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ground, nor do they come by chance, but that they are directed and fent by a wife and holy God, either for correction of fin, for the trial of grace, for improvement in religion, or for other important ends: and that they fhall work toge ther for good to all those who make a wife improvement of God's vilitation, neither despising his chastening hand, nor fainting under his rebukes.

Sect. III. If the minister finds the fick perfon to be grofly ignorant, he fhall inftruct him in the nature of repentance and faith, and the way of acceptance with God, through the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ.

Sect. IV. He shall exhort the fick to examine himself; to fearch his heart, and try his former ways, by the word of God; and fhall affift him,. by mentioning fome of the obvious marks and evidences of fincere piety.

Sect. V. If the fick fhall fignify any fcruple, doubt or temptation, under which he labours, the minifter must endeavour to refolve his doubts, and administer instruction and direction, as the cafe may seem to require.

Sect. VI. If the fick appear to be a ftupid, thoughtless and hardened finner, he shall endeavour to awaken his mind; to aroufe his confcience; to convince him of the evil and danger of fin; of the curfe of the law, and the wrath of

God due to finners; to bring him to a humble and penitential fenfe of his iniquities; and to ftate before him the fulness of the grace and mercy of God, in and through the glorious Redeemer; the abfolute neceffity of faith and repentance, in order to his being interested in the favour of God, or his obtaining everlasting happiness.

Sect. VII. If the fick perfon fhall appear to have knowledge, to be of a tender conscience, and to have been endeavouring to serve. God in uprightness, though not without many failings. and sinful infirmities; or if his fpirit be broken with a fenfe of fin, or through apprehenfions of the want of the divine favour; then it will be proper to adminifter confolation and encouragement to him, by fetting before him the freeness and riches of the grace of God, the all-fufficiency of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, and the fupporting promises of the gospel.

Sec. VIII. The minifter muft endeavour to guard the fick perfon against ill-grounded perfuafions of the mercy of God, without a vital union to Chrift; and againft unreasonable fears of death, and defponding difcouragements; against presumption upon his own goodness and merit, upon the one hand, and againft defpair of the mercy and grace of God in Jefus Chrift, on the other.

Sect. IX. In one word, it is the minifter's duty to administer to the fick person instruction, conviction, fupport, confolation or encouragement, as his cafe may feem to require.

At a proper time, when he is most composed, the minifter fhall pray with and for him.

Sect. X. Laftly, the minifter may improve the prefont occafion to exhort thofe about the fick, to confider their mortality; to turn to the Lord and make their peace with him; in health to prepare for sickness, death and judgment.

Sect. I.

CHA P. XIII.

Of the Burial of the Dead

W

HEN any perfon departs this life, let the corpfe be taken care of in a decent manner; and be kept a proper and fufficient time before interment.

Sect. II. When the feafon for the funeral comes, let the dead body be decently attended to the grave, and interred. During fuch folemn occafions, let all who attend, conduct themselves with becoming gravity; and apply themfelves to serious meditation or difcourfe; and the minifter, if prefent, may exhort them to confider the frailty of life; and the importance of being prepared for death and eternity.

CHAP. XIV.A

Of Fafling and of the Obfervation of the Days of

Sect. I.

Thanksgiving.

THE

HERE is no day under the gofpel commanded to be kept holy, except the Lord's day, which is the chriftian fabbath.

Sect. II. Nevertheless to obferve days of fasting and thanksgiving, as the extraordinary difpenfations of divine providence may direct, we judge both fcriptural and rational.

Sect. III. Fafts and thanksgivings may be obferved by individual Chriftians; or families, in private; by particular congregations; by a number of congregations contiguous, to each other; by the congregations under the care of a prefbytery, or of a fynod; or by all the congregations of our church.

Sec. IV. It must be left to the judgment and difcretion of every Christian and family to determine, when it is proper to obferve a private fast. or thanksgiving and to the church-feffion to determine for particular congregations; and to the prefbyteries or fynods to determine for larger diftricts. When it is deemed expedient that a faft or thanksgiving fhould be general, the call for them must be judged of by the fynod or general affembly. And if at any time the civil power

fhould think it proper to appoint a fast or thankfgiving, it is the duty of the minifters and people of our communion, as we live under a christian government, to pay all due refpect to the fame.

Sect. V. Public notice is to be given a convenient time before the day of fafting or thanksgiving comes, that perfons may fo order their temporal affairs, that they may properly attend to the duties thereof.

Sect. VI. There fhall be public worship upon all fuch days; and let the prayers, pfalms, portions of scripture to be read, and fermons, be all, in a special manner adapted to the occafion.

Sect. VII. On faft days, let the minister point out the authority and providences calling to the observation thereof; and let him spend a more than usual portion of time in folemn prayer, particular confeffion of fin, efpecially of the fins of the day and place, with their aggravations, which have brought down the judgments of heaven. And let the whole day be spent in deep humiliation and mourning before God.

Sect. VIII. On days of thanksgiving, he is to give the like information refpecting the authority and providences which call to the obfervance of them; and to spend a more than ufual part of the time in the giving of thanks, agreeably to the occafion, and in finging pfalms or hymns of praife.

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