The Whole Duty of Man, Part 5

The Whole Duty of Man · Part 5

p. 109PARTITION V. Of WORSHIP due to Gods Name. Of PRAYER, and its several parts. Of publick Prayers in the CHURCH, in the FAMILY. Of PRIVATE PRAYER. Of REPENTANCE, &c. Of FASTING.

§. 1. THe Eighth Duty we owe to God is WORSHIP; This is that great duty by which especially we acknowledge his Godhead, WORSHIP.Worship, being proper only to God, and therefore it is to be lookt on as a most weighty duty. This is to be performed, first, by our Souls, secondly, by our Bodies: The Souls part is Praying. Now p. 110Prayer, its parts.prayer is a speaking to God, and there are divers parts of it, according to the different things about which we speak.

2. As first, There is Confession, that is, the acknowledging our sins to God. And this Confession.may be either general or particular; the general is when we only confess in gross, that we are sinful; the particular, when we mention the several sorts and acts of our sins. The former is necessary to be always a part of our solemn prayers, whether publick or private. The latter is proper for private prayer, and there the oftner it is used the better; yea, even in our daily private prayer it will be fit constantly to remember some of our greatest and foulest sins, though never so long since past. For such we should never think sufficiently confest and bewailed. And this bewailing must always go along with Confession; we must be heartily sorry for the sins we confess, and from our souls acknowledge our own great unworthiness in having committed them. For our confession is not intended to instruct God, who knows our sins much better then our selves do, but it is to humble our selves, and therefore we must not think we have confest aright till that be done.

3. The second part of prayer is Petition; that is, the begging of God whatsoever we Petitions.want either for our Souls or Bodies. For our Souls we must first beg pardon of sins, and For our Souls.that for the sake of Jesus Christ, who shed his blood to obtain it. Then we must also beg the p. 111grace and assistance of Gods Spirit to enable us to forsake our sins, and to walk in obedience to him. And herein it will be needful particularly to beg all the several vertues, as Faith, Love, Zeal, Purity, Repentance, and the like, but especially those which thou most wantest: And therefore observe what thy wants are, and if thou beest proud, be most instant in praying for humility; if lustful, for chastity, and so for all other Graces, according as thou findest thy needs. And in all these things that concern thy Soul, be very earnest and importunate, take no denial from God, nor give over, though thou do not presently obtain what thou suest for. But if thou hast never so long prayed for a grace, and yet findest it not, do not grow weary of praying, but rather search what the cause may be which makes thy prayer so ineffectual; see if thou do not thy self hinder them; perhaps thou prayest to God to enable thee to conquer some sin, and yet never goest about to fight against it, never makest any resistance, but yieldest to it as often as it comes, nay, puttest thy self in its way, in the road of all temptations. If it be thus, no wonder though thy prayers avail not, for thou wilt not let them. Therefore amend this, and set to the doing of thy part sincerely, and then thou needest not fear but God will do his.

4. Secondly, We are to petition also for Bodies.our bodies; that is, we are to ask of God such necessaries of life as are needful to us, p. 112while we live here. But these only in such a degree, and measure, as his wisdom sees best for us, we must not presume to be our own carvers, and pray for all that wealth, or greatness, which our own vain hearts may perhaps desire, but only for such a condition, in respect of outward things, as he sees may most tend to those great ends of our living here, the gloryfying him, and the saving of our own Souls.

5. A third part of Prayer is Deprecation, that is, when we pray to God to turn away Deprecationsome evil from us. Now this evil may be either the evil of sin or the evil of punishment: The evil of sin is that we are especially to pray against, most earnestly begging of God, That he will by the power of his grace, preserve us from falling into sin. And whatever sins Of Sin.they are to which thou knowest thy self most inclined, there be particularly earnest with God to preserve thee from them. This is to be done daily, but then more especially, when we are under any present temptation, and in danger of falling into any sin; in which case we have reason to cry out as S. Peter did when he found himself sinking, Save Lord, or I perish; humbly beseeching him either to withdraw the temptation, or strengthen us to withstand it, neither of which we can do for our selves.

6. Secondly, We are likewise to Pray against the evil of Punishment, but principally Of Punishment.against Spiritual punishments, as the anger of p. 113God, the withdrawing of his grace, and eternal damnation. Against these we can never pray with too much earnestness: But we may also pray against temporal punishments, that is, any outward affliction, but this with submission to Gods will, according to the example of Christ, Mat. 26. 39. Not as I will, but as thou wilt.

7. A Fourth part of Prayer is Intercession, Intercession.that is, praying for others: This in general we are to do for all mankind, as well strangers as acquaintance, but more particularly, those to whom we have any especial Relation, either publick, as our Governours, both in Church and State, or private, as Parents, Husband, Wife, Children, Friends, &c. We are also to pray for all that are in affliction, and such particular persons as we discern especially to be so: Yea, we are to pray for those that have done us injury, those that despightfully use us and persecute us, for it is expresly the command of Christ, Mat. 5 44. And that whereof he hath likewise given us the highest example in praying even for his very crucifiers, Luk. 23. 34. Father forgive them. For all these sorts of persons we are to pray, and that for the very same good things we beg of God for our selves, that God would give them in their several places and callings, all spiritual and temporal blessings which he sees wanting to them, and turn away from them all evil whether of sin or punishment.

8. The fifth part of Prayer is Thanksgiving; p. 114Thanksgiving.that is, the Praising and Blessing God for all his mercies, whether to our own persons, and those that immediately relate to us, or to the Church and Nation whereof we are members, or yet more general to all mankind; and this for all his mercies both spiritual and temporal. In the Spiritual, first, for those wherein we are all in common concerned, as the giving of his Son, the sending of his Spirit, and all those means he hath used to bring sinful men unto himself. Then secondly, for those mercies we have in our own particulars received, such are, the having been born within the pale of the Church, and so brought up in Christian Religion, by which we have been partakers of those precious advantages of the Word and Sacraments, and so have had, without any care or pains of ours, the means of eternal life put into our hands. But besides these, there is none of us but have received other spiritual mercies from God.

9. As first, Gods patience and long-suffering, Spiritual Mercies.waiting for our Repentance, and not cutting us off in our sins. Secondly, his calls and invitations of us to that repentance, not only outward, in the ministry of the Word, but also inward, by the motions of his Spirit. But then if thou be one that hath by the help of Gods grace been wrought upon by these calls, and brought from a profane or worldly, to a Christian course of life, thou art surely in the highest degree tyed to magnifie and praise his goodness, as having received from him the greatest of mercies.

p. 11510. We are likewise to give thanks for Temporal blessings, whether such as concern the publick, as the prosperity of the Church Temporal.or Nation, and all remarkable deliverances afforded to either; or else such as concern our particulars; such are all the good things of this life which we enjoy, as Health, Friends, Food, Raiment, and the like; also for those minutely preservations, whereby we are by Gods gracious providence kept from danger, and the especial deliverances which God hath given us in time of greatest perils. It will be impossible to set down the several mercies which every man receives from God, because they differ in kind and degree between one man and another. But it is sure that he which receives least hath yet enough to imploy his whole life in praises to God. And it will be very fit for every man to consider the several passages of this life, and the mercies he hath in each received, and so to gather a kind of List or Catalogue of them, at least the principal of them, which he may alwayes have in his memory, and often with a thankful heart repeat before God.

11. These are the several parts of Prayer, Publick prayer in the Church.and all of them to be used both publickly and privately. The publick use of them is first, that in the Church, where all meet to joyn in those prayers wherein they are in common concerned. And this (where the prayers are such as they ought to be) we should be very constant at, there being an especial blessing p. 116promised to the joynt requests of the faithful, and he that without a necessary cause absents himself from such publick prayers, cuts himself off from the Church, which hath alwayes been thought so unhappy a thing, that it is the greatest punishment the Governours of the Church can lay upon the worst offender; and therefore it is a strange madness for men to inflict it upon themselves.

12. A second sort of Publick Prayer is that In the Family.in a Family, where all that are members of it joyn in their common supplications; and this also ought to be very carefully attended to, first, by the Master of the Family, who is to look that there be such prayers, it being as much his part thus to provide for the Souls of his Children and Servants, as to provide food for their Bodies. Therefore there is none, even the meanest housholder, but ought to take this care. If either himself or any of his Family can read, he may use some prayers out of some good book, if it be the Service Book of the Church, he makes a good choice; if they cannot read, it will then be necessary they should be taught without Book some form of prayer which they may use in the Family, for which purpose again some of the Prayers of the Church will be very fit, as being most easie for their memories by reason of their shortness, and yet containing a great deal of matter. But what choice soever they make of prayers, let them be sure to have some, and let no man that professes himself a Christian, p. 117keep so heat henish a Family, as not to see God be daily worshipped in it. But when the Master of a Family hath done his duty in this providing, it is the duty of every member of it to make use of that provision, by being constant and diligent at those Family-Prayers.

13. Private or secret Prayer is that which Private Prayer.is used by a man alone apart from all others, wherein we are to be more particular, according to our particular needs, then in publick it is fit to be. And this of private Prayer is a duty which will not be excused by the performance of the other of publick. They are both required, and one must not be taken in exchange for the other. And whoever is diligent in publick prayers, and yet negligent in private, it is much to be feared he rather seeks to approve himself to men then to God, contrary to the command of our Saviour, Mat. 6. who enjoynes this private prayer, this praying to our Father in secret, from whom alone we are to expect our reward, and not from the vain praises of men.

14. Now this duty of Prayer is to be often Frequency in Prayer.performed, by none seldomer then Evening and Morning, it being most necessary that we should thus begin and end all our works with God, and that not only in respect of the duty we owe him, but also in respect of our selves, who can never be either prosperous or safe, but by committing our selves to him; and therefore should tremble to venture on the perils either of day or night without his safeguard. How p. 118much oftner this duty is to be performed, must be judged according to the business or leisure men have; where, by businesse, I mean not such business as men unprofitably make to themselves, but the necessary businesse of a mans Calling, which with some will not afford them much time for set and solemn Prayer. But even these men may often in a day lift up their hearts to God in some short Prayers, even whilest they are at their work. As for those that have more leisure, they are in all reason to bestow more time upon this duty. And let no man that can finde time to bestow upon his vanities, nay, perhaps his sins, say he wants leisure for prayer, but let him now endeavour to redeem what he hath mis-spent, by imploying more of that leisure in this duty for the future. And surely if we did but rightly weigh how much it is our own advantage The advantages of Prayer.to perform this duty, we should think it wisdom to be as frequent as we are ordinarily seldom in it.

15. For first, it is a great Honour for us poor Honour.worms of the earth to be allowed to speak so freely to the Majestie of heaven. If a King should but vouchsafe to let one of his meanest Subjects talk familiarly and freely with him, it would be looked on as a huge honour; that man how despiseable soever he were before, would then be the envy of all his neighbours; and there is little question, he would be willing to take all opportunities of receiving so great a grace. But alas! p. 119this is nothing to the honour is offered us, who are allowed, nay, invited to speak to, and converse with the King of Kings, and therefore how forward should we in all reason be to it?

16. Secondly, It is a great Benefit, even the Benefit.greatest that can be imagned; for Prayer is the instrument of fetching down all good things to us, whether spiritual or temporal; no prayer, that is qualified as it ought to be, but is sure to bring down a blessing, according to that of the wise man, Eccles. 35. 17. The Prayer of the humble pierceth the clouds, and will not turn away till the highest regard it. You would think him a happy man that had one certain means of helping him to whatever he wanted, though it were to cost him much pains and labour; now this happy man thou mayest be if thou wilt. Prayer is the never-failing means of bringing thee, if not all that thou thinkest thou wantest, yet all that indeed thou dost, that is, all that God sees fit for thee. And therefore be there never so much weariness to thy flesh in the duty, yet considering in what continual want thou standest of something or other from God, it is madness to let that uneasiness dishearten thee, and keep thee from this so sure means of supplying thy wants.

17. But in the third place, this duty is in it Pleasantnessself so far from being uneasie, that it is very pleasant. God is the fountain of happiness, and at his right hand are pleasures for evermore, Psalm 16. 11. And therefore the nearer we p. 120draw to him the happier we must needs be, the very joyes of heaven arising from our neerness to God. Now in this life we have no way of drawing so neer to him, as by this of Prayer, and therefore surely it is that, which in it self is apt to afford abundance of delight and pleasure, if it seem otherwise to us, it is from some distemper of our own hearts, which like a sick palate cannot relish the most pleasant meat. Prayer is a pleasant duty, but it is withal a spiritual one; and therefore if thy heart be carnal, if that be set either on the contrary Carnality one reason of its seeming otherwise.pleasures of the flesh, or dross of the world, no marvail then, if thou taste no pleasantness in it, if like the Israelites thou despise Mann… whilest thou longest after the flesh pots of Egypt. Therefore if thou finde a weariness in this duty, suspect thy self, purge, and refine thy heart from the love of all sin, and endeavour to put it into a heavenly and spiritual frame, and then thou wilt find this no unpleasant exercise, but full of delight and satisfaction. In the mean time complain not of the hardness of the duty, but of the unto wardness of thy own heart.

18. But there may also be another reason Want of use another.of its seeming unpleasant to us, and that is want of Use. You know there are many things, which seem uneasie at the first tryal, which yet after we are accustomed to them, seem very delightful, and if this be thy case, then thou knowest a ready cure, viz. to use it oftner, and so this consideration naturally inforces p. 121the exhortation of being frequent in this duty.

19. But we are not only to consider how To ask nothing unlawful.often, but how well we perform it. Now to do it well, we are to respect, first the matter of our Prayers, to look that we ask nothing that is unlawful, as revenge upon our ene…ies, or the like; secondly the manner; and that must be first in faith, we must believe, that if we ask as we ought, God will either give us To ask in Faith.the thing we ask for, or else something which he sees better for us. And then secondly in humility; we must acknowledge our selves utterly In humility.unworthy of any of those good things we beg for, and therefore sue for them only for Christs sake; thirdly with attention, we must With attention.minde what we are about, and not suffer our selves to be carried away to the thought of other things. I told you at the first, that Prayer was the business of the soul, but if our mindes be wandering, it is the work onelyonly of the tongue and lips, which make it in Gods account no better then vain babling, and so will never bring a blessing on us. Nay as Jacob said to his mother, Gen. 27. 12. It will be more likely to bring a curse on us then a blessing, for it is a profaning one of the most solemn parts of Gods service, it is a piece of Hypocrisie, the drawing neer to him with our lip, when our hearts are far from him, and a great slighting and despising that dreadful Majesty we come before: And as to our selves it is a most ridiculous folly, that we who come to p. 122God upon such weighty errands, as are all the concernments of our souls and bodies, should in the midst forget our business, and pursue every the lightest thing that either our own vain fancies or the Devil, whose business it is here to hinder us, can offer to us. It is just as if a Mal…factor, that comes to sue for his life to the King, should in the midst of his supplication happen to espie a Butter flie, and then should leave his suit, and run a chace after that Butterflie: Would you not think it pitty, a pardon should be cast away upon so wretchless a creature? And sure it will be as unreasonable to expect that God should attend and grant those suits of ours, which we do not at all consider our selves.

20. This wandring in Prayer is a thing we are Helps against wandring.much concerned to arm our selves against, it being that to which we are naturally wonderful prone. To that end it will be necessary first to possess our hearts at our coming to Prayers with the greatness of that Majesty we are to Consideration of Gods Majesty.approach, that so we may dread to be vain and trifling in his presence. Secondly, We are to consider the great concernment of the things we are Our needs.to ask, some whereof are such that if we should not be heard, we were of all creatures the most miserable, and yet this wandring is the way to keep us from being heard. Thirdly, We are to beg Gods aid in this particular: And therefore Prayer for Gods aid.when thou settest to Prayer, let thy first petition be for this grace of attention.

21. Lastly, Be as watchful as is possible over p. 123Watchfulness.thy heart in time of prayer to keep out all wandring thoughts, or if any have gotten in let them not find entertainment, but as soon as ever thou discernest them, suffer them not to abide one moment, but cast them out with indignation, and beg Gods pardon for them. And if th ou dost thus sincerely and diligently strive against them, either God will enable thee in some measure to overcome, or he will in his mercy pardon thee what thou canst not prevent: But if it be through thy own negligence thou art to expect neither, so long as that negligence continues.

22. In the fourth place, we must look our With Zeal.Prayers be with Zeal and Earnestness, it is not enough that we so far attend them as barely to know what it is we say, but we must put forth all the affection and devotion of our souls, and that according to the several parts of prayer before mentioned. It is not the cold, faint request that will ever obtain from God. We see it will not from our selves; for if a beggar should ask relief from us, and do it in such a scornful manner that he seemed indifferent whether he had it or no, we should think he had either little want or great pride; and so have no heart to give him. Now surely the things we ask from God are so much above the rate of an ordinary Alms, that we can never expect they should be given to slight and heartless petitions. No more in like manner will our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving ever be accepted by him, if it be not offered p. 124from a heart truly affected with the sense of his mercies; it's but a kind of formal complementing, which will never be approved by him who requires the heart, and not the lips only. And the like may be said of all the other parts of Prayer. Therefore be careful when thou drawest nigh to God in Prayer, to raise up thy soul to the highest pitch of zeal and earnestness thou art able. And because of thy self alone thou art not able to do any thing, beseech God that he will inflame thy heart with this heavenly fire of Devotion, and when thou hast obtained it, beware that thou neither quench it by any wilful sin, nor let it go out again for want of stirring it up and imploying it.

23. Fifthly, We must Pray with Purity, I mean, we must purge our hearts from all affections With purity.to sin. This is surely the meaning of the Apostle, 1 Tim. 2. 8. when he commands men to lift up holy hands in Prayer, and he there instances in one special sort of sin, wrath and doubting; where, by doubting, is meant those unkind disputes and contentions which are so common amongst men. And surely he that cherishes that or any other sin in his heart, can never lift up those holy hands which are required in this duty. And then sure his prayers be they never so many or earnest, will little avail him: The Psalmist will tell him, he shall not be heard, Psal. 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Nay, Solomon will tell him yet worse, that his prayers are not onelyonly vain, p. 125but abominable, Prov. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. And thus to have our prayers turned into sin, is one of the heaviest things can befal any man; we see it is set down in that sad Catalogue of curses, Psal. 109. 7. Therefore let us not be so cruel to our selves as to pull it upon our own heads, which we certainly do if we offer up prayers from an impure heart.

24. In the last place we must direct our To right ends.prayers to right ends; And that either in respect of the prayer it self, or the things we pray for; First, we must pray not to gain the praise of devotion amongst men, like those hypocrites, Mat. 6. 5. Nor yet onelyonly for company or fashion sake to do as others do: But we must do it, first, as an act of worship to God; secondly, as an acknowledgment, that he is that great spring, from whence alone we expect all good things. And thirdly, to gain a supply of our own or others needs. Then in respect of the Things prayed for; we must be sure to have no ill aimes upon them; we must not ask that we may consume it upon our lusts, Jam. 4. 3. as those do who pray for wealth, that they may live in riot and excess, and for power, that they may be able to mischief their enemies, and the like. But our end in all must be Gods glory first, and next that, our own and others Salvation, and all other things must be taken in onelyonly as they tend to those, which they can never do if we abuse them to sin. I have now done with p. 126that first part of worship, that of the Soul.

25. The other is that of the Body, and that is nothing else but such humble and reverent Bodily Worship.gestures in our approaches to God, as may both express the inward reverence of our Souls, and may also pay him some tribute from our very Bodies, with which the Apostle commands us to glorisie God, as well as with our souls; and good reason, since he hath created and redeemed the one as well as the other: whensoever therefore thou offerest thy prayers unto God, let it be with all lowliness as well of body as of mind, according to that of the Psalmist, Psal. 95. 6. O come let us worship, let us fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker.

26. The Ninth DUTY to God is REPENTANCE: That this is a duty to God we are REPENTANCE.taught by the Apostle, Act. 20. 21. where speaking of repentance, he stiles it repentance towards God. And there is good reason this should be a duty to him, since there is no sin we commit but is either mediately or immediately against him. For though there be sins both against our selves and our neighbours, yet they being forbidden by God, they are also breaches of his Commandments, and so sins against him.

This repentance is, in short, nothing but a turning from sin to God, the casting off all A turning from sin to God.our former evils, and in stead thereof constantly practising all those Christian duties which God requireth of us. And this is so necessary p. 127a duty, that without it we certainly perish, we have Christs word for it, Luke 13. 5. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

27. The directions for performing the several parts of this duty have been already given in the preparation to the Lords Suppor, Times for this Duty.and thither I refer the Reader. Only I shall here mind him, that it is not to be lookt upon as a duty to be practised only at the time of receiving the Sacrament. For this being the onelyonly remedy against the poyson of sin, we must renew it as often as we repeat our sins, that is daily. I mean we must every day repent of Daily.the sins of that day, for what Christ saith of other evils, is true also of this, sufficient to the day is the evil thereof; we have sins enough of each day to exercise a daily repentance, and therefore every man must thus daily call himself to account.

28. But as it is in accounts, they who constantly At set times.set down their daily expences, have yet some set time of casting up the whole sum, as at the end of the week or monethmonth; so should it also be here, we should set aside some time to humble our selves solemnly before God for the sins, not of that day onelyonly, but of our whole lives. And the frequenter these times are, the better. For the oftner we thus cast up our accounts with God, and see what vast debts we are run in to him, the more humbly shall we think of our selves, and the more shall thirst after his mercy, which two are the p. 128special things that must qualifie us for his pardon. He therefore that can assign himself one day in the week for this purpose, will take a thriving course for his soul. Or if any mans state of life be so busie as not to afford him to do it so often, let him yet come as near to that frequency as is possible for him, remembring alwayes, that none of his worldly imployments can bring him in near so gainful a return as this spiritual one will do, and therefore it is very ill husbandry to pursue them to the neglect of this.

29. Besides these constant times, there are In the time of affliction.likewise occasional times for the performance of this duty, such especially are the times of calamity and affliction, for when any such befals us, we are to look on it as a message sent from heaven to call us to this duty, and therefore must never neglect it when we are thus summoned to it, lest we be of the number of them who despise the chastisements of the Lord, Heb. 12. 5.

30. There is yet another time of repentance, At death.which in the practice of men hath gotten away the custome from all those, and that is the time of death, which, it is true, is a time very fit to renew our repentance, but sure not proper to begin it; and it is a most desperate madness for men to defer it till then. For to say the mildest of it, it is the venturing our Souls upon such miserable uncertainties as no wise man would trust with any thing of the least value.

p. 129For first, I would ask any man that means to repent at his death, how he knows he shall have an hours time for it? do we not daily The danger of deferring it till then.see men snatch'd away in a moment? and who can tell that it shall not be his own case? But secondly, suppose he have a more leisurely death, that some disease give him warning of its approach, yet perhaps he will not understand that warning, but will still flatter himself, as very often sick people do, with hopes of life to the last: and so his death may be sudden to him though it comes by never so slow degrees. But again, thirdly, if he do discern his danger, yet how is he sure he shall then be able to repent? Repentance is a grace of God, not at our command; and it is just and usual with God, when men have a long time refused and rejected that grace, resisted all his calls and invitations to conversion and amendment, to give them over at last to the hardness of their own hearts, and not to afford them any more of that grace they have so despised. Yet suppose in the fourth place, that God in his infinite patience should still continue the offer of that grace to thee, yet thou that hast resisted, it may be thirty, or forty, or fifty years together, how knowest thou that thou shalt put off that habit of resistance upon a sudden, and make use of the The disadvantages of a death bed repentance.grace afforded? It is sure thou hast many more advantages towards the doing it now then thou wilt have then.

31. For first, The longer sin hath kept p. 130The custom of sin.possession of the heart the harder it will be to drive it out. It is true, if Repentance were nothing but a present ceasing from the acts of sin, the death bed were fittest for it, for then we are disabled from committing most sins; but I have formerly shewed you repentance contains much more then so, there must be in it a sincere hatred of sin, and love of God. Now how unlikely is it that he which hath all his life loved sin, cherisht it in his bosome, and on the contrary abhorred God and goodness, should in an instant quite change his affections, hate that sin he loved and love God and goodness, which before he utterly hated?

32. And secondly, The bodily pains that attend a death bed will distract thee and make Bodily painsthee unable to attend the work of repentance, which is a business of such weight and difficulty, as will employ all our powers even when they are at the freshest.

33. Consider those disadvantages thou Danger of unsincerity.must then struggle with, and then tell me what hope there is thou shalt then do that, which now upon much easier terms thou wilt not. But in the third place there is a danger behind beyond all these, and that is, that the repentance which death drives a man to, will not be a true repentance, for in such a case it is plain, it is only the fear of hell puts him on it, which though it may be a good beginning, where there is time after to perfect it, yet where it goes alone it can never avail for Salvation. Now that death bed repentances are often onelyonly of this sort, is too likely when it is observed, that many men who have seemed to repent, when they have thought Death approaching, have yet, after it hath pleased God to restore them to health, been as wicked (perhaps worse) as ever they were before; which shews plainly that there was no real change in them, and then surely had such a man died in that seeming repentance, God, who tries the heart, would not have accepted it, which he saw was unsincere. When all these dangers are laid together, it will surely appear a most desperate adventure for any man to trust to a Death-bed repentance. Nor is it ever the less for that example of the penitent Thief, Luke 23. 43. which is by many so much depended on. For it is sure, his case and ours differ widely, he had never heard of Christ before and so more could not be expected of him then to embrace him as soon as he was tendred to him: But we have had him offered, nay prest upon us from our Cradles and yet have rejected. But if there were not this difference, it is but a faint hope can be raised onelyonly from a single example, and another we find not in the whole Bible. The Israeli…es we read we…e fed with Manna from Heaven, but would you not think him stark mad that should out of expectation of the like, neglect to provide himself any food? Yet it is full as reasonable to depend upon this example as the other. I conclude all in the words of the Wise man, Eccles. 12. 1. Remember thy Creator in the dayes of thy p. 132youth before the evil dayes come.

34. To this duty of repentance, Fasting is very proper to be annexed. The Scripture Fasting.usually joyns them together; among the Jews the great day of atonement was to be kept with Fasting, as you may see by comparing Levit. 16. 31. with Isay 58. 5. and this by Gods especial appointment. And in the Prophets when the people are called on to repent and humble themselves, they are also called on to Fast. Thus it is Joel 2. 12. Therefore now thus saith the Lord, Turn ye unto me with all your hearts, with fasting, and with weeping, &c. Yea, so proper hath Fasting been accounted to Humiliation, that wee see even wicked Ahab would not omit it in his 2 Kings 21. 27. Nor the Heathen Ninivites in theirs, Jonah 3. 5. Nor is it less fit or less acceptable since Christ, then it was before him. For we see he supposes it as a duty sometimes to be performed, when he gives directions to avoid vain-glory in it, Matth. 6. 6. And also assures us that if it be performed, as it ought, not to please men, but God, it will surely be rewarded by him. And accordingly we finde it practised by the Saints: Anna, Luke 2, 37. Served God with fasting and prayer: where it is observable, that it is reckoned as a service of God, fit to be joyned with prayers. And the Christians of the first times were generally very frequent in the practice of it. Now though fasting be especially proper to a time of humiliation, yet is it not so restrained to it p. 133but it may be seasonable, whensoever we have any extraordinary thing to request from God. Thus when Esther was to endeavour the deliverance of her people from destruction, she and all the Jews kept a solemn Fast, Esther 416. And thus when Paul and Barnabas were to be Ordained Apostles, there was fasting joyned to prayer, Acts 13. 3. And so it will be very fit for us, whensoever we have need of any extraordinary directions, or assistance from God, whether concerning our temporal or spiritual concernments, thus to quicken our prayers by Fasting. But above all occasions, this of Humiliation seems most to require it, for besides the advantages of kindling our zeal, which is never more necessary then when we beg for pardon of sins, Fasting carries in it somewhat of revenge, which is reckoned as a special part of repentance, 2 Cor. 7. 11. For by denying Fasting a revenge upon ourselvs.our bodies the refreshment of our ordinary food, we do inflict somewhat of punishment upon our selves for our former excesses, or whatever other sins we at that time accuse our selves of; which is a proper effect of that indignation which every sinner ought to have against himself. And truly he that is so tender of himself that he can never finde in his heart so much as to miss a meal, by way of punishment for his faults, shewes he is not much fallen out with himself, for committing them, and so wants that indignation which the Apostle in the forenamed text mentions as a part of true repentance.

p. 13435. There is no doubt, but such Holy revenges upon our selves for sins are very acceptable to God; yet we must not think that either Such revenges acceptable with God.those, or any thing else we can do, can make satisfaction for our offences, for that nothing but the blood of Christ can do. And therefore on that, and not on any of our performances Yet no satisfaction for sins.we must depend for pardon. Yet since that blood shall never be applyed to any but penitent sinners, we are as much concern'd to bring forth all the fruits of repentance, as if our hopes depended on them only.

36. How often this duty of fasting is to be performed, we have no direction in Scripture. Times of fasting.That must be allotted by mens own piety, according as their health, or other considerations will allow. But as it is in humiliation, the frequenter returns we have of set times for it, the better; so is it likewise in fasting, the oftner, the better, so it be not hurtful either to our healths, or to some other duty required of us. Nay perhaps fasting may help some men to more of those times for humiliation, then they would otherwise gain. For perhaps there are some, who cannot, without a manifest hinderance to their calling, allow a whole day to that work, yet such a one may at least afford that time, he would otherwise spend in eating: And so fasting will be doubly useful towards such a mans humiliation, both by helping him in the duty, and gaining him time f….

37. I have now gone through the first p. 135branch of our Duty to God, to wit, the Acknowledging him for our God. The Second is the having no other. Of which I need say little, Second Branch of our Duty to God.as it is a forbidding of that grosser sort of Heathenish Idolatry, the worshipping of Idols, which though it were once common in the world, yet is now so rare, that it is not likely any that shall read this will be concerned in it. Only I must say, That to pay Divine Worship to any creature, be it Saint or Angel, yea, or the Image of Christ himself, is a transgression against this second branch of our duty to God, it being the imparting that to a creature which is due only to God, and therefore is strictly to be abstained from.

38. But there is another sort of Idolatry of Inward Idolatry.which we are generally guilty, and that is, when we pay those affections of Love, Fear, Trust, and the like, to any creature in a higher degree then we do to God: for that is the setting up that thing, whatsoever it is, for our God. And this inward kind of Idolatry is that which provokes God to jealousie as well as the outward of worshipping an Idol. I might enlarge much upon this, but because some severals of it have been toucht on in the former discourse, I suppose it needless. And therefore shall now proceed to the second head of DUTY, that to our SELVES.