Errour and Mistake Superstition Dulness Insincerity Formality Coldness That God would help his Invention Attention Judgment Memory both in Things and Words proper for Prayer That he might more particularly know God's Attributes his own Sins God's Mercies his own Wants c. When we pray for these due Qualifications of our Prayers let us be sure that we pray for the best of them first and most For Example More for the Truth Justice Importance as also for Sincerity Fervency and prudent seasonableness of what we conceive in our Prayers than for Multitude or Variety Celerity or Volubility More also for Sense and Affection than for the signs of them Speech and Gesture or more for good Understanding and Affection than for Utterance and Eloquence To have the aforesaid habitual Qualifications for Prayer is that which is called in some Mens and in Scripture-Phrase the Spirit of Prayer Of which therefore we see he hath the best Part who hath the best Qualifications and he the most who hath the most He who prays true just and important solidly useful things with Sincerity just and due Fervency Frequency and Seasonableness though they are but very few and short hath more of the Spirit of Prayer than he that hath in his Prayers great Variety indeed of Matter and Words but it is what is false or uncertain unjust small trivial or with Insincerity Vain-glory formality or he whose Heat and Fervency is only bodily Passion raised up by Motion and Agitation of his Body Lungs Organs of Speech c. Not to excellent useful things because seen and perceived so nor felt by any natural anticipatory sense in innocent Souls nor by the Spirit of God Of which one certain sign is when things are untrue unjust and trivial These I say are signs that the Heat the very corporeal Affections of the Soul come not from understanding natural Impressions or the Spirit of God but from some other Cause and that is usually the natural or affected Motions of the Body I see not but we may as well expect to have our Prayers heard in these things and to receive them as in others nay in some of them the most of all such as are the Truth Justice Importance of our Desires our Sincerity and proportionable Fervency of Spirit We cannot make a more acceptable Prayer to God than for such Qualifications as these The other of Variety Particularity of things but especially of Words and Expressions being much less useful and considerable and this especially if we be private Persons and the less it is our Office to pray with others In the Use of these Means it is we are principally to expect that God Almighty will by his immediate Influence by his Holy Spirit help us to pray well If we set our selves to read the Scriptures and other good Books to consider examine meditate reflect to pray to him he may though we cannot tell when or how much suggest to and illuminate our Understandings and which is best of all excite holy Affections and Inclinations It is not likely to be just before we are going to pray or in Prayers when we have been careless but yet by either the natural Temper of our Bodys or by our own straining Excitations or Endeavours our Invention and Memory are much better than we expected Nor indeed seems it to be so much matter which way God helps and assists us to pray as we ought whether mediately by means or immediately so it be done SECT XXI 5. I Add that our Prayers for we may pray sincerely for a greater Degree or for constancy of Sincerity it self for all these due Qualifications may be successful let us be sure to be sincere hearted desirous and ready to use all that God shall bestow upon us to serve him by doing good And especially in this Case if God shall bestow upon us this Spirit and Gift of Prayer more or less that we be humble and modest and that we do not think of our selves above what we ought not think our selves to have more than we have nor to neglect and take no notice of God the Giver as if we had what we have from our selves That we be not vain-glorious contemptuous of others pleasing our selves absolutely in our own Superiority to them But that we mortifie and extinguish all such vile Appetites Affections and Lusts of the Flesh or degenerate and sinful Nature And that we humbly acknowledge God the Authour of what we have and are be it more or less that we have a right and due Estimation of it That we remember very well like and highly approve of it that we and all we have is given us not for our selves only to please our selves but to please God by doing good with them These are the likely Capacities to receive these things of God These render us the most fit subjects for God's Suggestions Instructions Illuminations Excitation of holy Affections for all Divine things and indeed for all other Favours The Meek will he guide in Judgment and the Meek will he teach his Way Psalm 25. Verse 9. SECT XXII 6. IN one word when thou hast made all thy Petitions and propounded them to God refer them all most freely to the Divine Will let there be nothing that thou hast desired but if it seem not fit to the Divine Wisdom thou retractest it and desirest it not thou obstinately desirest nothing By this Means thou wilt be sure that all thy Petitions will be just For in sum thou desirest no more than God thinks fit and surely all that is just It is one of the sage sayings in Pir. Avoth of R. Simeon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make not thy Prayer fixed I think it will be no great harm done to the Rabbi and agreable enough to what there follows if we interpret it that our Prayers should not be such as to fix and prescribe certain Laws to God but to implore his Mercy and leave all to his wise and good Will SECT XXIII 7. WHich indeed should have been in the first Place being the most general be not content and satisfied with any Prayers Some there are in which are many things false some in which are many Petitions and Desires from God very just and yet with a strange Boldness and Confidence as if Men would prescribe to God or that they always knew certainly what he ought to do and what he therefore will do in things which neither they nor any other Man can have much certainty without Divine Revelation nay sometimes in things where the contrary to what they desire seems most likely to others besides themselves to be just and therefore fit for God to grant As when one Party prays for Success in his or his Party's Cause for Victory or Superiority When a Man prays that God would defend and propagate his Truth meaning some certain Opinion of his own which may be false and hurtful All which generally comes from Pride and Self-conceit Mortals are very apt
very well content with what they have also when they believing what they already have in their Prayers to be very excellent or the very best or much better then what they are likely to meet withal in any other purposely keep cherish their affections for those things upon which they have already placed them withhold them from others For then by reason of frequent repeated Conjunction their affections are far more real ready and strong to those things which are contained in their Forms then to any new things not before heard by them in other Prayers As admiration and esteem of any thing are caused by ignorance of what is better or equal to it as it is in new things where we have not time nor perhaps ability to compare so are they much more by a knowledg or belief that nothing or very few things are so Such a knowledg and judgment is much more the cause of esteem and love then ignorance If wee 'l try for Example in the Lord's Prayer we may find it so If we often say Our Father and have a clear apprehension of the comprehensive signification of the Word viz. that God is wisely and tenderly good to us hath brought us forth brought us up doth still and must always provide for our good in all respects Spiritual bodily here hereafter and as often endeavour to joyn a cordial and ardent Affection of Love to this our dear Father and joy in him we shall find that by frequent usage when we pronounce these words We shall most readily have such a conceit and Apprehension and strongest affections too at the same time And so when we pray Forgive us our Trespasses c. Have we then an Apprehension or sense of the most intense and most Universal Charity for whom shall we not love when we love our Enemies and conjoyn we strongest and eagrest desire therewith send the Petition wrapped up in an inward sigh that God would grant it us we shall find upon use that whenever we hear or pronounce the one we shall be the most apt and ready to have the other too Those who have piously and devoutly read the holy Scriptures may have oft-times experienced that if any sentence therein hath much affected them the oftner they have thought thereof the more real and ready and great hath been their Affection There may be too much Frequency and the Succession may be too quick What Invervals of Forms are convenient and do not hinder Attention and Affection will easily be known by Experience where let us be assured there be no Prejudice As for extempore Prayer left to the extempore Memory Invention Judgment of the Reciter whether natural or pretended to be inspired it hath so much the disadvantage to compare it first of the other two viz. publike or private Forms and premeditated Prayers and the Inconveniencies thereof are so many more and greater and the Conveniencies so much fewer or lesse that it is never to be admitted where they can be had except very rarely As where a Person may be of such a peculiar Temper that his extempore may be better then his own premeditated or recited Form and in it self too very good Some Men may have more considerable things suggested by a quick and sudden Excitation and heating of themselves with exercise and by consequent bodily Passions and they may give better Judgment of their Truth and Utility than if they considered never so long with which their Heads are dulled Attention confounding them Nay even according to the constant Laws of Union between body and Soul or naturally they may hereby be more generously intellectually divinely disposed and inclined viz. to things that are large and great and therefore to things that are future Spiritual of most Universal good Effect their animal Spirits being in great Plenty subtilized and strontly but not ungovernably agitated Where we may observe that governable bodily Passions are not to be always neglected but they may be sometimes on purpose made use of and approved by our Prudence But except I say such a rare Case only where a Form or premeditated Prayer cannot be had an extempore one may sometimes be used As where a Person hath not the other two present or hath not Leisure and Time to premeditated one and yet it is expedient that some Prayer be recited to as in some sudden Danger Even in profitable Affections much more in Sense and Words the other Prayers have the Advantage of extempore Prayer For that Affection which is in it is most-what forced and strained or excited by loud Voice and bodily Action or by bodily Temper in general and is not the Effect of any preceding Judgment of the Goodness and Truth of the Things prayed even in those very Persons themselves who pray as inconsiderable as their Judgment may be though most Auditors are oft mistaken and think it is Or their Affections are but the reliques of some they have formerly had it may be with Judgment little enough Whence they are generally less and more superficial than especially in premeditated Prayers where we have with Approbation pitched upon things it is sure they are worse used and placed To speak of it absolutely supposing a Man could use no other sometimes it may be worse than none at all sometimes better than none sometimes very good It is according as the Persons are and their present Temper according to their Quickness of Approcheâ—sion and Memory both of Things and Consequences and of Words whether just wheâ— they are praying or sometime before invenâ—ted by themselves or learnt from others Or as is usually expressed according to the Quickness of their Invention Memory anâ— Judgment Moreover according to the viriety truth profitableness of their thought accompanied with suitable affections or â— useth to be said according as their Minds arâ— well furnished with matter both of sense are language anâ— with due affections formeth judiciously or at present by a certain genâ—rous habitual Temper of Mind excited tâ—wards things sutably to their Degree or Valâ—â— and Excellency I say according as these aâ— more or less in a Person his extempore Prayâ— will be better or worse and he may more 〈◊〉 less trust to it But it is very rare that thoâ— very Persons who by reason of these Qualities can perform extempore Prayer well cannot with some Premeditation do it far better But as for the most part of Persons they are so deficient in them that it is far better they should themselves make a Form of their own or use another's or at least premeditate and sometimes it were better they should altogether abstain and omit to pray at all For slowness and faultringness of Conceit and Utterance for want of quick Memory Invention Judgment Tautologies for want of either past Invention or present ready ready Memory Falshood Trivialness Unprofitableness Mischievousness of things and Improprieties and Unfitness of Speech for want of past or present good Judgment and present Memory
take heed that nothing false is said by him to cause himself to attend to what is true anâ— important to awake and inflame Affections thereto by proposing or urging the reasonableness of them by upbraiding his Infirmity Dulness Ignorance Mistake Slavery in his Senselesness of the best things I think too that this Assistance is principally in holy Affections that is such as are rightly directed and moderated to the most excellent Objects and in their due Degree more than in Sense and Words also principally upon some extraordinary Occasion either for the great need of its being well performed just at such a time or the necessary want of Time and it may be of natural Ability of the Person if innocent and humble and therefore always especially to the innocent and particularly the humble and modest not to the lazie negligent weak yet vainly conceited presumptuous and proud Person I rather think that they have most of this Assistance who least pretend to it who least therefore wilfully neglecting their own endeavours trust to it but only modestly think it may be sometimes in some things and whether it be so or be not so do attribute all they are or do or can perform ultimately to God whether it be by natural Parts or habitual Gists or present Influence who acknowledg that all holy Desires all good Counsels all just Works do proceed from him and thank God that he is pleased to do any good to others by them though they should be very well pleased too if it were done by others so it were done If it pleased God to afford a greater degree of this Assistance to do good this way there is no good Man I suppose but would be very glad thereof and willingly receive it and thank God for it And for ought I know it may be afforded to the World in greater degree First in respect of good and holy Inclinations and sense of Soul called Graces and then in those Perfections of our understanings which are called Gifts before the whole design of Christianity and consequently the present condition of Man-kind here on Earth hath and End but then we must certainly know it to be so when it is The Badness the Pride and Vanity of many Persons their self-conceit swelling with a false opinion that they are so highly favoured of God Contempt of others because inferiour to them in this respect want of Humility Modesty Charity also Falshood Uncertainty Unintelligibleness to other Persons wise and Pious in the Reciter's Non-sense or great Confusion Trivialness and Uselessness of things and consequently the Pedantry or Childishness of the Persons sometimes also the mischievousnesâ— of things are sufficient signs in their degreeâ— Non-inspiration and therefore of the Madness and Contemptibleness of such pretences They are signs even of want of ordinary considerâ—tion Reason Judgment of Ignorance Duâ—ness Confusion Error and yet Rashness anâ— Confidence And where Prayers and Persons are bettâ—â— and the clean contrary yet surely full easilâ— may all that we now see be by the Goodnessâ— the natural Parts before mentioned and by hâ—bituaâ— Gifts that is those Faculties endoweâ— with some Perfection belonging to them by God's special Influences some time or timeâ— in our Lives without the special Influence â—â— the Spirit just then And we find extempâ—râ— Performances in other matters to be performed as well as in those divine Offices as in Orations in common discourse especially when warmed with Talking and Passions and yet these are attributed only to natural Parts which in some Men are very quick and lasting of great Variety conversant about more than ordinary things and may not unfitly be termed natural Enthusiasm Of which the bodily cause according to the Laws of union of Body and Soul which God hath fixed is Subtilty Solidity Copiousness of Spirits a well constituted Brain Organs of Speech and the Nervous passages of the Brain thereto c. I would try any Man who should pretend to be even a Prpohet and did even work Miracles by such Signs as I have now mentioned and they may reasonably in some degree over-weigh the greatest appearing Miracles themselves For I may have more certainty and evidence that some things are unworthy of God or that they cannot be done by oâ— proceed from such a Nature as Gods is then that any effect is caused by God's immediate action or influence for the Confirmation of any thing taught or affirmed and not by some natural and second causes And we see accordingly the Jews were admonished by Moses that even if one should rise up who should foretell things to come and yet teach that Jehovaâ— was not the true God but should draw them to other Gods and there is the like reason in all Truths as clearly manifested by Revelation or Reason he was not to be believed that God had sent him but to be rejected and put to death Deut. 13. v. 1. As for those poor deluded or Hypocritical Men who sit in deep silence a great while and of a sudden break out with abundance as is said of Non-sensical stuff or Prophetical Phrases cluttered together and then think themselves inspired by the Spirit most probably their silence was at first affected or if not their bodily Temper was only dull and after some time their Brains were agitated with thoughts and their Hearts with Passions or their Temper was fortuitously changed as most Men are apt to be silent and talkative once in two or three Hours or at least the Examples of others make them begin to talk too and to shew the Spirit comes upon them They may do well also to have a care there be noâ— something a worse cause when Men so proudly and wilfully expose themselves to such miserable sottish Delusions These few things I have at present upon the mentioning these Sorts or kinds of Prayer only briefly suggested If one had a mind accurately and particularly to determine in this matter a Form premeditated and extempore Prayer would be considered first absolutely with each ones conveniencies and Inconveniencies good or bad Effects in which again are to be observed the degrees of their Extension as to Subjects that is Persons of their Intension of their Duration or their Frequency in three words their degrees of greatness as to Extension and Intension and of Lastingness And then again they would be considered comparatively which had most or least Conveniencies or Inconveniencies for all things have some of both and whether the using of one of them or a mixture of all of them would be best to obtain the greatest Conveniencies or good Effects with the least bad ones A Method which is to be observed in the Determination of the goodness absolute or comparative of all things To do which to any good Effect Men must be impartial and indifferent to any thing but the Truth out of Charity to Mankind as in all other Cases of Controversie and Debate it is perpetually to be admonished and dispose themselves by
all Religions contain is concerning that infinitely perfect Being called God viz. his Nature infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness his Actions Creation Preservation and Providence and then our Duty towards him which is in one word to Worship him that is to contemplate honour love rejoyce trust in desire from imitate obey him c. and to signifie this by convenient signs Among these our Dutys towards God one viz. to love God for himself is a part or Instance of Virtue or Universal Goodness the rest are Instruments or Means thereof The Duty of Prayer so as is explained and described in the ensuing Treatise is not only to desire and petition any thing from God but contains all his Worship nay it necessarily infers all our Duty universally Our solemn profession and resolution of Obedience and consequently Imitation of God God having commanded us to be like himself which is one Ingredient in a Prayer necessarily imports the practice of all our Duty whatsoever For God is or hath commanded one way or other by natural Light or Revelation all we ought to be and do The Nature and Uses of this ordinary Duty are so particularly described in the Treatise it self that I shall not here add any thing but only that I hope they are so plain and reasonable as to be understood and approved by all who are gâ—â—dedly good Understanding and to secure it from the uâ—just Contempt of some who may neglect or despâ—se it These are First the Ignorant and Vulgar whose Souls are sensual and dull that they are very inâ—pt to all Spiritual things and therefore much uncapable of such an Employment These are as much as may be to be better instructed and rendred more capable of it In order to which it would be well if the Affairs of Humane Liâ—e were so ordered that the meanest might hâ—ve more lâ—isure and opportunities for Religioâ—s Dutâ—s of Reading Praying Hearing and have more vacancy from bodily labour and motion and hardship which require and make a tough and strong but gross and dull temper of Body And it is likely that if it were not for the insatiable Covetousness and Ambition of Frinâ—es and States which perpetually fill the Worâ—d with Wars and consâ—quently make necessary hardy strong Bodys and dissolute Manners and a hundred little subservieâ—t Employments Such good reason is there for the Lâ—tany Petition for Unity Peace and Concord to all Nations Were it not for the Pride and Luxury of private Persons there would be much fewer Necessities of Humane Life and much more time to all sorts of Men for Spiritual and Divine things The moderate Care and Labour of Men sparing some time each day and some whole days probably would sufficiently provide for all such conveniencies of the bodily Life as may render it the least Impediment or the most subservient which is its right use to the spiritual one Thâ— principal part of which is the Conversation of Mens minds with God the Imitation of his most perfect and happy Life to the utmost of our Power in the greatest Knowledge and Virtue Wisdom and Goodness Prudence and Beneficence Wherefore I cannot approve the Temper of many now adays who seem to make it the only End and Design of Government to increase Riches and People and Trade in a Nation from whence they take all their Reasons and Measures of all Laws and Constitutions As if Men were made for nothing but to enjoy all the Conveniencies and gratifie all the Appetites of this present pitiful fleshly Liâ—e to eat drink enjoy Wives Children and Relations to live in Health Strength Ease to be safe from all their Enemies or to extend their Fame and Dominions abroad Whereas in truth the whole Furniture of this bodily Life is but in order and should be subservient to the spiritual or intellectual one that we might live it with less interruption or disturbance our selves and propagate it in others and there is nothing more plain than that the inordinate and immoderate gratification of our bodily Appetites or those which are proper to this fleshly Life especially sensual ones is the most inconsistent with a spiritual and virtuous Temper and consequently with the most perfect and happy Condition of Man-kind Nor seems it much to be hoped to see the World in better Posture till the Affairs thereof are otherwise ordered or it shall please God more immediately by a larger Effusion of his Holy Spirit by his Power and Virtue upon the Souls of Men to frame temper and dispose them A Second sort of those who are apt to think somewhat meanly of this religious Duty of Prayer are the learned who are most conversant in Science and addict themselves to Speculation These oft-times very much neglect Practice they little and seldom mind Morality of which I reckon Piety or our Dutys towards God to be without compare the most excellent part By how much the Objects of our Speculation are of a more different and remote nature from God as are all corporeal things with their Affections by how much they are more numerous and various by how much they require a greater Intension of Spirit as very subtil and profound things in the Mathematicks and Metaphysicks So much the more still do they draw away the Mind from Religion and Piety insomuch that the greatest Scholars are not always the best Men. It is true indeed that some Knowledge where the Objects of it are intellectual as that of our own Souls and the mutual Relations and Respects of things by spiritualizing our Minds doth prepare and dispose us to apprehend and be affected with God but then also by more vigorously employing the Application of our Minds and more intensely pleasing them it perhaps more effectually detains and with-holds us from Piety than our Converse with sensible and external Objects Nay in Moral and Religious Knowledge it self it is not only possible but I believe very frequent for Men to be so inordinately and immoderately pleased taken and in Love with the meer Knowledge or Speculation of the Objects thereof as to have very little Care Esteem and Love for the Practice or the really having it in their own Hearts that is their Wills and Affections They are altogether different things for a Man to perceive and understand and that very distinctly and clearly the Perfections of his Inclinations Appetites and Affections and to possess them or have them really in himself to know all the Rules of Morality and therefore of Piety and to practise them The one is a quality of the Understanding the other of the Will and Affections They have two different faculties and actions of the Soul for their Subjects and therefore the one may be and full often is in the same Soul where there is nothing of the other though I acknowledge that usually the best and clearest Knowledge of Humane Nature is from a Man 's own Experience of himself of which the reason is obvious and consequently a Man may have
break off such courses praying to God importunately for his help so to do and that we may be forgiven for Christ's sake all that is past that is in one word that God would give us Repentance Some of these things thus understood and such like may be expressed in Sentences of Scripture thus That God would grant unto us and help us to present our selves a living Sacrifice holy acceptable to God our most reasonable Service and that we may not be conformed to this World to the wicked Manners thereof but be transformed by the renewing of our Mind that we may prove what is the acceptable and perfect Will of God Rom. 12. Verse 1. That God would quicken us when dead in Trespasses and Sins and walking according to the Course of this World Ephes 2. Verse 1. That we may put off concerning the former Conversation the old Man which is corrupt according to the deâ—eitful Lusts and be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds and put on the new Man created after God in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4. Verse 22. That we may deny all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts and live righteously soberly and godly in this present World We especially to whom the saving Grace and Favour of God by Christ hath appeared and been made manifest Titus 2. Verse 11. That we may cast off the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light All Virtues commended to us by Christianity which gives us so large and clear a Knowledge thereof And walk honestly as in the Day not in rioting and drunkenness c. but put on the Lord Jesus Christ that is his Temper and Spirit which he was of and which he taught a Temper and Life according to the Doctrine and Example of Christ and make no Provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof Rom. 13. Verse 12. That as Christ's or as Christians we may crucifie the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5. Verse 24. In this and such like manner we may conceive express and signifie our hearty unfeigned eager Desires that God would make us in general holy righteous good conscientious honest virtuous regenerate converted renewed penitent and keep us so and make us more and more so to our Lives end But this in general may most often not suffice but we may proceed further to the general Instance or Subject of Righteousness viz. Universal Charity or Benevolence to all the Universe God and all his Creation and then to particular Virtues which are but so many Instances or Instruments of Universal Charity As Love to God for himself as a Being infinitely perfect and most capable of Happiness and therefore rejoycing that his Perfection and Happiness is so great as to receive no Addition Further to love him without any reference to our selves separately but as a Being infinitely good and benign and using all his other Perfections of Power and Knowledge to do good with to all his Creation of which we have a share even all that we have that 's good being the Effect thereof nay all evil things absolutely in themselves considered to any particular Creature are permitted and disposed by him for the good of his whole Creation and therefore all things that are come from his Goodness And this is that very Perfection of Righteousness and Holiness and its only Instance Universal Love and Benevolence in God which we before were to desire for our selves and when we pray to God that we may love him if we have but a tolerable distinct conceit of him it is principally that we may love Righteousness and Holiness Universal Beneficence and Love it self For these are the principal Attributes of his Nature God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love therefore dwelleth in God Pray we therefore to God that he would work in us a sincere strong habitual Love to himself that we might love him with all our Hearts and Minds and Might and Strength and Understanding Matt. 22. Verse 37. And that he would direct our Hearts into the love of himself 2 Thess 3. Verse 5. Next to this may follow Charity which more precisely signifies Love and Good Will to all Creatures To do which to each particular with the limitation of its desert i. e. so as is most consistent with our Universal Love to all and as far as we see effective of the greatest good of the whole is the true notion of Justice or giving to every one his due I say to all Creatures within our Cognizance according to our Knowledge of them to the holy Angels holy Souls departed hence all Mankind to all Christians our own Country Town Family Relations We are to apply our general Will and Power of doing good to the whole by doing good to each particular as we are best able and can best reach and this all the ways we can which being the various kinds distinguished by Means or Parts or other Logical Respects of doing good or of Charity as is before said are so many Graces or Virtues Pray we therefore that God would make us just merciful compassionate chatable in Alms-giving candid covering of faults most ready to take notice of and commend what is good to pass by and conceal what is bad in men patient forbearing forgiving liberal hospitable ready to visit relieve and comfort the Sick those in Want the languishing in Anguish Pain and Grief to contribute what we can to and rejoyce in the good of any one particular in others Plenty of the good things of thâ— World so long as they would use them weâ— But especially to instruct exhort encouragâ— give them good Example wish they migâ— use all good things well and not be â— unworthy and undeserving of them thâ— neither God nor good Men may think it â— they should have them to adventure our oâ— Credit and good Opinion among others anâ— our Ease if it be necessary for the Discoâ—ragement and Suppression of Vice Some of those things we may express iâ— the Words of Scripture That we may sâ—fer long be kind envy not vaunt not â—â— selves not be puffed up c. 1 Cor. 13. Verse â— Further that we may be inspired with thâ— most self-denying Temper refusing our seâ—â— Pleasure ultimately and absolutely consequenâ—ly that our Corruptions or Lusts that is aâ— our selfish and immoderate Appetites and Iâ—clinations which are corrupt might be cleaâ—sed and mortified such as Malice Hatred Revenge Anger Wrath Pride Ambition Vain-glory false self-Conceit Covetousness Affectation of Superiority in any thing â— Equality Liberty Desire to be feared suâ—â— unto Contemptuousness Obstinacy Self Will Peevishness Envy Slander and Detraction Intemperance Luxury Lasciviousness Chambering and Wantonness Immoderate and Inordinate Love of Games bodily â—r mental Exercises and Actions c. In words of Scripture That we might not â—lfil these Lusts of the Flesh viz. Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Haâ—ed Variance Emulation Wrath Strife Seâ—tions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunâ—enness Revelling and such like which things