A Praflical Expojition of the Wicked One, and kept them in the World from the Evil of the World And then urge, Lord , thou art ftiU the fame God, Eternal in thy Eifence Immu: table in thy Arrribures ; thy Power, thy Wifdom, and thy Mercy, are ~he id me that ever they were, and therefore vouchfafe umo us the fame Favour. Th is Plea offers an Holy Violence to Heaven, a Violence that is pleafing and acceptable unto God, which be wilt not, he cannot, refift. If we endeavour w be of the fume Dif. pofitions and Afletlions with the Saims of Old we may ~c furc to obtain of God's Hands the fame Mercy and Sai:.'!ltion. See how AJapb inftructs the -Church to make ufe of the Memorials of God's 10rmer Loving·kindndfes, and the Great and Wonderful Works that he had wrought for their Fathers, PJa!. 72. 4, 6, 7· We will /hew to the Gwcrations to come the Praifcs of the Lord, and bis Streng th, and tbc Wondetjul Works tbat . be batb done, that one Generation may declart them to another that they may Jet tbt_ir Hope i'! God. And theref?re the ~onfiderarion of the Erernirf and llnchangablenels of. God IS of V_aftand lnfinne Comfort, and a Mighty Ad van· rage for the Srrengrhenmg our Fatth mpleadmg WithGod for the fame Mercies which he bath fOrmerly beft:owed upon others, becaufe he is the fame Yellcrday, to Day, and for Ever. And thus I have finHhed the Doxology, and therein confider'd the Four Glorious Attributes afcribcd unto God in it, his Sovereignty, his Omn i.porenc":', his Excellency and his Eternity. ' There remains but One Thing more to be fpoken of in this Prayer , and that is the Conclufion and Ratification of all in that fborc Panicle, Amen. Of this l !ball fpeak but very briefly, and fo fhur up this whole Suhjc£1. This Word i1111tn is fometimes prefixed before a Speech, and fometimes affixed after it: When it is prefixed before it is affenory, and fa we find it very often in the Evangelifls; for wherefoever our Saviour ufeth the Word Verily, iris no.orher bU[ Amen: Verily, Verily, I Jay unto thee, i. e"Jimcn, Amen, I fay unto thee, which is a Vehemer.r Affenion of the Truth and Necef!ity of what he fpeaks: And our Saviour ufeth ir to gain the more Aaenrion and Belief of what he defircs; thus John 3· ). Amen, Amen, I; jay unto thee, except a ll1an be Born of Water, and of the Spirit, be cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. So John 16. 23. Amen, limen l Jay unto you, wbatfoever ye jha/1ask of the F'ather in my 1\lame he pli/1 give it you: And fo jrf many mher Places in the Evangc!ifts. How b;,ckward are we eo believe, fince our Infidelity is fuch that it conftrainerh rhe Son of God, who is Trurh id'af, ro ufe Affeverations and PrQ(eftations to win our Affent unto him? Secondly, As this Panicle, ilmtn, ufed in the Beginning of a Speech is affertory of the Undoubted Truth of it, fo when ic is fubjoin,d ' and us'd at the End of it is Precatory, and fignifies our Earneft Defire to have our Prayers heard, and our Petitions granted. Pja/.4r. q. Ble.ffed be the Lord God of lfracl fromEverlajling t o Evcrlajling, Amen, and Amen. Pill. 72. 19. Let the whole Earth be filled with hi s Glory, Amen, an~ Amm. Pfal. reS. 48. B!ejfld be tbe LordGod o/Ifraelfiom £_7J(:r. !a(ling to Everlaftrng, and let all the People fay .Amen. In rhe former Senfe of the Words~ as it is prefixed to a Speech, it Iign~fies fo it is; in this latter, as ir is added to a Pedrion or Requeft, ir fignifies Jo be 11. · Now this teacherh us to put up all our Petitions, Firlt, with Underftanding, duly weighing and confidering what it is we ask of God; fOr when we ufe Vain and Infignificant Babbling bow can we fea l a.nd clofethem up with an Hearty limen? And this condetlms the Mockery of rhe Papijh, who, becaufe God underllands what is uttered in a ;Language to them un~nown, think rhat they may la.wfully pray to him in a Tongue which they tbernfelves undertland not. But With what Zeal, with what Aftettion, can they clofe up fuch Prayers wirh an Awen? This is like fetting a Seal to an Infhumem which the}' know not what ir conrains; and is ex::· preOy condemned by rhe Apofile, 1 Cor. 14. 16. H(lfl) jhall b£ 1hat occufieth the . Room of the Unlearned fzy Amen at t hy giving of ThanRs,Jeeing he tmderjfands not what tbou fayejl? Secondly, 1r teacbeth us to preknt all our ReqJJefl:i to the Throne of Grace with Fervent Zeal and AffeCtion. Amen is a Wing w our Prayers; it is che Bow that !hoots them up to Hea\'en. And although every Petition as we utter them before Gild lhould he accompanied wirh an Earnell and Hearty Delire to have them beard and granted, yet at the Clofe of. them all we .ate to redouble and repeat this out Defire in the Word ihnm; wheretn we do as 1t were bnefly aod fu<c:nEUy pray
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