good earnest as sometime he certainly will to execute Vengeance upon them None of them durst oppose one word when our Blessed Lord with an Authority becoming his Station and his Zeal for his Father's Honour urg'd upon them the words of the Text My House shall be called or shall be the House of Prayer Having as briefly as I well could shewn you the Occasion and Design of these words every one will easily discern that they instruct us in this great Truth that Places dedicated to God and his Worship are to be treated with Reverence and not to be employ'd in any prophane or common Uses but only in Religious Duties particularly that of Prayer which is the principal of them So has God declared by his Prophet Isaiah c. 56. v. 7. and so our Blessed Saviour from him in the Text My House shall be called the House of Prayer Prayer is the Duty which God in the Old Testament and our Blessed Saviour in the New were pleased to make Choice of to represent the others by which are to be performed in Places set apart for Religious Worship And Prayer is the especial Duty for the performance of which the Place this day Consecrated was Erected by your pious Benefactor and therefore of this Duty only I shall Discourse unto you at this time And here I might usefully enlarge on the more general parts of Prayer as 1. Supplication When we ask of God any Blessing we want either for our Souls or Bodies 2. Intercession When we Pray for others even all Mankind but more especially for our Governours and the Houshold of Faith 3. Thanksgiving When we recount with grateful Hearts the many Blessings both Spiritual and Temporal which we enjoy give God the Glory of them and our selves to him in gratitude for them All these general Parts of Prayer we are directed to by the Apostle and are all of them sufficiently provided for in our excellent Liturgy which highly recommends it to our great Esteem and constant Use. I might also seasonably enlarge on the most needful and yet too commonly neglected Qualifications of Prayer as 1. Purity and Holiness Since we know that God heareth not Sinners i. e. wilful and impenitent Ones that the Apostle requires that when we Pray we lift up Holy Hands and that the Sacrifice of the wicked is an Abomination to the Lord but the Prayer of the Upright is his delight 2. Serious Attention to our Prayers for then only we can be said to Pray and then only expect to be heard Inasmuch as our Blessed Saviour has set the Mark of Hypocrisie upon such Prayers as are not accompanied with the Heart and plainly tells us they are all in vain Matth. 15. 7 8 9. Ye Hypocrites ye draw nigh unto me with your mouth and honour me with your lips but your heart is far from me but in vain do you worship me 3. Fervour and Earnestness with all the Affection and Devotion of our Souls such as may testifie we really desire the things we Pray for This is required of us by the Apostle that we be fervent in Spirit serving the Lord This is that which makes our Prayers very prevalent with God Iames 5. 16. The fervent Prayer of a righteous man availeth much Even amongst the Jews the Talmudists taxing the Peoples negligence in Prayer one of the three faulty sorts of their Amen recounted by them is a faint Amen when they pray'd without Fervency 4. Humility both in our Souls and Bodies In our Souls acknowledging our unworthiness to appear before so great a Majesty to receive from him any of those Blessings we ask but only upon the account of his Bounty and Mercy and the Merits of his Son And Humility in our Bodies expressing this Humility of our Souls putting up our Petitions to the Majesty of Heaven for the greatest Blessings we can receive upon our Knees according to the Example of Holy Men in Scripture of the blessed Apostles and even of Christ himself who kneeled down when he pray'd to his heavenly Father St. Luke 22. 41. Accordingly we read of the Primitive Christians That to Sit at Prayers was ever held by them a posture of great Rudeness and Irreverence And Tertullian falls heavy upon some that used it in his time about two hundred years after Christ telling them They acted contrary to Scripture and were Irreligious in so doing and represents them as if they had a mind to reproach God to his face and tell him that they are weary of the Duty of Praying to him If it be an irrevent thing as he goes on in arguing with them to sit down before one for whom thou hast a great Reverence and Veneration how much more does it savour of Irreligion to do so in the Presence of the Living God even while the Angel is yet standing by thee to carry up the Prayer to Heaven These together with a true Faith and a Dependance upon the alone Merits of Christ which I presume I need not mention in this place are the chief of those Qualifications and yet too commonly neglected with which we must take care we put up our Prayers to God if we hope to have them accepted by him and these I might usefully have enlarg'd upon But it must suffice thus briefly to have hinted them that I may the more largely recommend unto you 5. In the Fifth place Frequency in this Duty of Prayer and that in Publick as often as you have Opportunities as you of this place will now daily have This I would earnestly recommend to your serious Practice upon these three Accounts In that I. It is much for the Honour of God and our Religion II. Very Advantageous to our selves in reference to this World III. It greatly promotes a good Life in reference to the Happiness of the next in all those that sincerely make use of it 1. We ought to be frequent in this Duty of Publick Prayer because it is much for the Honour of God and our Religion As often as we Pray unto him with Seriousness we acknowledge and adore the Soveraignty Wisdom Justice and Power and Mercy of God and in doing all this we must needs be granted to Honour him and perform a Service highly acceptable to him When we Pray unto him we evidently declare that we own his Dominion over us and that he has a Right to govern us and that all our Services are his due tho' we too often unworthily alienate them to prophane and wicked Purposes We also acknowledge his Wisdom to be infinite that as he throughly understands all the Actions of our Lives and secrets of our Hearts all our Wants and Necessities so he best knows how to make the most suitable Provision for them We likewise hereby magnifie the Justice of God particularly in our Confessions and Deprecations knowing him ready to pass an impartial Sentence upon us for our Sins Again in all our Prayers to God
God and him to answer the great End of this his Bounty to you by living to the Honour of God and your Religion particularly by a constant and devout attendance at the Prayers and Sacraments which will be performed in this Place Be very careful I beseech you to approve your selves Widows indeed that so you may be worthy of ' that Honor i. e. Relief and Maintenance as the Original Word often signifies in Scripture which the Apostle would have to be given to such in 1 Tim. 5. 3. Honor i. e. Relieve Widows that are Widows indeed And who are such he tells us v. 5 7 10. And such I hope and heartily pray All you may be She trusteth in God and continueth in Supplications and Prayers night and day She is blameless and well reported of for good Works and has diligently followed every good Work This is the sum of what your Blessed Saviour and I presume to say your pious Benefactor also expects from you viz. That you be Constant and Serious at Prayers and Sacraments That your Conversation be Blameless and of good Report particularly for Humility Gravity Sobriety Contentedness Weanedness from the World Love and Peaceableness amongst your selves and towards all Men Graces which more especially adorn your Station and that you be diligent Followers of every good Work Then shall you approve your selves Widows indeed in the Apostles Sense to the Honor of your Lord the Reputation of your Religion the great Satisfaction of your Benefactor and the mighty Encouragement of such Pious and Charitable Acts to your own great Comforts whilst you live in this World and to your eternal Happiness in the World to come Which eternal Happiness God in his due time make you and all of us Partakers of for the sake of his dear Son Iesus Christ our Saviour To whom with the Father and Blessed Spirit be ascribed all Obedience Adoration and Praise now and for evermore Amen For the Direction and Assistance of the more Ignorant let me here add 'T is very Adviseable that all Persons when they intend to partake of our publick Prayers hasten to the House of Prayer as soon as the Bell begins to call to it that so they may have some little time before Prayers begin to raise their Devotions and fix their Thoughts upon the Duties before them by considering the Weightiness of them and the Presence of God humbly and earnestly Begging his Assistance in the Performance of them which may be done by those who are not better provided in this or the like short Prayer following Let thy merciful Ears O Lord be open to the Prayers of thy humble Servants And grant that we may now and at all times ask faithfully and obtain effectually through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Or this Most gracious God who hast commanded us to pray without ceasing Incline my Heart to this Duty and so assist me with thy holy Spirit now and at all times in the Performance of it that I may so ask that I may receive and so hear thy Word that I may practice it and by these Opportunities for which I bless thy Name I may daily more and more improve in Righteousness and true Holiness until I come to thine everlasting Kingdom through Iesus Christ my Lord and only Saviour Amen At the Conclusion of Divine Service and before thou risest from thy Knees say to thy self this or the like short Prayer Lord in Mercy hear our Prayers and relieve all our Wants Continue unto us these means of Grace make me and all that profess thy Name to delight in them with Reverence and godly Fear to approach unto them and always to become better by them through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Or this Blessed be thy Name O God for this Opportunity of waiting upon thee in thine House Lord pardon the Iniquity of my holy Things and make me a partaker of the Benefit of those Prayers which have been put up unto thee at this time In Mercy continue unto me these Opportunities and fit me more and more for thy Service here and for thy Kingdom hereafter for Iesus Christ his sake Amen FINIS * Hist. Eccles. l. 10. c. 3. †Exod. 30. 15 16. ‖ Godwyn's Jewish Antiq l. 6. c. 10. And Pool's Synopsis in loc * So some interpret Ier. 11. 5. and Isa. 26. 10. †Joh. 2. 16. †Matt. a 1. 12. * So it is to be understood in Isa. 9. 6. Matt. 5. 19. Luke 1. 32 35 36. Rev. 19. 13. See Dr. Hammond on Matt. 2. 23. note l. * 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. †St. Joh. 9. 31. ‖ 1 Tim. 2. 8. * Prov. 15. 8. ‖ Rom. 12. 11. †God win's Jewish Antiquit l. 2. c. 2. ‖ David Psal. 95. 6. Solomon 2 Chron. 6. 13. Daniel c. 6. v. 10. * St. Stephen Acts 7. 60. St. Petër Acts 9. 40. St Paul Acts 20 36. 21. 5. †Dr. Cave's Prim. Christ. part 1. c. 9. Tertull. de Orat. c. 12. p. 134. Contra Scripturam fecerit fi quis in Cathedrâ aut subsellio sederit factum isthud irreligiosum est nisi exprobramus Deo quod nos Ordtio fatigaverit c. * 2 Chron. 6. 8. †St. Luke 7. 5. * St. Jam. 5. 16. †Ver. 17 18. ‖ Apol. 39. A. * St. Matt. 18. 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epist. ad Ephes. p. 122. †St. Matt. 18. 20. * St. Luk 11. ver 9. †Ver. 13. * Exod. 3. 5. †Ioshua 5. 15. ‖ V. Pool's Synopsis on Exod. * Aynsworth on Exod. 30. 19. †Mr. Pcole ut prius Id. ib. †1 Cor. 11. 10. Dr. Hammond in loc note d. ‖ Gen. 18. v. 16 17. * Dr. Cave's Frim Christianity part 1. cap. 6. * 1 Kings 8. * Read the Rules for our more Devout Behaviour in the time of Divine Service in the Church of England Printed in 1695. * The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety By the Author of the VVhole Duty of Man c. 8. * Dr. Cave in his Prim. Christianity Part 1. c. 9. †Hom. 56. tom 1. p. 623. †Psal. 42. v. 2. * Mal. 1. 13. * St. Luke 2. v. 37. †Acts 2. 45. ‖ St. Luke 24. v. 53. * Dr. Hammond Annot. on Acts 1. note d. * Heb. 10. v. 25. †The Widows of the Alms-House adjoyning to the Chapel * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. Dr. Hammond on 1 Tim. c. 5. note d.
than we may hence infer the great Error of those who think Preaching to be the Chief if not the only Duty needful to be performed in these Places And accordingly if they be but present at the Sermon think they have done their Duty very well although they wholly neglect the Prayers and think it not worth their while to come to Church when only Prayers are there performed and so this Error of their Judgment is the more dangerous in that it engages them in so great an Error in their Practice also But had our Blessed Saviour been of the same Opinion with these Men surely he would have called these Houses of God Houses of Preaching and not as in the Text Houses of Prayer We may observe to this purpose that in King Solomon's excellent Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple All his Petitions are That God would hear the Prayers which upon any occasion his People should put up to Heaven in or towards that his House Not one Petition for a Blessing upon any other Duty as if no other but that of Prayer at leastwise none comparable to it was to be performed in that place I speak not this to vilifie Preaching far be that from me it is an excellent Ordinance and very needful even in this knowing Age. But yet I would not have it thrust out Prayer nor indeed be exalted above it which all that are Judicious and Serious must grant to be an Act of Worship directed immediately to God and a means to sanctifie Preaching which is immediately directed to Men. 3. At all times when we approach to the House of God for Religious Worship let us remember it is a House of Prayer and then beware we no ways profane it as the Jews did whom our Blessed Saviour here Rebukes And yet this I fear is too often done by too many Christians When we customarily neglect it we then are Thieves out of the Temple though not properly in it by robbing God of his Glory our Religion of its Reputation our Christian Brethren of the Assistance of our Prayers and our own Souls of their proper Food and Nourishment And when we frequent these places of Worship purely to be thought Religious in order to some secular Ends we plainly make the House of God an House of Merchandise And they do the same in some sort who amidst the holy Offices of Religion employ their Thoughts upon their worldly Affairs which ought to be wholly intent upon the weighty Duties there performed Such make the House of God an House of Merchandise But if we be not Guilty of this sort of Profanation there are others too common amongst us which ought no less to be avoided by us The unseemly and rude Behaviour of many in our Churches and that even in the time of Divine Service does too loudly testifie how little of Devotion brings them thither and at how mean a rate they value that sacred Place and all those holy Offices that are there performed The Impiety and Danger of which I shall chuse to represent unto you in the Words of an excellent Author of our own Such variety says he of rude Behaviour is there too often used in the House of God that should an Unbeliever come into our Assemblies he must surely as St. Paul supposes in another Case 1 Cor. 14. 23. say We are mad to see some Gazing some Whispering some Laughing others Sleeping and perhaps the far fewer number Praying is such a Medly as the most brutish Idolaters never admitted in their Worship And then he goes on to expostulate with Christians as I fear we have too much reason to do at this Day When alas will the Church recover its ancient Title and become The House of Prayer T is certain that according to the present appearance it may have many more proper Names that being the least part of Business done in it But surely God will not always be patient of such Profanation but will as the Scripture speaks Repay them to their Face who who thus contemn him to his We know among Men every one counts his House his Fortress and an affront offer'd him there doubles the Injury and is not only a Contempt but an Invasion And shall it not be a proportionable Enhauncement with God also thus to defie him within his own Doors and approach his Presence in an impious Bravery the more fully to shew him how little we regard him So that excellent Author 4. And lastly If it be so much for the Honor of God and our own Advantage as you have seen to frequent our publick Prayers then every one may easily infer how much it is both his Duty and his Interest to be present at them as much as possible You of this Place are now very happy in having daily Opportunities of publick Prayer and 't is much to be wished by all serious Christians that every Parish of this Nation could enjoy and would make a right Use of the like Advantage Think then I beseech ye how heinous your Guilt will be if you customarily and unnecessarily neglect these blessed Opportunities How will ye answer it at the last and great Account to your Lord and Judge who put it into the Heart of your pious Benefactor to provide thus conveniently for your daily Performance of this great Duty if ye shall slight it despise it and turn your backs upon it Whilst many of you I fear spend more time every Day than would be required to this Duty in Vanities and Impertinencies Others it may be in doing nothing and others in such Business as might easily be contrived so as not to hinder your frequenting these publick Prayers and is of infinitely less Importance ye will discover a great Disregard to God the Honor of your Religion and the Care of your own Souls if you customarily neglect these desireable Opportunities The Primitive Christians set us a much better Example and very worthy our diligent Imitation who we are told by a learned Author of our Church Were wont to flock to the Religious Solemnities as to their Spiritual Meals and Banquets And then he recounts what St. Chrysostom reports of the Church at Antioch That they would set aside all Affairs at home to come to Church and how he tells them that it was the great Honor of the City not so much that it had large Suburbs and vast numbers of People or brave Houses with guilded Dining-Rooms as that it had a diligent and attentive People Churches so thronged and crowded and all Persons inflamed with such an insatiable desire of the publick Offices of Religion and that the commonness of them did not with them as I fear it too often does with us breed a Contempt Thus did true Piety prevail amongst Christians then But alas with Grief we see it infinitely decay'd with us now when in stead of Crying out with the Psalmist When shall I come to appear in the presence of God we
like those in Malachi Snuff at his Service and say What a weariness is it But certainly that All-seeing Eye which discerns what Multitudes carelesly absent themselves from his Worship cannot but adjudge us most profane Despisers of his Mercy in giving and continuing to us the happy Opportunities of it 1. Obj. But perhaps some may here object and say What need these daily publick Prayers We are careful to worship God at his House on the Lord's Day and this seems to be all that is required of us in the Fourth Commandment which allows us the other six Days for Labour and our own Business and therefore thus to require us to attend the daily publick Worship seems to be an unnecessary Service and an infringement of that Liberty which God has graciously indulged to us But Ans. Let such consider That this Objection is of equal Force against all occasional Days of Fasting and Thansgiving which yet I presume themselves will allow of and acknowledge they are obliged sometimes to observe Let them consider again That the same God who gave the Fourth Commandment to the Iews did also enjoyn them other Days for solemn Worship which were to be observed even upon any of those Six Days of Labour tho' they required strict Rest as the Day of Atonement did Lev. 23. 27 28. And that they had their daily Worship notwithstanding the Fourth Commandment at which our Blessed Saviour was frequently present and thereby gave his Approbation of it And that this is no Violence to Christian Liberty but rather a Duty recommended by Christianity appears in that 't is recorded by St. Luke in commendation of Anna That she departed not from the Temple but served God with Prayers and Fastings Night and Day And of the first Converts of Christianity That they continued daily with one accord in the Temple And of the Disciples of Christ that after his Ascension They returned to Ierusalem and were continually in the Temple praising and blessing God That is the Temple was the place not of their continual abode but of their constant daily Performance of their Devotions as the learned Paraphrast glosses upon those Words 2. Obj. Others perhaps may say They are very careful to perform this Duty in private they pray at home every Morning and Night and perhaps sometimes may read a Chapter in the Bible with their Families at the close of the Day And this they hope is sufficient for them who have much Business on their Hands and perhaps Families to provide for by their Labours and they trust their gracious God will accept of what they do and expect no more from them To this I Answer 1. Ans. 'T is much to be wish'd they are so well employ'd as they pretend at Home but as much to be fear'd that they are not for did they make a real Conscience of performing this Duty at their own Houses the same Conscience would bring 'em frequently to God's unless they labour under some unhappy Prejudices against it where I 'm sure they might perform it better For 2. Suppose they do pray and read at Home yet how can this excuse their neglecting the publick Service in the Church where the same Duties are performed with greater Advantage There thou findest many Fires to kindle thy Zeal the Example of others for Reverence and Order the Decency and Suitableness of the Place the more peculiar Presence of God and his gracious Promise that he will have a more especial Regard to those Prayers which are put up to him in his own House in that forequoted place 2 Chron. 7. 15 16. Does it become us to be our own Carvers and when our gracious God calls us to worship him in his House to tell him in effect he must excuse us we 'l do it as we can at our own and that must serve his turn 3. Consider That altho' thou perhaps mayst duely perform these Duties at Home yet others from thy Example may think it needless to come to publick Prayers and wholly omit them in private also and so thou fall under the Guilt of Scandal in its proper Sense against which a Woe is denounced by our Lord St. Matth. 18. 7. Woe be to that Man by whom Offences come 4. Consider That the Apostles and Primitive Christians who surely knew how to pray at Home as well as any of us yet were very constant at the publick Places of Worship tho' to the great hazard of their Lives or Liberties for so doing and left this express Command behind them to all Christians Not to forsake the Assembling of themselves together Not to forsake the publick Religious Assemblies tho' to avoid Persecution as was the unhappy Case of the Christians at that time much less to avoid some small and very tolerable Inconveniency to our secular Affairs as is generally the worst of the Case with us now which that God whom we serve can and certainly will abundantly Recompence to us But then let me add 5. In the last place If any well disposed Christians be so ingaged in some needful Business or have such urgent Necessities to provide for by their Labours that they cannot attend the daily publick Service of our Church without great Inconveniency and yet have really a due Esteem for it and would with all their Hearts be daily present at it did their indispensable Occasions permit them such I will presume to say shall be excused by our gracious Lord who has declared He will have Mercy Mercy to our selves as well as to others rather than Sacrifice St. Matth. 9. 13. Such shall undoubtedly be accepted on the Account of their Wills and real Desires and by the Goodness of our God in a good measure partake of the benefit of our publick Prayers as if themselves had actually been present at them But for all others who have not this Necessity to plead for their Absence who easily might have been present at the daily Service had they been really willing such must not expect to be so excused and therefore I hope and pray they will be prevailed with so to acquit themselves in reference to this Duty that God may be duly Honor'd by them true Piety and Devotion encouraged and advanced their own Comfort and Prosperity promoted in this World and their eternal Happiness by the Mercies of God and the Merits of his Son secur'd to them in the next One word in the close of all To you in particular for whose sakes more immediately your worthy Benefact or has erected this House of Prayer You by his great Bounty are in a more especial manner devoted to and engaged in the Service of God you have not the Necessities of this Life to provide for by your Labours nor the anxious Cares of it to perplex and distract your Thoughts you have a comfortable Provision made you by his Piety and Charity both for your Souls and Bodies Remember always how much you are obliged both to