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and to pray that we may imitate, the holy SERM. lives and deaths of his chief followers.

But, besides these, there are collects likewise appointed for each Sunday and week in the year; and the intention I suppose was, that we might at different times pray for different Christian endowments, and so obtain all which is needful for us. These are the whole of the variable collects, the others are fixed. Of the two, which immediately follow in the morning, the first is for peace, which is a comprehensive word in this place for all temporal blessings, and the second for grace, which is meant to comprise all spiritual blessings. After these two collects, on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, the Litany is directed to follow; but, as this was originally meant for a distinct office, I shall take another opportunity of explaining it, and proceed now with the other parts of the service. Having put up the above-mentioned

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SERM. tioned prayers for ourselves, we now be

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gin our intercessions for others; and first, according to the apostle's injunctions, for the king as supreme. In this prayer, I know not that there is any difficulty; the word replenish' means to fill; and the word 'wealth' means prosperity;-" Grant "him in health and wealth long to live," grant him to live long in health and prosperity. The prayer for the royal family is very properly subjoined, from the interest which the people have in them; both as in their turns they may one or more of them be called to the throne, and as the conduct of persons, in such a conspicuous situation, is likely deeply to affect the national manners. Our temporal superiors being thus prayed for, we next put up our petitions for our spiritual guides, and for all congregations committed to their charge, for bishops and curates, that is, for bishops and all the inferior clergy,

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and all people under their superintendance. SERM. We next pray, during the sitting of parliament, for God's blessing on its consultations, which is peculiarly proper, the happiness of the nation entirely depending, under God, on the wisdom of its measures. And now having gone through our prayers for particular persons, we subjoin one for all mankind in general, and more especially for the members of the Christian Church, that they may profess the same faith, that they may live in peace with each other, and may lead religious and virtuous lives. In the same prayer, likewise, we intercede for the sick, and those who are any otherwise afflicted or distressed, and, at his desire, for any particular individual who may be in such a situation; and here let me observe, that it is both decent and necessary, that whoever receives benefit, after having besought the prayers of the congregation, should, at his first

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SERM. coming to church, on his recovery, request the same congregation to join with him in giving thanks; otherwise, he subjects himself to our Saviour's reproach to the lepers, who, when he had healed ten of them, and only one returned to thank him, said, Were there not ten cleansed, "but where are the nine?" After this follows the general thanksgiving, in which we testify our gratitude to God, for all the instances of his loving kindness to us, and more especially for his having condescended to redeem us, by giving his only Son to die for us; and we humbly entreat him, that we may not only with our lips, by empty words, but in our lives, by our deeds also, shew the sense which we entertain of his kindness. Last, comes a prayer taken from the Liturgy of Saint Chrysostom, one of the most celebrated fathers of the Christian church; in it we ascribe to God the grace which

has

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has prompted us to meet together, to put SER M. up our petitions to him; we encourage our. selves with Christ's promise, that when two or three are gathered together, he is among them; all our desires, however, we submit to him, asking only that he will grant such as may be expedient for us, such as may be for our real advantage, among which we may speak with confidence of two particulars, knowledge of his truth, and life everlasting. Finally, we close with St. Paul's farewell to the Corinthians; praying that the favour of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the residence of the Holy Ghost, may be always amongst us.

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