Articles of the Christian Faith HE that believes viz. all the fundamental Articles of the Christian Faith shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned a Mark 16.16 John 12.48 Here then examine 1. If you have learned being young what are these Articles or Points of Christian Faith whereinto you were Baptized or Christned and if you can now give a ready account of your Faith and this both in the very words of your Creed and also in the full sense and true meaning of each Article thereof b James 2.18 1 â—et 3.15 2. Do you stedfastly believe the infallible truth of each Article though perhaps you understand it not in its full extent Are you zealously affected with them all resolved to die in this Faith and if occasion be to die for it â— Tim. 6.2 â— Tim. 4.7 resisting even unto bloud whatever may oppose or infringe the same earnestly contending for that faith which was once given to or by the Saints the holy Apostles of our Lord c Jude 3. 3. Dost thou not onely believe with the heart but also frequently confess this faith with the mouth for as with the heart man believeth unto righteousness so with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation d Rom. 10.10 4. Have neither the senseless neglect of some nor the profane scoffs of others made thee also neglect or be ashamed to confess thy Faith in publick And if so thy Faith is not sincere for he that truly believeth in God will not be ashamed * Rom. 10.11 openly to profess it remembring that there is a dismal shame and confusion of face threatned to him that is ashamed of Christ and his words f Mark 8.38 which are summ'd up in the Creed 5. Hast thou lived in the practice of this Faith framing both the affections of thy heart and the actions of thy life according to what each Article doth imply and implicitely command For thus the just man lives by his Faith g Hab. 2.4 Rom. 1.17 6. Have you not been mistaken in the nature of a true Christian Faith making it to be a presumption upon the Promises of the Gospel abstract from obedience to the Precepts thereof And hath not thy Faith been rather notional in the Brain then practicall in the heart and life been more in talk and dispute and verbal profession then in love and good works h Gal. 5.6 Jam. 2.17 and holy conversation For the Kingdome of God is not in word but in power i 1 Cor. 4.20 of holy actions CHAP. IV. The Rule of Self-examination by the DECALOGVE or by the Third part of the Vow in Baptism To keep God's holy Will and Commandments and to walk in the same all the days of thy life TO obey God's Commands is properly to serve him a Eccles. 12 13. which is frequently affirmed to be the plain road-way to Heaven b Matt. 19.17 Rev. 14.12 And 't were a high presumption Aug. de Sanct. as S. Augustine observes to hope to obtain what God has promised except we carefully observe what he has commanded These Commandments are the same which God spake in the 20. Chap. of Exodus c Matt. 19.18 19. Mark 10.19 the rule of Righteousness being the same under the Law and under the Gospell onely in the one 't is more plainly and fully understood then in the other Here then a more large and particular Examination of thy self is required viz. by all the Duties commanded and Sins forbidden in the Precepts of the Morall Law The First Commandment Thou shalt have none other Gods but me Examination by the First Commandment THe Duties enjoyned in this Commandment are I. To believe in God Since Faith in God is the ground of all religious worship examine First Heb. 11.6 Whether truly and without all doubting or harbouring any secret Atheistical thoughts you do believe the being of God and his providence over all Secondly Joh. 4.24 1 Tim. 1.17 Ecclus. 16.11 12. Psal 77.13 14. Deut. 28.58 That you believe of him what he truly is a pure spiritual invisible Essence a God most wise most holy eternal and infinite infinitely merciful and infinitely just infinitely great and glorious omnipotent and immortal without beginning of daies or end of time Gen. 21.33 Ps 90.2 Matt. 5.48 and in a word that his excellency perfection and felicity in himself is beyond all that the wit of man can conceive Thirdly Job 11.7 Is 40.28 That you believe in him as the great Creatour of the world Redeemer of all men and Sanctifier of his Church and people Matt. 28.19 1 Joh. 5.7 three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost one God over all blessed for ever And because the Faith of most iâ— but notional and verbal onely daily decaying as the world draws nearer to an end Luke 18.8 examine the sincerity of your Faith by these essential properties thereof 1. Acts 15.9 If it purifie your hearts from all unworthy thoughts of God and vile affections that separate from him 2. If it encrease divine Love in your heart which was Mary Magdalen's Faith Luk. 7.47 3. If it make you devout and intense in your Prayers which was the woman of Canaan's Faith Matt. 15.28 4. If thereby you cleave unto God and make him your choice above all the pleasures and treasures of the world Heb. 11.24 25 26. which was Moses's Faith 5. If it make you strong to resist even unto bloud Heb. 11.33 34. which was the Faith of all Martyrs 6. If it bring forth the fruits of good works which was Cornelius's Faith Acts 10.2 Jam. 2.26 and is the life of Faith II. To trust in him 1. Examine first whether both in prosperity and adversity your mind hath so been staid in the Lord Ps 62.1 2 Thess 3.3 as not to be puft up by the one or dejected by the other 2. Have you not betrayed your trust in the care and providence of God 1 Pet. 5.7 so as either to distract your mind with carking cares for worldly concerns or yet to use any unlawful means to acquire or preserve health wealth credit liberty or life it self 3. Have you not leaned to your own understanding Prov. 3.5 1 Tim. 6.17 Jer. 17.5 7. trusted to your own wit policie strength riches nor yet in the favour and power of any mortal man to the weakning of your dependence on God alone III. To hope in him 1. Whether to enjoy God and those joys which are in his presence attainable a Psal 16.11 be the great and main object of your hope b Ps 71.5 Jer. 17.7 as being created after his image and to attain the perfection of your being in the beatifical enjoyment of his Sacred Majesty c Psal 73.24 25 26. 2. Hath your hope to enjoy God been accompanied with a conformitie to the nature of God being holy as he is holy
opprobrious language I have transgrest the precepts of thy Gospell injoyning me to feed the hungry clothe the naked visit the sick I have been unjust in detaining the Dues of thy Church and in the dispensation of Ecclesiasticall goods in the contracts of Usury bargaining and sale over-reaching lying withholding what has been more or less righteous and just I have not attended upon thy publick and solemn Worship upon Sundays and Holidays devoted thereunto I have not behaved my self upon such days soberly righteously and godly I have approached and come into thy House without that reverence and godly fear which becometh that Sacred place and there I have demeaned my self unseemly sitting standing leaning lolling and staring about when the respective parts of thy Sacred Service required more humble and devout gestures and behaviour I have entertained vain idle wandering thoughts and intermingled unprofitable wanton worldly talk in the time of thy solemn Worship I have unhallowed many holy things many holy actions by using the same as common and unclean and with unclean hands and an impure conscience I have not joyned with a right understanding and devotion in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs publick Praiers and other the sacred acts of Religious Worship too often speaking with my lips cursorily and customarily whilst my heart hath been roving by evill imaginations and false suspicions judging rashly of what is sacred and holy when transcending my shallow capacity I have sinned by perverse reasonings against the Truth because either above my understanding or not agreeable with my will by consenting and not reproving the sinfull by not instructing the ignorant not reducing the erroneous not admonishing not exhorting such as have gone astray to entertain more sound and sober counsells I have not reverenced my Superiours I have both defamed and disobeyed my Governours Ecclesiasticall and Civil neither have I repayed to my friends and benefactours such gratefull acknowledgments and due obsequiousness as becometh I have entertained in my heart many loose and unchast thoughts and filthy lusts and have looked upon the carnal copulation and intermixture of beasts with an unclean delectation of mind I have been guilty of much superfluous and opprobrious language of lying and slandering of falsehoods and flatteries of railing and reviling of scurrilous and vain jangling of profane and irreligious speaking and customary swearing of taking unlawfull oaths of much filthy communication and of all the evills of an untamed tongue the instrument of a corrupt heart I have even renounced the Covenant of my God by not renouncing the Devil and all his works I have too often yielded to his suggestions to disobey the will of God and to transgress his Commandments in the breach of my Duty both towards God and Man And thus I have sinned both in my thoughts and desires in my words and actions by seeing hearing tasting touching smelling even all my Senses have been as so many windows to let in Sin to my Soul and Death by Sin And not onely thus but in all kinds of Vice whereunto humane frailty is liable or in whatever any dissolute and debauched person doth or can offend have I offended the Great Lord of Heaven and earth And I acknowledge my self above all the men in the world to be the greatest of Sinners Have mercy upon me Almighty and most mercifull Father for thy Son my Lord Jesus Christ his sake pardon and deliver me from all mine offences confirm and strengthen me in all goodness and bring me to everlasting life through Jesus Christ Psalm 6. O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger Psal 32. Blessed is he whose unrighteousness is forgiven Psal 38. Put me not to rebuke O Lord Psal 51. Have mercy upon me O God Psal 102. Hear my praier O Lord and let my crying Psal 130. Out of the deeps have I called unto Psal 143. Hear my praier O Lord and consider Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name the world to come through Jesus Christ III. O mercifull Lord to whom chiefly it appertaineth to forgive sins and by whom alone the Souls of true Penitents are absolved from all their offences wash me O wash my unclean Soul in the fountain of thine inexhaustible mercy through faith in the bloud of my dear Redeemer Jesus Christ IV. Look down from Heaven O Lord with the eye of pity and compassion upon thy humble servant confessing his wickedness and being sorry for his sins imploring withall thy pardon and trusting alone in thy mercics through the Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ V. Be propitious O Lord we humbly beseech thee be propitious to the praiers and supplications of thy humble servants and grant that the remission of our sins being obtained we may evermore rejoyce in thy heavenly benediction through Jesus Christ CHAP. X. The Lord's Praier paraphrased Praefat. ad Orat. Domin ex Lit. Mozarab Ad te pervenire cupimus Domine per Christum qui apud te factus est Advocatus noster Orationem quam ipso Domino instruente didicimus ad te introire permittas proclamantes è terris PATER NOSTER QVIES IN COELIS OVR Father 1. The Preface as we have a Being with all things by Creation and Providence 2. as we are reasonable creatures with Men and Angels by Representation and Likeness 3. as we are Christians by Adoption and Grace Which art in Heaven by thy Majesty and great Glory in earth by thy Mercy and good Providence and in all things both in Heaven and earth by thy essential Presence Thou O Lord art more ready to hear then we are to pray and art wont to give more then we desire or deserve as being our Father and though daily provok'd by our sins yet still our Father and thou art able to doe exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think as being in Heaven And to Heaven vouchsafe to raise up our immortal Souls Let them not cleave to the dust of worldly vanities since we have a Father in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name Petition 1 O that all the Nations whom thou hast made would come and worship thee and glorifie thy Name which is great wonderful and holy but more especially may thy ever-blessed Name be magnified by me and by all people who have thy Name call'd upon us in all our thoughts words and deeds manifesting that reverence and godly fear that divine love and filial obedience we owe unto thee Our Father which art in Heaven Thy Kingdom come Petit. 2 Maiest thou rule and reign in all the affections of our hearts and over all the actions of our lives swaying thy Sceptre of Righteousness by thy Holy Word and Spirit to the destruction of the Kingdom of Sin and Satan And may we all live in obedience of thy most holy Laws and continue such loyal and faithful subjects of thy Kingdom of Grace in this life that we may become Saints in thy Kingdome of Glory in the life to come Thy
shalt make his Soul an offering for Sin he shall see his seed k Isa 53.10 even the fruits of his Passion devout Believers who shall serve him or keep his holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of their life they shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation being regenerated by Water and the Holy Ghost in Baptism whereby they are made Members of Christ Children of God and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven 32. They shall come being admitted into the glorious Communion of his blessed Saints and the Heavens both above and below both the Church Triumphant and Militant shall declare his righteousness His Mercies promised and performed in the Redemption of the world shall be proclaimed to all succeeding generations to a people that shall be born new born in and through all the Ages of the Church whom the Lord hath made his own peculiar people whose mouths are filled with his praise for ever saying Glory be to God the Father As it was in the beginning In the Greek Liturgy the people pray in the words of the Thief upon the Cross Lord remember us in thy Kingdom The Priest answers God be mindful of every one of us in his Kingdom both now and always for ever and ever Amen In the Mozarabick Liturgy I. By the wood of a Tree was Adam banished out of Paradise and from the Tree of wood the Cross the Thief that was crucified with our Lord ascended into Paradise The one by eating the forbidden Fruit transgrest the Law of his Maker the other confessed Christ in his Crucifixion to be the Lord of Heaven saying Lord remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdom II. Grant unto us O Lord the Repentance of the Thief upon the Cross and grant that we may with the like Faith call upon thee our Lord of great and much mercy saying Lord remember us in thy Kingdom III. Lord thou hast made us in the image of thine ineffable Glory which we have much defaced by the black marks of our many Falls have mercy upon the work of thine hands sanctify us of thy great goodness and restore us to our much-desired Country the celestial Paradise Lord remember us in thy Kingdom CHAP. VIII Meditations and Praiers preparatory to the Blessed Sacrament on Saturday-night or Sunday-morning before I. THOU art now invited O my Soul to such a Banquet as Heaven and Earth affords not the like 'T is the precious Body and Bloud of thy dear Redeemer which he first gave to be the price of thy Redemption and now gives again to be thy food and nourishment Teach me O Lord by thy Holy Spirit Out of St. Ambrose to understand and believe and ever to conceive and speak of those great and wonderful Mysteries and this day to receive the same with that Faith and Esteem Humility and Contrition holy Desires and Resolutions Reverence and Devotion as may please thee and conduce to my Soul's Salvation Empty my heart of all vain idle wandring Thoughts and of all filthy and unfruitfull Lusts Take from me this Heart of stone and give me an heart of flesh a soft and melting heart to fear thee love thee honour thee delight in thee and so to follow thee that I may be for ever happy in the enjoyment of thee II. O Holy crucified Jesus Out of St. Aug. Man ca. 11. I humbly beg by that sacred effusion of thy most precious Blead give unto thy Servant the effusion of Tears with compunction of spirit when I approach thine Altar to partake of that celestial Sacrament worthy of all Reverence and the most inflamed Devotion which thou O Lord God didst institute and command to be received in commemoration of thine infinite Love in dying for us and for the reparations of our manifold infirmities and daily failings Grant me Blessed Lord Out of T. Aquin. not onely to receive that Sacrament in the outward Elements but in the virtue and power thereof not Bread and Wine alone but the Body and Bloud of my Jesus to the Remission of all my Sins and to all other the Benefits of his Death and Passion for me III. The whole need not a Physician Out of T. Aquin. but they that are sick And such am I a diseased sin-sick Soul and as sick I now go to my Physician as a Sinner to the Redeemer of fallen Man as miserable to the Father of Mercy as unclean to the fountain of Purity as poor and needy to the Lord of all Bounty as blind and ignorant to the Brightness and splendour of Spirits as infirm and weak to the Strength of Israel And oh that it may please thee to enlighten my Darkness to heal all my Infirmities to inrich my Poverty to strengthen my Weakness to wash away all my Uncleanness and by the Communion of thy precious Body and Bloud to cleanse me from all Filthiness both of flesh and spirit that I may perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. IV. Thou didst offer up thy self Out of Tho. a Kempis Blessed Jesus even thy whole self upon the Altar of the Cross a Sacrifice for my Sins no Member of thy Body not tormented no Power of thy Soul not sacrificed no Drop of thy Bloud not shed for me a miserable Sinner 'T is therefore most just and meet and my bounden Duty that I should offer up my self my whole self to thee and to thy service for I am not mine own being bought with a price and such a price as transcends the value of all that the whole Heavens and Earth afford beside Whatever I offer unto thee O Lord though it be all that I do enjoy in the world with my Praiers for all it will not be accepted without the offering of my self for 't is not mine but me not all that is without me but all that is within me thou requirest as the price of thy self to be enjoyed Receive me O Lord in the devout Participation of thy most holy Body and Bloud whereunto I am now invited Guard me O Lord with the pious custody and strong defence of thy holy Angels invisibly present and assistent in the transaction of those tremend Mysteries of Godliness and Salvation that the enemies of all that is holy and good may be thence driven back with shame and confusion In all the holy Actions of that sacred celestial Service make me sensible of the sweetness of thy presence with me that I may taste and see how gracious the Lord is a Psal 34.8 be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house and drink of thy pleasures as out of a river For with thee is the Well of life and in thy light shall we see light b Psal 36.8 9. O send out thy light and thy truth that they may lead me and bring me to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling and that I may goe unto the Altar of God even the God of my joy and gladness and upon the
with the Minister and the Congregation in publick Praiers and Praises of God in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs in Confessions Thanksgivings and Benedictions as wherein chiefly the service of God consists Behold now praise the Lord all ye servants of the Lord ye that by night stand in the house of the Lord even in the Courts of the house of our God Lift up your hands in the Sanctuary and praise the Lord b Psal 134.1 2. As for me I will worship towards thy holy Temple and praise thy name c Psal 138.2 Thirdly as to your Carriage and Demeanour in the House of God you are commanded Keep thy foot when thou goest unto the house of God d Eccles. 5.1 enjoyning thee 1. to beware of all light unseemly indecent and irreverent carriage and to shew Humility and Devotion in all the Gestures of thy Outward man bowing down thy self and kneeling before the Lord thy Maker * Psal 95.6 before him who made both thy Body and Soul and joyned them together that they might be joyned in his Service So worshipped the people of God the whole congregation bowed themselves with their faces to the ground f 2 Chron. 7.3 And so all good people resolve to doe We will goe into his tabernacle and fall low on our knees before his footstool g Psal 132.7 2. The foot of the Inward man must also and chiefly be kept upright in the House of God Thy Affections are the feet or motions of thy Soul these must be kept free from all secular Cares pure from all sensuall Lusts clean from all wanton wicked Inclinations yea from all Thoughts of any worldly concerns For ye cannot serve God and Mammon h Matt. 6.24 In the High-priest's forehead was engraven in a plate of gold Holiness to the Lord i Exod. 28.36 and every ordinary Priest was commanded to wash before he entred into the Sanctuary k Exod. 30.19 20. intimating that exact Purity and Holiness which is required of all both Priests and people when we approach the presence of the Lord in his holy Temple So saith the holy man of God Holiness becometh thy house O Lord for ever l Psal 93.5 and he resolves accordingly I will wash my hands in innocency and so will I goe to thine Altar m Psal 26.6 Be not slothfull and negligent averse and careless backward and tardy in coming to the Church for many and mischievous are the Consequents of coming late For 1. you rob your self of the opportunity of your private Praiers for a Blessing upon the publick 2. You lose the benefit of the publick Confession and Absolution which are of high esteem and value to all who are wisely Religious And 3. to deprive your self wittingly and willingly of any part of God's publick Worship is both a sin and a loss of so great an account as cannot easily be exprest or will be ordinarily believed Against such sinfull sloth and neglect endeavour to have imprinted in your heart the love of God's House and of his Service there performed Say with the man after God's own heart Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth o Psal 26.8 I was glad when they said unto me We will goe unto the house of the Lord p Psal 122.1 Our feet stand in thy gates O Jerusalem q Verse 2. 1. When you come to the Church-door Consider that you are now upon entrance into the Presence-chamber of the Great King of the world whose Throne of glory is in Heaven above but his Throne of grace in his Temple here below Say then within your self Surely the Lord is in this place How dreadful is this place this is none other but the House of God this is the Gate of heaven r Gen. ◠16 17. O how amiable are thy dwellings thou Lord of hosts My soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh rejoyce in the living God Yea the sparrow hath found her an house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young even thine Altars O Lord of hosts my King and my God Blessed are they who dwell in thy House they will be always praising thee †Psal 84.1 2 3 4. And most happy were I could I both esteem it and make it my greatest joy and constant labour of love to praise the Lord in his Temple 2. When you are entred and View the Baptisterion or Font Give hearty thanks unto God for your Christendom that by holy Baptism he hath called you to the state of Grace and Salvation through Jesus Christ and humbly beseech God to give you his grace to continue in the same to your life's end by the religious observance of that Vow which was so solemnly taken in your name the which you must now perform that you forfeit not the great privileges rewards and honours of being a Member of Christ a Child of God and an Heir of the Kingdom of Heaven 3. When you view the Pulpit Remember how many good Lessons you have received thence the which not being carefully practised will rise up in judgment against you in the great Day of your Triall Resolve therefore for the future to be a Doer of the Word and not a Hearer onely deceiving your own self 4. When you look up towards the Altar say What reward shall I give unto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done unto me I will receive the Cup of salvation offer the sacrifice of Thanksgiving for my Redemption and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the sight of all his people in the courts of the Lord's house even in the midst of thee O Jerusalem Praise the Lord t Psal 116.12 13 14 18 19. Glory be to the Father As it was in the beginning 5. When you come to your Seat kneeling down pray I. Praier Let thy merciful ears O Lord be open to the praiers of thy humble servants and grant that what we ask faithfully we may obtain effectually through Jesus Christ II. Prayer O God forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts and more especially be assistent to us in all the holy actions of this day through Jesus Christ III. Prayer And since by reason of our Sins we are unworthy to offer up any Sacrifice to so pure a Majesty grant mercifull Lord both to me and to all thy faithfull people pardon and peace that being cleansed from all our Sins we may serve thee with a quiet mind through Jesus Christ Directions relating to some parts of the publick Worship AS soon as the Minister begins with the publick Worship all your private Meditations and Praiers must be waved and your mind applied to attend diligently and to joyn devoutly in
every part and passage of Divine Service considering that this is the great End of your coming to Church and your business there is to serve the Lord with your Christian brethren in publick 1. Therefore when the Minister exhorts you out of the Word of God to confess and acknowledge your sins and wickedness harden not your heart but with all possible humility both of Body and Soul say after the Minister in the Confession of sin and to this and to every Praier or other act of Divine Worship where 't is prescribed neglect not to say Amen for that is as it were the seal to confirm to your Soul the Benefits thereof And the Hebrews have a saying that Whosoever says Amen with all his might opens the doors of Paradise 2. After the Confession when the Minister comes to the words of Absolution bow down your head and say softly in your heart Lord let this pardon pronounced by thy Minister fall upon my Soul and seal thereunto the forgiveness of all my sins 3. The Psalms and Hymns are to be answered verse for verse with the Minister that so all may joyn and bear a part in the Service of God for in his Temple doth every man speak of his honour v Psal 29.9 And 〈◊〉 although you cannot reade yet your heart may joyn with them that do reade and your mouth also may shew forth the praise of God by saying after every Psalm Glory be to the Father and to or else if it fall in course As it was in the beginning is now Adding always Amen to express how affectionately you desire the glory of God 4. Be not silent nor ashamed publickly and audibly to make confession of the holy Christian Faith when you are thereunto called by the Minister For this is a Duty you owe both to God and Man it is an act of God's Worship and a declaration that you hold the same Faith with all true Christians And therefore 't is required of you not onely with the heart to believe unto righteousness but that with the mouth also Confession be made unto salvation x Rom. 10.10 And when the Confession of Faith is publickly pronounced do not you sit or loll as if it concerned you not but stand up with the rest of the Congregation to signify and declare that you will stand to this Faith and earnestly contend for it as being the same which was once given to or by the Saints the holy Apostles 5. Be not so cold and careless in giving honour to God as not to bow at the name of Jesus for 't is a Duty positively commanded and universally practised by the Church and people of God in all Ages And therefore give no ear to those deceivable Criticisms corrupt Glosses and false Inferences which are too frequently but profanely urged to make void the commandment of God in the omission of this Religious practice If you hear any such allegations out of the Pulpit detest them the rather that any act of Religious worship should be spoken against in the place where whatever tends to the honour of God should be magnified and advanced 6. That you may not be tired with the length of the Divine Service consider 1. the great variety of its severall parts as consisting of Praiers and Praises Confessions Thanksgivings Invitations Lessons Admonitions all of which are with most admirable prudence and Religious wisedom so ordered and contrived to follow each other that so the ending of one and beginning of another may renew and re-enquicken your Devotion chearfully to joyn in all Remember 2. whose service it is you are a-doing and continue therein from the beginning to the end that you may reap the benefit of the whole Office both of the Absolution in the beginning and of the Blessing in the end and of the Amen's throughout CHAP. X. Meditations and Praiers at the Blessed Sacrament When you goe up to communicate COme unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will refresh you a Matt. 11.28 Thus calleth my Saviour upon Sinners whereunto my heart answereth I come Blessed Jesus in all humility and deeply sensible of my Sins I now come unto thee to be eased of the burthen of them and to be refreshed with the sense of thy Mercy and the truth of thy Salvation My heart hath talked of thee and of thy gracious command Seek ye my face Thy face Lord do I now seek O hide not thou thy face from me b Psal 27.8 9. under the clouds of my Sins neither let the thick clouds of my transgressions hinder the light of thy countenance from shining upon thy servant When you kneel down before the Altar Thou art worthy O Lord to receive blessing and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created c Rev. 4.11 Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisedom and strength and honour and glory and blessing d Rev. 5.12 Out of S. Chrysost Liturgy But I am unworthy his praise should come within my polluted lips and much more unworthy his precious Body and Bloud should be received into my Soul and unclean mouth But since he disdained not to be born in a Stable and to be laid in a Manger amongst Beasts * Luk. 2.7 since he vouchsafed to enter into the house of a Leper f Matt. 26.6 and of a Publican g Luk. 5.29 and to admit the kisses of an unclean Sinner such as I am washing his delicate Feet with her penitent Tears h Luk. 7.38 O vouchsafe most benign Jesus to receive me also reject me not though a Sinner yet thy Servant though unclean yet penitent and now humbling my self under thy most mighty hand That it may please thee to remit to release to pardon all my Sins whether of knowledge or ignorance whether by thought word or deed committed that with a pure and clean Soul I may receive thy most precious Body and Bloud Prayers out of several other Liturgies that the devout Reader may have the more choice and fix upon the use of such as he feels most enquickening his Devotion Out of S. James's Liturgy I. O Lord God the Bread of Heaven and Life of the World I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am not worthy to partake of thy most holy Mysteries yet vouchsafe mercifull Lord to make me worthy by thy grace that I may not receive thy Holy Body and Bloud to my condemnation but unto the remission of my Sins and everlasting life Amen II. I beseech thee O Lord Out of the R. B. that I may so worthily receive those sacred Mysteries of Salvation as to have Christ dwelling in my heart and that it may become the Temple of the Holy Ghost III. In the spirit of Humility and with a contrite heart receive me O Lord and may the Sacrifice which this day I offer up unto thee be
humble shall hear thereof and be glad 3. O praise the Lord with me and let us magnify his Name together 4. I sought the Lord and he heard me yea he delivered me out of all my fear 5. They had an eye unto him and were lightned and their faces were not ashamed 6. Lo the poor crieth and the Lord heareth him yea and saveth him out of all his troubles 7. The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him and delivereth them 8. O taste and see how gracious the Lord is blessed is the man that trusteth in him 9. O fear the Lord ye that be his Saints for they that fear him do lack nothing 10. The lions do lack and suffer hunger but they who seek the Lord shall want no manner of thing that is good 11. Come ye children and hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12. What man is he that lusteth to live and would fain see good days 13. Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips that they speak no guile 14. Eschew evil and doe good seek peace and ensue it 15. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their praiers 16. The countenance of the Lord is against them that doe evil to root out the remembrance of them from off the earth 17. The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles 18. The Lord is nigh unto all them that are of a contrite heart and will save such as be of an humble spirit 19. Great are the troubles of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of all 20. He keepeth all his bones so that not one of them is broken 21. But misfortune shall slay the ungodly and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate 22. The Lord delivereth the souls of his servants and all they that put their trust in him shall not be destitute Glory be to the Father As it was in the beginning The Prayer May the praise of the Lord be ever in my mouth and let us all magnify his Name together who do now tast and see how gracious the Lord is for he hath heard our praiers enlightned our minds delivered us from all our fears and from all those troubles whereunto our Sins had made us liable And oh that the sweet tast of our gracious Lord in this Blessed Sacrament of his Body and Bloud may have its proper influence upon all the Affections of our hearts and Actions of our lives that we may henceforth and for ever eschew evil and doe good being fruitfull in all the good works of Righteousness and true Holiness from whence ensue eternal Peace and Happiness through Jesus Christ I have sworn vowed in my Baptism and now again renewed the same Vow and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous judgments k Psal 119.106 I am thine even now solemnly devoted thine stedfastly resolved thine O save me for I have sought thy Commandments l Vers 94. O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not m Psal 17.5 O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that I may daily perform my vows n Psal 61.8 CHAP. XI Psalms of Praise and Thanksgiving after the Holy Communion The CIII Psalm Verse 1. PRaise the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name 2. Praise the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits 3. Who forgiveth all thy sins and healeth all thy infirmities 4. Who saveth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercy and loving-kindness 5. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things making thee young and lusty as the eagle 6. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all them that are oppressed with wrong 7. He shewed his ways unto Moyses his works unto the children of Israel 8. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy long-suffering and of great goodness 9. He will not alway be chiding neither keepeth he his anger for ever 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our wickedness 11. But look how high the heaven is in comparison of the earth so great is his mercy also towards them that fear him 12. Look how wide also the East is from the West so far hath he set our sins from us 13. Yea like as a father pitieth his own children even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him 14. For he knoweth whereof we are made he remembreth that we are but dust 15. The days of man are but as grass for he flourisheth as a flower of the field 16. For as soon as the wind goeth over it it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more 17. But the mercifull loving-kindness of the Lord endureth for ever and ever upon them that fear him and his righteousness upon childrens children 18. Even upon such as keep his covenant and think upon his commandments to doe them 19. The Lord hath prepared his seat in heaven and his Kingdom ruleth over all 20. O praise the Lord ye Angels of his ye that excell in strength ye that fulfill his commandment and hearken unto the voice of his words 21. O praise the Lord all ye his hosts ye servants of his that doe his pleasure 22. O praise the Lord all ye works of his in all places of his dominion Praise thou the Lord O my Soul Glory be to the Father c. I. 'T is not within the power of all the Faculties of my Soul worthily to praise the Lord for that he hath now satisfied my mouth with the good things of Heaven he hath forgiven me all my sins and healed the diseases of my Soul he hath renewed my strength as an Eagle to mount my Soul unto Heaven upon the sacred wings of holy Faith firm Hope fervent Charity and by the virtue of that celestiall Food I have now received II. How great is the goodness and how great is the mercy of the Lord who hath not dealt with me after my Sins nor rewarded me according to my wickedness But as a father pitieth his own children so mercifull is the Lord and hath compassion upon the work of his own hands and whom he hath framed after his own Image frail and sinfull though we be III. But since through the weakness and frailties of my mortal nature I cannot praise the Lord as becometh his eminent grace and greatness may my defects herein be supplied with the Hallelujahs of Angels and Archangels and all the company of Heaven And 't is the exultation and joy of my heart that these celestiall Spirits cease not day and night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God of hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Glory be to God on high Amen Blessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel who onely doeth wondrous things And blessed be the name of his majesty for ever and all