a vile price and to wash the feet of him that took moneâ— for thy life and to give to him and to all thy Apostles thy most holy Body and Blood to become a Sacrifice for their sins even for their betraying and denying thee and for all my sins even for my crucifying thee afresh and for such sins which I am ashamed to think but that the greatnesse of my sins magnifie the infinitenesse of thy mercies who didst so great things for so vile a person Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus who being to depart the World didst comfort thy Apostles powring out into their ears and hearts treasures of admirable discourses who didst recommend them to thy Father with a mighty charity and then didst enter into the Garden set with nothing but Bryers and sorrowes where thou didst suffer a most unspeakable agony until the sweat strain'd through thy pure skin like drops of blood and there didst sigh and groan and fall flat upon the earth and pray and submit to the intolerable burden of thy Fathers wrath which I had deserved and thou sufferedst Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus who hast sanctified to us all our natural infirmities and passions by vouchsafing to be in fear and trembling and sore amazement by being bound and imprisoned by being harrassed and drag d with cords of violence and rude hands by being drench d in the brook in the way by being sought after like a thief and us'd like a sinner who wert the most holy and the most innocent cleaner then an Angel and brighter then the Morning-Star Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus and blessed be that loving kindnesse and pity by which thou didst neglect thy own sorrows and go to comfort the sadnesse of thy Disciples quickning their dulnesse incouraging their duty arming their weaknesse with excellent precepts against the day of trial Blessed be that humility and sorrow of thine who being Lord of the Angels yet wouldest need and receive comfort from thy servant the Angel who didst offer thy self to thy persecutors and madest them able to seiz thee and didst receive the Traytors kisse sufferedst a veil to be thrown over thy holy face that thy enemies might not presently be confounded by so bright a lusâ—re and wouldest do a miracle to cure a wound of one of thy spiteful enemies and didst reprove a zealous servant in behalf of a malicious adversary and then didst go like a Lamb to the slaughter without noise or violence or resistance when thou couldest have commanded millions of Angels for thy guard and rescue Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus and blessed be that holy sorrow thou didst suffer when thy Disciples fled and thou wert left alone in the hands of cruel men who like evening Wolves thirsted for a draught of thy best blood and thou wert led to the house of Annas and there asked insnaring questions and smitten on the face by him whose ear thou hadst but lately healed and from thence wert dragged to the house of Cajaphas and there all night didst endure spittings affronts scorn contumelies blowes and intolerable insolencies and all this for man who was thy enemy and the cause of all thy sorrows Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus and blessed be thy mercy who when thy servant Peter denied thee and forsook thee and forswore thee didst look back upon him and by that gracious and chiding look didst call him back to himself and thee who wert accused before the High Priest and rail'd upon and examined to evil purposes and with designes of blood who wert declar'd guilty of death for speaking a most necessary and most profitable truth who wert sent to Pilate and â—ound innocent and sent to Herod and still found innocent and wert arrayed in white both to declare thy innocence and yet to deride thy person and wert sent back to Pilate and examined again and yet nothing but innocence found in thee and malice round about thee to devour thy life which yet thou wert more desirous to lay down for them then they were to take it from thee Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus and blessed be that patience and charity by which for our sakes thou wert content to be smitten with canes and have that holy face which Angels with joy and wonder do behold be spit upon and be despised when compar'd with Barabbas and scourg'd most rudely with unhallowed hands till the pavement was purpled with that holy blood and condemned to a sad and shameful a publick and painful death and arayed in Scarlet and crown'd with thorns and strip'd naked and then cloth'd and loaden with the crosse and tormented with a tablet stuck with nails at the fringes of thy garment and bound hard with cords dragged most vilely and most piteously till the load was too great and did sink thy tender and virginal body to the earth and yet didst comfort the weeping women and didst more pity thy persecutors then thy self and wert grieved for the miseries of Jerusalem to come forty years after more then for thy present passion Lord what is man c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus and blessed be that incomparable sweetnesse and holy sorrow which thou sufferedst when thy holy hands and feet were nailed upon the crosse and the crosse being set in a hollownesse of the earth did in the fall rend the wounds wider and there naked and bleeding sick faint wounded and despised didst hang upon the weight of thy wounds three long hours praying for thy persecutors satisfying thy Fathers wrath reconciling the penitent thief providing for thy holy and afflicted mother tasting vineger and gall and when the fulnesse of thy suffering was accomplished didst give thy soul into the hands of God and didst descend to the regions of longing souls who waited for the revelation of this thy day in their prisons of hope and then thy body was transfixed with a spear and issued forth two Sacraments Water and blood and thy body was compos'd to burial and dwelt in darkness 3 dayes and 3 nights Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou thus visitest him The prayer Thus O blessed Jesu thou didst finish thy holy passion with pain and anguish so great that nothing could be greater then it except thy self and thy own infinite mercy and all this for man even for me then whom nothing câ—uld be more miserable thy self onely excepted who becamest so by undertaking our guilt and our punishment And now Lord who hast done so much for me be pleased onely to make it effectual to me that it may not be uselesse and lost as to my particular lest I become eternally miserable and lost to all hopes and possibilities of comfort All this deserves more
seeth not therefore the land is full of blood and the city full of perversenesse What a childe would do in the eye of his Father and a Pupil before his Tutor and a Wife in the presence of her Husband and a servant in the sight of his Master let us alwayes do the same for we are made a spectacle to God to Angels and to men we are alwayes in the sight and presence of the Allseeing and Almighty God who also is to us a Father and a Guardian a Husband and a Lord. Prayers and Devotions according to the religion and purposes of the foregoing Considerations I. For grace to spend our time well O Eternal God who from all eternity doest behold and love thy own glories and perfections infinite and hast created me to do the work of God after the manner of men and to serve thee in this generation and according to my capacities give me thy grace that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time so as I may best prevent or resist all temptations and be profitable to the Christian Common-wealth and by discharging all my duty may glorifie thy Name Take from me all slothfulnesse and give me a diligent and an active spirit and wisdom to choose my imployment that I may do works proportionable to my person and to the dignity of a Christian and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity that when the Devil assaults me he may not finde me idle and my dearest Lord at his sudden coming may finde me busie in lawful necessary and pious actions improving my talent intrusted to me by thee my Lord that I may enter into the joy of my Lord to partake of his eternal felicities even for thy mercie sake and for my dearest Saviours sake Amen Here follows the devotion of ordinary dayes for the right imployment of those portions of â—ime which every day must allow for religion The first prayers in the Morning as soon as we are dressed Humbly and reverently compose your self with heart lift up to God and your head bowed and meekly kneeling upon your knees say the Lords Prayer after which use the following Collects or as many of them as you shall choose Our Father which art in Heaven c. I. An act of adoration being the song that the Angels sing in Heaven HOly Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Heaven and Earth Angels and Men the Aire and the Sea give glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne who liveth for ever and ever All the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous cast their crowns before the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty Just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Thy wisdom is infinite thy mercies are glorious and I am not worthy O Lord to appear in thy presence before whom the Angels hide their faces O Holy and Eternal Jesus Lamb of God who wert slain from the beginning of the world thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne with thee for ever Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen II. An act of thanksgiving being the song of David for the Morning SIng praises unto the Lord O ye saints of his and give thanks to him for a remembrance of his holinesse For his wrath indureth but the twinkling of an eye and in his pleasure is life heavinesse may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Thou Lord hast preserved me this night from the violence of the spirits of darknesse from all sad casualtyes and evil accidents from the wrath which I have every day deserved thou hast brought my soul out of hell thou hast kept my life from them that go down into the pit thou hast shewed me marvellous great kindesse and hast blessed me for ever the greatnesse of thy glory reacheth unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing O my God I will give thanks unto thee for ever Allelujah III. An act of oblation or presenting our selves to God for the day MOst Holy and Eternal God Lord and Soveraigne of all the creatures I humbly present to thy divine Majesty my self my soul and body my thoughts and my words my actions and intentions my passions and my sufferings to be disposed by thee to thy glory to be blessed by thy providence to be guided by thy counsel to be sanctified by thy spirit and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory for nothing can perish which is under thy custody and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion nor take it out of thy hands This day O Lord and all the dayes of my life I dedicate to thy honour and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace and the religion of all my dayes to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour Jesus that in him and for him I may be pardoned and accepted Amen IV. An act of repentance or contrition FOr as for me I am not worthy to be called thy servant much lesse am I worthy to be thy son for I am the vilest of sinners and the worst of men a lover of the things of the world and a despiser of the things of God proud and envious lustful and intemperate greedy of sin and impatient of reproof desirous to seem holy and negligent of being so transported with interest fool'd with presumption and false principles disturb'd with anger with a peevish and unmortified spirit and disordered by a whole body of sin and death Lord pardon all my sins for my sweetest Saviours sake thou who didst dye for me Holy Jesus save me and deliver me reserve not my sins to be punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance but wash away my sins and blot them out of thy remembrance and purifie my soul with the waters of repentance and the bloud of the crosse that for what is past thy wrath may not come out against me and for the time to come I may never provoke thee to anger or to jealousie O just and dear God be pitiful and gracious to thy servant Amen V. The prayer or petition BLesse me gracious God in my calling to such purposes as thou shalt choose for me or imploy me in Relieve me in all my sadnesses make my bed in my ficknesse give me patience in my sorrows confidence in thee and grace to call upon thee in all temptations O be thou my
discompose my duty or turn me from the wayes of thy Commandements O let thy Spirit dwell with me for ever and make my soul just and charitable full of honesty full of religion resolute and constant in holy purposes but inflexible to evil Make me humble and obedient peaceable and pious let me never envy any mans good nor deserve to be despised my self and if I be teach me to bear it with meeknesse and charity V. GIve me a tender conscience a conversation discreet and aâ—fable modest and patient liberal and obliging body a chaste and healthful competency of living according to my condition contentednesse in all estates a resigned will and mortified affections that I may be as thou wouldst have me and my portion may be in the lot of the righteous in the brightnesse of thy countenance and the glories of eternity Amen Holy is our God * Holy is the Almighty * Holy is the Immortal Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath have mercy upon me A form of Prayer for the evening to be said by such who have not time or opportunity to say the publick prayers appointed for this office I. O Eternal God Great Father of Men and Angels who hast established the Heavens and the Earth in a wonderful order making day and night to succeed each other I make my humble addresse to thy Divine Majesty begging of thee mercy protection this night ever O Lord pardon all my sins my light and rash words the vanity and impiety of my thoughts my unjust and uncharitable actions and whatsoever I have transgressed against thee this day or at any time before Behold O God my soul is troubled in the remembrance of my sins in the frailty and sinfulnesse of my flesh exposed to every temptation and of it self not able to resist any Lord God of mercy I earnestly beg of thee to give me a great portion of thy grace such as may be sufficient and effectual for the mortification of all my sins and vanities and disorders that as I have formerly served my lust and unworthy desires so now I may give my self up wholly to thy service and the studies of a holy life II. BLessed Lord teach me frequently and sadly to remember my sins and be thou pleased to remember them no more let me never forget thy mercies and do thou still remember to do me good Teach me to walk alwayes as in thy presence Ennoble my soul with great degrees of love to thee and configne my spirit with great fear religion and veneration of thy holy Name and laws that it may become the great imployment of my whole life to serve thee to advance thy glory to root out all the accursed habits of sin that in holinesse of life in humility in charity in chastity and all the ornaments of grace I may by patience wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Amen III. Teach me O Lord to number my dayes that I may apply my heart unto wisdom ever to remember my last end that I may not dare to sin against thee Let thy holy Angels be ever present with me to keep me in all my wayes from the malice and violence of the spirits of darknesse from evil company and the occasions and opportunities of evil from perishing in popular judgements from all the wayes of sinful shame from the hands of all mine enemies from a sinful life and from despair in the day of my death Then O brightest Jesu shine gloriously upon me let thy mercies and the light of thy Countenance sustain me in all my agonies weaknesses and temptations Give me opportunity of a prudent and spiritual Guide and of receiving the holy Sacrament let thy loving spirit so guide me in the wayes of peace and safety that with the testimony of a good conscience and the sense of thy mercies and refreshment I may depart this life in the unity of the Church in the love of God and a certain hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and most blessed Saviour Amen Our Father c. Another form of Evening Prayer which may also be used at bed-time Our Father c. I Will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help My help cometh of the Lord which made heaven and earth He will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The sun shall not smite thee by day neither the moon by night The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth for evermore Glory be to the Father c. I. VIsit I beseech thee O Lord this habitation with thy mercy and me with thy grace and salvation Let thy holy Angels pitch their tents round about and dwell here that no illusion of the night may abuse me the spirits of darknesse may not come neer to hurt me no evil or sad accident oppresse me and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in my soul and body filling every corner of my heart with light and grace Let no deed of darknesse overtake me and thy blessing most blessed God be upon me for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen II. INto thy hands most blessed Jesu I commend my soul and body for thou hast redeemed both with thy most precious blood So blesse and sanctifie my sleep unto me that it may be temperate holy and safe a refreshment to my wearied body to enable it so to serve my soul that both may serve thee with a never failing duty O let me never sleep in sin or death eternal but give me a watchful a prudent spirit that I may omit no oportunity of serving thee that whether I sleep or wake live or die I may be thy servant and thy childe that when the work of my life is done I may rest in the bosom of my Lord till by the voice of the Archangel the trump of God I shall be awakened and called to sit down and feast in the eternal supper of the Lamb. Grant this O Lamb of God for the honour of thy mercies and the glory of thy name O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen III. BLessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus who hath sent his Angels and kept me this day from the destruction that walketh at noon and the arrow that flyeth by day and hath given me his Spirit to restrain me from those evils to which my own weaknesses and my evil habits and my unquiet enemies would easily betray me Blessed and for ever hallowed be thy name for that never ceasing showre os blessing by which I live and am content and blessed and provided for in all necessities and set forward in my duty and way to heaven * Blessing honour
Death Hear my Prayer O Lord and let my crying come unto thee * Hide not thy face from me in the time of my trouble incline thine ear unto me when I call O hear me and that right soon * For my dayes are consumed like smoaâ— my bones are burnt up as it were a firebrand * My heart is smitten down withered like grass so that I forget to eat my bread that because of thine indignation and wrath for thou hast taken me up cast me down * Thine arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore There is no health in my flesh because of thy displeasure neither is there any rest in my bones by reason of my sin * My wickednesâ—es are gone over my head and are a sore burden too heavy for me to bear * But I will confesse my wickednesse and be sorry for my sin * O Lord rebuke me not in thy indignation neither chasten me in thy displeasure * Lord be merciful unto me heal my soul for I have sinned against thee Have mercy upon me O God after thy great goodnesse according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences * O remember not the sins and offences of my youth but according to thy mercy think thou upon me O Lord for thy goodnesse * Wash me thoroughly from my wickednesse and cleanse me from my sin * Make me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me * Cast me not away from thy presence from thy all-hallowing and life-giving presence and take not thy holy Spirit thy sanctifying thy guiding thy comforting thy supporting and confirming Spirit from me O God thou art my God for ever and ever thou shalt be my guide unto death * Lord comfort me now that I lye sick upon my bed make thou my bed in all my sicknesse * O deliver my soul from the place of Hell and do thou receive me * My heart is disquieted within me and the fear of death is falen upon me * Behold thou hast made my dayes as it were a span long mine age is even as nothing in respect of thee and verily every man living is altogether vanity * When thou with rebukes doest chasten man for sin thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth fretting a garment every man therefore is but vanity And now Lord what is my hope truly my hope is even in thee * Hear my prayer O Lord and with thine ears consider my calling hold not thy peace at my tears * Take this plague away from me I am consumed by the means of thy heavy hand * I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner as all my Fathers were * O spare me a little that I may recover my strength before I go hence and be no more seen * My soul cleaveth unto the dust O quicken me according to thy word * And when the snares of death compasse me round about let not the pains of hell take hold upon me An Act of Faith concerning resurrection and the day of judgment to be said by sick persons or meditated I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self mine eyes shal behold though my reins be consumed within me Iob 19. God shall come and shall not keep silence there shall go before him a consuming fire and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up round about him he shall call the heaven from above and the earth that he may judge his people * O blessed Jesu thou art my judge and thou art my Advocate have mercy upon me in the hour of my death and in the day of judgment See Iohn 5.28 1 Thessal 4.15 Short Prayers to be said by sick persons O Holy Jesus thou art a merciful High Priest and touched with the sense of our infirmities thou knowest the sharpnesse of my sicknesse and the weaknesse of my person The clouds are gathered about me and thou hast covered me with thy storm My understanding hath not such apprehension of things as formerly Lord let thy mercy support me thy spirit guide me and lead me through the valley of this death safely that I may passe it patiently holily with perfect resignation and let me rejoyce in the Lord in the hopes of pardon in the expectation of glory in the sence of thy mercies in the refreshments of thy spirit in a victory over all temptations Thou hast promised to be with us in tribulation Lord my soul is troubled and my body is weak and my hope is in thee and my enemies are busy and mighty now make good thy holy promise Now O holy Jesus now let thy hand of grace be upon me restrain my ghostly enemies and give me all sorts of spiritual assistances Lord remember thy servant in the day when thou bindest up thy Jewels O take from me all tediousnesse of Spirit all impatience and unquietnesse let me possesse my soul in patience and resigne my soul and body into thy hands as into the hands of a faithful Creator and a blessed Redeemer O holy Jesu thou didst dye for us by thy sad pungent intolerable pains which thou enduredst for me have pity on me ease my pain or increase my patience Lay on me no more then thou shalt enable me to bear I have deserv'd it all more and infinitely more Lord I am weak and ignorant timerous and inconstant and I feâ—r lest something should happen that may discompose the state of my soul that may displease thee Do what thou wilt with me so thou doest but preserve me in thy fear and favour Thou knowest that it is my great â—ear but let thy Spirit secure that nothing may be able to separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ then smite me here that thou mayest spare me for ever and yet O Lord smite me friendly for thou knowest my infirmities Into thy hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth * Come holy Spirit help me in this conflict Come Lord Jesus come quickly Let the sick person often meditate upon these following promises and gracious words of God My help cometh of the Lord who preserveth them that are true of heart Psal. 7.11 And all they that know thy Name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast never failed them that seek thee Psal. 9.10 O how plentiful is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee and that thou hast prepared for them that put their trust in thee even before the sons of men Psal. 31. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that put their trust in his mercy to deliver their souls from death Ps. 33. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart
for him the salvation of a new birth and by the blood of thy Son didst redeem and pay the price to thine own justice for thine own creature lest the work of thine own hands should perish O that men would therefore praise the Lord c. For thou O Lord in every age didst send testimonies from Heaven blessings and Prophets and fruitful seasons and preachers of righteousness and miracles of power and mercy thou spakest by thy Prophets and saidst I will help by one that is mighty and in the fulnesse of time spakest to us by thy Son by whom thou didst make both the Worlds who by the word of his power sustains all things in Heaven and Earth who thought it no robbery to be equal to the Father who being before all time was pleased to be born in time to converse with men to be incarnate of a holy Virgin he emptied himself of all his glories took on him the form of a servant in all things being made like unto us in a soul of passions and discourse in a body of humility and sorrow but in all things innocent and in all things afflicted and suffered death for us that we by him might live and be partakers of his nature and his glories of his body and of his Spirit of the blessings of earth and of immortal felicities in Heaven O that men would therefore praise the Lord c. For thou O holy and immortal God O sweetest Saviour Jesus wert made under the Law to condemn sin in the flesh thou who knewest no sin wert made sin for us thou gavest to us righteous Commandements and madest known to us all thy Fathers will thou didst redeem us from our vain conversation and from the vanity of Idols false principles and foolish confidences and broughtest us to the knowledge of the true and onely God and our Father and hast made us to thy self a peculiar people of thy own purchase a royal Priesthood a holy Nation Thou hast washed our soules in the Laver of Regeneration the Sacrament of Baptisme Thou hast reconciled us by thy death justified us by thy Resurrection sanctified us by thy Spirit sending him upon thy Church in visible formes and giving him in powers and miracles and mighty signes and continuing this incomparable favour in giâ—ts and sanâ—tifying graces and promising that hee shall abide with us for ever thou hast fed us with thine own broken body and given drink to our soules out of thine own heart and hast ascended up on high and hast overcome all the powers of Death and Hell and redeemed us from the miseries of a sad eternity and sittest at the right hand of God making intercession for us with a never-ceasing charity O that men would therefore praise the Lord c. The grave could not hold thee long O holy eternal Jesus thy body could not see corruption neither could thy soul be left in Hell thou wert free among the dead and thou brakest the iron gates of Death and the bars and chains of the lower prisons Thou broughtest comfort to the souls of the Patriarchs who waited for thy coming who long'd for the redemption of Man and the revelation of thy day Abraham Isaac and Iacob saw thy day and rejoyced and when thou didst arise from thy bed of darknesse and leftest the grave-clothes behinde thee and put on a robe of glory over which for 40 dayes thou didst wear a vail and then entred into a cloud and then into glory then the powers of Hell were confounded then Death lost its power and was swallowed up into victory though death is not quite destroyed yet it is made harmlesse and without a sting and the condition of Humane Nature is made an entrance to eternal glory art become the Prince of life the first fruits of the resurrection the first-born from the dead having made the way plain before our faces that we may also rise again in the Resurrection of the last day when thou shalt come again unto us to render to every Man according to his works O that men would therefore praise the Lord c. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is gracious and his mercy endureth for ever O all ye angels of the Lords praise ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever O ye spirits and souls of the Righteous praise ye the Lord praise him and magnifie him for ever And now O Lord God what shall I render to thy Divine Majesty for all the benefits thou hast done unto thy servant in my personal capacity Thou art my Creator and my Father my Protector and my Guardian thou hast brought me from my Mothers wombe thou hast told all my joynts and in thy book were all my members written Thou hast given me a comely body Christian and careful parents holy education Thou hast been my guide and my teacher all my dayes Thou hast given me ready faculties and unloosed tongue a cheerful spirit strait limbs a good reputation and liberty of person a quiet life and a tender conscience a loving wife or husband and hopeful children thou wert my hope from my youth through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born Thou hast clothed me and fed me given me friends and blessed them given me many dayes of comfort and health free from those sad infirmities with which many of thy Saints and dearest servants are afflicted Thou hast sent thy Angel to snatch me from the violence of fire and water to prevent praecipices fracture of bones to rescue me from thunder and lightning plague and pestilential diseases murder and robbery violence of chance and enemies and all the spirits of darknesse and in the dayes of sorrow thou hast refreshed me in the destitution of provisions thou hast taken care of me and thou hast said unto me I will never leave thee nor forsake thee I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart secretly among the faithful and in the congregation Thou O my dearest Lord and Father hast taken care of my soul hast pitied my miseries sustained my infirmities relieved and instructed my ignorances and though I have broken thy righteous Lawes and Commandements run passionately after vanities and was in love with Death and was dead in sin and was exposed to thousands of temptations and fell foully and continued in it and lov'd to have it so and hated to be reformed yet thou didst call me with the checks of conscience with daily Sermons and precepts of holinesse with fear and shame with benefits and the admonitions of thy most holy Spirit by the counsel of my friends by the example of good persons with holy books and thousands of excellent arts and wouldest not suffer me to perish in my folly but didst force me to attend to thy gracious calling and hast put me into a state of repentance and possibilities of pardon being infinitely desirous I should live and recover and make use of thy grace and partake
of thy glories I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart secretly among the faithful and in the congregation * For salvation belongeth unto the Lord and thy blessing is upon thy servant But as for me I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercies and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple * For of thee and in thee and through thee and for thee are all things Blessed be the name of God from generation to generation Amen A â—hort Form of thanksgiving to be said upon any special deliverance as from Châ—ld-birth from Sickness from baâ—â—el or imminent danger at sea or Land c. O most merciful and gracious God thou fountain of all mercy and blessing thou hast opened the hand of thy mercy to fill me with blessings and the sweet effects of thy loving kindnesse thou feedest us like a Shepherd thou governest us as a king thou bearest us in thy arms like a nurse thou doest cover us under the shadow of thy wings and shelter us like a hen thou O Dearest Lord wakest for us as a Watchman thou providest for us like a Husband thou lovest us as a friend and thinkest on us perpetually as a careful mother on her helplesse babe and art exceeding merciful to all that fear thee and now O Lord thou hast added this great blessing of deliverance from my late danger here name the blessing it was thy hand and the help of thy mercy that relieved me the waters of affliction had drowned me and the stream had gone over my soul if the spirit of the Lord had not moved upon these waters Thou O Lord didst revoke thy angry sentence which I had deserved and which was gone out against me Unto thee O Lord I ascribe the praise and honour of my redemption I will be glad and rejoyce in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble and hast known my soul in adversity As thou hasâ— sâ—râ—ad thy hand upon me for a covering so also enlarge my heart with thankfulnesse and fill my mouth with praises that my duty and returns to theâ— may be great as my needs of mercie are and let thy gracious favours and loving kindnesâ—e endure for ever and ever upon thy servant and grant that what thou hast sown in mercy may spring up in duty and let thy grace so strengthen my purposes that I may sin no more lest thy threatning return upon me in anger and thy anger break me into pieces but let me walk in the light of thy favour and in the paths of thy Commandments that I living here to the glory of thy name may at last enter into the glory of my Lord to spend a whole eternity in giving praise to thy exalted and ever glorious name Amen We praise thee O God we knowledge thee to be the Lord * All the earth doth worship thee the Father Everlasting * To thee All Angels cry aloud the Heavens and all the powers therein * To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry * Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth * Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory * The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee * The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee * The noble army of Martyrs praise thee * The holy Church throughout all the world doth knowledge thee * The Father of an infinite Majesty * Thy honourable true and only Son * Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter * Thou art the King of glory O Christ. * Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father * When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man thou didst not abhor the Virgins womb * When thou hadst overcome the sharpnesse of death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers * Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father * We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge * We therefore pray thee help thy servants whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood * Make them to be numbered with thy Saints in glory everlasting * O Lord save thy people and blesse thine heritage * Govern them and lift them up for ever * Day by day we magnifie thee * And we worship thy name ever world without end * Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this day without â—in * O Lord have mercy upon us have mercy upon us * O Lord let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee O Lord in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded Amen A Prayer of thanksgiving after the receiving some great blessing as the birth of an Heir the successe of an honest designe a victory a good harvest c. O Lord God Father of mercies the fountain of comfort and blessing of life and peace of plenty and pardon who fillest Heaven with thy glory and earth w th thy goodnes I give thee the most earnest most humble and most enlarged returnes of my glad and thankful heart for thou hast refreshed me with thy comforts and enlarged me with thy blessing thou hast made my flesh and my bones to rejoyce for besides the blessings of all mankinde the blessings of nature the blessings of grace the support of every minute and the comforts of every day thou hast opened thy bosom and at this time hast powred out an excellent expression of thy loving kindnesse here name the blessing What am I O Lord and what is my Fathers house what is the life and what are the capacities of thy servant that thou should'st do this unto me * that the great God of men and Angels should make a special decree in Heaven for me and send out an Angel of blessing and instead of condemning and ruining me as I miserably have deserved to distinguish me from many my equals and my betters by this and many other special acts of grace and savour Praised be the Lord daily even the Lord that helpeth us and powreth his benefits upon us He is our God even the God of whom cometh salvation God is the Lord by whom we escape death Thou hast brought me to great honour and comforted me on every side Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works I will rejoyce in giving praise for the operation of thy hands O give thanks unto the Lord and call upon his name tell the people what things he hath done As for me I will give great thanks unto the Lord and praise him among the multitude Blessed be the Lord God even the Lord God of Israel which only doth wondrous gracious things And blessed be the name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty Amen Amen Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. A Prayer to be said on the Feast of Christmas or the birth of our bleâ—sed Saviour Iesus the same also may be said upon the Feast of the Annunciation and Purification of the B. Virgin
Mary O Holy and Almighty God Father of mercies Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of thy love and Eternal mercies I adore and praise and glorifie thy infinite and unspeakable love and wisdom who hast sent thy Son from the bosom of felicities to take upon him our nature and our misery and our guilt and hast made the Son of God to become the Son of Man that we might become the Sons of God and partakers of the divine nature since thou hast so exalted humane nature be pleased also to sanctify my person that by a conformity to the humility and laws and sufferings of my dearest Saviour I may be united to his spirit and be made all one with the most Holy â—esus Amen O Holy and Eternal Jesus who didst pity mankinde lying in his blood and sin and misery and didst choose our sadnesses and sorrows that thou mightest make us to pertake of thy felicities let thine eyes pity me thy hands support me thy holy feet tread down all the difficulties in my way to Heaven let me dwell in thy heart be instructed with thy wisdom moved by thy affections choose with thy will and be clothed with thy righteousness that in the day of judgement I may be found having on thy garments sealed with thy impression and that bearing upon every faculty and member the character of my elder brother I may not be cast out with strangers and unbelievers Amen To God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. * To the eternal Son that was incarnate and born of a virgin * To the spirit of the Father and the Son be all honour and glory worship and adoration now and for ever Amen The same Form of Prayer may be used upon our own Birth-day or day of our Baptisme adding the following prayer A Prayer to be said upon our Birth-day or day of Baptisme O Blessed and Eternal God I give thee praise and glory for thy great mercy to me in causing me to be born of Chrisâ—ian parents and didst not allot to me a portion with Misbelievers and Heathen that have not known thee thou didst not suffer me to be strangled at the gate of the womb but thy hand sustained and brought me to the light of the world and the illumination of baptisme with thy grace preventing my election and by an artificial necessity and holy prevention engaging me to the profession and practises of Christianity Lord since that I have broken the promises made in my behalf and which I confirmed by my after act I went back from them by an evil life and yet thou hast still continued to me life and time of repentance and didst not cut me off in the beginning of my dayes and the progresse of my sins O Dearest God pardon the errours and ignorances the vices and vanities of my youth and the faults of my more forward years and let me never more stain the whiteness of my baptismal robe and now that by thy grace I still persist in the purposes of obedience and do give up my name to Christ and glory to be a Disciple of thy institution and a servant of Jesus let me never fail of thy grace let no root of bitterness spring up and disorder my purposes and desile my spirit O let my years be so many degrees of neerer approach to thee and forsake me not O God in my old age when I am gray-headed and when my strength faileth me be thou my strength and my guide unto death that I may reckon my years and apply my heart unto wisdom and at last after the spending a holy and a blessed life I may be brought unto a glorious eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Then adde the form of thanksgiving formerly described A prayer to be said upon the dayes of the memory of Apostles Martyrs c. O Eternal God to whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord and in whom the souls of them that be elected after they be delivered from the burden of the flesh be â—n peace and rest from their labours and their works follow them and their memory is blessed I blesse and magnifie thy holy and ever glorious name for the great grace and blessing manifested to thy Apostles and Martyrs and other holy persons who have glorified thy name in the dayes of their flesh and have served the interest of religion and of thy service and this day we have thy servant name the Apostle or Martyr c. in remembrance whom thou hast lead thorough the troubles and temptations of this World and now hast lodged in the bosome of a certain hope and great beatitude until the day of restitution of all things Blessed be the mercy and eternal goodnesse of God and the memory of all thy Saints is blessed Teach me to practise their doctrine to imitate their lives following their example and being united as a part of the same mystical body by the band of the same â—aith and a holy hope and a never ceasing charity and may it please thee of thy gracious goodnesse shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect to hasten thy Kingdom that we with thy servant * and all others departed in the true faith fear of thy holy Name may have our perfect consummation and blisse in body and soul in thy eternal and everlasting kingdom Amen A form of prayer recording all the parts and mysteries of Christs passion being a short history of it to be used especially in the week of the passion and before the receiving the blessed Sacrament All praise honour and glory be to the holy and eternal Jesus I adore thee O blesâ—ed Redeemer eternal God the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel for thou hast done and suffered for me more then I could wish more â—hen I could think of even all that a lost and a miserable perishing sinner could possibly need Thou wert afflicted with thirst and hunger with heat and cold with labours and sorrowes with hard journeys and restlesse nights and when thou wert contriving all the mysterious and admirable wayes of paying our scores thou didst suffer thy self to be designed to slaughter by those for whom in love thou wert ready to dye What is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou thus visitâ—st him Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus for thou wentest about doing good working miracles of mercy healing the sick comforting the distressed instructing the ignorant raising the dead inlightning the blinde strengthning the â—ame straitning the crooked relieving the poor preaching the Gospel and reconciling sinners by the mightinesse of thy power by the wisdom of thy Spirit by the Word of God and the merits of thy Passion thy heaâ—thful and bitter passion Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus who wert content to be conspired against by the Jews to be sold by thy servant for
love then I have to give but Lord do thou turn me all into love and all my love into obedience and let my obedience â—e without interruption and then I hope thou wilt accept such a return as I can make make me to be something that thou delightest in thou shalt have all that I am or have from thee even whatsoever thou makest fit for thy self Teach me to live wholly for my Saviour Jesus and to be ready to dye for Jesus and to be conformable to his life and sufferings and to be united to him by inseparable unions and to own no passions but what may be servants to Jesus and Disciples of his institution O sweetest Saviour clothe my soul with thy holy robe hide my sins in thy wounds and bury them in thy grave and let me rise in the life of grace and abide and grow in it till I arrive at the Kingdom of Glory Amen Our Father c. Ad. Sect. 7 8 10. A â—orm of prayer or intercession for all estates of people in the Christian Church The parts of which may be added to any other formes and the whole office intirely as it lyes is proper to be said in our preparation to the holy Sacrament or oâ— the day of celebration 1. For our selves O thou gracious Father of mercy Father of our Lord Jesus Christ have mercy upon thy servants who bow our heads and our knees and our hearts to thee pardon and forgive us all our sins give us the grace of holy repentance and a strict obedience to thy holy word strengthen us in the inner man with the power of the holy Ghost for all the parts and duties of our calling holy living preserve us for ever in the unity of the holy Catholick Church in the integrity of the Chrâ—stian faith and in the love of God and of our neighbours and in hope of life Eternal Amen 2. For the whole Catholick Church O holy Jesus King of the Saints and Prince of the Catholick Church preserve thy spouse whom thoâ— hast purchased with thy right hand and redeemed and cleansed with thy blood the whole Catholick Church from one end of the Earth to the other she is founded upon a rock but planted in the sea O preserve her safe from schisme heresy and sacriledge Unite all her members with the bands of Faith Hope and Charity and an external communion when it shall seem good in thine eyes let the daily sacrifice of prayer and Sacramental thanksgiving never cease but be for ever presented to thee and for ever united to the intercession of her dearest Lord and for ever prevail for the obtaining for every of its members grace and blessing pardon and salvation Amen 3. For all Christian Kings Princes and Governours O King of Kings and Prince of all the Rulers of the Earth give thy grace and Spirit to all Christian Princes the spirit of wisdom and counsel the spirit of government and godly fear Grant unto them to live in peace and honour â—hat their people may love and feare them and they may love and fear God speak good unto their hearts concerning the Church that they may be nursing Fathers to it Fathers of the Fatherlesse Judges and Avengers of the cause of Widowes that they may be compassionate to the wants of the poor and the groans of the oppressed that they may not vex or kill the Lords people with unjust or ambitious wars but may feed the â—lock of God and may inquire after and do all things which may promote peace publick honesty and holy religion so administring things present that they may not fail of the everlasting glories of the world to come where all thy faithful people shall reign Kings for ever Amen 4. For al the orders of them that minister about H. things O thou great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls Holy and Eternal Jesus give unto thy servants the Ministers of the Mysteries of Christian religion the Spirit of prudence and sanctity faith and charity confidence and zeal diligence and watchfulnesse that they may declare thy will unto the people faithfully and dispense the Sacraments rightly and intercede with thee graciously and acceptably for thy servants Grant O Lord that by a holy life and a true beliefe by well doing and patient suffering when thou shalt call them to it they may glorifie thee the great lover of souls and after a plentiful conversion of sinners from the errour of their wayes they may shine like the stars in glory Amen Give unto thy servants the Bishops a discerning Spirit that they may lay hands suddenly on no man but may depute such persons to the Ministeries of religion who may adorn the Gospel of God whose lips may preserve knowledge such who by their good preaching holy living may advance the service of the Lord Jesus Amen 5. For our neerest relatives as Husband Wife Children Family c. O God of infinite mercy let thy loving mercy and compassion descend upon the head of thy servants my wife or huâ—band children and family be pleased to give them health of body and of spirit a competent portion of temporals so as may with comfort support them in their journey to Heaven preserve them from all evil and â—ad accidents defend them in all assaults of their enemies direct their persons their actions sanctify their hearts and words and purposes that we all may by the bands of obedience and charity be united to our Lord Jesus and alwayes feeling thee our merciful and gracious Father may become a holy family discharging our whole duty in all our relations that we in this life being thy children by adoption and grace may be admitted into thy holy family hereafter for ever to sing praises to thee in the Church of the first-born in the family of thy redeemed ones Amen 6. For our Parents our Kinred in the flesh our Friends and Benefactors O God merciful and gracious who hast made my Parents my Friends and my Benefactors ministers of thy mercy and instruments of providence to thy servant I humbly beg a blessing to descend upon the heads of name the persons or thâ— relations Depute thy holy Angels to guard their persons thy holy spirit to guide their souls thy providence to minister to their necessities and let thy grace and mercy preserve them from â—he bitter pains of eternal death and bring them â—o everlasting life through Jesus Christ. Amen 7. For all that lye under the rod of war famine pestilence to be said in the time of plague or war c. O Lord God Almighty thou art our Father we are thy children thou art our Redeemer we thy people purchased with the price of thy most precious blood be pleased to moderate thy anger towards thy servants let not thy whole displeasure arise lest we be consumed and brought to nothing Let health and peace be within our dwellings let righteousness and holyness dwell for ever in our hearts
indifferent actions to be adopted into the family of religion 2. That there are some actions which are usually reckoned as parts of our religion which yet of themselves are so relative and imperfect that without the purity of intention they degenerate and unlesse they be directed and proceed on to those purposes which God designed them to they return into the family of common secular or sinful actions Thus almes are for charity fasting for temperance prayer is for religion humiliation is for humility austerity or sufferance is in order to the vertue of patience and when these actions fail of their several ends or are not directed to their own purposes alms are mispent fasting is an impertinent trouble prayer is but lip-labour humiliation is but hypocrisie sufferance is but vexation for such were the alms of the Pharisee the fast of Iezabel the prayer of Iudah reproved by the Prophet Isaiah the humiliation of Ahab the martyrdome of Hereticks in which nothing is given to God but the body or the forms of religion but the soul and the power of godlinesse is wholly wanting 3. We are to confider that no intention can sanctifie an unholy or unlawful action Saul the King disobeyed Gods commandment and spared the cattel of Amalek to reserve the best for sacrifice And Saul the Pharisee persecuted the Church of God with a designe to do God service and they that kild the Apostles had also good purposes but they had unhallowed actions When there is both truth in election and charity in the intention when we go to God in wayes of his own choosing or approving then our eye is single and our hands are clean and our hearts are pure But when a man does evil that good may come of it or good to an evil purpose that man does like him that rowls himself in thorns that he may sleep easily he rosts himself in the fire that he may quench his thirst with his own sweat he turns his face to the East that he may go to bed with the Sun I end this with the saying of a wise Heathen He is to be called evil that is good onely for his own sake Regard not how full hands you bring to God but how pure Many cease from sin out of fear alone not out of innocence or love of vertue and they as yet are not to be called innocent but timerous SECT III The third general instrument of holy living or the practise of the presence of God THat God is present in all places that he sees every action hears all discourses and understands every thought is no strange thing to a Christian ear who hath been taught this doctrine not onely by right reason and the consent of all the wise men in the world but also by God himself in holy Scripture Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God afar off Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill heaven and earth Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do for in him we live and move and have our being God is wholly in every place included in no place not bound with cords except those of love not divided into parts not changeable into several shapes filling heaven and earth with his present power and with his never absent nature So S. Augustine expresses this article So that we may imagine God to be as the Aire and the Sea and we all inclos'd in his circle wrapt up in the lap of his infinite nature or as infants in the wombs of their pregnant Mothers and we can no more be removed from the presence of God than from our own being Several manners of the divine presence The presence of God is understood by us in several manners and to several purposes 1. God is present by his essence which because it is infinite cannot be contained within the limits of any place and because he is of an essential purity and spiritual nature he cannot be undervalued by being supposed present in the places of unnatural uncleannesse because as the sun reflecting upon the mud of strands and shores is unpolluted in its beams so is God not dishonoured when we suppose him in every of his Creaturer and in every part of every one of them and is still as unmixt with any unhandfome adherence as is the soul in the bowels of the body 2. God is every where present by his power He roules the Orbs of Heaven with his hand he fixes the Earth with his Foot he guides all the Creatures with his Eye and refreshes them with his influence He makes the powers of Hell to shake with his terrours and binds the Devils with his Word and throws them out with his command and sends the Angels on Embaâ—â—ies with his decrees He hardens the joynts of Infants and confirms the bones when they are fashioned beneath secretly in the earth He it is that assists at the numerous productions of fishes and there is not one hollownesse in the bottom of the sea but he shows himself to be Lord of it by sustaining these the Creatures that come to dwell in it And in the wildernesse the Bittern and the Stork the Dragon and the Satyr the Unicorn and the Elk live upon his provisions and revere his power and feel the force of his Almightinesse 3. God is more specially present in some places by the several and more special manifestations of himself to extraordinary purposes 1. By glory Thus his fear is in Heaven because there he fits incircled with all the outward demonstrations of his glory which he is pleased to show to all the inhabitants of those his inward and secret Courts And thus they that die in the Lord may be properly said to be gone to God with whom although they were before yet now they enter into his Courts into the secret of his Tabernacle into the retinue and splendor of his glory That is called walking with God but this is dwelling or being with him I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ so said Paul But this manner of the Divine presence is reserved for the elect people of God and for their portion in their countrey 4. God is by grace and benediction specially present in holy places and in the solemn assemblies of his servants If holy people meet in grots and dens of the earth when persecution or a publick necessity disturbs the publick order circumstance and convenience God fails not to come thither to them but God is also by the same or a greater reason present there where they meet ordinarily by order and publick authority There God is present ordinarily that is at every such meeting God will go out of his way to meet his Saints when themselves are forced out of their way of order by
immortal felicity and beauty is not made by white or red by black eyes a round face by a strait body and a smooth skin but by a proportion to the fancy No rules can make amability our mindes apprehensions make that and â—o is our felicity and we may be reconcil'd to poverty and a low fortune if we suffer contentednesse and the grace of God to make the proportions For no man is poor that does not think himself so But if in a full fortune with impatience he desires more he proclaims his wants and his beggerly condition But because this grace of contentednesse was the sum of all the old moral Philosophy and a great duty in Christianity and of most universal use in the whole course of our lives and the onely instrument to ease the burdens of the World and the enmities of sad chances it will not be amisse to presse it by the proper arguments by which God hath bound it upon our spirits it being fastned by Reason and Religion by duty and interest by necessity and conveniency by example and by the proposition of excellent rewards no lesse then peace and felicity 1. Contentednesse in all estates is a duty of Religion it is the great reasonablenesse of complying with the Divine Providence which governes all the World and hath so ordered us in the administration of his great Family He were a strange fool that should be angry because Dogs and Sheep need no shoes yet himself is full of care to get some God hath supplyed those needs to them by natural provisions and to thee by an artificial for he hath given thee reason to learn a trade or some means to make or buy them so that it onely differs in the manner of our provision and which had you rather want shoes or reason And my Patron that hath given me a Farm is freer to me then if he gives a loafe ready bak'd But however all these gifts come from him and therefore it is fit he should dispense them as he please and if we murmure here we may at the next melancholy be troubled that God did not make us to be Angels or Stars For if that which we are or have do not content us we may be troubled for every thing in the World which is besides our being or our possessions God is the Master of the Scenes we must not choose which part we shall act it concerns us onely to be careful that we do it well alwayes saying If this please God let it be as it is and we who pray that Gods will may be done in Earth as it is in Heaven must remember that the Angels do whatsoever is commanded them and go where ever they are sent and refuse no circumstances and if their imployment be crossed by a higher decree they sit down in peace and rejoyce in the event and when the Angel of Iudea could not prevail in behalf of the people committed to his charge because the Angel of Persia opposed it he onely told the story at the command of God and was as content and worshipped with as great an extasie in his proportion as the prevailing Spirit Do thou so likewise keep the station where God hath placed you and you shall never long for things without but sit at home feasting upon the Divine Providence and thy own reason by which we are taught that it is necessary and reasonable to submit to God For is not all the World Gods family Are not we his creatures Are we not as clay in the hand of the Potter Do we not live upon his meat and move by his strength and do our work by his light Are we any thing but what we are from him And shall there be a mutiny among the flocks and herdâ— because their Lord or their Shepherd chooses their pastures and suffers them not to wander into Deserts and unknowne wayes If we choose we do it so foolishly that we cannot like it long and most commonly not at all but God who can do what he please is wise to choose safely for us affectionate to comply with our needs and powerful to execute all his wise decrees Here therefore is the wisdome of the contented man to let God choose for him for when we have given up our wills to him and stand in that station of the battel where our great General hath placed us our spirits must needs rest while our conditions have for their security the power the wisdom and the charity of God 2. Contentednesse in all accidents brings great peace of spirit and is the great and onely instrument of temporal felicity It removes the sting from the accident and makes a man not to depend upon chance and the uncertain dispositions of men for his well being but onely on GOD and his own Spirit Wee our selves make our fortunes good or bad and when God le ts loose a Tyrant upon us or a sicknesse or scorne or a lessened fortune if we fear to dye or know not to be patient or are proud or covetous then the calamity sits heavy on us But if we know how to manage a noble principle and fear not Death so much as a dishonest action and think impatience a worse evil then a Feaver and Pride to be the biggest disgrace and poverty to be infinitely desirable before the torments of covetousnesse then we who now think vice to be so easie and make it so familiar and think the cure so impossible shall quickly be of another minde and reckon these accidents amongst things elegible But no man can be happy that hath great hopes and great fears of things without and events depending upon other men or upon the chances of Fortune The rewards of Vertue are certain and our provisions for our natural support are certain or if we want meat till we dye then we dye of that disease and there are many worse then to dye with an atrophy or Consumption or unapt and courser nourishment But he that suffers a transporting passion concerning things within the power of others is free from sorrow and amazement no longer then his enemy shall give him leave and it is ten to one but he shall be smitten then and there where it shall most trouble him for so the Adder â—eaches us where to strike by her curious and fearfull defending of her head The old Stoicks when you told them of a sad story would still answer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What is that to me Yes for the Tyrant hath sentenced you also to prison Well! what is that He will put a chain upon my leg but he cannot binde my soul. No but he will kill you Then I 'le dye If presently let me go that I may presently be freer then himself but if not till anon or to morrow I will dine first or sleep or do what reason and nature calls for as at other times This in Gentile Philosophy is the same with the discourse
immature if he lives till seventy and yet this age is as short of the old periods before and since the flood as this youths age for whom you mourn is of the present fulnesse Suppose therefore a decree passed upon this person as there have been many upon all mankinde and God hath set him a shorter period and then we may as well bear the immature death of the young man as the death of the oldest men for they also are immature and unseasonable in respect of the old periods of many generations * And why are we troubled that he had arts and sciences before he dyed or are we troubled that he does not live to make use of them the first is cause of joy for they are excellent in order to certain ends And the second cannot be cause of sorrow because he hath no need to use them as the case now stands being provided for with the provisions of an Angel and the maner of Eternity However the sons and the parents friends and relatives are in the world like hours and minutes to a day The hour comes and must passe and some stay but minutes and they also passe and shall never return again But let it be considered that from the time in which a man is conceived from that time forward to Eternitie he shall never cease to be and let him dye young or old still he hath an immortal soul and hath laid down his body onely for a time as that which was the instrument of his trouble and sorrow and the scene of sicknesses and disease But he is in a more noble manner of being after death then he can be here and the childe may with more reason be allowed to cry for leaving his mothers womb for this world then a man can for changing this world for another Sudden deaths or violent Others are yet troubled at the manner of their childes or friends death He was drowned or lost his head or dyed of the plague and this is a new spring of sorrow but no man can give a sensible account how it shall be worse for a childe to dye with drowning in half an hour then to endure a feaver of one and twenty dayes And if my friend lost his head so he did not lose his constancy and his religion he dyed with huge advantage Being Childelesse But by this means I am left without an Heir Well suppose that Thou hast no Heir and I have no inheritance and there are many Kings and Emperors that have died childlesse many Royal lines are extinguished And Augustus Caesar was forced to adopt his wives son to inherit all the Roman greatnesse And there are many wise persons that never marryed and we read no where that any oâ— the children of the Apostles did survive their Fathers and all that inherit any thing of Christs kingdom come to it by Adoption not by natural inheritance and to dye without an natural heir is no intolerable evil since it was sanctified in â—he person of Jesus who dyed a Virgin Evil or unfortunate Children And by this means we are freed from the greater srorows of having a fool a swine or a goat to rule after us in our families and yet even this condition admits of comfort For all the wilde Americans are supposed to be the sons of Dodonaiâ— and the sons of Iacob are now the most scattered and despised people in the whole world The son of Solomon was but a silly weak man and the son of Hezekiah was wicked and all the fools and barbarous people all the thieves and pirates all the slaves and miserable men and women of the world aâ—e the sons and daughters of Noah and we must not look to be exempted from that portion of sorrow which God gave to Noah and Adam to Abraham to Isaack and to Iacob I pray God send us into the lot of Abraham But if any thing happens worse to us it is enough for us that we bear it evenly Our own death And how if you were to die your self you know you must Onely be ready for it by the preparations of a good life and then it is the greatest good that ever happened to thee else there is nothing that can comfort you But if you have served God in a holy life send away the women and the weepers tell them it is as much intemperance to weep too much as to laugh too much and when thou art alone or with fitting company dye as thou shouldest but do not dye impatiently and like a fox catch'd in a trap For if you fear death you shall never the more avoid it but you make it miserable Fannius that kild himself for fear of death dyed as certainly as Portia that eat burning coals or Cato that cut his own throat To dye is necessary and natural and it may be honourable but to dye poorly and basely and sinfully that alone is it that can make a man unfortunate No man can be a slave but he that fears pain or fears to die To such a man nothing but chance and peaceable times can secure his duty and he depends upon things without sor his felicity and so is well but during the pleasure of his enemy or a Thief or a Tyrant or it may be of a dog or a wilde bull Prayers for the several Graces and parts of Christian Sobriety A Prayer against Sensuality O Eternal Father thou that sittest in Heaven invested with essential Glories and Divine perfections fill my soul with so deep a sence of the excellencies of spiritual and heavenly things that my affections being weaned from the pleasures of the world and the false allurements of sin I may with great severity and the prudence of a holy discipline and strict desires with clear resolutions and a free spirit have my conversation in Heaven and heavenly imployments that being in affections as in my condition a Pilgrim and a stranger here I may covet after and labour for an abiding city and at last may enter into and for ever dwell in the Coelestial Jerusalem which is the mother of us all through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For Temperance O ALmighty God and gracious Father of Men and Angels who openest thy hand and fillest all things with plenty and hast provided for thy servant sufficient to satisfie all my needs teach me to use thy creatures soberly and temperately that I may not with loads of meat or drink make the temptations of my enemy to prevail upon me or my spirit unapt for the performance of my duty or my body healthlesse or my affections sensual and unholy O my God never suffer that the blessings which thou givest me may either minister to sin or sicknesse but to health and holinesse and thanksgiving that in the strength of thy provisions I may cheerfully and actively and diligently serve thee that I may worthily feast at thy table here and be accounted worthy through thy grace to be admitted to thy
the first they are to be in the order of obedience 6. Submit to the punishment and censure of the Laws and seek not to reverse their judgement by opposing but by submitting or flying or silence to passe thorow it or by it as we can and although from inferiour Jugdes we may appeal where the Law permits us yet we must sit down and rest in the judgement of the Supreme and if we be wronged let us complain to God of the injury not of the persons and he will deliver thy soul from unrighteous Judges 7. Do not believe thou hast kept the Law when thou hast suffered the punishment For although patiently to submit to the power of the sword be a part of obedience yet this is such a part as supposes another lest undone and the Law punishes not because she is as well pleased in taking vengeance as in being obeyed but because she is displeased she uses punishment as a means to secure obedience for the future or in others Therefore although in such cases the Law is satisfied and the injury and the injustice is paid for yet the sins of irreligion and scandal and disobedience to God must still be so accounted sor as to crave pardon and be washed off by repentance 8. Humane Laws are not to be broken with scandal nor at all without reason for he that does it causelesly is a despiser of the Law and undervalues the Authority For humane Laws differ from divine Laws principally in this 1. That the positive commands of a man may be broken upon smaller and more reasons then the pâ—sitive comâ—ands of God we may upon a smaller reason omit to keep any of the fasting dayes of the Church then omit to give alms to the poor onely this the reason must bear weight according to the gravity and concernment of the Law a Law in a small matter may be omitted for a small reason in a great matter not without a greater reason And 2. The negative precepts of men may cease by many instruments by contrary customs by publick disrelish by long omission but the negative precepts of God never can cease but when they are expressely abrogated by the same Authority But what those reasons are that can dispence with the command of a man a man may be his own Judge and sometimes take his proportions from his own reason and necessity sometimes from publick fame and the practise of pious and severe persons and from popular customs in which a man shall walk most safely when he does not walk alone but a spiritual man takes him by the hand 9. We must not be too forward in procuring dispensations nor use them any longer then the reason continues for which we first procured them for to be dispensed withall is an argument of natural infirmity if it be necessary but if be not it signifies an indisciplined and unmortified spirit 10. We must not be too busie in examining the prudence and unreasonablenesse of humane Laws for although we are not bound to believe them all to be the wisest yet if by enquiring into the lawfulneâ—se of them or by any other instrument we finde them to fail of that wisdom with which some others are ordained yet we must never make use of it to disparage the person of the Law-giver or to countenâ—nce any mans disobedience much lesse our own 11. Pay that reverence to the person of thy Prince of his Ministers of thy Parents and spiritual Guides which by the customs of the place thou livest in are usually paid to such persons in their several degrees that is that the highest reverence be paid to the highest person and so still in proportion and that this reverence be expressed in all the circumstances and manners of the city and nation 12. Lift not up thy hand against thy Prince or Parent upon what pretence soever but bear all personal affronts and inconveniences at their hands and seek no remedy but by patience and piety yielding and praying or absenting thy self 13 Speak not evil of the Ruler of thy people neither Curse thy Father or Mother nor revile thy spiritual Guides nor discover and lay naked their infirmities but treat them with reverence and religion and preserve their Authority sacred by esteeming their persons venerable 14. Pay tribute and customes to Princes according to the Laws and maintenance to thy Parents according to their necessity and honourable support to the Clergy according to the dignity of the work and the customs of the place 15. Remember alwayes that duty to our Superiors is not an act of commutative justice but of distributive That is although Kings and Parents and spiritual Guides are to pay a great duty to their Inferiours the duty of their several charges and government yet the good govovernment of a King and of Parents are actions of Religion as they relate to God of Piety as they relate to their people and families And although we usually call them just Princes who administer their Laws exactly to the people because the actions are in the matter of justice yet in propriety of speech they are rather to be called Pious and Religious For as he is not called a just Father that educates his children well but pious so that Prince who defends and well rules his people is Religious and does that duty for which alone he is answerable to God The consequence of which is this so far as concerns our duty If the Prince or Parent fail of their duty we must not fail of ours for we are answerable to them and to God too as being accountable to all our Superiours and so are they to theirs they are above us and God is above them Remedies against disobedience and means to endear our obedience by way of consideration 1. Consider that all authority descends from God and our Superiours bear the image of the Divine Power which God imprints on them as on an image of clay or a coin upon a lesse perfect mettal which who so defaces shall not be answerable for the losse or spoil of the materials but the effacing the Kings Image and in the same measure will God require it at our hands if we despise his authority upon whomsoever he hath imprinted it He that despiseth you despiseth me And Dathan and Abiram were said to be gathered together against the Lord. And this was S. Pauls argument for our obedience The powers that be are ordained of God 2. There is very great peace and immunity from sin in resigning our wils up to the command of others for provided that our duty to God be secured their commands are warrants to us in all things else and the case of conscience is determined if the command be evident and pressing and it is certain the action that is but indifferent and without reward if done onely upon our own choice is an act of duty and of religion and rewardable by the grace and favour of God if done in obedience to the
receive the Holy Communion when it is offered unlesse some great reason excuse it this being the great solemnity of thanksgiving and a proper work of the day 5. After the solemnities are past and in the intervalls between the morning and evening devotion as you shall finde op portunity visit sick persons reconcile differences do offices of Neighbourhood inquire into the needs of the poor especially house-keepers relieve them as they shall need and as you are able for then we truely rejoyce in God when we make our neighbours the poor members of Christ rejoyce together with us 6. Whatsoever you are to do your self as necessary you are to take care that others also who are under your charge do in their station manner Let your servants be called to Church and all your family that can be spared from necessary great houshold ministeries those that cannot let them go by turns and be supplyed otherwise as well as they may and provide on these dayes especially that they be instructed in the articles of faith and necessary parts of their duty 7. Those who labour hard in the week must be eased upon the Lords day such ease being a great charity and alms but at no hand must they be permitted to use any unlawful games any thing forbidden by the laws any thing that is scandalous or any thing that is dangerous and apt to mingle sin with it no games prompting to wantonnesse to drunkennesse to quarrelling to ridiculous and superstitious customs but let their refreshments be innocent and charitable and of good report and not exclusive of the duties of religion 8. Beyond these bounds because neither God nor man hath passed any obligation upon us we must preserve our Christian liberty and not suffer our selves to be intangled with a yoke of bondage for even a good action may become a snare to us if we make it an occasion of scruple by a pretence of necessity binding loads upon the conscience not with the bands of God but â—f men and of fancy or of opinion or of tyranny Whatsoever is laid upon us by the hands of man must be acted and accounted of by the measures of a man but our best measure is this He keeps the Lords day best that keeps it with most religion and with most charity 9. What the Church hath done in the article of the resurrection she hath in some measure done in the other articles of the Nativity of the Ascension and of the Descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost And so great blessings deserve an anniversary solemnity since he is a very unthankful person that does not often record them in the whole year and esteem them the ground of his hopes the object of his faith the comfort of his troubles and the great effluxes of the divine mercy greater then all the victories over our temporal enemies for which all glad persons usually give thanks And if with great reason the memory of the resurrection does return solemnly every week it is but reason the other should return once a year * To which I adde that the commemoration of the articles of our Creed in solemn dayes and offices is a very excellent instrument to convey and imprint the sense and memory of it upon the spirits of the most ignorant person For as a picture may with more fancy convey a story to a man then a plain narrative either in word or writing so a real representment and an office of remembrance and a day to declare it is fâ—r more impressive then a picture or any other art of making and fixing imagery 10. The memories of the Saints are precioâ—s to God and therefore they ought also to be so to us and such persons who served God by holy living industrious preaching and religious dying ought to have their names preserved in honour and God be glorified in them and their holy doctrines and lives published and imitated and we by so doing give testimony to the article of the communion of Saints But in these cases as every Church is to be sparing in the number of dayes so also should she be temperate in her injunctions not imposing them but upon voluntary and unbusied persons without snare or burden But the Holy day is best kept by giving God thanks for the excellent persons Apostles or Martyrs we then remember and by imitating their lives this all may do and they that can also keep the solemnity must do that too when it is publickly enjoyned The mixt actions of religion are 1. Prayer 2. Alms. 3. Repentance 4. Receiving the blessed Sacrament Sect. 7. Of Prayer THere is no greater argument in the world of our spiriâ—ual danger and unwillingness to religion then the backwardnesse which most men have alwayes and all men have sometimes to say their prayers so weary of their length so glad when they are done so witty to excuse and frustrate an opportunity and yet all is nothing but a desiring of God to give us the greatest and the best things we can need and which can make us happy it is a work so easy so honourable and to so great purpose that in all the instances of religion and providence except onely the incarnation of his Son God hath not given us a greater argument of his willingnesse to have us saved and of our unwillingnesse to accept it his goodnesse and our gracelessenesse his infinite condescension and our carelessenesse and folly then by rewarding so easy a duty with so great blessings Motives to prayer I cannot say any thing beyond this very consideration its appendages to invite Christian people to pray often But we may consider That first it is a duty commanded by God and his holy Son 2. It is an act of grace and highest honour that we dust and ashes are admitted to speak to the Eternal God to run to him as to a Father to lay open our wants to complain of our burdens to explicate our scruples to beg remedy and ease support and counsel health and safety deliverance and salvation and 3. God hath invited us to it by many gracious promises of hearing us 4. He hath appointed his most glorious Son to be the president of prayer and to make continual intercession for us to the throne of grace 5. He hath appointed an Angel to present the prayers of his servants and 6. Christ unites them to his own and sanctifies them and makes them effective and prevalent and 7. Hath put it into the hands of men to rescind or alter all the decrees of God which are of one kinde that is conditional and concerning our selves and our final estate and many instances of our intermedial or temporal by the power of prayers 8. And the prayers of men have saved cities and kingdoms from ruine prayer hath raised dead men to life hath stopped the violence of fire shut the mouths of wilde beasts hath altered the course of nature caused rain in Egypt and drowth in the sea
of secular imployments must come onely they must leave their secular thoughts and affections behinde them and then come and converse with God If any man be well grown in grace he must needs come because he is excellently disposed to so holy a feast but he that is but in the infancy of piety had need to come that so he may grow in grace The strong must come lest they become weak the weak that they may become strong The sick must come to be cured the healthful to be preserved They that have leisure must come because they have no excuse They that have no leisure must come hither that by so excellent religion they may sanctifie their businesse The penitent sinners must come that they may be justified and they that are justified that they may be justified still They that have fears and great reverence to these mysteries and think no preparation to be sufficient must receive that they may learn how to receive the more worthily and they that have a lesse degree of reverence must come often to have it heightned that as those Creatures that live amongst the snowes of the Mountains turne white with their food and conversation with such perpetual whitenesses so our souls may be transformed into the similitude and union with Christ by our perpetual feeding on him and conversation not onely in his Courts but in his very heart and most secret affections and incomparable purities Prayers for all sorts of Men and all necessities relating to the several parts of the vertue of Religion A Prayer for the Graces of Faith Hope Charity O Lord God of infinite mercy of infinite excellency who hast sent thy holy Son into the world to redeem us from an intolerable misery and to teach us a holy religion and to forgive us an infinite debt give me thy holy Spirit that my understanding and all my faculties may be so resigned to the discipline and doctrine of my Lord that I may be prepared in minde and will to dye for the testimony of Jesus and to suffer any affliction or calamity that shall offer to hinder my duty or tempt me to shame or sin or apostacy and let my faith be the parent of a good life a strong shield to repell the fiery darts of the Devil and the Author of a holy hope of modest desires of confidence in God and of a never failing charity to thee my God and to all the world that I may never have my portion with the unbelievers or uncharitable and desperate persons but may be supported by the strengths of faith in all temptations and may be refreshed with the comforts of a holy hope in all my sorrows and may bear the burden of the Lord and the infirmities of my neighbour by the support of charity that the yoak of Jesus may become easy to me and my love may do all the miracles of grace till from grace it swell to glory from earth to heaven from duty to reward from the imperfections of a beginning and little growing love it may arrive to the consummation of an eternal and never ceasing charity through Jesus Christ the Son of thy love the Anchor of our hope and the Author and finisher of our faith to whom with thee O Lord God Father of Heaven and Earth and with thy holy Spirit be all glory and love and obedience and dominion now and for ever Amen Acts of love by way of prayer and ejaculation to be used in private O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is to see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary because thy loving kindnes is better then life my lips shall praise thee Psal. 63. I am ready not only to be bound but to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 23. How amiable are thy Tabernacles thou Lord of Hosts my soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will still be praising thee Psal. 84. O blessed Jesu thou art worthy of all adoration and all honour and all love Thou art the Wondeâ—ful the Counsellor the mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of peace of thy government and peace there shall be no end thou art the brightnesse of thy Fathers glory the expresse image of his person the appointed Heir of all things Thou upholdest all things by the word of thy power Thou didst by thy self purge our sins Thou art set on the right hand of the Majesty on high Thou art made better then the Angels thou hast by inheritance obtain'd a more excellent name then they Thou O dearest Jesus art the head of the Church the beginning and the first born from the dead in all things thou hast the preheminence and it pleased the Father that in thee should all fulnesse dwell Kingdoms are in love with thee Kings lay their crowns and scepters at thy feet and Queens are thy handmaids and wash the feet of thy servants A Prayer to be said in any affliction as death of children of husband or wife in great poverty in imprisonment in a sad and disconsolate spirit in temptations to despair O Eternal God Father of Mercyes and God of all comfort with much mercy look upon the sadnesses and sorrowes of thy servant My sins lye heavy upon me and presse me sore and there is no health in my bones by reason of thy displeasure and my sin The waters are gone over me and I stick fast in the deep mire and my miseries are without comfort because they are punishments of my sin and I am so evil and unworthy a person that though I have great desires yet I have no dispositions or worthiness towards receiving comfort My sins have caused my sorrow and my sorrow does not cure my sins and unless for thy own sake and merely because thou art good thou shalt pity me relieve me I am as much without remedy as now I am without comfort Lord pity me Lord let thy grace refresh my Spirit Let thy comforts support me thy mercy pardon me and never let my portion be amongst hopelesse and accursed spirits for thou art good and gracious and I throw my self upon thy mercy Let me never let my hold go do thou with me what seems good in thy own eyes I cannot suffer more then I have deserved and yet I can need no relief so great as thy mercy is for thou art infinitely more merciful then I can be miserable and thy mercy which is above all thy own works must needs be far above all my sin and all my misery Dearest Jesus let me trust in thee for ever and let me never be confounded Amen Ejaculations and short meditations to be used in time of sickness and sorrow or danger of
prayer of preparation or addresse to the holy Sacrament An act of Love O most gracious and eternal God the helper of the helplesse the comforter of the comfortlesse the hope of the afflicted the bread of the hungry the drink of the thirsty and the Saviour of all them that wait upon thee I blesse and glorifie thy Name and adore thy goodnesse and delight in thy love that thou hast once more giveâ— me the opportunity of receiving the greatest favour which I can receive in this World even the body and blood of my dearest Saviour O take from me all affection to sin or vanity let not mâ— affections dwell below but soar upwards to the element of love to the seat of God to â—he Regions of Glory and the inheritance of â—esus that I may hunger and thirst for the bread of life and the wine of â—lect soules and may know no loves but the love of God and the most merciful Jesus Amen An act of Desire O blessed Jesus thou hast used many arts to save mee thou hast given thy life to redeem me thy holy Spirit to sanctifie me thy self for my example thy Word for my Rule thy grace for my guide the fruit of thy body hanging on the tree of the crosse for the sin of my soul and after all this thou hast sent thy Apostles and Ministers of salvation to call me to importune me to constraine me to holinesse and peace and felicity O now come Lord â—esus come quickly my heart is desirous of thy presence and thirsty of thy grace and would fain entertain thee not as a guest but as an inhabitant as the Lord of all my faculties Enter in and take possession and dwell with me for ever that I also may dwell in the heart of my dearest Lord which was opened for me with a spear and love An act of contrition Lord thou shalt finde my heart full of cares and worldly desires cheated with love of riches and neglect of holy things proud unmortified false and crafty to deceive it self intricated and intangled with difficult cases of conscience with knots which my own wildnesse and inconsideration and impatience have tied and shuffled together O my dearest Lord if thou canst behold such an impure seat behold the place to which thou art invited is full of passion and prejudice evil principles and evil habits peevish and disobedient lustful and intemperate and full of sad remembrances that I have often provoked to jealousie and to anger thee my God my dearest Saviour him that dyed for me him that suffered torments sor me that is infinitely good to me and infinitely good and perfect in himself This O dearest Saviour is a sad truâ—h and I am heartily ashamed and truly sorrowful for it and do deeply hate all my fins and am full of indignation against my self for so unworthy so carelesse so continued so great a folly and humbly beg of thee to increase my sorrow and my care and my hatâ—ed against sin and make my love to thee swell up to a great grace and then to glory and immensity An act of Faith This indeed is my condition But I know O blessed Jesus that thou didst take upon thee my nature that thou mightest suffer for my sins and thou didst suffer to deliver me from them and from thy Fathers wrath and I was delivered from this wrath that I might serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all my dayes Lord I am as sure thou didst the great work of Redemption for me and all mankinde as that I am alive This is my hope the strength of my spirit my joy my confidence and do thou never let the spirit of unbelief enter into me and take me from this Rock Here I will dwell for I have a delight therein Here I will live and here I desire to dye The Petition Therefore O blessed Jesu who art my Saviour and my God whose body is my food and thy righteousnesse is my robe thou art the Priest and the Sacrifice the Master of the feast and the Feast it self the Physician of my soul the light of my eyes the purifier of my stains enter into my heart and cast out from thence all impurities all the remains of the Old man and grant I may partake of this holy Sacrament with much reverence and holy relish and great effect receiving hence the communication of thy holy body and blood for the establishment of an unreproveable faith of an unfained love for the fulnesse of wisdom for the healing my soul for the blessing and preservation of my body for the taking out the sting of temporal death and for the assurance of a holy resurrection for the ejection of all evil from within me and the fulfilling all thy righteous Commandements and to procure for me a mercy and a fair reception at the day of judgement through thy mercies O holy and ever blessed Saviour Jesus Amen Here also may be added the prayer after receiving the cup. * Ejaculations to be said before or at the receiving the holy Sacrament Like as the Hart desireth the water-brooks so longeth my soul after thee O God My soul is athirst for God yea even for the living God when shall I come before the presence of God O Lord my God great are thy wondrous works which thou hast done like as be also thy thoughts which are to us-ward and yet there is no man that ordereth them unto thee O send out thy light and thy truth that they may lead me and bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy dwelling And that I may go unto the Altar of God even unto the God of my joy and gladnesse and with my heart will I give thanks to thee O God my God I will wash my hands in innocency O Lord so will I go to thine altar that I may shew the voice of thanksgiving tell of all thy wondrous works Examine me O Lord and prove me try out my reins and my heart For thy loving kindnesse is now and ever before my eyes and I will walk in thy truth Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble me thou hast anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full But thy loving kindnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever This is the bread that cometh down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not dye Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him and hath eternal life abiding in him I wil raise him up at the last day Lord whither shall we go but to thee thou hast the words of eternal life If any man thirst let him come unto me drink The bread which we break is it not the communication of the body of Christ and the cup which we drink is it not the communication of the blood of Christ What are those wounds
in thy hands They are those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends Zech. 13.6 Immediately before the receiving say Lord I am not worthy that thou shouldest enter under my roof But do thou speak the word onely and thy servant shall be healed Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew thy praise O God make speed to save me O Lord make hasâ—e to help me Come Lord Iesus come quickly After receiving the consecrated and blessed bread say O taste and see how gracious the Lord is blessed is the man that trusteth in him * The beasts do lack and suffer hunger but they which seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good Lord what am I that my Saviour should become my food that the Son of God should be the meat of Wormes of dust and ashes of a sinner of him that was his enemy But this thou hast done to me because thou art infinitely good and wonderfully gracious and lovest to blesse every one of us in turning us from the evil of our wayes Enter into me blessed Jesus let no root of bitternesse spring up in my heart but be thou Lord of all my faculties O let me feed on thee by faith and grow up by the increase of God to a perfect man in Christ Jesus Amen Lord I believe help mine unbelief Glory be to God the Father Son c. After the receiving the cup of blessing It is finished Blessed be the mercies of God revealed to us in Jesus Christ. O blessed and eternal high Priest let the sacrifice of the Crosse which thou didst once offer for the sinnes of the whole World and which thou doest now and alwayes represent in Heaven to thy Father by thy never ceasing intercession and which this day hath been exhibited on thy holy Table Sacramentally obtain mercy and peace faith and charity safety and establishment to thy holy Church which thou hast founded upon a Rock the Rock of a holy Faith and let not the gates of Hell prevail against her nor the enemy of mankinde take any soul out of thy hand whom thou hast purchased with thy blood and sanctified by thy Spirit Preserve all thy people from Heresie and division of spirit from scandal and the spirit of delusion from sacriledge and hurtful persecutions Thou O blessed Jesus didst dye for us keep me for ever in holy living from sin and sinful shame in the communion of thy Church and thy Church in safety and grace in truth and peace unto thy second coming Amen Dearest Jesu since thou art pleased to enter into me O be jealous of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth suffer no unclean spirit or unholy thought to come near thy dwelling lest it defile the ground where thy holy feet have trod O teach me so to walk that I may never disrepute the honour of my Religion nor stain the holy Robe which thou hast now put upon my soul nor break my holy Vows which I have made and thou hast sealed nor lose my right of inheritance my priviledge of being coheir with Jesus into the hope of which I have now further entred but be thou pleased to love me with the love of a Father and a Brother and a Husband and a Lord and make me to serve thee in the communion of Saints in receiving the Sacrament in the practise of all holy vertues in the imitation of thy life and conformity to thy sufferings that I having now put on the Lord Jesus may marry his loves and his enmities may desire his glory may obey his laws and be united to his Spirit and in the day of the LORD I may be found having on the Wedding Garment and bearing in my body and soul the marks of the LORD JESUS that I may enter into the joy of my LORD and partake of his glories for ever and ever Amen Ejaculations to be used any time that day after the solemnity is ended Lord if I had lived innocently I could not have deserved to receive the crumbs that fall from thy Table How great is thy mercy who hast feasted me with the Bread of Virgins with the Wine of Angels with Manna from Heaven O when shall I passe from this dark glasse from this vail of Sacraments to the vision of thy eternal clarity from eating thy Body to beholding thy face in thy eternal Kingdom Let not my sins crucifie the Lord of life again Let it never be said concerning me the hand of him that betraieth me is with me on the Table O that I might love thee as well as ever any creature lov d thee Let me think nothing but thee desire nothing but thee enjoy nothing but thee O Jesus be a Jesus unto me Thou art all things unto me Let nothing ever please me but what favours of thee and thy miraculous sweetnesse Blessed be the mercies of our Lord who of God is made unto me Wisdom and Righteousnesse and Sanctification and Redemption He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. Amen The End LONDON Printed by R. Norton MDCL 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrian Epict. l. 1. c. 13. Ezekiel 16.49 Sâ—nec * â—ee Chap. 4. â—â—ct 6. S. Bern. de tripli ci custodia Laudatur Augustus Caesar apud Lucanum media inter praelia semper stellaâ—um caelique plagiâ— superisque vacabat Casâ—â—an Collâ—â— 24 c. â—1 Jerem. 48.10 Plutarch â—e Curioâ—t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—rocop 2. Vandal 1 Cor. 7.5 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag. Carm. 1 Cor. 1â— 31. Seneca â—ui furatur ut â—â—â—chetur moechus est tragis quam fur Arist. Eth. See Sect. 1. of this Chapt. Rule 18. Seneca Ep. 113. S. Chrys. l. 2. de compan cordis S. Greg. moral 8. cap. 25. S. â—ern lib. de praecept Publius Mimuâ—â—â— Jer. 23.24 Hebr. 4. â—3 Acts. 17.28 Lib 7. de Civit. â—â—p 3â— Mat. 18.20 Heb. 10.25 1 King 5 9. Psal. 138 â— 2 1 Cor. 3 16. 2 Cor. 6 16. S. Aug. de verbis Don. c. 3 Psâ—l 13â— 7. ◠〈…〉 de conâ—ol â—sa 26..12 Jâ—â—em â—1 15 Secâ—nd 〈◊〉 Edic â—n vitâ—â— S. 〈◊〉 Ezek. 9.9 Psal. 10. â—â— Rev. 11. â—7 â— 5.10.13 Revel â— â— 3 For the Chuâ—ch For the Glory For wife or husband For our children For Friends Benefaâ—tors For our family For al in misery Evening prayer Psal. 121 Psal. 4. 〈◊〉 2.11 12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrian c. 2. l. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Epist. c. 34 1 Cor. 9.25 Apoc. 2.17 〈…〉 tum 〈…〉 desinant 〈◊〉 L. 3 〈◊〉 c. 12. Facâ—llus 〈…〉 qua◠〈…〉 86. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 voluptateâ— abâ—untes feâ—laâ— paenitentia plenas animis nostris natâ—â—a â—ubiâ—cit quo minus câ—pide repetantur Senec. Lâ—ta veniâ—e Venâ—s trisâ—is abire so â—et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Foâ—lix initium prior aetas contenta dâ—lcibus arvis Facileque seâ—a solebat jejunia solvere glande â—oeth l. 1. de consol Arbuteos â—erus montanaque fragâ—a legeâ—