God will not hear you: Look off your Book, and read not or learn not the words, faith 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 prophefie or fpeak falfly against their brethren in his Name; nor to reproach the prayers which Chrift prefenteth from his fervants to the Father, and which (notwithstanding their defects) are his delight!

Direct. 3. Offer God nothing as worship, which is cosstrary 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 accefs of a finner- unto God, but wholly truft in Chrifts mediation. Receive the Fathers will from Chrift your Teacher, and his commands from Chrift your King, and all his mercies from Chrift your Head, and the Treafury of the Church, and your continual Interceffor 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 partisular Rule (as to the fubftance of Gods Worship) and how far it is only a general Rule (as to the circumftances) that so you may neither offer God a Worship which he will not accept; nor yet reject or oppofe all thole circamftances as unlawful which are warranted by his general commands: (Of which I have faid enough elsewhere.)

Direct. 6. Look first and most to the exercise of inward grace, and to the fpiritual part of Worship (for God will be worshiped in fpirit, and in truth, and hateth the Hypocrite, who offereth him a carkals, or empty fhell, and ceremony, and pomp, or length of words, inftead of fubftance; and draweth nees him with the lips, without the heart :) And yet in the second place, look carefully alfo to your words, and order,and outward behaviour of the body:For God muft be honoured with foul and body. And order and reverend folemnity is both a belp to the affections of the foul, and a fit expression of them.

Never forget that bypocritical dead formality, and ignorant, felf-conceited, fanatical extravagancies, are the two extreams by which the Devil hath laboured in all ages, to turn Chrifts Worship against him, and to deftroy the Church and Religion by fuch falfe Religioufness.

The poor Popish Formalifts on one fide, mortifie Religion, and turn it into a carkafs, a comely Image that hath any thing fave life. And the Fanaticks on the other fide, do call all the enormities of their proud and bluftering fancies by the name of fpiritual devotion; and do their worft to make Chriftianity to feem a ridiculous fancy to the world: Efcape both thefe extreams, as ever you will efcape the difhonouring of God, the dividing, and difturbing, and corrupting of the Church, the deluding of others, and the difappointing and deceiving of your felves.

Dirca. 7. Neglect not any helps which you can have, by the excellent gifts of any of Chrifts Minifters or flocks; and yet take beed that through prejudice, or for the faults of either, you vilifie or reject nothing which is of God. But carefully diftinguish between Chrifts and theirs.

Communion with the bolieft and pureft Affemblies, is more defirable than with the lefs pure, But yet all that is lefs defirable comparatively, is not fimply unlawful, nor to be rejected: The labours of an abler and more faithful Minifter, are much to be preferred before theirs that are lefs able and faithful: For God worketh ufually according to the aptitude of the means, and of the receiver. To the recovery and falvation of a foul it is neceffary, 1. That the Understanding be made wife: 2. That the Heart or Will be fan&tified by Love. 3. That the Life be boly and obedient.

To the firft of thefe there are three things needful; 1. That the Understanding be awakened: 2. That it be illuminated: 3. That it be preferved from the feduction of temptations to deceit.

Now an able and faithful Paftor is fuited 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 gainfayers, and refute objections, and shame the cavils of tempters and deceivers to preserve it.

uud 2

And

And 2. He fpeaketh all from the unfeigned Love of God and men, and as all his words do breathé forth Love; fo they are apt to kindle fuch love in the hearers: For every active nature tendeth to propagation.

3. And the boliness of his life, as well as doctrine, tendeth to win the people to a holy life: So that he that loveth his own foul, muft not be indifferent what Paftor he chuseth for the help and conduct of his foul; but thould moft carefully feck to get the belt or fitteft for fuch neceffary 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 cafe of neceflity; when a better cannot be had, without more difturbance and hurt than the benefits are like to recompence. And when we live under fuch a weak, or cold, or faulty Paftor, 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 expreffion; and that we make up that in a care of our own fouls, which is wanting in his care: And that our knowledge of his failings tempt us not to flight the truth which he delivereth; and that we reject not the matter for the manner: The Sheep of Chrift do know his voice, and they know his words, and reverence and love them, from what mouth foever they proceed. A Religious zealous man that preacheth falfe do&rine, is more to be avoided, than a cold or fcandalous man who preacheth the truth. If you doubt of this, obferve these texts.

Matth. 23. 2, 3. The Scribes and Pharisees fit in Mofes feat; All therefore what foever they bid you obferve, that obferve and do: but do not ye after their works, for they say and do not.

Aas 1. 17. For be (Judas) was numbred with us, and bad obtained part of this Ministry. Judas the thief and traitor was an Apoftle, called and fent out by Jefus Chrift.

Phil. 1. 15, &c. Some indeed preach Chrift even of envy and Arife, and fome alfo of good will. The one preach Chrift of contention, not fincerely, fuppofing to add affliction to my bonds---what then? Notwithstanding every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Chrifti preached, and I do therein rejoyce, yea and will rejoyce

Rom. 16. 17. Now I befeeck you brethren, Mark them which

caufe

caufe divifions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them...

Acts 20. 30. Of your own felves shall men arife, fpeaking perverfe things, to draw away Difciples after them.

Gal. 1.7, 8. If we or an Angel from Heaven bring another Gofpel, let him be accurfed...

Is not all this a plain decifion of the cafe?

Dire& 8. While you prefer local communion with the purest Churches, and best taught and ordered, for your own edification, take heed that you difowa not a distant and mental communion with any part of the Church of Chrift on earth, which Chrift bimfelf difowneth not. But first remember that you are members of the Universal Church, and as such in mental communion with the whole, prefent your felves and fervices to Chrift; 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 it felf, and own all the fubftance 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 fincere that offereth it: nor no more muft you. And if they force you not to any actual fin (as by falfe fpeaking, subscribing, or the like) you must fometimes alfo locally joyn with fuch Churches, when occafion requireth it: (As when you have no better to go to, or when it is neceffary to fhew your mental communion, or to avoid fchifm, fcandal or offence.) As you must not approve of your own failings in Gods Worship (as in the manner of praying, preaching, &c.) and yet muft not give over worlhipping God, though you are alwaïes fure to fail; even fo muft you do by your communion with others.

And here I would earnefly intreat all thofe that are inclinable to finful feparation, to think but of these few things.

1. What is more contrary to Christianity than Pride? and what is a plainer fign of Pride, than to separate from whole Churches (and perhaps from most part of the Chriftian world, for fuch faults as are no greater than others of our own ? and to fay, They are too bad for fuch as you to communicate with t 2. Whether

2. Whether it be not much contrary to that clemency of Jefus Chrift, by which he pardoneth the failings of Believers? and which we have need of our felves as well as others? And whether it be not an horrid injury to our Lord, to afcribe kie inheritance to the Devil, and to caft thofe out of his Church whom he himself receiveth, and to deny fo many of his fervants to be his ?

3. How great a lofs is it, to lofe your part in all those prayers of the Churches (how weak foever) which you disown ? And how can you jufily expect the benefit of such prayers?

I would not take all their riches for my part of the benefit of those prayers of the Churches of Church, which fome reje& because they are extemporate, and others because they are forms, or book-prayers, or impofed; nor would I take all their wealth and honour, for my part in all the prayers of the Univerfal Church, which are guilty of more diforders, tautologies, unmeet expreffions, and manifold defects, than any that I ever yet heard from those Minifters that pray either by habit or book.

Direct. 9. Take heed both of carelefness and curiofity in the worshipping of God. Avoid carelefnefs, because it is prophanenefs and contempt: Therefore watch against idleness of mind, and wandering thoughts, and remember how great a work it is, to speak to God, or to hear from him about your everlafting ftate.

And yet curiofity is a heinous fin: When men are fo nice, that unless there be quaint phrafes, and fine cadencies and jingles, or at leaft a very laudable ftyle, they naufeate all, and are weary of hearing a homely ftyle, or common things: when every unmeet expreffion, or tautology of the speaker, doth turn their ftomachs against the wholefomeft food. This curiofity cometh from a weak and an unhealthful ftate of foul.

Direct. 10. Laftly, Let your eye of Faith be all the while upon the beavenly Hoft, or Church triumphant: I remember bow they worship God: with what wisdom, and purity, and fervour of Love, and facred pleasure, and with what unity, and peace, and concord? And let your Worship be as much composed to the imitation of them, as is agreeable to the likeness of our condition unto theirs.

There