Discourses Reader Thou hast here that which the Author thinkes was never seene before All Divinity in Soliloquie or at least the most Materialls of all And sure thy Appetite is not good to Heaven if none of the Meat relish thee and thy Stomack ill if Godlinesse digest worse with thee Provision is here made thee of Meales for Seven Dayes sufficient to keep thy Soul in Health if Spirituall life be in thee and Gods Blessing begged of thee without which Preaching Hearing Writing Reading all is but Breath and Labour lost and doth not solidly nourish but vanish into aire and emptinesse The Author would have thy Soul Fed not Cloid and therefore breakes into parts his longer Soliloquies to prevent such Surfeits Dâ—votions please God better by being quick then long and so by Man should be measured more by their Spirit then Length Barre Idlenesse then and he leaves thee who knowest thy strength best to thy owne measure And when thou dost Feed and ruminate on these Holy Repasts He prayes Gods Blessing on the Meat and thy Soul Much Heavenly good may it doe thee Sunday-Soliloquie The Nobility of Piety OR A Soliloquie Discovering to the Soul How much Sin sets Her below and besides Her self and gives Ten deadly Wounds to her Life and Honour O My Soule Thou art Spirit a Heb. 12. 23. thy Body is Flesh Wilt thou then make Flesh of thy Spirit Feeding on corrupt lusts turnes it into the basest Flesh b Rom. 7. 5 Rom. 8. 6. That of the Body is Naturall and good but this of the Soul unnaturall and ill c Rom. 8. 7. O! Doe not make thy selfe a Monster whom God hath made his most Goodly creature d Gen. 1. 26. Psal 8. 5 He that did so Dignifie thee in thy Begining did it to Glorifie thee in the End But Carnality makes thee fall off from thy Dignity and short of thy Glory e Psal 49. 12. With it God will not owne thee for his f Jer. 2. 21. and then tremble to think who will take thee O! Doe not commit so grosse on Apostacy Maintaine Primitive Spirit in thee if thou hast sense of honour or welfare If it be lost by lust let Grace make a Recovery g Eph. 4. 15 O My Soule The Immortall piece of Man h Mat. 22. 32. why is the Mortall i Gen. 4. 19 part preferred before thee The Body will die thou canst not k Eccles 12 7 Canst thou not die and carest not how to live Hath that which will die must die all thy care What a folly is this to preferre a Lease to a Perpetuity a Moment to Eternitie The Satisfactions of a Body to the Salvation of a Soule Nay by Seeking for it an unreasonable Welfare to bring on both an Eternall ruine For so the Immortall is made damnably Mortall l Ezek. 18. 4 and dies to blisse and the Mortall Miserably m Isa 66. 24. Immortall ever living in woe Be wiser and better O my Soule to thee and it Doe thou so waite on God and let it so wait on thee in his Service that when thou shalt be rewarded it may share with thee in his Salvation By thee let it be made Immortall in Glory n Job 6. 29. Be not thou by it Immortall in Misery For thy own sake suffer not this For thy o Mark 9. 48. Bodies sake do that If thou dost love it indeed Promote it to Heaven to raise it from a Grave to a Throne is a friendly Promotion But doe not kill thy selfe for love of it O what a Murder is this O what a Murderer art thou p Pro. 6. 32 8. 38. My Soul if thou beest Murdered of eternall Life the Body is both q Rom. 13. 14. Gal. 5. 21. Quarrel and Sword but thy selfe wretched Spirit thy selfe art the Murderer r Hos 13. 9 O do not commit so Horrid an Homicide look to thy Body as thy Life and fight against Sensuality as for Eternity 3. O my Soul The Noble part of Humane nature Remember thy Nobility To love Earth and Earthly things is infinitely below thee Thy Mind and Will thy Armes are made to imbrace the Soveraign Truth and Goodnesse of Heaven Set thy Foot O my Soul Set thy Foot upon Earth s Psal 8. Thy Foot yea let thy Servant and Subject the Body set Foot on it It doth by Nature set it Foot to teach thee not to set thy Heart upon it t Psal 62. 10. O my Soul if thou dost thou art not a Sinner more against Grace than very Nature and art not lesse a Prodigie to Earth than Heaven O thou Noble of the Almighties Making be not so base a Creature of the Devills u Joh. 8. 44 as by him to be made at once a Miscreant and the Abomination of the World 4. O my Soul Gods Image is in thee What then doth the Similitude of Beast upon thee Why doth not Reason but Sense governe thee v Psal 49. 12. Why doth not Rationall will but Brutish Appetite rule thee This is to out-doe the Devill in thy undoing He took Shape of a Serpent for an ill turn and time and thou appearest and continuest in thy bestiall Shape Nay not the Figure of Beast but the very Forme is in thee Vnreasonable Creature that thou art worse then the Brute that hath no Vnderstanding because with Reason and against it My Soul Heaven hath in it neither Beastly Bodies nor Soules w Apoc. 21 27. And therefore Act like Man Appear like God if thou wouldst be there If then x Ephes 4. 24. Deform'd by Wicked Spirit be Transform'd y Ro. 12. 2. by Holy one Child of God Maintaine thy Fathers likenesse that thou maist inherit his happinesse Acts of Lust and Brutishnesse z 1 Joh. 2. 16 Ephes 5. 5. blot it out of thee and thee out of Heaven 5. O my Soul Thou art the Spouse of God no Creature is thy Match or Mate Thy Creatour is thy Husband * Isa 54. 5 Where then is thy Honour if the World have thy Love and Earth thy Embraces O thou that hatest Adultery with Man how darest thou be Adulteresse a Jam. 4. 4. to God May not a Strumpet-Body stand in thy sight and must a Whorish b Ezek. 6. 9 heart lie in thy Bosome Must not Man Court thee and shall the Devil Wooe thee Is thy Bed Clean and God's Defiled Instead of thy Lord thy Slave the World taken into his Bed What is Gods Bed but Mans Heart Setting it on other then him but Strumpetting c Ezek. 16. 30. his Bed * Consensisti in corde tuo concubuisti Aug. And the Baser the good which steales Affections from him the more Abonable the Whorishnesse O thou Beloved above all Creatures d Prov. 8. 31. that hast God for thy Husband Heaven for tâ—y Dower and Earth for thy Service Let not Hell be thy
mercy so wicked as to abuse thy blessings let all that I am and have serve thee mind body state health friends none be abused to vanity in any way of sin to reproach thee but all made to extoll my Makers praises and my Redeemers glory Since I owe my selfe by so many bonds of blessings to thee yea thousand lives and soules had I so many to serve thee let me not deny the service of one poore soule body unto thee O blessed Maker and Redeemer and Preserver of both I have no more to give thee my self therefore made of both I present unto thee I give thee my self on earth O Lord accept me and receive me to thy selfe in heaven where with thy Angels I shal give thee perfect praises singing Hallelujahs day and night giving everlasting lauds unto thee my great Maker my deare Redeemer my holy Comforter my good Preserver O God Father Son and holy Ghost O blessed and adored Trinity to thee and to thy goodness alone for what I am and have hope of bliss in this or a better world be all honour praise thanksgiving and glory for ever and ever Amen Amen A Gratulatory Commemoration of Gods mercies and deliverances REceive the sacrifice of my thankfull soule O Lord for all thy mercies * Here think of particular and mercifull deliverances of me and mine from diseases and dangers by Land or Water in Warre or Peace of old or late for soule or body O! what great dangers hast thou shewed me and them and yet hast delivered us from all our feares they live and I live and all live and why but to praise thee the God of our salvation and life thou art my God and I will praise thee thou art my God and I will worship thee yea whilst I live will I magnifie thee on this manner And O give me grace to give thee more better glory Glory from my lips and glory from my life Glory in my mind by a just sense and Meditation of thy mercy And glory from my heart in a true love and joy of thy goodnesse till thou dost give me thy glory in heaven Lord let me ever give thee this glory on earth even so Lord for all thy benefits and blessings from any ill or of any good to me or any more nearly mine from the hower of my birth to this day of my life glory be to thee now and ever by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Thanksgiving for a preserved Friend or others formerly Prayed for MY Heart is full of thy goodness O God! thou hast delivered thy Servant from his dangers and me from my fears O what shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits to me O my God! I give thee a thankfull heart and beseech thee to give me a thankfull life Grace so to live that my deeds as well as words may speak me thankfull O let me not pay thee with neglects for thy favours lest thou returne me plagues for thy mercies let me have care to serve thee in for thy goodnesse that I may still rejoice in and for thy salvation of him and me and all who are more dearly mine even so be it for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Prayers for every day in the Week SUNDAY A Prayer against the flesh O Lord deliver me from my selfe my sinfull sensuall and carnall selfe ready to joyne with my foes to ruine my soule by yeilding it up to the temptations of sinne Let me watch it as my most mortall enemy without which all the Devils in hell cannot force nor all the powers on earth fasten a sin upon me and yet a foe so inbred and Naturall to me as will lodge in me whilest I live and never leave me Make me see what cause I have to keepe a strict and continuall watch and pray thy aide when the Devill and the World without beset me and lead on Armies of Temptations against me and the flesh within is false and ever ready to betray me and let them in upon me From such Enemies and Traytors Lord deliver me and as I love the eternall salvation of my soule let me not sleepe in security that have to doe with such Enemies And since the flesh is my foe let me not cherish it and satisfie it and provide for it and entertaine it as a friend but according to thy will and the necessity of my soule let me not spare to crucifie and kill it as my Enemy which will torture me if I be not crucified and kill me if I doe not kill it And grant me Good God the power of thy Spirit to doe thy will in mortifying of the flesh to the saving of my soule Let my life be a continuall fight against the corruptions of my flesh and succour me with wisdome and grace to maintaine that fight let me watch and fast and use all due meanes to beat downe my body if that give it strength Let me meditate and heare and reade and pray and weep in all good wayes seeking to beare up my soule to beat downe that sinfull body and bring it to death And because though now beaten downe a new Temptation will raise it up and struck dead it will revive againe Hasten my soule O Lord out of these endlesse Warres where I may keep the triumphs of an eternall peace from earth to heaven and strengthen my soule to get those daily victories over my lusts that they bring me to those triumphs O Christ that hadst flesh and no corruption pitty me that have both Succour my double frailty thou that knowest the infirmity of the flesh Assist me with thy holy Spirit to stand Recover me when I fall in these holy fights Relieve my wants forgive my weaknessâ—s close up my wounds by thy bloud Blessed Saviour the Captaine of my Salvation who didst fight and conquer all my foes and now sittest on thy Throne in triumph in heaven make me so to fight that I may conquer on earth and having subdued the flesh may sit with thee on the Throne From their shame keepe me that prefer the Subject before the Soveraigne Flesh before the Spirit From their losse keep me that prefer a Toy to a Crowne a Lust to a Kingdome From their Cowardise keepe me that dare not fight for a Crowne but yeild their souls up to lust From their woe ever keep me that buy delights with their death for a little life after the flesh dying eternally bodies and soules From such folly and misery deare Jesus deliver me Amen! Amen! MONDAY A Prayer against the Devill O Lord how shall my poore soule stand against Temptation it thou doe not assist me who have as many Ghostly Enemies as Devils to tempt me malicious crafty busie and mighty all of them hating my soule to death watching my weaknesses and continually seeking occasion to devour me O my God without thy strength I cannot stand and by thy strength I shall not fall For thou O God art above
mayest as soone find it in Hell God is not in that heaven onely seek and solace thy self in the waies of God that 's heaven on earth indeed both a glimpse of the glorie above and a light to find heaven where it is in heaven and from the goods of the world raise up thy thoughts to a better blisse Say if so well on earth how much better in heaven so let it be not thy myrrour of blisse but perspective Not thy chaire but foot-stoole to take a better sight flight to thy Throne so thou shalt at once walke on earth and goe to heaven yea thou shalt divide thy selfe betwixt both Bodie to earth and Soule to heaven And God will in that day blessedly unite what thou dost devoutly divide and keep with him in heaven for ever both Bodie and Soule 2. Meditation see Soliloquie p. Monday-Service Of the Miseries of this World Morning Prayer Psal 120. 129. 137. Lesson Gen. 47. or Job 14. Luk. 21. or Act. 20. Evening Prayer Ps 39. 42. or 84. 102. Lesson Lam. 3. Rom. 7. Then after this following Collect the Daily Prayers ¶ Monday Collect touching the Miseries of Earth O Lord with us is miserie with thee is mercy on earth all ill in heaven all good O for thy mercies sake support me in all my miseries and deliver me from my sins the cause of them all And of thy goodnesse I beseech thee raise up my heart to covet and seek the good of heaven that my hold and hope of it may comfort me against all the ills of the earth Let the bitternesse which I feele below win me from this evill world and whet in me a holy appetite to the pure sweets and joies which be above And in thy good time fill my Soule with those blessed Solaces I beseech thee even for his blessed merits and mediation sake who is my onely joy hope in heaven and earth Jesus Christ my deare Redeemer and Advocate Amen Meditation of the Miseries of the World WHy so much wedded to the world when woe is her Dowrie entailed as a Portion by God Gen. 3. 17. on Adam and thee if his Son since he forfeited with his Allegiance his Paradise and thine by his default Earth ever since brings forth woes as Job 5. 7. fire sparks Within thee or without thee for thy self or others In Bodie or Soule woods will as soone want leaves as the world faile thee of woes thou art heire to all Inheritour at least of some never secure from any because alwaies in griefe or feare of all And least blest too when most secure most unhappy when least miserable bliss in this life being the greatest curse because the portion of a man markt out for everlasting unhappiness Psal 17. 14. Alas what a purchase is a little fickle worldly bliss with woes all and everlasting after it not without some in it My heart if thou hast so mis-caried in thy choice let this divorce the mariage love earth when thou art fond of woe and not afraid of hell Thou wilt find good Alimonie after this divorce Thou wilt live more well and die much better for it Thou wilt entertaine death as a deliverance from her ills whose goods thou scornest And receive and read a Summons to thy end not as an Archest and call to judgement but an Acquittance from calamitie Thou wilt eye heaven as thy harbour of rest and be weary of the world as a sea of trouble Thou wilt study to steer thy course by the Card and Compass of the Infallible word and rule to know and goe the right way to heaven So good is the Worlds wormwood above her honey for the souls health if we take and taste it right And even our miseries are made great mercies because good medicines for that happy health Did earth afford sinfulfalne man one Paradise he would scarce looke for two Now that he finds a Purgatorie of it it drives him to the true Paradise and bring him sooner to those joies by the hastening of those woes which hie more to heaven when most heavie on earth Tuesday-Service Against the Vanities of the World Morning Prayer Psal 4. 39. or 37. 102. 104. Lessons Eccl. 1. 2. or any Chap. of it Mat. 16. or Lu. 12. Evening Prayer Psal 52. 62. Lessons Eccles 3. 4. c. Hab. 2. 1 Tim. 6. Then the Daily Prayers after this folowing Tuesday-Coll against the vanities of the world O Lord who hast made this world for me and me for another let me not be caried away with the vanities of that world which cannot content my Soule and will not continue with me O! let my heart be fixed on higher things never to be moved with worldly vanities that when this world shall end to me or I to it I may enjoy those honours and joyes and goods which shall never end with thee thy Angels and Saints in a better world through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Then Daily Prayers Meditation of the Vanities of the World THe World is a shop of Vanities Honours Riches Pleasures the chief Commodities the Devil Master of the shop and Man his miserable Customer The common price is our Souls which we give him to get them and yet possesse nothing lesse worse than nothing by all we get which is the vainest of that vanitie of vanities O Man be not thou so vile and vaine why doth transitory good take thee who hast an Immortall Spirit why doth sensible joy carry thee away who hast a faculty for the highest intellectuall good capacity of Eternitie Alas thou wilt as soone fill a sive with water as thy Soule with the Isa 55. 2. world and couldst thou give her a fill of it a short time would to thy greater losse and grief run it all out again Let the world then be not thy Idol but thy scorne Believe it if worldly good be thy Deity her glory profit and delight thy Trinity they will not fill but faile and vex thy heart and so give thee for blisse a triple infelicity vexation is their fullest satisfaction and their end not thy content but torment It is infinite eternall goodnesse which must give man of an immortall Spirit content In that Deity is his rest and his felicity in that only Trinity Let God then be as he is thy Throne the world as it should be thy footstoole By her good climbe up to God get thus up Abundance of good here seems brave what is all indeed in heaven what is substance when the shew is such what to have all things when so valued to have nothing what blisse is to be found in the Trinity of uncreated goodnesse when so much is fancied in the Three poorpetty created Goods of that revised devised and fond-imagined Godhead What if thou hast senses by which they wooe and court thy love Hath not thy Soule a power to guide and governe those Handmaids O Man thy senses are in thy Soule Monster if thou
of all grace and comfort I beseech thee for his sake who came to save me my Hope my Joy my Jesus Amen A Meditation of the pleasures of Piety ASsemble your selves you Epicures Masters of delights and Professors of all the Arts of Pleasure take Counsels and make Musters of all your powers and wits with all your Students Agents in delectable things and devices One Saint and Servant of God is Commander and Possessour of more joyes than you all 1. Joyes of another Quality than yours faire and pure even the poorest extracted out of the grossest earthly goods as Elixars and Essences Defecate from your dregs of guilt and stings of Conscience A Tun-full of yours is not worth a Viall of theirs Psal 4. 6. Eccles 1 2. Prov. 14. 13 a whole Barrel of your Pitch below a Box of their Balsome 2. And contend you not in Quantitie with them their numbers exceed yours as much as their excellencies Their joyes are Two to one to yours Yours are Psal 4. 6. Jac. 1. 12. for good of this life their 's for ill as well as good And Three to one for goods Yours are for temporall spirituall you doe not tast eternall you cannot hope they have Temporall in hand Spirituall in heart Eternall in eye Nay Ten hundreds thousands to one Yours is from Finite good their 's from Infinite And which multiplies that to ten thousand times ten thousands of millions and more Yours is for time and theirs of that Eternall You are then out-vied every way Yours are the joyes of Servants of Mat. 25. 13 Slaves Theirs the Lords Yours are Heb. 11. 25. Drops theirs Oceans yours Moments Isa 12. 3 theirs Eternities Above them Psal 36. 9. is the spring of heavenly joyes within Isa 30. 10. 1 Pet. 4. 8. Joh. 15. 11. Deut. 12. 7. Jer. 11. 15. them seas of holy solaces about them rivers of Earthly pleasures below them the pudles of your carnall contentments They drinke water pure from the spring and rock and therefore loathe your chanel joyes and even for that drinke it in both more pure and more To all these Territories of joyes have the Saints good rights and it is Phil. 4. 4. Deut. 28. 47. Prov. 1◠10 Psal 17. 14 both their shame and sinne if they doe not take and keep possession Which you cannot judge who are strangers both to their joyes and hearts Nor match who are pent up to your single sole poore pension of worldly-pettie transitory pittances Prince of Epicures enter the lists now with a Prime Servant of Almighty God Summe up all thou canst possesse or imagine of joyes and give in thy totall one of his least figures is more the summe infinitely Have what Solomons braine and state can Eccles 1 2. command of delights adde what Cleopatra's wanton wits and friends can devise of daliances an Ephrem from his Cell a Catherine from her Oratorie shall beat all your great Minions and baffle all your multitudes of joies You have a sense-full of joyes they a soule-full When your eyes run over with laughter your heart is not full Prov. 14. 13. their hearts are so full that they run all over Their Raptures are more great than hearts can hold One prayes God to withdraw a while his heart is too Recede Domine parūper quia vasculū cordis mei ferre nequit little a vessell to containe Him the other cries out to Him the multitude of his joyes overwhelme her O Epicure be a Saint and thou shalt find what thou doest else in vaine seek Obruor multitudine gaudiorum tuorum Domine as thy chief good Joy above all thy joyes in qualitie quantitie height depth bredth length pure as christall great as God high as heaven deep as the heart broader than earth long as eternitie But O Saint be not thou an Epicure if delight draw thy heart thou losest so much in delectation as Religion and abatest thy Soule so much of solace as God of service Believe it if thou wouldst have joy in life and at death for the goods and ills of this life both body and soule-goods enough on earth and more in heaven the only way is to be as thou shouldst be and continue as thou art not an Epicure but a Saint Service against Malicee for Monday or other day Morning Prayer Psal 7. 10. Lesson Prov. 24. Mat. 5. v. 43. Evening-Prayer Psal 35. 62. Lesson Levit. 19. 1 Cor. 5. or Tit. 3. 1 Pet. 2. ¶ Collect or Prayer against Malice O Thou Divine Goodnesse keep me from Malice the very Soule of Satan and proper sinne of the Devill Thou O God art Love He then is Hatred and if malice be in me I shall be as he is one whom unlesse thou hatest thy selfe thou canst not love From such a detestable and damned disposition Lord deliver me Let not Satans brand be on my brest and his soule in my body lest being marked for him he seize me as his owne and take me and carry me from thee body and soule Lord stamp thy love on my heart that I may be sealed for thee and as thy owne claimed by thee And since this is the Cognisance of thine to love one another let me not weare his Badge in a visible malice to any that all may know that I am thine A Child of thy Family a Dove of thy Flock a Lamb of thy Fould without gaule or mind to doe mischief to any Delighting like thee to do good to all Even for his sake who did wish and doe evill to none Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Daily Prayers Remedies against malice 1. IT is a Toad swelling with venome in the heart to God who is love a 1 Joh. 4. 8. 1 Joh. 1. 12. more odious because like the Devil most abominable The Devils heart in mans body 2. To cast keep out this venome of the Serpent 1. Consider 1. Men are mortall their enmities therefore should not be immortall b Eph. 4. 26. 2. Men are mutable Whom now I hate I may hereafter need as in Joseph c Gen. 42. 6. and Jeptha d Jud. 11. 7. 3. Men are amiable e Prov. 8. 31. all after Gods image and bought by Christs blood f Gen. 9. 6. 4. No man is the Christians enemy g Heb. 2. 9. Rom. 14. 15 as God he hates the sinne not the man h Mat. 5. 44. 5. If there be antipathie in nature it must be mastered by grace i Gal. 5. 24. which must doe miracles to nature 2. Beware 1. Of Anger That if it kindle it continue not to be wrath and so coole into malice k Ephes 4. 26. 2. Of men of Malice set upon mischiefe l Prov. 4. 15. 16. Service against Revenge for Thursday or other day Morning Prayer Psalm 94. Lessons Deut. 32. vers 35. or 1 Sam. 24. Luke 18. Evening Prayer Psal 18. v. 47. Lessons 1 Sam. 25.
lustfull eye or hand or foot of offense Rom. 8. 13 Mat. 5. 29. Heb. 11. 25 then or deniall of any Pleasure is it then Deare My Soule The Saints and Martyrs Pro hac emendâ Bartholomoeus propriaÌ„ pellem dedit Aug. Longo tempore tolerare Aug. Gal. 5. 24. 2 Tim. 2. 12. Heb. 12. 3. 2 Cor. 4. 17 1 Cor. 10. 13 Heb. 2. 18. 1 Pet. 4. 14. Heb. 1. 14. 1 Cor. 15. 10. thought themselves good Merchants that bought them at these rates Nay if thou shouldest daily Suffer torments on earth yea for a long time endure the torments of Hell the price would not be great for the purchase of Heaven My Soul he that said so to his was a Saint Be content then to Crosse a lust or Carry a Crosse for Heaven For this thy Christ endured his Great Crosse wilt not thou thy little one That hast his Shoulders to help thee to bear it too his Grace his Spirit his Angels for thy help My Soul let not the Difficulties conceived in a Course of Religion discourage thee from or in the way It is Mans Calumny and the Devils Policy To him that loves God as thou shouldst that hath his Grace as thou maist and his Favour as thou mightest all his Commands are easie and 1 Joh. 4. 3. Mat. 11. 29. 30. his Yoke but light For to him is given the staff of Peace a Psal 119 165. Phil. 4. 7. and stay of Hope b Ro 15. 13 and strength of Comfort c Heb. 6. 18. Heb. 3. 6. which besides the outward are great helps to the carrying of that Yoke And blind thoughts and affections set aside the Sinner toiles more then the Saint d Ec. 2. 23. Joh. 6. 27. 1 Cor. 15. 58. Apoc. 14. 13. Aeterua quies aeterno labore meritò paratur and drudges more for Hell then he workes for Heaven And did the Saint droile more Heaven makes all nothing For what are Moments of paine and labour to Eternity of Joy and Rest which were worth the while if attained with eternall work and labour It 's a Slander then cast on the wayes of God Yes my Soul and a Stratagem too A Flie from Belzebub * Deus muscae Prov. 26. 13. Rom. 12. 11 12. Heb. 6. 10. 11. Heb. 12. 3. buzzing this into thy Eares that he may keep Heaven better out of thy Eyes And hold thy foot when he hath thus slackt thy heart from going or from comming thither My Soul against all such fainting take Saint Pauls Cordiall Whilest we not at the things which are seen but not 2 Cor. 4. 16. 18. seen for the things which are seen are temporall but the things which are not seen are eternall And so there be Paines as well as Joyes Think of that O my Soul For to foresee is the way to avoid those paines and to Muse on it the means to escape 4. Hell Thou art not in love with Paine My Heb. 12. 11 Soule Who is All shun it Why not then that most which is greatest Why in Earth more then Hell Is Mat. 25. 30. Mat. 18. 34. Mar. 5. 43 44. Apoc. 6. 16 17. Apoc 14. 10. Mat. 16. 25 26. Mat. 25. 31. 41. Mat. 8. 12. Apoc. 14. 10 11. any Gaole like that Dungeon Any Keepers to Fiends Any Burning like that Fire Any Biting like that worme Any shame of face to the Confusion before men and Angels Can any losse on earth equall the losse of Heaven Or Exile from friends a Banishment from God and Angels To dwell in utter darknesse no light Amidst Infinite Tortures and no ease to all Eternity no end Tortures which make the Wheele a Sport the Furnace a Bower and the Rack a very Recreation My Soule Are these but Godly frauds to fright tender hearts from wickednesse If thou beest a Christian thou dost not believe so nay if 2 Pet. 3. 3. Plato Plut c. but a Heathen thou wilt not Endlesse and Extreme pains for evill deeds after this life even they beleive The very Devils doe though their torture Jam. 2. 19. Mat. 8. 29. Rom. 2. 15 16. to doe it Conscience which is in all men is an Apostle of this to all Nations The joyfull deaths of innocent men and Dreads of Guilty ones in death Preach it all the world over For what are these but summons to the great Barre where according to their works all shall râ—ceive the Sentence of Judgement O my Soule ponder this Is it grievous to endure extreme paine for an houre Is it nothing to suffer Extremity for ever So long as Omnipotency can preserve so much as Omniscience can devise what infinite Justice doth require Soul and body to suffer for ever and ever O My Soule Could thy Mind measure nay but sadly consider the length of Eternity How millions of Ages are not a Span to that time not all since the World an Inch of a Span And yet all the Tortures that Earth ever had or wits of men and Angels could imagine to have are but ease to those paines which are to endure to that Eternall length thou wouldest as soone burne as lust and take up a Serpent as Sin My Soule To save Ecclus. 21. 2. thy selfe be serious and consider it The greatest Temptation will not take if thou doe but remember it Thou wilt refuse the Apple for the worme in it The Sweets of Sin for the fire after it The hardest Duty will downe if thou thinke of it Thy Deare friend O my Soule That gave his blood to save thee from that death His Counsell is thus to avoid it If thine eye offend Mar. 9. 43. thee pluck it out c. It 's better for thee having one eye to goe to Heaven then having both to be cast into hell where the worme doth not die and the fire is not quenched Better a litle paine for a Time then all to Eternity My Soule These four are Cordiall 2. Division Isay 17. Verbum Incarnatum est verbum ad hominis naturam usque abbreviatum Bern. Phil. 3. 14. Considerations to carry thee to all Duety from all ill But the Royall one remains Thy Christ to be thy studie and thy Iesus to be thy Booke The Word Abbreviate Bible in Body Scripture in flesh Consider him and all good is done for he did it all ill is gone for he fled it All his Actions are thy lessons but my Soule His Birth Life and Death are the Chapters I would have thee Read For the whole World of wickednesse is conquer'd by those three Pride Avarice and Luxury 1 Joh. 2. 16 the three parts of that world 1. His Birth is the Death of pride Luk. 2. 7. His stable the Grave For if that was there why is this any where Or wherefore this For cloths His clouts Purpurae mea panni Salvaetoris Bern. are best purple For wealth It 's his straw For Retinue Beasts are his For
by thy mercy obtaine everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Confession ALmighty and most mercifull Father I have erred and strayed from thy wayes like a lost Sheep I have followed too much the devices and desires of my owne heart I have offended against thy holy laws I have left undone those things which I ought to have done and I have done those things which I ought not to have done and there is no health in me But thou O Lord have mercy upon me miserable Offendour Spare thou me O God which confess my faults Restore thou me that am penitent According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord and grant O most mercifull Father for his sake that I may hereafter live a godly righteous and sober life to the glory of thy holy name Amen Prayer for Pardon ALmighty God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who desirest not the death of a Sinner but that he may turne from his wickednesse and live and hast promised pardon to them that truly repent unfeignedly believe thy holy Gospel of thy mercy I beseech thee to grant me true repentance and thy holy Spirit that those things may please thee which I doe at this present and the rest of my life hereafter may be pure and holy so that at the last I may come to thine eternall joy through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The Lords Prayer OUr Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Thy kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our dayly bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespasse against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evill c. The Versicles Vers O Lord open thou my lips Resp And my mouth shall shew forth thy praise Vers O God make speed to save me Resp O Lord make hast to help me Glory be to the Father c. Alleluiah Praise the Lord. ¶ Read the Psalmes for the Service of that day Then the Lessons appointed for it After say the Creed c. Then the Daily Prayers Animadversions to the devout Reader touching these Daily Prayers IF thou wouldest have reason why these Prayers are so short and in severall which use to make a long one all put together that thy Devotion may be quicker they are so short a little space being run with a greater speed and that thy Spirit may hold out fresher in severalls as so many rests all the way it runs If thou beest a Man of another Spirit take that course of prayer wherein thy soule speeds best This is propounded not prescribed to every Devotion and intended for help not the hinderance of any Morning Prayers 1. Collect for Grace O God! I can aske no greater gift than thy Glory and therefore beg no better gift than thy Grace yea even this consummate is nothing else but 1 Cor. 13. 10. that nor can I come at it but by the way of grace I doe therefore for Jesus Christ his sake beseech thee bestow on me that blessed gift Grace to doe thee service on earth that thou may'st give me thy salvation in heaven through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 2. Collect for Peace MY poore Soule is an humble Suiter for peace O God! the Col. 1. 20. blood of Jesus is my plea thy Spirit my Advocate I deserve by my sinnes eternall enmity but for thy deare 2 Cor. 5. 19. Sonnes sake have favour for me by whom the world is attoned O let me be reconciled to thee I know not how Rom. 8. 26. to pray this as I ought but thy Spirit can make effectuall Intercession for me Lord let thy Spirit move and thy Son make my peace Subdue my lusts conquer Satan for me that my conscience may have peace with thee and I in it By thy grace through the mediation of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 3. Collect for Health O Lord when I am sick let me thinke I may die when I am in health that I may be sick that I may not mispend the stock of my life but doe thee honour with my health and thou mayest give me comfort for it in my sicknesse Even this that sin hath not bound me to my bed but thy providence hast cast me downe which can and will lift me up or to health in this world or to happines in a better such an enjoyment of health give me I beseech thee for Jesus Christ his sake Amen 4. Collect for Safety O Lord so many daies as I live so Act. 10. 28. many lives I owe thee thou renewest my lease every day a poore Tenant at thy will I am and a fraile Isa 28. 5. cotage of clay by thy power I keep Job 4. 19. Deut. 10. 12. Lord that hast hitherto spar'd me still preserve me and let me pay as I can what I owe of service the onely rent thou requirest for tenement and appurtenances life health wealth and all the good things I have of thee for which thou both grantest terme of life and givest eternity This to that continue I beseech thee for his sake who was surety and is sole Purchaser for me Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 5. Collect for Friends FOr all my Kindred and Friends Lord receive my prayers Doe thou good unto them all O God! To those that erre shew thy truth and those that see it keep from errour to those that doe amisse give grace to doe better and those that doe well continue in so doing to those that are afflicted give comfort and deliverance to those that prosper humility and temperance blesse the sick with health and the healthy from sicknesse supply those in want and let those that want not give supply to all grant thy grace O God! and shew thy mercy let love bind us one to another and Religion knit us all to thee that all who are of naturall kindred may meet in heavenly consanguinity Even so Esth 2. 31. Job 1. 13. Lord let the bloud of Jesus runne through all our veines and the Spirit of Jesus go along with the blood that the glory of Jesus may be the end of us all And how ever we suffer and scatter on earth we may live and joy together in the blisse of Heaven By the Union of that holy Spirit and communion of that blessed blood Amen Amen 6. Collect for the Kingdome O Lord we were the mirror of the world for mercy we are for misery a people wofully torn divided distressed distracted a multitude of headlesse heartlesse disordered men ready to be destroyed O thou great Physitian that canst as easily cure Jer. 4. 22. a Kingdome as a Man heale our Land for thy tender pities sake Lord have mercy on us and heale us In the blood of Jesus purge our sins the cause of all our maladies whether ours or of the Ages before us from their guilt and curse
which art in Heaven c. The Blessing THe God of Mercy and Peace be with me Body and Soul and blesse me and all mine and those that need his Mercy this night and evermore Amen So ends the Evening Prayer Particular Prayers Prayer of a Husband for a Wife O Lord Thou hast made the 1 Pet. 3. 2. Wife the weaker Vessel yet a necessary one Man the nobler Gen. 2. 18. 1 Cor. 11. 3 9. Prov. 12. 4. 1 Pet. 3. 7. of the two yet the Woman next the Man He is her Head but she is his Crowne let me then tender her as weaker and honour her as a Vessell of worth So weak let me never be as to give her my Power nor so wicked as to make her the Mistris of my Conscience So tyrannous 1 Kings 21. 9. Col. 2. 19. Gen. 21. 12. let me never be as to make her my Slave nor so imperious as not to allow her of my Counsell Let me value her well but my self better and love her much but thee more If she Mat. 19. 21. play Eve let not me be Adam take the forbidden fruit from her hand lest I give her ruine for respect let me not make her my Foot nor let her be my Head Thine Authority in me let me maintaine with love and hers under me with zeale that the yoke 1 Cor. 6. 14. which lies on both may be carryed with more comfort drawn on with more bliss to me and her all that is ours As thou lovest thy Spouse Lord Ephes 29. 22. let me love mine And as thy Church doth love reverence and obey thee let her love honour and observe me in thee and for thee Deare Jesus Amen Prayer of a Wife for her Husband FOr him I pray to thee O God Gen. 2. 23 24. whom thou by thy providence and Ordinance hast made most mine of all mankind my Husband and Head That I may pay him the Duty which by thy command I owe him with such conscience as thou maist acquit me and he behold me not as his Crosse but his Crown That he may Ephes 5. 22 25. return me that love and respect which by thy Law is due from him to me that I may embrace him as my Refuge not my storme Lord let me study by all 1 Pet. 3. 1. love and lowlinesse to make him mine and let him seek in all wisdome and kindnesse to make me his And let both unite Prayers and endeavours to make our selves and all ours thine That being espoused to thee on Earth we may at last be Married with thee in Heaven and dwell together in those mansions of blisse where is neither sin nor sorrow nor care nor discontent nor any distresse but a dower of Immortality and Joy and Glory for Body and Soul with felicity to all eternity even for ever and ever So be it dear Jesus Amen Amen Prayer of a Parent for Children O Lord who by thy favour hast given me Issue and in thy name Gen. 27. 4. 29. 1. power to blesse my Children Set thy seal I beseech thee to my Blessing Blesse them with grace to be thy Children me with grace by good example and education to keep them thine Blesse them with health and long and good life if thy blessed will and me with providence and due care by all right wayes to advance their good let me not allow my Children to be thy rebels and abhorre to make them so Let me not so distract my soul with care for them or load my Conscience with guilt as to convey thy Curse on me and them Let my care be Fatherly for their Lives and Christian for their Soules Believing all Psal 127. care to be vaine without thy blessing and Carking the way unto thy curse All blessings of this world so far good as they serve and help on to a better and unreasonable coveting of them a barre to that blisse O Lord my Children are more thine than mine Thou art Father of their Spirits I Heb. 12. 9. but of their Flesh Let me therefore trust thee for them as their best Father and my self with them as thy good Child taking care to doe our duty to 1 Pet. 5. 7. thee and casting all farther care upon thee So be it dear Father for thy dear Sons sake Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Prayer of a Child for Parents O Lord who hast made my Parents as Gods in thy stead under thee the Makers and Preservers of my life let me look at thy power and goodnesse in them and as thee love serve and obey them that I may give die Ephes 6. 1. to their life and length to their dayes And Lord who hast given them power to convey blessing on me give me leave from thee the Father of all to pray blessing on them And to my power to be ever dutifull and helpfull to them That so I may be as the Child of their love so the Heir of their blessing the blessing thou hast promised to loving and obedient Children theirs and thine give it me good Lord for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Prayer for a Family THat I have a Family to governe it is thy mercy O God but rule it aright I shall not without thy grace That grace Lord give me Wisdome to know what I am to doe and ability to do according to my knowledge by my instruction to lead it in thy fear Gen. 19. Deut. 6. 4. by my example to draw it by my Admonition to drive it on By my Providence to doe it right by my Protection to keep it from wrong As carefull to give to all their dues as to receive their duty Let me remember Ephes 6. 7. 9. Job 31. 13. 14. Col. 4. 1. that as my selfe my Servants are thine fashioned by thy hands and bought alike by thy Bloud that I may not despise them lest I despise thee Let me consider that my Children as mine are thine made after thine Image and born againe of thy Spirit that I may not neglect them lest I neglect thee And let them remember and consider that I stand in thy stead that as thy self they may serve and obey me and thine Authority in me And let me and them both be mindfull that I am thy Deputy I that I must account for my Charge and they that they must come to a reckning for their carriage both to thee the Soveraigne Judge and Lord of all That so I may so rule and they obey as all may be done in thee and for thee and all may reign at last in thee through the merits of him of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named the great gracious Master of us all Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephes 3. 13 Amen A Prayer for Issue O Lord who hast ordained Mariage the meanes to propagate Mankind and mak'st it fruitfull to that purpose by thy providence at thy pleasure I beseech
prosper me O blessed Captaine of my salvation deare Jesus who didst shed thy blood for me shield me now that am to fight for thee and all engaged with me Have mercy on us all deare Jesus and give us victory Amen Amen Our Father c. 4. Thanksgiving after Fight LOrd that hast been the shield of Ps 28. 30. 124. 128. After Victory 26. 98. thy Servant I give thee the glory of thy goodnesse And still Lord in all dangers be my shield that I may give thee yet more glory for that thou hast given me to see many fall and my selfe stand that thou hast shewed me this day many wounded and kept me safe Glory be to thee O Lord for thy mercy for ever by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Our Father c. 5. Prayer for one wounded in Warre O Lord thou woundest and healest 1 Sam. 2. 6. thou killest and thou makest alive I doe beseech thee therefore to heale him in thy mercy who is not wounded without thy providence Lord Jesu thou good and great Physitian of wounded bodies souls who never failest to cure whom thou pleasest to recover take him to thy care who is wounded in thy cause and even for thy tender mercies sake I beseech thee heale his Soule of his sins and his Body of his wounds O thou that thy self was wounded and sheddest thy blood for him and us all in this bleeding condition of his let thy blood be his cordiall and thy wounds his remedies And thou Lord of life who on earth with thy Word made the sick and wounded to recover yea the dead to live say unto him from Heaven Live and Recover that he may serve thee more and better on Earth And now and ever fit and prepare him with thy grace that when he dies he may live and reigne with thee in Heaven through the blessed merits and mediation who wast wounded and slaine to heale and save us all O Jesus Christ our Lord our life and onely hope and succour and Saviour in life and death Amen Prayers for the Sick 1. A Confession and Prayer for mercy and Deliverance O Lord I do humbly confesse to the glory of thy justice that the sicknesse which I suffer is the fruit of my sin the Root of Mankind was poysoned with it and I am a branch of it yea and am much and many waies polluted by it and so am like my Root a poysoned branch I am therefore a Child of Death Rom. 5. 12. and Heire of the Grave the issue of his sin and sicknesse is my portion as I am his Child But Lord I am the seed of a second Adam looke at me not as I am in the first but thy Christ a graft of that Isaiah holy stock the root of Jesse the branch of righteousnesse the Holy One of God for his pretious merits sake forgive me my sin and have mercy on me in my sicknesse And O deare Iesus Joh. 5. 14. that didst take flesh and blood for me pity me poore flesh and blood groaning before thee comfort me and succour me help me and heale me even by the merits of thy pretious blood I beseech thee Amen Amen Prayer for Patience in Sicknesse I Am thy Prisoner O Lord chained by infirmity to a bed of paine but let me not fret even because I am thine Thine whose chaine I cannot breake Thine who dost draw me to thee by this chaine Thine who for my sinne dost justly bind me Thine who knowest when it 's best to loose me Thine who seest what lies upon me Thine who hearest every groane within me Thine who for my sinnes mightâ—st bind me in everlasting chains and sendest this sicknesse to save me O Lord since I am so many waies thine let me submit to thy chaine and lie as thy prisoner so thy Patient before thee and let thy pity in thy good time release me and charge not the errors of my infirmity upon me for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Thanksgiving for Recovery of Sicknesse WHat shall I render unto the Psal 116. Lord for all his benefits done to me the snares of death compassed me and the paines of Hell tooke hold upon me I found woe and misery then called I on the name of the Lord and he heard me yea thou Lord wast he that helped me Thou art my God and I wil praise thee It was not Man it was thou that healed me All Physitians are of no value all Medicines vaine without thee Thy Mercy O Lord was my Balme and I will magnifie it Thou wast my Physitian and I will praise thee My heart in all extremity shall therefore trust in thee My lips shall speake of thy praise and my life honour thee I will not be so wretched as to offend thee with the healthinesse thou hast given me with the life anew bestowed on me O Lord keep that wretchednesse for ever from me thy grace therefore ever give me to have in all my waies this mercy and thy glory before me even so be it I beseech thee O Lord for Jesus Christ his sake Amen Amen Prayer against the Plague O Lord Pestilence is thy Arrow and my sins have made mee thy marke nor canst thou misse me in thy justice But spare me Lord spare me in thy mercy Though I deserve the stroke for my selfe spare me for my Saviours sake let his innocency be my shield and his blood my antidote O Lord I have I wish no other antidote or shield By the soveraigne and all-saving merits of his I beseech thee pardon my sinne and spare my life Spare my soule that it may better serve thee spare my body that it may better serve my soule spare my heart that I may keepe it more carefully for thee spare my blood that my spirits may be more active to serve thee And as I pray Pestilence from my body so I beseech thee keep it from my soule Preserve me from the house and shield me from the chaire of pestilence As from infected Bodies so from Spirits which breath errors and vices pests and plagues of souls From all mutuall diseases defend me Body and Soule but from those fearfull ones above all I beseech thee And all those thou hast made neare and deare unto me deare Saviour doe it for thy mercies sake Amen Prayer for one infected with the Plague I Am struck O God and by thy hand I beseech thee let me bleed in thy Armes in thy Armes of mercy let me depart if I must die but Lord embrace me with thy favour that I may live live out this danger and see thy deliverance out-live my sins and doe thee more service Meane while mercy Lord for Jesus his sake mercy to thy poore Servant pardon to my sinne comfort to my spirit acceptance to my repentance strength to my faith life to my charity salvation to my soule that whether I live or die I may be thine O Lord who to redeem and save me
didst both live and die in virtue of thy blood that sole and soveraigne antidote and sanctuary of bleeding Sinners thy deare and pretious blood let my soule live if my body die but if thy blessed will both live to praise thy goodnesse to both Lord cast my sins behind thy back and hold me in thy Armes Into thy Armes of mercy I cast my self Body Soul my onely hope and refuge and rock of my salvation is in thy blessed merits and blood deare Jesus take me and keep me in thy Armes now and ever and especially in my last hower and agonie have mercy on me I beseech thee Amen Amen Thanksgiving for one recovered of the Plague THou hast smitten and thou hast healed me O my God! the blow was grievous thy help is greater the blow was just thy help more gracious my sinnes deserved death thy mercy hath spared my life O Lord with an humble thankfull soule I doe acknowledge as ever so now especially from thy good hand my present life and health And now I humbly beseech thee that my heart may smite me that I have ever rebelled against so good a Majestie and thy grace keep me that I never more lift up my hand against so great a goodnesse O let not the pestilence goe from my body to my soule let not Satan and corruption poyson perswade my spirit to sit in the chaire or stay in the house of pestilence Let not others be infected with sinne by me nor me by them lest thou be more provoked and the plague gone returne in a greater judgment My God my help my health my hope my life and comfort be thy Name ever blessed that hast spared my soule and life O let it be no more dishonoured by me that keeping from the infection of an evill world I may live in the blisse of a better where is neither sinne nor sicknesse to infect soule or body but perfect health strength grace and glory in thee and with thee to all eternity O Jesus my onely refuge and the horne of my salvation So be it Amen Amen Prayer for one at the Hower of Death to be said by the Sick or some for him altering the Person 1. Prayer of one at the point of Death GOd the Father his mercies be about me God the Sonne his merits be upon me God the Holy Ghost his comforts be within me Holy Trinitie preserve strengthen and support me that my Death may be pretious in the sight of the Lord and my Soule live with thee to all eternity Amen Amen 2. Prayer for one at the point of Death FAther of mercies let thy love be to him Saviour of the world let thy merits be on him Comforter of departing Souls let thy peace be in him Father Sonne and Holy Spirit defend a Child of thy Family save a Lamb of thy Flock keep a member of thy Church O thou One and onely Lord God of Heaven command thy holy Angels to tender him and forbid evill ones to trouble him Deliver his soul discharge his sinne seale his pardon heavenly Father by thy Holy Spirit in the blood of Jesus Amen Amen 3. Prayer for one at the point of Death LOrd Jesus Succour this Dying Soule make passage for him by death to a better life purge his sins in thy Blood and prepare his Soule by thy Spirit and receive it to the glory of thy Father Jesus that didst so deerly purchase it make haste to receive it from the pangs of present and paines of everlasting death Good Lord deliver it deliver it for thy mercies sake Amen Amen Thanksgiving after Death for one Departed ¶ Say this Scripture Psal 116. 7 15. Returne unto thy rest ô my Soule for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Pretious in the sight of the Lord is the Death of the Saints Apoc. 14. 13. Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit that they rest from their labours ¶ Then Pray thus THou that hast sent for this Soul out of the Prison of his Bodie to come to the Palace of thy Blisse receive our praises O Lord for his happy deliverance from pangs to joyes from Tryalls to Triumphs from Earth to Heaven O Lord we beseech thee admit our humble lauds to attend him into thy presence and with them let our prayers enter before thee that as he so we in thy good time may come and present our Halleluja's with our selves in thy sight And meane time lead a godly life to have a blessed death Lord let us not forsake thee now that thou mayest not leave us then in that last and great hower upon which followes an Eternitie of weale or woe Lord have mercy on us and doe not forsake us and therefore let us have the feare of it and thee now and ever before us that as we believed our Brother departed is we may be blessed in and by our death grant we may deare Iesus Amen Amen A generall Thanksgiving for Gods mercies O Thou high Majestie of Heaven how hast thou filled me with the favours of thy bounty how great hast thou been in thy goodnesse and mercy how gracious in thy providence to me thou hast poured the blessings of heaven and earth upon my head Thou hast loaden me with thy gifts bestowed upon me in Creating Redeeming and in Preserving me In my Creation thou gavest me thine Image and madest me more noble than all the Creatures of the earth In my Redemption thou gav'st me thy Sonne and madest me more glorious than the Angels of Heaven In my Baptisme and Regeneration thou gavest me thy Spirit and hast made me more happy than millions of men in the world Thou hast given thy self to me Lord what could'st thou doe more for me thrice blessed yea for ever be thy glorious Name for thine infinite grace mercy and goodnesse to me And in thy providence for this life how abundantly hast thou blessed me in health wealth body mind c. and many and many mercies vouchsafed me In my weaknesse thou hast strengthened me in my dangers thou hast delivered me in my distresses thou hast comforted me in my prayers thou hast heard me in thy judgments thou hast spared me to this day preserving my life and making it many waies joyfull to me And not for any good in me O Lord hast thou been thus gracious towards me My ills on earth hath been many my ingratitudes great against thee For them thou mightest for ever banish me from heaven and with my sinnes cast me into hell amongst those that offend thee for thy owne goodnesse and great Names sake hast thou been thus bountifull and mercifull to me O fill my heart with thy love that my mouth may poure ou◠praises to thee Ravish my soule with thy goodnesse that my heart may ever love thee Fill my life with thy feare that as my lips my thoughts deeds may ever honour thee let me not be so wretched as to forget thy
thy Spirit and by all meanes mould me and make my heart of that temper that the least touch of sin may trouble me that I may not obstinately goe on in a course of Rebellion against thee Mercifull Father let all thy crosses come rather upon me then this curse befall me That I may rather grieve and groane with hope on earth then waile and houle in hell without remedie A heart of flesh for stone Lord give me let thy holy Spirit work and keep it in me Doe it deare Saviour for me I beseech the in thy mercy Amen Amen Animadversion to the Devout Reader touching these Services THe Author in these Services tenders thee some things new and nothing he hopes naught There are extant Books of Prayers and Meditations and Directions apart and those who joyne some of these together but all as in his way he knowes none He conceives that the Soul engaged in a particular duty will be much assisted by so manie helps at hand and come off better with the Service Vicissitudes of Devotions like changes of clothes as they please the mind because they clog lesse so they will advance her piety the more when all though they goe severall waies meet in one study and care to work her Spirituall preferment Thy Spirit will not be lesse devoted to thy Prayers for having breathed it in holy Scriptures Nor wilt thou take in that Holy aire with lesse advantage to thy Soules health for going to it from thy Prayers Nor will those Heavenly refreshments profit or last less for plying the Soul at present well-devoted with proper pious Meditations Instructions set suteing to her particular purposes This will be as a Word in due season fit and good and serve as a little Sermon to nourish Holy Spirit so Divinely begot which else may starve before it can come to a greater and perhaps not have her particular state and case much reached and relieved neither if she come The Closet the good mans Daily Sanctuary alwayes * Ezek. 11 16. and in persecution often his onely Church as it never wants Gods Spirituall Altar a Devout heart nor his Garden Gods Holy Book in it nor Gods Holy Service an Holy Prayer-Book for it By this shall have a little Pulpit too Necessary for those who have no other and profitable for those who may want a better And surely the Soule which keeps her daily walkes betwixt Gods Altar and Garden her Prayers and his Scriptures must needs grow and goe on in Godlinesse And faster and firmer both for hearing every day a Sermon when Her selfe is the Preacher Her state the Text and God and Conscience the Auditory Reader He that is not for a Pulpit in the Chamber would have this in thy Closet and thinkes he shall doe God and thee good Service in these devote-lesse times to furnish thy Closet with such a Pulpit His Aime thou seest His patterne thou maist easily aime at especially if a Child of that Mother whose wisdome taught him such Prayers Though some things in the Services be new there are no novelties in them but for thy singular use compiled and made a Handfull of little Homilies and Prayers Rules for every Sundayes Devotion Sunday-morning When you awake lift up your heart and say O Sun of Righteousness which this day didst rise for me shine now and ever with thy Grace and Mercy upon me Amen When you are up kneel and say this Prayer O Lord Holynesse becometh thy House Dutifulness becometh me to go to thy Courts wait upon Thee And this is the great day of thy Service Thou that hast given me to see the light of this day make me carefull to do the duty of it timely to Present my selfe unto Thee and reverently to behave my self before Thee that I may come with fruit and favour from thee for Jesus Christ His sake Amen Before you goe to Church say if you have time the Sunday-Service following Omit not to say the Collect for it howsoever in the Afternoone say the Evening-Service Sunday-night When you goe to Bed kneel and say O Sun of Righteousnesse keep me from utter darknesse let me so sleep in thy Peace that I may be every ready to arise and meet thee in thy Glory Amen Amen Seven Services for the 1 st Week Services set to the Daies of the Weeke for foure severall Weeks Sunday-service Of the joyes of Heaven Morning Prayer Psal 36. 84. Lesson Isa 64. Mat. 5. to 13. or Mat. 17. to 14. Evening Prayer Psalm 15. 16. Lesson Isaiah 35. Apoc. 21. Then this following Collect. After it the Daily Prayers ¶ Sunday Collect or Prayer for the joyes of Heaven DEare Saviour who hast purchased lost Heaven for me by thy blood and now possessest it for me in my flesh possesse my soule I beseech thee with thy holy Spirit that my conversation now may be heavenly on earth and my habitation hereafter happy in heaven O let me not for the perishing pleasures of this vaine world lose an eternity of blessed joyes in thy presence and Kingdome Preserve me to it deare Redeemer who hast prepared it for me even for thy mercies sake O Lord. Amen Daily Prayers 1. Meditation of the joyes of Heaven WHat do I on earth when God is in Heaven Why are my Heart Body in two severall worlds And where but with Him and on Him should be my Heart Lord draw to thee what is made for thee till Bodie can come let my Spirit be with thee till my Soule depart from my Bodie to dwell for ever with thee let Devotion carry my thoughts out of my Soule and daily visit thee My help my hope my solace my salvation Father of my Spirit Husband of my Soule Soveraigne of my welfare Author of my nature End of my essence Blisse of my being Satisfaction of my desires Rest of my thoughts Perfection of my powers my life is a banishment imprisonment punishment on earth if thou be in heaven shun I never so much I shall meet with nothing but sinne and miserie seek I never so much I shall not find any thing of blisse below had I whole lands of wealth with hills of honour upon them and rivers of pleasure about those all were not a peble a pile a drop to my blessednesse my avaritious ambitious voluptuous desires are left drie on earth onely fill'd and drown'd in the paradise crowne and kingdome of heaven the ocean of blisse runs about the good that is infinite high above change great without measure full without want long beyond time away then my Soule from thy banishment bondage woe and miserable vanitie to thy home freedome joy and true felicitie Dove of grace flie to the windows of glory mount to those Louvers on high where the ravenous Bird of hell can neither seize or fright thee nor the beasts of the earth devoure or disquiet thee Heaven on Earth is a monstrous confusion if thou vainly seek it there thou
as if made for nothing but thy lust and the dunghill Thou wilt therefore be condemned for thy injury to him thy self and them To a gluttony of torments starved body and soul without crumb or Luk. 16. 23 drop of comfort for thy short pleasures to paines long and lasting for ever Consider this 2. There is a Cloath a Meat a Drink an Art an Office that will help if thou have it Do thou then endeavour it 1. The Coat is Christ Of particular Rom. 13. 13 14. virtue to expell Gluttony 2. The Meat is his Word and Sacrament To which to have an holy Appetite is to lose the Job 6. 27. sensuall and to digest it to loath it 3. The Drink is his Spirit with Eph. 5. 18. which the soul drunk keepes the body sober The greater excesses of good the lesse of it surfets 4. The Art is his Pionry to undermine Dan. 4. 27. gluttony by works of Charity Giving the maintenance of thy lust to the poor So thou shalt at once starve thy Job 29. 15 and 31. 16. sinne and feast thy Conscience And God and Christ himself will come to the feast Mat. 15. 35 Luk. 14. 13. 5. The Office is to keep his Table Which Frugality covers and Temperance takes away His Example Command wil make thee able and Prayer will get the blessing of both And sooner if for his sake thou eat and delight in sober company and leave Gluttons for Saints Wednesday-Service Against Lasciuiousnesse and Luxury Morning Prayer Psal 106. Lesson Ezek. 16. or 2 Sam. 12. Prov. 7. Joh. 8. to v. 42 Evening-Prayer Psal 51. Lesson 2 Sam. 12. 1 Cor. 6. or Heb. 13. ¶ Prayer against Lasciviousnesse LOrd keepe me from all filthinesse of flesh and Spirit that before men and thee who discernest both I may appeare pure and undefiled a chast Spouse to thee not to be tempted to any acts or lusts of uncomelinesse or unworthinesse which be ill in thy eyes that are ever upon me O let me be pure and holy in all manner of conversation as thou art holy that in the great day of tryall thou maist not disclaime me but owne me and take me to thy glory for the merits of thy Holy One and Undefiled Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Daily Prayers Remedies against Lasciviousnesse 1. GEnerally The sin of unchastity is vaine foule fearefull and prevailing For 1. The more lust is served the lesse satisfied a Ezek. 16. 28. 2. It 's called particularly filthinesse and uncleannesse b Apoc. 17 14. It is sacrilegiously to make the Body c 1 Cor. 6. 18 19 Gods Temple a Stewes and that is the vilest filthinesse d 1 Cor. 3. 17. 3. It is a short pleasure for everlasting paine e Heb. 11. 24. yet this fire is the end of that fleshlinesse f 1 Cor. 6. 9. Heb. 13. 4. Apoc. 21. 8. Besides a foule conscience it wounds health honour state wasting the balsame of life blessing of wealth and oyntment of a good reputation g Prov. 5. 8 9 10. Pro. 6. 26. 32. 33. Job 31. 9 10. c. 4. It is a strong lust in the assault and commonly gets the victory Nature concurring with the strength h Pro. 7. 21 2 Sam. 11. 2 5. The holy Martyrs could no more be tempted by pleasures then tortures But 2. Particularly In a married condition it is every way worse 1. Not onely Damnation in another world i Apoc. 21. 8. but present Death k Joh. 8. 5. Levit. 20. 10. in this by the Law of God and man too in many places 2. It tends to the confusion of mankinde Incest c. l Gen. 38. 16. 3. The dumbe creatures are true to their Mates 3. The cure of both is the same To kill the sinne 1. In the Egge Stifle the first thoughts and motions of lust m Mat. 5. 28. no Bird but was first an Egge 2. In the hatching Take heed of the things that beget and nourish lust Covenant with the eyes n Job 31. 1 against lascivious Persons Pictures gestures stop the o Pro. 7. 21. eares against lustfull Songs Discourses Devices Keepe the heart p Pro. 6. 255 from being idle and the body from excessive sleeps and meats and drinks or such as are knowne to be provocative q Pro. 23. 33. Temperance Sobriety are great friends to Chastity 3. Tempted Thinke that thy keepers eyes are upon thee with Joseph that God sees thee r Gen. 39. 9. and will judge thee s Prov. 5. 20 21. Thou wilt blush if but a child behold thee Thursday-Service Against Pride Morning Prayer Psal 73. 131. Lessons Isa 14. Luk. 18. to v. 19 or Acts 12. Evening Prayer Psal 86. 138. Lesson Jâ—r 13. Jam. 4. or 1 Pet. 5. ¶ Collect or Prayer against Pride LOrd keepe me from the sinne of Pride which threw Angels out of Heaven and Man out of Paradise lest it cast me headlong into the depths of thy displeasure and barre my soule of both O let me who am nothing but a miserable body and soule a lump of sins and woes let me never exalt my selfe before or against thee Without whose goodnesse but one minute my flesh would fall to the earth and my spirit lie in hell for ever without thy mercy Preserve by these thoughts an humble spirit in me such as thou maist respect on earth and hereafter advance unto thy glory Even for his sake who so abased himselfe for my pride Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen! Daily Prayers Remedies against Pride 1. KNow what Pride is A sinne abhominable as that which is 1. Gods hate Others sinnes fly God but this flyes at God * S. Greg. and God at it a 1 Pet. 5. 5. 2. Mans bane It went before the fall of Angels b Jude v. 6. Isai 14. and Adam c Gen. 3. 5 6. and doth goe before destruction d Prov. 16. 18. 3. Christs scorne In his birth life death all humility nothing of pride much against it 2. Know what we are and there is no cause of pride 1. Not for our Ills. And our 1. Bodies are Baggs of phlegme and choler poore and vile e Phil. 3. 21. 1. I am quickened dust and shall be dead f Gen. 3. 19. 2. One worme was my begining and many will be my end and much woe betweene g Job 25. 6 Job 19. 26. 2. Soules be Cages of uncleane lusts and errours h Gen. 6. 5 Nests of Serpents and Vipers i Isa 49. 4 5. 3. Bodies and Soules both have what should humble us 1. My body is subject to a thousand sicknesses and sorrowes but my soule to ten thousand times more sins and wounds and weaknesses and falls k Rom. 7. 24. Psal 19. 12. Psal 40. 12 2. A Grave will be the end of my Body l Psal 49. 14. and Hell without pardon the end of a sinning Soule
flamma c. Bern. O let my Heart never be so hard as to see those Wounds of so great love to me and have no woundings of affection for Thee for Thee And all in heaven and earth that have Relation unto Thee O Christ I am in love with the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ who would give His Joh. 3. 16. Rom. 8. 32 onely Sonne so to suffer on earth for a time that I might not frie in Hell for ever And I have love tâ— Thee O Holy Spirit of God who didst Anoint Jesus Isa 61. 1. to be my Christ and give Him Inauguration to his Crowne of Thornes and Blessed though most bloody Function O Holy Trinity I doe adore what I cannot comprehend as your Heavenly 1 Joh. 3. 7. Heb. 10. 7. Persons so your Counsels And with an humble love and holy reverence desire to behold and blesse your Designe for the Salvation of one World by the Passion of Him who is more worth than a Thousand I see and admire your wonderfull Wisdome Goodnesse and Power that could and did contrive such a Decree And next to your Persons that Blessed Trinity of your Perfections I will Ephes 3. 10 11. Col. 1. 27. for ever love admire and adore And next God I have love for thee O Man Son of man who ever thou art by His flesh and blood and bloody Passion made Gods Son and Brother of Christ Thy Heb. 2. 10 12 14. Ephes 2. 13. 19. Crosse O Jesus shall make all Mankind my friends and Thy Blood glue my heart to every man O Christ why should I hate any when Thou didst so love all How dare I slight any when Thou gavest thy Hearts-blood for every one shall he that is Mat. 25. 40. thy Brother be my hate or scorne And of all Mankind I love you ye Saints that are Twice his Brethren Rom. 12. 5 1 Cor. 12. 27. in Spirit and flesh so neer to Him in both as makes you His Limbs as well as Brothers And Thee O Holy 2 Cor. 11. 2. Col. 1. 18. Ephes 5. 23. Church Spouse of Him and Mother and Body of them yea the Body for which with specialty He gave His Blood and Selfe I have Passionate Ephes 5. 25. Act. 20. 28. Love for thee O thou Dearest Body of Christ shall I think any thing too good for thee for whom He gave Himselfe Preferring thee His Mysticall before His Naturall Body And shall I esteem friend or state or liberty or life or any thing or all things before thee And above all the world though no worship I have kindnesse for you you holy Angels of God who though you have no Ransome because no need of a Redeemers Blood nor had wherwithall as it needed not to pay and contribute at all to the Redemption yet for your Zeale to God and Love Luk. 2. 13. to Man gave it the joy as if it had been your Deliverance and Christ the Welcome as if He had come to be your Saviour Messengers of His Birth Ministers in his life Attendants at his Luk. 2. 11. Mat. 4. 11. Joh. 20 12. Luk. 24. 6. Act. 1. 11. Death Heraulds of his Resurrection and Ascension Giving to his Naturall Body all Due Services on earth and paying for him to his Mysticall your Heb. 1. 14. Holy Ministeries now he is in Heaven O you Pure and Holy Spirits of God! though you got not your Blisse you lost not by Him It is made more strong to you and you more High in Mediator Confirmationis it by the Numbers of Glorified Bodies filling the Rooms of Apostate Spirits to vour farre greater joy and Blisse You love Him and His Passion for it and I you for that You love Man above your owne Kind for that and I you for it Thus Lord I love all for Thee and Thee in all And now I will love my self amongst them O Lord I am One in whom is thy flesh a Man I am One in whom is thy Spirit a Christian I am One for whom thou didst Heb. 2. 12. Joh. 3. 5. Heb. 2. 9. Rom. 5. 5. Isa 43. 4. shed thy Blood On whom thou hast shed thy Spirit A Redeemed Esteemed Man by Thee And shall I be so poore as to value dirt to thy Blood the world before thee Shall I quit Phil. 3. 8. thy Spirit for luâ—t value thee after the Flesh Shall I be tempted to give my selfe from thee to the Flesh and World love Thee lesse than the Devill O Lord I will value thy Blood more I will keep thy Spirit better I will set a higher price on my Self than to sell thy Blessed Purchase to the Devill for a Base piece of flesh and small portion of the World So am I and let me ever be in love with thee O Lord 2. But O Sinne I am in hate with thee for my owne and for my Saviours sake That didst pose Heaven it selfe and put God to it one of the two to damne my Soule or doe thus to my Saviour O thou Enemy of God Man how execrable art thou more than heart can think that madest Him Lamentable more than Eye saw Lam. 1. 12. And O Devill I hate thee who didst tempt man out of Paradise and so draw Christ to a Crosse And could thy Temptations have prevailed and thy power have matcht thy malice wouldst have cast the Second Adam out too that so nor the First nor His Seed might ever have come in againe And O World I abhorre thee as the Imp of the Devill who of His Jewes and Gentiles couldst find hands for such horrid acts and Sinnes that Act. 5. 27. made those Bloody Passions Sinne Devil World for the Death of my King and Lord and Christ Have as you deserve my hate 3. I long for the Lord My Soule longeth for God even the living God! Psal 42. 1. yea even for the dying God! when shall I come and appeare in the presence of God God dying once yet Apoc. 1. 18. Heb. 2. 8. living-ever when shall I come before the dying-living God! I long for the Chariot which will bring me to Thee and will Kisse it 2 Tim. 2. 12. though it be a Crosse I long for the Inne which will lodge me neare Thee and will embrace Phil. 1. 23. it though it be a Grave I long for the Bed which will raise me to Thee and will climb it though Act. 21. 13. it be a Gibbet O Cup of Salvation I will not refuse Psal 116. 12 thee Though full to Martyrs Mar. 10. 39 measure of blood if from Him thou shalt be drunke and yet deem'd nothing to thy Saviours Blood And till my Soule can come to thy Glorified-Crucified Body in Heaven I long after thy Courts where Thou art present in Spirit on earth To be Psal 95. 6. Mat. 28. 20 in thy Holy Temple which is the Chamber At the Altar and
nor Cool'd to Earth and the Seas of mercy run as fresh and full as ever they did in Heaven Thence take I Hope But 8. I fear too I Dread Temptation Thy Crosse was made of Adams Gal. 3. 13. Tree I fear because he fel Lord Deliver me I Dread Desertion Solomons Wisdome and Davids Grace I want Yet had I both should fall if thou forsake me Lord on the Crosse thy Mat. 26. 56. Disciples left thee let me never If Temptation carry me away look after me doe not leave me I Dread Apostacy O keep me from that Sinne from which even thy Bloud thy Crosse cannot or will not save me How should it when I re-build thy Crosse Heb. 10. 26 27. and trample thy Bloud I fear my self for all this As my Sinnes nail'd Thee to thy Crosse Corruption 1 Pet. 2. 24. rivets me in my Sinnes The Devill never wants a Hammer whilst Rom. 7. 27 God hath a World nor hath a Naile to seek whilst Man hath a Heart O Lord I have one and a Forge of Jer. 17. 9. wicked devices and lusts in it full of all damned cheats and deceits From a Tempest then of Temptation From the Gulf of spirituall Desertion From the Precipice of finall Apostacy by the Vertue of thy Crosse Deliver me And from my self above all and my Heart above all in my self Deliver me Good Lord I fear Precipice Gulfe Tempest but the Forge above all Without whose work and wiles the Devill doth in vain Tempt God will not desert me nor shall I desert God And Corruption and the Flesh that is there I behold with most horrour as the Anvile in the Forge Upon which the Devill and it Hammer fashion and beat out all their Works What will keep me from the Vertue of thy Crosse and my Blisse Lord Jesus That hath and ever let it have my fear 9. And how doth my Bloud boile in my Veines to see thy Crosse robb'd of its Vertue O Christ My Spirit is at once in Ird dolore impleor pro Christo meo c. Naz. Griefe and Rage for thee Jesus I am full of Indignation for the Affronts and Injuries done unto thee To see thy Bloud spilt or scorn'd To see thy Passion forgot or abused Thy love without Memory or Value Thy Paines without Relief or Remorse Who can who should endure O Christ to see thy Crosse made the Devils Standard Without the Church a Stumbling-block and Rock of Offence 1 Cor. 1. 23 within an Idol and Tree of Superstition To see thy Wounds shelters for Sinners turn'd Cities of Refuge for Sinnes Thy Merits their Sanctuaries Thy Bloud their Life Thy Self their Patron Thy Passion the Nurse of Presumption Thy Mercy the Milk of all Abomination Thy good Theif made the greatest Robber of Mankind and thy Pitty Principall to the Robbery And in the strength of these Villainconfidences and Blasphemous Inferences from thy Crosse who can consider without anger what is done in thy Kingdome What Reeds are made thy Scepters What Chaires thy Thrones What Tricks thy Orders What Rudenesse thy Service What Miscreants thy Worshippers What Confusion thy Religion What Wild-fire thy Zeale What Shames thy Glory What Ends thy Services What Lunacies thy Revelations What Prodigies thy Dictates What Larguage thy Word What Prayers thy Breath What Devilishnesse thy Spirit What stirres thy Motions All Wickednesse done in thy Name to thy Glory by thy Warrant and most under the Seal of thy Crosse By those who wear thy Livery pretend to thy Service and professe for thy Honour seeme to desire to know nothing but thee and see themselves Crucified as meer mortified Men who seek nothing less then themselves yet tear at once thy Lawes and Limbs pull downe both thy Cross and House and lay together thy Worship Bloud in the Dust O Jesus that didst whip the Buyers and Sellers out of thy Temple Where is thy Zeal for thy Church for thy self for thy Fathers sake That canst see and yet suffer these injuries to thy Honour and Bloud When Indignation kindles in thy poor Servants Soul at so great Indignities how is it that Wrath flames not out in thine How is it Even so it is be-because thou art Jesus lovest to Save Joh. 12. 47. 2 Pet. 3. 9. loath to Destroy Waitest our Repentance wavest thy Vengeance 10. I am Ravish'd with that good Spirit of thine O Christ Thou hadst it on the Cross and keep'st it on the Throne where it appears it doth ravish Luk. 23. 34. Joh. 19. 28. me In thy lips Prayest thou their Pardons that are shedding thy Blood Thirstest thou their Salvation that are Butchering thy Body In thy Armes stretcht out to embrace all on Earth and therefore strike not though in all the power of Heaven In thy Eyes As thou wast with one of my Mothers Cant. 4. 9. I am ravished with one of thine Thy fury frights me O Lord Thy favour is that One. The eye with which thou didst look at the poor Thief and give him both thy Pardon and Paradise Luke 23. 43. Joh. 19. 26. The Eye by which thou didst look at thy Dear Mother and amidst all thy Wounds chuse her a Gardian and have her in thy cares The Eye by which thou didst look at the dear Disciple Joh. 19. 27. and adopt him of thy Servant thy Mothers Sonne The Eye by which thou didst look at poor Sinners to be saved a Church to be Bought Eph. 5. 25. Joh. 12. 42. and World to be Ransomed But in thy Heart O! what an Apparition see I there Through the Bloody door of thy wounded Breast a House full of nothing but Goodness Patience Pitty Mercy O what a Perspective is there by the way of the Spear to the Joh. 19. 24. 1 John 5. 6. 8. Prospect of a poor Sinners sole Delight a Heart full of all Grace and Favour in the Breast of a Jesus a Saviours Heart From that Heart with that Eye O Christ behold the Afflicted Mother thy Church and thy dear Disciple Her Child Breath comfort to Her for whom thou gavest Bloud And to Him who is the Son of Her Comfort Make peace betwixt Mother and Children where there should be Love Let them live by one Spirit that are bought with one Bloud And no longer be one anothers Cross but beare one anothers Burdens Dart Lord from that Blessed eye of Pitty these favours on the face of that Bleeding Body And with thy Armes nailed once to a Cross now extended on a Throne embrace Her and uphold her in life Advance her Throne for whom thou didst endure thy Psal 8. 3. John 1. 3. Crosse O thou who didst with thy fingers work Heaven and Earth and Heb. 1. 2. upholdest all things by the Word of thy Power whom the World treads under foot take thou into thy Armes In thy blessed Armes O thou Omnipotent and All-mercifull Maker and Saviour of the Word In thy blessed
I wear a Deaths-head in a Ring to preserve alive the memory of a Dead Friend And O thou Loving and Blessed above all Beloveds when thy Passion is Engraven by thy own Hand in an Holy Mystery for my minde to wear shall not the Ring be on my Finger shall not my Heart keepe and weare thy Ring 4. But is that all Dear Jesus Is that all I am to doe to give thee a Memory Surely then it must be the best of all O thou Manna that camest Joh. 6. 32. Heb. 9. 4. downe from Heaven a Golden Pot must keep thee My Soule must have most Pretious memory for thee Quick not Dull Humble not Bold Tender not Hard Active not Contemplative that 's Leaden Brasen Iron but Silver at best and reprobate at worst The Memory which moves all good Affections to thee and Promoves all good Abilities for thee that 's the Golden pot must keep thee So thou wouldst have this Memory because it will minde and doe all Duty Admire and Love thee Obey Endure Doe and Suffer for thee It will establish Faith excite Repentance enflame Charity maintain Constancy O thou Mirrour of the Godhead Heb. 1. 3. 4 Beauty of the World Excellent above Angels High above all Lord of Lords King of Kings Those are thy 1 Tim. 6. 15. Eccles 12. 1. Dues And Holy Memory is a Store-house full and Rich to Pay all therefore thou sayest Remember me I cannot but Believe Repent and Love to the last if thou be in minde If I Deut. 32. 18. fail payment of any Duty to God or Man it is because thou art out of my Memory But to thy Memory Dear Jesus what is it I should doe O Lord thou wouldst have me doe this In Remembrance of thee Thy Passion that that must be in my Memory and Thee I must Remember in 1 Cor. 11. 26. that Thy Sacrament then is an Obelisk to the Eternall Memory of thy Passion A Pyramide of everlasting date set up in the Church for a Solemne memoriall of thy Death And Lord So oft as I neglect it what doe I but pull downe thy Pyramide And Bury Thee and thy Merits as the Jews did thy Limbs but in a worser grave not in a garden but desert a grave of oblivion 2. And what Lord Shall I Remember of thy Passion What But that thou the Eternall Son of God wast made Man to endure it Moved Heb. 9. 14. by meer Love Infinite Love to undergoe it And I wretched Creature Sinfull Sonne of Man the Man that caused it who else had been for ever a Miserable and Damned Man And thus did Infinite Wisdome Mercy and Power in God wonderfully work the Salvation of Man This ineffable Mystery of Redemption by the Miraculous Passion of the Sonne of God which thou didst Suffer thou wouldst have me Remember And thy Sacrament is a Monument to last as long as thy Church that whilst I have Life and Soul I should perpetuate and preserve a Holy Memory of my Saviour 3. And what a Wretch am I that have neede of such a helpe to my Memory and Spur to my Duty as both a Commandement and a Sacrament for both It casts reproaches on me O Christ That thou should give thy Body for me and I scarce give my minde to thee That I should have so great a roome in thy heart and thou so hardly get any in mine That thou should be more ready to Bleed for me then I to Thinke of thee Dear Jesus That didst empty all thy Veines for me shall I not finde a vessell to Preserve thy Pretious Bloud Doe I not Spill what thou didst shed if I let it run out of my Memory Yet art Thou put to it to finde me both Bloud and Minde And when thou hast done all that out of Remembrance of me lest it should be forgotten ordainest a Sanction and Sacrament and sayest Do this in Remembrance of me 4. But more Wretch I if I doe not so doe and Remember For Lord If I doe thee Honour dost thou not doe me favour for it If I give thee glory is it more my Duty then Felicity to doe it If thy Sacrament is it not my Emolument Receive I not great Honours in it Reap I not good Benefits by it Conveyes it not the Bloud-Royall Concorporei Consanguinei Basil of Heaven into me and am I not Kinsman Brother of God an Heire and Prince of Heaven by vertue of that Bloud Is not the Godhead Bodily in Christ And is not his Body Col. 2. 9. 1 Cor. 10. 16. Mystically in me And I near Akinne to God by the Communion of that Body And can he want Demeans that is such a Prince Is not the Earth Psal 2. â— thy Gift and Heaven in thy Power Mat. 28. 18. Heb. 1. 2. Ephes 1. 7. 2 Cor. 1. 22. Rom. 8. 32 1 Cor. 3. 21 22 23. Jesus thou Son and Heire of all And have I not thy Spirit thy Flesh to Pledge for all The Conveyance Sealed in thy Bloud and thy Merits made over and Assured in thy Body O Lord I am so much concern'd in Honour and Estate to doe what thou dost command that if I doe consider my Selfe I should do it to thy Memory in Remembrance of me as well as Thee 5. But what Lord Must I so doe Mat. 26. 26. Credi salubriter posest investigaâ—i saâ—ubrâ—iter non potest Lumb Believe Thee Present in thy Holy Sacrament Upon thy Word I doe But Determined in a Naturall and Corporeal way of prâ—sâ—nce for thy Word I doe not * Act. 3. 31 So thou art in Heaven and wilt be to the great day Not on Earth So. This Remembrance teacheth me that Absence If so present I should see thee not Remember thee Thou art Glorified in Heaven Thou wast Crucified on earth It 's this I remember I Remember but doe not Offer Heb. 9. 25 26 28. Heb. 9. 24. Col. 1. 20. this That thou didst once I Commemorate not Râ—iterate often The Propiatory Sacrifice is Thine the Eucharisticall Mine That was on the Crosse this is in the Eucharist This I 1 Cor. 11 26. doe that I Remember The Memory of that I offer the Tragedy I doe not act What was in Sacrifice is here in Sacrament This is all that I doe and neede to doe and can doe if all in Remembrance of thee 6. So then My Soule and Body have both to doe in this Businesse of thine But my Soule more then my Body My Soule is Chief Minister to wait upon thee in this Mysterie My senses but handmaids to wait upon my Soule Sight Touch Tast Smell all to bring the more to my minde and reach the better to my Memory Thy Bodily Presence makes a True 1 Cor. 11. 29. 1 Cor. 1â— 30 31. Eucharist Mine if minde be away to me but a Mock-Sacrament To thee but a Mock-Service and will convey to me a Reall Judgement but a Mock-Salvation What
Pander to take the World for thy Love have not lesse in thy Heart then thy God and his Heaven 6. O my Soul Thou art the Bodies Lord Take then her Homage Let her serve thee not undoe thee Doe thou Act Gods Will and let it execute thine e Rom. 6. 19. But do not thou its the Will of thy Handmaid the Lust of the Flesh Let not Her Senses wooe thee to Vanities To doe pleasure to the Body bring not Paine on the Soul Make not thy Body thy God f Phil. 3. 19. lest thou make thy Self a Devill Damn'd for ever for not doing thy duty better to Almighty God and thy Selfe O my Soul An Angels Peere g Psal 8. 5. make not thy self a Devills Fellow h Joh. 6. 70 Sell not thy Lordship for Slavery and Misery to Boot If thou be not Lord but serve thy Servant never Earth saw none but Hell will harbour such a Slave 7. O My Soule Thou art Soveraigne i Rom. 6. 12. 23. in Man Under God Supreme over all that is in him Wilt thou be thy Subjects Subject Shall the Law of the Members be the Minds Law Rom. 6. 23 The Senses are thy handmaids O thou Princess of Heaven Shall they be the Chiefe Commanders of thy Life Wilt thou only move goe run refuse chuse as they Command O what a basnesse is this to be so unworthy to thy Maker and Nature And yet say O my Soule Speak out of Conscience and say Is not Sense the great Leader and Appetite l Rom. 8. 1 the Ruler of thy Life whilest Reason and Diviner Vnderstanding Lackie after their Desires and the Members are mere Drudges for them O my Soule The Soveraigne of God be not so much Subject to the Devill as to be led at his lust m Tim. 2. 26. by the Lure of Sense to satisfie the Flesh against Gods Law and thy Reason To a life which he himselfe though most wicked doth not lead For though Spirituall wickednesse abound in him n Ephes 6. 12. the Bodily is below him If thou wiâ—t be so base be not more then the Devill 8. O My Soule Thou Free-borne Child of Eternity Heire of Immensity Daughter of Him who is beyond all bounds of Time and Being The Body is but thy Prison Thou art shut up in o 1 Cor. 4. 2. 4. Walls of mud within the Gates of sense why then dost thou delight in a Prison before thy Palace And chuse a Bodily restraint before a Spirits p Rom. 8. 21. Liberty Is it blisse to be in bondage Are Chaines of Iron better then Gold Fetters before Freedome Even Earth is but a Gaole to Heaven q Rom. 8. 23. What a Little ease then doth the Spirit finde in so little a spot of Earth O doe not destroy thy Spirituall Liberty r Rom. 6. 16. Tit. 3. 2. by a Bodily Licentiousnesse Love not thy Gaole before thy Delivery lest thou be cast into that Gaole whence none is Delivered s Mat. 5. 25. It 's just with God most just that the Soule which chuseth the Devills Chaine before Gods Liberty should have the Devils Prison for Gods Palace And be his slave in Hell for ever that would not for a time be Gods servant on Earth Dove of God fly to Heaven Spiritus quisque ales est Tert. Cant. 2. 14 Amor temporalium viseus Spiritualium Belime not thy Spiritual wings in slime and mud Doe not Crow-like feed on Carrion and like a blind Beetle place thy blisse in dirt Sell not thy Selfe to buy a Gaole when thou givest a Palace for the Purchase and thy selfe to the bargaine t Mat. 16. 26. and hast nothing but Shackles and Tortures to boot 9. O My Soule Thou art Gods Jewel u Mal. 3. 17. the Body thy Casket Why then dost thou prefer her good to thy welfare Must the jewell be burnt to Save the Casket from the Fire Nay w Mat. 5. 30. it 's not so much It is at once to Fire casket and jewel to cast both together into Hel Fire Sardanapalus-like with all his bundles and heaps of worldly Treasures to make up one funerall pile and perish together for ever Body and Soule O Bright Diamond of Heaven Divinae particulam aurae Sparke of the Divinity Ray of Divinest Glory Set in the foile of Flesh for a Time till taken up and kept in Gods owne Cabinet for ever what dost thou on the Devills Finger Why dost thou doe him honour and worke x Joh. 8. 44. What dost thou under the Bodies Foot O my Soule looke better to thy selfe Burne the Casket if need be to Save the Jewell the Body to save the Soule So Holy Martyrs z Dan. 3. 28. Heb. 11. 34. did But not the Jewel to save the Casket the Soule to save the Body that filthy Epicures doe * Luk. 12. 19. And thy end O my Soule be a Saints not an Epicures 10. O My Soule The Purchase of Christ a Act. 20. 28. 1 Pet. 1. 19 Bought with no lesse then Gods owne Bloud the Bloud of the Son of God! Why dost thou Sell that so cheap b Isa 55. 2. which cost thy Saviour so Deare For the World which is Nothing c Pro. 23. 5 for vanity which is lesse d Psa 39. 7. Eccl. 1. 2. For a litle of that vanity which is lesse yet then what is lesse then that nothing e Isa 40. 17 Why hath that which cost more f 1 Tim. 2. 6. then Ten Thousand worlds are worth least of thy care and cost If thy Body be Sick thou wilt have Physick if wounded Salve if naked Cloths if hungry bread no rate no paine is spared for it But the pretious Soule may lie Sick of Sin g Psa 41. 4 wounded by guilt h Pro. 78. 14. stript of innocence i Ezek. 16. 22. starv'd for grace k Amos 8. 11. and nothing is given or done to helpe it For my Soul What is Gods price for his helpe but mans Labour Two mites worth of paines * Due miâ—uta carc anima Ber. is all thy l Isa 55. 2 owne and thy Bodies and yet thou wilt bate one if not keep both from him Wouldst thou lose a life that wilt not quit a state an honour a friendship for him Dost thou give him thy Soul that wilt not leave a bad custome or base lust to serve him But O my Soule no more of these neglects I charge thee by thy Heavenly Birth and Parentage by thy Immortall Substance and Durance by thy Pretious Ransome the Deare Bloud of God Value thy welfare more Seek the Bodies lesse thinke not Gods price too great mans Labour for his happinesse when the Son of God thought not his Sweat too much his Bloud for the Price O thou deare and Pretious Peice and Purchase of Divinest Architect and device Detect this Serpentine Policy
of the Devill who because he once got Eternity for an Apple thinkes to Tempt away thy Salvation for nothing And therefore would have thee all for the Body that nothing may be done for the Salvation of the Soul Dear one thou wast not Ransom'd be not Ruin'd for nothing And now O my Soul Spirituall Immortall Intellectuall The lively Image The Dear Spouse of God Lord Paramount and Soveraigne Power in Man The Free and High-borne Child and Heire of Eternity Delight and Darling-Gemme of Heaven Most precious Purchase and Inheritance of the Sonne of God Doe not O doe not abuse and lose thy selfe in Bodily Sensualities and for Half a satisfaction scarce to the half of Man and but a Moment on Earth sell away Salvation in full of Soul and Body in Heaven for ever For What shall it profit a man to gaine the whole World and lose his owne Mat. 16. 27 Soul or What shall a man give in exchange for his Soul The Summe of this Soliloquie is The Soule is Spirit Sinne turnes it Flesh The Soule is Immortall Sin makes it Die The Soule is Noble Sinne makes it Base The Soule is Lord Sinne makes it Slave The Soule is Soveraigne Sin makes it Subject The Soule is God-like Sinne make it Beast The Soule is Gods Spouse Sin makes it Strumpet The Soule is Gods Jewell Sinne casts it in Fire The Soule is Free-borne Sinne keeps it in Prison The Soule is Gods Purchase Sinne mâ—kes it away Animadversion to the Devout Reader Touching the second and third Soliloquies IF some things in them seeme to be set more sutable for a Court then Cotage and possible in setled then troubled times as supposing a greatnesse which thou perhaps hast not and requiring a Church-Duty which thou canst not doe thou dost not guesse amisse at the Authors aime nor doth he thinke thee to move and make thy Scruple amisse For removall of which that no barre may be from him betwixt thee and thy Benefit receive this satisfaction for both 1. What is not proper may be profitable for thee and if not directly concerne thee by consequent If the Great be disputed out of all their Excuses and Customes which are pleaded and practised to the neglect or injury of Gods Private or Publique Service the mean are thereby concluded if so faulty to fail their Duty without all Apologie oâ— Plea 2. What is not possible doth not concern thee And what is unjustifiable should be impossible Such is sometimes the Publick Id possumus quod jure possunus use of Religion in the Church Take heed of the Principle as both false and perrilous that whatsoever is in the Church thou must be at it So in Aegypt thou mightest Worship a Crocodile and at Rome must goe to Masse If without Sinne then I cannot I must 1 Cor. 10. 20. 21. not goe So to Separate is not to be a Separatist nor can such absence be impious Provided that the Judgement of Sinne and the Service be right and hate 2 Cor. 6. 17. not love of Schisme make the Separation Thus caution'd thou maist read even those Soliloquies without Scruples and for the rest there is no cause of any as fit without Dispute for all Nor dost thou more in this then in Reading King Davids Psalmes or Saint Austins Soliloquies Psal 42. wherein all things are profitable though not pertinent to every one For one particular Soliloquie will no more fit every Soul then one Shoe any Foot So then where it fits thy Soul make it thy Soliloquie where it doth not thy History Monday-Soliloquie Domesticall-Devotion OR A Soliloquie Inviting and Enabling the Soule to a Privacy of Piety and Discharge of Daily Duty in Secret and Closet Prayers HEare O my Soule What is required to the Service of God For as thou dost know Joh. 13. 17 it in vaine if thou dost not doe it So thou canst not doe it aright Prov. 19. 2 if thou dost not know it Know then O my Soule As Thou art of thy selfe One and One of the World thou dost owe and must pay Almighty God the Maker of Thee and It a Private and a Publike Service In the Closet God must see it In the Church Man must behold it There Deare Child Speake freely for thy Selfe to God be thy owne Priest and Mouth in Secret and doubt not but thy Heavenly Father will grant and Seale thy Suits But Here let thy Mother * The Church Mal. 2. 7. Speake for thee and Her Priest Gods lips be thy Mouth unto Almighty God The Closet is thy Particular Church but the Church the Common Sanctuary For Gods Sake then be Reverend there but here both for Mans and Gods Neglect not Deare Soule neglect not thy Daily Sacrifice Morning and Evening offer up thy Service to Allmighty God Open the Day with this Holy Key that the blessing of the light may be upon thee shut up the Night with the same Key that the curse of Darknesse doe not seize thee Dare not to eat nor stir till thou hast Prayed thy Passe from Heaven lest Mischiefe meet thee before night and hale thee to thy Grave Doe not dare to rest or sleep till thou hast beg'd thy Pardon for the guilts of the day least Judgewent surprize thy Soule before the Luk. 12. 20 Morrow My Soul These are thy Visits and Entertainments of Almighty God and doe not O doe not to give Man his neglect Gods Visits He is the Greatest Person serve him therefore first Be not guilty of that rudenesse to thy Heavenly Father which thou abhorrest as uncivill to a Noble Person Let Him stay and waite for thee whilst thou entertainest thy selfe with some Sorry one Leave not a Prince to goe to a Peasant Thy Prayers and Addresses to Almighty God to Entertaine any earthly one whatsoever Alas my Soul In Comparison of the Mighty God the Greatest Man is not so much Isay 40. 17. Job 34. 19 Psal 91. 11. as a Peasant to the Mightyest Prince When thou art with God Angels are with thee O my Soul And doe not turne thy back on Angels to goe to Men though Saints and much lesse to such as appeare in sinfull shape like Devills And though thou be no Priest nor Professed Recluse bound by Canons to set Houres yet my Soul thou shalt do God and thy selfe but right to set keep some set times of Devotion Thou canst doe so much for thy Bodily Health thou shouldst for thy Soules Observing that Rule brings better health for a Time but keeping this Order makes healthy and happy for ever And if thou dost as thou maist observe thy Physitians Prescripts my Soul thou must not neglect Diviner Directions Their best end is that the Body may be more Serviceable to the Soul But the aime of those better that the Soul may be most Serviceable to Almighty God And if thou dost resolutely set and observe thy Howers who will disturb thee Even the most profane
quiet that thou dost serve God at home when others Worship him at Church That 's good in it time O my Soul when Sicknesse or Necessity confines thee to a House a Sacrifice acceptable to God but else an offering of an ill and offensive Savour to God and man like meat out of Season At other timies it looks like an Integrity and Holinesse but now like a Singularity and boldnesse Be not thou no not in thy Closet Gods little Chappell when others are at his Greater the Church Thou must not put him to a Private Audience when he hath appointed thee a Publick But for him to see thee in thy Bed when he looks for thee in his Court To Spie thee at thy Glasse when thou shouldst be looking in His Word To be found at thy Jam. 1. 23. Dresses when thou shouldst be at thy Prayers To be taking or giving Addresses to man when thou shouldst be making them to God O My Soule When thou wouldst have God to loath thee let such postures of Profanenesse appeare in thee My Soule My Soule Believest thou God hath his Day of Doome I know thou believest I charge thee then as thou wilt answer it at that Dreadfull day by no means unless the plea be just Heb. 10. 25 before God by no meanes for these or any such like ends be bestowed in thy Chamber when others are assembled at Church All excuses set aside which Conscience dare not avow at that great Audit behave thy selfe more like a Saint and Servant of God be found and seen where they are in the Sanctuarie Deare Soul If thou dost otherwaies where canst thou be better found Are there better Companions then Saints and Angels Is any Greater then God Any Nobler Employment then to wait on Divine Majesty Any happier place then Heaven Any weightier businesse then Happinesse Loe They and This are here Saints Ministring Psal 74. 7. House of Glory Isay 6. 8. Gen. 28. 17. Regia Dei ipsum coelii Chrys Ezek. 46. 10. 2 Chro. 23 13. 2 Chro. 6. 13. Angels Assisting God Residing Heaven Appearing Happinesse Working Heaven in figure is before thee the Gate by thee and where is happinesse but in Heaven What then Thinkest thou any too great to serve God I know thou art too good to thinke it too wise to believe it The Prince hath his Pillar in Gods Temple There Great Solomon Kneeles * Eccl. Hist Eus de V. C. l. 4 c. 33. Stans concionem audit alitâ—r renuit rogatus licet Constantine Stands before Him Wert thou Prince King Emperour never so great a Man Nay Cherubim Seraphim Throne never so great an Angell it would be thy Honour to be his Minister And dost thou a Man no Angel a Worm no Man dost thou distaine on Earth what they doe in Heaven Dost thou Dan. 7. 10. Apoc. 4. 10 Job 4. 18 19. Psal 2â— 6. despise what the greatest have done on Earth Or dost thou pretend affairs when Crowns are noe Excuses Nay therefore My Soule wait on God the rather that he without whose blessing all Designes are vaine may Psal 127. 1. Prov. 19. 21. Prov. 16. 3. speed thy Dispatches and Prosper thy Affaires But If thou hast either sense of thy Makers Honour or thy own Salvation If any love to God or man be in thee If any care of Piety or Prosperity If not given up to an utter neglect of thy owne and others wordly and heavenly welfare I charge thee O My Soule and recharge thee Take heed and tremble to keepe others from Church unnecessarily to wait upon thee at home when thou and they should be waiting on God in his Sanctuarie Art thou their God that to attend thy Will they must neglect His Worship Or art thou the Greater God that thou must be served before Him An Idoll thou maist be sure a God thou art not So Hic fur est lâ—â—ro qui furari voluit gloriam â—uam Deuâ— 14. 26. thou Robbest God of his Honour and drawest thine into the Robbery O my Soule Be not such a Theife to Heaven Doe but consider it and thou wilt condemne it and never more be Guilty of such high dishonesty Thou must have care that thou and thine Jos 24. 15 House serve the Lord not take course to keep thee and them from his Service The King after Gods owne Psal 42. 4. Heart Went with a multitude into the House of God held not many from it Was one of the Holy Round and Ring of Worshippers not sitting in a Chaire Psal 26. 6. when he should be standing before the Altar not with them about him that should be with him about God! Dear Soul Bring all to Heaven thou canst hinder none from it And though Atheisme sit in the doore of some Lips that dare say Religion is but Policy let it not lurk in any corner of thy Mal. 3. 14. Heart so much as to think Piety an Impertinency A Ceremony to be Exod. 5. 17 done when there is nothing else to doe No my Soul There is no other Rom 6. 22 way to Heaven and the Church is Isa 35. 8. Gods High way What is done and not in Religion or Order to it is Impertinent Eccles 5. 6 all And the Lord keep thee and thine from their Death and Misery whose 1 Cor. 10. 7 1 Pet. 1. 17. Conversation is a meer Pastime and their Life an Impertinency As therefore Philip had his Morning-Memento to tell him he was a Man to keep him from Pride have thou some Evening-Remembrancer to minde thee the Night before the next day is for God to prevent such Profanenesse That by disposing thy self to a Timely rest that Night thou maist have better time and Spirit to serve God on his day Look at late Companies then as Vipers and shake them off as such Wasts of time especially Holy work stings of Conscience It is thy Mothers Counsell The Churches use Saturday is half Holy-day that Sunday may be whole And sure the Devout Mother that would have God thought on that Afternoone would not have him forgot that After-night much lesse neglected on the After-day No my Soul If thou dost honour thy Lord and Saviour thou must not despise His Day The day of the Lord. Nay if thou hast any love to Religion thou canst not For what is that but the Service of the Lord and this but his Day Nay if thou hast any care of happinesse For what is this but thy Saviours Day and how that but because set apart to seek Salvation Thy L d Christ rose this day out of his Grave to save thee and wilt not thou rise out of thy Bed to serve Him Is that the way to uphold an House to pull down the Piller My Soul If Piety have no set day for her Pâ—actise Religion will soone fall to ruine Without that it will not be visible but vanish to nothing and thy Bliâ—se with it For surely
Modesty Tie thy Lips with humble silence shut thy Eares to all Earthly Audience Fix thy Feet to lowly quietnesse Cover thy Body all over with Religious Reverence Yes and shroud thy self under it too For God sees thee as well as Man sees it Here then thy thoughts must mind Heaven and thy Affections not move Earthward On these Wings must Devotion Mount thee to the things above Those below are the businesse of Worldlings not Ezek. 33. 31. 1 Tim. 5. 8. Eccl. 5 1. Saints Admitted into the House but banished the Church Look to thy foot When thou comest to the House of God Set it right towards Heaven yea and keep it so when thou art in the House let it not wander when it is well set What is thy Foot my Soul Sure thy self art one the Body * Gressum 1. mentis 2. Corporis Olymp. per Synecd partis is the other foot Thou must look to both Thoughts and Gestures Affections and Actions Dispositions and Demeanours both must be look'd to How dreadfull is this place If reverend Gen. 28. 17. dread to make it Ridiculous Dare not Laugh in Gods Face Doe not then in Gods Church Doe not 2 Chro. 7. 14. Psal 100. 1 2 Chro. 7. 16. Jer. 7. 10. Jam. 4. 8. Chat in his Presence Dare not then talk there Dare not Gaze before Gods Eye Let not thine rove in his House If vaine thoughts and foul lusts do come bid them be gone They are no Objects for Gods Eye Here thy Eares must be shut to all Words but Gods Thy Lips watcht from all speech but Prayers Thy Eyes open to no fights but Angels Thy Mind left to no motions but for Heaven God and that and they are there and thou must doe all reverence before the Majesty Levit. 19. 30. 1 Cor. 11. 10. of Heaven Reverence my Sanctuary Yes because thy self O God! And thy Angels are there with thy self O Lord Rudenesse is fitter for Ruffians then Angels no Demeanour for Saints A rude Presence is worse then a plaine Absence for that my Soul is a neglect of God this a Scorne upon Him That to Man seemes an Offence 1 Cor. 11. 17. 1 Cor. 14. 23. 25. 1 Cor. 14. 23. 1 Cor. 10. 32. this is a Visible Scandall Yea to a Multitude As many as be Congregated to serve God and see that Sauciness before Him Better then my Soul not attend God then Affront him and be out of Mans sight when he is before God then a Moat in his Eye and when he is on his way to Heaven to lay a stumbling block before him Plead not Custome in Excuse Saints Levit. 18. 30. 1 Cor. 10. 3â— Jud. ver 6. never had it and thou must not use the Haunts of Sinners Gods Dues must not be paid to the Devils Customes Not keeping Order in Heaven made Angels Devils Not keeping Decorum in the Church will not make Men Angels Before God they Adore and Tremble Where shall they be that are so Bold before him My Soul Isay 6. 2. Apoc. 4. 10. 5. 14. were it possible for thee to be a Saint an Angel and Rude thou shouldst either never come to or never keep in Heaven Break then the Bands of such Customes as the Chains of Death Go Prov. 5. 22 to Church as to Heaven and carry thy selfe there as thou wouldst keep in it Be Reverent as thou wiâ—t be blest No Recusant to it nor Miscreant in it If others be have no more Fellowship with them that have no more fear of God That when they Psal 5. 7. Ezek. 28. 16. go whither the Spirit of Profaneness leads them thou maist go to Heaven And when to appear at the Holy Eucharist O my Soul Array thy self 1 Cor. 10. 28 29. with all possible Reverence then Bodie and Heart let both Kneel not to Adora Communica Aug. 2 Sam. 9. 7 8. the Holy Elements but thy Maker For my Soul when thou a poor miserable wretched-sinfull Creature art admitted to Communion so near Communion with the Eternall God thy Almighty and All holy Creatour canst Psal 99. 5. thou be too Humble Did thy Face kisse the Earth when thy Knee doth touch it couldst thou go too low to a Majesty so High And yet in this Holy Mysterie as low in Condescending 1 King 7. 27. Goodnesse to thee as high above thee in infinite and incomprehensible Greatness My Soul they are mad who making themselves Coheires with Christ will therefore sit to keep Coequalls with Him At lowest he is thy Lord. Man thy Brother but God-man thy Maker and thy Father Every Communicant is thy Peer but he 1 Cor. 10. 17. Apoc. 15. 3 1 Cor. 10. 21. King of all And his Table not thy Fellowes but the Lords Worship not Fellowship is fit for Gods Board In his House thou art in his Presence but here before his Chair of Estate the Mercy-seat of Almighty Majesty Psa 132. 7 What a Man of Earth and bold so bold before the King of Heaven Even Celestial Spirits cast their Crowns Apoc. 4. 10 down before his Throne shall Dust and Ashes carâ—y up his Crest before Gen. 18. 27. Him my Soul Thou art better taught by an undoubted Divine God is greatly to be feared in the Psal 89. 8. Councel of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him O come let us worship and fall down Psal 95. 6. and kneel before the Lord our Maker The Summe of this Soliloquie is God our Common Maker must have a Publique Service in Common-Prayers and Worship Every Man must pay God this Homage and the Greater he is the greater his Obligation to it There must be a place set apart for that Service and the Church for it is a sacred place As for Holy Duty most fit so for Heavenly regards no place out of Heaven is so lovely and desirable as the Church There must be a time set for Holy Assemblies in it and by Ancient and Vversall use that with Christians is the Lords Day As Profanation so Superstition must be shun'd in the due Observation of that Holy time It 's ill to keep our selves from Church unnecessarily and worse to keep away others If rude and irreverent there as good keep away our selves At Communion-times above all we should be neither absent nor rude VVednesd-Soliloquie Perpetuall-Service OR A Soliloquie directing the Soul in those Duties which must never cease whilst we Live if we will be happy when we Die SEt Houres of Devotion do well O my Soule but that Service is not all To give God two a day and Spend Ten at thy pleasure The truth is Two are set apart to pray that we may Spend all in his Service Which if we doe not as well Endeavour as pray to do we do but Mat. 7. 7. Prov. 28. 9 mispend those two For my Soul Thy Prayers are but Mockeries of
againe and so makes them to be tough My Soul If wel and with wisdom thou canst not be enough but if vaine and ill Conscience may be too much tender And abundance of doubts and scruples will make and prove it so Vaine that 's the Devils Designe But how then wilt thou Defeat him Sure never without the Aids of God and therefore thou must pray his help And often not without the help of Man and therefore thou must take his Aide If the Clock of Conscience stand or goe not even it may be because the Wheels are foul dust disorders the wheeles My Soul what are thy Scruples but those piles of dust scarce visible to the Eye yet hurtfull to the Clock and who then must direct thee Job 33. 29 Isay 50. 9. but some skifull Master in the Art of Soules some upright Judge in the Cases of Conscience If thou then canst not without danger to hurt it let him clean thy Watch and clear thy Dust Or goe to some of Experience Gal. 6. 1. Heb. 5. 14. if thou wantest one of that Skill But not to one Subject to like niceties for their Advice will but confirme and multiply thy Scruples And thy selfe maist concurre with thy Prayers and their Counsels In the Name of God goe on in thy good way and against Common Errours and frailties Encourage thy selfe with Christs merits and Gods mercies Act. 15. 11. Psa 42. 14. 1 Kings 15. 5. Job 42. 7. Phil. 3. 15. Let known good be done and ill shun'd from an upright heart and if any thing fail it will be pardoned and if necessary shall be known Kill Goliah with his owne Sword Scruples by Scruples make Satans Scrues Gods Engines Scrue up thy self to a better and greater care of Godlinesse by the force of thy Scruples What they pretend make them be Movers and Sollicitours for Gods Service And with one Scruple kill all Have them in jealousie for naught Bauds of Satan though in Virgins attire and entertain none but one to Scruple all Scruples Make not shie nay make Conscience of this it s the way to clear all out of Conscience Harder for the Soul where the Body doth assist and the humour of it is as in Melancholike Tempers to raise jealousies and feares For that is to empty a Poâ—le when a Spring feeds it yet even so it may and must be done and because with greater difficulty with better acceptance Look to thy self then O my Soul and cherish not but banish Scruples And so thou must 5. Ghostly Negligences Temptation and Corruptions are the Parents of mans Sinne and Bane Father and Mother of all mischief And Idlenesse is the Mother of both It is Chrys 1 Tim. 5. 13. Pulvinar Satanae the Sewer that takes in all Temptation and the Pool that holds in all Corruption The Devils Pillow where he lies and Sinnes Bed were she conceives and brings forth all Wickednesse O my Soul lay not him a Pillow that comes for thy Death and make not her a Bed that stayes for thy Destruction Believe it where thou dost place the Bed of ease he will set up the chaire of Psal 1. 1. S. Hierome Pestilence The Devout Saint did Ever finding something to doe that the Devill might never finde him at leisure for his Service If he doe even David himself he will put him on desperate and damnable employment It 's said Better be idle then doe nothing But 2 Sam. 11. 2 surely better be doing any thing if not naught then be Idle Thou canst not Nihil agendo malè agere discis Praestat nihil quà m malè agere be idle and do no ill It puts thee into the Schoole of vice and the Devil wil be sure to teach thee Better indeed do nothing then naught for that 's worse then nothing the worst of any thing But as impossible for Waters to stand and not to stink so it is not to doe Luk 12. 43 naught if nothing To be found then at the last day doing well be seen in this ever doing something If not alwayes Act. 9. 39. at Spirituall work at some Civill and innocent employment Though thou needst not work as most for thy Psa 69. 33 Momentum a quo pendet aeteruitas Living thou hast as much to doe as any for thy Life Eternity my Soul that 's thy Life And thy life that 's the time to work for Eternity Thou camest and continuest in the world to doe that work How then darest thou ravell away that pretious threâ—d Trifle away that Time O that God should set so great a price upon it and Man so meane Man Yes my Soule But not every man Man in hell doth not O! If they had as many worlds as Shriekes ten thousand thousand Worlds of Worlds how willingly would they give them all for a little Time Time on earth to Repent and escape the Damnation of hell The depth of whose woe is wailing and wringing their hands and hearts for God lost eternally because time irrecoverably Luc. 13. 28. gone which well laid out in life might have saved that losse And O man on earth wilt thou not be wise till in Hell My Soule Be not thou Psal 90. 12. Psal 34. 5. the man Number thy daies and apply thy heart unto wisdome Pray God thou maist Thou wilt not set it on follie if thou number them Thou wilt finde them few and none to be Spared Thou wilt find many Spent Yea and mispent of those few Thou wilt find Eternity to depend on those poore Remaines Thou wilt finde as Ro. 2. 7 8. 2 Tim. 2. 26. Act. 26. 18 Psal 89. 29. those are past well or ill a happy or a miserable Eternity Thou wilt find that all ill-spent are the Devills none of thy daies And canst thou looke that the Daies of Heaven should be thine when thine on earth are the Devills The Totall is Time is as pretious as Blisse He neither values God nor himselfe that accounts not of his time He that will not lose Eternity must number his dayes And so wilt thou if wise my Soul Redeeme what Eph. 5. 16. 2 Pet. 4. 3. is lost by a better thrift with what is left Now lay out no more on vanity all for Eternity Isa 35. 2 3 Doth not thy Clock of Conscience tell this Though Wheeles good Diall goe right all kept clean yet if not kept going not daily wound up but oft hung by and forgotten will it Rom. 12. 14. strike just so sloth distimes the Conscience It is good and goes well when as Gods Law sets it it keeps due time for good and none for ill doth this GnomoÌ„ ejus Decalogus Heb. 13. 18 never that in season As the point of that there are not twelve but ten houres in this Clock And when it keeps Conformity with Luk. 1. 6. them it points and strikes right but without care to see and have
it goe 2 Pet. 1. 10 right it will not keep it And that must be the more because no clock so soone out of Tune if the care be not much My Soul then if thou wouldst not have Conscience ill be not thou idle Let the clock in thy Eares mind thee of the Clock in thy Breast as the Devout Man did who was wont to say O Lord God! another Granat De. peccat hour of my life is now past and what account can I give thee of it So said he so say thou so oft as thou hearest the Clock And so my Soul thou seest the stops and stumbling-blocks in Gods service shun them and thou wilt better walk on in his wayes Wherefore lift up the hands that hang Heb. 12. 12. down and the feeble knees lest that which is lame be turned out of the way And Take heâ—d lest there be in you an evill Heb. 3. 12. heart of unbelief in departing from the living God The summe of this Soliloquie That God be duly and daily served what hinders must be carefully shun'd There be five great Impediments to true Piety and the constant service of God 1. Ill-Principles are great Impediments viz. That I am good and in good state towards God 1. Because others are worse 2. Because particularly good 3. Because my Heart is honest though not my life 4. Because I am Godly by fits 5. Because of right Religion and Belief 6. Because Ministerially absolv'd if not Penitent 7. Because it is for Cloister'd and Church-men onely to be what others need not strictly Religious 2. Bad Habits are great Bars to Religion because they turne and confirme the Soule against it 3. Leud Companies Inconsistent with good Courses Pests of Souls and to be shund as Plagues 4. Vaine Scruples great Prejudices to Pious Action and Consolation Acts of Satans endlesse Artifice and malice to be avoided much and how 5. Ghostly Negligences Mothers of Sin Nurses of Temptation Satans Advantages Agents Under-values of pretious Time Sellers-away of Eternity which no Treasure else can redeem and it selfe if gone on earth past redemption in Hell where Worlds would be given for a litle Time Friday-Soliloquie Helps to Heaven and Happinesse OR A Soliloquie Acquainting the Soule with such Holy Reliefs and Aides as will much facilitate and further Her Course and Progresse in the waies of Piety in Two Parts First Part. Holy Meditations and Motions Great helps to Piety MY Soule As those Avoidances 1. Division observ'd thou canst hardly be bad so some Releifs being had thou wilt be more easily good And by the Grace of God thou maist receive all those releifs Thy owne Thoughts and Endeavours may contribute all If thou wilt employ thy Mind and Parts to thinke and doe what may advance thee most The Aides are not small which may be brought in by both And first Improve thy Mind for that may doe much by Meditations great Promoters of Piety A Power that can daily mount to Heaven whither the Body till the last day cannot come And how that but by Holy Motions And what are they but such as either goe to or come from Heaven When we Muse of it they goe When moved from it they come What are our Motions to it but Heavenly Meditations And how so But when some good thing of God or Christ is and keeps in mind Four are made famous for that Death and Judgment Heaven and Hell For My Soul Remember thy end and thou shalt never doe amisse And Death is thy first Judgment Eccles 7. 36. Quatour Novissima thy next Heaven or Hel thy last end These four are thy last Nor will sin be in heart whilest they are in minde Nor any thing more move to Duty then to have these in memory Muse then often of those O my Soule And of that first which comes first and how soone who knows 1. Death O Death How bitter is thy Remembrance Ecclus. 41. 1. Yes to a Sinner but most wholsome against Sin My Soul Die thou must And when thou shalt what will be thy Comfort To have wallowed in worldly wealth Swome in sensuall Solaces Arrived at earthly Honors Alas No This will be thy Corrasive Then all these gauds are gone The flowers of thy Paradise all fade and nothing remaines but the snake under them guilt and woe Luk. 16. 26 manet turpitudo Psal 17. 14 Saladini funus Alex. Philosophus Job 14. 17 24. 20. Joh. 11. 43 Woe to thee then if that was thy Heaven Death casts thee out of it If thy Hell to want these it throwes thee into it Then a Sheet is all thy Goods a Grave all thy Land a Coffin all thy House Wormes thy Companions Corruption all thy Kindred Stench thy Perfumes and thy Robes rags of Rottennesse No the onely Comfort then is to have liv'd well to have Isay 38. 3. shun'd ill and so want the sting of the 1 Cor. 15. 56. 2 Pet. 3. 14. Luk. 2. 29. Psal 119. 103. S. Ambros Job 19. 26. Breast To have done good and so have the Peace of the Bosome So to have lived as not to be ashamed to die So to die as to be assured for ever to live O my Soul that wouldst give Worlds to have a little such Comfort at that houre neglect not the provisions of Luk. 19. 42. that Peace in thy day Believe it to entertaine Death with a Smile and Damnation without dread is the sole effect and fruit of a life well led in Gods fear according to good Conscience Phil. 1. 23. Heb. 11. 35. And canst thou think of this and not so live That knowest as surely as thou liv'st thou shalt Die and yet Eccl. 8. 8. no more where or when or how then Eccl. 9. 12. if thou didst never live That knowest the time is past of doing good if not done before thou die and thy Salvation gone if that time be past O dear soul Joh. 9. 4. Eccl. 9. 10. look to the Body that Death doth not surprize both look thou to thy God let it not look after the World that when its Death comes thy Life may begin and it not fear the Prison 2 Cor. 5. 5. of the grave because it shall come out to a joyfull day of Judgement And Joh. 5. 58. of that my Soul have a serious Meditation of 2. Judgement Sinne will not be in thy hand if that be in thy Eye It is the Bridle of vanity and Curb of lust Rejoyce O Eccl. 11. 9. young man in thy youth and let thy heart chear thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thy eyes but know that for all these things God will bring thee unto Judgement Seest thou not my Soul how this is Solomons Bridle To curb and keep in the most Head strong Age youth in his fullest Careere the Heart on his quickest spur the
eye Thou shalt come to Judgement Away Act. 17. 30 31. then with Sin to present execution For how will guilt stand before it and it be without guilt or thou without both Canst thou Cancel it my Soul Calcine Jer. 17. 1. Rom. 2. 15. thy self sooner and Conscience which is the very Quintessence of thy self couldst thou anihilate it thou canst not Providence the everlasting Monuments and Records of all thy Sinnes Apoc. 20. 12. Thou must come to Triall for all For all these things Spare no Sinne then away with all All is book'd for the Barre To an act word thought all Inroll'd though never so secret all is Eccl. 12. 14. Rom. 2. 16 1 Cor. 4. 5 seene writ kept and for all these things God will bring thee to judgement God will Away then and away againe with all Sin Thou maist shift thou maist shuffle for thy selfe with man bribe him bleare him move make the Judge but God the All-wise and All-just God thou canst not delude nor deprave My Soule Methinks 2 Cor. I. 11. thou shouldst not heare Solomon speake but Thunder and quake to Sin Dan. 5. 6. In the midst of all thy frolikes like Belshazzars Hand-writing this should make thee quake O Innocence How pretious wilt thou appeare at that day O the blisse Luc. 6. 23. 21. 18. Mal. 3. 16. Mat. 25. 35. of that breast where thou art found When all thy guilts are cancelled and thy good deeds chronicled and all shall be read before men and Angels to thy endlesse Glory at those great Assizaes O blessed Soule that hast the Acquittance of thy ill deeds and Assurance Act. 3. 19. Ephes 4. 30. of thy good now Sealed and allowed then at that Dreadfull day But Guilt Where wilt thou hide Apoc. 6. 16. Apoc. 20. 13. 2 Cor. 5. 10. thy head Rocks are no shelters they cleave Nor Hills they move Nor Hell it opens before him Appeare thou must endure thou canst not O the Dreadfull Sound that gives the Summons And Sights that usher in His Judgement and thy sad Apparence 1 Thes 4. 16. 1 Cor. 15. 52. 2 Pet. 3. 10 2 Thes 1. 7 Mat. 25. 31 When his Trump shall blow Earth burne Heaven fould Angels wait on him and Devils wait for thee Hell gape Paradise shut upon thee And which is the woe of woes besides all these Dreads that are without thee the worst Devil and fire shal be within Conscience crying out upon thee and condemning thee My Soule If mans barre fright Apo. 6. 16. from Capitall Crimes shall not Gods from Sinfull courses It should it must 2 Pet. 3. 11 Eccl. 12. 13 Joh. 12. 48 it will make thee look to his Law and thy life For if the end of all is that we must be Judged the Summe of all is to see that we be not condemned Let us heare the Summe of the whole matter feare God and keep his Commandements for this is the whole Duety of man For God will bring every worke into judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evill For My Soule As thy works are now thou wilt be found then Acquitted Psal 50. 16. Mat. 25. 34. Rom. 2. 6 7 8. Col. 1. 12. or Condemned Proclaimed Heir of Heaven or Hell Blessed or Accursed for ever A Mate for Angels or Devils In Light or Fire And though it exexceed all entertain thy thoughts a little Maâ— 25. 41 what it is to be in 3. Heaven Surely my Soul If thy thoughts be 2 Pet. 3. 14 in it thy Endeavours will be after it And all thy works on earth but studies for it What thou seekest here Honour Eccl. 1. 13 14. Isay 55. 2. Amos 5. 6. Prov. 1. 28. 32. Pleasure Wealth or whatever good and Iosest thy self in the seeking is to be found all and onely in Heaven There 's Honour To be a Grandee in Gods Court a Mat. 5. 19. To Sit on Christs Throne b Apoc. 3. 21. There 's Glory to shine as the Sun c Mat. 13. 43. A Brother to all Saints a Peere to all Angels d Mat. 22. 30. a Spouse of the Son of God e Apoc. 19. 9. Eph. 2. 6. 2 Cor. 11. 4. f 1 Cor. 13 4. g 2 Cor. 4. 15. h Heb. 12. 28. Honour and no envie Glory and no vanitie State and no change O my Soule What Robe to Immortality i 1 Cor. 15. 53. What Crowne to Eternity k 1 Cor. 9. 25. What Glory to Heaven l 2 Thes 1. 10. There 's Treasure m Luk. 18. 22. Heb. 10. 34. Substanâ—e indeed and Supersufficient n Iâ—ay 64. 4. All good o Mat 24. 47. and Superexcellent p 2 Cor. 4. 17. 2 Pet. 1. 17. and Enduring ever To which Gold is dirt Gems pebles Tissues rags Lands Bogs Palaces piles of mud Indies beggeries Goods which Scorne fire and theef and moth and rust q Luk. 11. 33. and those Millions of Misfortunes and humane Casualâ—ies There 's Pleasure At the Spring Pure r Psal 16. 12. In the River abundant s Psa 36. 8 Nay in the Ocean infinite t Mat. 25. 21. Not as that on earth momentanie u Job 20. 5 mixt as of mans nay foule as of w Pro. 14. 13. beasts x 2 Pet. 2. 12 13. but Eternall Incomprehensible cleare in the Soveraigne Beatificall good The joy of the Lord. All onely rightly and ever joy There 's Company y 1 Pet. 1. 8. The worst Saints Angels a Heb. 12. 22. The best the Trinities Gods b 1 Thes 4 7. Society The Fathers Sons Holy Ghosts in mutuall c 1 Cor. 1. 9 Phil. 2. 1. 1 Joh. 1. 3. Individuall ineffable d Joh. 17. 22. indivisible e Joh. 16. 20. concord and the Contentments of most intimate affections and unity f Apoc. 15 3. Apoc. 5. 8. 14. 2. 18. 22. There 's Melody The Songs of Saints to the Harps of Angels A Quire of both chaunting Everlasting Anthems with all heavenly harmony to their Makers and thy Redeemers glory g Apoc. 5. 9. 13. 2 Cor. r 2. 4 1 Cor. 2. 9 O My Soule If tongue cannot tell what St. Paul heard when but rapt into this Paradise how should mortall mind conceive the delights of Beatificall Vision Deare Soule Made and Redeem'd for those delights Why dost thou deigne Earth any Anie but such as are Akin or not Strange to these Phil. 4. 4. Why seems any Duty difficult that Heb. 12. 2. Jam. 1. 2. 12. Rom. 8. 14 brings to them Canst thou doe Canst thou Suffer too much for them Is it possible to be too much Saint or Martyr to get them If thou give Skin flesh bloud head heart life to the Knife Fire Sword Axe Gibbet Heb. 11. 34 35 36 37. Saw Rack Caldron or what ever torture comes it not cheap If for a