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of life; nor after the exercife of godliness in the power thereof: And that the best of us have not fo ftedfastly walked with God, kept our garment fo unfppotted, nor been fo zealous of his glory, and the good of others, as. < we ought: And to mourn over fuch other fins as the congregation is particularly guilty of, notwithstanding the manifold and great mercies of our God, the love of Christ, the light of the gospel, and reformation of religion, our own purposes, promifes, vows, folemn covenant, and other special obligations to the contrary.

"To acknowledge and confefs, that, as we are convinced of our guilt, fo, out of a deep fenfe thereof, we judge ourfelves unworthy of the fmallest benefits, most worthy of God's fierceft wrath, and of all the curfes of the law, and ⚫ heaviest judgments inflicted upon the most rebellious finners; and that he might most juftly take his kingdom and gofpel from us, plague us with all forts of spiritual and temporal judgments in this life, and after caft us into utter darkness, in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth for evermore.

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"Notwithstanding all which, To draw near to the throne of grace, encouraging ourselves with hope of a gracious anfwer of our prayers, in the riches and all-fufficiency of that only one oblation, the fatisfaction and interceffion of the Lord Jefus Chrift, at the right hand of his Father, and our Father; and in confidence of the exceeding great and precious promifes of mercy and grace in the new covenant,through the fame mediator thereof, to deprecate the heavy wrath and curfe of GOD, which we are not able to avoid, or bear; and humbly and earnestly to fupplicate for mercy in the free and full remiffion of all our fins, and that only for the bitter fufferings and precious merits of that our only Savour Jefus Christ.

That the Lord would vouchfafe to fhed abroad his love in our hearts by the holy Ghoft; feal unto us, by the fame fpirit of adoption, the full affurance of our pardon and reconciliation; comfort all that mourn in Zion,fpeak peace to the wounded and troubled spirit, and bind up the broken-hearted: And as for fecure and prefumptuous finners, that he would open their eyes,to convince their confciences,

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and turn them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they alfo may receive forgiveness of fin, and an inheritance among them that are fanctified by faith in Chrift Jefus.

With remiffion of fins through the blood of Chrift, to pray for fanctification by his spirit; the mortification of 'fin dwelling in and many times tyrannizing over us; the quickning of our dead fpirits, with the life of God in Chrift 6 grace to fit and enable us for all duties of converfation and callings towards God and men, ftrength against temptations, the fanctified ufe of bleffings and croffes, and per feverance in faith and obedience unto the end.

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To pray for the propagation of the gospel and kingdom ' of Chrift to all nations; For the converfion of the Jews, the fulness of the Gentiles, the fall of Antichrift, and the haftning of the fecond coming of our Lord; For the de liverance of the diftreffed churches abroad from the tyranny of the Antichriftian faction,and from the cruel oppreffions and blafphemies of the Turk; for the bleffing of God upon all the reformed churches, especially upon the Churches and kingdoms of Scotland, England, and Ireland, now more ftrictly and religiously united in the Solemn national league and covenant; and for our plantations in the remote parts of the world more particularly for that church and kingdom whereof we are members, that therein 'God would-eftabiifh peace and truth, the purity of all his ' ordinances,and the power of godlinefs; prevent and remove herefy, fchifm, profanenefs, fuperftition, fecurity, and ' unfruitfulness under the means of grace; heal all our rents * and divifions, and preferve us frota breach of our Solemn • Covenant.

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To pray for all in authority, efpecially for the king's majefty, that God would make him rich in bleffings, both in his perfon and government; eftablish his throne in religion and righteoufnefs, fave him from evil counfel, and make him a bleffed and glorious inftrument, for the confervation and propagation of the gofpel, for the encourage'ment and protection of them that do well, the terror of all that do evil, and the great good of the whole church, and of all his kingdoms; for the converfion of the Queen, the religious edification of the Prince, and the reft of the

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royal feed; for the comforting the afflicted Queen of Bohemia, fifter to our fovereign; and for the restitution and • establishment of the illuftrious prince Charles, elector Palatine of the Rhine, to all his dominions and dignities; for a bleffing upon the high court of parliament (when fitting in any of these kingdoms refpectively) the nobility, the fubordinate judges and magistrates the gentry, and all the ⚫ commonality; for all paftors and teachers, that God would. fill them with his fpirit, make them exemplarily holy, fober, juft, peaceable, and gracious in their lives; found,. faithful, and powerful in their miniftry; and follow all their labours with abundance of fuccefs and bleffing; and. give unto all his people, paftors according to his own heart; For the universities, and all fchools and religious feminaries of church and common wealth, that they may. flowrish more and more in learning and piety; for the par-. ❝ticular city or congregation, that God would pour out a bleffing upon the miniftry of the word, facraments and difcipline, upon the civil government, and all the feveral families and perfons therein; for mercy to the afflicted under any inward or outward diftrefs for feasonable weather and fruitful feafons, as the time may require; for averting the judgments that we either feel or fear, or are liable. unto, as famine, peftilence, the fword and fuch like,

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And with confidence of his mercy to his whole church. and the acceptance of our perfons, through the merits and mediation of our high prieft, the Lord Jefus, to profefs that it is the defire of our fouls to have fellowship with 6 God, in the reverend and conscionable ufe of his holy ordinances; and, to that purpose, to pray earnestly for his 6 grace and effectual affiftance to the fanctification of his C holy Sabbath, the Lord's day, in all the duties thereof, public and private, both to ourfelves, and to all other congregations of his people, according to the riches and excellency of the gofpel, this day celebrated and injoyed. And because we have been unprofitable hearers in times paff, and now cannot of ourselves receive as we fhould, the deep things of God, the myfteries of Jefus Chrift, which require a fpiritual difcerning; to pray, that the Lord, who teacheth to profit, would gracioully pleafe to pour out the fpirit of grace, together with the outward means thereof,

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caufing us to attain fuch a measure of the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus our Lord, and, in him, of the things which belong to our peace, that we may account all things but as drofs in comparifon of him: And that we, tafting the firft-fruits of the glory that is to be revealed, may long for a more full and perfect communion with him, that where he is, we may be alfo, and enjoying the fulness of thofe joys and pleafures, which are at his right hand for

evermore.

More particularly, that God would in a fpecial manner furnish his fervant (now called to difpenfe the bread of life unto his houfhold) with wisdom, fidelity, zeal, and utterence, that he may devide the word of God arigat, < to every one his portion, in evidence and demonftration of the fpiri. and power; and that the Lord would circumcife the ears and hearts of the hearers, to hear, love, and receive with meeknefs the ingrafted word, which is able to fave their fouls; make them as good ground to receive in the good feed of the word, and ftrengthen them against the temptations of Satan, the cares of the world, the hardness of their own hearts, and whatfoever else may hinder their profitable and faving hearing; that fo Chrift may be fo formed in them, and live in them, that all their thoughts may be brought into captivity to the obedience of Chrift, and their hearts eftablished in every good word and work for ever.'

We judge this to be a conveniant order, in the ordinary public prayers; yet fo, as the minifter may defer (as in prudence he fhall think meet) fome part of these petitions till after his fermon, or offer up to God fome of the thanksgivings hereafter appointed, in his prayer before his fermon

Of the preaching of the word.

PREACHI

REACHING of the word, being the power of God unto falvation, and one of the greatest and muft excellent works belonging to the ministry of the gospel, fhould be fo performed, that the workman need not be afhamed, but may fave himfelf, and thofe that hear him.

It is prefuppofed (according to the rules for ordination) that the minifter of Chrift is in fome good mea fure gifted for

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fo weighty a fervice, by his skill in the original languages, and in fuch arts and fciences as are hand-maidsunto divinity; by his knowledge in the whole body of theology, but most of all in the holy Scriptures, having his fenfes and heart exercised in them above the common fort of believers; and by the illumination of God's fpirit, and other gifts of edification, which (together with reading and studying of the word) he ought still to feek by prayer, and an humble heart, refolving to admit and receive any truth not yet attained, whenever God fhall make known unto him. All which he is to make use of, and improve, in his private preparations, before he deliver in public what he hath provided.

Ordinarily, the fubject of his fermon is to be, fome text of Scripture, holding forth fome principle or head of religion, or fuitable to fome fpecial occafion emergent; or he may go on in fome chapter, Pfalm, or book of the holy Scripture, as he fhall fee fit.

Let the introduction to his text be brief and perfpicuous, drawn from the text itfelf,or context, or fome parallel place, or general fentence of Scripture.

If the text be long (as in hiftories and parables it fometimes müft be) let him give a brief fum of it; if fhort, a pharaphrafe thereof, if need be in both, looking diligently to the fcope of the text, and pointing at the chief heads and grounds of doctrine which he is to raise from it.

In analysing and dividing his text, he is to regard more the order of matter, than of words, and neither to burden the memory of the hearers in the beginning with too many members of divifion, nor to trouble their minds with obfcure terms of art.

In railing doctrines from the text, his care ought to be, First, that the matter be the truth of God. Secondly, that it be a truth contained in or grounded on that text, that the hearers may difcern how God teacheth it from thence. Thirdly, that he chiefly infift upon thofe doctrines which are, principally intended, and make moft for the edification of

the hearers.

The doctrine is to be expreffed in plain terms; or, if any thing in it need explication, is to be opened, and the confequence alfo from the text clared. The parallel places of Scripture confirming the doctrine, are rather to be plain and

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pertinent,

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