In the fame Spirit of true Christian Benevolence, and in Conformity to the Practice, as well as Precept, of our gracious Redeemer, we proceed to pray for all "our Enemies, Perfecutors, and Slanderers ;" that it may please God to " forgive them, and to turn their Hearts." Which Request we make, not fo much for our own Sakes, that they may cease to injure or moleft us; as for their's, that by their Hearts being changed, they may be restored into a State of Salvation, which no Man is in, that lives in Hatred and Enmity, or that perfecutes, or flanders, his Fellow-Creatures: for HE, THAT LOVETH NOT HIS BROTHER, ABIDETH IN DEATH. 1 John. iii. 14.

The following Petition feems to be taken from that in the Lord's Prayer; "Give us this Day our daily Bread." For here, in like Manner, we pray for a conftant Supply of our neceffary Food and Sustenance; when we beseech our heavenly Father" to give and preferve to our Use the kindly Fruits of the Earth, fo as in due Time we may enjoy them." In this pious Supplication we acknowledge Him to be the Giver and Pre

ferver of all good Things, which were at first created by his Word, before there were

any fecond Causes to produce them; and are. ftill continued to us by the fame all-powerful and bounteous Hand, which has all Nature at his Command: Who vifiteth the Earth, and watereth, and greatly enricheth it; who bringeth forth Food out of it; who prepareth our Corn to cover over the Valleys; who clotheth the Paftures with Flocks, and crowneth the Year with his Goodness; filling our Hearts with Food and Gladness. But let us remember that He can, with equal Eafe, turn Rivers into a Wilderness, and theWater-Springs into dry Ground: a fruitful Land into Barrennefs, for the Wickedness of them that dwell therein and that, except the Lord blefs the Earth, their Labouris but lost that cultivate it.

We are now come to the laft, and most important, of all the Petitions; wherein we pray for "true Repentance," for the Forgiveness of all our Sins, and for Grace to avoid them, and "amend our Lives," for the Time to come. The Nature and Neceffity of true Repentance, in the Scripture Sense of the Word, have been fully

fhewn

fhewn in my Remarks on the Abfolution; in which we are directed to pray to God “to grant it us," as we do alfo here; fince it is by the Influence of his Holy Spirit alone that we are difpofed to fet about, and enabled to go through, this great and neceffary Work. That Part of the Petition, which relates to our Forgiveness, is fomewhat differently worded from what we meet with in other Places in the Liturgy; for here is a threefold Distinction of "Sins, Negligences, and Ignorances;" for all which we implore the divine Pardon. By the firft, I apprehend, we are to understand our grofs, and deliberate Tranfgreffions; the Recollection of which should fill us with the deepest Sorrow, and moft bitter Remorse, By the fecond are meant our leffer Sins, into which we have been led by Inadvertency, Carelessnefs, or Surprize; how many of which, alas! do the very best of us daily run into! And though these are by no Means of fo heinous a Nature as the former, yet ftill they are Sins, and ought to be acknowledged and repented of. All Negligences are at least to be confidered as Sins of Omiffion, inasmuch as they

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they are contrary to that Care and Watth fulness, fo exprefsly required of us in the Gofpel. Ignorances," which are the last mentioned, are so far finful and criminal, as they are in any Degree voluntary, or owing to a Neglect of using the proper Means of attaining Knowledge. Where Ignorance is abfolutely unavoidable, it is a Misfortune indeed, but no Sin: but to plead it in any other Cafe, is rather an Aggravation, than any Extenuation, of our Guilt. How far a Plea of this Sort ́ may be accepted from an Heathen, it is no Bufinefs of ours to enquire. The Rules of our Duty are clearly made known to us; and if we mistake at any Time in the Application of them, our Error, I fear, will be chargeable to us, as proceeding from a criminal Negligence, if not from a wilful and perverse Ignorance. For all our manifold Offences of this Sort, as well as for our groffer Trefpaffes, we must daily afk Forgiveness; praying, in the last Place, that God would "endue us with the Grace of his Holy Spirit, to amend our Lives according to his holy Word." For without the Help of his Grace we can do nothing;

nor

nor must we expect that Help, unless we are diligent in ufing the Means of obtaining it;

one of which is, to ftudy his holy Word, wherein the Will of God is revealed to us by the fame Spirit that enables us to perform it. And by this Word we must regulate our Lives, in order to prove the Sincerity of our Repentance, and to obtain the Pardon of our Sins.

The Form of the Litany is now agreeably varied. The longer Interceffions being ended, here follow fome shorter ones, admirably calculated to give fresh Vigour and Earneftness to our Devotion. For I am very fure, that no Perfon, who has attended feriously to the foregoing Part, can join in this without feeling a peculiar Warmth and Fervency in his Mind, while he thus renews his Supplications, with an holy Importunity, to the Throne of Grace. But to answer the pious Design of our Church, and that these Incentives to Devotion may have their full Effect, it is neceffary that the Minifter, who officiates, fhould read every Sentence with great Energy and Deliberation; making a proper Pause after each, that the

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