k

that of his holy angels. He shall sit upon the throne of his glory, and all nations shall be gathered before him, and shall separate them, the one from the other, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. Those that sleep in the grave shall awake and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and they that are alive shall be changed and caught up to meet the Lord in the air;" which sufficiently shews the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ:' glorious in respect of the brightness and splendour of his celestial body, still made more glorious and majestic by the authority which his Father hath committed to him of universal judge; glorious in his retinue, being accompanied with thousands of holy angels, who shall attend not only to make up the pomp of his appearance, but as ministers of his justice; and glorious, lastly, in that bright throne of glory, from whence he shall dispense life and death to all the world.

Q. What may we learn from the certainty of a future general judgment?

A. To govern our lives with that care and consideration, and with that due regard to the measures of our duty, that we may be able to give up our accounts with joy, and not with grief. To keep that strict watch over ourselves by frequent examination, that our demeanour, in this state of probation and trial, may obtain the favour and acceptance of our judge at his dreadful tribunal. To restrain ourselves from committing the least sin, because there is none so inconsiderable as to be overlooked at that general audit. Not to encourage ourselves by the greatest secrecy to the breach of any of God's holy laws because all our actions shall be then 1 Cor. xv.

k

Mat. xxv. 31, 32. 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17. Tit. ii. 13.

1

51.

exposed to public view, and known by the whole world, to our eternal infamy and reproach. Not to be dejected by the slanders and calumnies of bad men, because our integrity shall then be declared by him who cannot err in judgment. To improve all those talents, the providence of God has intrusted us with, because we are but stewards, and must give an account of them. To be sincere in all our words and actions; because in that day the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed. To avoid all rash judging of others, because he that judgeth another, shall not escape the judgment of God. To abound in such works, as we know will particularly distinguish men at that day, as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, &c. because our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. And yet, after the most careful and industrious performance of our duty, to be humble and jealous over our own conduct, because, though we know nothing by ourselves, we are not thereby justified, for he that judgeth us is the Lord."

Q. What should we learn from the uncertainty of the time when we shall be judged?

A. Immediately to reconcile ourselves to God, by a sincere and hearty repentance, that the terrible day of God's wrath may not find us unprepared: to be always upon our guard, that we may make a daily progress towards Christian perfection, and constantly defend ourselves against the attacks of our spiritual enemies to be frequent in all acts of piety and devotion, that when we are sommoned to appear, we may, if possible, be found employed in religious exercises: to beg God's grace that the day of judgment may not overtake us unawares, but that, by a patient continuance in welldoing, we may wait for glory, honour, and immortality.

m 1 Cor. iv. 4.

THE PRAYERS.

FOR PREPARATION FOR JUDGMENT.

ALMIGHTY God, give me grace, that I

may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon me the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, (in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility ;) that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and dead, I may rise to the life immortal, through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, now and ever. Amen.

FOR THE SUCCESS OF GOD'S MINISTERS.

O LORD Jesus Christ, who at thy first coming didst send thy messenger to prepare thy way before thee; grant that the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at thy second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

FOR RESCUE FROM TEMPTATION.

O LORD, raise up, I pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour me that whereas through my sins and wickednesses I am sore let and hindered in running the race that is set before me, thy bountiful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver me, through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

F

FOR PREPARATION FOR JUDGMENT.

I BELIEVE, O blessed Jesus, that from thy throne at God's right hand, where thou now sittest, thou wilt come again to judge the world, attended with thy holy angels. I believe, O thou adorable judge, that all mankind shall be summoned before thy awful tribunal; all the dead who shall be waked out of their graves, when the angel shall blow the last trump; and all that are then quick and alive, shall then appear before thee: that I and all the world shall give a strict account of all our thoughts, words, and actions; that the books will then be opened; that out of those dreadful registers we shall be judged that Satan and our own consciences will be our accusers. O let the last trump be ever sounding in my ears, that I may be ever mindful of my great accounts; and that I may neither speak, nor do, nor think any thing that may wound my own conscience or provoke thy anger, or make me tremble at the awful day. I know, O Lord, that love only shall then endure that terrible test, that love only shall be acquitted, that love only shall be eternally blest: and therefore I will ever praise and love thee. Glory be to thee, O thou beloved Son of God, to whom the Father has committed all judgment. How can they that love thee, O Jesu, ever despond, though their love in this life is always imperfect, when at last they shall have love for their judge, love that hath felt and will compassionate all their infirmities? and therefore all love, all glory be to thee. Amen.

CHAP. III.

SAINT ANDREW NOVEMBER 30.

Q. What Festival doth the church celebrate this day? A. That of the Apostle St. Andrew.

Q. Of what parentage and country was he?

A. He was born at Bethsaida, a city of Galilee," standing upon the banks of the lake of Gennesareth, son to Jonas, a fisherman of that town, and brother to Simon Peter." It is not decided by the ancients, whether he was the elder or younger; the major part think St. Andrew to have been the younger.

Q. How came our Saviour to choose his disciples out of Galilee?

A. Because it was the chief scene of our Saviour's ministry; a circumstance noted by all the Evangelists; and St. Peter also stamps it with this character in his sermon to Cornelius, the word which began from Galilee. Our Saviour was both conceived and brought up at Nazareth, a city of Galilee; he began his solemn publication of the gospel at Capernaum, the metropolis of Galilee; he preached all round the region of Galilee; he began his miracles at Cana, in Galilee; he was transfigured at mount Tabor, a mount of Galilee; our Saviour's ordinary residence was in Galilee; and he appointed his disciples to come to see him in Galilee, when he was risen from the dead."

Q. Was our Saviour's vouchsafing his principal abode to the province of Galilee any testimony of his being the Messiah?

d

A. The prophecy of Isaiah, ix. 1, 2, 3, plainly relates to this matter: and to this purpose it is quoted by St. Matthew, when our Saviour made Capernaum the seat of his preaching. The land of Galilee, or of Zebulun and Nepthali, had the misfortune to be first in that calamity which befel their nation by the Assyrians;*

" John i. 44. Mat. ii. 23. iv. 13, 23. d Mat. iv. 14.

b Acts x. 37.

C

Luke i. 62. John ii. 11. Mat. xvii. 2. xxviii. 10. 2 Kings xv. 29.