Neal - Houston-Packer Collection BX9333 .N4 1754

APPENDIX: So large a portion of the day, as conveniently may be, is to be fpent in publ ic rea ding and preaching of the word, with finging of pfalms, fit to quicken affections fuitable to fuch a duty, but efpecially in prayer, to this or the like effect : " Giving glory to the great maje!ly of God, the creator, prefcrver, " and fupreme ruler of all the world. the better to affecr us thereby ' " with an holy reverence and awe of him; acknowledging his mani– " fold, great, and tender mercies, efpecially to the church and nation, " the more effectuallv to [often and abafe our hearts before him; hum– " bly confeffing of fins of all forts, with their feveral aggravations; " jufiifying God's righteous judgments, as being f<1r lefs than our fins do '' deferve ; yet humbly and earnefily imploring his mercy and grace for ". ourfelves, the church and nation, for our king, and all in authority, " ·and for all others for whom we are bound to pray, (according as the " prefent exigence requireth), with more fpecial importunity and enlarge– " ment than at other times; applying, by faith, the promifcs and good– " nefs of God, for pardon, help, and deliverance from the evils felt, " feared, or deferved; and for obtaining the bleffings which we neecl '' and expect ; together with a giving up of ourfelves wholly and for " ever unto the Lord." In all thefe, the minifiers, who are the mouths of the people unto· God, ought fo to fpeak from their hearts, upon ferious and thorough pre– meditation of them, that both themfelves and rhe people may be much. afft cted, and even melted thereby; efpecially with forrow for their fins, that it may be indeed a day of deep humiliation and affiicting of the foul. Spe.cial choice is to be made of fuch fi.:riptures to be read, and of fuch texts for preaching, as may befl: work the hearts of the hearers to the fpe– cial bufinefs of the day, and mofl: diipofe them to humiliation and re– pentance ; infifiing moll on thofe particulars, which each minift:er's obfer– vatiOil and exp.erience tells him, are mofl: conducing to th~ edification and reformation of that congregation, to which he preacheth. , Before the clofe of the public duties, the minifl:er is, in his own and the peoples names, to ingage his and their hearts to be the Lord's, with profe!Ted purpofe and refolution to reform whatever is amifs among them, and more particularly fuch fins as they have been more remarkable guilty of; and, to draw nearer unto God, and to walk more clofely and faith– fully with him in new obedience, than ever before. He is alfo to admoniilJ the people with all importunity, that the work of that day doth not end with the public duties of it, but that they are (o to improve the remainder of the day, and of their whole life, in re– inforcing upon tbemfelves and their families in private, all thofe godly affections and refolutions which they profe!Ted in public, as that they may

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