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health to prepare for ficknefs, death, and judgment; and all the days of their appointed time fo to wait until their change come, that when Chrift, who is our life fhall appear, they may appear with him in glory.

Concerning burial of the dead.

THEN any perfon departeth this life, let the dead body upon the day of burial, be decently attended from the houfe to the place appointed for public burial, and there immediately interred, without any ceremony.

And because the customs of kneeling down, and praying by, or towards the dead corps, and other fuch ufages, in the place where it lies, before it be carried to burial, are fu'perftitious; and for that, praying, reading, and finging, both in going to, and at the grave, and have grofly abused, are no way beneficial to the dead, and have proved many ways hurtful to the living; therefore let all fuch things be laid afide.

Howbeit, we judge it very convenient, that the Chriftian friends, which accompany the dead body to the place appointed for public burial, do apply themselves to meditations, and conferences fuitable to the occafion; And that the minifter, as upon other occafions, fo at this time, if he be prefent, may put them in remembrance of their duty,

That this fhall not extend to deny any civil refpects or de-ferences at the burial, fuitable to the rank and condition of the party deceased, whiles he was living.

Concerning public folemn fafting

WHEN fome great and notable judgments are either inflicted upon a people, or apparently imminent, or by fome extraordinary provocations notoriously deferved; as alfo when fome fpecial bleffing is to be fought and obtained, public folemn fafting (which is to continue the whole day), is a duty that God expecteth from that nation, or people.

A religious faft requires total abftinence, not only from all food (unless bodily weakness do manifeftly difable from I i3 holding

holding out till the faft be ended, in which cafe fomewhat may be taken, yet very sparingly, to fupport nature, when ready to faint, but alfo from all worldly labour, difcourfes and thoughts, and from all bodily delights, and fuch like, (altho' at other times lawful, rich apparel, ornaments, and fuch like, during the faft; and much more from whatever is in the nature, or ufe, fcandalous and offenfive, as gaudifh attire, lafcivious habits and geftures, and other vanities of either fex; which we recommend to all minifters, in their places, diligently and zealously to reprove, as at other times fo efpecially at a faft, without refpect of perfons, as there fhall be occafion.

Before the public meeting, each family and person a, part are privately to use all religious care to prepare their hearts to fuch a folemn work, and to be early at the congregation.

So large a portion of the day, as conveniently may be, is to be spent in public reading and preaching of the word, with finging of pfalms, fit to quicken affections fuitable to fuch a duty; but especially in prayer, to this or the like

effect:

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Giving glory to the great majefty of God, the Creator, preferver and fupreme ruler of all the world; the better to affect us thereby with an holy reverence and awe of him. Acknowledging his manifold, great and tender mercies, efpecially to the church and nation, the more effe&tually to foften and abase our hearts before him. Humbly confeffing of fins of all forts, with their feveral aggravations; juftifying God's righteous judgments, as being far lefs than our fins do deferve; yet humbly and earnestly imploring his mercy and grace for ourfelves, the church and nation, for our king and all in authority, and for all others for whom we are bound to pray (according as the prefent ? exigent requireth) with more fpecial importunity and enlargement than at other times: applying,by faith, the promifes and goodness of God, for pardon, help, and deliverance from the evils felt, feared, or deferved; and for obtaining the bleffings which we need and expect, together with a giving up of ourfelves wholly and for ever unto the Lord.

In all thefe,the minifters who are the mouths of the people

unto

unto God, ought fo to speak from their hearts, upon ferious and thorow premeditation of them, that both themselves and their people may be much affected, and even melted thereby, elpecially with forrow for their fins, that it may be indeed a day of deep humiliation and afflicting of the foul.

Special choice is to be made of fuch Scriptures to be read, and of fuch texts for preaching, as may best work the hearts of the hearers to the fpecial bufinefs of the day, and most difpose them to humiliation and repentance; infifting most on thofe particulars, which each minifter's obfervation and experience tells him are moft conducing to the edification and reformation of that congregation to which he preacheth.

Before the close of the public duties, the minifter is, in his own and the peoples names, to engage his and their hearts to be the Lord's, with profeffed purpofe and refolution to reform whatever is amifs among them, and more particularly fuch fins as they have been more remarkably guilty of; and to draw near unto God, and to walk more clofe ly and faithfully with him in new obedience, than ever before.

He is alfo to admonish the people with all importunity, that the work of that day doth not end with the public duties of it, but that they are fo to improve the remainder of the day, and of their whole life, in reinforcing upon themfelves and their families in private, all thofe godly affections and refolutions which they profeffed in public, as that they may be fettled in their hearts forever, and themselves may more fenfibly find that God hath smelt a fweet favour in Chrift from their perfomances, and is pacified towards them, by anfwers of grace, in pardoning of fin, in removing of judgments, in averting or preventing of plagues, and in conferring of bleffings, fuitable to the conditions and prayers of his people, by Jeíus Chrift.

Befides folemn and general fafts injoined by authority, we Judge that, at other times, congregations may keep days of fafting,as divine providence fhall adminifter unto them fpecial occafion; and also that families may do the fame, fo it be not on days wherein the congregation to which they do belong is to meet for fafting, or other public duties of worship.

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Concerning the obfervation of days of publie thanksgiving.

WHEN any fuch day is to be kept, let notice be given of it, and of the occafion thereof, fome convenient time before, that the people may the better prepare themfelves thereunto..

The day being come, and the congregation (after private preparations) being affembled, the minifter is to begin with a word of exhortation, to ftir up the people to the duty for which they are met, and with a fhort prayer for God's affiftance and bleffing (as at other conventions for public worhip) according to the particular occafion of their meeting.

Let him then make some pithy narration of the deliverance obtained, or mercy received, or of whatever hath occafioned that affembling of the congregation, that all may better understand it, or be minded of it, and more affected with

And, becaufe finging of pfalms is of all other the most proper ordinance for expreffing of joy and thanksgiving, let Tome pertinent pfalm or pfalms be fung for that purpose, before or after the reading of fome portion of the word, fuitable to the prefent bufinefs.

Then let the minifter, who is to preach, proceed to further exhortation and prayer before his fermon, with, fpecial referrence to the prefent work: After which, let him preach upon fome text of Scripture pertinent to the occafion.

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The fermon ended, let him not only pray,as at other times after preaching is directed, with remembrance of the neceffities of the church, king, and ftate (if before the fermon they were omited) but inlarge himfelf in due' and folemn thanksgiving for former mercies and deliverances, but more efpecially for that which at the prefent calls them together to give thanks: With humble petition for the continuance and renewing of God's wonted mercies, as need fhall be, and for fanctifying grace to make a right ufe thereof. And fo, having fung another pfalm fuitable to the mercy, let him difmifs the congregation with a blessing, that they may have fome convenient time for their repaft and refreshing. But the minifter (before their difmiffion) is folemnly to

admonish

admonish them, to beware of all excefs and riot, tending to gluttony or drunkenness, and much more of thefe fins themelves, in their eating and refreshing; and to take care that their mirth and rejoicing be not carnal, but fpiritual, which may make God's praife to be glorious,and themselves humble and fober; and that both their feeding and rejoicing may render them more cheerful and inlarged, further to celebrate his praifes in the midft of the congregation, when they return unto it, in the remaining part of that day.

When the congregation fhall be again affembled, the like courfe in praying, reading, preaching, finging of pfalms, and offering up of more praise and thanksgiving, that is before directed for the morning,is to be renewed and continued fo far as the time will give leave.

At one or both of the public meetings that day, a col lection is to be made for the poor (and in the like manner upon the day of public humiliation) that their loins may blefs us, and rejoice the more with us. And the people are to be exhorted, at the end of the latter meeting, to spend the refidue of that day in holy duties, and teftifications of Christian love and charity one towards another, and of rejoicing more and more in the Lord; as becometh those who make the joy of the Lord their ftrength.

Of singing of Pfalms,

T is the duty of Chriftians to praise God publicly, by

I finging of pfalms together in the congregation, and allo

privately in the family.

In finging of pfalms, the voice is to be tunably and grave, ly ordered; but the chief care muft be, to fing with under, ftanding, and with grace in the heart, making melody unto the Lord.

That the whole congregation may join herein, every one that can read is to have a pfalm book; and all others, not difabled by age or otherwife, are to be exhorted to learn to read. But for the prefent, where many in the congregation cannot read, it is convenient that the minifter, or fome other fit perfon appointed by him and the other ruling officers, do read the pfalm, line, by line, before the finging thereof,

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