utmost Zeal, and Attention, that He is able to do. Which having fincerely Endeavour'd, he ought not to doubt, but that God will Pardon his Infirmities, in that, as well as in the other Inftances of his Duty, and accept his rayers; and grant him his Defires. Q. What are the Things which we ought to Pray for? I Mat vi 25. Eph vi. 18. Col.iv.. A. For thofe of this Life in General only, Jov.14. unless it be on fome fpecial Occafions; and with an intire Submiffion of our Selves to God's Prov.xxx.8: Will, in whatsoever He fhall pleafe to Order for Philiv. Us. But as to the Graces which are neceffary Co.17. for us, in Order to the Other Life, we are to 2 Theti.11. pray particularly;carneftly,abfolutely; and with- Heb.xiii. 8. Jam v.16. out any Qualifications; becaufe we know thefe Petiv.7. Things to be always proper for Us to Ask; and always Suitable to the Will of God, to Give to Us. Q. At what Times ought We to Pray? Luk.xxiv.534 I Thel.v.17. A. Continually, and without Ceafing: Not Zech.viii 21. that we are to account our felves thereby Ob- Act.vi.4. liged to Spend our whole Time in Prayer, but Heb.xi.15. to look upon thofe Expreffions to imply a con- Rom.i.s.etc. ftant, daily Attendance, upon this Duty; the Frequency whereof must be left to Every One's State, and Condition, to determine. Q. What is that General Proportion which Every Chriftian ought to obferve, in the Times. of his daily Prayers? A. If He has Opportunity for it, and can have leisure fo to do, it were to be wifh'd that He should come Every Day to the Publick Prayers of the Church But if this cannot be done, He. muft at leaft, every Day, without fail, Pray to God in Private, Morning and Even Pe ing, and, if He has a Family, he fhould every K Day,. Pfal.ci. Jaxxiv.1s. Day, at fome convenient Time, Pray with that alfo, in Order to the better keeping up a Senfe of Religion in it. Heb.xii.25. xiv. 13,19, Q. you think it to be a Matter of Neceffar Duty, to Pray Publickly with the Church? A. In General it certainly is; efpecially upon the Lord's Day, and fuch Other Solemn Times of Prayer, as both the Laws of the Realm, and 1 Cor.xi. 22. the Canons of the Church, require of Us. As for the daily Prayers, if we live in a Place where they are publickly Read, and are not hinder'd by any neceffary Bufinefs to come to Them, I do not fee how we can excufe our felves from ufually joining to Them. &c. Q. Has our Saviour left Us any particular Direction how we fhould Pray? A. He has left Us a Form of his Own Compofing, not only to be continually made Ufe of by Us; but alfo to be a Pattern to Us,after what manner We ought to put up our Own Addreffes to God, Q. In what does that Form chiefly direct Us to compofe aright our Own Prayers? A. It teaches us efpecially thefe Four Things: Firft, That we fhould make our Prayers hort, and pertinent; as being moft fuitable both to the Wifdem, and Majefty of God; and to our Own Weakness, and Infirmities. Secondly, That we fhould Pray for Others, as well as for our Selves, and that in our Private, as well as our Publick Prayers. Thirdly, That we may pray for the Neceffaries of this Life; though our main Concern fhould be, in our Prayers, as well as our Endeavours, after Thofe of the Other Fourthly, That we fhould Pray to God ONLY, ONLY, and to Him as our Father, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Q. Have you any thing Elfe to Obferve from the Form of this Prayer? A. This only, that to Pray to God by a Setform, is fo far from being a Thing either in its felf Unlawful, or Injurious to the Holy Spirit, that we fee our Saviour himself has here given Us an Example for it; as under the Law, God Nem via was pleafed, in feveral Cafes, to direct the very Words in which he would be addrefs'd to by the Jews. SECT. XXXIV. Q. S1 4. Dur Father, &c. AY the Lord's Prayer. Q. What are the General Parts of this Prayer? A. It is divided into Three General Parts into Three General Parts A Preface, or Introduction and A Doxology, or Conclufion. The Petitions Q. What is the Preface to this Prayer? A. To fhew us, that all our Hope of being heard, or accepted by God, is by vertue of that Relation wherein we ftand to him, in, and through his Son Jefus Chrift. Jo.xiv.6. No 2 Tuck it Man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. Jo.xv. 16. xvi. 23, 24. Verily, Verily, fay unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, he will give it you.. Ask and ye shall Receive that your Foy may be full. See Col.iii.17. K 2 Q. Why Eph.ii.1. Q. Why was that Circumstance added Which art in Heaven? A. To fhew the Difference between Him, and our Earthly Parents; who sometimes are bard towards their Children, and will not give them what they ask: Oftentimes are not able to fupply their Needs: And, in many Cafes, cannot tell what is best for them; but either deny them, when they ought to have given them what they defired; or Give them, when it would have been more advisable not to have Kin viii. 38. done it. Whereas our Heavenly Father is AllPfal.cxv.3 Merciful, All-Powerful, and All-Wife; and, by Luk... confequence, liable to none of thefe Defects. Q. What do you Learn from this Introduction? cxxiii.I. Jam i.17. Lam.iii.4. A. To come to God with Great Affurance, Palciji 13. but with Great Reverence too: Who as Our Father will not fail to bear his Children, if they Mat.vii.,10. ask, as they ought, of him; As he is a Hea2 Thefil. 16. venly Father, can give us whatsoever we stand Ecclet v.2. Jer.xxiii.23. I Kin.viii. 7,&c. in Need of. QIs God fo in Heaven, as our Earthly Fathers are upon Earth? A. No, by no means: For God being infi23.27,38,39, nite, is every where prefent; neither fhut out of It .xl.22, any Place, nor Circumfcribed by any. * But Palcxxxix. becaufe God is pleased to fhew himself in HeaPalxi.4 ven, in the highest Excellencies of his Divine cxxvi.28. Majefty, and Glory; and is there attended by Mat.v.16.45. his Holy Angels; therefore Heaven is conxii.so xvi.I. fider'd as his Court, and his Throne. And we Act.vii. 49. very properly direct our Prayers to God there, xxiii.9. where our Saviour fits to Intercede with Him for Us; and where the Bleffed Spirits attend upon him, and fall down before him, and worship him. Q. Where Q. Wherefore are we taught to fay, OUR Father? A. Not as if God were not the Father of Every One of Us in Particular, as well as of Us All in General; or that We might not Each of Us truly, and properly fay, My Fathers But to enlarge our Affections, and correct our Pride, and increase our Charity; and to teach us that there is no Man fo mean, but what has as Good a Right to call God his Father, as the Greatest among Us; nor any, therefore, who. ought not to be look'd npon as a Brother by Us, and to be treated, and loved, and pray'd for by Us, accordingly. A. Six Three with refpect to the Honour, and Glory of God;, and which may be accounted pious Wishes, rather than formal Petitions: And Three with Relation to our Own Needs. Q. What is the Firft of These? A. Vallowed be thy Name. Q. Wherefore did Chrift begin his Prayer, with this Petition, or Defire? Prov.xvi.4. A. To fhew us that we ought to make God's PC1.cxlviii. Glory the First Thing in our Prayers, as well as 13. the Chief End of all our Actions. 1 Cor. X. 31. Ifa.vi.3. Whether ye Eat, or Drink, or whatsoever ye Do, do all to the Glory of God. God? What is here meant by the Name of |