SECT. XVI.

Praise and Thanksgiving to God are proper and efficacious Means for procuring and angmenting Charity. Vocal Prayer, Mifick and Gestures of Body betekening Humility. and Reverence towards the Divine Majesty, are useful and advantageous for begetting inward Devotion and Affection towards God.

1.

A

S Prayer hath been shewn to have its proper effect in procuring the Moral and Theological Virtues in order to the uniting the Soul to God by Charity; and by causing the frequent exercife of it and them, when they are acquired, by which Charity is confirmed.ened, and augmented in (Sec

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likewife will ood of PraifExcellency of and of his

fo doth he enjoyn Honour, Laud and Praise to be perpetually given unto Him.

2. For fince every Command, whether of God or Man, must of right tend to, and design the obtaining fome good by fulfilling of the fame; and that it is impoffible for the Almighty who has all Perfection within himself to receive any good either of Profit or Pleasure from abroad (Sect. 8.) it 'neceffarily follows, that God requires Honour, Land and Praife to be given unto him, not for any acceffion of Advantage to himfelf, but folely for the Benefit of his Creature.

3. And because the uniting the Soul to God by Charity, is the alone Good, whereunto all that can be truly faid to be good to Man, tends, (Sect. M.) every one is required to praise God in his Holiness, to praise him in the firmament of his Power, to praise him in his noble Acts, to praise him according to his excellent Greatness, Pfalm 150. ver.1,2. by reafon the often hearty doing thereof cannot chufe but exceedingly advance the Love of God, and cause a longing in the Soul to understand him more and more, and to obtain the fight of him for ever.

4. And as the praising and exalting God's Excellence in refpect of his Effence, Power and Wisdom, has an Influence on the Soul to

beget

beget and strengthen the Love of God therein; fo doth alfo the giving of Thanks unto him for his loving Kindness and Mercy to Man in creating, preferving and redeeming him proportionably to the seriousness and frequency of doing it, of neceffity elevate the Heart to God, and make it in Love with him.

Object. 1. If the defign of commanding Prayer to be made to God, and of Praife and Thanks to be given to the Divine Majefty, be to cause the Elevation of the Heart unto him, Vocal Prayer, Praife and Thankf giving, the bowing of the Knee, the lifting up of the Hands and Eyes, and all Gestures of the Body are to no purpose, feeing the Heart may be raised and lifted up to God without them.

Solut. That Bodily Exercife is not abfolutely neceffary to Salvation, is plain from hence, that fome are dumb and cannot fpeak; fome are not able through Infirmity to bow the Knee, or lift up their Hands; others want their Sight, and have not Eyes wherewith to look up to Heaven, and yet all of them may be faved and go to Bliss, and undoubtedly fhall do fo,if they be habitually poffeffed of Charity when they leave the World. But nevertheless this is no Argument,

gument, that Bodily Exercife is to no purpofe, or that it may be omitted by thofe who are in a condition with convenience to perform it. For an earnest and vehement expreffion of words, an humbling our felves with reverence on our Knees, and the lifting up our Hands and Eyes to Heaven, are all of them Helps to ftir up inward Devotion, and make our Prayers, Praifes and Thanks more fervent, and confequently more effectual to promote Charity. Nor is the Mufick either of Voices or Inftruments unufeful for exciting Devotion, whilst it is apt to put the animal Spirits into fuch a motion as will caufe the Heart to be carried with delight towards the Object of Worfhip, which men endeavour to honour and celebrate thereby.

Object. 2. Although external Adions and Gestures may improve internal Affection to God; yet that men fhould be obliged to this or that Form of Words, or manner of Ge fture in the Church,feems unreasonable, feeing the fame Words and Geftures do not move all men alike.

Solut. To ufe feveral Forms and Gestures in the publick Congregation at once, would be very inconvenient, and a great hinderance to Devotion. For as to Words,

where