VI

SERM. you may perceive, in its full weight, the, infinite importance of acting up to your. professions; and that he would so' purify your hearts that, in spite of all temptations to the contrary, your behaviour may be regulated accordingly

which, may to

God, of his infinite mercy, grant

whom, with the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, obedience, and thanksgiving, now and for ever.

SERMON

I will pray with the understanding also.

WHEN we assemble together to offer up SERM.

our prayers and thanksgivings to the Almighty, we should be careful that it be not with our lips only, but with our hearts also, that we approach him; and, to this end, it is requisite that we comprehend thoroughly the words which we make use of; we may pray with our mouth, without perceiving the meaning of what we are saying; but if we would pray with our heart, we must pray

VII.

VII.

SERM. pray with the understanding also. The composers of the Form of Prayer, which we use in our churches, have, under this conviction, and with this view, adapted our Liturgy to all capacities, and in general it is plain and intelligible; but as there are particular parts of it, which may seem to some rather obscure, and as there are others, which perhaps are not sufficiently attended to, I shall in this, and some subsequent discourses, enter at large into an explanation of it; and in doing this, I shall endeavour to free it from some objections which have been made to it,

1

It is usual for every person, at his en

1

trance into the house of the Lord, to offer up to him some short preparatory address in private; this is both decent and prudent; the subject of it should be always to beg, that we may perform our following devotions with attention, and that they may be accepted by our heavenly Father;

the

VII.

the words which we may choose to make SERM. use of are not material, but perhaps none are better than these :-"Let the words of

my mouth, and the meditation of my

heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer!"

But if it be necessary that all parts of our devotion should be performed with reverance and attention, it is more particularly necessary that this should be so, for surely it would be the height of absurdity to be then negligent and inattentive, when. we are offering up our petitions against it; if we make this preparatory address only an empty form, which it is to be feared too many do, what is it but a solemn mockery of the Almighty!

The service opens with several detached sentences from scripture, one or more of which the minister is directed to read: the purport of some of them is, to recommend confession of sins and repentance,

and

VII.

SERM. and of others, to assure us, that if this confession and this repentance are sincere, we shall save our souls alive. Now these are, with peculiar propriety, placed at the opening of our service; for, guilty creatures as we all are, confession of our guilt ought certainly to precede our supplications; we ought surely not to presume to ask for blessings, before we have, with unfeigned sorrow, acknowledged our transgressions, and asked forgiveness of them. The efficacy of repentance is also expedi ently set before us at the beginning of our devotions, since, if we believe every sin to be irreparable, it would answer no purpose to confess or to beg forgiveness; all hope would be precluded, and, consequently, all endeavour to obtain God's favour would be discouraged. After the recital of one, or more, of these sentences, there follows an exhortation, or piece of advice, from the minister to the congregation, grounded

upon