faints, or any other creature d: And, fince the fall, not without a Mediator; nor in the mediation of any other but of Christ alone. III. Prayer with thanksgiving, being one fpecial part of religious worship f, is by God required of all men g; and, that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son h, by the help of his spirit i, according to his will k, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perfeverance 1: and, if vocal, in a known tongue. prayer&fupplication with thankf giving, let your requests be made known unto God. honoureth not the Son,honoureth not the Father which hath fenthim. And Cor.13.24. The graceof the Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God,and the communion of theholy Ghoft,be with you all Amen. d Col.2.18. Let no man beguile you of your reward,in a voluntary humility,and worshippingofangels, intruding into thofe things which he hath not leen,vainly puft up by his fleshly mind.Rev.19.10. And I fell at his feet to worship him: and he faid unto me, See thou do it not; I am thy fellow fervant, and of thy brethren that have the teftimony of Jefus: worfhip God: for the teftimony of Jefus is the Spirit of prophecy.Rom. 1. 25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie,and worshipped and ferved the creature more than the Creator, who is blefled for ever. Amen. e John 14. 6. Jefus faith unto him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life no man cometh to the Father but by me. Tim.3.5, For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus Eph. 2. 18. For through him we both have an accefs by one spirit unto the Father. Col. 3 17. And whatsoever ye do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, giving thanks to God, and the Father by him. III. f Phil. 4. 6. Be careful for nothing: but in every thing by g Pfal.65.2.0 thou that hearest prayer,untotheeshallallflesh come. h John 14. 13.And whatsoever ye fhall afk in my name, that will I do,that the Father may be glorified in the Son. v. 14. If ye thall afk any thing in my name, I will do it. 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye alfo as lively ftones,are builtup a fpiritual houfe, an holy priesthood to offer up fpiritual facricfices,acceptable to God by Jefus Chrift. I i Rom. 8, 26. Likewife the Spirit also helpeth our infirmites: for we know not what we shouldpray for as we ought: but the fpirit itfelf maketh interceffion for uswith gronings which cannot be uttered k John s. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, be heareth us. 1 Pfal.74.7.For God is the king of all the earth,fing yepraifeswith underftanding. Eccl.s..Keep thy foot when thou go:ft to the houfe of God,and be more ready to hear, than to give the facrifice of fools: for they confider not that they do evil. v. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hafty to utterany thingbeforeGod: forGod isin heaven,and thouupon earth; therefore let thy words be few.Heb.1229. Wherefore we receiving a kingdomwhich cannotbe moved, let us have grace,whereby Tongue m. IV. Prayer is to be made for things lawful n, and for all forts of men living, or that shall leave hereafter o; but not for the dead p, nor for those of whom it may be known that they we may ferve God acceptably with m1 Cor. 14. 14. For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my fpirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. IV. n(1 John 5. 14.See letter k.) o Tim. 2. 1. I exhort therefore, that first of all, fupplications, pray ers, interceffions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men. v. 2. For kings, and for all that are in authority; that wemay lead a quiet have and peaccable life in all godliness and honefty. John 17.20. Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them alfo which fhall believeon me through their word. 2 Sam. 7.29. Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy fervant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, haft fpoken it; and with thy blefling let the house of thy fervant be bleffed for ever. Ruth 4. 12. And let thy house be like the houfe of Pharez (whom Tamar bare unto Judah) of the feed which the Lord hall give thee of this young woman. P 2Sam. 12.21.Thenfaid hisfervants unto him, What thing is this that thou haft done? thou didit talt and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child was dead,thou didftarife and eat bread. v. 22. And he faid, While the child was yet alive, I fafted and wept : for I faid, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? v. 23. But now he is dead, wherefore fhould I faft? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. (With Luke 6.25.) But Abraham faid, fon, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evilthings:butnowheis comforted, and thou art tormented.v.26. And befides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: fo that they which wouldpass from hence to you, cannot ; neither can they pafs to us, that would come from thence. Rev. 14, 13. And I heard avoice from heaven, faying unto me, Write, Bleffed are the dead, which die in the Lord,from hence have finned the fin unto death q. V. The reading of the fcriptures with godly fear r; the found preaching f and conscionable hearing of the word, in obedience unto God, with understanding, faith and reverence t; finging of pfalms with grace in the heart v; as alfo, the due adminiftration & worthy receiving of the facraments instituted by Chrift; are all parts of the ordinary religious worship of God w: befides religious oaths x, and vows y, folemn henceforth: yea, faith the Spirit, that they may relt from their labours: and their works do follow them qJohn5.16. If any man fee his brother fin a fin which is notunto death, he shall afk,and he fhall give him life for them that fin not unto death. There is a fin unto death: I do not say,that hefhall pray for it. V.r Acts 15. 21. For Moles of old time hath in every city, them that preach him,being read in the fynagoguesevery fabbath day.Re. 1.3. Bleffed is he that readeth, & they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep thofe things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. f2 Tim. 42. Preach the word, be inftant in feason, out of feafon; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-fuffering and doctrine. t James 1.22. Butbeyedoersofthe word,andnot hearers only,deceiving your ownfelves. Acts 10. 33. Immediately therefore I fent to thee; and thou haft well done,that thou art come. Now therefore are we all here prefent beforeGod, to hearall things that are commanded thee of God. Mat. 13. 19. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom,andunderstandethit not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that whichwas fown in his heart: this is he, which received feed in the way-fide. Heb. 4.2. For unto us was the gofpel preached, as well as unto them: but the wordpreached didnot profit them,not beingmixed withfaith in them that heard it. Ifa. 66. 2. For all thofethingshath mine hand made, and all thofe things have been, faith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my word. vCol.3.16.Let the wordofChrift dwell in you richly in all wifdom; teaching & admonithing one another in pfalms,and hymns,and fpi ritual fongs, finging with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Eph. 5.19. Speaking to yourselves in pfalms, & hymns,and fpiritualfongs,finging, and making melody in your hearts tothel ord. Jam.5.13. Isany among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him fing pfalms. w Mat. 28.19.Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, & of the Son, and of the holy Gholt. (1 Cor.11.23 to ver.29. Acts.42.) And they continued ftedfaftly in theapoflles doctrineandfellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. x Deut. 6. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God,and ferve him, and fhalt swear by his name. With Neh. 10. 29. They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entred into a curfe, and into an oath, to walk in Gods law, which was given by Mofes the fervantof God,andto obferve and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord, and his judgments and his ftatutes. y Ifa. 19.21. And the Lord thall be knowa to Egypt,and the EgypH 3 tians 2 Chap. 21. folemn faftings and thanksgivings upon fpecial occafions a, which are, in their feveral times and feasons, to be used in an holy and religious manner b. VI. Neither prayer, nor any other part of religious worship, is, now under the gofpel, either tied unto, or made more acceptable by, any place in which it is performed, or towards which it is directed c: But God is to be worshipped every where d in spirit and truthe: As in private families f daily. tians fhall know the Lord in that day, and fhall do facrifice and oblation; yea, they fhall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it. With Eccl. 5. 4. When thou voweft a vow unto God, defer not to pay it, for he hath no pleafure in fools; pay that which thou haft vowed. v. 5. Better is it that thou fhouldft not vow, than that thou fhouldft vow and not pay. z Joel 2.13. Therefore also now, faith the Lord, Turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with falting, and with weeping, and with mourning Eft. 4. 16. Go, gather together all the Jews that are prefent in Shufhan,and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night nor day I allo and my maidens will faft likewife, and fo will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if 1 perish,I perish.Mat, 9, 15 And Je fus faid unto them, Can the children of the bed-chamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them?but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them,and thenfhall they faft. Cor. 7.5.Defraud you not one theother, exceptit be with confent for a time, that ye may give yourselves tofafting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency. a(Pfalm 107 throughout.)Efther 922.As the days wherein the Jews refted from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from forrow to joy, and from mourning unto a good day, that they fhould make them days of feasting and joy, and of fending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor, b Heb.12.28. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let ushave grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. VI.c John 4. 21. Jefus faith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh,when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jeru falem, worship the Father, d Val.1. 11. For from the rifing of the fun even unto the going down of the fame, my name fhall be great among the Gentiles, and in every place incenfe fhall be of fered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name fhall be great among the heathen,faith the Lord of holts. 1 Tim, 2. 8. I will therefore, that men pray every where,lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. e John4.13.But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worfhippers fhall worship the Father in Ipirit and in truth: for the Father feeketh fuch to worship him. v.24.od is a fpirit, and they that werthip him, muft worship him in fpirit and in truth. f Jer. 10 25. Pour out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not,and upon the families that call not on thy name for they have eaten up Jacob,and devoured him, and confumed him and have made ly g, and in fecret each one by himself h; fo more folemnly in the public affemblies, which are not carelefly or wilfully to be neglected or forfaken, when God by his word or providence calleth thereunto i. VII. As it is of the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be fet apart for the worship of God; fo his habitation defolate. Deut.6.6. And thefewords which Icommand thee this day, fhall be in thine heart. v. 7. And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thychildren, and shall talk of them when thou littelt in thine houfe, and when thou walkelt by the way,andwhen thou lieft down, and when thou rifeft up. Job 15. And it was fo, when thedays of theirfealtingwere gone about,that Job fent and fantified them, and rofe up early in the morning,and offeredburnt-offerings,according tothe number of them all: for Job faid, It may be that my fons have finned, and curfed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 2 Sam.6.18. And affoon as David had made an endof offeringburnt-offerings,and peace-offerings,he bleffed thepeo ple in the name of the Lord of holts. v. 20. Then David returned to blefs his houfhold, I Peter 3.7. Likewife ye hufbands, dwell withthemaccordingto knowledge, givinghonour unto the wife asunto the weaker vellel,and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindred. Acts 10.2. A devout man,and one that fearedGod with all his houfe, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God alway. g Mat, 6. 11. Give us this day our daily bread. h Mat. 6.6. But thou,when thou prayeft, enter into thy clofet,and when thou hast shut thy door,pray to thy Father which is in fecret,& thy Father which feeth in fecret, hallreward theeopenly.Eph.6.18. Praying always, with all prayer & in fupplication in the fpirit,&watchingthereunto with allperfeverance and fupplication for all faints. i Ifa. 56. 6.Alfo the fons of the ftranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to ferve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be hisfervants,everyone that keepeth the fabbath from polluting it,and taketh hold of my covenant; v.7. Even them will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my houfe ofprayer: their burntofferings and their facrifices fhall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine houfe fhall be called anhouse of prayer for the people,Heb.10. 25. Not forfaking the affembling of ourselves together, as the manner of fome is; but exhorting one another: and fo much the more, asye fee the dayapproaching Prov. 1. 20. Wifdom crieth without, fhe uttereth her voice in the streets : v.21. She crieth in the chief place of concourfe, in the openings of the gates; in the city,the uttereth her words, faying,v.24. Because I have called, and ye refufed, I have ftretched out my hand,and no man regarded. Prov.8.34. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the pofts of my doors. Acts 13. 42. And when the Jews were gone out of the fynagogue,the Gentiles befought that these words might be preacheduntothemthenextfabbath Luke 4.16. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was,he went into the fynagogue on the fabbath day,and Itood up for to read. Acts 2. 42. And they continued fted H 4 falt |