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Favour and Bleffing: For the Eyes of the Lord are over the Righteous, and his Ears are open unto their Prayers, Pet. iii. 12. The conftant Exercife of Prayer is the best Method to get the Maftery over our evil Inclinations and corrupt Affections, and to overcome our vicious Habits: It preferves a lively Senfe of God and Religion in our Minds, and fortifies us against thofe Temptations that affault us; it fpiritualizeth our Nature, and raifeth our Souls above this World, and fupports us under the Troubles and Calamities of this Life, by fanctifying fuch Afflictions; it leads us gradually to the Perfection of a Chriftian Life, and preferves that Union between God and our Souls, which feeds our fpiritual Life with Grace and Goodness; without it we in vain pretend to difcharge thofe Chriftian Duties incumbent on us, or to profper in our temporal Affairs, which must have God's Bleffing to crown them with Succefs. And as Prayer in general has thefe great Bleffings and Advantages attending it, fo give me leave to fuggeft to you under this Head, that thofe public Prayers

*

recommended.

and Devotions, which we offer Public Prayer unto God in our Churches, are not only more acceptable to him, but also much more edifying and advantageous to ourfelves: They cannot but be more acceptable

*See The Daily Companion, with Chriftian Supports under the Troubles of this World, &c. Price bound 6 d. or 5 s per Dozen.

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to God, because thereby his Honour and Glory is much more confiderably advanced and maintained in the World, than by our private Devotions By thefe outward Signs and Tokens, we publicly declare to all the World that inward Regard and Esteem which we have for his divine Perfections and Goodnefs; hereby we let our Light fo fhine before Men, that they may see our good Works, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven, Matt. v. 16. There is no Duty in Scripture more frequently commanded, none more earnestly preffed upon us, than this of public Prayer. We have the Example of all good Men in all Ages for it, and of Chrift himself, who was daily in the Temple and in the Synagogue, and, no question, frequented thofe Places at the ufual Hours of Prayers, because then he had the fairest Opportunity, from thofe public Affemblies, to inftruct, and to exhort to Faith and Repentance. 2dly, We may expect greater Bleffings and Success to our Requests and Defires, when we join in the public Prayers of our Church, than from private, because our Saviour has in a special Manner promised to fuch Affemblies his immediate Prefence; that where two or three

* See A Sermon concerning The Excellency and Usefulness of the Common-Prayer. By W. Beveridge, Ď. D. late Lord Bishop of St. Alaph, at the Opening of the Parish Church of St. Peter, Cornbill, London. Price 3d. or 20s. pcr Hundred.

are

are gathered together in his Name, there will he be in the midst of them: Which he hath no where faid of private Prayer, though both are very good, nay, both are abfolutely neceffary for the beginning and ending of a Chriftian Life: And it is a very bad Sign of some evil Principle or other, for any Man to be much a Stranger to the Houfe of Prayer, which is one of the greatest Bleffings and Privileges (if we know how to value the fame) that we can have in this World, and has always been accounted fuch among all wife and good Men. It is certain, that the Turks, whom we call Infidels, go to their public Devotion five times every Day; and fhall not they rife in Judgment against us Chriftians, who cannot afford to go once or twice a Day to God's House, when we have both Leifure and Opportunity? If Men fhall be judged for every idle Word, to be fure they fhall not pafs unpunished for all the Neglects and Omiffions of their Duty of this Nature. But to proceed:

Reading and

Meditation.

To this Duty of fervent Prayer, the Communicant fhould spend fome Portion of Time in Reading and Meditation, to raise his Soul into a devout and heavenly Temper: The proper Office of Reading, is to gain fpiritual Food and Suftenance, and of Meditation, to digeft it. Thofe divine Subjects moft proper for our ferious Contemplation on this folemn Occafion, I think, are" our Saviour's Sermon on the "Mount;

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"Mount; the Love of God in the Salvation "of Sinners, through Jefus Chrift; Repentance, Faith, Charity, Death and Judg

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ment; the happy Condition of a future State "of Bleffednefs, and the miferable Condition "of the Damned in Hell." Thefe and the like, as they offer themselves unto you, should be meditated upon, until fome Sorrow of Mind, fome Ardor of Devotion, fome Act of Faith, fome Flame of Love and Charity arise in your Souls.

Thus have I briefly reprefented to you both the Nature and Neceffity of a Sacramental Preparation, which in great meafure contains the whole Duty of a Chriftian's Life; namely, "Repentance towards God, Faith towards "our Lord Jefus Chrift, and Charity towards

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our Neighbour:" And I alfo hope, whofoever among us will but endeavour to prepare themselves for the holy Communion, according to the forementioned Directions, may (by the Help of God) upon all Occafions come to the Lord's Table, without the leaft Fear or Danger of "eating and drinking Damnation "to themselves."

And now feme People may cenfure this Difcourfe, as giving too great Liberty and Encouragement to approach the Lord's Table with lefs Preparation than otherwife Men

* See Mr. Norris's effectual Remedy against the Fear of Death. Price 6 d.

would

would venture to do. But I know no Ground
or Reason for any fuch Suggestion,

if they impartially confider the Ex- The Church
cellence and Perfection of that Catechifm.
Guide and Companion I have fol-
lowed throughout the Whole: And to repre-
fent this Duty of frequent Communion other-
wife than what the Church requires, is an In-
jury both to God and to ourselves: And I dare
affirm, that no Part of divine Worship has fuf-
fered more on this Account, than that of the
holy Communion; Thousands of People not
daring, in all their Life-time, (though very
good Livers) to partake of the Lord's Supper,
for fear of eating and drinking their own Dam-
nation.

For farther Inftruction, fee A Treatise of
Sacramental Covenanting with Chrift;
fhewing the Ungodly their Contempt of
Chrift in their Contempt of the Sacramen-
tal Covenant. By John Rawlet, R. D.
Author of The Chriftian Monitor.

The Family Companion, or Forms of Prayer for every Day in the Week, Morning and Evening; compofed for the Ufe of private Families. Alfo Prayers and Thanksgivings upon feveral Occafrons, as well for the Ufe of particular Perfons as Families. By J. Meriton.

Printed for J. Beecroft, at the Bible and Crown in
Pater-nofter-Row.

Prayers

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