as well for the unloofing of these bonds, as for the cerfation of the ftripes. Now as Chains are used either to bind flaves to their duty, or to keep Prifoners till their Execution, in both thefe Senfes we are bound with the Chain of our Sins.

I. The power of Sin, when it gets the Dominion over us, binds us to its service, 2 Pet.ii.19. it puts manacles on our hands,that we cannot do God's will,and fettefs on our feet to hinder us from walking in his ways, and with a strange violence almoft compels us to do evil. Of which the devout St. Augustine moft paffionately complains; I groaned (faith he) after liberty being bound, not with any other Iron than my own Iron will, for the Enemy had bold of my Will, and made with it a Chain to bind me, for alas from a perverfe will I began to luft, and while I ferved that Luft, I fell into an evil Custom, and while I did not refift the Custom,it became a neceffity, with which links folded in one another (in manner of a Chain) I was held bound in cruel flavery. Aug. confeff.lib.8.cap.5. And would to God all that feel the like violent inclinations would confefs it as freely, and lament it as heartily as that holy man did,and then they fhould be freed as he was.

II. The Guilt of Sin binds us alfo, it makes us Prifo ners to the divine Juftice, and by invifible chains, called therefore Chains of Darknefs, Jude ver. 6. holds the finner, that he cannot fly temporal Judgments, nor yet escape eternal Damnation, if these bonds be not unloofed, before he be fummoned to Judgment. Let us therefore not only weep for our outward Miseries, but reflect upon the fad Eftate of our Souls,how they are enflaved to the power, and condemned by the guilt of fin,and then let us cry mightily to our Judge to bring us out of Darknefs, and the shadow of Death,and to break our bonds in funder, Pfal.cvii.14. His Grace can unbind our hands

and

and feet, and free us from all our evil Inclinations and Customs, and his Mercy can forgive us and acquit us from the bonds of death. He is able to free us from this Chain; and though we cannot deserve any such favour, because we were voluntarily bound by the power of fin, and justly chained by the guilt thereof; yet we know our Lord Jefus intercedes for our enlargement, and therefore we pray to God to grant it for his Honour, though not for our merits;fince the deliverance of fuch wretched ilaves and malefactors as we have been, will not be so much the Testimony of our own Innocence, as the glory of our Judge in fhewing Mercy, and the Honour of our Advocate in pleading for, and prevailing in behalf of, fuch miferable finners as we are.

The Paraphrafe of the Collect for Pardon.

God, whole] very nature] and infeparable [pioL perty] it was always,and [ts eber, to have mercy] on the miferable, [and to forgive] penitent and returning finners, We are very penitent and moft grievously af flicted; wherefore do thou [receive] and answer these Lour humble Petitions] which we have made for pity, and are now making for Pardon. [nd_though we poor wretches muft confefs our felves to [be tyed] as flaves, [and bound] as the condemned are with the ́Chain of our Sins,] fo that we cannot refift the power, nor avoid the punishment of them: [et] we beseech thee [let the pitifulness] of thy nature, and the noblenefs of thy great mercy,] which have delivered many others,[locfe us] alfo, and fet us free from the bondage of corruption,and the vengeance due to it: And though we have nothing to deferve this favour, we pray thee to grant it for the honour of our eptatoz, who intercedes for our freedom, [and] of our [Advocate] that pleads our Caufe, that it may be feen thou wilt deny nothing to thy dear Son,elas Chzift our Lozd, to whom fhall be the glory of this deliverance,[Amen.] SECT,

SECTION XI

Of Thanksgivings in general.

S.I.WE were admonished in the first Exhortation

before the general Confeffion, that one main

end of our affembling in the House of God was [to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands:] and though we have done this in the Hallelujah, the Gloria Patri, the daily Pfalms and Hymns, yet because some diffenters did object, that we did not praise God by fo particular Forms as was convenient on fome occafions; Therefore there were added particular Thanskgivings upon a deliverance from drought or deluge, from Famine, War, or Peftilence in the time of K. James; and to give more fatisfaction ftill, and oblige the Complainants by removing all shadows of defect from our compleat Liturgy, there was one general Thanksgiving added upon the laft review fince his Majefties happy reftauration: And now doubtlefs our Offices do excel all the Liturgies of either the Eastern or Western Church in this kind,among all which I have not met with any so immediate Forms of praise, and yet without queftion they are a very neceffary and ufeful part of divine Service, and we are obliged to that queruloufnefs, which was the firft occafion of them. Our care now muft be, that as they are judicioufly compofed, fo they may be devoutly recited: to which end we will here premise fomething of the Duty of Thanksgiving in general, which may have influence upon our affections, when any of the following Forms are to be used.

5.II.PRaife is fo effential a part of the worship of

(a) xasisnged, erunt quibus pro certis beneficiis aut malo averfo, aut bono accepto, animum pium gratum oftendere wolne. Saubert. de Sacrific.cap.2.

God; that we may juftly account it a piece of natural Religion, fince this is always one part of that worship', which all the Nations in the World do give unto their Deities. The Gentile Priests did every day fing Hymns unto their several Gods, and the people came frequently to their Temples to offer Sacrifices of Thanksgiving (a), and to pay their Vows, when any bleffing had been bestowed on them, as might be fhewed by innumerable Teftimonies. The worfhip of the Jews confifted chiefly in Peace-offerings and Praises, having the Pfalms, which they call the Book of Praises for their Forms, and the Sons of A faph with all forts of Mufick in their Choire, to give thanks unto the most high, 1 Chron.xxv. And befides they had fomething, which anfwers to this general Thanksgiving, for Philo affirmeth, that their High Priest was wont to blefs God in behalf of all mankind, and to praise him for all parts of the Universe, for the Earth, and Water, Air and Fire, looking upon the whole World as his Country.Philo de Monar.l.2. And the primitive Chriftians, befides thofe hymns and acknowledgments wherewith their Devotions do abound, did daily make a real oblation of Eucharift, in the receiving the Holy Sacrament, which they used as a Sacrifice of Praise, and were wont at the holy Altar (where they beheld these Symbols) to commemorate and give thanks for all the Divine mercies; which bleffed Cuftom had it been continued, would have left no room for any Objections about the omiffion of Thanksgivings, but fince we do not now daily praise God in the fame place with

those

those first Christians, viz. at the Altar,yet let us ftrive to do it with the fame affections, and before we begin the duty, let us confider,

(b) Plurima maxima beneficia in nos Deus confert fine fpe recipiendi, quoni

am nec ille collato e

S.III. I. That it is moft rational and juft ; for we are poor, frail,indigent and helplefs Creatures, we are nothing but what he hath made us,we have nothing but what he hath given us, and we do intirely depend upon the divine bounty every moment, so that if he should but withold his hand, we fhould immediately be undone, whence the Communion-Office infers, that It is very meet, right and our bounden duty at all times,and in all places, to give thanks unto the Loza our God; for this is all that we can give, and though it be a small matter in refpect of our infinite Obligations, yet this is well accepted by him, who needs nothing (b). And oh how monstrous ingratitude were it to deny him this? Give unto the Lord, faith David, the bonour due unto his Name. Pfal.xxix. 2. Intimating it is no arbitrary or voluntary act, but the payment of a juft Debt; and indeed for this very end we were created, that we might praise God, he gave us Eyes to fee, and Reafon to apprehend his wondrous Works, and Tongues to publish the glory of him that made them all; which if we fhall neglect we do not answer the end of our Creation,and by witholding this fo deferved a Tribute, we deveft our felves of all right to any of God's gifts,and are but Thieves and Robbers, if we ufe them and do not pay him our juft Acknowledgments. The bleffings, which he beftows on us were not due to us, nor yet deferved by us; but the praise is molt due to him for them,and thall we be fo bafe to requite him that gives

get, ne nos ei quidquam conferre poffu mus. Sen.de benef. 1. 4.cap. 9.