and vsed the same that together with them wee may haue thy Spirit to instruct vs as well in the wants as in the true lawfull vse of them that wee may more earnestly and seriously study and labour in these vocations wherein thou hast set vs through thy great mercy to the promoting and increasing of thy Kingdome to the benefite and comfort of thy Children And wee pray not onely for our selues but beseech thee make vs earnest and feruent in prayer vnto thy Maiesty euen for others also yea for all men that as thou art the Creator of all so thou wouldest mercifully regard them and continue thy gracious goodnesse mercy in adminstring ordering the world so that by no Tyrants nor wicked men that order which thou hast established be ouerthrown but the spring and haruest the raine fruitefull times and the ioy which thou shewest and giuest by them may prouoke all men continually to feare and loue thee yea to seeke thee and finde thee That not in those outward blessings alone but much more in thy Spirit they whâ—me thou hast there-unto ordayned may reioyce in thy Fatherly goodnesse by Iesus Christ And that to this end it may please thee to poure out thy graces vppon men that they may bee instructed and framed meete instrtments for the calling of all such as thou hast appointed to bee of thy Church That these builders may be cunning and expert That these Gardiners may bee wise to plant water with iudgement and discretion that these Stewards of thy mysteries may so behaue themselues in thy Church that they knowing how and wherewith to feede thy house the glory beauty thereof may appeare in the eies of all the world which thou hast before so long time promised and which to see the eyes dazell faint with looking for And although wee know well O Lord that the cause of all miserable disorders deformities and breaches nowe adaies is in our selues which shutte vp thine hand as it were bind thine armes from reaching them out vnto vs for our saluation and comfort yet let the Lord arise and be mercifull vnto Sion haue pitty on the ruines thereof For the time is come our owne Country and people are before our eies continually whose sinne and disorder whose Ignorance and stubbrnoesse whose negligence and contempt of thy word thou hast now long time punished withdrawing thy hand from doing them good For by thy iust iudgment now many yeares thou hast plagued them and vs with idle prophane vnlearned and vnskilfull Pastors Guiders thou hast giuen them but to their ruine Feeders but of themselues not of thy flocke Teachers and Doctors who haue mouthes but speake not eyes but see not neither haue they Iudgement to instruct thy people nor wisedome how to goe out and in before them and that which is most fearefull thy good hand is not wiâ—h those Prophets which are amongest them who do sowe indeed but the earth giueth not her encrease They water but thy plants rise not in any number They feede but thy flocke is poore not fat nor beautifull O let the Lord forget the sinnes of his people Why hath hee bound them vppon his hand to looke vppon them for euer Why hath he set them day and night in the sight of his countenance Wee confesse and acknowledge against our selues O Lord all our sinnes we iudge and condemne our selues yea wee testifie against our selues that we haue deserued that euen those sparkes of thy fire and heauenly light which are amongst vs shold bee quenched and put out that the smoake of thy glory which is still in thy Church amongst vs should rise vp and vanish away from amongst vs as the dew of the morning that the same building which as yet standeth were to bee throwne downe that the Lord shold mount vppon his Chariot and flee from vs. But shall the Lord deale with his people by waight and measure shall hee vse iudgement and not mercy shall our Father forget his Children although we prouoke him shall not the sighes grones of them that bewayle Syon come before him enter into his eares O Lord let the iudgement â—nd seuerity which we haue deserued bee stayed let Chariots and Horses bee loosed let the Armies of the Lord bee discharged and let the Lord vngird himselfe and forgette his counsell and turne and bee mercifull gracious vnto them acknowledge and confesse their sinnes Let the Angels that bee the destroyers goe from before thy face to ouerthrow and cast downe all that standeth to hinder thy glory and to maintaine sinne and Ignorance Pride and Vanity That thy good Angels may follow to mete out and describe all thinges that pertayne to the building of thy Temple Let them lay to it the square and plummet and let all thy people stand and showte and sing glory at the laying of this foundation Let thy Spirit guide all those good Lord that in feare and reuerence before thee walke in their vocation In the Vniuersities and in all parts of the Realme yea of the earth looking labouring for this worke encrease the little mumber as the thousands of Ephraim the tenne thousands of Manasses and those that laugh at and hinder drawe backe this worke let them bee ashamed and confounded and all thy maruelous blessiings be shewed in the successe thereof But let them haue no force nor strength to hinder it so shall Iacob reioyce in thy mercy and Israel in thy euerlasting truth So shall our eies see thy glory O Lord and wee sing perpetually to thy prayse So shall Iesus Christ delight in the beauty of his Church and his people bee a people meete to serue him decked and adorned with his guifts labouring and studying to please him that in them his loue may rest To this end good Lord shew thy mercy vppon all Princes and Magistrates of the earth that belong to thy election turning the hearts of all those that hitherto haue not knowne thy truth but lent their power and might to Sathan and Antichrist to persecute thy people to the great dishonor of thy name That yet now at the last they may bâ—e brought home into thy sheepfold and in stead of persecutors become Nurse-fathers and Nurse-mothers to thy Church But especially wee most humbly beseech thee for all such Princes and Magistrates as haue receiued thy truth And namely for our deare Soueraigne Lord the Kings Maiesty whome thou hast placed ouer vs in this Realme for his most honorable Counsel and all Magistrates therein that thou wouldst augment the graces of thy holy Spirite in him and in them especially the spirit of wisedome counsel and power that hee and they may goe forwarde in the worke of the building vp of thy Church in all obedience to thy will speedily and constantly and perseuerantly that thy people the Sheepe of thy pastours whome thou hast committed to him and their gouernment may godly and peaceably liue
and dye to thee with them and for them glorifie thy most holy name for euer and euer We beseech thee also good Lord our God for all our Bretheren wheresoeuer that those which are in thy Church in peace and safety may prosper and goe for ward and stand in thy truth for euer that thy goodnesse may bee assured vnto them-and that thou wouldst keepe their place and maintaine their cause against all that labour to trouble them And for such as doe yet labour vnder tyranny and affliction whose sufferings thou knowest O Lord better then we can declare It may please thee to breake the rodde of their oppressours to quench the fire of their aduersaries to lighten or rather cleane take away that burthen that they so presse them withall that they together with vs may ioyne in thy Congregation and feede safely So that there may bee none to scar vs. Let thy Spirit of comfort possesse our hearts that all trouble may seeme lesse then thy trueth and glory so lighten our eies that in our darknesse we may haue such sight of thy glory and of Iesus Christ who is in that high Mountaine where hee is now so glorious that our griefes may bee swallowed vp A Speciall Morning Prayer for the Sabbath MOst Mighty and glorious Lord of Hosts God of Sabbaths Who though thou didst rest from all thy workes of Creation yet daily workest in all the world disposing and preseruing all things therein by thy generall prouidence and especially rulest in thy Church and Children doing all their workes for them and daily preseruing them from the euils of the time encouraging them daily by the renuing of thy mercies to seeke thy face refreshing thy Beloued daily from Sabbath to Sabbath with the fruits of thy house that they may bee fitted to rest for euer with thee in thine eternall Sabbath It is thy singular mercy great patience O Lord our God that thy vnworthy vnprofitable seruants hauing so often prouoked thee to call vs to an account and take our Talents from vs are yet respited to a further vse of thy blessings and redeeming of the time in better husbanding thereof But O Lord our God how wonderfully and aboue all other vnspeakeable is this thy goodnesse that though wee haue no better then prophaned this thy holy day generally heretofore by speaking our owne words and thinking our owne thoughts therein so far from being bettered by thine ordinances that wee still remaine more hardened and inexcusable thereby more leauened with hypocrisie and worldlynes more barren in vprightnesse and holynesse of conuersation and so deserue for euer to be plucked vp by the rootes and cast out of thy presence Yet hast thou offered vs once againe this gracious opportunity of thy blessed Presence and to drawe neere vnto thee his thy day in the vse of thy holy ordinances How iustly mightest thou long since either fatted vp our hearts and so giuen vs vp to our owne lust and reprobate waies that all good motions might bee vtterly quenched in vs all desire of thy presence wholly extinguished Or though wee had any desire yet thou mightest iustly hide thy face from vs and turne this day of our visitation into a perpetuall night Hast thou not thus reckoned with our neighbours round about And what mightest thou find in vs O blessed Lord that any way could stay this fearefull reckoning Is it because wee haue enioyed more fauours longer then they haue done Lord what may wee truly expect herefrom then to be beaten with more stripes And though thy patience bee more enlarged towards vs yet shall not the reckoning bee the more intollerable Or is it not thy singular wisdome to warne vs graciously by our Bretherens harmes and humble vs the more by the sence of our vnprofitablenes as if our case were bootlesse desperate Or is it because thou hast giuen vs some remorse of Iosephs affliction and enlarged our hearts with some compassion towards them Oh how doth this continue our cruelty towards them that while wee seeke to ease them of their smart by our cold compassions wee yet encorage them by our example in sinne How doth this challenge our want of mercy to our selues while wee more harden our hearts hereby in wickednesse as if we were more righteous then they because wee are spared and they are punished and so heape vp more wrath against our selues by our impenitencie while we labour to reclaime others from the fury thereof Thus find wee nothing by our selues why wee fare better then others but that our best fare is like to proue our deadly bane Onely in thee O our God there is absolute power to doe with thine owne what thou wilt with thee there is free mercy to spare whome thou pleasest In thee there is infinite wisdome to draw thy Children vnto thee by contrary meanes some by feare plucking out of the fire alluring others by thy tender compassions that thou onely mightest haue the glory of all thy workes melting some by thy patience which harden others and hardning some by thy corrections which soften others Meditate O my soule on this Power Wisdome and mercy of thy glorious God Exalt him and say who is like our God that spareth and punisheth whome hee pleaseth that punisheth by sparing and spares by punishing And solet thy heart beginne this day with such deuoute Meditation and rauishment therewith that it may truely cast thee downe before his glorious presence and vtterly cast thee out of all carnall confidence and so wholy cast out of thee all vaine and earthly thoughts that may interrupt thy sweete fellowship with thy glorious God while thou labourest to power out thy soule before him in iudging thy selfe iustifying his free goodnes for thy former preseruation and crying for acceptance in thy Sauiour for the pardon of thy sinnes and to be cloathed with his righteousnesse that thou mayest appeare all faire in the presence of thy God and so be safely carried by his Spirit into the Chamber of thy Mother there to sucke and bee satisfied O grant vs gracious God thus to beginne this day in thee and with thee And that wee may bee better quickened and enabled hereunto and set to the spending thereof wholy in thy feare Perswade our hearts wee pray thee Blessed Lord of the moralitie and equitie of this thine owne ordinâ—nce that what thou hast for thine owne intire and solemme worship so vnchangeably ratified wee may not esteeme common and indifferent as either to seeke my selfe any whit therein or els not to seeke thee in all thy waies as if either thou hadst imposed rest from our worldly imployments because idlenes pleaseth thee and the ease of the flesh were part of the worship or els might excuse vs from spirituall imployments or else that herein also wee might take our ease and serue our selues refreshing the labours of our soules by satisfing the flesh But cause vs gracious God to know that
will herein Who am I that Blessed Lord that I should not reioyce that it hath seemed good vnto thee to make mee among other of thy seruants and to set mee as it were my proper taske vpon which to giue my faithfull attendance Grant mee therefore I pray thee not to repine heereat as at some vneasy burthen put vpon me but that I may contentedly and comfortably vnder goe it euen like that glorious creature the Sunne who hauing his Tabernacle set him in the heauens reioyceth like a mighty man to runne his race And seeing thou hast not placed me O Lord in this calling for mine owne pâ—â—uate good alone but also foâ— a more publike and common benefit giue mee such an honest sincere and charitable heart that I may determine with my sâ—lfe neuer to seeke no not yet willingly to receiue that gaine which cometh by the wronging or losse of others Let me euer haue in mind that golden rule whatsoeuer I would that men should do vnto mee of doing euen so vnto them Let it neuer slippe out of my mind that the wages of vnrighteousnesse is put into a broken bagge And that as the good man shall giue inheritance to his Childrens Children so the riches of vanity shall diminish and that thou wilt draw euen out of the belly of the oppressor the suâ—stance which hee hath deuoured or if it do continue with him it shall bee for his great hurt his owne ease shall slay him and his prosperity shall be his destruction Grant mee therefore I humbly pray thee rather to choose a little with thy blessing then great reuenues with thy curse vengeance accompanying the same And if it shall be thy good pleasure to blesse my basket and my store to encrease my portion by my honest industry O keepe mee I humbly pray thâ—e that I may not set my heart vppon it let not my riches bee my strong Citie or as an high wall in my Imagination so I may bee more and more afraid of my selfe lest the cares of this world and the deceitfulnes of riches should choake in mee the seeds of grace and steale away my mind from better things and therefore make it my care good Father to follow my calling with that holy wisedome as that I may not so farre ensnare my selfe into the busines of it that I should abridge and scant my selfe of conuenient opportunities for heauenly and Spirituall employments And as I shall feele thy hand to bee opened vnto mee so open my heart and hand towards others knowing that he that scattereth shall bee more encreased so he that spareth more then is right shall surely come to pouerty euer make mee to consider thy all-seeing presence that all things are naked and open before thee and that thou wilt surely bring forth to iudgment euery seceret thing That so I knowing thee to bee a witnesse to all my courses my care may be to walke as in thy presence and to approue my selfe vnto thee by an euen and vpright behauiour so walking still in my ciuill calling as that I may beginne and sanctifie the same by my spirituall so carrying my selfe therein as still to looke higher to the things aboue still to looke low to what may befall mee preparing for want in my greatest aboundance and abounding with content in my greatest wants humbling my selfe in my disappointment herein for my negligence in better things and comforting my selfe in my spirituall thrift that all shall worke for the best vsing diligence in what is set before mee and leauing the issue to thy wise prouidence not indenting with thee for what measure thou shalt bestow but still labouring to attaine to the greatest measure of grace that it may be sufficient for me in all occasions so grant mee to commit my selfe in well-doing into the hands of thee my faithfull Creator and so trie my thriuing in these outward things by my thriuing in grace and holinesse in the feare of thee our God and so hastening in all these things which can giue mee no sound comfort nor true contentment to the life of glorie wherein I shall bee fully satisfied with thy fulnesse who art all in all God blessed for euer and euer and with Iesus Christ thy Sonne our blessed Sauiour to whome with thee and God the holy Spirit bee all praise glorie and honor for euer Amen A Prayer before the taking of a Iourney ALmighty and most holy Father who hast promised to be with thy Seruant whither soeuer I goe and to atteâ—d mee with â—â—oâ—â—o ministring Spirits thine holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about mee and beare mee in their hands Vnspeâ—keable as thy goodnesse heerein O Lord vnto me whâ—â—â—â— by nature a childe of wrath and a meer slaue of Satan should be assured of so â—igh an hand of heauenly protection Make good I pray thee now at this time this thy mercy women being my necessâ—ry businesse to nauell from mine owne place Many are the perils which both by nature and desert I am subiect no man is able to number them or â—y his owne strength or policy to auoid them Compasse thou mee with thy fauour as with a shield Goe before me as thou didst of old before thy people in the wildernesse it is onely thou that canst make mee goe and come in safely Some put their â—rust in outward helpe but cause thou mee to remember thy Name and to make thy trueth to bee my shield and buckler A horse is a vaine helpe and shall not deliuer any by his great strength neither is the mighty man saued by his power it is better to trust in the Lord then to haue confidence in Princes If thou O Lord bee my sight my saluation whom shall I feare If thou bee the strength of my life of whom shall I bee afraid Let this I pray thee be the Anchor of my soule both sure and stedfast suffer no power of Satan to remoue my faith from this foundation Howbeit gracious Father if it shall be thy pleasure in this my iourney to bring some crosse vpon mee either by making me a prey to spoylers or by some other hazard I beseech thee prepare mee to it giue me patience and comfort in it and an holy assurance that no outward inconuenience can separate mee from thy loue in Iesus Christ Make mee alwaies mindfull of this that thy fauour must not be measured by these outward accidents and cause mee euer to hold fast this Rule that all things shall worke together for the best vnto thy seruants And as in my trauailes I am desirous of thy fauour so teach mee good Father I humbly pray thee to make conscience of thy Feare That as I expect and craue protection from thee so I may apply my selfe to yeild obedience vnto thee Wherfore when I am iournying on earth grant mee to mind my departure from the world and my iourney to Heauen when I am alone grant that I may possesse my heart with