the publick wisdom and necessity shall impose upon me at no hand murmuring against government lest the Spirit of pride and mutiny of murmur and disorder enter into me and consigne me to the portion of the disobedient and rebellious of the Despisers of dominion and revilers of dignity Grant this O holy God for his sake who for his obedience to the Father hath obtained the glorification of eternal ages our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen Prayers for Kings and all Magistrates for our Parents spiritual and natural are in the following Letanies at the end of the fourth Chapter A Prayer to be said by Subjects when their Land is invaded and over-run by barbarous or wicked people enemies of the Religion or the Government I. O Eternal God thou alone rulest in the Kingdoms of men thou art the great God of battels and recompences and by thy glorious wisdom by thy Almighty power by thy secret providence doest determine the events of war and the issues of humane counsels and the returns of peace and victory now at least be pleased to let the light of thy countenance and the effects of a glorious mercy a gracious pardon return to this Land Thou seest how great evils we suffer under the power tyranny of war although we submit to adore thy justice in our sufferings yet be pleased to pity our misery to hear our complaints and to provide us of remedy against our present calamities let not the defenders of a righteous cause go away ashamed nor our counsels be for ever confounded nor our parties defeated nor religion suppressed nor learning discountenanced and we be spoiled of all the exteriour ornaments instruments and advantages of piety which thou hast been pleased formerly to minister to our infirmities for the interests of learning and religion Amen II. WE confesse dear God that we have deserved to be totally extinct and separate from the Communion of Saints and the comforts of Religion to be made servants to ignorant unjust and inferiour persons or to suffer any other calamitie which thou shalt allot us as the instrument of thy anger whom we have so often provoked to wrath and jealousie Lord we humbly lye down under the burden of thy rod begging of thee to remember our infirmities and no more to remember our sins to support us with thy staff to lift us up with thy hand to refresh us with thy gracious eye and if a sad cloud of temporal infelicities must still encircle us open unto us the window of Heaven that with an eye of faith and hope we may see beyond the cloud looking upon those mercies which in thy secret providence and admirable wisdom thou designest to all thy servants from such unlikely and sad beginnings Teach us diligently to do all our duty and cheerfully to submit to all thy will and at last be gracious to thy people that call upon thee that put their trust in thee that have laid up all their hopes in the bosome of God that besides thee have no helper Amen A Prayer to be said by Parents for their Children O Almighty and most merciful Father who hast promised children as a reward to the Righteous and hast given them to me as a testimony of thy mercy and an engagement of my duty be pleased to be a Father unto them and give them healthful bodies understanding souls and sanctified spirits that they may be thy servants and thy children all their dayes Let a great mercy and providence lead them through the dangers and temptations and ignorances of their youth that they may never run into folly and the evils of an unbridled appetite So order the accidents of their lives that by good education careful Tutors holy example innocent company prudent counsel and thy restraining grace their duty to thee may be secured in the midst of a crooked and untoward generation and if it seem good in thy eyes let me be enabled to provide conveniently for the support of their persons that they may not be destitute and miserable in my death or if thou shalt call me off from this World by a more timely summons let their portion be thy care mercy and providence over their bodies and souls and may they never live vitious lives nor dye violent or untimely deaths but let them glorifie thee here with a free obedience and the duties of a whole life that when they have served thee in their generations and have profited the Christian Common-wealth they may be coheirs with Jesus in the glories of thy eternal Kingdom through the same our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen A Prayer to be said by Masters of Families Curats Tutors or other obliged persons for their charges O Almighty God merciful and gracious have mercy upon my Family or Pupils or Parishioners c. and all committed to my charge sanctifie them with thy grace preserve them with thy providence guard them from all evil by the custody of Angels direct them in the wayes of peace and holy Religion by my Ministery and the conduct of thy most holy Spirit and consigne them all with the participation of thy blessings and graces in this World with healthful bodies with good understandings and sanctified spirits to a full fruition of thy glories hereafter through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer to be said by Merchants Tradesmen and Handicrafts men O Eternal God thou Fountain of justice mercy and benediction who by my education and other effects of thy providence hast called me to this profession that by my industry I may in my small proportion work together for the good of my self and others I humbly beg thy grace to guide me in my intention and in the transaction of my affairs that I may be diligent just and faithful and give me thy favour that this my labour may be accepted by thee as a part of my necessary duty and give me thy blessing to assist and prosper me in my Calling to such measures as thou shalt in mercy choose for me and be pleased to let thy holy Spirit be for ever present with me that I may never be given to covetousnesse and sordid appetites to lying and falsehood or any other base indirect and beggerly arts but give me prudence honesty and Christian sincerity that my trade may be sanctified by my Religion my labour by my intention and thy blessing that when I have done my portion of work thou hast allotted me and improv'd the talent thou hast intrusted to me and serv'd the Common-wealth in my capacity I may receive the mighty price of my high calling which I expect and beg in the portion and inheritance of the ever blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen A Prayer to be said by Debtors and all persons obliged whether by crime or contract O Almighty God who art rich unto all the treasure and Fountain of all good of all justice and all mercy and all bounty to whom we owe all that we are and all
especially to faith but consequently to all other graces of the Spirit It is all one to us whether by the eye or by the eare the Spirit conveyes his precepts to us If we hear S. Paul saying to us that Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge or read it in one of his Epistles in either of them we are equally and sufficiently instructed The Scriptures read are the same thing to us which the same doctrine was when it was preached by the Disciples of our blessed Lord and we are to learn of either with the same dispositions There are many that cannot reade the word and they must take it in by the ear and they that can reade finde the same word of God by the eye It is necessary that all men learn it some way or other and it is sufficient in order to their practise that they learn it any way The word of God is all those Commandments and Revelations those promises and threatnings the stories and sermons recorded in the Bible nothing else is the word of God that we know of by any certain instrument The good books and spiritual discourses the sermons or homilies written or spoken by men are but the word of men or rather explications of and exhortations according to the Word of God but of themselves they are not the Word of God In a Sermon the Text onely is in a proper sence to be called Gods Word and yet good Sermons are of great use and convenience for the advantages of Religion He that preaches an hour together against drunkennesse with the tongue of men or Angels hath spoke no other word of God but this Be not drunk with wine wherein there is excesse and he that writes that Sermon in a book and publishes that book hath preached to all that reade it a louder Sermon then could be spoken in a Church This I say to this purpose that we may separate truth from error popular opinions from substantial Truths For God preaches to us in the Scripture and by his secret assistances and spiritual thoughts and holy motions Good men preach to us when they by popular arguments and humane arts and complyances expound and presse any of those doctrines which God hath preached unto us in his holy Word But 1. The Holy Ghost is certainly the best Preacher in the world and the words of Scripture the best sermons 2. All the doctrine of salvation is plainly set down there that the most unlearned person by hearing it read may understand all his duty What can be plainer spoken then this Thou shalt not kill Be not drunk with wine Husbands love your wives whatsoever ye would that men should do to you do ye so to them The wit of man cannot more plainly tell us our duty or more fully then the Holy Ghost hath done already 3. Good sermons and good books are of excellent use but yet they can serve no other end but that we practise the plain doctrines of Scripture 4. What Abraham in the parable said concerning the brethren of the rich man is here very proper They have Moses and the Prophets leâ— them hear them But if they refuse to hear these neither will they believe though one should arise from the dead to preach unto them 5. Reading the holy Scriptures is a duty expressely commanded us and is called in Scripture Preaching all other preaching is the effect of humane skill and industry and although of great benefit yet it is but an Ecclesiastical ordinance the Law of God concerning Preaching being expressed in the matter of reading the Scriptures and hearing that word of God which is and as it is there described But this duty is reduced to practise in the following Rules Rules for hearing or reading the word of God 1. Set apart some portion of thy time according to the opportunities of thy calling and necessary imployment for the reading of holy Scripture and if it be possible every day reade or hear some of it read you are sure that book teaches all truth commands all holinesse and promises all happinesse 2. When it is in your power to choose accustome your self to such portions which are most plain and certain duty and which contain the story of the Life and Death of our blessed Saviour Read the Gospels the Psalms of Daâ—id and especially those portions of Scripture which by the wisdom of the Church are appointed to be publikely read upon Sundayes and holy-dayes viz. the Epistles and Gospels In the choice of any other portions you may advise with a Spiritual Guide that you may spend your time with most profit 3. Fail not diligently to attend to the reading of holy Scriptures upon those dayes wherein it is most publickly and solemnly read in Churches for at such times besides the learning our duty we obtain a blessing along with it it becoming to us upon those dayes apart of the solemn Divine worship 4. When the word of God is read or preached to you be sure you be of a ready heart and minde free from worldly cares and thoughts diligent to hear careful to mark studious to remember and desirous to practise all that is commanded and to live according to it Do not hear for any other end but to become better in your life and to be instructed in every good work and to increase in the love and service of God 5. Beg of God by prayer that he would give you the spirit of obedience and profit and that he would by his Spirit write the word in your heart and that you describe it in your life To which purpose serve your self of some affectionate ejaculations to that purpose before and after this duty Concerning spiritual books and ordinary Sermons take in these advices also 6. Let not a prejudice to any mans person hinder thee from receiving good by his doctrine if it be according to godlinesse but if occasion offer it or especially if duty present it to thee that is if it be preached in that assembly where thou art bound to be present accept the word preached as a message from God and the Minister as his Angel in that ministration 7. Consider and remark the doctrine that is represented to thee in any discourse and if the Preacher addes any accidental advantages any thing to comply with thy weaknesse or to put thy spirit into action or holy resolution remember it and make use of it but if the Preacher be a weak person yet the text is the doctrine thou art to remember that contains all thy duty it is worth thy attendance to hear that spoken often â—nd renewed upon thy thoughts and though thou beest a learned man yet the same thing which thou knowest already if spoken by another may be made active by that application I can better be comforted by my own considerations if another hand applyes them then if I do it my self because the word of God does not work as a natural agent but as a
Divine instrument it does not prevail by the force of deduction and artificial discoursings onely but chieâ—ly by way of blessing in the ordinance and in the ministery of an appointed person At least obey the publick order and reverence the constitution and give good example of humility charity and obedience 8. When Scriptures are read you are onely to enquire with diligence and modesty into the meaning of the Spirit but if homilies or sermons be made upon the words of Scripture you are to consider whether all that be spoken be conformable to the Scriptures For although you may practise for humane reasons and humane arguments ministred from the Preacherâ— art yet you must practise nothing but the command of God nothing but the Doctrine of Scripture that is the text 9. Use the advice of some spirituall or other prudent man for the choice of such spiritual books which may be of use and benefit for the edification of thy spirit in the wayes of holy living and esteem that time well accounted for that is prudently and affectionately imployed in hearing or reading good books and pious discourses ever remembring that God by hearing us speak to him in prayer obliges us to hear him speak to us in his word by what instrument soever it be conveyed SECT V. Of Fasting FAsting if it be considered in it self without relation to Spiritual ends is a duty no where enjoyned or counselled But Christianity hath to do with it as it may be made an instrument of the Spirit by subduing the lusts of the flesh or removing any hindrances of religion And it hath been practised by all ages of the Church and advised in order to three ministeries 1. To Prayer 2. To Mortification of bodily lusts 3. To Repentance and is to be practised according to the following measures Rules for Christian Fasting 1. Fasting in order to prayer is to be measured by the proportions of the times of prayer that is it ought to be a total faft from all things during the solemnity unlesse a probable necessity intervene Thus the Jews eate nothing upon the Sabbath-dayes till their great offices were performed that is about the sixth hour and S. Peter used it as an argument that the Apostles in Penteâ—ost were not drunk because it was but the third hour of the day of such a day in which it was not lawful to eat or drink til the sixth hour and the Jews were offended at the Disciples for plucking the ears of corn upon the Sabbath early in the morning because it was before the time in which by their customs they esteemed it lawful to break their fast In imitation of this custom and in prosecution of the reason of it the Christian Church hath religiously observed fasting before the Holy Communion and the more devout persons though without any obligation at all refused to eat or drink till they had finished their morning devotions and further yet upon dayes of publick humiliation which are designed to be spent wholly in Devotion and for the averting Gods judgements if they were imminent fasting is commanded together with prayer commanded I say by the Church to this end that the Spirit might be clearer and more Angelical when it is quitted in some proportions from the loads of flesh 2. Fasting when it is in order to Prayer must be a total abstinence from all meat or else an abatement of the quantity for the help which fasting does to prayer cannot be served by changing flesh into fish or milk-meats into dry diet but by turning much into little or little into none at all during the time of solemn and extraordinary prayer 3. Fasting as it is instrumental to Prayer must be attended with other aids of the like vertue and efficacy such as are removing for the time all worldly cares and secular businesses and therefore our blessed Saviour enfolds these parts within the same caution Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this world and that day overtake you unawares To which adde alms for upon the wings of fasting and alms holy prayer infallibly mounts up to Heaven 4. When Fasting is intended to serve the duty of Repentance it is then best chosen when it is short sharp and afflictive that is either a total abstinence from all nourishment according as we shall appoint or be appointed during such a time as is separate for the solemnity and attendance upon the imployment or if we shall extend our severity beyond the solemn dayes and keep our anger against our sin as we are to keep our sorrow that is alwayes in a readinesse and often to be called upon then to refuse a pleasant morsel to abstaine from the bread of our desires and onely to take wholsome and lesse pleasing nourishment vexing our appetite by the refusing a lawful satisfaction since in its petulancie and luxurie it preyed upon an unlawfull 5. Fasting designed for repentance must be ever joyned with an extream care that we fast from sin for there is no greater folly or undecency in the world then to commit that for which I am now judging and condemning my self This is the best fast and the other may serve to promote the interest of this by increasing the disaffection to it and multiplying arguments against it 6. He that fasts for repentance must during that solemnity abstain from all bodily delights and the sensuality of all his senses and his appetites for a man must not when he mourns in his fast be merry in his sport weep at dinner and laugh all day after have a silence in his kitchen and musick in his chamber judge the stomack and feast the other seâ—ses I deny not but a man may in a single instance punish a particular sin with a proper instrument If a man have offended in his palate he may choose to fast onely if he have sinned in softnesse and in his touch he may choose to lye hard or work hard and use sharp inflictions but although this Discipline be proper and particular yet because the sorrow is of the whole man no sense must rejoyce or be with any study or purpose feasted and entertained softly This rule is intended to relate to the solemn dayes appointed for repentance publickly or privately besides which in the whole course of our life even in the midst of our most festival and freer joyes we may sprinkle some single instances and acts of self condemning or punishing as to refuse a pleasant morsel or a delicious draught with a tâ—cit remembrance of the sin that now returns to displease my spirit and though these actions be single there is no undecency in them because a man may abate of his ordinary liberty bold freedom w th great prudence so he does â—t without singularity in himself or trouble to others but he may not abate of his solemn sorrow that may be caution but this would be softnesse effoeminacy and undecency 7· When
it made the Sun to go from West to East and the Moon to stand still and rocks and mountains to walk and it cures diâ—eases without physick and makes physick to do the work of nature and nature to do the work of grace and grace to do the work of God and it does miracles of accident and event and yet prayer that does all this is of it self nothing but an ascent of the minde to God a desiring things fit to be desired and an expression of this desire to God as we can and as becomes us And our unwillingnesse to pray is nothing else but a not desiring what we ought passionately to long for or if we do desire it it is a choosing rather to misse our satisfaction and felicity then to ask for it There is no more to be said in this affair but that we reduce it to practise according to the following Rules Rules for the practise of Prayer 1. We must be careful that we never ask any thing of God that is sinful or that directly ministers to sin for that is to ask of God to dishonour himself and to undoe us we had need consider what we pray for before it returns in blessing it must be joyn'd with Christs intercession and presented to God Let us principally ask of God power and assistances to do our duty to glorifie God to do good works to live a good life to dye in the fear and favour of God and eternal life these things God delights to give and commands that we shall ask and we may with confidence expect to be answered graciously for these things are promised without any reservation of a secret condition if we ask them and do our duty towards the obtaining them we are sure never to misse them 2. We may lawfully pray to God for the gifts of the Spirit that minister to holy ends such as are the gift of preaching the spirit of prayer good expression a ready and unloosed tongue good understanding learning opportunities to publish them c. with these onely restraints 1. That we cannot be so confident of the event of those prayers as of the former 2. That we must be curious to secure our intention in these desires that we may not ask them to serve our own ends but only for Gods glory and then we shall have them or a blessing for desiring them In order to such purposes our intentions in the first desires cannot be amisse because they are able to sanctifie other things and therefore cannot be unhallowed themselves 3. We must submit to Gods will desiring him to choose our imployment and to furnish out our persons as he shall see expedient 3. Whatsoever we may lawfully desire of temporall things wee may lawfully ask of God in prayer and we may expect them as they are promised 1. Whatsoever is necessary to our life and being is promised to us and therefore we may with certainty expect food and raiment food to keep us alive clothing to keepe us from nakednesse and shame so long as our life is permitted to us so long all things necessary to our life shall be ministred we may be secure of maintenance but not secure of our life for that is promised not this onely concerning food and raiment we are not to make accounts by the measure of our desires but by the measure of our needs 2. Whatsoever is convenient for us pleasant and modestly delectable we may pray for so we do it 1. with submission to Gods will 2. Without impatient desires 3. That it be not a trifle and inconsiderable but a matter so grave and concerning as to be a fit matter to be treated on between God and our souls 4. That we ask it not to spend upon our lusts but for ends of justice or charity or religion and that they be imployed with sobriety 4. He that would pray with effect must live with care and piety For although God gives to sinners and evil persons the common blessings of life and chance yet either they want the comfort and blessing of those blessings or they become occasions of sadder accidents to them or serve to upbraid them in their ingratitude or irreligion and in all cases they are not the effects of prayer or the fruits of promise or instances of a fathers love for they cannot be expected with confidence or received without danger or used without a curse and mischief in their company * But as all sin is an impediment to prayer so some have a special indisposition towards acceptation such are uncharitablenesse and wrath Hypocrisie in the present action Pride and Lust because these by defiling the body or the spirit or by contradicting some necessary ingredient in prayer such as are Mercy Humility Purity and Sincerity do defile the prayer and make it a direct sin in the circumstances or formality of the action 5. All prayer must be made with Faith and Hope that is we must certainly believe wee shall receive the grace which GOD hath commanded us to ask and wee must hope for such things which hee hath permitted us to ask and our Hâ—pe shall not bee vain though wee misse what is not absolutely promised because we shall at least have an equal blessing in the denial as in the grant And therefore the former conditions must first be secured that is that we ask things necessary or at least good and innocent and profitable and that our persons be gracious in the eyes of God or else what God hath promised to our natural needs he may in many degrees deny to our personal incapacity but the thing being secur'd and the person dispos'd there can be no fault at all for whatsoever else remains is on Gods part and that cannot possibly fail But because the things which are not commanded cannot possibly be secur'd for we are not sure they are good in all circumstances we can but hope for such things even after we have secur'd our good intentions Wee are sure of a blessing but in what instance we are not yet assured 6. Our prayers must be fervent intense earnest and importunate when we pray for things of high concernment and necessity Continuing instant in prayer striving in prayer labouring fervently in prayer night and day praying exceedingly praying alwayes with all prayer so S. Paul calls it watching unto prayer so Saint Peter praying earnestly so S. Iames and this is not at all to be abated in matters spiritual and of duty for according as our desires are so are our prayers and as our prayers are so shall be the grace and as that is so shall be the measure of glory But this admits of degrees according to the perfection or imperfection of our state of life but it hath no other measures but ought to be as great as it can the bigger the better we must make no positive restraints upon it our selves In other things we are to use a bridle and as we must limit
THE RULE AND EXERCISES OF HOLY LIVING By Ier. Taylor D D Non magna loquimur sed vivimus LONDON printed for R Royston in Iâ—ye lane 1650. THE RVLE AND EXERCISES OF HOLY LIVING In which are described The MEANS and INSTRUMENTS of obtaining every Vertue and the Remedies against every Vice and Considerations serving to the resisting all temptations Together with Prayers containing the whole duty of A Christian and the parts of Devotion fitted to all Occasions and furnish'd for all Necessities LONDON Printed for Richard Royston at the Angel in Ivie-Lane MDCL To the right Honourable and truly Noble RICHARD Lord VAUGHAN Earl of Carbery Baron of Emlin and Molingar Knight of the honourable Order of the Bath My Lord I Have lived to see Religion painted upon Banners and thrust out of Churches and the Temple turned into a Tabernacle and that Tabernacle made ambulatory and covered with skins of Beasts and torn Curtains and God to be worshipped not as he is the Father of our Lord Iesus an afflicted Prince the King of sufferings nor as the God of peace which two appellatives God newly took upon him in the New Testament and glories in for ever but he is owned now rather as the Lord of Hosts which title he was pleased to lay aside when the Kingdom of the Gospel was preached by the Prince of peace But when Religion puts on Armor and God is not acknowledged by his New Testament titles Religion may have in it the power of the Sword but not the power of Godliness and we may complain of this to God and amongst them that are afflicted but we have no remedy but what we must expect from the fellowship of Christs sufferings and the returns of the God of peace In the mean time and now that Religion pretends to stranger actions upon new principles and men are apt to prefer a prosperous errour before an afflicted truth and some will think they are religious enough if their worshipings have in them the prevailing ingredient and the Ministers of Religion are so scattered that they cannot unite to stop the inundation and from Chaires or Pulpits from their Synods or Tribunals chastise the iniquity of the errour and the ambition of evil Guides and the infidelity of the willingly seduced multitude and that those few good people who have no other plot in their religion but to serve God and save their soules do want such assistances of ghostly counsel as may serve their emergent needs and assist their endeavours in the acquist of vertues and relieve their dangers when they are tempted to sinne and death I thought I had reasons enough inviting me to draw into one body those advices which the severall necessities of many men must use at some time or other and many of them daily that by a collection of holy precepts they might lesse feel the want of personall and attending Guides and that the rules for conduct of soules might be committed to a Book which they might alwayes have since they could not alwayes have a Prophet at their needs nor be suffered to go up to the house of the Lord to inquire of the appointed Oracles I know my Lord that there are some interested persons who adde scorn to the afflictions of the Church of ENGLAND and because she is afflicted by Men call her forsaken of the Lord and because her solemn assemblies are scattered think that the Religion is lost and the Church divorc'd from God supposing CHRIST who was a Man of sorrows to be angry with his Spouse when she is like him for that 's the true state of the Errour and that he who promised his Spirit to assist his servants in their troubles will because they are in trouble take away the Comforter from them who cannot be a comforter but while he cures our sadnesses and relieves our sorrowes and turnes our persecutions into joyes and Crowns Scepters But concerning the present state of the Church of England I consider that because we now want the blessings of external communion in many degrees and the circumstances of a prosperous and unafflicted people we are to take estimate of our selves with single judgements and every Man is to give sentence concerning the state of his own soul by the precepts and rules of our Lawgiver not by the after decrees and usages of the Church that is by the essential parts of Religion rather then by the uncertain significations of any exteriour adherencies for though it be uncertain when a Man is the Member of a Church whether he be a Member of Christ or no because in the Churches Net there are fishes good and bad yet we may be sure that if we be Members of Christ we are of a Church to all purposes of spiritual religion and salvation and in order to this give me leave to speak this great truth That Man does certainly belong to God who 1 Believes and is baptized into all the Articles of the Christian faith and studies to improve his knowledge in the matters of God so as may best make him to live a holy life 2 He that in obedience to Christ worships God diligently frequently and constantly with natural Religion that is of prayer praises and thanksgiving 3 He that takes all opportunities to remember Christs death by a frequent Sacrament as it can be had or else by inward acts of understanding will and memory which is the spiritual communion supplies the want of the external rite 4 He that lives chastly 5 And is merciful 6 And despises the World using it as a Man but never suffering it to rifâ—e a duty 7 And is just in his dealing and diligent in his calling 8 He that is humble in his spirit 9 And obedient to Government 10 And content in his fortune and imployment 11 He that does his duty because he loves God 12 And especially if after all this he be afflicted patient or prepared to suffer affliction for the cause of God The Man that hath these twelve signes of grace predestination does as certainly belong to God is his Son as surely as he is his creature And if my brethren in persecution and in the bands of the Lord Iesus can truly shew these markes they shall not need be troubled that others can shew a prosperous outside great revenues publick assemblies uninterrupted successions of Bishops prevailing Armies or any arme of flesh or lesse certain circumstance These are the markes of the Lord Jesus and the characters of a Christian This is a good Religion and these things Gods grace hath put into our powers and Gods Lawes have made to be our duty and the nature of Men and the needs of Common-wealths have made to be necessary the other accidents pomps of a Church are things without our power and are not in our choice they are good to be used when they may be had and they help to illustrate or advantage it but if any of them constitute a Church in
discompose my duty or turn me from the wayes of thy Commandements O let thy Spirit dwell with me for ever and make my soul just and charitable full of honesty full of religion resolute and constant in holy purposes but inflexible to evil Make me humble and obedient peaceable and pious let me never envy any mans good nor deserve to be despised my self and if I be teach me to bear it with meeknesse and charity V. GIve me a tender conscience a conversation discreet and aâ—fable modest and patient liberal and obliging body a chaste and healthful competency of living according to my condition contentednesse in all estates a resigned will and mortified affections that I may be as thou wouldst have me and my portion may be in the lot of the righteous in the brightnesse of thy countenance and the glories of eternity Amen Holy is our God * Holy is the Almighty * Holy is the Immortal Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath have mercy upon me A form of Prayer for the evening to be said by such who have not time or opportunity to say the publick prayers appointed for this office I. O Eternal God Great Father of Men and Angels who hast established the Heavens and the Earth in a wonderful order making day and night to succeed each other I make my humble addresse to thy Divine Majesty begging of thee mercy protection this night ever O Lord pardon all my sins my light and rash words the vanity and impiety of my thoughts my unjust and uncharitable actions and whatsoever I have transgressed against thee this day or at any time before Behold O God my soul is troubled in the remembrance of my sins in the frailty and sinfulnesse of my flesh exposed to every temptation and of it self not able to resist any Lord God of mercy I earnestly beg of thee to give me a great portion of thy grace such as may be sufficient and effectual for the mortification of all my sins and vanities and disorders that as I have formerly served my lust and unworthy desires so now I may give my self up wholly to thy service and the studies of a holy life II. BLessed Lord teach me frequently and sadly to remember my sins and be thou pleased to remember them no more let me never forget thy mercies and do thou still remember to do me good Teach me to walk alwayes as in thy presence Ennoble my soul with great degrees of love to thee and configne my spirit with great fear religion and veneration of thy holy Name and laws that it may become the great imployment of my whole life to serve thee to advance thy glory to root out all the accursed habits of sin that in holinesse of life in humility in charity in chastity and all the ornaments of grace I may by patience wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Amen III. Teach me O Lord to number my dayes that I may apply my heart unto wisdom ever to remember my last end that I may not dare to sin against thee Let thy holy Angels be ever present with me to keep me in all my wayes from the malice and violence of the spirits of darknesse from evil company and the occasions and opportunities of evil from perishing in popular judgements from all the wayes of sinful shame from the hands of all mine enemies from a sinful life and from despair in the day of my death Then O brightest Jesu shine gloriously upon me let thy mercies and the light of thy Countenance sustain me in all my agonies weaknesses and temptations Give me opportunity of a prudent and spiritual Guide and of receiving the holy Sacrament let thy loving spirit so guide me in the wayes of peace and safety that with the testimony of a good conscience and the sense of thy mercies and refreshment I may depart this life in the unity of the Church in the love of God and a certain hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and most blessed Saviour Amen Our Father c. Another form of Evening Prayer which may also be used at bed-time Our Father c. I Will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help My help cometh of the Lord which made heaven and earth He will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The sun shall not smite thee by day neither the moon by night The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth for evermore Glory be to the Father c. I. VIsit I beseech thee O Lord this habitation with thy mercy and me with thy grace and salvation Let thy holy Angels pitch their tents round about and dwell here that no illusion of the night may abuse me the spirits of darknesse may not come neer to hurt me no evil or sad accident oppresse me and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in my soul and body filling every corner of my heart with light and grace Let no deed of darknesse overtake me and thy blessing most blessed God be upon me for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen II. INto thy hands most blessed Jesu I commend my soul and body for thou hast redeemed both with thy most precious blood So blesse and sanctifie my sleep unto me that it may be temperate holy and safe a refreshment to my wearied body to enable it so to serve my soul that both may serve thee with a never failing duty O let me never sleep in sin or death eternal but give me a watchful a prudent spirit that I may omit no oportunity of serving thee that whether I sleep or wake live or die I may be thy servant and thy childe that when the work of my life is done I may rest in the bosom of my Lord till by the voice of the Archangel the trump of God I shall be awakened and called to sit down and feast in the eternal supper of the Lamb. Grant this O Lamb of God for the honour of thy mercies and the glory of thy name O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen III. BLessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus who hath sent his Angels and kept me this day from the destruction that walketh at noon and the arrow that flyeth by day and hath given me his Spirit to restrain me from those evils to which my own weaknesses and my evil habits and my unquiet enemies would easily betray me Blessed and for ever hallowed be thy name for that never ceasing showre os blessing by which I live and am content and blessed and provided for in all necessities and set forward in my duty and way to heaven * Blessing honour
I most humbly bâ—seech thee to give me wisdom from above that I may adore thee and admire thy wayes and footsteps which are in the great Deep and not to be searched out teach me to submit to thy providence in all things to be content in all changes of person and condition to be temperate in prosperity and to reade my duty in the lines of thy mercy and in adversity to be meek patient and resign'd and to look through the cloud that I may wait for the consolation of the Lord and the day of redemption in the mean time doing my duty with an unwearied diligence and an undisturbed resolution having no fondnesse for the vanities or possessions of this World but laying up my hopes in Heaven and the rewards of holy living and being strengthned with the Spirit in the inner man through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen CHAP. III. Of Christian Iustice. IUstice is by the Christian Religion enjoyn'd in all its parts by these two propositions in Scripture Whatsoever yee would that men should do to you even so do to them This is the measure of communicative justice or of that justice which supposes exchange of things profitable for things profitable that as I supply your need you may supply mine as I do a benefit to you I may receive one by you and because every man may be injur'd by another therefore his security shall depend upon mine if he will not let me be safe he shall not be safe himself onely the manner of his being punish'd is upon great reason both by God and all the World taken from particulars and committed to a publick dis-interested person who will do justice without passion both to him and to me If he refuses to do me advantage he shall receive none when his needs require it And thus God gave necessities to men that all men might need and several abilities to severall persons that each Man might help to supply the publick needs and by joyning to fill up all wants they may be knit together by justice as the parts of the world are by nature and he hath made us all obnoxicus to injuries and made every little thing sâ—râ—ng enough to do us hurt by some instrument or other and hath given us all a sufficient stock of self love and desire of self preservation to be as the chain to tye together all the pars of society and to restrain us from doing violence lest we be violently dealt withall our selves The other part of justice is commonly called distributive and is commanded in this rule Render to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome fear to whom fear honour to whom honour Owe no man any thing but to love one another This justice is distinguished froÌ„ the first because the obligation depends not upon contract or express bargain but passes upon us by vertue of some command of God or of our Superiour by nature or by grace by piety or religion by trust or by office according to that Commandment As every man hath received the gift so let him minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And as the first considers an equality of persons in respect of the contract or particular necessity this supposes a difference of persons and no particular bargains but such necessary entercourses as by the Laws of God or man are introduced But I shall reduce all the particulars of both kindes to these four heads 1. Obedience 2. Provision 3. Negotiation 4. Restitution Sect. I. Of Obedience to our Superiours OUr Superiours are set over us in affairs of the World or the affairs of the Soul and things pertaining to Religion and are called accordingly Ecclesiastical or Civil Towards whom our duty is thus generally described in the new Testament For Temporall or Civill Governours the Commands are these Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and Let every soul be subject to the higher powers For there is no power but of God The powers that be are ordained of God whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation and Put them in minde to be subject to principâ—lities and powers and to obey Magistrates and Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of them that do well For Spiritual or Ecclesiastical governours thus we are commanded Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account and Hold such in reputation and to this end did I write that I might know the proof of you whether ye be obedient in all things said S. Paul to the Church of Corinth Our duty is reducible to practise by the following rules Acts and duties of Obedience to all our Superiours 1. We must obey all humane laws appointed and constituted by lawful Authority that iâ— of the supreme power according to the constitution of the place in which we live all laws I mean which are not against the law of God 2. In obedience to humane laws we must observe the letter of the Law where we can without doing violence to the reason of the Law and the intention of the Law-giver but where they crosse each other the charity of the Law is to be preferred before its discipline and the reason of it before the letter 3. If the general reason of the Law ceases in our particular and a contrary reason rises upon us we are to procure dispensation or leave to omit the observation of it in such circumstances if there be any persons or office appointed for granting it but if there be none or if it is not easily to be had or not without an inconvenience greater then the good of the observation of the Law in our particular we are dispensed withall in the nature of the thing without further processe or trouble 4. As long as the Law is obligatory so long our obedience is due and he that begins a contrary câ—stom without reason sins but he that breaks the law when the custom is entred and fixed is excused because it is supposed the legislative power consents when by not punishing it suffers disobedience to grow up to a custome 5. Obedience to humane laws must be for conscience sake that is because in such obedience publick order and charity and benefit is concerned and because the Law of God commands us therefore we must make a conscience in keeping the just Laws of Superiors and although the matter before the making of the Law was indifferent yet now the obedience is not indifferent but next to the Laws of God we are to obey the Laws of all our Superiours who the more publick they are
am bound to restitution that is to restore her to a right understanding of things and to a full liberty by taking from her the deceit or the violence 9. An Adulterous person is tyed to restitu of the injury so far as it is reparable and can be made to the wronged person that is to make provision for the children begotten in unlawful embraces that they may do no injury to the legitimate by receiving a common portion and if the injured person do account of it he must satisfie him with money for the wrong done to his bed He is not tyed to offer this because it is no proper exchange but he is bound to pay it if it be reasonably demanded for every man hath justice done him when himself is satisfyed though by a word or an action or a peny 10. He that hath kild a man is bound to restitution by allowing such a maintenance to the children and neer relatives of the deceased as they have lost by his death considering and allowing for all circumstances of the mans age and health and probability of living And thus Hercules is said to have made expiation for the death of Iphitus whom he slew by paying a mulct to his children 11. He that hath really lessened the same of his neighbour by fraud or violence is bound to restore it by its proper instruments such as are confession of his fault giving testimony of his innocence or worth doing him honour or if that will do it and both parties agree by money which answers all things 12. He that hath wounded his neighbour is tyed to the expences of the Surgeon other incidences and to repair whatever loss he sustains by his disability to work or trade the same is in the case of false imprisonment in which cases onely the real eâ—fect and remaining detriment are to be mended and repaired for the action it self is to be punished or repented of and enters not into the question of restitution But in these and all other cases the injured person is to be restor'd to that perfect and good condition from which he was removed by my fraud or violence so far as is possible Thus a ravisher must repair the temporal detriment of injury done to the maid and give her a dowry or marry her if she desire it For this restores her into that capacity of being a good wife which by the injury was lost as far as it can be done 13. He that robbeth his Neighbour of his goods or detains any thing violently or fraudulently is bound not onely to restore the principall but all its fruits and emoluments which would have accrued to the right owner during the time of their being detained * By proportion to these rules we may judge of the obligation that lyes upon all sorts of injurious persons that sacrilegious the detainers of tithes cheaters of mens inheritances unjust Judges false witnesses and accusers those that do fraudulently or violently bring men to sin that force men to drink that laugh at and disgrace vertue that perswade servants to run away or commend such purposes violent persecutors of religion in any instance and all of the same nature 14. He that hath wronged so many or in that manner as in the way of daily trade that he knows not in what measure he hath done it or who they are must redeem his fault by alms and largesses to the poor according to the value of his wrongful dealing as neer as he can proportion it Better it is to go begging to Heaven then to go to Hell laden with the spoils of rapine and injustice 15. The order of paying the debts of contract or restitution are in some instances set down by the civil laws of a kingdom in which cases their rule is to be observed In destitution or want of such rules we are 1. to observe the necessity of the Creditor 2. Then the time of the delay and 3. The special obligations of friendship or kindenesse and according to these in their several degrees make our restitution if we be not able to do all that we should but if we be the best rule is to do it as soon as we can taking our accounts in this as in our humane actions according to prudence and civil or natural conveniences or possibilities onely securing these two things 1. That the duty be not wholly omitted and 2. That it be not deferred at all out of covetousnesse or any other principle that is vitious Remember that the same day in which Zacheus made restitution to all whom he had injured the same day Christ himself pronounced that salvation was come to his house *** 16. But besides the obligation arising from contract or default there is one of another sort which comes from kindenesse and the acts of charity and friendship He that does me a favour hath bound me to make him a return of thankfulnesse The obligation comes not by covenant not by his own expresse intention but by the nature of the thing and is a duty springing up within the spirit of the obliged person to whom it is more natural to love his friend and to do good for good then to return evil for evil because a man may forgive an injury but he must never forget a good turne For every thing that is excellent and every thing that is profitable whatsoever is good in it self or good to me cannot but be beloved and what we love we naturally cherish and do good to He therefore that refuses to do good to them whom he is bound to love or to love that which did him good is unnatural and monstrous in his affections and thinks all the world borne to minister to him with a greedinesse worse then that of the sea which although it receives all rivers into it self yet it furnishes the clouds and springs with a return of all thy need Our duty to benefactors is to esteem and love their persons to make them proportionable returns of service or duty or profit according as we can or as they need or as opportunity presents it self and according to the greatnesses of their kindnesses and to pray to God to make them recompence for all the good they they have done to us which last office is also requisite to be done for our Creditors who in charity have relieved our wants Prayers to be said in relation to the several Obligations and Ofces of Iustice. A Prayer for the Grace of Obedience to be said by all persons under Coâ—mand O Eternal God Great Ruler of Men and Angels who hast constituted all things in â— wonderful order making all the creatures subject to man and one man to another and all to thee the last link of this admirable chain being fastned to the foot of thy throne teach me to obey all those whom thou hast set over me reverencing their persons submitting indifferently to all their lawful commands cheerfully undergoing those burdens which
the being of a society and a Government yet they are not of its constitution as it is Christian and hopes to be saved And now the case is so with us that we are reduced to that Religion which no Man can forbid which we can keep in the midst of a persecution by which the Martyrs in the dayes of our Fathers went to Heaven that by which we can be servants of God and receive the Spirit of Christ and make use of his comforts and live in his love and in charity with all men and they that do so cannot perish My Lord I have now described some general lines and features of that Religion which I have more particularly set down in the following pages in which I have neither served nor disserved the interest of any party of Christians as they are divided by uncharitable names from the rest of their brethren and no Man will have reason to be angry with me for refusing to mingle in his unnecessary or vitious quarrels especially while I study to doe him good by conducting him in the narrow way to Heaven without intricating him in the Labyrinths and wilde turnings of Questions and uncertaine talkings I have told what Men ought to do and by what means they may be assisted and in most cases I have also told them why and yet with as much quicknesse as I could thinke necessary to establish a Rule and not to ingage in Homily or Discourse In the use of which Rules although they are plain useful and fitted for the best and for the worst understandings and for the needs of all men yet I shall desire the Reader to proceed with the following advices 1. They that will with profit make use of the proper instruments of vertue must so live as if they were alwayes under the Physicians hand For the Counsels of Religion are not to be applyed to the distempers of the soul as men use to take Hellebore but they must dwell together with the Spirit of a man and be twisted about his understanding for ever They must be used like nourishment that is by a daily care and meditation not like a single medicine and upon the actual pressure of a present necessity For counsels and wise discourses applyed to an actual distemper at the best are but like strong smels to an Epileptick person sometimes they may raise him but they never cure him The following rules if they be made familiar to our natures and the thoughts of every day may make Vertue and Religion become easy and habitual but when the temptation is present and hath already seized upon some portions of our consent we are not so apt to be counsel'd and we finde no gust or relish in the Precept the lessons are the same but the instrument is unstrung or out of tune 2. In using the instruments of vertue we must be curious to distinguish instruments from duties and prudent advices from necessary injunctions and if by any other means the duty can be secured let there be no scruples stirred concerning any other helps onely if they can in that case strengthen and secure the duty or help towards perseverance let let them serve in that station in which they can be placed For there are some persons in whom the Spirit of God hath breathed so bright a flame of love that they do all their acts of vertue by perfect choice and without objection and their zeal is warmer then that it will be allayed by temptation and to such persons mortification by Philosophical instruments as fasting sackcloth and other rudenesses to the body is wholly useless It is alwayes a more uncertain means to acquire any vertue or secure any duty if love hath filled all the corners of our soul it alone is able to do all the work of God 3. Be not nice in stating the obligations of Religion but where the duty is necessary and the means very reasonable in it self dispute not too busily whether in all Circumstances it can fit thy particular but super totam materiam upon the whole make use of it For it is a good signe of a great Religion and no imprudence when we have sufficiently considered the substance of affairs then to be easy humble obedient apt and credulous in the circumstances which are appointed to us in particular by our spiritual Guides or in general by all wise men in cases not unlike He that gives Almes does best not alwayes to consider the minutes and strict measures of his ability but to give freely incuriously and abundantly A man must not weigh grains in the accounts of his repentance but for a great sinne have a great sorrow and a great severity and in this take the ordinary advices though it may be a lesse rigour might not be insufficient 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Arithmeticall measures especially of our own proportioning are but arguments of want of Love and of forwardnesse in Religion or else are instruments of scruple and then become dangerous Use the rule heartily and enough and there will be no harme in thy errour if any should happen 4. If thou intendest heartily to serve God and avoid sinne in any one instance refuse not the hardest and most severe advice that is prescribed in order to it though possibly it be a stranger to thee for whatsoever it be custome will make it easy 5. When many instruments for the obtaining any vertue or restraining any vice are propounded observe which of them fits thy person or the circumstances of thy need and use it rather then the other that by this means thou may'st be engaged to watch and use spiritual arts and observation about thy soul. Concerning the managing of which as the interest is greater so the necessities are more and the cases more intricate and the accidents and dangers greater and more importunate and there is greater skill required then in the securing an estate or restoring health to an infirme body I wish all men in the world did heartily believe so much of this as is true it would very much help to do the work of God Thus My Lord I have made bold by your hand to reach out this little scroll of cautions to all those who by seeing your honour'd name set before my Book shall by the fairnes of such a Frontispiece be invited to look into it I must confess it cannot but look like a designe in me to borrow your name and beg your Patronage to my book that if there be no other worth in it yet at least it may have the splendour and warmth of a burning glasse which borrowing a flame from the Eye of Heaven shines and burns by the rayes of the Sun its patron I will not quit my self from the suspicion for I cannot pretend it to be a present either of it self fit to be offered to such a Personage or any part of a just return but I humbly desire you would own it for an acknowledgement of those great
way of exercise Page 317 13 Remedies against anger by way of consid Page 322 3.7 Remedies against Covetousnesse Page 325 Sect. 9. Of Repentance Page 332 11 Acts and parts of Repentance Page 335 4 Motives to Repentance Page 344 Sect. 10. Of Preparation to and the manner how to receive the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper Page 347 14 Rules for Preparation and worthy Communicating Page 349 The effects and benefits of worthy Communicating Page 357 Prayers for all sorts of Men and all necessities relating to the several parts of the vertue of religion Page 360 The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living c. CHAP. I. Consideration of the general instruments and means serving to a holy Life by way of Introduction IT is necessary that every Man should consider that since God hath given him an excellent nature wisdom and choice an understanding soul and an immortal spirit having made him Lord over the Beasts and but a little lower then the Angels he hath also appointed for him a work and a service great enough to imploy those abilities and hath also designed him to a state of life after this to which he can onely arrive by that service and obedience And therefore as every man is wholly Gods own portion by the title of creation so all our labours and care all our powers and faculties must be wholly imployed in the service of God even all the dayes of our life that this life being ended we may live with him for ever Neither is it sufficient that we think of the service of God as a work of the least necessity or of small imployment but that it be done by us as God intended it that it be done with great earnestnesse and passion with much zeal and desire that we refuse no labour that we bestow upon it much time that we use the best guides and arrive at the end of glory by all the wayes of grace of prudence and religion And indeed if we consider how much of our lives is taken up by the needs of nature how many years are wholly spent before we come to any use of reason how many years more before that reason is useful to us to any great purposes how imperfect our discourse is made by our evil education false principles ill company bad examples and want of experience how many parts of our wisest and best years are spent in eating and sleeping in necessary businesses and unnecessary vanities in worldly civilities and lesse useful circumstances in the learning arts and sciences languages or trades that little portion of hours that is left for the practises of piety and religious walking with God is so short and trifling that were not the goodnesse of God infinitely great it might seem unreasonable or impossible for us to expect of him eternal joyes in heaven even after the well spending those few minutes which are left for God and Gods service after we have served our selves and our own occasions And yet it is considerable that the fruit which comes from the many dayes of recreation and vanity is very little and although we scatter much yet we gather but little profit but from the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life the return is great and profitable and what we sowe in the minutes and spare portions of a few years grows up to crowns and scepters in a happy and a glorious eternity 1. Therefore Although it cannot be enjoyn'd that the greatest part of our time be spent in the direct actions of devotion and religion yet it will become not onely a duty but also a great providence to lay aside for the services of God and the businesses of the Spirit as much as we can because God rewards our minutes with long and eternal happinesse and the greater portion of our time we give to God the more we treasure up for our selves and No man is a better Merchant than he that layes out his time upon God and his money upon the Poor 2. Onely it becomes us to remember and to adore Gods goodnesse for it that God hath not onely permitted us to serve the necessities of our nature but hath made them to become parts of our duty that if we by directing these actions to the glory of God intend them as instruments to continue our persons in his service he by adopting them into religion may turn our nature into grace and accept our natural actions as actions of religion God is pleased to esteem it for a part of his service if we eat or drink so it be done temperately and as may best preserve our health that our health may enable our services towards him And there is no one minute of our lives after we are come to the use of reason but we are or may be doing the work of God even then when we most of all serve our selves 3. To which if we adde that in these and all other actions of our lives we alwayes stand before God acting and speaking and thinking in his presence and that it matters not that our conscience is seal'd with secresie since it lies open to God it will concern us to behave our selves carefully as in the presence of our Judge These three considerations rightly manag'd and applyed to the several parts and instances of our lives will be like Elisha stretched upon the childe apt to put life and quicknesse into every part of it and to make us live the life of grace and do the work of God I shall therefore by way of introduction reduce these three to practise and shew how every Christian may improve all and each of these to the advantage of piety in the whole course of his life that if he please to bear but one of them upon his spirit he may feel the benefit like an universal instrument helpful in all spiritual and temporal actions SECT I. The first general instrument of holy living Care of our time HE that is choice of his time will also be choice of his company and choice of his actions lest the first ingage him in vanity and losse and the latter by being criminal be a throwing his time and himself away and a going back in the accounts of eternity God hath given to man a short time here upon earth and yet upon this short time eternity depends but so that for every hour of our life after we are persons capable of laws know good from evil we must give account to the great Judge of Men and Angels And this is it which our blessed Saviour told us that we must account for every idle word not meaning that every word which is not designd to edification or is lesse prudent shall be reckoned for a sin but that the time which we spend in our idle talking and unprofitable discoursings that time which might and ought to have been imployed to spiritual and useful purposes that is to be accounted for For we must remember
that we have a great work to do many enemies to conquer many evils to prevent much danger to run through many difficulties to be master'd many necessities to serve and much good to do many children to provide for or many friends to support or many poor to relieve or many diseases to cure besides the needs of nature and of relation our private and our publick cares and duties of the world which necessity and the Providence of God hath adopted into the family of Religion And that we need not fear this instrument to be a snare to us or that the duty must end in scruple vexation and eternal fears we must remember that the life of every man may be so ordered and indeed must that it may be a perpetual serving of God The greatest trouble and most busy trade and wordly incombrances when they are necessary or charitable or profitable in order to any of those ends which we are bound to serve whether publick or private being a doing Gods work For God provides the good things of the world to serve the needs of nature by the labours of the Plowman the skill and pains of the Artisan and the dangers and traffick of the Merchant These men are in their callings the Ministers of the Divine providence and the stewards of the creation and servants of the great family of God the World in the imployment of procuring necessaries for food and clothing ornament and Physick In their proportions also a King and a Priest and a Prophet a Judge and an Advocate doing the works of their imployment according to their proper rules are doing the work of God because they serve those necessities which God hath made and yet made no provisions for them but by their Ministery So that no man can complain that his calling takes him off from religion his calling it self and his very worldly imployment in honest trades and offices is a serving of God and if it be moderately pursued and according to the rules of Christian prudence will leave void spaces enough for prayers and retirements of a more spiritual religion God hath given every man work enough to do that there shall be no room for idlenesse â—nd yet hath so ordered the world that there shall be space for devotion He that hath the fewest businesses of the world is called upon to spend more time in the dressing of his soul and he that hath the most affairs may so order them that they shall be a service of God whilst at certain periods they are blessed with prayers and actions of religion and all day long are hallowed by a holy intention However so long as Idlenesse is quite shut out from our lives all the sins of wantonnesse softnesse and effeminacy are prevented and there is but little room left for temptation and therefore to a busie man temptation is fain to climbe up together with his businesses and sins creep upon him onely by accidents and occasions whereas to an idle person they come in a full body and with open violence and the impudence of a restlesse importunity Idlenesse is called the sin of Sodom and her daughters and indeed is the burial of a living man an idle person being so uselesse to any purposes of God and man that he is like one that is dead unconcerned in the changes and necessities of the world and he onely lives to spend his time and eat the fruits of the earth like vermin or a wolf when their time comes they dye and perish and in the mean time do no good they neither plow nor carry burdens all that they do either is unprofitable or mischievous Idlenesse is the greatest prodigality in the world it throwes away that which is invaluable in respect of its present use and irreparable when it is past being to be recovered by no power of art or nature But the way to secure and improve our time we may practise in the following rules Rules for imploying our Time 1. In the morning when you awake accustome your self to think first upon God or something in order to his service and at night also let him close thine eyes and let your sleep be necessary and healthful not idle and expensive of time beyond the needs and conveniencies of nature and sometimes be curious to see the preparation which the sun makes when he is coming forth from his chambers of the East 2. Let every man that hath a calling be diligent in pursuance of its imployment so as not lightly or without reasonable occasion to neglect it in any of those times which are usually and by the custome of prudent persons and good husbands imployed in it 3. Let all the Intervals or void spaces of time be imployed in prayers reading meditating works of nature recreation charitie friendlinesse and neighbourhood and means of spiritual and corporal health ever remembring so to work in our calling as not to neglect the work of our high calling but to begin and end the day with God with such forms of devotion as shall be proper to our necessities 4. The resting dayes of Christians and Festivals of the Church must in no sense be dayes of idlenesse for it is better to plow upon holy dayes then to do nothing or to do vitiously but let them be spent in the works of the day that is of Religion and Charity according to the rules appointed 5. Avoid the company of Drunkards and busie-bodies and all such as are apt to talk much to little purpose for no man can be provident of his time that is not prudent in the choice of his company and if one of the Speakers be vain tedious and trifling he that hears and he that answers in the discourse are equal losers of their time 6. Never talk with any man or undertake any trifling imployment meerly to passe the time away for every day well spent may become a day of salvation and time rightly employed is an acceptable time And remember that the time thou triflest away was given thee to repent in to pray for pardon of sins to work out thy salvation to do the work of grace to lay up against the day of Judgement a treasure of good works that thy time may be crowned with Eternity 7. In the midst of the works of thy calling often retire to God in short prayers and ejaculations and those may make up the want of those larger portions of time which it may be thou desirest for devotion and in which thou think'st other persons have advantage of thee for so thou reconcilest the outward work and thy inward calling the Church and the Common-wealth the imployment of thy body and the interest of thy soul for be sure that God is present at thy breathings and hearty sighings of prayer assoon as at the longer offices of lesse busied persons and thy time is as truely sanctified by a trade and devout though shorter prayers as by the longer offices
short you may supply and lengthen with ejaculations and short retirements in the day time in the midst of your imployment or of your company 18. Do not the work of God negligently and idlely let not thy heart be upon the world when thy hand is lift up in prayer and be sure to prefer an action of religion in its place and proper season before all worldly pleasure letting secular things that may be dispensed with in themselves in these circumstances wait upon the other not like the Patriarch who ran from the Altar in S. Sophia to his stable in all his Pontificals and in the midst of his office to see a Colt newly fallen from his beloved and much valued Mare Phorbante More prudent and severe was that of Sr. Thom. More who being sent for by the King when he was at his prayers in publick returned answer he would attend him when he had first perfomed his service to the KING of Kings And it did honour to Rusticus that when Letters from Caesar were given to him he refused to open them till the Philosopher had done his Lecture In honouring God and doing his work put forth all thy strength for of that time onely thou mayest be most confident that it is gain'd which is prudently and zealously spent in Gods Service 19. When the Clock strikes or however else you shall measure the day it is good to say a short ejaculation every hour that the parts and returns of devotion may be the measure of your time and do so also in all the breaches of thy sleep that those spaces which have in them no direct businesse of the world may be filled with religion 20. If by thus doing you have not secured your time by an early and forehanded care yet be sure by a timely diligence to redeem the time that is to be pious and religious in such instances in which formerly you have sinned and to bestow your time especially upon such graces the contrary whereof you have formerly practised doing actions of chastity temperance with as great a zeal and earnestnesse as you did once act your uncleannesse and then by all arts to watch against your present and future dangers from day to day securing your standing this is properly to redeem your time that is to buy your security of it at the rate of any labour and honest arts 21. Let him that is most busied set apart some solemn time every year in which for the time quitting all worldly businesse he may attend wholly to fasting and prayer and the dressing of his soul by confessions meditations and attendances upon God that he may make up his accounts renew his vows make amends for his carelessenesse and retire back again from whence levity and the vanities of the world or the importunity of temptations or the distraction of secular affairs have carried him 22. In this we shall be much assisted and we shall finde the work more easie if before we sleep every night we examine the actions of the past day with a particular scrutiny if there have been any accident extraordinary as long discourse a Feast much businesse variety of company If nothing but common hath happened the lesse examination will suffice only let us take care that we sleep not without such a recollection of the actions of the day as may represent any thing that is remarkable and great either to be the matter of sorrow or thanksgiving for other things a general care is proportionable 23. Let all these things be done prudently and moderately not with scruple and vexation For these are good advantages but the particulars are not divine commandements and therefore are to be used as shall be found expedient to every ones condition For provided that our duty be secured for the degrees and for the instruments every man is permitted to himself and the conduct of such who shall be appointed to him He is happy that can secure every hour to a sober or a pious imployment but the duty consists not scrupulously in minutes and half hours but in greater portions of time provided that no minute be imployed in sin and the great portions of our time be spent in sober imployment and all the appointed dayes and some portions of every day be allowed for Religion In all the lesser parts of time we are left to our own elections and prudent management and to the consideration of the great degrees and differences of glory that are laid up in Heaven for us according to the degrees of our care and piety and diligence The benefits of this Exercise This exercise besides that it hath influence upon our whole lives it hath a special efficacy for the preventing of 1. Beggerly sins that is those sins which idlenesse and beggery usually betray men to such as are lying flattery stealing and dissimulation 2. It is a proper antidote against carnal sins and such as proceed from fulnesse of bread and emptinesse of imployment 3. It is a great instrument of preventing the smallest sins and irregularities of our life which usually creep upon idle disimployed and incurious persons 4. Iâ— not onely teaches us to avoid evil but ingages us upon doing good as the proper businesse of all our dayes 5. It prepares us so against sudden changes that we shall not easily be surprized at the sudden coming of the day of the Lord For he that is curious of his time will not easily be unready and unfurnished SECT II. The second general instrument of Holy Living Purity of intention THat we should intend and designe Gods glory in every action we do whether it be natural or chosen is expressed by S. Paul Whether ye eat or drink do all to the glory of God Which rule when we observe every action of nature becomes religious and every meal is an act of worship and shall have its reward in its proportion as well as an act of prayer Blessed be that goodnesse and grace of God which out of infinite desire to glorifie and save mankinde would make the very works of nature capable of becoming acts of vertue that all our life time we may do him service This grace is so excellent that it sanctifies the most common action of our life and yet so necessary that without it the very best actions of our devotion are imperfect and vitious For he that prayes out of custome or gives almes for praise or fasts to be accounted religious is but a Pharisee in his devotion and a beggar in his alms and an hypocrite in his fasts But a holy end sanctifies all these and all other actions which can be made holy and gives distinction to them and procures acceptance For as to know the end distinguishes a Man from a Beast so to chuse a good end distinguishes him from an evil man Hezekiah repeated his good deeds upon his sick bed and obtained favour of God but the Pharisee was accounted insolent for
doing the same thing because this man did it to upbraid his brother the other to obtain a mercy of God Zecharias questioned with the Angel about his message and was made speechlesse for his incredulity but the blessed Virgin Mary questioned too and was blamelesse for she did it to enquire after the manner of the thing but he did not believe the thing it self He doubted of Gods power or the truth of the Messenger but â—he onely of her own incapacity This was it which distinguished the mourning of David from the exclamation of Saul the confession of Pharaoh from that of Manasses the tears of Peter from the repentance of Iudas For the praise is not in the deed done but in the manner of its doing If a man visits his sick friend and watches at his pillow for charity sake and because of his old affection we approve it but if he does it in hope of legacy he is a Vulture and onely watches for the carkasse The same things are honest and dishonest the manner of doing them and the end of the designe makes the separation Holy intention is to the actions of a man that which the soul is to the body or form to its matter or the root to the tree or the Sun to the World or the Fountain to a River or the Base to a Pillar for without these the body is a dead trunk the matter is sluggish the tree is a block the world is darknesse the river is quickly dry the pillar rushes into flatnesse and a ruine and the action is sinful or unprofitable and vain The poor Farmer that gave a dish oâ— cold water to Artaxerxes was rewarded with a golden goblet and he that gives the same present to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple shall have a Crown but if he gives water in despite when the Disciple needs wine or a Cordial his reward shall be to want that water to cool his tongue * But this duty must be reduced to rules Rules for our intentions 1. In every action reflect upon the end and in your undertaking it consider why you do it and what you propound to your self for a reward and to your action as its end 2. Begin every action in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost the meaning of which is that we be careful that we do not the action without the permission or warrant of God 2. That we designe it to the glory of God if not in the direct action yet at least in its consequence if not in the particular yet at least in the whole order of things and accidents 3. That it may be so blessed that what you intend for innocent and holy purposes may not by any chance or abuse or misunderstanding of men be turned into evil or made the occasion of sin 3. Let every action of concernment be begun with prayer that God would not onely blesse the action but sanctifie your purpose and make an oblation of the action to God holy and well intended actions being the best oblations and presents we can make to God and when God is entitled to them he will the rather keep the fire upon the Altar bright and shining 4. In the prosecution of the action renew and re-inkindle your purpose by short ejaculations to these purposes Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name let all praise be given and consider Now I am working the work of God I am his servant I am in a happy imployment I am doing my Masters businesse I am not at my own dispose I am using his talents and all the gain must be his for then be sure as the glory is his so the reward shall be thine If thou bringest his goods home with increase he will make thee ruler over Cities 5. Have a care that while the Altar thus sends up a holy fume thou doest not suffer the birds to come carry away the Sacrifice that is let not that which began well and was intended for Gods glory decline and end in thy owne praise or temporal satisfaction or a sin A story told to represent the vilenesse of unchastity is well begun but if thy female auditor be pleased with thy language and begins rather to like thy person for thy story then to dislike the crime be watchful lest this goodly head of gold descend in silver and brasse and end in iron and clay like Nebuchadnezzars image for from the end it shall have its name and reward 6. If any accidental event which was not first intended by thee can come to passe let it not be taken into thy purposes nor at all be made use of as if by telling a true story you can do an ill turn to your enemy by no means do it but when the temptation is found out turn all thine enmity upon that 7 In every more solemne action of Religion joyn together many good ends that the consideration of them may entertain all your affections and that when any one ceases the purity of your intention may be supported by another supply He that fasts onely to tame a rebellious body when he is provided of a remedy either in Grace or Nature may be tempted to leave off his fasting But he that in his fast intends the mortification of every unruly appetite an accustoming himself to bear the yoke of the Lord a contempt of the pleasures of meat and drink humiliation of all wilder thoughts obedience and humility austerity and charity and the convenience and assistance to devotion and to do an act of repentance whatever happens will have reason enough to make him to continue his purpose and to sanctifie it And certain it is the more good ends are designed in an action the more degrees of excellency the man obtains 8. If any temptation to spoil your purpose happens in a religious duty do not presently omit the action but rather strive to rectifie your intention and to mortifie the temptation S. Bernard taught us this rule For when the Devil observing him to preach excellently and to do much benefit to his hearers tempted him to vain glory hoping that the good man to avoid that would cease preaching he gave this answer onely I neither began for thee neither for thee will I make an end 9. In all actions which are of long continuance deliberation and abode let your holy and pious intention be actual that is that it be by a special prayer or action by a peculiar act of resignation or oblation be given to God but in smaller actions and little things and indifferent fail not to secure a pious habitual intention that is that it be included within your general care that no action have an ill end and that it be comprehended in your general prayers whereby you offer your self and all you do to Gods glory 10. Call not every temporal end a defiling of thy intention but onely 1. When it contradicts any of
the ends of God or 2. When it is principally intended in an action of religion For sometimes a temporal end is part of our duty and such are all the actions of our calling whether our imployment be religious or civil We are commanded to provide for our family but if the Minister of Divine offices shall take upon him that holy calling for covetous or ambitious ends or shall not designe the glory of God principally and especially he hath polluted his hands and his heart and the fire of the Altar is quenched or it sends forth nothing but the smoak of mushromes or unpleasant gums And it is a great unworthinesse to prefer the interest of a creature before the ends of God the Almighty Creator But because many cases may happen in which a mans heart may deceive him and he may not well know what is in his own spirit therefore by these following signes we shall best make a judgement whether our intentions be pure and our purposes holy Signes of purity of intention 1. It is probable our hearts are right with God and our intentions innocent and pious if we set upon actions of religion or civil life with an affection proportioned to the quality of the work that we act our temporal affairs with a desire no greater then our necessity and that in actions of religion we be zealous active and operative so far as prudence will permit but in all cases that we value a religious designe before a temporal when otherwise they are in equal order to their several ends that is that whatsoever is necessary in order to our souls health be higher esteemed than what is for bodily and the necessities the indispensable necessities of the spirit be served before the needs of nature when they are required in their several circumstances Or plainer yet when we choose any temporal inconvenience rather than commit a sin and when we choose to do a duty rather than to get gain But he that does his recreation or his merchandise cheerfully promptly readily and busily and the works of religion slowly flatly and without appetite and the spirit moves like Pharaohs chariots when the wheels were off it is a signe that his heart is not right with God but it cleaves too much to the world 2. It is likely our hearts are pure and our intentions spotlesse when we are not solicitous of the opinion and censures of men but onely that we do our duty and be accepted of God For our eyes will certainly be fixed there from whence we expect our reward and if we desire that God should approve us it is a signe we do his work and expect him our pay-Master 3. He that does as well in private between God and his own soul as in publick in Pulpits in Theatres and Market-places hath given himself a good testimony that his purposes are full of honesty noblenesse and integrity For what Helkanah said to the Mother of Samuel Am not I better to thee then ten sons Is most certainly verified concerning God that he who is to be our Judge is better then ten thousand witnesses But he that would have his vertue published studies not vertue but glory He is not just that will not be just without praise but he is a righteous man that does justice when to do so is made infamous and he is a wise man who is delighted with an ill name that is well gotten And indeed that man hath a strange covetousnesse or folly that is not contented with this reward that He hath pleased God And see what he gets by it He that does good works for praise or secular ends sells an inestimable jewel for a trifle and that which would purchase Heaven for him he parts with for the breath of the people which at the best is but aire and that not often wholsome 4. It is well also when we are not sollicitous or troubled concerning the effect and event of all our actions but that being first by Prayer recommended to him is left at his dispose for then in case the event be not answerable to our desires or to the efficacy of the instrument we have nothing left to rest in but the honesty of our purposes which it is the more likely we have secur'd by how much more we are indifferent concerning the successe S. Iames converted but eight persons when he preacht in Spain and our blessed Saviour converted fewer then his own Disciples did And if thy labours prove unprosperous if thou beest much troubled at that it is certain thou didst not think thy self secure of a reward for your intention which you might have done if it had been pure and just 5. He loves vertue for Gods sake and its own that loves and honours it wherever it is to be seen but he that is envious or angry at a vertue that is not his own at the perfection or excellency of his Neighbour is not covetous of the vertue but of its reward and reputation and then his intentions are polluted It was a great ingenuity in Moses that wished all the people might be prophets but if he had designed his own honour he would have prophecyed alone But he that desires onely that the work of God and religion shall go on is pleased with it who ever is the instrument 6. He that despises the world and all its appendant vanities is the best Judge the most secur'd of his intentions because he is the furthest removed from a temptation Every degree of mortification is a testimony of the purity of our purposes and in what degree we despise sensual pleasure or secular honours or worldly reputation in the same degree we shall conclude our heart right to religion and spiritual designes 7. When we are not sollicitous concerning the instruments and means of our actions but use those means which God hath laid before us with resignation indifferency and thankfulnesse it is a good signe that we are rather intent upon the end of Gods glory than our own conveniency or temporal satisfaction He that is indifferent whether he serve God in riches or in poverty is rather a seeker of God than of himself and he that will throw away a good book because it is not curiously guilded is more desirous to please his eye than to inform his understanding 8. When a temporal end consisting with a spiritual and pretended to be subordinate to it happens to fail and be defeated if we can rejoyce in that so Gods glory be secured and the interests of religion it is a great signe our hearts are right and our ends prudently designed and ordered When our intentions are thus ballanced regulated and discerned we may consider 1. That this exercise is of so universal efficacy in the whole course of a holy life that it is like the soul to every holy action and must be provided for in every undertaking and is of it self alone sufficient to make all natural and
seeth not therefore the land is full of blood and the city full of perversenesse What a childe would do in the eye of his Father and a Pupil before his Tutor and a Wife in the presence of her Husband and a servant in the sight of his Master let us alwayes do the same for we are made a spectacle to God to Angels and to men we are alwayes in the sight and presence of the Allseeing and Almighty God who also is to us a Father and a Guardian a Husband and a Lord. Prayers and Devotions according to the religion and purposes of the foregoing Considerations I. For grace to spend our time well O Eternal God who from all eternity doest behold and love thy own glories and perfections infinite and hast created me to do the work of God after the manner of men and to serve thee in this generation and according to my capacities give me thy grace that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time so as I may best prevent or resist all temptations and be profitable to the Christian Common-wealth and by discharging all my duty may glorifie thy Name Take from me all slothfulnesse and give me a diligent and an active spirit and wisdom to choose my imployment that I may do works proportionable to my person and to the dignity of a Christian and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity that when the Devil assaults me he may not finde me idle and my dearest Lord at his sudden coming may finde me busie in lawful necessary and pious actions improving my talent intrusted to me by thee my Lord that I may enter into the joy of my Lord to partake of his eternal felicities even for thy mercie sake and for my dearest Saviours sake Amen Here follows the devotion of ordinary dayes for the right imployment of those portions of â—ime which every day must allow for religion The first prayers in the Morning as soon as we are dressed Humbly and reverently compose your self with heart lift up to God and your head bowed and meekly kneeling upon your knees say the Lords Prayer after which use the following Collects or as many of them as you shall choose Our Father which art in Heaven c. I. An act of adoration being the song that the Angels sing in Heaven HOly Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Heaven and Earth Angels and Men the Aire and the Sea give glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne who liveth for ever and ever All the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous cast their crowns before the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty Just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Thy wisdom is infinite thy mercies are glorious and I am not worthy O Lord to appear in thy presence before whom the Angels hide their faces O Holy and Eternal Jesus Lamb of God who wert slain from the beginning of the world thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne with thee for ever Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen II. An act of thanksgiving being the song of David for the Morning SIng praises unto the Lord O ye saints of his and give thanks to him for a remembrance of his holinesse For his wrath indureth but the twinkling of an eye and in his pleasure is life heavinesse may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Thou Lord hast preserved me this night from the violence of the spirits of darknesse from all sad casualtyes and evil accidents from the wrath which I have every day deserved thou hast brought my soul out of hell thou hast kept my life from them that go down into the pit thou hast shewed me marvellous great kindesse and hast blessed me for ever the greatnesse of thy glory reacheth unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing O my God I will give thanks unto thee for ever Allelujah III. An act of oblation or presenting our selves to God for the day MOst Holy and Eternal God Lord and Soveraigne of all the creatures I humbly present to thy divine Majesty my self my soul and body my thoughts and my words my actions and intentions my passions and my sufferings to be disposed by thee to thy glory to be blessed by thy providence to be guided by thy counsel to be sanctified by thy spirit and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory for nothing can perish which is under thy custody and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion nor take it out of thy hands This day O Lord and all the dayes of my life I dedicate to thy honour and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace and the religion of all my dayes to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour Jesus that in him and for him I may be pardoned and accepted Amen IV. An act of repentance or contrition FOr as for me I am not worthy to be called thy servant much lesse am I worthy to be thy son for I am the vilest of sinners and the worst of men a lover of the things of the world and a despiser of the things of God proud and envious lustful and intemperate greedy of sin and impatient of reproof desirous to seem holy and negligent of being so transported with interest fool'd with presumption and false principles disturb'd with anger with a peevish and unmortified spirit and disordered by a whole body of sin and death Lord pardon all my sins for my sweetest Saviours sake thou who didst dye for me Holy Jesus save me and deliver me reserve not my sins to be punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance but wash away my sins and blot them out of thy remembrance and purifie my soul with the waters of repentance and the bloud of the crosse that for what is past thy wrath may not come out against me and for the time to come I may never provoke thee to anger or to jealousie O just and dear God be pitiful and gracious to thy servant Amen V. The prayer or petition BLesse me gracious God in my calling to such purposes as thou shalt choose for me or imploy me in Relieve me in all my sadnesses make my bed in my ficknesse give me patience in my sorrows confidence in thee and grace to call upon thee in all temptations O be thou my
the use of it perpetual and unreasonable to all purposes but that they have made it habitual and necessary as intemperance it self is made to some men 11. Use those advices which are prescribed as instruments to suppresse voluptuousnesse in the foregoing Section Of Chastity Reader stay and reade not the advices of the following Section unlesse thou hast a chaste spirit or desirest to be chaste or at least art apt to consider whether you ought or no. For there are some spirits so Atheistical and some so wholly possessed with a spirit of uncleannesse that they turn the most prudent and chaste discourses into dirt and filthy apprehensions like cholerick stomacks changing their very Cordials and medicines into bitternesse and in a literal sense turning the grace of God into wantonnesse They study cases of conscience in the matter of carnal sins not to avoid but to learn wayes how to offend God and pollute their own spirits and search their houses with a Sun-beam that they may be instructed in all the corners of nastinesse I have used all the care I could in the following periods that I might neither be wanting to assist those that need it nor yet minister any occasion of fancy or vainer thoughts to those that need them not If any man will snatch the pure taper from my hand and hold it to the Devil he will onely burn his own fingers but shall not rob me of the reward of my care and good intention since I have taken heed how to expresse the following duties and given him caution how to reade them CHastity is that duty which was mystically intended by GOD in the Law of Circumcision It is the circumcision of the heart the cutting off all superfluity of naughtinesse and a suppression of all irregular desires in the matter of sensual or carnal pleasure I call all desires irregular and sinful that are not sanctified 1. By the holy institution or by being within the protection of marriage 2. By being within the order of nature 3. By being within the moderation of Christian modesty Against the first are fornication adultery and all voluntary pollutions of either sex Against the second are all unnatural lusts and incestuous mixtures Against the third is all immoderate use of permitted beds concerning which judgement is to be made as concerning meats and drinks there being no certain degree of frequency or intension prescribed to all persons but it is to be ruled as the other actions of a man by proportion to the end by the dignity of the person in the honour and severity of being a Christian and by other circumstances of which I am to give account Chastity is that grace which forbids and restrains all these keeping the body and soul pure in that state in which it is placed by God whether of the single or of the married life Concerning which our duty is thus described by S. Paul For this is the will of God even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication that every one of you should know how to possesse his vessel in sanctification and honour Not in the lust of concupiscence even as the Gentiles which know not God Chastity is either abstinence or continence Abstinence is that of Virgins or Widows Continence of married persons Chaste marriages are honourable and pleasing to God Widowhood is pitiable in its solitarinesse and losse but amiable and comely when it is adorned with gravity and purity and not sullied with remembrances of the passed license nor with present desires of returning to a second bed But Virginity is a life of Angels the enamel of the soul the huge advantage of religion the great opportunity for the retirements of devotion and being empty of cares it is full of prayers being unmingled with the World it is apt to converse with God and by not feeling the warmth of a too forward and indulgent nature flames out with holy fires till it be burning like the Cherubim and the most extasied order of holy and unpolluted Spirits Natural virginity of it self is not a state more acceptable to God but that which is chosen and voluntary in order to the conveniences of Religion and separation from worldly incombrances is therefore better then the married life not that it is more holy but that it is a freedom from cares an opportunity to spend more time in spiritual imployments it is not allayed with businesses and attendances upon lower affairs and if it be a chosen condition to these ends it containeth in it a victory over lusts and greater desires of Religion and self-denial and therefore is more excellent then the married life in that degree in which it hath greater religion and a greater mortification a lesse satisfaction of natural desires a greater fulnesse of the spiritual and just so is to expect that little coronet or special reward which God hath prepared extraordinary and besides the great Crown of all faithful souls for those who have not defiled themselves with women but follow the Virgin Lamb for ever But some married persons even in their marriage do better please God then some Virgins in their state of virginity They by giving great example of conjugal affection by preserving their faith unbroken by educating children in the fear of God by patience and contentednesse and holy thoughts and the exercise of vertues proper to that state do not onely please God but do it in a higher degree then those Virgins whose piety is not answerable to their great opportunities and advantages However married persons and Widows and Virgins are all servants of God and coheirs in the inheritance of Jesus if they live within the restraints and laws of their particular estate chastely temperately justly and religiously The evil consequents of Vncleannesse The blessings and proper effects of chastity we shall best understand by reckoning the evils of uncleannesse and carnality 1. Uncleannesse of all vices is the most shameful The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight saying No eye shall see me and disguiseth his face In the dark they dig through houses which they had marked for themselves in the day time they know not the light for the morning is to them as the shadow of death He is swift as the waters their portion is cursed in the earth he beholdeth not the way of the vineyards Shame is the eldest daughter of Uncleannesse 2. The appetites of uncleannesse are full of cares and trouble and its fruition is sorrow and repentance The way of the adulterer is hedg'd with thorns full of fears and jealousies burning desires and impatient waitings tediousnesse of delay and sufferance of affronts and amazements of discovery 3. Most of its kindes are of that condition that they involve the ruine of two souls and he that is a fornicatour or adulterous steals the soul as well as dishonours the body of his Neighbour and so it becomes like the sin of falling Lucifer
such modesty and decency of treating each other that they never force themselves into high and violent lusts with arts and misbecoming devices alwayes remembring that those mixtures are most innocent which are most simple and most natural most orderly and most safe 4. It is a duty of matrimonial chastity to be restrained and temperate in the use of their lawful pleasures concerning which although no universal Rule can antecedently be given to all persons any more then to all bodies one proportion of meat and drink yet married persons are to estimate the degree of their license according to the following proportions * 1. That it be moderate so as to consist with health * 2. That it be so order'd as not to be too expensive of time that precious opportunity of working out our salvation * 3. That when duty is demanded it be alwayes payed so far as is in our powers and election according to the foregoing measures * That it be with a temperate affection without violent transporting desires or too sensuall applications Concerning which a man is to make judgement by proportion to other actions and the severities of his religion and the sentences of sober and wise persons For it is a sad truth that many married persons thinking that the floodgates of liberty are set wide open without measures or restraints so they sail in that channel have felt the final rewards of intemperance and lust by their unlawful using of lawful permissions Onely let each of them be temperate and both of them be modest Socrates was wont to say that those women to whom Nature had not been indulgent in good features and colours should make it up themselves with excellent manners and those who were beautiful and comely should be careful that so fair a body be not polluted with unhandsome usages To which Plutarch addes that a wife if she be unhandsome should consider how extreamly ugly she should be if she wanted modesty but if she be handsome let her think how gracious that beauty would be if she superads chastity 5. Married persons by consent are to abstain from their mutual entertainments at solemn times of devotion not as a duty of it self necessary but as being the most proper act of purity which in their condition they can present to God and being a good advantage for attending their preparation to the solemn duty and their demeanour in it It is S. Pauls counsel that by consent for a time they should abstain that they may give themselves to fasting and prayer And though when Christians did receive the holy Communion every day it is certain they did not abstain but had children yet when the Communion was more seldom they did with religon abstain from the marriage-bed during the time of their solemn preparatory devotions as anciently they did from eating and drinking till the solemnity of the day was past 6. It were well if married persons would in their penitential prayers and in their general confessions suspect themselves and accordingingly aâ—k a general pardon for all their undecencies and more passionate applications of themselves in the offices of marriage that what is lawful and honourable in its kinde may not be sullied with imperfect circumstances or if it be it may be made clean again by the interruption and recallings of such a repentance of which such uncertain parts of action are capable But because of all the dangers of a Christian none more pressing and troublesome then the temptations to lust no enemy more dangerous then that of the â—lesh no accounts greater then what we have to reckon for at the audit of Concâ—piscence therefore it concerns all that would be safe from this death to arme themselves by the following rules to prevent or to cure all the wounds of our flesh made by the poysoned arrows of Lust. Remedies against uncleannesse 1. When a temptation of Iust assaults thee do not resist it by heaping up arguments against it and disputing with it considering its offers and its danger but â—â—ie from it that is think not at all of it lay aside all consideration concerning it and turn away from it by any severe and laudable thought or businesse S. Hierome very wittily reproves the Gentile superstition who pictured the Virgin Deityes armed with a sheild and lance as if chastity could not be defended without war and direct contention No this enemy is to be treated otherwise If you hear it speak though but to dispute with it it ruines you and the very arguments you go about to answer leave a relish upon the tongue A man may be burned if he goes neer the fire though but to quench his house and by handling pitch though but to draw it from your cloths you defile your â—ingers 2 Avoid idlenesse and fill up all the spaces of thy time with severe and usefull imployment for lust usually creepes in at those emptinesses where the soul is unimployed and the body is at ease For no easy healthfull and idle person was ever chast if he could be tempted But of all imployments bodily labour is most usefull and of greatest benefit for the driving away this Devill 3 Give no entertainment to the beginnings the first motions secret whispers of the spirit of impurity For if you totally suppress it it dyes if you permit the furnace to breath its smoke and flame out at any vent it will rage to the consumption of the whole This cockatrice is soonest crushed in the shell but if it growes it turns to a serpent and a Dragon and a Devill 4 Corporal mortification and hard usages of our body hath by all ages of the Church bin an approv d remedy against the spirit of fornication A spare diet and a thin course table seldome refreshment frequent fasts not violent and interrupted with returns to ordinary feeding but constantly little unpleasant of wholesome but sparing nourishment For by such cutting off the provisions of victual wee shall weaken the strengths of our Enemy To which if we adde lyings upon the ground painfull postures in prayer reciting our devotions with our armes extended at full length like Moses praying against Amalek oâ— our blessed SAVIOUR hanging upon his painful bed of sorrowes the Crosse and if the lust be upon us and sharply tempting by inflicting any smart to overthrow the strongest passion by the most violent paine we shall finde great ease for the present and the resolution and apt sufferance against the future danger And this was Saint Pauls remedy I bring my body under he used some rudenesses towards it But it was a great noblenesse of chastity which S. Hierome reports of a Son of the King of Nicomedia who being tempted upon flowers and a perfum'd bed with a soft violence but yet tyed down to the temptation and sollicited with circumstances of Asian Luxury by an impure Curresan least the easinesse of his posture should abuse him spit out his tongue into
Noble Family doth confesse that he hath in himself a lesse vertue and a lesse honour and therefore that he is degenerated 8. Whatever other difference there is between thee and thy Neighbour if it be bad it is thine own but thou hast no reason to boast of thy misery and shame if it be good thou hast received it from God and then thou art more obliged to pay duty and tribute use and principal to him and it were a strange folly for a man to be proud of being more in debt â—hen another 9. Remember what thou wert before thou wert begotten Nothing What wert thou in the first regions of thy dwelling before thy birth Uncleannesse What wert thou for many years after Weaknesse What in all thy life A great sinner What in all thy excellencies A mere debter to God to thy parents to the earth to all the creatures But we may if we please use the method of the Platonists who reduce all the causes and arguments for humility which we can take from our selves to these seven heads 1. The spirit of a man is light and troublesome 2. His body is brutish and sickly 3. He is constant in his folly and errouâ— and inconstant in his manners and good purposes 4. His labours are vain intricate and endlesse 5. His fortune is changeable but seldome pleasing never perfect 6. His wisdom comes not till he be ready to die that is till he be past using it 7. His death is certain alwayes ready at the door but never far off * Upon these or the like meditations if we dwell or frequently retire to them we shall see nothing more reasonable then to be humble and nothing more foolish then to be proud Acts or offices of humility The grace of humility is exercised by these following rules 1. Think not thy self better for any thing that happens to thee from without For although thou mayest by gifts bestowed upon thee be better then another as one horse is better then another that is of more use to others yet as thou art a man thou hast nothing to commend thee to thy self but that onely by which thou art a man that is by what thou choosest and refusest 2. Humility consists not in railing against thy self or wearing mean clothes or going softly and submissely but in a hearty and real evil or mean opinion of thy self Believe thy self an unworthy person heartily as thou believest thy self to be hungry or poor or sick when thou art so 3. Whatsoever evil thou sayest of thy self be content that others should think to be true and if thou callest thy self fool be not angry if another say so of thee For if thou thinkest so truely all men in the world desire other men to be of their opinion and he is an hypocrite that accuses himself before others with an intent not to be believed But he that calls himself intemperate foolish lustful and is angry when his neighbours call him so is both a false and a proud person 4. Love to be concealed and little esteemed be content to want praise never being troubled when thou art slighted or undervalued for thou canst not undervalue thy self and if thou thinkest so meanly as there is reason no contempt will seem unreasonable and therefore it will be very tolerable 5. Never be ashamed of thy birth or thy parents or thy trade or thy present imployment for the meannesse or poverty of any of them and when there is an occasion to speak of them such an occasion as would invite you to speak of any thing that pleases you omit it not but speak as readily and indifferently of thy meannesse as of thy greatnesse Primislaus the first King of Bohemia kept his countrey shooes alwayes by him to remember from whence he was raised and Agathoâ—les by the furniture of his Table confessed that from a Potter he was raised to be the King of Sicily 6. Never speak any thing directly tending to thy praise or glorie that is with a purpose to be commended and for no other end If other ends be mingled with thy honour as if the glory of God or charity or necessity or any thing of prudence be thy end you are not tyed to omit your discourse or your designe that you may avoid praise but pursue your end though praise come along in the Company Onely let not praise be the designe 7. When thou hast said or done any thing for which thou receivest praise or estimation take it indifferently and return it to God reflecting upon him as the Giver of the gift or the blesser of the action or the aid of the designe and give God thanks for making thee an instrument of his glory or the benefit of others 8. Secure a good name to thy self by living vertuously and humbly but let this good name be nursed abroad and never be brought home to look upon it let others use it for their own advantage let them speak of it if they please but do not thou at all use it but as an instrument to do God glory and thy neighbour more advantage Let thy face like Moses shine to others but make no looking glasses for thy self 9. Take no content in praise when it is offered thee but let thy rejoycing in Gods gift be allayed with feare lest this good bring thee to evill Use the praise as you use your pleasure in eating and drinking if it comes make it do drudgery let it serve other ends and minister to necessities and to caution lest by pride you lose your just praise which you have deserved or else by being praised unjustly you receive shame into your self with God and wise men 10. Use no stratagems and devices to get praise Some use to enquire into the faults of their own actions or discourses on purpose to hear that it was well done or spoken and without fault others bring the matter into talk or thrust themselves into company and intimate and give occasion to be thought or spoke of These men make a bait to perswade themselves to swallow the hook till by drinking the waters of vanity they swell and burst 11. Make no suppletories to thy self when thou art disgraced or slighted by pleasing thy self with supposing thou didst deserve praise though they understood thee not or enviously detracted from thee neither do thou get to thy self a private theatre and flatterers in whose vain noises and phantastick praises thou mayest keep up thy own good opinion of thy self 12. Entertain no fancies of vanity and private whispers of this Devil of pride such as was that of Nebuchodonosor Is not this great Babylon which I have built for the honour of my name and the might of my majesty and the power of my kingdom Some phantastick spirits will walk alone and dream waking of greatnesses of palaces of excellent orations full theatres loud applâ—uses sudden advancement great fortunes and so will spend an hour with imaginative pleasure
immortal felicity and beauty is not made by white or red by black eyes a round face by a strait body and a smooth skin but by a proportion to the fancy No rules can make amability our mindes apprehensions make that and â—o is our felicity and we may be reconcil'd to poverty and a low fortune if we suffer contentednesse and the grace of God to make the proportions For no man is poor that does not think himself so But if in a full fortune with impatience he desires more he proclaims his wants and his beggerly condition But because this grace of contentednesse was the sum of all the old moral Philosophy and a great duty in Christianity and of most universal use in the whole course of our lives and the onely instrument to ease the burdens of the World and the enmities of sad chances it will not be amisse to presse it by the proper arguments by which God hath bound it upon our spirits it being fastned by Reason and Religion by duty and interest by necessity and conveniency by example and by the proposition of excellent rewards no lesse then peace and felicity 1. Contentednesse in all estates is a duty of Religion it is the great reasonablenesse of complying with the Divine Providence which governes all the World and hath so ordered us in the administration of his great Family He were a strange fool that should be angry because Dogs and Sheep need no shoes yet himself is full of care to get some God hath supplyed those needs to them by natural provisions and to thee by an artificial for he hath given thee reason to learn a trade or some means to make or buy them so that it onely differs in the manner of our provision and which had you rather want shoes or reason And my Patron that hath given me a Farm is freer to me then if he gives a loafe ready bak'd But however all these gifts come from him and therefore it is fit he should dispense them as he please and if we murmure here we may at the next melancholy be troubled that God did not make us to be Angels or Stars For if that which we are or have do not content us we may be troubled for every thing in the World which is besides our being or our possessions God is the Master of the Scenes we must not choose which part we shall act it concerns us onely to be careful that we do it well alwayes saying If this please God let it be as it is and we who pray that Gods will may be done in Earth as it is in Heaven must remember that the Angels do whatsoever is commanded them and go where ever they are sent and refuse no circumstances and if their imployment be crossed by a higher decree they sit down in peace and rejoyce in the event and when the Angel of Iudea could not prevail in behalf of the people committed to his charge because the Angel of Persia opposed it he onely told the story at the command of God and was as content and worshipped with as great an extasie in his proportion as the prevailing Spirit Do thou so likewise keep the station where God hath placed you and you shall never long for things without but sit at home feasting upon the Divine Providence and thy own reason by which we are taught that it is necessary and reasonable to submit to God For is not all the World Gods family Are not we his creatures Are we not as clay in the hand of the Potter Do we not live upon his meat and move by his strength and do our work by his light Are we any thing but what we are from him And shall there be a mutiny among the flocks and herdâ— because their Lord or their Shepherd chooses their pastures and suffers them not to wander into Deserts and unknowne wayes If we choose we do it so foolishly that we cannot like it long and most commonly not at all but God who can do what he please is wise to choose safely for us affectionate to comply with our needs and powerful to execute all his wise decrees Here therefore is the wisdome of the contented man to let God choose for him for when we have given up our wills to him and stand in that station of the battel where our great General hath placed us our spirits must needs rest while our conditions have for their security the power the wisdom and the charity of God 2. Contentednesse in all accidents brings great peace of spirit and is the great and onely instrument of temporal felicity It removes the sting from the accident and makes a man not to depend upon chance and the uncertain dispositions of men for his well being but onely on GOD and his own Spirit Wee our selves make our fortunes good or bad and when God le ts loose a Tyrant upon us or a sicknesse or scorne or a lessened fortune if we fear to dye or know not to be patient or are proud or covetous then the calamity sits heavy on us But if we know how to manage a noble principle and fear not Death so much as a dishonest action and think impatience a worse evil then a Feaver and Pride to be the biggest disgrace and poverty to be infinitely desirable before the torments of covetousnesse then we who now think vice to be so easie and make it so familiar and think the cure so impossible shall quickly be of another minde and reckon these accidents amongst things elegible But no man can be happy that hath great hopes and great fears of things without and events depending upon other men or upon the chances of Fortune The rewards of Vertue are certain and our provisions for our natural support are certain or if we want meat till we dye then we dye of that disease and there are many worse then to dye with an atrophy or Consumption or unapt and courser nourishment But he that suffers a transporting passion concerning things within the power of others is free from sorrow and amazement no longer then his enemy shall give him leave and it is ten to one but he shall be smitten then and there where it shall most trouble him for so the Adder â—eaches us where to strike by her curious and fearfull defending of her head The old Stoicks when you told them of a sad story would still answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is that to me Yes for the Tyrant hath sentenced you also to prison Well! what is that He will put a chain upon my leg but he cannot binde my soul. No but he will kill you Then I 'le dye If presently let me go that I may presently be freer then himself but if not till anon or to morrow I will dine first or sleep or do what reason and nature calls for as at other times This in Gentile Philosophy is the same with the discourse
to their own voluntary concessions and ingagements their promises and Oathes when once they are passed from them The Duty of Superiours as they are Iudges 1. Princes in judgement and their Delegate Judges must judge the causes of all persons uprightly and impartially without any personal consideration of the power of the mighty or the bribe of the rich or the needs of the poor For although the poor must fare no worse for his poverty yet in justice he must fare no better for it And although the rich must be no more regarded yet he must not be lesse And to this purpose the Tutor of Cyrus instructed him when in a controversie where a great Boy would have taken a large coat from a little Boy because his own was too little for him and the others was too big hee adjudged the great coat to the great Boy his Tutor answered Sir If you were made a Judge of decency or fitnesse you had judged well in giving the biggest to the biggest but when you were appointed Judge not whom the coat did fit but whose it was you should have considered the title and the possession who did the violence and who made it or who bought it And so it must be in judgements between the rich and the poor it is not to be considered what the poor Man needs but what is his own 2. A Prince may not much lesse may inferiour Judges deny justice when it is legally and competently demanded and if the Prince will use his Prerogative in pardoning an offender against whom justice is required he must be carefull to give satisfaction to the injured person or his Relatives by some other instrument and be watchful to take away the scandal that is lest such indulgence might make persons more bold to do injury and if hee spares the life let him change the punishment into that which may make the offender if not suffer justice yet doe justice and more real advantage to the injured person These rules concern Princes and their Delegates in the making or administring Laws in the appointing rules of justice and doing acts of judgement The duty of Parents to their Children and Nephews is briefly described by S. Paul The Duty of Parents to their Children 1. Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath that is be tender boweld pitiful and gentle complying with all the infirmities of the Children and in their several ages proportioning to them several usages according to their needs and their capacities 2. Bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord that is secure their religion season their younger years with prudent and pious principles make them in love with vertue and make them habitually so before they come to choose or to discern good from evil that their choice may be with lesse difficulty and danger For while they are under discipline they suck in all that they are first taught and believe it infinitely provide for them wise learned and vertuous Tutors good company and discipline seasonable baptism catechism and confirmation For it is a great folly to heap up much wealth for our Children and not to take care concerning the Children for whom we get it It is as if a man should take more care about his shooe then about his foot 3. Parents must shew piety at home that is they must give good example and reverent deportment in the face of their children and all those instances of charity which usualy endear each other sweetnesse of conversation afâ—ability frequent admonition all significations of love and tendernesse care and watchfulnesse must be expressed towards Children that they may look upon their Parents as their friends and patrons their defence and sanctuary their treasure and their Guide Hither is to be reduced the nursing of Children which is the first and most natural and necessary instance of piety which Mothers can shew to their Babes a dutie from which nothing will excuse but a disability sicknesse danger or publick necessitie 4. Parents must provide for their own according to their condition education and imployment called by S. Paul a laying up for the Children that is an enabling them by competent portions or good trades arts or learning to defend themselves against the chances of the world that they may not be exposed to temptation to beggery or unworthy arts and although this must be done without covetousnesse without impatient and greedy desires of making them rich yet it must be done with much care and great affection with all reasonable provision and according to our power and if we can without sin improve our estates for them that also is part of the duty we owe to God for them and this rule is to extend to all that descend from us although we have been overtaken in a fault and have unlawfull issue they also become part of our care yet so as not to injure the production of the lawful bed 5. This duty is to extend to a provision of conditions and an estate of life Parents must according to their power and reason provide Husbands or Wives for their children In which they must secure piety and Religion and the affection and love of the interested persons and after these let them make what provisions they can for other conveniences or advantages Ever remembring that they can do no injury more afflictive to the children then to joyn them with cords of a disagreeing affection It is like tying a Wolf and a Lamb or planting the Vine in a Garden of Coleworts Let them be perswaded with reasonable inducements to make them willing and to choose according to the parents wish but at no hand let them be forced Better to sit up all night then to go to bed with a Dragon The duty of Husbands c. See Chapt. 2. Sect. 3. Rules for married persons 1 Husbands must give to their wives love maintenance duty and the sweetnesses of conversation and wives must pay to them all they have or can with the interest of obedience and reverence and they must be complicated in affections and interest that there be no distinction between them of Mine and Thine And if the title be the mans or the womans yet the use must be common onely the wisdom of the man is to regulate all extravagancies and indiscretions in other things no question is to be made and their goods should be as their children not to be divided but of one possession and provision whatsoever is otherwise is not marriage but merchandise And upon this ground I suppose it was that S. Basil commended that woman who took part of her Husbands goods to do good works withall for supposing him to be unwilling and that the work was his duty or hers alone or both theirs in conjunction or of great advantage to either of their souls and no violence to the support of their families she hath right to all that And Abigail of her own
beam of comfort Possibly the Man may erre in his judgement of circumstances and therefore let him fear but because it is not certain he is mistaken let him not despair 7. Consider that God who knows all the events of Men and what their final condition shall be who shall be saved and who will perish yet he treateth them as his own calls them to be his own offers fair conditions as to his own gives them blessings arguments of mercy and instances of fear to call them off from death and to call them home to life and in all this shews no despair of happinesse to them and therefore much lesse should any Man despair for himself since he never was able to reade the Scrols of the eternal predestination 8. Remember that despair belongs onely to passionate Fools or Villains such as were Achitophel and Iudas or else to Devils and damned persons and as the hope of salvation is a good disposition towards it so is despair a certain consignation to eternal ruine A Man may be damned for despairing to be saved Despair is the proper passion of damnation God hath placed truth and felicity in Heaven Curiosity and repentance upon Earth but misery and despair are the portions of Hell 9. Gather together into your spirit and its â—reasure-house the Memory not onely all the promises of GOD but also the remembrances of experience and the former senses of the Divine favours that from thence you may argue from times past to the present and enlarge to the future and to greater blessings For although the conjectures and expectations of Hope are not like the conclusions of Faith yet they are a Helmet against the scorchings of Despair in temporal things and an anchor of the soul sure and stedfast against the fluctuations of the Spirit in matters of the soul. Saint Bernard reckons divers principles of Hope by enumerating the instances of the Divine Mercy and wee may by them reduce this rule to practise in the following manner 1. GOD hath preserved mee from many sinnes his mercies are infinite I hope he will still preserve me from more and for ever * 2. I have sinned and GOD smote me not his mercies are still over the penitent I hope he will deliver me from all the evils I have deserved He hath forgiven me many sins of malice and therefore surely he will pity my infirmities * 3. God visited my heart and chang'd it he loves the work of his own hands and so my heart is now become I hope he will love this too * 4. When I repented he receiv'd me graciously and therefore I hope if I do my endeavour he will totally forgive me 5. He help'd my slow and beginning endeavours and therefore I hope he will lead me to perfection * 6. When he had given me something first then he gave me more I hope therefore he will keep me from falling and give me the grace of perseverance * 7. He hath chosen me to be a Disciple of Christs institution he hath elected me to his Kingdom of grace and therefore I hope also to the Kingdom of his glory * 8. He died for me when I was his enemy and therefore I hope he will save me when he hath reconcil'd me to him is become my friend * 9. God hath given us his Son how should not he with him give us all things else All these S. Bernard reduces to these three Heads as the instruments of all our hopes 1. The charity of God adopting us 2. The truth of his promises 3. The power of his performance which if any truly weighs no infirmity or accident can break his hopes into undiscernable fragments but some good planks will remain after the greatest storm and shipwrack This was S. Pauls instrument Experience begets hope and hope maketh not ashamed 10. Do thou take care onely of thy duty of the means and proper instruments of thy purpose and leave the end to God lay that up with him and he will take care of all that is intrusted to him and this being an act of confidence in God is also a means of security to thee 11. By special arts of spiritual prudence and arguments secure the confident belief of the Resurrection and thou canst not but hope for every thing else which you may reasonably expect or lawfully desire upon the stock of the Divine mercies and promises 12. If a despair seizes you in a particular temporal instance let it not defile thy spirit with impure mixture or mingle in spiritual considerations but rather let it make thee fortifie thy soul in matters of Religion that by being thrown out of your Earthly dwelling and confidence you may retire into the strengths of grace and hope the more strongly in that by how much you are the more defeated in this that despair of a fortune or a successe may become the necessity of all vertue Sect. 3. Of Charity or the love of God LOve is the greatest thing that God can give us for himself is love and it is the greatest thing we can give to God for it will also give our selves and carry with it all that is ours The Apostle cals it the band of perfection it is the Old and it is the New and it is the great Commandement and it is all the Commandements for it is the fulfilling of the Law It does the work of all other graces without any instrument but its own immediate vertue For as the love to sinne makes a Man sinne against all his own reason and all the discourses of wisdom and all the advices of his friends and without temptation and without opportunity so does the love of God it makes a man chast without the laborious arts of fasting and exteriour disciplines temperate in the midst of feasts and is active enough to choose it without any intermedial appetites and reaches at Glory thorough the very heart of Grace without any other arms but those of Love It is a grace that loves God for himself and our Neighbours for God The consideration of Gods goodnesse and bounty the experience of those profitable and excellent emanations from him may be and most commonly are the first motive of our love but when we are once entred and have tasted the goodnesse of God we love the spring for its own excellency passing from passion to reason from thanking to adoring from sence to spirit from considering our selves to an union with God and this is the image and little representation of Heaven it is beatitude in picture or rather the infancy and beginnings of glory We need no incentives by way of special enumeration to move us to the love of God for we cannot love any thing for any reason real or imaginary but that excellency is infinitely more eminent in God There can but two things create love Perfection and Vsefulnesse to which answer on our part first admiration and 2. Desire and both these are centred in love For the
is declared In the fourth Commandement hee proclaims himself the Maker of Heaven and Earth for in memory of Gods rest from the work of six dayes the seventh was hallowed into a Sabbath and the keeping it was a confessing GOD to bee the great Maker of Heaven and Earth and consequently to this it also was a confession of his goodnesse his Omnipotence and his Wisdom all which were written with a Sun beam in the great book of the Creature So long as the Law of the Sabbath was bound upon Gods people so long GOD would have that to be the folemn manner of confessing these attributes but when the Priesthood being changed there was a change also of the Law the great duty remain'd unalterable in changed circumstances We are eternally bound to confesse God Almighty to be the Maker of Heaven and Earth but the manner of confessing it is chang'd from a rest or a doing nothing to a speaking something from a day to a symbol from a ceremony to a substance from a Jewish rite to a Christian duty we professe it in our Creed we confesse it in our lives we describe it by every line of our life by every action of duty by faith and trust and obedience and we do also upon great reason comply with the Jewish manner of confessing the Creation so far as it is instrumental to a real duty We keepe one day in seven and so confesse the manner and circumstance of the Creation and we rest also that we may tend holy duties so imitating Gods rest better then the Jew in Synesius who lay upon his face from evening to evening and could not by stripes or wounds be raised up to steer the ship in a great storm Gods rest was not a natural cessation hee who could not labour could not be said to rest but Gods rest is to be understood to be a beholding and a rejoycing in his work finished and therefore we truly represent Gods rest when we confesse and rejoyce in Gods works and Gods glory This the Christian Church does upon every day but especially upon the Lords day which she hath set apart for this and all other Ofâ—ices of Religion being determined to this day by the Resurrection of her dearest Lord it being the first day of joy the Church ever had And now upon the Lords day we are not tyed to the rest of the Sabbath but to all the work of the Sabbath and we are to abstain from bodily labour not because it is a direct duty to us as it was to the Jews but because it is necessary in order to our duty that we attend to the Offices of Religion The observation of the Lords day differs nothing from the observation of the Sabbath in â—he matter of Religion but in the manner They differ in the ceremony and external rite Rest with them was the principal with us it is the accessory They differ in the office or forms of worship For they were then to worship God as a Creator and a gentle Father we are to adde to that Our Redeemer and all his other excellencies and mercies and though we have more natural and proper reason to keep the Lords day then the Sabbath yet the Jews had a Divine Commandement for their day which we have not for ours but we have many Commandements to do all that honour to GOD which was intended in the fourth Commandement and the Apostles appointed the first day of the week for doing it in solemne Assemblies and the manner of worshipping God and doing him solemn honour and service upon this day we may best observe in the following measures Rules for keeping the Lords day and other Christian Festivals 1. When you go about to distinguish Festival dayes from common do it not by lessening the devotions of ordinary dayes that the common devotion may seem bigger upon Festivals but on every day keep your ordinary devotions intire and enlarge upon the Holy day 2. Upon the Lords day wee must abstaine from all servile and laborious workes except such which are matters of necessity of common life or of great charity for these are permitted by that authority which hath separated the day for holy uses The Sabbath of the Jewes though consisting principally in rest and established by God did yeeld to these The labour of Love and the labours of Religion were not against the reason and the spirit of the Commandement for which the Letter was decreed and to which it ought to minister And therefore much more is it so on the Lords day where the Letter is wholly turned into Spirit and there is no Commandement of God but of spiritual and holy actions The Priests might kill their beasts and dresse them for sacrifice and Christ though born under the law might heal a sick man and the sick man might carry hâ—s bed to witnesse his recovery and confesse the mercy and leap and dance to God for joy and an Ox might be led to water and an Asse be haled ouâ— of a ditch and a man may take physick and he may eat meat and therefore there were of necessity some to prepare and minister it and the performing these labours did not consist in minutes and just determined stages but they had even then a reasonable latitude so onely as to exclude unnecessary labour or such as did not minister to charity or religion And therefore this is to be enlarged in the Gospel whose Sabbath or rest is but a circumstance and accessory to the principal and spiritual duties Upon the Christian Sabbath necessity is to be served first then charity and then religion for this is to give place to charity in great instances and the second to the first in all and in all cases God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth 3. The Lords day being the remembrance of a great blessing must be a day of joy festivity spiritual rejoycing and thanksgiving and therefore it is a proper work of the day to let your devotions spend themselves in singing or reading Psalms in recounting the great works of God in remembring his mercies in worshipping his excellencies in celebrating his attributes in admiring his person in sending portions of pleasant meat to them for whom nothing is provided in all the arts and instruments of advancing Gods glory the reputation of religion in which it were a great decency that a memorial of the resurrection should be inserted that the particular religion of the day be not swallowed up in the general And of this we may the more easily serve our selves by rising seasonably in the morning to private devotion and by retiring at the leisures and spaces of the day not imployed in publick offices 4. Fail not to be present at the publick hours and places of prayer entring early and cheerfully attending reverently and devoutly abiding patiently during the whole office piously assisting at the prayers and gladly also hearing the Sermon and at no hand omitting to
receive the Holy Communion when it is offered unlesse some great reason excuse it this being the great solemnity of thanksgiving and a proper work of the day 5. After the solemnities are past and in the intervalls between the morning and evening devotion as you shall finde op portunity visit sick persons reconcile differences do offices of Neighbourhood inquire into the needs of the poor especially house-keepers relieve them as they shall need and as you are able for then we truely rejoyce in God when we make our neighbours the poor members of Christ rejoyce together with us 6. Whatsoever you are to do your self as necessary you are to take care that others also who are under your charge do in their station manner Let your servants be called to Church and all your family that can be spared from necessary great houshold ministeries those that cannot let them go by turns and be supplyed otherwise as well as they may and provide on these dayes especially that they be instructed in the articles of faith and necessary parts of their duty 7. Those who labour hard in the week must be eased upon the Lords day such ease being a great charity and alms but at no hand must they be permitted to use any unlawful games any thing forbidden by the laws any thing that is scandalous or any thing that is dangerous and apt to mingle sin with it no games prompting to wantonnesse to drunkennesse to quarrelling to ridiculous and superstitious customs but let their refreshments be innocent and charitable and of good report and not exclusive of the duties of religion 8. Beyond these bounds because neither God nor man hath passed any obligation upon us we must preserve our Christian liberty and not suffer our selves to be intangled with a yoke of bondage for even a good action may become a snare to us if we make it an occasion of scruple by a pretence of necessity binding loads upon the conscience not with the bands of God but â—f men and of fancy or of opinion or of tyranny Whatsoever is laid upon us by the hands of man must be acted and accounted of by the measures of a man but our best measure is this He keeps the Lords day best that keeps it with most religion and with most charity 9. What the Church hath done in the article of the resurrection she hath in some measure done in the other articles of the Nativity of the Ascension and of the Descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost And so great blessings deserve an anniversary solemnity since he is a very unthankful person that does not often record them in the whole year and esteem them the ground of his hopes the object of his faith the comfort of his troubles and the great effluxes of the divine mercy greater then all the victories over our temporal enemies for which all glad persons usually give thanks And if with great reason the memory of the resurrection does return solemnly every week it is but reason the other should return once a year * To which I adde that the commemoration of the articles of our Creed in solemn dayes and offices is a very excellent instrument to convey and imprint the sense and memory of it upon the spirits of the most ignorant person For as a picture may with more fancy convey a story to a man then a plain narrative either in word or writing so a real representment and an office of remembrance and a day to declare it is fâ—r more impressive then a picture or any other art of making and fixing imagery 10. The memories of the Saints are precioâ—s to God and therefore they ought also to be so to us and such persons who served God by holy living industrious preaching and religious dying ought to have their names preserved in honour and God be glorified in them and their holy doctrines and lives published and imitated and we by so doing give testimony to the article of the communion of Saints But in these cases as every Church is to be sparing in the number of dayes so also should she be temperate in her injunctions not imposing them but upon voluntary and unbusied persons without snare or burden But the Holy day is best kept by giving God thanks for the excellent persons Apostles or Martyrs we then remember and by imitating their lives this all may do and they that can also keep the solemnity must do that too when it is publickly enjoyned The mixt actions of religion are 1. Prayer 2. Alms. 3. Repentance 4. Receiving the blessed Sacrament Sect. 7. Of Prayer THere is no greater argument in the world of our spiriâ—ual danger and unwillingness to religion then the backwardnesse which most men have alwayes and all men have sometimes to say their prayers so weary of their length so glad when they are done so witty to excuse and frustrate an opportunity and yet all is nothing but a desiring of God to give us the greatest and the best things we can need and which can make us happy it is a work so easy so honourable and to so great purpose that in all the instances of religion and providence except onely the incarnation of his Son God hath not given us a greater argument of his willingnesse to have us saved and of our unwillingnesse to accept it his goodnesse and our gracelessenesse his infinite condescension and our carelessenesse and folly then by rewarding so easy a duty with so great blessings Motives to prayer I cannot say any thing beyond this very consideration its appendages to invite Christian people to pray often But we may consider That first it is a duty commanded by God and his holy Son 2. It is an act of grace and highest honour that we dust and ashes are admitted to speak to the Eternal God to run to him as to a Father to lay open our wants to complain of our burdens to explicate our scruples to beg remedy and ease support and counsel health and safety deliverance and salvation and 3. God hath invited us to it by many gracious promises of hearing us 4. He hath appointed his most glorious Son to be the president of prayer and to make continual intercession for us to the throne of grace 5. He hath appointed an Angel to present the prayers of his servants and 6. Christ unites them to his own and sanctifies them and makes them effective and prevalent and 7. Hath put it into the hands of men to rescind or alter all the decrees of God which are of one kinde that is conditional and concerning our selves and our final estate and many instances of our intermedial or temporal by the power of prayers 8. And the prayers of men have saved cities and kingdoms from ruine prayer hath raised dead men to life hath stopped the violence of fire shut the mouths of wilde beasts hath altered the course of nature caused rain in Egypt and drowth in the sea
may praise him for so we blesse God and God blesses us And yet fail not to finde or make opportunities to worship God at some other times of the day at least by ejaculations and short addresses more or lesse longer or shorter solemnly or without solemnity privately or publickly as you can or are permitted alwayes remembring that as every sin is a degree of danger and unsafety so every pious prayer and well imployed opportunity is a degree of return to hope and pardon Cautions for making vowes 16. A vow to God is an act of prayer and a great degree and instance of opportunity an increase of duty by some new uncommanded instance or some more eminent degree of duty or frequency of action or earnestnesse of spirit in the same And because it hath pleased God in all Ages of the World to admit of entercourse with his servants in the matter of vows it is not ill advice that we make vows to God in such cases in which we have great need or great danger But let it be done according to these rules and by these cautions 1. That the matter of the vow be lawful 2. That it be useful in order to Religion or charity 3. That it be grave not trifling and impertinent but great in our proportion of duty towards the blessing 4. That it be in an uncommanded instance that is that it be of something or in some manner or in some degree to which formerly wee were not obliged or which wee might have omitted without sinne 5. That it bee done with prudence that is that it be safe in all the circumstances of person lest we beg a blessing and fall into a snare 6. That every vow of a new action bee also accompanied with a new degree and enforcement of our essential and unalterable duty such as was Iacobs vow that besides the payment of a tithe God should be his God that so hee might strengthen his duty to him first in essentials and precepts and then in additionals and accidentals For it is but an ill Tree that spends more in leaves and suckers and gummes then in fruit and that thankfulnesse and Religion is best that first secures duty and then enlarges in counsels Therefore let every great prayer and great need and great danger draw us to GOD neerer by the approach of a pious purpose to live more strictly and let every mercy of GOD answering that prayer produce a real performance of it 7. Let not young beginners in Religion enlarge their hearts and streighten their liberty by vowes of long continuance nor indeed any one else without a great experience of himself and of all accidental dangers Vowes of single actions are safest and proportionable to those single blessings ever begg'd in such cases of sudden and transient importunities 8. Let no action which is matter of question and dispute in Religion ever become the matter of a vow He vowes foolishly that promises to God to live and dye in such an opinion in an article not necessary not certain or that upon confidence of his present guide bindes himself for ever to the profession of what he may afterwards more reasonably contradict or may finde not to be useful or not profitable but of some danger or of no necessity If we observe the former rules we shall pray piously and effectually but because even this duty hath in it some especial temptations it is necessary that we be armed by special remedies against them The dangers are 1. Wandring thoughts 2. Tediousnesse of spirit Against the first these advices are profitable Remedies against wandring thoughts in Prayer If we feel our spirits apt to wander in our prayers and to retire into the World or to things unprofitable or vain and impertinent 1. Use prayer to bee assisted in prayer pray for the spirit of supplication for a sober fixed and recollected spirit and when to this you adde a moral industry to be steady in your thoughts whatsoever wandrings after this do return irremediably are a misery of Nature and an imperfection but no sinne while it is not cherished and indulged too 2. In private it is not amisse to attempt the cure by reducing your prayers into Collects and short forms of prayer making voluntary interruptions and beginning again that the want of spirit and breath may be supplied by the short stages and periods 3. When you have observed any considerable wandring of your thoughts binde your self to repeat that prayer again with actual attention or else revolve the full sense of it in your spirit and repeat it in all the effect and desires of it and possibly the tempter may be driven away with his own art and may cease to interpose his trifles when hee perceives they doe but vex the person into carefulnesse and piety and yet hee loses nothing of his devotion but doubles the earnestnesse of his care 4. If this bee not seasonable or opportune or apt to any Mans circumstances yet be sure with actual attention to say a hearty Amen to the whole prayer with one united desire earnestly begging the graces mentioned in the prayer for that desire does the great work of the prayer and secures the blessing if the wandring thoughts were against our will and disclaimed by contending against them 5. Avoid multiplicity of businesses of the World and in those that are unavoidable labour for an evennesse and tranquillity of spirit that you may be untroubled and smooth in all tempests of fortune for so we shall better tend Religion when we are not torn in pieces with the cares of the World and seiz'd upon with low affections passions and interest 6. It helps much to attention and actual advertisement in our prayers if we say our prayers silently without the voice onely by the â—pirit For in mental prayer if our thoughts wander we onely stand still when our minde returns we go on again there is none of the prayer lost as it is if our mouths speak and our hearts wander 7. To incite you to the use of these or any other counsels you shall meet with remember that it is a great undecency to desire of God to hear those prayers a great part whereof we do not hear our selves If they be not worthy of our attention they are far more unworthy of Gods Signes of tediousnesse of spirit in our prayers and all actions of religion The second temptation in our prayer is a tediousnesse of spirit or a wearinesse of the imployment like that of the Jews who complained that they were weary of the new moons and their souls loathed the frequent return of their Sabbaths so do very many Christians who first pray without fervour and earnestnesse of spirit and secondly meditate but seldom and that without fruit or sence or affection or thirdly who seldom examine their consciences and when they do it they do it but sleepily slightly without compunction or hearty purpose or fruits of amendment 4. They
enlarge themselves in the thoughts and fruition of temporal things running for comfort to them onely in any sadnesse and misfortune 5. They love not to frequent the Sacraments nor any the instruments of religion as sermons confessions prayers in publick fastings but love ease and a loose undisciplin'd life 6. They obey not their superiours but follow their own judgement when their judgement follows their affections and their affections follow sense and worldly pleasures 7. They neglect or dissemble or defer or do not attend to the motions and inclinations to vertue which the spirit of God puts into their soul. 8. They repent them of their vows and holy purposes not because they discover any indiscretion in them or intolerable inconvenience but because they have within them labour and as the case now stands to them displeasure 9. They content themselves with the first degrees and necessary parts of vertue and when they are arrived thither they sit down as if they were come to the mountain of the Lord and care not to proceed on toward perfection 10. They enquire into all cases in which it may be lawful to omit a duty and though they will not do lesse then they are bound to yet they will do no more then needs must for they do out of fear and self love not out of the love of God or the spirit of holinesse and zeal The event of which will be this He that will do no more then needs must will soon be brought to omit something of his duty and will be apt to believe lesse to be necessary then is Remedies against tediousnesse of spirit The Remedies against this temptation are these 1. Order your private devotions so that they become not arguments and causes of tediousnesse by their indiscreet length but reduce your words into a narrower compasse still keeping all the matter and what is cut off in the length of your prayers supply in the earnestnesâ—e of your spirit for so nothing is lost while the words are changed into matter and length of time into fervency of devotion The forms are made not the lesse perfect and the spirit is more and the scruple is removed 2. It is not imprudent if we provide variety of forms of Prayer to the same purposes that the change by consulting with the appetites of fancy may better entertain the Spirit and possibly we may be pleased to reâ—ite a hymn when a collect seems flat to us and unpleasant and we are willing to sing rather then to say or to sing this rather then that we are certain that variety is delightful and whether that be natural to us or an imperfection yet if it be complyed with it may remove some part of the temptation 3. Break your office and devotion into fragments and make frequent returnings by ejaculations and abrupt entercourses with God for so no length can oppresse your tenderness and sicklinesse of spirit and by often praying in such manner and in all circumstances we shall habituate our souls to prayer by making it the businesse of many lesser portions of our time and by thrusting in between all our other imployments it will make every thing relish of religion and by degrees turn all into its nature 4. Learn to abstract your thoughts and desires from pleasures and things of the world For nothing is a direct cure to this evill but cutting off all other loves and adherences Order your affairs so that religion may be propounded to you as a reward and prayer as your defence and holy actions as your security and charity and good works as your treasure Consider that all things else are satisfactions but to the brutish part of a man and that these are the refreshments and relishes of that noble part of us by which we are better then beasts and whatsoever other instrument exercise or consideration is of use to take our loves from the world the same is apt to place them upon God 5. Do not seek for deliciousnesse and sensible consolations in the actions of religion but onely regard the duty and the conscience of it For although in the beginning of religion most frequently and at some other times irregularly God complyes with our infirmity and encourages our duty with little overflowings of spiritual joy and sensible pleasure and delicacies in prayer so as we seem to feel some little beam of Heaven and great refreshments from the spirit of consolation yet this is not alwayes safe for us to have neither safe for us to expect and look for and when we do it is apt to make us cool in our enquiries and waitings upon Christ when we want them It is a running after him not for the miracles but for the loaves not for the wonderful things of God and the desires of pleasing him but for the pleasures of pleasing our selves And as we must not judge our devotion to be barren or unfruitful when we want the overflowings of joy running over so neither must we cease for want of them If our spirits can serve God choosingly and greedily out of pure conscience of our duty it is better in it self and more safe to us 6. Let him use to soften his spirit with frequent meditation upon sad and dolorous objects as of death the terrours of the day of judgement fearful judgements upon sinners strange horrid accidents fear of Gods wrath the pains of Hell the unspeakable amazements of the damned the intolerable load of a sad Eternity For whatsoever creates fear or makes the spirit to dwell in a religious sadnesse is apt to entender the spirit and make it devout and plyant to any part of duty For a great fear when it is ill managed is the parent of superstition but a discreet and well guided fear produces religion 7. Pray often and you shall pray oftner and when you are accustomed to a frequent devotion it will so insensibly unite to your nature and affections that it will become trouble to omit your usual or appointed prayers and what you obtain at first by doing violence to your inclinations at last will not be left without as great unwillingnesse as that by which at first it entred This rule relyes not onely upon reason derived from the nature of habits which turn into a second nature and make their actions easy frequent an delightful but it relyes upon a reason depending upon the nature and constitution of grace whose productions are of the same nature with the parent and increases it self naturally growing from granes to huge trees from minutes to vast proportions and from moments to Eternity But be sure not to omit your usual prayers without great reason though without sin it may be done because after you have omitted something in a little while you will be passed the scruple of that and begin to be tempted to leave out more keep your self up to your usual forms you may enlarge when you will but do not contract or lessen them without a
the state of sin and death from the body of corruption to the life of grace to the possession of Jesus to the kingdom of the Gospel and this is done in the baptism of water or in the baptism of the Spirit when the first rite comes to be verified by Gods grace coming upon us and by our obedience to the heavenly calling we working together with God After this change if ever we fall into the contrary state and be wholly estranged from God and Religion and professe our selves servants of unrighteousnesse God hath made no more covenant of restitution to us there is no place left for any more repentance or intire change of condition or new birth a Man can be regenerated but once and such are voluntary malicious Apostates Witches obstinate impenitent persons and the like But if we be overtaken by infirmity or enter into the marches or borders of this estate and commit a grievous sin or ten or twenty so we be not in the intire possession of the Devil we are for the present in a damnable condition if we dye but if we live we are in a recoverable condition for so we may repent often we repent or rise from death but once but from sicknesse many times and by the grace of God we shall be pardoned if so we repent But our hopes of pardon are just as is the repentance which if it be timely hearty industrious and effective God accepts not by weighing granes or scruples but by estimating the great proportions of our life a hearty endeavour and an effectual geâ—neral change shall get the pardon the unavoidable infirmities and past evils and present imperfections and short interruptions against which we watch and pray and strive being put upon the accounts of the crosse and payed for by the Holy Jesus This is the state and condition of repentance its parts and actions must be valued according to the following rules Acts and parts of Repentance 1. He that repents truely is greatly sorrowful for his past sins not with a superficial sigh or tear but a pungent afflictive sorrow such a sorrow as hates the sin so much that the man would choose to dye rather then act it any more This sorrow is called in Scripture a weeping sorely a weeping with bitternesse of heart a weeping day and night a sorrow of heart a breaking of the spirit mourning like a dove and chattering like a swallow and we may read the degree and manner of it by the lamentations and sad accents of the Prophet Ieremy when he wept for the sins of the nation by the heart breaking of David when he mourned for his murder and adultery and the bitter weeping of S. Peter after the shameful denying of his Master The expression of this sorrow differs according to the temper of the body the sex the age and circumstance of action and the motive of sorrow and by many accidental tendernesses or Masculine hardnesses and the repentance is not to be estimated by the tears but by the grief and the grief is to be valued not by the sensitive trouble but by the cordial hatred of the sin and ready actual dereliction of it and a resolution and reall resisting its consequent temptations Some people can shed tears for nothing some for any thing but the proper and true effects of a godly sorrow are fear of the divine judgements apprehension of Gods displeasure watchings and strivings against sin patiently enduring the crosse of sorrow which God sends as their punishment in accusation of our selves in perpetually begging pardon in mean and base opinion of our selves and in all the natural productions from these according to our temper and constitution for if we be apt to weep in other accidents it is ill if we weep not also in the sorrows of repentance not that weeping is of it self a duty but that the sorrow if it be as great will be still expressed in as great a manner 2. Our sorrow for sins must retain the proportion of our sins though not the equality we have no particular measures of sins we know not which is greater of Sacriledge or Superstion Idolatry or Covetousnesse Rebellion or Witchcraft and therefore God ties us not to nice measures of sorrow but onely that we keep the general Rules of proportion that is that a great sin have a great grief a smaller crime being to be washed off with a lesser shower 3. Our sorrow for sins is then best accounted of for its degree when it together with all the penal and afflictive duties of repentance shall have equalled or exceeded the pleasure we had in commission of the sin 4. True repentance is a punishing duty and acts its sorrow and judges and condemns the sin by voluntary submitting to such sadnesses as God sends on us or to prevent the judgement of God by judging our selves and punishing our bodies and our spirits by such instruments of piety as are troublesome to the body such as are fasting watching long prayers troublesome postures in our prayers expensive alms and all outward acts of humiliation For he that must judge himself must condemn himself if he be guilty and if he be condemned he must be punished and if he be so judged it will help to prevent the judgement of the Lord. S. Paul instructing us in this particular But I before intimated that the punishing actions of repentance are onely actions of sorrow and therefore are to make up the proportions of it For our grief may be so full of trouble as to outweigh all the burdens of fasts and bodily afflictions and then the other are the lesse necessary and when they are used the benefit of them is to obtain of God a remission or a lessening of such temporal judgements which God hath decreed against the sins as it was in the case of Ahab but the sinner is not by any thing of this reconciled to the eternal favour of God for as yet this is but the Introduction to Repentance 5. Every true penitent is obliged to confesse his sins and to humble himself before God for ever Confession of sins hath a special promise If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins meaning that God hath bound himself to forgive us if we duly confesse our sins and do all that for which confession was appointed that is be ashamed of them own them no more For confession of our sins to God can signifie nothing of it self in its direct nature He sees us when we act them and keeps a record of them we forget them unlesse he reminds us of them by his grace so that to confess them to God does not punish us or make us asham'd but confession to him if it proceeds from shame and sorrow and is an act of humility and self condemnation is a laying open our wounds for cure then it is a duty God delights in in all which circumstances because we
and will save such as are of an humble spirit Psal. 34.17 Thou Lord shalt save both man and beast how excellent is thy mercy O God and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings Psal. 36.7 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house and thou shalt give them to drink of thy pleasures as out of the rivers v. 8. For with thee is the well of life and in thy light we shall see light v. 9. Commit thy way unto the Lord and put thy trust in him he shall bring it to passe Ps. 37.5 But the salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord who is also their strength in the time of trouble v. 40. So that a Man shall say verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth the earth Psal. 58.10 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and receivest unto thee he shall dwell in thy court and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house even of thy holy temple Psal. 65.4 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy Psal. 126.6 It is written I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13.5 The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins they shal be forgiven Iam. 5.15 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will binde us up Hos. 6.1 If we sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins 1 Iohn 2.2 If we confesse our sins he is faithful righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse 1 Iohn 1.9 He that forgives shall be forgiven Luke 6.37 And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us 1 Iohn 5 14. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins 1 Iohn 3.5 If ye being evil know to give good things to your children how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him Matth. 7.11 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners * He that hath given us his Son how should not he with him give us all things else Acts of hope to be used by sick persons after a pious life I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom. 8.38 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto all them also that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.7 Blessed be the God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comforts who comforts us in all our tribulation 2 Cor. 1.3 A prayer to be said in behalf of a sick or dying person O Lord God there is no number of thy dayes nor of thy mercies and the sins and sorrowes of thy servant also are multiplied Lord look upon him with much mercy and pity forgive him all his sinnes comfort his sorrowes ease his pain satisfie his doubts relieve his feares instruct his ignorances strengthen his understanding take from him all disorders of spirit weaknesse and abuse of fancy Restraine the malice and power of the spirits of darknesse and suffer him to be injured neither by his ghostly enemies nor his own infirmities and let a holy and a just peace the peace of God be within his conscience Lord preserve his senses till the last of his time strengthen his faith confirm his hope and give him a never ceasing charity to thee our God and to all the world stir up in him a great and proportionable contrition for all the evils he hath done and give him a just measure of patience for all he suffers give him prudence memory and consideration rightly to state the accounts of his soul and do thou remind him of all his duty that when it shall please thee that his soul goes out from the prison of his body it may be receiv'd by Angels and preserved from the surprize of evil spirits and from the horrors and amazements of new and stranger Regions and be laid up in the bosom of our Lord till at the day of thy second coming it shall be reunited to the body which is now to be laid down in weaknes and dishonour but we humbly beg may then be raised up with glory power for ever to live and to behold the face of God in the glories of the Lord Jesus who is our hope our resurrection and our life the light of our eyes and the joy of our soules our blessed and ever glorious Redeemer Amen Hither the sick person may draw in and use the acts of several vertues respersed in the several parts of this book the several Letanies viz. of repentance of the passion and the single prayâ—rs according to his present needs A prayer to be said in a storm at Sea O my God thou didst create the earth and the Sea for thy glory and the use of Man and doest daily shew wonders in the deep look upon the danger and fear of thy servant my sins have taken hold upon me and without the supporting arm of thy mercy I cannot look up but my trust is in thee Do thou O Lord rebuke the Sea and make it calm for to thee the windes and the sea obey let not the waters swallow me up but let thy Spirit the Spirit of gentlenesse and mercy move upon the waters Be thou reconcil'd unto thy servants and then the face of the waters will be smooth I fear that my sinnes make me like Ionas the cause of the tempest Cast out all my sins and throw not thy servants away from thy presence and from the land of the living into the depths where all things are forgotten But if it be thy wil that we shall go down into the waters Lord receive my soul into thy holy hands and preserve it in mercy and safety till the day of restitution of all things and be pleased to unite my death to the death of thy Son and to accept of it so united as a punishment for all my sinnes that thou mayest forget all thine anger and blot my sinnes out of thy book and write my soul there for Jesus Christ his sake our dearest Lord and most mighty Redeemer Amen Then make an act of resignation thus To God pertain the issues of life and death It is the Lord let him do
against it and presently broke it and then I tyed my self up with vows then was tempted and then I yielded by little little till I was willingly lost again and my vows fell ofâ— like cords of vanity Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin And yet O Lord I have another heap of sins to be unloaded My secrets sins O Lord are innumerable sins I noted not sins that I willingly neglected sins that I acted upon willfull ignorance and voluntary mispersuasion sins that I have forgot and sins which a diligent and a watchful spirit might have prevented but I would not Lord I am confounded with the multitude of them and the horrour of their remembrance though I consider them nakedly in their direct appearances without the deformity of their unhandsome and aggravating circumstances but so dressed they are a sight too ugly an instance of amazement infinite in degrees and insufferable in their load And yet thou hast spared me all this while and hast not thrown me into Hell where I have deserved to have been long since and even now to have been shut up to an eternity of torments with insupportable amazement fearing the revelation of thy day Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin Thou shalt answer for me O Lord my God Thou that Prayest for me shalt be my Iudge The Prayer Thou hast prepared for me a more healthful sorrow O deny not thy servant when he begs sorrow of thee Give me a deep contrition for my sins a hearty detestation and loathing of them hating them worse then death with torments Give me grace intirely presently and for ever to forsake them to walk with care and prudence with fear and watchfulnesse all my dayes to doe all my duty with diligence and charity with zeal and a never fainting spirit to redeem the time to trust upon thy mercies to make use of all the instruments of grace to work out my salvation with fear and trembling that thou mayest have the glory of pardoning all my sins and I may reap the fruit of all thy mercies and al thy graces of thy patience and long-suffering even to live a holy life here and to reign with thee for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Ad Sect. 6. Special devâ—tions to be used upon the Lords-day and the great Festivalls Of Christians In the Morning recite the following forme of Thanksgiving upon the special Festivalls adding the commemoration of the special blessing according to the following prayers adding such prayers as you shall choose out of the foregâ—ing Devotions 2. Besides the ordinary and publick duties of the day if you retire into your closet to read and meditate after you have performed that duty say the song of S. Ambrose commonly called the Te Deum or We praise thee c then add the prayers for particular graces which are at the end of the former Chapters such and as many of them as shall fit your present needs and affections ending with the Lords prayer This form of devotion may for variety be indifferently used at other times A forme of thanksgiving with a recital of publick and private blessings To be used upon Easter-day Whit-sunday Ascension-day and all Sundayes of the year but the middle part of it may be reserved for the more solemn Festivals and the other used upon the ordinary as every mans affections or leisure shall determine I. Ex Liturgiâ S. Basilii magnâ ex parte O Eternal Essence Lord God Father Almighty Maker of all things in Heaven and Earth it is a good thing to give thanks to thee O Lord and to pay to thee all reverence worship and devotion from a clean and prepared heart and with an humble spirit to present a living and reasonable sacrifice to thy holinesse and Majesty for thou hast given unto us the knowledge of thy truth and who is able to declare thy greatnesse and to recount all thy marvellous works which thou hast done in all the generations of the world O Great Lord and Governour of all things Lord and Creator of all things visible and invisible who sittest upon the throne of thy glory and beholdest the secrets of the lowest abysse and darknesse thou art without beginning uncircumscribed incomprehensible unalterable and seated for ever unmoveable in thy own essential happinesse and tranquillity Thou art the Father of our Lord JESU SCHRIST who is Our Dearest and most Gracious Saviour our hope the wisdom of the Father the image of thy goodnesse the Word eternal and the brightnesse of thy person the power of God from eternal ages the true light that lightneth every Man that cometh into the World the Redemption of Man and the Sanctification of our Spirits By whom the holy Ghost descended upon the Church the holy Spirit of truth the seal of adoption the earnest of the inheritance of the Saints the first fruits of everlasting felicity the life-giving power the fountain of sanctification the comfort of the Church the ease of the afflicted the support of the weak the wealth of the poor the teacher of the doubtful scrupulous and ignorant the anchor of the fearful the infinite reward of all faithful souls by whom all reasonable and understanding creatures serve thee and send up a never-ceasing and a never-rejected sacrifice of prayer and praises and adoration All Angels and Archangels all Thrones and Dominions all Principalities and Powers the Cherubins with many eyes and the Seraphinâ— covered with wings from the terror and amazement of thy brightest glory These and all the powers of Heaven do perpetually sing praises and never-ceasing Hymns and eternal Anthems to the glory of the eternal God the Almighty Father of Men and Angels Holy is our God Holy is the Almighty Holy is the Immortal Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory Amen * With these holy and blessed Spirits I also thy servant O thou great lover of souls though I be unworthy to offer praise to such a Majesty yet out of my bounden duty humbly offer up my heart and voice to joyn in this blessed quire and confesse the glories of the Lord. * For thou art holy and of thy greatnesse there is no end and in thy justice and goodnesse thou hast measured out to us all thy works Thou madest man out of the earth and didst form him after thine own image thou didst place him in a garden of pleasure and gavest him laws of righteousnesse to be to him a seed of immortality O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of men For when man sinned and listned to the whispers of a tempting spirit and refused to hear the voice of God thou didst throw him out from Paradise and sentest him to till the Earth but yet left nor his condition without remedy but didst provide
duty the greatest love that God requires of Man And yet he that is the most imperfect must have this love also in preparation of minde and must differ from another in nothing except in the degrees of promptnesse and alacrity And in this sense he that loves God truly though but with a beginning and tender love yet he loves God with all his heart that is with that degree of love which is the highest point of duty and of Gods charge upon us and he that loves God with all his heart may yet increase with the increase of God just as there are degrees of love to God among the Saints and yet each of them love him with all their powers and capacities 2. But the greater state of love is the zeal of love which runs out into excrescencies and suckers like a fruitful and pleasant tree or bursting into gums and producing fruits not of a monstrous but of an extraordinary and heroical greatnesse Concerning which these cautions are to be observed Cautions and rules concerning zeal 1. If zeal be in the beginnings of our spiritual birth or be short sudden and transient or be a consequent of a mans natural temper or come upon any cause but after a long growth of a temperate and well regulated love it is to be suspected for passion and forwardnesse rather then the vertical point of love 2. That zeal onely is good which in a fervent love hath temperate expressions For let the affection boyl as high as it can yet if it boyl over into irregular and strange actions it will have but few but will need many excuses Elijah was zealous for the Lord of Hosts and yet he was so transported with it that he could not receive answer from God till by Musick he was recompos d and tam'd and Moses broke both the Tables of the Law by being passionately zealous against them that brake the first 3. Zeal must spend its greatest heat principally in those things that concern our selves but with great care and restraint in those that concern others 4. Remember that zeal being an excrescence of Divine love must in no sense contradict any action of love Love to God includes love to our Neighbour and therefore no pretence of zeal for Gods glory must make us uncharitable to our brother for that is just so pleasing to God as hatred is an act of love 5. That zeal that concernes others can spend it self in nothing but arts and actions and charitable instruments for their good and when it concernes the good of many that one should suffer it must bee done by persons of a competent authority and in great necessity in seldom instances according to the Law of God or Man but never by private right or for trifling accidents or in mistaken propositions The Zealots in the Old Law had authority to transfix and stab some certain persons but GOD gave them warrant it was in the case of Idolatry or such notorious huge crimes the danger of which was insuportable and the cognizance of which was infallible And yet that warrant expired with the Synagogue 6. Zeal in the instances of our own duty and personal deportment is more safe then in matters of counsel and actions besides our just duty and tending towards perfection Though in these instances there is not a direct sin even where the zeal is lesse wary yet there is much trouble and some danger as if it be spent in the too forward vowes of Chastity and restraints of natural and innocent liberties 7. Zeal may be let loose in the instances of internal personal and spiritual actions that are matters of direct duty as in prayers and acts of adoration and thanksgiving and frequent addresses provided that no indirect act passe upon them to defile them such as complacency and opinions of sanctity censuring others scruples and opinions of necessity unnecessary fears superstitious numbrings of times and houres but let the zeal be as forward as it will as devout as it will as Seraphicall as it will in the direct addresse and entercourse with God there is no danger no transgression Do all the parts of your duty as earnestly as if the salvation of all the world and the whole glory of God and the confusion of all Devils and all that you hope or desire did depend upon every one action 8. Let zeal be seated in the will and choice and regulated with prudence and a sober understanding not in the fancies and affections for these will make it full of noise and empty of profit but that will make it deep and smooth material and devout The summe is this That zeal is not a direct duty no where commanded for it self and is nothing but a forwardnesse and circumstance of another duty and therfore is then onely acceptable when it advances the love of God and our Neighbours whose circumstance it is That zeal is onely safe onely acceptable which increases charity directly and because love to our Neighbour and obedience to God are the two great portions of charity we must never account our zeal to be good but as it advances both these if it be in a matter that relates to both or severally if it relates severally S. Pauls zeal was expressed in preaching without any offerings or stipend in travelling in spending and being spent for his flock in suffering in being willing to be accursed for love of the people of God and his Countreymen Let our zeal be as great as his was so it be in affections to others but not at all in angers against them In the first then is no danger in the second there is no safety In brief let your zeal if it must be expressed in anger be alwayes more severe against thy self then against others The other part of Love to God is Love to our Neighbour for which I have reserved the Paragraph of Alms. Of the external actions of Religion Religion teaches us to present to God our bodies as well as our souls for God is the Lord of both and if the body serves the soul in actions natural and civil and intellectual it must not be eased in the onely offices of Religion unlesâ—e the body shall expect no portion of the rewards of Religion such as are resurrection reunion and glorification Our bodies are to God a living sacrifice and to present them to God is holy and acceptable The actions of the body as it serves to religion and as it is distinguished from Sobriety and Justice either relate to the word of God or to prayer or to repentance and make these kindes of external actions of religion 1. Reading and hearing the word of God 2. Fasting and corporal austerities called by S. Paul bodily exercise 3. Feasting or keeping dayes of publick joy and thanksgiving SECT IV. Of Reading or Hearing the Word of God REading and Hearing the word of God are but the several circumstances of the same duty instrumental