ans,] or are accounted fo by others may be led] by this divine Spirit [into the way of Truth,] and kept from all Herefy,and when they have once embraced, let them retain, and hold the Fatth] together with Charity and a good Confcience: So that they may all happily dwell together [in unity of Sptrit,] and with unanimous affections [in the bond of Peace] without difcord or contentions, [and in righteoufnefs of Life,] and religious Converfation, to thy Glory, the honour of Chrifianity,and their own eternal benefit.

Finally, being by our frailty and our fins liable to all Calamities, we commend] moft heartily to thy fatherly care and infinite goodness] the miferies and deplorable condition of all thole] wretched Creatures throughout the whole world, Ethat are any ways afflected by thy immediate hand, [02 Diftreffed] by evil men; whatever their Sufferings be, thofe that have any grief or trouble [in mind,] any fickness or pain in their Ebony, pg] that fuffer any wrong or want in their outward [ate,] many of which are known to us, and remembred by us;[Efpecially N.and M.our Neighbours, being [thofe for whom] this day [our Prayers are] most exprefly [defired,] whom we therefore particularly commend to thy Mercy.] Defiring for them all, [that it may pleafe thee, O Father of Mercies, and God of all comforts [to comfort] thofe in trouble of mind, [an relieve them] who fuffer in body or eftate. Send to every one according to their feveral neceflities] which are all known to thee,a fuitable remedy: And be merciful to them all [giving them Patience] to endure meekly and conftantly, while thou permitteft them to lye Lunder their sufferings] how great foever they be. [b] when they are humbled and reformed by them, grant them both a speedy and [a happy lue,] and deliverance [out of all their afflictions,]that they may

end

end in their temporal Profperity, or their everlasting Salvation: [and thts] for the afflicted with all the former Petitions, we beg] humbly at thy hands,not for any merit in us, but [foz Jefus Chrift his fake,] by whom, Good Lord, do thou fay to our Requests. [men.]

SECTION X.

Of the Collect for Pardon.

S.L. His little Collect is an Appendix of the Litanies of the Western Church, and retaineth the marks of primitive Devotion, and being a brief, but proper Petition for Pardon,it may very well be joyned with any of the former Prayers, which are to deprecate Famine, Plague or War,that Sin,which is the caufe of all those Evils,being removed, thofe Judgments may be avert ed alfo And befides fome devout Chriftians, who use the Common-Prayer in private, as their daily Service of God, do use this Form instead of the Abfolution, which no ordinary Perfon may pronounce, nor can any properly use it to himself, but they may petition for forgiveness in this Form, whofe Method we fhall now fet forth for the affiftance of all that would use it upon either of the former Accounts.

S.II. This Collect hath three Parts.

for the honour of

3. The Motive used to enforce) Jefus Chrift our

them.

Mediator and

bocate, men.

A Practical Difcourfe on this Collect.

S.III. God, whole nature and property is ever to habe mercy,and to forgive,receive our hum

ble Petitions.]

When we have made our Supplications in the Litany, or any of the occafional Prayers for the removing of God's Judgments, there are two things which we all ought to defire. First,that thofe Petitions may be heard, which we make in our great neceffity. Secondly, that thofe Sins which have brought all Calamities upon us may be forgiven, and both thefe are contained in this little Collect, being ufhered in with a moft comfortable commemoration, that he whom we ask of is a God whofe very nature is Compaffion, and whofe fole property it is to forgive.To the Lord our God belong Mercies and forgiveness, Dan,ix.9. and his mercy endureth for ever,Pfal.cxxxvi.1. his compassions fail not, Lament.iii.22. And it is one of his Attributes, that be forgivetb iniquity, tranfgreffion and fin, Exod. xxxiv.6. If Man forgive, it is only by Commiffion from God, and on Conditions which he fhall allow of and Man's Abfolution is in vain, unlefs it be confirmed by him, becaufe none can forgive fins properly, but God only, Mark ii.7. And it is certain, he is as ready to forgive as he is able, and rejoyces upon the return of a Sinner, because he hath an opportunity to grant a Pardon. have fuch a God, let

us

(u) Domini enim fecuritas valet etiamfi valet fi ille noluerit. nolim, mea però nihil Aug home 11.t. 10.96.

Now then fince we not be dejected, or

Ee 4

despair

despair in our Calamities, but pray heartily to him,and comfort our felves when we confider into whose bosom we pour our complaints, and to whom we have made our moan, even to a God who is all mercy, and ever fhews mercy, when he acts fpontaneoufly, for when he takes Vengeance, we force him to it; Let us therefore again defire this moft compaffionate Father to pity us, and rece the our humble Petitions, we have not mur. mured at his dealings, nor accufed his Providence,but in all humility upon our knees begged for relief, and it is not likely fo humble a fuit, prefented by fo many miferable Petitioners, can be rejected by fo merciful a God.

S.IV.

though we be tyed and bound with the chains of our Sins, let the pittfalnels of the great Mercy loofe us, foz the honour of our eDiatoz and Abbecate Jelas Chait our Lozd. Amen.]

The only caufe of fear we can have left our Prayers be denyed, is because we are inners; but we have al ready declared, it is the property of God to forgive, fo that (if we are fenfible of our fins) we must apply our felves to him for the remiffion of them, and if we can obtain that, then both our Petitions fhall be granted, and our miferies removed, to which purpose here is firft an humble Confeffion of our Sinfulness in an elegant Metaphor,comparing our Sins to Bonds and Chains, and our felves to flaves or condemned Perfons bound with them, a comparison frequent as well in Scripture, Aus viii.23. Ifai.lviii.6. as in antient Authors; and whereas we are always in our affliction complaining of the fe verity of our Punishment, this Metaphor doth admo nish us, that though affliction be the Rod, yet Sin is the Chain that binds us to the block; fo that we must pray

as