Family devotions for Sunday evenings, throughout the year being practical discourses, with suitable prayers / by Theophilus Dorrington.

THE Heavenly Mind, DESCRIBED and URGED.

Let us Pray. PRevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most graci∣ous favour, and further us with thy continual help, that in all our works begun, continued and ended in thee, we may glorify thy Holy Name, and finally by thy Mercy obtain Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Colos. 3. 2. Set your Affections on Things above, and not on things on the Earth.

HOW well did the Bounteous Creatour of all things contrive the Nature of Man, for the making him exceedingly Happy! He put in∣to our Constitution an Immortal Spirit, join'd to a Living and Sensible Body: And so he made us capable of the Delights of both Worlds, the Spiritual, and the Material. By our Souls

we are capable to enjoy, and delight in Spiritual Objects, and their Properties and Qualities: We are capable of a rational, spiritual Delight in sensible Objects; and we are capable to enjoy, and delight in God himself, and his Infinite, Eternal Perfections. And by our Bodies, which are allied to this World, we are capable of a sensual Delight in the things of it; to enjoy and please our selves with the Properties, Vertues and Qualities belonging to Material things. So bounteous and kind was the Creatour to Man, in the Forming of him.

But, alas! Man has not been kind to himself: He did not remain long in the happy State which he was first set in; but by following too much the Pleasures of his Sense, he lost all the great∣est Pleasures of his Mind. By eating the For∣bidden Fruit, he sinned against God; lost his Favour, and the Enjoyment of him; became alienated from God; and his Mind became sub∣ject to the shameful Disease of Sensuality. A low, and sordid Propensity to Earthly things, did from henceforth possess him, and a wretched In∣capacity, and Averseness towards Heavenly and Spiritual things. We are condemned to enjoy only the lowest, and weakest, and the least part of our Happiness; to gnaw, as it were, on the Shell of Pleasure, and enjoy no more than the Brute Beasts do. We following the unhappy Fall of our Nature, do amuse, and entertain our selves only with the poor Objects of Sense, ut∣terly forget, and neglect our higher Capacities, and our true Happiness. It is the whole Business of our Religion in all the parts of it, to recover us from this shameful, and deadly Fall; to draw

us off from this our wretched Attachment to this World; and turn us from a false Happiness to a true one. The scope and aim of all its Do∣ctrins, Precepts, Promises, Threatnings, Mo∣tives and Assistances is this, to make us truly hap∣py: And the Sum of all is, to bring us to what the Apostle here exhorts to, in saying; Set your Affections on Things above, not on Things on the Earth.

By Things above, he means those very things which were recommended to you, by the Discourse immediately foregoing this, as the chiefest, and the true Objects of our Happiness: He means God himself, who is our Chief Good, and the Ex∣pressions, and Exercises of his peculiar Favour and Love. He me•••••• the Graces which the Ho∣ly Spirit works 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Souls of Men, which perfect, and adorn, and compose the Mind: He means the everlasting Blessedness which is to come, the Happiness and Joys of Heaven.

By advising to set our Affections on those things, he means they should be much the Objects of our Minds; he intends the Application of the whole Soul to them, and the employing of all our Pow∣ers about them. The Original word, which we render here set your Affections, has this large Im∣port, and Signification, and might be rendered, Mind those things which are above: Let your Judg∣ments esteem them, your Wills chuse, and your Affections follow them.

And not on Things on the Earth: that is, rather than the Things of the Earth. It is according to the Custom and Phrase of the Hebrew Lan∣guage, to express thus, when it only intends to prefer the former things it speaks of, before the

latter. So in Hos. 6. 6. The Prophet, in the Per∣son of God, says; I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice: that is, rather than Sacrifice, he in∣tended to express God's preference of Mercy be∣fore Sacrifice. Here then the Apostle, who was an Hebrew of Hebrews, speaking after the Phrase, and Manner of his own Language, must be un∣derstood to mean, Set your Affections on Things above, rather than on Things on the Earth: Mind those Things most; let them have the preference with you. He does not forbid, nor does our Re∣ligion forbid the moderate seeking, and enjoy∣ment of the Good things of this World. We are not bound to be unsensible of their Goodness, to take no delight in them, nor absolutely, and wholly to refuse, or reject all sensual Pleasures. The things of this World are good in their Kind and Degree, and are useful and necessary to us in our present State, and we may enjoy them with delight, and give God Thanks for them. But still we must prefer the things above, to these below; Spiritual Things to Material, the better, and nobler things to those that are worse, and of a meaner Nature.

It shall be the Business of this Discourse (by God's Assistance) to explain or express to you more largely and particularly, the Import and Meaning of the Apostle's exhortation here: And then to urge our Obedience to it, with a few pro∣per Motives: And thus will this Discourse (as it was intended) be very Applicatory of that which goes before it.

Explication. In the first Place, I shall shew you how we ought to mind and apply our selves to the

things above: With how much Concern and Care we should seek the Favour of God, the matchless Blessings of his Love, and the enjoyment of him therein. This I shall represent to you under these three Heads;

1. The Things above must have the Prefer∣ence of our Judgments: We must esteem, and value them before all other.

2. They must have the Preference of our Wills and Affections; We must chuse, and love them, desire and delight in them, more than in any other.

3. They must have the Preference of our Actions, and Course of Life. We should seek, and pursue them more than all other things.

I shall particularly insist and enlarge my Dis∣course upon each of these severally, for the bet∣ter Illustration of them.

1. Those things ought to have the Preference of our Judgments: We should esteem and va∣lue them as the best things. We must account God our Chiefest Good, and the enjoyment of him in his Love the highest Felicity: This should be the setled, and fixed Judgment of our Souls; a Conclusion deliberately, and firmly made. The Apostle who gives this Direction in our present Text, expresses thus concerning himself, when he says, Phil. 3. 8. I count all things but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him; that is, That I may through him have an Interest in God, and in the Blessings of his peculiar Love. This has been the constant Practice and State of all good and rectified Souls. Thy loving kindness is better than life, says David, Psal. 63. 3. More

to be desired are thy Commandments than Gold, yea, than much fine Gold, sweeter also than the Hony, and the Hony-comb, Psal. 19. This preference and esteem of things above, is several times exprest by Solomon, in the words which he puts into the Mouth of a Holy Soul, in his Book of Canticles, in Chap. 1. Verse 2. She says to Christ, Thy Love is better than Wine. The expressions and exercises of thy Favour are better far, and more chearing and refreshing to the Mind, than the richest Wines are to the faint and thirsty Body. Again, she says, Chap. 2. 3. As the Apple Tree among the Trees of the Wood, so is my Beloved a∣mong the Sons. He is to be preferred before all other. Yea, she says in plain Terms, Chap. 5. 10. He is the chiefest among Ten thousand. These are all of them the expressions of such Souls, as mind the things above, rather than those below, and prefer Spiritual Objects before Sensual. God must have the Ascendant in our Souls. He who truly is the Chiefest Good, must be accounted so. We must believe him the Center and Source of all Goodness; the Fountain and Giver of all that which is in the Creatures. And that he has not given away from himself what he has communicated to them, but is still an in∣exhaustible Fulness of Good: That in him does all desirable Fulness dwell; and that he alone is able to afford full Content and Happiness to the Soul of Man. We must account it a much hap∣pier State to enjoy the things above, than the things below: Much better to be vertuous and good, than rich and great, to enjoy the Favour of God, than the Esteem of Men. And if we have the

greatest value and esteem for the things above, we shall value all other things according to the rela∣tion which they bear to them. Those things which have a subserviency to them, and are means of at∣taining them will be valued next to them, and will for their sakes be in great esteem too: Such are Prayer, Hearing the Word of God, Read∣ing, and Meditating on it, and the At∣tendance upon Sacraments. And again: Those things which are contrary and oppo∣site to these, which hinder the enjoyment of them, will not be lookt upon as Indifferent, they will be accounted very evil things, and be absolutely rejected from all esteem with us; Such are all manner of Sins and Wickednesses. Thus must the things above have the Preference of our Judgments.

2. They must also have the Preference of our Wills and Affections. We must chuse them be∣fore all other things; love, desire, and delight most in them. When those things are proposed, described, and offered to us, we must not regard them with indifferent, and careless Minds. Our Souls must be moved towards them, in chusing, accepting, and desiring above all things to be Partakers of them. This also has been the Temper of good Souls, as the Expressions that have fallen from such do abundantly declare. The Holy Author of Psal. 73. says to God, Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there is none on Earth that I can desire besides thee. The Spouse in the Canticles says, Cant. 1. 2. Let him kiss me with the Kisses of his Mouth. That which I chiefly desire is, to receive the expressions of thy matchless Love. And in Verse 4. she says.

We will be glad, and rejoice in thee, we will remem∣ber thy Love more than Wine. If we can enjoy thy Favour, Oh Jesus, lover of Souls; This is that we most value, This is all we care for, This is that will be most pleasing to us. Ardent De∣sires after God, the Psalmist expresses, Psal. 42. 1, 2. As the Hart panteth after the Water Brooks, so panteth my Soul after thee, O God. My Soul thirst∣eth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God!

If we are not assured of an Interest in the pe∣culiar Love of God, we should most earnestly and incessantly desire this: We should make it the chief subject and matter of our Prayers. The want of this should not be satisfied, and madeup with any thing else. Let us never say to our selves upon the mostplen∣tiful Enjoyment of these things, as that Man whom our Saviour describes, Luke 12. who said, Soul, take thine ease, because thou hast Goods laid up for many years. Our Souls must take no Ease, nor ever be at Rest, till we have Goods laid up for Eternity. God must be the only Center of our Hopes and Aims: We should love him with a transcendent Love. Nothing should grieve, or trouble us, so much as what does damp our Hopes of Heaven; nothing so much transport and please, as what does raise, and promote, and confirm them.

If we have been so happy as to gain an Inte∣rest in his Favour, and to be in some measure Partakers of the Blessings of his Love, it will be the Temper of our Minds to delight greatly in the things above; highly will the Thoughts of our Happiness please us; we shall be able to say of

God, as David did, My Meditation of him shall be sweet, I will be glad, or rejoice in the Lord, Psal. 104. This will be the chief delight and solace of the Heavenly Soul to think; God loves me, the most High has a peculiar favour for me; This God is my God, for ever and ever: With highest Pleasure will the Soul say, My Beloved, is mine, and I am his: There is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness.

And if such be the most welcome and pleasant Thoughts, it cannot be but they will be very fre∣quent ones. Oh how I love thy Law (says David) It is my Meditation all the Day, Psal. 119. 97.

When we can let many Days pass over our Heads, without one serious and sensible Thought of Heavenly things, this is a Symptom of an Earthly, and Carnal Mind. The Heavenly Mind is necessitated, and drawn to other Thoughts, but it enclines to these.

And the Sabbaths, and publick Worship of God are a great delight to such a Man: When he may be separated from the Concerns of the World, to contemplate the Riches of God's Love, to taste the sweetness of it, to consider the Beauty of Holiness, and the Joys of Heaven. The Sense of his Soul is the same with that which David expresses, Psal. 84. 10. 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. And Solomon puts a mighty value and esteem for the Worship and Sacred Ordinances of God, and an excessive de∣light in them into the Character of a devout Soul, which he gives us in his sublime Song, Cant. 2. 34. 5. where after he had made her say, As the

Apple-tree among the Trees of the Wood, so is my Be∣loved among the Sons: She carries on the Meta∣phor, and says, I sate down under his Shadow with great delight, and his Fruit was sweet unto my taste. He brought me into the Banquetting-house, and his Banner over me was love. And being thus enter∣tained with his Love, she is transported with delight, she is, as it were, overwhelmed with Joy: Stay me with Apples (says she) Comfort me with Flaggons, for I am sick of love. Which is as much as to say, Thy Love, dear Lord, is great like thy Self, and far greater than my narrow Capacity! When I consider, when I feel it, when I enjoy the exercises of it in Holy Com∣munion with thee, I am, me thinks, my self, all Love; I am transported in Extasies of Love; and the Love I feel in my self, and the de∣light I take in thine, are a Pleasure even too great forme without thy assistance to bear it. If our Mind and Heart were truly set on things above; we should go from Publick Devotion to Private, either in our Closets or Families: Cer∣tainly, he that loves those things, and wishes to be employed to Eternity about them, cannot think One whole Day in Seven too much to be separated entirely from the World, for the en∣joyment of them. And the Heavenly Soul will be often discoursing of Heavenly things. It is a Pleasure to speak of that we extreamly love: The Holy Soul represented in the Canticles, does so often extol her Beloved, and so stay and dwell upon the Descriptions, Commendations and Discourses concerning Christ, as does sufficient∣ly shew, He is indeed her Beloved. The Society therefore wherein such an one may best discourse

of his Heart's chief Joy, will be always most acceptable, and desirable to him. Those that value highly the same things that we value and love, will be most agreeable to us, especially in such cases where there can be no rivalling of each other, as it is in this. Heavenly Souls will be most acceptable to the Heavenly. And the Joy and Pleasure which attends the Thoughts and Remembrance of those heavenly Things, which they are partly possest, and partly in expectation of, will be able in a little time at least, to overcome every worldly Sorrow.

Lastly; If we value and love Heaven, and things above, more than things on the Earth, we must greatly desire to be in Heaven. We must needs desire to be advanced to that State where we shall more perfectly enjoy those things than we can here; where we shall be satisfied with the communicated likeness of God in our per∣fect and compleat Sanctification, where we shall enjoy perfect Rest and Blessendness; we cannot chuse but desire that State, where, as we shall have a fuller enjoyment of the things we mostly love, so the enjoyment of them shall be more constant and uninterrupted; where we shall have the light of God's Countenance always shining bright up∣on us; where no Clouds, no Eclipses shall hide, or any Night ever take it from us, but it shall make a continual joyful and glorious Day. The Soul then that does truly relish and delight in these Divine things, cannot be satisfied to be here, but will, with submission to the Will of God, long for the time of his removal to that better State. He will not think his Life on Earth too short, but rather too long: and be ready

to say, When will this my tedious Pilgrimage be over? When shall I come and appear before God! He is not only contented, but even desirous with St. Paul, To depart, and to be with Christ. He can willingly forsake, not only a poor, mean, and laborious State on Earth; but even a rich, pros∣perous, and easy one, for the better Enjoyments of Heaven: For that which he enjoys of Hea∣ven here, is that which he chiefly delights in. And since the second Coming of Christ is that which brings him his full Redemption, and the perfect Fruition of all that he desires, he will greatly long for that; he will be one of those that love his Appearing. He has the Spirit of the Bride in him, who says, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, in Rev. 22. Or as the holy Souls before his first Coming, in longing desire after that, Cant. 8. 14. He will say for his Second, Make haste, my Beloved, and be thou like a Roe, or to a young Hart upon the Mountains of Spices. Thus must our Will and Affections prefer the Things above.

3. Those things must have also the Prefer∣ence of our Actions, and Course of Life. And it is a certain consequent and fruit of the other two Particulars, and the best Indication of them in us, that we chiefly endeavour after, and mostly seek and pursue the Things above.

It is necessarily included in the minding those Things, that we seek them, and endeavour to be Partakers of them. We must strive to enter in at the strait gate; we must give diligence, to make our Calling and Election sure; we must work out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling. Strong and true desires after any other things, will

excite suitable Endeavours; therefore it must be so with us in this Case. And thus it was with the good Soul, whose Affections towards God, Solomon describes; who is represented by him, as very Inquisitive after him: She lov'd in his ab∣sence; as restless in her enquiry and search, till she had found him whom her Soul loved, Cant. 3. 1, 2, 3, 4. Lazy wishes are of no value: Till we come to active Desires and very vigorous En∣deavours, we have not an Heart set upon the Things above. We must very diligently use the Means that God has appointed, and does afford us for the making us Partakers of those things: The ordinary Means of attaining the Sanctifica∣tion of our Nature; the assured Pardon of our Sins; the Beams of Divine Favour, and a Title to Everlasting glory: And they are Private, and Publick Prayers; the Preaching of God's Word, and his Sacraments. These must be valued as Means, as I said before; and also, I say now, they must be very diligently attended upon, and used. It must not be an indifferent Matter with us, whether we enjoy them or not.

If we rightly, and heartily desire heaven∣ly Things, we shall be very diligent and indu∣strious in that Course of Duty, which the Pro∣vidence of God gives us; whatever Station we are in, we shall endeavour to adorn it, to glori∣fy God by our Behaviour in it: VVe shall be steadfast, and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, and ought to be so; as knowing, That our Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord: As believing, that the glorious and eternal Rewards of Heaven deserve our greatest diligence, and la∣bour in our Duty.

And further; if we rightly mind the things above we shall set our selves as much as we need to re∣move the Hindrances of attaining them. We shall, and ought to be ready to cut off a right Hand, and pluck out a right Eyo, that offends, and that would hinder our entrance into Life. We must not entertain, or cherish any Sin; but must industri∣ously mortify, weaken, and subdue all carnal and corrupt Affections. We must endeavour the weaning our selves, as much as may be from the World, and to be as indifferent about our out∣ward Condition in it as we can be. We must shake off all such Clogs and Weights, that our freed Souls may without Incumbrance, aspire towards Heaven.

And we must chiefly seek and pursue the Things above, seek them with more diligence and en∣deavour, with more earnest Application of Mind than we do the Things below. This our Sa∣viour expresly directs, Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, and this he seems to intimate we should do, when he says, Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righte∣ousness, for they shall be filled.

As the Heavenly things are to be the end, so they are to be the Rule and Guide of our Actions. We must value all other things according to their subserviency to those, as has been said; and then the things of this World are to be sought, only in such circumstances, or such kinds of them, as they may have some subserviency to these: For instance, A man should chuse that Employment and State in the World, in which he may best preserve his Innocence, and keep a good Conscience, and have frequent and chear∣ful

Communion with God; rather than that which is more dangerous, but is likely to have more of worldly Profit, or sensual Pleasure at∣tending it. A man should rather chuse a Life of Labour and Employment, wherein he may be serviceable to God, and to the present, or e∣verlasting Well-fare of Mankind; than to live in an useless Ease and Idleness. Again, the Things above must always be followed before these, when∣ever there is any Competition between them. We must when 'tis necessary forsake these for them. If we might enjoy the greatest Pleasures of this World, or the most valued Advantages of it, those which would give us the greatest In∣terest and Respect among Men; but for the gain∣ing of these, we must do those things that would forfeit and lose the Favour of God; those things which he forbids: We must then forsake and aban∣don all those things for the sake of this, and re∣solve never to enjoy even the greatest advanta∣ges of this World, if we cannot have them with the Favour and Blessing of God. Thus should we in the Course of our Life and Actions, pre∣fer the Things above, before those below.

Motives. Thus I have shewn you what it is which the Apostle exhorts to here in the full Latitude and Extent of it. All this he intends we should do in minding the Things above. It remains now, that I urge your Obedience to this Advice by such Arguments and Motives, as may justly prevail upon you.

1. And in the first Place let this be one, That, unless we thus mind the Things above, we shall never obtain them. We are not to look upon our Text as only an Advice or Counsel, but must

receive it as a Law and Precept: It is thus we ought to mind those things: And it is the plain Import of divers other places of Scripture, that God requires this of us. This is meant, when our Saviour says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind, Mat. 22. 37. And when he says, If any man come unto me, and hate not his Father, and Mother, and Wife, and Children, and Brethren, and Sisters, yea, and his own Life also, he cannot be my Disciple, Luke 14. 26. That is, in com∣parison to me, he must hate and despise them. He must love and value me more than he does them, or he is not worthy of an Interest in the Favours and Blessings, which I have purchased. And there is another Scripture very express to this purpose, but which has been wrested by bad Translation to a very different one, which I shall therefore here endeavour to recover to its right use: It is John 21. 15. Jesus saith to Simon Peter; Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these. The Original words would bear the ren∣dering of them thus, Lovest thou me more than these things, that is, more than thy Trade, and worldly Business, and Gains. The generality of the Church of Rome chuse to render them thus, Lovest thou me more than these do? As if our Lord would seem to expect in Peter a greater Love to him, than was in the rest of the Apostles, and this must be the Foundation for Peter's Prima∣cy among the Apostles, and for the Pope of Rome his Supremacy in the Church. But if we well consider the Context, we shall find this a very weak Foundation; we shall see no reason to think that the Question intimates our Lord's present,

or intended Preference of Peter to the rest of the Apostles; but rather that it intimates an Admo∣nition of Peter to prefer our Lord, and his Inte∣rests and Service before the Things of the World. When our Lord was dead, and his Disciples were now come to Galilee, according to his Ap∣pointment to meet him there; while they staid there, Peter returned to his Trade of Fishing, and drew the rest of the Disciples who had been of that Employment to join with him. After they had had a Night of fruitless Labour, Jesus in in the Morning presents himself to them; and as they were eating in his presence, he propounds this Question to Peter, in Verse 15. Now he had reason to single out Peter to this Examination, because it was he that had made the motion of this return to their worldly Business, and had drawn the others to it after he had separated them to be Fishers of Men. And since this was plainly the occasion of the Question, we may most reasonably interpret it to intimate a Rebuke of that Apostle for this return to his Trade; and what our Lord replies to Peter's Answer to his Question, does sufficiently justify, and even require this Inter∣pretation of it; for he says to him three times, Feed my Lambs, or my Sheep, which was as much as to say to him, Shew thy Love to me, if thou hast it by betaking thy self intirely, and industri∣ously to the Office of an Apostle, and leave this worldly Trade and Business, from which I have called thee. This then is without doubt the meaning of this Place. The Question of our Lord intimates, that he required of St. Peter, that he should love him more than worldly Gains, more than his Trade, and the Business that he

had called him from, and should accordingly ap∣ply himself to that Service of him, which he had called him to.

This then is a standing Law and Rule, and U∣niversally obliging, That we love God more than the Things of the World. And if so, it is, we may be sure, a necessary condition to be per∣formed for our partaking of the Things above. If God requires us to prefer them, we cannot but without ground expect, that he will ever bestow them upon us unless we do so. He has not made this Law only to dispense with it, but to guide us to our Happiness thereby if we will obey it, or to condemn us to misery, if we will not.

2. To encourage our selves thus to prefer the Things above, we may consider that if we do so, we shall certainly obtain them. We shall not set our Hearts upon them in vain. God is a re∣warder of those that diligently seek them, Heb. 11. 6. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for Glory, Honour and Immortality, God will give eternal Life; the Apostle assures us, Rom. 2. 7. In this course we shall be sure not to run in vain, nor to labour in vain. It pleases God that we despise the present Allurements and good things of this World in comparison to the match∣less Blessings of his Love. Therefore Moses is commended for having done so, when he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater Riches than the Trea∣sures of Egypt; and chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God, than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin, which are but for a Season, Heb. 11. 25, 26. This renders any that do it, the peculiar Favourites of Heaven, as is plainly intimated, Heb. 11. 16. where 'tis said of some, They desired a better

Country, even an Heavenly, therefore God is not a∣shamed to be called their God: He thought fit, he was pleased to own a peculiar relation to such Persons; he was willing to be called their God, that is, to be their God; and it is added in the same Verse, He hath prepared for them a City: Since Heaven was that they chiefly desired, he intend∣ed them for Heaven.

3. Lastly, It may be another encouragement to what the Apostle here requires, That if we do thus prefer the Things above, God will provide and bestow a competent Portion of the Things of this World. If we value and seek most the Things of this World, we may through God's displea∣sure miss of them: For his over-ruling Provi∣dence disposes of all things, and he can frustrate all our Designs, if we displease him, and make us low, and poor, and mean, notwithstanding all our Endeavours to be otherwise; and displease him we certainly do, if we do not esteem and seek Him and his Love before all other things. But, if we do this, we shall become, as was said before, the peculiar Favourites of his Love. And if for this he will be our God, it may be certainly concluded, that we shall not want any of his Creatures: If he will give the great∣er, he will not with-hold the less; he will not let such Persons want any manner of thing that is good for them. And this indeed is what our Saviour has expresly promised, Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. By these things he means those he had been speaking of before, not the superfluous Riches of this World; not the great Dignities and Honours of it, which

things are but an useless Burden, and not at all ne∣cessary to our Happiness; but Meat, and Drink, and Cloathing, and the necessary Accommoda∣tions of this present Life. These things the Care of Providence will certainly provide for us, if we love God with all our Heart, and live according to a high esteem and value for his Fa∣vour and Love. And thus we may see, that to mind and prefer the things above, is the surest and the shortest way to Happiness, both in this Life and the next; and more than this, I hope need not be said to move us to it.

THE PRAYER.

O Most blessed and glorious God, the only perfect, and all-sufficient Being! Thou art, O Lord, thine own Infinite and Eternal Happiness, and thou givest being and happiness to all thy Creatures; thy infinite Good∣ness delights in our well-fare; and thou hatest nothing that thou hast made. We adore thee, O Lord, we bless thee, we praise thee, we magnifie thee, we give thee thanks for thy great and glorious Goodness, and for the bounteous Exercises of it to the Sons of Men. We thank thee that thou hast given us such a Being as we have, and hast made us so capable of happiness: That we have Bodies and Senses suited to this very rich and plentiful World about us, and capable to take delight in the good things here, and for that the Earth is full of thy Goodness. But we praise thee yet more for the Spi∣rit in Man, whereby we are capable of a rational and spiritual, and so a most Honourable and Angelical De∣light in the Objects of our Senses; that we can please our selves with their beauty, order, wonderful contri∣vance and subserviency to each other, and that we are capable to see upon them the impresses and marks of thy glorious Wisdom, of thy mighty Power, of thy infinite Fulness, of thy Majesty and Glory. And we thank thee, O Lord, most of all, for that thou hast been pleased to make us capable to know and meditate on thy Self; to chuse and love thee, to desire and enjoy thee, who art an Infinite, Eternal Good, and in whose presence is ful∣ness of Joy. Oh how ready should our Hearts be at all times to say, Whom have we in Heaven but thee, and there is none on Earth that we can desire besides thee! But alas! we are degenerated, we are fallen from our

Original Excellency, we are sunk into Sensuality: we need to be put in mind and told wherein our true Happi∣ness lies, and to be excited, urged, and exhorted to pur∣sue it: We hover here below, and seldom have any thoughts or desires moving upwards; the objects of Sense detain us with them, and we feed on Husks among Beasts, we stay and abide upon the lowest, and the smallest part of our Happiness. Lord, we are miserable, we are undone, and shall perish for ever, if thy pity do not rescue us from the Love of these low Things. Oh Pardon our guilty, and heal our distempered Souls. Discover thy self to us, and make us love thee; shed a∣broad thy Love abundantly in our Hearts; Make us to rise by the Creature to the Creator. Guide us by the streams to thee the Fountain of their Goodness, and make us as we ought to love thee above all things. Let us be governed by thy Love in the whole course of our lives, and readily deny our selves to please thee and keep thy Commandments. Let us firmly believe the glorious Things which thou hast prepared for them that love thee; and draw our Hearts after them to endeavour that our Treasure may be in Heaven in Immutable things. And direct us, we pray thee, so to pass through things Tem∣poral, as that we finally lose not the things Eternal.

Have mercy, O Lord, upon all Mankind. Let the Earth be filled with Knowledge of the Lord, as waters cover the Sea; and all Men be directed and led in the way to true Happiness. Give to all Nations Unity, Peace, and Concord. Pour down an abundant measure of thy Spirit upon thy Church, that the Gospel may run and be glorified from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same. Let them prosper that love it, and let not the Gates of Hell ever prevail against it. We pray, especially for that part of it which thou hast graciously placed in these Nations, and hitherto wonderfully de∣tended; Lord, make it a very fruitful Vineyard, and purge out of it all that is contrary to true Doctrin and Godliness. Bless, we pray thee, our Gracious King and Queen, and the Royal Family, with all Spiritual and Eternal Blessings; and give them long and happy Posses∣sion of the Throne of these Kingdoms to thy Glory, and our Comfort. Bless all in Authority under them; help

them truly, and indifferently to administer Justice, to the punishment of Wickedness and Vice, and to the main∣tainance of thy true Religion and Vertue. Give grace, O Heavenly Father, to all Bishops and Curates, that they may both by their Life and Doctrin, honour thee, and guide thy People committed to them in the way of Bles∣sedness. Let all the Subjects of this Realm be subject to thee in Loyalty and Subjection, and due Obedience to those that are over them in Church and State; and let Piety, Love, Righteousness, and Peace, and Truth abound among us. We commend to thy Fatherly good∣ness all that are in any Distress and Affliction; all our Friends and Relations, we pray for our Enemies; do for all beyond what we are able to ask or think.

We humbly ask a comfortable and safe rest this Night, and that it may please thee to make the out-goings of the Morning to rejoice. Let thy word which we have heard this Day guide our Conversations, and let us bring forth in them the Fruits of the Spirit; let not the Cares of this World, or the Deceitfulness of Riches choke the Word, and render it unfruitful; but grant we may live to the Glory of thy Name, and to the Peace and Salvation of our own Souls by Jesus Christ, in whose most com∣prehensive words, we sum up our Requests, saying,

OƲR Father, which art in Heaven; Hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that tres∣pass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But de∣liver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the Power▪ and the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.