetousness you continue drudges to the world, and by sensuality, slaves to the flesh, and a base lust, that saith to your souls. Bow down, that we may go over. We live in an age of liberty, but withal it is an age of libertinism, an age of licentiousness, the stream of which is so strong, that there is need of great resolution, and that in the strength of God's grace, to swim against it. Be persuaded, therefore, whatever snare of the devil any of you are taken in, give diligence to recover yourselves out of it, that you may not any longer be led captive by him at his will.* The service of sin is perfect slavery, let it not then reign in your mortal bodies, —becausethey are mortal, and must shortly return to the dust whence they came; nor in your immortal souls,—^because they are immortal, and must shortly return to God who gave them. Suffer not appetite and passion to get dominion over conscience and right reason, but since sin is a tyrant, dethrone it, depose it, and shake off its yoke.

But this is not all, being delivered from this tyranny, submit yourselves to the government of the Lord Jesus. He saith to your souls. Bow down, not that he may go over them, but that he may raise them up. He has authority over your souls : yield to his authority. Kiss the Son. Come and take his yoke upon you, and draw in it; it is an easy yoke; the yoke of his institution is very easy in comparison with the yoke of the ceremonial law, much more in comparison with that of the canon law. He has right to rule us, and rules by love; his service is perfect freedom. Come, therefore, and bow your souls to him; your understandings to his truths, your vrilis to his laws, and let every thought within you be brought into obedience to him. It is foretold, that they that go dawn to the dust shall bow before him, since none can i I Tim. ir. 6.

k Luke i. 74.75. 1 2 Tim. it 28.

POPERY, A SPIRITUAL TYRANNY.

of himself keep alive his own soul; we are all ging down to the dust,*" nay, if infinite mercy prevent not, we are going down to the pit, and cannot save ourselves from death or hell. Come, therefore, and let as bow before the Lord Jesus, make him our head, and be willing in the day of his power.

6. Being delivered out of the snare of popish tyranny, let us stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free," and dread the thoughts of being again entangled in that snare. However it may change its disguises, popery is the same evil thing that ever it was; and its patrons and factors as restless as ever to re-establish it in our land, and to bring us back again to the Egyptian brick-kilns; and I wish there be not those among ourselves,— who make light of our deliverance, as even the captive Israelites did of Moses, because, when he «aw the Hebrews strive together, he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefwe smitest thou thy fellow ?**— who, because we are not in Canaan immediately, are for making a captain to return into Egypt.P

We have therefore no reason to be secure, but to take heed lest by our sins wc provoke God to suffer these oppressors of conscience again to have dominion over us. O let us be earnest with God in prayer, to keep popery out of our nation, and to fortify our bulwarks against it, that if that enemy should come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord may again lift np a standard against him.

We know not how we should be able to bear up and keep our gpund, if trying times should come, and therefore have reason to pray that there may be a lengthening of our tranquillity, and we may not be put to the trial. Dread the departure of our glory, in the captivity of our ark; and the removal of our candlestick, in the loss of our Bibles; and let us in our places do what it becomes us to do in defence of the present protestant government and settlement we are under, that the blessings thereof may be safely transmitted to those who shall come after us, that the children who shall be created may praise the Lord for them.

0. Let as all carefully watch against that in ourselves, which we witness against in the church of Rome, lest we be found condemning ourselves in that thing which we allow.

We condemn the papists for their idolatr}, and formality in worship; let as take heed of spiritual idolatry, of making images of God in our fancy, and worshipping them; of resting in the outside of duties, and suffering our hearts to depart from God, when we draw nigh to him with our mouths, and honour him with our lips; let us take heed lest we grow customary in our accustomed services, and lest our devotion degenerate into a formality, and by losing its life become a carcass.

We condemn them for putting contempt upon the

Pb.xxU.29.

u Gfll. T. L

• Exod. it 13L

Scriptures, keeping people in ignorance of tkn, and setting up other rales in competition withtkcn; let us take heed, lest we, through carelessness ai neglect of our duty, keep our families, our childm and servants, ignorant of the Scriptures; and lestie be ourselves strangers to them, and govern ouseha by the will of the flesh, and the way of the world, ii those things wherein the word of God ought to k our commanding rule.

We have been now condemning them for imposiif upon men's consciences, and tyrannizing over tliea; let us take heed to ouives, lest there be in us uj thing of that spirit; lest we grow magisterial it prescribing to others, and censuring them; and kn we expect every sheaf to bow to ours, and eveiy oac to believe just as we believe, and speak just as n speak, and do just as we do; or else condemn his as none of God's people, and no follower of Chiat because he follows not with us. Our conscienoi ought to be a rule to ourselves, and by it let ctoj man prove his own work ; but we ought not to makt it a standard to every one else, by it to jadge aii set at nought our brother; as if all were blindwto do not see with our eyes, and all out of the wij li heaven, who do not walk in our particular path; bit let all our works be done with charity. Aji weatj remember for our comfort, that others are not to be our judges, or our lords, so we must remember ftr caution, that we are not to be their judges or tkir lords; both they and we must stand or fall to ov own master,^ to whom therefore we are concenNi to approve ourselves, and refer one another.

There are many things, about which good Cbrii> tians may, both in judgement and practice, difcr from one another, and yet both sides be aeeepted if God; and therefore they ought to make the best m of another, since there are faults on both sides, ui neither without something good. And for prints persons to hate and despise, to censure and oooden to expose and reproach, those who are not in evoj thing of their mind, is in effect the same thing, aiM is in popes and councils to exconununicate, heiei-cate, and anathematize, all who subscribe not to tbdr sentiments and injunctions; it is saying to aet souls. Bow down, that we may go over. Bot kt m make it appear, that we have not so learned ChriH: that we are governed by a spirit of love, and not d bigotry. In those things which concern the povtr of godliness, let us be fervent in spirit, ierving fit Lord, and zealous of good works; but in UMia things which only concern the form of it, let mttia heed of being too hot, lest we be found serving s«-selves; but let us conscientiously walk aecofdiigto the light that God has given us, and charilabJy believe that others do so too; which is hot doiif as we would be done by.

P Neh. ix. IT.

« Rook xhr. ai C

A METHOD FOR PRAYER,

WITH

SCRIPTURE EXPRESSIONS

PROPER TO BE USED UNDER EACH HEAD.

To THE Reader.

Religion is so much the basiness of our lives, and the worship of God so much the business of our religion, that what has a sincere intention, and probable tendency, to promote and assist the acts of religious worship, (I think,) cannot be unacceptable to any who heartily wish well to the interests of God's kingdom among men; for if we have spiritual senses exercised, true devotion (that aspiring flame of pious affections to God, as far as in a judgment of charity we discern it in others, though in different shapes and dresses, which may seem uncouth to one another) cannot but appear beautiful and amiable, and as far as we feel it in our own breasts, cannot but be found very pleasant and comfortable.

Prayer is a principal branch of religious worship, which we are moved to by the very light of nature, and obliged to by some of its fundamental laws. Pythagoras's golden verses begin with this precept, '* Whatever men made a god of they prayed to," Deliver met for ^lou art my God, Isa. xliv. 17. Nay, deos qui rogat ille facit, — whatever they prayed to they made a god of. It is a piece of respect and homage so exactly consonant to the natural ideas which all men have of God, that it is certain those who live without prayer, live without God in the world.

Prayer is the solemn and religions offering up of devout acknowledgments and desires to God, or a sincere representation of holy affections, with a design to give anto God the glory due unto his name thereby, and to obtain from him promised favours, and both through the Mediator. Our English word prayer is too confined, for that properly signifies petition or request; whereas humble adorations of God, and thanksgivings to him, are as necessary in prayer as any other part of it. The Greek word llpoo%vxfij from ^Evx*^ ^^ ^ ^^^ directed to God. The Latin word Votum is used for prayer. Jonah's mariners, with their sacrifices, made vows ; for prayer is to move and oblige ourselves, not to move and oblige God. Clemens Alexandrinus (Serom. 7. p 722. Edit Colon.) calls prayer, (with an excuse for the boldness of the expression,) 'O/ii Xia irpoc rov Oeoy, it is conversing with God: and it is the scope of a long discourse of his there, to show that his 6 rvw?ucoc, that is, his believer, (for faith is called knowledge, and, p. 719. he makes his companions to be 6i oftotuQ imrtrtv Kortf those who have in like manner believed,) lives a life of communion with God; and so is praying always; that he studies by his prayers continually to converse with God. Some (says he) have their stated hours of prayer, but he rapa 'OXov tvxfrat rov piovj prays all his life long. The Scripture describes prayer to be our drawing near to God, lifting up our souls to him, pouring out our hearts before him.

This is the life and soul of prayer; but this soul in the present state must have a body, and that body must be such as becomes the soul, and is suited and adapted to it. Some words there must be, of the mind at least, in which, as in the smoke, this incense must ascend ; not that God may understand us, for our thoughts afar off are known to him, but that we may the better understand ourselves.

A golden thread of heart-prayer must run through the web of the whole Christian life; we must be frequently addressing ourselves to God in short and sudden ejaculations, by which we must keep up our communion with God in providences and common actions, as well as in ordinances and religions services. Thus prayer must be tpartim — a sprinkling of it in every duty, and our eyes oust be ever toward the Lord.

In mental prayer, thoughts are words; and they are the first-born of the soul, which are to be consecrated to God. But if, when we pray alone, we see cause, for the better fixing of our minds, and ex-

TO THE READER. citing of our devotions, to clothe our conceptions with words; if the conceptions he the genuine products of the new nature, one would think words should not he far to seek: verbaque pravisam rem non invito sequuntur — when a subject has been meditated, words spontaneously flow. Nay, if the groan-ings he such as cannot be uttered, he who searcheth the heart knows them to be the mind of the spirit, and will accept of them, (Rom. viii. 26, 27.) and answer the voice of our breathing, Lam. iii. 66. Yet, through the infirmity of the flesh, and the proneness of our hearts to wander and trifle, it is often necessary that words should go first, and be kept in mind for the directing and exciting of devout affections; and in order thereunto, the assistance here offered, I hope, will be of some use.

When we join with others in prayer, who are our mouth to God, our minds must attend them, by an intelligent believing concurrence with that which is the sense, and scope, and substance of what they say, and affections working in us suitable thereunto: and this the Scripture directs us to signify, by saying Amen mentally, if not vocally, at their giving of thanks, 1 Cor. xiv. 16. And, as far as our joining with them will permit, we may intermix pious ejaculations of our own with their addresses, provided they be pertinent, that not the least fragment of praying time may be lost.

But he that is the mouth of others in prayer, whether in public or private, and therein useth that vapprif Tta, that freedom of speech that holy liberty of prayer, which is allowed us, (and which we are sure many good Christians have found by experience to be very comfortable and advantageous in this duty,) ought not only to consult the workings of his own heart, (though them principally, as putting most life and spirit into the performance,) but the edification also of those who join with him, and both in matter and words should have an eye to it: and for service in that case I principally design this endeavour.

That bright ornament of the church, the learned Dr. Wilkins, bishop of Chester, has left us an excellent performance, much of the same nature with this, in his discourse concerning the gift of prayer; which, some may think, makes this of mine unnecessary : but tlie multiplying of books of devotion is what few serious Christians will complain of, and as, on the one hand, I am sure those who have this poor essay of mine will still find great advantage by that, so, on the other hand, I think those who have that may yet find some further assistance by this.

It is desirable that our prayers should be copious and full. Our burthens, cares, and wants are many, so are our sins and mercies. The promises are numerous and very rich, our God gives liberally, and has bid us open our mouths wide, and he will fill . them, will satisfy them with good things. We are not straitened in him, why then should we be straitened in our bosoms ? Christ had taught his disciples the Lord's prayer, and yet tells them, (John xvi. 2i) that hitherto they had asked nothing, that is, nothiDg in comparison with what they should ask when tlie Spirit should bo poured out, to abide with tbe church for ever; and they should see greater thinp than these. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. We are encouraged to be particular in prayer, and in every thing to make our requests known to God, as we ought also to be particular in the adoration of the divine perfections, in the confession of our sins, and opr thankful acknowledgment of God's mercies.

But since at the same time we cannot go over a tenth part of the particulars which are fit to be tbe matter of prayer, without making the duty burthen-some to the flesh, which is weak even where the spirit is willing, (an extreme that ought carefully to be avoided,) and without danger of intrenching upon other religious exercises, it will be requisite that what is but briefly touched upon at one time, should be enlarged upon at another time ; and herein this store-house of materials for prayer may be of use, to put us in remembrance of our several errands at the throne of grace, that none may be quite forgotten.

And it is requisite to the decent performance of the duty, that some proper method be observed, not only that what is said be good, but that it be said in its proper place and time ; and that we offer not any thing to the glorious Majesty of heaven and earth which is confused, impertinent, and indigested. Care must be taken then more than ever, that we be not rash with our mouth, nor hasty to utter any thing before God; that we say not what comes uppermost, nor use such repetitions as evidence not the fervency, but the barrenness and slightness, of our spirits; hut that, the matters we are dealing with God about being of such vast importance, we observe a decorum in our words, that they be well chosen, well weighed, and well placed.

And as it is good to be methodical in prayer, so it is to be sententious: the Lord's prayer is remarkably so; and David's Psalms, and many of St Paul's prayers, which we have in his episties. We must consider, that the greatest part of those who join with us in prayer will be in danger of losing or mistaking the sense, if the period be long, and the parentheses many; and in this, as in other things, they who are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak: Jacob must lead as the children and flocks can follow.

As to the words and expressions we use in prayer, though I have here in my enlargements upon the several heads of prayer confined myself almost wholly to Scripture language, because I would give an instance of the sufficiency of the Scripture to furnish us for every good work, yet I am far from TO THE READER.

631 blinking, bat that it is convenient, and often necessary, to use other expressions in prayer, besides those that are purely scriptural; only I would advise, that the sacred dialect be most used, and made familiar to us and others, in our dealing about sacred things. That language Christian people are most accustomed to, most affected with, and will most readily agree to; and where the Scriptures are opened and explained to the people in the ministry of the word, Scripture language will be most intelligible, and the sense of it-best apprehended. This is sound speech, that cannot be condemned; and those who are able to do it, may do well to enlarge by way of descant or paraphrase upon the Scriptures they make use of; still speaking according to that rule, and comparing spiritual things with spiri-tual, that they may illustrate each other.

And it is not to be reckoned a perverting of Scripture, but is agreeable to the usage of many divines, especially the fathers, and I think is warranted by divers quotations in the New Testament out of the Old, to allude to a Scripture phrase, and to make use of it by way of accommodation to another sense than what was the first intention of it, provided it agree with the analogy of faith. As for instance, those words, (Ps. Ixxxvii. 7.) All my springs are in thecy may very fitly be applied to God, though there it appears, by the feminine article in the original, to be meant of Sion; nor has it ever been thought any wrong to the Scripture phrase, to pray for the bUss-ings of the upper springs and the nether springs, though the expression from whence it is borrowed, (Judg. i. 15.) has no reference at all to what we mean, but by common use every one knows the signification, and many are pleased with the sigificancy of it.

Divers heads of prayer may no doubt be added to those which I have here put together; and many Scripture expressions too, under each head; (for I have only set down such as first occurred to my thoughts;) and many other expressions too, not in Scripture words, which may be very comprehensive and emphatical, and apt to excite devotion. And perhaps those who covet earnestly this excellent gift, and covet to excel in it, may find it of use to them to have such a book as this interleaved, in which to insert suolpiother heads and expressions as they think will be most agreeable to them, and are wanting here. And though I have here recommended a good method for prayer, and that which has been generally approved, yet I am far from thinking we should always tie ourselves to it; that may be varied as well as the expression: thanksgivings may very aptly be put sometimes before confession or petition, or our intercessions for others before our petitions for ourselves, as the Lord's prayer. Sometimes one of these parts of prayer may be enlarged upon much more than another; or they may be decently interwoven in some other method.

There are those, (I doubt not,) who at some times have their hearts so wonderfully elevated and enlarged in prayer, above themselves at other times; such a fixedness and fulness of thought, such a fervour of pious and devout affections, the product of which is such a fluency and variety of pertinent and moving expressions, and in such a just and natural method, that then to have an eye to such a scheme 'as this, would be a hinderance to them, and would be in danger to cramp and straiten them: if tho heart be full of its good matter, it may make the tongue as the pen of a ready writer. But this is a case that rarely happens, and ordinarily there is need of proposing to ourselves a certain method in prayer, that the service may be performed decently and in order; yet, in which one would avoid that which looks too formal. A man may write straight without having his paper ruled.

Some few forms of prayer I have added in the last chapter, for the use of those who need such helps, and who know not how to do as well or better without them; and, therefore, I have calculated them for families. If any think them too long, let them observe that they are divided into many paragraphs, and those mostly independent, so that when brevity is necessary some paragraphs may be omitted

But after all, the intention and close application of the mind, the lively exercises of faith and love, and the outgoings of holy desire toward God, are so essentially necessary to prayer, that without these in sincerity, the best and most proper language is but a lifeless image. If we had the tongue of men and angels, and have not the heart of humble serious Christians, in prayer, we are but as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. It is only the effectual fervent prayer; the BivoiQ fv€py8fi(viy— the inwrought, inlaid prayer; that avails much. Thus therefore we ought to approve ourselves to God in the integrity of our hearts, whether we pray by or without a pre-composed form.

If any good Christians receive assistance from it in their devotions, I hope they will not deny me one request, which is, that they will pray for me, that I may obtain mercy of the Lord to be found among the faithful watchmen on Jerusalem's walls, who never hold their peace day or night, but give themselves to tho word and prayer, that at length I may finish my course with joy.

Matt. Henry.

Chesterf March 26, 1710.

ADORATION OF GOD, AND ADDRESS TO HIBf.

CHAPTER I.

OF THB FIR8T PART OF PRATER, WHICH 18 ADDRKM TO OOD, ADORATION OF HIM, WITH SUITABLE ACKNOWLEDGMBNTS, PROFESSIONS, AND PRBPARATORT REQUESTS.

Our spirits being composed into a very reverent serious frame, our thoughts gathered in, and all that is within us charged, in the name of the great God, carefully to attend the solemn and awful service that lies before us, and to keep close to it; we must—with a fixed intention and application of mind, and an active livel/ faith—set the Lord before us, see his eye upon us, and set ourselves in his special presence; presenting ourselves to him as living sacrifices, which we desire may be holy and acceptable, and a reasonable service; * and then bind these sacrifices with cords to the horns of the altar,** with such thoughts as these: Let us now lift up our hearts with our eyes'* and our hands unto God in the heavens.

Let us stir up ourselves to take hold on God,* to seek his face,' and to give him the glory due unto his name.*

Unto thee, O Lord, do we lift up our souls.** Let us now with humble boldness enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, in the new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us through the veil.*

Let us now attend upon the Lord without distraction/ and let not our hearts be far from him when we draw nigh to him with our mouths, and honour him with our lips.*

Let us now worship God, who is a Spirit, in spirit and in truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him."

Having thus engaged otrr hearts to approach vnto Godj

I. We must solemnly address ourselves to that infinitely great and glorious Being with whom we have to do, as those who are possessed with a full belief of his presence, and a holy awe and reverence of his majesty ; which we may do in such expressions as these: Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come.**

O thou whose name alone is Jehovah, and who art the Most High over all the earth ! i*

O God, thou art our God, early will we seek thec;^ our God, and we will praise thee; our fathers' God, and we will exalt thee/ O thou, who art the true God, the living God,* the

Rom. xll. I. b Ps. cxviii. 27. e Lam. iii. 41. d John xvii. I. e Isa Ixiv. 7. f Ps. xtvii. 8. g Ps. xxix. 2. h Ps.

XXV. 1. i Heb. X. 19, 20. k 1 Cor. vii. 35. i Matt. xt. 8.

, m John iv. 23,24. nJcr. XXX. 21. ©Rev. lv.8. pPs. Ixxxlii.

18. q Ps. Ixiii. 1. r Exod. xv. 2. • Jer. x. JO. t Dcut one only living and true God, and the evcrlaitiii King! The Lord our God, who is one Lord.*

And we may, thus, distinguish ounelfesta the worshippers of false gods: The idols of the heathen are silver and gold,tkf are vanity and a lie, the work of men's hands, tky that make them are like unto them, and so is eroy one that trusteth in them." But the Portiam sfj%-cob is not like them, for He is the former of all thiB|i and Israel is the rod of his inheritance; the LonI tf hosts is his name,'' God over all» blessed for evermore.*

Their Rock is not as our Rock, even the eneaiia themselves being judges; * for he is the Roek of Ages, the Lord Jehovah, with whom is everltsliig strength; ' whose name shall endure for ever, aiA his memorial unto all generations,* when the fodi that have not made the heavens and the earth sbifl perish from off the earth, and from under tbett heavens."

II. We must reverently adore God, as a bcig transcendently bright and blessed, self-exislcil and self-sufficient, an infinite and eternal Spirit, who has all perfections in himself, and givt him the glory of his titles and attributes.

O Lord our God, thou art very great, thoa lit clothed with honour and majesty, tboucoveresttbj-self with light as with a garment,** and yet as to ni makest darkness thy pavilion,^ for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.^

This is the message which we have heard of tke, and we set to our seal that it is true. That God ii Light, and in him is no darkness at all; * and,Tki( God is Love, and they that dwell in love dwell ii God, and God in them.^

Thou art the Father of light, with whom is m variableness or shadow of turning, and from whoa proceedetli every good and perfect gift.'

Thou art the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, who only hast immortality ; dwelling in the light, which no man cto approach unto, whom no man hath seen, or cis see.''

We must acknowledge his being to be u-questionable, and past dispute.

The heavens declare thy glOKy, O God, and ^ firmament showeth thy handy-work ;' and by tke things that are made is clearly seen and nndentood thine eternal power and godhead ;^ so that they vn fools without excuse who say there is no God for verily there is a reward for the righteous, veri there is a God that judgeth in the earth,* and ii heaven too.

4. n Ps. cxv. 4, 8. ▼ Jer. x. 15, IS. w Rom. ix. & sDnt xxxil. 31. 71». xxri. 4. margin. ■ Ps csxxt. IX • J«r. x IL b Ps. civ 1.1. e Ps. xviii. 11. d Job xxxvii. m. • I Jota L i. f 1 John iv. 16. r Jam. i. 17. hi Tim vi. 1&. le. iRiiii I-k Rom. i. 30. 1 Pa xir. 1. m Pa Wiii. u.

ADORATION OF GOD, AND ADDRESS TO HIM,

We therefore come to thee, believing that thou art, and that thoa art the powerfal and bountiful rewarder of them that diligently seek thee."

Yet we must own his nature to be incomprehensible. We cannot by searching find out God, we cannot find out the Almighty unto perfection.®

Great is the Lord, and greatly tp be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.^

Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord ? Who can show forth all his praise?^

And his perfections to be matchless, and without comparison. Who is a God like unto thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders V

Who in the heavens can be compared unto the Lord ? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord ? O Lord Go.d of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee, or to thy faithfulness round about thee ? *

Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works like unto thy works; for thou art great, and doest wondrous things; thou art God alone.*

There is not any creature that has an arm like God, or can thunder with a voice like him."

And that he is infinitely above us, and all other beings. Thou art God and not man ;* hast not eyes of flesh, nor seest as man seeth. Thy days are not as the days of man, nor thy years as man's days.*

As heaven is high above the earth, so are thy thoughts above our thoughts, and thy ways above our ways.*

All nations before thee are as a drop of the bucket, or the small dust of the balance, and thou takest up the isles as a very little thing: they are as nothing, and are counted to thee less than nothing, and vanity.^ Particularly, in our adorations, we must acknowledge,

1. That he is an eternal, immutable God, without beginning of days, or end of life, or change of time. Thou art the King eternal, immortal, invisible.' Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God / the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.**

Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thy hands; they shall perish, but thou shalt endure; yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment, as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed ; but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.' n Heb. xi. 0. o Job xl. 7. p Pi. cxlv. 3. % Ps. cvi ± r Exod. XT. U. • Ps. Ixxxix. 6, a t Ps. Ixxxvi. 8,10. n Job xl 9. ▼ Hob. xi. 9. v Job x. 4, 5. x I» Iv. 9. 7 laa. xl. 15,17. « 1 Tim. i. 17. • Ps. xc. 3. b Heb. xiii. a e Ps. cii. 35-97. d Mai. iil. & • Hab. i. 13. f Isa. xl. 3a r Jer. xxiii. 83^ 91 h AcU

Thou art God, and changest not; therefore is it that we are not consumed.*^

Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord our God, our Holy One ?" The everlasting God, even the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, who faintest not, neither art weary ; there is no searching out of thine understanding.'

2. That he is present in all places, and there is no place in which he is included, or out of which he is excluded.

Thou art a God at hand, and not a God afar off i none can hide himself in secret places that thou Canst not see him, for thou fillest heaven and earth.* Thou art not far from every one of us.** We cannot go any whither from thy presence, or flee from thy Spirit; if we ascend into heaven, thou art there; if we make our bed in hell, in the depths of the earth, behold thou art there ; if we take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead us, and thy right hand shall hold us.^

3. That he has a perfect knowledge of all persons and things, and sees them all; even that which is most secret, at one clear, certiyin, and unerring view.

All things are naked and open before the eyes of him with whom we have to do; even the thoughts and intents of the heart.^

Thine eyes are in every place beholding the evil and the good; they run to and fro through the earth, that thou mayst show thyself strong on the behalf of those whose hearts are upright with thee."*

Thou searchestthe heart, andtriest the reins, that thou mayst give to every man according to bis ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

O God, thou hast searched us and known us, thoo knowest our down-sitting and our up-rising, and understandest our thoughts afar off? Thou com-passest our path and our lying down, and art acquainted with all our ways; there is not a word on our tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, it is high, we cannot attain unto it.

Darkness and light are both alike to thee.®

4. That his wisdom is unsearchable, and the counsels and designs of it cannot be fathomed.

Thine understanding, O Lord, is infinite, for thou tellest the number of the stars, and callest them all by their names, p

Thou art wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.*! Wise in heart and mighty in strength.'

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all;* all according to the counsel of thine own will.' xvii. 37. I Ps. cxxxix. 7—10. k Heb. iv. 13,13. 1 Prov. xv. a m 3 Chron. xvi. 9. a Jer. xvii. 10. e Ps. cxxxix. 1-4, 0, IS: p Ps. cx Wii. 4, 5. q Isa. xxviii. 29. r Job ix. 4. • Ps. dv. 34. tEph.i. 11.

ADORATION OF GOD, AND ADDRESS TO HIM.

O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out.°

5. That his sovereignity is incontestable, and he is the Owner and absolute Lord of all.

The heavens, even the heavens, are thine,^ and all the hosts of them. The earth is thine, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.^ In thy hand are the deep places of the earth, and the strength of the hills is thine also: the sea is thine, for thou madest it, and thy hands formed the dry land." All the beasts of the forest are thine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.' Thou art therefore a great God, and a great King above all gods.

In thy hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.*

Thy dominion is an everlasting dominion, and thy kingdom is from generation to generation: thou dost according to thy will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay thy hand, or say unto thee. What doest thou?»

That his power is irresistible, and the operations of it cannot be controlled.

We know, O God, that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.^ Power belongs to thee ;^ and with thee nothing is impossible.**

All power is thine, both in heaven and in earth.*

Thou killest and thou makest alive, thou wound-est and thou healest, neither is there any that can deliver out of thy hand.'

What thou hast promised thou art able also to perform.'

7. That he is a God of unspotted purity and perfect rectitude.

Thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel :^ holy and reverend is thy name ;> and we give thanks at the remembrance of thy holiness.^

Thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,* neither shall evil dwell with thee."*

Thou art the Rock, thy work is perfect, and all thy ways are truth and judgment; a God of truth, and in whom there is no iniquity.° Thou art our Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in thee.°

Thou art holy in all thy works,i and holiness becomes thy house, O Lord, for ever.**

8. That he is just in the administration of his government, and never did, nor ever will, do wrong to any of his creatures.

Righteous art thou, O God, when we plead with i» Rom. li. 33. * P3. cxv. 16. w Pg. xxiv. 1. x Ps. xcv. 3-4. y Ps. 1. 10. I Job xii. 10. • Dan. Iv. 34, 35. b Job xlii. 2. e Ps. Ixii. U. d Luke i. 37. « Matt, xxviii. 18 r Deut. xxxii. 30. g Rom. iv. 21. h Ps. xx!i. 2. i Pi. cxi 9. k Ps. XXX. 4. I Hab. i 13. m Ps. v. 4. n Deut. xxxii. 4. o Ps. xcii. 16. p Pi cxiv. 17. q Ps. xciii. &. r Jer. xli. I. • Ps. thee,*^ and wilt be justified when then spcakeit, ai clear when thou judgesL*

Far be it from God that be should do wickedicii and from the Almighty that he should iniquity; for the work of a man shall he unto him.^

Thy righteousness is as the great mountains, etei then when thy judgments are a great deep!" Aii though clouds and darkness are round about fiiee, yet judgement and justice are the habitation of tkj throne.""

9. That his truth is inviolable, and the tiii-sures of his goodness inexhaustible.

Thou art good, and thy mercy endures for ever.* Thy loving-kindness is great towards us,* and ftf truth endureth to all generations.'

Thou hast proclaimed thy name: The Lofd, fli Lord God, merciful and gcious, slow to anga abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy fv thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression, aii sin.* And this name of thine is our strong tovcL*

Thou art good and doest good*^ good to all, asd thy tender mercy is over all thy works.' But Inriy God is in a special manner good to Israel, eves li them that are of a clean heart.^

O that thou wouldst cause thy goodness to pM before us;« that we may taste and see that the Loii is good / and his loving-kindness may be alwtji before our eyes.v

10. et ult. That when we baTe said all «e can of the glorious perfections of the difiie nature, we fall infinitely short of the merit if the subject

Lo, these are but parts of thy ways, and how little a portion is heard of God! But the thunder of Ui power who can understand?**

Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him Oit; he is excellent in power and in judgement, and k plenty of justice,* and he is exalted far above ill blessing and praise.^

III. We must gve to God the praise of fkit splendour and glory wherein he is pleased Is manifest himself in the upper world.

Thou hast prepared thy throne in the heavess,* and it is a throne of glory, high and lifted op, and before thee the seraphims cover their faces.* Aad it is in compassion to us that thou boldest back tke face of that throne, and spreadest a cloud upon it'

Thou makest thine angels spirits, and thy ministco a flame of fire.® Thousand thousands of them m-nister unto thee, and ten thousand times ten tboo-sand stand before thee f to do thy pleasure. Tky li. 4. t Job xxxiv. 10.11. n Ps. xxxTi. & * ps. xcriL & » ft-cxxxvi. 1. X Ps. cx Tii. 9. j Ps. c. 5. s Exod. xxxiv. €, T • Prov. xviii. 10. b Ps. cxix. 68. e Ps. cxhr. a 4 Pi Inij 1. f Exod. xxxiii. 19. f Pg. xxxiv. 8. ir Pft. xxri. X * J^<^ xxvi. 14. i Job xxxvii. 23. k Nch. Jx. &. i Ps. diL m ■ " Yi. 1,3. « Job xxvi. 9. o Psu civ. 4. f Dul vii. la

ADORATION OF GOD, AND ADDRESS TO HIM.

9xccl in strength, and hearken to the voice of thy iirord.** And we are come by faith and hope, and holy love, into a spiritual communion with that innumerable company of angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect, even to the general assembly, and church of the first-born, in the heavenly Jerusalem/ lY. We must give glory to him as the Creator of the world, and the great Protector, Benefactor, and Ruler of the whole creation.

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive blessing, and honour, and glory, and power; for thou bast created all things, and for thy pleasure, and for thy praise, they are and were created.*

We worship him that made the heaven and the earth, the sea, and the fountains of waters; ^ who spake and it was done, who commanded and it stood fast;° who said. Let there be light, and there was light; Let there be a firmament, and he made the firmament; and he made all very good;' and they continue this day according to his ordinance, for all are his servants.*

The day is thine, the night is also thine; thou hast prepared the light and the sun : Thou hast set all the borders of the earth; thou hast made summer and winter.*

Thou upholdest all things by the word of thy power,^ and by thee all things subsist'

The earth is full of thy riches; so is the great and wide sea.* The eyes of ail wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season; thou openest thy hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.'' Thou preservest man and beast,' and givest food to all flesh.^

Thou, even thou, art Lord alone ; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host; the earth, and all things that are therein; the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all: and the host of heaven worshippeth thee,* whose kingdom ruleth over ail.'

A sparrow falls not to the ground without thee."

Thou madest man at first of the dust of the ground, and breathedst into him the breath of life, and so he became a living soul.**

And thou hast made of that one blood all nations of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hast determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.^

Thou art the Most High, who rulcstin the kingdom of men, and givest it to whomsoever thou wilt,*^ for from thee every man's judgment proceeds.*

Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigns," and doth all according to the counsel of his own will, to the praise of his own glory." s Pa. ciii. ao, 21, r Hcb. xii. 22, 2i • Rev. iv. H. t Rev. xiv. 7. n ps. xxxiii. 9. ▼ Gen. i. 3,6, 7,31. w Ps. cxU. Ul. « P*. Ixxiv. 16,17. y Heb. i. 3. ■ Col. 1.17. a Ps. civ. 24. **• b Ps. cxlv. 15, 16. c Ps. xxxvi. 6. d Ps. cxxxvi. 2a. • ^eh. ix. 6. f Ps ciii. 19. r Matt. x. 29. h Gen. ii. 7.

Acts xvii, as. k Dan. Iv. 25, i Prov. xxix. 2fl. » Rev. y. We must give honour to the three persona in the Godhead, distinctly ; to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, that great and sacred name into which we were baptized, and in which we assemble for religions worship, in communion with the universal church.

We pay our homage to the Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these Three are One.®

We adore thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth ;p and the Eternal Word, who was in the beginning with God, and was God, by whom all things were made, and without whom was not any thing made that was made, and who in the fulness of time was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and showed his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.i

And since it is the will of God, that all men should honour the Son, as they honour the Father,*^ we adore him as the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person ; herein joining with the angels of God, who were all bid to worship him.*

We pay our homage to the exalted Redeemer, who is the faithful witness, the first-begotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the earth,' confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

We also worship the Holy Ghost the Comforter, whom the Son has sent from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceedeth from the Father,^ and who is sent to teach us all things, and to bring all things to our remembrance;" who indited the Scriptures, holy men of God writing them as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.*

VI. We must acknowledge our dependence upon God, and our obligations to him; as our Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor.

Thou, O God, madest us, and not we ourselves, and therefore we are not our own, but thine, thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture;' let us therefore worship, and fall down, and kneel before the Lord ouf Maker.*

Thou, Lord, art the former of our bodies, and thejf are fearfully and wonderfully made, and curiously wrought. Thine eyes did see our substance yet being imperfect, and in thy book were all our members written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.*

Thou hast clothed us with skin and flesh, thou hast fenced us with bones and sinews, thou hast granted us life and favour, and thy visitation preserves our spirit,'' xix. fi. « Eph. 1.11,12. o I John v. 7. p Matt xi. S&.

John i. I, 2, 3,14. r John v. 23. • Hcb. i. 3, 6. • Rev. i. 5. « Phil. ii. U. ^ John xv. 26. w Jolin xiv. 26. « 2 Peter i. 21. y Ps. C. 3. ■ Pi. XCV. 6. a Ps. Cxxxix. 14, Id, 10.

k Jobx. 11,12.

eoe

ORATION OF GOD, AND ADDRESS TO HIM.

Thoa art the Father of our spirits,*^ for thou formed the spirit of man within him/ and madest ys these souls.*" The Spirit of God hath made us, and the breath of the Almighty hath given us life: ^ Thou puttest wisdom in the inward part, and givest understanding to the heart.*

Thou art God our Maker, and teachest us more than the beasts of the earth, and makest us wiser than the fowls of heaven.'*

We are the clay, and thou our Potter; we are the work of thy hand.*

Thou art he that took us out of the womb, and kept us in safety when wo were at our mother's breasts; we have been cast upon thee from the womb, and held up by thee. Thou art our God from our mother's bowels, and therefore praise shall be continually of thee.'

In thee, O God, we live, and move, and have our being, for we are thy offspring.'"

In thy hand our breath is, and thine are all our ways ; ° for the way of man is not in himself, neither is it in man that walketh to direct his steps,^ but our times are in thy hand.p

Thou art the God that has fed us all our life long unto this day, and redeemed us from all evil.i

It is of thy mercy that we are not consumed, even because thy compassions fail not: they are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness.^

If thou take away our breath we die, and return to the dust out of which we were taken.*

Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass, if thou commandest it not ? Out of thy mouth, O thou the Most High, both evil and good proceed.*

YII. We must avouch this God to be our God, and own our relation to him, his dominion over us, and property in us.

Our souls have said unto the Lord, Thou art our Lord, though our goodness extendeth not unto thee," neither if we are righteous art thou the better.*

Thou art our King, O God :* Other lords betide thee have had dominion over us, but from henceforth by thee only will we make mention of thy name."

We avouch the Lord this day to be our God,'to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken to his voice, and give ourselves unto him, to be his peculiar people, that we may be a holy people unto the Lord our God; ^ and may be unto him for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory."

O Lord, truly we are thy servants; we are thy servants, bom in thy house, and thou hast loosed our bonds ;* we are bought with a price, and therefore c Heb. xil. 9. d Zech. xil. 1. • Jer. xxxviii. la f Job xxxiii 4. IT Job xxxviii. 36. h Job xxxv. 10, II. i Isa.'lxiv. 8. k Pa. xxii. 9,10. i Pa. Ixxl. 6. m Acts xvii 28. n Dan. v. S3, e Jer. X. 33. p Ps. xxxi. 15. q Gen. xlviii. 15,16. r Lam. iit. 23. 33 • Ps. civ. 29. t Lam. iii. .17, 38. u Ps. xvi. 3. ▼ Job xxxv. 7. w Ps. xliv. 4. X Isa. xx?I. 13. j Deut. xxvi. 17—19 I Jer. xiii. II. • Pt. cxvi. 16. b I Cor. vl. 19. we are not our own,^ but yield onrselvcs unit || .^ Lord,^ and join ourselves unto him in aneverlaiii| || covenant, that shall never be forgotten.'

We are thine, save us, for we seek thy pfeoe|li:* |^ It is thine own. Lord, that we give thee, tad (kn which cometh of thy hand.'

YIII. We must acknowledge it an miipeib> able favour, and an inestimable privileg Cviil we are not only admitted, bat invited tad s* couraged, to draw nigh to God in prayer.

Thou hast commanded us to pray always, wilkal prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, tad ti watch thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints,' to continue in prayer,^ aadii every thing by prayer and supplication to make ov requests known to God.^

Thou hast directed us to ask, and seek, and kood; and hast promised that we shall receive, we skill find, and it shall be opened to us.^

Thou hast appointed us a great High Priest, m whose name we may come boldly to the Ibroae if grace, that we may find mercy and gce to help m time of need.^

Thou hast assured us, that while the sacriiee if the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, the pnytf of the upright is his delight ;■ and, ihat he lU offers praise glorifies thee ;" and, the sacrifioe if thanksgiving shall please the Lord better than tkit of an ox or bullock that has horns and hoofs.*

Thou art he that hearest prayer, and tbereAM unto thee shall all flesh come.P

Thou say est. Seek ye my face, and ourheartitt* swer, Thy face, Lord, will we seek.i For, sMA not a people seek unto their God ? ■* Whither sbO we go but to thee ? Thou hast the words of eteml life.*

IX. We must express the sense we have if our own meannes.% and unwortfainess to drav near to God, and speak to him.

But will God in very deed dwell with man upos the earth, that God whom the heaven of heaveat cannot contain,* with man that is a worm, and ths son of man that is a worm ?"

Who are we, O Lord God, and what is our Father's house, that thou hast brought us hitherto,^ toyreteiit ourselves before the Lord; that we have tbroaih Christ an access by one Spirit unto the Father!' And yet, as if that had been a small thing in tky sight, thou hast spoken concerning thy servants kr a great while to come ; and. Is this the manner of men, O Lord God?*

What is man, that thou art thus mindful of U e 3 Chron. XXX. 8. a Jer. I S. •Ps.cxix. at. "^'^ti. xxix. 16. V Eph. vl. la h Col. Iv.2. i Phil. ir.A » W* vii. 7. 1 Heb. iv. 16. m Prov. xv. a • Ps. 1.» ^f* Ixix. 31. p Ps. Ixv. 2. % Pa. xxvii. & r Isa. viti.

• Job XXY. 6.

ADORATION OF GOD, AND ADDRESS TO HIM.

esi

"wad the son of man, that thou visitest him, and dost thus magnify him ? *

O let not the Lord be angpry, if we that are but dust and ashes, take upon us to speak unto the Lord of glory. ^

We are not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy servants;' nor is it meet to take the children's bread and cast it to such as we are; yet the dogs eat •of the crumbs that fall from their master's table :* And thou art rich in nurey to ali that call upon thee.'*

X. We must humbly profess the desire of our hearts toward God, as our felicity and portion, and the fountain of life and ali good to us.

Whom have we in heaven but thee ? And there is none upon earth that we desire besides thee, or in •comparison of thee. When our flesh and our heart fail, be thou the strength of our heart, and our portion for ever f the portion of our inheritance in the other wofid, and of our cup in this, and then we will say J that the lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, and that we have a goodly heritage.*^

The desire of our souls is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee; with our souls have we desired thee in the night, and with our spirits within us will we seek thee early.*

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so pant our souls after thee, O God ; our souls thirst for God, for the living God, who will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with us, and our prayer to the God of our life.'

O that we may come hungering and thirsting after righteousness,' for thou fillest the hungry with good things, but the rich thou sendest empty away.*^

Our souls thirst for thee, and our flesh longs for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is, that we may see thy power and thy glory, as we have seen thee in the sanctuary. Thy loving-kindness is better than life; our souls shall be satisfled with that as with marrow and fatness, and then our mouths shall praise thee with joyful lips.*

XI. We must likewise profess our believing hope and confidence in God, and his all-sufficiency ; in his power, providence, and promise.

In thee, O God, do Wj put our trust, let us never be ashamed ;^ yea, letnone that wait on thee be ashamed.*

Truly our souls wait upon God, from him cometh our salvation; he only is our rock and our salvation; In him is our glory, our strength, and our refuge, and from him is our expectation."

X Ps. viit 4. 7 Gen. xyiii. 37.30. • Gen. xxxii. 10. • Matt XT. 20.27. b Rom. X. 12. e Pa. Ixxiii. 25.36. a Pb XTl- ft. & • laa. xxvi. 8. 9. f Ps. xlii. 1.2. 8. r Blatt. v. & b Luke i. M. i Pi. Ixiii. 1-a, 5. kPs.xxxi.1. iPa.xxT.3. mPi. IkU. 1,2,5-7. u Ps. cxlii. 4,4. o Ps. xx. 7. p Ps. lii. S, 9. q Ps.

When refuge fails us, and none cares for our souls, we cry unto thee, O Lord, thou art our refuge and our portion in the land of the living."

Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God :^ We will trust in thy mercy, O God, for ever and ever, and will wait on thy name, for it is good before thy saints.P

We have hoped in thy word, O remember thy word unto thy servants, upon which thou hast caused us to hope.i

XIL We must entreat God's favourable acceptance of us and our poor performances.

There be many that say. Who will show us any good? But this we say. Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, and that shall put gladness into our hearts, more than they have whose corn and wine increaseth.'

We entreat thy favour with our whole heart," for in this we labour, that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of the Lord.^

Hear our prayers, O Lord, give ear to our supplications ; in thy faithfulness answer us ;" and be nigh unto us in all that which we call upon thee for;* for thou never saidst to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.*

Thou that hearest tlie young ravens which cry," be not silent to us, lest if thou be silent to us, we be like them that go down to the pit.'

Let our prayers be set before thee as incense, and the lifting up of our hands be acceptable in thy sight as the evening sacrifice.*

XIII. We must beg for the powerful assistance and influence of the blessed Spirit of grace in our prayers.

Lord, we know not what to pray for as we ought, but let thy Spirit help our infirmities, and make intercession for us.*

O pour upon us the spirit of grace and supplica-tion,'^ the spirit of adoption, teaching us to cry, Abba, Father;' that we may find in our hearts to pray this prayer :*

O send out thy light and thy truth, let them lead us, let them guide us to thy holy hill and thy tabernacles ; to God our exceeding joy."*

O Lord, open thou our lips, and our mouth shall show forth thy praise.'

XIY. We must make the glory of God our highest end in all our prayers.

This is that which thou, O Lord, hast said ; That thou wilt be sanctified in them that come nigh unto thee, and before all the people thou wilt be glorified ;> we therefore worship before thee, O Lord, that Cxix. 74, 49. n Ps.cxliii. I. J Ps. xxviii. I. e Rom. Till. 15. t Lev. X. 3. r Ps. iv. 6,7. • Ps. cxix.

V Deut. It. 7. V Isa. xlr. 19. s Pa. cxlvii. 9.

Ps. cxli. 3. • Rom Tiii. 28. b Zech. xii. 10.

d2Sam.Tii.37. tPs. xliU.3,4. fPs.U.l&.

638

CONFESSION OF SIN.

we may glorify thy name ;** and therefore we call upon Uiee, that thou may deliver us, and we may glorify thee.*

For of thee, and through thee, and to thee, are all things.'^

XV. We must profess our entire reliance on the Lord Jesus Christ alone for acceptance with God, and come in his name.

We do not present our supplication before thee for our righteousness,* for we are before thee in our trespasses, and cannot stand before thee because of them; *" but we make mention of Christ's righteousness," even of his only, who is the Lord our right-eousness.o

We know that even spiritual sacrifices are acceptable to God only through Christ Jesns,p nor can we hope to receive any thing but what we ask of thee in his name,i and therefore make us accepted in the Beloved; ^ that angel, who puts much incense to the prayers of saints, and offers them up upon the golden altar before the throne."

We come in the name of the great High Priest, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, who was touched with the feeling of our in6r-mities,' and is therefore able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him, because he ever lives making intercession."

Behold, O God, our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed,* in whom thou hast by a voice from heaven declared thyself to be well pleased ; " Lord, be well pleased with us in him.

CHAPTER II.

OP THB 8BC0ND PAST OP PRATBR, WHICH 18, CONPX88ION OP 81N, COMPLAINTS OP, OURSBLYBS, AND HUMBLE PEOPBS8ION8 OP BBPBNTANCB.

Having gven glory to God, which is his due, we must next take shame to ourselves, which is our due, and humble ourselves before him in the sense of our own sinfulness and vileness. And herein, also, we must give glory to him,* as our Judge, by whom we deserve to be condemned, and yet hope, through Christ, to be acquitted and absolved.

In this part of our work,

I. We must acknowledge the great reason we have to lie very low before God, and to be ashamed of ourselves when we come into his presence, and to be afraid of his wrath, having h Pb. Ixxxvi. 9. 1 Pa. 1. 15. k Rom.«. 36. i Dan. ix. la m Bzraix. 15. n Ps. Ixxi. 16. o Jer. xxiii. 6. p I Pet ii. 5. q John xvi. 23. r Eph. i. 6. • Rev. viii. 3. t Heb. iv, 14. « Heb. vii. 25. t Ps. Ixxxiv. 9. w Matt iii. 17.

Josh. vii. 19. b Ezra ix. o. • Dan. ix. & d Job zl. 4. made ourselves both odious to his holineai aai obnoxious to his justice.

O our God! we are ashamed, and blasb to lift up our faces before thee, our God, for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespasi b grown up unto the heavens.^

To us belong shame and confusion of face, because we have sinned against thee.^

Behold, we are vile, what shall we answer tiice! We will lay our hand upon our mouth,*' and putoor mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope,* ciy-ing, with the convicted leper under the law. Unclean, unclean.'

Thou puttest no trust in thy saints, and the heavens are not clean in thy sight: how much more abominable and filthy is man, who drinketh iniquity like water.B

When our eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts, we have reason to cry out. Woe unto us, for we are undone.**

Dominion and fear are with thee, thou makest peace in thy high places: there is not any number of thine armies, and upon whom doth not thy ligbt arise? How then can man be justified with God, or, how can he be clean that is bom of a woman?*

Thou, even thou, art to be feared, and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry ?^ Eves thou, our God, art a consuming fire,' and who knows the power of thine anger?*"

If we justify ourselves, our own months shall eon-demn us; if we say we are perfect, that also shall prove us perverse; for if thou contend with us, we are not able to answer thee for one of a thousand."

If we knew nothing by ourselves, yet were we not thereby justified, for he that judgeth us is the Lord ;* who is gpreater than our hearts, and knows all things.' But we ourselves know that we have sinned. Father, against heaven, and before thee, and are no more worthy to be called thy children.^

II. We must take hold of the great encouragement God has given us, to humble ov-selves before him with sorrow and shame, and to confess our sins.

If thou. Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who should stand? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared; vrith thee there is mercy, yea, with our God 0kt is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.'

Thy sacrifices, O God, are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thoa wilt not despise ; * nay, though thou art the high and lofty One that inhabitest eternity, whose name is Holy; ^ t Laiil iii. 90. f Lev. xiii. 4S. i Job XXV. 2—4. k Ps. Ixxvi 7. n Job ix. 3,20. o 1 Cor. iv. 4. 21. r Ps. CXXX. 3, 4, 7,8. g Job XV. 15,16. I Heb. xii. sSl p 1 John lit », • P».ii.l7. k lHLVi&. aPt.xe.ll

4 Lake XVtlB.lvii.lfc

CONFESSION OF SIN.

63d though the heaven be thy throne and the earth thy footstool, yet to this man wilt thou look, that is poor and humble, of a broken and contrite spirit, and that trembleth at thy word," to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Thou hast graciously assured us, that though they that cover their sins shall not prosper, yet those that confess and forsake them shall find mercy."^ And when a poor penitent said, I will confess my transgression unto the Lord, thou forgavest the iniquity of his sin; and for this shall every one that is godly, in like manner, pray unto thee in a time when thou mayst be found.*

We know, that if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and tiie truth is not in us; but thou hast said, that if we confess our sins, thou art faithful and just to forgave us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'^

III. We must therefore confess and bewail our original corruption in the first place, that we were the children of apostate and rebellious parents, and the nature of man is depraved, and wretchedly degenerated from its primitive purity and rectitude, and our nature is so.

Lord, thou madest man upright, but they have sought out many inventions; ^ and being in honour did not understand, and therefore abode not, but became like the beasts that perish.*

By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: By that one man's disobedience many were made sinners,* and we among the rest.

We are a seed of evil-doers; ^ our father was an Amorite, and our mother a Hittite,^ and we ourselves were called (and not mis-called) transgressors from the womb, and thou knowest we would deal very treacherously.'

The nature of man was planted a choice and noble vine, wholly a right seed, but it is become the degenerate plant of a strange vine ;* producing the grapes of Sodom, and the clusters of Gomorrah.' How is the gold become dim, and the most fine gold changed!v

Behold, we were shapen in iniquity, and in sin did our mother conceive us.*> For, who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.* We are by nature children of wrath, because children of disobedience, even as others.'^

All flesh have corrupted their way;i we are all gone aside, we are altogether become filthy, there is none that doeth good, no, not one." rv. We must lament our present corrupt dis-

In. IxTi. 1, z T Prov. zx Tiii. 19. w Pg. zxxii. 6,6. *l John 1.8.9. yEccLvii. 20. ■Pi.xUx 1-2,90. • Rom. ▼. 12,19. b Isa. 1.4. e Etek. xvi. 3. d laa. xlriii. 8. • Jer. ii. 31. f Dmt. xxxM a. g Lam. iv. 1. h Ps. li. 5. i Job xiv. 4. k Eph. il. 2 3. 1 Gen. vi. 12. m Ps. xiv. 3. n Eph. iv. la positions to that which is evil, and our indis-posedness to, and impotency in, that which is good. We must look into our hearts, and confess, with holy blushing,

1. The blindness of our understandings, and their unaptness to admit the rays of the divine light.

By nature our understandings are darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in us, because of the blindness of our hearts."

The things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to the natural man, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.**

We are wise to do evil, but to do good we have no knowledge.^ We know not, neither do we understand, we walk on in darkness.^

God speaketh once, yea, twice, but we perceive it not;' but hearing, we hear, and do not understand;* and we see men as trees walking.*

2. The stubbornness of our wills, and their unaptness to submit to the rules of the divine law.

We have within us a carnal mind, which is enmity against God, and is not in subjection to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

Thou hast written to us the great things of thy law, but they have been accounted by us as a strange thing,^ and our corrupt hearts have been sometimes ready to say. What is the Almighty that we should serve him ?*—and that we should certainly do whatsoever thing goes forth of our own mouth.'^ For we have walked in the way of our own heart, and in the sight of our eyes,' fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind.'

Our neck hath been an iron sinew,* and we have made our heart as an adamant; we have refused to hearken, have pulled away the shoulder, and stopped our ears,^ like the deaf adder, that will not hearken to the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely.*

How have we hated instruction, and our heart despised reproof, and have not obeyed the voice of our teachers, nor inclined our ear to them that instructed us.^

3. The vanity of our thoughts, their neglect of those things which they ought to be conversant with, and dwelling upon those things that are unworthy of them, and tend to corrupt our minds.

Every imagination of the thoughts of our heart is evil, only evil, and that continually,* and it has been so from our yonth.^

O how long hath those vain thoughts lodged within e 1 Cor. ii. 14. p Jfr. iv. 22. q Ps. Ixxxii. 5. r Job xxxiii. U.

Blatt. xiii. 14. t Mark riii. 24. «Rom.viii. 7. ▼ Hos. viii. 12. w Job xxi. 15. X Jfr. xliv. 17. T Eccl. xi. 19. ■ Eph. ii. 3.

Isa. xlviii. 4. b Zech. vil. 11, l e Ps. Iviii. 4,5. d Prov. v. 12,13. • Gen. vi. 5. f Gen. viiL 21.

CONFESSION OF SIN

as!' Those thoughts of foolishness which are sin.v From within, out of the heart, proceed evil thoughts ;** which devise mischief upon the bed,' and carry the heart with the fool's eyes into the ends of the earth> But God is not in all our thoughts,' it is well if he be in any: Of the Rock that begat us we have been unmindful, and have forgotten the God that formed us :■" We have forgotten him days without number," and our hearts have walked after vanity,<* and become vain. Our inward thought having been, that our houses should continue for ever; this our way is our folly.P

4. The carnality of our affections, their being placed upon wrong objects, and carried beyond due bounds.

We have set those affections on things beneath, which should have been set on things above,*! where our treasure is,' and where .Christ sits on the right hand of God, the things which we should seek.*!

We have followed after lying vanities, and forsaken our own mercies ;* having forsaken the fountain of living waters, for cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'

We have panted after the dust of the earth," and have been full of care what we shall eat, and what we shall drink, and wherewithal we shall be clothed, the things after which the Gentiles seek, but have neglected the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof/

We have lifted up our souls unto vanity,^ and set our eyes upon that which is not," have looked at the things that are seen, which are temporal, but the things that are not seen, that are eternal, have been forgotten and postponed/

5. The corruption of the whole man ;—^irregular appetites toward those things that are pleasing to sense; and inordinate passions, against those things that are displeasing; and an alienation of the mind from the principles, powers, and pleasures of the spiritual and divine life.

We are born of the flesh, and we are flesh ;* Dust we are :• We have borne the image of the earthly ;*» and in us, that is, in our flesh, there dwells no good thing. For if to will is present to us, yet how to perform that which is good we find not; for the good that we would do, we do it not; and the evil which we would not do, that we do.^ We have a law in our members warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of sin, that is in our members: So that when we would do good, evil is present with us,<i and most easily besets us.* f Jer. iv. 14. r Prov. xxiv. 0. h Matt. xv. 19. i Blic. ii. I. ii ProY. xvii. 94. I Ps. X. 4. m Deut xxxil. IS. n Jer. ii. 32.

• Jer. iL 5. p Pi. xlix. II, 13. q CoL iii. 1,3. r BlaU. vi. 21.

Jonah ii.& tjer.ii.l3. «Amosii. 7. ▼ Blatt. vi. 31—33. w pg. xxiv. 4. s Pror. xxiil. 5. 72 Cor. iv. 18. ■ John iii. & ft GeD. iii. 19. b 1 Cor. xv. 49. e Rom. vii. 18,19. 4 Rom. ▼ii. 91,28. tHeb.xiLl. fls.i. & gHo«.aL7. hJer.

The whole head is sick, the whole heart faiBt,ft« the sole of the foot even unto the head, thers ii n soundness in us, but wounds, and braises, and \Hta fying sores.^

There is in us a bent to backslide from the lifiig God :* Our hearts are deceitful above all things, ail desperately wicked; who can know them ^ Tier start aside like a broken bow.^

V. We must lament and confess oar oaif. sions of our duty, our neglect of it, and trifliop in it; and, that we have done so little wmc we came into the world, of the great woik it were sent into the world about, so very fittb to answer the end either of our creation or §( our redemption, of our birth and of our bapdai; and that we have profited no more by the mnm of grace.

We have been as fig-trees planted in the vineyiii and thou hast come many years seeking fruit froBVi but hast found none ;>' iherefore we might justly luic been cut down and cast into the fire' for cuaibcr-ing the ground -^ Thou hast come looking for grapc but behold wild grapes ;■" for we have been eapCf vines, bringing forth fruit unto ourselves.*

We have known to do good, but have not don it:<» We have hid our Lord's money ,p and therelsR deserve the doom of the wicked and slothfml tenoL ■.

We have been unfaithful stewards, thtt hm < wasted our Lord's goods,^ for one sinner destnft much good.'

Many a price hath been put into our hand to pt wisdom, which we have had no heart to/ or m heart has been at our left hand.^

Our childhood and youth were vanity," and n have spent our years as a tale that is told.*

We have not known, or improved, the day of •■ visitation,^ have not provided meat in summer, mi gathered food in harvest, though we have had gnidei, overseers, and rulers."

We are slow of heart to undersiand mud beliete? and whereas for the time we might have been teachers of others, we are yet to learn the first prindplci of the oracles of God, have need of milk, and camMt bear strong meat.*

We have cast off fear, and restrained prayer W-fore God ;* have not called upon thy name, mi stirred up ourselves to take hold on thee.^

We have come before thee as thy people eonc and have sat before thee as thy people sit, and htvs heard thy words, when our hearts at the same tiae have been going after onr covetousness.* Andtta have we brought the torn, and the lame, and tki xni. 9. i Hot. vii. I6> mis.▼.4. nHoaeax. I. % Luke xTi. 1. r Ecd. ix. • Eccl. xi. 10. V PB. xc. 0.

k Luke xiii. 6, 7. ilfttttt.it

Jam. iv. 17. F Matt xxv. Ul*

IS. •Prov. ZTttlflL tBed.i.1

wLukexix.44. sPiw.viU

J Ltike xxiv. 9ft. e Eiek. xxxiii. 31.

I Heb. V. IS. m Job xv. 4. b it. Wtt

CONFESSION OP SIN.

641 sick, f6r sacrifice, have offered that to God, which we would not have offered to our governor; and have vowed and sacrificed to the Lord a corrupt thing, when we had in our flock a male.*' y I. We must likewise bewail our many actual transgressions, in thought, word, and deed.

We have sinned, Father, against thee ;* we have sinned, and have come short of the glory of God;' for the God in whose hand ourbreath is, and whose are all our ways, have we not glorified.'

Against thee, thee only, have we sinned; and have done much evil in thy sight ;*> neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he hath set before us,* though they are all holy, just, and good.^

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou us from secret faults.*

In many things we all offend," and our iniquities are more than the hairs of our head.**

As a fountain casteth out her waters, so do our hearts cast out wickedness;» and this hath been our manner from our youth up, that we have not obeyed thy voice.P

Out of the evil treasure of oui hearts we have brought forth many evil things.^

1. We must confess and bewail the workings of pride in us.

We have reason to be humbled for the pride of our hearts,*' that we have thought of ourselves above what hath been meet, and have not thought soberly,* nor walked humbly with our God.'

We have leaned to our own understanding,* and trusted to our own hearts,' and have sacrificed to our own net.*

We have sought our own glory more than the glory of him that sent us,« and have been puffed up with that for which we should have mourned.'

2. The breaking out of passion and rash auger.

We have not had the rule we ought to have had over our own spirits, which have therefore been as a city that is broken down and has no walls.'

We have been soon angry, and anger * hath rested in our bosoms :^ and when our spirits have been provoked, we have spoken unadvisedly vrith our lips,*^ and have been guilty of that clamour and bitterness which should have been put far from us.'

3. Our covetoosness and love of the world.

Our conversation has not been without covetous-ness,* nor have wc learned in every state to be content with such things as we have.'

Who can say he is clear from that love of money i Mai. i. 8.14. • Luke xy. 18. t Rom fil. 29. r Dan. ▼. S3. h Psal. 11. 4. i Dan. iz. 10. k Rom. vii. 1% i Ps. six. 12. a James iii. 2. ■ Pa xl. 12. o Jer. vi. 7. p Jer. xxii.31. q Alatt xii. 35. r 2 Chron. xxxi|. 96. •Roii(.xit3. t Micah Tl. 8. a Prov. iii. 5. ▼ prov. xxviii. 26, w Hab. i. 16. M. John vii. 18. j 1 Cor. v. 2. a Ptot. xxt. 98.

• Prov. sir. 17. b Eccl. vii. &. e Pa cvi. 33. d Eph. Iv. 31.

2 T which is the root of all evil,' that eoveiousness which is idolatry.'*

We have sought great things to ourselves, when thou hast said. Seek them not.^

4. Our sensuality and flesh-pleasing.

We have minded the things of the flesh more than the things of the spirit,*^ and have lived in pleasure on the earth, and have been wanton, and have nou-^ rished our hearts as in a day of slaughter.^

We have made provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it ;^ even those lusts which war against our souls :** and in many instances have acted as if we had been lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God.»

When we did eat, and when we did drink, did we not eat to ourselves, and drink to ourselves ? p

5. Our security and unmindfulness of the changes we are liable to in this world.

We have put far from us the evil day,<i and in our prosperity have said we shall never be moved," as if to-morrow must needs be as this day, and much more abundant*

We have encouraged our souls to take their ease, to eat, drink, and be merry, as if we had goods laid up for many years, when perhaps this night our souls may be required of us.*

We have been ready to trust in uncertain riches more than in the living God;" to say ,to the gold, thou art our hope; and to the fine gold, thou art our confidence.^

6. Our fretfulness, and impatience, and murmuring under our afflictions, our inordinate dejection, and distrust of God and his providence.

When thou hast chastised us, and we were chastised, we have been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke,^ and though our own foolishness hath perverted our way, yet our heart hath fretted against the Lord ;* and thus in our distress we have tresr passed yet more against the Lord.'

We have either despised the chastening of the Lord, or fainted when we have been rebuked of him ;■ and if we faint in the day of adversity, our strength is small.*

We have said in our haste we are cast off from before thine eyes,^ and that the Lord hath forsaken us, our God hath forgotten us,« as if God would be favourable no more, as if he had forgotten to be gracious, and had in anger shut up his tender mercies. This has been our infirmity.^

7. Our uncharitableness towards our brethren, and unpeaceableness with our relations, neigh-

Heb. xiii. 5. f PhiL !▼. 11. t 1 Tim. vi. 10. h Col. iii. y t Jer. xlv. 5. k Rom. Tiii. 5. i James v. A. n. Rom. xiii. 14. n I Pet ii. II. 0 2 Tim. iii. 3, 4. p Zech. vii. 6. q Amos vi. 3 9 ps. XXX. 6. • Isa. Ivi. 12. t Luke xii. 19,20. u i Tim.Ti. 17. V Jol) xxxi. 24. w Jer. xxxi. 18. s Pror. xiz. 3. j 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. « Prov. iii. II. • Prov. xxlv. 10. b Ps. xxxi. 22 n Isa. xlix. 14. d Pa Ixxvii. 7,8, lO.

CONFESSION OF SIN. bours, and friends, and perhaps injustice towards them.

We have been verily guilty concerning our brother ;* for we have not studied the things that make for peace, nor things wherewith we might edify one another.'

We have been ready to judge our brother, and to set at nought our brother, forgetting that we must all shortly stand before the judgment-seat of Christ.f

Contrary to the royal law of charity, we have vaunted ourselves, and been puffed up, have behaved ourselves unseemly, and sought our own; have been easily provoked, have rejoiced in iniquity,** and been secretly glad at calamities.^

We have been desirous of vain-glory, provoking one another, envying one another,'' when we should have considered one another, to provoke to love and to good works.^

The bowels of our compassion have been shut up from those that are in need;" and we have hidden ourselves from our own flesh." Nay, perhaps our eye has been evil against our poor brother,** and we have despised the poor.P

And if in any thing we have gone beyond and defrauded our brother,*! if we have walked with vanity, and our foot hath hasted to deceit, and any blot hath cleaved to our hands,' Lord, discover it to us, that if we have done iniquity, we may do so no more."

8. Our tongue sins.

In the multitude of our words there wanteth not sin,' nor can a man full of talk be justified."

While the lips of the righteous feed many,* our lips have poured out foolishness,* and spoken froward-ness.T

Much corrupt communication hath proceeded out of our mouths;' that foolish talking and jesting which is not convenient,^^ and little of that which is good, and to the use of edifying, and which might minister grace unto the hearers.*

If for every idle word that men speak they must give an account, and by our words we must be justified, and if by our words we must be condemned,' woer unto us, for we are undone; for we are of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.*

What would become of us, if God should make our own tongues to fall upon us?**

9. Our spiritual slothfulness and decay. We have been slothful in the business of religion, and not fervent in spirit serving the Lord.<: e Gen. xlii. 31. f Rom. xiv. 19. v Rom. xiv. 10. h 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 6. i Prov. xvti. 5. k Gal. v. 36. i Heb. x. 24. ml John iii. 17. a Isa. Iviil. 7. o Deut. xv. 9. y James ii. 6.

H 1 TtiesB. iv. 6. r Job xxxi. 5, 7. ■ Job xxxiv. 33. t Prov. x. 19. u Jobxi. 2. ▼ Prov. X. 21, 32. w Prov. xv. 2. « Eph. iv. 29. J Eph V. 4. « Matt xii. 36, 37. • laa. vi. 5. b Ps. Ixiv. 8. e Rom. xti. II. d Rev. iii. 3. t Eccl. xi. 4. f Prov. xxvi.

The things which remain are ready to die, ud our works have not been found perfect before God.^

We have observed the winds, and therefore have not sown, have regarded the clouds, and therefore not reaped;' and with the sluggard have frighted ourselves with the fancy of a lion in the way, a lim in the streets, and have turned on our bed as the door on the hinges;' still crying. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber.^

We have lost our first iove,^ and where is now die blessedness we sometimes spake of ?* «

Our goodness hath been as the momiDg ek Midy and the early dew, which passeth away>

And that which is at the bottom of all, is the evil heart of unbelief in us, which inclines us to dqnrt from the living God.^

YII. We must acknowledge the great erii that there is in sin, in our sin; the malignity of its nature, and its mischievousness to us.

1. The sinfulness of sin.

O that sin may appear sin to as, may appear in its own colours, and that by the commandment we isay see it to be exceeding sinful," because it is the transgression of the law.*^

By every wilful sin we have in effect said. We will not have this man to reign over us:« and, Who is the Lord, that we should obey his voice ?p And thus have we reproached the Lord,'^ and cast his laws behind our backs.**

2. The foolishness of sin.

O God, tiiou knowest our foolishness, and our ms are not hid from thee: * we were foolish in being disobedient,* and our lusts are foolish and hurtful"

Foolishness was bound up in our hearts when we were children ;^ for though vain man would be wise, he is born like the wild ass's colt.*

Our way hath been our folly," and in many instances we have done foolishly, very foolishly.'

So foolish have we been, and ignorant, and CTen as beasts before God.'

3. The unprofitableness of sin.

We have sinned, and perverted tiiat which wss right, and it profited us not.* What fruit have we now in those things whereof we have cause to be ashamed, seeing the end of those things is death ? ^ And what are we profited, if we should gain the whole world, and lose our own souls?'

4. The deceitfttlness of sin.

Sin hath deceived us, and by the commandmeBt slain us ;^ for our hearts have been hardened throogk

13,14. r Prov. vi. 10. h Rev. ii. 4. i Gal. iv. is. k Hos. vi. 4. I Heb. iii. 12. ■> Rom. vii. 13. « 1 John iii i , o Luke xix. 14. p Exod. v. 2. q Numb. xv. 30. r Neli.u- 1 26. • Ps, Ixix. 5. t Tit. liL 3. n 1 Tim. vl. 9. r Pro*, xxii. 15. w Job xi. IS. « Ps. xlix. 13. j 2 Sam. xxiv. R B Ps. Ixxiii. 2S. • Job xxxiii. 27. b Rom. vi. 21. c Ibtt. xvi. 26. 4 Rom. vii. 11.

CONFESSION OF SIN.

GiS the deceitfulness of sin ;« and we have been drawn away of our own lust, and enticed/

It hath promised us liberty, but has made us the servants of corruption ;> bath promised that we shall not surely die, and that we shall be as gods ;** bat it has flattered us, and spread a net for our feet.*

The pride of our heart particularly has deceived iis.k

5. The'offence which, by sin, we have gven to the Holy God.

By breaking the law we have dishonoured God,' and have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger" most bitterly." And many a thing that we have done hath displeased the Lord.^

God has been broken by our whorish heart, and our eyes that have gone a whoring after our idols.p

We have tempted him, and proved him, and grieved him in the wilderness,'* have rebelled and Tcxed his Holy Spirit •/ and pressed him with our iniquities, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves.*

We have grieved the Holy Spirit of God, by whom we are sealed to the day of redemption.*

6. The damage which, by sin, we have done to our own souls, and, their great interests.

By our iniquities we have sold ourselves," and in sinning against thee we have wronged our own soals.^

Our sins have separated between us and God,^ and have kept good things from us; and by them our minds and consciences have been defiled.'

OoT own wickedness hath corrected us, and backslid in gs have reproved us, and we cannot but know and see, that it is an evil thing, and bitter, that we have forsaken the Lord our God, and that his fear hath not been in us.'

O what fools are they that make a mock at sin !* YIII. We must aggravate our sins, and take notice of those things which make them more heinous in the sight of Grod, and more dangerous to ourselves. We bewail before thee all our sins, and all our transgressions in all our sins.*

1. The more knowledge we have of good and evil, the greater is our sin. We have known our Master's will, but have not done it, and therefore deserve to be beaten with many stripes.**

We have known the way of the Lord, and the judgments of our God, and 'yet have altogether broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.'

We have known the judgment of God, that they which do such things are worthy of death, and yet * Heb. ill. la f James i. U. r S Pet ii. 19. h Gen. iii.

S. 6. i Prov. xxix. 5. k Obad. 3. i Rom. ii. 23. o Isa. i. 4. n Hos. xil. 14. e 3 Sam. xi. vlt ? Ezek. vi. o.

% Ps. xcv. 8,0,10. r iM. Ixiii. 10. • Amon. ii. 13 t Eph.

Iv. 30. « laa. 1.1. T ProY. viii.

W- y Jer. ii. 19. i lrov. xiv. 9. • Lev. xvi. 10. b Luke

2t2 have done them, and have had pleasure in them that do them.<*

We have taught others, and yet have not taught ourselves f and while we profess to know God, we have in works denied him.^

2. The greater profession we have made of religion, the greater hath beq our sin.

We call ourselves of the holy city, and stay ourselves upon the God of Israel, and make mention of his name, but not in truth and righteousness ^ For we have dishonoured that worthy name by which we are called,^ and given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.*

We have named the name of Christ, and yet have not departed from iniquity.^

3. The more mercies we have received from God, the greater has been our sin.

Thou hast nourished and brought us up as children, but we have rebelled against thee.*

We have ill requited thee, O Lord, as foolish people and unwise: though thou art our Father, that made us, and bought us, and established us, yet our spot has not been the spot of thy children."*

We have not rendered again according to the benefit done unto us."

4. The fairer warning we have had from the word of God, and from our own consciences, concerning our danger of sin, and danger by sin, the greater is the sin if we go on in it

We have been often reproved, and yet have hardened our neck,<* and have gone on frowardly in the way of our heart.p

Thou hast sent to us, saying, O do not this abominable thing which I hate ; but we have not hearkened, nor inclined our ear.i

The word of God hath been to us precept upon precept, and line upon line; ' and though we have beheld our natural faces in the glass, yet we have gone away and straightway forgot what manner of men we were.*

5. The greater afflictions we have been under for sin, the greater is the sin if we go on in it.

Thou hast stricken us, but we have not grieved ; we have refused to receive correction, and have made our faces harder than a rock;' and the rod hath not driven the foolishness out of our hearts.**

Thou hast chastened us with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men,^ yet we have not turned to him that smiteth us, nor have we sought the Lord of hosts.^

When some have been overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah were, we have been as brands plucked out xii. 47. e Jer. v. 4, A. a Rom.f. 32. • Rom. ii. 21. f Tit. i. ID. fr Isa. xl Tiii. 1.2. h James ii. 7. i 2 Sam. xii. M. k 2 Tim. ii. 19. 1 Isa. i. 2. m Deut. xxxii. .% 6. n 2 Cliron. Axii. 2A. o Prov. xxix. 1. p Isa. Ivii. 17. q Jer. xliv. 4, 5. r Isa. xxviii. 13. • James i. 23,94. t Jer. ▼. 3. a Prov. xxii. 15. V 2 Sam. vii. 14. w laa. ix. 13.

CONFESSION OF SIN. of the fire, yet have we not returned unto thee, O Lord.' And when thy hand has been lifted up, we have not seen it J

6. The more vows and promises we have made of better obedience, the greater has our sin been.

We have not performed the words of the covenant which we made before thee,* but, as treacherous dealers, we have dealt treacherously.*

Did we not say we would not transgress,** we would not offend any more?^ We did, and yet we have returned with the dog to his vomit; ^ have returned to folly after God hath spoken peace,"

IX. We must judge and condemn ourselves for our sins, and own ourselves liable to punishment.

And now, O our God, what shall we say after this, for we have forsaken thy commandments ?' We have sinned, what shall we do unto thee, O thou preserver of men?»

We know that the law curseth every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them;^ that the wages of every sin is death ;* and that for these things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.'

And we are all guilty before God ; * the Scripture bath concluded us all under sin,™ and therefore thou mightst justly be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping."

If thou shouldst lay righteousness to the line, and judgment to the plummet,^ thou mightst justly separate us unto all evil, according to all the curses of the covenant, and blot out our names from under heaven.P

Thou mightst justly swear in thy wrath, that we should never enter into thy rest;<> mightst justly set us naked and bare, and take away our corn in the season thereof, and our wine in the season thereof,' and put into our hands the cup of trembling, and make us drink even the dregs of that cup."

Thou art just in whatever thou art pleased to lay upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly.^ Nay, thou our God hast punished less than our iniquities have deserved."

Thou therefore shalt be justified when thou speak-est, and clear when thou jndgest ;* and we will accept of the punishment of our iniquity,^ and humble ourselves under thy mighty hand,' and say, The Lord is righteous.'

Wherefore should a living man complain, a man

X Amos iv. 11. 7 ba. xxvi. 11. t Jer. xxxlv. la a laa. xxiv. 16. b Jer. ii. 20. c Job xxxiv. 31. da Pet. ii. 23. e Ps. Ixxxv. 8. f Ezra ix. 10. g Job vii. 20. h Gal. iii. 10. i Rom. vi. 23. k Cph. v. a i Rom. iii. 19. m Gal. iii. 22. n Ezra ix. M. o Isa. xxviii. 17. p Deut. xxlx. 20, 21. q Ps. xcv. uU. T Hos. ii. 3, 9. • Isa. Ii. 22. t Neb. ix. 33. « Ezra ix. 13. T Ps, li. 4, w Lev. xxvi. 43. x i Pet. v. 6. y 2 Chron. for the punishment of his sins?' No, wewi Ubar the indignation of the Lord, because we have AuA against him.*

X. We mast gve to God the glory of his pi* tience and long-suffering towards ub, ud Ui willingness to be reconciled.

O the riches of the patience and forbeaauiee d Godl^^ How long-suffering is he to us-ward! sol willing that any should perish, bot that all sboiM come to repentance.^

Thou hast not dealt with as according to our m, nor rewarded us after oar iniquitiesy bot thou wtit* est to be gracious to as.* Sentence against our evil works has not been ex eouted speedily,^ but thou hast gven asspaoetore> pent,! and make our peace with thee, and callestevci backsliding children to retam to thee, and krt promised to heal their backsliding; and tberefoR; Behold we come tinto thee, for thou art the hui our God.*»

Surely the long-saffering of oar Lord is salvatkn;' and if the Lord had been pleased to kill us, be wooU not as at this time have showed as such things ai these.^ And O that this goodness of God might letd b to repentance! * for though we have trespasid against our God, yet now there is hope in Isnel concerning this thing."*

Thou hast said it, and hast confirmed it with*u oath, that thou hast no pleasure in the death of si-ners, but rather that they should tarn and live:* therefore will wc rend our hearts, and not our gv ments, and turn to the Lord oar God; for he is gn-cious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. Who knows if he will retam and repeoir and leave a blessing behind him ?<^

XI. We must humbly profess oar sorrow and shame for sin, and humbly engage oarseivesin the strength of divine grace, that we will be better, and do better, for the fatore.

Lord, we repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,p to which thou hast exalted thy Son Christ Jesus, to gve repentance and remission of sins.*

We have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now our eye seeth thee; wherefore we abhor oar-selves, and repent in dust and ashes;' therefore wifl we be like the doves of the valleys, every one rnoom-ing for his iniquities.*

O that our heads were waters, and oar eyes foon-tains of tears, that we might weep daj and nigit' for our transgpressions, and might in such a manner sow in those tears, as that at last we may reap in xii. 6. B Lam. iii. 39. • Bfic. vii. 0. i> Rom. ii. 4. c iPet iii. 9. d Ps. ciii. 10. « U|^ xxx. la. f EocLviiL 11. rBer ii. 21. h Jer. iiL S3, S3. is Pet iii. 15. k Jnd. xiiltx 1 Rom. ii. 4. m Ezra x. S. n Eiek. xxxiii II. • JodiiU 14. p Matt. iii. S. a Acts v. 31. r Job xlii.5,8. •ftefc viL 16. t Jer. ix. i.

PETItlONS AND REQUESTS.

646

Joy; may now go forth weeping, bearing precious seed, and may in due time come again with rejoicing, bringing oar sheaves with us."

Our iniquities are gone over our heads as a heavy burthen, they are too heavy for us ;^ but weary and heavy laden under this burthen we come to Christ, who has promised that in him we shall find rest for our souls.*

O that knowing every man the plague of his own heart,* we may look unto him whom we have pierced, and may mourn, and be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for a first-born.' That we may sorrow after a godly sort, with that sorrow which worketh repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of; and that we may remember, and be confounded, and never open our mouth any more, because of our shame, when thou art pacified toward us.*

And, O that we may bring forth fruits meet for repentance !^ and may never return again to folly !*^ for, what have we to do any more with idols ?^ Sin shall not have dominion over us, for we are not under the law, but under grace.^

We have gone astray like lost sheep; seek thy servants, for we do not forget thy commandments.'

CHAPTER III. or THB THIRD PART OP PRAYER, WHICH 18 PBTITION AND SUP. PUCATION POR THB GOOD THINGS WHICH WE STAND IN NEED OF.

Having opened the wounds of sin, both the guilt of it, and the power of it, and its remainders in us; we must next seek—unto God—for the remedy, for healing and help, for from him alone it is to be expected, and he will for this be inquired of* by us. And now we must impress our hearts with a deep sense of the need we have of those mercies which we pray for, that we are undone, for ever undone, without them; and with a high esteem and value for them, that we are happy, we are made for ever, if we obtain them; that we may, like Jacob, wrestle with him, in prayer, as for our lives, and the lives of our souls. But we must not think in our prayers to prescribe to hhn, or by our importunity to move him. He knows us better than we know ovrselves; and knows what he will do> But thus we open our wants and oir desires, and then refer ourselves to his wisdom and goodness; and hereby we give honour to him as our Protector and Benefactor, and take u Ps. cixvi. 5, 6. ▼ Pa. xxx Tiii. 4. w Matt. xi. 38. « I Kings vlii. 38. J Zech. xii. 10. ■ 9 Cor. vii. 10. • Ezek. xvi. <i3. b Matt. iii. b. «■ pg. Ixxxv. 8. d Hos. xiv. 8. • Rom. vi. 14. ' P». cxix. uU.

Ezek. xxxvi. 37. b John ^. 8. < Mark xi. 24. d Ps. the way which he himself has appointed, of fetching in mercy from him, and by faith plead his promise with him; and if we are sincere herein, we are, through his grace, qualified according to the tenor of the new covenant, to receive his favours, and are to be assured that we do, and shall, receive them.<^

And now. Lord, what wait we for ? Truly our hope is even in thee. Deliver us from all our transgpres-sionif, that we may not be the reproach of the foolish.^

Lord, all our desire is before thee; and our groaning is not hid from thee ;< even the groanings which cannot be uttered; for he that searcheth the hedrt knows what is the mind of the spirit.^

We do not think that we shall be heard for our much speaking; for our Father knows what things we have need of before we ask him ;ff but our Master has told us, that whatsoever we ask the Father in his name, he will give it us. And he has said. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.»»

And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.>

I. We must earnestly pray for the pardon and forgiveness of all our sins.

Lord, we come to thee as the poor publican, that stood afar off", and would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast; and we pray his prayer, God be merciful to us sinners. The God of infinite mercy be merciful to us.''

O wash us thoroughly from our iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin, for we acknowledge our transgssions, and our sin is ever before us. O purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean, wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow: Hide thy face from our sins, and blot out all our iniquities.'

Be thou merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and our iniquities do thou remember no more.*" O forgive us that great debt."

Let us be justified freely by thy grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus,^ from all those things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses.P

O let not our iniquity foe our ruin,^ but let the Lord take away our sin, that we may not die, not die eternally;' that we may not be hurt of the second death .^

Blot out as a cloud our transgressions, and as a thick cloud our sins; for we return unto thee because thou hast redeemed us.* xxxix. 7,8. • Ps. xxxviii. 9. f Rom. viii. 26,27. r Matt, vi. 7,8. h John xvi. 2J. 24. i 1 John v. 14,15. k Luke xviil. 13. 1 P& li. 2, 3, 7. m Heb. viii. 12. n Matt xviii. 32. o Rom. iii. 24. P Acts xiii. 39. q Ezek. xviii. 30. r i Sam. xii. I&. • Rev. ii. J1. t Isa. xliv. 22.

PETITIONS AND REQUESTS

Enter not into judgment with thy servants, O Lord, for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified."

Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; heal our backslidings, and love us freely, and let thine anger be turned away from us, for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy."^

Though our sins have been as scarlet, let them be as white as snow ; and though they have been red like crimson, let them be as wool, that being willing and obedient, we may eat the good of the land.*

We will say unto God, do not condemn us,' but deliver us from going down to the pit, for thou hast found the ransom.^

For the encouraging of our faith, and the exciting of our fervency, in this petition for the pardon of sin ; we may plead with God, (1.) The infinite goodness of his nature, his readiness to forgive sin, and his glorying in it.

Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive ; and rich in mercy to all them that call upon thee. Thou art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."

Thou art a God of pardons, merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness,* that dost not always chide, nor keep thine anger for ever.**

Thou, even thou, art he that blottcst out our transgressions for thine own sake, and wilt not remember our sins, which we are here to put thee in remembrance of, to plead with thee, and to declare, that we may be justified.*^

And now, we beseech thee, let the power of our Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, the Lord is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Pardon, we beseech thee, the iniquity of thy people, according unto the greatness of thy mercy; and as thou hast forgiven even until now.**

↑ Back to top