at it he goes up and down seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet 5. 8. He watches all opportunities of advantage against us with such diligence that he will be sure never to let any slip him Thirdly an enemy neer us is more to be feared then one at a distance for if he be far off we may have time to arm and prepare our selves against him but if he be neer he may steal on us unawars And of this sort is the flesh it is an enemy at our doors shall I say nay in our bosoms it is always neer us to take occasion of doing us mischiefs Fourthly the baser and falser an enemy is the more dangerous he that hides his malice under the shew of friendship will be able to do a great deal the more hurt And this again is the flesh which like Job to Abner 2 Sam. 3. 27 Pretends to speak peaceably to us but wounds us to death 't is forward to purvey for pleasures and delights for us and so seeâ—â—s very kind but it has a hook under that baite and if we 〈◊〉 at it we are lost Fifthly the number of enemies make them more terrible and the world is a vast army against us There is no state or condition in it nay scarce a creature which dâ—th not at sometime or other fight against the Soul The honours of the world seek to wound us by pride the wealth by covetousness the prosperity of it tempt us to forget God the adversities to murmure at him Our very Table becomes a snare to us our meat draws us to Gluttony our drink to Drunkeness our company nay our neerest friends often bear a part in this war against us whilest either by their example or perswasions they intice us to sin 9. Consider all this and then tell me whether a Soul thus beset hath leisure to sleep even Dalilah could tell Samson it was time to awake when the Philistims were upon him And Christ tells us if the good man of the house had known in what hour the thief would come he would have watched and not have suffered his house to be broken up Mat. 24 43. But we live in the midst of thieves and therefore must look for them every hour and yet who is there among us that hath that common providence for this precious part of him his Soul which he hath for his house or indeed the meanest thing that belongs to him I fear our Souls may say to us as Christ to his disciples Mat 26. 40. What could ye not watch with me one hour for I doubt it would pose many of us to tell when we bestowed one hour on them thougâ— we know them to be continually beset with most dangerous enemies And then alas what is like to be the case of these poor Souls when their adversaries bestow so much care and diligence to destroy them and we will afford none to preserve them surely the same as of a besieged town where no watch or guard is kept which is ceâ—tain to fall a prey to the enemy Consider this ye that forget God nay ye that forget your selves lest he pluck you away and there be none to deliver you Psal. 50. 22. 10. But I told you there was a second way whereby a thing may be in danger and that is from some disorder or distemper within it self This is often the case of our bodies they are not only lyable to outward violence but they are within themselves sick and diseased And then we can be sensible enough that they are in danger and need not to be taught to seek out for means to recover them But this is also the case of the Soul we reckon those parts of the body diseased that do not rightly perform their office we account it a sick palate that tastes not aright a sick stomack that digests not And thus it is with the Soul its parts do not rightly perform their offices 11. The parts of the Soul are especially these three The Understanding the Will and the Affections And that these are disordered there needs little proof Let any man look seriously into his own heart and consider how little it is he knows of spiritual things and then tell me whether his understanding be not dark How much apter is he to will evil then good and then â—ell me whether his will be not Crooked And how strong desires he hath after the pleasures of sin and what cold and faint ones towards God and goodness and then tell me whether his affections be not disordered and rebellious even against the vice of his own reason within him Now as in bodily diseases the first step to the cure is to know the cause of the sickness so likewise here it is very necessary for us to know how the Soul first fell into this diseased condition and that I shall now briefly tell you 12. God created the first man Adam without sin and endued his Soul with the full knowledg of his duty and with such a strength that he might if he would perform all that was required of him Having thus created him he maks a covenant or agreement with him to this purpose that if he continued in obedience to God without committing sin then first that strength of Soul which he then had should still be continued to him and first that he should never dye but be taken up into heaven there to be happy for ever But on the other side if he committed sin and disobeyed God then both he and all his children after him should lose that knowledg and that perfect strength which enabled him to do all that God required of him and secondly should be subject to death and not only so but to eternal damnation in Hell 13. This was the agreement made with Adam and all mankind in him which we usually call the first covenant upon which God gave Adam a particular commandment which was no more but this that he should not 〈◊〉 of one only tree of that garden wherein he had placed him But he by the perswasion of the Divel 〈◊〉 of that tree disobeys God and so brings that cuâ—se upon himself and all his posterity And so by that one sin of his â—e lost both the full knowledg of his duty and the power of performing it And we being born after his image did so likewise and so are become both ignorant in discerning what we ought to do and weak and unable to the doing of it having a backwardnesse to all good and an aptnesse and readiness to all evil like a sick stomack which loaths all wholsome food and longs after such trash as may nourish the disease 14. And now you see where we got this sicknesse of soul and likewise that it is like to prove a deadly one and therefore I presume I need say no more to assure you our souls are in danger It is more likely you will from this description think them hoplesse But that you may
the way of doing that is double first by their prayer they are by daily and earnest prayers to commend them to Gods protection and blessing both for their spiritual and temporal estate and secondly by their piety they are to be such persons themselves as that a blessing may descend from them upon their posterity This is often promised in Scipture to godly men that their seed shall be blessed Thus in the second commandment God promises to shew mercy to the thousand generation of them that love him and keep his commandments And it is very observable in the Jews that though they were a stiffe necked generation and had very grievously provoked God yet the godliness of their forefathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob did many times move God to save them from destruction on the other side we see that even good men have fared the worse for the iniquities of their fathers Thus when Josiah had destroyed idolatry restored Gods service and done good beyond all the Kings that were before him yet there was an old arreare of Manasseh his grandfather which all this piety of his would not blot out but he resolves to cast Judah also out of his sight as you may read at large 2 Kings 23. If therefore parents have any bowels any kindness towards their children any real desire of their prosperity let them take care by their own godly life to entaile a blessing upon them 25 Sixthly parents must take heed that they use their power over their children with equity and moderation not to oppress them with unreasonable commands only to exercise their own authorâ—ty but in all things of weight to consider the real good of their children and to presse them to nothing which may not consist with that This is a rule whereof parents may often have use but in none greater then in the business of marrying their children wherein many that otherwise are good parents have been to blame when out of an eagerness of bestowing them wealthily they force them to marry utterly against their own inclinations which is a great tyranny and that which frequently betrayes them to a multitude of mischiefs such as all the wealth in the world cannot repaire There are two things which parents ought especially to consider in the matching of their children the first how they may live Christianly and to that purpose to chuse a vertuous and pious person to link them with the second is how they may live cheerfully and comfortably in this world and to that end though a competency of estate may be necessary to be regarded yet surely abundance is no way requisite and therefore that should not be too vehemently sought after that which much more tends to the happiness of that state is the mutual kindness and liking of the parties without which marriage is of all other the most uncomfortable condition and therefore no parent ought to thrust a child into it I have now done with the first sort of relation that of a parent PARTITION XV. Of DUTY to our BRETHREN and Relations Husband Wife Friends Masters Servants § 1 THE second sort of relation is that of a brother now brotherhood may be two fold either natural or spiritual the natural may in the largest extent contain under it all mankind all that partake of the same nature but I shall not consider it so in this place having already mentioned those gegeneral duties which belong to all as such I now speak of that natural brother-hood that is between those that are the children of the same immediate parent and the duty of these is to have united hearts and affections This nature points out to them they partaking in a more especial manner of each others substance and therefore ought to have the greatest tenderness and kindness each to other thus we see Abraham make it an argument why there should be no contention between him and Let because they were brethren Gen. 13. 8. And though by brethren there is meant only cousins yet that helps the more strongly to conclude that this neerer relation is in reason to be a greater barr to strife as also that this kindness is in some degree to be extended to all that have any neerness of blood to us 2. This kindness and love between brethren and sisters ought to be very firmly grounded in their hearts if it be not they will be of all others in most danger of disagreeing for the continual conversation that is among them whilst they are at home in the fathers house will be apt to minister some occasion of jar Besides the equality that is among them in respect of birth often makes them inclinable to envy each other when one is in any respect advanced above the other Thus we see Josephs brethren envyed him because he had most of his fathers love and Rachel envyed her sister Leah because she was fruitful therefore for the preventing of such temptations let all who have brethren and sisters possesse their mind with a great and real kindness to them look on them as parts of themselves and then they wil never think fit either to quarrel with them or to envy them any advantage any more then one part of the body does another of the same body but will strive to advance and help forward the good of each other 3. The second kind of brotherhood is spiritual that contains all those who profess the same faith with us the Church in our baptism becomes a mother to each baptized person and then surely they that have the relation of children to her must have also the relation of brethren to each other and to this sort of brethren also we owe a great deal of tenderness and affection the spiritual bond of Religion should of all others the most closely unite our hearts This is the brotherhood which St. Peter exhorts us to love 1 Pet. 2. 17. And to it we are in an especial manner bound to do all good offices Do good saith the Apostle to all but especially to them that are of the houshold of faith Gal. 6. 10. Our compassions are to be most melting towards them of all others in all their needs Christ tels us that whosoever gives but a cup of cold water to any in the name of a disciple shall not lose his reward Mat. 10. 42. From whence we may assure our selves that this peculiar love to Christians as Christians is very acceptable in his sight 4. Several duties there are required of us to these brethren one principal is the holding communion with them and that first in doctrine we are constantly to continue in the belief and profession of all those necessary truths by which we may be markt out as followers and disciples of Christ this is that faith which St. Jude speaks of which was once delivered to the Saints Iude 3. by keeping whereof we continue still united to this spiritual brotherhood in respect of profession
hands act so that in thought word and deed I continually transgress against thee Here mention the greatest of thy sins Nay O Lord I have despised that goodness of thine which should lead me to Repentance hardning my heart against all those means thou hast used for my amendment And now O Lord what can I expect from thee but judgment and fiery indignation that is indeed the due reward of my sins But O Lord there is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared O fit me for that mercy by giving me a deep and hearty Repentance and then according to thy goodness let thy anger and thy wrath be turned away from me look upon me in thy Son my blessed Saviour and for the merit of his sufferings pardon all my sins And Lord I beseech thee by the power of thy grace so to renew and purify my heart that I may become a new creature utterly forsaking every evil way and living in constant sincere universal obedience to thee all the rest of my dayes that behaving my self as a good and faithful servant I may by thy mercy at last be received into the joy of my Lord grant this for Jesus Christ his sake A PRAYER for GRACE O Most gracious God from whom every good and perfect gift cometh I wretched creature that am not able of my self so much as to think a good thought beseech thee to work in me both to will and to do according to thy good pleasure inlighten my mind that I may know thee and let me not be barren or unfruitful in that knowledg Lord work in my heart a true faith a purifying hope and an unfeigned love towards thee give me a full trust on thee zeal for thee reverence of all things that relate to thee make me fearful to offend thee thankful for thy mercies humble under thy corrections devout in thy service sorrowful for my sins and grant that in all things I may behave my self so as befits a creature to his Creator a servant to his Lord enable me likewise to perform that duty I owe to my self give me that meekness humility and contentedness whereby I may alwayes possess my soul in patience and thankfulness make me diligent in all my duties watchful against all temptations perfectly pure and temperate and so moderate in my most lawful in joyments that they never become a snare to me make me also O Lord to be so affected towards my neighbour that I never transgress that royall Law of thine of loving him as my self grant me exactly to perform all parts of justice yeâ—lding to all whatsoever by any kind of right becomes their due and give me such bowels of mercy compassion that I may never fail to do al acts of charity to all men whether friends or enemies according to thy command and example Finally I beseech thee O Lord to sanctifie me throughout that my whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blamelesse unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory for ever Amen INTERCESSION O Blessed Lord whose mercy is over all thy works I beseech thee to have mercy upon all men and grant that the precious ransome which was paid by thy Son for all may be effectual to the saving of all Give thy inlightning grace to those that are in darkness and thy converting grace to those that are in sin look with thy tenderest compassions upon the Universal Church O be favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the wals of Jerusalem unite all those that profess thy Name to thee by Purity and Holiness and to each other by Brotherly love Have mercy on this desolate Church and sinful Nation thou hast moved the Land and divided it heal the sores thereof for it shaketh make us so truly to repent of those sins which have provoked thy Judgments that thou also mayest turn and repent and leave a blessing behind thee Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours whether in Church or State so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands that they may neither want will nor power to punish wickedness and vice and to maintain Gods true Religion and Vertue Have pity O Lord on all that are in affliction Be a Father to the fatherless and plead the cause of the widow comfort the feeble minded support the weak heal the sick releeve the needy defend the oppressed and administer to every one according to their several necessities let thy blessings rest upon all that are near and dear to me and grant them whatsoever thou seest necessary either to their bodies or their Souls Here name thy neerest Relations Reward all those that have done me good and pardon all those that have done or wisht me evil and work in them and me all that good which may make us acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ. For PRESERVATION O Merciful God by whose bounty alone it is that I have this Day added to my life I beseech thee so to guide me in it by thy grace that I may do nothing which may dishonour thee or wound my own Soul but that I may diligently apply my self to do all such good works as thou hast prepared for me to walk in and Lord I beseech thee give thy Angels charge over me to keep me in all my wayes that no evil happen unto me nor any plague come nigh my dwelling but that I and mine may be safe under thy gracious protection through Jesus Christ. O Lord pardon the wandrings and coldness of these petitions and deal with me not according either to my prayers or deserts but according to my needs and thine own rich mercies in Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words I conclude these my imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. DIRECTIONS for NIGHT. AT NIGHT when it drawes towards the time of rest bethink thy self how thou hast passed the day examine thine own heart what sin either of Thought Word or Deed thou hast committed what opportunity of doing good thou hast omitted and whatsoever thou findest to accuse thy self of confess humbly and penitently to God renew thy purposes and resolutions of amendment and beg his pardon in Christ and this not slightly and onely as of course but with all devout earnestness and heartiness as thou wouldst do if thou wert sure thy death were as neer approaching as thy sleep which for ought thou knowest may be so indeed and therefore thou shouldest no more venture to sleep unreconciled to God theâ— thou wouldest dare to die so In the next place consider what special and extraordinary mercies thou hast that day received as if thou hast had any great deliverance either in thy inward man from some dangerous temptations or in thy outward from any great and apparent danger and offer to God thy hearty and devout praise for the same Or if nothing extraordinary have so happened and thou hast been kept even from the approach
forgiven by thee may never exact pence of my brethren but that putting on bowels of mercy meekness long-suffering thy peace may rule in my heart and make it an acceptable habitation to thee who art the Prince of peace to whom with the Father and Holy Spirit be all honour and glory for ever For CHASTITY O Holy and immaculate Jesus whose first descent was into the Virgins womb and who doest still love to inhabite only in pure virgin hearts I beseech thee send thy Spirit of purity to cleanse me from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit my body O Lord is the Temple of the Holy Ghost O let me never pollute that Temple with any uncleanness And because out of the heart proceed the things that defile the man Lord grant me to keep my heart with all diligence that no impure or foul thoughts be harboured there but enable me I beseech thee to keep both body and Soul pure and undefiled that so I may glorify thee here both in my body and spirit and be glorified in both with thee hereafter For TEMPERANCE O Gracious Lord who hast in thy bounty to mankind afforded us the use of thy good creatures for our corporal refreshment grant I may alwayes use this liberty with thankfulness and moderation O let me never be so enslaved to that brutish pleasure of the taste that my Table become a snare to me but give me I beseech thee a perfect abhorrence of all degrees of excess and let me eat and drink onely for those ends and according to those measures which thou hast assigned me for health and not for luxury And Lord grant that my pursuits may be not after the meat that perisheth but after that which endureth to everlasting life that hungring and thirsting after righteousness I may be filled with thy grace here and thy glory hereafter through Jesus Christ. For CONTENTEDNES O Merciful God thy wisdom is infinite to choose and thy love forward to dispence good things to us O let me alwayes fully and intirely resign my self to thy disposals have no desires of my own but a perfect satisfaction in thy choices for me that so in whatsoever estate I am I may be therein content Lord grant I may never look with murmuring on my own condition nor with envy on other mens And to that end I beseech thee purge my heart of all covetous affections O let me never yield up any corner of my Soul to Mammon but give me such a contempt of these fading riches that whether they increase oâ— decrease I may never set my heart upon them But that all my care may be to be rich towards God to lay up my treasure in Heaven that I may so set my affections on things above that when Christ who is my life shall appear I may also appear with him in glory Grant this O Lord for the merits of the same Jesus Christ. For DILIGENGE O Lord who hast in thy wisdom ordained that man should be born to labour suffer me not to resist that design of thine by giving my self up to sloth and idleness But grant I may so imploy my time and all other talents thou hast intrusted me with that I may not fall under the sentence of the slothful and wicked servant Lord if it be thy will make me some way useful to others that I may not live an unprofitable part of mankind but however O Lord let me not be useless to my self but grant I may give all diligence to make my calling and election sure My Soul is beset with many and vigilant adversaries O let me not fold my hands to sleep in the midst of so great dangers but watch and pray that I enter not into temptation enduring hardness as a good souldier of Jesus Christ till at last from this state of warfare thou translate me to the state of triumph and bliss in thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ. For JUSTICE O Thou King of righteousness who hast Commanded us to keep judgement and do Justice be pleased by thy grace to cleanse my heart and hands from all fraud and injustice and give me a perfect integrity and uprightness in all my dealings O make me ever abhor to use my power to oppress or my skill to deceive my brother and grant I most strictly observe that sacred rule of doing as I would be done to that I may not dishonour my Christian profession by an unjust or fraudulent life but in simplicity and godly sincerity have my conversation in this life never seeking to heap up treasures of wickedness but preferring a little with righteousness before great revenues without right Lord make me exactly careful to render to every man what by any sort of obligation becomes his due that I may never break the bond of any of those relations thou hast placed me in but may so behave my self towards all that none may have any evil thing to say of me That so if it be possible I may have peace with all men or however I may by keeping innocency and taking heed to the thing that is right have peace at the last even peace with thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. For CHARITY O Merciful Lord who hast made of one blood and redeemed by one ransome all Nations of men let me never harden my bowels against any that partake of the same nature and redemption with me but grant me an Universal Charity towards all men Give me O thou Father of compassions such a tenderness and meltingness of heart that I may be deeply affected with all the miseries and calamities outward or inward of my brethren and diligently imploy all my abilities for their succour and relief O let not an unchristian self-love possess my heart but drive out that accursed spirit and let thy Spirit of love enter and dwell there and make me seek not to please my self but my Neighbour for his good to edification even as Christ pleased not himself Lord make me a faithful steward of all those talents thou hast committed to me for the benefit of others that so when thou shalt call me to give an account of my stewardship I may do it with joy and not with grief grant this merciful Lord I beseech thee for Jesus Christ his sake For PERSEVERANCE O Eternal and unchangeable Lord God who art the same yesterday and to day and for ever Be thou pleased to communicate some small ray of that excellence some degree of that stability to me thy wretched creature who am light and unconstant turned about with every blast my understanding is very deceivable O establish it in thy truth keep it from the snares of seducing spirits that I may not be led away with the errour of the wicked and fall from my own stedfastness my will also O Lord is irresolute and wavering and doth not cleave stedfastly unto God my goodness is but as the morning cloud as the early dew it passeth away O strengthen and confirm
Neighbours wife Actually defiling her Spoiling the goods of others upon spight and malâ—ce Coveting to gain them to our selves Oppressing by violence and force or colour of Law Not paying what we borrow Not paying what we have voluntarily promised Keeping back the wages of the servant and hireling Unfaithfulness in trusts whether to the living or dead Using Arts of deceit in buying and selling Exacting upon the necessities of our Neighbours Blasting the credit of our Neighbour By False Witness By Railng By whispering Incouraging others in their slanders Being forward to beleeve ill reports of our Neighbour Causeless suspicions Rash judging of him Despising him for his infirmities Inviting others to do so by scoffing and deriding him Bearing any malice in the heart Secret wishing of death or any kind of hurt to our Neighbour Rejoicing when any evil befalls him Neglecting to make what satisfaction we can for any sort of injury done to our Neighbour Lying Churlish and proud behaviour to others Froward and peevish conversation Bitter and reproachful language Cursing Not paying the respect due to the qualities or gifts of others Proudly overlooking them Seeking to lessen others esteem of them Not imploying our abilities whether of mind or estate in administring to those whose wants require it Unthankfulness to our Benefactours Especially those that admonish us Not amending upon their reproof Being angry at them for it Not reverencing our Civil Parent the lawful Magistrate Judging and speaking evil of him Grudging his just tributes Sowing sedition among the people Refusing to obey his lawful commands Rising up against him or taking part with them that do Despising our Spiritual Fathers Not loving them for their works sake Not obeying those Commands of God they deliver to us Seeking to withold from them their just maintenance Forsaking our lawful Pastors to follow factious teachers Stubborn and irreverent behaviour to our natural Parents Despising and publishing their infirmities Not loving them nor endeavouring to bring them joy and comfort Contemning their counsels Murmuring at their Government Coveting their estates though by their death Not ministring to them in their wants of all sorts Neglecting to pray for Gods blessing on these several sorts of Parents Want of natural affection to children Mothers refusing to nurse them without a just impediment Not bringing them timely to Baptism Not early instructing them in the wayes of God Suffering them for want of timely correction to get customes of sin Setting them evil examples Discouraging them by harsh cruel usage Not providing for their subsistence according to our ability Consuming their portions in our own riot Reserving all till our death and letting them want in the mean time Not seeking to entail a blessing on them by our Christian lives Nor heartily praying for them Want of affection to our natural brethren Envyings heart-burnings towards them Not loving our spiritual brethren i. e. our fellow Christians Having no fellow-feeling of their sufferings Causelesly forsaking their commnnion in Holy Duties Not taking deeply to heart the desolations of the Church Marrying within the degrees forbidden Marrying for undue ends as covetousness lust c. Unkind froward and unquiet behaviour towards the husband or wife Unfaithfulness to the bed Not bearing with the infirmities of each other Not endeavouring to advance one anothers good spiritual or temporal The wife resisting the lawful command of her husband Her striving for rule and dominion over him Not praying for each other Unfaithfulness to a friend Betraying his secrets Denying him assistance in his needs Neglecting lovingly to admonish him Flattering him in his faults Forsaking his friendship upon flight or no cause Making leagues in sin in stead of vertuous friendships Servants disobeying the lawful commands of their Masters Purloining their goods Carelesly wasting them Murmuring at their rebukes Idleness Eye service Masters using servants tyrannically and cruelly Being too remiss and suffering them to neglect their duty Having no care of their Souls Not providing them means of instruction in Religion Not admonishing them when they commit sins Not allowing them time and opportunity for prayer and the worship of God Want of bowels and Charity to our Neighbours Not heartily desiring their good spiritual or temporal Not loving and forgiving enemies Taking actual revenges upon them Falsenâ—ss professing kindness and acting none Not labouring to do all good we can to the Soul of our Neighbour Not assisting him to our power in his bodily distresses Not defending his good name when we know or beleeve him slandered Denying him any neighbourly office to preserve or advance his estate Not defending him from oppression when we have power Not relieving him in his poverty Not giving liberally or cheerfully Not loving peace Going to Law upon slight occasions Bearing inward enmity to those we sue Not labouring to make peace among others The use of this Catalogue of sins is this Upon dayes of Humiliation especially before the Sacrament read them consideringly over and at every particular ask thine own heart Am I guilty of this And whatsoever by such examination thou findest thy self faulty in confess particularly and humbly to God with all the heightning circumstances which may any way increase their guilt and make serious resolutions against every such sin for the future After which thou mayest use this fâ—rm fâ—llâ—wing O LORD I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee for my iniquities are increased over my head and my trespass is growen up even unto Heaven I have wrought all these great provocations and that in the most provoking manner they have not been onely single but repeated acts of sin for O Lord of all this black Catalogue which I have now brought forth before thee how few are there which I have not often committed nay which are not become even habitual and customary to me And to this frequency I have added both a greediness and obstinacy in sinning turning into my course as the horse rusheth into the battel doing evil with both hands earnestly yea hating to be reformed and casting thy words behind me quenching thy Spirit within me which testified against me to turn me from my evil wayes and frustrating all those outward means whether of judgment or mercy which thou hast used to draw me to thy self Nay O Lord even my repentances may be numbred amongst my greatest sins they have sometimes been feigned and hypocritical alwayes so slight and ineffectual that they have brought forth no fruit in amendment of life but I have still returned with the dog to his vomit and the sow to the mire again and have added the breach of resolutions and vowes to all my former guilts Thus O Lord. I am become out of measure sinful and since I have thus chosen death I am most worthy to take part in it even in the second death the lake of fire and brimstone This this O Lord is in justice to be the portion of my cup to me belongs nothing but shame and
fruit of it nay indeed this is thâ— way of tryal which Christ himself hath giveâ— us Jo. 14. 15. If ye love me keep my comandments and S. John tell us 1 Ep. 5. 3. That this is the love of God that we walk after his commandments and where this one proof is wanting it will be impossible to testifieâ— our love to God 34. But it must yet be farther considered that this love of God must not be in a low or weak degree for besides that the Motives to it his excellency and his kindness are in the highest the same Commandment which bids us love God bids us love him with all our heart and with all our strength that is as much as is possible for us and above any tâ—ing else And therefore to the fulfilling of this Commandment it is necessary we love him in that degree and if we do so then certainly we shall have not only some slight and faint endeavours of pleasing but such as are most diligent and earnest such as will put us upon the most painful and costly duties make us willing to forsake our own ease goods friends yea life it self when we cannot keep them without disobeying God 35. Now examine thy self by this hast thou this fruit of love to shew dost thou make it thy constant and greatest care to keep Gods Commandments to obey him in all things earnestly labouring to please him to the utmost of thy power even to the forsaking of what is dearest to thee in this world if thou dost thou maist then truly say thou lovest God But on the contrary if thou willfully continuest in the breach of many nay but of any one Command of his never deceive thy self for the love of God abides not in thee This will be made plain to you if you consider what the Scripture saith of such as that they are enemies to God by their wicked works Col. 1. 21. That the carnal minde and such is every one that continues wilfully in sin is enmity to God Rom. 8. 7. That he that sins wilfully tramples under foot the Son of God and doth despite unto the Spirit of grace Heb. 10 29. and many the like And therefore unless you can think enmity and trampling and despite to be fruits of love you must not believe you love God whilest you go on in any wilful disobedience to him 36. A Second fruit of love I told you was desire of injoying This is constantly to be seen in our love to another If you have a friend whom you intirely love you desire his conversation wish to be alwayes in his company and thus will it also be in our love to God if that was as great and hearty as this 37. There is a twofold enjoying of God the one imperfect in this life the other more perfect and complete in the life to come that in this life is that conversation as I may call it which we have with God in his ordinances in praying and meditating in hearing his word in receiving the Sacrament which are all intended for this purpose to bring us into an intimacy and familiarity with God by speaking to him and hearing him speak to us 38. Now if we do indeed love God we shall certainly hugely value and desire these wayes of conversing with him it being all that we can have in this life it will make us with David esteem one day in Gods courts better then a thousand Psal. 84. 10. We shall be glad to have these opportunities of approaching to him as often as is possible and be careful to use them diligently to that end of uniting us still more to him yea we shall come to these spiritual exercises with the same cheerfulness we would go to our dearest friend And if indeed we doe thus it is a good proofe of our love 39. But I fear there are not many have this to shew for it as appears by the common backwardness and unwillingness of men to come to these and their negligence and heartlesness when they are at them and can we think that God will ever own us for lovers of him whilst we have such dislikes to his company that we will never come into it but when we are drag'd by fear or shame of men or some such worldly Motive It is sure you would not think that man loved you whom you perceived to shun your company and to be loath to come in your sight And therefore be not so unreasonable as to say you love God when yet you desire to keep as far from him as you can 40. But besides this there is another injoyment of God which is more perfect and complete and that is our perpetual injoying of him in heaven where we shall be for ever united to him and injoy him not now and then only for short spaces of time as we do here but continually without interruption or breaking off And certainly if we have that degree of love to God we ought this cannot but â—e most earnestly desired by us so much that we shall think no labour too great to compass it The seven years that Jacob served for Rachel Gen. 29. 20. Seemed to him but a few dayes for the love that he had to her and surely if we have love to God we shall not think the service of our whole lives too dear a price for this full injoyment of him nor esteem all the injoyments of the world worth the looking on in comparison thereof 41. If we can truly tell our selves we do thus long for this injoyment of God we may believe we love him But I fear again there are but few that can thus approve their love For if we look into mens lives we shall see they are not generally so fond of this injoyment as to be at any pains to purchase it And not only so but it is to be doubted there are many who if it were put to their choice whether they would live here alwayes to enjoy the profit and pleasure of the world or go to heaven to enjoy God would like the Children of Gâ—d and Reuben set up their rest on this side Jordan Num. 32. and never desire that heavenly Canaan so close do their affections cleave to things below which shews cleerly they have not made God their treasure foâ— then according to our Saviours Rule Mat. 6. 21. Their heart would be with him Nay further yet it is too plain that many of us set so little value on this injoying of God that we prefer the vilest and basest sins before him and chuse to injoy them though by it we utterly lose our parts in him which is the case of every man that continues willfully in those sins 42. And now I fear according to these rules of trial many that profess to love God will be found not to do so I conclude al with the words of S. John 1 Ep. 3. 18. Which though spoken of the love of our brethren is very fitly
promised that if we resist the Divel he shall flie from us Iam. 47. Therefore our duty is first to pray earnestly for Gods grace to enable us to overcome the temptation and Secondly to set our selves manfully to combatâ— with it not yielding or giving consent to it in the least degree and whilst we do thus we are confidently to rest upon God that his grace will be sufficient for us that he will either remove the temptation or strengthen us to withstand it 51. Secondly in all outward and temporal dangers we are to rest upon him as knowing that he is able to deliver us and that he will do so if he see it best for us if we be such to whom he hath promised his protection that is such as truly fear him To this purpose we have many promises in Scripture Ps. 34. 7. The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him and delivereth them Ps. 34. 20. The Lord delivereth the souls of his Saints and all that put their trust in him shall not be destitute and divers the like And also we have many examples as that of the three children in the furnace Dan. 3. That of Daniel in the Lions Den Dan. 6. And many others all which serve to teach us this one lesson that if we go on conscionably in performing our duty we need not be dismayd for any thing that can befall us for the God whom we serve is able to deliver us 52. Therefore in all dangers we are first humbly to pray for his aid and then to rest our selves cheerfully on him assuring our selves that he will give such an issue as shall be most for our good But above all things we must be sure to fix our dependance wholly on him and not to relie on the creatures for help much less must we seek to deliver our selves by any unlawful means that is by the committing of any sin for that is like Saul 1 Sam. 28. 7. To go to the witch that is to the Divel for help such courses do commonly deceive our hopes at the present and in stead of delivering us out of our streights plunge us in greater and those much mroe uncomfortable ones because then we want that which is the only support Gods favour and aid which we certainly forfeit when we thus seek to rescue our selves by any sinful means But supposing we could by such a way certainly free our selves from the present danger yet alas we are far from having gainâ—d safety by it we have only removed the danger from that which was less considerable and brought it upon the most precious part of us our soules like an unskilful Physician that to remove a pain from the finger strikes it to the heart we are therefore grosly mistaken when we think we have played the good husbands in saving our Liberties or Estates or Lives themselves by a sin we have not saved them but madly over-bought them layed out our very souls on them And Christ tells us how little we shall gain by such bargains Mat. 17. 26. What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul. Let us therefore resolve never to value any thing we can possess in this world at so high a rate as to keep it at the price of the least sin but when ever things are driven to such an issue that we must either part with some perhaps all our worldly possessions nay life it self or else commit a sin let us then remember that this is the season for us to perform that great and excellent duty of taking up the Cross which we can never so properly do as in this case for our bearing of that which we have no possible way of avoiding can at most be said to be but the carrying of the Cross but then only can we be said to take it up when having a means of escaping it by a sin we rather chuse to endure the Cross then commit the Sin for then it is not layed on us by any unavoidable necessity but we willingly chuse it and this is highly acceptable with God yet withall so strictly required by him that if we fail of performing it when we are put to the tryal we are not to be accounted followers of Christ for so himself hath expresly told us Mat. 16. 24. If any man come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me and so again Mar. 8. 34. It were therefore a good point of Spiritual Wisdom for us sometimes by some lower degrees of self-denyal to fit our selves for this greater when we shall be called to it we know he that expects to run a race will before-hand be often breathing himself that he may not be foiled when he comes to run for the prize in like manner 't wil be fit for us somtimes to abridg our selves somewhat of our lawful pleasure or ease or profit sothat we may get such a mastery over our selves as to be able to renounce al when our â—bedience to God requires it 53. And as we are thus to trust on God for dâ—liverance from danger so are we likewise for supply of our wants and those again are either spiritual or temporal our spiritual want is that of his grace to inable us to serve him without which we can do nothing and for this we are to depend on him provided we neglect not the means which are prayer and a careful using of what he hath already bestowed on us For then we have his promise for it he will give the holy spirit to them that ask it Luke 11. 15. And unto him that hath shall be given Mat. 25 29. that is To him that hath made a good use of that grace he hath already God will give more We are not therefore to affright our selves with the difficulty of those things God requires of us but remember he commands nothing which he will not enable us to perform if we be not wanting to our selves And therefore let us sincerely do our parts and confidently assure our selves God will not fail of his 54. But we have likewise temporal and bodily wants and for the supply of them we are likewise to relie on him And for this also we want not promises supposing us to be of the number of them to whom they are made that is Gods faithful Servants They that fear the Lord lack nothing Psal. 34. 9 v. 10. They that seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good Again Psa. 33. 18 19. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy to deliver their souls from death and to feed them in time of famine Examples also we have of this as we may see in the case of Eliah and the poor widdow 1 Kings 17. And many others 55. We are therefore to look up to him for the provision of all things
of it this is another degree of the sin But thirdly a yet higher is when we do it against the resistances and checks of our own conscience when that at the time tells us this thing thou oughtest not to do Nay layes before us the danger as well as the sin of it yet in spight of these admonitions of conscience we go on and commit the sin this is a huge increase of it such as will raise the lest sin into a most high provocation For it is plain a sin thus committed must be a wilful one and then be the matter of it never so light it is most hainous in Gods eyes Nay this is a circumstance of such force that it may make an indifferent action that is in it self no sin become one For though my conscience should erre in telling me such a thing were unlawful yet so long as I were so perswaded it were sin for me to do that thing for in that case my will consents to the doing a thing which I believe to be displeasing to God God who judges us by our will not our understandings imputes it to me as a sin as well as if the thing were in it self unlawful therefore surely we may conclude that any thing which is in it self sinful is made much more so by being committed against the checks of conscience A fourth aggravation of a sin is when it hath bin often repeated for then there is not only the guilt of so many more Acts but every Act grows also so much worse and more inexcusable We alwayes judg thus in faults committed against our selves we can forgive a single injury more easily then the same when it hath bin repeated and the oftner it hath bin so repeated the more hainous we account it And so surely it is in faults against God also Fifthly the sins which have bin committed after vows and resolutions of amendment are yet more grievous for that contains also the breaking of those promises Somewhat of this there is in every wilful sin because every such is a breach of that vow we make at Baptisme But besides that we have since bound our selves by new vowes if at no other time yet surely at our coming to the Lords Supper that being as was formerly said purposely to repeat our vow of Baptisme And the more of these vowes we have made so much the greater is our guilt if we fall back to any sin we then renounced This is a thing very well worth weighing therefore examine thy self particularly at thy approach to the Sacrament concerning thy breaches of former vowes made at the holy Table And if upon any other occasion as sickness trouble of mind or the like thou hast at any time made any other call thy self to a strict account how thou hast performed them also and remember that every sin committed against such vowes is besides its own natural guilt a perjury likewise Sixthly a yet higher step is when a sin hath bin so often committed that we are come to a custome and habit of it and that is indeed a high degree 6. Yet even of habits some are worse then others as first if it be so confirmed that we are come to a hardness of heart have no sense at all of the sin or secondly if we go on in it against any extraordinary means used by God to reform us such as sickness or any other affliction which seemes to be sent on purpose for our reclaiming Or thirdly if all reproofs and exhortations either of Ministers or private friends work not on us but either make us angry at our reprovers or set us on defending the sin Or Lastly if this sinful habit be so strong in us as to give us a love to the sin not only in our selves but in others if as the Apostle saith Rom. 1. 31. We do not only do the things but take pleasure in them that do them and therefore intice and draw as manâ— as we can into the same sins with us Then it is risen to the highest step of wickedness and is to be look't on as the utmost dâ—gree both of sin and danger Thus you see how you are to examine your selves concerning your sins in each of which you are to consider how many of these heightning circumstances there have bin that so you may aright measure the hainousness of them 7. Now the end of this examination is to bring you to such a sight of your sins as may truly humble you make you sensible of your own danger that have provoked so great a Majesty who is able so sadly to revenge himself upon you And that will surely even to the most carnal heart appear a reasonable ground of sorrow But that is not all it must likewise bring you to a sense and abhorrence of your baseness and ingratitude that have thus offended so good and gracious a God that have made such unworthy and unkinde returnes to those tender and rich mercies of his And this consideration especially must melt your hearts into a deep sorrow and contrition the degree whereof must be in some measure answerable to the degree of your sins And the greater it is provided it be not such as shuts up the hope of Gods Mercy the more acceptable it is to God who hath promised not to despise a broken and contrite heart Psal. 51. 17. And the more likely it will be also to bring us to amendment For if we have once felt what the smart of a wounded Spirit is we shall have the lesse mind to venture upon sin again 8. For when we are tempted with any of the short pleasures of sin we may then out of our own experience set against them the sharp pains and terrors of an accusing conscience which will to any that hath felt them be able infinitely to outweigh them Endeavour therefore to bring your soul to this melting temper to this deep unfeigned sorrow and that not only for the danger you have brought upon your self for though that be a consideration that may and ought to work sadness in us yet where that alone is the motive of our sorrow it is not that sorrow which will avail us for pardon and the reason of it is clear for that sorrow proceeds only from the love of our selves we are sorry because we are like to smart But the sorrow of a true penitent must be enjoyned also with the love of God and that will make us grieve for having offended him though there were no punishment to fall upon our selves The way then to stir up this sorrow in us is first to stir up our love of God by repeating to our selves the many gracious Acts of his mercy towards us particularly that of his sparing us and not cutting us off in our sins Consider with thy self how many and how great provocations thou hast offered him perhaps in a continued course of many years wilful disobedience for which thou mightst with perfect
that no man is accounted wise without it A rash man we look upon as the next degree to a fool And yet it is sure there is not so much need of looking about us in any thing as in what concerns our souls and that not only in respect of the great value of them above all things else but also in regard of the great danger they are in as hath been shewed more at large in the beginning of the treatise 24 Secondly We are to consider our actions when they are past also that is we are to examine whether they have been such as are allowable by the Laws of Christ This is very necessary whether they be good or bad if they be good the recalling them helpeth us to the comfort of a good conscience and that comfort again incourageth us to go on in the like and besides it stirrs us up to thankfulness to God by whose grace alone we were enabled to do them But if they be bad then it is especially necessary that we thus examine them for without this it is impossible we should ever come to amendment for unless we observe them to have been amiss we can never think it needful to amend But shall still run on from one wickedness to another which is the greatest curse any man can lie upon 25. The oftner therefore we use this consideration the better for the less likely it is that any of our sins shall escape our knowledg It is much to be wisht that every man should thus every night try the actions of the day that so if he have done any things amisse he may soon check himself for it and settle his resolutions against it and not let it grow on to a habit and course And that he may also early beg Gods pardon which will the easier be had the sooner it is asked every delay of that being a great increase of the sin And surely whoever means to take account of himself at all will find this the easiest course it being much easier to do it so a little at a time and while passages are fresh in his memory thâ—n to take the account of a long time together Now if it be considered that every wilful sin must have a particular repentance before it can be pardoned me thinks men should tremble to sleep without that repentance for what assurance hath any man that lies down in his bed that he shall ever rise again and then how dangerous is the condition of that man that sleeps in an unrepented sin The weighing of these several motives may be a means by Gods blessing to bring us to the practice of this duty of consideration in all the parts of it PARTITION VII Of CONTENTEDNES and the Contraries to it Murmuring Ambition Covetousness Envy Helps to Contentedness Of DUTIES which concern our BODIES Of CHASTITY c. Helps to it Of TEMPERANCE Rule of Temperance in EATING § 1. THe fourth vertue is contendedness and this surely is a duty we much own to our selves it being that without which it is impossible to be happy This contentedness is a well-pleasedness with that condition whatever it is that God hath placed us not murmuring and repining of our lot but cheerfully well-câ—ming whatsoever God sends How great and withal how pleasant a vertue this is may appear by the contrariety it hath to several great and painful vices so that where this is rooted in the heart it subdues not only some such single sin but â— cluster of them together 2. And first it is contrary to all murmuring iâ— general which is a sin most hateful to God as may appear by his sharp punishments of it on the Israelites in the wilderness as you may read in several places of the book of Exodus and Numbers And sure it is also very painful and uneasie to a mans self for if as the Psalmist saith it be a joyful and pleasant thing to be thankful we may by the rule of contraries conclude it is a sad and unpleasant thing to be murmuring and I doubt not every mans own experience will confirm the truth of it 3. Secondly It is contrary to ambition the ambitions man is alwayes disliking his present condition and that makes him so greedily to seek a higher whereas he that is content with his own lies quiet out of the road of his temptation Now ambition is not only a great sin in it self but it puts men upon many other There is nothing so horrid which a man that eagerly seeks greatness will stick at lying perjury murder or any thing will down with him if they seem to tend to his advancement And the uneasiness of it is answerable to the sin This none can doubt of that considers what a multitude of fears and jealousies cares and distractions there are that attend ambition in its progresse besides the great and publick ruines that usually befal it in the end And therefore sure contentedness is in this respect as well a happines as a vertue 4. Thirdly it is contrary to covetousness this the Apostle witnesseth Heb. 13. 5. Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have where you see contentedness is set as the direct contrary to covetousness But of this there needs no other proof then common experience for we see the covetous man never thinks he hath enough and therefore can never be content for no man can be said to be so that thirsts after any thing he hath not Now that you may see how excellent and necessary a virtue this is that secures us against covetousness it will not be amiss a little to consider the nature of that sin 5. That it is a very great crime is most certain for it is contrary to the very foundation of all good life I mean those three great duties to God to our selves to our neighbour First It is so contrary to our duty to God that Christ himself tels us Luk. 16 13. We cannot serve God and Mammon he that sets his heart upon wealth must necessarily take it off from God And this we daily see in the covetous mans practice he is so eager in the gaining of riches that he hath no time or care to perform duty to God let but a good bargain or opportunity of gain come in his way prayer and all duties of Religion must be neglected to attend it Nay when the committing the greatest sin against God may be likely either to get or save him ought his love of wealth quickly perswades him to commit it 6. Secondly It is contrary to the duty we owe our selves and that both in respect of our Souls and bodies The covetous man despises his Soul sels that to eternal destruction for a little pelf For so every man does that by any unlawful means seeks to enrich himself Nay though he do it not by unlawful means yet if he have once set his heart
negative justice layes a restraint on us in every of these That we do no wrong to any man in respect either of his Soul his body his possessions or credit 3. First This justice tyes us to do no hurt to his Soul and here my first work must be to examine what harm it is that the soul can receive it is we know an invisible substance which we cannot reach with our eye much less with our swords and weapons yet for all that it is capable of being hurt and wounded and that even to death 4. Now the soul may be considered either in a natural or spiritual sence in the natural it signifies that which we usually call the mind of a man and this we all know may be wounded with grief or sadness as Solomon saith Pro. 15. 13. By sorrow of heart the spirit is broken Therefore whoever does causlesly afflict or grieve his neighbour he transgresses this part of justice hurts wrongâ— his soul. This sort of injury malicious and spiteful men are very often guilty of they will do things by which themselves reap no good nay often much harm onely that they may vex and grâ—eve another This is a most savage inhumane humour thus to take pleasure in the sadness and afflictions of others and whoever harbours it in his heart may truly be said to bâ— possest with a Devil for it is the nature onely of those accursed spirits to delight in the miseries of men and till that be cast out they are fit onely to dwell as the possest person did Mar. 5. 2. Among graves and tombs where there are none capable of receiving affliction by them 5. But the Soul may be considered also in the spiritual sense and so it signifies that immortal part of us which must live eternally either in bliss or woe in another world And the Soul thus understood is capable of two sorts of harm first that of sin secondly that of punishment the latter whereof is certainly the consequent of the former and therefore though God be the inflicter of punishment yet since it is but the effect of sin we may justly reckon that he that drâ—wes a man to sin is likewise the betrayer of him to punishment as he that gives a man a mortal wound is the cause of his death therefore under the evil of sin both are contained so that I need speak onely of that 6. And sure there cannot be a hâ—gher sort of wrong then the bringing this great evil upon the Soul sin is the disease and wound of the Soul as being the direct contrary to grace which is the health and soundness of it Now this wound we give to every Soul whom we do by any means whatsoever draw into sin 7. The ways of doing that are divers I shall mention some of them whereof though some are more direct then others yet all tend to the same end Of the more direct ones there is first the commanding of sin that is when a person that hath power over another shall require him to do something which is unlawful An example of this we have in Nebuchadnezzars commanding the worship of the golden Image Dan. 3 4 and his copy is imitated by any parent or master who shall require of his child or servant to do any unlawful act Secondly there is counselling of sin when men advise and perswade others to any wickedness Thus Jobs wife counselled her husband to curse God Job 2. 7. And Achitophel advised Absolom to go into his Fathers concubines 2 Sam. 16. 21. Thirdly there is enticing and alluring to sin by setting before men the pleasures or profits they shall reap by it Of this sort of enticement Solomon gives warning Prov. 1. 10. My son if sinners entice thee consent thou not if they say come with us let us lay wait for blood let us lâ—rke privily for the innocent without cause c. and verse the 13. you may see what is the bait by which they seek to alure them we shall find all precious substance we shall fill our souls with spoile cast in thy lot among us let us all have one purse Fourthly there is assistance in sin that is when men aid and help others either in contriving or acting a sin Thus Jonadab helpt Amnon in plotting the ravishing of his sister 2 Sam. 13. all these are direct means of bringing this great evil of sin upon our brethren 8. There are also others which though they seem more indirect may yet be as effectual towards that ill end As first example in sin he that sets others an ill pattern does his part to make them imitate it and too often it hath that effect there being generally nothing more forcible to bring men into any sinful practice then the seeing it used by others as might be instanced in many sins to which there is no other temptation but their being in fashion Secondly there is incouragement in sin when either by approving or else at least by not shewing a dislike we give others confidence to go on in their wickedness A third means is by justifying and defending any sinful act of anothers for by that we do not only confirm him in his eviâ— but endanger the drawing others to the like who may be the more inclinable to it when they shall hear it so pleaded for Lastly the bringing up any reproach upon strict and Christian living as those do who have the ways of God in derision this is a means to affright men from the practice of duty when they see it will bring them to be scorned and despised this is worse then all the former not only in respect of the man who is guilty of it as it is an evidence of the great profaneness of his own heart but also in regard of others it having a more general ill effect then any of the former can have it being the betraying men not only to some single acts of disobedience to Christ but even to the casting off all subjection to him By all these means we may draw on our selves this great guilt of injuring and wounding the souls of our brethren 9. It would be too long for me to instance in all the several sins in which it is usual for men to ensnare others as drunkenness uncleanness rebellion and a multitude more But it will concern every man for his own particular to consider sadly what mischiefs of this kind he hath done to any by all or any of these means and to weigh well the greatness of the injury Men are apt to boast of their innocency towards their neighbours that they have done wrong to no man but God knows many that thus brag are of all others the most injurious persons perhaps they have not maimed his body nor stolen his goods but alas the body is but the case and cover of the man and the goods some appurtenances to that 't is the soul is the man and that
exercise this meekness even towards them who oppose themselves against the Doctrine of the Gospel 2 Tim. 2. 25. which was a case wherein some heat would probably have been allowed if it might have been in any 21. This vertue of meekness is so necessary to the preserving the peace of the world that it is no wonder that Christ who came to plant peace among men should injoin meekness to all I am sure the contrary effects of rage and anger are every where discernable it breeds disquiets in Kingdomes in Neighbourhoods in Families and even between the neerest relations 't is such a humour that Solomon warnes us never to enter a friendship with a man that is of it Prov. 22. 24. Make no friendship with an angry man and with a furious man thou shalt not go It makes a man unfit to be either friend or companion and indeed makes one insufferable to all that have to do with one as we are again taught by Solomon Prov. 21. 19. where he preferres the dwelling in a wilderness rather then with a contentious and angry woman and yet a woman haâ— ordinarily onely that one weapon of the tongue to offend with Indeed to any that have not the same unquietness of humor there can scarce be a greater uneasiness then to converse with those that have it though it never proceed farther then words How great this sin is we may judge by what our Saviour sayes of it Mat. 5. where there are several degrees of punishment allotted to several degrees of it but alas we daily out go that which he there sets as the highest step of this sin the calling thou fool is a modest sort of reviling compared with those multitudes of bitter reproaches we use in our rages 22. Nay we often go yet higher reproaches serve not our turn but we must curse too How common is it to hear men use the horridst execrations and cursings upon every the slightest cause of displeasure nay perhaps without any cause at all so utterly have we forgot the rule of the Apostle Rom. 12. 14. Blesse and curse not Yea the precept of our blessed Saviour himself Mat. 5. 44. Pray for those that despitefully use you Christ bids us pray for those who do us all injury and we are often cursing those who do us none This is a kind of saying our prayers backward indeed which is said to be part of the ceremony the Devil uses at the making of a witch and we have in this case also reason to look on it as a means of bringing us into acquaintance and league with that accursed spirit here and to a perpetual abideing with him hereafter 'T is the language of Hell which can never â—it us to be Citizens of the New Ierusalem but marks us out for inhabitants of that land of darkness I conclude this with the advice of the Apostle Eph. 4 31. Lâ—t all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice 23. Having spoken thus farr of those common dues wherein all men are concerned and have a right I am now to proceed to those other sorts of dues which belong to particular persons by vertue of some especial qualification These qualifications may be of three kinds that of excellency that of want and that of relation 24. By that of excellency I mean any extraordinary gifts or endowments of a person such as wisdom learning and the like but especially grace these being the singular gifts of God have a great value and respect due to them wheresoever they are to be found and this we must readily pay by a willing and glad acknowledgment of those his gifts in any he has bestowed them on and bearing them a reverence and respect answerable thereunto and not out of an overweening of our own excellencies despise and undervalue those of others as they do who will yeild nothing to be reason but what themselves speak nor any thing piety but what agrees with their own practice 25. Also we must not envy or grudg that they have those gifts for that is not only an injustice to them but injurious also to God who gave them as it is as large set forth in the parable of the labourers Mat. 20. where he asks them who grumbled at the Masters bounty to others Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own is thine eye evil because mine is good This envying at Gods goodness to others is in effect a murmuring against God who thus disposes it neither can there be a greater and more direct opposition against him then for me to hate and wish ill to a man for no other reason but because God has loved and done well to him and then in respect of the man 't is the most unreasonable thing in the world to love him the less meerly because he has those good qualities for which I ought to love him more 26. Neither must we detract from the excellencies of others we must not see to eclipse or darken them by denying either the kinds or degrees of them by that means to take off that esteem which is due to them This sin of detraction is generally the effect of the former of envy he that envies a mans worth will be apt to do all he can to lessen it in the opinions of others and to that purpose will either speak slightly of his excellencies or if they be so apparent that he knows not how to cloud them he will trye if he can by reporting some either reall or feigned infirmity of his take off from the value of the other and so by casting in some dead flies as the wise man speaks Eccles. 10. 1. Strive to corrupt the savour of the ointment this is a great injustice and directly contrary to that duty we owe of acknowledging and reverencing the gifts of God in our brethren 27. And both these sins of envy and detraction do usually prove as great follies as wickedness the envy constantly brings pain and torment to a mans self whereas if he could but cheerfully and gladly look on those good things of anothers he could never fail to be the better for them himself the very pleasure of seeing them would be some advantage to him but besides that those gifts of his brother may be many ways helpful to him his wisdom and learning may give him instruction his piety and vertue example c. but all this the envious man loseth and hath nothing in exchange for it but a continual fretting and gnawing of heart 28. And then for detraction that can hardly be so managed but it will be found out he that is still putting in Caveats against mens good thoughts of others will quickly discover himself to do it out of envy and then that will be sure to lessen their esteem of himself but not of those he envies it being a sort of bearing testimony to those
us But as this is due from the child to the Parents so on the other side there are other things also due from the Parents to the child and that throughout the several states and ages of it 18. First There is the care of nourishing and sustaining it which begins from the very birth and continues a duty from the Parent till the child be able to perform it to himself This is a duty which nature teaches even the savages beasts have a great care and tenderness in nourishing their young and therefore may serve to reproach and condemn all Parents who shall be so unnatural as to neglect this I shall not here enter into the question whether the mother be obliged to give the child its first nourishment by giving it suck her self because 't will not be possible to affirm universally in the case there being many circumstances which may alter it and make it not onely lawful but best not to do it all I shall say is that where no impediment of sickness weakness or the like does happen 't is surely best for the mother her self to perform this office there being many advantages to the child by it which a good Mother ought so far to consider as not to sell them to her own sloth or niceness or any such unworthy motive for where such onely are the grounds of forbearing it they will never be able to justifie the omission they being themselves unjustifiable But besides this first care which belongs to the body of the child there is another which should begin neer as early which belongs to their Souls and that is the bringing them to the Sacrament of Baptism thereby to procure them an early right to all those precious advantages which that Sacrament conveyes to them This is a duty the Parents ought not to delay it being most reasonable that they who have been instruments to convey the stain and pollution of sin to the poor Infant should be very earnest and industrious to have it washt off as soon as may be Besides the life of so tender a creature is but a blast and many times gone in a moment and though we are not to despair of Gods mercy to those poor children who dye without Baptism yet surely those Parents commit a great fault by whose neglect it is that they want it 19. Secondly The Parents must provide for the education of the child they must as Solomon speaks Prov. 22. 6. Train up the child in the way he should go As soon therefore as children come to the use of reason they are to be instructed and that first in those things which concern their eternal well-being they are by little and little to be taught all those things which God hath Commanded them as their duty to perform as also what glorious rewards he hath provided for them if they do it and what grievous and eternal punishments if they do it not These things ought as early as is possible to be instilled into the minds of children which like new vessels do usually keep the savour of that which is first put into them and therefore it neerly concerns all parents to look they be at first thus seasoned with Vertue and Religion 'T is sure if this be neglected there is one ready at hand to fill them with the contrary the devil wil be diligent enough to instil into them all wickedness and vice even from their cradles and there being also in all our natures so much the greater aptness to evil then to good there is need of great care and watchfulness to prevent those endeavours of that enemy of Souls which can no way be but by possessing them at first with good things breeding in them a love to vertue a hatred of vice that so when the temptations come they may be armed against them This surely is above all things the duty of Parents to look after and the neglect of it is a horrible cruelty We justly look upon those Parents as most unnatural wretches that take away the life of their child but alas that his mercy and tenderness compared to this of neglecting his education for by that he ruines his Soul makes him miserable eternally and God knowes multitudes of such cruel Parents there are in the world that thus give up their children to be possest by the Devil for want of an early acquainting them with the wayes of God nay indeed how few there are that do conscionable perform this duty is too apparent by the strange rudeness and ignorance that is generally among youth the children of those who call themselves Christians being frequently as ignorant of God and Christ as the meerest Heathens But whoever they are that thus neglect this great duty let them know that it is not onely a fearful misery they bring upon their poor children but also a horrible guilt upon themselves For as God sayes to the careless watchmen Ezeck 3. 18. That if any soul perish by his negligence that soul shall be required at his hands so surely will it fare with all parents who have this office of watch-men intrusted to them by God over their own children A second part of education is the bringing them up to some imployment busying them in some honest exercise whereby they may avoid that great snare of the Divel Idleness and also be taught some useful art or trade whereby when they come to age they may become profitable to the Commonwealth and able to get an honest living to themselves 20. To this great duty of educating of children there is required as means first encouragement secondly correction incouragement is first to be tryed we should endeavour to make children in love with duty by offering them rewards and invitations and whenever they do well take notice of it and encourage them to go on It is an ill course some parents hold who think they must never appear to their children but with a face of sowreness and austerity this seems to be that which St. Paul forwarnes parents of when he bids fathers not to provoke their children to wrath Col. 3. 21. To be as harsh and unkind to them when they do well as if they do ill is the way to provoke them and then the Apostle tels us in the same verse what will be the issue of it they will be discouraged they will have no heart to go on in any good course when the parent affords them no countenance The second means is correction and this becomes seasonable when the former will do no good when all faire means perswasions and encouragements prevail not then there is a necessity of using sharper and let that be first tryed in words I mean not by railing and foul language but in sober yet sharp reproof but if that fail too then proceed to blowes and in this case as Solomon sayes he that spareth his rod hateth his son Prov. 13. 24. 'T is a cruel fondness that to spare
not be his journeys end and therefore by that rule of Charity should as much dread it for his Neighbour Secondly We are to wish all good to the Bodies of men all health and welfare we are generally tender enough of our own bodies dread the least pain or ill that can befal them Now Charity by vertue of the forementioned precept extends this tenderness to all others and whatever we apprehend as grievous to our selves we must be unwilling should befal another The like is to be said of the other two goods and credit that as we wish our own thriving and reputation so we should likewise that of others or else we can never be said to love our neighbour as our selves This Charity of the affections if it be sincere will certainly have these several effects which are so inseparable from it that they are often in Scripture accounted as parts of the duty and so most strictly required of us First it will keep the mind in a peaceable and meek temper towards others so far fâ—om seeking occasions of contentions that no provocation shall draw us to it for where we have kindness we shall be unapt to quarrel it being one of the especial properties of Charity that it is not easily provoked 1 Cor. 13. 5. and therefore whoever is unpeaceable shewes his heart is destitute of this Charity Secondly it will breed compâ—ssion towards all the miseries of others every mishap that befals where we wish well is a kind of defeat and disaster to our selves and therefore if we wish well to all we shall be thus concerned in the calamities of all have a reall grief and sorrow to see any in misery and that according to the proportion of the suffering Thirdly it will give us joy in the prosperities of others Solomon observes Prov. 13. 19. That the desire accomplished iâ— sweeâ— to the Soul and then whoever has this real desire of his neighbours welfare his desire is accomplished in their prosperity and therefore he cannot but have contentment and satisfaction in it Both these are together commanded by St. Paul Rom. 12. 12. Râ—joice with them that rejoice weep with them that weep Fourthly it will excite and stir up our prayers for others We are of our selves impotent feeble creatures unâ—ble to bestow blessings where we most wish them therefore if we do indeed desire the good of others we must seâ—k it on their behalf from him whence every good and perfect gift cometh Ja. 1. 17. This is so necessary a part of Charity that without it our kindness is but an unsignificant thing a kind of empty complement For how can he be believed to wish well in earnest who will not thus put life and efficacy into his wishes by forming them into prayers which will otherwise be vain and fruitless The Apostle thought not fit to leave men to their bare wishes but exhorts that supplications prayers and giving of thanks be made for all men 1 Tim. 2. 1. which precept all that have this true Charity of the heart will readily conform to These severals are so naturally the fruits of this Charity that it is a deceit for any man to perswade himself he hath it who cannot produce these fruits to evidence it by But there is yet a farther excellency of this grace it guards the mind and secures it from several great and dangerous vices as first from Envy This is by the Apostle taught us to be the property of Charity 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity envieth not And indeed common reason may confirm this to us for envy is a sorrow at the prosperity of another and therefore must needs be directly contrary to that desire of it which we shewed before was the effect of love so that if love bear sway in the heart 't will certainly chace out Envy How vainly then do those pretend to this vertue that are still grudging and repâ—ning at every good hap of others Secondly It keeps down Pride and Hauâ—â—â—iness This is also taught us by the Apostle in the forementioned place Charity vaunteth not it self is not puffed up and accordingly we find that where this vertue of love is commanded their humility is joyned with it Thus it is Col. 3. 12. Put on therefore bowels of Mercies Kindness Humbleness of mind and Rom. 12. 10. Be kindly affectioned on towards another with brotherly love in honour preferring one another where you see how close an attendant humility is of love Indeed it naturally flowes from it for love always sets a price and value upon the thing beloved makes us esteem and prize it thus we too constantly find it in self love it makes us think highly of our selves that we are much more excellent then other men Now if love thus plac'd on our selves beget pride let us but divert the course and turn this love on our brethren and it will as surely beget humility for then we should see and value those gifts and excellencies of theirs which now our pride or our hatreds make us to overlook and neglect and not think it reasonable either to despise them or vaunt and magnifie our selves upon such a comparison we should certainly find cause to put the Apostles exhortation in practice Phil. 2 4 That we should esteem others better then our selves Whoever therefore is of so hâ—ughty a temper as to vilify and disdain others may conclude he hath not this charity rooted in his heart Thirdly it casts out censoriousness and rash judging charity as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13. 5. Thinketh no evil is not apt to entertain ill conceits of others but on the contrary as it follows ver 7. believeth all thing hopeth all things that is it is forward to believe and hope the best of all men and surely our own experience tels us the same for where we love we are usually unapt to discern faults be they never so gross witness the great blindness we generally have towards our own and therefore shall certainly not be likely to create them where they are not or to aggravate them beyond their true size and degree And then to what shall we impute those unmerciful censures and rash judgments of others so frequent among men but to the want of this charity Fourthly It casts out dissembling and feigned kindness where this true and reall love is that false and counterfeit one flyes from before it and this is the love we are commanded to have such as is without dissimulation Rom. 12. 9. Indeed where this is rooted in the heart there can be no possible use of dissimulation because this is in truth all that the false one would seem to be and so is as far beyond it as nature is beyond art nay indeed as a devine vertue is beyond a foul sin for such is that hypocritical kindness and yet t is to be feared that does too generally usurp the place of this reall charity the effects of it are too visible
intreaty no perswasion can prevail with them to make this so reasonable so necessary a change not but that they acknowledge it needful to be done but they are unwilling to do it yet they would enjoy all the pleasures of sin as long as they live and then they hope at their death or some little time before it to do all the business of their Souls But alas Heaven is too high to be thus jumped into the way to it is a long and leasurely ascent which requires time to walk The hazards of such deferring are more largely spoken of in the discourse of Repentance I shall not here repeat them but desire the Reader seriously to lay them to heart and then surely he will think it seasonable counsel that is given by the wise man Ecclus 5. 7. Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord and put not off from day to day PRIVATE DEVOTIONS For Several OCCASIONS London Printed for T. Garthwait at the little North Door of St. Pauls CHRISTIAN READER I Have for the help of thy devotions set down some FORMS of PRIVATE-PRAYER upon several occasions If it be thought an omission that there are none for Families I must answer for my self that it was not from any opinion that God is not as well to be worship'd in the Family as in the Closet but because the providence of God and the Church hath already furnish'd thee for that purpose infinitely beyond what my utmost care could do I mean the PUBLICK LITURGY or COMMON-PRAYER which for all publick addresses to God and such are family-Prayers are so excellent and useful that we may say of it as David did of Goliah's sword 1 Sam. 21. 9. There is none like it DIRECTIONS for the MORNING As soon as ever thou awakest in the morning lift up thy heart to God in this or the like short Prayer LORD As thou hast awaked my body from sleep so by thy grace awaken my soul from sin and make me so to walk before thee this day and all the rest of my life that when the last trumpet shall awake me out of my grave I may rise to the life immortal through Jesus Christ. WHEN thou hast thus begun suffer not without some urgent necessity any worldly thoughts to fill thy mind till thou have also payd thy more solemn devotions to Almighty God and therefore during the time thou art dressing thy self which should be no longer then common decency requires exercise thy mind in some spiritual thoughts As for example Consider to what temptations thy business or company that day are most like to lay thee open and arm thy self with resolutions against them or again consider what occasions of doing service to God or good to thy neighbour are that day most likely to present themselves and resolve to embrace them and also contrive hoâ— thou maist improve them to the uttermost But especially it will be fit for thee to examine whether there have any sin escaped thee since thy last nights examination If after these considerations any farther leisure remain thou maist profitably imploy it in meditating on the general resurrection whereof our rising from our beds is a representation and of that dreadful judgment which shall follow it and then think with thy self in what preparation thou art for it and resolve to husband carefully every minute of thy time towards the fitting thee for that great account As soon as thou art ready retire to some private place and there offer up to God thy Morning Sacrifice of Praise and Prayer PRAYERS for the MORNING At thy first kneeling down say O Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity three Persons and one God have mercy upon me a miserable sinner Lord I know not what to pray for as I ought O let thy spirit help my infirmities and enable me to offer up a spiritual sacrifice acceptable to thee by Jesus Christ. A THANKSGIVING O Gracious Lord whose mercies endure for ever I thy unworthy servant who have so deeply tasted of them desire to render thee the tribute of my humblest prayses for them In thee O Lord I live and move and have my being thou first madest me to be and then that I might not be miserable but happy thou sentest thy Son out of thy bosome to redeem me from the power of my sins by his grace and from the punishment of them by his blood and by both to bring me to his glory Thou hast by thy mercy caused me to be born within thy peculiar fold the Christian Church where I was early consecrated to thee in Baptism and have been partaker of all those spiritual helps which might aid me to perform that Vow I there made to thee and when by my own willfulnesse or negligence I have failed to do it yet thou in thy manifold mercies hast not forsaken me but hast graciously invited me to repentance afforded me all means both outward and inward for it and with much patience hast attended and not cut me off in the acts of those many damning sins I have committed as I have most justly deserved It is O Lord thy restraining grace alone by which I have been kept back from any the greatest sins and it is thy inciting and assisting grace alone by which I have been enabled to do any the least good therefore not unto me not unto me but unto thy name be the praises For these all other thy spiritual blessings my Soul doth magnify the Lord all that is within me praise his Holy Name I likewise praise thee for those many outward blessings I enjoy as Health Friends Food and Raiment the comforts as well as the necessaries of this life for those continual protections of thy hand by which I and mine are kept from dangers and those gracious deliverances thou hast often afforded out of such as have befallen me and for that mercy of thine whereby thou hast sweetned and alayed those troubles thou hast not seen fit wholy to remove For thy particular preservation of me this night and all other thy goodness towards me Lord grant that I may render thee not onely the fruit of my lips but the obedience of my life that so these blessings here may be an earnest of those richer blessings thou hast prepared for those that love thee and that for his sake whom thou hast made the Authour of eternal Salvation to all that obey him even Jesus Christ. A CONFESSION O Righteous Lord who hatest iniquity I thy sinful creature cast my self at thy feet acknowledging that I most justly deserve to be utterly abhorred and forsaken by thee for I have drunk iniquity like water gone on in a continued course of sin and rebellion against thee daily committing those things thou forbiddest and leaving undone those things thou commandest mine heart which should be an habitation for thy Spirit is become a cage of unclean birds of foul and disordered affections and out of this abundance of the heart my mouth speaketh my
impenitence and unworthiness frustrate these so inestimable mercies to me but qualifie me by thy grace to receive the full benefit of them O Lord I have abundant need of thee but am so clog'd with guilt so holden with the cords of my sins that I am not able to move towards thee O lose me from this band wherewith Satan and my own lusts have bound me and draw me that I may run after thee Lord thou seest daily how eagerly I pursue the paths that lead to death but when thou invitest me to life and glory I turn my back and forsake my own mercy How often hath this feast been prepared and I have with frivilous excuses absented my self or if I have come it hath been rather to defie then to adore thee I have brought such troops of thy professed enemies unrepented sins along with me as if I â—ame not to commemorate but renew thy passion crucifying thee afresh and putting thee to open shame and now of what punishment shall I be thought worthy who have thus trampled under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing yet O merciful Jesu this blood is my onely râ—â—â—ge O let this make my atonement or I perish eternally wherefore didst thou shed it but to save sinners neither can the merit of it be overwhelmed either by the greatness or number of sins I am a sinner a great one O let me find its saving efficacy Be merciful unto me O God be merciful to me for my soul trusteth in thee and in the clefts of thy wound shall be my refuge until thy fathers indignation be overpast O thou who hast as my high Priest sacrificed for me intercede for me also and plead thy meritorious sufferings on my behalfe and suffer not O my Redeemer the price of thy blood to be utterly lost And grant O Lord that as the sins I have to be forgiven are many so I may love much Lord thou seest what faint what cold affections I have towards thee O warm and enliven them and as in this Sacrament that transcendent love of thine in dying for me is shewed forth so I beseech thee let it convey such grace into me as may enable me to make some returns of love O let this divine fire descend from heaven into my soul and let my sins be the burnt offering for it to consume that there may not any corrupt affection any accursed thing be shelterd in my heart that I may never again defile that place which thou hast chosen for thy temple Thou dyedst O dear Jesu to redeem me from all iniquity O let me not again sell my self to work wickedness but grant that I may approach thee at this time with most sincere and fixed resolutions of an entire reformation and let me receive such grace and strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many old habituated diseases my soul groanes under Her mention thy most prevailing corruptions And though I lye never so long at the pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy table yet unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing vertue they will still remain uncured O thou blessed Physician of souls heal me and grant I may now so touch thee that every one of these loath some issues may immediately stanch that these sicknesses may not be unto death but unto the glory of thy mercy in pardoning to the glory of thy grace in purifying so polluted a wretch O Christ hear me and grant I may now approach thee with such humility and contrition love and devotion that thou maist vouchsafe to come unto me and abide with me communicating to me thy self and all the merits of thy passion And then O Lord let no accusations of Satan oâ— my own conscience amaze or distract me buâ— having peace with thee let me also have peace in my self that this wine may make glad this bread of life may strengthen my heart and enable me cheerfully to run the way of thy Commandments Grant this merciful Saviour I beseech thee for thine own bowels and compassions sake EjACULATIONS to be used at the LORDS TABLE LOrd I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Here recollect some of thy greatest sins If thou Lord shouldst be extreme to mark what is done amiss O Lord who may abide it But with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous Redemption Behold O Lord thy beloved Son in whom thou art well pleased Hearken to the cry of his blood which speaketh better things then that of Abel By his Agony and bloody Sweat by his Cross and Passion good Lord deliver me O Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world grant me thy Peace O Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world have mercy upon me Immediately before Receiving THou hast said that he that eateth thy flesh and drinketh thy blood hath eternal life Behold the servant of the Lord be it unto me according to thy word At the Receiving of the Bread BY thy Crucified Body deliver me from this body of death At the Receiving of the Cup. O let this blood of thine purge my conscience from dead works to serve the living God Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean O touch me and say I will be thou clean After Receiving WHat shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done unto me I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing Therefore blessing honour glory and power be to him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous judgments O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not A Thanksgiving after the Receiving of the Sacrament OThou Fountain of all goodness from whom every good and perfect gift cometh and to whom all honour and glory should be returned I desire with all the most fervent and inflamed affections of a grateful heart to blesse and praise thee for those inestimable mercies thou hast vouchsafed me Lord what is man that thou shouldst so regard him as to send thy beloved Son to suffer such bitter things for him But Lord what am I the worst of men that I should have any part in this atonement who have so oft despised him and his sufferings O the height and depth of this mercy of thine that art pleased to admit me to the renewing of that Covenant with thee which I have so often so perversly broken that I who am not worthy of that daily bread which sustains the body should be made partaker of this bread of life which nourishes the Soul and
that the God of all purity should vouchsafe to unite himself to so polluted a wretch O my God suffer me no more I beseech thee to turn thy grace into wantonness to make thy mercy an occasion of security but let this unspeakable love of thine constrain me to obedience that since my blessed Lord hath died for me I may no longer live unto my self but to him O Lord I know there is no concord between Christ and Belial therefore since he hath now been pleased to enter my heart O let me never permit any lust to chace him thence but let him that hath so dearly bought me still keep possession of me and let nothing ever take me out of his hand To this end be thou graciously pleased to watch over me and defend me from all assaults of my spiritual enemies but especially deliver me from my self from the treachery of my own heart which is too willing to yield it self a prey And where thou seest I am either by nature or custome most weak there do thou I beseech thee magnify thy power in my preservation Here name thy most dangerous temptations And Lord let my Saviours sufferings for my sins and the vowes I have now made against them never depart from my mind but let the remembrance of the one enable me to perform the other that I may never make truce with those lusts which nailed his hands pierced his side and made his Soul heavy to the death But that having now a new listed my self under his banner I may fight manfully and follow the Captain of my Salvation even through a Sea of blood Lord lift up my hands that hang down and my feeble knees that I faint not in this warfare O be thou my strength who am not able of my self to struggle with the slightest temptations How often have I turned my back in the day of battel How many of these sacramental vowes have I violated And Lord I have still the saâ—e unconstant deceitful heart to betray me to the breach of this O thou who art Yea and Amen in whom there is no shadow of change communicate to me I beseech thee such a stability of mind that I may no more thus start aside like a broken bow but that having my heart whole with thee I may continue stedfast in thy Covenant That not one good purpose which thy Spirit hath raised in me this day may vanish as so many have formerly done but that they may bring fâ—rth fruit unto life eternal Grant this O merciful Father through the merits and Mediation of my Crucified Saviour A Prayer of Intercession to be used either before or after the receiving of the Sacrament O MOST Gracious Lord who so tenderly lovedst mankind as to give thy dear Son out of thy bosom to become a propitiation for the sins of the whole world grant that the effect of this Redemption may be as Universal as the design of it that it may be to the Salvation of all O let no person by impenitence and wilful sin forfeit his part in it but by the power of thy grace bring all even the most obstinate sinners to Repentance Inlighten all that sit in darkness all Jewes Turks Infidels and Hereticks take from them all blindness hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and so fetch them home blessed Lord unto thy fold that they may be saved among the number of the true Israelites And for all those upon whom the Name of thy Son is called grant O Lord that their conversations may be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ that his Name be no longer Blasphemed among the Heathen through us O blessed Lord how long shall Christendom continue the vilest part of the world a sink of all those abominable pollutions which even Barbarians detest O let not our profession and our practice be alwayes at so wide a distance Let not the Disciples of the Holy and Immaculate Jesus be of all others the most profane and impure Let not the subjects of the Prince of Peace be of all others the most contentious and bloody but make us Christians indeed as well as in name that we may walk worthy of that Holy Vocation wherewith we are called and may all with one mind and one mouth glorify thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Have mercy on this languishing Church look down from Heaven the Habitation of thy Holiness and of thy glory where is thy Zeal and thy strength the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies towards us Are they restrained Be not wroth very sore O Lord neither remember iniquity for ever but though our backslidings are many and we have grievously rebelled yet according to all thy goodness let thy anger thy sury be turned away cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary which is desolate for the Lords sake and so separate between us and our sins that they may no longer separate between us our God Save and defend all Christian Kings Princes Governours especially those to whom we owe subjection plead thou their cause O Lord against those that strive with them and fight thou against those that fight against them and so guide and assist them in the discharge of that office whereunto thou hast appointed them that under them we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty Bless them that wait at thine Altar open thou their lips that their mouth may shew forth thy praise O let not the lights of the world be put under bushels but place them in their candlesticks that they may give light to all that are in the house Let not Jeroboams Priests profane thy service but let the seed of Aaron still minister before thee And O thou Father of mercies and God of all comfort succour and relieve all that are in affliction deliver the out-cast and poor help them to right that suffer wrong let the sorrowful sighing of the prisoners come before thee and according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to dye grant ease to those that are in pain supplies to those that suffer want give to all presumptuous sinners a sense of their sins and to all dispaâ—ring a sight of thy mercies and do thou O Lord for every one abundantly above what they can ask or think Forgive my enemies persecutors and slanderers and turn their hearts Powre down thy blessings on all my friends and benefactors all who have commended themselves to my Prayer Here thou maist name particular persons And grant O merciful father that through this blood of the crosse we may all be presented pure and unblameable and unreprovable in thy sight That so we may be admitted into that place of purity where no unclean thing can enter there to sing eternal praises to Father Son and holy Ghost for ever A Prayer in times of common Persecution O BLESSED Saviour who hast made the crosse the badg of thy Disciples
there had been none of us alive at this day to implore thy mercy But thou art a gracious God slow to anger and hast proceeded with us with much patience and long suffering thou hast sent thy judgments to awake us to repentance and hast also allowed us space for it But alas we have perverted this mercy of thine beyond all the former we return not to him that smiteth us neither do we seek the Lord we are slidden back by a perpetual backsliding no man repenteth him of his wickedness or saith what have I done 'T is true indeed we fear the rod we dread every suffering so that we are ready to buy it off with the foulest sin but we fear not him that hath appointed it but by a wretched obstinacy harden our necks against thee and refuse to return And now O God what balm is there in Gilead that can cure us who when thou wouldst heal us will not be healed we know thou hast pronounced that there is no peace to the wicked and how shall we then pray for peace that still retain our wickedness ' This this O Lord is our forest disease O give us medicines to heal this sickness heal our souls and then we know thou canst soon heâ—l our land Lord thou hast long spoken by thy word to our ears by thy judgments even to all our senses but unless thou speak by thy Spirit to our hearts all other cals will still be uneffectual O send out this voice and that a mighty voice such as may awake us out of this Lethargy thou that didst call Lazarus out of the grave O be pleased to call us who are dead yea putrified in trespasses and sins and make us to awake to righteousness And though O Lord our frequent resistances even of these inward calls have justly provoked thee to give us up to the lusts of our own heart yet O thou boundless ocean of mercy who art good not only beyond what we can deserve but what we can wish do not withdraw the influence of thy grace and take not thy holy Spirit from us Thou wert found of those that sought thee not O let that act of mercy be repeated to us who are so desperately yet so insensibly sick that we cannot so much as look after the Physician and by how much our case is the more dangerous so much the more soveraign remedies do thou apply Lord help us and consider not so much our unworthiness of thy aid as our irremediable ruine if we want it save Lord or we perish eternally To this end dispense to us in our temporal interest what thou seest may best secure our spiritual if a greater degree of outward misery will tend to the cureing our inward Lord spare not thy rod but strike yet more sharply Cast out this Devil though with never so much foaming and tearing But if thou seest that some return of mercy may be most likely to melt us O be pleased so far to condescend to our wretchedness as to afford us that and whether by thy sharper or thy gentler methods bring us home to thy self And then O Lord we know thy hand is not shortned that it cannot save when thou hast delivered us from our sins thou canst and wilt deliver us from our troubles O shew us thy mercy and grant us thy salvation that being redeemed both in our bodies and spirits we may glorifie thee in both in a cheerful obedience and praise the name of our God that hath dealt wonderfully with us through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for This Church O Thou great God of recompences who turnest a fruitful land into barrenness for the wickednesse of theâ— that dwel therein thou hast most justly executed that fatal sentence on this Church which having once been the perfection of beauty the joy of the whole earth is now become a scorn and derision to all that are round about her O Lord what could have been done to thy vineyard that thou 〈◊〉 not done in it and since it hath brought forth nothing but wild grapes it is perfectly just with thee to take away the hedg thereof and let it be eaten up But O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us yet do thou it for thy Names sake for our backslidings are many we have sinned against thee O the hope of Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble why shouldst thoâ— be as a stranger in the land as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to carry for a night Why shouldst thou be as a man astonied as a mighty man that cannot save Yet thou O Lord art in the midst of us and we are called by thy name leave us not deprive us of what outward enjoyments thou pleasest take from us the opporâ—unities of our Luxury and it may be a mercy but O take not from us the means of our reformation for that is the most direful expression of thy wrath And though we have hated the light because our deeds were evil yet O Lord do not by withdrawing it condemn â—s to walk on still in darkness but let it continue to shine till it have guided our feet into the way of peace O Lord arise stir up thy strength and come and help us and deliver not the soul of thy turtle dove this disconsolate Church unto the multitude of the enemy but help act O God and that right early But if O Lord our rebellions have so provoked thee that the Ark must wander in the wilderness til all this murmuring generation be consumed yet let not that perish with us but bring it at last into a Canaan and let our more innocent posterity see that which in thy just judgment thou denyest to us In the mean time let us not cease to bewail that desolation our sins have wrought to think upon the stones of Sion and pity to see her in the dust nor ever be ashamed or afraid to own her in her lowest and most persecuted condition but esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures of Egypt and so approve our constancy to this our afflicted mother that her blessed Lord and head may own us with mercy when he shall come in the glory of thee his father with the holy Angels Grant this merciful Lord for the same Jesus Christ â—is sake A Prayer for the Peace of the Church LOrd Jesus Christ which of thine almightiness madest all creatures both visible and invisible which of thy godly wisdome governest and settest all things in most goodly order which of thine unspeakable goodness keepest defendest and furtherest all things which of thy deep mercy restorest the decayed renewest the fallen raisest the dead vouchsafe we pray thee at last to cast down thy countenance upon thy well-beloved Spouse the Church but let it be that amiable and merciful countenance wherewith thou pacifiest all things in heaven in earth and whatsoever is above heaven and under the earth vouchsafe to cast upon us those tender