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A67024
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A collection of private devotions, fitted for every day of the week by Thomas Wooley.
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Wooley, Thomas.
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1670
(1670)
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Wing W3525A; ESTC R38761
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42,629
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168
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of Death and the due Preparation to it for there he hath these expressions which for brevities sake I divide into parts First That God would preserve the Supplicant ever in the Communion and peace of the Church Secondly bless his Death-Bed with a holy and Spiritual Guid which is a Priest Thirdly with the assistance and guard of Angels Fourthly with perception of the holy Sacrament Fifthly with patience and dereliction of his own desires Sixthly with a strong faith firm and humble hope Seventhly with just measures of Repentance and greater treansures of Charity to God and all the world therefore never neglect those means that God hath been so graciously pleased to impower his Priests to communicate unto you untill the second Coming of his Son untill which day after you shall depart this transitory world the great God of Heaven grant that your Souls in the Arms of the holy Jesus may be deposited with safety and joy there to expect the revelation of that day and then to pertake of the glories of his Kingdom Amen ANd since I am gone thus far I will proceed a little further to give you a few particulars both of the Church and your behaviour in Publique Assemblies It is impossible to be in this world and to be without Enemies for it was the lot which befel our blessed Saviour and his Apostles so the Church cannot be without them Some especially there are that strike at the very Root of all and say that upon the death of Queen Mary none of the Bishops of the Church of Rome could be prevailed with to Consecrate the Bishops appointed by Queen Elizabeth but that she appointed them by Act of Parliament and so the Succession of Consecration of Bishops from our Saviour Christ and his Apostles failed which could not be continued by Act of Parliament and their succession failing the Successive Power of Ordination of Priests must likewise fail so no Bishop no Priest no Priest no Church but certainly this was but a device of Saunders and some others for Mathew Parker who was Arch-Bishop of Canterbury was the first Bishop Consecrated in Queen Elizabeth her time and was Cannonically Consecrated by Coverdale Scory Barlow and Haskins who were likewise Cannonically Consecrated in the time of King Henry the eighth and Edward the sixth of all which you may more fully satisfie your self in the Learned Treatise of Mr. Mason upon the Institution of the Bishops of England to which when it will be time for you to be satisfied in the question I refer you and likewise to the learned Dr. Heylin in his Ecclesiastical History of the Church of England both which Books you may find in my Custody And as for the Government Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England I can onely let you know my weak judgment therein and the observations I have made by the reading of many learned and pious Authours that the Frame is as Apostolical and according to the Primitive Institution as possibly could be imagined Two things I observe out of Dr. Heylin speaking of the Opinions of Calvin Luther and Zwinglius how in other Countries they did receive the Reformation of the Church tumultuously but was in England reteyned with more moderation bearing no respect to any other but abolishing such things as were dissonant to Gods Word and reteyned such Ceremonies as without offence the liberty of the Church might establish wherein certainly saith he they dealt more advisedly then their Neighbours who in meer detestation to the Church of Rome abrogated such things altogether which their abuse had defiled though never so decent in themselves and allowed in the Primitive times And certainly saith he I perswade my self had the Reformed party abroad continued an allowable correspondency in some things with the Romish Church as the Church of England doth now it had been to their advantage far greater and lesse stomacked And this was the Censure of Monseur de Rhosney Duke of Sicilly at such time as being Embassador here for the King of France he had observed the Majesty and decency of our Church Service in Cathedrals I have also heard it saith he reported that when Peter du Moulin that great Light of the Church of France heard how indiscreetly some of our English Clergy had silenced themselves because the Cap and Surplice was Commanded he replyed That would the King of France give him a general license to Preach in Paris though it were in a Fools Coat he would most willingly accept the condition and that he never would deprive the Church of those gifts wherewith God had blessed him But it is very true as the said learned Dr. Heylin very worthily observeth that the Iesuits and the Puritans are the very Disturbers of our Peace And a long Experience hath found it so to be For saith he untill the Iesuits are taken out of the Church of Rome and the peevish Puritan Preachers now called Presbyterians out of the Church of Great Brittain there would never be any peace in Christendom For very true it is that in the beginning of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth those that continued Members of the Church of Rome and yet would not acknowledge the Queens Supremacy yet for the glorious Orders sake of the Service of the Church of England did constantly repair to the English Service and never left the same out of any dislike they had to it but rather in regard of a Decree set forth in the Councel of Trent prohibiting all resort to the Churches of Hereticks which notwithstanding the far greater part continued in their first obedience until the coming over of that roaring Bull from Pope Pius the 5. who being instigated thereunto by means of the Jesuitical Faction by which Bull the Queen was excommunicated the Subjects discharged from their obedience to the Laws And their going or not going to Church made a sign distinctive to difference a Roman Catholick from an English Protestant And truly it is very probable that they might have stood much longer to their first Conformity for all the Decree of Trent and this Bull had not the true Disturbers of the Peace of the Brittish Church come into their Aid which were those Presbyterians of the Zwinglian and Calvinian Opinion who about this time brought in their multitude of Innnovations both in Doctrine and Discipline which Faction were then called Puritans or rather a Name they did appropriate to themselves because of their pretending to a greater Purity in the Service of God than was held forth unto them as they gave it out in the Common Prayer-book and to a greater opposition to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of Rome than was agreeable to the constitution of the Church of England But this purity was accompanied with such Irreverence and drew along with it so much Licentiousnesse as gave great Scandal and offence to all sober men And these last thirty years hath given the three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland a
it wander not our Office is more determined by words but we then actually think of God when our Spirits onely speak Mental prayer when our Spirits wander is like to a Watch standing still because the spring is down wind it up again and it goes on regularly but in Vocal prayer if the words run on and the Spirit wanders the Clock strikes false the hand points not to the right hour because something is in disorder and the striking is nothing but noise in Mental prayer we confess Gods Omniscience in Vocal prayer we call the Angels to witness in the first our Spirits rejoyce in God in the second the Angels rejoyce in us Mental prayer is the best Remedy against lightnesse and indifferency of Affections but Vocal prayer is the aptest Instrument of Communion that is more Angelical but yet fittest for the state of separation and glory this is but humane but it is apter for our present Constitution they have their distinct proprieties and may be used according to their several accidents occasions or dispositions You must often call to mind and examin your self of all your actions especially after much businesse speeches c. You must live as though you had nothing and yet possesse all things and remember that meat drink and cloth are a Christians riches Yield your selves wholly to God and though you have nothing to requite him with but your self yet he gives all that gives himself the Apostles left their Ship and their Nets the poor Widdow gave onely her two Mites to the poor mans Box and her Oblation was preferred before those of the richest persons he easily dispenseth all things that alwayes thinks he must die You must never go to Bed disquieted or troubled in mind but be at peace with God and Man as much as in you lyeth and daily use Jaculatory Prayers thereby to prevent the deceipts of the Devil Take special care in your reading of the Psalms of David for in them you will find much comfort towards your Service of God and praising his holy Name Since singing of Praises giving of Thanks and offering Oblations to the Throne of Grace is very acceptable unto Almighty God and since I have before Composed an Office for your use when you shall be so unhappy to fall into any Calamity Affliction or trouble I have thought fit that when it shall please God you shall be delivered out of any Calamity c. to provide for you a short Office of Devotions whereby you may give God thanks by praising him for your deliverance as followeth As you are standing say The Te Deum Laudamus WE praise thee O God we knowledge thee to be the Lord. All the Earth doth worship thee the Father everlasting To thee all Angels cry aloud the Heavens and all the Powers therein To thee Cherubin and Seraphin continually do cry Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabboth Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory The glorious Company of the Apostles praise thee The goodly Fellowship of the Prophets praise thee The noble Army of Martyrs praise thee The holy Church throughout all the world doth knowledge thee The Father of an infinite Majesty Thine honourable true and onely Son Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter Thou art the King of glory O Christ Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man thou didst not abhor the Virgins Womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpnesse of death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Thou fittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge We therefore pray thee help thy Servants whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious Blood Make them to be numbred with thy Saints in glory everlasting O Lord save thy People and blesse thine Heritage Govern them and lift them up for ever Day by day we magnifie thee And we worship thy Name ever world without end Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this day without sin O Lord have mercy upon us have mercy upon us O Lord let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee O Lord in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded Then kneeling upon your knees devoutly say IN the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost Amen Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us Iesu hear our Prayers Iesu receive our Petitions Our Father c. The Collect for the 3. Sunday after the Epiphany ALmighty and everlasting God mercifully look upon our Infirmities and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us through Christ our Lord. The Collect for the 24. Sunday after Trinity LOrd we beseech thee assoil thy People from their offences that through thy bountiful goodnesse we may be delivered from the bonds of all those sins which by our frailty we have committed Grant this heavenly Father for Jesus Christs sake our Lord. The Collect for the 18. Sunday after Trinity LOrd we beseech thee grant thy People grace to avoid the infections of the Devil and with pure heart and mind to follow thee the only God through Jesus Christ our Lord. O Almighty God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Maker of all things Judge of all men I acknowledge and bewail my manifold sins and wickednesses which I have from time to time most grievously committed by thought word and deed against thy divine Majesty provoking most justly thy Wrath and Indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my misdoings the remembrance of them is grievous unto me the burden of them is intolerable have mercy upon me have mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ his sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in newnesse of life to the honour and glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ Amen WIth all the faculties of my Soul I blesse and praise thy Name O my Lord Jesu Christ who vouchsafedst to creat me of nothing to thy Image and Similitude to Redeem me with thy precious Blood to associate me by holy Baptisme among thy Children of Adoption and to feed me with the most blessed Sacrament of thy Body To thee I render humblest thanks for expecting me from my Infancy to this time that through thy great patience I may come to amendment of my life I praise thee I glorifie thee who hast often delivered me from many tribulatiors distresses calamities and miseries and especially that thou hast kept me from eternal punishment I praise thee and glorifie thee that thou hast bestowed on me so many common Blessings equal with others and so many particular benefits which others have wanted and whereof I have not deserved the least I beseech thy unspeakable goodness my Lord God that thou wilt so perfect