cording to our Measures and Proportion, to the Maintenance of a decent folemn Worship of God among us. All thefe Particulars may, I think, be gathered from thefe Paffages of our Saviour's Life that I have now quoted to you.

These Inftances may ferve to give you a Taste of our Saviour's Devotion in publick, and of the Nature of it, and of what Principles he was acted by, and what Temper and Carriage was in Matters relating to the outward Worfhip of God. Application hereof I make none. I leave that to be made by every one's felf, as he finds Occafion for it.

But farther, which deferves our special Confideration: Our Saviour was not more exemplary in his Devotions in publick than he was in private ones. He was much converfant with God by Prayer and Meditation. He frequently took Occafions of retiring himfelf from all Bufinefs and Company, that he might the more freely contemplate, and the more intensely fix his Thoughts upon fpiritual Things, and the more ardently pour out his Soul to God, and enjoy Communion with him; and very confiderable Portions of Time did he spend in fuch devout Privacies. When the Time came that he was to enter upon his Office, which was at his Baptifm, we find he prepared himself for it, by a Retire

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Retirement of forty Days, which he spent in Fafting and Prayer, in conflicting with the Devil, and in all the Exercises of Faith, and Truft, and Devotion towards God, (in Imitation of which our forty Days Faft of Lent was appointed). Here he gained his firft Victory and Triumph over the Devil and his Kingdom; and here he experienced all the Sweetness of an uninterrupted Converfe with God and Angels, and found the Influences of it his whole Life after.

And as he thus begun the great Work committed to him, fo in the fame Manner he carried it on, though never any lived a more publick Life than he did; though never any was more crowded with Company, or had his Hands fuller of Business than he had; yet nevertheless he would either find, or make his Times for his Privacies and Devotions: If he could not have it in the Day, yet would he take it from his Reft in the Night; nay, fometimes in fuch Portions as to continue a whole Night in these his Retirements, as you may fee in the 1ft of St. Mark, verse 35. Luke vi. 12.

This Practice of our Saviour's may convince us how neceffary it is that we should be frequent and diligent in the Performance of our private Devotions; that we often take occafion to abstract ourselves from

worldly

worldly Business, that we may the better be at leisure for pious Thoughts and Meditations, for devout Prayer and other religious Exercises. If our Saviour found it Reedful fo to do, who had attained to the Perfection of Virtue, who had a conftant Prefence of Mind, who was Master of himfelf and his Bufinefs, and could not be fuppofed easily to be prevailed upon by any Temptation either from without or within; how abfolutely needful will it be for us to put this Duty in Practice, who are pitiful, forry, weak Creatures, apt every Moment to be diftracted by worldly Objects, and to be drawn away by the Temptations and Allurements of Sin that are round about us.

People may imagine what they please about the mighty Feats that may be performed through the Strength of a good Refolution. But when all this is done, they will find that there is no getting fuch a Victory over their Lufts and Corruptions; no living fuch a Chriftian Life, as the Gofpel requires of us, without the Practice of earnest and ardent Prayer to God, and a conftant Attendance to Reading and Meditation, and other fuch devout Exercifes. Though we have formed our Purposes, as we think, never fo ftrongly, and doubt not but we shall be fufficiently able to stand upon our Guard; yet, if we do not daily A a 4

apply

apply ourselves to the Throne of Grace for Strength, and Influence, and Support; if we do not frequently take Times to recollect, and renew our Refolutions, and fortify our Minds by ftrong Confideration, by repeating to ourselves the great Obligations we have to God, and the abfolute Neceffity there is of forfaking our Sins, and pursuing a Courfe of Virtue and Holinefs; and laftly, by fixing our Thoughts on the vaft, immenfe Rewards that await us at the End of our Pilgrimage, if we behave ourselves worthily: I fay, if we do not daily give ourselves to the Practice of thefe Things, how good foever at the prefent our Intentions and Purposes may be, yet there is little Hopes we fhall make any great Progress or Advancement in Chriftianity, but fhall at laft infenfibly fink down into a State of Carelessnefs and Indifferency as to thofe Matters, if not return to a worldly, fenfual, or vicious Life.

But, Secondly, let us propofe our Saviour to ourselves as a Perfon that, as he was very devout towards God, fo was he also very diligent in the Business he had to do in the World. He did not so spend his Time in Solitude and Abftractions, as to hinder the Discharge of any of the Works of his Calling. On the contrary, he lived more publickly, because of his frequent Privacies.

His Retirements ferved for no other Purpose, than to make him more active and vigorous in doing Good when he came into Company. He fo managed his Devotions towards God, that they were no Obstructions, but a great Furtherance of the Duties he owed unto Men; and hereby, as he gave us the true Notion and Measures of a perfect Life, fo did he effectually confute the fuperftitious Fancies, that too many of his Followers have entertained concerning Religion.

There are a Sort of Men, we know, in the World, that place the Perfection of Christianity in living at a Diftance from the Concernments of the World. With them, to serve God in the beft Way, is to dwell in a Wilderness, or to be cloistered up within the Walls of a Monaftery, and to fit loofe from all the Bufinefs of common Life. And fo far hath this Notion of Religion obtained, that none are accounted among the Number of the Religious, but thofe that have taken upon them this kind of Life. I wifh there were not also fome among us that are too much. Popish in this refpect, tho' they yet fufficiently hate the Name of Papifts. Are there not thofe that make Religion wholly to confift in doing of Duty, as they call it? If they do but go to Prayers often enough, and hear Sermons enow, and spend