For the right Ex

Zeal.

A L

IV.

Lmighty God, who art the first and chiefest Good, engage all the Powers and Facul ercife of ties of my Soul to love and delight in thee; and to place all Affiance, Truft, and Confidence in thee. Teach me to proportion my Zeal to the Value of Things, that I may love thee, the Lord my God, with all my Heart, with all my Soul, and with all my Strength; and in the first place feek the Kingdom of Heaven. Let my Zeal have a Refpect to all thy Commandments, that it may never degenerate into Hypocrify and Faction; but that I may always purfue it by just and proper Means, and may never think to promote thy Honour, and the Safety of thy Church, by Ways offenfive to thee, and which thou haft forbid. Let not a good End prevail upon me to use any unlawful Means that may advance it, but that trufting in thy Providence, and depending upon thy Care of our most holy Faith, I may never ftart from the Way of my Duty, in all thofe Methods I fhall at any Time purfue, in order to preserve it. Grant this, Q Lord, for Jefus Chrift his Sake. Amen.

Q. What do you mean by a Saint?

A. In the Beginning of Chriftianity, the Word Saint was applied to all Believers, as is plain by

the Ufe St. Paul and St. Luke make of it: After- A&ts 9. wards none were called fo but fuch as eminently 13. excelled in all Chriftian Virtues; and though that Rom. 16. Senfe ftill continues in the Church Militant, yet 15. it now generally fignifies fuch good len, as (whofe earthly Tabernacle being diffolved) have a House not made with Hands, eternal in the 2 Cor.5.1. Heavens, and fo are become a Part of the Church Triumphant.

Q. What Perfons may be denominated Saints in the Church Militant?

A. Such who not only believe the Doctrines of the Chriftian Religion, but conform their whole Lives to the Precepts of it; fuch who not only have a holy Faith, but are purified thereby, who have a fincere Regard to God and another World in all their Actions, and are conftant and uniform in the Discharge of their Duty; who abftain from all kind of Evil, per- 2 Cor.7.1. felling Holiness in the Fear of God.

Q. What feems to be the Defign of the Church in the inftituting this Festival?

A. To honour God in his Saints. It being through the Affiftance of his Grace that they were made conformable to his Will in this Life, and through the Bounty of the fame gracious Lord, that his free Gifts are crowned with Happiness in the other.

at ?

Q. What farther End doth the Church aim

A. To encourage us here below to run the Race that is fet before us with Patience, feeing we are encompassed with fo great a Cloud of Wit- Heb. 12.1.

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nesses.

nesses. to work in us Firmness and Refolution of Mind, by propounding the Examples and Patterns of Holy Men gone before us, who in their refpective Ages have given remarkable Teftimony of their Faith in God, and constant Adherence to his Truth.

Q. By what Means did the Saints in Heaven attain that Happiness they now enjoy?

A. It was purchased for them by. the Death and Sacrifice of our Saviour Jefus Chrift; the Benefits whereof they were made capable of receiving, by the Purity of their Faith, by the Uncorruptness of their Morals, by their Conftancy and Perfeverance in Despite of all Sufferings and Perfecutions, and by fighting manfully under Chrift's Banner to their Lives End.

Q. Wherein confifts the Happinefs of the next Life?

A. In this Life we are not able to conceive John 3.2.the Happiness God hath prepared for those that love him. It doth not yet appear what we shall be; but the Scripture in general has affured us, that God will reward thofe that diligently feek him, not according to our narrow and limited Conceptions, but according to the exceeding Eph.1.19.Greatness of his Power and Goodnefs. So that God having promised to make us happy in the next World, we have all the Reason imaginable to put our Truft and Confidence in him as to the Way and Manner of effecting it.

Q. What Light have the Scriptures given us

in this Matter?

A. The Wisdom of God is pleased sometimes to condescend to our low Apprehenfions, and to reveal his fublime Rewards by fuch Things as we are most apt to value and admire; and therefore

Mat. 19.

Rom. 6.

22.

it is reprefented in fome Places under the Meta- Mat. 13. phor of a Kingdom, a Crown, and a Treafure, it 43 2 Tim. 4. being exprefly called the Kingdom of the Father, 8. a Crown of Righteousness, a Crown of Life, and Jam.1.12. a Crown of Glory, a Treasure in Heaven, and a Rev.2.10. Treasure that faileth not, though the greateft 1Pet. 5.4Kingdoms and Treasures of this World bear no 21. Proportion to the least Degree of Heavenly Luke 12. Glory. But the Excellency of this Happiness 33. is more particularly fet forth to us by everlasting Life, by the Vifion of Ged, and by a Likeness to Mat. 5.8. him, and by being with Chrift. All which im- 1 John 3.2. plies that we fhall in the next Life live free Phil.1.23. from Sin, the great Torment and Affliction of devout Souls in this; that we fhall be exempted from all thofe Evils and Miferies which are the Confequence of it, and which attend us through this earthly Pilgrimage; a fort of Happiness that the moft fenfual are affected with. And not only Sin and Sorrow shall cease to be, but we fhall enter upon the Poffeffion of all thofe Pleasures we are made capable of enjoying For when the Spirits of juft Men are made perfect, there fhall be nothing to hinder the conftant Influences of Infinite Goodnefs; so that our Understandings fhall be entertained with the Knowledge of God, the most perfect and excellent Being, the Source and Fountain of all Truth, and our Wills vigorously employed in chufing and embracing the moft defirable Goods, and our Affections determined to the most delightful Objects; for our Minds being then enlarged to their utmost Capacities, fhall have a more perfect, certain, and clearer Knowledge of God than we can attain to in this Life; and from the Sight of his

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Glory,

Glory, the Love of his Goodness, and the Admiration of all his Excellencies, we shall be tranfformed into his Likeness, both in the Purity and Spirituality of our Souls; whence must result infinite Pleasure and Satisfaction, inceffantly expreffing itself in Hymns of Praife and Thankf giving. Befides, it must needs raise in us fresh Transports of Joy and Rapture, to see our glorified Redeemer exalted to the Right-hand of God! and all the bleffed Inhabitants of this heavenly Jerufalem will, in a degree, contribute to our Happiness by their profitable and delightful Conversation. And, to complete our Bliss, it shall never change nor have an end, but we fhall pafs Eternity in knowing and loving, in praifing and chearfully obeying the bleffed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Q. How is the Pattern of the Saints accommodated to our Imitation?

A. In that they were mere Men, cloathed with Flesh and Blood, and an imperfect Nature, liable to Sin as well as we, and once strove with the fame unruly Paffions, and were exposed to the fame Difficulties as we are now furrounded with; and that we have the fame boly Precepts to direct us, the fame Grace to aflift us, the fame Promifes to encourage us, the fame Holy Table for our fpiritual Nourishment. So that what was attainable by them, may be acquired by us, if we are not wanting to ourselves.

Q. What Obligations lie upon all Chriftians to Holiness of Life?

A. They are obliged to it by the Precepts of the Gospel, which ftrictly command Holiness; by the Promifes, which are fo many Encouragements to a holy Life; by the Threatnings, which

are