evening of this world would Christ be born to shew that the benefits of his incarnation concern not this life but that which is everlasting In the time of Augustus the peace-maker would he be born because he made peace between God and man In the time of Israels servitude would he be born because he is the redeemer and deliverer of his people Under the reigne of a forrein king would he be born because his kingdome was not of this world He is born of a virgin to signifie that he is not conceived or born but in the hearts of those that are spirituall virgins that is whose mindes adhere not unto the world and the devil but unto God in one spirit His birth was pure and holy to sanctifie our impure and polluted nativity He is born of a virgin betrothed to an husband to honour matrimony which was Gods institution He is born in the darknesse of the night because he was the true light which illuminateth the darknesse of the world He is laid in a manger because he is the true food of our souls He is born betwixt an ox and an asse that men which were become like unto the beasts might be restored to their former dignitie He is born in Bethlehem that is in the house of bread because he brought with him most plentifull food of divine benefits He is the first and onely begotten of his mother upon earth because he was according to his divine nature the first and onely begotten of his Father in heaven He is born poore and needie to purchase for us celestiall riches He is born in a stable to bring us to his royall palace which is in heaven From heaven is sent the messenger of this so great a benefit because no man on earth understood the greatnesse thereof And further it was meet that the messenger of celestiall gifts should be celestiall The armies of the angels rejoyce because we are by the incarnation of the Son made partakers of their happinesse To the shepherds first is declared this so great a miracle because the truâ— shepherd of our souls came to bring back the lost sheep into the way To the ignoble and those that were despised is the matter of so great joy declared because no man can partake thereof unlesse he become vile in his own eyes To them that watch over their flocks is his nativitie declared because they onely whose hearts do watch unto God and not they that lie snorting in their sinnes are made partakers of so great a gift The quire of heaven which was made sorrowfull for the sinne of our first father doth now sing and rejoyce The brightnesse and glory of that Lord and King appeareth now in the heavens whose lowlinesse men despised here on earth The angel sayes unto them Fear not because he was born who would quite take away all cause of fear Joy was declared from heaven because the authour and giver of joy was born Joy is commanded because enmity between God and man the cause of all sorrow is removed Glory in the highest is rendred unto God which our first father by his unlawfull transgression of the commandment would have taken away True peace is obtained by his nativitie because before men were enemies unto God before their own conscience was their adversarie before they were at dissension one with another True peace is restored to the earth because he is overcome which held us captive Let us go with the shepherds to Christs manger that is to the church and in his swadling-clothes that is in the sacred scriptures shall we finde the infant enwrapped Let us with Mary the holy mother of our Lord keep the words of so great a mysterie and let us every day recall them to our memorie Let us follow with our voice the angels which sing before us and let us render unto God due thanks for so great a benefit Let us rejoyce and be glad with all the heavenly army For if the angels do so greatly rejoyce for our sake How much more ought we to rejoyce seeing unto us he is born and given If the Israelites did lift up their voices with jubile when the ark of the covenant was brought unto them which was but a figure and shadow of the Lords incarnation How much more ought we to rejoyce unto whom the Lord himself is come and hath taken our flesh upon him If Abraham rejoyced when he saw the day of the Lord when the Lord in an humane shape assumed for a time appeared unto him What should we do now Christ hath coupled unto himself our nature by an everlasting and inviolable covenant Let us admire here the infinite goodnesse of God who himself would descend unto us seeing that we could not ascend unto him Let us admire the infinite power of God who of two things most distant I mean the divine and humane nature could make one so nearly that one and the same should be God and man Let us admire the infinite wisdome of God who could finde out means to work our salvation when men and angels saw no means An infinite good was offended and an infinite satisfaction was required Man had offended God of man was satisfaction required But by man neither could an infinite satisfaction be made neither could Gods justice be satisfied without an infinite price Therefore God was made man that both he which had sinned might satisfie and he which was infinite might pay an infinite price Let us admire this wonderfull temper of Gods justice and mercie which no creature could finde before God did manifest it and none could fully perceive after it was made manifest Let us admire these things and not curiously prie into them Let us desire to look in though we cannot conceive all Let us rather confesse our ignorance then deny Gods omnipotence Meditat. XV. Of the saving fruit of the Incarnation Christ was conceiv'd in Virgins wombe That thou might'st sonne of God become I Bring you tidings of great joy saith the angel at our Saviours nativitie Of great joy indeed that is such as passeth mans understanding It was a very great evil that we were held captive under the wrath of God under the power of the devil and under eternall damnation But it was yet greater because men either knew it not or else did neglect it But now great joy is declared unto us because he that delivereth us from all evils is come into the world He is come a physician to the sick a redeemer to the captives the way to the wanderers life to them that were dead salvation to them that were condemned As Moses was sent from the Lord to deliver the people of Israel from the servitude of Egypt So Christ was sent from his Father to redeem all mankinde from the devils slavery As the dove after the drying up of the waters
his nativitie An angel bids him flee into Egypt The angels minister unto him in the desert The angels minister unto him in the whole ministerie of his preaching An angel is present with him at the agonie of death An angel appeares at his resurrection The angels are present at his ascension The angels shall be with him when he returns to judgement So then as the angels waited upon Christ in the dayes of his flesh so also are they solicitous for all them that are incorporated into Christ by faith As they served the head so do they also serve the members They rejoyce to serve them on earth whom they shall have their companions in heaven They do not deny their ministerie unto them whose most sweet fellowship they hope for hereafter The angels of God appeared to Jacob in the way to his countrey So in this life which is the way to our heavenly countrey the angels are the keepers of the godly The angels defended Daniel in the midst of the lions So likewise they defend all the godly from the treacheries of the infernall Lion The angels preserved Lot from the fire of Sodom So by holy inspirations and protections against the devils tentations they often preserve us from the fire of hell The angels carry the soul of Lazarus into Abrahams bosome And so they translate the souls of the elect unto the palace of the heavenly kingdome The angel leads Peter out of prison And so he doth often deliver the godly out of most apparent dangers Great is the power of our adversarie the devil But let the guard of the angels lift us up Doubt not but these will be present to aid thee in all dangers because the Scripture describeth them with wings under the figure of Cherubim and Seraphim that thou mayst know assuredly that they will come with incredible celeritie to bring aid and succour Do not doubt but these will be thy protectours in all places because they are most subtile spirits which no body can resist All visible things give way unto them and all bodies alike though they be solid and thick by them are penetrable and passable Do not doubt but these spirits know thy dangers and afflictions because they alwayes behold the face of thy heavenly Father and are alwayes ready prest for his service Know also thou devout soul that these angels are holy Therefore study for holinesse if thou wouldest enjoy their fellowship Likenesse of conditions doth most beget friendship Accustome thy self therefore to holy actions if thou desirest to have the angels to be thy keepers In every place and angle stand in awe and reverence of thy angel and do nothing in his presence which thou wouldest be ashamed to do in the sight of man These angels are chaste Therefore they are driven away by filthy actions Smoak drives away bees and an ill savour drives away doves So lamentable and stinking sinne drives away the angels the keepers of our life If by sinne thou deprivest thy self of their tuition How canst thou be safe from the devils treacheries If thou beest destitute of the angels protection How canst thou be safe from the invasioâ— of many dangers If thy soul be not fenced by the wall of the angels defence the devil will easily overcome it by his deceitfull perswasion The holy angels are sent by God as his messengers to us Therefore thou must be reconciled unto God by faith if thou wilt have an angel to be thy keeper Where the grace of God is not neither is there the guard of angels Let us behold the angels as Gods saving hands which are moved to no work without his direction There is joy in heaven before the angels over one sinner that repenteth The teares of the penitent are as it were the wine of the angels But an impenitent heart puts to flight the angels our keepers Let us therefore repent that we may cause the angels to rejoyce The angels are of an heavenly and spirituall nature Let us therefore think upon heavenly and spirituall things that they may take pleasure to be with us The angels are humble and hate pride altogether because they are not ashamed to tend little children Why then is earth and ashes proud when the heavenly spirits so humble themselves At death especially the devils subtiltie is to be feared because it is written that the serpent lieth in wait for the heel The heel which is the extreme part of the bodie is the last term of our life In that last agonie of death the angels guard is most necessary that they may deliver us from the fierie darts of the devil and carry our soul when it is gone out of the prison of our bodie into the heavenly paradise When Zacharie was in the temple busie about his holy function the angel of the Lord came unto him So likewise if thou delightest in the exercise of the word and prayer thou mayst rejoyce to have the angels thy protectours O most mercifull God thou that leadest us through the desert of this world by the conduct of the holy angels grant that we may at length be carried by them into the kingdome of heaven Meditat. XXVII Of the devils treacheries The devils treacheries who knows A thousand wayes he seeks our woes COnsider thou devout soul in what danger thou art because the devil thine adversarie is alwayes lying in wait for thee He is an enemie for boldnesse most ready for strength most powerfull for subtiltie most cunning for engines well stored in fight indefatigable into all shapes changeable He enticeth us into many sinnes and having enticed us he accuseth us before Gods judgement seat He accuseth God to men and men to God and men one to another He exactly considers every ones naturall inclination and then he layes for them the snares of tentations As in the besieging of cities the besiegers come not against the strong and fortified places but where they finde the walls weak the ditches plain and the turrets without guard So the devil when he assaults the soul of man first sets upon that part which he findes softest and best affected for him the easier to work upon If he be once overcome he doth not presently remove but comes again to tempt with greater force that so he may by tediousnesse and neglect overcome those whom by violence of tentations he could not overcome Against whom will he not use his subtile tricks when he was so bold as to set upon the Lord of majestie himself with his craft and subtiltie What Christian will he spare when he sought to winnow Christs apostles themselves like wheat He deceived Adam in his nature instructed Whom cannot he deceive in his nature corrupted He deceived Iudas in the school of our Saviour And whom will he not deceive in the world the school of errour In all states the devils
of his life For how dost thou love Christ if thou lovest not his holy life If ye love me keep my commandments saith our Saviour Therefore he that keepeth not his commandments loveth him not Christs holy life is the perfect rule of our life And this one rule of Christs life is to be preferred before all the rules of Francis or Benedict If thou wilt be the adopted sonne of God consider what was the life of his onely begotten Sonne If thou wilt be a coheir with Christ thou must be a follower of Christ. He that liveth in vices hath given himself to the service of the devil And he that will be with the devil how can he be with Christ To love sinne is to love the devil because all sinne is from the devil How then can he that is a lover of the devil be a lover of Christ To love God is to love holy life because all holy life is from God How then can he that is not a lover of holy life be a lover of God The doing of the work is the triall of love It is the property of love to follow and to obey him that is beloved to will the same that he willeth and to be affected as he is If then thou lovest Christ truly thou wilt obey his commandments thou wilt with him love holy life and being renewed in the spirit of thy minde thou wilt think upon heavenly things Eternall life consists in the knowledge of Christ And he that loves not Christ knows him not He that loves not humility chastitie gentlenesse temperance and charitie loves not Christ Because the love of Christ was nothing else but humilitie chastitie gentlenesse temperance and charitie Christ saith that he knows not them that fulfill not the will of his Father Therefore they also know not Christ that fulfill not the will of their heavenly Father But what is the will of our heavenly Father It is according to the Apostle our sanctification He is not of Christ that hath not the Spirit of Christ Now where the Spirit of Christ is he is present with his gifts and fruits But what are the fruits of the Spirit Love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance As the holy Ghost rested upon Christ So doth he also rest on all those that are in Christ by true faith Because the spouse of Christ doth run in the odour of Christs ointments He that cleaveth unto the Lord is one spirit with him As the carnall copulation of the man and the woman maketh of them one flesh So the spirituall conjunction of Christ the faithfull soul maketh of them one spirit And where there is one spirit there is one will and where there is the same will there are the same actions Therefore he that doth not conform his life to the life of Christ is convinced that he neither doth cleave unto God neither hath his Spirit Is it not meet that we should conform all our life to the life of Christ who in love conformed himself wholly unto us God manifesting himself in the flesh set before us an example of holy life that whosoever doth not live an holy life might be without excuse as concerning the flesh No life is more pleasant or quiet then the life of Christ because Christ is true God And what can enjoy more pleasure or tranquillity then God who is the chiefest good This life bringeth forth short joy but draws with it eternall sorrow To whomsoever thou conformest thy self in this life to him also shalt thou be conformed in the resurrection If thou beginnest here to conform thy self unto the life of Christ thou shalt in the resurrection be more fully conformed unto him If thou conformest thy self unto the devil by sinne thou shalt in the resurrection be conformed unto him by torment He that will follow me let him denie himself saith our Saviour and take up his crosse daily If in this life thou deniest thy self at the day of judgement Christ shall acknowledge thee for his If for Christ here in this life thou renouncest thine own honour the love of thy self and thine own will in the life to come Christ will make thee partaker of his honour of his love and of his will If in this life thou partakest of the crosse in the life to come thou shalt partake of eternall light If in this life thou partakest of tribulation in the life to come thou shalt partake of consolation If in this life thou partakest of persecution in the life to come thou shalt partake of a most large retribution He that shall confesse me before men saith our Saviour him also will I confesse before my Father which is in heaven But we must confesse Christ not onely by the profession of doctrine but also by conformity of life So shall he at length at the day of judgement acknowledge us for his Whosoever shall denie me before men him also will I denie before my Father which is in heaven Christ is not onely denied by words but also and that much more by wicked life Whosoever therefore doth in this life deny Christ by his deeds shall in deed be denied by Christ at the day of judgement He is not a Christian that hath not the true faith of Christ But true faith ingrafts us into Christ as vine-branches into the spirituall vine Every branch that is in Christ and bringeth not forth fruit the heavenly husbandman taketh away But he that remaineth in Christ and in whom Christ dwelleth by faith bringeth forth much fruit That branch is not in the vine which draweth not from the vine its sap nourishment So neither is that soul in Christ by faith which draweth not from Christ the sap of love by faith Conform us good Jesus unto thy life in this world that in the world to come we may be fully conformed unto it Meditat. XXXI Of the deniall of a mans own self Thou from thy self must first depart Before thou canst in Christ have part WHosoever will follow me let him denie himself saith our Saviour To denie ones self is to renounce the love of ones self For the love of ones self doth exclude the love of God If thou wilt be Christs disciple it is necessary that self-love should altogether die in thee No man loveth Christ unlesse he hateth himself Vnlesse the grain of wheat which is cast into the earth do die it doth not bring forth fruit So thou canst not reap the fruits of the holy Spirit unlesse self-love do die in thy heart The Lord said unto Abraham Go out from thine own land and from thine own kindred and from thy fathers house unto the land which I shall shew thee Thou canst not be the true disciple of Christ and a true spirituall man unlesse thou goest forth from the love of thy self Jacob in his wrestling with the
must strive to go thither where at length we must remain for all eternitie Into this glorie of the Lord shall no man enter but he that desireth to enter Dost thou hope to appear hereafter before the face of the Lord Studie then after holinesse because he is holy Dost thou look for the fellowship of the heavenly angels Take heed then that thou dost not by thy sinnes deprive thy self of their ministerie Dost thou hope after things eternall Why then dost thou so much desire things temporall Dost thou seek for a citie to come Why then dost thou desire here an abiding place Dost thou desire to come to Christ Why then dost thou fear death It is the propertie of him that would not come to Christ to fear death Dost thou desire to enter into the heavenly Jerusalem Why then dost thou defile thy self with so many and such grievous sinnes Whereas it is written that nothing which is defiled shall enter in there Dost thou desire to enjoy at length the tree of life Lay hold then on Christ the true tree of life by true faith in this life For it is written Blessed are they that have their robes washed in the bloud of the lambe that they may have part in the tree of life and enter into the citie by the gates Without are dogs and sorcerers Beware therefore of the losse of chastitie Without are murtherers Take heed therefore of anger Without are idolaters Beware therefore of covetousnesse Without are lyars Beware therefore of all the malice of sinne If thou desirest to enter in to the marriage of the Lambe desire the bridegrooms coming The Spirit and the Spouse say COME If thou hast not the earnest of the Spirit by which thou mayst cry Come Lord the bridegroom will never leade thee in unto the heavenly marriage Thou art not the spouse if thou desirest not the coming of the bridegroom Wouldest thou have a place in the new heaven and the new earth Why then dost thou so cleave unto the old Wouldest thou be made partaker of the Creatour Wherefore then dost thou so cleave unto the simple creatures Dost thou expect the building of God the house not made with hands eternall in the heavens Why then dost thou not desire that this earthly house of thy dwelling may be dissolved Dost thou desire to be clothed Why then dost thou not provide for thy self that thou beest not found naked If the holy Trinitie dwelleth not in thy heart by grace in this life it shall never dwell in thee by glorie in the life to come If thou hast not a taste of eternall felicitie in this life thou shalt never have a full draught in the life to come Meditat. XLVII Of the beatificall vision of God in heaven The saints are pilgrims here below And tow'rds their countrey heaven go IN my Fathers house are many mansions they are the words of our Saviour Lord I desire to see that place where thou hast prepared for me an everlasting mansion For I am a stranger and a sojourner here as all my fathers were The dayes of my pilgrimage are few and evil Therefore in this life wherein I live in exile I do long after my heavenly countrey My conversation is in heaven I desire to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living This life passeth away in a shadow my dayes are measured out and my substance is even as nothing in thy sight What then is my hope Is it not the Lord Lord Jesus when will it be that I shall come unto thee When shall I appeare before thy face As the hart panteth after the fountain of waters so doth my soul after thee O God Oh the true perfect and full joy Oh joy of joyes surpassing all joy without which there is no joy When shall I enter into thee that I may see my God that dwelleth in thee Thou shalt fill me O Lord with the joy of thy countenance At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore I shall be abundantly satisfied with the plentifulnesse of thy house and thou shalt give me to drink of the brook of thy pleasures For with thee is the fountain of life Oh life to be desired Oh blessed felicitie in which the most holy Trinitie shall be the perfection of our desires which we shall see without end love without loathing and praise without being weary To see God will surpasse all joyes To see Christ to live with Christ to heare Christ will surpasse all the desires of our hearts O Jesus Christ the most sweet bridegroom of my soul when wilt thou leade thy spouse into thy royall palace What can there be wanting there What to be desired or expected where God shall be all in all He shall be beautie to the eye hony to the taste musick to the eare balsame to the nose and flower to the touch God shall be all in all and shall distribute unto every one good things according to the desires of his own heart If thou desirest life if health if peace if honour God shall be there all in all The mysteries which are now sealed up in the great doctours of the Church shall be then revealed even unto babes The blessed humanitie of Christ shall be there present unto us and shall preach unto us with a most sweet voice concerning the mysterie of our salvation His voice is sweet and his face is comely Full of grace are his lips And he is crowned with glory and honour But if God shall be all in all then shall he be fulnesse of light to the understanding plenty of peace to the will and continuance of eternitie to the memorie The Sonne will satisfie the understanding with perfect knowledge the holy Ghost will satisfie the will with most sweet love and the Father will satisfie the memory with the remembrance of both Thou O God shalt be our light and in thy light shall we see light that is we shall see thee in thy self in the brightnesse of thy countenance when we shall see thee face to face Neither shall we onely see thee but we shall also live with thee neither shall we onely live with thee but we shall also praise thee neither shall we onely praise thee but we shall also rejoyce with thee neither shall we onely rejoyce with thee but we shall also be like unto the angels neither shall we be like unto the angels onely but even unto God himself blessed for ever Let the faithfull soul be here astonished and adore the mercy of her Saviour He doth not onely receive us his enemies into favour but he doth also forgive our sinnes neither doth he forgive our sinnes onely but he doth also bestow righteousnesse upon us neither so onely but he doth leade us also into our heavenly inheritance yea he makes us like
requires that I should live chastly modestly and temperately But how often hath the love of drunkennesse and lust made my soul captive to sinne How often do fires of lust flame within me although my outward members be restrained He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart saith the Text How often therefore in the sight of God do we commit adultery The inordinate and immoderate use of meat drink and wedlock often steals upon us and makes us appear guilty before thee if thou wouldest enter into judgement with us Thy holy Writ requireth that in bargaining I deceive not my neighbour in any sort but that I rather further and procure his good that I traduce not his faults but rather cover them with the cloke of charitie and that I do not censure him rashly and unadvisedly But how often do I seek mine own profit by injustice How often do I spend my judgement rashly upon my neighbour Thy holy will requires that my spirit minde and soul be free from concupiscence But how often doth my flesh solicite me to sinne and contaminateth my spirit with wicked concupiscences As a fountain doth abound with continuall bubbling of water So doth my heart alwayes swell with evil concupiscence For these and all other my sinnes and defects I offer unto thee most holy Father the most perfect obedience of thy Sonne who loved all men with perfect love and in whose mouth was found no guiâ—◠〈◊〉 whose words and deeds no aberrations no corruption in nature To this propitiation I flee with true faith and by faith I â—uck out of his wounds as much as is sufficient to justifie me and save me Have mercy on me my God and my Father Amen PRAYER VI. He sheweth that we often partake in other mens sinnes HOly God and just Judge Thou â—ast committed unto me not onely the care of mine own soul but also the care of my neighbours But how often doth my neighbour through my negligence suffer great losse of godlinesse How often do I neglect freely and boldly to chide him when he sinnes How often do I being hindred either by favour or fear reprove him for his sinnes more slightly then I ought In pouring out prayers for his salvation I am too remisse in reprehending his sinnes I am too-too timorous in furthering his salvation I am too slothfull insomuch that thou mayest justly require at my hands the bloud of my neighbour that perisheth If there were in me a perfect and sincere love of my neighbour surely from thence would proceed freedome in reproving of sinne If the fire of sincere charitie did burn in my heart surely it would break forth more clearly into the spirituall incense of prayers to be made for the salvation of my neighâ—ours For a man to pray for himself it is a duty of necessity But to pray for the salvation of his neighbour it is a deed of charity As often therefore as I neglect to pray for the salvation of my neighbour so often I condemne my self for the breach of the commandment of the love of my neighbour My neighbour dies the death of the body and sorrow fills all with lamentation and mourning when as yet the death of the body brings no hurt to a godly man but rather gives him a passage into a celestiall countrey My neighbour dies the death of the soul and behold I am nothing troubled at it I see him die and grieve not at all when as yet sinne is the true death of the soul and brings with it the losse of the inestimable grace of God and eternall life My neighbour delinquisheth against the king who can onely kill the body and behold I seek by all means his reconciliation but he sinneth against the King of all kings that can cast both body and soul into hell-fire and yet I behold it in security and consider not that this offence is an infinite evil My neighbour stumbles at a stone and I runne presently to save him from a fall or otherwise to raise him up if he be fallen He stumbles at the corner-stone of our salvation and behold I securely passe by it and labour noâ— with care and diligence to lift him up again Mine own sinnes are grievous enough And yet I have not been afraid to participate in other mens sinnes Be propitious O God unto me great sinner and overburdened To thy mercy I flee in Christ and through Christ promised unto me I come unto this Life being dead in sinne I come unto this Way having gone astray in the path of sinne I come unto this Salvation being by reason of my sinne guilty of damnation Quicken me guide me and save me thou which art my Life my Way and my Salvation for ever and ever Amen PRAYER VII He sheweth that we are many wayes convinced of sinne HOly God and just Judge If I look up to heaven I think with my self that I have many wayes offended thee my God and Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not worthy to be called thy sonne If I look down upon the earth I think with my self how I have abused thy creatures by my sinnes I have infinitely abused not onely the darknesse of the night but also the light of the day to work works of darknesse If I look upon the examples of sinners upon whom thou in thy just judgement hast inflicted punishment I finde that the weight of my sins will counterpoise theirs If I look upon the examples of the saints I finde that I come farre short of them in my holy service of thee If I think upon the angel my keeper I finde that often I put him to flight by my sinnes If I think of the devils I finde that I have often given place to their suggestions If I weigh with my self the rigour of thy law I finde that my life is many wayes irregular If I look upon my self I finde that the very cogitations of my heart do accuse me before thy judgement If I think upon the houre of death to come I finde that it is the just reward of my sinnes and unlesse thou of thy meere mercie for Christ his sake shalt receive me the gate and entrance into everlasting death If I think upon the judgement to come I finde my deserts such that thou mayst justly call me to the most exact account and punish my sinnes according to the strict severitie of thy law If I think upon hell I finde that I have deserved by my sinnes the most just punishment there If I think upon eternall life I finde that I have by my sinnes justly fallen away from all hope of attainment All things therefore convince me of my sinnes Onely thou O my God be not thou extreme against me To Christ thy beloved Sonne my onely Mediatour I betake my self By him I most firmly beleeve I shall obtain thy
and troubled for other mens sinnes What cause hath the undutifull and disobedient servant to fear in regard of his own sinnes The wounds of my soul must needs be great indeed and mortall when as thy onely begotten Sonne is so miserably smitten for to cure them The disease of my soul must needs be great indeed and mortall when as the heavenly Physician and life it self doth die upon the crosse to cure it I see the torment of his most holy soul I heare the miserable exclamation of my most holy Saviour upon the crosse For me it is he is so vexed it is for my sinnes that he complaineth that he is forsaken of God If the weight of other mens sinnes doth so exceedingly presse the Almighty Sonne of God that it wrings from him a bloudy sweat How intolerable shall the anger of God be and how unmeasurable shall be his wrath against the unprofitable servant O thou drie and unhappy wood that hast alwayes served as a slave the everlasting fire of hell What must thou fear when thou seest these things come to passe in the green wood Christ is the green tree In the root of his divinitie in the love of his humanitie in the boughs of his vertues in the leaves of his holy words and in the fruit of his good works He is the cedar of chastitie the vine of joyfulnesse the palm of patience and the olive of mercie But if the fire of the divine anger inflames this green tree of life How much more shall it consume the sinner like dry wood for his unfruitfull works In what capitall and bloudy letters are my sinnes ingraveâ— in the bodie of Christ How conspicuous O thou most just God is thine anger against mine iniquities How strait must that captivity needs be in which my soul was held when so precious a ransome was paid for her delivery How great must the stains of my sinnes needs be when rivers of bloud flow down from the bodie of Christ to wash them away O thou most just God and yet most mercifull Father consider what indignities thy Sonne hath suffered for me and forget the wicked works of me thy unworthy servant Behold the profunditie of his wounds and overwhelm my sinnes in the profound sea of thy mercie Amen The second part ¶ Of thanksgiving for benefits The Argument The meditation of Gods benefits doth gather out of the garden of nature and of the Church sundry and those most fragrant flowers of divine gifts and recreating it 〈◊〉 with the odour thereof offereth again to God the sacrifices of the lips for a savour of sweet smell Now the immense and innumerable benefits of God may be divided according to three articles of our Christian faith God hath created redeemed and sanctified us He heapeth his benefits on us in this life and hath promised greater unto us in the life that is everlasting He conferres upon us the gifts of the minde of the body and of fortune which we call externall goods He preserveth us from evil and conserveth â—s in good That which is past he covereth that which is to come he governeth His privative blessings are more then his positive In brief we can neither in word expresse nor in thought conceive the number and dignitie of Gods benefits which will afford unto us hereafter in the world to come most plentifull matter of eternall praise and thanksgiving PRAYER I. He giveth thanks for our forming in the wombe and for our nativity ALmighty eternall God Father Sonne and holy Ghost I give thanks to thee I praise thee I glorifie thee because thy hands have fashioned me and made me wholly round about Thou formedst me like clay in my mothers wombe Thou didst draw me like milk Thou didst curdle me like cheese With flesh and skinne hast thou covered me and compacted me together with bones and sinews Thou hast given me life and mercy and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit This thy great mercy bestowed upon me I will celebrate with perpetuall praises Thy goodnesse I will sing of in continuall songs Thou didst protect me in my mothers wombe I will confesse unto thee For I am wonderfully formed Marvellous are thy works and that my soul knoweth right well My bones are not hid from thee which thou didst make in secret and deckedst me with divers members in the lower parts of the earth Thy eyes saw me yet being imperfect and in thy book were all my members written which day by day were fashioned when as yet there were none of them How precious unto me are thy thoughts O God! how great is the summe of them If I go about to reckon them I finde them multiplied above the sands of the sea Thou didst shew thy mercy unto me before I understood it Thou didst prevent me with thy blessings before I did desire them Thy bounty did embrace me on every side before I could give thanks for it Thou art he who not onely didst form me wonderfully in the wombe but also didst take me out Thou art my hope even from my mothers breast Out of my mothers wombe I was cast upon thee Thou art my God from my mothers wombe As often as I think upon many that have been extinct and never came to the light of this life So often I admire and praise thee for thy mercy which brought me out of that prison into the theatre of this world safe and sound How many yeares are past in which I was not and yet thou didst erect for me this house of my body and didst bring me out of that bottomlesse pit and the darknesse of my mothers wombe Thou gavest unto me a reasonable soul Thou madest me a man not a stone or a serpent To thee O my God for this thy mercy be honour and glory for ever Amen PRAYER II. He renders thanks for our sustentation I Render thanks unto thee Almighty and mercifull God for that thou hast sustained me from the very first dayes of my life Naked I came into this world and thou coveredst me most graciously Hungry I entred into this world and thou hast hitherto fed me most bountifully In thee I live move and have my being Without thee I fall again into nothing and die Through thee I bowe and move my members Without thee I can neither be partaker of life or motion Thine is the sunne that giveth me light which I see daily with mine eyes Thine is the aire which I draw in with continuall breath The night is thine and the day is thine whose intercourses serve for my labour and rest Thine is the earth whose fruits do nourish me most plentifully Every creature in heaven aire earth and sea is thine and is appointed for my use and service Silver is thine and gold is thine Whatsoever is necessary for the sustentation of this my present life all that I receive from thy most liberall and bountifull
just Judge my sinnes are alwayes in my sight I have them alwayes in my minde every day I think of the judgement because death hangs over my head every houre Every day I think of the judgemâ—â—â—â—ecause I must give an account for every day in the day of judgement I examine my life and behold it is altogether vain or profane Vain and unprofitable are many of my actions my speeches much more and my thoughts most of all Neither is my life vain onely but profane also and ungodly I finde in it nothing that is good for though something in it may seem good yet it is not truely good and perfect because the contagion of originall sinne and my corrupt nature hath polluted it Holy Job said I was afraid in regard of all my works If the holy man so complain what shall the ungodly do All our righteousnesse is as the cloth of a menstruous woman If our righteousnesse be such what then shall our unrighteousnesse be If you shall do all things saith our Saviour which are commanded you yet say We are unprofitable servants If we are unprofitable when we obey surely we shall become abominable when we transgresse If I owe my self unto thee and all that I can yea though I should not sinne what shall I be able to give unto thee holy God to redeem me from sinne Our seeming righteousnesse if it be compared with the divine righteousnesse is meere unrighteousnesse A little light may shine in the darknesse but being set in the light of the sunne is darkened The wood not brought to the rule may appeare straight but if it be applied to the rule is found by some eminent excâ—escence where it is crooked The image of the seal may appeare perfect in the eyes of the beholders and yet it may be much imperfect in the eye of the artificer Even so that which glittereth in the estimation of the worker is oftentimes base and sordid in the discretion of him that judgeth For the judgements of God are of one kinde and the judgements of men are of another The memorie of many sinnes doth affright me and yet there are many more that I do not know of Who knows how oft he offendeth cleanse me O Lord from my secret faults I dare not lift up mine eyes unto heaven because I have offended him which dwelleth in the heavens In earth I finde no refuge for what favour can I expect of the creatures when I have offended the Lord of the creatures My adversary the devil accuseth me and saith unto God Thou most just Judge judge him to be mine for his sinne that would not be thine by grace He is thine by nature but he is mine by delighting in his sinnes He is thine by thy passion but he is mine by perswasion He is disobedient unto thee and obedient unto me He received of thee the robe of immortalitie and innocencie He hath received from me the raggs of unrighteousnesse He hath cast off thy cloth and put on mine Adjudge him therefore to be mine and to be damned with me All the elements accuse me The heaven saith I have given thee light for thy comfort The aire saith I have given thee all manner of fowls to be at thy command The water saith I have given thee divers kindes of fishes for thy meat The earth saith I have given thee bread and wine for thy nourishment And yet thou hast abused all these to the contempt and dishonour of our creatour Therefore let all our benefits be turned to thy punishments The fire saith Let me burn him The water saith Let me drown him The aire saith Let me fanne and winnow him The earth saith Let me swallow him up And hell saith Let me devoure him The holy Angels which were appointed by God to minister unto me in this life and to be my consorts in the life to come they accuse me And by my sinnes I have deprived my self of their ministery in this life and hope of their fellowship in the life to come The voice of God that is his divine law accuseth me either I must fulfill it or perish To fulfill it it is impossible To perish everlastingly it is intolerable God the most severe judge and most powerfull executour of his eternall law accuseth me Him I cannot deceive for he is wisdome it self From him I cannot fly for he is power it self reigning every where Whither then shall I flie To thee O Christ my alone Redeemer and Saviour My sinnes are great indeed but thy satisfaction is greater My unrighteousnesse is great but thy righteousnesse is greater I acknowledge forgive thou I set open shut thou I uncover cover thou In me there is nothing but that which will condemne me In thee there is nothing but that which will save me I have committed many things for which most deservedly I might be condemned Thou hast omitted nothing whereby I might be saved I heare a voice in the canticles which bids me hide my self in the clefts of the rock Thou art that rock thy wounds are those clefts of the rock In them will I hide my self against the accusations of all the creatures My sinnes crie aloud even unto heaven but thy bloud which was poured forth for my sinnes cries louder My sinnes are strong to accuse me before God but thy passion is of more force to defend me The unrighteousnesse of my life is powerfull to condemne me but thy most perfect righteousnesse is more powerfull to save me I appeal therefore from the throne of thy justice to the throne of thy mercie Neither dare I appeare in judgement unlesse thou interpose thy most holy merits betwixt me and thy judgement Meditat. II. An exercise of repentance from the crosse of Christ. Thy Saviour on the crosse did choose To save thy life his own to lose BEhold thou faithfull soul the grief of him that suffered the wounds of him that hanged the torments of him that died on the crosse That head at which the angels tremble is crowned with thorns That face which was most beautifull above the sonnes of men is defiled by the spittings of the ungodly Those eyes which were more bright then the sunne are darkened in death Those eares which were wont to heare angelicall praises do ring now with the proud speeches and the derision of sinners That mouth out of which did proceed most divine oracles that mouth which taught the angels hath no other drink but gall and vineger Those feet which are to be adored are fastned with nails Those hands which stretched forth the heavens are stretched forth on the crosse and nailed That body which was the most sacred temple of the deitie is whipped and wounded with the speare neither remains there any part in him save onely a tongue and that to pray for them that crucified him He that reigneth with the Father in the heavens is by
he hath already punished in his Sonne The truth of the Lord endureth for ever As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his wickednesse and live Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you saith our Saviour Shall we make God a liar and labour by the weight of our sinnes to bear down his mercy To make God a liar and to denie his mercy is a greater sinne then all the sinnes of the whole world and therefore Judas sinned more in despairing then the Jews in crucifying Christ. But rather where sinne hath abounded there also grace hath abounded much more and overweigheth our sinnes by infinite degrees For sinnes are but the sinnes of men but grace is the grace of God Sinnes are temporall but the grace of our Lord is from eternitie to eternitie Satisfaction hath been made for our sinnes and the grace of God is repaired by the death of Christ and is established for ever unto which I betake my self as a devout suppliant Meditat. XI Of the satisfaction made for our sinnes The death of Christ is life to thee If thou a Christian truly be COme unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you they are the words of our Saviour It is true indeed Lord Jesus I am burdened overmuch and I sigh under the weight of my sinne But I make haste unto thee the fountain of living water Come unto me Lord Jesus that so I may come unto thee I come unto thee Lord because thou first camest unto me I come unto thee Lord Jesus and with anxietie I desire thee for I finde no goodnesse in my self But if I found any goodnesse in my self I should not with such anxietie desire thee True Lord Jesus I labour and am heavy laden neither can I compare my self with any of the saints or penitent sinners unlesse it be with the thief upon the crosse Lord have mercy upon me thou which hadst mercy on the thief upon the crosse I have lived wickedly I have lived iâ— sinne but I desire to die the death of the holy and righteous But holinesse and righteousnes are farre from my heart Therefore to thy holinesse and righteousnesse do I flie Let thy soul Lord Jesus succour me let it succour me seeing that thou layedst it down for a price of redemption for many Let thy most sacred body which was afflicted with rods spittings buffetings and thorns and fastened to the crosse for me let that succour me Let thy sacred and holy bloud O Jesus let that bloud succour me which ran out of thy side at thy death and passion which cleanseth us from all our sinnes Let thy most holy divinitie succour me thy divinitie which upheld thy humanitie at thy passion which also resting and not shewing it self the great mysterie of our redemption was finished which added infinite strength and weight unto thy passion Insomuch that God by his own bloud hath purchased unto himself me miserable man Let thy wounds succour me in which all my cure consisteth Let thy most holy passion succour me Let thy merit succour me as being my last refuge and a remedie against my sinnes For in that thou sufferedst thou sufferedst for me Therefore in that thou meritedst thou meritedst for me and for mine unworthinesse Therefore God commendeth his love towards us and proveth it by a testimonie surpassing the understanding of all men yea of the angels themselves in that Christ died for us when as yet we were sinners and the enemies of God Who can choose but admire this Who can choose but be astonished at it The Sonne of God intreated by no man yea hated of all men in great mercy intreated for us who were sinners and his enemies Neither intreated he onely but also satisfied Gods justice for us by his most poore nativitie by his most holy life by his most bitter passion by his most cruel death O Lord Jesus Thou that intreatedst for me sufferedst for me and diedst for me before I could desire thy merit and passion or move thee by my prayers to pay the ransome for me how canst thou cast me away from thy face How canst thou denie unto me the fruit of thy most holy passion when as now out of the deeps I cry unto thee and beg the fruit of thy merit with tears and sighs I was an enemie by nature when thou diedst for me but I am made by grace thy friend thy brother and thy sonne Thou heardst an enemie before he prayed unto thee and how canst thou despise thy friend which comes unto thee with prayers and tears Thou wilt not cast out him that cometh unto thee because thy word is truth Thou hast spoken unto us in spirit and truth and we have received from thee the words oâ— eternall life Attend and raise up thy self O my soul Before we were sinners by nature but now we are just by grace Before we were enemies but now we are friends and kinsfolks Before our help was in the death of Christ but now it is in Christ his life Before we were dead in sinnes but now we are quickned in Christ Oh the exceeding love of God wherewith he loved us Oh the superabundant riches of his grace whereby he hath in heaven provided a place for us Oh the tender mercie of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us But if the death of Christ hath brought unto us righteousnesse and life what shall his life do If our Saviour dying paid the price unto his Father what shall he do now being alive and interceding for us For Christ liveth and dwells in our heart if the remembrance of his most holy merit live and flourish in it Draw me Lord Jesus that I may possesse in the truth of the thing that which here I expect by the firmnesse of hope Let thy servant I pray thee be with thee and let him behold the glorie which the Father hath given to thee and let him inhabit the mansion which thou hast prepared in thy Fathers house Blessed are they that dwell in thy house O Lord They shall praise thee for ever and ever Meditat. XII Of the nature and properties of true faith Faith is not faith or if it be Faith is but dead wants charity O Thou beloved soul consider the power of faith and give thanks unto God who is the onely giver thereof It is faith alone that doth in such manner ingraft us into Christ that as vine-branches do draw their sap from the vine so we also from him do draw life righteousnesse and salvation Adam fell from the grace of God and lost the divine image by his incredulitie But we are again received to grace and the image of God begins to be renewed in us by faith By faith Christ becomes
were all made for her use How insufficient the creatures are to satiate and fulfill our desires it appeareth at death when all creatures forsake us It is wonderfull that we should so firmly stick unto the creatures when as they stick unto us so weakly and unconstantly Adam when he turned away from the consolation of God and sought delight in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was driven out of Paradise Our soul if it turn away from God unto the creatures is deprived of celestiall comfort and is quite driven away from the tree of life But what remains unto them that neglect this feast The world passeth away and so do all they that cleave unto it The creatures passe away and all they that put their trust in them Our heavenly Father sweareth that they which preferre oxen fields wives that is any earthly things whatsoever before the sweetnesse of the heavenly feast shall never taste of his supper After supper there is no further provision of meat made and if we neglect Christ there is no other remedy left for us Those contemners shall be punished with eternall famine and live in eternall darknesse They which would not heare Christ thus inviting them Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavie laden shall heare him at length denouncing Go ye cursed into everlasting fire The Sodomites were consumed with fire because being called to this feast by the preaching of Lot they would not come The fire of Gods wrath which lasteth for ever shall consume them who being called by the gospel have despised this feast At the coming of the bridegroom the virgins that had no oyl in their lamps staying too long were shut out So they whose hearts in this world are not filled with the oyl of the holy Spirit shall not be admitted by Christ to the participation of joy but they shall have the gate of indulgence the gate of mercy the gate of consolation the gate of hope the gate of grace the gate of good works shut against them Christ hath yet an inward kinde of calling and happy is he that heares it Christ often knocks â—t the gate of our hearts by holy desires devout sighs and pious cogitations and happy is he that openeth unto him As soon as thou feelest in thy heart any holy desire of heavenly grace assure thy self that Christ knocks at thy heart Let him in lest he passe by and afterwards shut the gate of his mercy against thee As soon as thou feelest in thy heart any spark of godly meditations perswade thy self that it was kindled by the heat of divine love that is of the holy Spirit cherish and nourish it that it may grow to be a fire of love Take heed that thou quench not the Spirit and hinder the work of the Lord. He that destroyeth the temple of the Lord shall feel his severe judgement Our heart is the temple of the Lord And he destroyeth it whosoever refuseth to give place to the holy Spirit inwardly calling by the word In the old Testament the prophets could heare the Lord speaking inwardly In the new Testament all the true godly do feel those inward motions of the holy Spirit drawing them Blessed are they which heare and follow Meditat. XVII Of the fruits of Baptisme If thou polluted art with sin The fountain's open enter in REmember thou faithfull soul the grace of God conferred upon thee in the saving laver of baptisme Baptisme is the laver of regeneration Therefore he that is dipt in the laver of baptisme is no longer altogether carnall as before But because he is born of God by water and the Spirit therefore he is also the sonne of God and because a sonne therefore an heir also of eternall happinesse As the eternall Father at the baptisme of Christ uttered this voice This is my beloved Sonne So all those that beleeve and are baptized he adopteth to be his sonnes As at the baptisme of Christ the holy Ghost appeared in the shape of a dove So also is he present at our baptisme and gives force unto it yea he is conferred by baptisme upon the beleevers and effects in them new motions that they become wise as serpâ—nts and innocent as doves As it was at the creation so is it also at our regeneration At the first creation of things the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the waters and gave a vitall force unto them So also in the water of baptisme the holy Ghost is present and makes it a saving means of our regeneration Christ himself our Saviour would be baptized that he might leave a testimonie that by baptisme we are made his members Oftentimes medicines are applyed to the head to heal some other parts of the bodie Christ is our spirituall head He received the medicine of baptisme for to heal his mysticall bodie God in the old Testament made a covenant with his people by circumcision So by baptisme in the new Testament we are received into the covenant of God Baptisme succeeded in the place of circumcision He therefore that is in the covenant of God need not be afraid of the devils accusation In baptisme we put on Christ And from hence it is that the Saints are said to have made their robes white in the bloud of the Lambe Christs perfect righteousnesse is that beautifull robe whosoever therefore hath put on this robe let him not fear the stains of sinne There was a pool in Jerusalem about the sheep-market into which at a certain time the angel of the Lord descended and troubled it and he that first descended into it after the troubling of the water was cured of what disease soever The water of baptisme is that pool which healeth us of every disease of sinne when the holy Spirit descends into it and troubles it with the bloud of Christ who was made a sacrifice for us In like manner in time past the sacrifices were washed in that pool at Jerusalem As at the baptisme of Christ the heavens were opened So also at our baptisme the gate of heaven is opened unto us At the baptisme of Christ all the holy and sacred Trinitie was present And so likewise at our baptisme And so by the word of promise which is annexed unto the element of water faith receiveth the grace of the Father adopting the merit of the Sonne cleansing and the efficacie of the holy Ghost regenerating Pharaoh and all his host was drowned in the red sea The Israelites passed through safe and sound So in baptisme all the host of vices is drowned and the faithfull safely attain to the inheritance of the kingdome of heaven Therefore also is baptisme that sea of glasse which John saw Through it as through a kinde of glasse the brightnesse of the sunne of righteousnesse enters into our mindes And that sea was before the throne
her prayers may she worship in spirit So shall she be able with Abraham to escape the everlasting fire prepared For the plain of this world Bethanie signifieth a village of humilitie and affliction by which we must passe to the kingdome of heaven even as Christ himself passed from the place of affliction to the joyes of heaven Till this time heaven was shut and paradise which is above was kept by a flaming sword But now Christ being conquerour doth set open heaven unto us to shew us the way into our heavenly countrey from which we had fallen away The disciples stood lifting up their eyes and looking up towards heaven So let the true disciples of Christ lift up the eyes of their heart to behold heavenly things Lord Jesus what a glorious clause followed thy passion How happie and sudden a change is this How did I see thee suffering on mount Calvarie and how do I behold thee now in the mount of Olives There thou wast alone here thou art accompanied with many thousands of angels There thou didst ascend up to the crosse here thou dost ascend up into heaven in a cloud There thou wast crucified between theeves here thou rejoyced among the companies of angelâ— There thou wast nailed to the crosse as a condemned man here thou aâ—â— at libertie and dost deliver those thaâ— were condemned There dying and suffering here rejoycing and triumphing Christ is our head we are his members Rejoyce therefore and be glad thou faithfull soul for the ascension of thy head The glory of the head is the glory also of the members Where our flesh doth reigne there let us beleeve that we shall also reigne Where our bloud doth rule let us hope that we shall also obtain glorie Though our sinnes do hinder us yet the communion of nature doth not repell us Where the head is there shall the other members be also Our head is entred into heaven Therefore the members have just cause to hope for entrance not onely so but that they have possession there already Christ descended from heaven to redeem us and again he ascended up into heaven to glorifie us Unto us was he born for us did he suffer For us therefore did he ascend Our charitie is confirmed by Christs passion our faith by Christs resurrection our hope by Christs ascension We must follow Christ our bridegroom not onely with our ardent desires but also with our good works Into that citie which is above nothing shall enter that is defiled In token of this the angels that came from the heavenly Jerusalem appeared in white apparel by which puritie and innocencie is figured With the Doctour of humilitie there ascended no pride with the Authour of goodnesse there ascended no malice with the Lover of peace there ascended no discord and with the Sonne of the Virgin there ascended no lust After the Parent of vertues there ascend no vices after the Just there ascend no sinnes and after the Physician there can ascend no infirmities He that desires to see God hereafter face to face let him here so live as in his sight He that hopes for celestiall things let him contemn terrestriall O draw our hearts thee good Jesus Meditat. XXII An Homilie of the holy Ghost God sealeth by his holy Spirit As many as shall life inherit OUr Lord ascending up into the heavens and entring into his glory sent the holy Ghost unto the disciples upon the day of Pentecost As in the old Testament God when he proclaimed the law in mount Sinai came down unto Moses So when the gospel was by the apostles to be propagated throughout all the world the holy Ghost came down upon them There was thundering and lightning and the loud sound of the trumpet because the law doth thunder against our disobedience and makes us subject to Gods indignation But here is the sound of a gentle winde for the preaching of the gospel doth lift up the souls that are cast down There was the fear and trembling of all the people because the law worketh wrath But here the whole multitude doth flock together to heare the wonderfull things of God for by the gospel we have accesse unto God There the Lord descended in fire but it was in the fire of his wrath and furie therefore was the mountain moved and did smoke But here the holy Ghost descendeth in the fire of love so that all the house is not shaken by the wrath of God but is rather replenished with the glory of the holy Ghost What wonder is it if the holy Ghost be sent from the court of heaven to sanctifie us seeing that the Sonne was sent to redeem us The passion of Christ had not profited us unlesse by the gospel it had been preached unto us For what use is there of a treasure that is hid Therefore our most mercifull Father did not onely prepare a great benefit by the passion of his Sonne but also would have it offered to all the world by sending the holy Ghost The faithfull mother giveth unto her tender infant both her dugs God who is faithfull doth send unto us both the Sonne and the holy Ghost But the holy Ghost came upon the apostles when they were assembled together at prayer with one accord For he is the Spirit of prayer he iâ— obtained by prayer and he moveth us to pray Wherefore Because he is that bond by which our hearts are united with God as he doth unite the Father with the Sonne and the Sonne with the Father For he is the mutuall substantiall love of the Father and the Sonne This our spirituall conjunction with God is wrought by faith But faith is the gift of the Spirit It is obtained by prayer But true prayer is made in the Spirit In the temple of Solomon when incense was offered unto God the temple was filled with the glory of the Lord So if thou offerest unto God the sweet odours of prayers the holy Ghost shall fill the temple of thy heart with glory Let us here admire the mercy and grace of God The Father promiseth to heare our prayers the Sonne maketh intercession for us and the holy Ghost prayeth in us The angels carrie our prayers unto God and the court of heaven is open to receive our prayers God of his mercie doth give unto us the affect of prayer because he giveth unto us the spirit of grace and prayer He giveth unto us also the effect of prayer because he doth alwayes heare our prayers if not according to our will yet according to that which is most profitable for us The holy Ghost came when they were all met together with one accord in the same place For he is the Spirit of love and concord that joyneth us unto Christ by faith unto God by love and unto our neighbour by charitie The devil is the authour of discord and separation by
our sinnes he separates us from God by hatred contention and brawling he separates men one from another But the holy Ghost as in Christ he hath conjoyned the divine and humane nature by his wonderfull overshadowing So doth he by his gifts poured upon us conjoyn men with God and God with men As long as the holy Ghost remaineth in man by his grace and gifts so long doth man remain united to God As soon as man by sinne falleth from faith and love and shaketh off the holy Ghost he is separated from God and is deprived of that most blessed union He that hath the holy Ghost hateth not his brother Why Because by the Spirit he is made partaker of the mysticall bodie of Christ whose members all the godly are And who ever hated his own members Yea more He that is governed by the Spirit of the Lord loveth even his enemies Why Because he that cleaveth unto the Lord becomes one spirit with him And God causeth his sunne to rise upon the good and bad And hateth nothing which he hath made He that hath the Spirit of God is readie to be servant unto all he to his power doeth good unto all he is readie for all to make use of because God is the fountain of all mercie and grace to all Now the Spirit of God effects in man such motions as he himself is As the soul gives unto the body life sense and motion So the Spirit makes man spirituall seasons his minde with divine saltnesse and directs all his members to the performance of all duties towards God and towards his neighbour From heaven came that sound which was the signe of the coming of the holy Ghost Because the holy Ghost is of an heavenly nature to wit of the same nature with the Father and the Sonne from whom that is the Father and the Sonne he proceedeth from all eternitie Moreover he maketh men to think upon heavenly things and to seek those things which are above He which cleaveth unto earthly things and is by his love united unto the world is not yet made partaker of the heavenly Spirit He came in the type of breath Because he affordeth unto the afflicted quickning consolation and because we live according to the flesh by the reciprocall breathing out and sucking in of the aeriall spirit He came under the type of spirit and breath For he giveth unto us To live according to our better part The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but thou knowest not whence it comes or whither it goes So is every one that is begotten of the Spirit And it was meet that he should come in the type of breath Because he proceedeth from the Father and the Sonne by one breathing from eternitie It was a powerfull breath Because the grace of the holy Ghost comes with power The holy Ghost moveth the godly in whom he dwelleth to all that is good and so moveth them that they regard neither the threats of tyrants nor the treacheries of Satan nor the hatred of the world He conferreth upon the apostles the gift of tongues Because their sound was to go into all lands And so the confusion of tongues which was the punishment of pride and rashnesse in the building of the tower of Babel was taken away and the dispersed nations by the gift of the holy Ghost through diverse tongues were gathered together into the unitie of faith It was meet that he should come in the figure of tongues Because the holy men of God did speak as they were inspired by him Because he spake by the apostles and because he putteth the words of God into the mouthes of the ministers of the church For these so great gifts blessed and praised be the holy Ghost together with the Father and the Sonne for ever and ever Meditat. XXIII Of the churches dignitie Great is the churches dignitie Which chosen is Christs spouse to be COnsider thou devout soul what a great benefit God hath bestowed upon thee in calling thee to the communion of the church One is my beloved saith the bridegroom in the Canticles One indeed because there is but one true and orthodox church the beloved spouse of Christ. Without the body of Christ there is not the Spirit of Christ and he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is not his and he that is not Christs cannot be made partaker of life everlasting All that were without the ark of Noah did perish in the floud And they that are without the spirituall ark of the church must needs be overwhelmed in everlasting destruction He shall never have God to be his Father in heaven that hath not the church for his mother upon earth Consider thou devout soul that every day many thousands of souls descend into hell for this cause because they are without the bosome of the church Nature hath not separated thee from them but onely the grace of God that sheweth mercie When Egypt was involved in palpable darknesse the Israelites onely had light So in the church onely is the light of divine knowledge They that are without the church do passe from the darknesse of ignorance in this present life to the darknesse of eternall damnation in the life to come He that is not a part of the militant church shall never be a part of the church triumphant For these things following have a neare conjunction together that is to say God the word faith Christ the church and life everlasting The holy church of God is a mother a virgin and a spouse She is a mother Because she brings forth spirituall sonnes unto God every day She is a virgin Because she doth keep her self chaste from the embracements of the devil and the world She is a spouse Because Christ hath betrothed her unto himself by an everlasting covenant and hath given unto her the pledge of the Spirit The church is that ship that carries Christ and his disciples and brings them at length to the haven of everlasting felicitie The church sails through the sea of this world with a prosperous course having the stern of faith God for her pilot and the angels for her rowers and carrying the companies of all the saints In the midst thereof there is erected the saving tree of the crosse upon which do hang the sails of evangelicall faith by which she is carried to the securitie of eternall rest by the breathing of the holy Ghost The church is that vineyard that God hath planted in the field of this world which he hath watered with his bloud about which he hath set an hedge of angelicall guard in which he hath made the winepresse of his passion and gathered out the stones and impediments thereof The church is that woman clotheâ— with the sunne Because she is arayed with the righteousnesse of Christ. She treadeth the moon under heâ— feet
the night unlesse thou dost first arm thy self by prayer What fruit canst thou expect of thy labours unlesse thou dost first worship him without whose blessing all labour is unprofitable If therefore thou wantest spirituall or temporall blessings ask and receive If thou desirest Christ seek him by prayer and thou shalt finde If thou desirest that the gate of divine grace eternall salvation should be opened unto thee Knock and it shall be opened unto thee If in the desert of this world the thirst of tentations and the penurie of spirituall goods afflict thee Come unto the spirituall rock which is Christ come with devotion and strike it with the rod of prayer thou shalt feel the streams of divine grace cool the thirst of thy penurie Wouldest thou offer an acceptable sacrifice unto God Offer thy prayers so shall God smell a sweet odour and his wrath shall cease Wouldest thou every day converse with God Love prayer which is the spirituall conference between God and the devout soul. Wouldest thou taste how sweet the Lord is Invite the Lord to the house of thy heart by prayer Prayer pleaseth God if it be made in a due manner Whosoever therefore desireth to be heard let him pray with wisdome with fervencie with humilitie with faith with perseverance with confidence Let him pray with wisdome that is for such things as tend to the glory of God and the salvation of his neighbour God is omnipotent Therefore do not thou in thy prayers tie him to means God is most wise Therefore do not thou in thy prayers prescribe him an order Let not thy prayers break forth rashly but let them follow the conduct of faith Now faith hath respect unto the word Therefore such things as God hath promised in his word absolutely pray for absolutely and such things as he hath promised with a condition as temporall things pray for with a condition and such things as he hath in no wise promised in no wise pray for God oftentimes gives in his wrath that which in his mercy he doth denie Therefore follow Christ who resigned his will wholly unto God Pray with fervencie For how canst thou desire that God should heare thee when thou hearest not thy self Wouldest thou have God mindfull of thee when thou art not mindfull of thy self When thou wilt pray go into thy closet and shut thy doore Thy heart is the closet thou must enter into it If thou wilt pray as thou oughtest thou must shut the doore that the cogitations of worldly businesse may not trouble thee Thy words come not unto Gods eares without the affection of the heart The minde must be so inflamed with the heat of cogitation that it may farre surpasse what the tongue expresseth And this is to worship in spirit and in truth as the Lord requireth Christ prayed in the mount and lifted up his eyes unto heaven So we must turn away our mindes from all the creatures and turn them unto God Thou doest injurie unto God if thou prayest unto him to attend unto thee when thou dost not attend unto thy self We may pray without ceasing if we pray in the spirit that is if our mindes do alwayes by holy desires watch unto God There is not alwayes need of clamour because God heareth even the sighs of our hearts seeing that he dwelleth in the hearts of the godly There is not alwayes need of words because he is present even with the thoughts Oftentimes one sigh moved by the holy Ghost and offered to God in the spirit is more acceptable to God then long repetitions of prayers where the tongue prayeth and the heart is plainly dâ—mbe Let him pray with humilitie and place no confidence in his own merit but in the grace of God onely If our prayers relie upon our own worth they are condemned yea though the heart for very devotion should sweat drops of bloud No man pleaseth God but in Christ Therefore no man prayeth aright but through Christ and in Christ. The sacrifices did not please God which were not offered on the onely altar of the tabernacle So prayer pleaseth not God unlesse it be offered upon the onely altar which is Christ. God promised to heare the Israelites prayers if they prayed with their faces turned toward Jerusalem So we in our prayers must convert our selves unto Christ who is the temple of the divinitie Christ at his passion being about to pray cast himself to the ground Behold how that most holy soul humbled it self before the divine majestie Let him pray with faith let him offer himself to want all joy and to suffer all punishment The sooner one prayeth the more profitably the oftner the better the more fervently the more acceptably with God Let him pray with perseverance For if God delay his benefits he commends them and doth not deny them The longer things are desired the sweeter they are being obtained Let him pray with confidence that is ask with faith without doubting O most mercifull God who hast commanded us to pray give us grace to pray aright Meditat. XXVI Of the holy angels appointed by God to be our keepers The angels of the Lord protect All those that are the Lords elect COnsider thou devout soul how great the goodnesse of the Lord is who hath made his angels thy keepers Our heavenly Father sends his own Sonne to redeem us The Sonne of God is made flesh to save us The holy Ghost is sent to sanctifie us The angels are sent to protect us So then all the court of heaven doth as it were serve us convey their benâ—fits unto us I do not wonder now that all the inferiour creatures were made for man seeing that the angels themselves creatures farre more excellent do not deny their ministerie unto us What wonder is it that the heaven ministers light unto us by day that we may labour and darknesse by night that we may rest seeing that those that dwell in heaven do minister unto us What wonder is it that the aire affordeth us vitall breath and all kindes of fowls to our service seeing that the celestiall spirits watch over us for our safety What wonder is it that the water affordeth us drink purgeth away our filth watereth things that are dried and brings forth sundry kindes of fishes when as the angels themselves are present with us and do refresh us when we are weary with the heat of calamities and tentations What wonder that the earth beareth us and nourisheth us with bread and wine and furnisheth our tables with all kindes of fruits and living creatures when as he hath given his angels charge to keep us in all our wayes and to bear us up in their hands that we dash not our foot against a stone The angels were solicitous concerning Christ. For an angel foretells his conception An angel declares
be at variance That member of the body is dead which hath not a sense of anothers grief Neither let him judge himself a member of Christs mysticall bodie whosoever doth not grieve with another that suffereth We have all one Father that is God whom Christ hath taught thee daily to call our Father And how shall he own thee to be his true sonne unlesse thou again own his sonnes to be thy brethren Love him that is commended unto thee by God if he be worthy because he is worthy and if he be not worthy yet love him because God is worthy whom thou oughtest to obey If thou lovest a man that is thine enemie thou shewest thy self to be the friend of God Do not mark what man doth against thee but what thou hast done against God Observe not the injuries offered thee by thine enemies but observe the benefits conferred upon thee by God who commandeth thee to love thine enemie We are neighbours by the condition of our earthly nativity and brothers by the hope of our celestiall inheritance Let us therefore love one another Kindle in us O God the fire of love and charity by thy Spirit Meditat. XXXVII Of the studie of chastitie The soul that 's chast is Christ his spouse His bed of rest his lodging-house HE that will be the true disciple of Christ must study to be chast and holy Our most gracious God is a pure and chast Spirit And thou must call upon him with chast prayers It was the saying of a wise man That the chastitie of the body and the sanctitie of the soul are the two keys of religion and felicitie If the body be not kept pure and immaculate from whoredome the soul cannot be ardent in prayer Our body is the temple of the holy Ghost We must beware therefore and be very carefull that we pollute not this holy habitacle of the holy Ghost Our members are the members of Christ We must beware that we take not the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot Let us cleave unto the Lord by faith and chastitie that we may be one spirit with him Let us not cleave unto an harlot that we be not made one body with her The Sodomites burning with lust were smitten by the Lord with blindnesse corporall and spirituall And such is the punishment of unchast men even unto this day The Sodomites lust was punished with fire and brimstone falling down from heaven So God shall inflame the heat of this evil concupiscence in whoredomes with everlasting fire This fire is not to be extinguished But the smoke of the torments ascendeth up for ever and ever Without that is without the heavenly Jerusalem are dogs that is impure and lustfull men Christ hath washed us with his precious bloud in baptisme And therefore we must beware and be carefull that we do not defile our selves with filthy lust Even nature her self hath taught men to blush and to be ashamed to commit such filthinesse in the sight of men And yet they are not ashamed to commit it in the sight of God and his angels No walls can hinder God from seeing for his eyes are brighter then the sunne No angles or corners can exclude the presence of the holy angels No secret turnings can keep away the testimonie of the conscience This is a wonderfull thing That the heat of lust should ascend up into heaven when the stink thereof descendeth even unto hell This short pleasure shall bring forth everlasting sorrow That which delighteth is momentany but that which tormenteth is everlasting The pleasure of fornication is short but the punishment of the fornicatour is for ever Let the memorie of him that was crucified crucifie in thee thy flesh Let the remembrance of hell quench in thee the heat of concupiscence Let the tears of repentance extinguish in thee the fire of lust Let the fear of God wound thy flesh that the love of the flesh deceive thee not Consider with thy self that the appetite of lust is full of anxietie and folly the act full of abomination and ignominie and the end full of repentance and shame Look not upon the fawning face of the devil inciting thee to lust but look back upon his tail when he flyeth which is full of pricks Think not upon the shortnes of the pleasure but rather think upon the eternitie of the punishment Love the knowledge of the Scriptures and then thou wilt not love the vices of the flesh Be alwayes doing somewhat that the tempter when he cometh may finde thee busied He deceived David when he was idle He could not deceive Joseph for he was busied in his masters service Think every houre that death is at hand and thou wilt easily despise all the pleasure of the flesh Love temperance and thou shalt easily overcome evil concupiscence The belly set on fire with wine doth presently some with lust Amidst thy dainties thy chastitie is in danger If therefore thou feedest thy flesh daintily and immoderately thou nourishest thine own enemie So feed thy flesh that it may serve thee keep it so under that it be not proud Think upon the terrour of the last judgement and thou shalt easily extinguish the fire of lust For at the day of judgement the secrets of the heart shall be revealed and then how much more those things that are done in secret Thou must give an account for unprofitable words And how much more then for filthy speeches Thou must give an account for filthy speeches How much more then for impure actions As long as thy life hath been so long shall thy accusation be As many as thy sinnes have been so many shall thy accusers be Those thoughts which men make no reckoning of shall come to judgement What then doth it profit thee to have thy fornication for a time concealed from men seeing that it must be revealed in the sight of all men at the day of judgement What doth it profit thee to escape the judgement-seat of an earthly judge seeing that thou canst not escape the judgement-seat of the supreme judge This judge thou canst not corrupt with gifts for he is a most just judge This judge thou canst not move with prayers for he is a most severe judge This judge his province and jurisdiction thou canst not flee from for he is a most powerfull judge Him thou canst not deceive with vain excuses for he is a most wise judge From his broad and proclaimed sentence thou canst not appeal for he is the supreme judge There shall be truth in the inquisition nakednesse in the publication and severitie in the execution Therefore O soul devout towards God let the fear of this judge be alwayes before thine eyes and the fire of lust shall not deceive thee Be thou the rose of charitie the violet of humilitie and the lilie of chastitie Learn
that thou hast received me into the covenant of grace and made me an heir of everlasting life I acknowledge it is thy gift that I was born of Christian parents and by them brought unto this heavenly fount How many thousands of infants are born in Gentilisme and without this sacrament do die in their sinnes There is no difference in nature between me them Onely thy superabundant grace hath made a difference I was joyned with them in communion of sinne But I was separated from them by participation of thy grace How great is this thy goodnesse that thou diddest finde me when I sought thee not that thou didst heare me before I asked that thou didst open unto me before I knockt This thy mercie exceeds all praise yea and all admiration I was baptized in thy holy name thy name for me was called upon Therefore I am received into the heavenly family being made the sonne of my heavenly Father the brother of Christ and the temple of the holy Ghost This is an holy and heavenly laver In it therefore I am washed and purged from all my uncleannesse It is the laver of regeneration and renovation By it therefore I am regenerated renewed by the grace of the holy Ghost Whatsoever Christ my Saviour merited by his most holy obedience by the effusion of his most precious bloud of all that he hath left the saving fount of baptisme as a pledge Therefore the conferring of baptisme is the besprinkling of the bloud of Christ. That precious bloud of Christ doth make me clean from all my sinnes and makes me whiter then snow in the sight of God O eternall God thou hast made an eternall covenant with me in baptisme unto which I have alwayes recourse by true and serious repentance Thou hast betrothed me unto thee for ever in judgement and righteousnesse in grace and mercy Thou hast given me an earnest and pledge of thy Spirit in baptisme Therefore thou wilt not cast me away from thy face but being mindefull of thy promise thou wilt lead me into the joyes of the celestiall marriage As at the baptisme of Christ my Mediatour and head the heavens were opened So by the communion of the same baptisme thou hast opened unto me the gate of paradise As at the baptisme of Christ the holy Ghost descended upon him and a voice from heaven did testifie that he was the beloved Sonne of God So by the same communion of the same baptisme I am made a partaker of the holy Ghost and adopted to be a sonne of God For which inestimable benefit I will give thanks unto thee my God for ever Amen PRAYER XIII He renders thanks for the sacrament of the Lords supper HOw great thanks do I ow unto thee most high God for that in the most sacred mystery of the supper thou dost feed me with the bodie and bloud of thy Sonne What is there in heaven or in earth of more price and excellency then that body which is united to thy Sonne personally What more certain testimonie and pledge of thy grace can there be then the precious bloud of thy Sonne poured out for my sinnes on the altar of the crosse The very price of my redemption thou bestowest upon me that I may have a most certain testimony of thy grace towards me As often as I fall through my sinnes from the covenant of baptisme So often by true repentance and the saving use of this supper I am restored unto it again It is a sacrament of the new Testament and it alwayes enriches me with new gifts of the Spirit In this body life it self dwells and therefore it refresheth me and quickneth me unto everlasting life By the effusion of this bloud satisfaction is made for our sinnes And therefore by the drinking thereof the remission of my sinnes is confirmed unto me Christ saith it Truth it self saith it Whosoever shall eat my flesh and drink my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him up at the last day that is to the life of glory For this is the bread of life which descended from heaven that whosoever shall eat thereof may not die but have everlasting life It is the eating by faith that Christ so commends which must needs be added unto the sacramentall eating that so that which was appointed to life may be received by us unto life I come therefore with true faith unto this heavenly banquet being firmly perswaded that the body which I eat was delivered unto death for me and the bloud which I drink was poured forth for my sinnes I cannot in any wise doubt of the remission of my sinnes when as it is confirmed by the participation of the price which was offered for my sinnes I cannot in any wise doubt of Christ his dwelling in me when he seals unto me the same by the communion of his body and bloud I cannot in any wise doubt of the assistance of the holy Spirit when my infirmity is strengthened with such safegard I am not afraid of Satans assaults when as this angelicall food doth make me strong to fight I am not afraid of the allurements of the flesh when as this quickning and spirituall food doth corroborate me by the vertue of the Spirit These taken and drunk do make Christ to dwell in me and me in Christ. The good shepherd will not suffer the sheep that is fed with his own body and bloud to be devoured by the infernall wolf Neither will the power of the Spirit suffer me to be overcome by the weaknesse of the flesh To thee O Saviour most benigne be praise honour and thanksgiving for ever and ever Amen PRAYER XIIII He renders thanks to God for preserving us from sundry evils TO thee O eternall and mercifull God I render eternall thanks for that thou hast hitherto preserved me from infinite evils and dangers and hast kept me safe by the guard of thy holy angels Thy privative blessings by which thou dost keep me from evil are more in number then thy positive by which thou dost conferre good upon me As many evils of soul and bodie as I see in others so many tokens do I see of thy mercie toward me For my deliverance from those evils is to be attributed as due onely to thy goodnesse How great is the power of the devil How great is his subtiltie As often therefore as that malignant and most subtile spirit and our most potent adversarie doth labour to do us any mischief so often by the buckler of thy benignity and by the guard of thy holy angels being protected I have been able to escape his nets But who can reckon up the treacherous assaults and invasions of the devil Who can therefore reckon up the riches of thy bounty When I sleep by night the eye of thy providence doth watch over me that the infernall enemy which goeth about like a roaring lion may not be able by his
Let them hearken attentively let them heare carefully let them practise fruitfully that the word which is preached unto them for want of faith condemn them not in the last day There is a notable promise of thy bounty that thy word shall not return unto thee spoken iâ— vain Be mindfull of this thy promise and blesse the labour of him that planteth and him that watereth Suffer not the infernall crows to pick out of the field of the hearers hearts the seed of thy holy word Suffer not the spinie thicket of the thorns of pleasures and riches to choke it Suffer not the hardnesse of the stony ground to hinder the fructification of it But poure down the dew of thy heavenly grace from above and water thy heavenly seed that the fruit of good works like standing-corn may spring up most plenteously Knit together in a neare bond of love and charitie the hearts of the pastours and of the hearers that they may labour together with mutuall prayers and raise up one another with mutuall comfort Amen PRAYER III. He prayes for Magistrates and subjects ALmighty eternall and mercifull God Lord of hosts that dost translate and establish kingdomes from whom is all power in heaven and in earth whom the Angels in heaven adore whom the Arch-angels praise whom the Thrones worship to whom Dominations are subject and Principalities serve whom Rulers honour and Powers reverence I joyn my prayers and humble requests with those holy and powerfull spirits and call upon thee to replenish our magistracy here on earth with the spirit of wisdome and to protect it with the strength of thy fortitude Be present by thy grace with all Christian Kings and Governours that the greater their dangers be in respect of the highnesse of their state the greater they may finde the abundance of thy grace towards them Kindle in their hearts the light of thy heavenly wisdome that they may know and acknowledge themselves to be subject unto thee the Lord of all and to be thy vassals and that they are bound to give unto thee hereafter an account of their government Let them study for peace seeing that they are thy servants who art the God of peace Let them study for justice seeing that they are thy servants who art the God of justice Let them study for clemencie and mercie seeing that they are thy servants who art the God of mercie Let them keep and observe both the tables of the commandments and become nursing-fathers unto thy afflicted Church upon earth Let them put on a fatherly affection toward their subjects Let them alwayes administer right judgement Draw their hearts away from the splendour and brightnes of their earthly dominion that there creep not upon them a forgetfulnesse of true godlinesse and of the heavenly kingdome Govern them by thy holy Spirit that they be not high-minded and that they abuse not the authoritie that is granted unto them and do that which is wicked Grant that in this world they may so execute their functions that they may reigne with thy elect without end in the kingdome of heaven and that they may passe from the flitting glory of this present world to everlasting glory in the world to come Rule them and keep them in that they tyrannize not over thy people and so descend for all their costly robes precious gemms naked and miserable to be tormented in the pit of hell And unto us whom thou hast made subject to them as thy Vicars and Vicegerents give an obedient heart and readie minde to serve them with all readinesse and cheerfulnesse that under their government we may lead a peaceable and quiet life in all godlinesse and honestie that we may honour them and perform loyall obedience unto them knowing that they have just power and dominion over us and that we may obey their honest and godly commands and so by submitting our selves unto the laws be made partakers of the true libertie For this is true libertie To serve God the magistracie and the laws Let us honour them with our hearts with our mouthes and with our works because thou O most gracious God hast made them thy Vicegerents here on earth Let the eyes of the Magistrates be watchfull and seeing let the eares of the subjects be open and hearing And let the gates of heaven be hereafter set wide open to them both to receive them Amen PRAYER IIII. He prayes for the private family and houshold estate ALmighty and mercifull God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who besides the Ecclesiasticall ministery and the Politick government hast appointed also in thy most wise counsel an oeconomicall and houshold estate I adore thee I worship thee I call upon thee with my whole heart to keep holy that Nurserie of the Church and Common-weal Give unto virgins widows and married persons true sanctitie of minde and pure chastity of body Let virgins cleave unto thee without any distraction Let widows persevere in prayers and supplications night and day Let those that are married love one another with mutuall love Let them all serve thee with their whole heart in holinesse Let the marriage-bed be undefiled and let the mindes of them all be unspotted Let them be violets of humilitie and lilies of chastity Let them be roses of charitie and balsam of sanctitie Tie the hearts of them that are knit together in holy wedlock with the bond of chaste love that they may mutually embrace and obey one another and persevere in thy holy service Preserve thou them from the treacheries of Asmodeus that they burn not with mutuall hatred one towards the other Let the wife be an help unto her husband and comfort him in adversitie Let the indissoluble bond of matrimony be a token and seal unto us of the love that is between Christ and the Church By how much the nearer the societie is between the man and the wife by so much the more fervent let their zeal be in prayer By how much the more obnoxious and subject they are to dangers and calamities by so much the more conjoyned let their mindes be in pietie and prayer Be present by thy grace with religious parents that they may bring up their children in holy admonitions and instructions and good discipline Let them acknowledge those fruits of wedlock to be thy gift and restore them again unto thee by godly and faithfull instruction Let them shine before them by the example of their godly life and not become guilty of that grievous sinne of scandal Bend likewise the hearts of the children that they may perform due obedience unto their parents that they may become sweet-smelling plants of the heavenly paradise and not unprofitable wood adjudged to the flames of hell-fire Let them cast forth a most pleasant smell of pietie obedience reverence and all kinde of vertue that they fall not into that most filthy sink of sinne and so