Church of England ought not only to be contented and fatisfied that we have ever fince the Reformation had a Liturgy, and fo good a one, but alfo, moft heartily to thank God for the Continuance of it to us, and for the affording us fuch peaceable Times that we may without Fear or Danger, every Day in the Year, if we please, ferve God in it; this is a Bleffing that the Primitive Chriftians would have purchased with the dearest Things they had in the World, though too many of us do make flight of it But whatever Prejudice fome Perfons may lie under, as to our Service or Way of Worship, I dare affirm it with the greatest Affurance in the World, that it is a certain and safe Way to Salvation, to all those that make use of it, provided they add the other Qualifications of fincere Piety, and Sobernefs, and Righteoufness, in all their Converfation, which the Gospel of Chrift requires of all its Profeffors, and without which no Man living, in any Communion whatsoever, fhall ever fee the Face of God.

Our Worship is right, and found, and agreeable both to the Word of God, and the Platform of Primitive Practice: And if our Lives and Converfations be but as unblamable as it is, I am as fure, as I am that Chrift's Religion is true, that no Man that ufeth it fhall fail of being faved.

Let

Let us therefore go on in the Way we are in; let us take all Opportunities of res forting to God's Houfe, and there offering up our folemn Sacrifices of Prayer and Thanksgiving in thofe Methods that the Law hath appointed us: But above all, let us come with humble, penitent, and contrite Hearts, fenfible of our Sins, and follicitous for God's Favour and Mercy, and thankful for his Mercies, and full of Refolution to obey him, to love him, and to ferve him. all the Days of our Lives; and if we come thus qualified, affuredly we pray by the Spirit, we blefs and thank God with the Spirit, we fing with the Spirit, as much as in thefe Days it is given to any one to do: And God will hear our Prayers, and accept our Thanksgivings, and reward our Service with all the Happiness and Conveniencies of this Life, that he fees fit and proper for us; but to be fure with everlasting Glory and Felicities in the Life to come: To which God bring us all for the Sake, &c.

VOL. IV.

K

SER

130

SERMON VI.

JOB XXI. 15. The latter Part of the Verfe.

T

him?

What Profit Should we have if we pray unto Him?

HE whole Verfe is this

What is the Almighty that we fhould ferve him, and what Profit Should we have if we pray unto

So faid the Atheists in the Days of Job, and fo we may hear fome among us fay now: For it is no ftrange Thing, in this Age, to hear Men talk against the Duties of Religion as well as the Doctrines of it, and against no Duty more than that of Praying to God, of which Job here fpeaks. This,

though

though one would think it fhould be the moft natural, the most reasonable Duty in the World, confidering that we are all the Creatures of God, and do and must depend upon him continually for all the Good we hope for, either here or hereafter, yet it is accounted by fome amongst us, a very unphilofophical abfurd Thing: If we would place Religion in Acts of Juftice and Beneficence, and fuch other moral Vertues, they could be content fo far to own it: Nay, they would not be against the exercising our Devotions to God by way of Hymns and Praises for his Excellencies and wonderful Works, though yet he stands in need of none of our Service; but as for this Business of Praying to him, and tiring him every Day with our Petitions, and Supplications, and Interceffions, in which the godly People spend most of their Time, there is no Senfe, no Reason in it, nay, they have unanswerable Reafons to prove that all this is Labour loft, and Time spent very unprofitably.

It is my Design, at this Time, to vindicate this Part of Religion from the Cavils and Exceptions of this Sort of Men, and to give an Answer to them that are apt to ask, with those that are here reprefented in my Text, What Profit should we have if we pray unto God?

Now methinks to those that put such a Question as this, it fhould in Reafon be a fufficient Answer to reprefent thefe following Things!

First of all; That all good Men who have ever feriously applied themselves to God by Prayer, have always had, and ftill have, many and great Inftances and Experience of God's answering their Prayers: And there is no devout Man, (and fuch kind of Men only are capable Judges of this Matter) but is ready to atteft the Truth of this; fo that here is conftant Experience on the Side of Prayer, against their philofophical Doubt.

Secondly, It has been the general Belief of all Nations, in all Ages, that God hears the Prayers of good Men, and anfwers them; and accordingly all Nations have always made use of this Way for the obtaining those Benefits they stood in need of, and for the removing thofe Evils they were pressed with, fo that as there is Experience on the Side of Praying to God, fo there is likewise the univerfal Confent and Practice of all the World.

Thirdly, If we may believe God's Revelations, which he hath made in the Holy Scriptures, we are certain that there is great Profit and Advantage to be found in Praying to God, for God hath, in thofe Scriptures, made the most folemn Promises that he will

hear