Discourses on Several Subjects Author:Adam Gordon Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: . ' , i ,; ; Discourse in. On the Common Prayer end Sacraments.;- i :i- Phil. iv. fart of 6tb Verse, ; . I In every thing by prayer and fupplic... more »ation, with thankf- giving, let your requejls be made known imto God. , '.i ... 1 I . I I t AMONG the various religious exercifes that fhould employ us as God's fervants and fel- low-chriftians, there are .none more neceflary and profitable for all conditions of men, at. all times, and in all places, than the conftant and humble ufe of public prayer, and the facraments adminiftered in Chrift's church ; for by ther/?, we afk at God's hands all fuch things as otherwife we have no right- to expect will be beftowed upon us, fuch as his grace to corredfc our tempers, the power to fubdue our paffions, and likewife the gift of every needful comfort in this life; and by the ether, he accepteth us into his houfhold, or family, and ofrereth hirnfelf to us as our guardian to defend us from the fnarcs of the evil one. Muft not they then who wilfully negledt both the one and the other, be rtrangely perverfe and blind ? Can fuch be truly faid to belong to .6 ' God, God, or to be Chrift's difciples ? Was not the whole office of our Blefled Savior employed in bringing us to God? and if we turn our backs on the prayers offered in his Father's houfe, from any idle or ill- fupported plea of our own; fclfifa fancyt can we reafonably hope that he will accept our prayers elfc where? Will any perfon, pretending to a proficiency in religion, prefume to fay they love CbriJi, and that they wjfi to be,.benefited by his precious, blood-medding, who are indifferent about being baptized in his name ? regardlefs of feeing their children early initiated into his church, and of partaking of the memorials of that living facri- fice which he ...« less