godly lessons institutions and contemplations and there withall ascribe vnto our best and highest God the praise and glory due to his most holy name F. So be it and thus that most good supreme God blesse thée my sonne and grant thée the right wisdome and grace to liue prosperously in thy vocation after his will to the comfort of thy parents friends to the good of the church cōmon wealth to the discharge of thy duty and to his praise glory who hath made formed thée to serue him through his deare sonne our Lord Iesus Christ Amen A godly prayer for Children to vse O Almightie God and our most gracious Father we thy deare children béeing taugth by thy worde doe know the nature of thy goodnesse to be such that as thou art alwayes ready to giue glad to forgiue willing to blesse and prosper them that appertaine vnto thée so thy will and pleasure is that we shold learne thy lawes to the end we may know how to glorifie thée walke in thy wayes and that because there is no man able to performe this without the assistance of thy spirit thou hast promised to send foorth the same vnto them that faithfully desire and runne vnto thée now therefore O good father we acknowledging our faults our vnworthinesse do come vnto thée prostrate our selues before thy footstoole in the hope and assurāce of thy tēder mercies to whō should the childe come but vnto his father and to whom should we come but vnto thée for howsoeuer we haue faulted agaynst heauen and agaynst thée and are vnworthy to be called thy sonnes yet art thou our father and we hope that in the name of thy most deare son Iesus thou wilt not denie vs to be thy children Let it be thy good pleasure O father to pardon all our defects and ignorances to looke on vs in thy loue to imbrace vs with thy fauour and to blesse vs in thy mercie that on vs the swéete influences of thy spirit with the which thou vsest to grace thine elected children may be bountifully powred foorth graciously encreased longsomly continued on vs for our perfect instruction for the benefit of thy church and for thine eternall glory Teach vs O father in the right vse of thy worde to know thée the only true God to know Iesus Christ our sauiour and to know our selues that howsoeuer we be schooled and catechized by our bodily and spiritual fathers whō thou hast in thy wisdome made meanes of our better instruction we may be all taught of thée which giuest an happy encrease to Pauls planting and the Apostles watering Sanctifie vs O father that we may be holy as thou art holy and confirme vs that we may be perfect as thou art perfect then shall we rightly know thy will and walke in thy wayes then shall we indéed feare thée and serue thée as we are bound to holinesse and righteousnes before thée without feare all the dayes of our life and finally pleasing thée we shall enioy that euerlasting inheritance of thy children in the highest felicitie through the worthy merit of thy most deare sonne our sauiour Iesus Christ in whose name only wee presume to come vnto thée praying as he hath taught vs. viz. Our Father which art in heauen c Hereafter follow certayne godly graces for children to vse before and after meat Before meate O Most gracious God we beseech the to sanctifie and blesse all these thy creatures which at this time we shall receiue at thy bountifull hand giue vs grace good father to take and vse the same with right thankfulnesse to thy worthy glory and to our comfort both in body and soule through thy deare sonne Iesus Christ our Lord and sauiour Amen After meate O Lord God our heauenly father most good gracious merciful we yeeld thee praise honour and glory for these and all other thy benefits and bounties powred foorth on vs and and now we humbly beseech thee to be mercifull vnto vs and forgiue vs all out sinnes to grant that thy louing graces and blessings may be both encreased and continued vnto vs thy high glory and our happy comfort in Iesu Christ our sauiour Amen Another AS we haue now receiued those thy gifts O God whereby we be refreshed in our bodies so grant that the may be also spiritually fed and nourished with thy worde and diuine graces in our soules that so both in bodie and soule tasting in both the sweetenesse of thy louing mercies we may prayse and glorifie thy most holy name through the sonne Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Before Supper O Lord our father celestiall Blesse vs and these thy creatures all That we may rightly vse the same And therein prayse thine holy name After Supper O Gracious God we glorifie Thy name and supreame maiestie For all thy gifts which from aboue We haue receiued in thy great loue Oh grant vs grace therefore to be For euer thankefull vnto thee Amen FINIS Fol. pa. lin Faultes Corrections 2 a 3 courteousnes courtesies  b 13 this these 6 a 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 8 a 14 naturall soueraigne 10 b 3 senets secrets 14 a 13 ministery mystery  b 11 ministery mystery 15 b 10 blest Best   15 duty deity 16 b 29 accessible inaccessible   22 mutable immutable
also how this Fayth commeth F. Faith commeth by hearing of Gods word As faith is a frée gift of God as I said before so God will that this fayth should come by hearing and namely of the worde of God S. How is that wrought F. By the operation of the holy ghost which engendreth faith right happely in the hart of him who is a fruitfull hearer of the worde of God S. What is that word of God VVhat is that which ye call the worde of God F By the worde of God in this place is vnderstoode the holy scriptures both of the old new Testaments the which with many strong arguments doth demonstrate the will and workes of God and especially those promises which concerne the redéemer and eternall life for those scriptures we call the worde of God which béeing comfortable happie effectuall sufficient to man doth both instruct him in his dutie in this life also derect him to that euerlasting word of God which was with god before al worlds S. How must this worde be vnto me applied F. By the ministrie of the preachers How this word is to be applyed vnto vs. and ministers of the same S. Who be the preachers and ministers of this worde F. Those parsons The Preachers and ministers of the word whom the Lord sendeth foorth furnished with méete gifts lawfully called into the church which chiefly regard to celebrate to praise to commend with feuencie of spirit that openly before all men the name of God and the worde of his grace the kingdome of God S. What shal I do wheÌ„ ther is not a preacher nor a meete minister of the word F. First thou must pray the Lord of the haruest to send foorth labourers into his haruest then What is to be done there where the pastor is absent it is meete that thou read both dilligently reuerently the worde of God and meditate therein with a pure minde euery day S. VVhat if I cannot reade F. It behoueth thée to repayre to them that can reade and instruct thée concerning God and thy duty towards him S. How must this worde be preached and read F. How this word is to be preached and heard Faythfully distinctly discréetely wholy diligently coÌ„stantly reuerently S. How must this worde be heard F. With faith diligence reuerence feare of the Lord and harty desire to learne it to vnderstand it and to reforme this life thereby S. Thus haue ye taught me the ordinary meanes to obtayne faith now tell me also how this faith is confirmed F. How faith is conformed Ioh. 4. There was a time when that faith which came by hearing was confirmed by miracles and workes of wonder S. In what time was it confirmed F. In the time of Christ and his Apostles and in the primitiue church and néedfull it was then when the truth of the Gospell began to be published the which béeing now sufficiently confirmed vnto vs miracles are no longer néedfull S. Wherby is faith coÌ„firmed in vs now F. The vse of â— Sacraments Euen in the exercise of the same word by the which it was begon but chiefely in the true vse of the Sacraments S. How may I beter vnderstand this F. As the Sacraments themselues are the seales of Gods promises made to vs so the right vse of them ratifieth in vs that faith by the which we apprehend that which is promised S. What is that which ye cal a sacrameÌ„t What is a Sacrament F. Not only the seale of those things of which God hath promised vs as I haue before sayd but also an externall signe of some internall vertue or grace S. VVhereof is a Sacrament made F. Of these two things Whereof a sacrament is made namely the worde of God and the Element S. VVhereunto serueth the worde F. To the eare in the lawfull ministetrie thereof and to the inward man by the operation of the diuine spirite S. VVherunto serueth the Element F. To the eye the fast the féeling and eternall man for as a man is of two natures namely of the soule and body of the spirite and flesh so is he of the grace mercie of god edified in either of them S. How many Sacraments be there in christian vse There be two â—acramentes F. Two which are called Sacraments of the new Testament S. VVhat are those two F. Babtisme and the Supper of the Lord both the which are also signified in that water and bloud which issued from the side of Christ on the crosse S. Baptisme What is that sacrament of Baptisme F. This sacrament of baptisme or washing is diuersly defined for it is said to be either the badge of regeneration into a new life 1 Ioh. 2. and eternall health or the signe of our purgation in Christs bloud or the scale of the promise of remission of sinnes in the name of Iesus Christ S. The elemeÌ„t in Baptisme What is the Element whereunto the word adioineth to make this sacrament F. Water which washeth onely the bodie without S. VVhat is the inward grace which is therein signified F. The cleansing of vs from our sins S. And are they throughly cleansed which are washed in that water F. No for that inward washing commeth not of that worke wrought but of the holy ghost in the faythfull which vse this element as a simbole of this washing and not as the cause S. Who instituted and commaunded this to be done and vsed in the church F. Our Lord Iesus Christ who hath promised life vnto them which beléeue and be baptised and hath threatned death to them which beléeue not Mat. 16. S. What is that sacrament of the Lords supper F. The Supper of the Lord is a spirituall banquet The Lordes Supper whereby Christ witnesseth himselfe to be the bread of life by the which our soules are fed to the true imortalitie of the soule or it is an holy Simbole or signe wherein Christ offereth and communicateth his body and bloud thereby to certifie vs of the remission of sinnes and life euerlasting or it is the happy memoriall of the death of Christ and an whoalsome and memorable signe of that Sacrifice which hée made once for all on the Altar of the crosse S. VVhat is the outward Element of this sacrament The elemeÌ„t F. Bread and wine which féedeth and cheareth the bodie S. What is the inward grace which is signified thereby and giuen to the worthy receiuers thereof F. The body and bloud of Christ by the which we are nourished and cheared to eternall life S. Thus haue I hapely learned how saith is conformed in me Now also would I gladly learne how the same is encreased F. How faith is increased This faith which commeth by hearing and is confirmed in the vse of the Sacraments is also happely encreased by godly cogitations and meditations but chiefly by good conference and talke of
and sauor to the glorie of God the benefit of his Church and your owne health Neither ought yee so much as imagine that the holy Contemplation of diuine things nothing belongeth to young children Moreouer consider what is taught you in the sacred Scriptures Solomon the wifest of all the Kings thus counsaileth you Remember thy maker in the dayes of thy youth And omitting other places Christ Iesus saith Suffer little Children to come vnto me and forbid them not Habel beeing thus schooled by his Parents Adam and Heuah being yet but young offered vp vnto God a right acceptable Sacrifice So Enoch in his childhood walked with God and pleased him so Isaack the son of Abraham and Iacob the sonne of Isaack were religious and godly affected euen in their yong and tender yeares Samson being a Nazarite was an absteiner from his birth sanctified vnto God Samuell as yet but a little boye was by Hannah his mother brought forth and dedicated to the Lord. Thus also both Dauid and Solomon thus Iosiah and Daniel and Ieremy and Tobiah and many others the children of God whiles they were very young sauoured of the holy religioÌ„ Lastly for a perfect example of your imitation Christ Iesus being yet but twelue yeares of age exhibited and declared himselfe most learned in the diuine contemplation euen in the middest of the learned doctors in Ierusalem Therefore haue I the sooner on these my briefe Institutions imposed the title of contemplation the same being indeede godly contemplations with the which if yee shal be first seasoned yee shall by the grace of God prosper and proue more able to all vertues in the same Iesus who beeing the true vnderstanding wisdome Immanuell is to bee sought for imitated and followed of all aswell children as elder persons towardes the father Almighty in godly contemplation Wherefore good Christian children vse you these contemplatioÌ„s both godly and happily to your natural good and to the eternall glory of the highest Iehouah And if it shall follow that this my laboures shall be any thing profitable vnto you by the which the sooner yee shall prosper through the operation of the blessed Spirite in the right Seruice of God and holye religion I shall be during my life most glad and ioyfull thereof and I will withall both freelie and thankefully acknowledge that I haue receiued that recompence and reward for those my labours which thereof I might haue expected And thus fare yee well and prosper in all Godlinesse in the Author of our saluation and finisher of our faith More yours then mine owne in Christ Iesu IOH CARPENTER Christian Contemplations †THE Childe being called of his father asketh the question to learne his father briefly answereth and teacheth him Father Come hither my sonne and learne of me Sonne I am here present my father what will ye that I should learne F. I would that thou shouldest learne the feare of the Lord. S. What is that feare of the Lord. F. The feare of the Lord is that reuerence of God and godlinesse The feare of the Lord. psal 111.10 p 10.1.7 wherein God is worshipped and the same is the beginning of wisedome S. Most gladly would I be learned in that feare of the Lord that thereby I may attaine to wisedome therefore I pray you father teach me the same F. The duty of a father and of a son Most willingly will I teach thee my Sonne that thou maiest learne for thus it becommeth me to instruct thee and it is no lesse thy dutye to learne of me S. Well then my father As I am here present before you harkning vnto your wordes of instruction so am I ready to learne and obserue the same accordingly wherefore speake in the name or God F. The holy Scriptures are full of good lessons The holye Bible is a plentifull Sea of wholesome lessons of the which I haue chosen one especiall place for the Theme or Argument of our present talke S. What haue yee found there written F. Thus saith Iehouah to his people the Children of Israell consider this O Iacob The Argument Isa 44.21 and Israell for thou art my seruaunt I made thee that thou shouldest serue me O thou Israell forget me not Sonne Out of what place of the Scriptures haue yee taken this Argument Fa. Out of the prophesie of Isayah chap. 44. verse 21. S. And are those the wordes of God my father F. Yea doubtlesse my sonne they are the wordes of God Sonne How spake God to his people Father God hath vsed in those tymes to speake unto the people by the happye meanes and Ministerie of his seruants How God â—peaketh to hâ—s people Sonne Who are Gods seruants Father God hath many seruauntes Who are the seruants of God for all the creatures serue him in their kinde but in this he hath vsed the holy Prophets Apostles Euangelists and Martyres Sonne Whome vseth hee in this time F. The faithfull preachers and ministers of this word S. How must wee esteeme of them and of their wordes F. The estiemation of the minister of the word 1. Cor. 4.1 We must estéeme of them as of the ministers of Christ and disposers of the Senets of God S. How speaketh God to them and by them to the people F. Mat. 10.20 God speaketh to them in the Spirit inspiring them which Spirit also speaketh in them with the tonge of man vnto the people S. Then he that heareth them in this their ministery heareth God himselfe and who so contemneth them contemneth God F Thou hast rightly said it as they are the ministers of Gods word S. Thus farre I vnderstand you but how appertaine these wordes to mee which were spoken to the Isralites F. The application of the Prophets wordes to vs. Although they were spoken to the Israelites as chiefly appertaining vnto them yet do they likewise belong vnto all the people of God from whose number and society I would not thou shouldest be excluded S. Who are Gods people Heb. 4.9 But who are those people of God F. By this name I vnderstand all them which doe confesse the name of God haue dedicated themselues wholy vnto him especially the Elected sons of God new borne in Christ by the holy Ghost whom the Lord himselfe possesseth for his owne eternall inheritaunce and chosen lot for euer S. So I acknowledge those wordes of the Lord to be both spoken to them and to me likewise to appertaine perswading my selfe to be one of that nuÌ„ber and holy society but what shall I learne out of those wordes F. There be many good things to be learned thereof and namely foure most notable things S. What is the first tell me I beseech you F. Thou must learne to know thy selfe to be made and formed S. And that is very needefull to be knowne what is the second point F. That thou consider wel who made and formed thée S. And this is no lesse necessary to be
That I should serue him as I take it and that I should not forget him F. Thou hast sayd the truth and this is the end of creation redemption and regeneration S. What is ment by this worde seruice F. The worde generally noteth that condition of a man whereby he liueth vnder the will and rule of another S. What is that ye call Gods seruice God seruice F. The Seruice of God is no seruile condition but that diuine worshippe and true execution and performance of those good workes which are prescribed and commaunded to be done in the worde of God and namely in those two tables of the lawe wherein are briefely contayned the Tenne Commaundements of Almightie God S. And what are those tē cōmandemēts F. The same which God spake and are written in the 20. chapter of the second booke of Moses which is called Exodus S. I beseech you my father to recite them all vnto me in order F. Then hearken my sonne God spake all these wordes saying The tenne commaundements of God 1 I am Iehouah thy God which haue brought thée out of the land of Aegipt from the house of bondage thou shalt haue no strange Gods before me 2 Thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen Image nor the similitude of any thing that is either in heauen aboue or in the earth beneath or in the water vnder the earth thou shalt not adore them nor worship them for I Iehouah thy God am a iealous God The first Table visiting the iniquities of the fathers vpon the children in the third and fourth generation of them which hate me and shewing mercie to thousands of them that loue me and keepe my commaundements 3 Thou shalt not take the name of Iehouah thy God in vayne for Iehouah will not hold him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vayne 4 Remember the Saboth day that thou sanctifie it six dayes shalt thou labour and do all thy worke but in the seauenth day is the Saboth of Iehouah thy God in it thou shalt not do any worke thou and thy sonne and thy daughter thy manseruant and thy maideseruant thy cattell and the stranger that is within thy gates for in six dayes Iehouah made heauen and earth the sea and all that in them is and rested the seauenth day and therefore Iehouah blessed the seauenth day and hallowed it These foure commandements are contayned in the first table the six that follow are of the second table 5 Honor thy father and thy mother that thy dayes may be prolonged in the land which Iehouah thy God giueth thée The second Table 6 Thou shalt not kill 7 Thou shall not commit adultrie 8 Thou shalt not steale 9 Thou shalt not beare false witnesse agaynst thy neighbour 10 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours house thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife or his seruant or his maide or his oxe or his asse or any thing that is thy neighbours S. The Summe of the tē cōmaundementes How many things doe these commandements generally concerne F. Two things first thy dutie towards God next thy dutie towards thy neighbour S. Ye haue sufficiently taught me cōcerning the nature essence of God Now briefely in the way I beseech you to shew me who is my neighbour F. Who is my neighbour Generally all men borne of Adam and Heuah are thy neighbours but chiefely they which are of the familie of fayth be thy neighbours for all which are of the same familie are also of the same bodie in Christ and coheires of the kingdome of heauen S. Which of those commaundementes do concerne my dutie towards God F. Those foure which are contayned in the first table S. Which doe concerne my dutie towardes my neighbour F. Those sixe cōtained in the second table S. Wherein are those commandements perfected F. In loue The perfection of the law namely that thou loue God and thy neighbour S. How must I loue God F Thou shalt loue Iehouah thy God with al thy hart and with al thy minde Loue God and with all thy strength and with all thy thought S. How must I loue my neighbour F. Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Loue thy neighbour S. Howbeit it seemeth vnto me that some of those commaundements do not prescribe vnto vs any singuler worke but onely do forbid the doing of some certayne things F. Here thou must obserue my sonne that those commandements wherein we are forbidden that which is euill In those commaundementes wherein we are forbidden the euil we are commaunded to doe the good we are commanded to do the contrarie that is that we do that thing which is good and that in those other commandements whereby we be commanded to doe those works which are good honest we are forbidden to do the cōtrary that is such works as be vngodly and dishonest S. I pray you teach me this matter more playnely F. Must gladly howbeit aske of me I will certifie thée of all things S. The first cōmaundement Go to then first God hath said I am Iehouah thy God c what hath God commaunded herein F. First he cōmandeth that we should take and estéeme him the onely Iehouah for our God next that we should not feigne vnto our selues any strange gods S. The 2. VVhat commaundeth he in the second commaundement F. First he forbiddeth all idolatrie and feigned worshippe secondly that thou worship him and serue him onely not in the likenesse of any forme but in spirit and truth S. The 3. VVhat commaundeth he in the third commaundement F. In this he commaundeth thée to abstayne from al vaine oathes and from the prophane abuse of the name of God moreouer he teacheth thée to call on and to sweare by his name with all reuerence and in the feare of God S. The 4. What willeth he in the fourth F. First that sixe dayes thou shalt labour in the worke of thy vocation next that thou presume not on the seauenth day to do any seruile labour but that thou kéepe holy the seauenth day S. What hath he enioyned me in the fift commaundement The 5. F. That thou honour obey thy parents aswell spirituall as bodily with loue reuerence modestie feare and dutie and on the other side that thou dishonour them not nor vnreuerently abuse them nor in any sorte neglect them S. What hath God prescribed me in the sixt The 6. F. That thou kill not any man in thought worde or déede next that thou thinke well of thy neighbour and report him well and that thou endeauour to profit all persons and reléeue them and preserue the life of them to thy power S. What commandeth he in the seauenth commaundement tell me The 7. F. First he commaundeth thée to abstaine from all fleshly lustes and vncleaues of the body secondly that thou walke honestly and soberly in this life S. What saieth he in the eight commaundement