Ghost thou maist become one with Christ and Christ with thee and so maist feel thy Communion with Christ confirmed and increased daily more and more That as it is impossible to separate the Bread and Wine digested into the blood and substance of thy body so it may be more impossible to part Christ from thy Soul or thy Soul from Christ. Lastly As the Bread of the Sacrament though confected of many Grains yet makes but one Bread so must thou remember that though all the faithful are many yet are they all but one mystical Body whereof Christ is Head And therefore thou must love every Christian as thy self and a member of thy body Thus far of the duties to be done at the receiving of the holy Sacrament called Meditation 3. Of the duties which we are to perform after receiving of the holy Communion called Action or Practice THE duty which we are to perform after the receiving of the Lord's Supper is called Action or Practice without which all the rest will minister unto us no comfort The Action consists of Two sorts of duties First such as we are to perform in the Church or else after that we are gone home Those that we are to perform in the Church are either several from our own souls or else joyntly with the Congregation The several duties which thou must perform from thine own Soul are Three First Thou must be careful that forasmuch as Christ now dwelleth in thee therefore to entertain him in a clean heart and with pure affections for the most holy will be holy with the holy for if Joseph of Arimathea when he had begged of Pilate his dead body to bury it wrapped it in sweet odours and fine Linen and laid it in a new Tomb how much more shouldest thou lodge Christ in a new heart and perfume his Rooms with the odoriferous incense of Prayers and all pure affections If God required Moses to provide a Pot of pure gold to keep the Manna that fell in the Wilderness what a pure heart shouldst thou provide to receive this divine Manna that is come down from Heaven And as thou camest sorrowing like Joseph and Mary to seek Christ in the Temple so now having there found him in the midst of his Word and Sacraments be careful with joy to carry him home with thee as they did And if the man that found but his lost sheep rejoyced so much how canst thou having found the Saviour of the World but rejoyce much more Secondly Thou must offer the Sacrifice of a private thanksgiving unto God for this inestimable grace and mercy for as this action is common unto the whole Church so is it applied particularly to every one of the faithful in the Church and for this particular mercy every soul must joyfully offer up a particular Sacrifice of Thanksgiving For if the Wise Men rejoyced so much when they saw the Star which conducted them unto Christ and worshipped him so devoutly when he lay a Babe in the Manger and offered unto him their Gold Myrrhe and Frankincense how much more shouldest thou rejoyce now that thou hast both seen and received this Sacrament which guideth thy soul unto him where he sitteth at the right hand of his Father in glory And thither lifting up thy heart adore him and offer up unto him the gold of a pure Faith the Myrrhe of a mortified heart and this or the like sweet incense of Prayer and Thanksgiving A Prayer to be said after the receiving of the Communion WHAT shall I render unto thee O blessed Saviour for all these blessings which thou hast so graciously bestowed upon my Soul How can I sufficiently thank thee when I can scarce express them Where thou mightest have made me a Beast thou madest me a Man after thine own Image When by sin I had lost both thine Image and my self thou didst renew in me thine Image by thy Spirit and didst redeem my Soul by thy Blood again and now thou hast given unto me thy Seal and Pledge of my Redemtion nay thou hast given thy self unto me O blessed Redeemer Oh what an inestimable treasure of riches and overflowing Fountain of grace hath he got who hath gained thee No man ever touched thee by Faith but thou didst heal him by Grace for thou art the Author of Salvation the remedy of all evils the medicine of the sick the life of the quick and the resurrection of the dead Seemed it a small matter unto thee to appoint thy holy Angels to attend upon so vile a Creature as I am but that thou would'st enter thy self into my Soul there to preserve nourish and cherish me unto life everlasting If the carcase of the dead Prophet could revive a dead man that touched it how much more shall the living body of the Lord of all Prophets quicken the faithful in whose heart he dwelleth And if thou wilt raise my body at the last day out of the dust how much more wilt thou now revive my Soul which thou hast sanctified with thy Spirit and purified with thy blood O Lord what could I more desire or what couldest thou more bestow upon me than to give me thy body for meat thy blood for drink and to lay down thy Soul for the price of my Redemption Thou Lord enduredst the pain and I do reap the profit I received pardon and thou didst bear the punishment Thy tears were my bath thy wounds my weal and the injustice done to thee satisfied for the Judgment which was due to me Thus by thy birth thou art become my Brother by thy death my ransom by thy mercy my reward and by thy Sacrament my nourishment O divine â—ood by which the sons of men are transformed into the sons of God so that man's nature dieth and God's nature liveth and ruleth in us Indeed all Creatures wondred that the Creator would be inclosed nine Months in the Virgins Womb though her Womb being replenished with the Holy Ghost was more splendid than the Starry Firmament but that thou should'st thus humble thy self to dwell for ever in my heart which thou foundest more unclean than a Dunghill it is able to make all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth to stand amazed But seeing it is thy free Grace and meer pleasure thus to enter and to dwell in my heart I would to God that I had so pure a heart as my heart could wish to entertain thee And who is fit to entertain Christ or who though invited would not chuse with Mary rather to kneel at thy feet than presume to sit with thee at thy Table Though I want a pure heart for thee to dwell in yet weeping eyes shall never be wanting to wash thy blessed feet and to lament my filthy sins And albeit I cannot weep so many tears as may suffice to wash thy holy feet yet Lord it is sufficient that thou hast shed Blood enough to cleanse my sinful Soâ—l And
from * meat and to do mischief is the Devil 's fast who doth evil and is ever hungry 2. Of doing good works The good works which as a Christian thou must do every day but especially on thy Fasting-day are either the works of Piety to God or the works of Charity towards thy brethren 1. The works of Piety to God are the practice of all the former duties in the sincerity of a good Conscience and in the sight of God 2. The works of Charity towards our Brethren are forgiving wrongs remitting debts to the poor that are not well able to pay but especially in giving alms to the poor that want relief and sustenance Else we shall under pretence of godliness practice miserableness like those who will pinch their own bellies to defraud their labouring servants of their due allowance As therefore Christ joyned Fasting Prayer and Alms together in Precept â—o must thou joyn them together like Cornelius in practice And therefore be sure to give at the least so much to the poor on thy Fasting-day as thou wouldest have spent in thine own dyet if thou hadst not fasted that day And remember that he that soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously and that this is a special sowing day Let thy Fasting so afflict thee that it may refresh a poor Christian and rejoyce that thou hast dined and supped in another or rather that thou hast feasted hungry Christ in his poor Members In giving Alms observe Two things First the Rules Secondly the Rewards 1. Rules in giving of Alms and doing good works 1. They must be done in obedience to God's Commandments not because we think it to be good but because God requireth us to do such and such a good deed for such obedience of the worker God preferreth before all sacrifices and the greatest works 2. They must proceed from faith else they cannot please God nay without faith the most specious works are but shining sins and Phâ—rifees Alms. 3. Thou must not think by thy good Works and Alms to merit heaven for in vain had the Son of God shed his Blood if Heaven could have been purchased either for Money or Meat Thou must therefore seek Heaven's Possession by the purchase of Christ's Blood not by the merits of thine own works For eternal Life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ. Yet every true Christian that believes to be saved and hopes to come to Heaven must do good works as the Apostle saith for necessary uses which are four First That God may be glorified Secondly That thou mayest shew thy self thankful for thy Redemption Thirdly That thou maist make sure thine Election unto thy self Fourthly That thou mayest win others by thy holy devotion to think the better of thy Christian profession And for these uses we are said to be God's Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works and that God hath ordained us to walk in them 4. Thou must not give thine Alms to impudent Vagabonds who live in wilful idleness and filthiness but to the religious and honest Poor who are either sick or so old that they cannot work or such who work but their work cannot competently maintain them Seek out those in the back Lâ—nes and relieve them But if thou mâ—etest one that asketh an Alms for Jesus sake and knowest him not to be unworthy deny him not for it is better to give unto ten Counterfeits than to suffer Christ to go in one poor Saint unrelieved Look not on the Person but give thy Alms as unto Christ in the Party 2. Of the Rewards of Alms-deeds and Good works 1. Alms are a special means to move God in mercy to turn away his temporal judgments from us when we by a true Faith that sheweth it self by such fruits do return unto him 2. Merciful Alms givers shall be the Children of the Highest and be like God their Father who is the Father of mercies They shall be his Stewards to dispose his Goods his Hands to distribute his Alms and if it be so great an honour to be the King's Almoner how much greater is it to be the God of Heavens Alms-giver 3. When all this World shall forsake us then only good Works and good Angels shall accompany us the one to receive their reward the other to deliver their charge 4. Liberty in Alms-deeds is our surest foundation that we shall obtain in eternal life a liberal reward through the Mercy and Merits of Christ. Lastly By Alms-deeds we feed and relieve Christ in his Members and Christ at the last day will acknowledge our love and reward us in his mercy and then it shall appear that what we gave to the poor was not lost but lent unto the Lord What greater motives can a Christian wish to excite him to be a liberal Alms-giver Thus far of the Manner of Fasting Now follow the Ends. 3. Of the Ends of Fasting The true Ends of Fasting are not to merit God's favour or eternal life for that we have only of the gift of God through Christ nor to place Religion in bodily abstinence for Fasting in it self is not the worship of God but an help to further us the better to worship God But the true Ends of Fasting are Three First To subdue our Flesh to the Spirit but not so to weaken our Bodies as that we are made unfit to do the necessary Duties of our Calling A good man saith Solomon is merciful to his beast Prov. 12. verse 10. much more to his own body Secondly That we may more devoutly contemplate God's holy Will and fervently pour forth our Souls unto him by prayer for as there are some kind of Devils so there are also some kind of Sins which cannot be subdued but by Fasting joyned unto Prayer Matth. 17. 22. Thirdly That by our serious humiliation and judging of our selves we may escape the judgment of the Lord not for the merit of our Fasting which is none but for the mercy of God who hath promised to remove his judgments from us when we by Fasting do unseignedly humble our selves before him And indeed no Child of God ever conscionably used this holy exercise but in the end he obtained his request at the hand of God both in receiving graces which he wanted as appears in the examples of Hannah Jehosaphat Nehemiah Daniel Esdras Esther as also in turning away judgments threatned or faln upon him as may be seen in the examples of the Israelites the Ninevites Rehoboam Ahab Hezekiah Manasses He who gave his dear Son from Heaven to the Death to ransom us when we were his enemies thinks nothing too dear on Earth to bestow upon us when we humble our selves being made his reconciled Friends and Children Thus far of the private Fast. 2. Of the publick Fast.
fiat Justitia But whilst thou art pronouncing the sentence of judgment on another remember that thine own judgment hangs over thy head In all causes therefore judge aright for thou shalt be sure to find a righteous Judge before whom thou must shortly appear to be judged thy self at what time thou maist leave to thy friend this for thine Epitaph Nuper eram Judex jam judicis ante tribunal Subsistens paveo judicor ipse modo Many I know not upon what grounds seem to be much aggrieved with the Laws of the Land but wiser men may answer them with the Apostle Nos scimus bonam esse legem modo Judex eâ legitimè utatur We know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully And he shall be unto me a righteous Judge whose heart neither corruption of bribes fear of foes nor favour of friends can withdraw from the conscionable practice of these precepts And to that rare and venerable Judge I say with Jehoshaphat Be of courage and do justice and the Lord will be with the good 10. Lastly Make not an occupation of any recreation The longest use of pleasure is but short but the pains of pleasure abused are eternal Use therefore lawful recreation so far forth as it makes thee the fitter in body and mind to do more chearfully the service of God and the duties of thy calling Thy work is great thy time is but short And he who will recompence every man according to his works standeth at the door Think how much work is behind how slow thou hast wrought in the time which is past and what a reckoning thou should'st make if thy master should call thee this day to thine accounts Be therefore careful henceforth to make the most advantage of thy short time that remains as a man would of an old lease that were near expiring and when thou disposest to recreate thy self remember how small a time is allotted for thy life and that therefore much of that is not to be consumed in idleness sports plays and toyish vanities seeing the whole is but a short while though it be all spent in doing the best good that thou canst for Man was not created for sports plays and recreation but zealously to serve God in Religion and conscionably to serve his neighbour in his vocation and by both to ascertain himself of eternal salvation Esteem therefore the loss of time one of the greatest losses Redeem it carefully to spend it wisely that when that time cometh that thou mayest be no longer a Steward on earth thy master may welcome thee with an Euge bone serve and give thee a better in heaven where thou shalt joyfully enjoy thy Master's joy for evermore Meditations for the Evening At Evening when thou preparest thy self to take thy rest meditate on these few points 1. THat seeing thy days are numbred there is one more of thy number spent and thou art now the nearer to thy end by a day 2. Sit down a while before thou goest to bed and consider with thy self what memorable thing thou hast seen heard or read that day more than thou sawest heard'st or knewest before and make thy best use of them but especially call to mind what sin thou hast committed that day against God or Man and what good thou hast omitted and humble thy self for both If thou findest that thou hast done any goodness acknowledge it to be God's grace and give him the glory and count that day lost wherein thou hast not done some good 3. If by frailty or strong tentation thou shalt perceive that thou hast committed any grievous sin or fault presume not to sleep till thou hast upon thy knees made a particular reconciliation with God in Christ for the same both by confessing the fault and by fervent praying for the pardon of the same Thus making thy score even with Christ every night thou shalt have the less to account for when thou art to make thy final reckoning before his Majesty in the Judgment day 4. If thou hast fallen out with any in the day let not the Sun go down in thine anger that night If thy conscience tells thee that thou hast wronged him acknowledge thine offence and entreat him to forgive thee If he have wronged thee offer him reconciliation and if he will not be reconciled yet do thou from thy heart forgive him Mat. 5. 23. But in any case presume not to be thine own revenger For in so doing thou do'st God a double injury First in offering to take the Sword of Justice out of his hand as though he were not just having reserved the execution of vengeance to himself Secondly in usurping authority over his servant without referring the cause to his hearing and censure being his and thy Master Besides thou art too partial to be a Revenger For if thou be to execute revenge on thy self thou wilt do it too lightly if on thy enemy too heavily It belongeth therefore to God to revenge to thee to forgive And in testimony that thou hast freely forgiven him pray unto God for the forgiveness of his fault and the amendment of his life and the next time that occasion is offered and it lies in thy power do him good and rejoyce in doing it for he that doth good to his enemies shews himself the child of God and his reward is with God his Father 5. Use not sleep as a means to satiate the foggy litherness of thy flesh but as a medicine to refresh thy tired Senses and Members sufficient sleep quickneth the mind and reviveth the body but immoderate sleep dulleth the one and fatneth the other 6. Remember that many go to bed and never rise again till they be wakened aâ—d raised up by the fearful sound of the last trumpet But he that sleepeth and wakeneth with prayer sleepeth and wakeneth with Christ. If therefore thou desirest to sleep securely and safely yield up thy self into the hands of God whilst thou art waking and so go to bed with a reverence of God's Majesty and consideration of thine own misery which thou maist imprint in thy heart in some measure by these and the like meditations Read a Chapter in the same order as was prescribed in the morning and when thou hast done kneel down on both thy knees at thy bed-side or some other convenient place in thy Chamber and lifting up thy heart thine eyes and hands to thy heavenly Father in the name and mediation of his holy Son Jesus pray unto him if thou hast the gift of Prayer 1. Confessing thy sins especially those which thou hast committed that day 2. Craving most earnestly for Christ his sake pardon and forgiveness for them 3. Requesting the assistance of his Holy Spirit for amendment of life 4. In Giving thanks for benefits received especially for thy preservation that
which is to come And for as much as thou hast created us to serve thee as all other Creatures to serve us so we beseech thee inspire thy holy Spirit into our hearts that by his illumination and effectual working we may have the inward sight and feeling of our sins and natural corruptions and that we may not be blinded in them through custom as the Reprobates are but that we may more and more loath them and be heartily grieved for them endeavouring by the use of all good means to overcome and get out of them O let us feel the Power of Christ's Death killing sin in our mortal Bodies and the vertue of his Resurrection raising up our Souls to newness of life Convert our hearts subdue our affections regenerate our minds and purifie our nature and suffer us not to be drowned in the stream of those filthy vices and sinful pleasures of thâ—s time where with thousands are carried headlong to eternal destruction but daily frame us more and more to the likeness of thy Son Jesus Christ that in righteousness and true holiness we may so serve and glorifie thee that living in thy fear and dying in thy favour we may in thine appointed time attain to the blessed resurrection of the just unto eternal life In the mean while O Lord increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel and our repentance from dead works the assurance of our hope in thy promises our fear of thy name the hatred of all our sins and our love unto thy children especially those whom we shall see to stand in need of our help and comfort that so by the fruits of Piety and a righteous life we may be assured that thy Holy Spirit doth dwell in us and that we are thy Children by Grace and Adoption And grant us good Father the continuance of health peace maintenance and all other outward things so far forth as thy Divine Wisdom shall think meet and necessary for every one of us And here O Lord according to our bounden duty we confess that thou hast been exceeding merciful unto us all in things of this life but infinitely more merciful in the things of a better life and therefore we do here from our very souls render unto thee all humble and hearty thanks for all thy blessings and benefits bestowed upon our souls and bodies acknowledging thee to be that Father of lights from whom we have received all those good and perfect gifts and unto thee alone for them we ascribe to be due all glory honour and praise both now and evermore But more especially we praise thy divine Majesty for that thou hast defended us this day from all perils and dangersâ— so that none of those judgments which our sins have deserved have fall'n upon any one of us Good Lord forgive us the sins which this day we have committed against thy Divine Majesty and our brethren for Christ his sake be reconciled unto us for them And we beseech thee likewise of the same thine infinite goodness and mercy to defend and protect us and all that belong unto us this night from all dangers of fire robberry terrours of evil angels or any other fear or peril which for our sins might justly fall upon us And that we may be safe under the shadow of thy wings we here commend our Bodies and Souls and all that we have unto thine Almighty protection Lord bless and defend both us and them from all evil And whilst we sleep do thou O Father who never slumberest nor sleepest watch over thy Children and give a charge to thy Holy Angels to pitch their tents round about our House and Dwelling to gâ—ard us from all dangers that sleeping wiâ—h thee we may in the next morning be awakened by thee and so being reâ—reshed with moderate sleep we may be the fitter to set forth thy glory in the conscionable duties of our callings And we beseech thee O Lord to be merciful likewise to thy whole Church and to continue the tranquility of these Kingdoms wherein we live turning from us those plagues which the crying sins of this Nation do cry for Preserve our Religious King Charles Queen Mary the Noble and Hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the Royal Progeny the religious Lady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and her Princely Issue all our Magistrates and Ministers all that fear thee and call upon thy Name all our Christian Brethren and Sisters that suffer sickness or any other affliction or misery especially those who any where do suffer persecution for the testimony of thy holy Gospel grant them patience to bear thy cross and deliverance when and which way it shall seem best to thy Divine Wisdom And Lord suffer us never to forget our last end and those reckonings which then we must render unto thee In health and prosperity mâ—ke us mindful of sickness and of the evil day that is behind that these things may not overtake us as a 〈◊〉 but that we may in good measure like wise Virgins be found prepared for the coming of Christ the sweet Bridegroom of our Souls And now O Lord most holy and just we coâ—fess that there is no cause why thou who art so much displeased with sin shouldest hear the prayer of sinners but for his sake only who suffered for sin and sinned not In the only mediation therefore of thine eternal Son Jesus our Lord and Saviour we humbly beg these and all other graces which thou knowest to be needful for us shutting up these our imperfect requests in that most holy Prayer which Christ himself hath taught us to say unto thee Our Father c. Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy and blessed Spirit be with us and remain with us this night and for evermore Amen Then saluting one another as becometh Christians who are the Vessels of grace and Temples of the holy Ghost let them in the fear of God depart every one to his rest using some of the former private Meditations for Evening Thus far of the Housholder's publick Practice of Piety with his Family every day Now followeth his Practice of Piety with the Church on the Sabbath-day Meditations of the true manner of practising Piety on the Sabbath-day ALmighty God will have himself worshipped not only in a private manner by private Persons and Families but also in a more publick sort of all the godly joyned together in a visible Church that by this means he may be known not only to be the God and Lord of every singular Person but also of the Creatures of the whole universal World Quest. But why do not we Christians under the New keep the Sabbath on the same seventh day whereon it was kept under the Old Testament I answer because that our Lord Jesus who is the Lord of the Sabbath and whom the Law
Practice of Piety both in private and publick Now followeth the extraordinary practice of Piety whereby God is glorified in our lives THe extraordinary Practice of Piety consists either in fasting or feasting 1. Of the Practice of Piety in Fasting There are divers kinds of fasting First a constrained Fast as when men either have not food to ear as in the Famine of Samaria or having food cannot eat it for heaviness or sickness as it befel them who where in the Ship with St. Paul This is rather Famine than Fasting Secondly A natural Fast which we underâ—ake Physically for the health of our body Thirdly A civil Fast which the Magistrate enjoyneth for the better mainâ—â—nance of the Common-wealth that by 〈◊〉 Fish as well as Flâ—sh there may be greater plenty of both Fourthly A miraculous Fast as the forty days fast of Moses and Elias the Types and of Christ the substance This is rather to be admired than imitated Fifthly A daily Fast when a man is careful to use the Creatures of God witâ— such moderation that he is nâ—t mâ—de heavier but more chearful to serve God and to do the duties of his calling This is especially to be observed of ministers and Judges Sixthly A religious Fast which a man voluntarily undertakes to make his body and soul the fitter to pray more fervently unto God upon some extraordinary occasion And of this Fast only we are to treat The Religious Fast is of Two sorts either private or publick 1. Of a Private Fast. THat we may rightly perform a private Fast Four things are to be observed First the Author Secondly the Time and Occasion Thirdly the Manner Fourthly the Ends of private Fasting 1. Of the Author The first that ordained Fasting was God himself in Paradise and it was the first Law that God made in commanding Adam to abstain from eating the forbidden fruit God would not pronounce nor write his Law without fasting and in his Law commands all his people to fast So doth our Saviour Christ teach all his Disciples under the New Testament likewise By religious fasting a man comes nearest the life of Angels and to do God's will on Earth as it is done in Heaven Yea Nature seemeth to teach man this duty in giving him a liâ—tle mouth and a nâ—rrower throat for Nature is content with a little Grace with less Neither doth Nature and Grace agree in any one act better than in this Excercise of Religious Fasting for it strengtheneth the memory and cleareth the mind illuminateth the understanding and bridleth the Affections mortifieth the flesh and preserveth Chastity preventeth sickness and continueth health it delivereth from evils and procureth all kind of blessings By breaking this Fast the Serpent overthrew the first Adam so that he lost Paradise But by keeping a Fast the second Adam vanquished the Serpent and restored us into Heaven Fasting was she who covered Noah safe in the Ark whom Intemperance uncovered and left stark naked in the Vineyard By fasting Lot quenched the flame of Sodom whom Drunkenness scorched with the fire of Incest Religious Fasting and talking with God made Moses's Face to shine before Men when Idolatrous eating and drinking caâ—sed the Israelites to appear abominable in the sight of God It rapt Elias in an Angelical Coach to Heaven when voluptuous Ahab was sent in a Bloody Chariot to Hell It made Herod believe that John Baptist should live after death by a blessed Resâ—rrection when after an intemperate life he could promise nothing to himself but eternal death and destruction O divine Ordinance of a divine Author 2. Of the Time The holy Scripture appoints no Time under the New Testament to fast but but leaves it unto Christians own free choice Rom. 14. 3. 1 Cor. 7. 5. to fast as occasion shall be offered unto them Mat. 9. 15. As when a man becomes an humble and earnest suiter unto God for the pardon of some gross sin committed or for the prevention of some sin whereunto a man feels himself by Satan sollicited or to obtain some special blessing which he wants or to avert some Judgment which a man fears or is already faln upon himself or others Or lastly to subdue his flesh unto his spirit that he may more chearfully pour forth his soul unto God by prayer Upon these occasions a man may fast a day or longer as his occasion requiees and the constitution of his body and other needful affairs will permit 3. Of the manner of a private Fast. The true manner of performing a private fast consists partly in outward partly in inward actions The outward actions are to abstain for the time that we fast First from all worldly business and labour making our fasting day as it were a Sabbath day Lev. 23. 28. for worldly business will distract our minds from holy devotion Secondly from all manner of food yea from bread and water so far as health will permit 1. That so we may acknowledge our own indignity as being unworthy both of life and all the means for the maintenance thereof 2. That by afflicting the Body the Soul which folâ—loweth the constitution thereâ—f may be the more humbled 3. That so we may take a godly revenge upon our selves for abusing our liberty in the use of God's Creatures 4. That by the hunger of our Bodies through want of these earthly things our Souls may learn to hunger more eagerly after spiritual and heavenly food 5. To put us in mind that as we abstain from food which is lawful so we should much more abstain from Sin which is altogether unlawful Thirdly From good and costly apparel that as the abuse of these puffs us up with pride so the laying aside their lawful use may witness our humility And to this end in ancient times they used especially in publick Fasts to put on Sackcloth or other course Apparel The Equity hereof still remaineth especially in publick Fasts at what time to come into the Assembly with starched Bands crisped Hair brave Apparel and decked with Flowers or Perfumes argueth a Soul that is neither humble before God nor ever knew the true use of so holy an exercise Fourthly From the full measure of ordinary sleep That thou maist that way also humble thy Body and that thy Soul may watch and pray to be prepared for the coming of Christ. And if thou wilt break thy sleep early and late for worldly gain how much more should'st thou do it for the service of God And if Ahab in imitation of the godly did in his fast lie in such-cloth to break his sleep by night what shall we think of those who on a fasting-day will yield themselves to sleep in the open Church Fifthly and lastly From all outward pleasures of our senses So that as it was not the throat only that sinned so must
believe life everlasting but also Edo vitam eternam I eat life everlasting And indeed this is the true Tree of life which God hath planted in the midst of the Paradise of the Church And whereof he hath promised to give every one that overcometh to eat And this Tree of life by infinite degrees excelleth the Tree of life that grew in the Paradise of Eden for that had his root in the Earth this from Heaven that gave buâ— life to the Body this to the Soul that did but preserve the life of the living this restoreth life to the dead The leaves of this tree heal the nations of believers and it yields every month a new manner of fruit which nourisheth them to life everlasting Oh blessed are they who often eat of this Sacrament at least once every month taste anew of this renewing fruit which Christ hath prepared for us at his Table to heal our infirmities and to confirm our belief of life everlasting Of the seventh end of the Lord's-Supper 7. To bind all Christians as it were by an oath of fidelity to serve the one only true God and to admit no other propitiatony sacrifice for sins but that one real sacrifice which by his death Christ once offered and by which he finishâ—d the sacrifices of the Law and effected eternal Redemption and Righteousness for all believers And so to remain for ever a publick mark of profession to distinguish Christians from all Sects and false Religions And seeing that in the Mâ—ss there is a strange Christ adored not he that was born of the Virgin Mary but one that is made of a Wafer Cake and that the offering up of this breaden god is thrust upon the Church as a Propitiatory Sâ—crifice for the quick and the dead all true Christians upon the danger of wilful perjury before the Lord Chief Justice of heaven and earth are to detest the Mass as the Idol of Indignation which is most derogatory to the all-sufficient world-saving merits of Christ's Death and Passion For by receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper we all swear that all real Sacrifices are ended by our Lord's death and that his body and blood once crucified and shed is the perpetual food and nourishment of our Souls 2. How to consider thine own unworthiness A Man shall best perceive his own unworthiness by examining his life according to the Ten Commandments of Almighty God Search therefore what duties thou hast omitted and what vices thou hast committed contrary to every one of the Commandments remembring that without repentance and God's mercy in Christ the Curse of God containing all the miseries of this life and everlasting torments in hell fire when this is ended is due to the breach of the least of God's Commandments And having taken a due survey both of thy sins and miseries retire to some secret place and there putting thy self in the sight of the Judge as a guilty malefactor standing at the Bar to receive his Sentence bowing thy knees to the earth smiting thy breast with thy fists and â—edewing thy cheeks with thy tears confess thy sins and humbly ask him mercy and forgiveness in these or the like words An humble confession of sins to be made unto God before the receiving of the holy Communion O God and heavenly Father when I consider the goodness which thou hast ever shewed unto me and the wickedness which I have committed against heaven and against thee I am ashamed of my self and confusion seems to cover my face as a veil for which of thy Commandments have I not transgressed O Lord I stand here guilty of the breach of all thy holy Laws For the love of my heart hath not so intirely cleaved unto thy * Majesty as to vain and earthly things I have not feared thy judgments to deterr me from sins nor trusted to thy promises to keep me from doubting of my temporal or from despairing of mine eternal state I have made the rule of thy divine worship to be what my mind thought fit not what thy Word prescribed finding my heart more prone to remember my blessed Saviour in a painted Picture of Man's device rather than to be behold him crucified in his Word and Sacraments after his own ordinance Where I should never use thy Name whereat all knees do bow but with religious reverence nor any part of thy worship without due preparation and zeal I have blasphemously abused thy holy Name to rash and customary oaths yea I have used oaths by thy sacred name as false covers of my filthy sins And I have been present at thy Service oft-times more for ceremony than conscience and to please Men more than to please thee my gracious God Where I should sanctifie thy Sabbath-day by being present at the publick exercises of the Church and by meditating privately on the word and works of God and by visiting the sick and relieving of my poor brethren alas I have thought those holy Exercises a burden because they hindred my vain sports yea I have spent many of thy Sabbaths in my own prophane Pleasures without being present at any part of thy divine worship Where I should have given all due reverence to my Natural Ecclesiastical and Politick Parents I have not shewed that measure of duty and affection to my Parents which their care and kindness hath deserved I have not had thy Ministers in such singular love for their works sake as I ought but I have taunted at their zeal and hated them because they reproved me justly And I have carried my self contemptuously against thy Mâ—gistrates and Ministers though I knew that it is 〈◊〉 ordinance that I should be obedient unto them Where I should be slâ—w to wrath and ready to forgive offences and not 〈◊〉 the Sun to go down upon my wrath but to 〈◊〉 good for evil loving my very enemies for thy sake I alas for one sorry word have burst out into open rage and harbouring thoughts of mischief in my heart I have preferred to feed on mine own malice rather than to eat of thy holy Supper Where I should keep my Mind from all filthy lusts and my Body from all uncleanness O Lord I have defiled both and made my Heart a Cage of all impure thoughts and my Mind a very stâ—e of the unclean Spirit Yea the remedy which thou Lord hast ordained for incontinency could not contain me within the bounds of Chastity for by doting on beauty whose grounds is but dust Satan hath bewitched my flesh to lust after strange flesh Where I should have lived in uprightness givâ—ng every Man his due being contented with mine own Estate and living consâ—ionably in my lawful Calling should be ready according to mine Ability to lend and give unto the Poor O Lord I have by oppression extortion bribes cavillation and other indirect dealings under