/V-3 TT OF THE PRINCETON, N. J. SAMUEL AGNEW, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA. q4^o • - 0: a (~ HNttd,r.:i.'L. .. i T % O DISCOURSES. H I. On PRAYER. Wherein are feveral Things, with great Impar- tiality, recommended, particularly, to the Pa- pifts^ and DiJJenters of all Denominations ; With a becoming Freedom, to the Infidels ; With the mofl afFedionate Efleem, to the Clergy J With the highefl: Deference, to the Nobility^ and Gentry. II. On the Sacrament. To which are add?d, I. A Sermon on the One T^hi7tg needfuL II. On the Obfervation of the Sabbath. III. On the Importance of Public Worjlnp^ By the Rev. W. W r b s t e r, D. D* of Ware in Hertfordfm^e, Publillied for the Benefit of the Author. LONDON: Sold by John and James Rivington, at the Bihle'm St. Paulas Church-yard \ and by William Russell, at Horace^ s-Head, without Temple-Bar. M.DCC.LIII. Prici 10 y. 6d. large Paper, 5;. Small. To the Moft Reverend HIS GRACE The Lord Primate, and Metropolitan of all England 'y To whofe kind Approbation of my Undertaking, it was chiefly owing that I proceeded in it ; Thefe Discourses are. With humble Gratitude^ And the highejl RefpeEl^ Infcrihed by HIS G R A C E's Mofi obedient Servant^ W. Webster, V^HEOL ^- T M (.>) p: —"^ ri - V i- y -i . - V T '■"""' • — ■ — f — V- " ' P R E F ACE. TjT/'HE N I fir ft propofed writing upon the im- ^^ portant SubjeB of Prayer, it ivas objcBed that there was nothing new to he f aid upon it. Whether I have made any Improvement, / muft leave to the Determination of my Readers • but, if I have added no new Materials to the old Stock, my Book J notwith/la?idi?7g, may be more compleat than any yet extant on the SubjeB, — Where fo ' mam Perfbm of Ability have written upon any SiibjeB, they have excelled one another upon dif- ferent Farts of it ; and^ therefore, if any one has fudgment enough to feleB their peculiar Ex- cellencies^ and conneB them handfomely together, their united Beauties muft excel any one of thoje Books out of which they are colleBed. Another Advantage new Books have over old ones from the Curiofity of Mankind. The World is more inquifitive into the Merit of modern Fer- formances^ and more inclined to look into them, than to enquire after thofe which have been long, like a dead Man, out of Mind. Books are like Fafhions ; when they become old, (unlefs they be fuperlatively Excellent, and the Authors o/^fuper- eminent Reputation) they are laid afide. The Ma- terials may be the Jame, but the Drels mufl be aU ieredy or they will be thought awkward. ii PREFACE, T/v J is an Advantage that is owing to the Taftc of the World ; but there is a real and fubftantial one^ which has its Foundation in Reafon. Mo- dern Books may net only be better adapted to the prevailing Guft of the Reader^ but to the Circum- ftances, and Exigences of the Times. 77^^ Ene- mies of Religion and Virtue , like the military Gen- tlemen^ are perpetually inventing new Weapons, new Evolutions, new Methods of Attack, which will require a Juitable Alteration in our Arts of Defence. 1 Jhall mention hut one Advantage more^ and that arifes from the Difpoiition of the Parts, wherein the laft Writer may excel by the AJJtJlance of his Predeceffors. Much Strength and Per/pi cu^ ity depend upon this happy Arrangement ; as in a Picture, where there is a Group of Figures^ they muft all be placed in fuch an advantageous Situa^ iion^ that they may throw Light and Lujlre upon each other. By the Help of thefe Obfervations let my Read- ers judge and try my Book j but^ as I write with Freedom, let i\iQvci judge with Candor. T^here are two Things more that will be expeSled from this Preface ; viz. an account of the Addi-p tions that are made to the original Deftgn-, and why the Publication of thefe Difcourfes has been fa long delayed. The Sermon upon the one thing needful, and thofe upon the Sunday, had the good Luck to make jo confiderable an Imprejfm upon many Per- fins, that I could not help thinking them worth prefervingfrom tbi tonmm Fate of ftitcht Things ; the PREFACE. lii the other upon the Importance of publick Wor- Ihip, though a great Part of it is woven into the Book, is here printed by itfelf at the particular Requeji of a Gentleman of Fortune, belonging to the Guards, who happened to be at Church where J preached it. For delaying the Publication, / have too good an Excufe. For fever al fubjlantial Reafons it was highly expedient that I fiould make the Defign as profitable to myfelf as could honejily be done-, but^ the Importunity of my few Subfcribers would not permit me to do it. I hope, many of my Friends^ voho might have Reafons for not encouraging my Subfcription, will not be able to find any good ones againji promoting the Sale of my Book ; if not for my Sake, yet, for the Sake o/' Religion, at a time when it Jiands in fo much need of the united and mofi vigorous Afiiflance of its Friends. One thing I promife them, that it is the lafi trou- ble of the kind that 1 fimll give them, I have, indeed, been defired to engage, again, as an auxi- liary Correfpofident to a Paper of the like kind with my Mifcellany, which I declined, not out of Pique, but Incapacity : / can hone/lly take up the fVifi of CdXo Whilft I yet live, let me not live in Vain — But, I muft fubmit to the Decays of Nature j and am very thankful to God for the little Service that I have been able to do my Religion, my Country, and my King ; befides fome good Offices in private hife. Had my Abilities, and Opportunities, of doing good been greater, I am willing to believe that 1 fhould have done fomewhat more. This 1 know, that my fmall To- 7 lent iv P R E F A C E. lent has not been hid in a Napkin. This has' been, through a long Courfe of iininterriipted Fa- tigue and Vexation ; T^his^ I humbly hope^ will fhortly be, at the Hour of Death, my great Sup- port. As I am going to take a foletnn, final Leave of the World J as a public Writer^ it is fit that I Jhould diey as I mofi fincerely do, in perfeSl Cha- rity with all Mankind. 'To thofe who have given Encouragement to my U72dertaki77gj I return my hearty I'hankSy hoping for the Continuance of their good Offices. 1 muji deny niyfelf the Pleafure of being particular i?i the Acknowledgement of Obligations^ for fear of giving Offence y where Ifijould be glad to fioew tlx^ greatejl Refpcdf. And now, Chrifiian Reader, Vale^ et in aternum Vale. Farewell for ever. N. B. In the following Difcourfe, the Chapter Concerning, the EfFefts of Prayer, is, by Miftake, divided into two, at Page 87. A J J .1..- •■ >■* '-^ ,. v,..i D I SCO U R S E O N PRAYER. CHAP. I. Concer72ing the Meaning of the TVord^ Prayer. AS Prayer is an A(5l of religions Worfiip^ and a Christian Duty, I fhall, Firft, Enquire into the feveral Acceptations of the Word in Scripture. — Sometimes it is us'd in a limited Senfe, fignifying a Part^ or Parts, of the general Duty; at other Times it compre- hends the whole of the Duty ; of both which Senfes I fliall give fome Inftances. — At the 6tb of St. Math. V. 7, 8, it is ufed to fignify that Part of Prayer which we call Petition^ or crav- ing Bleflings, whether Temporal^ or Spiritual, " But ye when ye pray, ufe not vain Repeti- " tions, as the Heathens do, for they think they " fhall be heard for their much Speaking. Be ** not ye, therefore, like unto them, for your " Father knoweth what Things ye have need '^ of before ye afk him." From which Words B it [2] it is clear that our Saviour, in this Place, fpcaks of their afking fuch Mercies as they, tbcmjches^ did need ; the' when he deUvercd that Form which we call the Lord's Prayer, in the next Words, he gave it as a Prayer, itfelf^ and a Pattern of all other Prayers, botli for ourfclves^ and others, even all Mankind. Again, Math, xxi, 22. " Whatever ye (liall alk in Prayer, be- *' lieving, ye fliall receive." In which Place our Saviour manifeftly fpeaks of that Part of Prayer which we call Petition for a Supply of their own perfonal Neceffities. I (hall cite but one Inftance more of this kind. Math, xxvi, 39. *' And he went a little farther, and fell on his " Face, and prayedy faying, Ol my Father,. ** if it be poflible, let this Cup pafs from me, <* neverthelefs, not my Will, but thine be done." Now this is called Prayer, tho' our Saviour did at that Time, evidently pray for hhijfelf 07ily. — In other Places Prayer fignifies that Part of the Duty which we call Intercejlon, or begging God's Mercies for others. Thus Math, v, 44. *' Pray for them which defpitefully ufe you, " and perfecute you. — And as Prayer , in the Places abovecited, is ufed to fignify Petition for Bleffings for curjelves, or others, fo elfewhere it fignifies Praife, or Thank/giving. Thus, Eph. i. 15, 16. " Whereas I, alfo, after I heard of ** your Faith in the Lord Jefus, and Love to all " the Saints, ceafe not to give Thanks for you ** making mention of you in my Prayers. I forbear to trouble the Englifi Reader with the original Greek, but ihejame Word is ufed in all 2 thefe [3] thefe Places. — But, farther, fometimes it fignlfies a vocal, at other Times a me?ttal Prayer . — Firft, vocal, cr that which is utter'd by Words, thus, ABs XX. 36, " And when he had thus '* fpoken, he I^neeled down 2iV\diprayed with them rz7." And, confequendy, he prayed aloud, for, otherwife, none could hzvejoin'd with him. — By menial Prayer I underftand the Soul's fpeak- ing to God inivai^dly, without expreffing itfelf by Words, or articulate Sounds. Thus Hannah prayed, i Sam. i. 13. " She fpake in her Heart, " only her Lips moved, but her Voice was not " heard." — Now, that this was Prayer, is evi- dent from what (he fpake to God, which, doubt- lefs, was a Petition for a Son ; which Petition is, as I have already fhewn, a Prayer, Again, The Word fignifies the Prayer of a fingle Perfon, or of a whole Congregation. Thus our BlelTed Lord prayed by himfelf alone. Math xxvi. 42, 44.— That of a whole Congregation, at the 2 iji of the ASls. V. 5 ; where we read that St. Paul, and the Difciples of Tyre, kneel'd down on the Shore and prayed. Having cited feveral PalTages of Scripture, where the Word Prayer is us'd in a limited Senfe, fignifying foine Part^ or Parts of the general Duty ; I (liall now cite fome others, where it fignifies the whole of the Duty, i Ihef. v. 17. St. Paul commands the Thejfalonians to pray without ceafrng. In this Place, I fay, the Apoftle ought, in any wife, to be underftood to comprehend the whole Duty, for the following Reafons : B 2 Plrft, f ^^ . . . Pirfly Becaufe here is no himitatton of the Word, there being no Epithet, or any other Circumftance, which obliges us to underftand it of one particular Fart only -, for which Reafon it ought to be taken in the largefi: Senfe, with- out any Limitation of the Meaning of the Phrafe, iince the holy Penman, himfelf, has not confin'd It, but leaves us to interpret it of the ijohole Duty of Prayer. Secondly, All Parts of Prayer are equally en- joined (as I lliall afterwards have Occalion to fliew) in the holy Scriptures. Now, fince the Word muft be underftood, either of the whole Duty, or of fome one^ or more Parts, 1 would fain know how we can underftand it of any par- ticular Part, fince in other Places, all of them are commanded ; and, confequently, all of them are equally neccflary to be prad:ifed j 1 fay, who will offer to determine ivhich of them is here meant ? It is highly neceffary, therefore, that the Words be fo explained as to contain all the I'arts, fince none muft exclude any of the Parts of Prayer. Thirdfyj We are here commanded to pray without ceafing, confequently, the whole Duty is commanded J without ceafing cannot fignify lefs than that we beftow all the Time that we can in prayer. Now, if we beftow all the Time that we can aftord to fpend in Prayer^ upon any cne, or mGre, Parts of the Duty, and negle6t the other Part, or Parts, which are, all, equally required , then we pradife but a Part of our Duty, and leave the reft undone by us. And [ 5 ] if God commands us in one Place of Scripture to beftow all our Time upon a Party and in other Places commands us to pracftife the ivhole Duty, then God's Commands contradid: and deftroy each other, and make our Obedience /w/r^;//- cable, I fliall confirm this Acceptation of the Word by two Paflages out of the P films v. 2, %, " O Hearken thou unto the Voice of my cal- '' ling, my King, and my God, for unto thee " will I make my Prayer ; my Voice fhalt thou *' hear betimes, O Lord 5 early in the Morning " will I dire(fl my Prayer unto Thee, and will *' lookup." The Word is ^^w^r^/3 and it can- not, in common Senfe, be Imited to any parti- cular Part of the Duty, iince it cannot be fup- pofed that David^ in his AddreHes to God, con- filed himfelf to any one particular kind only. But, the Conclufion of the feventy-fecond is rnore exprefs. It is there faid : T'he Prayers of Davidy the Son of "Jeff e are ended. Where, all the foregoing Pfalms are called Prayers j tho* fome of them be doleful Complaints of the Sad- nefs of his Condition j others of them Confeffion of Sins J others Acknowledgements of his De- pendence on God ; others magnify his powerful and wife Goodnefs, and render Thanks for Be- nefits receiv'd, and promife dutiful Obedience for the future J by which we learn that Prayer is made up of all thefe, and is here us'd to in- clude the Subjedl- matter of all our AddrefTes to God. B 3 CHAP, [6] C FI A p. 11. Co7icermng the Nature of Prayef\ 1. 73 R AYE R muft be an Ad of the Soiil, of jf^ xht Jpiritcial and rational Part of us : If it were otherv/ife, it could not be a religions Atl:, which fuppofes it to be an Ad: of the Vnderfiand- ing\ neither, indeed, could it be -a moral and human Adion, for That fuppofes two Things : Firft, that it be known to the J^gent j fecondly, that it be freely a5ied. The Reader, I hope, will have Patience to wait for the Ufe that I in- tend to make of thefe Obfervations, which, at prefent may not appear to be fo pertinent as he will find them to be. Firfl, 1 fay, it muft be known to the Agcnt^ becaufe, otherwife, it cannot, in a i7ioral Senfe, be called his Adion, nor does it flow from himfelf as a confcioits principle of Adion. And, if it be not freely aded, it can- not be imputed to him, whether it be good, or bad. Fraycr^ therefore, muft be performed by one that kfwics when he prays, and is conjcious of what he does ; without which Knowledge and Confcioufiiefs a Parrot may pray, as well as a Man, forafmuch as the Bird may be taught to utter the Words of a Prayer. Freedom of Adion is, like wife, as neceflary as Knowledge and Co?i- fcioiifnefs, becaufe, otherwife, a mu/ical Injiru- ment may be faid to pray when it is made, as it may be made by a Performer, to utter articulate Sounds. It is the 5^///, then, the Thought of the [7] the Mind that makes our Words Prayer. If he knows what he fays, and means^ and wills the doing it, this makes it an Adion flowing from hitnfelf^ and is truly and properly Prayer. If, 2. To this Knowledge y Confcioufnefs^ and hi- tention we add the Diredlion of the Mind while we fpeak the Words. Prayer is Jpeaking to the Obje(5t of our Prayers, or converfing with him ; but, unlefs the Mi?id be direBed to him while the Mouth utters the Words, we cannot properly be faid to fpeak to him, or converfe with him, the Mouth being only the Soul's Instrument in Converfation. It is the Soul, only, that co?!- verfes, and its Converfation is, its being di^ reSied to the Obje<5t with whom it converfes^ David, in the Words which I have already quoted, has rightly defined the Nature oi Prayer, I will DIRECT my Prayer unto thee, and will LOOKUP. And, elfewhere, hefpeaks of /?y?/?7^ up his Soul. This is what diftinguifhes Prayer from Contemplation, Reading, or Hearing the Words of Prayer. Tho' this neceffary Diftinc- tion may be quite new to a great many of my Readers, the moft ordinary Capacity may clearly underfland it, if he will but obferve how his MiJid, as well as his Voice, is directed to a Man when he fpeaks to him. Before I proceed any farther in the Chain of my Work, I fliall ftop, to apply what 1 have faid concerning the Nature of Prayer, to the People of the Church of England, the Dijfetiters, and the Papijis, •B 4 Firfl, [ 8 ] Firji, I would defire thofc of my Readers, who are of the Church of England^ to recolledt what has pafs'd in their Minds at their Devo- tions, whether in puhlick^ or in private ; com- paring it with what I have above faid, concern- ing the Nature of that Adtion of the Mind which is properly Prayer, left they fhould have mif- taken heart ng, or readmg^ of Prayers, for pray ^ ing ; for, it is evident that a Man may be atten- tive to every Part of the Service which the Mi- nifter reads at Church, or he, himfelf, reads out of a Book in his Clofet -, and that he may feel himfelf very much affedled with what he hears^ or reads, and, yet never pray at all. In order to illuftrate my Meaning, I fhall inftance in that Parr of Prayer which we call Confejjion ; while the Minifter is reading it, let the Congregation have in their Minds ever fo diftindt a View of the Force of every Branch of it; let them, at that Time, be pofleffed with the ftrongeft Senfe of their Guilt, and Folly 3 let the Paffions of Self-indignation, Shame^ and Fear, be ever fa ftrongly excited, and their Refolutions of Amend- ment ever fo firmly fixed, yet all this does not amount to praying, or confcjjing, any mere than hearing a Sermon, or reading a Difcowfe upon that Subjed:, with the fame Affections, does. This A(fl of the Mind confifts in addrejjing, or [peaking, thofe Thoughts to the Objedt of our Worfliip. If this Addrefs of the Mind be ac^ companied with a Voice, and outward Gcftures, we then, fpeak to him in the fame manner that we fpeak to one another ; but, ^s the Object of 2 ' our [9] our Worflip is always prefent to our Minds, and privy to all our Thoughts, we mzyfpcak to him by an internal DireBion of our Souls, without the Help of the Organs of Speech, or of dodily Gejlures -J but, without this DireBioUj or Ad^ drefs of the Mind, which is properly, Jpeaki?2g, we cannot be faid to confefs our Sins, but only to think of them. And thus it is with regard to every other Part of Prayer. It is very difficult to make myfelf underftood by common Readers, who are unaccuftomed to DiftinSiions of this kind, or, indeed of any other j but, I exprefs myfelf as intelligibly as I can j and the Subjed is of fuch Importance that it deferves their moft ferious Attention, and Confideration, in order to know whether they have really performed the Duty of Prayer J or only Jeemed to have done it; for, upon the Propriety of their Performance muft, in a great meafure, depend the Succefs of it. In anfwer to this, it may be obje(5ted, that the Congregation, by faying Amen^ at the end of every Colle(ft do as effedually make the whole their own ; and that by direBing their Minds to God while they repeat that Word, they may be as truly faid to have offered up eniery Part of it, ^s if they had offered up every Part of it along with the Minifter: But, this I mufl utterly deny. They do, indeed, thereby publickly declare to the People their Approbation of the whole, and . offer up to God the whole CoUedt together-, but it is not the fame thing as if they had fo joined with the Minifter in every Part of the Colled:, as to have oj^er'd up every Part of it in their mvn [ 10 ] own Minds (by fiich a Direciion of them as I have been fpeaking of) at the fame Time that the Minifter fpoke the Words ; neither can fuch a general Offering up the whok^ after the Mifiiiler has done, have the fame Eff'e^ upon the Minds of the People, as if they had, all along, joined with him in a particular Dired:ion of every Part of it to God, at the fame Time that he did. To illuftrate this, let us fuppofe the Congregation, 'knowing, and remembriiig, every Part of a Col- ledt, not to attend to it while the Minifler is reading, but to think of fomething elfe till he has read the whole, and then to fay Amen ; I afk, would this be as truly, and effeBually, of- fering up to God e'^oery Part of it in their own Minds, as if they had joined with him in a par- ticular Diredion of their Minds to God, thro' every Part of it at the fame Time with him-y yet, faying Amen, at the end of thofe Colleds which we do not repeat after the Minifler, is neceffary in order to publifJo our having mentally joined in every Part of it. 2. It is poffible that this Difc@urfe may chance to fall into the Hands of fome of the Di[fe?iters -, and, if it fliould, with the utmofl Benevolence and Chrijiian AffeBion I intreat them feriouily to apply what I have faid to themfehes ; hoping, that they will have Integrity and Wifdom enough to lay afide all manner of Prejudice, and weigh this important Affair with the Impartiality which it deferves. It is very far from my Intention to be any ways affrontive or provoking, (and let the Reader remember this in every Part of my Book, where t " ] where I may have Occafion to mention the Dif- fenters) hwt Jujiice to the Subje^^ and Charity to them J oblige me to declare plainly that, in my Opinion, it is abfolutely impoffible for any of the Dijjenters^ beiides their Teachers, properly to pray in their Meetings, or in their Families ; they only hear Prayers, in the very fame manner as they hear the Sermon. We, of the Church of England, having a Form of Prayer, the Coitgre^ gation may, if they pleafe, make themfelves thoroughly acquainted Virith all the Parts of it, and knowing, beforehand, what the Minifter is going to fay, they may accompany him all along, and while he pronounces the Words, they may, at the fame time, direB their Thoughts to God, and by that means make it their Prayer, as well as the MiniJier'S', and both theirs and his 2. joint Prayer ; but, a Dijjenting Teacher offers up a Prayer of his own private Conception, un- known, beforehand, to his Congregation ; and, therefore, their Minds muft conftantly be em- ployed in attending to what he is going to fay, and in judging of it ; and, confequently, never can have time, tbemfehes, to offer up to God, by the Diredion of their own Minds, any Part of his Prayer ; much lefs can the Minifter and the People offer up the fame Prayer, at the fame Time, becaufe he muft adlually have offer'd up every Part of it before they can tell what he will fay. 3. As this is a Matter of very great Importance, I ftiall conclude this Part with a joint Applica- tion to Church People and Diffenters. It is really ftrange [ 12 ] ftrange that fo groundlefs a Conceit {hould ever enter into Mens Heads, as that hearing another pray iTiould be praying. And yet, it is mani- feft, from daily Experience, that the Generality of Mankind do think that ihzy pray when they only hear another pray : Whereas (as I have ob- fcrved) unlefs I fpeak to God, 7?iyfelf'j unlefs my own Sotd difcoarles with him, I cannot be faid to pray. Suppofe, for inftance, I fliould be in a Room when two Perfons are difcourfing toge- ther^ and fhould hear all that they faid, but did not fay one Word myfelf-j furely, nobody could be fo fenfelefs as to imagine that I difcburfed with either of thofe Perfons to whom I did not utter one Syllable. Even fo, if I fliould be in a Churchy or a Mceti7ig-hcufe, and hear the Mi- nijier difcourfe with^ or fpeak to God, that is, pray to him, either by a ivritten Form, or a pre- compojed^ or extemporary Prayer of the Mifii/ier's own drawing up j I fay, I, myfelf^ could not be faid to pray^ unlets I diredled thofe Thoughts to God which the Words expreffed. Whereas, alas! if People be prefent in a Place of publick Worfliip ; if they feel themfelves affeded with the Subjed:-matter of the Prayer, \vlth the Voice, or Delivery, of the Reader, or speaker j if any of thefe things have fuggefted pious Sentiments, and excited pious Difpolitions, then they fanfy that they have been praying, all that time, with ^ great Devotion. But this is a mere Delulion \ for, do but conflder a little. I may be very much affeded with the hearing of a melancholy Story, and not fpeak that Story myfelf; and I do not Jfeak [ 13 ] fpcah it unlefs my Mind he direBcdio the Perfon to whom I would Ipeak. 1 may be mov'd with a Man's Complaint of his own, or another Per- fon 's Misfortunes, and yet not make that Com- plaint, myfelf-, and all the Adions of the other Party cannot be called jni7ie, becaufe I never made them fo, by [peaking- the Words, myfelf. either vocally^ or mentally. Thus it is in the cafe of Fray r. I may be deeply touched by hearing the Minifter bewail his own, and other Mens Sins, and importunately beg for Mercy, and Forgivenefs, and yet, not make hii Confef- iion mine^ for want of that DireBion of my owjz Mind, without which it cannot be Prayer, be- caufe it is not fpeakifig to God, or difcourjtng with him, I have taken the more Pains to make this effential Matter fo plain, becaufe it has not been often explained, and is little under- flood by common Readers. 4. But, the Cafe of the Papijlsy with regard to their publick Prayers, is infinitely worfe than that of our common Church People, or the Dif- fenters from our eftablified Worflnp. Indeed, I think I have proved very fairly that the DiJJe?!- terSy not knowing beforehand what the Mini/ler will fay in his Prayer, can never make his Prayer theirs while he is praying, much lefs make kjoi72ily with him, and cannot properly be faid ever to pray, either in their Meetings, or in their Family Devotions ; yet, they may edify by hear- ing their Mini/ler pray, juft as they may edify by his Sermons, or by reading a good Book. Their Judgments may be informed, their Paf- fions [14] fions excited, and fuch Impreflions left upon their Minds, as may be produdive of good Fruits : But, it is impoffible for the illiterate People of the Romip Communion, either to join in their publick Prayers, or to be in the leafl edified by them, becaufe they cannot u?jde?fia?id thtm ; nei- ther can a Perfon who prays in a Tongue which he does not imderjland, be, properly, faid to pray at all : For, as I have already proved, fraying to any Perfon is, /peaking to him, or converjing with him ; but [peaking to any Perfon, or converfing with him, is communicating, or expreffing, our "Thoughts to him. But, what Ideas ^ v/h^it Thoughts^ can anyone have in his Mind when he fpeaks he does not know what ? The Words may contain very proper Sentiments^ but they cannot be his Sentiments, becaufe they are, to him^ no Sentiments at all, for want of underftanding the Meaning of the Words which exprefs them. TKis, I am fure, was St. PauH Opinion (i Cor. xiv. i6.) " How, fays the Apo- " file, fliall he that occupieth the Room of the " unlearned^ (that is, how (hall the unlearned " Perfon, who does not know what thou fpeak- *^ eft in a Jhange Language) fay Amen at thy " giving of Thanks, feeing he underftandeth " not what thou fayeft '; for thou verily giveft ** Thanks well, but the other is not edified." And this he calls [peaking into the Air \ that is, to no piirpofe. Wherefore in the Opinion of this infpired Writer, a Man muft iinderftand what is faid in Prayer, or he cannot make it his own Prayer by faying Amen to it. Neither is it pof- fibie [/5] fible that fuch an Adion as this, where neither the Under fianding, nor the jiffcdliom-y neither the Head, nor the Heart are concerned, fhould have any EfFedt towards anfwering any of the Ejids of Prayer. From whence appears the grofs Corruption of the Latm Service of the Church of Rome. For, fuppofe that the Priejl does underftand what he fays, and confequently does truly pray ; yet, he prays a!o?ie^ and all the illiterate Part of the Congregation Hand like Ideots, either hearing him fpeak, or fpeaking, themfelves, fuch Words as they do not under- ftand a Syllable of; and, therefore do not pray at all : So that the great Chrifiian Duty of wor- fhipping God in publick Jlffemblies, is rendered impraBicabk by the common People ; God lofes his Honour, and the poor deluded Wretches lofe the Opportunity of performing a moil neceflary, and comfortable Service. We have, indeed, Reafon to hope, and believe, that tho' they are fo unhappy as to lofe the prefent Advantages, and Satisfaction of difcharging their Duty, their ini)iticible Ignorance is excufable ; but, for their Rulers — , who introduced, and continue this infamous Corruption, the krgeji Charity can do no more than recommend them to the infinite Mercies of God. But, what infinite Reafon have we, we of the Church of England, more efpecially, to be thankful to God'% Goodnefs, as for other Parts of the Rejormation, fo particu- larly for giving us the. beft Opportunity, and the beft Means, of performing towards him the very beft, that is, the moft reafonabk Service ; of [ i6 ] of offering up fuch joiiit publick Prayers as do truly deferve that Name ! May we all be as thank- ful for thefe Blefiings, and as diligent in the Ufe, as we are happy in the Enjoyment, of them; or our Ingratitude will be an Aggravation of our Guilt in negledling them. Having diftindly confider'd the Nature of Prayer, and fliewn wherein it differs from Con- templation ; the next Thing to be confider'd is, the proper ObjeSi of our Prayers. — Under which Head 1 do not intend to give an hiftorical Ac- count, much lefs a Confutation of all the feveral Kinds of Idolatry that have been pradlis'd among Heathens, yews, and Chriftians, but only to en- quire how far all invifible Creatures^ as fuch, are excluded from being proper ObjeBs of our Prayers. CHAP III. Concerning the Objedl of Prayer. lyRATER, as I have fhewn, is that Ad: of •*- the Mind by which we addrefs our Thoughts, direSf, or [peak, them to another Being. This we, i^^, are capable of doing to one another, either to afk the Affiftance of each other, to acknowledge the Receipt of Benefits, or to ex- prefs the good Opinion which we entertain of one another. And all this is very right while we keep within proper Bounds ; that is, while we do not ajk any thing of a Man which none but God can give, as the King of Affyria did when -I 1 17 ] _ when he font his General to the King of Ifrael to he ??2ij'£culai/ly cined of ^h\s Leprojy, as our Lord cured his Dilciples by a Word of his Mouth ; or thank him fcr Bleffings in fuch a Manner as implies a Denial- of God's being the great G.ovcrnour x)f the World, and the original Fountain of ail human Bleffinss ; or afcribe fuch Perfections to him, either in Ki?7d, or Degree, as belong only to the Deily -^ as in the Cafe of Herod, when the People, in Compliment to him for an eloquent Speech, fiid, it was the Voice of a God, and not of a Man. But, all invijihle Creatures, are naturally incapable Objedls of our Addrefjcs, or Brayers, of any kind. I call any Being naturally an incapable Objeft of our Ad- drefles, which is of fuch Nature, and in fuch Circumftances, that it is impoflible for us to know whether it will be io any piirpofe to ad- drefs oui felves to it. Let us, then, coniider how this Maiter {lands with regard to invl/ible Crea- tures. \n the firft place, All Creatures being of a limited Nature, it is impoilible for us to know whether any invifible Creature be prefent with us when we addrefs ourfelves to it. Arcli{)i- fliop Tennifon, in his learned Treatife on lidatry^ obferves, that the Power of God being infinite, we cannot know but that he may be able to create a Being that may be tTrry ^dcbere, as well as ia ^iuy particular Place. Stridly fpeaking, this is ' true : But, then, with Pi;everence to his Grace's Character, I muft obferve that even Oninipo- tence can create but one fuch Being, becaufe it feems, to my^ Auprehenllon, that t'is:Q created \i 0/ Beings [ ,8] Beings cannot be in the fame Place, at the fame ^ime i whereas the Scriptures affure us that there are Multitudes of invifible fpiritual Subftances furrounding us, and frequently changing their Situation. It is the Prerogative of God to be able to pervade other Beings, or to be, at the fame Tinae, in the very fame Place, with any other Being ; confequently, tho' there might, as far as we can tell, have been a Creature made capable of being every when prefent, yet we are affur'd, from there being more Creatures than one, that there can be no fuch Creature as an omniprefent one : I mention this only as a Mat- ter of curious Spectdation, not as a Point of Con- fcquence : For, if it were poffible in Nature, we could not poffibly k?20w that there aBually is fuch a one, there being no fuch Truth revealed to us by God. On the contrary, the Scripture makes mention of no other omniprefent Being but the Deity , and always mentions his Omniprefence z.'^ peculiar XQ Himfelf. Solomon^ in his Prayer of Dedication, fays to God, the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, much lefs this Houfe, And God fays of himfelf. Heaven is my 'ThronCy and the Earth is my Footfiool. Am I a God at hand^ and not a God afar off. The Pfalmift moft elegantly, as well as fully, exprefles his Immen- fity , or Omniprefence^ — *' Whither Ihall I go from " thy Spirit, or whither fliall I go from thy Pre- " fence ? If I afcend up into Heaven, thou art " there j if I go -down into Hell, thou art there " alfo J if I take the Wings of the Morning, ** and remain in the uttcrmoft Parts of the Sea, *' even t^9] ''^ even there alfo (hall thy Hand lead me.'* There are variety of PafTagcs in the Scriptures bf the old and new Teftament to the fame pur- pore, all of them fetting forth God's hnmenfiiy^ or Qmniprefence . And it is neceflarily irhplied, in the Nature of Things, that when God gives a particular Account of his natural Attributes^ it mufl be by way of DiftinBion, and that what he fays of his own Nature cannot be faid of his Creatures. As to us^ Men^ we know that we are, all, limited^ and can occupy but a fmall Part of Space at one Time j and, confequently, the greatefl Saint that ever lived, after he is dead continues to be as limited as when he was iilive, and can occupy no more Space^ • As to the Angels^ we are alTuFed that they are not only iimited, like Men^ but perpetually cha?jging their Situation ; fo that when the Papijls pray to any Saint, or Angel, it is impoffible for them to know whether the Being to whom they pray be at that Time prefent with them. But, fuppofing we were able to tell when any particular Saint^ or Angel, is prefent with us, it could not be privy to our Thoughts, and, confe- quently, all fuch Prayers^ or Addrejfes of the Mind, could be of no manner of Signification ; and that Saints and Angels cannot know our Thoughts, we are as certain as we are that the Scriptures are true ; for, they expreflly declare, that it is God that feeth in Secret and is privy to the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. Solomon^ in particular, fays, not only that God knowetb our Thoughts, but that he alone is capable of C 2 doing [ 20 ] doing It, I Kings viii. 39. And God's Ability to know the Secrets of our Hearts is a neceffary Inference which the Scriptures draw from his having created us. Under fl and, ye brutijh, (fays the Pfalmift) He that planted the Ear fiall not he hear J he that made the Eye fiall not he fee t Then it follows, ^he Lord knoweth the thoughts of Men. The fame Inference God draws from his O mnif re fence ', Am I God at hand, and not afar off : From whence he infers, Can any hide himfelf in fecret Places that I fiall not fee him. And, therefore, as it is God G7ily that is every where prefent, and privy to our Thoughts, he only is a capable Objedt of our religious AddrefTes. The- Worlhip of Saints . and Angels is full as fenfelels and ridiculous as any ojf the Heathen Idolatry, The Holy Scriptures frequently deride the Worfliippers of thofe Deities, which wanted the Perfedions neceflary to render them capable Objedls of Worfliip. It was a bitter Taunt to the Priefts of J5^^/, when E/Z/'j/^j bad them cry aloud, for your God is either talking, or pur filings or on a journey, or, peradvejitiire, he Jleepeth^ and miifi be awaked. So when a Papifl prays. to a Saint ^ or an Angel, he knows not but that the Object of his Worfhip may at that Time be at a vafl Diftance from him, or, if prefent, as igno- rant of what is faid to him, as Baal was of the Prayers of his Worfliippers ; unlefs God has told them that he will always make known to Saints and Angels, fuch Addrefles as are made to them by Men. But where do they find any Direc- tions in Scripture to tell any of them to what Saint, [ 21 ] Saint, or Angel, any of them fliall pray, with an Aflurance that God will communicate to that Saint, or Angel, fiich AddrelTes ? But,' fuppofe God were continually to make known to SatJits and Ajtgeh the Petitions that are made to them from Earthy even this would not make them capable ObjeSfs of our Prayers ; for, unlefs they be capable of anfwering Peti- tions, what will their knowing our Wants fig- nify to us ? And it is impoffible that they Jhould be able to fupply all our Wants, without being omnifcient^ and omnipotent-^ without Omnifcience^ they cannot tell whether what we afk of them be good for us, or how our Wants may be fupplied. Without Omnipotence^ they cannot always be able to put their good Defigns in Execution. They mu/l be able to fee all the prefent bad De- iigns of evil Spirits^ and evil Men, againft us. They muft be able io for efee all \S\q future Inten- tions and Adions oi free Agents. They muft likewife be able to controul and over-rule them 5 and, I prefume, there is not a Fapift of common Senfe who believes that faints and Angels have fuch Powers as thefe ; which, yet are abfolutely requilite towards making them capable Objeds of their Prayers. How, then, can they acft fo abfurdly, and impertinently, as to pray to Beings which they muft know, and acknowledge, to be incapable of helping them ? And, yet, that they do pray to Saints and Angels is undeniable. At prefent, indeed, their Mafles are not publickly ufed among us ; and, therefore we cannot have daily experimental C 3 Evidence [ 22 ] Evidence of this Favlt; but^ all PerfonSj who know any thing of Popery^ muft know that the Pcipijis do publickly pray to Saints and Angels in their Churches : Nay, they have made the Doc- trine of praying to Saints and Aagels an Article cjf their Faith, and, in their Opinion, neceflary ^o Salvation ; and they refufe Communion with, and pofitively condemn, all thofe vvho will not profeis their Belief of this Article of their Trent Creed. Nay, they not only pray to them, but they pray to them with all the fame Circum- ftances of religious Honour, and JVorJloip, with which they pray to God and Chriji \ and pray to thein together with God and Chrift as joint Ob- jeBs of Worlhip : This might ealily be proved from their piiblick Forms of Prayer ; but this does not fo properly fall within my prefent Plan ; which was, to {liew that Saints, and A?tgels^ as Creatures of a finite and limited Nature, are not capable Objedis of our AddreJJ'es of any fort, becaufe they can neither know what we pray for, nor are capable of anfwering our Prayers. If any one is delirous of receiving farther Satis- faction on this Head, I refer him to three mod excellent Serrnons of Archbifhop Tillotfon upon 0726 God, and ojie Mediator between God and Man, See. in the ifl Folio Volume of his pofthumous Works. But, though Saints and Angels are not ca- pable of hearing, or anfwering our Prayers, by Virtue of their own Knowledge and Power, yet, the Papijts pretend that God may reveal to Saints and Angels what we afk of them, and enable r 23 i-r^ >enaMe them to grant our Petitions. God, it feems, may do this if he pleafes, and therefore they pray to Saints and Angels without knowing whether he will be pleafed to do it, or not. Is i[ not more reafonable to argue after this Manner : We do not know (the Scriptures being quite 'filent about it) that Saifits and A?igeh do know what we fay to them, or are able to grant what we afk of them, and therefore we will not offer to pray to them, for want of a fufficient Warrant from Reafon, or Scripture, becaufe fuch a Prac- tice would be a ioo\\ih one ? 1 fliall illuflrate it by putting a familiar Cafe. Suppofe that we in England fliould afk any thing of the Emperor of China^ tho' it is naturally impoflible for the Emperor to hear what we fay to him, or be ca- pable of affifting U5\ unlefs God reveals it to him, and enables him to grant it ^ I fay, fuppofe we fliould pray to him only becaufe God can do all this, when we have no Grounds of Affurance that God will do it ; in this Cafe would any Man pretend to talk, or converfe, with the Em- peror at fo great a Diflance from us, as if he were -prefent with us, or we were fure that he knew what we faid to him, and could fupply our Wants ? The Parallel between this and the Cafe of praying to Saints and Angels is fo obvious, that I need not flay to draw it : But, to obviate this Di^culty, the Papijis have found out a very great Secret, viz. that Saints and Angels, having the beatific Vifton of God, fee all Things in him, and, confequendy know when we pray to them, what we pray to them for, and whether our Prayers be fit to be offered. Now, in the fir ft C 4 place, [ 2+ ] place, as to Saints^ wc, knowing nothing of the Hearts of Men, cannot, tell who are Saints, or who are hypocriticrd Sinners, and may pray to them under a Periuafion of their bcnng in the more immediate Prf fence of God, while they are among the IVicked-'m Darknefs -and Defpair y and, therefore before the Papijis pray to any of the Saints, they fnould pray to Ccd that he would be pleas'd to tell them whether the Per(on to whom they are going to < pray be real'y a Saint In Heaven, or a Si/iner in H
ere, to thofe that call .«' upon him ; fince this is not the Nature of *' Miin^ but God J to be able to be prefent every V' where ? If Chriji be only a Man^ why do we ** call ypon him as Mediator % fince Prayer to a " Man is deemed ineffectual to fave us ? If *' Cbnift be only a Man^ why do we put our '^ Hope in him ; fince Hope in Man is accurfed " in Scripture ?" At p. 140, there is another Pafiai^e, that, by neceflary Inference, proves Chriji' s Divinity : '* Praying to them {Sainfs and *' Angels) in all Places, and at all Times, and ** for all forts of Bleffings, does fuppofe them to ■** have the incommunicable Perfedions of the " divine Nature imparted to them, or inherent *' in them, viz. his Omniprefence, Omni/cience, ** and Omnipotence ; and to whatever Being we ** afcribe thefc Perfe(!lions, in doing fo, we make " it God." We, therefore, being commanded to pray to Chrtjl in all Places, and at all Times, and for all forts of Bleflings, this is a plain De- claration of his truly divine Nature : And it is for want of thefe divine Perfedions that St. Vaul^ in his Epiftle to the Cohjfiam^ abfolutely/^r^/Vi praying to Angeh 3 and if not to Angels, much iefs to Saints, I 1 27 ] I hope, I have made it plain that God only, the one fupr erne God, is a capable ObjeB of Prayer, becaufe he o n l y is omniprefenty omnifaenty and omnipotent ; but it does not follow, that, becaufe he is capable^ at all Times, and in all Places, to hear, and anfwer all the Prayers of all his Creatures, therefore he permits^ much lefs requires^ us, to pray to him, fince he knows, without our telling him, all our Wants, and is difpofed, by his Goodnefs, to fupply them, as far as is confiftent with his Wifdcm, without our afking him. His JVill in this Cafe cannot be proved by his bare Capacity to be prayed to, but muft be grounded upon fome other Confide- j-ation, drawn either from our Nature^ or his exprefs Commaftd. Next, therefore, 1 proceed to enquire how we can difcover it to be the Will of Qod that vitfiould pray to him. CHAP IV. Concerning our Obligations to the Duty of Prayer. I fay, the Proof of our Obligation to pray to God Reafon muft deduce from his Nature, and oun ; or be built upon his exprefs Command, contained in fome external Revelation. As for what relates to the Proof of the Duty from the Nature of God, the Nature of Man^ and the Nature of the Duty, I cannot ftate that Matter in a clearer Light, than in the following Letters that paffed on this Occafion, between a very learned and ingenious Divine, the late Mr. 7 7e/¥^ yofeph Clarke of Long-Ditton^ and myfelf, and therefore I fhall here publjfh them. To the Reverend Mr, Joseph Clarke. Sir, * A S you are jufily allow'd to have an excel- *_/j^ lent metaphyfical Genius, and very mi- * nutely to have confider'd the Nature, Relation, ' and Fitnefs of Things, Vi^ith the moral Obliga^ * tions arifing from them, I fhould be much * oblig'd to you, and our learned Friend Mr. * Harveft, for your Sentiments upon a Subjedl * of Confequence, that I would examine with * all poffible Accuracy. I want a Proof of * the Duty of Prayer from natural Principles, * I have read a good deal upon the Subje6:, and * muft be of Opinion that very eminent Writers * have us'd very inconcluUve Arguments, which * in the Confequence muft always do more hurt * than good. It has ever been an eftablifh'd ' Maxim with me, that l^ruth can never be ferv'd ' by Error, neither can it ever ftand in need of ' (nch. falfe Friends to fupport it. They always ^ give an Advantage to the Enemy, by bringing ' a Difcredit upon the Caufe which they attempt ' to ferve. Whenever the Inconclujivenefs of fuch Arguments are deteded and expofed (and there will always be hijideh able and ready to do it) it ftaggers weak Minds, and brings a Di/iruji upon the clear eft Arguments, which will either hinder a fair Examination, or give a wrong Bias to the Judgment, and occafion them to imagine that a thing is not capable of - * being [ 29 ] being proved at all, becaufe thofe Arguments do not prove it. The Thing to be prov'd is this, viz. That Prayer is a Duty, not only as it is a natural Means of Religion and Virtue ^ (which 1 think capable of Demonftration) but in it- felf, and for its cwn fake; a Duty arifing from the Nature of Man^ and of the Deity ; from us, as dependent finful Beings, to him^ as the Creator J Prefer^ver'&nd Judge of the World. This, I fay, is the Point to be prov'd : This is what eminent Men have publickly attempted to prove, but not to my Satisfadion, nor the Convidiion of Injideh. If any Body can do it, you and he can ; and by doing of it you may not only gratify the Curiolity of an old, inqui- litive Ffiend, but do publick Service to Reli- gion and to Mankind. - I am, Tour affeSfionate Friend and Servant, W. Webster. Tb the Reverend Dr. Webster. Sir^ Ifliould have anfwer'u the Favour of yours^ which now lies before me of 05lob. 21, by the Time you deiired ; but was prevented, by being obliged to be t-blent from home, till Yefterday j therefore liope you will excufe the Negledt, I cannot preiume to think myfelf able to give you the Sati i.ution you defire, m a Matter which others, lu much better quali- * fied. . [ 30 ] * fied, have riot fucceded in ; and, what h nidre; * a Matter wherein you feem to diftruft yourfelf- * who (without a Compliment) 1 think capable * of doing as much upon all Subjedls, as any ' one ; but yet I cannot difpenfc with myfelf, * from venturing to give you my Thoughts upon * the Queftion you propofe; that I may not, * by a Refufal, render myfelf unworthy of the * Honour you do me, in thinking them worth ' your knowing ; though I fhould perhaps better * confult my own Advantage, by being lilent. * The Thing you want to fee proved is, if * I miftake not, contain'd in the following Pfo- ' pofition, viz, * The Ad of Prayer, either for Spirituals, or ' ^emporah^ from Man to the fupreme Being,' is * a Duty of natural Morality ; or the Obligation * to which, is founded in, and will arife jimply * from^ the natural Relation and Fitnefs of Things. * What has occurr'd to me in thinking upon * it, is as follows : * That AB, to which Man, /imply, as a ra- ' tional Agent, is obliged from the natural Rela- ' tion and Fitnefs of Things j will be to him a ' Duty, founded in, and arifmg fimply from, fuch * Relation and Fitnefs, * I know it is always urged by thofe who are ' againfl: the Scheme of Obligation from Fitnefs, * &c. that there can be no Obligation without a * Law ; and no Law without Sandlions annex'd. * This I have always looked upon as a moft pi- * tiful Logomachy > as if the Law of Reafon, * were not as much a Law, to rational Agents, * as [ 31 ] as any Law whatever ; or as if the Reafon of Things were not a Law^ becaufe, forfooth, it is coniider'd as having, as fuch, no SanBions annex'd : But furely fuch SanBions do not fnake any thing tnore a LaWy than it would be without them. They may be ufeful, or necefTary, to enforce the Law, and to procure a more regular Obedience to it -, but where the Law is founded in Reafon^ it wants no other Sanctions to make it a Law^ or obligatory, to all rational Agents : It is fo in itfelf, and as fuch ; and the SanSlions annex'd, are only ex- trinfic Appendages, and enter not neceflarily into the Idea of a rational Law^ or its Obligation as fuch : And whoever will fay, that SanBiotis annex'd, are what only make Morality obliga- tory upon a moral Agent, may as well fay, that the SanBions make it Morality-, for furely, there is not more Difficulty in conceiving a moral hnw obligatory without SanBions, than in conceiving Morality without Obligation.— ^^m this by the way— They who do not like the Word Law, may change it, without any Detriment to the Queftion : For call it a Rule of ABion 5 and then I apprehend that a rational Agent, is as much obliged, as fuch, /. e, morally obliged, to a£i by the Rule of Reafon, that is, to aB as a rational Agent, or as what he is, as if it were a Law, guarded by a thoufand Sand:ions. * Man then, being a rational Agent, is, Am- ply, and as fuch, morally obliged to adt by the Law, or Ride of natural Reafon -, and what- ever he is fo obliged to, is thereby his Duty, * founded [ 32 ] founded in, and ariflng f'rom^ the natural Re^ Idtion and Fitnefs of Things j which is that Rule or Law. ' The prefent Qneftion then is, whether the AB of Prayer y from Man to the fupreme Being, be an Ad: to which he h,. /imply, as a ratiojial Agent, obliged from the natural Relation and Fitnefs of Things. * Now, Man is a Being fenfhlc of the many and various Wants and Nccefjities, whether Temporal, or Spiritual^ to which he is by his Nature liable. He is dependent upon the fu- preme Being, as his Creator and Preferver, for the Supply offuch Wants j and in whofe Peiver and Will alone it is to grant, or not to grant, fuch Supplies. — Will it now from hence fol- low, that Man, as 2.fenjibk\ dependent, rational Agent, is obliged, as fuch, fiinply, and from the natural Relation and Fitnefs of Things, to apply to that Being, in whofe Power and Will alone it is to grant fuch Supplies ? Does there not feem to be as natural a Connect ion. Relation, and FitnfSy between Want, Dependence, &c. and Application to him on whom that Depen- dence is, and in whofe Power and Will the Supply of fuch Wants are ; as there is between any moral Fitneffes whatever ?— ^I don't rriean a Fitnefs of Means to an End merely, but a Fit- nefs of Congruity, a Fitnefs in fe, ariiing from the natural Relation between God and Man. * May it not be farther argued, that Man, being a Creature thus dependent ; all fuch Ac- tions, Conduct and Behaviour, which are ex- * prejjivs [ 33 ] prejike of an Acknowledgement of fuch Depen- dence, are, as a rational dependent Agent, Parts of his moral Duty, ariling fimply from the natural Relation and Titnefs of 'Ihwgs '^ Is there not a natural Fitnefs of A5iion, between fuch 2i dependent State, and the Acknowledgment of it ? /. e. Is not fuch a dependent, rational Agent, obliged, fimply, as fuch, by the Ruk of Reafon, that is, by the Rule of Fitnefs, to acknowledge himfelf to be, by his Condud: and Behaviour, what he is j and would not a contrary Conduct be adling counter to the natural Re.la~ tion, which fuch a dependent, rational Agent bears to him, on whom he is fo dependent ? Is not the A5i of 'Prayer therefore, or fuch an Adt of Application, (being one of the ftrongeft Means of fuch Acknowledgement, as is before mention'd) an Adlion v^ho^Qfrnple Fitnefs is founded in the Nature and Reafon of Things ? And, if fo, does it not become, as fuch, a Duty, and obligatory, a Part of the moral Law, or Religion of Nature ? and there- fore farther, a Part of Condud: which may be inquired into by the fupr erne Judge j to whom Man is accountable. — But obferve here, that I do not make the Obligation to arife from his being thus accountable ; but from his being a fenfible, dependent, rational Agent : . But fince he is alfo an accountable Agent, he may be called to account for his Condud: in this, as well as any other Part of the moral Law. ' Farther flill, May not the, like, be faid of an Obligation of Man, confider'd as a finful of- D * fending. [ 34 ] fending^ accountable Agent, to apply for Pardon to that fupreme Judge, on whofe IVtIl and Power' alone fuch Pardon depends f Is there not, as before, a Fitnefs of Congndty in fuch Condudl, ariling from his Nature and Circum- Jlances, and the Relation he bears to God ? /, e. would fuch a Creature adl as fuch, if he did otherwife; and therefore is not a moral Obli- gation thereby induced ? * The Cafe then being thus, is not Man, as a rational Ageiit^ morally obliged to adt accord- ing to thefe moral Relations and Fitneffes ? Would he behave as a rational Agent, if he did not a(ft according to them ? If not, then by bei?ig fuch, he is morally obliged to adl as fuch, i, e. he is morally obliged to aft as 'what he is J fince otherwife, he could not be, what by Suppofition he is ; for being fuch, is aSfing as fuch } they are the fame Thing. This is what I mean by j?Joral Obligation ; which is as much Obligation as can be induced by any Sancliof2s whatever : All this 1 know is ftrange Language to thofe who cannot fee that the Obligation, arifing from the Nature and Reafon of ^bifigs, carries its own Sa?i6lion along with it, from the univerfal Confufion, naturally con- fequent upon coimteraBing them ; which, to a rational Agent, ought to be, (though in fa(5t it prove oiherwife) as flrong a Sa?i6iion as any Rewards and Punifhments fuperadded ; and they who deny this to be Obligation, feem to have no Notion of any Obligation but external, and cocrcii\\ or that a Mai:i cannot be faid to be 4 * bound [ 35 ] hound in any other Scnfe than that of being tied Neck and Heels. * But it may be faid, perhaps, that the fuprcmc Being, having at once, 'and eternally, one determined Scheme of Providence, viz. of aU ways, and i?jvariably doing 'what is right and fit to be done in all Cafes ; and knowing txter^ nallyy and at once, all our IVants^ and what is right and fit to be done j and confequently what, in all Cafes, will certainly and invaria- bly be done j the ^B cf Prayer may appear, in the Nature and Reafon of Things, to be improper, and unjit ; as it is fuppofing, either that God may be prevailed upon by it, to do what is not right and fit to be done ; or elfe that he would not do what is right and fit to be done, without it — Alfo to be ufelejs and iinnecejfary j fince it cannot be fuppofed that he will (or can, morally fpeaking) alter this one eternal Scheme of Providence, Jix'd ac- cording to the Standard of ReSlitude, on ac- count of fuch Application as is fuppofed ; that it may be alfo unwife (and therefore unfit ) as our Ignorance of the whole Scheme of Provi- dence may occafion us to afk Things unfit and improper, and which, however partially good for us, may upon the whole be not fo-* and the hO. of Prayer be thus, in the Nature and Reafon of Things, ufelefs, unnecefj'ary, un- fit, and unwife; then, not obligatory, or a Duty ; but the contrary of which will be fo y and, Thy Will he done, as it is the fliorteft, fo it may be thought, perhaps, to be alfo the wifeft, and mofl religious Addrefs, P 2 * Whether [36] * Whether there be, or be not, any Force in * fuch Obicdions, iipo?! the foot of natural Rea- * fcn^ you will confider ; or whether they may * be afi/kvcr'd by faying, that an Obligation to * fucli Application, does not exclude a Defe- « rence, and Submiflion at the fame time to < God's Will. — That the afking, thro' Igno- < ranee, Things improper, does not take from * the Obligation of fuch Application in general, € — And tho' God be fuppofed to have one < invariable, determified Scheme of Providence, < which is not to be altered on account of human ' Application • yet it will not follow that fuch * Application is ufelefs, unnecefTary, or unfit ; * becaufe, fuch Application, appearing a priori < to be in itfelfo. fit ABion^ from the natural « Relation and FitJiefs of ^Things, as before ex- * plain'd ; may it not be fuppofed that fuch < ASlion, and ConduB, on Man's fide, may < make a necejjdry Part of that Scheme of Pro- « vidence ; fo as to be a Salification on the * Part of Ma?2, whereby that Scheme is to be * perform' d^ i. e. tho' God will always and in- * variably do, what is right and fit to be done in < all Cafes j and eterfially knew what always « would be fo ; and confequently was, in the * Nature of Things, certain and fixt, yet that * eternal Fitnefs and Certainty in the Scheme of * Providence, may depend on Man''s> Performance * on his Part\ in the A5i of Application, as a * jit ABion, ariiing from our Relation to him'; * as a natural Acknowledgment of our Depeii- * dence j or as a necefary Salification, and * Means [ 37 ] ' Memis of Conveyance ; eflential to, and fo mak- < ing a Part in, the one invariable Scheme ; « being thw^ connedied with, and being one Link ' in the great Chain of Providence, juft as the * eternal Certainty oj Events (which is true of all ' Events) does not interfere with the Obligation ' of Man, to do what is right a?7d fit, to pro- * diice fuch Events as future Contingences ; fuch ' Means being, on the contrary, in the Scheme * of Providence, neceffarily or ejfentially conneSled < with that Certainty of Events. * I know not whether I have expreffed my- * -felf clearly, or whether what I have troubled * you with connes up to what you enquire after, * either as to the ^.efiion you intend, or the ^ Froof of it.' — I pretend only to give a few ' Hints, which, if they meet with your Appro- < bation, you will improve; if otherwife, you * will however find at leaft one natural Fitncfs ' in them ; and whatever other Obligation they -*"may fall (hort of proving, they will not, I «*"hope fail of proving thai which I think my- *'felf under, of always being at your Com- * mand, and, dear Sir, Your faithful a7id obedient Serva?2f, Long-Ditton, ATov. 12.1748. Jo. Clarke. ' P. S. The Queftion you propofe is attended * with Difficulties J and I muft confefs, * that, upon looking this Letter over again, * I do not think it comes up to fo clear a ' Proof as I could wifh, but believe it * may be improved." D 3 '^Vr, [38] Sir, IN anfwer to the Favour of your's, concern- ing the natural Fitnefs, and vwral Obliga- tion^ of the Duty of Prayer, I (hall join liTue with you in Opinion that a moral Obligation may arife from the Fitnefs of Things, where there is no external Sandion to enforce it. Rea- fon, no doubt, is an eternal and immutable LaiVy or Rule of Adlion, to all reafonable Beings, or, elfe the Deity could have no Law, or Rule of Adlion that is binding upon his mo- ral PerfeSiionSy and we could not reafon from them in Proof of the Truth of Religion. And, if God be under a moral Obligation to make the Fitnefs of Things, i. e, Reafon, the Rule of his Condudl', all intelligent Creatures muft be under the fame Obligation to adl rea- fonahly, tho' not under the fame Necefjity, for want of his abfolute PerfeBion : But, then, as we are not, like the Deity, felf fufficient, and yet, as Beings capable of Happinefs, or Mifery, cannot avoid acting with a View to our own Happinefs, upon the whole ; if you take away the External SanBions of Religion — 2i future State of Rewards and PunifJ:)me?Jts-. — in many Cafes the natural Fitnefs or Reajon of Things would be altered with regard to particular Perfons, under particular Cir cum fiances-, and, confequendy, in all thofe Cafes all moral Ob- • ligation muft ceafe, unlefs intelligent, conicious ' Beings could be morally obliged, knowingly, f to make themfelves Miferabk^ which I ap- prehend [39] * prehend to be as contrary to Reafon^ and the * Fitnefs of Things^ as can poffibly be conceived. < I need not give Examples, they being lb va- * rious and obvious in common Life : But, let * us come to the Queftion, and, in order to it, * I muft tranfcribe ;/;v State of it, as vou had it * in my firft Letter. ' The Thing to be Proved is this, w.^. '' That *' Prayer is a Duty, not only as a natural Means ** of Religion and Virtue^ but in itfelj\ and for " its own fake j a Duty ariiing from the Nature " of Man J and the Nature of God; from us^ " as dependent^ fi'f^^ Creatures, to hi?n^ as our *' Creator^ Preferver, and Judge -^ to which let " me add, farther, by way of Explanation, " without any regard to its Influence upon w/r- " fehes, or other Men. * In your Anfwer to my Letter you flate my ' Queftion thus : " The Thing which you want *' to fee prov'd, is contained in the following ** Proportion, 'viz. that the Act of Prayer^ *' from Man to ih^ fupreme Being, is a Duty of " natural Morality ; or a Duty, the Obligation " to which is founded in, and will arife, sim- ** ^LY^ from the natural Relation, and Fitnefs ** of Tubings!' — In another Part of your Ivetter * it is ftatcd thus- — " The prefent Qiieftion is, ** Whether the Adl of Prayer^ from Man to the '* fupreme Being, be an A<51 to which he is ^^ fmiply, as a rational Creiture, obliged from ** the natural Relation and Fitnefs oj Jbings F" * Tho' the Obfervation has not an immediate * Connexion with our main Queftion^ it may, D 4 however. [ 40 ] ■^ however, be of fome Ufe to obferve, by the * way, that the Phrafe, natural Religion^ which * you here ufe, is of an ambiguQiis Signification : ' For, when we fay that any Thing is a Duty ^of natural Religion, we may mean that the ' natural JJiiderfianding of Man , tmaj/i/led hy any ' external Revelation^ might have difcovered our "' Obligation to the Performance of it. In this * Senfb of the Words, I muft be of Opinion ' that there is no fuch Thing as natural Religion ; ' and that if Men had been left, folely, to the *. Guidance of their unajjlfled Reafon, there never ' 'would, or could, have been any Religion at all: <■ — But, if you mean no more by natural Re- * ligion than this, viz. that the natural Under- *■ Jlanding of Man, inlightened and ftrengthen'd ' by external Communications, and Affiftances ' from the Author of it, gradually improv'd this * natural Faculty by Exercife -, by which means ' Men, in time, became capable, in great meafure, * of difcovering the natural Fitnefs of the jnoral ' Duties of Religion, from the Relation of * Thiiigs -J I fay, if no more than this be meant, ' I fubfcribe to it, and think it as clear as any * one Truth in Morality, that Prayer, in . this ' Senfe of natural Religion, is one of its prime * Duties, as having, in the Exercife of it, a ' ?2atural Fitnefs, or Tejidency, to promote Re- ' ligion and Virtue, by means of its Influence * upon the Minds and Condud of Men, which, V I think, muft be fufficient to convince you * that you have not rightly ftated my Queftion, ' in thofe PaiTages which I have cited from your ' Letter, Letter; because, it never was :t^ie/!fon with me, whether Prayer be a Duty o{ natiiriil Mo- ' raliiy ? — Whether an Obligation to the Per- formance of it, will not arife from the ?iatural ' Relation and Fitnejs of Thhigs ? — Whether we ' be obliged, from fuch a Relation and Fitnefs, as rational Creatures, to perform it ? — If the Duty be, what I readily achiowkdge it to be, in itfelf\ a natural Means of promoting Reli- gion and Virtue ; thence neceflarily follows its natural Morality, its natural Fitnefs, and its natural Obligation upon us, as rational Crea- tures. Thus far, my good Friend, you and I are at a perfedt Agreement ; — But, now, we muft differ ; not a little, but widely j — For, in a another Part of your Letter, you wanse the Confideration of its natural Fitnefs, as a Means of Religion and Virtue, and ftate the Queftion exactly as I have done, but have not, as 1. conceive, prov'd the Point in Queftion. — You there fay you will not confider the na- tural Fitnefs of Prayer, as a Means to an Fnd, but as having in it a Fitnefs of Congruity, arifing from the natural Relation between God and Man, or, (as I exprefs'd it) between us dependent, and fmfid Creatures^ and God the Creator and fudge-, affirming, that it isy^^and congruous that we fhould acknowledge to Him, our Dependency and Sinfulnefs -, and that, with- out making fuch an Acknowledgment, we fhould not ad: as it naturally becomes Beings to do, who ftand in fuch a Relation. This is the Thing that I wanted, and do ftill want, *to [42] * to fee prov'd.— But, good Sir, I muft firft « take the Liberty (I wifli you may not think * that I take too much Liberty) to deny your ' DiJlin5fion between a Fknefs of Means to an « Endy and a Fitnefs of Congruity, they being, * according to my Apprehenfion, fynonymous * Terms. Whatever has a Fitnefs in it as a * Mea7is to an Endy muft, likewife, have a Fit- * nefs of Congruity : For, pray Sir, confider, at- * tentively, what you mean by Cojigruity : If * you mean any thing, certainly you inuji mean * an AptnefSy or Suit able jiefs^ in fuch an A6lion, * to anfwer fuch a Purpofe, or to produce fuch an ' Effeii, If there be a Congruity (for Inflance) * between a State of Dependence upon the 7?^- * preme Being, and an Acknoivledgementy to H/w, ' of that Dependence, it mufl: be for fome Rea- * Jon that it is jit for us fo to behave. Now, * what is this Reafon, which conftitutes the Fit- * nefs of Congruity in this Cafe ? It can be * nothing different from the End^ or Defign, in- * tended to be anfwer'd by fuch an Adion ; they * are the fame Thing. This Reafon^ then, or ' Endy for which the A(5tion ought to be per- ' form'd, muft relate to God, or to us j that is, ' if it be fit and congruous that dependent Crea- * tures fliould acknowledge fuch their Depen- * dencyy to Him, on whom they depend, it ' muft be for one of thefe Reafons, i. e. for one * of thefe Endsy or Purpofes, either, that we * may be benefited, or that God may receive * fome Advantage, or Pleafure, from our De- * votions, fmply confider'd. Your Argument * excludes [43] excludes all Regard to the Influence that Prayer may have upon uSj or any Good that it may do us J and, confequently, in this way of Rea- foning, from our Relation to Godj fmiply con- fidered, whatever Fitfiefs there is in it, what- ever good End can be anfwer'd by this Adt, it mud wholly refpedl him to whom we pray ; and if it refpedts God (which the prefent Ar- gument fuppofes) he muil be fome way, or other, benefited by it ; which, in my Opi- nion, is a mod blajphemous Suppofition. The Thing appears to me in fo very clear and flrong a Light, that it requires no Authorities to fupport it J but I fliall call in three great Writers to my Afllftance. The great and good Z)r. Scott ^ in his Chrijlian Life, Vol. I. p. 4. Exprefles himfelf thus, *' God's effential Glory is fo immenfe and fecure, that we can do nothing to encreafe, or diminifh it ; and no other Glory can redound to him from with- out, but what is the Refled:ion of his own natural Rays. He underftands himfelf too well to value himfelf either more, or lefs, for the Praifes, or Difpraifes of his Creatures. He is enough of Stage and Theatre to himfelf, and hath the fame fatisfying ProfpecS of his own Glory in the midft of all the loud Blaf- phcmies of Hell, as among the perpetual Hal- lelujahs of Heaven. And, having fo, it can- not be fuppofed that he fhould enjoin us to praife and glorify him for the fake of any Good, or Advantage J that may accrue to him- 1* felf by it, or out of any other Pleafure that « he [ 'ff 3 " he takes in hearing himfelf applauded by us, " thai^ in any other Ad that Is reafonable in *^ its own Nature ; but it is therefore he will *' have qs praife him becaufe he knows that it " is for otJii Good, and highly conduces/ as it *' is a mo^ reafonable .hdi\ony to the Perteftion *' and Happinefs of our reafonable Natures • be- <' caufe our praijl?ig' h\m iiaturally excites us to " iavitate^'hiiti, ^rid"t'6 .tranfcribe into our. 'own *' Natures thofe adorable Perfedions which we " do adntiire and extol in his. — * Archbifl^op * '\tiMfon. {hall be my next Voucher— Speaking ' of the goodnefs of God, p. 68r, he fays, " It ** is great C6ndefcenfion and Goodnefs in God to " accept of our Acknowledgements of his Be- ** nefits, of our irhperfe(5l Praifes, and ignorant *' Admiration of him j and were he not as won- <* derfully good, as he is great and glorious, he **. would not fuffer us to fully his great and glo- *^ rious Name, by taking it into our Mouths. — * The other is Dr. Clagget\ on the Lord's Prayer^ ' the Introdudlion to it, where he fays, " God '^ is fo infinitely above us that it feemeth to look " like Arrogance and Pride for us, .fo'fnuch as *' to prefume to fpeak to him." ' And this feems * to hold ftill ftronger, when we confide r our- ' felves as dinners. Our natural JmperfeBions^ * when compared with the infinitely glorious * and perfedl God, throw us at fuch an im- * menfe Diflance from him, as cannot avoid ' flriking us with fuch an awful Reverence as * may make us fearful of approaching him j but, ' when we confider ourfelves as Rebels, as hav- " ing [45.] * ing oftended againft fo much Goodnefs, and ' provok'd i'o much Power, inftead of thinking ' It ft and congruous y from this our dreadful * Relation to him, to appear before him^ it would * more naturally overwhelm our guilty Minds * with.Confufion and Terror, that, like j^dam * and Eve in Faradife^ we {hould chufe, rather, * to hide ourfelves from his Prefence. To which ' purpofe I fliall quote . another very pertinent * Paflagc from Dr. Scot, p. 204. ^ Next to ba- "■ nifiing us from his Prefence for ever^ the *' moft effe<5tual Courfe that God could take to " abafe us, was to exclude us ivoimW. immediate " Intercourfe with him, and not to admit of '' any AddrelTes, or Supplications from us, but "only thro' the Hands of a Mediator-, which " is a plain Demonftration how infinitely /)Z/r^ *' he is, and how bafe and vile our Sins have " render'd us ; infomuch, that he will not fuffer " a Sinner to come near him, but by a Proxy ; *' that he will not accept of a Service from a " guilty Hand, nor liften to a Prayer from a lin- " ful Mouth, 'till it is firft halloaed and prefented " to him by 2ipure and holy Mediator," * It is * not only juftifiable, but commendable, in us, * to enquire into the Reafonablenefs and great * Ufefulnefs of the Duty of Prayer, in exciting, * and improving, and propagating proper Senti- * ments and Difpofitions. This may help to ' recommend the Pradice of it, and make us ' the more conftant and earned in fuch holy * Exercifes. But, our principal Care mufl: be ^ to poflefs our Minds with the ftrongeft Senfe 2 * of [46] * of our infinite Obligations to Revelation, which, ' alone, can encourage us to draw near to God, * in full AfTurance of Faith, that our Addrefles * to the Throne of Grace, tho* made by fuch * mean, and worthlefs, kfs than worthlefs, the ' mofi unworthy Creatures, to a Being infinite in * Goodnefs, in Purity, in WiiHom, in Juftice, * and Power, (hall be gracioufly accepted and * anfwer'd, if offer'd with a fincere Heart. We * are here afTured that our Dement, and the Im- * perfeSlicn of our Prayers, (hall be amply fuppli- * ed by the all-fufficient Merits of CJoriJl's Death; * who, in virtue of his meritorious Paflion, is * appointed our InterceJJor in Heaven, and con- * ilantly refides there, at his Father's right Hand, * to recommend our Devotions to his Accept- * ance. We Chrijlians, not only approach * God as our Creator, our heavenly King, and ' y«^^, (Ideas that carry Awfulnefs and T^r- * ror, that ferve to intimidate and difcourage us) * but, in right of our Adoption, we go to God * with Chearfulnefs and Boldnefs, crying Abba, ' Father -, a Title of Indearment, that carries in * it Tendernefs and AfFedion, and an AfTurance * that, as an earthly Parent pitieth his Children, * fo will our heavenly Father be compaffionate, * indulgent, and condefcending to us^ tho' his « undutiful Children; if we afk Forgivenefs * with Hearts fincerely penitent. We have, * moreover, for our Encouragement to pray to * God, a Series oi Examples, from the Beginning * of the World, thro' the Hiftory of the old * and new Teftament, of Men of like Paffions, * and [ 47 ] * and Infirmities with ourfelves, offering up their * Prayers to God, and of the Acceptablenefs and * Efficacy of them. * With my repeated Thanks for your very * fenfible and ingenious Letter, and Compii- * ments to the Do worthy worthy td'fdffer in his Ndme. This muft be cur Fradtice, too, if we expedt to arrive at thofe happy Regions, where They who fufFer for the chnjiian Faith, or, anyways, in the Difcharge of their Duty, (hall be glorified together with Christ. But, bow is thisabfolute Refignation, this neceflary Duty, poffibie to him that does not pradife the Duty of Prayer ? He kicks againft the Pricks ; . he makes his Misfortunes gall him the more by bearing the Yoke with Impatience: Whereas, 'he that prays to God in his Diftrefs, knowing, that it is the Will of his heavenly Father that he fhould be afflided, fubmits his Soul and Body to his Difpofal j begs his AfTiftance to enable him to bear the Crofs, and, then, is heartily willing to take it upon his Shoulders : He coniiders that God is his Friendy who in- tends, and ads, for his Benefit -, and, by fre- quent Converfe with his Friend in Prayer ^ he be- comes fo thoroughly fatisfied of his real Love, and Kindnefs towards him, that he never utters a repining Word, or entertains a difcontented Thought. Knowing that he has ufed his beft Endeavours, if God fees fit that he fhould be dif- appointed, he does not defire that the Ends of infinite Wifdom fhould be defeated : And, if at any time his Fortune be blafled, his Family vifited with Sicknefs, or himfelf cafl upon a Bed of Sorrows ; why, he is afTured that Afflic- tions do not rife out the Du/i, but are fent for wife Purpofes, by the fupreme Governour of the World ; and, therefore, he retires within him- felf', converfes with that God who laid the Trouble . [ 75 3 . Trouble upon him ; he tells him that he is en- tirely fatisfied, begs fuch a Meafure of his Grace as may fuftain his loaded Mind from finking un- der the Weight of its Burden. — Every one knows what a Relief it is to a Perfon in Afflic- tion to have a faithful Friend, ' to whom he can freely unbofom himfelf, efpecially if he be fuch a one as he- knows to be both able and willing, to afiift him. What infinite Satisfadtion and Comfort, then, muft it be to an afflided Soul to unbofom itfelf to its dear Redeemer and omni- potent God, who, alone, is able, and who is moft certainly willing to help it, either by re- moving the Complaint, or turning it to a fpiri- tual Advantage, and amply rewarding it in an- other World. Under thefe Circumftances of Diftrefs, let us imagine fame fuch Converfation as this, between God and the afflided Soul. ** The Soul, by Prayer , laments its fad Condi- *^ tion, lays open all its Complaints and Griev- ** ances, acknowledges the Juflice, and mag- " nifies the Love of God, in thus dealing with " him, humbly imploring the divine Affiftance ** to comfort, fupport, and relieve it.? In anfwer to this Addrefs, God, by the Holy Scriptures (which the Soul by Faith applies to itfelf) and the fecret Su^eftions of his Spirit, " Teftifies *' his fmcere AfFedtionj kindly declares the " Reafons of his laying on the Burden, with an *' Affurance that it ihall continue no longer than ** Mercy itfelf {hall fee neceflary; comfojlts it ** with Promifes of fufficient AfTiftance/^ and ♦* ihews it the Glory of that Crown whicli^iliall t' be [76] '* be the Reward of a patient Submiflion." In fuch a Cafe, is it poffible for a Perfon to be im- patient, to be dejeded after fuch a Converfation with God f All the black Clouds of Melancholy and Defpair are difpell'd by the JJght of his Countenance^ and a bright Sun-fhine enfues. Or, if the Storm be broke, and beats down with the ntmoft Vehemence, God fhelters it under the Wings of his all-faving Mercy j amidft all the Roaring of the Thunders, the Flafhes of Light- ning, and Rattling of the Rain, an inexpreffible Caimnefs fpreads itfelf over the Mind, a Serenity of Temper refreflies and fmooths it, every fifing Murmur is hu{h'd, every repining Thought quafhM, and all the Paffions of the Soul dif- charg'd in a Torrent of Love and Admiration^ the moft intenfe Love, the moft perfedly fatis- fying Admiration of God and his Goodnef^. Can any Exftacy of the Soul equal this ? And may not this Enjoyment be attained by Frayer^ by intenfe and fervent Prayer ? Yes, blefled be God's Grace ! it may ; the truly pious and reli- gious Man knows, and feelsy that it may ; he is convinced by the fweeteft Experience^ that Sub- miffion to God by Frayer is the higheft Delight, that human Nature is capable of enjoying on this fide Heaven.— And now, what is the dry Readings and cold Meditation^ recommended t6 us by the Deijisy inftead of Prayer, to this ani- mating, this inflaming Exercife ? And how can thelfe Hypocrites have the Afiiirance to expeft t6 be ^nought Friends to Mankind, when they at- tenipt to deprive them of the moft exalted Plea- fure. [ 77 ] fore, and the moft powerful Remedy for the Evils of Life ? Or how can they pretend to ferve the Intereft of Virtue, while they endeavour to deftroy the moil efFedual Means of fupporting it? It were cafy to (hew, that, without frequent and earned Pr^^^r, it is ^i impoffible to bear Profperity. with an even Mind, as it is to fup- port ourfelves under Adverfity. 1 might have laid more^ efpeclally, where it \% fudden and un- expelled. There are many good Reafons to be aflign'd for this. The Mind is more weakened and enervated by Frofperity^ than by Adiaerjity^ When People are in Dijirefs, they are naturally eompofed and thoughtful: A Flow oi Profperity difjipates Thought, and puts the Spirits in a Fer^ ment • adds a great Quantity of Sail, while it lelTens the Balafi, and renders the Mind more, liable to be overfet. Under Adverfity^ Men have not, either the Inclination, or the Opportunity tp ta\e Pleafure, and gratify their Lujis. Profpe^ rity gives both Appetite and Capacity. A State of Adverfity, where there is a tolerable Difpofi- iioUy fof tens and humbles xh& Mind j Profperity difpofes to Pride and an Unconcernedtiefs fot others, to Cruelty and Opprefion. I could fay a great deal more, but the little that I have faid, may ferve to (hew how much the Rich and Pro*' fperous ftand in need of the Affiftance of Prayer, to keep them within the Bounds of Duty. But, their greatcft Misfortune of all is, that the more they ftand in need of it, the lefs they are inclin'd to make ufe of it. When People are in % .a [78] ^ forlorn Condition they naturally dcfire, zndfeek for Help; and if they have no Pr tpecft of find* ing it on Earthy tbey will look up to Heaven for it : But, the Succefsfal and the iVtaitJoy, abounding with every thing, are apt to forget God^ their great Benefa5ior^ to whom they owe every thing ^ and, while their Temptations make them the more in want of his Grace, they are the more apt to flight it. But, thirdly. The Exercife of Prayer is neceflary in order to the Pradlice of the Duty of loving our Enemies — Forgivenefs of Enemies is a Leflbn which Mankind can hardly learn ; it is a Yoke to which they do very unwillingly fubmit their Necks : There is fomething within us which makes our Hearts rife and fwcU, and our Blood boil, whenever we receive an Injury, or Affront; and it is very difficult for us to fubdue this Tur- bulency, and keep down angry Refentments ; But, it is utterly impolfible for a mere Man so FAR to conquer himfelf, as to make his bitter Enemy the Obje(ft of his Love ; to be kind and tender-hearted to, and be willing to do all good Offices for, the Perfon who has loaded him with Injuftice, &c. And, yet, this difficult Thing mii/l be done, if we evcir expeft Forgivenefs at the Hands of God, It is abfolutely required as an exprefs Condition, fo that there is a Necefljty o£ working ourfelves up to this charitable Temper, and fuch a Principle of univerfal Love within ns, Is will make no Exceptions, byt equally and cdnilantly exert itfelf towards Enemies and Frie?ids, Now, this Principle can never be ac- ^ quired ['79 quired and implanted in our Breads without the Practice of Prayer, and for two Reafons. , Fcm*, firft, Prayer difpofes us to that excellent Frame of Spirit. It is the Corruption of our .Flefli, and the Senfuality of our Nature, which caufe Re- fentment, and a Defire of Revenge j and, there- fore, when this Principle is weakened, the. con- trary gathers Strength. When our- Nature is fpiritualiz' dy thofe evil Affedions Ceafe. Now, Prayer y as I have obierved already, ' is, the only Way by which we q^w 7-cjine our Nature, draw off the Dregs of original Sin, purge it from its Drofs, and make it more like God, of- ?si angelic Kind. In the Exercife of Pr^^'^r we bewail our own 'Enmity to God ; we beg Him to pardon^ and love vs who were, and are ftill, in fome meafiire his Enemies ; Prayer, therefore, has a natural Tendency to foften our Hearts, and dif- pofe us to grant That Forgivenefs, of which we, ourfelves, ftand fo much in need. For, what can more naturally tend to make us ready to forgive others, than a frequent Acknowledgement of our own Offences againft God ? Or, how can we be extreme to mark what is amifs in our Brother, when, by daily Prayer, we are con- ftantly reminded of our own Sinfulnefs,? Shall we dare to be inexorable, or to meditate Re- venge, when we acknowledge that we are Cri- minals ourfelves, and, perhaps, greater Crimi- nals upon the whole, the' lefs culpable in particu- lar Articles : Prayer, therefore, in the natural Effedls of it, will help to make us of a more candid, and forgiving Temper j and, if we do not t8oi tiot feel thefc Effeds in the Perforfnance of % it is becaufe we do not pray with Sincerity, But Prayer is not only neceflkry in feme par- ticular Parts of Religion^ but all Religion^ in general^ depends upon it; which will appear abundandy plain if we confider — i. That no Man whatfoever €an be good without Prayer. -—2. That a Man will neceflarily grow bad if he negkSfs it, and his Negled be wilful — 3* That no Man can long continue bad that takes due Care in praying to God. ly?, I fay, no Man whatfoever can be good without Prayer, and that for two Reafons. — Firjiy becaufe, as I obferved before, the Conii- deration of God's Attributes, his Omniprefence, Omnipotence, Omnifcience, Purity, (^c. are the greateft Checks to linfal Inclinations. For, what Perfon, of common Senfe, that gives him- felf Leifure for a fober Thought, can dare to be very wicked in the Company, and before the Face, of that great God, who fees, and hates, what he does, and will affuredly punifli him for it 1 Reflexions upon thefe divine Attributes mud unavoidably damp a Sinner, and deaden his irregular Paffions, unlefs he be arrived to fuch a confummate Pitch of Impudence that he cares not for God ; or, with the Pfalmift's Fool, fays in his Heart, there is no God, tho' he would be thought to acknowledge his Exiftence and Go- vernment. Now, he that does not pray, does moft certainly lofe the beft Opportunity for fc- rious Confideration UjX)n God's Nature, becaufe he omits that A(3:ion, in the due Performance of which [8i ] which a Man cannot but have the mofl: intehfe Contemplation of the Deity j and, therefore, we have all imaginable Reafon to believe that thofe who omit their Prayers do leldom find them- felves at leifure, or dilpofed, for ferious Medi- tation on thefe Subjeds ^ confequently, all fuch Perfons muft want that Check which thinking on God's Attributes muft give them. How, then, is it polTible for them to be Religious and Virtuous f To attain the Eiid without the Ufe of the neceflary Means ? Nature is very corrupt and weak, Temptations are very numerous and ftrong ; evil Spirits are very cunning and active, and able to give Temptations an additional Force ; And can Man then, or njoill he relift Tempta- tions, notwithftanding their natural Strength, aided by the grand Enemy, while he negleds the proper Means of Refiftance ? No. He will^ and mufi^ be gradually carried down the Stream of Corruption, into an Ocean of Sin and Wick- ednefs. 2^/v, No Man can, in any meafurcj be good without God's Grace aflifting him, the very weakeft of our Inclinations beino- too ftrono; for our natural Abilities to conquer. Heaven mud be called into our Defence, or elfe we muft yield ourfelves Captives. This is the exprefs Doc- trine of the Gofpel ; this is the Language of our Articles, and Liturgy j this is a Truth acknow- ledged by all Chri/iians, But, how, can the Afliftance of God's Grace be obtained without Prayer J becaufe we cannot exped: it without cjking for it ? This is another Truth as clearly G laid [82] laid down by Scripture, and our Church, and as univerfally aflented to. God promifes Grace. Says he, ajk and ye p:all have ; which carries an lm~ flication as ftrong as the mo^ pojitroe AJjertion, that without ajkiv.g, God will not give it us : From whence it follows, that without Prayer it is impoffible for a Man to be a good Chri- stian. The next AfTertion that I laid down is this, 7. e. That, as a Man grows in Grace by his con- ftant Attendance on Prayer, and his due Per- formance of that Duty, fo in Proportion as he negleSis to pray, or prays in an undue Manner, he will gradually decline in Religion and Virtue. This is evident from the Nature of Things. As bad Habits, unlefs reftrained, will grow flronger and flronger by Exercife ; fo good ones, without conftant Exercife, and continual Supplies to for- ward their Growth, will daily grow weaker and weaker. Now, as has been fliewn, thefe frefh Supplies of Grace cannot be obtained without daily praying for Them ; and, confcquently, he that does not regularly and duly perform the Duty of Prayer, v^^'hich is the moft nourifhing Food of the Soul, does, as I may fay, Jlarve it, and thereby weaken its fpiritual Strength ; his Virtues languish, and at laft for want of Recruits and Afllflance will expire ; he returns into his natural State of Averfion to God, and Goodnefs, and, perhaps, rejls there without fo much as at- tempting to recover himfelf. It is poflible, I Gonfefs, that a Man who habitually negle(5ts his Prayers, may not be fo debauched as to be no- torioiijly [ 83] iorioiijly wicked, and guilty of the moft fcail- dalous Enormities 5 fuch as habitual Drunken- nefs, and Whoredom j Swearing, Curfing, and Damning himfelf and his Neighbours (tho* in This Cafe, he cannot anfwer for himfelf, that he fhall not, by degrees, be led into Them ;) yet, without fuch an extraordinary Degree of God's Grace, as no Man who has fo long negled:ed to afk for it, has any good Reafon to exped:, he muft be void of all Religion, notwithftanding, and in a State of the moft imminent Danger. There are many Perfons whom God, for wife and good Reafons, does not fiiffer to be tempted -, or the Devil, for malicious Reafons, will not tempt them to be guilty of fuch outrageous Wick- ednefs. God reftrains, becaufe he will not fufFer them to do fo much Mifchief by their Examples; the Devil may not ufe all his Power, in hopes, by That Means, to be able the more effe6lually to ruin others by a lefs notorious, and fcanda- lous Degree of Impiety : Such Perfons, tho* not arrived to the higheft Pitch of Iniquity, do, notwithftanding, want every, the fmallefl Grain of Religion ; tho' They have not fo much a&ual Wickednefs, They have . every whit as little Goodnefs, as the moft debauched Atheijls. Nay, many Perfons make a decent Appearance in the World, and pafs for tolerably good People, who, neverthelefs, are utterly deftitute of all true God- linefs. For, what is true Godlinefs ? It is not a tolerable Outjide ; it does not confift in abftaining from the worfl of Crimes 5 it is not mere Sobri- ety, or Chajlity, or any fuch outward Thing ; G 2 it it is an itrward Difpofition of the Heart 3 it is a fixt^ 2ijl€ad)\ a quick and adlive Defire^ to the utmoft of our Power, to conform ourfelves to the Likenefs of God's Nature, and to obferve all his Commands ; it is a living Trinciple that will exert iifelf upon all proper Occafions j it is ^oat whereby we take delight in fpiritual Things, and impatiently covet after them ; and, like holy Da- vid^ long and pant after God. This is Godlinefs, This is being truly Religious ; and thus muft we endeavour to be if ever we exped: to aflbciate with juft Men made perfe(5l in Heaven : Before we can be qualify'd for their Acquaintance, or their Employments, we muft refemble Them in their Sejiti?ne?2ts 2indDifpoJitiom -^ before we can be capable of feeing God^ we muft be Holy even as he his Holy. And can fuch Sentiments and Difpo- fitions, as thefe, be acquired^ or prejerved^ with- out Prayer ? Can any one continue to delight in God without co7iverJing with him ? Can any one love Heaven above all Things who negle<5ts an Acquaintance with That God, whofe immedi- ate Prelence jnakes Heaven to be what it is ? A Man may become an Atheiji for want of pray- ings but, I am fure, he cannot be truly holy without prayijig j for, no fooner does he ceafe to pray, but his Piety leflens of courfe j his Love of God is diminifhed, and his Religion moulders away and grows feeble, faints, and dies. 3///y, No Man can long continue in a State of deliberate^ wilful Sin, who continually prays : I do not mean the formal Ad; of Prayer, but attentive and fervent Prayer. As to the proper Manner [ 85 ] Manner of performing This great Duty, I rtiall confider it more at large in another Part of This Difcourfe. At prefent, I will only fuppofe a Man to believe that there is fuch a Being as he profefles in his Prayers to believe; That God is in- finitely Pure and Holy ; that, in conlequence of his own Nature, he muft be a determined Ene- my to all Vice, and will puni(h it. Let us, then, fuppofe that fuch a Man (for as to Infidels^ or Perfons who make no Ufe of their Vnde7~fianding^ and acft without meaning any thing by what They do, They are quite out of the Queftion) lives in the Habit of any known Sin, or frequently lapfes into fmgle Adts of grofs Immorality, and, yet, daily, in a moft folemn Manner, falls upon his Knees before God, acknowledges his Guilt and Folly, and the Keafnablenefi of God's Laws ; humbly Tiwd forrowfully afks Pardon, and promifes Amendment : Is it poffible for him long to con- tinue in fuch a Contraft o^ daily ConfeJJion^ and deliberate Sin ? No. He mtift reform, or leave oS Praying. Put the Cafe of an undutiful Child, Day after Day, acknowledging his Fault to an indulgent, but ijoife Father, who, he kliows, will gladly receive him into Favour if he fliews the Sincerity of his Repentance, by an adual Amendment, but punifli him with the greater Severity for confmuing in his Difobedi- ence, after fo many repeated Acknowledge- ments and Promifes. VVould any one, that is not a Madman, or an Jdeot^ be able long to a<5l fuch a Part ? It is impofjibhy utterly impoflible. He would fl^ew that he was in earnefl^ or be G 3 if raid. [86] afraidj and afhamed to appear before his Father any more. The Cafe between our heavenly Fa- ther and lis is much ftronger. His Laws being more righteous, they are better fitted to create ^hame in ixjilful Offenders j he knows, more par- ticularly, ail the aggravating Circumftances of our Guilt J his Holmefs mufl give him a ftronger Deteftation of it ; his Poiver enables him to pu- nifh with more Severity j his Immutability leaves no room to hope for Pardon without a Change in lis. A Man, therefore, who daily confejfes his Sins muft be fo far fincere as to refohe upon a Reformation, and Oijirong Refolution^ aided by God's Grace, (which he will certainly have if he humbly and importunately afks for it) will enable him fo far to put his good Refolutions in Fradtice, as not iviljully to continue in the Habit of any knoison Sin, (ya frequently to fall into occa- final Ad:s of wry grofs Sins. I apprehend This to be fo very clear a Cafe that it needs no farther Inlargement -y and with every fincere Reader it needs no farther Inforcement : But, for a farther Encouragement to pracftife this Duty of Prayer^ 1 fhall (hew how acceptable it is to God^ and how effeBual we may expert it to be to oiirfehes, from Declaratiojis^ and Exatnpks recorded in Holy Scripture. I have already fliewn what a natural T^eiidency there is in Prayer to make us religious and virtuous, in Concurrence with the Grace of God affifting us ; this next Chapter will encourage us to expeSl God's Grace and Favour in Confequence of our fincere and hearty Prayers. 7 CHAP. [ S7 ] CHAP. VL Upon this Head there are three "Things proper to he ohferved : inpHAT God, in his holy Word, hath j^ made the moft exprefs Promifes that he will hear the Prayers of good Chnfliam. II. That he hath moft remarkably made good thefe Promifes, as appears by Variety of h- /lances. III. That he hath declared that our Prayers are fo necelTary towards the Attainment of the good Things which we want, that without praying for them we fliall not have them. I. God hath given the moft exprefs Declara- tions of his Readinefs to anfwer our Prayers. The Pfalmift faith, '' The Lord is nigh unto all *' them that call upon him in Truth j he will ** fulfil the Defires of thofe that fear him s he " alfo will hear their Cry and help them." Again, " The Eyes of the Lord are over the *' Righteous, and his Ears are open to their " Prayers." Again, he is ftiled, '' A God that " heareth Prayers." Again, he invites us to call upon him, promifing Deliverance upon our Ap- plication to him ; *' Call upon me in the Time " of Trouble, and I will 'deliver thee." Thefe and many other Paftages, to the like purpofe, we find in the Old Teftament, and the New is as full of Them. Our Saviour fays to his Apo- ftks, " Whatfoever ye ftiall afk in my Name G 4 '* that [ 88 ] " thai will I do." Repeating it, ''If ye fliall " afl<: any thing in my Name I will do it." Again, " Afk and it fliall be given you, &c, *' for every one that afketh receiveth, Gfc." There are many other Declarations to the fame Purpofe, but thefe are fufficient to prove the Acceptablenefs and Efficacy of Prayer ; and they are confirmed by many Examples and Inftances of it. Among others we have the following very remarkable ones : The Prayer of Mofes quenched a devouring Fire. The Prayer of Elias brought down Fire from Heaven. The Prayer of Elifia reflored a dead Man to Life. The Prayer oiKXiig Hezekiah ^\.tvf 185000 of the ^jjyriatis in one Night The Prayer of David flopped the deftroying Angel when his Hand was lifted up to deftroy yertifalem. The Prayer of Jojjah delivered him out of the Fifli's Belly. What a mighty Force the Scriptures attribute to Frayer^ we may read in the Hiftory of the Batde between the IfrceUtes, and the Amakkites; how the former prevailed as long as Mofes' s Hands were lifted up in Prayer, and the latter when he let Them fall ; another we have in the Story of Jacob wreflling with the A?igel^ and prevailing by the Force of his fraying for a Blef fing. By the fame Means Mofes prevented the Deflruftion of the JfraeliteSj when God was going [ 89 ] going to blot out their Name from under Heaven, for making the golden Calf. If it be fiiid that thefe Examples fignify nothing to us^ who live at a Time when no Miracles c.in be expedled, it may juftly be anfwered, that they fignify a good deal, becaufe, from fuch miraculous In- llances of the EiFeds of Prayer^ we may draw a good Argument of its great Eiiicacy, at all Times J to the End of the World : For, if in thofe Ages Prayer was fo prevalent as to move God to leave the ufual Methods of his Provi- dence, and to do Violence to the ftated Order of Things, Have we not Reafon to believe that he will anfwer thofe Prayers which require no fuch extraordinary Interpofal, but fall within the Reach of the common Courfe of his Government? 3^/^, For the farther Proof of the Efficacy of Prayer, it ought to be confidered, that the Scrip- tures have declared it to be fo necelTary towards the Attainment of fuch Things as we want, that if we do not pray for them we fliall not have them. This is evident from St. JameSj who fays, " Ye luft and have not, ye kill and defire to " have, and cannot obtain, becaufe ye ajk not.'* What can be plainer ? And now, Reader, whatever you be ; whe- ther Learned, or Unlearned ; whether Rich, or Poor; in the Ebb of Adverfity, or the Flood of Profperity ; whether in a low, or in the moft exalted Station ; let me crave your Patience while I briefly recapitulate what has been faid upon this important, folemn Subjed:. Prayer has a natural Tendency to make us Religious and Virtuous 5 [9o] Virtuous ; it is recommended by the concurrent Opinion and Pradice of all Ages, and Nations, of the mod eminent and improved Perfons, re- corded in Scripture-, Prophets, Apofiks^ and even our blcjj'ed Sa'uicur himfelf, that great Ex- emplar after which all Christians are obliged to copy. It has the Sanation of the moft pofi- tive "Precepts from God, with an Aflurance that our Prayers are a moft acceptable Service : There are Variety of Inflames and Examples of this in Scripture j it not only has a Tendency to im- prove us in Religion and Virtue, but it is fo ne- cejjary towards our Improvement, that it is im- poflible to be ^n//y Religious and Virtuous with- out it, or Ions; to continue in a State of habitual Wickednefs, or often to commit grofs Sins, while we habituate ourfelves to the Practice of it : It is an Exercife, in its Nature, the moft (delightful, the moft comfortable, and the moft honourable j nothing is fo well fitted to make us eafy and happy in all Circumftances of Life, by regulating all our diforderly Paflions, and creating a perpetual Tranquillity and Serenity of Mind : It is, moreover, abfolutely neceffary towards qua- lifying ourfelves for the Society, and Employ- ment of the Inhabitants of HeaiJen, where all Chriftians expert to live for ever. 1 make no declamatory Addrefs to your PaJJions, but a cool Appeal to fiber Reafon, and common Senfe. If thefe things be fo (and that they are, is moft certainly true) what can we think of the trijiing Indifferency with which a great Part of Mankind treat this Duty ? If this Book fliould happen to fall [91 ] fall into the Hands of any fuch unthinking Wretches, I heartily beg of God, that, thro' his affilling Grace, it may awaken them into a more ferious Confideration of an Affair that deferves their clofeft Attention. Having fpoken thus largely of the EfFeds of Prayer in general, I (hall now diftindtly confider the particular Advantages peculiar to private and piiblick Prayer. CHAP VIL T^he Duty a?id Advantages Peculiar to private and^uhMok Prayer^ diftind:- ly conjidered* I.T ET us confider what peculiar Circum- J J ftances of Advantage attend private Prayer. One very conliderable one is this, it gives us an Opportunity of knowing the Siiicc' rity of our Hearts. The Heart of Man is fo treacherous that he often deceives himfelf^ as well as the World, and makes himfelf believe that he is adling upon a religious Motive, while he is influenced by Views of Interejl^ or a Principle of Vain-Glory : Like the Phari/ees of old, he prays in P ubli c k th^.t he may be feen of Men ^ out of Cuftom, Decency, or fome worldly Motive ; and this Obfervation more particularly concerns thofe whofe Stations compel them to attend pub- lick Worfhip ; fuch as Students at the TJniver- JitieSj and Perfons belonging to Cathedrals, And there C 90 there is ftill more Reafon to fufpedl foiiie Prin- ciple of this Sort, when a Perfon does not regu- larly attend publick Worfhip, as often as he has an Opportunity, but negledts it upon frivolous Pretences. Every true Principle is uniformy and will always operate regularly, and equally, when- ever it is not necelTarily obftruded j if Religion carries a Man to Church at o?ie time, the lame Motive will aflurdly have the fame EiFed at any other Opportunity, unlefs he be hindered by want of Health, fome Work of Nece/Jity, or Charity : If he ufually attends the Service on Sunday-Mornings, and as ufually abfents him- felf in the Afternoon ; or, if he be conftant both Parts of the Sunday, and never, or very feldom, attends the Prayers on the fVeek-Day when he has a fitting Opportunity : In all thefe Cafes the Man impofes upon himfelf, if he fanfies that when he goes to Church he goes upon 2Lge?7uine, wiadulterated Principle oi Religion. But, when we addrefs ourfelves to God in our Clofets, where no Eye, but that of God, can fee what we are doing, then we may be affared that we a<5t upon a fincere Senfe of Duty, without any Mixture of worldly Views j for this Reafon it was that our Saviour direcfls us to fliut out the Obfervation of all other WitnefTes of our Devotions, that we may pray to our Father who feeth in fecret, and will reward ns openly : And, therefore, whoever negledls to worfhip God in his Clofet, does notwor- nVip him at Church upon a true Senfe of Religion, tho' he may have fome flight and imperjedi No- tions of his Obligations j I fiy, he can have np well [93] well grounded Convi6lion of his Duty upon ra- tional Evidence. It was this private Prayer in which our Lord fo much delighted j a Moun- tain^ a Defart, or a Garden^ were the Places which he choie for fuch Prayers ; and that he might be ftill more fecret, he made choice of fuch Times when the Darknefs of the Night covered him from Obfervation j a great while before Day he went mit and departed into a foli- tary Place^ and there prayed; at another Time, he continued all Night in Prayer to Gcd; and his Example muft be as infallible as his Word, and binds us as ftrongly to the Ufe of private Prayer, tho' our Strength and Spirits will not enable us to continue fo long in Prayer at any one Time; nor can we have the like urgent Occafion, or Opportunity, confiftently with our prefent State, and Condition. 2. Private Worfhip has this particular Ad- vantage attending it, that it is a plainer Tefti- mony of our Belief of God's Omnifciencey than publick Devotions, this being the only Founda- tion diom fecret AddreiTes : And, as the Wor- fhip of God in fecret is founded upon a Belief of God's Omnifcience, and can have no other Sup- port, fo the conftant Exercife of it is naturally apt to make the Senfe of his Omnifcience al- ways lively in our Minds ; than which nothing can be a more probable Means of reftraining us from all Sorts of Sins, more efpecially thofe Sins which Men are, of ail others, the moft liable to be tempted to ; 1 mean, fecret Sins. [ 94 ] 3. Another great Advanisige peculiar to pri- vate Prayer is this, That we may be more parti- cular ^ than it is poflible to be in publick Prayer, which can be adapted only to the general State of Mankind j we are, all of us, equally God's Creatures, and, therefore, it is fit that as many of us as can convenicndy aflemble together fhould unite in acknowledging him to be our common Father ; every one of us are equally fupported by him, and, therefore, we ought to join in thanking him for the Mercies and Blef- lings which, in common, we receive from him. We are, all, Sin?2ers, and publick Sinners, and, therefore, it is me6t that we (hould publickly, and jointly, confefs our iinful State : We have a great many common Wants which we may, and Jl:ould, agree to requeft of him : But, every one is daily receiving particular BleJJings j every one has particular Wants \ every one is guilty of private Sins, and fubje^l to particular Tempta- tions : Now, it is impoffible that all thefe parti' cular Circumftances, peculiar to each of us, fhould be made the Subject of our publick De- votions, and, therefore, we can offer thefe Prayers only in our private Clofets, where each one may adapt them to his own Cafe j fo that, if we attend the publick Service of the Church ever fo conftantly, there will be ftill a Neceffity for daily, private. Devotions, in order to confefs thofe Sins which we committed in private, to thank God for tho{& particular Blefiings which we have received, befides thofe which we en- joy in common with other People j and thus it is with [ 95 ] with regard to every other Part of Prayer ; we are as much obliged to make thole things, which relate to curfches, only, the Subjeft of our private Addreffes to God, as we are to join in thofe Parts which concern all Mankind equally. And being thus particular in our Acknowledge- ments, either of Mercies^ and Blejings^ or Sins, it mud have a much ftronger Effect upon our Minds than refting in Generals, Let us examine a little how this Matter ftands : Suppofe a Per- fon does me a fingular Favour, that is of very great Service to me, and fuch as he does not iifually beftow upon his Neighbours, and Ac- quaintance, in the common Intercourfe of Life. Well ; I take an Opportunity of joining with many others^ who are under Obligations to him for the common Offices of Kindnefs which he has fhewn to us all, without taking a private Opportunity to thank him, particularly, for the uncommon Kindnefs which he has fhewn to 7ne, on fuch an Occafion. This, indeed, would be fomethitig, but not enough to fatisfy vc\y fingular Obligations, and to difpofe me to entertain fuch a ftrong Senfe of Gratitude as will produce a fuit- able Return of Behaviour in me : But, let us fuppofe that I go diredlly to him, and privately tell him, what a ftrong Senfe I have of this extraordinary Inftance of his Friendfhip to me, expatiating upon the Circumftances that heighten the Obligation, afTuring him what very great Service it did me, how unworthy I was of it, and how ftudious I fhall always be, to (hew my Gratitude by a refpedtful, and obliging, Be- haviour. [96] Behaviour. I afk, now, any fober Perfon living, whether this particular Acknowledgement in private be not more efFed:ual than a general one, in company with others, where we only declare that he has been very kind to us all ; whether my Friend would not expe(ft it from me^ and whether it would not more ftrongly excite Gra- titude in me, and make me the more careful to pleafe him ? Or, if I have privately done a parti- cular Injury to this very kind Friend, or endea- voured^ or intended^ to do it, and it, fome way, or other, comes to his Knowledge, fhould I only go along with feveral others, who have, like- wife, injured, or affronted him, where I could have no Opportunity of mtntiomng my particular Offence, but only join with them in owning our common Offences, and afking his Pardon : Would he think this a fufficient Satisfadion ? Or would this general ConfefHon be equally efficacious to- wards creating in my Mind a proper Senfe of Shame, and Sorrow, and a Refolution to behave better for the future ? I fay, would this have the fame Effed: as if I went by myfelf, laid open all the aggravating Circumflances of my Guilt, and humbled myfelf in Words, and Geflures, that may be more fuitable than fuch as I could decently ufe in publick, where the Publick are ignorant of the Fad:, and of the Na- ture and Circumftances of it, and ought to be kept ignorant ? I think this is io obvious a Cafe, that I may truft the moft ordinary Underfland- ing with the Determination of it, and leave him to draw the plain Ccmparifon between this Cafe, 4 " and. [97] and that of the fingiilar Mercies which we re- ceive from God, and our particular Offences commitced againft Him. This Method I would advife to be put in practice in the following Manner : To give an habitual Attention to our Thoughts, and Words, and Adions. This may be done in any Station of Life whatfoever. There may be fome Difficulty in doing it, efpecially at firft, but by degrees it will grow more and more eafy. This will bring us acquainted with our- felves, naturally increafe our Watchfulnefs, and be the Means oi preventing Sins, as well as of reclaiming us from the Repetition of them.When- ever we catch ourfelves at a Fault, if it be the Refult of natural Infirmity, it may be fufficient for fuch Efcapes, if we immediately lift up our Minds to God (which may be done in Company) in a penitential Ejaculation. If the Fault be more deliberate and wilful, or the Repetition of one that we have often committed, we fhould not only lift our Minds to God at that Inftant, but lay it up carefully in our Memories, and be- fore we go to Bed weigh the Circumftances of it, and make a oarticular and folemn Acknow- ledgment of it. I add farther, that in the Cafe of very notorious Sins, fuch as that of David*s, or an Efcape from imminent Danger of our Lives, we fhould not content ourfelves with a fingle Acknowledgment, but make it an Article in our daily Prayers in our Clofets. I would re- commend the fame Method in regard to Temp- tations. Every one has fomething in his Confti^ tution^ or Situation^ that fubjeuts him to parti- H ciilar [ 98 ] ciilar Temptations, and, therefore, in our Clofef$y> we fliould be particular in begging God's Grace to inable us to refift them, A Perfon naturally inclin'd to Lafcivioufnels^ iliould daily pray for Chajtity-j the Proud, for Humility -, the Cholerick, for Meekttefsy &c. The fame Courfe fliould be taken in refpe^: to fuch Sins as we are in mofl: danger of from our Circumjiances in Life. The Rich fliould pray, particularly, againft the natu- ral and iifual Confequences of Riches upon the Minds and Manners of Men, and for a Difpofi- tion to make a good ufe of them. Perfons, in the more elevated Stations of Life, and intruded with Power and Influence, are fabjed to more and greater Temptations, either to abufe their Truft, or to negleB the due Difcharge of it; Ty6^ fland in need of more Watchfulnefs, and more Affillance from God's Grace 3 and, there- fore, it is incumbent upon them to afli, parti- cularly, for thofe Virtues which are neceflary to the Difcharge of their great Truft j and, above all, that God would give them a true, publick Spirit, an inflamed Zeal for the Honour of God, the Interefl: of his Religion, and the Good of Mankind ; fuch a Zeal as may guard them from low and mean Views j and I call all Views low and mean, which are inconflflient with thofe great ones that I have jufl: now mentioned. I chufe not to be more particular in explaining myfclf : Thofe honefl: Readers who are difpofcd to make a good \j{& of a Hint, will take it, the reft will only be provok'd to Refentment. But before I quit this Head, I muft defire the Rea- 8 der [ 99 J . dcr to apply what 1 have iaid concerning Men's particular Sins, and Temptations^ to Sins of 0;;///^ fwn, which 1 apprehend to be much more nu- merous than thole of CommiJJion^ becaufe they are more hkely to efcape our Notice, and, conle- quendy, we more hkely to lapfe into them. Another Advantage 1 fliall barely mention, becaufe it requires no Inlargement upon it : . E- very one has particular Friends and Benefa6fors, whom a generous and affectionate Mind would be glad, in a particular Manner^ to recommend to the Bleffing of God ; which can be done only in our private Devotions, lince no Common^ Prayer can defcend to fuch Particulars. And thus having mentioned the principal Ad- vantages peculiar io private Prayer, I (liall fubjoin a neceflary Caution. Our blelTed Saviour has di- rected us to make our private Devotions asy^- cret as pofllble ; but this Diredion muft not be followed to the NegleB of fuch Prayers. As far as pofllble we fhould make \htm fecret^ but make them we ;;«(/?, though we fhould have no Opportunity of retiring from the Notice of every human Eye. Such Circumflances may, and often do, happen ; and, in tlicfe Cafes, it will be no pharifaical .Oftentation, if we fuffer others to fee us upon our Knees addrefling ourfelves to God, but a neceffary Piece of Juftice to Reli- gion^ and to ourfelves ; but, then, what paffes between God and us may h&fecret; for we need not fpeak fo as to be heard by any one ; or we may only direct our Minds to God without fpeaking at all. H 2 Thefe [ lOO ] Thcfe are \ht fnncipfil A here they have not an '* Opportuni y of reforting to ihtfubltck Offices, «' 1 tJiuft confefs, I think the Mafler of that " Family has not much Senfe of Religion, and " has a feverc Account to make for the Trufl: " committed to him." Thus fpe«keih this excellent Perfon : To what has been laid, I (hall only add two (hort Obferva- vations, i//, That if the Point of religious Duty were quite out of the Qiieflion, it would he their Intereji with regard to this Life, to keep up a Face of Religion in their Families^ as it would tend greatly to make their Children dutiful, and their Servants faithful, by preferving a Seiife of Duty amongft them, which is the only thing that can fecure to them a fettled Efleem, and Love, and Obedience; and, wherever this is .regularly done, the good EfFeds of it are very vifible in the Behaviour of the ii:kole Family, 2.dlyy That all People ought to beg a Bleffing tjpon their y?/ Meals, and afterwards to return Thanks for them : This is a Part of Family-wor- [ 109 ] P:lp, a proper Acknowledgement of God's Pro- vidence, that we owe the Support of our Lives to his Bounty : This is fo natural to every reli- gious Perfon, and fo proper a Means of pre- ferving a due Senfe of our conftant Dependance upon God, that wherever 1 find this Pradicc negledted, 1 mufl take it for granted that they are, either very ignorant^ or very irreligious in their Notions ; at leaft, that they have not a true Senfe of Rehgion. CHAP. VIII. Concerning the Place of Prayer. ►Y the Place of Prayer I mean, Places ap^ prcpriated and fokmnly confecraied for pub- lick Prayer ; I hope I have fufficiently proved the Duty oi private Prayer ; which may be very acceptably performed in any Place, neither can there be any one Place appropriated^ much lefs confecrated for fuch Prayers, becaufe they mufl often be put to common Ufes j the fame may be faid of Family-prayer j and, as to larger Aflem- blies of Chrijiians meeting, ^ndjoiningy together in Prayer, if they have not the Opportunity of any fet Place, no doubt, they may meet toge- ther in any Place which they can procure, occa- fionally, for that purpofe; and fuch Prayers, when properly offered, will be accepted ; or, if they can have the Conveniency of {ome Jet Place, which it may not be proper to conjecrate, (which is very often the Cafe) fuch Places are preferable to [ "0 ] to any other Place, occafionally^ chofen for that purpofe : But, what I mean to advance is this, that it is highly expedient, wherever they can be had, not only to fet apart^ or appropriate^ particular Places for religious Worfliip, butyo- lemnly to confecrate^ and devote, them to the Worfhip of God, in fuch a manner that they fhall for ever ceafe to be ours to put to any other Ufe : This is the true Notion of holy Places ; in this Senfe they are Go^'s Houfe j and, if they be, in a particular Manner, God's Houfe^ we have Reafon to believe that he will dwells or be pre- fent in thofe Places, in a manner in which he has not promifed to be prcfent in other Places that are not io peculiarly given, or devoted, to his Ufe. The Philofopher, full of his own vain Conceits, will IcornfuUy afk whether Confecra^ tion alters the Nature of thofe Buildings, as the Papijls affirm of the Confecration of the Ele- ments of Bread and Wine at the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper j to which impertinent Quef- tion we Chrijiia?is may fafely anfwer. No j and, yet, affirm that Prayers offered up to God in fuch Places may be more acceptable to him, and more profitable to us, than if the Places were not fo folemnly devoted to that Ufe. We affirm, that nothing can be more natural and rational than this Notion. Let us put the Cafe of Per- fins, inftead of Places, and every Chriflian Ob- jector muft be filent. The Clergy like the Churches, are fet apart and folemnly conjecratcd for the publick Worfuip of God, to adminifter the Sacrament s^ and to offer up the Prayers of the [ /" ] the Congregation ; this is the Ordinance of God^ Now, thefe wife Objedors may as pertinently afk, whether the Confecration of a Prie/t alters the Nature of the Man, the Nature of the £/ which would be to make Chrijiianity a more imperfed: Difpenfation than Judaifm; for that is certainly the moil perfed: State of the Church, where God is moft pecu- liarly prefent. There is indeed a great Differ- ence between the Jewifi Temples and Chrifiian Churches j but, as to the Prefence oiGod, which o?2ly makes a Temple, the Advantage is greatly on the Chri;ilan Side. The Ark of the Cove- nant, the Tabernacle, and Temple, contained many Figures of Chrifi ; but thole Types were not the Prefence of God, nor the Objed: of their religious Worfliip, which had been Idolatry againft the Second Commandment : But for the fake of thefe Types, God chofe that Place for his peculiar Prefence. — Now, infiead of thefe Types, we have the Antetype himfelf, the Son of God made Flefh, who, tho' afcended into Heaven, has promifed his peculiar Prefence in all [ 122 ] z\{xht AffemhVies of ChriJIiafis ', which Is fuch a Prefence of God as never filled the jfewi/Jj Tem- ple till Cfjrifl appeared ; for which Reafon God tells them, that the fecond Temple, the' it fell vaftly fhort of the external Beauty and Magni- ficence of the firft, yet fhould excel in Glory, by the perfonal Appearance of Ch?'i/i in it. So that Chri/l having promifed, that wherever two or three are gathered together in his Name, he will be in the midft of them, every Chrifiian Church has a divine Prefence greater than the Temple : For, tho' we fhould grant that this Promife extends to all the occafional Meetings of Chrijiians, wherever the Place be, yet it much more extends to all the Jolemn and ptiblick Pla- ces and Adls of Worlliip. Thus there was but one Temple in the whole Land of Canaan. God, for myftical Reafons, confin'd his more peculiar Prefence to that Houfe where he had placed the Figures and Types of Chrift^ thro' whom only we have Accefs to God. But now this blefled yefus, who is greater than the Temple, is in all Chrifiian AlTemblies, and makes every Chrifiian Church greater than the Temple. In this Senfe our Saviour told the Woman of Samaria^ *' Wo- *' man, believe me, the Hour is coming, when ** ye fhall" neither on this Mountain, nor yet at *' yerufalem, worfhip the Father," John \v. 21 » Which does not fignify, that hereafter there fl^iould be no peculiar and appropriate Places of Worfliip, but that the Prefence and Worfhip of God ibould no longer be confined to any one Place y neither to the Temple of 'Jeriifalem, nor Samaria ; r ^23 ] Samaria ; but it fliould be free all over the World to ere6l Houfes of Prayer and Wordiip, where God would be prefent with them, as in the Temple of Jerufalem -, for there {hould an End be put to that typical State, and typical . V/or(hip, which was confined to the Temple, and the true Worfliippers (liall worfliip the Fa- ther in Spirit and in Truth. And this fpiritual Worfliip is confined to no one Place, but will find God prefent all the World over ; which is fo far from abrogating all peculiar Places of Worfhip, fuch as the Temple at Jerufalem and Samaria were, that it makes every Church, whatfoever Part of the World it be in, in a truer Senfe, the Houfe of God, than ever the Temple at yerufalem was. Indeed, a formal Confecration of Places appointed for publick Wor^ Jhip could not be pradifed in the firfl Ages of ^ Chrijiianity, while the Church was under Per- fecution, becaufe, after their having been thus folemnly given to God for his Ufe, and his onlyy the Chriftians might have been difpoflefs'd of them, and they might have been applied, by the Heathens^ to fecular^ or idolatrom IJfes ; but, as foon as Chriflianity was embraced and pro- tected by the civil Powers, the antient Practice of confecraWig Churches, /. e. Places appropri-. atcd to publick Worihip, was revived, and has been ever lince continued in the Chriftian Church, till fome modern Proteftants thought fit to be wifer than all Antiquity^ and to cen- fure all fuch outward Ceremonies as Superfiition, One would think that common Modefty and Humility [ 124 ] Humility fhould teach them to pay a Regnm to a Pradice which has the Sandion of the Pa- triarchs, and of God himfelf, by his Servant Mofes J and to imagine, that fuch an univerfiil Pradiice by thofe who were divinely infpired, and of all/)/w^i Chrijliam in the primitive Times, muft be grounded upon wife Reafons, and cal- culated to promote Piety, by helping to create an inward Reverence for fuch Places, and to excite Devotion in the Mind. One general Ob- fervation 1 cannot help making upon ihtiQ purely Jpiritual Worfhippers ; they feem to be utterly ignorant of human Nature^ not at all confider- ing that while the Mind is united to the Body, and fubjed to be influenced by it, the Se?ijh will have their Share in attracting our Attention, and creating, or improving, religious Difpoii- tions. Upon this is founded the Cuftom of all our Solemnities at the Appointment of civil Magiftrates, the Regalia and magnificent Ha- bits made ufe of in the Execution of their Of- fice ; and if all thefe outward Formalities were to be laid afide, and Magiftrates were always to appear, in the Eyes of the Multitude, as com- j?2on Men,, they would foon lofe their Autho- rity and Influence. The Application of this Remark to Religion is very obvious, Himan Nature being the fame at Church, as in a Court oiyujlice, and liable to the fame Influence from external Appearances and Ceremonies. We, of the Church of Englajid^ have the Happinefs of worfliipping God in Places confecrated, as the tabernacle and the Temple were, hyfolemn Pray-- en [ 125] en oiTered up to God, by- the Billiops and Pa- yors of Chrift's Church j thcfe are his Hcufes where he delights to dwell, where he expedls us to pay our publick Homage j where he will be beft pleafed with our AddrefTes, and the mod: ready to receive and anfwer them ; hither, therefore, we fhquld be ready and glad to re- pair as often as poffible. If we had the Piety of David^ we {hould have his ardent Defires to appear before God in his Houfe of Prayer; and our conftant Attendance, and devout and reve- rent Behaviour there, would be the Means of increafmg our Piety, as it did his. I fhall now inquire how often Men ought to pray. CHAP. IX. Co?2cermng the Times, or Frequency ^Prayer. ONE would hardly think it poffible for any rational Creature to entertain fo ir- rational an Opinion, but in the fourth Century there did arife a Set of Men who thought them- felves obliged to be always praying, as if a Chri- ftian had nothing elfe to do in this World; This monftrous Error was grounded upon fome Paf- fages of Scripture mifunderftood. We are com- manded io pray always-, to pray without ceaf- ing 3 which they underftood fo literally^ as to think that they ought to fpend their whole Time in the Exercife of this Duty ; not confidering what a Number of ether Duties every Man is 2 commanded [ 126 ] commanded in Scripture to do : So that if we are commanded to fpend our ivhoJe Time in the Performance of one Duty, what Time will there be left for the other Duties that are equally en- joined us ? or, how can the Scriptures be recon- ciled to themfelves ? A literal Interpretation, therefore, of the above-menUoned Palfages, re- lating to the Duty of Prayer, is fo abfurd, that I fhould not have thought it worth mentioning, if there were not, even at this Time, many E?2- tbiifiafls^ called Methodijis, who fuffer their Piety to eat up their Morality, to the Negled: of the common Duties and Offices of the Station in which God has placed them, and the Ruin of themfelves and Families. Thefe ignorant Peo- ple, inftead of being encouraged by their Teach- ers to be perpetually running after them, fliould be taught to mind the Bufinefs of their Callirig^ in order to anfwer the proper Ends of Life j and that one great End of Prayer is, to enable them to do it with Diligence and Fidelity, and to behave properly as fecial Creatures. Befides, if we had nothing elfe to do but to pray^ we could not be always prayings to any manner of Purpofe. Our prefent State" will not admit of fuch an uninterrupted Courfe of Devotion, what- ever we may be capable of in the next Life. It is impoffible for our Attention and AffcBion to be thus conftantly kept up, though the Lipi might be incejfantly employed 5 and, unlefs we pray with Attention, and fome tolerable Degree oiAffeBion^ we might as well be doing nothing. But we may be faid^ in a very proper Senfe, to 2 pray [ 127 ] pray always, and without ceofmg, if we be daily conftant in the Obfervance oi jet Hours of Prayer, both in publick and in private. Firft, Let us confider freque?icy as it refpeds publick Prayer. This will vary with the va- rious Circiimjiances of Men in the different Sta- tions of Life; which will afford fewer, or more frequent. Opportunities of attending the Service of the Church. There is one Rule, indeed, that wnll reach all Mankind, unlefs hindered by Sick- ncfs^ Works of Mercy ^ and abjolute NeceJJity : Thefe Cafes excepted, every one is obliged to attend- publick JVorfii'p twice on a Sunday. I jfhall fay the lefs upon this Head here, becaufe 1 have fully confidered it in Two Sermons lately publiflied upon the Obfervation of the Sunday^ which will be annexed to this Difcourfe, as having an immediate Connection with it. I fhall only take notice of one Thing, which I am moft fincerely and heartily concerned that there is fo much Occalicn to mention. I have already given a Hint of it, and would, be glad to drop a Subjed that may poffibly give Offence to fome whofe Stations I gready honour. I defy any Man living to have a more refpedful Regard for his Superiors than 1 fincerely have, to be more pleafed with any proper Opportu- nity of fhewing it, or to be more unwilling to difoblige them : But as I have prefumed to take upon me the Bufinefs of a publick InjiruBor, upon Subjects of the laft Importance to the Sal- vation of Mankind, the Support of Government, the Peace and Happinefs gf the Society whereof [ 128] I am a Member, it is incumbent upon me to difcharge my Office with Fidelity, tho' I fliould be glad to do it with the utmoll Tendernefs. Perfons in High- life, gind of affluent Fortunes, being independent, have not the leaft Pretence for negleding to attend the publick Service of the Church, and yet many of them fcarce ever appear there, unlefs neceflitared by the Duty of fome Civil Office, or occasionally drawn by fome Motives of Intereii, or Decency ; by which means they not only negle6t their own Duty, but hinder their Servants from performing theirs ^ and by the Influence of their Examples, occa- lion others in the Neighbourhood to flay away. When they fee Perfons whom they naturally fup- pofe to have more improved Underftandings, ihew fuch an utter Contempt for publick Wor- ship, it muft lelTen their Opinion of its Obliga- tion and Importance, and beget fuch an IndiJ- ferency^ at leaft, as will give every the flightefl Excufe for not attending it the greater Weight. But there are flill many more who would be thought to have, a very ferious Senfe of Reli- gion, while they content themfelves with at- tending the Service one Part of the Day only, without any better Excufe than not being will- ing to rife early enough to prepare themfelves for Church ; or for the Pleafure of indulging, after Dinner, in Converfation with their Friends. If what I have faid upon the Advantages at- tending the due Performance of the Duty of publick Prayer at Churchy can liave any Weight, 1 think it muft put all fuch idle Excufes out of Coua- [ 129 ] Countenance j If it has had no EfFe(f]:, T am furc it is not in my Power to fay any thing that will, and therefore I can only beg of God to give them a better Senfe of their Duty. But, while 1 am complaining of the great Decay of Piety among People of Fajhion^ Juftice requires me to ac- knowledge that there are, to my Knowledge^ (and Ihope there are many more in other Parts of the Kingdom) Gentlemen of very large For- tunes, who conftantly attend the Church with all their Servants that can poffibly be fpared, both Morning and Afternoon. One in particular, whom I have formerly had the Pleafure of know- ing, has fo ftri(fl a Senfe of his Duty that if a Nobleman of the firfl Quality dined with him upon a Sunday he never excufed himfelf to his Maker for not attending him at his Houfe of Prayer, but always excufed himfelf to his Friends for not bearing them com.pany in the Time of Divine Service, leaving only a Servant to attend them in his Abfence : And he was fo happy in the Uniformity of his Condud:, that they did not think him either riide^ or fuperftitions, 2. There are other fet Times for puhlick Prayer befides what are appointed on Sundays, Thefe, indeed, are not like the former, Qiiini^ 'Derfal Obligation^ but to be obferved wherever People have a convenient Opportunity ; I mean, the publick Service of the Church on Week- Days. Many Perfons conftandy attend it both Parts of the Day on Sundays^ becaufe they con- fider that Day as a Day fet apart for religious Ufes, but the reft of the Week they apprehend K. to [ 13° ] to be theirs^ to be employed in what Manner they fliall think fit, provided they do not fpend it in any unlawful' Bufinefs, or Diverfion. Of this flrange Opinion I meet with not only igno- rant and illiteiate Perfons, but with very fend- blc end feiious People. But, where do they learn this Divinity ? Not from the Nature and EffeBs of publick Prayer, for thofe are the very fame at ell Times : Not from the Pra6tice of the Jeivs, for they affembled together for the Worfhip of God at other Times befides the Sab- bath : Not from the primitive Chrijtia?is j not from the Conflitution of our own Church, which has appointed a daily Service, and requires the Clergy to read daily Prayers at Church, where they can get a Congregation, and are not other- wife occafiQjially hindered. Now, \i publick Au- thority has provided a daily Service, and the Clergy h^ commanded, as often as they conve- niently can, to read it, furely it mufl be the Duty of the Laity ^ as often as they conveniendy can, to attend it. Men are not to negled the Duties of their Station, but every Station of Life will afford more frequent Opportunities than mod People make ufe of. In London and Wejl^ninjier^ there are Prayers in fome Church or another, at almofl every Hour of the Day, by which means Bufmefs and Piety, Pleafure and Piety, might often be reconciled, where there is an Inclination to do it. But, now, go into any of the Churches, and you feldom fee any young Perfons, much feldomer any Perfons of Fafiion^ but only a few old and poor People ; as if Toutb and [ ^31 ] and Devotiotiy like Love and Old Age^ were in-' conliftent ; as if Riches and Grandeur made it ^^/ow them to worfliip their Creator. The royal Prophet was a Perfon of a moft excellent Un- derftanding, and polite Tafte, (as appears by his Compofitions) and yet he did not think Devo- tion an abfiird and impolite Thing, but took the higheft Delight in publick Worjhip. He was the greatejl Prince that ever reigned before^ o^Jince, his Son Solomon, and yet he thought it his higheft Honour to be admitted into the more immedi- ate Prefence of his Maker, He had great Va- riety of Bujincfs to tranfadt in the Government of a large and populous Kingdom, and yet he found Leifurej becaufe he always had an hicli- 72ation, to attend the Service of the Temple. From the Metropolis let us travel into the Cowitry, and take a melancholy View of the State of Piety in the larger Villages and Market' Towns. In moft of them there are Prayers on WednefdaySj Fridays, and Holidays, hMifew, of either Sort, have daily Prayers. It does not be- come me to prefcribe to my reverend Brethren, many of whom are my Superiors in Age, in CharaBer, and in Station ; but I may decently, and I hope as inofFenfively, declare what I ap- prehend to be my Duty. When God Almighty thought fit to remove me from London into this Place I found a very populous Parifli, Prayers only Wednefdays, Fridays, and Holidays, and.thofe very badly attended. Upon this I drew up a Courfe of Sermons upon the Subject, and im- mediatelv after introduced daily Prayers, which K 2 I [ 132 ] t make it a Rule conftantly to attend, whether I read or not ; lometimes when it is not a little inconvenient to me. The Morning is the only Time of riding for Pleafure, but I never ride for Pleafure only, unlefs 1 can do it before or af- ter Prayers are over, being very defirous, by my Example^ as well as by Precept, to encourage my Parifliioners to attend them. But fometimes it is flill more inconvenient. The Morning is the Time for writing, as well as for riding, and the Mind is not always equally difpofed for it. The Bell, perhaps, calls me to Church when I am in the midft of an Argument, and in a better Difpofition, than ufual, for writing j if I leave off, the Chain of my Thoughts may be broke, and it may not be in my Power after- wards to reaflume it to the fame Advantage. What is to be done in this Cafe ? Shall I ne- glect the Prayers, or my Compojition ^ Very wor- thy pious Men of my Acquaintance, are of an- other Opinion ; but I think it of more conle- quence to fet my Parishioners an Example than to read the mod learned and ufeful Book that ever was wrote, or to write the fineft Things that ever were conceived. Unlefs I am diftrefs'd in. Time, and the Thing demands immediate Exe- cution, 1 take my Chance for another favourable , Difpofition. I cenfure nobody for thinking dif- ferently from me. and I hope nobody will cen- fure me for fo freely declaring my own Senti- ments, and the Reafons upon which they are grounded. If 1 were a Clergyman in a more c.Tiinent Situation, of a more important Charader, or [ ^33 ] or of more Leifure, I ihould think myfelf M\ more obliged to be cautious how I gave the World the leaft Realon to fuipcd my Zeal for publick Worflnp ; and the World, in excufe for their own Neglcd:, are but too forward to take Encouragement from our Ncn-attefidance^ even where there are the moft juftifiable Reafcns for k. Nothing could hurt Religion more than a Notion among the Laity that the Clergy do not care to go to Church, unlefs they are obliged to do Duty ; and they are ever watchful to make Obfervations of this Nature. But enough, and, I fear, too much, on this tender Point. It is time to attend to the Behaviour of the Laity. Aa to my Parijhioners, I muft, in Juftice, acknow- ledge that 1 have daily four, fometimes five or fix times as many at Prayers as I found when I firft came, tho' there were then Prayers only twice a Week ; and yet the Congregation is far ihort of the Number that might contrive their Bufinefs fo as to fpare half an Hour in a Morn- ing, for their Attendance upon God in his Houl^, without any Prejudice to their worldly Affiirs j and would do it too, if they had as right Noti- ons oi fpiritualy as they have of temporal Ad- vantages. Nay, I daily fee People loitering about the Town while the Bell calls them to Church, quite at a lofs to know how to wajie that Time ; or, perhaps, they are as idly employed at Home. Good God 1 If there be any Senfe in Religion, furcly there cannot be common Senfe in fuch Conduct. Mankind are fo impatient of Atten- tion to any Thing but their Bufinefs and their K 3 Pleafures, [ 13+ ] Pleafures, that it is hardly pofTible to make them think long enough, and clofe enough, upon re- ligious Subjeds to receive any lafting Impreffi- ons. But I'll try to put this Cafe in fo ftrong a Light, that it (hall ftrike any one that is not a downright Ideot^ or Madman. Suppofe there were a very great Man in the Neighbourhood, of fuch uncommon Perfedions that he was the Admiration, of fuch diffulive Goodnefs that he was the Delight of all his Neighbours, of fuch extenfive Power and Influence that he was ca- pable of making them all happy j that they were indebted to him daily for all the Health and Succefs, for all the NecefTaries and Comforts that they enjoyed, or expeded ; but that, not- withftanding his incomparable Excellencies, his Greatnefs in Himfelf^ his Goodnefs to them^ his Power to blaft, or profper, all their Schemes of Happinefs, they were daily provoking his Re- fentment by contradiding his Will, and doing Things greatly difagreeable to him. Suppofe, farther, that there was a fet T^ime^ every Day, when as many of the Neighbours as could pof- iibly fpare Time from their neceffiry Employ- ments, fliould wait on him, by his own Invi- tation and Command, with their united Ac- knowledgments of their Difobedience, with their united Acknowledgments of his Excellencies, with their united Thankfgivings for the many undeferved Favours which he daily beftowed upon them, with their united Petitions for the Continuance of his Favours ; would not Gene- rofity, would not Gratitude, would not Self- interefl-j [ 135 3 intereft, would not Self-prefervatlon, would not all thefe ftrong Motives confpire to induce, and could fo many ftrong Motives fail of perliiading to an affidaous Endeavour to attend, and to at- tend with Pleafure, as often as pofTible ? Much lefs would they add Impudence to their Negledl, by idly fauntring up and down before his Door, while others are going into the Houfe. Reader ! are you quite blind, or are you determined to keep your Eyes clofe fliut againfl the Light of Convidtion ? .If not, open them and fee (and if you open them ever fo little you muft fee) that this, tho' ftrong and affeding, is not a. fu/I Re- prefentation of the Cafe between God and his Creatures ; neither can any Cafe be put that will be parallel. This however may ferve to con- vince, and if not to cojivhice, yet, at leaft, to^- lence the irreligious Abfenters ; tho' I fhould be much better pleafed if I could perfuade them to a more conftant Attendance. What I have now faid concerns thofe particularly who live in Market-Towns and large Villages^ where, by reafon of their Nearnefs to the Church, they may have Opportunities which fuch as live at a greater Diftance from it, cannot fo conve- niently take, unlefs they be Gentlemen of For- tune^ who are more at Leifure, and can ccn- vey themfelves without any Trouble. I fliould think that they might, fometi???es, fpare an Hour from their Country Amufements to attend upon God who has blefs'd them with fuch fuperior Advantages. To all foists of People, from the higheji to the hwejl, I muft obferve, that if the K 4 Times [ 136 ] Times Q)i puUlck Prayer happen to be incon-; liftent with their other Affairs, this is an addi- tional Reafon to enforce the Practice of Family Prayer, which they may more ealily accommo- • , date to their Convcniency , And having Occalion to mention this Subjed again, I {hall tranfcribe a Pallage from a moft admirable and agreeable Writer, Dr. Hildrcp, his Hufbandtnan s Spiritual Companion^ lately publiflied by '^obi and yames Rivington^ in St. Paul's Church-yard^ pag. 62. " Every Chrifaa?i Family (liould be confidered *' as fo many Servants of God uiuted under one " Head, who have all fome common Bleffings *' to afk, fome common Dangers to fear, fome " common Mercies to give Thanks forj (I add, *' fome common Sins to acknowledge) there- " fore, the Governor of it fhould call together *' as many as can be at Leilure, twice a Day, in " the Morning and the Evening; and by him- " felf, or fome one of the Family, offer up *' their Prayers for what they want, and their " Thankfgivings for what they enjoy. (I add " again, their ConfefHon of their common Sins) *' But, alas ! I have Reafon to fear, that in toq " many Families it is never pradifed at all, to *' the eternal Scandal and Reproach of thofe *' who negle(ft it ; for Prayer is not only a prin- *' cipal Part of divine Service, but a neceffary *' one too, as it both engages and enables us *' to perform the other Parts of it; and where " this is omitted, it is fcarce to be expeded that " the reft (hould be performed. And now how f* dreadful a Sight is it to any ferious, confide- ** rate [ 137 ] *^ rate Chri/lian, to fee a Family feparate in an' Evening without the leaft Appearance ofChri- flian Devotion, and meet again next Morn- ing, like the other Animals in the Family, only to be fed, without any Thought of Gra- titude to Almighty God for his paft Mercies, or any Petition for his merciful Protedion for the future ? In fhort, it is a deplorable Obfer- vation, that Family Devotion^ and faying Grace before and after Meat, are growing flrangely out of Fafliion among thofe who are called great Folks^ and the better Sort of People. Strange Infatuation ! monftrous In- gratitude ! that they who, by the peculiar In- dulgence of Heaven, enjoy the greateft Share of worldly Profperity, ihould forget the Hand that beflows it, refufe the poor Returns of a thankful Heart, and negled: to beg his Blef- fing upon it. Thefe are fad Indications of a latent Infidelity, which is fpreading far and wide in this finful Generation." The Nobility and prime Gentry may make Family-^ Devotion ftill more folemn and effectual, by keeping a regular, worthy Clergyman in their Houfe ; not as Part of their Retinue, to be treated as a Servant, but as the confecrated Mi?iifier of their common Creator, to offer up the Addrefles of the Family to him, and to blefs them in his Name. A good Clergyman, kept upon a true Principle of Piety, like the Ark of iSod, might be a Comfort to the whole Family, and make every thing profper : Infidels may divert them- felves with this, as they do with every other Part [138] Part of Relighiy but none to an Infidel, or a very unthinking Believer can do It. I am willing, and glad, to do Juftice to every Body, and 1 freely own that, as far as I can inform myfelf, the Dijf enters in general, are more regular in the Performance of Family-Duty than the Members of the Church cf Eitglajid : If this be a Reproach to us, let us Wi^t it off by follovi^ing their Ex- ample in every thing that is praife-worthy. But, there is one Inftance of Piety in which I mufl think them very blameable ; in this, and in other Market-Towns, and large Villages ^ they have the Opportunity of publick Worfiip with us when they have none in their own Way, and yet never attend it ; 1 fay, in this Negle6l they are wanting both in Fiety, and Charity. Formerly the Sepa- ration was founded upon different Principles from what it Is now ; the Terms of Communion were, then, thought to htjinful, and all fuch as were in that Perfuafion were obliged in Confcience to refufe ever to communicate with us in the Ufe of our Service ; but the Cafe Is quite altered. They feparate from us becaufe they think their own Way of Worfhip more edifying than ours ; but I know no Diffenter that refufes, occafionally ^ to join with us in the Ufe of our ejlablifed Wor- Jhip. Now, if it be lawful (as they allow it to be by their Pradlice) to join with us at one Time, It is equally lawful to do it at any Time ; and If It be lawful^ it muft be their Duty to do it, whenever they have a convenient Opportunity, provided they have not, at the fame time, an Opportunity of wor- Ihlpping God in a Way that they think prefera- ble. [ 139 ] ble. Why they never meet together for publick JVorfiip unlefs there be a Sermon^ when Prayer muft be allowed to be the principal Thing, I leave them to think of at their leifure, it being no Part of my prefent Subjedt. I argue, from the Nature and Adva?7tages of publick Prayer, that all pious Chri/iians lliouid attend it as often as they can j and, confequently, that when they have not an Opportunity of doing it at their own Places of Worfhip they ought to do it at Church, rather than not do it at all : But, Reafons of Cha- rity, as well as of Piety, require this of them. Brotherly Love is a Chrijlian Duty ; and bro- therly Love is never fo effedually fliewn as by communicating with us in publick Chrijlian Of- fices, infomuch that refufing to communicate with us when they can do it lawfully, is denying us to be true Members ofChriJl's Catholick Church, and betrays a very uncharitable Difpofition. I fpeak freely, but with great Temper, and in the Spirit of Meeknefs. \i they do me Juftice, all the Dijjenters, wherever I have liv'd, mufl: own that I always behaved to them with Refped: and Friendlinefs ; but I muft not compliment them at the expence of Truth, and Piety : Indeed, it would be no Compliment to them, becaufe it would be encouraging them to go on in what I muft think, and ever have thought, an unchriftian Pradice. I have argued this Matter very can- didly with fome of the moft fenfible of their Teachers ; and, indeed, very learned and fenfi- ble Men I found them to be. What they urged I will fairly tell you, and if it gives my Readers any [ 140 3 any Satisfacftion, it is more than it gave me. They fay that they difallow of our Authority to Com- mand them to attend our Service ; be it fo, I never refted the Matter upon that Footing, but upon the Authority of Chrtfi, who commands Candor ought to make them believe me when I fay fo : But Juftice intitles me to the Liberty of fpeak- ing my Mind as ingenuoufly, if I fpeak it as de- cently, as they have done. Firft of all, as to the Candor of their DifqiufitionSj I muid be of Opi- nion, that whatever their Intention may be,, their CondiiB is not quite fo candid as might have been expeded on fuch an Occafion. Thtve feems to be a ftronger Inclination to raife ObjediionSj than to commend our Liturgy. They have been in- duftrious to coUeft together every Thing that has been urged againft it, but not fo forward to do Juftice to its allowed Excellencies. It muft be capable of Improvements, in fome Particulars, as it is the Compofition oi fallible Men j but, with all its Faults and Defedts, it has, upon the whole, been deemed, not only by the Members of our own Communion, but by foreign Prote- fia7it Churches, to be a moft excellent one ; as any one may fee that will read Durell's Account of them. Had thefe Projedors been a litds more candid in their CefjfureSy and more mode- rate in their Demands, they would have been better intitled to the Attention of the LegiJIature -, but. [ 176] br*^ ih^iiM the Attempt fucceed upon the Plai of their Speamen^ many prudent Perfons think, they have Realon to dread the Confequences of it upon the Peace of Church and State. They complain of:en of Prejudice in Favour of our prefent Liturgy j but, in my Judgment, they have taken a likely Method to increafe^ rather than lejjhi them ; for when any Perfon, or Thing, is unreajonably decried, from a Spirit of generous Refentment, it creates more Friends than Ene~ mies. As to myfelf^ I can only wifi and pray, that the Glory of God, and the general Good, may be moft efFedlually promoted ; but I am clearly of Opinion with good Archbifhop Sharps that we need not doubt but that we may be faved in the Ufe of our Liturgy as it is, and, therefore, I am not only contented with it, but thankful for it ; though I fhould be much better pleafed if fome Alterations could be made with- out a probable Hazard of having it worfe upon the whole. I pray God that our Attendance and Behaviour in the Ufe of it, may be anfwerable to its Excellency. To this End we mufl always pray with Attention and Fervency. The firft Thing requifitc to the offering upPray- ers acceptably, is Attention of Mind; and this isfo ef!ential a Part, that there can be no fuch Thing as Prayer without it : For, Prayer is an Ad: of the Mind^ an Addrefs of the Soul to God ; and, therefore, if while we give our Attendance at Church, and feem to join in the Service by ufing the proper Geflures, and making our proper Rcfponfes ; or, if when we pretend to pray in our [ 177 ] our Clofets, our Thoughts ^xo. other wife empl6yecl, we can no more be faid to be praying all that Time, than a Thing could be faid to pray that is moved by Wires, and artfully made to per- form the fame Adllons, and pronounce the fame Words. There can be no Difference between Sounds uttered, and Adtions performed by fuch a Machine^ and by a Man^ unlefs the Mind of the Man accompanies the Body ; then only it be- comes a rational A(ft, when it expreffes the /;:- ivard Sentiments and Difpofitions of the Soiil^ DIRECTED at that Time to God; and, unlefs it- be a rational A6t, it is impoffible that it fliould be a religious one : So tl:iat we can have no Pre- tence to expert the Benefits of Prayer, when we do not in reality pray at all. If one of our Fel- low-Creatures were to pronounce a Petition to us in the moft fubmiHive Pollure, and with the mofl moving Tone, and we knew, at the. fame time, that he was thinking upon fomething elfe, we fliould hardly grant his Requeft. On the contrary, we fliould look upon his dijfembled Application, as an Indignity that deferved our Relentment, rather than a kind Acceptance. And why fliould we imagine that the great God will accept of thofe hypocritical Appearances^ as Ad:s of Worfiip deferving his ' favourable Re- gard, which would be rejeded with Scorn and Anger by Men from one another ? Hypocrify con lifts in feeming or pretending to be what we are not ; and while we are repeating any Part of the Service, our Thoughts at the fame Time not accompanying our Words we feenij or pre- N tend. [ 178] tend^ to be fpeakwg j that is, dircdiiiig our Minds to God, when they are dire<5led to another Ob- jed: ; we appear to be performing Adts of inter- nal Humiliation, Adoration, Thankfgiving, or Application for BlefTings, but in reality we are doing fomething elfe. This feigned and coun- terfeit Addrefs mud needs be highly provoking, as it is greatly affronting, to the omnijcient God, who fceth all the Thoughts and Motions of our Soul. By fuch Inattention of Mind at our Pray- ers we not only lofe our Title to ali the Advan- tages which we might otherwife expedl from them, but we turn them into 6V«, and, inftead of WorfAp^ offer an Inlult to the divine Majefly. I do not here I'peak only of fuch (and, I am afraid, fome fuch do often attend the out'ward Service) who come not with any Intention of joining inwardly in their Hearts.^ but out of Cu- riofity, a prudent Regard to Decency, out of Cuftom, or Intereft; but I likewife mean thofe who, tho' they do come to Church upon a reli- gious Principle, and with a general Defign of praying to God, do, neverthelefs, for want of due Care, fuffer their Minds frequently to wan- der from the Bunnefs of their Devotions, while perhaps their Lips may be employed in uttering the Words, arid their Bodies comply with the required Geftures. Nay, I am afraid, there arc fome who, notwithftanding fome general Inten- tion of worfliipping God by coming to Church, do nothing more than barely come thither, and add one to the Congregation, without concern- ing themfelvcs at all in the Service. This is the higheft [ 179 ] highefl Degree of Inattention that any one can be guilty of, who comes with any Jort of reli- gious Dellgn. But we are all of us guilty, when- ever our Tbciights are engaged on any other Sub- jed: than that of our Prayers ; and in proportion as we are ojhner^ or longer^ during the Time of the Service, thinking of fomething elfe, we are fo much the more inattentive, our Prayers are fo much the more broken, unconnected, imper- fedl, and affrontive to God. But not only our Thoughts, but our AffeBions^ alfo, mull J3e engaged in the Bufinefs of our De- votions. When we repeat the Confejjion, (for In- ftance) it is not enough that we have in our Minds the Thoughts which are exprelTed in the V/ords, and direB them to God, but our Minds muft be fultably affeBed. When we confefs our Sins to God, we muft be forry for them, ajid adiamed of them j we muft be afraid of the Difpleafure of our oftended God, and anxloufly follicitous to appeafe him. Without thefe Dif- pofitions, the Dejign of Confeffion will never be anfwercd : For, God does not require this A6lof Worihip for his oitm fake, but for ours : He, who fees our Hearts, does not want to be m- fornied of our Sins, but he requires us to ac- knowledge them, that our Acknov/ledgment of them may be the Means of working in us a Re- formation 3 which it always will be, as far as we confefs cur Sins with proper Difpofitions of Mind. And thus it is with regard to all the other Parts of our Prayers. When the Alfolu' tion is pronounceublick Prayer. The [ 201 ] OLjc£r of our Prayers, and the fiihjeci Matter of therrij being the fame in the Clofet and at Churchy the fame AfFedions and Difpofitions ought to accompany our Prayers in both Places. We fhould magnify God's Perfections with the fame awful Admiration ; confefs our Sins with the fame Humility and Sorrow ; beg God's Mer- cies and Bleffings with the fame Earneftnefs ; acknowledge thofe which we have received, with the fame Gratitude and Joy j and intercede for our Brethren with the fame AfFecflion in our 'private, as in our publick Prayers. 3. As to the Ufe of the Voice in private Prayer, I have but one Diredtion to give about it, and that is, that we take care that nobody hears us pray in our Clofet, which would deftroy the Nature and Ends of Privacy in our Prayers, and is contrary to the Command for praying in fecret ; for we might as well leave the Door of our Clofet open, and let Men 7^^ us pray, as let them hear us. But the Point of Privacy or Secrecy, being fecured, perhaps, with many Per- fons, [peaking the Words may be a Means of fixing the Attention, and increafing their Fer- vency. 4. Again, fourthly, Reverence o£ Behaviour m Prayer refpeds the Clofet as much as the Church. God has a Right to the Homage of the ivhcle Man in both Places, and bodily Gefaires have, alike in both Places, a natural Tendency to im- prove thofe Conceptions which we ought to have of God, and thofe Affedions which we ought to have foimrds him. Let not any there- fore [ 202 j fore imagine, that In private they may pray as well in their Chair ^ or in their Beds, as on their Knees, becaufe K?2eeli?7g being by Cuftom a Po- iliire of RcfpeB and Jriumiliation, the Ufe of it will be a Help to the ^oul in improving our in- 'Ward Reverence. I do not mean that nobody ought occafwnally to lift up their Hearts to God -in any other Pofture than kneeling or Jlanding, for good People frequently do it in all Poflures; but we muft, in our ftated and jet Times of Prayer in our Clofct, ufe bodily Reverence, and pray in the moft humble Poiture j and, if we accuftom ourfelves to a flovenly and carelefs Be- haviour in our private Prayers, we fhall foon find our iwti'ard Reverence for God begin to decay. The Aflfedlions of the Mind are wonderfully raifed and enlarged by the Motions of the Body, and bodily Geflures avail much in blowing up the Fervour of our Spirits into a holy Flame. Now, in our Clofets, where we are concealed from outvi^ard Obfervation, we may ufe fuch Gefhures as will be the mofi affeding, without giving Encouragement to our own Vanity and Odentation, or the leaft Sufpicion of our Since- rity to others, by the Singularity of our Beha- viour. Dr. Watts, fpeaking of that Ad of Wor- Hiip which we oiercife before, and after Meals, is of Opinion that we need not rife from our Seat when we perform it alone. I muft differ from this fenfible and pious Writer, becaufe thefe are not occafional ^jacidations, but fit and ftated Ads of Worfiiip, and ought to be per- formed with more Reverence, as well as any othei" C 203 ] Dtlier Jlaied hO. of private Prayer. Thus, by God's Help, I have finilhed (as well as my Ability and Condition would permit) a Dif- courle upon the moft folemn and feafonable Subjee^ of Prayer: May God's Grace make it iUfcful. Amen, [ 204 ] DISCOURSE O N T H E Sacrament of the I^ord* s-Suppo'. N^Otwithftandlng the great Number of Books upon this plain Inftitution, and many of them written by very learned and able Men^ I muft be of Opinion that there is ftill Room to add fomething that may be of Ufc j however, if the Reader fliould be difappointed he fhall lofe but little time ; for, every thing that is neceffary for Chrijlians in general to kiiow con-' cerning this Matter may be brought into a very narrow Compafs. It is a common Excufe, with Perfons of no Education, that they never had any Learnings and are not able to qualify them- felves for the Sacrament ; but, what a blafphe- mous Notion do thefe People entertain of God, by fuppofing him to have inftituted an Ordi- nance for the Uie of all Chrijlians^ whicli, by much, the greateft Part of them are not capable of under ft ending. As I have nothing, at prefent, to do with the ^takers, J may venture to take it for granted that our Saviour inflituted this as an external Rite for the Ufe of all Iris FolloiDers^ to iht End. of the World. As there is nothing in the Words of the Inflitution that is pecidiar to the [ 205 1 the CIrcumftances of the Apojiles, but equally applicable to all Chriflians, fo the Eiid and De- fgn of the Inftitution concerns all Chri/l's Difci- ples; it was to commemorate his Death, and this till he fliould come the fecond Time in order to "Judgment : So St. Paul exprefsly declares, i . Cor. xi. 26. We have then as poftive a Com- mand for the iinhcrjal Obfervance of it, as we have for the Obfervance of any other Precept in the Bible, and confequently it is of as wiherfal^ and indifpciifable Obligation. What makes any thing^a T>uty^ is, its being the Will oi God that we (liould do it ? What makes any thing finful is, its being a Violation of his Will. Omitting to do a thing that God has exprefsly required, is, in its Nature^ equally a Violation of his Will, and equally a Sin. I fliall probably fliock fome of my Readers (as I did once before in my Dif- courfe upon the Duty of keeping the ichole Law) by ailertlng that a Chriftian can no more juftify his deliberately living in the habitual Negleil of this Sacrame?it, than he can juflify living in the Habit of any known Adl of Immorality : If any one denies this, I afk him whether Difobedience to God's Commands be not a Sin ; whether otnif- ting to do what God has abfohitely required, be not as much an Adl of t)ij obedience, as doing what God has abfohitely forbidden. Nay it is, in reality, as much an immoral Ad: as Intemperance y or Whoredo?n, forafmuch as it is a Breach of our Ride of Adfion, v/hich is the Will of God : This is undeniably true ; and, if it be, it deferves to be well conlidered by thofe who are fo eafy under the [ 206 ] the habitual Negle5i of this pofithe Command. This is a fhort Anfwer to all the ObjecSlions that ever were made, or can be made againft receive ing the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper ; for, there can be no reafonable Excufe for not doing a Thing which is abfolutely nccejfary to be done ; neither can the Danger of receiving it unworthily be greater than the Danger of habitually negle^i- ing it. The only rational Ufe that can be made of the Binfiilnefsy and Danger of being unworthy Partakers is, to be careful rightly to inform our- felves concerning the Nature of this holy Inftitu- tion, and the proper Qualifications for a due Re- ception of it, and not to add to the Number of our Sins, the damnable Sin of habitual Difobedi^ ejice. The Prayers of the Wicked are an Abomi- nation to the Lord, and People may perform any other Ad: of Chrijlian Worfliip in 2if.nful Man- ner, which will be damnable unlefs we repent of it; but who in his Senfes would argue, from the Danger oi praying umvorthily, to the Wifdom of totally negledling to pray, which would be as damnable a Sin as a Man can be guilty of: This would be full as rational as it would be for a Man to kill himfelf for fear of dyifig -, he damns himfelfj for fear of being damned. 2. This Argument will be very much ilrengthened by conlidering this Chrijlian Rite as fucceflive to the Jewifi Pajfover^ and compar- ing them together. The Paffover .was a Memo- rial of the Deliverance of the Jews from their Egyptian Slavery ; it was an Ordinance for the whole Nation \ an Ordinancey^jr ever ; fo ftricSlly enjoined. C 207 ] enjoined, that whoever negleded it, that Soul was to be cut off", not fufFered to enjoy the 5^?;^- fis of the Deliverance. The Sacrament of the Lord' s-Suppef\ our eiicharijiical Feaji, is an Or- dinance in Memory of our Dehverance from Sin and Deaths by the Blood of Chrifi. Now, as the Pajfover was an Inftitution of laiivcrfal, mid perpetual Obligation, the Chrijlian Rite which was appointed in the room of it, muft be as extenfroe, and as Lifting, in its Obligation. As it was inftituted in Memory oi 7mich greater Be- nefiti than the Paffover commemorated, it can- not be fuppofed that the Obfervance of it would be required under the Sand:ion of a lefs fevere Penalty. If a Jew was to be cut off for the Negled: of their Memorial, can a Cbrijiian ex- ped: to enjoy the Benefits of Chrifl's Death, or not to be punilhed in the next World, if he refufes to fhew his Gratitude and Obedience to his Saviour, by his Attendance upon that holy Solemnity, which was appointed in Memory of it ? No. Such a Soul has nothing to expe(5t but to be cut off' from, all the Benefits of Cbri/l's Paf- fion, and doomed to eternal Death. This Argu- ment is as ftrong as any Argument can pofi^ibly be that is drawn from Analogy, i. e. Parity ofReafon. '^. But this Inftitution is not a bare Memorial ofChri/l's Death, but the Meaiis of our partaking of the Benefits which he purchafed for us, and on God's Part a vifible Pledge to afiiire us thereof. I fliall firft colled: the Senfe of our Church con- cerning this Matter. The 28th Article fays, '* that the Supper of the Lord is not only a Sign ^ ' '' of [ 208 ] *■' of the Lcce tliat Chrijiimn ought to have *' among themfelves one to another, in Imitation '' of Chrift*s Love to us, ((Ijevvn particularly by " dying for us, and uniting us together in one '* Bodx, of which he is the Head) but rather it *' is a Sacrament of our Redemption by Cbriji's *' Death j fo that to fuch as rightly-, and with *• Faith y receive the fame, the Bread that we " break is the partaking of the Body of Chri/i -, " and like wife the Cup of Bleffing which we *' blefs, is the partaking of the Blood of ChriJiJ' Af:er which, having declared herfelf againft the literal Scnie of the Words of the Infiitution, (he goes on in the Article to declare that the Body and Blood of Chri/l are given, taken, and eaten after a fpiritual Manner ; and that the Mean whereby the Body ofCkriJl is received, is Faith. Which laft Words exclude wicked Perfcns from partaking of the Body and Blood of Chrift, though they receive the Elements, In her C^- techifm, having inftruded her Catecumens that there are two Things in each of the Sacraments, that is, the outward 'uifible Sign, and the in- ivard and fpiritual Grace and Favour, {lie teaches them that the outward Part of the Sa- crament of the Lord's Supper, is -Bread and Wine, but the inward Part, or Thing fignified, is the Body and Blood of Chrift, which are ve- rily and indeed taken and received by the Faith- ful. In the firft Homily concerning this Sacra- ment, (he declares herfelf after the fame Man- ner; '' Thus much we muft be fure to hold, " that in the Supper of the Lord there is no *' vain [ ^09 ] " vaifi Ceremony, no bare Sig7i, no untrue Ft- " gure of any Thing abfent, but the liable of " the Lord, the 5rtW and Cup of the Lord ; "the Mercies of ChriJ} -, the Armunciation of " his Death ; yea the Communion of the /^o^ " and £/W of the Zor^, in a marvellous /;z- " corporation, which, by the Operation of the ** Holy GhoA, is, through Faith, wrought in '' our Souls." Thus the partaking of the out- ixard and vifible Signs of the Body and Blood of Chrijl, are appointed, by God, as the Means fwhen received with Faith) of partaking of all the Benefits oiChrijfs Death, repiefented by the Bread and Wine. So that nothing can be clearer than that, according to the Docftrine of the Church of Ejigland, no ChrijUan can be a Par- taker of the Body and Blood of Chriji, that is, the Benefits of his Death, without partaking of thofe outward Signs which Chrifi ordained as the (landing Means of conveying them. She aflerts, likewife, in her Catechifm, that, by being appointed as a Means, it is made a public Pledge, or AJfurance, that if we rightly partake of this divine Inftitution we {hall certainly partake of all thole Advantages which the Body and Blood of ChriH: purchafed for us upon the Crofs, This is plainly implied in the Nature of the Thing. Agreeably to God's own Ordinance we publickly plead the Benefits of Chriji' s Paffion ; we hold forth 2l Reprefentation of his Death to God, as well as to the People; thereby laying Claim to the Benefits of it. And, therefore, if we refuie tbus to plead, dr claim, the Benefits of his Paf- P fion, [ 2IO ] fion, by attending that Reprefentation of it which he himielf appointed for that Purpofe, we, in eiFedt, give them up: I (hall now fliew the Senfe of St. Paul con- cerning the Nature and EffeBs of this holy In- ftitution, as we find it fet forth in the loth Chapter of his firjt Epiftle to the Con?2thiafis, jind explained by the juftly celebrated Mr, Locke. Though we have many other learned and judi- cious Cofmne7itators, I chufe the Authority of his Opinion, becaufe he never was fufpedled of any Partiality in Favour of divine Ordinances, Ver. i6. The Cup of Blefling which we blefs, is it not the Commu- nion of the Blood of Chrift I The Bread which we break, is it not the Communion of the Body of Chrifl ? i8. Behold Ifrael af- ter the Flefh, are not they who eat of the Sa- crifices Partakers of the Altar? They who drink of the Cup of Bleffing which we blefs in the Lord's Supper, do they not thereby partake of the Benefits of Chri/l's Blood (lied for them upon the Crofs, which they here fymbolically drink ? And they who eat of the Bread broken there, do they not partake in the Sacrifice of the Body of Chrift, and profefs to be Members of him? See how it is among the Jews; are not they who eat of the Sacrifice Partakers of God's Table the Altar, have FelloivflAp with him, andyZ'^r^ in the Benefits of the 20. TheThings which the Gentiles facrifice, they facrifice to Devils, and not to God : and I would not that you fliould have Fellowlliip with Devils. 21. Ye cannot drink the Cup of the Lord, and the Cup of Devilsj ye cannot be Partakers of the Lord's Table, and the Table of Devils. the Sacrifice as If it were offered for them ? The Things which the Gefifiles facrifice they facri- fice to Devils, and not to GoJ'y and I would not that you fiiould have Fellow/hip^ and be in League with De- vils, as they who by eating of the Things offered to them, enter into Covenant, Alliance,Qii\d,Fnendpnp with them. You cannot eat and drink with God as Friends at his Table, and entertain Fami- liarity and Friendpip with Devils, by eating with them, and partaking of the Sacri- fices offered to them. Now if Mr. Locke thought eating of the Sa- crifices offered up to Devils to be a Declaration of their being in League, or in Covenant with them, he mufi: think that eatijig the Bread and Wine at the Lord's Table is a Falderal, or Co- venant kdi alfo ; and, confcquently, it was this great Man's Opinion, that the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is more than a bare Memorial, or calling Chrili's Death to mind, by the outward Signs of Bread and Wine. Bat St. Luke and St. Paul, when they cite the Words of the In- ftitution, inftead of faying, with St. Matthew P 2 and [ 212 ] and St. Mark, This is my Blood, expreflly ftlle the Bread and Wine the New T[ejiament, or Co- venant : So does the Confecratlon Prayer in the Communion Service. And in the Colledl im- mediately following, the Church plainly fup- pofes, that in this MX of Communion with Chrifi^ as we do in our Baptijmal Covenant, we dedicate curfehes, our Souls, and Bodies to his Service. And a very comfortable Thing it is to all ferious Perfons, confcious of their daily Lapfes, whereby they forfeit their Title to Par- don, and all the other Benefits of the Chrijiian Covenant, which God made with us at our Biiptifni, to have the Opportunity of renewing it, and being re/iored to God's Favour, by thus f federally partaking of his Body and Blood, The next thing to be coniidered is, the Fre- quency of receiving this Sacrament. In the Words of the Inftitution there is nothing that either ex- prepSy or i?nplies it. It only fays, as often, &c. which only proves that it is not like the Sacra- ment of Baptifm, but an Inftitution to be re- peated. If this Point could not be cleared up any other Way, it might be done to Satisfadion by the Pradice of the Apoftles and jirji Chrijlians, who could not be ignorant of the Intention of our Saviour. Were we in any doubt about the meaning of any old Adl of Parliament, and the Inteniion of the Legillature in enacting it, if we had any authentic Hiftory of the Senfe of the Judges, and mofl eminent Lawyers, and the Prad:ice of the Nation immediately after it was enaded^ I prefume every reafonable Man would think i [ 213 ] think this Evidence fatisfacftory. Now, we have the moft authentic Hiflory of the Senfe and Prac- tice of the y^po/tles and primitive Chriftians, inn- mediately after the Inftitution of the Sacrament, and they received it, at firft, every Time they met together for pubhck Worlhip. Time has not at all altered the Nature of the Inftitution. The only Alteration is in ChriftiaiiSy who have not io much Piety as they then had. But there is in the Nature^ and EWj, of it fufficient Proof that it ought frequently to be repeated. — As it is a fcederal Rite, whereby we renew our bap- tifmal Covenant, which we are fo frequently breaking, and recover the Privileges which we are fo frequently forfeiting by thefe Breaches ; this fhews, not only the Expediency ^ but the ab^ folute Neceffity ^ oi a frequent Renewal g^ ouv bro' ken Covenant. — As it is, on Gods Part, a pub^ lick Pledge, or y^ffiirance, that if we rightfyy and witlj Faith, partake of the Reprefjttatives of Chriji's Body and Blood, we thereby partake of all the Benefits of his Pafjion, Can this be done too often ? Can a difconfolate Sinner too often fee this Token of his Pardon ? Can a weak Creature too often fee this vifihle Afjurance of fpiritual Strength ? Can he too often ufe this great Means of obtaining it ? For, if by receiving the Sacra- ment of the Lord's Supper, we partake of all the Benefits purchafed by his Blood, one of which is the AfTiftance of his Spirit, this A61 ?nufi be, in a more particular Manner than any other can be, a Means of Grace. — To entertain a Perfon at P 3 our [ 214 ] our I'able, and to entertain him handfomely^ is an Ad of Familiarity and FriendJlAp. When wc receive the Sacrament of Chkist, our deareft Friend, ou^ great ejl BencfaBor^ entertains us at his ^able, and entertains us in the kindefi and nobleft Manner that can be conceived. Lord Jefu ! Hov^ can I exprejsy what I cannot co?icei't>e ! Yes, Lord, 1 can exprefs this aflonijlmg^ and incon- ceivable Jnftance of thy Love in thine own Words, He that eateth the Breads and drifiketh the IVine at my Table in Remembrance of me^ eat- eth and drinkeih my Body and Blood : And can we too uften do ourfelves this high Honour? Can we too cjten partake of this reviving, this hea- venly Food ? But many People will acknowledge the great Comfort and Advantages of receiving the Sacra- ment ix:c' thily, but they dread the Danger of re- ceiving It unworthily. This is a Point that de- ferves a particular Conlideration, but it is a Point that may eafily be fettled j fo ealily, that it may juftly be thought ftrange that fo many People of common Senfe fhould miftake it. But before I enter upon this Head I muft remind the Reader • of one thing that I have already proved, which is this J that let the Danger be ever fo great, it is impoffible that it (liould be greater than the Dan- ger of living in the wilful Negle<5t of it. Receiv- ing unworthily may relate to ihcMamier of receiv- ing, or to the Unjitttefs to receive it. Some Expreflions of St. Paul, unhappily in- ferted in one of the Exhortations in the Commu- nicn [ 215 ] nion Service, without a fufficient Explanation^ has occafioned great Errors and Scruples in the Minds of many well meaning People ^ and, there- fore, I fhall cite the Texts, and be farther be- holden to Mr. Locke, for his Comment upon them, it being impoffible for me, or any Body elfe, to explain them more clearly. I fhall firft cite Part of the Argument, or Contents of tliis PaiTage, which he has prefixt to his Comment. '' The celebrating the Paflfover amongfl the yews, was plainly the eating of Meat, diftinguip^ed from other ordinary Meals by fevera! peculiar Ceremonies ; two of thefe Ceremonies were, eating of Bread folemnly broken, and drink- ing a Cup of Wine, called the Cup of Bief- Jing : Thefe two our Saviour transferred into the Chriftian Church, to be ufed in their Af- femblies for a Commemoration of his Death and Sufferings. In celebrating this Inftitution of our Saviour, the jndaizing Chriflians fol- lowed the Jewifh Cuftom of eating their Pafs- over; they eat the Lord's -Supper as a Part of their Meat, bringing their Provilions into the Ajjembly, where they eat divided into diftind: Companies, fome feafting to Excefsi, while others, ill-provided, were in Want. Their eat- ing thus in their publick JJfembly, and mixing the Lord's- Supper with their ordinary Meal, as a Part of it, with other Diforders and In- decencies accompanying it, is the Matter of this Seaion." P 4 Chap; [ 2i6 ] Chap. xi. Ver, 20. When ye come together into one Place, this is not to eat the Lord's- Supper. 21. For in eatinj: eve- ry one taketh, before Other, his own Supper ; and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22. What, have ye not Houfes to cat and drink in, or defpife ye tlie Church of God, and fliame them that have You come together it is true, in one Place, and there you eat, but yet this makes it not to be the eating of the Lords -Supper. For in eating you eat not together, but every one tak- eth his own Supper, one be- fore another, {a) Have you not Houfes to eat and drink in at home, for fatisfying your Hunger and Thirft ? Or have ye a Contempt for the Church of God, (^a) Ver. 2 1 . To underfland this we muft obferve, 1 . That they had Ibmetimes M^eetings on Purpofe only for eating the Lord's Supper, Ver. 33. 2. That to. thefe Meetings they brought their own Supper, Ver. 21. 3. TJiat tho' every one's Supper was brought into the common' JJembly, yet they did not eat in comtnon, for every one fell to his own Supper, apart, as foon as he and his Supper were there ready for one another, without flaying for the reil of the Com- pany, or Communication with them in eating, Ver. 21, 33. In this St. Paul bla.mcs three Things efpecially ; »y?. That they eat their ordinary Food in the AJfemhly, or Church. zdly. That though they cat in the common Meeting-place, yet they cat, fcparatels, every one his own Supper, apart ; fo that the Plenty and Excels of fome fnamed the Want and Poverty of others, Ver. 22, 34. Hereby alio the Divifions amongft them Were kept up, Ver. 18. they being as fo many feparated zxA di- fvided Societies, not as one united Body of ChriJIians commemo- rating their cuimnon Head, as they fhould have been in celebra- ting the Lnrd'': Supper, Chap. x. xvi. xvii. •3,dly, 'I'hat tlicy mixed the Lord's Supper with their own, eat- ing it as a Part ot iheir ordinary Meal, whereby they made not that Difcrimination between it and their c:imit:on Food as dicy fhoiild have done, Ver, 29. [ have not ? Shall I praife you in this ? I praife yeu not. 23. For I have re- ceived of the Lord, thai: which I delivered unto you, that the Lord Je- fus, the fame Night in which he was betrayed, took Bread. 24. And when he bad given Thanks, he brake it, and faid,Take, eat, this is my Body, which is broken for you : this do in Re- membrance of me. 25. After the fame Manner alfo he took the Cup when he had Tapped, faying. This Cup is the NewTefla- ment in my Blood : This do ye, as oft as ye Ihall drink it, in Remembrance of me. 26. For as often as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye (hew forth the Lord's Death till he come. 217 ] God, and propbane it by putting it to common Ufes j and take a Pleafure in put- ting thofe out of Counte- nance, who have not where- withal to feaft here as you do : In this I cannot praife you. For what I received, con- cerning this Inftitution, from the Lord himfelf, that I de- livered unto you, when I was with you • and it was this, viz. that the Lord Je- fus in the Night wherein he was betrayed, took Bread, So that the eating of this Bread, and drinking this Wine at the Lord's Supper, is not to fatisfy Hunger and Thirft. [ 27. Wherefore, who- Ibever fhall eat this Bread, and drink this Cup of the Lord un- worthily, fhall be guil- ty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. 218 ] Thirft, but to fhew forth the Death 6f our Lord. He who eats this Bread, and drhiks this Cup of the Lord in an unworthy Man- ner, {If) not fuitable to that End, Oiall be guilty of a Mifufe of the Body and Blood of the Lord ; that is^ of the Elements that repre- fent them, and will be lia- ble to the Punidiment due to fuch a Mifufe of the fa- cramental Bread and Wine. What that Punifhment was we fee at Verfe 30. By this Inftitution there- fore let him examine [c) himfelf, {b) Our Saviour in the Inftitation of the Lord's Supper, tells the Apoftles that the Bread and Wine were jacramtiitally his Body and Blood, and that they were to be eaten and drank in Remembrance of him ; which was, as St. Paul interprets it, Vcr. 26. to {hew forth his Death till his fecond Coming to Judgment. Whofoever therefore eat and drank them, fo as not folemnly to fhew forth his Death, followed not Chrijl'^s InlUtution, but ufed them uniuorthily. That is, not to the End to which they were infti- tuted. This makes St. Paul tell them, Ver. 20. that their com- ing together to eat it, i;/« the facramental Bread and Wine, as they did, promifcuoujly with their other Food, as a Part of their common Meal ; and that too, not altogether at one Time, and in one Company, though it were in the fame Place, was not the right, not a luorthy. Manner of eating the Lord's Supper. {c) St. Pauly as we have obferved, tells the Corinthians, Ver. 20. that to cat it after the Manner they did, was not to eat the Lord's Supper. He tells them alfo, Ver. 29. that to eat and drink the Elements without a due Regard had to the Lord's Body, (for fo he calls the facramental Bread and Wine, as our Saviour did ia the Inltitution) by feparating the Bread and Wine, in the facramental 28. But let a Man examine himfelf, and fo [ 219 ] To let him eat of that himfelf, and according to Bread and drink of jj^^^ ,^x j^^ |^j^ ^^^ ^^^ that Cup. J • I ' 1 T ., n drink at the Lora s Supper. For facramental Ufe of them, from the common Ufc of them for Hun- ger and Thirft, was to eat and drink unmcoitliiiy. I'o remedy their Diforders herein, he fets before them ChrijV s own Jnlcitu- tion of this Sacrament, that in it they might fee the Mannsr and End of its Inltitution, and that every one might compare his Be- haviour at the Lord's Supper, in order to judge whether it were fuitable to them. In the Account which he gives of the Infti- tution, we may obierve, that he farticularly remarks to them, that the eating and drinking there was no Fart of common eating and drinking for Hunger and Thirft, but was inftituted in a moll folemn Manner, after they had fupped, and for another Endy 'viz. to be eaten and drank in Remembrance of him ; to re- prefent Chrift's Body and Blood ; or, as St. Paul expounds it, to ihew forth his Death. They might alfo obferve another Thing in the Inftitution, n (liould put them to the Trouble of reforming their Lives, or to the Pain [ 228 ] Pain of Remorfe from perfifting to A<51 agalnft Conscience. There are fo many Manuals of Devotion, that I cannot draw up any better than what every one may fupply himfelf with. I will not take upon me to recommend any one in Preference to the reft ; but, with regard to the S>acrament^ I cannot help thinking Bifhop Gibjon'% to be the moft Judicious. My Defign was only to ftate fome very material Points clearly, in which I have found, in a long Courfe of Experience, Peo- ple greatly miftakcn. Publijhed hy the fame Author. I. A Sermon on the Nature and Duty of Benevo- ±\, lence. IL On the Nature and Duty of living peaceably with all Men. Both fold by W. Russell, at Horace's Head, with- out Temple-Bar. III. Three Dialogues on Anger, and Forgivencfs. Sold hy W. Owen, within Temple-Bar, IV. A Sermon againft Popery. ^old hy Deputy Clark, at the Royal Exchange. To the Ch^KGY /V;, a?icl about London and Weftminfter. Reverend Sirs, Z> T the Generofity of a mofi ivbrthy Prelate, •'^ and two Gentlemen, J was inablcd to print a large ImpreJJion of the following Sermons^ and to give away great Numbers oj them : The reft were fold at a very low Price, in order to pro- mote the Circulation of them j efpecially, in, and about, thefe populous Cities, the great Source of Corruption, whofe poifonous Streams are carried, by Commerce, and Inter courfe . through all Farts cf the Kingdojn. I may, now, with lefs Vanity, a?id more Decency, de fire your Reco??imendation cf them to your Parijlnoners. 7, then, had no o- tker FreteJice for this Freedom than the vaft Im- portance of the Subjecl, and the Seafonablejiefs of the Difcourfes, the great Decay -^ 7 ji n iJncoln's-lnn, your very humble Servant^ W. Webster. [ 3] Gen. ii. 2, 3. A?id on the jrjcnth Day God ended his Wcrk^ which he had?}iade : tindhe refledvn thefe^oenth Day from all his Work which he had made. And God blejfed the feve?ith Day, and fanSlif.ed it ; becaiije that in it he had rejiedfrom all his Work J which God created and made, AS I purpofe to difcourfe t6 you con- cerning what we Chrijiians call the Sunday, or Lord's Day, I have cholen, for my Text, thofe Words of Mofes, wherein he gives an Account of the original Appoint- ment of one Day in feven for religious Ufcs j intending, from thence, to lead you through a fhort Hiilory of its Infiitution, till it terminates in the Appointment of this our Chriftian Sab- hath, by the Authority of the Apojllcs, in ho- nour of Chrijfs Refurre^ion. My niain De- fign is, to inflrudt you in what manner the Sunday ought to be obferved by us ; but, this cannot be done efFe(5lualiy, v/ithout giving you a right Notion of the Nature, and End of the Inftitution j any more than you could tell how to apply any Infirument, properly, without knowing for what JJfes it was intended, and what it is capable of ferving.— ^Td encourage A 2 . you 4 The Scripiiire Hljhry of the Sabbath. you to give me the more patient Attention, I promife not to amuie you with doubtful and iieedlefs Points of Curiofit\\ which have beeri ufually introduced into this Subjedl: ; but only to lay before you fuch ufeful Matters as arc plainly and exprefsly told Us in the Bible, or are obvious to Common Seufe. Before I en- ter upon the Hijiorical Part, by Way of hitro- duciion, I fliall make two Remarks. 1. As we are manifeftly intended for B^eli- gious Creatures, it is impoffible that this Inten- tion fliould be anfwer'd, unlefs Men employ feme Part of their Time on Religious Siibjeclsy and in Religious Offices j but. Experience fliews^ that if Mankind were left at Liberty, ivhoi, and how often^ they would perform thefe Du- ties, the Duties would not be perform'd at all by the (generality. This, I think, may con- vince any impartial Perfon, that there is all imaginable Reafon to believe that God did ap- point an Inftittttion for this Purpofe from the Beginning of the World. This, I fay, would appear highly probable, from the Nature and Reafon of the Thing, were the Scriptures Ulent about it. 2. It is, likewife, equally reafonable to lup- pofe that God fliould have taken fome Method to preierve the Memory of the Creation, in or- der to preferve the Knowledge and Worfliip of Himlelf, the Creator. Now, wliat Method could fo effeduully have anfvvered this Pur- pofe, as the Appointment of one Day in izvzw for Men to reft from their daily Labours, that they The Scripture Hijiory of the Sabbath, 5 they might be at Lelfure to worfliip God, and attend upon the Bufinefs of Religioiiy as God had refted from his Work of Creation ? Thefe Confiderations diew the Credibility of the Ac- count, which Mofes gives us in the Words of my Text, ofufevejith Day's Reft ; and is a full Anfwer to the Conceit of fome Learned Men, who thought that, tho* it be mentioned here immediately after the Account of the Creation, and clofely conned:ed with it, yet the Sabbath was -not ad:ually inftituted till above Two Thoufand Years after. It is fomewhat ftrange, that Men of Abilities (hould entertain fuch an abfurd Opinion. For, befides that it fuppofes a moft judicious and correct Writer to write after the moft unnatural and inaccurate Man- ner J it is morally impofjible that the Thing iliouid be true. If it be, then the infinitely wife God fuffered the World, for fo long a Time, to be without an Inftitution highly ex- pedient in itfelf, and as well fitted to anfwer the Purpofes intended by it from the Begin- ning of the V/6rld, as ever it would be after- ncards. — For thefe Reafons Mofes muft be un- derftood in the plain and obvious Senfe of the Words, when he tells us, " That on the feventh Day God ended his " Work ivhich He had made, and refted from *' all his Work that He had made ; that God " bleffed the feventh Day, and fanftilied it, " becaufe that in it He had refted from all ** his Work ivhich God created and made." A ^ Tht 6 7^^ Scripture Htfory of the Sabbath, The former Chapter tells us the Order and Manner of the Creation of the World, which was finifhed mf.x Days ; and my Text tells us, that God, having thus finifhed the Heavens, and the Earth, and all the Hoft of them. He blejjed the feventh Day, and farc5iijied\\.^ becaiife th^ in it He had rcjled from all his Work of Creation. — The R-eafon of his blefTmg and fandtifying the feventh Day we have in thofe Words — -becaufe that in it He had r eft ed from all his Work — The Nature of that Blejifig^ or. Santlity^ with which God honoured it, above the other fix Days, confafled in its being thus, feparated ixQvn the rcll, Tind^fet a-part for the iVor-fkip of God, and for the Religious Improve- ment o^ Men.-— Th?^ this is the Tvleaning of thofe Words is evident from a great Variety of Places in the Bible, where we read, of God's fanSiifying^ that \% Jetting a-part Persons, and Eeasts, and Places, and Things, for hiz, particular Ufe. — The Prophets and Fi'iejis un-. 'der the Law, and the Apofiles under the Gof- pel, were not taken from among Men that They might fpend their Time in Idlenefs, but that They might be employed y^r Men, in Things pertaining U7ito God-, as have been all their Suc- celTors in the Miniftry.-^Beafts were v\oifa?ic- tified, ox feparated, that they might not be em- ployed, but that They might be ufed in Sa- crifices y nor were Places and Thi?2gs feparated from common Ufes, that they might not be ufed at all, but that they might be ufed in the Ser- vice of iv6'%/m Worfy.p. In like Manner, the' feve?Jtk The Scripture Hijiory of the Sahbnth. 7 feventh Day was not blcjjed that Men might hot do any Thing on that Day, but that They might employ it to Religions Purpofes. But, more of this hereafter. Let us now proceed in the HiJIory of the Institution . From the first Inftitution of the Sabbath, at the Great io?i, to the DeUverance of the Ifraelites out of Egypt ^ we find no direcl Men- tion of it, neither does there appear to have been any neceffary Occafion for it j the taking Notice, even of its Obfervation by .the People of God, either before, or after the Dekige, was needlefs after it had been fo exprefsly enjoined in the Beginning. Butj after that great Deli- verance, we find the Sabbath mention'd, toge- ther with the Reafon of its being mention'd, in the following Manner. At the fourteenth Chapter of £^(?i/w5,Ver. 30. we read, Thus the Lord javed Ifrael that Day. If we turn back to the twelfth Chap.Ver. 14. we ihall find that the Day here mentioned was the laji of the Feaft of Unleavened Bread ; which Feaft lafted [even Days ; \ht frfi and Inft of which were kept Holy j the former, in Memory of the Deliverance of the Ifraelites out of Egypt ; the latter, in Memory of God's overthrowing Pharaoh and his Iloft in the Red Sea. Billiop Patrick, upon the Authority of the great Mr. Mead, is of Opinion, that this laji Day of the Feaft of Unleavened Bread was the very Day which was afterwards ap- pointed by Mofes, for the Jrwijh Sabbath ; be- caufe, when the Decalogue is repeated in the A 4 fil^b 8 The Scripture Iliflory of the Sabbath, fifth Chapter of Deuteronomy, the Creation Is not mentioned, but the Redemption out oi Egypt is made the Ground of the Defignation oi that particular Day, after the preceding fix Days : Whether the Day, for the Obfervation of a Sabbath, were now changed on the Account of that Deliverance, or whether this Day happen- ed to be the feventh Day that was appointed at the Creation, the great eft Man that ever Hved could only conjcBurc, there being no pojitive Proofs but, if the Argument, here offered, proves any Thing, it proves, that the fr/i Day of the Feaft, and not the laf, was the Day, becaufe, as the learned Bifljop himfelf obferves, upon this Day the Jews were delivered out of Egypt J and were commanded to keep it Holy in 'Memory of that Deliverance. In the fixteenth Chapter, we have an Ac- count of God's fending the fe-ws Food from Heaven, of Vv'hich every Man was to gather enough for his Subfiftence, daily, for five Daysj and on the lixth Day a double Quantity, becaufe Ood would fend them none on the feventh Pay, That being intended for a Day of ReJL At the twenty-fecond Verfe, begins the Ac- count of this Inftitution. ' '* And it came to " pafs on the fixth Day They gathered twice " as much Bread, two Omers for One Man : *' and all the Rulers of the Congregation" *' came and told Mofes. And He faid unto " them. This is That which the Lord hath " faid, To-7norrow is the Reft of the Holy Sab-^ ^^ bath unto thq Lord : Bake that which yd ■ u ,^vilt ^he Scripture Hijlory of the SMath. 9 *^ will bake To-day, and feeth that which ye *' will feeth j and that which remaineth over ^* lay up for you to be kept until the Morn- *' ing. And they laid it up till the Morning, " and it did not ftink, neither was there any " Worm therein. And Mofes faid, Eat That " To-day ; for To-day is a Sabbath unto the ^' Lord : To-day ye fliall not find it in the " Field. Six Days ye (hall gather it, but on f* ihefeventh Day which is the Sabbath^ in it ** there fliall be none." And at the thirtieth Verfe we read thus : " So the People refted on 5* the fevefjth Day." From whence we may obferve, that, tho' This was a particular Infti- tution, appointed the Jews in Memory of their Deliverance out of Egypt, and therefore no Mention is made here of the Creation of the World ; yet, fo much of the Original Inftitu- tion, was prefer ved as to make it 2i /event h Day Sabbath, tho' there were Circimifta?ices added to it, that were adapted to their particular Condition*. At this Time, and not before, a Reft from all Work feems to have been ap- pointed. There can be no reafonable Doubt but that under the patriarchal Difpenfation, all pious Perfons did perform religious Offices upon one Day in feven, in a manner beyond what was ufual upon the other fix Days in the * This Subjeft feems to have been embarrafTed by learned Men, only Tor want of this plain Diftinftion between the/<3r- tlculur Inltitution given to the Jcvjs in Memory of their Deli- 'verauce, and the general Inftitution appointed for ail Mankind at the Creation, and confirmed by MoJ'cs at the Publication of thp Lai': from Mount Sinai. Wecki I o ^e - Scripture Hiflory of the Sabbath, Week ; but did not ceafe from all kind of La- bour until now. And this being a new Infli- tution ( ne^^ in refpedt of ceafing from all Work) it is called in Scripture a Sign or 'Token y that is, a Mark of DiftinSlion, whereby it was known to what God they did belong ; as the Heathens, made it known what God they worlhipped, by their religious Rites. By keep- ing one Day in feven holy, we acknowledge ourfelves Servants of that God, who in^A: Days created the World, and reiled from his Work on the Seventh. By refling from all Work on *That Day, on which God delivered them from their Egyptian Servitude, the Jews acknow- ledged Him to be their Deliverer j fo that it was to them, a double Token, or Sign. A very little while after this, the Ten Com" mandments were publifhed from Mount Sinai y and then the Sabbath was folemnly ratified, but in Terms more general, and applicable to all Perfons. In xht former, the Jews were com- manded not to bake, or feeth any Thing, to drefs no Victuals on the . Sabbath-day, or to go out of the City where they inhabited. The latter being intended for perpetual Obligation, to out-live the Mofaick Inflitutions, and to bind all Mankind to the End of the World, there is no Mention made of the particular Prohibi- tions given in the former. Befides, if it had not been the Intention of God to make a Di- ftindtion between the Sabbath which was ^z^rd'/y yewifi, and a Sabbath which was to be more lafting, and of greater Extent, there feems to have *The Scripture Hiftery of the Sabbath. 1 1 have been no Occafion at all for iht former In- jiitutmi^ when die latter was to fucceed it fo 'foon after ^ — That the Sabbath, appointed from Mount Sinai^ was intended to be of perpetual and unherfal Obligation is evident, from its being join'd, and written upon the fame Tables, with the other Nine Commandments which are allowed to be fo. — And what ftill farther confirms it i^, the Reafon given for the Infti- tution, which equally concerns all Perfons, in all Places, and in every Age of the World.—- Thus we find it at the xxth ch. of ExoJ. ver. 8. " Remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy. " Six Days flialt thou labour, and do all thy *< Work. But the feventh Day is the Sabbath *' of the Lord thy God, G?f . For in fix Days ;* the Lord made Heaven and Earth, C^c, " wherefore the Lord blefled the Sabbath-Day " and hallowed it." Now, does not this Rea- fon for keeping the Sabbath concern all the Worlds as much as the fews .? All the World, therefore, are equally obliged to obferve it. Indeed, at the fifth Chapter of Deuteronomy , Ver. 1 5. Mofes tells the fews^ " That they had " been Servaf7ts in the Land of Egypt, and ** that the Lord brought them from thence ; *' and that, therefore the Lord commanded " them to keep the Sabbath-Day." But, this proves nothing more than that the fews were under a double Obligation to keep the Sab- bath J as Men, in Memory of the Creation ; as Jews, in Memory of their Redemption from ' Bondage; 12 TJoe Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath. Bondage ; even as 'we are under a double Obli- gation, as Meriy and as Christians. But, if we proceed, we fliall meet with many Occafions of repeating the origifial and general Inftitution of the Sabbath, without any Men- tion of any ^^AY/W^/r Circumflances refpedting the fews. At the xxiiid of EaW. we find it repeated, upon the Appointment of a Jahbatical Tear ; which fabbatical Year, as well as thcfabbatical Day, was called a Sign^ or T^oken. — — As God, by an Ajigel, delivered them from the Egypti- ans -y and by Mofeis Wand drowned the Egyp- tians in the Red Sea^ when They were in Pur- fuit of the Fugitives ; fo, by fofmay he fub- dued the CanaaniteSy and put the Ifraclites in PofTeffion of their Land j in Memory of which, God ordered that as foon as they came there^ and had Reft in their new PofTeiTions (reckon- ing from their peaceable Settlement ) they fhould obferve the feventh Year, and every ftventh Year for ever, as a Year of Reft. The Law ftood thus. Chap, xxiii. ver. lo, ii. " Six Years ftialt thou fow thy Land, and ga- " ther in the Fruits thereof: but the feventh " Year thou ftialt let it reft, and \\t ftili:' — With fome Variation in the Words it is more largely fet forth at the xxvth Chap, of Levi- ficuSy V. 2, 3, 4. " Speak unto the Children of ** Ifraely and fay unto them. When ye come " into the Land which I give you, then ftiall *' the Land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord. — ■ " Six Years thou flialt fow thy Field, and ** prune 7^^ Scripture Hiftory of the EMafh. f^ *^ prune thy Vineyard, and gather in the Fruit " thereof. But in the feventh Year fhall be a " Sabbath of Reft unto the Land, a Sabbath " for the Lord j thou fhalt neither fow thy " Field, nor prune thy Vineyard." — This Refl of the Land was a Sabbath yi^ the Lord — that is, an Acknowledgment of his being the Pro- prietory in Right of his being the Conqueror of the Land ; for, as the Pfalmill: fays^ It was not their own Sivordy neither was it their own Arm^ that got them the Vidory over the CaJiaaniteSy but it was the omnipotent Hand of God. Ac- cordingly, God directed to what Vfes the Pro- duds of this Year fliould be applied ; not to the paj'ticular Ufe of the Owners of the Land, but to commoji Ufes ; for all the People, not excepting the SernjantSy or, even, the Beafts ; for all in common, as he fed them with Manna in the Wildernefs. — But, you will afk, per^ haps, How there could be proper and fuffici- ent Food for all the People, and for all the Beafts, when neither the Land was fowed^ nor the Trees prun'd ? The 5th Verfe tells us how. The Fruits of the Earth, That Year, grew of the??feheSy without any Cul- tivation J as Comnientators fuppofe, cither from the Seed which cafually fell the Year be- fore, or from the old Root which fprouted out again. But to my Apprehenfion, this is a very uniatisfadory Account, as it is contrary to all Experience of the ordinary Courfe of Things. Is it not more rational to fuppofe that, as God forbad them the Ufe of thofe 14 ^he Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath. ihofe Means which are, ordinarily ^ neceflary to make the Fields and the Trees produce their Fruits, if they trufted in his Providence, he would blefi That Yearj which was fandtified to his Honour, with an extraordifiary Fertility. As the Obfervance of this fabbatical Tear of Reft to the Land was a Sign^ oi* Token j foj likewife, was it a Covenant^ whereby they^ might be allured of his miraculous Bleffingi if, in Obedience to his Command^ they did not plow, or fow, or prune. As I had occafion to mention \K\% fabbatical Tear, I was willing to give you an Account of it i but, the Reafon of my mentioning of it was, its carrying on the Thread of the Scrip- ture Hiftory of the Sabbath. — Left the People jfhould imagine that this being a Year of Reft from all the Labour of Cultivation^ they werej during that Time, exempted from the Obfer- vation of ih^feventh Day, and might do any Work on That Day which they were allowea to do on any other Day of the Week ; for this Reafon, I fay, immediately after the Ap- pointment of the fabbatical Tear, a Repetition of the fabbatical Day is fubjoined, Vcr. 12. " Six Daj^s thou flialt do thy Work, and on " the feventh Day thou iTialt reft, that thine " Ox and thine Afs may reft, &c." We find the fame Caution ufed on another Occafion, and That was, the Building of the Tabernacle. When God had told Mofes that he had appointed proper Perfons for the Work, and had given them p^ticular Inftrudions how to ■ iToe Scripture Hiftory of the Sahbatb^ i ^ to i^ake it, then the Lord fpake unto him the following moft folemn Words, which com- mand your moft awful Attention. " Speak thou alfo unto the Children of " Ifrael faying. Verily my Sabbaths ye fliall *' keep : for it is a Sign between tne 2iX\.d you, " throughout your Generations j that ye may " know that I am the Lord, that doth fancStify ** you. Ye fhall keep the 5^^te/6, therefore;. " for it is Jooly unto you.— Every one that de- *' Jileth \\. fiall furely be put to Death : for, who- " foever doth any Work therein, That Soul " fiall be cut off from among his People i — Six " Days may Work be done, but in the fe- " 've?2th is the Sabbath of Reft, holy to the '^ '■ Lord : whofoever doeth any Work in the " Sabbath-day, \iQ ft: all fur ely he put to Death.—-* " Wherefore the Children of Ifrael (hall keep " the Sabbath^ to obferve the Sabbath through- " out their Generations, for a perpetual Cove- " ?iant. — It is a Sign between ?ne and the " Children oi Ifrael for ever. — For iv\fx Days *' (mind the Reafon which God gives for this " Obfcrvation) the Lord m.ade Heaven and *' Earth, and on the feve?ith Day he rejied.'* Chap. xxxi. ver. 13, 17.— And in the xxxvth Chap. This Command is repeated again, and fome particular Works are fpecified. Now, the Reafon of fo folemn a Charge on this Oc- cafion is very plain. — As the Tabernacle was for holy Ufes, the People might naturally have tliought that any Work on That Day was law- ful. 1 6 T/6t' Scripiure Hiftory of the Sabbath. ful, if it were done in God's immediate Serviced But, God lets them know, that Obedience is better than Sacrifice ; and would not permit them fo much as to light a Fire on That Day, for the Ufe of the Building. — So great a Streft does God lay upon the Obfervance of fofitive Inftitutions, though Man is apt to make fuch Tj'ifies of them. At the xxiiid of Lev. their fcveral Feajis are enumerated j and, the Sabbath being a Fefiival^ for fear the People fhould think themfelves at Liberty to do fuch Works on the Sabbath-D2.yy as were allowable on fome other Feftivals^ here is a Caveat entered again ft doing any Work on That Day. Thus I have given you a fliort, but full. Scripture Hijftory of the Sabbath^ as it is con- tained in the Books of Mofes. — In which Ac- count you have feen that it yN2,^firft inftituted immediately after the Creation^ in Memory of it; that it was, afterwards, upon the Delivery of the fcws from Fjgypt^ appointed That Peo- ' pie with additional Circumftances relative to their particular Condition j that, at the folemn Publication of the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai^ the general Inftitution was con- firm'd ; that, upon feveral Occafions, this Com- mand was repeated j at the Appointment of the fabbatical Year, the Building of the Ta- bernacle, and the Enumeration of their Feafts. — And from this Hiftory you may obferve two Things well worth Notice. i/?, The ^he Scripture WJlory of the Sabbath. 1 7 \Jly The frequent Repetitions of this Com- mand. And, 2^/y, The Sanclion of it. Beiides the preceding Repetitions, both the Command and the SuhSiicn are fevcral times repeated, in the Compafs of f've Verfes, in That Quotation which I made from the xxxift of Exod. — Now God would not have guarded This Inftitution with fuch extraordi- nary Care, if the Obfervance of it had not been of the utmofl Importance, and highly acceptable to Him ;' nor have annexed fo fe- vere a Penalty to the Breach of it, had it not been highly difpleaiing to Him. — He ft:all furely he put to death. — l^hat Soul Jh all be cut off from a?ncng his People. — Whofoever was guilty of a ^//^//V;4 Violation of it, was to be floned to death. — If he did it (ofecretly that he could not be detedted by fuflicient Evidence, it was the generally received Opinion of the jews^ that God took the Matter into his own Hand, and inflidted fome heavy Judgement upon him, in the Courfe of His Providence. — And pray obferve, that this fevere Sand:ion was not annexed to the particular Inftitution, given to the JeiL's, in Memory of dieir Deli- verance from their Servitude in Egypt, but to the ge/ieral Inftitution, appointed at the Crea- tion y confirmed from Mount Sinai, often re- peated afterwards, and in Terms, and for a Reafon, refped:ing the whole World. We are now come to sive an Account of o our Chrifiian Sabbath, wlien the Day was B chanc^e4 1 8 'The Scripture Hijiory of the Sabbath. changed from the feventh to the Jirft Day of the Week. This is a Subjedt that has em- ployed the Pens of the Learned, and occafi- oned many Books to be written upon it : but I never confidered any dijpiited Subjedt that feems to lie in a lefs Compals, or to be more obvious to common SenjCy v^ithout the AiTif- . tance of Learning. From the Hiftory, which I have given you out of the Old Teflament, it appears very plainly, that a Se'ue?ith-d^y Sabbath was ap- pointed for a Reafon^ the Force of which muft reach backwards to the Begi?mingj and forwards to the End of the World. I fliall not repeat what I have faid, but the Sub- ftance of it is this : " In Six Days God crea- " the World ; on the feventh Day God had " ended his Work ; and for This Reafon He " bleffed the Jeventh Day, and made it holy. " This is the Tenour of the original Inftituti- " on at the Creation, of the Republication of it " from Mount Sittaiy and of the feveral Repe- *' titions of it afterwards." This Inflitution being thus eftablilhed upon a Reafon that muft hold univerfally, it clearly follows that we Chriftians are obliged to obferve a Seveiith- day Sabbath J in Memory of the Creation. The only Queftion is, whether we be obliged to obferve t\\Q,fame Day of the Week which the Jews obferved. If we be, is it becaufe God commarlded tbe?n to keep that Day ? If fo, then you make it a mere yewif: Infti- tution 5 and, confec^uently, it was nailed to the I'he Scripture Hijlary of the Sabbath. 1 9 the Crofs of Chrift, and died with Him, as all the other Mofaical Ord'mances did. — Is it be- caufe the Jewijlj Sabbath was updn the very Day of the Week which was appointed at the Creation f This is more than any Man, or all the Men in the World can prove. But to cut this Argument fhort, it has been demonftra- ted * that the fame Day would not be the feventh Day from the Creation in all Parts of the World ; and that mfome Parts the Sabbath would fall eighteen Hours later than in Palcf- tine. If there be therefore fuch a thing as a De?nonftration^ this Fa6t demonftrates that it never could be the Intention of God, that the Obfervance o^ tht feveiith Day from the Crea" tion fhould be cti perpetual and u?iiverfal OhW- gation ; though he moft certainly intended that the Obfervance of one Day in feve^i fliould be fo. If therefore, upon the Abolition of the Jeivift) Law, Chriftians had no Dire(5lions from the New Teftament^ it muft have lain in. die Breaft of human Authority to determine it. But then, as the fews had fomething/'^r/ZfiV- lar appointed them, in honour of their mira- culous Deliverance from Rgypt -, fo Chriftian Powers, if left to themfelves, would naturally have been led to fomething, in the Appoint- ment of a Chriftian Sabbath, that might pre- ferve the Memory of our Deliverance from a much greater Bondage by Chrift. Having thus prepared the Way, let us fee what Light the New Teftament affords us. * ^'^ggiKjcil againft Lifmnns Carmen Mnpisn'ale, p. 51. B 2 It 20 The Scripture Hijlory of the Sabhjth. It is objedted, that aur Saviour did not, Himrelf, appoint the frji Day of the Week for the Sabbath, But, how do thefe Objec- tors know That ? If He did not Himfelf ob- fcrve it, it does not, however, follow from thence, that He did. not inftrudt the Apoftles privately what They fhould do after his Death. But They may reply, that, tho' He could not Himfelf obferve this Rite in his Life-time, He might have done it after his Refurre^l- Cn. — To this ObjecOiion it is a fufficient Anfwer to fay, that He knew beft what was proper to be done. But, tho' He did not obferve it Himfelf, yet if he had not done it before, He might, as far as They knew, then order it to be done j and there is abundant Reafon to think that he did. He was Forty Days upon Earth with them, inftru(fting them concern- ing?; the future Settlement of his Church ; and it is not at all probable, that in his Inflrudli- ons He fliould omit fo capital a Thing as the Appointment of a Chriftian Sabbath^ in the Room of the JeiviJIj -, and fuch a one, . as might be a Sign or Token, between God and Us Chriftians, in the fame manner as the Jew- ijld Sabbath was a Sign, or Token ^ between God and That People. Some Chrijtiaji Writers in the Warmth of their Zeal, have maintained that our Saviour, afrer his RefurreBicn, did, in cjfeci, tho' not dircBly^ appoint the Jirft Day of the Week for cur Sabbath, becaufe He appeared to his Dif- ciples on that Day, when they were allbm- blcd ^€ Scripture Hifiory of the Sabbath. 2 1 bled together, for Cbriftian Wordiip. 1 mull: aik their Pardon, if I do not fee how thefe weekly Meetings for publick Worfliip on that Day fliould derive their Authority, or how that Day could receive its Sandlion, from Chrifi\, Appearances among them, when thefc Meetings on that Day v^qiq prior to his having appeared there ; for we read, that they were affembled together before He came But» their having made Choice of this Day before He did come, this lliews plainly that Chrift had given them Inflru^^lions about it before. — This feems to me highly probable, tho' I lay no Strefs upon it : But his firft Appearance to, them beins: on the firil Dav of the Week, when they were alTembled for Chrifrian Wor- fliip, feems to be the flrongeft Teflimony of his Approbation of the Inftitution ; as his Ap- probation gave a ftrong San<5tion to it. It is= fufficient for the Purpofes of my Point, that the Apoftles^ v/ho mufl know their Mailer's Will, and had full Power to determine all Points which He himfelf had not determined^ did obferve this Day, as the Cbriftian Sabbath',, and that all Cb^-iftian People, in all Parts of the World, from the Apollles Days have fol- lowed their Example. — — It is no Anfwer tq this Argument to lay, that in the Aels of tlie Apoftles we meet with no exprefs LijimBion ;. for, their FraBice had the Force of a Laiv\, becaufe they had a Commifpon from Chrift^ and by Infpiration from the Holy Ghoft were infallibly diyxcdif^d in the Execution of it^, nnd B 3 they 22 'The Scripture H'lfiory of the Sabbath. they proved their divine Commiflion and In- fpiration by Miracles. Thus cemmijionedy thus infpired, they fettled this Rite by their conftant Pradtice j i.t was then underftood to be a Chrif- tian Ordinance-, and what would any Man have more ? As Primate Bramhall juftly ob- ferves, " He that will not be fatisfied with the ** perpetual Tradition of the Univerfal Church, " i. e. the whole World of Believers, inclu- *' ding the Apofiles themfehes, is utterly inca- " pable of any real Satisfadllon." — But, what- ever Foundation the Sunday may be fuppofed to ftand upon j whether an immediate Ap- pointment by Chriji Himfelf, whether an A- pqflolical Inftitution under his Dire6lion, whe- ther an Ecclejiajiicaly or Civil Eftablifliment -, a Seventh-day Sabbath ftands, and ever mujl ftand, irreverfible, immoveable, upon the fo- lid Rock of an immediate Appointment by God Himfelf y as the Creator of the World. If this be admitted (and I may venture to challenge the whole World to confute it) there can be no Room for a rational Debate, whether the firft or the laft Day of the Week, be the fitted for a Chriftian Sabbath. The Death of Chrift delivered us from the Dominion of Sin, and the Power of the Grave ; upon the firf Day of the Week He rofe from the Dead, publickly to teftify that God had accepted his Death for the Purpofes of our Redemption. Highly expedient, there- fore, is it, that the Memory of this glorious Event fhould be perpetuated in the Hearts of all The Scripture Hiftory of the Sahhath. 23 all thofe who expedt a Share In the Benefits of it : and how could that be done more effectu- ally, than by the Appointment of the Sabbath upon that Day, which affured to the World the Efficacy of the Atonement which He made for Us ? We are next to confider how this facred In- flitution ought to be obferved. Under this Head I iliall confider, Fir5T> what we ought Jiot to do uj*on the Sundas — Secondly, what the Duty of the Day requires from us, in order to anfwer the Purpofes of the Inftitutlon. First, Let us confider what we ought not to do upon the Simday. And thefe Prohibiti- om I fliall confider under Three different Heads. I. As they are plainly implied, tho' not ex- pre/fedy in the original Inftitution of a Sabbath at the Creation. II. As they are exprefsly contained in the Fourth Commanclment, publillied by Mo- fes from Mount Sinai. III. As They are fpecified in an Act of Parliament. You fee, I omit thofe Prohibitions, which are mentioned in the Inilitution that was given to the Jews, immediately after their Delive- rance from Egypt ^ becaufe, That wo^i relative to their Deliverance y and peculiar to Them. First then let us confider what Prchibi" tions are plainly implied, tho' not exprefed, in the original Inftitution at the Creation. — Goii inilitutcd a Sabbath, i. e. ? D.iv -of Reft j In B 4 " Mcmc ?CT\ 24 ^^^^ Scripiirrc Ulftory of the Sabbath. Memory^ and In Imitation, of his having been employedy/> Days, and refling from the Work of Creating on the fevenib. But how is the Defign of this Inftitution anfwered, if on the fcveuth Day Men follow the common Buiinefs, and ordinary Affairs of Life ? This Day is fanBijied^ diftinguifced from the other fix Days, zndi jet apart io" pious and religious Ufes; but, if we fpcnd this Day in the Purfuit of fecular Affairs, or our ujual Recreations, it is not em- ployed for the Furpofes intended by God. Now, does this Inilitution concern all Man- kind, or only Mafiers and Miftrejjes ? Surely all Mankind. Therefore it was intended for a "Day of Reft, and Religious Ufes, for Ser'vantSy alio : The Confequence of which Reft to Men, muft be Reft to Beafts too. Secondly, I fhall confider thefe Prohibi- tions as they are contained in the Fourth Com- mandment. It is agreed by all Writers, that there were fome Prohibitions that concerned the Jtivs ONLY ; fuch as drefting no Meat ; making no Fires for any other Ufes than v/arming themfelves in cold Weather 3 not going out of their Places, /. e. not farther than the Suburbs of the City where they dv.'eit, &c. Thofe ive have nothing to do with. As to the Fourth Commandment^ de- livered from the Mount, though it was given to the Jews, it was not intended for a Law peculiar to that People j becaufe, as I obferved to you before, the Reajhn aftigned for it, re- fpedts rdl Mankind equally, as the other Nine Com- The Scripture Hiflcry of the' Sabbath. 25 Commandments do. The Obligation muft be as extenfrce as the Reafai upon which the Law is grounded. The Rcafo?i ftill fubfifts in its full Force -, confequently the Obligation muft continue: The Rcajhii is unlimited \ confe- quently the Obligation muft be univerfal, wherever the Law is fufficiently promulged. In this Cafe a formal Confirmation of it was not necelfary, in order to make it obligatory upon Us Chrifiians ; it is enough that our Sa- viour did not for/Jially repeal it. It is ftrange that it ever fliould be made a Queilionj whe- ther the Fourth Commandment, any more than the other Nine, be ftill in Force. But, were it a Law ^purely Mofaicaly and void, every Part of it is 'virtual^ contain d in the original Inftitution, appointed at the Creation^ as I ob- ferv'd to you. But, let us fee how the prohf- biting Part of the Law ftands. — " In it, (/. e. " on thtfeventh Day) Thou fhalt do no Man- *' ner of Work, Thou, and thy Son, and thy " Daughter, thy Man-fervant, and thy Maid- " fervant, thy Cattle, and the Stranger that " is within thy Gates." Here no particular Works are fpecified, as there were in the In- ftitution before the giving of the Ten Com- mandments from the Mount ; but only a ge- ;?fr^/ Prohibition. Some Sorts of Works were allowed even under the Rigour of the fewiJI) Difpenfation 5 according to our bleffcd Savi- our's Interpretation : Some Exceptions, there- fore, muft be admitted here \ and the Nature and End of the Law muft be our Guide in deter- 26 ^e Scripture Htftory of the Sahbath» jdetermining the necelTary Limitations, The general Intent of the Inftitution feems to be fatlsfied, if Men abftain from following their ordinary Bufaieffcs^ T^rades^ ProfeJJionSj and £)/- n)erJions. But thus far, I think, the Prohibi- tions contained in the Fourth Commandment, are binding upon Chrijlians, as well as 'JeivSy by Virtue of that Commandment. But there is an additional Obligation from human Authority. For, Thirdly, The Legijlature has very wifely interpofed, by Civil San(flions to fecure Obe- dience to the Law of God. The Law of the Land forbids all Trade^ Commerce, or Bufmefs of any kind, unlefs where it is a plain Adl of Mercy, all umiecejfary frequenting o{ publick Houfes * ; all unnecejfary 'Travelliiig, It for- bids all Sorts of Sports and Games, whether publick or private. And highly proper thefe laft-mentioned Prohibitions are: For, Arnufe- ments are as inconfiftent with the Nature and End of the Sabbath, as any kind of Bufiiefi. Such was the Piety and JVifdom of our Fore- fathers. I am forry that I cannot do Juftice to my Subjedl, without giving Uneafinefs to my felf, and, probably. Offence to others. It is with Reludance, that I am obliged to menti- on how thefe wife and pious Laws are not only 7iegkBed, hwX infulted : not only by the "j/Zi^^r and illiterate Part of the People, but by the • Ever)^ AJe-Houfe is forbid, under a Penalty to fuffer any Body to fit down to ^iff^e^ (as the Aft expre/Tes it) in his Houfe. Rich The Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath, 27 Rich and Great y by the Makers and Giiardiam of the Laws. They are very much injured, if Gaming in their own Houfes be not a common Pradice among many of them ; but I am fure, I do them no Injury, if I charge them with Travelling openly on the Sunday ^ and in Time of Divine Service, After thefe influencical Examples, can it be any Wonder, that Ga- ming ihould be fo frequent at Taverns in the polite Parts of Weftminfter * ^ That the Roads about that great City and the Capital, fhould be crouded with Carriages and Hcrfes ? That even Stagecoaches fliould be permitted to go and come to and from the Neighbouring Villa-^ ges f That Taverns and Ale-houfes m thofe Places (hould be full all Day long ? That Waggons fhould be feen in remoter Parts of the Kingdom ? When the vital Parts are decayed, no wonder if there fhould be Corruption and Distempers in the inferior Parts of the Body. It is my Defire to treat all Mankind with decent RefpedV -, but if I had the Honour of addrefiing myfelf to them, I would coolly and candidly expoftulate with fuch of the Nobility and Gentry^ as are guilty of thefe open Viola- tions of the Laws of their Country. Setting afide the Obligation ariling from the plain Law of God in thi§ Cafe, if there be fuch a Thing as moral Obligation^ we are morally obliged to obey all humaji Laws enabled by fuficient Au- thority J and thefe Prohibitions have the Sanc- * A Friend of mine had it from a Waiter in one of them, that they fometimes ufed 30 Packs of Cards in a Day. tion a 8 The Scripture Hijiory of the Sabbath. tion of all the Authority that is vefled in the nvJjole Conjlitution ; and ;zo Law can have more. If therefore the Members of the Society will take the Liberty, for their own private Conve^ niencw or Pleafure^ to violate the fuhlick Law, there is an End of Government and of Order ; of all Decency and Decorum^ as well as of i?^- ligion. If one Man may take his Pkafure^ or a 'Journey^ upon the Sunday^ becaufe he can- not do it fo conveniently on any other Day of the Week j every Man muft have i\it fame Liber- ty, and every Man muft be; the Judge of his own Convem'ency : fo that this dijcretionary Power, in private Perfons, of difpenfmg with the Law, does in Effed: vacate the Law, and render it of no Ufe But the Law knows nothing of thefe private Convcniencies, but re- quires Obedience. In Time of Harvejl^ when the Weather has been unfavourable, and the Corn, or Hay, is in Danger of being fpoiled, it would be extremely convenient for the Far- mers, if they might take the Opportunity of a fine Day to break the Sabbath : But, irreligi- ous as the prefent Age is, the very wor/l of them do not prefume upon fuch a Liberty ; tho' there would be much more to be faid in Miti- gation of their Crime, than can be pleaded in Cafes oi le£er Inconveniencies, fuch as moft People's are. Nothing but necefary Works may be done on this Day : But Convenieticies are not Neceffaries. What are NecefTaries our Saviour has determined, viz, pulling an Ox out of a Ditch, or curing a Man that is fjck. By Pa- rity The Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath, 29 rity of Reafon we may fave a Perfon from Ruifiy or any very great Mifchief, where the Cafe requires immediate Afliftance, as in thofe above-mentioned. I fay, immediate AffidancQ ; for, let the Service be ever fo great that we can do him, unlefs it be of fuch a Nature tliat it cannot wait till next Day, without manifeft Hazard of lofing the Opportunity of doing it, no Necejjity, confequently no Mercy^ can be pleaded. But, in thofe Extremities the Law of the hand^ as well as the Law of God^ will bear a Man out in doing good on the Sabbath^ Day. But, with Reverence to the Legijlature I fpeak it, I think, the Law fhould leave a Man, as little as poffible, to his own 'Judgment of the Necejjity of the Cafe. In fjia7iy Cafes it i}iuji be done ; in others, it needs not. I will inftance in Travelli72g oh the Sunday. There may be very good Reafons, Reafons of Necef- fity, for doing it ; but, in mojl of thefe Cafes, it could be no Prejudice, if the Law required the Perfon to carry a Certificate, under the Hands of the Minijier and Church-iDardens of his Pariih, of the Reality of it ; or fome fuch Caution might be ufed. At London, Water- men, as I have been informed, are not at Li- berty to carry a Far-e without a Permit -, un- lefs it be a Clergy-man, Phyfician, Surgeon, A- fothecary, or Midivife. And, why cannot this Caution be ufed on hand, as well as upon the Water f For want of it, we fee the infinite bad Confequences arihng from a difcretionary Liberty, Our Roads are tilled 3 Perfons in ftiblick 30 I'he Scripture Hijlory of the Sabbath. fiiblick and private Houfes hindered from do- ing their Duty, by wicked Families who have no Religion, and by idle People who never think. I am willing to believe, nay I know, that Numbers of thofe who offend in this way, retain a ferious Senfe of Duty, and trangrefs through Ignorance. Thefe I would intreat to confider the Point, with the Attention that is due to its great Importance j and they will eafily convince themfelves, that Difobedicfice to Govermncnt is no light Offence, were the SubjeSl Matter of the Law of ever lb trifling a Nature. Every wilful TranfgrefTion of the Laws of our Country adds to the Number of our Sins, and the Load of our Guilt ; and, if perfifled in, will increafe our Punilliment in the next World. While I am upon the Head oi Prohibitions ^ I mufl take notice of one Way of profaning the Sabbath^ and offending againfl Civil Authority ^ which very few, I doubt, have any Notion of; 1 mean, ridi?ig out, either on.Horfeback, or in a Coaehy after the Duty of the Day is over (as they weakly imagine) whether it be to take the Air, or to make a Vifit. You may be furprifed at my Dodtrine, but It is certainly true, becaufe this is travelling and employing Servants and Cattle unnecejfarily, as much as taking a youmey is ; and therefore is as much forbidden, by the Interition of the original In- stitution, by the exprefs Letter of the 4th Com- mandment, and by the Laws of the Land. For the fame Reafon, all unnecejfary Enter- tainmcnti iJje Scnpfzire Hijlory of the Sabbath. 3 1 fiiijir?7C7its on the Sunday^ are, 'virtually^ pro- hibited ; becaufe, inflead of contriving (as every Mafter of a Family ought to do) how to give his Servants as much Reft^ as polTible, from their ordinary Labour, and as much Leifurey as poflible, for the Bulinefs of Reli- gion, this is loading them with extraordifiary Labour, and hindering them from doing their Duty to God. Having fliewn what we ought not to do upon the Sunday, we are next to examine what we ought to do. For, tho' it is a Day of Refi from the ordinary Concerns of this Life, it is not intended for a Day of Id/enefs, but of Business. Let us therefore, confider what is the proper Bufinefs of this Day, At the xxxiil Chap, of Exod. Mofes fays, that the Sabbath was holy unto the hord, and holy unto the People. Before the Deliverance of the Jcivs from Egypt, the Sabbath was JanBified to the Knoivledge and Worjlnp of the true God, as the Creator of the World. To the yeivs it was farther fanftified, to the Know- ledge and Worjlnp of Him, as their Deli- verer from their Egyptian Bondage, and their 'Law-giver ; as they were a peculiar Peo- ple, di/lijtguijlxd fvovn the refl: of the World by a y^/r6^ Body of Laws. To us Christi- ans the Sunday hfanBifed, i. t. jet apart, for the Knowledge and Worfliip of God, as our Creator j and of fefus Chrijl, as our Redeemer and haw-giver ; and to our Improvement ia the Knowledge of the Doctrines and Duties of ■ChriJ. 32 ^he Scripture Hifinry of the Sabbath. Chrijlianity. From this fhort Account we may ealily fliew how Chrijiiam ought to fpend the Sunday. As the y^-zt'j were obliged to attend the ycwiffj IVorJIdp^ at fuch Times as were ap- pointed by their X^ic', and to improve them- lelVes in the Kmivlcdge of the Law, and of other religious 'Truths \ fo we Christians are required to attend chrijiian AjJ'emhlics^ at the Times appointed by publick Authority j and, at Hornc^ to improve ourfelves and Fa- milies in chrijiian Knowledge. To thefe reli- gious Ufes the Suftday is fanciijied, or fet apai't j in the fame Manner, as Places and Things are confecratedy or fet apart, for religious Ufes. And, as they are profaned whenever they are applied to common Ufes ; fo the Sunday is pro- faned, whenever it is fpent in Attendance upon the ordinary Affairs and Arnufements of Life. How often Chrijiians ought to go to Church on Sundays, the Neiv Tcflament has not fpeci- iied, any more than how often in a Day we fhould pray in private, or how much of our Licome we fliould give in Charity : but publick Authority has determined, that every Man who has an Opportunity, and is not necefjarily hin- dered, fhould go to Church Morning, and Af- ternoon. You may fay, iiohere does the Law of the Land exprefsly require this r To which I very readily anfwer, No u'here j and, yet^ I infift upon it that the Law does, neverthelefs, require it. It is the Mill, or Intention, and not the The Scripttire Hiftory of the Sabbath. 3 3 the Letter only, or the Penalty of the Law, that binds the Confciencc. Now, that it is the Intention of the Law that every Man, v/ho has an Opportufiityy and is not necefjarily hindered, fhould go twice a Day is undeniably evident from its providing an Eve?ii?ig^ as well as a Morning Service -y which it would not have done, if it had not meant that the People fiiould attend it. If there where no other Obligations, this would be a fufficient one upon all the Members of the efiablified Churchy by virtue of That Obedience which is due to Govern- ment. To this Argument it may be objecled, that it proves too much, becaufe it proves, equally, that there being a Morning and Eve;:- i?ig Service appointed for every Day, all Peo- ple are required to attend twice every Day. By no Means. This Appointment only fliews, that fuch as have an Opportunity, conliftently with the necejfary Biijinejjes, and ordinary Af- fairs of Life, fhould attend : But all worldly Bujinefs and Recreations on the Sunday being prohibited^ the fame Excufes will not jaflify Non-attendance on That Day which will ju- ftify our not attending the daily Service, though we are expected to be as conftant as conveni- ently we can. But, If the Legijlature had been neuter in this Cafe, who, that calk him- felf a Ghriftian, can think that twice a Day is too often to go to Church on Sundays ? What good Chriftian would not readily and joyfidly embrace the Opportunity ? Tou^ my Brethren, are fo happy as to have the Opportunity ; I C wifh 34 '^he Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath. wifli I could fee by your Behavioui-j tha^ you are duly fenfible of your Happinefs. In "order to induce you to be more conftant, I fliall briefly remind you of the ObjeSf, and the Sub- jc£f, of your publick Devotions ; and a very little Reflection upon them will make you ftand amazed at your own Conduct j that, in- flead of negkSling this honourable, this advan- tageous, this comfortable, and delightful Duty, upon fuch little Pretences, you are not tempts ed rather to ht fuperjlitiotijly pious, at the Ex- pence of Mercy to others, and a proper Re- gard to your own Health, and Safety. It is impoffible for the moft elevated Genius to do Juftice to the infinite Perfections, and peerlefs Majelly, of that God who is the ObjeB of thefe our Devotions. He is glorious^ /;/ Holi- tiefsy fearful in Praifes^ doiftg Wonders. His Goodnefs has induced Him, his Power and Wifdom have efiabled Him, to create and go- 'vern more Worlds than our Imaginations can reach to the Conception of. This is fo gratid, fo awful an Idea, that my Flefli trembleth, my Blood runs cold in my Veins, my Mind is overwhelm'd with Terror, while I think of it. And, yet, this is That It is impofiible for me to exprefs the Fulnefs of my Thoughts. — I can only fay, this is That incojiceivably great and good Being, whom we come hither to "worfliip. To have the Liberty of a free Ad- drefs, nay, to be invited to come boldly to his Throne, and pour out our Hearts before Him, is fuch an Honour as, one would think, fhould excite The Scripture Hiftoij of the Sabbath, ^-j €xcitc Ambition in the Meaneji^ and more than fatisfy the Ambition of the mofi afpiring Spirit. — Confider farther, what it is that you ap- proach Him for. We are daily, and hourly, offending this great and good God ; and the firft Part of our Bufinefs here is, to unite in a joint Confefiion of our manifold Sins and Wick- ednefs, and an humble Supplication for Mer- cy. If we have a due Senfe of our Sins, and of the fatal Confequences of them, fliall we not, with the utmoft Anxiety and Impati- ence, defire the Opportunity oi joining with our Fellow-Sinners in the HouJ'e^ and upon the Day, dedicated by Himfelf, to his Honour ; in Hopes, that the Sacrednefs of the Da)\ and of the Place, and the Force of our tmitedHu- miliations, might be, as they certainly are, more powerful with God than any private Ac- knowledgements in our Clofetsf The next Part of our Devotions conlifts in Praifes and Thafik/givings, in publickly celebrating the a- ciorabie Perfedlions, and wonderful Works of God, efpecially that ftupendous Act of Merc)\ our Redemption by Chriji yefiis. Praife, to a generous Mind, is a moft joyfid Ad:; and, whenever there is Gratitude, it is a pleafant thing to he Tljankfid The remaiimig Part of our Devotions confifts in fiipplicating God to continue to us his Bleffings, to fupply all our Wants. And, what are thofe ? The Support of our Being, with all the Neceffaries, Con- veniencies, and Comforts of it -, Grace here and eternal Glory hereafter. And,— — Nov/, C- 2 my 3 6 Tkc Scripture Hijlory of the Sabbath. my Brethren, having fairly given you a plain State of the great Importance of our Bufinefs at Cbiircby be fo juft to yourfelves as to Recol- leB the pitiful Excufes, that often fatisfy you in the Negle6l of it. If you be Jincere, your Memory cannot Fail you ; if you be not^ I fliall put you out of Countenance, and provoke you, but not convert you, by mentioning them. I lliall only requeft two very reafonable things of you. The firft is, to confidtr before-hand hov^ you may order your Affairs fo as not to fubjedt yourfelves to the Temptation of neg- lecting your Churchy for the Sake of your pre- fent Intereft The fecond is, when you find yourfelves inclined to flay at Home, particu- larly on Sundays^ or go Abroad either upon fome Scheme of Biifinefs^ or Pleafure^ ferioufly to confider v/ith yourfelves (for it is a very fe- rious Thing) and compare your Motives for ahjenting yourfelves, with the ftrong and weighty Reafons for going to Church -, and then.^ you mull be infatuated^ if you neglect fiich n Duty fovfuch Trifes. There is but one thing more, neceffary to- v/ards your Inftrudlion concerning the right manner of obferving the Sunday ^ and that is. How we are to fpend the remaining Part of the Day? it is a very prevailing, but very erroneous, Opinion, that the Duty of the Day does not begin 'till the Time of going to Church m the Morjmg^ and that it ends with the Even-' ing Ser-vice; not confidering, that it is not only" a Part of the Day, but the whole Day that is The Scripture Hijhry cf the Sabbath. 37 Is appropriated to religious Ules. As the Sim^ day was intended to be kept in Memory of the Creation^ and of our Redemption^ we ought to contemplate upon thofc Subjeds at Home^ as well as make them the Subjed of our Praifes and Thankfglvings at Church. As it \%fan5ii- jied to our Improvement in the Knowledge of the Dodtrines and Duties of Religio?i, we fliould, on That Day, particularly ^ employ ourfelves in reading the Bibk\ and other good Books (not Romances and Novels ; not Plays, or proj'ane Hiftory ; not Books relating to worldly and Jecular Affairs ; the Sunday was not confecrated for fuch Ufes, but religious Books ;) in order to know our Duty, and be excited to the Performance of it ; and to com- pare our Lives with the Ride of our Adions, that we may fee where we have been defec- tive ; and thofe who have Families^ fhould fee after their Inftrudion, as well as their own, T^hefe are the Ufes for which the Sunday was intended j and when it is not applied in this Manner, it is profaned. No Body can fay, but that thefe Things muft be done at fome Time, or another j but, unlefs there be fome fet Times for doing them, the Generality of Mankind would wholly Negled them ; which fliews how expedient, I might have faid, necef-^ farv, the Inftitution of the Sunday is for thefe religious Purpofes. — — But, is the whole Day fo abfohttely devoted to Religion, that no Body muft make a Vifit, or take any fort of Recre- ation, even where it can b." done without (.' : making' 38 The Scrtptiine Hijlory of the Sabbath. making their ServarJs and their Cattle Work j efpeciaily, the Tracing and Labourinq Part of Mankind, who have httle Leifure at any- other Time, to fee their Friends, or for any other Anmfement t I dare not fay fo. But this I dare fay, That the lefs frequent^ and the porter our Vifits are, (unlefs, they be chari- table Vifits to the Sick) and the lefi Pleafure Men take on Stmdays, the better; that our Thoughts may not be too long interrupted^ or indifpofed, for thofe ferious Subjects which ought to employ us at that Time. An At- tention to Things foreign to the Bufinefs of the Day, will not only interrupt it, but render the Mind lefs capable of doing it in a proper manner. An Attention to pleafiirable Objefts, or Converfation^ will more indifpofe us for i?f- I'tgion than any honefl Calling would do. Light Mirths or any agreeable Amufement, diflipates Thought ; and begets a Levity of Mind that is utterly inconfiftent with That Compojure and Gravity which every Part of the Duty of the Day requires. The Rich are the moft inex- cufable if they trifle away the Sunday in im~ fertinent Amufements, becaufe they have the whole Week at their Command, and are always at Leifure to take more Pleafure than is con- fiftent with the Temper^ and Duties^ of a good Chrijiian. As to the poor^ and biify Part of the World, that I may not be Thought rigid^ I chufe not to give you my own Sentiments, but I will give you the Opinion of a moft eminent Prelate^ fo remarkable for his Candour^ that The Scripture Hljlory of the Sabbath, 3 9 that his Enemies accufed him of being too loofe in his Notions ; I mean, the Great, and Good Archbilhop Tillotfon j his Words are thefe, *' Not that we are excufed from minding Re- " hgion at other Times j but that thofe who " zre ftraitened at other Times by the necef- " fary Cares of this Life, may be fure to mind " it then ; and may have no Colour of Excufe " for the Negledt of it at that Time, which " God hath allotted for that very Purpofe, " and which it is unlawful to employ about " our worldly AfFairs. God ej^peds that we " fliould ferve Him at other Times, that we " {hould live in an /?^to^^/Senfeof Him; but " This He peremptorily challengeth to Him~ " felfy and expecfts that we fhould employ it in " /6/^ Service, and dedicate it to Religion, to the " Contemplation of God, and heavenlyThings, " with the fame Serioufnefs and Diligence, " as we do upon other Days employ our La- " hour for the Meat that perifieth ; and the lefs *' Leifure (mind This) we have upon other " Days for this Purpofe, the more entirely " fhould we devote and confccrate this Day, to " the Purpofes and Duties oi Religion'' And, now, upon the Whole, I appeal tQ any one of you, whether one Day in feven fpent in fuch a Manner, as I have defcribecj, would not make you pleafed v/ith yourfelves, beget a Tranquillity and Self-complacency of Mind at Night, and have a very great Influ- ence upon your Thoughts and Adions during the whole Week ? This is a very rational^ but C 4 nox 40 'The Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath. not the only Motive for a due Obfervation of the Sunday. For we have Reafon to exped: the Difpleafure and Vengeance of God, if we profane itj and, confequently, a particular Re- ward, if we confcientioully obferve it. You have heard, in the Scripture Hiflory of the Sabbath, that the Inftitution was guarded with the mofl: folemn Sancflion. If any one vio- lates it, He JhaJl furely be put to Death. jTte SculJ}?all be cut off. If we look into the "Prophets, they will tell us, how feverely God has threatened, and how feverely he has pu- niihed, the Breach of it. I ihall cite two of them, which are very fufficient to awaken your Apprehenfions. " Neh.y.\\\. i6, \j, i8. *' There dwelt Men of Tyre alfo therein, " which brought Fifh, and all Manner of ^' Ware, and fold on the Sabbath unto the " Children of fudah, and in ferufakm. Then *' I contended with the Nobles of Judah, and " faid unto them, What evil Thing is This " that ye do, Tmd profane the Sabbath Day ? *' Did not your Fathers thus, and did not our '' God bring all this Evil upon us, and upon " this City ? Yet ye bring more Wrath upon " Tfrael by profaning the Sabbath!' Ifaiah, Chap. Iviii. 13. promifeth a particular B/^zVzg- to thofe that did not ^0 after their own Do- ings ; i. e. follow the Bufinefs of this Life ; nor take their Pleafure on the Sabbath Day, Sec. At tjie xviith Chapter fcremiah tells the fews, that if they carried any Biirdeiis out of their Houfs, and through the Gates of ferufakm, that if I'he Scripture Hijlory of the Sabbath, 41 if they did not hallow the Sabbath T)ay\ hut did bear Burdens on the Sabbath Day 3 eveji enter- ing in at the Gates of ferufalem on the Sabbath Day i then, God would kindle a Fire in the Gates thereof^ that fhould devour the Palaces of ferufalem, and that it fiould not be quenched^ Ver. 27. And at Ver. 24, 25. there is as great a Blejjing promifed to the Obfervance of the Sabbath, " If you diligently hearken unto " me, faith the Lord, to Bring in no Burden " through the Gates of this City on the Sab- " bath Day ; but hallow the Sabbath Day, " to do no Work therein : then /hall there *' enter into the Gates of this City, Kings and " Princes fitting upon the Throne of David, ** riding in Chariots, and on Horfes, ^c, and " this City fhall remain for ever." My Brethren, Do ye really believe the, Bible to be the I^Ford of God, or do ye not f If ye look upon thefe ftrong Declarations of Anger and Approbation as i?ivented Stories y 1 have cited them to no Purpofe ; but if they be real FaBsj they are of great Moment, forafmuch as we have all imaginable Reafon to believe that the Breach of the Simday is as offenfive, and the due Obfervance of it as acceptable, to God, now, as the Breach or Obfervance of the Sahhath was under the fenvijh Difpenfa- tion. Nay, much more fo, the Sunday, our Chrijlian Sabbath, being appointed in Honour of Chriji, our Redeemer. If God punifhed the fews fo feverely for carrying Burdens, for kindling a Fire, for doing the leaf Work, or taking 42 The Scripture Hijlory of the SaBbath, taking their Pleafure^ on their Sabbath, and not delighting, rather to fpend it in religious Exercifes j will he not take Vengeance on us Chrijiians, if we follow our ordinary Concerns and Recreations on the Simday^ which is, ia Obedience to the Original Inftitution of a Sabbath^ and the Fourth Commandruentj to be obferved in Memory of the Creation^ as much as the Jewijh SMath was, and in Memory of a much greater Deliverance than That of the Jews' from Egypt ? It is intended as a Day of Refty that we may be at Leifure to frequent AlTemblies where Ordinances are adminiftered, that are of a much higher, and more beneficial Nature, than any of the Jew- ijh Inftitiitiom ; where more fublime Doc- trines, more important Truths, and more per- fed: Precepts, are taught, and explained. It is intended, that on this Day we fhould pri^ vately improve ourfelves in the Knowledge and ' Pradice of a more excellent Religion ; fit ourfelves for a State of greater Happinefs, and avoid a greater Mifery, than was threatened, or promifed, under the Mofaical Difpenfation, All thefe Circumftances confidered, the Guilt of profaning the Sunday mufl be proportiona- bly greater than the Profanation of the Jewijh Sabbath ; and can we believe that where the Sin is greater, the Puni/liment will be lefs .^ It may not be fo vifble; [judgment may not be executed jpcedily. The Firft Covenant was eftablifhed upon - temporal Sandions j the fe- cond, upon ifnvifibky and eternal Ones; but this *The Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath, 43 this does not exclude a general^ or a particular ProvidencCy that i?iterpofes, though not appa- reiitly^ either to blefs^ or to punijh Nations^ or particular Per'fons. And what can better intitle us to his Favour y than a due Obfervance of his favourite Inftitution ? What more likely to bring down a Curje upon us, than Difobe- dience in fo tender a Point ? If God were to inflict upon us no other Punifliment than withdrawing his Grace for negledling fo great a Means of Impro'vemeiit in Piety and Virtue, This would exceed any Evil that we can fuffer in this Life ; and the Apprehenfion of fo great a Danger ought to awaken us into a careful and regular Difcharge of this Important Duty. But, whether Chaftifements overtake us here^ or not, we are fure that fudgmenfy at the LAST Great Day, will pronounce a mofl fevere Sentence upon thofe who have wilfully, and habitually, profaned the Sunday. It will, then^ be of no Signification that they contriv'd, by Secrecy, to efcape publick Notice j that Ully People have been afraid, or afhamed, to /«- form againft them ; or that indolent Magi- ftrates have negled:ed to put the Laws in Exe- cution. All hidden Sins will be laid open -, all fuch fecret Sinners will be detected : and all fuch as, through Cowardice, or want of Zeal for the Honour of God, have not endeavoured to preveitt fuch Inftances of Frofanation, will be Sharers in their Funijl.micjit, becaufe Par- takers with them in their Guilt. — —I hope, there are none in this Place who do not be- lieve 44 ^^''^' Script 7ire ITiJlory of the Sabbath. li^ve the Certainty of a Providence^ a fiiturf State, and a future fiidgment. To ^/Z ^z/r^ what I have laid, concerning God's Anger and Favour, muft be afFedling, if any Argu- ments can affed: them : but as I intend, God willing, to print thefe Sermons, they may poflibly light into the Hands of fome Lifideh ; and, therefore, I iliall offer fome Confidera- tions that deferve their Attention, becaufe they affedt their prefent Happinefs. The Happinefs of Mankind in this Life muft, in a great meafure, depend upon the Peace and good Order of civil Society ; wit- nefs, the many Frauds, Thefts, Robberies, Murders, Maimings, and other Crimes, which ma|s.e it unfafe to place that Confidence in one another which Trade, Commerce, Friendfliip, and air Intercourfe require ^ which make it dangerous to travel by Day, or fleep at Night j to go Abroad, or to ftay at Home. We fee, we feel, how Deftrudlive thefe Enormities are to facial Happinefi, and have Reafon to dread their quick Progrefs, ap J our growijig Danger, Thefe Evils are like a great Stone rolling down-hill, which rolls the faller the nearer it comes to the Bottom. All thinking People mull be delirous of feeing a Regulation of fuch Diforders -, and many are projecting the proper Means of effe(fting it. Many Reme- ' dies, no doubt, may confpire towards a Cure of this dangerous Diflemper. I hope, in my Turn I may be allowed the Liberty of propo- fing one. Like moft other good Medicines, min^ Use Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbafb, 45 mine isvqvj fimpk^ confifting of two Ingre- dients, only; Religion^ and Virtue. To talk of keeping the World in order without their AfTilliance, is mere ^lackery. You may as well imagine that a Ship, with all her Sails crouded, but without Ballaft or Rudder, fliould ride fafe amidll Rocks and Shelves in a Tem- peil:. Infideh pay a Compliment to Religion, when they intend to ^vilify Her. They fup- pofe Her to be a Compofition contrived by Priejisj or Politicians. But for what Ends ? For her Utility y for her Necejity^ towards the Support of Civil Society. Is this indeed the Cafe ? What could be a stronger Recommen- dation of her to thofe who believe no future State, than to fay that She is nece£a?y to the publick Peace and Order of the World ? What can be a greater Reproach to their Vnderftand^ ingy to their Common Senfe and Prudefice (for as to Confcience they pretend to none) than to depreciate, and deftroy, the great -Means of their own Safety and Happinefs ? Men, in every Relation of Life, want, and defire, the friendly Aids of Religion ; and yet moil People flight Her, and many abufe Her. Religion being acknowledged to be the great Support of Society, Wliat is the great Means of fupporting Her ? Various are the Concurrent Helps that may be given Her, but there is cn^ Means worth them all, and without which all the reft will be itieffeStuaL This is provided us by the infinite Wifdom of Cod. I mean, the regular Obfervation of the Sundav, in the Mannef 46 72v Scripture Hiftory of the Eabbath, Manner that I have recommended to you. What EfFeds it would have upon the Minds, and Manners of Men, muft be obvious to the loweft Underftanding that will think a little. How abfolutely neceffary it is, efpecially in our prefent Circumftances, will appear from a curfory View of the State of the Nation, and the Nature of Things. Can Men believe the Truths of Religion without any Evidence ? Or have any Evidence without Inftrudlion ? Can they praBiJe their Duty without knoiving it ? Or will they be inclind to do it, without having a Conception of the proper Motives ? Can Men be religious without ever ferioujly thinking about it ? And yet, it is evident that the Generality of Mankind, without Compul- Jiony will think of nothing but Bufinefs oxPlea^ fure. They muft owe all the little that they do know, and praBife, of Religion, to publick InftruSiiony and publick Worjhip. If this Ob- fervation were ever true, it is more particu- larly fo at this Time ; when Luxury and Volup- tuoufnejs, thofe Enemies to all ferious Thought and Refledion, to every Religious and Vir- tuous Difpofition, are at fo great an Height, that People negled the Concerns of this Life, as well as of the next. There is a continual 'Rotation of pleafurable Amufements * ; fome * We have been lately told in one of the Daily Papers, that the Refort to the Plry-Houfcs is fo much increafed within twenty Years paft. that the Managets can afFord to give the Jirji Rate Adors 1000/. a Year, and the fccond Rate 500/. Such are the Wages of thofe who p/ca/e and corrupt Mankind ; while ^any honell Men, who have fpent their Life in doing /o/id Goody are mfupportedf unreivardtd, and even Jlighted. • of The Scripture Hiftory of the Sabbath. 47 of them Inflammatory Provocatives to Luft, and calculated for intriguing ; all of them tending to banifli Reflection, and v^eaken the Mind, v^hen it is fo confiantly attentive to them. I have not Time to paint all thefe Scenes of Entertainment, and defcribe their natural Effed:s, efpecially on young Minds, warm, unexperienced, fond of Pleafure, in the Heat of Blood, and impatient of Appli- cation to any thing that is of a gra've Nature. Do not thefe Circumftances make it the more necefTary to oblige all People to devote one Day in feven to fuch Ufes as may be an Antidote againfl: fuch ftrong Poifon ? His Majejiy, in his laft Speech from the Throne, recom- mended it to the Conlideration of P(irliamentj how to put a Stop to thofe Enormities, which terrify every fober Perfon that thinks of them. This was worthy of his Majefly's tender Care of the Happinefs of his People ; and I hope it will not be thought a Piece of Frefiunptioii in me, if I obferve, that regulating publick En- tertainments, and inforcing of the Obferva- tion of the Sunday, will be the moil eiFe^^lual Means of doing it. PREFACE. PRE FA C E. I Have 720 thing more to offef\ hy Way of P7^eface to this Difcouj'fe^ but that I have ?io othe?^ View iit piiblijhing it^ befides a7i ho7teJi Incli72a- tioTi to do fo77te Good. I have the P lea- fur e to fi7id 77zyfelf 77iuch affeEied by it, a7td a77t Tiot without Hopes that it 77iay have fo7ne Ififuence upon a few 7?iorei To be the I7tflru7nent ^ under God^ of forwardi7ig the Salvation of Ma7T,kind^ is the greatefl Ho7iGtir that we ca7t havi 171 This JLife^ and the only Pleafure thai is worth a wife Ma7i s Living for, I n77i a Ca7ididdte for aiiother Wofld'^ and what fDould. 772ahe an Immortal Being very anxious^ or 77tuch delighted j hut the Thoughts of Immortality ? / am Travel li7ig to a Coimtry J/'077i whence I Jhall 7iever Return ; and I D Jee 50 PREFACE. fee mcmy of 7ny Fellow-'Tj^avellers as in- te7it upon their Accom7nodatio?is as if 'They were at Homey and fcrambling for what They are goi?tg to leave behind Them. I fee Them with fome Amaze- menly with more Concerny but with as little Ejivy as I fee a Party of Chil- dre7i highly pleased with their Childifj Diver fonSy or fquabhling about their Marbles. I wifo^ the E??tployment and Jlmifemetjts of a great Part of Man- kind were as innocent ; / atn Jure They arCy comparatively y as i72fg7iifca7it. Reader; Jf yoii' be not quite Mad^ be IVife for Rternity. Farewell. St. • [ 50 St. Luke,' Chap. x. Ver. 42, , But one T^h'ing is 7ieedfiih TH O' the Occafion of thefe Words w'dg particular, the Inftrudion intended to be convey'd by them is general, viz. That Religion, and the Security of our future Happinefs, ought to be our grand Bufinefs and Concern in this Life ; that they are, in their Lnportance, fo infinitely fupericr to all other Conliderations, that our Saviour ftiles them the 0?ie Thing needful \ nothing elfe, when com- par'd with them, being of any Moment at all : As the longefl Period of Time is fwallow'd up in the immealurable Abyfs of Eternity, like a Drop of Water in the largeil Ocean. This momentous and awful Truth I purpofe to make the Subjedl of my prefent Difcourfe. But, why fo much Pains to prove what no Man in his Senfes v/ill offer to deny ? Evident as this Truth is, when coniider'd, it is as evi- dent that very few confider it, fo as to give it its proper Influence upon, their Condudt ; and therefore the mofh Learned, the moilKnowino;, the moft Religious, may be the better for Ad- monition, when they fland in no need of In- ftrudion. Let not any one then, be his Parts D 2 and 52 I'be One Thirig Needful. and Attainments ever fo great, difdain to read a plain Difcourfe. Plain, as I intend to make it^ I hope, by the Grace of God aflifting me, to make it fo clear and ftrong, that it lliall be the Reader's Fault if he be not the better for it. I do prefume it will be allow'd me that there is fuch a Thing as Wifdom and Folly ; that there are certain Maxims and Rules of Conduft, which are eftablirti'd by the univerfal Confent jind Pradice of Mankind, in refpedl to their worldly Concerns: Upon thefe Maxims I pur- pofe to argue with you; And if they have any Force, when apply 'd to your Condud: in the Affairs of this Life, they muft hold much flronger when apply 'd to the Concerns of a fu- ture State, where our Happinefs, or Mifery, .will be greater and more lafting, Eternal and Inconceiveable. In my further Difcourfe upon thisSubjed:, I fliall addrefs myfelf to four dif- ferent Sorts of People. Firft, To thofe who pretend to difbelieve the great Truths of Religion upon full Convidtion, after a diligent and impartial Examination of the Evidence on both Sides of the Queftion. Secondly^ To thofe who only entertain fomc Doubts about it. Thirdly^ To thofe who never give themfelves any Concern about the Matter. Fourthly^ To thofe who profefs a thorough Belief of them. FirJ}^ I fhall in the firft Place addrefs myfelf to thoie unhappy Perfons who pretend to dif- believe the great Truths of Religion, upon full Con- Tloe One Th'fig Needful. 53 Convlcftion, after a diligent and impartial Exa- mination of the Evidence on both Sides of the Queftion. I fay who pretend to do fo, for I am fully fatisfied that out of the Number of thofe, who profefs themfelves fuch fettled Infi- dels, there are very few that are really fuch. One I knew, who died as determin'd as he hv'd; but that Collins and Toland did not, I have good Reafons to believe. Neither do I think that there ever was an Infidel who had examined the Evidence on both Sides of the Queftion, with Diligence and Impartiality. They may have taken a good deal of Pains to enquire into the Arguments, but then it has been with an Intent to find Objections, not to receive Infor- mation. They brought ftrong Prejudices and Prepoflefiions with them, imbib'd early by thd means of bad Company, or bad Books j or elfe arifingfromthelnconfiftencyof religiousTruths with the Indulgence of fome favourite Vice which they were determin'd not to part with . But if they would ad: rationally, they mull; attend to the Evidence without any Biafs from an Incli- nation to Infidelity. For if they wifli that Re- ligion may not appear to be true, like the Jaun- dice that gives a falfe Colour to every Object, fuch an Inclination will certainly hinder the Mind from feeing any Argument in its proper Light. But is this ad:ing wifely in a Matter of fuch infinite Moment ? For, our Inclinations cannot alter the Nature and Force of Argu- ments. Religion will not be the lefs true for our wifliing that it were not fo. But I will ven- D 3 ture 54 ^^ ^^^^ Hoing^ Needful. ture to affirm, that, In the Nature of Things, it Is utterly impoffible that any Man can have fufficlent Evidence upon which he may build a rational, firm Convid:ion, that what we call the great Truths of Religion, the Exiiftence of a God, a Providence, and a State of Happinefs, or Mifery In another Life, are Fi6lIons. On the -Side of Infidelity there can be no direct Evi- dence at all, fince no Man can demonftrate that the Suppofition of a God, a Providence, and. a future State, is abfurd and impoffible. Neither is it any Abfurdlty, or Contradiction to the Na- ture of Things, to fuppofe that there may be a Revelation. All that any fenfible Infidel can fay, is, that there is not fufficlent Evidence, upon which we may build a full and clear Convidion K>i the Truth of thefe grand Points j there can be, as I fald, no dlredl Proof on the other Side gf theQueftlon. This naturally leads me. Secondly J To apply myfelf to thofe, who are in doubt about thefe great Truths. For Argu- ment's Sake, I will fuppofe, that the Truths do not appear quite fatisfaitory ; yet, if they carry any Degree of Credibility with them,we ought, in common Senfe, to ad: as if there was a moral Certainty of their being true. I wou'd afk thefe Doubters, how they wou'd think it prudent to ?idi under fuch a State of Uncertainty, with re- gard to their prefent Happinefs. I will ftate the Matter as ftrongly in Favour of Infidelity and Irreiigion, as I poffibly can, by fuppofing (what every one knows to be falfe) the Pradice of Religion and Virtue to be always attended with The One Thing Nee elf id. 55 an uninterrupted Series of Self-denial and Mor- tification, with every Sort and Degree of Evil, which human Nature is capable of fuffering in this Life ; and that a vicious Courfc of Life is as uniformly accompanied with every Sort and Degree of Happincfs that human Nature is capable of enjoying. Now, let us fuppofe, that, if the former has the Patience to perfevere in the Practice of Religion and Virtue, for one Week, under fuch hard Circumftances, he has a Chance (let the Chance be as low as can be imagined) of being rewarded, at the End of this fhort Period of Time, with an uninterrupted Series of the moil confummatc Flappinefs that human Nature is capable of enjoying for ten thoufand Years j in a Country the moft delight- ful that can be conceiv'd, and abounding with the greatefl Plenty of the moil: valuable and agreeable Producfts j and conftantly enjoying them with the keeneft Appetite, in Company with the moil inilrudive and agreeable Com- panions, always ftudying how to pleafe and ferve one another. Let us again fuppofe, that the vicious Man ftands the fame Chance o^ his being puniilied for his poor Week's Enjoyment, with every Sort an4 Degree of Mifery that hu- man Nature is capable of feeling for ten thou- fand Years ; living in a barren Country, that does not afford one agreeable Objedt to pleafe the Eyes, but is full of frightful Scenes, of Storms and Tempeils ; tormented with Appe- tites that He cannot gratify, in Company v/ith the moil difagrecabie Perfcns, v/hofe only Mu- D4 , lick 56 ^he One Thing Needful, fick is the Sound of Curfes, whofe only De- light is to give Uneafinefs to one another, and in utter Defpair of having their Condition mended. 1 have put a very fair Cafe j and if there be fuch a Thing as Common Senfe^ I appeal to it for an Anfwer. Wou'd' not any Man of the lovvefl Share of Undcrftanding, wou'd not any one, but a downright Madman, or Ideot, fufFer fuch a fliort-liv'd Mifery for the lovveft Chance of fuch a noble Prize ? Or v^'hat cou'd be thought of him, who, for the Sake of a Week's Enjoyment, wou'd run the leaft Hazard of being fo compleatly miferable for fo long a Period of Time as ten thoufand Years ? Arid does the longeft Life of Man on Earth bear as great a Proportion to Eternity, as a Week does to ten thoufand Years ? No y the longeft Period of Time bears no Propor- tion at all to Eternity. A Duration that is not in the Power of Numbers to meafure. O ! vaft' Eternity ! how doeft thou fwallow up our Thoughts, and fill us at once with Delight and Amazement. Thou art like the Sight of God, fo dreadful, that it is difficult for mortal Maa to look on thee attentively and live. And, if the bare Conception of Eternity be fo affetTting, how will you b^ fliock'd if you add the Idea of Mijhy to Eternity I Shou'd we form to ourfelves the Imagination of imme- diately becoming miferable without Intermif- fion and without Hope, during our whole I^ife, the very Thought wou'd make us turri pale ^he One Thwg Needful. ^j pale and tremble. Extend your Apprehenflon to the Age of Methufelah ; then add a Million of Ages ; go on to multiply the Produdl of that Sum by as many Millions as Figures can exprefs j and then think, if yon can bear the Thought, that after the Expiration of this long, long Period, you will be no nearer the End of your Mifery than you was at the Be- ginning of it. O Eternity ! What art Thou ! Where am I ! I am loft. My Head fwims, and I grow giddy. Do thou, O blefled Jefus, llrengthen my labouring Mind. I faint, I fink, do thou fupport my Spirits. Let me, then, thou Sceptic, befeech thee to a(5l like a Maji, like a ratioJial Creature. I defy thee, with all thy boafted Reafoning, to demonftrate that thou flialt not be eternally happy or eternally miferable, in another Life, according as thou demeaneft thyfelf in this. And does not the Confideration of the infinite Difference be- tween liijne and Rtemity make it a Point of the greateft Wifdom to adt upon much lefs Evidence than we have for thefe Truths. For, in Matters of fuch unfpeakably great Impor- tance, it concerns us always to be on the fureft Side, where we venture leaft, if we fhou'd happen to be miftaken. And which is the fureft Side ? To believe, or difbelieve Chriftia- nity, and fuch a State of future Rewards and PuniQiments as are the Sanations of it ? If Chriftianity be true, (and they cannot difprove ^he Truth of it) and there be an eternal State of Rewards and Punilhmcnts inconceivably o'rea* 58 I'he One Tubing Needful. great, we are undone for ever ; but if we do believe it, and live up to its Precepts, we lofe nothing by it but the tranlient Pleafures of Sin, and inftead of them we have the joyfulleft Hopes J which to a good Man are more ra- vifliing and tranfporting than any of the En- joyments of this World can give to the Wicked. In fhort, the Miferies denounc'd againft Un- believers are fo very terrible that no thinking Man in his Senfes would run the leafl Hazard of them 5 but, inflead of demanding Demoji- ftration of there being fuch a Place of exqui- fite Torment, v/ou'd demand demonllrative Certainty, that there is not^ before he wou'd venture : And the Happinefs promis'd to good Chriftians io far exceeds our Imagination, that a very little Evidence wou'd perfuade a truly wife Man to venture any Thing for the Sake of it. Before I take Leave of thefe Doubters, who, profeffing themfelves wile, ad: very fooliflily and madly, I muft obferve, that tho' I have condefcended to argue with them upon their own Principles, it is not becaufe the Evidence . for religious Truths is really weak and doubt- ful ! Had I Time I cou'd fliew that it is fuffi- cient to create a moral Cei'iainty. As to myfelf, I no more doubt of them than if I had the Evidence of Senfe and ftri(5l Denwiiflration to convince me. And the oftener and more at- tentively I examine into them the more I am convinced. And this has been the Cafe of Numbers in all Ages, of the greateil Abilities both natural and acqiiir'd, who have confider'd thefe 7he One Thhig Needful. 59 thefe Points with the utmoft Diligence, Cool- nefs, and Impartiality. And furely, the con- current Teflimony of fuch a Variety of the moft learned and judicious Perfons, confirm- ing, by their Opinions and Pra(5lice, the Strength of the pofitive Evidence for Religion, both natural and reveal'd, demand fo much Regard from every vv^ife Man as to induce him not to a6t as if Religion were falfe, till he can find better Authorities and clearer Proofs in Support of Lifideliiy, or Scepticifm, But, thefe Men never attempt to bring any direB 2in& pofitive Proofs, 'but only ftart Diffi- culties, and endeavour to weaken the Force of our Arguments. And is this fufficient to ]uftify them in rifking the Lofs of eternal Happinefs, and running the Hazard of being eternally miferable ? This is bringing a Scan- dal upon Reafon and Common Senfe. But I fhall take the Liberty of Quoting another lUuftra- tion of their Folly and Mcid?iefs from a Sermdn of my own upon Impeniiencyj p. 14, 15. " It " is not enough to doubt, but you muft be " alTur'd, by the cleareft Arguments, that " what the Gofpel fays of Heaven and Hell is " all Romance, If walking in the dark, you *' fliou'd hear a Multitude of People, with the " utmoft Earneftnefs and Concern, crying out " aloud, Travellers, I beg of you to quit your " Road inftantly, for it leads to a bottomlefs " Pit, where you will lie in Pain and Mifery " for ever, and 3^ou are got upon the Brink of " it. Tho' you fliou'd not immediately be *' fully 6o ^e One Thing Needful. " fully convinc'd, wou'd not the bare Pojjihl^ ** lity of its being true, the frightful Appre- " henfion, make you take another Road, if ** you knew of one where there cou'd be no " fuch Danger ? I fay, wou'd you in fuch a " Cafe dare to move one Step farther in it ? " No, you cou'd not do it. Your Imagination " wou'd fill your Mind with fuch Horror, that " your Limbs, as well as your Heart, wou'd *' fail you. This, thou Doubter, is a true, '' but faint Image of thy Condition. You are " walking in thick Darknefs, not knowing " whither your prefent Courfe of Life will " lead you. Under this Uncertainty you hear " the Prophets, the Apoftles, the Martyrs, *' and ConfefTors for Chriftianity ; you hear '' Teachers and Writers, without Number, " in all Ages, and from all Parts of the " World, crying, Hold, miferable Wretch ! " the Path in which you are now going will " lead you to eternal Deflrucflion. If you will ** take the contrary Road, you will find it, in " general, full as pleafant, and, in fome Parts " of it, much pleafanter, and it will carry " you fafe to a mofl delightful Country. And, " for your Encouragement to take our Advice, " we are fo far from having any Interell:, or *' bad Defign, in giving you this Intelligence, " that we take the fame Road, ourfelves, but ** not before we had us'd ail poffible Means <' of Information concerning the Nature and <' Tendency of it. You fee how foolifhly an^ ^' qiadly they adt, let not therefore their Cha- *' raster S3 ^e One Thing Needful. 6i '* raders, be their Rank, their Parts, their " Reputation, what they will, any way in- " fluence your Judgment, or Practice, but " look upon them, as they are, Objects of " CompalTion for their Unhappinefs, and of " Indignation for their Wickednefs." But Thirdly J There is another Set of Men, who, if poffible, ad; more fooliflily and madly, than either of the other. For, though thefe Points mufl be acknowlcdg'd to be of the laft Im- portance, they have never thought it worth while to conlider them, never thought of them, at all, but live extempory Lives ; follow the Impulfe of every Pallion that happens to move them ; purfue every Scheme that occurs to their Mind ; without ever Ibokihg forward to Confequences. The others judge and a(^t ex- tremely wrong, unbecoming Philofophers^ but thefe Men ad: below the Condufelves, and are thought by others to be, the only flirewd People, becaufe they value the poor, beggarly Concerns of this Life above thofe of Eternity. O gracious God ! whence arifes this Sottilhnefs ? It is thou only, the Searcher. of Hearts, that knowell the true Caufe. Do thou take the Veil from before our Eyes. Break the Charm that bewitches us. Convince us that nothing but Eternity deferves our Solicitude; that our Salvation is the one Thing needful, and that whatever does not tend to it is Vanity and Folly. Make us fee more clearly, and know more feelingly, thefe great Truths. Let them alv/ays be uppermoft in our Thoughts, and give them fuch Force and Energy, that they may bring forth in us the Fruits of good Living, to thy Honour, and the Salyation of our Souls. Hebrews, [69] ^^^^1^^ Hebrews, Chap. x. Vcr. 25. Notfoj'faking the A[lefnbli?ig of ou7J}hcs together^ as the Manner of Jome is^ but exhorting one another. JL 'HIS Precept was given by St. Paul In the Times of Perjeciition ; which oc- cafion'd many to abfent themfeh^es from religious Meetings, for the Prefervation of their Lives, their Liberties, and Eftates. We are not under That Temptation to negleft our Duty 3 yet, in moll Places it is fliamefully negleded j and Men are fo far from exhort- ing^ that they are more apt to difcoiirage^ one another, by fpeaking lightly of it. It cannot, therefore, be imfeafonahk^ and I hope, it will nor be iinpr of table ^ if I difcourfe to you upon the Three follovv^ing Heads. Firjlj That the forfaking of fuch AiTem- blies is a virtual Defedion from the Chrif- tian Faith, and a Renunciation of our Religion. Secondlv. That it is a Negled: of the ne- ceffary Means of Grace without which we fhall not be able, or willing, to prac- life the other Duties of Religion, or long to preferve in our Minds any true Senfe of it, E 3 Thlrdl^^ 70 The Duty of AJfemhling mirfche^. 'Thirdly^ To enforce the Duty of Exhorting one another to AfTemblc ourfelves. P/r/?, The forfaking the AfTembling of our- felves together for pqblick Worfhip is a virtual Defe(5lion from the Chriftian Faith, and a Re- nunciation of our Religion. For, what is the End of fuch Aflemblies, but to make publick Profeflion of our rehgious Opinions j to acknowledge the Being, Attri- butes, and Difpeiifations of That God, in whom we believe ; our Relations, and Obli- gations to him for our Creation, Prefer vation, and Redemption ? And our refufing publick ly to tefcify This our Belief, is, in Effedt, to de- clare that we do not believe them. There never was any People in the World, who be- lieved a God, and yet did not publickly wor- fi:iip him agreeably to their Notions of him. The Heathens^ however different in their Opinions concerning their Deities, in different Countries, agreed in this great Article, "ciz. to join together in a publick Acknowledgment of God and his Providence over them. As they all ow'd their Being and the Continuance of it to the Power of their Creator, they all, as many as conveniently could, affembled to- gether to teilify their common Dependance upon him. As they were confcious that they had all been guilty of many Things which were offenfive and difplealing to the Deity, they united in offering up fuch Oblations and Sacrifices, as they thought might be the Means The Duty of AJfcmbU?ig oiirfches. y i "Means of appeafing God's Anger, and avert- ing his Judgments. As they believ'd that he continudly interpos'd to over-rule and govern the Affairs of the World, they offer'd up th^ir joint and publick Requefts, that he v/ou'd protedt and blefs them. This was fo universal a Practice, and it is a Practice fo agreeable to^ 7iatural Reafon^ that if any one had been known wholly to withdraw himfelf from fuch religious Meetings, He wou'd have been deem'd an Atheift, who deny'd God's Being and Providence ; he wou'd have been won- der'd at as a Monfter ; he wou'd have been detefted as an odious and dangerous Perfon ; he wou'd have been executed, or banifli'd the ^Society, as one difqualified for it. The Religion of the Jews was different from That of the Heat hens y but they agreed with them in having Affemblies wherein they jointly and publickly worfhip'd their God, fuitably to their Faith. B'efides the Truths of Natural Religion, they were favour'd with particular Revelations oi God's Nature and Will, and they were enjoin'd particular Duties and Or- dinances ; in Confequence of which they had thofe particular Revelatio?ts publickly read be- fore them, and their La"j<)s publickly i ecited : they united, likewife, in the publick Obfer- vance of their peculiar Ordijiances. And, can we imagine, that if any o?ie among thefe Jei^vs: had totally, or generally, abfented himfelf from their religious Affemblies, never, or feldomy, E 4 ' appeal'- 72 The Duty of AffemhTing curfehes. ■ appearing to hear the Word of their God read, and his Laws rehears'd to them ; nevery or fehlom aflifting at the common Rites and Ceremonies ; never partaking with them of the common Ordinances of their Religion : Can we imagine, I fay, that fuch an one wou'd not have been thought, and very juftly, to have thereby difown'd his Belief of the Jewifi Religion ? The Religion of us Chrijiimts is different from that of the Jews, as the Jewifi Religion was different from that of the Heathens. We have ilill more extraordinary Difcoveries of the Nature and Will of God ; our Duty in the New Teftament is more particularly explain'd to us, and we have common Ordinances, tho' fewer in Number, appointed us. Whoever, therefore, after the Manner of too many no- minal Chrillians, refufes to appear at our Chriftian AfTemblies, there to hear the Scrip- tures read and expounded, there publickly to profefs the DoBrines^ and attend upon the In- jiitiitions^ of our Religion j fuch an one St. Paul^ the infpired Apoftle of 'Jefiis Chrtji -, fuch an one the Nature and Reafon of the Thing, declare to be an Apoftaie from the Faiths, and to have rejecfled the Authority of our bleffed Saviour. If he never ^ or feldom goes to any Place of publick Worfhip, nor makes any Kind of publick Profeflion of fome Religion, we have no Room to believe that he has any religious Opinions at all, nor has he any Right to the Proted:ion and Benefits of T^he Duty of AJfcmbling oiirfehes. 73 -of the Community, of which he is a Mem- ber, becaufe he can give no Security to it for his good Behaviour, as having no Princi- ples, no Confcience to bind him to it. If there be any Perfons among us fo unhappy jn their Education, fo aukw^ard in their Way of Thinking, that they cannot fee fufficient Evi- dence for the Truth of Revelation after the nioft diligent and impartial Enquiry [which, however, cannot well be fuppos'd] we will believe them to be in Earneft, when we fee them ferioufly applying to Parliament^ as all other Dijjh2ters from the ejiahlijl:>d Religion have done, for the Liberty of v/orfliipping God in their own Way. But, while they worfhip no God at all, we are to confider them as perfed; Lifidehj who deny his Exif- tence, or, at beft, as Epicureans^ who deny his Providence, both which Notions are equally abfurd in themfelves and equally detrimental to Society. And, yet, in Oppolition to the Sentiments of St. FauU to the Reproach of Common Senfe, to the great Scandal and Pre- judice of our Coimtry^ Men, who make no Manner of Profeffion of any Religion, nay, and who openly profefs that they have none, and make a Jefl of all that have any, are not only permitted to call themfelves by the ho- nourable Name of ChriJiianSy not only to en- joy the common Privileges of a Chriftian Com- munityy but are admitted, frequently, into the moil reputable Situations, into Places of Truft 'and 74 ^he Duty of Ajjenihling oiirfehei. and Power, into the Familiarity and Intimacy of the moft refpedled, befh beloved Friends. * Thus we fee that the Alfembling of our- felves together for publickWorfhip is lb ejjential to Religion, that a totaly or general^ Abftinence from them, (for an occajional Attendance may- be refolv'd into Curiofity, or temporal Intereft, and fo confequently can be no Argument of our Faith) is to be underftood as a Renun- ciation of it J which, I think, is a very fuffi- cient Proof of the great Importance of the Duty. But, as it is in its own Nature fo much of the EJJetice of Religion, that we cannot rea- * Thefe Infidils generally afFeft to pafs under the Denomi- nation of Dcifts ; but upon an Acquaintance with Them, (as i have had with feveral ; and, having been faithful in not be- traying the Confidence which They placed in Me, They fpoke their Sentiments without any Referve) They always profe^id Themfelves Infidels at Iwge, who believ'd no Religious Trutlis at all. EvenThefe^//^//?/, tho' They cannot be oblig'd inConfdence, (there being no fuch Thing as Conjdence without. a GWj if there could be fuch a Thing as a T/V, or Ob ligation, iippnThem, would be ohlrgd, to encourage fome Sort of' publick Wor/hip, becaufe it has been, from Experience, the Opinion oi All Jges zrANations, t\{2.tSociety cannot fubfift wixhoMt Virtue^ x\ov Virtue without 7?r/7V/ and my Concern, but with a Ten- dernefs agreeable to my Affedtion for them, I exhort, I befeech, I conjure to attend the publick Worfhip of God as often as polTible, and alfo to fee that their Families do their Duty in This great Article of it, that They may not be Partakers with them in this iinful Neglcd. FINIS. BOOKS publiff^d by the fatne Author. A SERMON againft Po/»^r)', preach'd at the Time of the laft Rebellion j and a Pamphlet in Defence of his Majefty's Heredl^ tary Title to the Crown. Both publiflVd by Deputy '^ohn Clark^ by the Royal Exchange, The Nature and Duty of Benevolence, The Nature and Duty of Living peaceably with all Men. An Appeal to the Common Senfe, &c. of the Laity concerning Tithes. All Three publifli'd by W. Rujfel^ at Horace s Head without Tem- ple-Bar, Three Dialogues upon Anger and Forgive^ nefi ; publifh'd by Mr. Owen within Temple^ Bar, ./ .■.^ ¥'