and glory of thy Attributes, may unfeignedly admire and adore thee; and express their Veneration and Praifes of thee, in Ways most fuitable to the Condition of their Nature and the Difcoveries of thy Will. 10. Grant that all Mankind may come to the knowledge and belief of thy true Religion: That the Kingdom of Chrift, may be extended over all the Earth; and the eternal Laws of Godlinefs, Righteoufness, Charity, and Sobriety, be established through the whole World. Grant that all who profefs this thy true Religion, may live in perfect Obedience to the Laws thereof; and that Men, as the infirmity of their Nature will permit, may obey thee with proportionable Sincerity and Conftancy, as do the Spirits of the bleed in Heaven. II. Bestow upon us every day, through the remaining part of our Lives, as many of the things of this prefent World, as may be fufficient for our neceffary Subfiftence, and for the useful and innocent Conveniencies of Life. 12. Forgive us our Sins, and withhold thy Punishments which we have thereby deferved: In like manner as we freely and heartily forgive all thofe Injuries and Offences, which have by others been done to us. 13. Take from us the Caufes and Occafions of Temptations, or else deliver us from the power of them: That we may not be moved, either with the Enticements of Riches, Honours, or Pleasure; or with the Fear of Want, Difgrace, or Pain; to do any thing knowingly contrary to thy Will. And deliver us from all the Evils and Ca lamities, lamities, which either the Malice of the Devil, or the Wickedness or Misfortunes of the World might bring upon us. Thefe Petitions we offer up unto thee, O God: knowing that thou canft, and trufting in thy Mercy that thou wilt do for us more than we can defire or deferve; who art infinite in Power, Glory, and Majesty, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen. 14. After this manner ought ye to pray unto God. And in this Prayer which I have now prefcribed to you, ye are more especially to obferve, that I have taught you to expect and pray for Forgiveness of your Sins at the Hands of God, only in like manner as ye forgive one another your Offences and Trefpaffes. For if ye readily forgive your Trefpaffes against each other, God indeed will likewife upon this Condition forgive you your Sins. 15. But if will not forgive one ye another; be affured, that neither will God be moved by any Prayers or Entreaties to forgive you. 16. Again, when ye Faft, be not like the hypocritical Pharifees, who put on fad and mournful Looks, going about in mean and fordid Garments, and with unwashed Faces, that they may appear to Men to be wonderfully Devout, and may be applauded for the ftrictnefs and feverity of their Faft. I tell you affuredly this fhall be their only Reward, and they must expect no other from God. 17. But when you faft, appear to Men as at other times; put on no Mournful Looks, and make no Oftentation of Strictnefs and Severity. 18. Make no affected fhow of Fafting and Sadness, but humble your felves men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in fecret: and thy Father which feeth in fecret, fhall reward thee openly, 19 Lay not up for your felves treafures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and fteal. 20 But lay up for your felves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal. 21 For where treafure is, there will your heart be also. your 22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be fingle, thy whole body fhall be full of light. fecretly in your Devotions before God; and God, who feeth the fecret Humiliations of your Souls, will reward you openly before Men and Angels. 19. In fumm, whatever you do,regard not fo much the appearances of this prefent World; but in all your Actions have principally a refpect to that which is to come. Be not over-follicitous to lay up a Treafure of Riches upon Earth, 20. But be careful by good Works, proceeding from true Faith and Love, to lay up a Treasure of Rewards in Heaven, which no Power upon Earth, nor any Accident can poffibly deprive you of. 21. For if your chief Designs be to lay up a Treasure here upon Earth, your Heart and Affections will be fixed upon these things; and you will never be able to preserve that pious, refigned, and heavenly Temper of Mind, which the Chriftian Religion indifpenfably requires. But if the principal Aim of your Life, be to fecure a Treafure of Happiness in Heaven; then will your Heart alfo and Affections be fettled there. 22. Above all things therefore be fure to preferve this true Judgment of the Difference of Things; viz. that the Happiness of Heaven is the Treafure upon which your Hearts are to be fixed; and that the things of this World ought not to be too eagerly defired, but to be fought with Moderation, and used with Simplicity and Liberality. For as the Eye, is to the Direction of the Body; fo is this True Judgment of Things, to the State of the Soul. If the Eye be clear and pure, the whole Body 3 Body will be enlightened and well guided: In like manner, if this True Judgment of Things be kept pure and uncorrupted, the State of the Soul will be good and well ordered. 23. But as, on the contrary, if the Eye be dim and cloudy, the whole Body will be in the dark and without guidance: even fo, if in this Matter your Judgment be vitiated and corrupted, the whole bent of the Soul will be erroneous and without direction. And how great is the Errour and Mifery of such a State! 24. The Judgment and Affections of the Heart and Soul, cannot at once be fix'd and fettled upon things of a different and contrary Nature. No Man can at the fame time ferve two Mafters of contrary Difpofitions, but he muft obey the one and neglect the other. Ye cannot be truly Religious, and fincere Servants of God; while your Hearts and Affections are too intent upon the things of this prefent World. 25. Since therefore ye cannot attend wholly to two contrary things at once; let your main and principal Intentions be always fix'd upon your chief, which is your future Happinefs. And after you have used a reasonable Induftry to attain the Neceffaries of this prefent Life, fuch as Meat and Drink, and Cloathing; be not any further follicitous about them; but rely upon the Providence of God for a continual 23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body fhall be therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darknefs! full of darkness. If 24 No man can ferve two masters: for either he will love the other; or hate the one, and elfe he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot ferve God and mammon. 25 Therefore I fay unto you, Take life, what ye fhall no thought for your eat, or what ye fhall drink; nor yet for your body what ye fhall put on is not the life more than meat, and the body then raiment ? * This Precept to the Apostles, who were to spend their Lives in travelling and propagating the Gospel, may be understood in its moft ftrict and literal Senfe; But to other Chriftians it must be applied in a larger Senfe, as I have paraphrafed it. 26 Behold the fowls of the air for they fow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought, can add one cubit nto his ftature ? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Confider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. 29 And yet I fay unto you, that Supply of them. For he that firft gave 26. Confider the other Creatures of 27. But however that be, your caring and follicitude cannot be of any advantage to you. 'Tis God, that without any Care of yours, gave you Bodies; and 'tis God, that without your Knowledge, nourishes them and caufes them to increafe and grow, by fecret ways and imperceptible degrees. Ye cannot by any Care whatever, fo much as add one Inch to the growth of your Bodies, or one Moment to your * κία Age. Rely then upon the Providence * The of God, (who will blefs your ordinary word Industry, but is displeased at your an- xa fignixious Sollicitude,) to fupply you with fies indifthings necessary for the nourishment of ferently, your Body, and the prefervation of your Life. 28. And as for Clothing, why fhould ye be fo much concerned about that? The Flowers of the Field take no Care at all for themselves, and yet God gives them a continual Increase, and clothes them with inimitable Beauty. 29. For this their Clothing is of fuch Beauty and Comelinefs, as far exceeds all Stature or Age. |