our felves, but he is able to procure them, and though we cannot by perfonal endeavours, yet we may be Peacemakers by our prayers, and for fo generous a Charity, as to with the Peace of all men, we fhall be accounted the Children of God, whether the Wish prevail or no: For fome Nations it shall be accepted, and if it pleafe God, it may procure Peace for many, especially thofe about us, and if it were no more it deferves to be put up with an earneft We beseech thee, &c.

S.XIII. That it may please thee to give us an heart to love and bread thee, and diligently to live after thy Commandements: We beseech thee,

&c.

It is now time to look inward, and confider what is wanting for our own Souls, and the Souls of others, because though Temporal peace be a great, yet it is a finite bleifing it can laft no longer,at the utmoft, than to the end of an uncertain life, but we our felves are likely to endure for ever: So that we had need provide fomething that will continue, and be a bleffing when this Life is at an end. Now St. Paul affures us, That Charity and the Love of God fhall never fail, 1 Cor.xiii.8. And David informs us, That the fear of the Lord endureth for ever,Pfal.xix.9.The Prophet alfo, That the effect of Righteousness shall be quietness and aßurance for ever, Ifai.xxxii.17. Wherefore we pray in the next place,that we may lobe and fear God, and live righteously after his Commandements, that the two firft may be planted in our hearts, the other feen in our Lives and Converfations. We begin with the Heart, for there God begins all his works of Grace; the firft particular Evil thing, which we prayed againft, was blindness of Heart, Sect.II.§.V. and the firft Spiritual particular favour we pray for, is for a Heart endued with the Lobe and the K

Part.I. Dread of God: Yet we would not have our piety end there, but we pray also, that it may appear by our diligent Living after his Commandements, that our obedience may be the evidence, that we do fincerely lobe and dead our Heavenly Father. And verily in vain do we expect to be able or willing to keep Gods holy Commandements, unless our Hearts be firft filled with the Lobe and Dean of his Majefty, because Lobe and Fear are the two grand Inftruments of an uniform Obedience to all the Divine Laws. The Commandements of God are of two kinds, 1.Affirmative, viz.The pofitive precepts of Justice, Piety and Charity. 2. Negative, viz. The prohibitions of Injustice and Impiety, Intemperance and uncharitablenefs. The former Duties cannot be well done, unless we heartily love God: The later Sins will not be carefully avoided, unless we fear him. The Love of God will make us willingly, readily and easily, Ite after his Commandements (p), John i. ep.v.3. and if our hearts be truly affected with this noble Paffion, we fhall never be so pleased, nor fo happy, as when we are doing fome part of the Will of our beloved Lord: Again, the Dead and Fear of God will make us conftantly and refolutely abftain from all thofe things, which he hath forbidden, and for which he would be displeased at us. Prov.xvi.6. and Prov.viii. 13. So that St. Bernard calls Fear the moft vigilant Porter of the Soul, which diligently watcheth that no evil thing do enter, at which our great Mafter might be offended. Nor is this fear any ways inconfiftent with the Love of God: For he is fo very glorious, and fo infinitely above us, that our Love to him is not a faucy Familiarity, but an affection mix*ed with admiration, and all poffible humility, and is like the Love we pay to our Prince, or to our Father,

(P) Solum amor difficultatis nomen erubefcit.Aug.

(q) Nemo meliùs xime veretur offendediligit, quam qui ma

re. Salv.

which is ever accompanied with reverence and a Dead of offending (q): Let us therefore pray moft earneftly, that God would give us Hearts ever difpofed to love and fear him, and then no doubt we shall billigently live after his Commandements, for all our breaches of Gods Law are to be imputed to the want of one, or both of these heavenly Qualities. Our want of Love to God makes us leave undone, what we ought to do: Our want of Fear caufeth us to do those things, which we ought not to do. If our Hearts love any thing more than God, we fin very grievously, fo the covetous man loveth Money; the Epicure pleafure; the proud man applause and honour more than God. If our Hearts fear any thing more than the Divine anger, we also fall into many Iniquities: Some confent to do wickedly, others deny the very Faith,because they fear the anger of men more than the wrath of God; but if we delired his Favour,and dreaded his displeasure above all things, we should overcome almost all Temptations: Thefe very Difpofitions are equivalent to a compleat Piety, for they will make us uniformly religious. An Hypocrite may for a while, and in fome inftances, live according to the Law of God, but they that love him, ch how fincerely and diligently do they feek opportu nities to please him by doing good? How ftudioufly do they avoid all occafions of offending him, and of doing evil? If Sathan draw them to Sin, he must first avert their Love or blind their Fear, or elfe they would never confent unto him: So that if we furvey our own Lives, or the Lives of others, we fhall fee, by the multitude of Iniquities, which all of us do commit, that there is a great want of the Love and Fear of God in all our Hearts: If we confider the Divine goodness,

Part. I. none deferves fo much to be beloved: If his Power and Juftice, none ought fo much to be feared; He is lovely in his Mercy,and most dreadful in his Wrath, and all the World would love and fear him,if they could or would confider, and that would make in all of us a general and happy Reformation: Wherefore in this fo bleffed and fo profitable a Request, We beseech thee,&c.

S.XIV. That it may pleate thee to give to all thy People Encrease of grace, to hear meekly thy word, to receive it with pure affedion, and to bzing forth the fruits of the Spirit:] We beseech thee,

&c.

The former Petition was that we might become good, to which is very fitly fubjoyned this, that we may grow better, for though we have received Grace, if we do not improve it,and encrease in it, we fhall be in danger to be deprived of it again, and the means to make us improve is here expreffed alfo,viz. the right hearing of Gods Holy Word: The Original of which requelt we may deduce from the nobleft fountain, the Scripture it felf, where we find St. Paul very often praying in the fame manner for his Converts, Phil.i.9,10,11. Col. i.9, 10,11. 1 Theß.iii.12. out of which places this Petition

(r) Xxpious ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τοῖς σωςdoors

noww Bixxj sews, κοσι βίο κ πίσεως, nowires arduanas Lit.S. Chryf. pag. 71.

feems to be compofed: For thofe Latin Offices, which I have feen, have nothing that is very like unto it, only in St.Chryfoftom's Liturgy it is defired,That those who pray with us may encrease in boly Life, in Faith and in Spiritual Understanding (r): But ours is larger, and comprehends all Gods people. The former Petition defired we inight become his People, by having his Love and Fear planted in our hearts, this requests,

requests, that when by Grace we are made his, we may demean our felves as his People, growing in Grace,and improving under the means of Grace: Or elfe by Gods People, we may here understand all professed Christians, concerning all whom we do juftly fuppofe, that they have fome Grace: The firft and general Grace of God, which he offers to all men, and gives to all within the Church, this all Chriftians have, because God is wanting to none on his Part, but if we do not improve this firft Grace, it will only leave us more inexcufable. This may fuffice, if we receive it and cultivate it, and God will be ready to make it encrease and grow; what pity is it therefore, that those, who are come fo near to the Kingdom of God, should be excluded from thence, Mark xii.34? We fee men daily come to hear the Word of God read and preached, but we know Paul may plant, and Apollos may water, but God must give the Encreafe, 1 Cor.iii.6. For though the divine Word be moft worthy of belief, yet it doth not profit our fouls without the help of Gods Grace (s), as St. Paul himself affures us, Heb. iv.2. So that we pray, that the People of God, who daily attend on his Ordinances, may have every day new Supplies of heavenly Grace, and then we doubt not, but their hearing will profit them: For if we hear with hearts infpired with fresh additions of divine Grace;

I. We shall hear Gods word meekly. II. Receive it with pare affection.III. We shall being fozth the fruits of the Spirit: Now whofoever thus hears will certainly profit, fo that this being an excellent enumeration of that which is our duty, and which should be our Pray