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As fure therefore as there is any wisdom in praying for the Spirit of God, fo fure is it, that we are to make that Spirit the rule of all our actions; as fure as it is our duty to look wholly unto God in our prayers, fo fure is it, that it is our duty to live wholly unto God in our lives. But we can no more be faid to live unto God, unless we live unto him in all the ordinary actions of our life, unless he be the rule and measure of all our ways, than we can be faid to pray unto God, unless our prayers look wholly unto him. So that unreasonable and abfurd ways of life, whether in labour or diverfion, whether they confume our time or our money, are like unreasonable and abfurd pray. ers, and are as truly an offence unto God.

Tis for want of knowing, or at least confidering this, that we fee fuch a mixture of ridicule in the lives of many people. You fee them ftrict as to fome times and places of Devotion; but when the Service of the Church is over, they are but like those that feldom or never come there. In their way of life, their manner of spending their time and money, in their cares and fears, in their pleasures and indulgences, in their labour and diverfions, they are like the rest of the world. This makes the loofe part of the world generally make a jeft of thofe that are devout, because they fee their Devotion goes no farther than their Prayers, and that when they are over, they live no more unto God, till the time of Prayer returns again; but live by the fame humour and fancy, and in as full an enjoyment of all the follies of life as other people. This is the reafon why they are the jeft and fcorn of careless and worldly people; not because they are really devoted to God, but because they appear to have no other Devotion, but that of occafional Prayers.

Julius is very fearful of miffing Prayers; all the parifh fuppofes Julius to be fick, if he is not at Church. But if you was to ask him why he spends the rest of his time by humour or chance? why he is a compa

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nion of the fillieft people in their most filly pleasures ? why he is ready for every impertinent entertainment and diverfion? If you was to ask him why there is no amusement too trifling to please him? why he is bufy at all balls and affemblies? why he gives himself up to an idle goffiping converfation? why he lives in foolish friendships and fondnefs for particular perfons, that neither want nor deferve any particular kindnefs? why he allows himself in foolish hatreds and refentments against particular perfons, without confidering that he is to love every body as himfelf? If you ask him why he never puts his converfation, his time, and fortune, under the rules of Religion, Julius has no more to fay for himself, than the most diforderly perfon. For the whole tenor of Scripture lies as directly against fuch a life, as against debauchery and intemperance: He that lives in fuch a course of idlenefs and folly, lives no more according to the Religion of Jefus Christ, than he that lives in gluttony and intemperance.

IF a man was to tell Julius that there was no occafion for fo much conftancy at Prayers, and that he might, without any harm to himself, neglect the fervice of the Church, as the generality of people do, Julius would think fuch a one to be no Chriftian, and that he ought to avoid his company. But if a perfon only tells him, that he may live as the generality of the world does, that he may enjoy himself as others do, that he may fpend his time and money as people of fashion do, that he may conform to the follies and frailties of the generality, and gratify his tempers and paffions as molt people do, Julius never fufpects that man to want a christian spirit, or that he is doing the devil's work,

AND yet if Julius was to read all the New Testament from the beginning to the end, he would find his courfe of life condemn'd in every page of it.

AND indeed there cannot any thing be imagined more abfurd in itself, than wife and fublime, and hea

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venly Prayers added to a life of vanity and folly, where neither labour nor diverfions, neither time nor money, are under the direction of the wisdom and heavenly tempers of our Prayers. If we were to fee a man pretending to act wholly with regard to God in every thing that he did, that would neither fpend time or money, or take any labour or diverfion, but fo far as he could act according to strict principles of reafon and piety, and yet at the fame time neglect all Prayer, whether publick or private, fhould we not be amaz'd at fuch a man, and wonder how he could have fo much folly along with fo much religion?

YET this is as reasonable as for any person to pretend to ftrictnefs in Devotion, to be careful of obferving times and places of Prayer, and yet letting the rest of his life, his time and labour, his talents and money be difpofed of, without any regard to ftrict rules of Piety and Devotion. For it is as great an abfurdity to fuppofe holy Prayers, and divine Petitions, without an holinefs of life fuitable to them, as to fuppofe an holy and divine life without Prayers.

LET any one therefore think, how eafly he could confute a man that pretended to great strictness of life without Prayer, and the fame arguments will as plainly confute another, that pretends to ftrictness of Prayer, without carrying the fame strictness into every o ther part of life. For to be weak and foolish in fpending our time and fortune, is no greater a mistake, than to be weak and foolish in relation to our Prayers. And to allow ourfelves in any ways of life that neither are, nor can be offer'd to God, is the fame irreligion as to neglect our Prayers, or use them in fuch a manner, as makes them an offering unworthy of God.

THE fhort of the matter is this, either Reafon and Religion prescribe rules and ends to all the ordinary actions of our life, or they do not: If they do, then it is as neceffary to govern all our actions by thofe rules, as it is necessary to worship God. For if Religion teaches us any thing concerning eating and drinking,

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or fpending our time and money, if it teaches us how we are to use and contemn the world; if it tells us what tempers we are to have in common life, how we are to be difpofed towards all people, how we are to behave towards the fick, the poor, the old and deftitute; if it tells us whom we are to treat with a particular love, whom we are to regard with a particular efteem; if it tells us how we are to treat our enemies, and how we are to mortify and deny our felves, he must be very weak, that can think these parts of Religion are not to be obferv'd with as much exactness, as any doctrines that relate to Prayers.

Ir is very obfervable, that there is not one command in all the Gospel for Publick Worship; and perhaps it is a duty that is leaft infifted upon in Scripture of any other. The frequent attendance at it is never fo much as mention'd in all the New Teftament. Whereas that Religion or Devotion, which is to govern the ordinary actions of our life, is to be found in almoft every verfe of Scripture. Our bleffed Saviour and his Apostles are wholly taken up in doctrines that relate to common life. They call us to renounce the world, and differ in every temper and way of life, from the spirit and way of the world. To renounce all its goods, to fear none of its evils, to reject its joys, and have no value for its happiness. To be as new born babes, that are born into a new state of things, to live as Pilgrims in fpiritual watching, in holy fear, and heavenly afpiring after another life. To take up our daily crofs, to deny our felves, to profefs the blef fedness of mourning, to feek the bleffedness of poverty of fpirit. To forfake the pride and vanity of riches, to take no thought for the morrow, to live in the profoundeft ftate of humility, to rejoice in worldly fufferings. To reject the luft of the fefh, the luft of the eyes, and the pride of life; to bear injuries, to forgive and blefs our enemies, and to love mankind as God loveth them. To give up our whole hearts and affections to God, and strive to enter through the ftrait gate into a life of eternal Glory.

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THIS is the common Devotion which our Blessed Saviour taught, in order to make it the common life of. all Chriftians. Is it not therefore exceeding strange, that people should place fo much piety in the attendance upon publick worship, concerning which there is not one precept of our Lord's to be found, and yet neglect thefe common duties of our ordinary life, which are commanded in every page of the Gofpel? I call thefe duties the devotion of our common life, because if they are to be practis'd, they must be made parts of our common life, they can have no place any where elfe.

IF contempt of the world, and heavenly affection, is a neceffary temper of Chriftians, it is neceffary that this temper appear in the whole courfe of their lives, in their manner of ufing the world, becaufe it can have no place any where else.

IF felf-denial be a condition of falvation, all that would be faved, must make it a part of their ordinary life. If humility be a chriftian duty, then the common life of a Chriftian, is to be a conftant course of humility in all its kinds. If poverty of fpirit be neceffary, it must be the spirit and temper of every day of our lives. If we are to relieve the naked, the fick, and the prisoner, it must be the common charity of our lives, as far as we can render our felves able to perform it. If we are to love our enemies, we must make our common life a visible exercife and demonftration of that love. If content and thankfulness, if the patient bearing of evil be duties to God, they are the duties of every day, and in every circumftance of our life. If we are to be wife and holy as the new born fons of God, we can no otherwife be fo, but by renouncing every thing that is foolish and vain in every part of our common life. If we are to be in Chrift new Creatures, we muft fhew that we are fo, by having new ways of living in the world. If we are to follow Chrift, it must be in our common way of spending every day.

THUS

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