lafting Character. Readily to obey all divine Infpirations; for though God prevents us with his Grace, yet he expects we should make a right Ufe of it. Not to be difcouraged with any Difficulty that lieth in the Way of our Duty; and notwithstanding the Cenfures of the World, which will be apt to condemn us, when we depart from the common Road of its loofe Maxims, yet chearfully to obey when Obligation calls. To quit our Country, and all the Advantages of Life, when Obedience to God's Commands makes it neceflary. To take care to teftify the Sincerity of our Faith, by not being barren or unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. To make the outward Acts of our Adoration, and the doing Homage to the Deity, real Expreffions of the Senfe of our Minds and inward Affections. To offer to him the Treasure of our Hearts, which is the chief Sacrifice he requires. Q. What Virtues do the Offerings of the wife Men reprefent unto us as an acceptable Sacrifice to our bleffed Saviour? 18. A. Gold, which is the common Standard of thofe good Things we enjoy, and wherewith we may relieve the Wants of the Poor, is a fit Emblem for Charity and Works of Mercy, an Odour Phil. iv. of a fweet Smell, a Sacrifice acceptable, well pleafing to God. And David's defiring his Prayer might be Pf. cxli. 2. fet before God as Incenfe, and the Prayers of the Saintsafcending after the fame Manner in the Revelation, fhews us how filthy our Addresses to Heaven Rev. viii. are reprefented by Frankincenfe. And the chief Use of Myrrh being to preferve dead Bodies from Putrefaction, is a lively Image of Mortification, that we fhould prefent our Bodies a living Sacrifice, boly, ac- Rom. xii. ceptable to God. So that the Offerings of a true Christian should be out of a pure Heart, Charity, Prayer, and Mortification. Q. How 4. 1. Q. How may we make our Riches an acceptable Sacrifice to our blessed Saviour? A. By making ufe of them to thofe Ends and Purposes for which they were beftowed, in supplying the Exigencies of our Families, and in making fuch decent Provision for our Children, as becomes the Station we are placed in: By fatisfying all our juft Debts, and not oppreffing our poor Neighbours by delaying the Payment of them; and particularly by taking Care that the Neceffitous, and those that want Relief, always have their due Proportion, which Justice, as well as Charity, giveth them a Right to. Q. When may our Prayers be faid to afcend before God as Incenfe? A. When they are offered with fuch Confiancy and Fervour, as fhew we are earnestly folicitous of those Things we afk: And yet with fuch Modefty and Humility as loudly proclaim our own Unworthinefs, and magnify that wonderful Condefcenfion whereby we are admitted to approach God's Prefence. When our Minds are abftracted from the World, and the Concerns of this Life do, as little as may be, mingle with our Requefts to God. Above all, when our Petitions are offered with Faith, nothing wavering. And then we may be faid to believe we fhall receive the good Things we afk, when we perform thofe Conditions upon which God hath promised to bestow them. Q. When is our Mortification an acceptable Sa crifice? A. When we not only abftain from the outward Acts of Sin, which feed our Disease and ftrengthen our ill Habits; but when we deny our bad Inclinations the Confent of our Wills; and deprive them of all those Occasions and Liberties, which, though lawful in themselves, are yet dangerous to us; because they let us upon the Brink of a Pre 1. a Precipice: And when this contradicting our al- Q. How ought we to commemorate the Manifefta- A. With great Thankfulness of Mind; because upon this enlarging the Way of Salvation, we came acquainted with the Knowledge of Jefus Chrift: And with a compaffionate Senfe of the Miseries of thofe that ftill fit in Darkness, and want the Light of the glorious Gospel. Enjoy GOD, who by the leading of a Star didft For the manifeft thy only-begotten Son to the Gen- ment of tiles; mercifully grant that I, who know thee now God. by Faith, may after this Life have the Fruition of thy glorious Godhead, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Amen. II. Guidance rit. LORD, from whom all good Things do For the come, for as much as without thee I am not of God's able to please thee; mercifully grant that thy Holy Spi bleffed Spirit may in all Things rule and direct my Heart; that by his holy Infpiration I may think of thofe Things that be good, and by his gracious guiding may perform the fame, through our Lord Jefus Chrift. Amen. III. Propaga MOST Gracious God, who through thy infinite For the Goodness haft been pleafed to offer Salvation tion of to all Mankind, and to receive all humble Suppli- Chriftian cants as Objects of thy Mercy; thou didst com- ledge. municate the glad Tidings of our Saviour's appear Know For making acceptable Offerings to God. ing in the World to the People of Ifrael by the Miniftration of Angels; and thou didft vouchsafe, as on this Day, to reveal the joyful News to the Gentiles, by ordering a bright Star to point at the Rifing of the Sun of Righteoufnefs with healing in his Wings. Bleffed be thy holy Name for that glorious Light,which difperfed itself through the dark Regions of this World, which difpelled the thick Clouds of Ignorance and Idolatry, of Folly and Vanity; which directed Mankind to the true and most worthy Object of their Worship, and raised their Nature to its utmoft Improvement. Adored be thy infinite Mercy, which brought the joyful Sound to this Land of my Nativity, and haft permitted it to partake of the gracious and benign Influences of thy diftinguithing Providence. O may we always value fuch an ineftimable Benefit, by walking as Children of the Light, and by compaffionating the Miseries of those that ftill fit in Darknefs! To this End, I humbly befeech thee to profper the Undertakings of that Society which is established among us for propagating the Gospel in foreign Parts; make the Members thereof zealous and diligent in that good Work; give them Wisdom to difcern the best and most proper Means of promoting it; Courage and Refolution to purfue it; and by Unity and Affection in their Confultations, and by thy Bleffing upon their Endeavours, the Happinefs to effect it; through Jefus Chaift our Lord and Saviour. Amen. IV. RANT, O Lord, that I may fhew my Senfe of the great Mercy we this Day commemorate, by imitating the Conduct of the wife Men, who were not difcouraged by Difficulties from obeying the divine Call. That the rafh Cenfures of the World World may never prevail upon me to comply with its loose and unchriftian Maxims, nor the Terrors of it ever affright me from my Duty. That thy holy Word may govern all my Paths and direct all my Ways, and that, when I run aftray from thy Commandment, it may recover me to a Senfe of my Obligations. That the good Things of this World, which thy Bounty has bestowed upon me, may be offered for the Relief of thofe that labour under Want and Poverty, a Sacrifice acceptable and well pleafing to thee. That my Prayers may conftantly and fervently afcend before thee as Incenfe; with that Attention of Mind which thy Greatnefs and my own daily Neceffities require from me. That I may facrifice to thee all those lawful Pleasures which too much unbend my Mind, and but too often corrupt my Innocence, and betray my strongest Refolutions; that fo by contradicting fometimes my lawful Inclinations, I may, through the Affiftance of thy Grace, get the Mastery of all finful Defires. Let all these my Chriftian Offerings proceed from a fincere and honeft Mind, for the Heart is the chief Sacrifice thou requireft; and grant, O Lord, that they may be acceptable to thee, through the Merits and Mediation of Jefus Chrift, my only Mediator and Advocate. Amen. CHA P. XI. The Conversion of Saint Paul, QWHAT Feftival doth the Church this Day celebrate? 15. A. The Converfion of St. Paul, a chofen Veffel Asix. to bear God's Name before the Gentiles, and Kings, |