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wants and neceffities of the poor, that our humiliation and prayers may find acceptance with God. And

If the faft be publick, by attending the publick places of God's worthip, always taking particular care to avoid all vanity, and valuing ourselves upon fuch performances; and therefore in our private fafts, we must not proclaim them to others by any outward fhew, that we may not appear unto men to faft. We must not defpife or judge our neighbour, who doth not, and it may be hath not, the fame reafon to tie himself up to fuch methods. We must not destroy the health of our bodies, and thereby make them unfit inftruments for the improvement of our minds, or the discharge of our worldly employments. And particular care ought to be taken, that we do not grow thereby morofe and four, peevish and fretful towards others; which feverity to ourselves may be apt to incline us to; for that is fo far from expreffing our repentance, that it makes fresh work for it by increasing our guilt. For, the light of the gofpel, being admirably fitted to conduct us to happiness, will certainly increase our condemnation, if we for fake or neglect it's rules. And therefore, when thou fastest be not as the hypocrites are, of a fad countenance, &c. Wherefore,

of Lent.

upon

The church of Chrift has in all ages appointed Of the faft folemn fafts to be obferved by her members particular occafions, and we ftill retain fome of them; amongst which, the faft of Lent deferves our particular regard; concerning which I would have you make these obfervations. As to the limitation of time for the keeping of this faft, the church had, I fuppofe, a refpect to forty days, as what was esteemed a proper penitential feafon. For not to reckon upon the forty days, in which God drowned the world; or the forty years in which the children of Ifrael did penance in the wilderness; or the forty ftripes, by which malefactors were to be corrected; and that our blessed Saviour himself, when he was pleafed to faft, obferved the fame length of time; whoever confiders these fafts, cannot but think that this number of days was used by them all as the common folemn ftandard of an extraordinary humiliation; and that those were accustomed to afflict themselves

forty

forty days, when they would avert God's judgments for the defert of their great tranfgreffions. And confequently,

As to the intention, end, or defign of this faft of Lent; it is fet apart as a proper feafon for mortification, and

tuted.

the exercise of felf-denial. To humble and afflict Why inftiourselves for our fins; not by endeavouring to faft continually forty days, but, by frequent faftings, as may be learnt from the practice of the church in all ages; and to punish our too often abuses of God's creatures, by abftinence, and by forbearing the lawful enjoyment of them; to form and fettle firm purposes of holy obedience; to pray frequently to God both in private and publick for pardon, and his Holy Spirit; to put us in mind of that fore trial and temptation, which Chrift then endured for our fakes; particularly to perpetuate the memory of our Saviour's fufferings; and to make, as it were, a publick confeffion of our belief, that he died for our falvation. And confequently, for fitting ourselves to receive the tokens and pledges of his love, with greater joy and gladness; because with fuller affurance that God is reconciled to us through the merits of Jefus our Saviour. over, in this holy feafon, fuch perfons as stood convicted of notorious fins, were put to open penance, and punished in this world, that their fouls might be faved in the day of the Lord; and that others admonished by their example might be more afraid of offending: the whole church prayed to God in their behalf; that he would be pleased to grant them repentance, and perfect remiffion and forgiveness of their offences.

More

Wherefore this christian inftitution of Lent ought to be spent in fafting, and in abftinence, according to

obferved.

the circumftances of our health, and outward con- How to be dition in the world; and this with a defign to deny and punish ones self, and to exprefs our humiliation before God for paft tranfgreffions; the ornament of attire may be laid afide; the frequency of receiving and paying vifits may be interrupted; publick affemblies for pleafure and diverfion fhould be avoided; our retirements fhould be filled with reading pious difcourfes, and with frequent prayer, and with examining the state of our minds; the publick devotion, and

D 4

those

those inftructing exhortations from the pulpit, which are fo generally established in many churches in this feason, should be constantly attended. We should be liberal in our alms, and very ready to employ ourselves on all opportunities of relieving either the temporal or fpiritual wants of our neighbour: And we fhould frequently exercise ourselves in the meditation of divine fubjects.

SUNDAY III. CHAP. III.

1. Honour due to God in his word. II. Of Catechizing. III. Of Preaching. IV. In his Sacraments. V. Of Baptifm. VI. Of Divine Revelation; and more especially, VII. Of our belief in one God and Three Ferfons in the Godhead. VIII. Why God is called Almighty. IX. Of the World's Creation. X. Of God's Providence. XI. Of the Trinity. XII. Of the ufe of reafon in matters of Faith.

God must be honoured in his word.

In what manner.

What it is.

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E are in a more especial manner to exprefs our reverence to God by honouring his holy word; and we honour his holy word by hearing, reading, and practising what is therein contained for our comfort and instruction. This word of God is commonly called by way of eminence the holy fcriptures, which we are obliged to fearch, because they contain the terms and conditions of our common falvation; without the knowledge and practice of which we can never attain happiness. I fay, whatever is neceffary for us to know and believe, to hope for and practise in order to falvation, is fully contained in those holy books. And

What it con

tains.

Thofe neceffary things are there treated with fo much plainness and clearness, as to be fufficiently understood by thofe, who make a right use of their reason, and

17 to be

read

read them with that respect and reverence, which is due to the oracles of God; with humility and modefty, from a sense of our own weakness and God's perfection; and with earnest prayer for the divine affistance; with minds free from all partiality and prejudice, from vanity and confidence in our own abilities; and with an honeft and pious difpofition of foul; for he that doth God's will, fhall know whether that doctrine be from him. Moreover, they who expect to reap benefit by reading the holy fcriptures, muft diligently confider the defign of the author of each book of fcripture; and what is the subject he chiefly handles, with the occafion of his writing; muft explain difficult places by those that are more clear; distinguish between literal and figurative expreffions; and never have recourfe to metaphors and figures, but when fomewhat abfurd arifes from their being taken in a proper and literal fenfe; must confine themselves to the natural fignification of words, the ufual forms of fpeech, and the phrafe of fcripture; must acquaint themselves with the common ufages, and cuftoms of those times, in which they were writ, to many expreffions allude; must not make either fide of the queftion in difpute, the reason of our interpretation, for this is to make it a rule of interpreting fcripture, not a question to be decided by it; and again, they must apply general rules to particular cafes, it being impoffible fcripture fhould comprehend all special cafes, which are infinite. And, Where there is any difficulty, nothing adds greater light than the confulting thofe primitive and faithful witneffes, who learnt the true fenfe of scripture from the authors themselves. Without fome fuch method no author can be well understood; and to this purpose, we have many helps in our own English tongue; whofe endeavours have been, and still continue to confirm by fufficient proofs, that the fcriptures are the word of God, revealed by him; that the things contained therein were not invented by man; and from thence to ftrengthen our faith, and flir up our practice of every christian duty; firft, by the means of catechifing; and then by preaching; concerning both which means of inftruction let us obferve as follows:

which

How un

derstood.

II. Cate

fing.

It is ufeful.

Necefla y.

II. Catechifing is a peculiar method of teaching the ignorant by queftion and anfwer; adapted to the meanOf catechi- eft capacities, for their more ready inftruction in the first and neceffary rules or principles of our holy religion; and is of very antient date in the practice of the chriftian church. And as to the great usefulness of it; catechifing hath a particular advantage as to children : becaufe they are fubject to forgetfulness, and want of attention. Now catechifing is a good remedy against both thefe; because, by queftions put to them, children are forced to take notice of what is taught, and must give some answer to the question that is afked: and a catechifm being short, and containing in a little compafs the neceflary principles of religion, it is the more easily remembred. Again, the greatufcfulness, and indeed, the neceffity of it, plainly appears by experience. For, it very feldom happens, that children, which have not been catechifed, have any clear and competent knowledge of the principles of religion ever after; and, for want of this, are incapable of receiving any great benefit by preaching, which fuppofes perfons to be in fome measure inftructed before-hand in the main principles of religion. Befides, if they have no principles of religion fixed in them, they become an eafy prey to feducers. And fince there is fo great usefulness and necefen parents fity of this way of inftruction, I would earnestly and masters, recommend the practice of it to parents and maBc. fters of families, with refpect to their children and fervants. For I do not think that this work should lie wholly upon minifters. You must do your part at home, who always living with your families, have better and more easy opportunities of fixing the principles of religion upon your children and fervants. Neither muft fuch as have been founfortunate as to grow in years without this inftruction, fuppofe they are exempt from it; for as foon as they are able to fee their own danger and difcover their own ignorance, they must apply in good earnest to this means of obtaining the first things to be known in the chriftian religion. Therefore, whoever he be, of what age and condition foever, that finds his own ignorance in the mysteries of his religion and service

And a duty

of

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