Puslapio vaizdai
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On holy Days appointed for the more folemn Worfhip of God, the Worthip of the whole Family in the Church will not excufe their publick Worship at home,

The Mafter of the family is to fee that the duty of the family be not only done, but well done; that himself, and at least one of his family be duly prepar'd for it. And it belongs to him to do all that lies in him to have all the reft duly prepar'd,

d Matth. 6, 6, 11. 2 Tim. 1. 3. In the morning, when I am drefs'd and wash'd, and the room where I pray, is fet in as decent order as it may be; and in the evening, before I am drowfie, or have begun to undress my felf.

XVIII. Q. What must you do, that you may be fit to worship God, and give him thanks, and call upon him?

a Pf. 66. 18. Prov. 28. 9. See 27, 29 2 b Gen. 32. 10. Luke 18, 13, 14.Rom. 3. 23, 24. ch. 6. 23.

e Matth. 7. 7 to 12. Mark 11: 24. 1 John

5. 13, 14.

d Because by his Dying for the forgivenefs tain'd all mercies for See the Creed 44

of our fins he has ob

us.

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and 53 2. e Heb. 7. 25. ch. 9. 24.

A. I must truly repent a, and confefs my felf unworthy of any of God's mercies b. I muft believe that God will perform his promises to hear our Prayers, and will do what is beft for us, for the fake of Chrift's Dying for the forgivenefs of our fins d, and his praying for us e. And I must understand all that I speak unto God f.

fEcclef. 5. 1. John 4. 24. Matth. 15. 8, 9, 1 Cor. 14.16.

XIX. Q. When you worship God, and give bim ?

a fam. 4. 6. 7, 10.

b Fam. 4. 8, 9, 10.

are fo fit, how muft you him thanks, and call upon

A. I muft decently kneel before him, with all lowlinefs of mind a. I must confefs my fins,

and beg forgiveness with hearty forrow for them b. I

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See 18.

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f Matth. 5. 44. Luke
23. 34. Acts 7. 60.
1 Tim. 2. 1,

must beg grace with a full purpofe to do, by the help of it, all that God requires c. And I must humbly d, and heartily e, pray and give thanks for all mercies, both for my felf, and for all others f, in the name of Chrift g.

g John 16. 23, 24, 26. Eph. 5. 20.

XX. Q. How muft you pray and give thanks for all mercies in the name of Cbrift?

A. I must pray for all mercies for the fake of Christ's Dying for the forgiveness of our fins, and 2 d,e. his praying for us. And I must give thanks for all mercies, as received for the fake of his fo Dying and praying for us.

XXI. Q. What is to honour God's Holy Name?

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XXIII. Q. How must you honour God's Holy Name in his Judgments?

Righteousness and

equity. Pf. 98. 9.

a Rom. 2. 2.

b Rom. 11.33.

How

ever God deals with

men in this world, St. James affures us that

A. I must be fure that the Judgment of God is according to trutha; and remember that unfearchable are bis judgments, and his ways past finding out b.

no man finneth unto everlasting death, for want of God's Grace to fave him. Jam. 1. 13, 14, 15.

XXIV. Q. What are God's things that you must. bonour?

a Luke 8. 15, 18.
*All the folemn Ser-
Ivice of God in the

Church, or in the
family, or in fecret.
b Levit. 10.3.Pf. 29.2.
Mal. 1. 8. + Cate

A. Imuft honour his Word a, his Worship b, his Ordinancesc, his Minifters d, his Houfe e, his Holy Days ƒ, and his Revenue g.

chizing (Matth. 28. 19, 20) Preaching, (Rom. 12. 6, 8.) the Sacraments, Confirmation, Matrimony, Vifitation of the fick, &c. c Levit. 10.3. Pf. 29. 2. d 1 Cor. 4. 1. 1 Theff. 5. 12, 13. e Levit. 19. 30. 1 Chr. 22. 5. ch. 29. 1. Hagg. 1.9. The Houfe of God ought furely in all refpects to be more Decent than the house of any man in the parish. The richer part ought to do what cannot be done by a common affeffment. Did not God give thee thy riches? And art thou unwilling to offer honourably unto God of his own? How art thou not afraid to honour thy own house more than the house of God? The pretence of fparing coft in the Honour of God, for the relief of the poor, is fully answer'd Mark 14.3 to 10. John 12. 3 to 9. Prov. 3. 9, 10. Haggai I. 9. ch. 2. 15 to 20. If thou wilt fave for the poor, fave from the honour of thy felf, not from the honour of God. Mark 11.15, 16. The profanation which Chrift would not fuffer, was not of the House of the Temple, into which none but the Priefts entred, (Luke 1. 10.) but of the Court or Yard. And the fellers and money-changers provided facrifices and money for the Service of God. Is it then no profanation to make God's Houfe, the House it felf, a Play-house for young men? See the 88th Canon. and The whole Duty of Man, Sunday 2. 13. f Ijai. 58. 13, 14 g Mal. 3. 8 to

13. Levit. 27. 28. Ezek. 48. 14.

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XXV. Q

70

XXV. Q. What is to honour God's Word?

a i Theff. 2. 13.
Prov. 2.

b Pf. 1. 2.
1 to 6.

c Deut. 10. 12, 13.

72.

A. To hear and use it reverently a; and to learn b, and obey c, and teach it d, with all diligence, and before any other word or learning e.

Deut. 6.7. e Deut. 4.8. Pf. 119. Matth. 6. 33. *And to beware of taking any of its words in a hard fenfe. John 6. 52. 60, 66. How highly pleas'd was Chrift with the Woman of Canaan, for her faith in his Goodness, notwithstanding his fevere words! Matth. 15. 22 to 29.

XXVI. Q. What other things are you commanded in this Commandment?

a Luke 24. 47.
b. Joe! 2. 12, 13. Not
only that we may be
fav'd from fuch judg-
ments as are threatn'd
in that Chapter: but
that we may be fav'd
from everlafting Dam-
nation. Matth. 28.

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19. d Acts 8. 14 to
18. John 7.37, 38,
39. Heb. 6. 1, 2, See

the Title, 62 e In
the Lord's Supper we
remember Chrift's Sea-`

A. That I may serve God truly all the days of my life, I am commanded to give up my felf to God's fervice by Repentance a, and Fafting b and Baptifm c: to receive Confirmation, that I may be ftrengthned in his fervice d; and to partake conftantly of the Lord's Supper, that I may be preferv'd in the fame fervice e.

ling the New Teftament by his Dying for the forgiveness of our fins; with giving up our felves to obey all the Commands, and to believe all the Promises of the New Teftament fo Seal'd. And then God furely gives us the forgiveness and grace, and all other mercies promis'd in the New Testament.

XXVII. Q. What is your duty of Repentance?

a Pf. 119. 59.
Lam. 3. 40.
I must
call to mind, as well as

I can, all I have done,
of left undone, con

A. I must carefully examin my felf what fins I am guilty of a; and be earneftly forry and lament for having fo of fended

fended our infinitely * kind Father b, and for being fo unthankful to him c. Then I must confefs my fins to him, all I can remember d; and earnestly beg of him to forgive me e. for the fake of his Son Jefus Chrift his Dying for our pardon f. And I must make stedfast faithful refolutions to love God,

trary to the Three things which my Godfathers and Godmothers promis'd in my name. And in every Commandment I must inquire what I have done, or left undone contrary to it. I must alfo confider the greatness of my fins; and how they were made greater by my finning knowingly; (Luke 12. 47.) or when I had time to confider of them; or by finning wilfully against the warning and checks of my confcience; (See Numb. 15.30, 31.) or by falling again, or often into the fame fin; (Numb. 14. 22.) or by breaking my refolutions and vows of amendment; or by coming to a custom and habit of a fin; or by continuing in my fins after God's corrections, or great mercies, or after reproofs and exhortations of Ministers, or other friends; or by loving the fin, and inticing all I can into it. Beyond all I can fay or think. Pf. 145. 8, 9, 17. John 3. 16. Rom. 5. 7, 8. b Job 42. 6. Foel 2. 12, 13. Fam. 4. 8, 9, 10. c Deut. 32. 6. For Making us; and for making this world and heaven for us; for Redeeming us, even by the Bitter Death of his Only Son; for giving his Holy Spirit to Sanctify us; for his giving us all we have; for all his Especial favours and deliverances; for all his calls to repentance and amendment; and for his fparing me, notwithstanding all my fins and provocations.

*

d Levit. 16: 21. Numb. 5.6, 7. 1 John 1.9. I must for rowfully declare unto God my fins against each part of my Vow of Baptifm, and against each Commandment. And I must alfo declare the circumftances that increase their guilt; as how I have finned knowingly, or wilfully, &c. See Note a.

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But in Confeffing our fins, and in Examining our felves, there is. Difcretion to be us'd. As we cannot find out all our fins, nor every particular fin of those forts of fins which we find in our felves: So a tedious and over-curious examination will rather di sturb our minds, than further our repentance. We must do as} well as we can in a reasonable time. And when we confefs our fins, we may confefs those which we have often committed, or have been accustomed to, by saying such words as these, I have often neglected thy publick worship. I have long accustomed my felf to the grievous fin of fwearing, &c.

Te Matth. 6. 12, Pf. 25. 6, 7, 11, 18. f Matth. 264 28.

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