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tifm, the bread I now offer to thee, as a fign, token, or memorial of the body) of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which was given for thee, preferve thy body and foul unto everlasting life: Again, the blood (or rather, more properly, the wine I now offer to thee, as a fign, token, or memorial of the blood) of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which was shed for thee, preferve thy body and foul unto everlasting life. What is here meant, by preserving the body and foul unto everlasting life, and how the paffing of the elements of bread and wine into the ftomach of the receiver, is a means to that end, feem to me unintelligible. And, tho' it is added, take and eat this, in remembrance that Chrift died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith, with thanksgiving; drink this in remembrance, that Chrift's blood was fhed for thee, and be thankful; this does not explain the thing at all, as it is only an exhortation, to the receiver, to remember, that Chrift gave his body, and thed his blood, for him, and to be thankful for the fame. And this leads me to obferve, that external piety is compatible, as well with ignorance, as with vice. For, tho', perhaps, it may not readily be admitted, that ignorance is the mother of this kind of piety;

yet,

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yet, surely, it must be allowed to be compatible with it. And, tho' our publick forms are expreffed in our own tongue; yet, as it may justly be feared thefe are too often run over by rote, so it is highly probable, they are as little understood, by fome, as if they were expreffed in a foreign language.

AND as external piety is portable with all characters; so there are great plenty of materials provided, to render it practicable to all, as well to the ignorant and vicious, as to the more knowing and virtuous. For, befide our publick prayers, manuals of devotion, daily facrifices, week's preparations, facrifices of the altar, and fuch like abound, and make a confiderable article in the printer's and bookseller's trade. So that if a man, of any character, be disposed to be greatly pious in this way, if he be not addicted to variety, he may purchase, for a fmall fum of money, as many materials of this fort, when carefully used, as will ferve him all his life. And, as the materials for external piety are, to fome, a valuable treasure, by which they are prepared and qualified to addrefs the Deity, at all times, and under all circumstances, as well in ficknefs as in health, both in profperity and

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adversity; so there are others, who see these in a very contemptible light, notwithstanding they do not exclude all externals from religion: These pious compofitions are looked upon, by fome, as fubfervient only to a dead, formal, fpiritlefs devotion; or, at moft, that the spirit, in it's operations, is greatly limitted and confined, in the use of them. These men are for unpremeditated, extemporary or off-hand piety, if it may be fo called, which gives room for the Spirit to open and enlarge itself upon the mind, and which enables the leader in devotion, in his addreffes to God, to exprefs himself readily, aptly, and copiously, upon every branch of piety he may be exercised in; and alfo to diverfify the terms he uses, that thereby the very appearance of form and compofition may carefully be avoided. Thus, in addreffing the Deity, the petitioner prays for the forgiveness of fins, at one time, the blotting out tranfgreffions, at another, the cafting away iniquities at another, and so on : and thus, the fruitful conceptions of the perfon engaged, or the outgoings of the Spirit, or both, are exemplified thereby. Not but fometimes the leader, in this kind of devotion, is greatly at a loss in this respect, being forced, as it

were,

were, to torture his conceiving power, to find out words and requests, that may be deemed proper to each article of piety he is immediately concerned with, and to spin out the time to a convenient length, and, which, upon fome occafions, (perhaps, on days of humiliation, as they are called) is greatly extended; and thus heaven is, as it were, taken by force. But then, what is all this ftriving, this wrestling with the Deity for? Or what purpose is ferved by it? Not, furely, to please God, that most perfect intelligence and boundless goodness, with whom an honest heart, and an upright life, which is worthy of, and fuitable to our intelligent natures, muft needs be the most acceptable Sacrifice; and to whom the greatly multiplying of words muft be, (if I may be allowed to use Solomon's fimilitude) like the crackling of thorns under a pot. What pur pose then can it ferve? Why, by the making a fmooth, pathetick and extenfive addrefs to the Deity, the leader in devotion may work upon the passions, and thereby please the pious, tho', otherwife, fickle congregation, he prays with and for; and, whilst he is thus feeding them with spiritual food, he may strengthen his own hope of partaking

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with them, of their carnal good things, in However, I beg leave to remind my Readers, that, amidst all the pious hurry and buffle, that takes place in the world, of this kind, whether among the formalifts, or the fpiritualifts, (if they may be thus diftinguifhed) true piety is internal and mental, and confifts not in externals, but in a just and worthy fenfe of God, in fuitable affections to him, and in a proper veneration of him; and that external religion is no otherwise relative to true piety, than as it serves to exprefs it, or to excite and increase it. And tho' there is a propriety and decency, if I may so speak, in the creatures publickly and thankfully acknowledging, by fome external actions, their relation to, and dependence, upon God, and the manifold benefits they have received from him; yet, furely, fuch acknowledgments can be no farther, nor otherwife, valuable and pleafing to the Deity, than as they terminate in those creatures good. Men, vain and weak men, may be highly delighted with pompous addreffes, publick acclamations, and folemn thanksgivings, and be greatly pleased with the trumpeters of their praife; but then to conceive thus of the Deity, is to clothe him

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