ceptable to God, plead for the Efficacy of her Interceffion. For if St. James exhorts us to pray for one another, because (fays he) the affiduous Prayer of the Just avails very much, v. 16. and that even in this Life, whilst we are yet fubject to many Failings; how powerful then and efficacious in our Behalf, must be the Interceffion of a Perfon, who never offended God by the leaft Thought, Word, or Deed, during the whole Course of her Life, and is now in the higheft Degree of Favour in the Court of Heaven? Nay, may we not justly look upon all thofe fingular and extraor dinary Graces, which God bestow'd upon her in this Life, as fo many affured Pledges, that he will refuse her nothing, now She is Triumphant with him in Glory; where thofe Virtues, which deferved so high a Degree of Favour upon Earth, have now received their full Accomplishment and Perfection; and, by confequence, have render'd her ftill more acceptable to him?

Suppofe that in the Moment of her triumphant Entrance into Glory, (which, after the Afcenfion of Chrift, was the most solemn Feaft, that ever was celebrated in the Court of Heaven;) fuppofe, I fay, that in that Moment She had asked Grace for any Sinner; can we think God would have denied her Request? And, has She not the fame

fame Interest and Power now, as She had then? Is She not in the fame Degree of Fa vour, and will She not be fo for all Eter nity? For we must not fancy, as if Favour had it's Viciffitudes in Heaven, as in this World. All Things are fix'd and perma nent in the State of Blifs. Rewards and Honours are diftributed there according to every one's Holinefs and Merit: And therefore, as the Bleffed Virgin will always furpafs all Saints in Holinefs, fo will She always be moft acceptable to God, and have the greatest Power with him. He will always honour her, as Queen of Heaven; and Jefus Christ will always regard her as his Mother, and of all Creatures the dearest to him. For which Reafon, he has infpired the Church to pay her extraordinary Honours, and confecrate feveral FestivalDays in Memory of her; because, he will have his Favours pafs, as it were, through her Hands; and render us fenfible, that our Petitions will never be more effectual, than when we prevail with her to undertake the presenting of them to Almighty God, through the Mediation of her dear Son. So that, the true and only Reafon of our addreffing ourselves fo often to her is, because we have a greater Confidence in her Prayers than our own; and in fo doing, we do but justice both to her and ourselves.

For

For we are miferable Sinners; and She is a moft glorious Saint: We are defiled with many Crimes; and She is without Spot or Stain: We have deferved God's Wrath, by fo many repeated Infidelities towards him; and She has ever been his faithful Servant, and never offended him by the least venial Sin: And is it not then juft, we should hope for a more favourable Acceptance of Prayers, prefented by the holy and unfpotted Hands of the immaculate Mother of God, than when we ourselves prefent them to Almighty God?

We read, in Holy Scripture, that God commanded Job's Friends to go to him, and defire him to pray for them; because God was angry with them, and would not have regarded their Prayers, unless Job had interceded for them. And ought not we then alfo, who in all Likelihood are upon no better Terms with Almighty God, than Job's Friends were; ought we not, I fay, to endeavour to make an Intereft with fome powerful Interceffor, fome felect Friend of God, fuch as the Blessed Virgin is, to pray for us; leaft our own Prayers fhould be unacceptable to him? This certainly, is not only the moft pious and most humble, but the most effectual Course we can take. For if, by a fincere Devotion, and affiduous Application to her, we can

but

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but render her our Patronefs, and Advo cate to her Son; there is nothing we may not hope for from his Mercy. We cannot put our eternal Intereft into better Hands, than by engaging her to favour our Caufe, who has the greatest Power with him; from whom alone we must expect the Relief of all our Neceffities in this Life, and a Share in his eternal Joys hereafter.

The LIVth ENTERTAINMENT.

The fame Subject continued, and fome
Directions relating to it.

Hail, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.
Luke i. 28.

TH

THERE is no Devotion so solid and well-grounded, but may be rendred fruitlefs by our own Fault. It will not therefore be improper, to give fome Directions relating to the Devotion I have fpoken of; which fhall be the Subject of this Difcourfe.

I have fometimes read in Books, and heard in Sermons, that the true and folid Devotion to the Blessed Virgin confifts in

the

the Imitation of her Virtues. I muft own indeed, this is the perfecteft, but I cannot think it to be the only Devotion to her : For if it be the only true one, they who are not yet Imitators of her Virtues, are utterly excluded from having any Part in the Practice of this Devotion: And yet, these are the Perfons, who ftand moft in need of being exhorted and encouraged to it: Because, as they are further out of the Way of Salvation, they ftand more in Need of a fpecial Grace to bring them into it; and, by confequence, of fome powerful Advocate near the Throne of Grace, to plead their Cause, and intercede for them.

It is certainly for this Reason, that the Bleed Virgin, in the Litanies composed in Honour of her, is ftiled, The Refuge of Sinners: And how will this Title be verified of her, if the Juft alone be allowed to be in the Number of her Votaries? How will Sinners find a Refuge in her, if they are not to be encouraged to fly to her for Sanctuary, and put themselves under her Protection? 'Tis true, they are not yet Imitators of her Virtues: But, muft they defpair of ever being fo? Muft they not defire, and endeavour to become, what as yet they are not? Now 'tis by a constant Devotion to her, and daily imploring the Affiftance of her Prayers, they must hope

to