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tification and hope of glory; for the admirable goodness of God, in freeing the land from anti-christian darkness and tyranny, and for all other national deliverances; for the reformation of religion; for the covenant; and for many temporal bleffings.

To pray for the continuance of the gospel, and all ordinances thereof, in their purity, power and liberty: To turn the chief and • most useful heads of the fermon into fome few petitions; and to pray ⚫ that it may abide in the heart and bring forth fruit.

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To pray for preparation for death and judgment, and a watching for the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift: To intreat of God the forgiveness of the iniquities of our holy things, and the acceptation of our fpiritual facrifice, through the merit and mediation of our great high Prieft and Saviour the Lord Jefus Chrift.'

And because the prayer which Chrift taught his difciples, is not only a pattern of prayer, but itself a moft comprehenfive prayer, we recommend it allo to be used in the prayers of the church.

And whereas, at the administration of the facraments, the holding public fafts and days of thanksgiving, and other special occafions, which may afford matter of fpecial petitions and thanksgivings; it is requifite to exprefs fomewhat in our public prayers (as at this time it is our duty to pray for a bleffing upon the affembly of divines, the armies by fea and land, for the defence of the king, and parliament, and kingdom) every minister is herein to apply himself in his prayer, before or after fermon, to those occafions: but, for the manner, he is left to his liberty as God fhall direct and enable him, in piety and wisdom to discharge his duty.

The prayer ended, let a pfalm be fung, if with conveniency it may be done. After which (unless some other ordinance of Chrift, that concerneth the congregation at that time, be to follow) let the minister difmifs the congregation with a folemn bleffing.

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Of the Administration of the Sacraments:

Baptifm,

is

And firft, Of Baptifm.

is Aptifm, as it is not unneceffarily to be delayed, fo it is not to be adminiftred in any case by any private person, but by a minister of Christ, called to be the fteward of the myfteries of God.

Nor is it to be adminiftred in private places, or privately, but in the place of public worship, and in the face of the congregation, where the people may moft conveniently fee and hear; and not in the places where fonts in the time of Popery, were unfitly and fuperftitiously placed,

The

The child to be baptized, after notice given to the minifter the day before, is to be prefented by the father, or (in cafe of his neceffary abfence) by fome Chriftian friend in his place, profefling his earnell defire that the child may be baptized.

Before baptifm, the minifter is to ufe fome words of inftruction, touching the inftitution, nature, ufe, and ends of this facrament: fhewing,

That it is inftituted by our Lord Jefus Chrift; That it is a feal of ⚫ the covenant of grace, of our ingrafting into Chrift, and of our union with him, of remiffion of fins, regeneration, adoption, and life eternal: That the water, in baptifm, reprefenteth and fignificeth, both the blood of Chrift, which taketh away all guilt of fin, origi⚫nal and actual; and the fanctifying vertue of the spirit of Chrifl against the dominion of fin, and the corruption of our finful nature: That baptizing, or fprinkling and washing with water, fignifieth the cleansing from fin by the blood and for the merit of Chrift, together with the mortification of fin, and rifing from fin to newnes of life, by vertue of the death and refurrection of Chrift: That the promife is made to believers and their feed; and that the feed and pofterity of the faithful, born within the church, have, by the birth, intereft in the covenant, and right to the feal of it, and to the outward privileges of the church, under the golpel. no lels than the ⚫ children of Abraham in the time of the Old Teftament; the covenant of grace, for fubftance, being the fame; and the grace of God, and the confolation of believers, more plentiful than before: That the Son of God admitted little children into his prefence, embracing and bleffing them, faying, For of fuch is the kingdom of God: That children, by baptifm, are folemnly received into the bofom of the vifible ⚫ church diftinguished from the world, and them that are without, and united with believers; and that all who are baptized in the name of Chrift, do renounce, and by their baptifm are bound to fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh: That they are Chriftians, and foederally holy before baptifm, and therefore are they baptized; that the inward grace and vertue of baptifm is not tied to that very moment of time wherein it is administered, and that the fruit and power thereof reacheth to the whole courte of our life; and that out ward baptifm is not fo neceffary, that through the want thereof the infant is in danger of damnation, or the parents guilty, if they do not contemn or neglect the ordinance of Chrift, when and where it may be had.'

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In thele or the like inftructions, the minifter is to ufe his own liberty and godly wildom, as the ignorance or errors in the doctrine of baptifm, and the edification of the people. fhall require.

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He is alfo to admonish all that are prefent,

To look back to their baptism; to repent of their fins again ft their covenant with God; to ftir up their faith; to improve and make ⚫ right use of their baptifm, and of the covenant fealed thereby betwixt God and their fouls.'

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He is to exhort the parent,

To confider the great mercy of God to him and his child; to bring up the child in the knowledge of the grounds of the Chriftian religi on, and in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and to let him know the danger of God's wrath to himself and child, if he be negli gent requiring his folemn promife for the performance of his duty.' This being done, prayer is alfo to be joined with the word of infti tution, for lanctifying the water to this fpiritual ufe; and the minister is to pray to this, or the like effect;

That the Lord who hath not left us as ftrangers without the covenant of promife, but called us to the privileges of his ordinances, would graciously vouchfafe to fanctify and blefs his own ordinance of baptifm at this time: That he would join the inward baptism of his Spirit with the outward baptifm of water; make this baptifm to the 'infant a feal of adoption, remiffion of fin, regeneration and eternal lite, and all other promifes of the covenant of grace: That the child may be planted into the likenefs of the death and refurrection of 'Chrift; and that, the body of fin being destroyed in him, he may • ferve God in newnefs of life all his days.'

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Then the minifter is to demand the name of the child, which being told him, he is to fay, (calling the child by his name.)

I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft.

As he pronounceth these words, he is to baptize the child with water which for the manner of doing of it, is not only lawful but fufficient and most expedient to be, by pouring or fprinkling of the water on the face of the child, without adding any other ceremony. This done, he is to give thanks and pray, to this or the like pur pose;

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'Acknowledging with all thankfulnefs, that the Lord is true and 'faithful in keeping covenant and mercy; That he is good and graci ous, not only in that he numbereth us among his faints, but is pleased allo to bestow upon our children this fingular token and badge of his love in Chrift: That, in his truth and fpecial providence, he daily ⚫ bringeth fome into the bofom of his church, to be partakers of his ⚫ inestimable benefits, purchafed by the blood of his dear Son, for the 'continuance and increase of his church.

And praying, That the Lord would ftill continue, and daily confirm more and more this his unfpeakable favour: That he would re'ceive the infant, now baptized, and folemnly entered into the houshold of faith, into his fatherly tuition and defence, and remember him with the favour that he fheweth to his people: That, if he shall be taken out of this life in his iufancy, the Lord, who is rich in mercy, 'would be pleased to receive him up into glory; and if he live, and attain the years of difcretion, that the Lord would fo teach him by his word and Spirit, and make his baptifm effectual to him, and fo

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• uphold

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uphold him by his divine power and grace, that by faith he may prevail against the devil, the world, and the flesh, till in the end he obtain a full and final victory, and to be kept by the power of God through faith unto falvation, through Jefus Chrift our Lord.'

Of the Celebration of the Communion, or Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.

THE

HE communion, or fupper of the Lord is frequently to be ce lebrated but how often may be confidered, and determined by the minifters, and other church-governors of each congregation, as they fhall find convenient for the comfort and edification of the people committed to their charge. And, when it shall be adminiftered, we judge it convenient to be done after the morning fermon.

The ignorant and the fcandalous are pot fit to receive the facrament of the Lord's fupper.

Where this facrament cannot with convenience be frequently adminiftered, it is requifite that public warning be given the fabbath-day before the administration thereof: And that either then, or on fome day of that week, fomething concerning that ordinance thereunto, and participation thereof, be taught; that by the diligent ufe of all means fanctified of God to that end, both in public and private, all may come better prepared to that heavenly feaft.

When the day is come for adminiftration, the minifter, having ended his fermon and prayer, fhall make a short exhortation.

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Expreffing the ineftimable benefit we have by this facrament; to'gether with the ends and ufe thereof: fetting forth the great necef fity of having our comforts and ftrength renewed thereby, in this our pilgrimage and warfare: how neceffary it is that we come unto it with knowledge, faith, repentance, love, and with hungering and thirfting fouls after Chrift and, his benefits: how great the danger, to eat and drink unworthily.

Next, he is, in the name of Christ, on the one part, to warn all fuch as are ignorant, fcandalous. profane, or that live in any fin or ⚫ offence against their knowledge or confcience, that they prefume not to come to that holy table; fhewing them, that he that eateth and ⚫ drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment unto himself: And, on the other part, he is in especial manner to invite and encourage all that labour under the fenfe of the burden of their fins, ⚫ and fear of wrath, and defire to reach out unto a greater progress in grace than yet they can artain unto, to come to the Lord's table; affuring them, in the fame name, of eafe, refreshing and strength to their weak and wearied fouls.'

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After this exhortation, warning and invitation, the table being te fore decently covered, and fo conveniently placed, that the communi

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cants may orderly fit about it, or at it. The minifter is to begin the action with fanctifying and bleffing the element of bread and wine set before him (the bread in comely and convenient veffels, fo prepared, that being broken by him, and given, it may be diftributed amongst the communicants: the wine alfo in large cups) having first in a few words fhewed, that those elements, otherwife common, are now fet apart and fanctified to this holy ufe, by the word of inftitution and prayer.

Let the words of inftitution be read out of the evangelifts, or out of the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, chap. xi. 23. I have received of the Lord, &c. to the 27th verfe, which the minifter may, when he feeth requifite, explain and apply.

Let the prayer, thanksgiving, or bleffing of the bread and wine, be to this effe&t;

With humble and hearty acknowledgment of the greatness of our mifery, from which neither man nor angel was able to deliver us, and of our great unworthiness of the leaft of all God's mercies; to give thanks to God for all his benefits, and especially for that great benefit of our redemption, the love of God the Father, the fufferings and merits of the Lord Jefus Chrift the Son of God, by which we are delivered; and for all means of grace, the word and facraments; and for this facrament in particular, by which Chrift, and all his benefits, are applied and fealed up unto us, notwithstanding the denial of them unto others, are in great mercy continued unto us, after • fo much and long abuse of them all.

To profefs, that there is no other name under heaven, by which we can be faved, but the name of Jesus Christ, by whom alone we ' receive liberty and life, have access to the throne of grace, are ad'mitted to eat and drink at his own table, and are fealed up by his fpirit to an affurance of happicefs and everlafting life.

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Earnestly to pray to God, the Father of all mercies, and God of all confolation, to vouchfafe his gracious prefence, and the effectual working of his Spirit in us; and fo to fanctify thefe elements, both ⚫ of bread and wine, and to blefs his own ordinance, that we may receive, by faith, the body and blood of Jefus Chrift, crucified for us, and fo to feed upon him, that he may be one with us, and we one with him; that he may live in us, and we in him, and to him who hath loved us, and given himself for us.'

All which he is to endeavour to perform with fuitable affections, anfwerable to fuch an holy action, and to fir up the like in the people. The elements being now fanctified by the word and prayer, the minifter, being at the table, is to take the bread in his hand, and fay, in thefe expreffions (or other the like, ufed by Chrift or his apoftle upon this occation ;)

According to the holy inftitution, command, and example of our bluffed Saviour Jefu Chrift, I take this bread, and having given thanks, I

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