which they split. That the praying not to be led into Temptation, fuppofes not only an Obligation in us to avoid dangerous Occafions, but also a Proneness in our Nature to be overcome when we are attacked. That the Promifes of God's Affiftance imply, we cannot work out our Salvation upon the Stock of our own Strength; and that the Means of Grace, which are fo neceffary to fecure us, fhew that our Sufficiency is of God.

Chrift didft give to thy Apoftle St. Peter fhops and many excellent Gifts, and commandeft him Paftors. earnestly to feed thy Flock; make, I beseech thee, all Bishops and Paftors diligently to preach thy holy Word, and the People obediently to follow the fame, that they may receive the Crown of everlasting Glory, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

II.

God, who never faileft to help and govern For the them whom thou doft bring up in thy Protection ftedfaft Fear and Love; keep me, I befeech of Provithee, under the Protection of thy good Providence, and make me to have a perpetual Fear and Love of thy holy Name, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. III. MOST

A a

For Repentance and Par

don.

For

Strength

MD

III.

OST merciful God, who defireft not the Death of a Sinner, but rather that he fhould turn and live, who haft graciously in thy holy Gospel provided for our Recovery, and encouraged our Repentance by many Promises of Pardon and Forgiveness; fit and prepare me for this Exercise of thy abundant Mercy, by true Sorrow and hearty Contrition, by condemning my past Follies, and by steadfastly propofing entirely to forfake them for the Time to come: And then, O heavenly Father, for thine own infinite Mercies fake, whofe Property it is to fhew Compaffion, for thy Truth and Promise fake, who art faithful and juft, for the Merits and Sufferings of the Son of thy Love, in whom thou art well pleased, cleanfe me from all my Iniquities, receive me into thy Favour, and let me continue therein all the Days of my Life, throughJefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

IV.

GOD, who for the Trial of my Faith and we, for of Obedience, haft fuffered me, while I am to refift here below, to be furrounded with Variety of

Tempta

tions.

Temptations, the Flesh defigning to ruin me by its falfe Allurements, the Devil by his Subtilty and Watchfulness, and the World by foliciting me in every State and Condition of Life to transgrefs thy Laws: How fhall I, O Lord, a weak and frail Creature, ftand faft, when thy great Apostle failed in the Day of Trial? My Help ftandeth in the Name of the Lord who made Heaven and Earth; in the powerful Interceffion of the bleffed Jefus our Advocate with the

Father,

Father, in the comfortable Affiftance of the holy Spirit, by whom we are fealed to the Day of Redemption: Make me herein a Gainer, by my former Loffes to be more fenfible of my own Weakness and Inability, and of my neceffary Dependance upon thee my God; that being conftantly upon my Guard, and under the Influence of thy Almighty Grace, neither the Pleasures of Life, nor the Fears of Death, may ever prevail upon me to quit the Way of thy Commandments; but that being stedfast and immoveable, I may always abound in the Work of the Lord, knowing that my Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Amen.

Q.

CHAP. XXVIII.

Saint James, July 25.

W

HAT Feftival doth the Church celebrate this Day?

A. That of St James the Apostle, called the Great.

Q. Why is this Apostle furnamed the Great?

A. Either because of his Age, being much elder than the other St. James; or for fome peculiar Honours and Favours our Lord conferred upon him, he being one of the three Difciples whom our Saviour admitted to the more intimate Transactions of his Life, from which the others were excluded.

Q. What was St. James's Profeffion before he was called to the Apoftolate? A a 2

A. Is

Mat.4.21.

A. He was one of Simon Peter's Partners in the Trade of Fishing, and Son to Zebedee of the fame Profeffion, who kept many Servants for that Employment; which speaks him a Man of confiderable Note that way.

Q. How had St. James the Honour of being re lated to our Saviour?

A. By his Mother Mary furnamed Salome, Sifter to Mary the Mother of our Lord. Nt her own Sifter properly fo called (the blessed Virgin being in all likelihood an only Daughter) but Coufin German, ftiled her Sifter according to the Custom of the Jews, who were wont to call all fuch near Relations, Brothers and Sifters.

Q. What may we learn from our Saviour's chufing his Difciples from fuch mean Profeffions?

A. That God's Bleffing ufually meets Men in the Way of an honeft Diligence; and that we ought not to contemn Men of the meaneft Employment, that are honeft and industrious; efpecially when it is remembered, that our Lord Luke 2. himself, as is intimated in Scripture, and afferted generally by the ancient Writers of the Church, Mat. 13, worked at the Trade of a Carpenter during the Retirements of his private Life.

51.

55.

Q. How came St. James to be an Apostle?

A. Our Saviour paffing by the Sea of Galilee Mat.4.21.faw him and his Brother in their Ship, and called them to be his Difciples; which they chearfully complied with, and took no Occafion to make Excufes from the Circumftances of their aged Father they left behind them.

Q. What new Name did St. James receive from our Saviour?

A. James

A. James the Son of Zebedee, and John his Mark 3. Brother, he furnamed Boanerges, that is, Sons 17• of Thunder.

Q. What is probably intended by this Title?

A. It is easier to conjecture than determine. Some think it was upon the account of their rouzing the fleepy World with the Vehemency of their Preaching, as Thunder, which is called Pf. 104.7. God's Voice, powerfully fhakes the natural World. Or, if it relates to the Doctrines they delivered, it may fignify their teaching the great Mysteries of the Gofpel in a profounder Strain than the reft; which is certainly verified in St. John, upon which account he is affirmed by the Ancients not fo much to speak as thunder. Probably the Expreffion may denote no more, than that in general they were to be eminent Ministers under the Gofpel-Difpenfation, which is called a Voice fhaking the Heavens and the Heb. 12. Earth, and fo anfwers the native Importance 26. of the Word fignifying an Earthquake, or a Hag. 2.6. vehement Commotion that makes a Noife like Thunder.

Q. Was there nothing in the Temper of these Apoftles that might give Occafion to this Title?

A. Yes; the Inftance of their defiring our Saviour, that they might pray down Fire from Heaven, as Elias did, upon the inhofpitable Sa-Luke 9. maritans, that refufed to receive him, fhews that 54. the Name might have fome Refpect to the Warmth and Heat of their Difpofition.

Q. What was probably the Reason why the Samaritans refufed our Saviour the common Accommodation of Travellers?

A. Because our Saviour feemed to flight Mount Gerizim, the folemn Place of their Worfhip; A a 3

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