ders, and forms, and ceremonies, as much as self-conceited people do.

If one man hear another pray only from the habits of his mind, and present desires, he reproacheth him as a rash, presumptuous speaker, that talketh that to God which he never fore-considered. As if a beggar did rashly ask an alms, or a corrected child, or a malefactor did inconsiderately beg for pardon, unless they learn first the words by rote: or as if all men's converse, and the words of judges on the bench were all rash; or the counsel of a physician to his patient, because they use not books and forms, or set not down their words long before.

And if another man hear a form of prayer, especially if it be read out of a book; and especially if it have any disorder or defect, he sticketh not to revile it, and call it false worship, and man's inventions, and perhaps idolatry, and to fly from it, and make the world believe, that it is an odious thing which God abhorreth. And why so? Are your words so much more excellent than the words of others? Or doth the book, or press, or pen, make them odious to God? Or are all words bad which are resolved on beforehand? Is the Lord's Prayer, and Psalms all odious, because they are book-forms? Or doth the command of other men make God hate them? Let parents take heed then of commanding their children prescribed words. (Nay, rather let them take heed lest they omit such prescripts :) Or, is it the disorder or defects that makes them odious? Such are not to be justified indeed wherever we find them: but woe to us all, if God will not pardon disorders and defects, and accept the prayers that are guilty of them.

Many a time I have heard such forms of prayers, whose disorders and defects I have much lamented (and done my part to have cured), and yet I durst not so reproach them as to say, God will not accept and hear them: or that it is unlawful to join in communion with them. And many a time I have heard as sad disorder in extemporate prayers; sometimes by wrong methods, or no method at all; sometimes by vain repetitions; sometimes by omitting the chiefest parts of prayer, and sometimes in the whole strain, by turning a prayer into a sermon to the hearers, or a mere talk or narrative to God, that had little of a prayer in it, save very good matter, and honest zeal. And though this prayer was

more disorderly than the forms which (perhaps in that prayer) were accused of disorder; yet durst I not run away from this neither, nor say, it is so bad, that God will not hear it, nor good men should have no communion in it.

It is easy (but abominable) to fall in love with our own, and to vilify that which is against our opinion, and to think that God is of our mind, and is as fond of our mode and way as we are, and as exceptious against the way or words of other men, as childish, peevish Christians are. Look on your book, and read, or learn your prayer in words, saith one, or else God will not hear you: look off your book, and read not, or learn not the words, saith another, or God will not hear you. But oh lamentable! that both of them tremble not thus to abuse God, and add unto his word, and to prophesy or speak falsely against their brethren in his name; nor to reproach the prayers which Christ presenteth from his servants to the Father, and which (notwithstanding their defects) are his delight!

Direct: 3. Offer God nothing as worship, which is contrary to the perfection of his nature, as far as you can avoid it:' and yet feign not that to be contrary to his nature which he commandeth. For then it is certain that you misunderstand either his nature or command.

Direct. 4. Never come to the Father but by the Son; and dream not of any immediate access of a sinner unto God, but wholly trust in Christ's mediation. Receive the Father's will from Christ your Teacher, and his commands from Christ your King, and all his mercies from Christ your Head, and the Treasury of the Church, and your continual Intercessor with God in heaven. And put all your prayers, praises, duties, alms, into his hand; that through him alone they may be accepted of God.

Direct. 5. Understand well how far the Scripture is a particular rule (as to the substance of God's worship), and how far it is only a general rule (as to the circumstances), that so you may neither offer God a worship which he will not accept; nor yet reject or oppose all those circumstances as unlawful, which are warranted by his general commands.' (Of which I have said enough elsewhere.)

Direct. 6. Look first and most to the exercise of inward grace, and to the spiritual part of worship; (for God will be worshipped in Spirit, and in truth, and hateth the hypocrite,

who offereth him a carcase, or empty shell, and ceremony, and pomp, or length of words, instead of substance, and draweth near him with the lips, without the heart:) And yet, in the second place, look carefully also to your words, and order, and outward behaviour of the body: for God must be honoured with soul and body.' And order and reverend solemnity is both a help to the affections of the soul, and a fit expression of them.

Never forget that hypocritical, dead formality, and ignorant, self-conceited, fanatical extravagancies, are the two extremes by which the devil hath laboured in all ages, to turn Christ's worship against him, and to destroy the church and religion by such false religiousness.

The poor popish formalists on one side, mortify religion, and turn it into a carcase, and a comely image that hath any thing save life. And the fanatics on the other side, do call all the enormities of their proud and blustering fancies by the name of Spiritual devotion; and do their worst to make Christianity to seem a ridiculous fancy to the world: Escape both these extremes, as ever you will escape the dishonouring of God, and dividing, and disturbing, and corrupting of the church, the deluding of others, and the disappointing and deceiving of yourselves.

Direct. 7. Neglect not any helps which you can have, by the excellent gifts of any of Christ's ministers or flocks; and yet take heed that through prejudice, or for the faults of either, you vilify or reject nothing which is of God. But carefully distinguish between Christ's and their's.'

Communion with the holiest and purest assemblies, is more desirable than with the less pure. But yet all that is less desirable comparatively, is not simply unlawful, nor to be rejected. The labours of an abler and more faithful minister, are much to be preferred before their's that are less able and faithful: for God worketh usually according to the aptitude of the means, and of the receiver. To the recovery and salvation of a soul it is necessary, 1. That the understanding be made wise. 2. That the heart or will be sanctified by love. 3. That the life be holy and obedient.

To the first of these are three things needful; 1. That the understanding be awakened: 2. That it be illuminated : 3. That it be preserved from the seduction of temptations to deceit.

Now an able and faithful pastor is suited to all these effects. 1. He is a lively preacher to awaken the understanding: 2. He is a clear, intelligent, methodical and convincing teacher, to illuminate it: 3. He can confute gainsayers, and refute objections, and shame the cavils of tempters and deceivers to preserve it.

And, 2. He speaketh all from the unfeigned love of God and men ; and as all his words do breathe forth love; so they are apt to kindle such love in the hearers: for every active nature tendeth to propagation.

3. And the holiness of his life, as well as doctrine, tendeth to win the people to a holy life: so that he that loveth his own soul, must not be indifferent what pastor he chooseth for the help and conduct of his soul; but should most carefully seek to get the best or fittest for such necessary ends.

But yet it followeth not that a weaker or worse may not be heard, or may not be accepted or submitted to, in a case of necessity; when a better cannot be had, without more disturbance and hurt than the benefits are like to recompense. And when we live under such a weak, or cold, or faulty pastor, our care must be so much the greater, that we may make up that in the diligence of our attention, which is wanting in his manner of expression; and that we make up that in a care of our own souls, which is wanting in his care: and that our knowledge of his failings tempt us not to slight the truth which he delivereth; and that we reject not the matter for the manner. The sheep of Christ do know his voice, and they know his words, and reverence and love them, from what mouth soever they proceed. A religious, zealous man that preacheth false doctrine, is more to be avoided, than a cold or scandalous man who preacheth the truth. If you doubt this, observe these texts.

"The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat; All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do But do not ye after their works, for they say and do not," Matt. xxiii. 2, 3.

:

“For he (Judas) was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry;" Acts i. 17. Judas the thief and traitor was an apostle, called and sent out by Jesus Christ.

"Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife,

and some also of good will. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds--what then? Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached, and I do therein rejoice, yea, and will rejoice; Phil. i. 15, &c.

"Now I beseech you brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them--;" Rom. xvi. 17.

"Of your ownselves shall men arise speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them;" Acts xx. 30.

If we, or an angel from heaven, bring another Gospel, let him be accursed--;" Gal. i. 7, 8.

Is not all this a plain decision of the case?

Direct. 8. While you prefer local communication with the purest churches, and best taught and ordered, for your own edification, take heed that you disown not a distant and mental communion with any part of the church of Christ on earth, which Christ himself disowneth not.' But first remember that you are members of the universal church, and as such in mental communion with the whole present yourselves and services to Christ; and next as members of your particular church.

It is true, that you must not own the corruptions of any church, or of any of their worship; but you must own the church itself, and own all the substance of the worship which is good, and which God owneth. God doth not reject the matter for the manner, nor the whole for a faulty part, where the heart is sincere that offereth it: nor no more must you. And if they force you not to any actual sin (as by false speaking, subscribing, or the like) you must sometimes also locally join with such churches, when occasion requireth it: (As when you have no better to go to, or when it is necessary to shew your mental communion, or to avoid schism, scandal or offence.) As you must not approve of your own failings in God's worship (as in the manner of praying, preaching, &c.) and yet must not give over worshipping God, though you are always sure to fail; even so must you do by your communion with others.

And here I would earnestly entreat all those that are inclinable to sinful separation, to think but of these few things.

1. What is more contrary to Christianity than pride? and what is a plainer sign of pride, than to separate from