to wait upon our heavenly Father's order and appoint

ment.

§. VI. GRANTING US IN THIS WORLD KNOWLEDGE OF

THY TRUTH, AND IN THE WORLD TO COME LIFE EVERLAST

ING. AMEN] To know God here by faith, and to behold him hereafter and enjoy him, is the sum of our true happiness. And therefore we need not positively pray for any thing else, but may be so far indifferent as to all other things, as to leave it to our gracious Master to give or deny us those things according as he sees most expedient; provided these two be secured, to know God here, and to enjoy him hereafter. These we must crave however, and desire all other blessings may be subordinate to these, and so given to us, that neither of these be hindered or impaired. Or we may consider, that since Jesus hath promised to hear all these our prayers, we beseech him to confirm his word in granting them, that we may have a further experimental knowledge of the truth of his promises. In this world we need his daily help, and do every day most humbly desire it, and if he please to answer us according to his promise, it will give us such constant and fresh testimonies of his being our true and neverfailing friend, that we shall still trust more strongly in him, and come more cheerfully to him, till at last nothing can separate us from his love. And thus we being daily bound by new experiences of his favour, shall become faithful to the death, and then we cannot fail of the crown of life. And we may enforce all our foregoing petitions by representing to the holy Jesus the great advantages we shall have by his daily fulfilling our desires and petitions; for besides the things we ask for, hereby we shall acquire such confirmation to our faith, and such evidences of his truth, as will secure us in his love while we live in this world, and bring us

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to the fulness of glory and felicity in the world to come; therefore, dear Jesus, hear us and answer us to our endless comfort. Amen. Be it so.

A Paraphrase of the Prayer of St. Chrysostom.

We acknowledge thy goodness, O ALMIGHTY God, who remembering our inability to serve thee HAST GIVEN us that sweet and efficacious assistance of thy GRACE AT THIS TIME, which hath enabled us WITH ONE ACCORD and a fervent devotion TO MAKE OUR addresses to thee with new affections. Even in the presenting these our daily and COMMON SUPPLICATIONS UNTO THEE, we confess thou hast helped us to ask, and therefore hope thou intendest to give, and the rather because thou hast assured us AND DOST PROMISE, THAT WHEN TWO OR THREE, even the smallest number of the faithful, in obedience to thy command, ARE GATHERED TOGETHER to offer up their united prayers to the Father IN THY NAME, they shall find thee present in the midst of them, for THOU WILT GRANT THEIR REQUESTS. Wherefore, since we have called upon thee by thine aid, and are assembled in thy name, FULFIL Now, O Lord, unto us this gracious promise, and mercifully accept THE DESIRES and meditations which have been sent from the hearts, the prayers AND PETITIONS uttered from the mouths OF THY SERVANTS, supplying their wants with the best things, and at the fittest times, AS MAY BE judged by thy infinite wisdom MOST EXPEDIENT FOR THEM. But however thou dealest in all other things, let the interest of our souls be secured both here and hereafter, by thy GRANTING US IN THIS WORLD daily experiments and further KNOWLEDge of thy truTH, in the fulfilling of thy promises and the granting of our prayers; that so we may never forsake thee here, AND IN THE WORLD TO COME Our happiness shall be completed by thy bringing us there to LIFE EVERLASTING, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

An Appendix of the final Blessing, taken out of 2 Cor. xiii. ult.

§. VII. THE GRACE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, AND THE LOVE OF GOD, AND THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLY GHOST, BE WITH US ALL EVERMORE. AMEN] In all religious assemblies it hath been the custom to dismiss the

people with a blessing, which was wont to be pronounced by the principal person present, sometimes by the king, but most commonly by the priests", whose office was to bless in the name of the Lord. And therefore under the law there was a particular form of benediction, which the Jews to this day observe so religiously, that they believe it ought to be repeated in the holy tongues, and to be received by the people with all reverence, bowing their heads and prostrating their bodies; so that no man may presume to look upon the priests' hands when they are stretched out to give it, because, they say, the glory of God rests then upon them. And in the Christian church also they ever concluded with a blessing, (it is likely the same we now use, being indited by the Holy Spirit, and used by St. Paul in the close of his Epistle to the Corinthians,) concerning which it was ordered, "that the assembly should bow their heads when it was pronounced t." And it was decreed by a council, "that none might depart out of the church till it was given." But to give a greater strength to these orders, let us consider the excellency of this divine blessing, and sure its own perfections will oblige us to stay for it, and engage us to receive it with all devotion and reverence. The legal benediction was no more but a wish for temporal felicity; but this contains the whole order of our salvation, and brings in the glorious Trinity with the several gifts of each Person to make us completely happy. The Father indeed is first in order, but we begin with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is, the benefits pur

55.

P Heb. vii. 7.

t Κλινόντων αὐτῶν τὰς κεφαλὰς

4 2 Sam. vi. 18. 1 Kings viii. evλoyeírw avtoùs éπiσкOTOS. Clem.

r Num. vi. 23, 24, &c.

S

Constit. Ante benedictionem sacerdotis, egredi populus non præsumat. Concil. Agath. Can.

Fagius in Num. vi. Buxtorf. Synag. cap. xiv. See Nehem. 31.

viii. 6.

chased by his passion; because he is the first mover in our acceptance, and obtains both the love of God the Father, and the communication of the Holy Ghost. What can the pious soul ask or desire which is not comprehended in this blessing? Here is the grace of the Son to pardon our sin, the love of the Father to supply our wants, the fellowship of the blessed Spirit to strengthen our weakness. The first to redeem us, the second to preserve us, the third to sanctify us: and all these not only at this present, but to be confirmed to us, and remain with us, even when we are gone from the holy place, in life and death, and for ever. Nor are these only desired, but they are pronounced over us by the ambassador of God, whom he hath sent to bless in his name. And this minister of heaven being cheered with observing our devotion, doth from his soul wish, and ministerially (as far as in him lies) dispense, these unspeakable blessings to us. And what he doth on earth shall be ratified in heaven to every truly holy man. O let us bow our heads and open our hearts to receive this universal blessing as from God himself, and depart from the holy place full of comfort and joy, that we have such a preservative against all evil, and such a guide and encouragement to all good, even the blessing of God to be with us and remain upon us for ever: and to this let all the people say, Amen.

The Blessing paraphrased.

Let THE GRACE purchased for us by the death of our Lord JESUS CHRIST procure our absolution, AND THE LOVE OF GOD the Father seal our justification, AND THE FELLOWSHIP and communication of the graces OF THE HOLY GHOST perfect our sanctification. And let all these at present BE WITH US, and rest upon us ALL EVERMORE. AMEN.

THE END OF VOL. I.