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deavour to worship God, whenfoever they prefent themselves before him in pub lick. I wifh that all of us would do fo. But we must still remember, that we fhould ferve the Lord elsewhere, as well as at Church, and on all other Days as well as upon the Lord's Day: And that if we would be truly Religious, our whole Man muft be devoted to the Service of God, yea, and our whole Time too. We must not think that it is enough to do fomething, but we must do all things that are required of us, which notwithftanding we can never do, unless we know both that GOD whom we ought to ferve, and that Service which we ought to perform unto him. And therefore Da vid directs his Son to the right and only way to true Religion, faying, 1 Chron. 28.9. And thou Solomon my Son, know thou the God of thy Father, and ferve him with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind: Which Words, did we apply them to our felves, would, by the Bleffing of God, put us upon fincere Endeavours after real and univerfal Obedience to all the Commands of God: And perfwade us not to content ourselves with vain Pretences to, and Profeffions of Religion, as most do; but ftrive to live up unto our Profeflion, and carry and behave ourselves

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fo as becometh those who defire to be religious, and to serve God in good earneft. Which that we may do, let us observe the Rule and Method which David hete prescribes to his Son: First to know God, and then to ferve him with a perfect Heart and a willing Mind.

I fhall not trouble the Reader with any critical divifion of the Words, for they naturally divide themselves into two Parts.

Firft, That we fhould know, and then that we fhould ferve God with a perfect Heart, and with a willing Mind.

I fhall begin with the Firft, not only because it is firft placed, but because it neceffarily muft precede the Second; it being impoffible for us to serve God aright unless we know him: For without this, all our Services will be but like the Altar which the Athenians Dedicated, T wory, To the unknown God. By which Infcription, they manifefted to the World, that they knew that they ought to ferve fome God, but that they knew not that God whom they ought to ferve. But that we may fo know him as to serve him aright, I fhall first shew what it is of God which we must know, in order to our ferving him aright,

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Firft, Therefore he that would ferve God aright, muft believe and know that be is, Heb. 11. 6. that is, That there is fuch a fupreme and all-glorious Being in, and over the World that we call God, that made, preferves, governs, and difpofes of every Thing in the World, as feemeth beft to him: And that it is not only probable that there is. fuch a One, but that it is the most certain and neceffary Truth in the World; without which, there would be no fuch thing as Truth or Certainty. For indeed if God was not, nothing could be; He alone being the Bafis and Foundation of all Being in the World, yea, and of all Motion too, Acts 17. 28. And therefore every thing that lives, every thing that moves, nay, every thing that is, argues God to Be; which therefore is the firft great Truth, upon which all the reft depend; without which nothing would be True, much lefs wou'd our Services be fo: So that the first thing to be done in order to our ferving God, is to know and believe that be is, and that he ought to be ferved and adored by us.

Secondly, It is neceffary to know his Effence too, as well as his Existence; what, as well as that he is; what he is in himself, and what he is to us; that

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in himself he is what he is, in and of himself, the fource of all Wifdom, the Abyss of all Power, the Ocean of all Goodness, the Fountain of all Happiness, the Principle of all Motion, and the Center, yea, Perfection of all Perfections in: the World; whofe Nature or Effence is fo Pure, fo Glorious, fo Immenfe, fo Infinite, fo Eternal, fo every way Perfect, Tranfcendent, and Incomprehenfible, that the more we think of him, the more me contemplate upon him; the more we praise and admire him, the more we may. And the highest Apprehenfions that we can have of him, is ftill to apprehend him infinitely higher than all our Ap prehenfions of him. And therefore that Man best knows God, that knows him to be beyond his Knowledge; and that knows he can never know him enough.

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But we must know too what he is to us, even the Author and Giver of every good thing we have,and who in himself is whatfoever we can defire to make us happy: And therefore it is that in the Covenant of Grace, when he would affure us that we shall have all things that we can en joy, he only promifes to be our God, Heb. 3. 10. which is as much as we can defire," and indeed as himself can promife; for in promifing himfelf, he hath promised whatsoever

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whatsoever he is, whatfoever he hath, whatsoever he doth, nay, whatsoever he can do as God. And thus are we to look upon God as the only Object of all true Happiness, and the only Centre wherein all the Defires and Inclinations of our Souls can rest.

Thirdly, It is neceffary alfo to know the feveral Attributes and Perfections which he hath revealed of himself in Scripture that he is fo Wife as to know whatsoever can be known; fo Powerful as to do whatfoever can be done: So Great and Glorious in himself, that we have all juft caufe to fear him; fo Kind and Gracious in his Son, that it is our Duty also to truft in him; fo True, that whatsoever he fays is True becaufe he faith it; fo Good, that whatsoever he doth is good because he doth it; fo Juft as to punish every Sin that is committed, and yet fo Merciful as to pardon every Sinner that repenteth; that he is Pure without mixture,Infinite without Bounds, Eternal without Beginning, Everlasting without End, and every way Perfect, without Comparison.

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Fourthly, We must know alfo the Works of God, what he hath done, wherein he hath manifefted himself to us. But what hath God done? or rather,

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