While our Intention is pure, the other Errors we commit can be but Sins of Weakness or Ignorance; and can never involve us in the grofs Errors of Hypocrify and Infincerity.

And while our Intention is pure, whatever be our Fortune in this World, we are fure of the Favour of God, and of his Approbation in the World to come; which is infinitely beyond all the Riches and Honour that can poffibly be got by Hypocrify and Diffimulation.

Now God give us all Grace to live so now, as we fhall with we had lived in the great Day, when God fhall judge the Secrets of Men by Jefus Chrift.

To him with the Father and the Holy Ghoft be all Praife, Honour and Glory for over and ever. Amen.

SER M.

SERMON IV.

MATT. VI. 5.

And when thou prayeft, thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are: For they love to pray standing in the Synagogues, and in the Corners of the Streets, that they may be feen of Men. Verily, I fay unto you, they have their Reward. Ver. 6. But thou, when thou prayeft, enter into thy Closet, and when thou hast shut thy Door, pray to thy Father which is in fecret, and thy Father which feeth in fecret, shall reward thee openly.

I

The First Sermon on this Text.

N thefe Words our Saviour goes on in guard

ing his Disciples against the Hypocrify of the Scribes and Pharifees, which was a very great Blemish in all their Religious Duties: And in teaching them to go about all Duty with a more pure and fingle Eye to God; and with a prospect of Reward from him, without any Mixture of By-ends of Pride or worldly Interest. In the foregoing Words he had taught this in the Duty of Alms-giving and now he goes on in the very fame Manner to correct the Hypocrify of their

Prayers

Prayers and Devotions, and to furnish his Difciples with better Inftructions on that Subject. In the Words we have

I. A Caution against an hypocritical Way of Devotion; in the fifth Verfe. And when thou prayeft, thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are: for they love to pray tanding in the Synagogues, and in the Corners of the Streets, that they may be feen of Men. Verily, I fay unto you, they have their Reward.

II. A Direction to the oppofite Sincerity and Secrecy; in the fixth Verfe. But thou, when thou prayeft, enter into thy Closet, and when thou haft but thy Door, pray to thy Father which is in fecret; and thy Father which feeth in fecret, shall reward thee openly.

But before I fpeak to either of these, it may not be improper to take notice of one Thing here fuppofed, in which both Jews and Chriftians, both Chrift and the Scribes and Pharifees are agreed; and that is, that Prayer is a very commendable Duty. It is a Duty of natural Religion, in which all are agreed; and it neceffarily follows from the Belief of God's Providence and Infpection into human Affairs, his Love to his poor Creatures, and Readiness to help them, and our own great Weakness and Indigency. This is for well known, that all who have ever pretended to any Degrees of Sanctity beyond their Neighbours, have used this as a. fpecial Means to establish that Character in the World; even to make the World believe that they were very affiduous in their Application to God, and in receiving the due Returns of Prayer from him. For they knew that there is nothing doth more eftablish their Character

of

of Piety, than the Belief of these frequent Intercourses with the Deity. So it is ftoried of Numa Pompilius, that famous Roman Law-giver; that' towards procuring greater Credit to his Laws, he made them believe that he had frequent Night Meetings with a certain Goddess, Egeria, in great request among them. This Opinion perhaps, as a great many others, might originally be owing to the Jews, whofe Law-giver Mofes was fourty Days in the Mount with God, when he received those divine Dictates of Laws, which he presently delivered to that People. This as it gave a mighty Authority to his Laws, fo it animated them couragioufly to go about every other Thing by his Direction, in confidence of the divine Aid to one that was fo much, and fo' powerfully converfant with God by Prayer. They found by Experience that their Succeffes againft their Enemies were more owing to the lifting up of Mofes's Hands in Prayer, than to the lifting up of their own Sword in Battle. Our Saviour zealously encouraged this Practice by his own Example; for there was nothing more common with him than to withdraw himself both from the Multitude and his Disciples, that he might converse with better Company than was to be found upon Earth, even with his heavenly Father. But we Chriftians have very particular Obligations to this Duty of Prayer beyond all others, in regard that we know of fo powerful an Interceffor and Advocate at the Father's right Hand, that our Requests for good Things being recommended by him, cannot well miscarry, except by neglecting our Applications to him. It is no wonder then that the Scribes and Pharifees, the great Pretenders to Religion

.

in those Days, were particularly admired for their Addictedness to this excellent Duty of Prayer. And certainly it was a Thing highly commendable, had they fet about it from a right Principle, and to a right End. but they fo perverted the Use of this excellent Duty, that instead of being an Instrument of Religion and Devotion, it became a great Means to feed their Pride and Vanity. Againft which our Saviour found it neceffary to guard his Difciples. And this leads me to the first Thing I obferved in the Words. Namely,

I. Our Saviour's Caution against their hypocritical way of Devotion. And when thou prayeft, thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are: for they love to pray ftanding in the Synagogues, and in the Corners of the Streets, that they may be feen of Men. Verily, I fay unto you they have their Reward. In which Words we may obferve

1. A Description of one Piece of Hypocrify; namely, an Oftentation of Devotion; for there are certain Hypocrites defcribed here, Who love to pray ftanding in the Synagogues and in the Corners of the Streets, that they may be feen of Men.

2. A Dehortation from this Practice; When thou prayeft, thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are.

As to the first, the Description here given of Hypocrify in Devotion, we are to confider these two Things. 1. What it is these Hypocrites are faid to do. They love, i. e. they affect to pray Standing in the Synagogues, and in the Corners of the Streets, that is, in Places of greatest Confluence or Resort. 2. The Aim and View they had in all this; which was, not that they might approve themselves to God; but that they might gain the Reputation