will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.* THE COLLECT. OBSERVATIONS. Almighty God, unto whom Because the love of God all hearts are open, all de-will make all his commands sires known, and from whom easy, and to be obeyed with no secrets are hid, cleanse cheerfulness; we therefore the thoughts of our hearts by beg of him to purify our the inspiration of thy Holy hearts by faith, that we may Spirit, that we may perfectly love and fear him, and keep love thee, and worthily mag-his commandments, upon nify thy holy name, through which all our happiness Christ our Lord. Amen. depends. Rubrick. Thent shall the minister, turn We see with what great ing to the people, rehearse dis-judgment these commandtinctly the ten commandments; ments were appointed to be and the people, still kneeling, shall, after every commandment, read in this service, since ask God mercy for their trans-by the law is the knowledge *The Lord's prayer should always be said with the greatest deliberation and devotion: and especially at this time, when we beg of God the bread which must nourish us unto life eternal, and all the graces necessary to obtain that invaluable blessing. + When it is considered how many people there are, who have no other way of coming to the knowledge of their duty; it will appear with what great reason the priest is required to read these commands of God distinctly; and how religiously this rubrick ought to be observed. RUBRICK. OBSERVATIONS. : gressions for the time past, and of sin and when we are grace to keep the law for the convinced in our own contime to come, as followeth : science, that we have not kept a law which is holy, just, and good, we shall then see the need, and the blessing of a Redeemer; and how earnestly we ought to beg God, for his sake, to have mercy upon us; and to incline our hearts to keep these laws. OBSERVATIONS AND DIRECTIONS. That you may obey the following commands of God with cheerfulness, you ought to be firmly persuaded, that God, who standeth in no need of our obedience and service, hath given us these laws merely for our own good, to restrain the disorders we are subject to, and to hinder us from ruining ourselves. Consider these commands in this view, and as they are the effect of the great love of God for his poor creatures; or else you will look upon them as a burden, and obey them with an unwilling mind. Prepare, therefore, to hear them with an attention and reverence suitable to him whose commands they are; and then you will be more sensible what a blessing it is, that Jesus Christ hath, by his death, delivered us from the curse and punishment due to those that break them; having prevailed with God to accept of our repentance, and to enable us, by his grace, to observe them better for the time to come. COMMUNION. Minister. OBSERVATIONS. When you consider how God spake these words apt every man is to have his and said, I am the Lord thy idols-something which he God thou shalt have none admires, or loves, or fears, other gods but me. People. * Lord have mercy us, and incline our to keep this law. Minister. or trusts in, or adores, more than the God who made and redeemed him, you will see upon the reason and the necessity hearts of this command; and will Thou shalt not make to most heartily beg of God to keep you from such idolatry, and that you may love him with all your heart, and above all things. The proneness of all nathyself any graven image, tions to the vile idolatry of * The law of nature and right reason, being the law of man in the state of innocence, would still have been a sufficient guide, had it not been much obscured, and almost blotted out, and rendered ineffectual, by the transgression of our first parents, and the wickedness of their posterity. It was then that God republished these laws by Moses, in writing, to awaken men, and to be a standing witness against all such as would not consult their own consciences, and the law written in their hearts. COMMUNION. OBSERVATIONS. nor the likeness of any thing making and worshipping that is in heaven above, images, and the creatures or in the earth beneath, they represent, shows the or in the water under the absolute necessity of the earth. Thou shalt not bow authority of God, to prevent down to them, nor wor-so great a sin, and contempt ship them : for I the of the divine Majesty; and Lord thy God am a jealous the judgments that would God, and visit the sins of follow. the fathers upon the chil- At the same time, God dren, unto the third and has given us the greatest fourth generation of them encouragement to obey this, that hate me; and show and all his commands; asmercy unto thousands in suring us, that both we and them that love me, and keep our children's children shall my commandments. reap the blessing of our obedience. Thou shalt not take the Happy is it for the world, name of the Lord thy God that men are restrained (as in vain for the Lord will far as a command, and the not hold him guiltless, that fear of God, and his judg taketh his name in vain. People. ments, will restrain them) from profaning his name to idle and wicked purposes. Lord, have mercy upon Were it not for this, all rev. us, and incline our to keep this law. hearts erence for oaths, and for God himself, would be lost among men. COMMUNION. Minister. OBSERVATIONS. When we consider how Remember that thou keep backward we are to learn holy the Sabbath-day. Six our duty, how apt to forget days shalt thou labour, and it, and unwilling to put it do all that thou hast to do; in practice, we cannot but but the seventh day is the acknowledge the necessity Sabbath of the Lord thy and kindness of this comGod; in it thou shalt do no mand; which obliges every manner of work, thou and man, who loves and fears thy son, and thy daughter, God, to keep one day in thy man servant, and thy seven holy to the Lord; in maid-servant, thy cattle, and order to preserve the knowthe stranger that is within ledge of the true God, and thy gates. For in six days his glorious perfections, and the Lord made heaven and of our creation and redempearth, the sea, and all that tion; that we may fear, and in them is; and rested the love, and adore him as we seventh day: Wherefore the ought to do. The neglect Lord blessed the seventh of this duty, commanded day, and hallowed it. People. Lord, have mercy us, and incline our to keep this law, Minister. from the beginning, having, in all probability, been the occasion of that deplorable upon state of ignorance and idolahearts try in the heathen world; as it has been of very remarkable judgments upon many of those among Christhat have profaned this day. And indeed to profane the Lord's day, is, in a manner, to deny the God that made us and the world. Honour thy father and thy The infinite mischiefs ocmother, that thy days may casioned by undutiful chil |