on the Lord's Prayer. Firfi Gtorifie this Inconceivable and Glorious Anribute, extol and venerate ic wirh your Higheft Thoughts and Lowelt Profiration, fending _rour Adoring Thoughr; as far in to the Eternity of God as poffible a Humane and Fmtte UnderHandtng can dart tbem; for though Eternity be fuch a. Deep as can never be fathomed, fince it ha~h no Bottom, yet it is Sweet and Dehghtful to lofe our felves, and he fwallowe~ m this Abyfs of Being. Thofe Profpeas are mofr pleafam to the Eye that have nothtng to bouild them, no Limi!s to refl:rain the Sight in its fre: range; fo it is rhe moft Pleafant Profpea to the Mind . to contemplate fuch an Object where there can be no Boundaries fet to our Apprehenhons, and where we can fee no farther, not for want of Obje8 but for want of Sight. Secondly, Is God Eternal from Evetlafting to Everlafling > Let us leave then the Care of all Future Events unto him, for he is the fame Unchangable God ; and al· rhough we be but of Yefierd·ay, and may not be to Morrow, and when we die then all our Thoughts perifh with us, Jyet the EvOilafiing God can and will order all Affairs for l1is Glory, and carry on our Purpofes if they be conformable unto his. We oftentimes are anxious and follicirous about what may happen after ourDeceafe, either to the World, or to thofe we love bdt in it; but let us commit this Care to God. he ever lives, and bath the fame ever lnfinire Power, and Infinite Wifdom, to dif~fe of all Events as it fhall pleafe him. Let us therefore cafr thefe Burdens upon him, who fhall ftill furvive as a Father for our Children, as <to Husband to provide for our Widows, as a King and Governour to provide for our Country, as the Univerfal Lord and Monarch to provide for the A!Fairi of the whole World, according to the All-wife Maxims of his Eternal Counfels. Thirdly, Is God Eternal? Why then lhould we not give unto him the fame Honour, Refpea, and Service, ~hat hi~ Saints hav~ don~ in former. A~es an? Gener~rions? He is !lill the fame God, hiS Ho!tnefs, and h!SJulhce, and h!SSoverO!gnty, lltll the fame. And if the Confideration of thefe his Attributes had fuch a Mighty Influence upon the Saints of former Times to engage them to a StriET and Holy Life, why fhould they not now have the like Influence upon us~ He is the Lord, he changeth not 1 and therefore as abfolutely as he requir'd Obedience from them, fo abfolutely now doth he require it from us. But the Truth is, we live as if God were grown Old, as if his Juftice were now out of Date, or his Power Decrepit; we live as if there were Decays in the Deity, yea, indeed as if there were no God in the World to rake notice of and punHh our Sins. Certainly that God, who once lived to denounce Threa tnings, frill lives to execute them; he is the f3me Holy, the fame Power.. ful, the fame Juft, God that ever he was, why then fhould not we give him rhe fame Honour, and Refpe£1, and Service~ Why fhould we not Love and F~ar him as the SaintS of Old have done, fince we have the fame God whom they worfhipped, and a God who requires from us the fame Dories and Obfervanees? Let us now proceed ro the Third and Lafl Thing propounded, which was to fhew you what Encouragement our Faith may have from this Attribute of God, Eterni ty, to expea the grant of rhofe Good Things which we pray for; for our Saviour hath taught us to ufe this as a Plea with God in our Prayers, For thine i.r the King-. dom, &c. for evrr. And indeed this Encouragement is great and manifold; foi hence we may With Confidence rely upon God for Merciful Supplies in all our Wants, for Deliverance in all our Dangers, for Supporrs under all our Troubles, and for Comfort under all our Sorrows, becaufe he is Eternal; and therefore the fame God who bath here.. rofore in all Ages of the World done great Things for all thofe who trufl in him. And therefore the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, which were a forcible Plea with God in former Times, a Plea ro which he could deny nothing when urged in Faith, havt frill the fame Efficacy and Validity now; for thefe and all other of God's Attributes are hi s for ever. Therefore, 0 Chtiftian, now lay hold o~ 'God's Strength, and plead with· him what he bath done for his Children in former Ages! How he bath forgiven the Penitent, revived the Contrite, reftored Joy and Salvation ro DejeEled and Defpondent, SpiritS; how he harh wrought for the SanO:ification of his great Name; by what Wonderful Providences and Wife: Methods he hatb eftablifhed and enlarged his Kingdom; how he bath !trengthened the weak Hands and feeble Knees, and made thofe who were without Might able by his Grace to perform the hardefr Duties in fulfilling his Will and Command· menrs; how he bath provided for all their Necellities, rebuked the Temptations of
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