ternity, this is the Prayer of every good and every confidering man, and if the Lord grant it we have but one request more, which is:

IV. the day of Judgment: This Confequence is inevitable, and made by the Decree of Heaven, Heb. ix.27. it is here placed laft, because it is the last time, that a man can be capable of Deliverance, if we be not delivered then, we are left eternally to perith. It is ingeniously obferved by Philo, That foolish men do think, when they are once dead, all their mifery is ended (s); but in God's account it doth but just then begin: For all our other terrors are no thing to that dreadful day, plague, peftilence and famine,thunder,lightning and tempeft,all united, are not fo terrible as this one general CataStrophe. When the Sun fhall be

turned into darkness,and the Moon into blood; when all faces fhall become black and ghaftly, and all hearts shall fail for fear; when we shall fee the amazing fplendor of the Judge above us, and the whole world in flames round about us, when we shall behold the dreadful mouth of the bottomless Pit beneath us; on our right hand the Devils to accufe us on our left those we have injured to complain against us, within us our own Conscience ready to bear witness to all the accufations: Who can imagine the Confufion and Terror, the Shrieks and Cries, that fhall every where be seen and heard then, and not fhrinke with the very apprehenfion It is faid, that a devout Monk did convert a Pagan Bulgarian Prince from infidelity and great impiety, by prefenting him with a lively Picture of this dreadful day; the Terror whereof I hope will make us moft heartily pray to be delive

red

*In die judicii. Libera nos. Miff. Sar. na drogian

- κ καλὴν ἀπολογίαν τὴν ἐπὶ τὰ φοβερό βήμα τον παρὰ τῇ κυρίας

an• Meda Chor, llapisy xúpes Lit.Chrys,& S.Jac,

red then,fo pray all Chriftians*, for a fair Acquittance at that terrible Tribunal: Let us when we anfwer to this Petition fancy our felves standing naked before our glorious Judge,and confider how vain it will be for us to cry Good Lord deliver us then: Alafs if we do not prevail now, while it is the time of Mercy,it will be to no purpose to cry then, when it is too late and our doom will be irreverfible,and therefore when we think hereof,let us beg this higheft and greatcft,this last and best deliverance with a futable Devotion: And oh how bleffed will it be in the midst of all the terrors of that dismal day, to hear the sweet and lovely voice of our Redeemer faying to us,Come ye bleẞed of my Father,&c.Think what joy it will be to you then for him to own you,to acquit you, yea to take you into his Glories, while the wicked are leftto their horror and endless perdition; meditate but of this a while,and it will revive your fervency, and make you feal this last Deprecation with a most hearty Good Lord deliver us. Amen.

SECTION III.
Of the Interceffions.

S.I.TF the inftitution of God be required to make this Part of Litany facred, we have his poli

tive Command, 1 Tim.ii. 1. to make Interceffions for all men; if the confent of the Univerfal Church may add any thing to it's eftimation, we do affirm that this kind of praying,is ufed by all the Liturgies in the world, and we will demonftrate in the following Difcourfe,that every one of thefe Petitions are extracted out of the beft, and the oldeft Forms: If an admirable method will recommend thefe Interceffions, the Analysis will fhew, that H

never any thing was contrived into a more exact Order, which is fo curious,and fo natural, that every degree of men follow in their due place,and fo comprehenfive,that we cannot think of any forts of Perfons in the world (whom we could wish to pray for) but here they are enumerated. The Prayers of many pretenders to the fpirit in these days are usually most large in requests for themselves,but those that were endited by the Spirit of primitiveChriftianity,breath nothing else but the heighth of Charity,they did flow from larger Souls, and were infpired with an univerfal goodness, for they interceded for all the world, and scarce asked any bleffings, but what they defired all Mankind fhould fhare in: So that these Interccifions do bear the lively imprefs of the first and best ages, and he that doth not admire them is a ftranger to the Devotion of the pureft times.Let us therefore take heed, that our defires and fears do not both cease together,and that our fervency do not decline, when the former dreadful evils are paft, for he that only prays earnestly to be deli vered from evil,may love himself,but gives no Teftimo ny of his Charity to his Neighbour,nor of his being like to God, who loveth all Mankind: An Hypocrite may paffionately cry for deliverance when the Evils terrify him; but none can heartily pray for all men, but they whose Souls are free from all evil Paffions, from enby, hatred and malice, and all uncharitableness,and the Prayers of fuch are very acceptable unto God. The folemn word for this part in the Greek Church is Aindwww [We beseech] and in the Latin [te rogamus,&c.]to which we have only added [Good Lord]: And this,We beseech thee to hear us Good Lord,is to be repeated by all the Congregation, who do declare they have joyned with the Minifter in praying for all that are enumerated in the Petition,and then with an united force all together,do beg of God to hear them: Now what the particulars defired are, the following Analy's will fhew.

A

98

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