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The First Day of Lent, commonly called, AfhWednesday.

Wifd. xi. 23, 24.

ExR. XVIII. 30.
Exod. xxxiv. 7.
Pfal. li. 10, 17.
Luke xxiv. 47.

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The COLLECT.

Lmighty and everlasting God, who hateft nothing that thou haft made, and doft forgive the Sins of all them that are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our fins, and acknowledging our wretchednefs, may obtain of thee the God of all mercy, perfect remiflion and forgiveness, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PARAPHRASE."

12. God ftill invites you to return to him, but then this must be done with fincere Re

12.

For the EPISTLE.

T

Joel ii. 12.

Urn ye even to me, faith the Lord, with all your heart, and with fafting, and with weeping, and with mourning.

pentance, with all the marks of Sorrow for your Sins, Abftinence, and Tears, and bewailings of your Wickedness can give.

13. But reft not in thofe outward Teftimonies, it is the grief of your Hearts that God requires. For which ye

13. And rent your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God, for be is gracious and merciful, flow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentetb him of the evil.

have this encouragement, that He is ready to do good, tender and affe→ ctionate, not eafily provoked; and when he is fo, capable of being appeafed, and prevailed upon not to execute the vengeance he hath threatned.

14. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blejing behind him, even a meat-c t-offering, and a drink-offering unto the Lordy your God?

14. Perhaps it may not yet be too late, but he may ftill be entreated, not to destroy utterly, but mitigate at leaft our Punishment.

15. In order hereun

15. Blow the trumpet in Zion, fanctify a fast, call a

to, let your Humilia- folemn affembly.
tions be folemn and
publick, like those in
ticus xvi. I.)

16. Let all Ages and Conditions of People joyn in them, and no figns of Joy appear among you..

the Day of Atonement. (Numbers x. Levi

16. Gather the people: fanctify the congregation: af femble the elders; gather the children, and those that fuck the breafts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

17. Let

17. Let the priests, the minifters of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar; and let them fay, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine beritage to reproach, that the Heathen should rule over them. Wherefore fhould they fay among the people, Where is their God?

17. Let the Priests intercede for the People in the Holy place, and humbly befeech God, that he will not give up his own Inheritance to

the mercy of Idolaters and Enemies, but, for the fake of his own Honour, prevent thofe impious Reflections, which their Infolence will be apt to make on such an occafion, as if he had not Power to protect and defend them. (Deut. ix. 28. Pfal. lxxix. 8, 9, 10.)

Afh-Wednesday; Or, The First Day of Lent.'

16.

The GOSPEL.

St. Matth vi. 16.

PARAPHRASE.

16. Let not your faftings be formal and Vain

HEN ye faft, be not as hypocrites, of a
fad countenance: for they disfigure their
faces, that they may appear unto men to glorious, like thofe dif-

faft. Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.

femblers, who upon fuch occafions, either cover

their Faces with a Veil, or by Melancholy Looks and Geftures, draw the obfervation of others. Thefe Fafters have no farther recompence to expect.

17. But thou, when thou fafleft, anoint thine bead, and wash thy face.

17. Do not thou therefore, when humbling thy felf thus for thy

Sins, forbear thy Ornaments, ufual upon common Days

18. That thou appear not unto men to faft, but unto thy father which is in fecret: and thy father which feeth in fecret fhall reward thee openly.

18. Not at all follici tous, whether Men take notice of thy Fafts or not; but careful to remost retired Devotions;

commend thy felf to God, who is privy to thy and fhall make thy Reward publick for thofe good actions, which thou haft kept fecret.

19. Lay not up for your felves treasures upon earth, where moth and ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and fleal.

19. Let it not be thy bufinefs to heap up Treasures in this World, for all fuch are

liable to decay, and may be taken from thee.

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20. But by Acts of Mercy and Piety, (at the Times of Fafting efpecially) lay up Treafures in Heaven, which thee.

21. This is necessary to draw off thy Affe&ions from this World.

20. But lay up for your felves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor ruft doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor fleal.

can neither be spoiled, nor perish, nor be taken from

21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be alo.

For wherever that is which thou valueft moft, there thy Defires and Mind will likewife center; In earthly Things, if thofe, upon heavenly, if these, be the Treasure thou efteemeft, and preferreft in thy Choice.

T'

COMMENT.

HIS is the Day, that enters us into that Seafor of Devotion and Humiliation, fo folemnly obferved, in the former and purer Ages of the Chriftian Church. A Seafon of more than ordinary Inftruction heretofore, for informing new Converts in the Principles of Religion; that fo they might come throughly qualified at Eafter, to enter into Covenant with God by Baptifm. A Seafon of Penance and ftrict Difclpline; for putting Them to publick Shame, whose open and notorious Breaches of that Covenant had given publick Scandal. And a Seafon of Recollection and Repentance to All; Who, though they had not reflected fuch Difhonour upon their Holy Profeffion, yet, by examining the State of their own Souls, would find occafion more than enough, for the Aufterities ufual at this Time: to humble themselves for their Sins, to fubdue the Flesh and its Appetites, to crucify themfelves to the World and its Pleasures, to abstract and exalt their Affections, and thus, in a Spiritual Senfe, to die and rife again with their Saviour and Lord. The commemorating whofe Death and Refurrection, this Season, and fuch religious Obfervance of it, were very reasonably esteem'd a fit Preparation for, and Introduction to.

The

The Coming in of the World into the Faith, and the charitable Care of admitting to Baptifm Children of Believers early, and of adminiftring that Sacrament at all Times of the Year without diftinction, have fuperfeded the firft of thefe Ufes, in proportion as the Number of the Adult, who want it, and whose a&tual Sins require actual Repentance, is diminished. That This End of the Lent-Faft is not now anfwered, is our Happiness: that the Second is not, is our unfpeakable Misfortune. Our Church, in the Service of this Day, calls upon us to lament the Loss, and to wifh the Reftitution, of that wholesome Difcipline, which partly the Abufes of fome later Ages, and partly the Degeneracy of the prefent, have rendred ineffectual and impracticable. But the Third Ufe I mentioned will always continue; For this we fall ever have Need, ever Opportunity. The Chaftifing our felves is always in our power; and ought to be in practice fo much more, as the decay of publick and judicial Chaftisement hath left us more in our own Hands. And a due preparation for the Lord's Supper at Eafter calls for the fame previous Care, in great measure, which that for Baptifm did heretofore. Thus we in fome degree may make our Profit of this Holy Season, to all the Purposes above-mentioned. And, had not a very punctual Obfervation of it been still expected from us, the Church would not have chofen these Scriptures now to employ us. Both which I thought expedient to treat upon at once; that so I may from thence be able, in One View, to fet out the feveral Ingredients of a thorough and folemn Repentance, together with the Reasons for, and Usefulness of, Each of them.

Now Thofe, as is manifeft from the Scriptures appointed for the Epiftle and Gofpel for the Day, are First, Sincerity. Secondly, Sorrow for our paft Faults. Thirdly, Abftinence. Fourthly, Earneft Prayer. Fifthly, T

Almf

Almfgiving. And, Sixthly, As a Qualification common to, and neceffary to recommend all the reft, That every one of thefe be free from Oftentation and Vainglory. Upon Each of which my Design is so to treat, as Firft to explain the Nature of the Duty, and Then to fhew our Obligation to it.

1. I begin with Sincerity, implied more especially in thofe Two Commands, Turn ye even unto me, faith the Lord, with all your heart, and Rent your heart, and

Lev. i. 6.
Job i. 20.

ii. 12.

Ezra ix. 35.

2 Chron. xxxiv. 27.

Jerem. xxxvi.

24.

Matth. xxvi. 65.

Mark xiv. 63.

not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God. That Renting of the Garment was a Ceremony cuftomary with the Jews, to exprefs their Grief, either for fome great Calamity that had befallen them, or for fome heavy Judgment which they at that time were in dread of, is evident from a great many Texts in Scri

pture. Nor does it appear from any one Text, I know of, that God hath ever difapproved of our expreffing Grief upon Religious accounts, by the fame outward Teftimonies, as are ufed in common Cafes. But this indeed he abfolutely difallows: that Men, upon fuch Occafions, fhould put on a shew and face of Grief, where it is not; or fhould reft in the Sign, as if that alone were fufficient, without regard to the thing it was intended to fignify. This is the Prophet's, this our Saviour's Meaning; that God is not to be impofed upon with Pomp and Forms: That the rending of the Heart is what he expects; and, that a Garment rent, where That is not, can be of no account with him. That there are fome Circumftances, when the outward Guife of Sorrow may be difpenfed with, nay may be wifely, and much better let alone. So that the Inward Sorrow is not always of lefs, is fometimes of more value, because the outward Signs of it are wanting. But the Outward is never of any value at all, where the Inward is want

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