ture hence shall come, I may be translated from the Church militant here on Earth to the Church triumphant in Heaven; and being admitted into the blessed Society of just Men made perfect, I may render continual Thanks and Praise, and ascribe all possible Honour and Glory to the holy, blessed, and undivided Trinity. All which I humbly beg for the Sake, and in the Words of Jesus Christ.

Our Father, &c.

Be at Church, if possible, before Prayers begin: for if you do not come at the Beginning of the Service, you lose one of the most important Parts of it; you fail to join in the Confession of Sins, so have no Title to the Comfort of the Absolution. Think not as many inconsiderate People do, that you come in good Time, if you hear the Sermon, though you miss the Prayers.

When

you leave

your House, use this Meditation.

I WILL go with Joy and Gladness to the House of my God.

O thou that hearest Prayer, unto thee shall all Flesh come.

I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the House of the Lord; for I love the Habitation of thy House, and the Place where thine Honour dwelleth.

While

While

you are walking to Church with your Family.

O HOW amiable are thy Dwellings, thou Lord of Hosts; my Soul hath a Desire and Longing to enter into the Courts. of the Lord; my Heart and my Flesh rejoice in the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy House, they will be always praising thee; for a Day in thy Courts is better than a Thousand. I had rather be a Door-keeper in the House of my God,, than to dwell in the Tents of Wickedness.

The Lord loveth the Gates of Sion, more than all the Dwellings of Jacob, therefore I will come into thy House, and in the Multitude of thy Mercy, and in thy Fear, will I worship towards thy holy Temple..

At the Church-Yard.

As the Hart panteth after the WaterBrooks, so panteth my Soul after thee, O God, my Soul thirsteth for God, even for the living God.

O my God, kindle a holy Flame in my Soul, and let my Sins be the Burnt-offering for it to consume, that there may not any

D 5

corrupt Affection, any cursed Thing be sheltered in my Heart, that I may never again defile that Place, which thou hast chosen for thy Temple.

Go not into the House of God laughing, talking, or staring about you: but possess your Mind with a roveential Awe of the infinite Majesty of that God, in whose Presence you come.

At the Church-Door, say,

O KING of Heaven, forgive me all that I have sinned against thee.

As soon as you enter the Church.

How dreadful is this Place! this is no other but the House of God, even of that God, who is greatly to be feared in the Congregation of his Saints, and to be had in Reverence of all them that are round about him.

HOLY and reverend is thy Name, O Lord; Glory be to thee, O God most High.

When you enter your Seat, say, meekly kneeling upon your Knees.

UNWORTHY am I, O God, to appear before thee! But since thy infinite Goodness doth invite us to come into thy House,

I most thankfully receive this inestimable Blessing.

And now, O Lord, I beseech thee, mercifully to pardon all my Sins, and the Sins of thy People assembling themselves in thy House: O let thy Holy Spirit help our Infirmities; and so dispose our Hearts to Devotion, that our Prayers and Praises may be well pleasing to thee, through Jesus Christ.

Then rise up and consider the infinite Distance between God and you.

Behave yourself with all Gravity and Decency; stand or kneel, as directed by the Rubrics in the Book of Common Prayer. How shameful it is to sit when we put up our Petitions to the Throne of Grace! An earthly King would not bear such an irreverent Behaviour: How highly displeasing then must it be in the Eyes of the King of Kings!

Avoid the Ceremony of bowing to others, after Prayers are begun. Also, gazing about takes the Miud off from the important Business it ought then to be engaged in. Whispering and Talking, and Laughing in the Time of Divine Service, are Affronts to God, and betray a Want of Reverence and Devotion in Men. Look into the Temples of the very Heathens, and you will see more de. vout Behaviour among those deluded Souls, than many Christians shew in the House of God. Since our Acceptance at the Throne of Grace depends in a great Measure upon our offering up our Prayers to God with a devout and attentive Mind, and an humble Posture of Body, it, is amazing, that m many Country Churches there is no Convenienc

for Kneeling. They whose Office obliges them to provide all Things necessary for the Public Worship of Almighty God, and who solemnly swear to do it, ought to take Notice of this. Surely they must be Blind, if they see it not; and wicked, if they don't reform it.

Do you demean yourself with an awful Reverence, and pray with such Fervour of Affection, as to shew you value what you ask for. Strive to avoid all wandering Thoughts; Bewail your Weakness and manifold Infirmities, and beg of God to kindle in your Breast a Flame of true Zeal and Devotion, and in some Time you will feel the good Effects of it. Fix in your Mind an awful Sense of God's Presence, which will stir up your faint and cold Desires, and engage all the Powers of your Soul in his Service. An humble, modest Deportment of the Body will much contribute to the Attention of the Mind. Pray then on your Knees; this Posture is more likely to excite true Devotion, than if you sit or stand up, and gaze about, which dissipates your Thoughts, hinders your own Prayers, and perhaps those of your Neighbours.

If you are cold in your Devotions, and don't serve the Lord with Alacrity and Joy.

O MY GOD! am I full of Trouble that I should take so little Delight in the Performance of my Duty to thee; and so soon grow weary of it, to the Hurt of my own Soul. Why am I so lifeless in doing what should be the Comfort, the Delight, and the Rejoicing of my Heart? My Soul, O Lord, is possessed with a Spirit

of