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wicked in our Lives; yet let us now at last heartily repent of it. And with Prayers and Tears, and the moft folemn Refolutions of Amendment, proftrate our-felves before the Throne of Grace; imploring and befeeching God's Pardon and Forgivenefs, and, if it be poffible, a lengthning of our Tranquility.

O let us not refufe this Opportunity of doing the greatest Kindness, and the best Service to our Country, that we poffibly can. And therefore let us not only heartily bewail our own Sins, but the reigning Impieties and Wickednefs that our Nation ftands accountable for.

Now is the Time, if ever, that we are all concerned to be importunate with God for our Selves and our Country

And a fitter Prayer for this Purpose cannot be composed for us, than that which Daniel put up to God for his Nation, and that at fuch a folemn Time as this, when, as he tells us, he had fet himself to feek God for his People, by Prayer and Supplication, with Eafting, and Sackcloth and Afbes.

The Prayer is in the Ninth Chapter of his Prophecy; and I shall conclude with it, and I carneftly beg of you all to join with me in it.

O Lord the great and dreadful God, that keepeft the Covenant, and fheweft Mercy to them that love thee, and to them that keep thy Commandments;

We have finned and done wickedly, and have committed Iniquity and have rebelled; even by depart ing from thy Precepts, and from thy Judgments.

SA

O Lord, Righteoufneß belongeth unto thee; but unto us Confufion of Face, as at this Day; to the Men of Judah, and the Inhabitants of Jerufalem, because we have finned against thee.

But unto the Lord our God belongeth Mercy and Forgiveneß, though we have rebelled against him. neither have we obeyed the Voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his Laws which he fet before us.

O Lord, according to all thy Righteousneß, we beseech thee, let thy Anger and thy Fury be turned away from thy City Jerufalem, thy holy Mountain: Becaafe for our Sins, and the Iniquities of our Fathers, Jerufalem and thy People are become a Reproach to all that are about us.

Now therefore, O God, hear the Prayer of thy Servants, and cause thy Face to shine upon thy Sanctuary.

O God, incline thine Ear and hear: Open thine Eyes and behold the City which is called by thy Name. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do. Defer not for thine own fake, O our God: For thy City, and thy People, are called by thy Name.

And whilft Daniel was thus praying and confeffing his Sins, and the Sins of his People unto the Lord, and fupplicating for his City Ferufalem; Behold the Angel Gabriel was fent unto him from the Lord, with the glad Ti dings, that God had heard his Prayer for Jerufalem, and that it should be Built, and the Lord would dwell in it.

O may we all thus Faft and Pray, as Daniel did, and may God Almighty give us fuch a Return of our Prayers; Amen, O God, for Jefus Chrift his fake: To whom, &c.

SER

SERMON IX

PREACHED AT

St. GILES's in the Fields,

On the 28th of JUNE, 1691.

PHIL. iv. 8.

Finally, Brethren, whatfoever Things are True, whatsoever Things are Honeft, whatfoever Things are Juft, whatsoever Things are Pure, whatfoever Things are Lovely, whatsoever Things are of good Report; if there be any Vertue, and if there be any Praife, think on thefe Things.

Have, the Two laft Lord's Days, made it my Business to treat of this Text in a Way that I thought did moft tend to the informing your Judgments and to that Purpose, I have raised several Obfervations, and drawn feveral Inferences from it.

I mean now to treat of it in another way, and apply myself wholly, to the preffing you, to the Practice of it.

And, indeed, the Nature of the Sermon I am to make, doth call for this from me. For I am now to take my Leave of you; this being the laft Time in all Probability, that I fhall Preach among you as your Minister:

And

And therefore, I fuppofe, good Advice and Exhortation, will more become me, at this Time, than a close Discourse upon a Text.

And yet, my Text doth afford Matter enough, without ftraining it, for fuch a Purpofe: Nor, indeed, do I know a Text in the Bible, that I conld more willingly pitch upon to leave with you, as the laft Advice I would give you, and as the Sum and Conclufion of my Preaching among you; than these Words of St. Paul I have now read to you.

Let me, therefore, at this Time, Address my felf to you all, as the Apostle here did at the Conclufion of his Epiftle to the Philippians, Finally, Brethren, whatsoever Things are true, &c.

Here are a many great Things recommended by the Apostle to our Thoughts and Purfuit. If we would make a Diftribution of them, I believe they will all naturally enough fall under thefe Four Heads. For the Things here recommended, are not fo many as the Words by which they are expreffed, there being several Words used in this Enumeration, that are of the fame Importance, and feem to express much the fame thing.

.

The Four Heads I would reduce them to, are these :

I. A conftant Adherence to the true Religion.
II. Honesty and Justice in our Dealings.
III. A Life of Strict Purity, in Oppofition to
Senfuality and Lewdness.

IV. The adorning the Doctrine of God we do
profeß, by the constant Practice of every other
Thing that is Vertuous or Commendable, or well
thought of by Mankind.
This,

This, as I take it, is a fair Account of the Parts of this Text; and these I fhall make the Heads of my following Exhortation.

I begin with the Firft. Finally, my Brethren, what foever Things are True, think on thofe Things.

The Truths that St. Paul here exhorts them to think on, are undoubtedly the Truths of the Gofpel of Jefus Chrift, which he had delivered to them. These he would have them to think upon, and persist in, and never to be prevailed upon by any Temptation to depart from them.

Let me now apply this Advice of his to you. It is the particular Bleffing of God to this Kingdom, and an ineftimable Bleffing it is, that he has not only vouchfafed us the Light of his Gospel for many Years, but he has also taken Care, that the Truths of it fhould be delivered to us with greater Purity and Sincerity, and freer from the Mixtures of Error, than to moft, I was going to say than to any other, People in the World.

If it lay in your way to make Observations concerning the State of Religion in other Countries; Nay, or but to read the Accounts that are given of it; I am fure you would be convinced how exceedingly happy we of this Church are, above all the Churches in Chriftendom.

Q therefore, let us all firmly adhere to the Truths we have been taught; to the Truths we have hitherto made Profeffion of: And let us firmly adhere to that Church which hath held forth these Truths to us, and Taught us this Profeffion.

We

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