mortality, and its Duration for ever in another State, have upon us?

A It fhould make us prefer the Interest of our Souls before all the Advantages of this Life: Nay, it fhould make us ready and willing to part with every Thing that is moft dear to us in this World, to fecure their eternal Welfare; becaufe all the Enjoyments of this World can make us no Compenfation for the Lofs of our Souls. It fhould put us upon great Zeal and Diligence in all the Ways of Piety and Virtue; for it is only by fuch Qualifica tions that our Souls can be prepared to enjoy the Happiness of the next Life. It fhould make us carefully avoid all Sin, as the greatest Enemy to our future Hopes as well as our prefent Quiet. It fhould wean us from the Love of this World, which was never defigned for our Happiness, and is not capable of fatisfying the Defires of immortal Souls. It fhould fupport us under all the Afflictions of this Life, knowing that here we have no abiding City, but expect one to come. It should comfort us upon the Approach of Death, because, when this earthly Tabernacle is diffolved, we shall have an House not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens.

The PRAYER S.

I.

Almighty God, who, through thy only-begot

ten Son Jefus Christ, haft overcome Death, and opened unto us the Gate of everlafting Life; I humbly befeech thee, that as, by thy fpecial Grace preventing me, thou doft put into my Mind good Defires, fa by thy continual Help I may bring the fame to good Effect, through Jefus Chrift our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, World without End. Amen.

II.

BLESSED God, who through thy infinite for the

of the Fa

Goodness haft endowed me with an immortal right Ufe Soul capable of loving thee, and enjoying thee culties of eternally: It was thy diftinguishing Mercy that the Soul. ranked me among the Order of rational Beings, who by their Minds have a Relation to the next World, as they have by their Bodies to this. It. was thy Goodnefs that gave me an Understanding to contemplate Divine Things, that bestowed upon mea Will to choose and embrace the chiefeft Good. O! grant that I may fo ufe these thy precious Gifts, that I may employ them to thofe Ends and Purposes for which thou didst communicate them to me; that all my Faculties may adore and worship thee,the bountifulSource from whence they received their Original; that the great Care and Business of my Life may be to provide for that Happiness which thou haft made me capable of, and which only can be obtained by a patient Continuance in Well-doing. Let not the Concerns of this short, miferable, and uncertain Life, make me neglect the Things which are not feen, which are eternal. Let not the faint Images of Honour, and the empty Scenes of Mirth and Pleasure, fill my Soul, which was created for more perfect and fatisfying Enjoyments. Thou haft given me the utmost Affurance of eternal Life by the Refurrection of thy Son Jesus from the Dead ; and haft thereby convinced me of his Power to fulfil his gracious Promises of raifing me up at the laft Day: Let me live under the constant Sense of these precious Promises, that they may support me under all the Afflictions and Calamities of my Pilgrimage in this World; and fo comfort and strengthen me at the Hour of Death, that I may chearfully fubmit to my Diffolution, knowing that when the Tabernacle of my Body

fhall

For the Care of our Souls.

fhall tumble into Duft, I have an House not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens, through the Merits of Jefus Chrift, who died for my Sins, and rofe again for my Juftification. Amen.

III.

GRANT, O Lord, that I may above all

Things apprehend the Lofs of my Soul, which though it cannot cease to be, may fink into an irrecoverable State of Mifery. Let not therefore the Charms and Flatteries of this World diffolve me into Luxury and Senfuality. Let not the Terrors or Torments that wicked Men can inflict, fhake my Conftancy, or interrupt my Perfeverance in the Ways of thy Commandments. Let me never venture the Lofs of my Soul to gain the Pleasures, or to avoid the Sufferings, of this Life. Thou haft fufficiently provided even for my Happiness here below, by a lawful Enjoyment of thofe good Creatures with which thou haft fupplied me. I renounce, OLord, whatever must be purchased at the Forfeiture of thy Favour, which is better than Life; and I am refolved to facrifice the Ease, and Pleasure, and Comforts of Temporal Enjoyments, rather than offend thee. Thou haft abundantly recompenfed this Choice, by Peace of Conscience, by calm and cafy Paffions, by Contentment, and by Submiffion to thy Will, and by an entire Dependance on thy Providence, and by the transporting Hopes of immortal Life, which thou haft laid up for all those that love and fear thee. Let this Prospect keep me ftedfast and immoveable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord, forafmuch as I know my Labour fhall not be in vain in the Lord. Amen.

CHAP.

177

CHA P. XVII.

Easter Tuesday.

Q. WHAT happy Confequence is deducible from our Saviour's Refurrection, befides the Immortality of our Souls?

A. The Refurrection of our Bodies.

Q. How is the Refurrection of our Saviour an Argument of our Refurrection?

A. Because having promised to raise us up, his own Refurrection is an evident Proof of his Power

20.

to perform it. Befides, by his rifing from the Dead, 1 Cor. xv. be became the First-fruits of them that flept; which First-fruits, among the Jews, were a Pledge and Earneft of a future Harvest.

Q. What are we to believe concerning the Refurrection of the Body?

A. We are to believe, as a neceffary and infallible Truth, that as it is appointed for all Men once to die, fo it is alfo determined that all Men fhould rife from Death; that their Bodies, committed to the Grave, and diffolved into Duft, or scattered into Ashes, shall at the last Day be recollected, and be re-united to their Souls; that the fame Bodies that lived before shall be revived; that this Refurrection fhall be univerfal, the Juft to enjoy everlasting Life, and the Wicked to be condemned to everlafting Punishment..

Q. Why ought we to establish ourselves in the Belief of the Refurrection of the Body?

A. Because it is one of the great Articles of the Christian Faith, though the Heathens of old, and the Infidels of latter Times, make it one of their great Objections against Christianity, upon the Pretence of the Impoffibility of the Doctrine; which, if true, had made it highly unreasonable to have

N

been

been proposed to the Belief of Chriftians. But this Article is not only poffible, but highly probable to Reason, and upon Chriftian Principles infallibly

certain.

Q. Upon what Account was the Refurrection of the Body thought impoffible by the Heathen Philofophers?

A. Because they thought it contrary to the Course of Nature, that there fhould be any Return from a perfect Privation to a Habit, and that a Body perfectly dead fhould be reftored to Life again. Among the Works of Nature they could never obferve any Action or Operation, that did or could produce fuch an Effect. And indeed, by natural Light, we cannot difcover that God will raife the Dead, for that depending upon the Will of God, can be no otherways known than by his own Declarations; yet this Doctrine, when made known by Revelation, evidently contains nothing in it contrary to right Reafon; the Poffibility of Things not fo much depending upon the Power of Nature, as upon the Power of God.

Q. What Evidence deth right Reafon afford us for the Poffibility of the Resurrection of the Body?

A. The Proof of the neceffary Existence of an infinite perfect Being, arifes chiefly from those visible Effects of his Wifdom, and Power, and Goodness, which we fee in the Frame of the Universe; from whence it follows, that God made the World, and gave to all Creatures Life and Breath; which makes it evident to Reason, that he who can do the greater, can undoubtedly do the lefs; it being plainly altogether as eafy for God to raise the Body again after Death, as to create and form it at firft: It being a lefs Effect of Power to raise a Body when refolved into Duft, than to make all Things out of nothing.

Q. But is it not impoffible to rally the fame Parts of a Body, after they are mouldered into Duft, and