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Christians on thy Day commemorate, does wonderfully exceed the Creation commemorated by the Jews: O let our Love and Praise, Devotion and Zeal, proportionably exceed theirs alfo : And this I beg for Jefus Chrift his Sake, our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

II.

Thankf

giving.

Orthy art thou, O Lord of Heaven and AGeneral Earth, to receive Glory, and Honour, and Power, for thou haft created all things, and for thy Pleasure they are and were created. Thou haft made Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens, with all their Hoft, the Earth, and all Things that are therein; thou preferveft them all, and the Hoft of Heaven praifeth thee. Glory be to thee, O Lord God Almighty! for creating Man after thine own Image, and making fo great a Variety of Creatures to minifter to his Ufe. Glory be to thee, O Heavenly Father! for my Being and Prefervation, Strength and Health, Understanding and Memory, Friends and Benefactors, and for all my Abilities of Mind and Body. Glory be to thee for my competent Livelihood, for the Advantages of my Education, for all my known or unobferved Deliverances; and for the Guard thy holy Angels keep over me. But above all, Glory be to thee, for giving thy Son to die for my Sins ; and for all the fpiritual Bleffings he has purchafed for me; for my Baptifm and all the Opportunities thou giveft me of ferving thee, and of receiving the holy Eucharift; for whatever Sin I have efcaped, for whatever Good I have done, or thought, for all my Helps of

Grace

Grace and Hopes of Heaven, Glory be to thee. Praife the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me praise his holy Name.

Glory be to thee, O Lord Jesus! for thy inexpreffible Love to loft Man, for condefcending to take our frail Nature on thee, for all thy heavenly Doctrine to inftruct us, thy great Miracles to convince us, and thy unblamable Example to be a Guide to us. Glory be to thee, for thy Agony and bloody Sweat, for all the Torments and Anguifh of thy bitter Paffion. Glory be to thee, for thy glorious Refurrection and Afcenfion into Heaven, and Interceffion for us at the right Hand of thy Father. O gracious Lord! thou who haft done fo much for me, how can I ever fufficiently praise and love thee? Praife the Lord Jefus, O my Soul, and all that is within me praife his boly Name.

Glory be to thee, O bleffed Spirit! Glory be to thee, for all the miraculous Gifts and Graces thou didst beftow on the Apoftles, to fit them to convert the World, and for infpiring the facred Penmen of Holy Scripture. Glory be to thee, for inftilling holy Thoughts into my Soul, for all the ghoftly Strength and Support, Comfort and Illumination I receive from thee; for all thy preventing, and reftraining, and fanctifying Grace. Glory be to thee, Bleffed Spirit! let me never more by my Sins grieve thee, who art the Author of Life and Joy to me. Praise the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me praise bis holy Name.

Bleffing and Honour, Thanksgiving and Praife, more than I can utter, more than I can conceive, be unto thee, O moft adorable Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, by all An

gels,

gels, all Men, all Creatures, for ever and for ever. Amen, Amen.

Q.

W

CHA P. II.

Advent Sundays.

HAT do you mean by Advent Sun-
days?

A. The four Sundays that precede the Great Feftival of our Saviour's Nativity, which make. a Part of that Time appointed by the Church to prepare our Minds by proper Meditations for a due Commemoration of Christ's coming in the Flefb.

Q. When is the first Sunday in Advent?

A. The first Sunday in Advent is always the nearest Sunday to the Feast of St. Andrew, whether before or after.

Q. With what Temper of Mind ought we to commemorate the great Bleffing of Christ's coming in the Flesh?

I

A. With firm Purposes and fincere Refolutions of conforming ourfelves to the End and Defign of our Saviour's coming into the World. For fince the Son of God was manifefted to destroy 1 John 3. the Works of the Devil, the great Care and 8. Bufinefs of our Lives fhould tend to avoid every thing that is evil, to mortify the Deeds of the Flesh, and not fuffer Sin to reign in our mortal Rom. 6. Bodies, that me fhould obey it in the Lufts thereof: 12. That fince he gave himfelf for us, to purify to

himself

Tit. 2.14.himfelf a peculiar People, zealous of good Works; 2 Pet. 1. we fhould give all Diligence to add to our Faith 5,6,7,8. Virtue, to Virtue Knowledge, to Knowledge

Temperance, to Temperance Patience, to Pa-tience Godlinefs, to Godliness brotherly Kindness, and to brotherly Kindness Charity; for if these things be in us, and abound, we fhall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift.

Q. What Confideration doth the Church offer `to us, as proper to bring our Lives to a Conformity with the End and Defign of Chrift's Coming in the Flesh?

A. The Confideration of his fecond Coming to judge the World, when he will execute Vengeance upon all thofe who obey not the Gospel of Chrift.

Q. What do you mean by Christ's Coming to Judgment?

A. That our Lord Jefus Chrift fhall at the End of the World defcend from Heaven in his human Nature, and fummon all Mankind to appear before his dreadful Tribunal, where they fhall come upon their Trial, have all their Actions trictly examined, and, according to the Nature and Quality of them, be adjudged to eternal Happiness or eternal Mifery.

Q. How doth it appear, that there fhall be a general Judgment?

A. Both from the Principles of Reason, and the clear and exprefs Teftimonies of Scripture. Q. How doth it appear from the Principles of Reafon that there foall be a general Judgment?

A. The Light of Nature difcovers to us an effential Difference between Good and Evil,

whence,

whence, by the common Confent of Mankind, Rewards are affixed to the one, and Punishments to the other: And according as Men govern their Actions in relation to rhese effential Differences of Good and Evil, fo are their Hopes and their Fears. The Practice of Virtue is attended not only with prefent Quiet and Satiffaction, but with the comfortable Hope of a future Recompence; the Commiffion of any wicked Action, though never fo fecret, fits uneafy upon the Mind, and fills it full of Horror and Amazement: All which would be very unaccountable, without the natural Apprehenfion and Acknowledgment of future Rewards and Punishments. And it must be from this Principle, that many of the Heathens efteemed Virtue and Honefty dearer than Life, with all the Advantages of it, and abhorred Villainy and Impiety worfe than Death. Besides, the Difpenfations of God's Providence towards Men in this World are very promifcuous; good Men often fuffer, and that even for the fake of Righteousness; and bad Men as frequently profper and flourish, and that by the Means of their Wickednefs. So that to clear the Juftice of God's Proceedings, it seems reafonable there fhould be a future Judgment for a fuitable Diftribution of Rewards and Punishments. And this Principle of a Judgment to come Justin Martyr propounds to the Gentiles Ad Græc. as generally acknowledged by all their Writers, Cohort. and as the great Encouragement for his Apolo- P. 1. gy for the Chriftian Religion.

Q. How does it appear from Scripture that · there fhall be a general Judgment?

A. God hath given Affurance unto all Men, Acts 17.

that he will judge the World by Jefus Chrift, in 31.

that

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