waters of the Sea that they may not passe over that they turn not again to cover the earth 10 Who sendeth the springs into the valleys which run among the hills 11 To give drink unto every beast of the field the wilde asses quench their thirst 13. Who watereth the hills from his chambers the earth is satisfied with the fruit of his works 14. Who causeth grasse to grow for the cattel and herbe for the service of man that he may bring forth food out of the earth 19. By whose appointment the Moon hath her seasons and the Sun knoweth his going down 24. O Lord how madifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches Ps. 111.9 Ps. 113.4 Holy and reverent is his Name Who is high above all Nations and his glory is above the Heavens Verse 6. Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in Heaven Ps. 139.2 Who knows our down-sitting and our up-rising and understandeth our thoughts afar off Verse 3. Who compasseth our path and our lying down and is acquainted with all our wayes Psal. 145.13 Whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and his dominion endureth throughout all generations Verse 17. Who is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his works Ps. 146.6 Who made Heaven and Earth the sea and all that therein is who keepeth truâ—h for ever Act. 4.24 Verse 7. Who executeth judgement for the oppressed and giveth food for the hungry Prov. 21.30 31. Against whom there is no wisdome nor understanding nor counsel from whom alone safety must come Eccles. 12.14 Who will bring every work unto judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil Isa. 2.17 Before whom the loftinesse of man shall be bowed down the haughtines of men shall be made low Verse 19. And they shall go into the holes of the rocks and into the caves of the earth for fear of the Lord and for the glory of his Majesty when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth Isa. 6.2 Before whom the Seraphims do cover their faces Isa. 28.29 Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working Isa. 40.12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out the heavens with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountaines in scales and the hills in a ballance Isa. 40.15 Before whom the nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance who taketh up the Isles as a very little thing Verse 17. All nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse then nothing and vanity 22. Who sitteth upon the Circle of the earth and the inhabitants thereof are as Grashoppers that stretcheth out the heavens as a Curtaine and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in 23. Who bringeth Princes to nothing and maketh the Judges of the earth as vanity Isa 41.14 15. Who can make the worme Jacob to thresh the mountaines and beat them small and make the hills as chaffe Isa. 42.5 Who created the Heavens and stretched them out who spreadeth forth the earth and that which cometh of it who giveth breath to the people upon it and spirit to them that walk therein Isa. 44 24. Who formed us from the wombe who maketh all things who stretcheth forth the Heavens alone and spreadeth abroad the earth by himselfe Verse 25. That frustrateth the tokens of liars and maketh diviners mad that turneth wise men backwards and maketh their knowledge foolish 26. That confirmeth the word of his servants and performeth the counsel of his messengers Isa. 46.10 Who can declare the end from the beginning and from ancient times the things that are not yet done whose counsel shall stand and he will do all his pleasure Isa. 48 12· Who is the first and the last whose hand hath laid the foundations of the earth and his right hand hath spanned the Heavens Isa. 50.2 At whose rebuke the sea is dried up and the rivers become a wildernesse their fish stinketh because there is no water and die for thirst Vers. 3. Who cloatheth the heavens with blacknesse and maketh sackcloth their covering Isa. 57 15· Who is the high and lofty one inhabiting eternity whose name is holy who dwelleth in the high and holy place Isai. 66.1 Who hath the heaven for his throne and the earth for his foot stool Jer. 10.10 The onely true and living God the everlasting King at whose wrath the earth doth tremble and the nations are not able to abide his indignation Vers. 12. Who made the earth by his power and hath established the world by his wisdome and stretched out the heavens by his discretion Jer. 11. â—0 The Lord of Hosts that judgeth righteously that tryeth the reins and the heart Jer. 17.10 Who giveth to every man according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings Jer. 23.24 From whom no man can hide himself that he shall not see him who fils heaven and earth Jer. 31.35 Who giveth the Sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night who divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar the Lord of Hosts is his name Jer. 31.17 Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arme and there is nothing too hard for thee Vers. 18. Thou shewest loving kindnesse unto thousands and recompensest the iniquities of the fathers into the bosome of their children after them The great The mighty God the Lord of hosts is his name 19. Great in counsel and mighty in work for thine eyes are open upon all the wayes of the sons of men to give to every one according to his works and according to the fruit of his doings Jer. 51.15 Who made the earth by his power and established the world by his wisdome and hath stretched out the heavens by his understanding Dan. 5.23 In whose hands our breath is and whose are all our wayes Dan. 7.10 Whom there are thousand thousands that minister unto and ten thousand times ten thousands stand before him Am. 4.13 The Lord God of Hosts who formed the mountains and created the winde and declareth unto man what is his thought that maketh the morning darknesse treadeth upon the high places of the earth Am. 9.5 When he toucheth the land it shall melt and all that dwell therein shall mourne Vers. 6. Who buildeth his storehouse in the heavens and hath sounded his troop in the earth that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth Hab. 1.13 Who is of purer eyes then to behold evil and cannot look upon iniquity Rom. 4.17 Who quickeneth the dead and calleth those things that be not as though they were Rom. 11.33 Whose judgements are unsearchable and his wayes past finding out Who is over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 1 Cor
the Earth is thine thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Vers. 12. Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all 1 Chron. 16.27 Glory and honour are in his presence strength and gladnesse are in his place Neh. 9.5 Whose glorious name is exalted above all blessing and praise Vers. 6. Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made Heaven the Heaven of heavens with all their Host the earth and all things that are therein the seas and all that is therein and thou preservest them all and the Host of Heaven worshippeth thee Vers. 32. The great and mighty and terrible God who keepeth Covenant and mercy Job 4.18 Who chargeth his Angels with folly Job 5.9 Who doth great things and unsearchable marvellous things without number Vers. 10. Who giveth raine upon the Earth and sendeth waters upon the Fields 11 To set up on high those that be low that those which mourne may be exalted to safety 12 Who disappointeth the devices of the crafty so that their hands cannot performe their interprize 13 Who taketh the wise in their own craftinesse and the counsell of the froward is carried headlong 14 So that they meet with darknesse in the day-time and grope in the noon-day as in the night 15 But he saveth the poor from the sword and from their mouth and from the hand of the mighty Job 9.4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength who hath hardened himself against him hath prospered Vers. 5. Which removeth the mountaines and they know not which overturneth them in his anger 6 Which shaketh the Earth out of her place and the pillars thereof tremble 7 Which commandeth the Sun and it riseth not and sealeth up the starres Vers. 8. Which alone spreadeth out the Heavens and treads upon the waves of the Sea c. Job 15.15 Who putteth no trust in his Saints yea the Heavens are not clean in his sight Job 26.6 Before whom Hell is naked and destruction hath no covering Vers. 7. Who stretcheth out the North over the empty place and hangeth the Earth upon nothing 8. Who bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds and the cloud is not rent under them 9. Who boldeth back the face of his throne and spreadeth his cloud upon it 10. Who hath compassed the waters with bounds untill day and night come to an end 11. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproofe 12. Who divideth the Sea by his power and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud 13. Who by his Spirit hath garnished the Heavens and his hand hath formed the crooked Serpent Who is perfect in Knowledge Job 37.16 Vers. 22.23 With whom is terrible Majesty We cannot find him out he is excellent in Power and in Judgement and in plenty of Justice He respecteth not any that are wise of hâ—art Psal. 8.1 Whose Name is excellent in all the Earth who hath set his glory above the Heavens Psal. 33.6 By whose word the Heavens were made and all the Host of them by the breath of his mouth Vers. 7. Who gathereth the waters of the Sea together as an heap and layeth up the deeps in store-houses 8. That all the Earth might fear him and all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him 10. Who bringeth the counsel of the People to nought and maketh the devices of the people to be of none effect 11. Whos 's own counsel standeth for ever and the thoughts of his heart to all generations 13. Who looks down from Heaven and beholds all the sons of men 14. From the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the Earth 15. Fashioning their hearts alike and considering all their works Psal. 47 2. Who is the Lord most high and terrible a great King over all the Earth Psal. 57.5 Who is exalted above the Heavens and his glory above all the Earth Psal. 65.6 Who by his strength setteth fast the mountains being girded with power Vers. 7. Who stilleth the noise of the seas the noise of their waves anâ— the tumult of the people Psal. 66.5 Who is terrible in his doings towards the children of men Vers. 7. Who ruleth by his power for ever and his eyes behold the Nations Ps. 68.33 Who rideth upon the Heaven of heavens which were of old Psal. 72.2 Who shall judge the people with righteousnesse and the poor with judgement Vers. 11. All Kings shall bow down before him and all Nations shall do him service 17. Whose name shall endure for ever and be continued as long as the Sun and men shall be blessed in him and all Nations shall call him blessed 18 Who onely doth wondrous things Ps. 83.18 Whose name alone is Jehovah who is the most high over all the Earth Psal. 89.6 Who in the Heaven can be compared unto the Lord Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord Vers. 7. Who is greatly to be feared in the Assembly of his Saints and to be had in reverence of all those that are about him 8 O Lord God of Hosts who is a strong God like unto thee or to thy faithfulnesse round about thee 9 Thou rulest the raging of the Sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them 10 Thou scatterest thine enemies with thy strong arme 11 The Heavens are thine the Earth also is thine as for the world and the fulnesse thereof thou hast founded them 13 Thou hast a mighty arme strong is thine hand and high is thy right hand 14 Justice and Judgement are the habitation of thy throne mercy and truth shall go before thy face Psal. 95.3 Who is a great God and a great King above all gods Vers. 4. In whose hands are the deep places of the Earth the strength of the Hills is his also 5 The Sea is his and he made it his hands formed the dry land Psal. 96.6 Before whom are Honour and Majesty and in whose sanctuary are strength and beauty Psal. 99.2 Vers. 3. Who is great in Zion and high above all people Whose Name is great and terrible for it is holy 4 Who loveth judgement and doth establish equity executing judgement and righteousnesse in Jacob. Psal. 103.19 Who hath prepared his throne in the Heavens and his Kingdome ruleth over all Ps. 104.1 O Lord my God thou art very great thou art clothed with Honour and Majesty Verse 2. Who coverest thy self with light as with a garment Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain 3. Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters and maketh the clouds his charet and walketh upon the wings of the winde 4. Who maketh his Angels spirits his Ministers a flaming fire 5. Who laid the foundations of the Earth that it sheuld not be removed for ever 9. Who hath set a bound to the
Man is like to vanity his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away Isa. 2.22 Whose breath is in his nostrils and wherein is he to be accounted of Isa. 40.17 All Nations before him are as nothing and counted to him lesse then nothing Prodigal children unprofitable servants of polluted lips and uncircumcised hearts c. 1 Tim. 1.15 The chief of sinners III. III. An expression of our purpose to approach unto him in this duty That we do desire Psal. 95.6 To worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker Num. 5.15 Num. 29.7 Jer. 17.17 To bring our iniquity to rememberance To afflict our souls in his sight To make him our hope and refuge in the day of evill To seek his face to meet him in his wayes To speak good of his Name To wait upon him in his Ordinances Psal. 65.4 To approach before him in his courts that we may be satisfied with the goodnesse of his house even of his holy Temple Psal. 66.2 To set forth the honour of his Name and make his praise glorious Verse 8. To blesse our God and make the voice of his praise to be heard Psal. 96.8 To give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name to bring an offering and come into his Courts Verse 9. Psal. 99.5 To worship the Lord in the beauty of holinesse To exalt the Lord our God and to worship at his footstool Psal. 116.17 Verse 18. To offer unto him the sacrifice of thanksgiving and to call upon the name of the Lord. To pay our vowes unto the Lord in the presence of his people in the Courts of the Lords house Ps. 138.2 To worship towards his holy Temple and to praise his Name for his loving kindnes and for his truth Ps. 145.5 To speak of the glorious honour of his Majesty and of his wonderous works IV. IV. A desire of his assistance acceptance and attention that we may be enabled to performe this duty in an acceptable manner with such holy affections as he hath required Rom. 8.26 Rom. 5.5 Isa. 64.7 That his good spirit may help our infirmities and make intercession for us That he would shed abroad his love in our hearts and stir up our souls to lay hold of him Ps. 51.15 That he would open our lips that our mouthes may shew forth his praise Isa. 45.19 That we may not seek his face in vain Ps. 80.18 That he would quicken us to call upon his name Verse 19. That he would cause his face to shine upon us and lift up the light of his countenance 1 Kings 8.28 Have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant and to his supplication to hearken unto the cry and to the Prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee to day Verse 30. Hear thou in Heaven thy dwelling place and when thou hearest forgive 2 Kings 19.16 Lord bow down thine eares and hear open Lord thine eye and see Neh. 1.6 Let thine ear now be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayst hear the prayer of thy servant Psal. 5.1 Give ear to my words O Lord consider my meditation Vers. 2. Hearken to the voice of my cry my King and my God for unto thee will I pray Psal. 18.6 That he would hear our voice out of his holy Temple and let our cry come before him even into his ears Ps. 19.14 That the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts may be alwayes acceptable in his sight Psal. 27.7 Hear O Lord when I cry with my voice have mercy also upon me and answer me Ps. 55.1.2 Give ear to my prayer O God and hide not thy self from my supplication Attend unto me and hear me Psal. 88.2 Let my Prayer come before thee incline thine ear unto my cry Psal. 130 2 Lord hear my voice let thine ear be attentive to the voice of my supplication Psal. 141.2 Let my Prayer be set forth before thee as Incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice Psal. 143.1 Hear my Prayer O Lord give ear to my supplications in thy faithfulnesse answer me and in thy righteousnesse Vers. 7. Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit Isa 63.15 Look down from Heaven and behold from the habitation of thy holinesse and of thy glory Some one or more of these Particulars may upon several occasions afford fitting matter for a Preface which is the first thing to be considered and inlarged in conceiving a form of Prayer CHAP. VII Confession of sins by enumeration of them and first of Original sin NExt to the Preface Confession does according to the more usual and ordinary course succeed The first thing to be confessed in the Enumeration of sin as is before expressed in the scheme of Confession is Original sin Whereas God at first made man upright he hath since corrupted himself by seeking out many inventions He planted our first Parents a noble Vine a right seed but they quickly turned into degenerate plants of a strange Vine So that we are transgressors from the wombe Being shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin A seed of evill doers children that are corrupters Branches of the wild Olive Being naturally dead in trespasses and sins Children of wrath bearing about us the old man A body of sin and of death A law of our members Being born only of the flesh Having sin that dwels in us And is alwayes present with us And doth so easily beset us This Originall sin hath been propagated to us both by Imputation Real Communication 1. By Imputation of Adams particular transgression in eating the forbidden fruit for we were legally parties in that Covenant which was at first made with him and therefore cannot but expect to be liable unto the guilt which followed upon the breach of it By one man sin entred into the world and death by sin and so death passed upon all men 2. By reall Communication of evil concupiscence and depravation upon our natures which was the consequent of the first rebellion We were all of us naturally in our first Parents as the streams in the fountaine or the branches in the root and therefore must needs partake the same corrupted nature with them For who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean And what is man that he should be clean or he that is borne of woman that he should be righteous This might justly make us more loathsome and abominable in Gods eyes then either Toads or Vipers or any other the most venomous hurtfull creatures are in ours and for this alone he might justly cut us off and condemne us though it were meerly for the prevention of that mischief and enmity against him which the very principles of our natures are infected with Though man were at first made little lower then the Angels being crowned with glory and honour having dominion over the other
down at noon and darkning the earth in the clear day Surprizing us with sad confusions when we think our selves most secure and happy Turning our feasts into mourning and our songs into lamentation bringing sack-cloath upon all loines and baldnesse upon every head making us to eat our bread with carefulnesse and to drink our water with astonishment If he should deny us his creatures when we want them take them from us when we have them withhold his blessing from attending them debarre us from the comfortable enjoyment of them sending upon us cleannesse of teeth The evil arrows of famine breaking the staffe of our bread taking away our corne in the time thereof making the heaven over us to be brasse and the earth under us to be iron If he should raine fire and brimstone down upon us if he should afflict us with hunger and thirst and nakednesse and the want of all things if he should send a rust and canker upon our estates making an hole in the bottome of our bags by which our gaines should insensibly drop away and slip from us if he should curse us in the city and in the field in our basket and in our store in the fruit of our land and the increase of our cattel in all our endeavours and the works of our hands Feeding us with the bread of affliction and with the water of affliction Giving us to drink the cup of trembling and the dregs of the cup of his fury Stretching out upon us the line of confusion and the stones of emptinesse if he should make the portion of our cup to be snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest 2. Internal punishments are those that concern the soul and inward man either in respect of blessings Natural Spiritual It were but justice if God should take from us our wits reasons memories If he should smite us with madnesse and astonishment of heart Giving us the hearts of beasts making us become raving and desperate or stupid and brutish if he should deprive us of our inward peace and quietnesse giving us a trembling heart and sorrow of minde Scaring us with dreams and terrifying us with visions Making our guilty consciences to fly into our faces to gnaw upon the soul with fierce and restlesse accusations to fill the thoughts with terrours and amazement It were but justice if he should deprive us of all his holy Ordinances sending upon us a famine of the Word Removing our Teachers into corners so that our eyes cannot see them making the night to come upon us wherein we should not have a vision that it should be dark unto us that we cannot divine that the Sun should go down over our Prophets and the day be dark over them that the Seers should be ashamed and the Diviners confounded all of them covering their lips because there is no answer of God If he should reject all our holy services hide himself from us when we seek his face stopping his ears when we cry unto him laughing at our calamities and mocking when our fear cometh if he should fling our Prayers back into our faces with a curse in stead of a blessing if he should take our confessions as an evidence against our selves and condemne us out of our own mouths If he should subtract the means of grace and not any longer continue the proffers of mercy to those who have so much undervalued and abused them If he should cause his grieved Spirit to retire from us and finally give us over to our own desperane hardnesse and impenitency to vile affections to a seared conscience and a reprobate sense whereby we might be continued in our evil courses till the day of his vengeance 3. Eternal punishments are such as concerne our immortal conditions after this life They are either of Losse Paine 1. The punishment of losse does consist in being for ever banished from the blessed presence of God and the joyes of heaven In being punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power 2. The pain of sense does consist in those most exquisite and unexpressible torments which shall be inflicted on the damned set forth in Scripture by everlasting fire utter darknesse the worme that dyes not ond the fire that is not quenched Chaines of darknesse The blacknesse of darknesse for ever The lake of fire burning with brimstone It were but justice if God should cut us off with swift destruction snatching us out of the land of the living with our sinnes and feares upon us and cast us into those regions of darknesse those black and cruel habitations where there is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth If he should take vengeance upon us in flaming fire making us to drink the wine of his wrath which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation Tormenting us with fire and brimstone in the presence of his holy Angels Should God deal with us according to our deserts it would have been much better for us that we had never been borne He might justly inflict upon us all the plagues of this life and eternal torments in the life to come There is nothing could remaine for us to expect but a certain fearful looking for of judgement and fiery indignation to devour us It were easie to amplifie each of these heads from those many curses and judgements denounced in Scripture which are all of them appliable to this purpose as being the desert of sinne The serious consideration and application of these things will very much conduce to the exciting of such affections in us as do become the duty of confession CHAP. XV. Of the proper materials for a Transition whereby Confession and Petition may be annexed THus much briefly concerning the Matter and Method to be observed in our Confession That which should succeed next unto it is Petition But for the better connexion of these two 't is requisite that they be joyned together by some fitting Transition The most natural materials for which may be referred unto some of these heads 1. A profession of our shame and sorrow in the consideration of our many sins and the punishments due unto them A readinesse to loath our selves for our abominations To judge and condemne our selves that we may not be condemned of the Lord. A willingnesse to set our sins ever before us as considering that though the acts of them be past yet the guilt and the danger may be present and that there may be many now in hell who have not been so great sinners as we Of this kinde is that speech of Ezra O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee And Job I abhorre my self and repent in dust and ashes And Daniel O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face because we have sinned against
faithfulnesse in destruction Shall thy wonders be known in the dark or thy righteousnesse in the land of forgetfulnesse Hear my prayer O Lord give ear unto my cry hold not thy peace at my teares O spare me a little that I may recover strength before I go hence and be no more seen I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulnesse hast afflicted me Let I pray thee thy merciful kindnesse be my comfort let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live Thus does Job petition for himself Are not my days few cease then and let me alone that I may take comfort a little before I go whence I shall not return even to the land of darkness and the shadow of death And thus the Prophet Jeremiah Heal me O Lord and I shall be healed save me and I shall be saved for thou art my praise For the better strengthening of our faith and fervency in this desire there are such considerations as these He hath commanded us to call upon him in the time of trouble and hath promised to deliver us 't is in his power alone to kill to make alive to bring down to the grave and to raise up again He hath stiled himself the God of Salvation to whom belong the issues of death He can give powâ—r to the faint and to them that have no might increase of strength He has profest that the death of his Saints is dear and precious in his sight He hath promised to strengthen them upon the bed of languishing and to make their bed in their sicknesse He hath said that the prayer of faith shall save the sick He hath permitted us concerning his sons his daughters to command him thereby implying that in our intercessions for one another we may be as sure of successe as we are of those things which are in our own power to command To which may be added our former experience of his truth mercy in the like cases from all which we may be encouraged to come with boldnesse to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy in the time of need But if he hath otherwise determined and the days of their warfare be accomplished that then he would fit them for death and make them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of his Saints in light that they may be willing to depart and to be with Christ which is far better then still to be exposed to the evil to come to sinful temptations paines and diseases of the body troubles and vexations of the vain world especially considering that now death hath lost its sting and is swallowed up in victory And that it was the end of our Saviours passion to deliver them who through the fear of death have been all their life-time subject to bondage That neither death nor life nor things present nor things to come shal be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. That by this means we must be brought to enjoy the beatifical vision of God the blessed company of innumerable Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect That he would be pleased to shine graciously upon them with his favour and reconciled countenance to fill their hearts with such divine joyes as belong unto those that are heires of a celestial kingdome and are ready to lay hold on everlasting life That this light affliction which is but for a moment may work for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory That when this their earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved they may have an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens That his blessed Angels may convey their soules into Abrahams bosome Now as in such cases we should thus intercede for others so likewise may we hence take fit occasion to pray for our selves That in the diseases and paines of others we may consider the frailties of our own conditions the desert of our own sins and may magnifie his special mercy in sparing of us so much and so long That we may be more seriously mindful of our later ends as knowing that he will bring us also to death and to the house appointed for all the living and that when a few dayes are come we shall go the way whence we shall not returne That we are but strangers and pilgrims in this world dwelling in houses of clay being here to day and not to morrow in the morning and not at night that our dayes on earth are as a shadow and there is none abiding our years passe away as a tale that is told Our life is but as a vapour that appears for a while and then vanisheth away coming forth as a flower that is suddenly cut down flying as a shadow that continueth not Our times are in the hands of God all our dayes are determined the number of our moneths is with him He hath appointed our bounds that we cannot passe Lord let me know mine end and the measure of my dayes that I may know how fraile I am So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome That he would give unto us the Spirit of judgement whereby we may discerne the true difference betwixt this spanne of life and the vast spaces of immortality Betwixt the pleasures of sin for a season and that everlasting fulnesse of joy in his presence Betwixt the vain applause of men and the testimony of a good conscience That in the present days of health and peace and prosperity we may treasure up for our selves such spiritual strength comforts as may hereafter stand us in stead when we come to lie upon our death-beds when all other contentments shall vanish away and prove unable to help us when the conscience of well-doing in any one action shall administer more real comfort to the soul then all our outward advantage or enjoyments whatsoever That our conversations may be in heaven from whence we may continually expect the coming of our Lord and Saviour That all the dayes of our appointed time we may wait till our change shall come That since we all know and cannot but be amazed to consider of that dreadful day of judgement when every one must appear before the Tribunal of God to receive an eternal doome according to his works that therefore he would make us such manner of persons as we ought to be in all holy conversation and godlinesse looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat that we may labour diligently to be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse CHAP. XXVII Concerning Thanksgiving by enumeration of Temporal favours THe third and last part of Prayer is Thanksgiving This according
for the benefit that we enjoy by their examples counsels experience For all those who have been instruments of our good by their Prayers Writings Preaching c. 6. For Hopes of Glory for giving unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature Having according to his abundant mercy begotten us again unto a lively hope of an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us For lifting up the light of his countenance upon us which is better then life it self for any comfortable evidences of our own salvation CHAP. XXIX Of Occasional thanksgiving either for inward or outward mercies BEsides these several heads of thanksgiving by which we should be directed in our ordinary and usual course there are others likewise not to be neglected which are extraordinary and occasional according as our particular wants exigences may be In the Generall we are to be thankful for the successe of our prayers whenever God doth vouchsafe to hear and grant our requests either in the behalf of our selves or others that instead of rejecting of our services and casting them back as dung into our faces which we might justly expect He does vouchsafe to accept of them and to return them with a blessing more particularly upon any special Preservation either of the Soul Body Recovery either of the Soul Body Deliverance either of the Soul Body 1. In case of inward fears desertions temptations For that in the multitude of our sorrows his comforts have refreshed our soulâ— For that he hath restored unto us the joy of his salvation established us with his free spirit Delivering us from those deep waters that were ready to overwhelm our souls for bringing us out of an horrible pit out of the miery clay and setting our feet upon a rock freeing us from darknes and the shadow of death and breaking our bonds in sunder for keeping us in the houre of temptation 2. In the case of outward exigences and troubles for delivering us in journeyes that he hath been with us and kept us in our places whither we did go and brought us again in safety whereas many others have been overtaken with desperate mischiefs For defending us in common dangers oppressions for hedging us about with his favour and protection that he hath not called us away in the midst of our days but hath holden our soul in life not suffered our feet to slip for being our refuge in distresse and putting his everlasting armes under us for binding up our souls in the bundle of life for hiding us in the time of trouble in his pavilion in the secret of his Tabernacle under the shadow of his wings for being a strength to the poor to the needy in their distress a refuge from the storm a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is a storm against the wall for breaking the bands of the yoke and the rod of the oppressors and delivering us out of the hands of them that served themselves of us for the comfort that we have had in all our tribulations For delivering us from sore paines and desperate sicknesses of body when we had reason to think and say that we should go down to the gates of the grave and be deprived of the residue of our years not see the Lord in the land of the living nor see man any more with the inhabitants of the world but our age is removed from us as a shepherds tent and we shall be cut off with pining sicknes from day even to night will he make an end of us yet then did he in love to our souls deliver us from the pit of corruption therfore will we sing songs unto him all the dayes of our life I will extoll thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up thou hast brought up my soul from the grave and hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing thou hast put off my sackcloth girded me with gladnes To the end that my glory may sing praise unto thee and not be silent O Lord my God I will give thanks unto thee for ever I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications because he hath inclined his eare unto me therefore will I call upon him as long as I live He hath delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me I will take the Cup of salvation and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will offer unto thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving I will pay my vowes unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people in the court of the Lords house in the midst of thee O Jerusalem I called upon the Lord in distresse the Lord answered me set me in a large place He hath chastned me sore but he hath not given me over to death I will praise thee for thou hast heard me and art become my salvation Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with loving kindnesse and mercy CHAP. XXX Of the Amplification of mercies The Conclusion BEsides the Enumeration of mercies we may likewise finde abundance of matter for the Amplification or heightning of them which may be either in General Particular 1. In the general by their Multitude Greatnesse Continuance 1. From their multitude Many O Lord my God are thy wonderful works which thou hast done and thy thoughts which are to us-ward they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee If I would declare and speak of them they are more then can be numbred How precious are thy thoughts unto me O God how great is the sum of them If I should count them they are more in number then the sand 2. From the greatnesse of those mercies we receive which may appear by consideration of the Giver Receiver 1. The Giver the great God who is of infinite incomprehensible power The heavens are full of the Majesty of his glory of absolute perfection and alsufficiency in himself and cannot expect any addition from mans love or gratitude My goodnes extendeth not unto thee Now the greatnesse of the person doth adde a value to the favour 't is counted an honour but to kisse a Kings hand 2. The Receiver So vile and despicable in comparison of him as creatures So loathsom and abominable before him as sinners When we were nothing he took care of us since we have been worse then nothing Enemies he hath been pleased to pay a price for our reconciliation to him He is kinde to the unthankful and to the evil to those that do