Q. What may we learn from the Obfervation of this Festival? A. To dedicate the Vigour of our Youth, and the Flower of our Days, to the Practice of Religion; becaufe, as it is the properest and most neceffary Season to receive the Impreffions of Piety and Virtue, fo it is then most acceptable to God, the Perfection of whofe Nature requires that we should offer up to him the Prime of our Age, and the Excellency of our Strength. To purify ourselves both in Body and Soul; and to practife that Obedience which our Saviour, and the blessed Virgin, taught by their Example. To return to God, whatever we receive from him, and to make an entire Sacrifice to his Majefty of what is most dear and precious to us. Not to defpife, but refpect the Poor, who, in their outward Circumstances, bear fo great a Refemblance to the bleffed Jefus, and his holy Family. To blefs God that he hath manifefted to us the Confolation of Ifrael, to give Light to us that fat in Darkness, and in the Shadow of Death, and to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace. Above all, to cloath ourfelves with Humility, to be meek and lowly in Heart, that we may find reft for our Souls. Q. Is Humility particularly a Chriftian Vir tue? A. The Heathen Philofophers were fo little acquainted with this Virtue, that they had no Name for it; what they expreffed by the Word we now ufe, was Meannefs and Bafeness of Mind, which provoked their Contempt and Anger rather than Applaufe: And the Jews fo valued themselves upon their Privileges, that they they were too apt to contemn the rest of Mankind. Our Saviour firft taught it in its greatest Perfection; and indeed his whole Life was but fo many repeated Inftances of Humility and wonderful Condefcenfion for our Sakes: He begins his divine Sermon upon the Mount with this, Precept, he lays it as the Foundation of our fpiritual Building, without which we cannot difcharge our Duty either to God or Man. Q. Wherein confifts the Humility of a Chrifian? A. In not thinking better of himself than he deferves, in having a juft Sense of all his Weakneffes and Defects, which will create a low and mean Opinion of himself; and in condefcending to the meanest Offices for the Good of his Fellow Chriftians. For thus our Saviour made himself to us a Pattern of this Virtue, by taking upon him our frail Nature, and by fuffering the greatest Affronts and Indignities, and Pains of this Life, in order to fhew us the Way to Heaven, and thereby open to us the Gates of everlafting Life. It reftrains the immoderate Defire of Honour, by teaching us not to exalt ourfelves, nor to do any Thing through Strife or Vain-glory. It makes us rejoice in the Excellencies of our Brethren, and fincerely congratulate thofe Abilities that entitle them to a greater Share of Value and Efteem than we can pretend to. The Difficulty of this Virtue proceeds from that Self-Love which is planted in our Natures, and, when indulged, will be too apt to deceive us in the Judgment we form concerning ourfelves. Q. How is Humility the Foundation of other Chriflian Virtues ? L 3 A. It A. It makes us ready to believe what God reveals, and to pay our due Obedience to him from the Sense of our own Meannefs, and his Excellency And by removing the great Obftacle of our Faith; which is a Vanity to diftinguish ourselves from the unthinking Croud. Joh.5.44. How can we believe, when we receive Honour one of another, and feek not the Honour that cometh from God only? It makes us put our Hope and Confidence in God, because, being weak and miferable of ourselves, without him we can do nothing. It increases our Love to God, by making us fenfible how unworthy we are of the leaft of those many Favours we receive from him. It teaches us to rejoice in the Profperity of our Neighbour, by infufing the most favourable Opinion of his Worth. It disposes us to relieve thofe Wants, and compaffionate those Afflictions which we ourfelves have deserved. It makes us patient under all the Troubles and Calamities of Life, because we have provoked God by our Sins. Our Prayers and our Fafts will find no Acceptance, except they proceed from an humble Mind, and our beft Works will ftand us in little Stead, if they are stained with Pride and Vain-Glory. Q. Wherein confifts the Exercife of Humi-· lity? A. In avoiding to publish our own Praises, or to beg the Praifes of others, by giving them a Handle to commend us. In not placing too much Pleasure and Satisfaction in hearing the good Things that are faid of us, because they are often rather the Effect of Civility and Charity than what we deserve. In doing no. thing on Purpose to draw the Eyes and good Opinion Opinion of Men, but purely to please God. In bearing the Reproaches, the Injuries, and Affronts of bad Men with Patience and Meeknefs; the Reproofs of our Friends with Thankfulness. In not contemning others, though inferiour to us in fome Advantages of Body or Mind, but being ready to give them that Honour and Praise they juftly deferve. In pittying and compaffionating the Sins and Follies of our Fellow-Chriftians, it being the Effect of God's Grace that we are not overcome by the fame Temptations. In carrying ourselves with great Refpect to our Superiors, with Courtesy and Affability to our Inferiors, and fubmitting to the lowest Offices for the Service of our Neighbour. In receiving from the Hands of God all Afflictions and Trials with entire Refignation and Submiffion, as Offenders under the Hands of Justice. Q. Wherein appears the Folly of Pride? A. In that we value ourselves very frequently upon Things that add no true Worth to us, that neither make us better nor wifer; that are in their own Nature perishable, and of which we are not Proprietors but Stewards. Or if the Things be valuable in themselves, they are God's immediate Work in us; and to be proud of them is the fureft Way to loofe them. Thus to overlook our Defects hinders us from making any farther Improvement, and the being poffeffed with an Opinion we deferve more than we have, eats out all the Pleasure of our present Enjoyments. Befides, the proud Man miffes the very End he aimed at, for inftead of Honour and Applause, he meets with Contempt and Ignominy. Q. What L 4 For Acceptance with God. Thankf giving for theKnow ledge of the Truth. Q. What are the best Helps to attain Humility? A. To remember that all the Advantages we enjoy, either of Body or Mind, above others, are not the Effect of our Merit, but of God's Bounty. That those whom we are apt to contemn are valuable in the Sight of God, the only Fountain of true Honour. That by having confented to Sin, we have committed the most fhameful Action imaginable, the moft contrary to Juftice and right Reason, and to all Sort of Decency and that as long as we are cloathed with Flesh and Blood, we are still liable to the fame Offences against the Majesty of Heaven and Earth. To fupprefs all proud and vain Thoughts when they first arife in our Minds, not to fuffer them to fport in the Scene of our Imagination. To keep a conftant Watch over our Words and Actions, that we may check the firft Tendencies to Pride. A The PRAYERS. I. Lmighty and everlasting God, I humbly beseech thy Majefty, that, as thy only, begotten Son was this Day prefented in the Temple in Substance of our Flesh; so I may be prefented unto thee with a pure and clean Heart, by the fame thy Son Jefus Christ our Lord, Amen. II. Lmighty and everlasting God, heavenly thou |
