end of our being Hymn 15. A Wake my Soul rise from this Bed Of dull and sluggish Earth Quickly arise lift up thy head And see thy Lords new birth Once did he come O Blessed He Born of a Virgin-womb Lo now he comes and still for thee Sprung from a Virgin-tomb See thy Lord rises fresh and bright Incircled round with Stars Which all from him receive their light And from his glorious Scars And thus as he his Progress makes Up to his Heaven again Each risen Saint his Musick takes And follows in his train Thus all together they ascend 'Till at Heavens gate they come Where wondering Angels do attend To bid them welcome home The Angels know again their King And soon his Call obey All the glad Quires come forth to sing And crown with mirth the day Come thou my Soul let us rejoyce Us too our consort bring Up to high Heaven let 's lift our voice And with the Angels sing Glory and Honour Power and Praise To the mysterious Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. RAise thy head O my Soul and look up and behold the Glory of thy Crucified Saviour He that was dead and laid in the Grave low enough to prove himself Man He is risen again and ascended into Heaven and is in exaltation high enough to prove himself God. He arose and made the light his Garment and commanded the Clouds to be the Chariot of his Triumph The gates of Heaven obeyed their Lord and the everlasting Doors opened to the King of Glory Enter bright King thy glorious Palace attended with thy shining Angels enter with the glad train of thy new delivered Captives the first Fruits of thy Victory and the earnests of more Enter and repossess thy ancient Throne and reign eternally at the right hand of thy Father May every Knee bow low at thy exalted Name and every Tongue confess thy Glory May all created Nature adore thy Power and the Church of thy Redeemed exult in thy goodness Whom have we in Heaven but thee O Lord who didst expresly go thither to make way for thy followers What have we on Earth that yields us any comfort and delight but our hope by following thee to arrive at last where thou art gone before us And worth our while O Lord it is to follow thee in the greatest labour of doing well and in patience under the greatest Adversities since the end of all is that where thou art we shall be We shall be there and shall be like thee for we shall see thee as thou art We shall be exalted and glorify'd and rest from our labours O glorious Jesu our Strength and our Joy and the immortal Life of all our Souls Thou art worthy to be the principal Subject of our Studies and the daily entertainment of our most serious thoughts MEDITATION III. WHat mighty cause O God hast thou given poor Mankind to rejoyce and praise thee in that thou hast raised our Saviour from the Grave He died for our sins and rose again for our Justification In this we see a full satisfaction made for our sins by his death Hereby he ever lives to make intercession for us sinners O let all the World rejoyce in the Victory and Triumph of our Lord over all the Enemies of our Salvation I bless thee O my Saviour for thy Death and I praise and adore thee for thy Resurrection The one a work of infinite condescending Mercy the other of infinite Power And now my Soul how art thou conformable to thy kind Lord if when he is risen thou lye dead in trespasses and sins If thou be not risen with Christ to a new and spiritual Life certainly thou art none of his Will he not draw all his own thus after him Will he suffer any of them to lye entangled in earthly desires If he has not drawn thy heart from the World and from thy self and made thee value him most and delight to run the way of his Commandments thou hast no part in him And if thou be risen with Christ thou should'st seek those things which are above Why should our Hearts dwell on Earth when the best Treasure of our Hearts is return'd to Heaven Since our glorified Jesus is ascended above to prepare us a place in his own Kingdom A place of rest and secure peace where we shall see and praise and adore him for ever a place of joy and everlasting fruition where we shall love and possess and delight in him for ever O happy we and our poor Souls if once admitted to that blissfull Vision If once those heavenly Portals unfold their Gates and let us in to the joyes of our Lord how will our Spirits be ravisht within themselves to reflect on the fullness of their own Beatitude How shall we all rejoyce in one anothers felicity but infinitely more in the infinitely greater felicity of God. O Heaven towards thee it is meet that we frequently lift up craving eyes and with out-stretcht hands reach at thy Glories It is fit that with languishing Hearts we often say When O when shall we behold that incomparable light with which our exalted Saviour is cloathed as with a Garment That Glory which illuminates the eyes of Angels and eternally renews the youth of immortalized Saints That light is thy very self O Lord our God whom we shall there see face to face whom we shall there know as we are known In thy light we shall see light PETITIONS O Divine Immense Original Light shine thou perpetually in our eyes that thy brightness may for ever darken all the false lustre of this World. O light that delightest to diffuse and communicate thy self shed so many of thy powerful Beams into our Hearts as that thy heat may burn up all other desires Make us burn continually with the pure Love of thee and let that resining fire purge us from the love of this World. Let thy light shine in our Hearts and be a guide to our wayes till we be call'd from this vale of darkness into the glorious presence of the living God To see him that made the Heavens and the Earth and gave to all things their Lustre and Beauty To see him that first gave us our Being then govern'd us in our way and brought us to so bless'd an end Mean while O glorious Jesu who art the foundation and finisher of all our hopes do thou make us entertain our life with the comfort of this hope and our hope with the assurance of thy promises Let thy Triumphs and Glories ever shine in our eyes to animate our Labours and comfort our Sufferings Let them confirm our Faith in this comfortable point That if we are thy faithful followers in this Life we shall hereafter be partakers in thy Glory Make us also Lord every day more perfectly understand our own great Duty and thy infinite Love. Make us especially on this thy Day meditate the advancement of thy
I sound Live glorious King of Heaven By all thy Heaven ador'd Live gracious Saviour of the World Our chief and only Lord. Live and for ever may Thy Throne establisht be For ever may all all Hearts and Tongues Sing Hymns of Praise to thee Amen MEDITATION II. BEhold our faithful Lord has remembred his word He has raised up in the World the long expected Prophet like Moses and put his word in his mouth and he has kindly and sufficiently taught us Light with him is come into the World to lead us through the Wilderness of Life into the true Canaan that is above Admirable wert thou O Lord in thy merciful Promise but infinitely more in thy wonderful performance Thou didst not depute an Angel to supply the place of a Redeemer nor entrust so great a work to the management of a Seraphim but didst thy self bow the Heavens and come down and with thine own blest hands work our Redemption Thy self didst take upon thee our frail Nature and vouchsafe to be born of a humble Virgin condescending to the weaknesses of a Child a Child whose Parents were poor and of no esteem in the World. So did he make himself of no reputation He did not decline the mean entertainment of a Stable O how unfit was that for the Birth of the King of Heaven He contented himself with a Manger instead of a convenient Cradle and with the homely uneasie lodging of a Bed of Straw refusing the soft Accommodations of the Rich to undergoe the inconveniences of a poor Stranger Thus Lord at the cost of thy own ease hast thou instructed us to despise the World. Only the faithful Joseph stood waiting on thee and provided as he was able for his helpless Family Onely thy pious Mother dearly embrac't thee and wrapt thy tender Limbs in little clouts Wonder O Heavens at this Ye Angels who had seen before many wonders for this surpasses all besides Be amazed O Earth and let every Creature there humbly bow the head and knee Bow all and adore this incomprehensible Mystery the Word was made Flesh and dwelt with us But most of all we who are most concern'd the guilty Children of sinful Adam let us bow down our faces to the low dust and all prostrate adore so unspeakable a mercy Behold my Soul thus low my Saviour stoopt for me to check the aspiring pride of my corrupted Nature Behold thus low he stoopt to take me from the ground and raise me to the felicities of his own Kingdom Rise willingly with him my Soul from base sensuality leave the low Earth with thy desires and seek a better Countrey so shall this God not be asham'd to be call'd thy God. Lift up thy Voice too with Joy O my Soul and sing Hosanna to the new-born Jesus With blessed Angels celebrate his gloriously humble birth and say Glory be to God on high for peace on earth and good will towards men Lift up thy Voice aloud O my Soul lift up your Voices all ye his Saints and joyn the Praises of the Church to the Hymns of Heaven MEDITATION III. REjoyce all you the faithful Nations of the Earth when ye hear the sweet Name of our dear Redeemer Rejoyce and with your bended knees and hearts adore the Blessed Jesus He is the Son of the ever-living God equally participating the glories of his Father He is that great Messias whom the Prophets foretold and all the ancient Saints so long expected At length in the fullness of time he came to visit in person our miserable world He came with his hands full of Miracles and every Miracle was full of Mercy full of miraculous good will to an unkind ungrateful world He made the crooked become strait and the lame to walk and leap for joy He opened the ears of the deaf to hear and gave sight to them that were born blind Happy they in the season of their relief who could then hear the Instructions of the Eternal Wisdom and could see thee the Blessed Saviour of the World He loosned the Tongues of the dumb to speak sure their first exercise was his deserved Praise He cleans'd the Leprous by the word of his mouth and heal'd their Diseases who did but touch his Garment To the Poor he revealed the rich treasures of his Gospel and taught the simple the Mysteries of his Kingdom He cast out Devils by his awful command and forc'd them to confess and adore his Person He rais'd the dead from the very Grave to Life the dead that was four dayes buried and was corrupting Nay even himself being slain for us on the Cross and his Tomb made fast and secur'd with a guard he rais'd again by his own victorious power and carried up our nature into the highest Heavens All these stupendious signs O glorious Jesu were done by the hand of thy Almighty mercy to witness thy truth with the Seal of Heaven and endear thy Precepts with obliging Miracles that thus strongly engag'd we might believe on thee and obey thee to the Eternal Salvation of our own Souls PETITIONS O Kind and Merciful Jesu thou didst when on Earth go about doing good as thou didst purposely come hither to do good Thou hast not lost thy goodness we believe since thou art gone to Heaven O let us find that thou hast not still exercise thy goodness and thy power O God in kind and beneficial Miracles O may it please thee to soften many stony hearts into a tender sence of thy great Goodness and their own Duty Raise our dead spirits from this heavy Earth to dwell with thee in the Land of the Living to mind and love Spiritual and Immortal things Open thou our Eyes that we may behold the wondrous things in thy Law strengthen our feeble faculties O Lord by thy all-sufficient grace that we may steadily run the race which shall be set before us strengthen us to encounter successfully all the Enemies of our Salvation that we do not run in vain nor labour in vain Thus Lord let our experience teach us to admire thy bounteous Power that we may daily sing the wonders of thy grace towards our selves and when our dayes shall be exchanged for Eternity let us eternally sing the wonders of thy Glory Whenever thou doest any of these kind things for us open thou our dumb Lips that our Mouths may shew forth thy Praise Glory be to c. For Tuesday Evening MEDITATION I. GOod God how extreamly ungrateful are Mankind How strangely insensible of our manifest Duty Every Creature performs its Duties but we who alone are made capable to understand and know ours Every Creature lives by rule but we who have reasonable Souls to direct our actions We O Lord are most beholden to thee of all the lower Creation and we alone of all prove rebellious against thee The other Creatures live by thy wise rules and so do serve and attain their particular ends And thus does every Creature reach its true dignity and
the other World and soon returns again and brings us light And so dost thou dear Lord and more Thy very darkness is our light 'T is by thy death we are made to live and by thy wounds our sores are heal'd O my ador'd Redeemer who took'st upon thee all our miseries to impart to us thine own Felicities Can we remember thy Labours for us and not be convinc't of our Duty to thee Can our cold Hearts recount thy Sufferings and not be inflam'd with the Love that suffer'd Can we believe our Salvation cost thee so dear and live as if to be sav'd were not worth our pains Ingrateful we how do we slight the kindness of our God! how carelesly comply with his gracious designs For all his gifts he requires no other return than to hope still more and desire still greater Blessings For all his favours he seeks no other praise than our following his steps to arrive at his Glory PETITIONS O Glorious Jesu behold to thee we bow and humbly implore thy blessing in whom all fulness dwells Accomplish in us we pray those gracious purposes for which thou didst assume the humane Nature and suffer a painful and ignominious Death Teach us O Lord by thy Word and thy example the sole way to that Bliss for which we were created Give us an assur'd pardon of all our sins and the priviledge of becoming the Sons of God Possess us with the joyful hope of an eternal Life purchas'd for us by our Redeemer's Death O Almighty Redeemer destroy in us the works of the Devil Deliver us for none else can from the power of every sin Set us at liberty to run the wayes of thy Commandments thy Service is perfect freedom Give us the special Assistance of thy Grace that we may wean our Affections from all vain desires and clear our thoughts from all impertinent fancies that our lives may be intirely dedicated to thee and all the Faculties of our Souls to thy holy Service That our minds may continually study thy Knowledge and our Wills grow every day stronger in thy Love Our Memories may faithfully lay up thy Mercy and both Tongue and Heart be continually disposed and often employ'd to praise thee to praise thy incomparable Love which has done and suffer'd so much for lost Mankind O let the continual memory of thy bitter Passion and Death make us despise the Goods or Ills that we meet with here compar'd to the advancing our selves or others in the esteem of what we hope hereafter through the Sufferings and Merits of thee our Lord Jesus Christ Glory be to c. Amen For Friday Evening MEDITATION I. COme let us now call off our thoughts from ranging abroad where they but lose themselves Let us diligently examine the Accounts of our Time and summ up the profit we have made to day What have we gain'd by all we have seen or heard For nothing is so barren but it may yield some fruit had we the Art to cultivate it right and fitly apply it to our own advantage If we have spy'd some good Example which our gracious God has presented to instruct or quicken us did we immediately entertain the motion and resolve in our heart effectively to follow it If we have fallen among vicious Company which O! too often engages into folly did the danger encrease our care and the sin of others breed Vertue in us We have heard perhaps some melancholy news of sudden sicknesses or unexpected Deaths But did we fear to be surprized our selves and provide betimes for that day of Trial We meet with accidents enow to disparage this World but do we really feel it lose credit in our Hearts Does our esteem of the other grow strong and high and every one faithfully tell his own Soul 'T is not in this poor World thou must expect content It is not here you must hope to enjoy a perfect rest Order thy whole affairs with utmost skil and which is seldom seen let all thy designs succeed Still thou shalt find something to trouble thee and even thy pleasures will be tedious to thee Wheresoever thou goest still Crosses will follow thee because where-ever thou goest thou carriest thy self Who then my God is truely happy in this World or rather I should ask who comes the nearest to happiness He that with patience resolves to suffer whatever his endeavours are not able to avoid Happy yet more is he that delights to suffer and glories to be like his Crucify'd Saviour When thou art come to this my Soul that thy Crosses seem sweet for the love of Jesus think then thy self sublimely happy for surely thou hast found a Heaven upon Earth at least the best Heaven that this Earth can afford and take it as a pledge of a better to come MEDITATION II. MY Soul when thou art thus retir'd alone and fitly dispos'd for quiet thoughts never let the greatness of another molest thy Peace nor his prosperous condition make thee repine Say not in thy Heart had I that fair Estate or were I intrusted with so high a place I should know how to contrive things better and never commit such gross mistakes Tell me how dost thou manage thine own Employments and fit the little room thou holdest in the World If thou hast leisure art thou not idle and spendest thy precious time in unprofitable follies If thou art busie art thou not so too much and leavest no time to provide for thy Immortal Soul Do thy riches make thee more wise and generously assist the innocent poor Does thy poverty make thee humble and faithfully labour for thy little Family Dost thou in every state give thanks to Heaven and contentedly submit to its severest decrees Canst thou rejoicingly say to God O my ador'd Creatour I am glad my Lot is in thy Hands Thou art all Wisdom and seest my wants thou art all goodness and delightest to relieve me Under thy Providence I know I am safe whatever befalls me thou guidest to my advantage If thou wilt have me obscure and low thy blessed will not mine be done If thou wilt load my back with Crosses and imbitter my daies with Grief or Sickness still may thy Blessed Will O Lord be done still govern thy Creatures in thine own best way Place where-ever thou pleasest thy other favours but secure to my Soul a Portion in thy love Take what thou wilt of the things thou hast lent me but leave I beseech thee in my Heart the Possession of thy self Let others be preferr'd and me neglected let their affairs succeed and mine if thou pleasest miscarry Onely one thing I cannot chuse but desire and may my Gracious God vouchsafe to grant me that That thou cast me not away from thy presence for ever nor wipe my Name out of the book of Life But let my Eternal hopes remain and still grow quicker as they approach their end MEDITATION III. MY Thoughts run over the passages you have met to day or
mind was born to know and love What this life ne're can see Malicious world how dost thou lay And cover thy false Baits Here those of pleasure there of gain Each for our ruine waits Unhappy we it is our fault 'T is we our Life abuse The world presents a furnisht Shop And we the tools misuse So have I seen a little Child If Nurse but turn her Eye In stead of haft take hold o' th' blade And cut it self and cry This little Child alas am I Self-will'd Self-wounded too But Lord turn not thy face away Lest I my self undoe O make me still so use this world That I the other gain O make me so the other love That this its end attain It s end to breed up Souls for Heave'n Then be it self new drest No more corruption no more change But one perpetual rest To Father Son and Holy Ghost The undivided Three One equal Glory one same Praise Now and for ever be Amen Devotions FOR THE Holy-dayes The First Part. FOR THE FEASTS OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR For the Morning MEDITATION I. BRing to our Lord all you his Servants bring to our Lord the Sacrifice of Praise Bring to our Lord all you Nations of the Earth bring Hymns of Glory to his great Name at the Name of Jesus let every knee bow of things in Heaven and things on Earth and let his whole Church Militant and Triumphant gladly adore our God that Redeem'd us Come now and hear you that fear our Lord and I will tell you what he has done for my Soul Hear and I will tell you what he has done for yours and the wonders of his bounty towards all the World. When we lay asleep in the shades of nothing his mighty hand awak'd us into Being Not that of Stones or Plants or Beasts o're which he has made us absolute Lords but an accomplisht Body he has given us and an immortal Spirit and has made us little inferiour to his glorious Angels He printed on our Souls his own similitude and promised to our Obedience that we should partake of his own felicity He endu'd us with Appetites to live well and happily and furnisht us with means to satisfie those Appetites Creating a World furnish'd with excellent Creatures to serve us while we abode on Earth and providing a Heaven of Bliss to glorifie us when we remov'd hence Thus didst thou favour us O Infinite Goodness But we what return did we make thee Blush O my Soul for shame at so strange a weakness and weep for grief at so extream an Ingratitude We childishly preferr'd a trivial Apple before the Law of our God and the safety of our own Lives We fondly embrac'd a little needless Satisfaction before the Pleasures of Paradise and the eternal Joyes of Heaven Behold the unhappy source of all our Miseries which still encreas'd its streams as they went farther on 'Till they exacted at last a deluge of Justice to drown their deluge of Iniquity And here alas had been an end of Man a sad and fatal end of the whole World had not our wise Creator foreseen the danger and in time prevented the extremity of the ruine reserving for himself a few choice Plants to replenish the Earth with more hopeful Fruit Yet they quickly grew wild and brought forth sour Grapes and their Childrens teeth were set on edge Quickly they aspir'd to an intollerable Pride of fortifying their wickedness against the power of Heaven Justice was now provok'd to a second deluge and to bring again a Cloud over the Earth but Mercy discover'd a bow in the Cloud and our faithful God remembred his Promise allaying their Punishment with a milder Sentence and only scattering them from the place of their Conspiracy which yet his Providence turn'd into a Blessing by making it an occasion of Peopling the World. Still their rebellious Nature disobey'd again and neither fear'd his Judgments nor valued his Mercies but with a graceless emulation they propagated sin as far as his Goodness propagated Mankind Then he selected a private Family and increas'd and govern'd them with a particular tenderness giving them a Law by the hands of Angels and engaging their Obedience by a thousand favours But they neglected too their God and Heaven and fell in love with the wayes of Death When thou hadst thus O dearest Lord used many Remedies and our Disease was beyond their power to cure when the light of Nature proved too weak a guide and the general Flood too mild a correction when the Miracles of Moses could not soften their Hearts nor the Law of Angels bring any to perfection when all was reduc'd to this desperate State and no imaginable hope was left to recover us Behold the Eternal Wisdom finds a strange Expedient the last and highest Instance of Almighty Love Himself he resolves to cloath with our Flesh and come down among us and dye to Redeem us Wonder O my Soul at the Mercies of our Lord how infinitely do they transcend even the utmost that we could have wished Wonder at the admirable Providence of his Councels that they are so exactly fitted to their great design Had our Saviour been less than God we could never have believed the sublime Mysteries of his Heavenly Doctrine Had he been other than Man we must needs have wanted the powerful motive of his holy Example Had he been only God he could never have suffer'd the least of those Afflictions which he so gloriously overcame Had he been meerly Man he could never have overcome those Infinite Afflictions which he so patiently endur'd In thee O blessed Saviour the two Natures of God and Man were so mysteriously united without either change or confusion that they made in thee but one Person one Mediator and Lord. Hymn 29. JEsu who from thy Fathers Throne To this low vale of Tears cam'st down In our poor nature humbly drest Oh may the charms of that sweet love Draw up our Souls to thee above And six them there on thee to rest Jesu who wert with Joy Conceiv'd With Joy wert born while no pain griev'd Thy Blessed Mothers Virgin-womb O may we breed and bring thee forth In our glad hearts for all is Mirth Where thou kind Lord art pleas'd to come Jesu whose high and humble Birth In Heaven the Angels and on Earth The faithful Shepherds gladly sing O may our Hymns which here run low Shoot up aloft and fruitful grow In that more warm Eternal Spring Jesu how soon didst thou begin To bleed and suffer for our sin Cut by the Circumcising Knife O may thy grace by making good Our Souls just cause ' gainst flesh and blood Cut off for us that dange'rous strife Jesu who took'st that heave'nly Name Thy blessed Purpose to proclaim Of saving self-destroy'd Mankind O may we bowe our Heart and knee Bright King of Names to Glorious thee And thy hid sweetness ever find Jesu who thus began'st our Bliss Thus carry'edst on our happiness To thee
Soul could love thee without limits as thou art infinitely amiable O my Beloved let my thoughts embrace thee all this night while others sleep let wakeful thoughts refresh me by presenting Thee to my mind Let me think how kind thou art how unspeakably good Do thou Lord rest this night in my heart and inspire it with the pure flames of divine Love. Hymn 8. LEt earthy minds court what they please And gain what e're they court For me I find but little ease In all their gayest sport Be Thou alone but with my heart My God my only bliss I shall not murmure at my part Nor envy their success They talk of pleasure talk of gain None must their humour cross But well I know their pleasure's pain Their greatest profit loss Let them talk on and have not we Our gains our pleasures too Pleasures that spring more sweet and free Gains that more fully flow Nay well endur'd our very pains To us a pleasure are And all our losses turn to gains If hopes may have their share And sure they may such hopes as chear The Heaven espoused brest Hopes that so strangely charm us here What will they be possest All Glory to the Sacred Three All Honour Power and Praise As 't was at first still may it be Beyond the end of Dayes Amen For Thursday Morning MEDITATION I. THe good and wise Creator of the world made man at first after his own similitude He form'd a noble Spirit within him and endow'd it with righteousness and true holiness He gave him dominion over the creatures with which he would plentifully stock the Air Earth and Sea He gave to man a perfect dominion over himself and made him able to govern his appetites and passions He made him sole Lord of a beauteous Paradise which Gods own hand had planted Man was to have spent a few pleasant years on Earth and then to have been translated to the Heaven of Heavens But all these priviledges did the foolish creature loose by doing one guilty and needless act by eating of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil and therein disobeying the Law of his just Creator Unhappy man has now forfeited all good and exposed himself to the invasion of every misery By this one sinful act according to the tenour of the Covenant our first Parents ruin'd themselves and all their posterity with them From thenceforth our bodies were doom'd to dissolution and condemn'd to return to the dust from whence they were taken From thenceforth brutish and sensual appetites became rebellious against the laws of right reason and the understanding is so blinded with partiality to sence that it is not able to find out those Laws The mind of man is destitute of its moral excellency and the glorious Image of God is defac'd The Apostate spirit that tempted to the sin has infected our nature with his own resemblance Thus are we wretches become liable to all those sicknesses and pains that infest our bodies and thus to those violent Passions and disorders which distemper and torment our minds By this sin the favour of our God was forfeited and we are all by nature the children of his wrath We are exposed to the tyranny of the Devils while we live and lyable to partake in their torments when we dye But when our great guilt had provok'd the divine anger against us our great misery at the same time moved his compassion He pityed the poor creature undone by its own folly and resolved to find help for it by his Wisdom His infinite goodness pityed the many thousands of Souls which one rash act of the first Parents had undone and when they might expect to hear from his Justice an irreversible sentence of Condemnation then did his wonderful mercy condescend to comfort them by making the first promise of a mighty Saviour A Saviour that should conquer him who now had the power of death and who is become ruler in the Children of disobedience For thou O adorable Son of God Son coeternal and equal with the Father Thou didst undertake to redeem us by an amazing way which will be the eternal wonder of all thy most inteligent creatures Blessed Son of God thou didst undertake our help when it was not in the power of any creature to help us Thou didst undertake to ransom us from our misery while the fallen Angels were left subject to theirs In the fulness of time O kind Redeemer thou didst according to that promise descend into this miserable world And while here thou wentest about doing good and diffusing the light of thy saving instructions By taking the humane nature into a personal union thou didst put thy self into subjection under the law and by thy spotless life and patient death thou hast satisfied all the demands of the Law for us so that believing in Thee we are righteous by thy life and our sins are attoned for by thy precious death Thy death upon the cross was our great sacrifice for sin and sufficient at once offering of thy self to take it away Thou hast by thy meritorious life purchased for us all our forfeited good and by thy propitiatory death removed our desert of evil By that death thou didst go again out of this world and art now ascended to the right hand of the Father there thou ever livest to make intercession for us and to dispence the purchases of thy life and death Hymn 9. LOng had the world in gloomy shades Of Ignorance and Sin Benighted sate whilst Hells dark Prince Had tyraniz'd therein Weak Reasons twinkling Tapers long Contended with the night And Prophets strove the shades to chase With beams of borrow'd light But all in vain alas 'till He The Son of righteousness At length with healing beams arose To cure the worlds distress He rose and with his presence brought A bright and glorious day Infernal spirits and their dark works Before him fled away They that in errors fatal chains The captiv'd world had led Were by the mighty Prince of peace His conquer'd Captives made Thus came he whom all Nations had In great desire of old Whose coming faithful Prophesies To Israel long foretold And now ye Nations of the Earth Know and revere your King Gladly submit to him who does Your great Salvation bring Ye Nations of the Earth rejoyce And all your voices raise The wondrous faithfulness and love Of your great God to praise Glory to God the Father give And to the Gracious Son And Holy Ghost henceforth as long As time his course shall run Amen MEDITATION II. LOrd what a happy change has thy coming made in the world what glorious effects have every where been the consequents of it Narrow was once the gate and strait the path to bliss and so cover'd with the mists of Ignorance that but few could find it The whole earth then corrupted their way before God and wickedness increased as fast as people multiplyed Then did but eight persons among a
his Church and go to live with him and that part of his Holy Church which is triumphant O Blessed Jesu King of Clemency and great rewarder of every little Grace Thou who by all we can do pretendest no gain but bestowest on us all that thy self hast done Instruct my gratitude to consecrate all to Thee since all by thy bounty will redound to thy self O Thou who tookst upon Thee all our frailty to bestow on us thine own perfections teach me to prize the joyes of Heaven and part with all things else to purchase Thee O let not the flatteries of worldly pleasures any more delude me nor any superfluous cares perplex my mind O may my chief delight be to think of thee all my study to come to the enjoyment of thee Let the shortness and vexation of all worldly enjoyments so disparage them to my Apprehensions that they may become less tempting to me and take the less hold of my heart Make me thankfully sensible of thy mercy and kindness to Mankind in mixing this worlds enjoyments with so much trouble and inconvenience since we cannot attain thee the Heaven of Heavens if we do not fix our selves intirely upon thee Nor can we do this if we are or may be satisfied with any thing beside thy glorious self Thus has thy wisdom fitly qualified this life the present dark womb of our Souls so that by its own uneasiness it will with thy blessing the more easily dispose them for a happy birth into thy blessed Eternity Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with the Father and the Holy Ghost together is worshipped and glorified Amen Hymn 14. LOrd what a pleasant life were this If all did well their parts If all did one another love Sincerely with their hearts No Suits of Law no noise of War Our quiet minds would fright No fear to lose no care to keep What justly is our right No envious thought no slandoring tongue Would e're disturb our peace We should help them and they help us And all unkindness cease But the All-wise chose other Laws And thought it better so He made the World and sure he knows What 's best with it to do 'T is for our good that all this ill Is suffer'd here below 'T is to correct those dangerous sweets That else would Poyson grow So storms are rais'd to clear the air And chase dull clouds away So weeds grow up to cure our wounds And all our pains allay How often Lord do we mistake When we our Plots design Rule thou hereafter thine own world Only thy self be mine Or rather Lord let me be thine Else I am not mine own Give me thy self or take thou me Undone if left alone To thee great God of Heaven and Earth Each knee for ever bow May all thy Blessed sing above And we adore below Amen Devotions FOR Every Day IN THE WEEK The Second Part. For Sunday Morning MEDITATION I. SIng to our Lord a Psalm of Joy sing Praises to the God of our Salvation Sing with a loud and chearful Voice sing with a glad and thankful Heart Say to the weak of spirit Be strong say to the staggering Faith Be stedfast say to the sorrowful Be of good comfort Tell all the World this Soul-reviving truth and may their Hearts leap within them to hear it Tell them the Lord of life is risen again and has cloath'd himself with immortal glory He made the Angels Messengers of his Victory and vouchsaf't even himself to bring us the happy news How many wayes did thy condescending mercy invent O thou wise contriver of all our happiness to convince thy followers into this blest belief and settle in their Hearts a firm ground of hope Thou appearedst to the holy Women in their return from thy Sepulcher and openedst their eyes to know and adore thee Thou didst purposely overtake in their Journey two of thy Disciples that were discoursing of Thee and make their hearts burn within them by thy Discourse whilst thou didst kindly expound to them the things that related to thee in all the Scriptures and which by thee had been fulfill'd Thou didst show thy self on the Shore to thy Disciples labouring at Sea to intimate that they must now leave that fishing to become Fishers of Men They labour'd all night in vain without the Blessing of their Master Jesus Thou didst show thy self to them and tell them plainly who thou wert by the kind known token of a beneficial Miracle When the doors of the House were shut thou who hadst insensibly come in didst appear to give them peace and satisfaction to satisfie them of thy Resurrection from the dead and of thy continued tender Love to them How didst thou condescend to eat before them and invite them to touch thy Body How didst thou sweetly provoke the incredulous Thomas to thrust his hand into thy wounded side And thou hast taken occasion from his hardness to believe to facilitate the Faith of thy Church in after Ages We bless Thee O Lord who has so order'd the Duties of our Faith that the true reports of Sense may help us in some of them and do contradict us in none How often O gracious Lord in those blessed forty dayes did thy Charity cast to meet with thy Disciples that thou mightest teach them still some excellent truth and imprint still deeper thy Love in their Hearts Discoursing perpetually of the Kingdom of Heaven and establishing proper means to bring us thither At last when all thy glorious task was perfectly finisht and thy hour of departing from this Earth did approach Thou didst tenderly gather thy Children about thee and in their full sight goe up into Heaven leaving thy dearest Blessing on their heads and promising a kind Comforter in thy absence O how adoreable are thy Counsels O Lord How strangely endearing the wayes of thy Love Say now my Soul is not this evidence clear enough to answer all our darkest Doubts Is not this hope abundantly sufficient to sweeten all our bitterest Sorrows What though we mourn and be afflicted here and sigh under the Miseries of the world for a time we may be sure that our Tears shall one day be turn'd into Joy and that Joy none shall be able to take from us What though our Bodies be crumbled into dust and that dust should be blown about over the face of the whole Earth Yet we undoubtedly know that our Redeemer lives and shall appear in brightness at the last Great Day He shall appear in the midst of all the numerous Hosts of Angels and before him shall be brought all Nations Then with these Eyes which now read of him we shall see him we shall see him in whom we have so long believed we shall find him whom we have so often sought In our full and final Redemption we shall find him a faithful and mighty Redeemer We shall possess him whom our Souls have loved and be united to him for ever who is the only
honour while Man basely falls far below his in neglecting the rules of that Law which thou hast given to be his direction The Sun observes his place of rising and sets exactly at his appointed time The Sun stands still if thou commandest and goes back to obey thy will and yet the Sun pretends to no reward nor looks to be placed in a higher Heaven But we who expect the performance of glorious Promises we forget and neglect the Law of our God a Law that brings great rewards with the observance of it in this Life and is followed by greater in the next Thy Law O Lord written in our Hearts perfects our corrupted natures by restoring to us thy glorious Image in righteousness and true holiness Thy Law fills the dark mind with chearing light and makes the simple truly wise Thy Law raises the will to its true Liberty and frees it from the fetters of sin It tames the unruly Passions and Appetites of the flesh and settles a happy Peace within us If we are so wise and happy as not to be discouraged from observing it by the little difficulty which attends it at first our steady perseverance in well doing will find it easie and incomparably pleasant Thy Laws will dispose us to pass with comfort through the various circumstances of this Life and they will also prepare us to enter at the end of it into the pure mansions of Heaven For our kind Lord has prepared unspeakable Happiness to reward them with who love Him and keep his Commands Thy bounteous goodness O Lord will reward us for the performance of our Duty thou wilt reward us for doing what is good for our selves Thy Laws are all Holy and Just and Good and thy Rewards are unconceivable and Eternal Joyes O what Blindness and Folly possesses the sinful world who neglect and refuse so great advantages MEDITATION II. Does it become Mankind for whom Christ died to neglect his sacred Laws Shall we say of him who has done so much for us he shall not reign over us shall we neglect so Gracious a Saviour whose only design is to draw us to his love Shall we neglect so generous a love whose only design is to make us Happy Yet O Lord how are thy just Commands neglected in the World How few are there that demonstrate they love Thee by keeping them And indeed to say the World generally neglect to keep thy Commands is too mild a reproof for us who in many instances directly contradict them What thou forbiddest we eagerly pursue as if our kind Saviour had therein envied us some great advantage And whatever thou commandest we are forward still to do the contrary as if the thing thou requirest were hurtful We boldly converse with temptation and sin which thy Charity advises us to fly like Death We timerously dread the incurring any worldly losses or the displeasure of men when thou commandest us to proceed with undaunted courage And we do not stand in aw of the Wrath of Almighty God nor fear the loss of our own Souls when thou threatnest us with them to restrain us from Sin. We greedily pursue the little vanities of this World which thou forbiddest us to set our affections upon and are by them too easily drawn into Sin But the greater goods of a better world we slight and will not suffer our selves to be allured by them to Holiness We govern our actions by our own wild fancies and expect that thy Providence should comply with our Humours We would have Thee relieve us when we list and Rain and Shine as we think fit Thus is our rude perverseness O Lord apt in every thing to go contrary to Thee MEDITATION III. IT was not alone to make the day that thou O Lord didst make a Glorious Sun. But to teach us these pious Lessons too and write them plain as its own Beams That so should our light shine forth to others and direct them to glorifie God So should our Charity warm their coldness and quicken them to an active Zeal for his Honour So when they say we are under a cloud of Adversity we should like the Sun be really above it And though to the sight of men we may be eclips'd by disadvantageous circumstances and may seem quite extinguisht in a Night of Sorrow and Affliction Still we should shine to our selves and God and still go on in the waies of light Though we become small and despised in the Eye of the World yet we should not forsake thy Law. So shall we after the vicissitudes of bright and dark of fair weather and foul which we must expect to meet with in this World enjoy an Eternal bright and serene day Not like the Sun that every Night goes down and must at last be put quite out When we have finisht here our course and seem to set to this dark Earth we hope to rise and set no more but shine perpetually in a brighter Heaven And this sweet Hope my Soul may justly allay the grief of thy present Afflictions Thy rest and Comfort meet with many interruptions now but let not them interrupt thy Faith and Holiness and hereafter thou shalt enjoy an endless unmixed rest and felicity I am the Resurrection and the Life sayes the Son of God who was dead and is now alive and lives for evermore He that believes in me though he be dead shall live and every one that lives and believes in me shall not dye for ever O praise our Lord all you blessed Saints who are advanced from the transient mutable Light of this World to the durable Glory of the other My Soul be thou a steadfast follower of them as they were of Christ and thou canst not fail to attain the same Glory O praise our Gracious Lord and bounteous Master ye Glorious Angels whose bright felicity began so early Stars that arose in the Morning of the World and still through the goodness of God retain an unchanged Lustre shining perpetually near the Throne of God as the top and Master-piece of all his works Let all Mankind with them praise the Lord for our excellent work and for our Glorious Wages That our God did make us but little lower than them at first and when we are become a great deal lower by following our own inventions does concern himself to recover us from our fall and raise us by degrees to their bright and Happy Society O Praise our Lord all you his Works bless him and magnifie him for ever PETITIONS O Infinite Wisdom and Goodness Teach I pray Thee and convince my Soul of the great Excellency and Wisdom of thy incomparable Laws Make me to esteem all thy Commandments concerning all things to be right to consent unto thy Law that it is good to delight in it in the inward man and regulate my whole Conversation thereby So shall I walk by the best rule the rule that certainly leads to Happiness Lord make me to have such apprehensions of
thy goodness as to esteem thy commands the necessary rules of Soul-saving love to account that thou hast required nothing of us but what is necessary and highly conducing to the Salvation of our Souls Let me not be so dangerously foolish as in any thing to think my self wise in contradiction to the Precepts and Dictates of thy Word O may thy Holy Will dear Lord therein reveal'd be all my rule and thy Gracious Hand my constant guide Order thou my steps in thy Word let no iniquity have dominion over me Hold up my goings that my footsteps do not slide Quicken O Lord I pray the too frequent slackness of my obedience by the example of the Creatures about me who yield thee a constant and unrelucting obedience and by a firm belief and apprehension of those great and glorious rewards which thou hast prepared for such as serve Thee fashion my Spirit to a humble submission and conformity to thy will. Make me exactly observe what thou prescribest how bitter soever it may tast to Flesh and Blood Make me alwaies readily submit to every dispensation of thy Providence though for the present it may be grievous And Lord since thy wisdom knows our infirmities I pray thee lay upon me at no time more burden than I shall be able to bear let not my circumstances be attended with temptations either that are so violent or so lasting as to overcome me Since thy goodness delights in our relief assist me against the difficulties of Duty Lord help me so to do all the work thou givest for thou alone canst help me as that I may at last attain thy Eternal rewards through the Merits of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen Hymn 20. BLessed O Lord be thy wise grace That governs all our day And to the night assigns its place To rest us in our way If works the labouring hand impair Or thoughts the studious mind Both are consider'd by thy care Both fit refreshment find Fit to relieve the present state Fit to prepare the next While we are taught to meditate This plain and useful Text. As every Night layes down our head And Morning opes our eyes So shall the dust be once our bed And so we hope to rise To rise and see that beauteous light Spring from those eyes of thine Not to be checkt by any night But clear for ever shine That thou maist hope my Soul to view That lasting blissful light Take heed thy present work thou do And use thy rest aright All glory to the Sacred Three One ever-living Lord As at the first still may he be Belov'd Obey'd Ador'd Amen For Wednesday Morning MEDITATION I. LET them neglect thy Praises O Lord who never consider thy Mercies Let them be silent to thee O gracious God whose Mouths are full of themselves But as for me who subsist by thy gifts and thankfully acknowledge the riches of thy goodness my heart shall continually Meditate on thee and my Lips shall delight to sing thy glory All my Life long will I Praise my God and lift up my hands to his holy Throne Blessed for ever be thy Name O Jesu and blessed be the sweetness of thy Wisdom whose infinite Charity has vouchsaf't our Earth such excellent Rules to guide it to Heaven Thou hast taught us that happy Skill of finding our lives by a generous losing them to follow thee Thou hast taught us to love our true selves best by wisely hating our mistaken selves Thou hast taught us to trample this world under our feet and use it as a step to climb up to the next From thee we learn those glorious Mysteries that exalt our Faith so high above Reason From thee we derive those Heroick Counsels that raise our Souls so far above nature from thee alone and from thy School of grace we learn all that we know and receive power for all that we do How long alas might we have wander'd here in the midst of Darkness and Error had not thy love and pity O merciful Lord brought down thy very self to become our light Never should we else have learnt to deny our selves and take up our Cross and follow thee Never should we have known that great secret of Peace to forgive our Enemies and do good to those who despitefully use us On the unsatisfying things of this low Earth should we blindly have set our whole Affections if thou hadst not told us of the Kingdom of Heaven and bid us lay up our treasures there We had alwayes chose the deceitful and pernicious wayes of sin if thou hadst not terrified us to fear thy wrath by declaring the miseries that attend them We should ever have neglected thy good Commands and lost the happiness of a religious life if thou hadst not invited us to obey thy Commands and proposed to us the felicities that will attend our doing so O what hast thou promised Gracious Lord to the meek and poor in Spirit O what hast thou promised to the Weepers here to those that hunger and thirst after Holiness How many Joyes has thy bounty prepar'd for the lovers of Mercy and makers of Peace How many Blessings for the pure of Heart and those who with Patience bear their Crosses Thus hast thou Lord kindly shown us our end and suggested the true way to attain it Thou hast given us such blessed directions as tend to make our Life here more sweet and to lead us hereafter to everlasting Felicity Hymn 21. MY God had I my breath from thee This Power to speak and sing And shall my Voice and shall my Song Praise any but their King My God had I my Soul from thee This Power to judge and chuse And shall my brain and shall my will Their best to thee refuse Hast thou reveal'd the wayes that lead To Happiness above And shall I let my wandering feet From thy blest Paths remove Alas not this alone or that Hast thou bestow'd on me But all I have and all I hope I have and hope from thee And more I have and more I hope Than I can speak or think Thy Blessings first refresh then fill Then overflow the brink But though my Voice and Fancy be Too low to reach thy Praise Yet both shall strain thy glorious Name High as they can to raise Glory to thee Immortal God One great Coequal Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. NEver will we cease to exalt thy Goodness O gracious Jesu since thou never ceasest to oblige us with new Blessings Thy generous Charity could not be thus satisfi'd to have only spoken to us the words of Life it was not enough for thy excessive Love that thy heavenly Sermons told us our duty but thou would'st moreover urge and provoke our Obedience by the sweet enforcement of thine own Example Thou didst forbid thy followers to affect Superfluities and accordingly thine own Provision was a few Barly Loves Thou didst command the rich to give
Alms with chearfulness so thou wentest about doing good and didst often relieve those that were not able to requite thee Thou hast commanded us not to fear them which can kill the Body and yielded up thine own to the death upon the Cross to do the will of him that sent thee thou wast obedient even unto death Thou hast commanded Subjection to Parents and practised it hast said Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and wrought a Miracle to pay a Tribute Thou injoynest us Mercy and Compassion and who ever exprest more than thy self Thou didst not only weep in Sympathy with the Affliction of thy Friends but also over the hard and stubborn Jerusalem that had killed thy Prophets and was ready to kill thee Thou enjoynest us to love our fiercest Enemies and thy dying breath pray'd for thy Crucifiers Thy perfect Soul did not need as our weak Natures do the outward Forms and Discipline of Religion yet thou didst conform to the observance of the common appointed Feasts and assist in the publick Duties at the Temple Thou didst watch and pray with so fervent a Zeal that thy Practice was perfectly equal to thy Precepts This Life and even Death it self our merciful Lord undertook to mark out for us the way to Heaven To beat it plain by his own sacred Steps and render our passage thither easie and secure Shall we not then O my Soul rejoycingly follow that path which we see our Saviour trod before us Which we see though spread all over with Thorns yet carried him directly to the Glories of Paradise Shall we not confidently rely on so gracious a Leader who promises if we faint to look back and relieve us MEDITATION III. MAY every Age sing Praises to our God and all Generations adore his Providence From the Beginning his Mercy has still laid means to raise us to those blessed Objects which are above our Nature At first he created Adam with all necessary knowledge and then taught the Patriarchs to inform their Families Afterwards he made use of the Angels to bring us his Commands and often inspir'd the Prophets to declare his Will. When he had done all this it was not enough to bring untoward Man to his true end What did he then to save the perishing World O strange Excess of divine Goodness He sent even his own beloved Son to dwell among us and teach us the way of Salvation the sacred Art of training up our Souls for Heaven and fitting them for the blissful Union with himself But O! thou King of glorious Sweetness whose flowing Tongue dropt Milk and Hony We were alas not happy to behold thy Person nor our Ears worthy to hear thy Voice Yet e're we were born thou hadst us in thy thoughts and didst provide a sufficient method to supply that defect selecting a number of choice Disciples and thorowly instructing them in thy heavenly Doctrine that they might keep alive the memory of thee and witness to all Nations thy stupendious works Thou didst verifie their Mission with the Power of Miracles and enflame their hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit Over all the World they proclaim'd thy Law and undauntedly preach'd the Crucified Saviour and God. Deep in the Breasts of the Faithful did they write thy Gospel and seal it before their eyes with their own Blood. Their Successors deposited the same precious Treasure in the common Magazine of the Church The Church has been maintain'd by the mighty power of God so that the Gates of Hell have not prevail'd against her Thus is the Catholick Faith descended on us and thus shall continue to the end of the World. Blessed be thy power O Lord that has wrought such Miracles to confirm thy Truth and enclined our hearts to believe it How many Souls are miserably seduced by the Corruptions of the latter Ages and revolted to a mixture of Paganism with Christianity while we by thy good Providence are led in the right way to Happiness We are taught to direct our Homage where we cannot sin nor fail in doing it to one God by one Mediator between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus the Man who also is God. How many Nations lie miserably involv'd in the darkness of Barbarism and Unbelief while we enjoy a clear noon-day and safely walk in the light of Truth O infinite Goodness who freely choosest to pour forth thy Blessings on us who are unworthy of the least Mercies As 't is from thee alone that we receive these favours to thee alone we will return our Praises PETITIONS O Christ the all-seeing Wisdom of the Eternal Father and Soveraign King of Men and Angels who from thy glorious Throne didst descend on our Earth familiarly to teach us the Oracles of Heaven O write thy sacred Instructions deep in the Table of our Hearts and suffer not at any time our Passions to break them Make us still study thee our heavenly Master and continually admire the excellent Beauty of thy Law. Let us be transform'd into an inward agreement to it by the renovation of our Minds that all our infirmities may be cured all our defects supply'd and our thoughts and words and actions conform'd to the dictates of right Reason Let thy excellent Example O Lord alwayes shine bright before our eyes and never be forgotten by us O put it often into our Hearts to reflect and say How would our Master have behaved himself in the Circumstances that we are in And what thou hast done we pray thee enable us to do Reach forth thy powerfull hand and strengthen us with thy Grace that nothing may divert us from following thee In the dangerous Labyrinth of this World and the whole course of our Pilgrimage here Lord let thy heavenly Dictates be our Map and thy holy Life our Guide And that we may be the more surely conducted to the Folds of Bliss do thou dear Lord send us Pastours after thine own Heart O illuminate all that thy Providence calls to the Sacred Office with true knowledge and understanding of thy Word possess them with a fervent Zeal to promote thy Glory and the Salvation of our Souls Give them great prudence that they may know how to manage our folly and perverseness so as notwithstanding them to do us good Make them O Lord good Examples to the Flock in Self-denial Meekness Contempt of the World in due subjection to Magistrates and Charity to all their Neighbours that they may save themselves and those that hear them And make us O Lord to encourage them by all means in their good Work to esteem them highly in love for their works sake to receive the Instructions and submit to the Reproofs which thou sendest by them Grant these things O Lord who art the great Shepherd of Shepherds and of our Souls for thine own honour Glory be to c. Amen For Wednesday Evening MEDITATION I. WEll we are now so much nearer our Grave and all the world is older
who can see we who believe Praise to the glorious Three in One Let Time ascribe till Time be done Then let the work continued be By an endless Eternity Amen For Friday Morning MEDITATION I. COme let us glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is our Life and Health and Resurrection Shall we rejoyce my Soul to day Shall we not rather mourn at the Funeral of our dear Redeemer Such O my Lord was the Excess of thy Goodness to derive joyes for us from thine own Sorrows Thou forbad'st thy followers to weep for thee and reserved'st to thy self alone the shame and grief Thou invitest all the World to glory in thy Cross and command'st us to delight in the memory of thy Passion Sing then all you dear-bought Nations of the Earth sing Hymns of Glory to the holy Jesus Sing every one who pretends to Felicity sing immortal praises to the God of our Salvation To him who for us endur'd so much scorn and patiently receiv'd so many Injuries To him who for us sweat drops of Blood and drank off the dreggs of his Father's wrath To the Eternal Lord of Heaven and Earth who for us was slain by the hands of the wicked who for us was led away as a Sheep to the slaughter and as a meek Lamb opened not his Mouth Whither O my God did thy Compassion carry thee how did thy Charity too far prevail with thee Was it not enough to become Man for us but thou must expose thy self to all our Miseries Was it not enough to labour all thy life but thou must suffer for us even the pains of Death No gracious Lord thy Mercy still observ'd some wants in our condition as yet unsupply'd Thou saw'st our too much fondness of Life needed thy parting with it to reconcile us to Death Thou saw'st our fear of Sufferings could no way be abated but by freely undergoing them in thine own person Thou saw'st our Souls so deeply stain'd with Guilt that without thy Blood we could have no Remission O Blessed Jesu whose Grace alone begins and perfects all our hopes How are we bound to praise thy Love how infinitely oblig'd to adore thy goodness At any rate thou would'st still go on to heal our weak and wounded Nature Even at the price of thine own dear Blood thou would'st accomplish for us the purchase of Heaven Hymn 25. TUne now your selves my Heart-strings high Let us alost our Voices raise That our loud Song may reach the Skie And there present to thee our Praise To thee Blest Jesu who cam'st down From those bright Sphears of Joy above To purchase us a dear-bought Crown And wooe our Souls to ' espouse thy Love. Long had the World in darkness sate 'Till thou and thy all-glorious Light Began to dawn from Heavens fair Gate And with thy Beams dispel their Night We too alas still there had stood As common Slaves in the same shade But Mercy came and with his Blood Our general Ransome freely paid Not all the Spite of all the Jews Nor Death it self could him remove Still he his blest design pursues And gives his Life to crown our Love. And now my Lord my God my all What shall I most in thee admire That power which made the World and shall The World again dissolve with fire Oh no thy strange Humility Thy Wounds thy Pains thy Cross thy Death These shall alone my wonder be My Health my Joy my Staff my Breath To thee Great God! to thee alone Three Persons in one Deity As former Ages still have done All Glory now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. AWake my Soul and speedily prepare thy richest Sacrifice of humble Praise Awake and summon all thy thoughts to make haste and adore our great Redeemer To him let us reverently go and offer our devout hearts at his sacred Feet Thither let us fly from the Troubles of the World with him let us dwell among the Mercies of Heaven Under the shade of that happy Tree let us fix our abode A Tree of safe defence and delicious fruit Let us remember every passage of our Saviour's Love and desire that none may escape our thanks Let us compassionate every stroke of his Death and one by one salute his sacred Wounds Blest be the Hands that wrought so many Miracles and were bor'd with cruel Nails Blest be the Feet that so often travell'd for us and at last were unmercifully fastened to the Cross Blest be the Head which was crowned with Thorns the Head that so industriously studied our Happiness Blest be the Heart which was pierc'd with a Spear the Heart that so passionately lov'd our peace Blest be the entire person of our Crucifi'd Lord and may all our powers joyn in his praise In thy eternal praise O gracious Jesu and the ravishing thoughts of thy incomparable Sweetness O what excess of Kindness was this what strange extremity of Love and Pity The Lord is sold that the Slave may be free the innocent condemn'd that the guilty may be sav'd The Physician is sick that the Patient may be cur'd and he who was God dies that man may live Tell me my Soul when first thou hast well consider'd and lookt about among all we know tell me Who ever wisht us so much good Who ever lov'd us with so much tenderness What have our nearest Friends done for us or even our Parents in comparison of this Charity No less than the Son of God came down to redeem us no less than his own dear Life was the price he paid for us What can the favour of the whole World promise us compar'd to this miraculous Bounty No less than the joyes of Angels are become our hope no less than the Kingdom of Heaven is made our Inheritance MEDITATION III. TO thee O God we owe our selves for making us after thine own Image To thee O Lord we owe more than our selves for redeeming us with the Death of thine onely Son. Nor were our Ruines so soon repair'd as at first our Being was easily produc'd Thy Power to Create us said but one word and immediately we became a living Soul But thy Wisdom to Redeem us both spake much and wrought more and suffer'd most of all To redeem us he humbled himself to this low World and all the infirmities of our miserable Nature He patiently endur'd hunger and thirst and the malicious affronts of enraged Enemies How many times did he hazard his life to sustain with Courage the Truths of Heaven how many Tears did he tenderly weep in compassion of his blind ungrateful Country how many drops of Blood did he shed in the doleful Garden and on the bitter Cross the Cross where after three long hours of grief and shame and intolerable pains he meekly bow'd his fainting Head and in an Agony of Prayer yielded up the Ghost So sets the glorious Sun in a sad Cloud and leaves our Earth in darkness and disorder but goes to shine immediately in
love and constantly do the things that belong to my Everlasting Peace Till my understanding with the Knowledge of such Truths as may fix it on thee the Eternal Verity Inure my will to embrace such objects as may unite them to Thee the Sovereign goodness O suffer me not obstinately to persist in any known wickedness nor maliciously to impugn any know Truth Grant I may never be deceiv'd by any false spirit nor be overcome by the vicious suggestions of Flesh and Blood. In all my doubts do thou direct me into the way of thy Truth in all my weakness grant me the assistance of thy Grace Help me devoutly and most thankfully to commemorate thy Descent to this World in the likeness of fiery Tongues which sate on each head of thy Disciples and fitted them to preach the Gospel to every Nation And let it so encrease the holy fervour of my Heart that my Life may attest by all fruits of Grace the same Spirit 's still abiding with me To the Glory of thee O God the Holy Spirit who with the Father and the Son livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen Hymn 32. COme mild and Holy Dove Descend into our Breast Do thou in us make us in thee For ever dwell and rest Come and spread o're our heads Thy soft all-cherishing wing That in its shade we safe may sit And to Thee Praises sing To thee who giv'st us Life Our better Life of Grace Who giv'st us Breath and Strength and Speed To run and win our Race If by the way we faint Thou reachest forth thy hand If our own weakness makes us fall Thou mak'st our weakness stand When we are sliding back Thou dost our danger stop When we again alas are fall'n Again thou tak'st us up Else there we still must lye And still sink lower down Our hope to rise is all from thee Our ruin's all our own O my Ingrateful Soul What shall our dulness do For him that does all this for us Only our Love to wooe We 'l Love thee then Dear Lord But thou must give that Love We 'l humbly beg it of thy grace But thou our Prayers must move O hear thine own self speak For thou in us dost Pray Thou canst as quickly grant as ask Thy grace knows no delay Glory to Thee O Lord One Coeternal Three To Father Son and Holy Ghost One equal Glory be Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE SAINTS For the Morning MEDITATION I. TEll me you eager Lovers of this present World what is it you aim at in all your pretences You weary your Bodies with restless labour and afflict your Minds with perpetual care day and night you are still perplext still busily plotting to compass your ends Tell me what are those ends you so long have sought and I will tell you what you soon will find while they are many they but distract your thoughts and often engage them to quarrel among themselves One end and one alone is the way to true and lasting Peace and on that one must all the rest depend It is true perhaps you will say and by that rule we guide our Lives whatever we undertake our ultimate design is only to be happy It is to be happy that we strive to be great and enrich our selves by defrauding others It is to be happy that we run after Pleasures and covet to have in every thing our own proud will But you alas mistake your Happiness and foolishly seek it where 't is not to be found As silly Children think to catch the Sun when they see it setting at so near a distance they travail on and tire themselves in vain for the thing they seek is in another World Just so we foolish Mortals commonly judge and are just so deceived when we think to meet with Heaven upon Earth This World alas has now no Paradise but all its Fruits are mixt with Weeds and Thorns all dangerously mixed with occasions of sin all sprinkled over with the bitterness of sorrow What did we ever passionately love but still in the end it made us repent Nay the best end was heartily to repent and learn by our falling to tread more sure It is not then here that we must seek our happiness and yet it is happiness that we all must seek Happy are thy Saints O Lord who wisely chose their end and constantly pursu'd the means to attain it Come let us adore the King of Saints Hymn 33. AWake my Soul chase from thine eyes This drowsie sloth and quickly rise Get up and to thy work apace No less than Kingdoms are prepar'd And endless bliss for their reward Who finish well this short Life's race 'T is not so poor a thing to be Servants to Heaven Dear Lord and thee As this mistaken World believes Not even here where oft the wise Are most expos'd to Injuries And Vertue poor and friendless grieves Sometimes thy hand lets gently fall A little drop that sweetens all The present bitter of our Cup O what hereafter shall we be When we shall have whole draughts of thee Fill'd to the brim and drink them up Say happy Souls whose thirst now meets The fresh and living stream of sweets Which ever spring from that blest throne Did you not find this true even here Do you not find it truer there Now Heave'ns strong Joyes are all your own Oh yes the sweets we taste exceed All we can say or you can read They satisfie and never cloy On Earth our Cup was sweet but mixt Here all is pure refin'd and fixt All highest Quintessence of Joy. Here in Heave'ns splendid Court have we Our blest abode and ever see The kind and radiant face of Love Whose Beams make us with Glory shine Our glad hearts warm with Love divine And these our Tongues with Praises move Hear'st thou my Soul what glorious things The Church of Heave'n in triumph sings Of their Seraphick life above Chear thy saint hopes and bid them live All these thy God to thee will give If thou embrace his bounteous Love. Great God of rich Rewards who thus Hast crown'd thy Saints and wilt crown us As we do both to thee belong O may we both together sing Eternal praise to thee our King In one Eternal thankful Song Amen MEDITATION II. IF thus our Nature tends to Happiness there is sure some Happiness to content our Nature Sure the All-wise Creator has provided means to satisfie the Appetites which himself has made Doubt not my Soul the Bounty of thy Lord but turn all thy fear on thine unworthiness and yet correct that fear again that it do not degenerate into despair by consisidering the worthiness of our kind Mediator Look up then and see a rich delicious Land that flows with sweeter Streams than Milk and Hony Look up and see a glorious City incomparably braver than the splendid Courts of Kings Behold the blessed Angels shining on their Thrones and all the holy Saints triumphing with
their Hymns Great is the Clemency of our gracious Sovereign to pardon the offences of repenting Sinners Great is the bounty of our glorious Lord to Crown with Rewards his faithful Servants Thousands of Saints attend in his presence and Millions of Angels wait on his Throne all beauteously rang'd in perfect order all joyfully singing the praises of their Creator But look up yet higher O my Soul in thy Contemplations and see the glorified Humanity of thy dear Redeemer that blessed Jesus who died for us on the Cross and now invites us to partake his Crown See and rejoyce in those eternal honours which Heaven and Earth justly pay to their King. Look up once more and if thou could'st look infinitely higher and humbly admire the unconceivable Mystery Wonder now and adore the Sovereign Deity essentially full of his own blest Light full and overflowing into all his Creatures which shine but as little Beams deriv'd from him Bow low thy Head and Knees to him before whom the Seraphims cover their Faces Bow low a humble Heart to him before whom all the happy Saints cast down their Crowns When thou hast seen all this my Soul and staid and dwelt a while among these pleasing wonders then turn thine Eye down towards this Earth again and see the petty things that are wont to entertain our minds What is a name of Honour and a momentary pleasure compar'd to the Bliss of an eternal Paradise What is a bag of Money or a fair Estate if counterballanc'd with the Treasures of Heaven How narrow there do our greatest Kingdoms seem how small a Circle the whole Globe of Earth Cities and Towns appear like little Hills and the busie World but as a Swarm of Ants running up and down and justling one another and making all this stir for a few grains of Corn. O Heaven let me again lift up my Eyes to thee and take a fuller view of that glorious Prospect There I will stand and fix my steady sight till I have lookt my self into this firm judgment All that the most prosperous fortune can here possess or even the largest Fancy possibly imagine all is an idle Dream to those real Joyes an absolute Nothing to that solid Felicity Oh how glorious is the Kingdom of Heaven where our Lord reigns in the midst of his Saints MEDITATION III. IT is true there is I see a glorious State prepar'd above for the Spirits of just men made perfect But how shall we poor dust and ashes and laden too with the burthen of our sins how shall we hope to ascend those higher Regions or obtain a portion in that holy Land Fear not my Soul but send up thy Sighs and Prayers to the gracious King of Saints Seek to him and he will guide thee by his Counsel till he has brought thee also safe to his Glory If thou would'st know what makes the bright Angels so happy his Word will tell thee that they readily obey their Creator If thou would'st know what rais'd the blessed Saints to that high Felicity which they now enjoy it will be told thee They faithfully lov'd their Redeemer and follow'd the Dictates of Love till it brought them thither If thou would'st know what bred in those happy Creatures the excellent Vertues that are thus rewarded if thou could'st hear their acknowledgements thou would'st find them often repeating such as these Blessed for ever be the Grace of our God which alone has wrought all our works in us Blessed for ever be the Bounty of our Lord which first freely gave to us and then as bounteously Crown'd those his own gifts O you blest Saints who are now arriv'd at the quiet Mansions of eternal Joy Rejoyce ye in the King of Saints eternally rejoyce and sing for ever the wondrous mercies of our Lord His blessed hand has wip'd away all tears from your eyes and now you no more shall weep you shall no more complain Now the sad Evening of sorrow is over with you and the day of eternal joy is come Now you no longer shall sigh to be deliver'd out of this dark and tedious Prison but shall dwell for ever in that glorious Light the light which ever springs from the face of God. And fear thou not my Soul though now thou dwellest below and art yet sighing under the weight of Flesh and Blood fear not to ascend at last to this place of joy and take thy happy seat among those joyfull Quires since they once liv'd in this same Vale of Tears and were set to strive with the same unruly passions He that made them overcome can as easily strengthen thee he that has crown'd their victories will as surely glorifie thine Fear not for the way is smoother than the Adversary of thy Soul would make thee believe and the time of thy Warfare perhaps is shorter than even thou thy self art disposed to desire Take the direction of thy Saviour's Word and the direction of the Saints Example to know and love but thine own true Interest which sure can be thought no very hard task And do this but whilest you live which you seldom think too long and this being well done you have no more to do but to rise and sing and rejoyce with them PETITIONS TO thee O Gracious King of Saints and to thy mild Throne we direct our Eyes and Prayers To thee whose Love we know stands ready to meet our wishes will we humbly represent our fears and wants and both alas O Lord will be many while we remain below in this miserable World Often therefore must we make our Addresses to thee till thy Goodness and Mercy shall take us to thy self And when we come to possess thee in Heaven we shall want nothing and dwelling so near thee we shall fear nothing But pity us now O Lord who are lanched on a tempestuous Sea and are so variously toss'd with our passions and lusts that we cannot steer as we should any certain course Pity us who are so blinded by the mists of Ignorance that we know not to what Port we should direct our course to find a harbour of rest Shine thou upon us O Lord with thy beauteous Light and convince us throughly that there is a better World than this a happier People than any that we know here that we may at length begin our course thitherward and be all the while preparing our selves for that blessed Company Behold us O Lord struggling in this Sea of Storms and guide us safely through all our dangers Save us O thou whose power the winds and the Sea obey save us O merciful Lord or else we perish Save us who call on theee in our distresses save us for whom thy immortal Self wert pleas'd to die and graciously receive us into thine own blest arms for thou art O Lord the Haven of our Repose bring us to thy self and our Souls shall be safe Deliver us from that sad and deplorable end which thy Justice has prepar'd for the
wandring At every toy which passes by sly Still spending so your strength in vain While what you wish you ne're can gain Come my fond Soul who sure must be Quite tir'd with all this Life can see This Life where little can be seen But reigning misery and sin And cheating Images of Good Most valu'd when least understood Which yet to our pursuits are coy As they prove vain when we enjoy Come let the wings of thy desire Fond man to nobler things aspire Implore the Spirits kind gales and He To nobler things will carry thee Let warm Devotions Holy Fire And Love Divine thy Breast inspire So shalt thou Heavens true Pleasures tast And grow more sit for Heaven at last Seek thou no more abroad thy rest Seek it at home in thine own Breast Let but thy mind from guilt be clear Then seek for all thy Comfort there With thy self and thy gracious God Delight to make thy chief abode In him repose secure and free And no mischance can trouble thee Should Death it self thy walls assail Still thou art safe and canst not fail Still is thy Soul thine own and she To a new House remov'd shall be New and Eternal there above All built and furnisht with pure Love There shall this dark mud-wall of thine Repair'd the brightest Stars out-shine Great Spirit of Love and Source of Peace Our Praise of thee shall never cease To thee the Father and the Son Eternal Homage shall be done Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE SAINTS For the Morning MEDITATION I. GReat is the Majesty of the King we serve and rich the splendour of his Courts where the humble Saints all shine as the light and rejoyce in uninterrupted felicity Come let us that call our selves by his Name humbly adore the King of Saints let us meet in Peace and Love which are highly pleasing to him and joyn our Hearts and Voices into one glad Song And which of his wondrous works shall we make our Theam which shall be the worthy subject of our Contemplation and Praise Shall we admire the mighty Conquerours of this World or any of the Great ones whom the World applands Shall we admire the men of deep or universal Learning or those that manage all their worldly Affairs with a dexterous and successful wisdom Oh no there are greater things than these to employ our Admiration those blessed Spirits who bravely overcame themselves and that led in triumph their own Passions those who renounc'd the greatness of this World to be rid of its incumbrances and that they might with more ease and speed prepare themselves for a better Those who learned Jesus Christ so as to imitate him well and were so wise as to work out their Salvation those who from mean and poor on Earth from reproacht and despis'd are advanced to be bright Courtiers in the Kingdom of Heaven and honour'd by the King of Saints Rejoyce thou my Soul who feelest these miseries here and often complainest of the dangers of this Life Rejoyce at their glad delivery from all these sorrows and heartily congratulate their secure Felicity Rejoyce and with thy best instructed thoughts admire the exquisite Wisdom of the divine Providence who from such low beginnings can raise so great effects making every step thrust connaturally on the next Behold a little Seed that is buried in the Earth shoot gently out its tender leaves and nourisht on with the Clouds and Sun climb up by degrees into a tall stalk there it displayes its full blown hope and crowns its own head with a silver Lilly. Such is the progress of immortal Souls even those who shine now among the highest Seraphims At first shut up in their Mothers womb where they lye confin'd close Prisoners in the dark thence they come forth to see and hear and slowly begin to walk and speak next they advance to understand and discourse then learn to â—â—ve with the wings of Grace till they get up even beyond themselves and believe above their own nature at last the kindly hand of Death gives them a stroak and they instantly become like the glorious Angels Instantly their dark and narrow knowledge unfolds it self and spreads into a clear and spacious view where they at once shall see all the glories of Heaven at once possess and for ever enjoy them Thus from the humble seed of Grace connaturally spring the flowers of Glory and from this Life 's green stem of Hope grow just on the top the Lillies of Paradice Lillies that never fade but still shine on and fill the Heavens with beauteous sweetness Lillies that even Solomon in all his glory was not array'd like one of these Sing then my Soul his Praise who planted water'd and encreas'd these beauteous Flowers But still among thy Hymns thou must mingle resolves to imitate whatsoever thou findest good in their Lives This is the Praise most delightful to him whose kindness desires the Conversion of a Sinner Learn but of them to be Humble and Meek and submit all thy Wishes to the Will of Heaven to govern thy Senses by the rule of Reason and thy Reason by the dictates of Religion to design thy whole Life in order to thy End and establish for thy end the Bliss of Eternity These holy Lessons let thy Life transcribe and then the King will accept thy Praises Hymn 39. WAke all my Hopes lift up your Eyes And crown your heads with Mirth See how they shine beyond the Skies Who once dwelt on our Earth Peace busie thoughts away vain cares That clog us here below Let us go up above the Sphears And with those Orders bow Bow low to Heave'ns Eternal King Whose bounteous goodness 't is That makes the happy Orders sing And fills the place with Bliss With glorious Angels Heirs of Light The high-born Sons of Fire Whose Heats burn chast whose Flames shine bright All Joy yet all Desire With Holy Saints who long in hope On this Life 's green Stem sate But gain'd at length the beauteous top Of Heaven's resplendent State. With great Apostles of the Lamb Who brought that early ray Which from our Sun reflected came And made our first fair day With generous Martyrs whose strong hearts Bravely rejoyc'd to prove How weak pale Death are all thy darts Compar'd to those of Love. With steadfast Confessors who dy'd A Death too Love did give Whilst their own Flesh they crucifie'd To make the Spirit live With beauteous Virgins whose chast Vows Renounc'd all fond desires Who wisely chose our Lord their Spouse And burnt with his pure fires With all the happy Spirits above Who make that glorious ring About the sparkling Throne of Love And there for ever sing To some low place of that bright Quire While loftier notes they raise Let this thy little wreath aspire And joyn their Crowns of Praise All Glory to the Sacred Three One ever-living Lord As at the first still may he be Belov'd Obey'd Ador'd Amen MEDITATION II. THou art our
King too O Blessed Jesu and we alas thy unprofitable subjects we cannot praise thee like those thine own bright Quires above yet will humbly offer our little tribute And while with thy present goodness to us we consider thy great bounty to them the glorious hopes which we from thence conceive give our praises the more spritely accents O praise our Lord we are constrain'd to say all the powers of our Souls praise the immortal King of Saints and Angels Praise him as the Author of all their Graces praise him as the Finisher of all their Glories Praise him for the mighty Hosts of Angels whom he sets about us for the guard of our lives that they may safely keep us in all our wayes and conduct our Souls at last to their eternal home Praise him for the consecrated company of Apostles to whom he reveal'd the Mysteries of his Kingdom that they might teach us too those heavenly truths and shew us the same blest way to felicity Praise him for the generous fortitude of Martyrs whom he strengthned with courage to resist even to death that we might learn of them to hold fast our Faith and rather lose this Life than hazard the other Praise him for the eminent sanctity of Confessors whose whole design was a course of Heroick Vertue That we might raise our minds from our usual lazy slight and with a quick and active wing mount up towards Heaven Praise him for the Angelical purity of those Virgins whose Hearts he so inflam'd with his Divine Charity that they would admit no such desires as would bring upon them other cares besides those of pleasing himself alone And pray him to possess thee too with such a fervent love to him the spouse of Souls as may make thee regard with great indifferency even the best of this worlds goods Praise him for the excellent holiness of all his Saints whose lives he has moulded into so various shapes that every sort of ours might be readily furnisht with a pattern cut out and fitted for it self O praise our Lord all you powers of my Soul praise the Immortal King of Saints and Angels Praise every Person of the Sacred Deity for every person has concurr'd in these glorious works say Blessed for ever be the Eternal Father who has fixt his Angels in so high a Happiness Triumph bright Angels on your radiant Thrones and shine continually in the presence of your God Blessed for ever be the Eternal Son whose love has exalted weeds of Earth to be flowers of Paradise There as they shall Eternally grow and shine their lustre shall alwayes redound to his Glory Blessed for ever be the Eternal Spirit whose Grace prepares the Saints for Glory where every happy Saint rejoices in his own felicity and every one in the felicity of all Blessed for ever be the Undivided Trinity whose sight alone is the Heaven of Heavens O sing his praise all you the Citizens of Heaven sing all together your everlasting Hymns MEDITATION III. WHo are we born here below in the Dust and still kept down with the thoughts of this World Lord who are we that our polluted hands dare offer to thee the Incense of praise We who so often disobey thy commands and so seldom lament for our many follies Yet is praise from us thy undoubted due and we cannot neglect it without omitting our duty But because our praises alone are too low to reach the deserts of thy wondrous nature and perfect works we will in our hearty wishes call upon those to do it who are better able to praise thee O praise our Lord you pure unblemisht Angels praise him ye mighty ever-active flames Praise our Lord all you the Spirits of Just men made perfect now you are free from the heavy clogs of mortal bodies And thus they do look up my Soul and see the innumerable multitude of triumphing Spirits See how they stand all cloath'd in white robes with palms in their hands and with golden Crowns on their Heads Behold the glorious Angels fall down before the Throne and prostrate adore him that lives for ever Behold the blessed Saints lay their Crowns at his feet and on their faces adore him that lives for ever Heark how they fill that spacious temple with their Hymns while night and day they continually sing Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come Hallelujah Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy Glory Hallelujah Glorious art thou in creating all things glorious in preserving them in every moment of their being Glorious in governing them their several wayes glorious in appointing them their proper ends Glorious in rewarding thy Servants above their hopes glorious in punishing Sinners below their demerits Glorious art thou O Lord in all thy works but infinitely more in thine own self-blessed Essence Thus they rejoice above thus they triumph and may their joy and triumph last for ever While we who live below may as faithful Ecchoes to their praises repeat every day these few short Ends of their Seraphick Hymns Salvation to our God that sits on the Throne and the Lamb that redeem'd us with his Blood Hallelujah Blessing Honour Glory and Power be to him that sits on the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Hallelujah PETITIONS O Most Glorious and Gracious God we are all so beholden to thy abundant goodness that we owe thee the utmost praises our Hearts and Lives can render O do thou excite us to endeavour and assist us to succed in the discharge of this mighty debt Open our lips that our mouths may shew forth thy praise bestow upon us every divine Grace that our lives may shew forth the vertues of him that has called us from the dark to his glorious Kingdom Make us inure our selves by degrees to thankful acknowledgments and praises in this place of our banishment that we may at length be fit to sing the lofty songs of the celestial Zion O let us see thy goodness still preparing us for the blessedness of Heaven sanctifying every condition to the promoting our growth in Grace which as it will raise our hopes of the future Glory will proportionably raise our praises O let thy love dear Lord at length be pleased to take us to the fellowship of those joyes and glories which so raise the thankful praises of the happy Spirits above Bring us to that perfect state where no defect shall weaken us to that happy place where nothing shall divert us from seeing enjoying loving and praising thee for ever Grant O most merciful Saviour that as thy Blessed do without ceasing pray for thy Church below we may be ready devoutly to praise thee for them And help us Lord so to commemorate those excellent Graces and good works by which they adorn'd our holy profession as to be excited thereby and directed to practise the same Till we all meet before thy glorious Throne with one Heart and Consent
his Honour may it cause many to have serious and affectionate thoughts of Religious matters may it promote a true and ardent Love to God in the World which will be proportionably attended with Love foâ— our Neighbour may none through Envy or dislike of a few small particulars when they must needs approve the greatest part of it be so guilty as to oppose and hinder its usefulness so preferring the advancement of their private Opinions before the service of Religion in general for promoting the Life and Power of which it is design'd and fitted Let all know I constantly endeavour that it may be a small thing to me to be judg'd by mans judgment which is oft mistaken both in approving and condemning And there is one even the great God who will be the final Judge of us all to whom I am chiefly concern'd to approve my self To him be Glory from us all for ever and ever Amen Devotions FOR Every Day IN THE WEEK The First Part. For Sunday Morning MEDITATION I. WElcome blest Day wherein the Sun of Righteousness arose and chased away the clouds of fear Welcome thou art to my Soul thou Birth-day of our hopes a day of joy and publick refreshment a day of Holiness and solemn Devotion a day of rest and universal Jubilee Welcome to us and our dark World for the healing saving light thou bringest May thy radiant Name shine bright for ever May all the Earth be enlightened with thy beams and every frozen Heart dissolve and sing May all the Generations to come entertain thee with reverence and employ thee in the praise and worship of the Lamb who is the Light of thee This is the Day which our Lord has made let us be glad and rejoyce therein This is the day that he has sanctified to himself and call'd by his own most holy Name Hark O my Soul dost thou not hear the King of Heaven invite thee into his presence He graciously bids thee to suspend the mean Employments of this World to lay aside thy corroding earthly Cares He calls thee to the honour of Communion with himself to spend a day in his most delightful service he desires to entertain thee with unspeakable Joyes in his House of Prayer to feast thee with spiritual Dainties that afford strength and pleasure to the Mind Worthy art thou O Lord of all our time worthy to receive the Praises of all thy Creatures Every moment of our life is bound to bless thee since every moment subsists by thy Goodness Shall others labour so much for Vanity and shall we not rest for the service of our God Shall we employ the whole week on our selves and not offer in gratitude one Day to Thee To thee who bestowest on us all we have and wilt give us hereafter more than we can now receive or hope for A day spent in thy Courts O Lord I will prefer to a thousand that engage me in any other places I will go to the House of my God to the Assembly of his Saints Know ye all the Nations of the world it is the Lord who is the only true God. It is he that hath made us and not we our selves Let us enter into his Gates with thanksgiving and into his Courts with praise Come let us adore our Glorified Saviour Hymn 1. BEhold we come Dear Lord to thee And bow before thy Throne We come to offer on our Knee Our Vows to thee alone Whate're we have whate're we are Thy Bounty freely gave Thou dost us here in mercy spare And wilt hereafter save But O can all our Store afford No better gists for thee Thus we confess thy riches Lord And thus our Poverty 'T is not our Tongue or Knee can pay The mighty debt we ow Far more we should than we can say Far lower should we bow Come then my Soul bring all thy pow'rs And grieve thou hast no more Bring ev'ry day thy choicest hours And thy Great God adore But above all prepare thy heart On this his own blest day In it 's sweet taâ—k to bear thy part And sing and love and pray Glory to Thee Eternal Lord Thrice blessed three in one Thy name at all times be ador'd Till time it self be done Amen MEDITATION II. WHen the Harvest Sun provides a Cloud and seems to rest his wearied beams He seeks not to save the journey of his light he only spares the Reapers head Much less O Lord dost thou who mad'st the Sun seek by the reserve of a day to procure thine own repose Thou hast not commanded the business of the World to cease for one day in seven for that thou art tyred with over-ruling it to thine own glory Thou who createdst all things by a word of thy mouth and sustainest them all in thy hand without feeling any weight Who governest the whole World without any perplexity of thoughts and always remainest the same unchangeable fulness It is not to encrease thine own Eternity that thou takest a portion of our time It is not to receive any advantage to thy self that thou requirest this dayes Worship of us Thy Goodness does friendly bear the Name of the day but thou kindly intendest for us all the profit of it That the wearied hands may be relieved with rest and be enabled to lift themselves up to thee That the ignorant Minds may be taught thy Truth and learn the way to everlasting Happiness That the guilty Consciences may humbly confess their sins and receive an assured Pardon from Thee who hast promised to revive the spirit of the humble and the Heart of the contrite That in this our militant State we may ask and receive of thee grace sufficient for us That all may speak to Thee by Prayer and hear thy Voice by the mouth of their Pastors That the Love-prepared Souls may approach thy bounteous Table and may feast and confirm their Faith and Hopes with that delicious banquet O blessed Lord what excellent and sit means has thy wisdom invented to fit us for and bring us to thy self How well are thy sacred Ordinances suited to our necessities To enlighten our dark Minds to melt our hard Hearts to quicken and consecrate our Affections Thou strengthenest our Faith by thy Word and Sacraments and improvest our Charity both to Thee and one another by our publick Assemblies while we all meet together for the same blest end and by mutual requests and praises encrease our fervours Happy thrice happy are we O merciful God! whom thy Providence favours with these blessings We that may freely resort to thy holy Sanctuary and there sing aloud thy Praises for these great mercies MEDITATION III. COme let us lay aside the cares of this World and take into our Minds the Joys of Heaven Let us empty our Heads of all other Thoughts and prepare that upper Room to entertain our God. Retire we from the many distractions of this Life and recollect and closely unite the forces of our Soul. That
we may apply them to the earnest pursuit of our one necessary work the securing to our selves the Kingdom of Heaven Why should we spend all our daies about trifles and our labour for that which will not profit Earthly riches profit not in the day of wrath my Soul seek Heavenly Treasures Seek thou lasting and substantial Joys while others dote on and pursue those flitting shadows sensual Pleasures Seek thou the sacred Knowledge of thy God and Jesus the Christ whom he sent into the World whom to know is Life Eternal Miserable are they O Lord who study all things else and neglect this Sacred Science though their skill can number the Stars and trace out the wayes of the Planets Miserable are they who gather great possessions who heap up Gold and Silver but get no interest in thee Miserable are they who enjoy all that this World can afford to please but have no enjoyment of thee To know thee is to be truly wise and is the highest Learning To have thee my God and Portion is to be exceeding rich to contemplate and enjoy thee is a Heaven of Pleasure I determine to value no other Knowledge but that of Jesus the Christ and him crucified I account all things but loss and dung that I may win Christ and may have Communion with the Father and the Son through the Spirit PETITIONS WIth fervent desires O Lord and a panting Soul I am going to thy house O maintain I pray thee such desires after thy self and fulfil them while I am waiting where thou appointest Draw nigh to us who are drawing near to thee Make us sitly to perform our Duty Open thou our Lips and our Mouths shall shew forth thy praise Open thou our eyes O Blessed Lord that we may see the beauty of thy Commands how Wise and Sweet in themselves they are how Necessary and Beneficial to us While they improve our felicity here and fit us for that which will be hereafter Send forth thy beams of spreading light O thou that art the morning Star and lead us to thy Holy Hill. Send forth thy Truth O increated Wisdom and bring us to thy Blessed Tabernacle Guide thou our Lives O Gracious Lord in the waies of thy Precepts that by observing faithfully those excellent rules we may all every where be happy O Glorious Jesu in whom we live and without whom we dye mortifie in us by thy Spirit all sensual desires and quicken our Hearts with thy Holy Love that we may no longer have a high esteem for the Vanities of this world but may place our affections entirely on thee Show us thy glorious self O Jesu in thee we shall behold all we can wish Only so much we beg to conceive of thy Majesty as may move our Hearts to seek thee Only so much discovery we ask as may conform us to thy likeness If we may not know thee clearly now let us know at least so far as to make us long to know further If we cannot perfectly love thee in this Life let us love so much as that we may desire to love more So let us know and Love thee here O thou the Soveraign bliss of our Souls that we may hereafter know thee better and Love thee more for ever to our Eternal Bliss and thy Eternal Glory thereby Glory be to the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen For Sunday Evening MEDITATION I. LEt them O Lord seek other delights who expect no felicity from thee Let them fill up their time with other employments and wast the remainder of this Holy day who think thy rewards not worth their labour As for me my Souls chief content shall be to meditate on the Glories prepar'd for thy Servants above So will I meditate on them as often as the daies of sacred leisure do return that my Heart shall be firmly set upon those Glories And all the few years that I live shall spend themselves to purchase that one Eternal Sabbath which thy Saints shall celebrate in Heaven A Day that is whose brightness knows no night nor ever fears the least eclipse Whose chearful brow no cloud o're-casts nor does any Storm ever molest the passage of its raies But it still shines on serene and clear and fills with splendor all the spacious Palace That ever-living day needs not the fading lustre of our Sun nor the borrow'd Silver of the Moon The Sun that is risen there is the Lamb and the light that shines is the Glory of God. O how Beauteous Truths are said of thee thou City of the King of Heaven Thy Walls are rais'd with precious stones and every Gate is one Rich Pearl Thy Mansions are built with choicest Jewels and the pavement of thy Streets is transparent Gold. Along in the midst of thee runs a Chrystal River perpetually flowing from the Throne of God. There all along those pleasant banks does most deliciously grow the Tree of Life A Tree which can heal all wounds with its balmy Leaves and make immortal all those who eat and taste its pleasant Fruit. Thus is the Holy City built thus is the New Jerusalem like a Bride in every part adorn'd O Blest and Glorious City how Free how Rich how Secure and Happy are thy glad Inhabitants Every Head in thee wears a Royal Crown and every Hand a Palm of Victory Every Eye overflows with joy and every Tongue with Psalms of Praise Behold O my Soul the Inheritance that we seek and where can we find more Riches to invite us Behold the felicities to which our exalted Saviour calls us Consider what Mansions he is gone to prepare Where can we meet with such pleasures to entertain us Can thy Sences present to thy Knowledge a place on Earth like this Surely they cannot Banish then my Soul all worldly vain desires Let none of them hereafter molest thy Peace Look not at the transitory things which are seen but at the Eternal which are not And so receive some glimpse of this Heaven to encourage and quicken thy Travel towards it MEDITATION II. BLest be thy Gracious Wisdom O Lord that so mercifully condescends to the mean and low capacities of our present mortal State. Under these veils thou hidest these glorious misteries which are too high and Spiritual for our Flesh and Blood to us it cannot yet appear what we shall be But after this manner hast thou revealed thy sublime rewards to allure and captivate us with things that of this world are most admired Scepters and Crowns thou know'st are apt to win the Hearts of us thy Children Children alas we are too truly in sacred Knowledge O that we were such in Love and Duty My Soul if these imperfect shadows of the future bliss do transport and please so many men should not the real substance sweetly delight thee What is a drop of Water to the boundless Ocean or a grain of dust to
cross art thou to that design For which we had our birth Us who were made in Heaven to shine Thou bow'st down to thy Earth Nay to thy Hell for thither sink All that to thee submit Thou strew'st some flowers on the brink To drown us in the pit World take away thy tinsel wares That dazle here our eyes Let us go up above the Stars Where all our treasure lies The way we know our dearest Lord Himself is gone before And has engag'd his faithful word To open us the door But O my God! reach down thy hand And take us up to thee That we about thy Throne may stand And all thy glories see All Glory to the sacred Three One ever living Lord As at the first still may he be Belov'd Obey'd Ador'd Amen For Monday Morning MEDITATION I. IT is highly fit and just that all Mankind do adore their Maker The great God form'd our bodies out of the Earth and gave us the Spirit in man which bears his likeness a Soul that all created nature cannot sill nor any thing that is below his own Immensity He has freely bestowed on us all the rest of his Creatures which are fitted to serve and delight our bodies But he has moreover design'd us for his glorious Kingdom that we might dwell with him in perfect bliss All the Creatures he has made the great God has alwayes under his observing eye so long as they continue in being All things are open and naked to his Omniscience Though his Throne of State be establisht above and the splendours of his glory shine only on the Blessed that are there yet his unlimited Eye looks down to this lower World and beholds all the wayes of the Children of Adam If we go out he marks our steps and when we retire our shut Closet cannot exclude him while we are alone he minds all the vain and roving imaginations that we have he observes too the end that we aim at in all the Studies which we apply our selves to When we converse with others He observes our deportment and the good or ill we do to them or our selves In our Devotions he takes notice of our carriage and regards with what attention and affection we make our Prayers All the day long he considers how we spend our time and the darkest night conceals not our works from him If we deceive our Neighbour He spies the fraud and hears the least whisper of a slandering tongue If we in secret oppress the Poor or by private alms relieve their wants If in our hearts we murmur at the Rich or live contented with our little portion Whate're we do He perfectly sees us where e're we are He is sure to be with us He that made the Eye shall not he see and shall it be said that he cannot hear who formed the Ear But O thou Sovereign Lord of Heaven why dost thou stoop thus low thy glorious Eye What canst thou find that here does deserve thy view among the trifles of this empty world It is not thy own satisfaction that thou seekest herein but thy design is our advantage Thou appearest still ready to punish our sins that the fear of thy rod may prevent our miseries Sure O my God thy favours must be sweet since even thy threatnings have so much mercy And I must be worse than blind if I venture to be wicked in the face of Heaven Thou dost also Lord graciously stand by us to see us work that thine awful Eye may quicken our diligence thou art still at hand to relieve our wants When all thy work my Soul is done in the sight of him thou servest this may justly encourage thee this may make thee hope that the Labours and Sufferings of thy love shall not go unrewarded Happy we who have our God so near us if our pious Lives keep us near to him Hymn 3. WAke now my soul and humbly hear What thy mild Lord commands Each word of his will charm thine ear Each word will guide thy hands Hark how his sweet and tender care Complies with our weak minds What er'e our State and temper are Still some sit work he finds They that are merry let them sing And let the sad hearts pray Let those still ply their chearful wing And these their sober way So mounts the early chirping Lark Still upwards to the Skies So sits the Turtle in the dark Among her groans and cries And yet the Lark and yet the Dove Both sing though several parts And so should we how er'e we move With light or heavy hearts Or rather both should both assay And their cross notes unite Both grief and joy should sing and pray Since both such hopes invite Hopes that all present sorrow heal All present joy transcend Hopes to possess and taste and feel Delights that ne're will end All glory to the sacred Three All honour power and praise As at the first may ever be Beyond the end of days Amen MEDITATION II. MY God since Thou art never absent from us we will endeavour to be alwaies present with thee Often will we go up to thy Throne above and there contemplate and admire thy glory We will often wait upon thee in thy house and there adore and praise thy mercy Every where will we seek to meet thee and every where delight to find Thee My soul let it be thy endeavour to walk with God in all the parts of thy conversation and take heed that thou walk humbly with thy God. Gracious God we will spread all our wants before thee and offer all our Petitions unto thee Thou dost willingly incline a favourable ear to the Prayers that come from an upright and fervent heart Thou art a rewarder of those that diligently seek Thee Our God loves to hear us treat of Heaven as if we made it the main business of our lives to get thither All other things we must ask with submission to Him since we do not know what of them is absolutely good for our selves But his Eternal Joys we may beg without restraint we may urge and press for his assistance to gain them Heaven is the thing we may wish for if for any thing without resignation We may pray for it with great fervency and perseverance and he will not account us too importunate O wise and gracious Lord whatsoever thou dost thy love intends it for the good of thy servents If thou dost sometimes defer to grant our requests it is only in charity to us to make us repeat them It is that we may more sensibly feel our own poverty and be more strongly convinc't of our dependance on Thee That we may practise our Hope and exercise our Faith and Patience while we long expect and may practise the higher gratitude when we receive at last It is that we may learn this sure and happy skill of working in our souls the Vertues that we desire For those very desires by being often renew'd do at length
justly fears the angry brow of his offended Prince so let my oft-forgiven Soul continually tremble to provoke the wrath of thy dread Majesty Thus temper O Lord my Love with reverence and allay my fear with hope that I may live to thy glory in a chearful Obedience Glory be to the Father c. Amen For Monday Evening MEDITATION I. TO know Thee O Lord is the highest Learning and to see thy face is the only true Happiness Consider now my Soul and thankfully remember what the great God is to us men Thou Lord art the great Beginning of our nature and the glorious end of all our actions Thou art the overflowing source from whence we spring and the Immense Ocean into which we tend Thou art the free bestower of all we possess and the faithful promiser of all we hope for Thou art the strong sustainer of our lives and our ready protection from all our enemies Thou art the merciful Scourger of our sins and the bounteous Rewarder of our Obedience Thou art the only wise God and the only safe Conductor of this lifes pilgrimage Thou art the ever blessed God and the Eternal Rest of our wearied Souls God is the Guide to find my way my strength to walk in it and my rest in the end of it He must draw me or I cannot run after him He must seek me or I can never find him and unless I find and enjoy him I can never be happy Such words our narrowness is constrain'd to use when we endeavour to speak the divine bounties when we would express how many wayes mankind are beholden to him that made them In a few words Lord here is much exprest what may fill our minds with a great many thoughts and afford matter for long Meditation But yet our words are and our highest thoughts must be far short of the goodness and mercy of thy thoughts towards us they are more than can be numbred by Men or Angels MEDITATION II. LEt us now consider my Soul and with great humility remember what we are to the great God We who alas are nothing in our selves what can we be to his Immensity Thou Lord who art all things in thine own rich self what canst thou receive from our poverty This only we are to Thee O Great Cretor the unthankful objects of all thy bounties This only we are to thee O dear Redeemer the unworthy cause of all thy sufferings Guilty we committed the Crime and thou with thine own Innocency undertook'st the Punishment We went astray from the path of life and thy mercy came down from Heaven to seek us to seek us in the wilderness where we had lost our selves and bring us home to the discipline of thy Love. Thou hast sent thy Spirit to gather the lost Sheep and what are we to Thee O holy and blessed Spirit but very stubborn and untractable creatures We are not sheep till thou hast changed our natures Man is born like the wild Asses colt Lord what are we that thou shouldst thus regard such poor vile and inconsiderable wretches What can our good will avail thy Bliss that with so many charms thou wooest us to love thee What can our enmity prejudice thy content that thou dost threaten so severely if we love thee not Is there O my God not felicity enough in the sweetness alone of loving thee Is there not certainly misery enough in living destitute of thy blissfull love Yes Yes Dear Lord so it is and that thou knewest and that is indeed the only cause which moved thy goodness to court our affections Thou knew'st we would else cast away our selves by doating on the follies of this deceitful world Thou knewest the danger of our wilfull nature and therefore strivest by greatest fears and hopes and by all the wisest arts of Love and Bounty to draw us to thy self and endow us with thy Kingdom But Oh unhappy we whose frowardness requir'd so strange proceeding to force upon us our own Salvation Yet happy we are in this that our wants have met so kind a hand that our God is good long-suffering and whose mercy endures for ever His goodness needs but our emptiness to engage him to fill us and nothing but our misery to move him to make us happy MEDITATION III. LOrd without Thee what 's all the world to us but a flying dream of busie vanities It promises indeed a Paradise of bliss but all it performs is an empty cloud Thine are the Joyes that shine fixt as the Stars and make the only solid Heaven Lord without Thee what are we to our selves but the wretched causes of our own ruin We 'till thou gavest us being were purely nothing more remov'd from happiness than the most miserable of thy Creatures Now thou hast made us we wholly depend on thee and perish immediately if thou forsake us Thou who without us art the same All-glorious Essence perfectly full of thy own eternal Felicity Without us thy royal Throne stands firm for ever and all the powers of Heaven obey thy pleasures O Lord how contrary is our imperfect nature in every circumstance to thy excellency and perfection Thou dwellest above in the Mansions of Glory and we below in houses of Clay Thou art from everlasting to everlasting we are but of yesterday and are every moment going downwards to our dissolution Thou art Immense and thy presence fills the Heavens but the greatest of us alas how little are we two yards of Air contain us while we liâ—e and a few spans of Earth suffice us at our death Thou art Almighty power all-sufficient fullness we are poverty and weakness When O when my God shall these vast distances meet together it is in thy power to make these extremities embrace each other we know that by thy amazing power they were once miraculously joyn'd in the sacred person of thy Eternal Son when the King of Heaven stoopt down to earth and grafted into his own Person the nature of man We hope they once again shall be happily united in the blissfull vision of thy glorious self when we shall be like thee by seeing thee as thou art when the children of Earth shall be exalted to Heaven and be satisfied with thy likeness But are there no means here below O thou infinitely high and glorious God! Is there no way for us now to approach towards thee to diminish at least this uncomfortable distance There is none but the way of holy Love Divine Love elevates our meanness Love will bring us near to the blessed God it will make us live in a happy union to him And none can attain this but by thy free gift unless Thou O dearest Lord do first Love us and with thy Love kindle the sacred fire in our breasts we shall never be so happy as to Love thee PETITIONS O Bounteous God! O abundant Goodness add to all thy other favours this of making me love and esteem thee above all things above my self and all
of God sustains our Life and mercifully allows us space to repent that by well employing the time he lends us we may wisely provide for our own Eternity Wisely then thou actest O my Soul when thou settest apart some time every day wherein to meditate on God and his Word and works by which thou maist be sitted for a happy Eternity Consider then further the Divine Providence and say within thy self Thus do we depend O Lord on thee and happy we are in that dependance did we but know our own true interest We and our whole concerns are deposited with God and where can we find a better hand to ensure them Is he not wise enough to chuse safely for us who disposes all nature in such admirable order Has he not power to go through with his purpose who commands the will of men and Angels Wants he perhaps an inclination to favour us who desires our felicity more than our own Hearts do He feeds the Fowls of the Air and cloaths the Lillies of the Field Without his Providence not a Sparrow falls to the ground and shall we mistrust his care for his Children Under his Government we have liv'd all this while and can we now suspect hee 'l forsake us He has shown his bounty in extraordinary favours and will he deny us his lesser blessings He has freely bestow'd upon us his dearest Son how shall he not with him freely give us all things else All that are useful to carry us on our way and bring us at length to his Eternal Rest If our necessities be the effects of our folly we must not presume that he will maintain us in our sins Rather we should strive to moderate our appetites and correct our vices that have bred these miseries But if our wants be innocent and pressing he will sooner do a miracle than break his word This he has often solemnly engag'd and often made good by his Providence Ask but the former ages and they will tell you the wonders which he wrought in them in favour to his faithful Servants He multiplied the Oyl in the Poor Widows cruse and fed his banisht Prophet by a Raven He dryed the Sea into a Path for his People and melted the Rocks into streams of Water to quench their thirst He made his Angels Stewards of their Provision and nourisht them in the Wilderness with the Bread of Heaven Still O my God thy Eternal Charity retains the same affections for those that rely on thee Still thy all-seeing Wisdom governs the World with the same immense unalterable goodness Nay surely now the streams of thy Mercy run more strong and have wrought to themselves a larger channel Since thou broughtest down the Waters from above the Heavens and openedst in thine own Body a Spring of Life A Spring of Joy and Bliss to revive our Hearts and overslow them with a torrent of everlasting Pleasures MEDITATION III. LEt us sit down in Peace O my Soul and rest secure in the bosom of Providence Let us not disturb the order of those mercies which our God has design'd us in his eternal Councels Every accident may be turn'd into vertue and every vertue is a step towards our glorious end If our affairs succeed let us praise our great Benefactor and think what he will give us hereafter who does so favour us here if they miscary let us yield to the will of Heaven and learn by our crosses in this world to love the other Whatever happens to us this ought to be our constant rule to provide for the other life and be contented with the present Shall we not patiently accept a little evil from him that has given us much good Shall the being without some one thing that we need not more sensibly affect us than the having all that we need Ingrateful wretches the common benefits that we all enjoy deserve the thanksgiving of a whole life the air we breath in the bright Sun that shines on us the water and the bounteous earth that do so faithfully serve us the exercise of our senses and the use of our wits if not in excellency at least to some degree All these things O Lord thou generally affordest both to the good and to the bad and for the least of these none can praise thee enough What shall we say then can we yet with any justice complain because some few perhaps are more prosperous than we should we not rather look down on the many below us and be thankful to see our selves more favoured than they should we not do well my Soul to reckon over the several miseries of mankind and bless our God that has so farr preferr'd us Had we some desperate Canker breeding on our face or noisom Leprosie spreading over our skin these we must all confess are incident to our nature and much more than these is due to our sins what would we then give to be as we now are how gladly would we exchange them for a moderate affliction It is but to interpret our worst condition well and we shall sind motives enow to excite our gratitude to God It is but interpreting our best condition frowardly and we shall imagine defects enow to make us think our selves miserable My Soul do thou alwayes adore the wisdom of God and leave it to him as he pleases to rule his own world All his works shall certainly praise him and his Saints shall bless him He scatters these temporal things with a seeming negligence as trifles of so little importance that they signifie not either love or hatred Nothing but Heaven is indeed considerable nothing but Eternity deserves our esteem But if we could understand the secret character of the divine Decrees we should read in each syllable a perfect Harmony PETITIONS TEach me I pray Thee O thou the blest Enlightner of our minds teach me to expound thy actions alwayes in a fair sense alwayes to believe they are well becoming thy infinite perfections and therefore adorable Suffer me not to follow my own fancy in doing this lest I create to my self a voluntary misery Lord let all thy dispensations design favour and good to me and let me understand that they do so then shall I heartily praise thee for them of what nature soever they be Let me interpret the afflictions which thou sendest as meant to correct and not to destroy me to prevent some sin or teach me the practice of some vertue and that when I shall need crosses no longer thou wilt then remove them In the mean while O gracious Lord I beseech thee to give me Patience according to my burden inable me to wait thy time of deliverance without prescribing limits to thee and without contracting either a froward discontented Spirit or a mean and dejected one Make me Lord to rejoyce that my lot is in thy hands while I see thy Mercy favourably chusing for me And willingly I say do thou dispose of my condition here as it
pleases thy self only let my Portion hereafter be with thy blessed Fix thou O Lord my steps establish my goings in thy Word that I may not stagger at the uneven motions of this world but may steadily go on towards my glorious home not censuring my journey by the weather I meet with nor turning out of the way for any accident that may befall me Thou hast told us O Lord it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps and therefore bid us not to lean to our own understanding I humbly beg of thee continual direction I desire thou wouldest cause all self-presumption to dye in me let this be the effect of all my disappointments and ill successes and make my whole confidence to rely on thee so shall my frailty make me more strong and thy Power O my God may be magnified in my weakness and thy mercy triumph in the relief of my misery Teach me to begin all my works with fear to go on with obedience and finish them with love and after all to sit humbly down in hope and with a chearful confidence look up to thee All this we may do for men and they may fail us we may fear and obey and they forget our service we may love and hope and they despise our affections only Thou O Lord whom we can no way benefit thou wilt not fail those that trust and serve thee thy promises are faithful thou art unchangeable and thy rewards are Eternal Glory be to c. Amen For Tuesday Evening MEDITATION I. WIth awfull reverance my Soul consider that the Great God is infinite in his power to punish he has been and he can always be very terrible in his Judgments Our God is a consuming fire Let vain dust no more speak proudly against the Almighty nor be so fool-hardy as to provoke the living God. Let all seal up their lips in humble silence when they are witnesses of his terrible Judgments and with fear and trembling always remember them Remember thou my Soul how the Earth opened it self and swallow'd up alive many thousands of his Enemies Call to mind that the Clouds rain'd Fire and Brimstone and buried several rebellious Cities in their own Ashes Remember that a general deluge did once by Gods Commission over-spread the whole world and swept away almost all mankind when the wickednesse of man was great upon the Earth Remember steadily that sin was the cause of all this misery and ruin Sin threw the Angels down from Heaven and chain'd them up in eternal darkness Sin banisht Adam out of Paradise and turn'd the delicious Garden into a Field of weeds O God how terrible is thy mighty arm when thou stretchest it forth to be avenged on thine enimies O Sin how fatal is thy desperate Malice that pulls on our heads all the thunder of Heaven O my Soul how dull and sencelesse are we to sleep secure as if all were safe Can we repeat these amazing truths and not tremble at the wrath of divine Justice Can we consider the deplorable end of Sinners and still dare to go on in the waies of Sin Even when we sing thy praises O glorious Lord it is our duty to rejoyce with trembling before Thee What should corrupted nature then do when it sees it self ready to offend Thee What should a guilty Conscience do when it sees it self upon the brink of ruin by offending Thee MEDITATION II. YEt O my Soul do not give up thy self to despair under a sence of thy sins bring thou to him but a humble and penitent heart and thou shalt find there is forgiveness with him He that is thus infinte in power to punish is full as infinite in goodness to save How often have we broke his Commands yet still his Earth sustains and serves us How oft alas have we abused our fulness of Bread yet still his Clouds shower plenty upon us He is merciful and gracious as well as Long-suffering a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sin He spares us so long that we may have time to repent and to seek and obtain his Pardon Only the proud apostate Angels find no forgiveness because their obstinacy does refuse to seek it Could those rebel spirits disclaim their crimes and turn again to obey their Maker his clemency would soon revoke their sentence and restore them to shine in their first bright seats But O the excesse of mercy vouchsafe't to Adam and to us dust and ashes his contemptible Posterity For whom the soveraign King of Heaven humbled himself to descend upon Earth to lead a poor laborious life and to suffer a painful death He came to be a Prince and a Saviour to us to give us repentance and remission of sins to teach us by an exemplary Life how to live acceptably to God and to satisfie for our sins by his death Thy mercies O Lord are above all thy works and this is above all the rest of thy mercies MEDITATON III. STill my Soul dwell in contemplation of the divine mercies it is good and pleasant to be here When we lay buried in the abyss of nothing it was his own free Goodness that call'd us into being He fashion'd our limbs in our Mothers womb and fill'd our Nurses breasts with milk He enlarg'd our little steps when we began to go and carefully preserv'd our helplesse Infancy He commanded even his Angels to bear us up lest we should dash our feet against a stone How many dangers my Soul consider hast thou escaped and not one of them but was govern'd by a Divine Providence How many blessings dost thou daily receive and there is not one of them which does not proceed from his bounty He provided Tutors to instruct our Youth and to plant in our tender minds the seeds of Vertue He appointed Pastors to feed our Souls and safely guide them in the wayes of Bliss He seal'd his Love with Sacraments of Grace to nourish in us Faith and Charity All this thou hast done O merciful Lord the wise disposer of Heaven and earth All this thou hast done and still thou goest on by infinite waies to gain us to thy Love. Thou commandest us to ask and promisest to grant thou invitest us to seek and assurest that we shall find Thou dost vouchsafe even thy self to stand at the door and knock and if we open thou enterest and fillest our hearts with joy If we forget thee thou renewest our Memories if we fly from thee thou still kindly findest some means to recall us If we defer our amendment thou dost patiently stay for us and nevertheless when we return we find thy arms open to embrace us And if when we were not thou didst freely love us we may be assur'd thou wilt not forsake us when we strive to love Thee If when we had lost our way and were wandring from thee thy matchless kindness did condescend to seek us and give us an effectual call thou wilt not refuse us when we
seek after Thee PETITIONS I Therefore do most humbly and constantly seek after thee my God. For all good I fly to Thee the Father of Lights and giver of every good and perfect gift And at this time Lord I ask of Thee that thou would'st alwaies possess my heart with an awful reverence of thy great Name Chase away all levity and carlesness of spirit from me by putting thy fear into my inward parts Humble my too proud and wilful spirit to a ready submission to thy will in all things Make me I pray Thee so to stand in aw of thee and of thy Judgments that I may not dare to sin Those Judgments thou hast often executed on obstinate and impenitent sinners let them be often call'd to my mind let the thoughts of them meet and antidote the temptations to sin Make my fear of them prevent my feeling the like Still O Lord let a lively sensible Conscience cry out aloud when I am tempted and say Dare you commit this evil and sin against God Dare you commit this evil and run upon the fire of divine Vengeance Are you not afraid to provoke his wrath to plunge you into everlasting torments By thy Judgments in the world thou O Lord expectest that the inhabitants thereof should be moved to learn righteousness Grant Lord that I may alwaies do so that so thy Judgments on others may prove mercies to me And let also thy abundant goodness and mercy shown to the penitent and faithful win me to repent and trust in Thee the merciful and Gracious God. Thus prevent me I beseech Thee from being overawed by the terrors of the Lord. Suffer not the Enemy of my Soul to drive me into despair because I am a Sinner dispose me to lay hold of the mercy offer'd by the Redeemer make me to believe and find that humble and penitent Sinners have an Advocate with the Father the righteous Jesus the Christ That he who suffer'd on Earth for our sins is gone to Heaven to make intercession and to plead that satisfaction in the behalf of those that apply themselves to him for his help Incourage me to a steady practice and further pursuit of Holiness by the favours thou hast shown to good men by assurance that I shall be assisted therein and that thou wilt hereafter if not in this life abundantly reward it Thus Lord let it please thee by my hopes and fears which are the great swayers of our natures here to counterpoise my propensity downwards to this earth to keep me in a constant tendency upwards lift me out of the dirt of this world into a happy converse with thee all my dayes Hymn 6. FAin would my thoughts fly up to thee Thy peace sweet Lord to find But when I offer still the world Layes clogs upon my mind Sometimes I climb a little way And thence look down below How nothing there do all things seem Which here make such a show Then round about I turn my eyes To feast my hungry sight I meet with Heaven in every thing In every thing delight I see thy wisdom ruling all And it with joy admire I see my self amidst such hopes As set my heart on fire When I have thus triumpht a while And think to build my nest Some cross conceits come fluttering by And interrupt my rest Then to the earth again I fall And from my low dust cry 'T was not in my wing Lord but thine That I got up so high And now my God whether I rise Or still lye down in dust Both I submit to thy blest Will In both on Thee I trust Guide thou my way who art thy self My Everlasting End That every step or swift or slow Still to thy self may tend To Father Son and Holy Ghost One Consubstantial Three All highest Praise all humblest thanks Now and for ever be Amen For Wednesday Morning MEDITATION I. COme my Soul let us adore the God that governs us him who is absolute King of Heaven and Earth He sees at once the whole frame of all things and thoroughly comprehends their various natures To every Creature he appoints a fit Office and guides all their motions in a perfect order till he has wrought out his glorious design and that he may finish the world in a beauteous close His councels are deep and his particular wayes may be beyond our reach yet all his wayes are wise and just and merciful And if all things come alike to all now yet he will punish wilful sinners with eternal miseries hereafter and bless his servants with eternal happiness Why then do you laugh and rejoyce unhappy wretches who tire your selves in the wayes of sin wayes they are indeed that seem smooth at first but lead to danger and end in ruine Why do you boast your pleasant life who lye asleep in the arms of Death Awake poor Souls and shake off the golden dreams that delude your crazy heads with empty fancies Awake and fill your eyes with penitent tears sadly reflect on the real miseries to which your sins have exposed you Consider whither alas will your Souls be hurry'd when in cold despair you sigh away your last faint breath they shall fly amaz'd from the sight of Heaven and hide their guilty selves in eternal darkness there they shall dwell with intolerable pains wailing and lamenting for ever their understanding shall sit as in a deep dungeon and think on nothing but its own calamities their will shall be heightned to a madness of desire and perpetually wrackt with despair of obtaining their memory shall serve but to renew their sorrows and their whole Souls be drown'd in a Sea of bitterness there every vice shall have its proper torment prodigiously bred out of its own corruption The Lascivious shall burn with unquenchable sires perpetually flaming in the rage of their own lusts the Glutton and Drunkard shall vainly sigh for a drop of water to cool their tongues the furious Cholerick shall rage like mad Dogs to their own only vexation the spiteful Envious shall have thoughts that only gnaw and torment their own minds the desires of the Covetous shall be as thorns in a mans sides the haughty Proud shall be thrown down to the lowest contempt shall be loaded with utter disdain the Slothful shall miserably deplore their lost time and languish with grief for their stupid negligence But O what horrid pangs shall seize them all and wound and pierce the very center of their Souls anguish and trouble shall infect all the whole spirit when they shall see themselves deprived of the bright and blissful Vision of God! when their offended God shall despise and reject them as if they were not his creatures shall cast them away as offensive to his sight and he that made them will not save them will shew them no mercy When they shall see themselves eternally banisht from the sweet and gracious presence of Jesus that he will not be their Saviour because they would not
Life confirming and encreasing that happy union with himself which is begun even while we live below on earth and shall be perfected when we come to Heaven PETITIONS O God the Father of mercies Father of our blessed Saviour Jesus the Christ We believe that having given us thy dear Son thou wilt with him also freely give us all things that whatever we ask of thee O Father in thy Sons name believing we shall receive it I humbly beceech thee therefore O Lord to have mercy upon me a poor miserable sinner And as thou hast sent thy Son into the World send him also to take possession of my Heart Let this great light of the world enlighten my dark mind with a saving knowledge of thee and of himself Direct me to discern my true happiness from the false flattering goods of this world that I may not spend my time here in worldly cares and pursuits but in seeking thee my End by him the only true Way to thee Let him teach and convince me of the great excellency of thy Laws and make me consider my wayes and turn my feet unto thy Testimonies Let the glad tidings of the Gospel O Lord by joyful tidings to me by thy giving me an assured interest in them Give me the pardon of all my sins by the Death of Christ and a right to Life and Happiness by his meritorious Life In me I pray that the mighty Redeemer may effectually destroy all the works of the Devil deface the ugly image of the Apostate spirit and restore the glorious likeness of thee my God. Make me Lord diligently and reverently to use thy appointed Means of Grace and let thy blessing alwaies make them means of grace to me And while I thankfully use them and am duly fruitful under them let me enjoy the means of Grace till thou hast brought me to glory Grant this O Father for the sake of thy beloved Son our compassionate Saviour Glory be to the Father c. Amen For Thursday Evening MEDITATION I. THe kind Master of this blessed Feast sends his Embassadors to make a general invitation He that is the divine Food puts the kindest words into their mouths that their invitation may not fail of good success He has said Come to me all ye that labour for Holiness and are oppress'd under the weight of your sins Come and I will give you the end of your Labour and will ease you of that intolerable burden Come you that hunger after Angels spiritual Food and thirst to drink at the fountain of bliss Come to me I will refresh you with the Wine of gladness and the bread of life Come you that are weak and you shall be strong come you that are strong lest you become weak Come you that have leisure and here entertain your time to your great advantage And you also that are busie and here sanctifie and devote your Employment Our glorious God did not only make a visit but is willing to dwell perpetually with us men upon earth He whom the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain will make his residence in our little Tabernacles He whom the Seraphims prostrate adore and fly with all their wings to perform his commands He who came down to die for us sinners and ascended again above the highest Heavens Himself is there with all his precious blessings to the Soul that does desire and believe To such a Soul this blessed Sacrament applies all the vertues and merits of our Saviours Death and Passion When he receives the consecrated Bread and Wine from the hands of Christs Minister in his stead he is made a partaker in the Satisfaction of his death and the Pardon of all his sins is seal'd and confirm'd By eating the Bread and drinking the Wine the good Soul is more firmly united to the Redeemer And as a member of his mystical body shall be quickned and guided by his good Spirit The indwelling Spirit shall teach him his duty and inable him to run in the way everlasting He shall communicate power to conquer difficulties and temptations and to persevere with patience till he reach the Crown By this is such a soul united also to that Jesus who rose again from the death he submitted to And as it is assuredly risen to a new life of Grace it shall hereafter rise to an eternal life of Glory It may look on these signs as certain pledges that it shall be advanced to the happy mansions above Thus as our Lord himself when on Earth contain'd under his outward poverty all the glorious fulness of the Godhead so these signs that represent him to us are but poor in themselves in comparison to the rich blessings they bring along with them Whatever faintness we feel if we hunger after Christ and come hither to receive him he can refresh us Whatever fears dwell in our guilty minds and trouble us this Wine of true Consolation will chase them away O How great is thy Love Dear Lord that invites us miserable sinners to partake of thee That invites our emptiness to be united to thy fulness and our weakness to be cured by thy al sufficient power O how should the sons of men flock in when he sends out his invitations to this Feast when he calls us to a Feast of peace and love A feast of joy and incomparable sweetness What should the Captive wish but Liberty and the weary Pilgrim but rest What should the Sick desire but health and the depending Creature but to be near its God All are welcome to this Feast that have but Desire to partake and Faith to receive MEDITATION II. LOrd who are we unworthy wretches that thou thus regardest our sinful dust what is all the world compar'd to Thee that thus thou seemest for our sakes to disregard thy self It is for our sakes and to make us rich in Grace that thou so graciously condescendest to come among us More unworthy yet do we make our selves if we neglect to come where thou wilt be present O how insensible of their own true interest are those that neglect to approach this Sacred Feast Is it a small matter with you O careless wretches to ly under a great load of guilt that you come not to receive the pardon of your sins Is the Great God willing to be reconcil'd to sinners and to give them sure pledges of his reconcilement And should not all Mankind then earnestly seek his favour and gladly receive the pledges of his love None of us can be assur'd that he will not turn us into Hell till we are assur'd of our title to Heaven Where are all they that have been baptized and pretend that they account themselves Christians Why do they not come and own the Covenant then made by renewing it again at this Supper They that neglect this do in effect renounce that Covenant and despise the incomparable blessings it promises Well may they be impotent towards all good and enslaved to the tyranny of evil
thine Ordinances do thou graciously draw nigh to us and satisfie us with those good things thou hast to bestow make us joyful in thy house of Prayer and renew our strength while we wait upon thee Let every approach to thee in Worship conform us more to thy likeness and fit us more to see thy face in Heaven These things O Lord our God are desired as the purchases of our dear Saviours Blood to whom be Glory and Praise world without end Amen Hymn 10. COme Royal Sion come and sing Thy Soul 's kind Saviour thy hearts King Stretch all thy powers thy Song to raise And since this lofty Theam's above The best ambition of thy Love Call Heavens loud Quires to help thy Praise Sing how his Love from Heavens high throne To Earth's low footstool brought him down For thee a cursed death to dye Sing that when hence he did remove He lest a Legacy of Love His needful Presence to supply Lo here the Bread of Life this day 's Triumphant text provokes thy Praise The living and life-giving Bread See the heart-chearing precious Wine Which Great Love 's pierc't Heart did resign To the Great Twelve distributed Praise him who has thy Pastors bid Ever to do what he once did And thankfully his gifts receive Sing loud that to this bounteous Feast Each hungry Soul may be a guest And from his Death may Life derive The Heav'n-instructed House of Faith Here a mysterious dictate hath Himself to me my Saviour brings With graces which are all divine Under the veils of Bread and Wine Immortal cloath'd with mortal things Lo the life-food of Angels then Bow'd to the lowly mouths of men Lo the full final Sacrifice The ransom'd Isaac and his Ram The Manna and the Pascal Lamb As figures fixt on this their eyes Jesu to thee we sinners sue O Thou our Food and Shepherd too Grant in all good we may improve Still by thy self vouchsafe to keep As with thy self thou feed'st thy Sheep And from us Lord all ill remove Blest be that love which thus makes thee Mix with our low mortality O may it raise and set us up Coheirs with Saints that so all may Drink the same Wine and the same way Convicters all of thy full Cup. Amen For Fryday Morning MEDITATION I. MY God who can complain of doing too much if they consider the labours of the loving Jesus those painful labours that he freely undertook and the humble task he so mildly stoopt to When he might have flown on the wings of Cherubims he chose to walk with us Worms in the dust When he might have call'd for Manna from Heaven in the sweat of his brows he would eat his Bread When he might have made the Angels his foot-stool he rather became the servant of his Parents living with them in their little Cottage and readily obeying even their least Command There in that humble privacy he encreas'd in wisdom and grew in favour with God and man still by his pious candour gaining the love of those happy few that saw his life Happy they that saw thy life O glorious Jesu and heard with joy and wonder thy incomparable sayings that felt a gentle motion stir their hearts to love and imitate so blest a pattern O that the same sweet Spirit of grace might draw our minds dear Lord to thee O that we could my Soul in every passage of our life still actually reflect on the example of His His retirements were fill'd with holy Speculations and in the midst of business his mind was free for Heaven His Converse with others mispent no time but bestowed every moment in excellent Charity sometimes he was imployed to instruct the ignorant sometimes to inform aright those that were deceived He apply'd himself to comfort the afflicted and heal the diseased to convince the froward and absolve the penitent and perswade all the world to be truly happy It was meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will and it should be ours to perform his It was for our sakes that he made himself subject to the Law and to obtain for us an everlasting happiness he perfectly obey'd it Take up thy Cross my Soul and follow thy Lord for his yoke is sweet his burthen is light He humbled himself for us and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross to save us When we had sold our selves to sin and were all become the slaves of Satan our blessed Jesus descended from Heaven and brought a vast price to buy out our freedom The price was no less than his own dearest Blood which he plenteously shed on the ignominious Cross depositing so his inestimable life to rescue us sinners from eternal death Come let us adore our God that redeem'd us Hymn 11. COme let 's adore the King of Love And King of Sufferings too For Love it was that brought him down And set him here in woe Love drew him from his Paradise Where flowers that fade not grow And planted him in our poor dust Among us weeds below Here for a time this heavenly Plant Fairly grew up and thriv'd Diffus'd its sweetness all about And all in sweetness liv'd But envious frosts and furious storms So long so fiercely chide This tender Plant at last bow'd down Its bruised head and dy'd O narrow thoughts and narrower speech Here your defects confess The Life of God the death of Christ How faintly you express O Thou who from a Virgin-root Mad'st this fair flower to spring Help us to raise both heart and voice And with more spirit sing To Father Son and Holy Ghost One undivided Three All highest Praise all humblest Thanke Now and for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. MY God who can repine at suffering too much if they remember the afflictions of Jesus Those many afflictions He so patiently endur'd and bore with Silence all their weight Even from his humble Cradle in the City of Bethlehem to his bitter Cross on the Mount of Calvary How little do we read of glad and prosperous in his Life how much of pains and grief and perpetual affronts sometimes he was abandon'd by his nearest Friends and left alone among all his discomforts sometimes pursu'd by his fiercest enemies and made the common mark of all their spite sometimes they plot to insnare Him in his words and enviously slander his miraculous Deeds sometimes they tumultuously gather about him to gaze at and abuse a man of sorrows Sometimes they furiously seize on his Person and hale and drag him along the streets At last they all conspire to take away his life and condemn him to a sharp and cruel death Have you ever seen a harmless Lamb stand silent in the midst of ravenous Wolves so stood the Prince of Peace and Innocence besieg'd with a ring of savage Jews When they blasphemed Him he reply'd not again and when they injuriously struck him he only observ'd their rashness When they provok't him with their utmost Malice he
pleaded their excuse and when they kill'd him he earnestly pray'd for their Pardon O strange ingratitude of humane nature thus barbarously to crucifie the Worlds Redeemer O admirable Love of the worlds Redeemer thus patiently to dye for humane Nature Say now my Soul for whom thy dearest Lord endur'd all this and infinitely more Canst thou complain of thy little troubles when the King of Glory was thus afflicted Canst thou complain of a meanly furnisht house when the Son of God had not where to lay his head We wear the badge of a crucified Lord and shall we shrink back at every Cross we meet we believe in a God that was crown'd with Thorns and shall we abide to tread on nothing but Roses Before our eyes O Jesu we see thee humble and meek and shall thy Servants be proud and insolent We see thee travel up and down poor and unregarded and shall thy followers strive to be rich and esteemed Thy charitable labours were maliciously slander'd and shall not our faults have the patience to be reproved Thou didst not disdain to be call'd thô in scorn the Carpenters Son and cannot our lowness bear a little disparagement O how unlike are we to that blest Original who descended from Heaven to become our Pattern How do we go astray from that sacred path which the Holy Jesus trac'd with his own steps MEDITATION III. ALL this O Blessed Jesu thou taughtst thy Holy Prophets to prepare the World for the coming of a Humble Saviour all this and infinitely more thou didst verifie in thine own Person with the reproaches pains and inward sorrows thou didst endure So much as was able to make even patience it self break forth into this sad complaint O all you that pass by behold and see if there be any Sorrow like unto my Sorrow My God when I consider what thou hast suffer'd for us and what we have done against our selves I am amaz'd at the wonders of thy goodness and confounded at the vileness of our misery Our Sins were the cause of thy cruel death yet still we permit them to live in us We entertain the worst of thine Enemies and treacherously lodge them in our own bosoms Preferring a petty interest before thy Heaven and a transitory pleasure before Eternal Felicity Many we confess are the follies of our Life and our Consciences may very justly tremble at their own great Guilt Many are the times thou hast graciously pardon'd us and still we relapse and abuse thy clemency The Memory Lord of my transgressions shall be very bitter to me and the thought of my ingratitude shall extreamly afflict me Oh that my Head were Waters and mine Eyes a Fountain of Tears that Day and Night I might continually lament my own many Sins and my dear Saviours Sufferings But is there O my Jesu any stain so foul which thy precious blood cannot wash away Is there any heap of Sins so vast to exceed the number of infinite Mercies O no Thou canst forgive more than we can offend but thou wilt not forgive unless we fear to offend Unless we seek to Thee for Peace and reconcilement and humble our selves in thy Holy Presence I will therefore O Lord humbly prostrate my self before Thee and cast my self upon thy infinite Mercy I will look seriously into my own Breast and make diligent search for my bosom Sins I will confess and heartily lament my many failings and strive to correct and amend my self by Fasting and Prayer All we can offer thy offended Majesty to pacifie the Justice of thy wrath is only an humble Eye bath'd in Tears and a penitent Heart broken with godly sorrow Only a firm resolve to change our lives and even all this we must beg of Thee PETITIONS O Thou our Gracious and Indulgent Lord who freely pardonest all that truly Repent who givest Repentance to all that ask and invitest all to ask by promising to give O give me I pray an unseign'd Repentance for my past offences and then give the Remission that thou hast promised to Repentance Open O Lord my Lips freely to accuse my self for all the Crimes which my Examination may find in my Heart or Life Let the consideration of thy cruel Sufferings heighten my sorrow for Sin and confirm my detestation against it Make me in every action still think of Thee and call to mind what thou hast commanded me to do make me call to mind thy Holy and exemplary Life and think what thou thy self wouldst do O Blessed Jesu if thou wert here among us And when I have thus learnt my duty make me steadily do what thou hast taught me to know When I consider my waies make me turn my feet unto thy Testimonies Pity O dear Redeemer the infirmities of thy Servant and strengthen with thy Grace my often fainting Heart Preserve me hereafter by thy Almighty Power that no tentation may surprize or overcome me Arm me O Glorious Conquerour of Sin and Death against all the fears and terrours of this world Arm all my Powers with those celestial vertues Faith and Hope and invincible Charity That I may still go on and resolutely meet whatever stands in my way to Heaven If I must suffer as a Christian since I have deserv'd it from thee as a Sinner help me to bear it with such patience as becomes thy Servant Let me not by doing evil or omitting any required duty decline any suffering I may be exposed to for thy sake Since thy love made thee suffer so much for me and has prepar'd so excellent rewards to Crown my Sufferings hereafter Since Flesh and Blood cannot enter into thy Heavenly Kingdom make me to put them off here by frequent denying even their just contentments So shall I be disposed the better to endure with patience the inconveniences of my way thither I am O Lord I must confess unworthy of the least of thy mercies but these things I hope to obtain through the merits of thy Passion Glory be to c. For Friday Evening MEDITATION I. O Senseless we that so little consider what we do against our Saviour or what he suffer'd for us Lord how the World requites thy Love How ingrateful are we to thy Blessed Memory We negligently forget thy Sacred Passion or rather which is far worse our Sins renew thy Sufferings While we deprive others of their Right what do we else but divest Thee of thy cloaths While we delight in Strife and Schism what do we else but rend thy seamless Coat If we despise the least of thy faithful Servants are we not as so many Herods that scorn'd Thee If we for Fear proceed against our Conscience how are we better than Pilate that unjustly condemn'd Thee By forsaking thy will to follow our own do we not chuse a Murderer before thee By retaining a sharp and bitter malice do we not give Thee Vinegar and Gall to drink By shewing no Mercy to the poor and afflicted do we not pass by thy
under the Banner of thee our Crucified Saviour that we may withstand the shock of all Temptations and conquer the Assaults of all our spiritual Enemies And make us watch as well as pray lest we enter into temptation that so we may be delivered from evil So guide and govern us dear Lord by thy great Wisdom and Love that nothing may be able to separate us from the love of thee our Glorious Redeemer who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen Hymn 12. AND now my Soul canst thou forget That thy whole life is one long debt Of love to him who on a Tree Paid back the Flesh he took for thee Lo how the Streams of precious Blood Flow from five wounds into one Flood With these he washes all thy stains And buys thy ease with his own pains Thy Cross dear Lord does clearly now That doubt of former Ages show It was this wood should make the Throne Fit for a more than Solomon Large Throne of Love royally spread With purple of too rich a red Strange costly price thus to make good It s own esteem with its Kings blood Jesu best plant of Paradise To thee our hopes lift up our eyes O may aloft thy branches shoot And fill the Nations with thy fruit O may all reap from thy increase The just more strength the Sinner peace While our half-withered hearts and we Engraft our selves and grow on thee Live O for ever live and reign Blest Lamb whom thine own love has slain And may thy lost sheep live to be True lovers of thy Cross and thee All Glory to the sacred Three One undivided Deity As it has been in Ages gone May now and ever still be done Amen For Saturday Morning MEDITATION I. A Wake all ye Powers of my Soul and come pay your homage to the Prince of our Salvation cast your unworthy selves at his sacred feet and renew your vows of following his steps He triumpht over death in his own body and will enable us to conquer it in ours He chang'd the corrupted government of the world and establisht a new and holy Law that as we were Vassals to sin before we might now become the free subjects of Grace Let us live and dye in his blest Obedience and let no temptation ever separate us from him who if we resist will make us overcome and when we have overcome will crown us with peace Come let us adore our victorious Redeemer Thou hast O Lord triumpht over all thy enemies and ours but we alas are yet conversing in the midst of our enemies Prostrate before Thee we will confess our misery To how many dangers is our life expos'd with how many tentations are we round besieged tentations in meat tentations in drink tentations in conversing tentations in solitude tentations in business tentations in leisure tentations in riches tentations in poverty all our wayes are strew'd with snares and even our Sences conspire against us Whither O my God shall our poor Souls go encompast with a body so frail and a world so corrupt Whither but to thee the justifier of sinners and to thy grace the sustainer of the weak Thy Grace instructs us what we ought to do and breeds in us the will to endeavour what we know Thy Grace inables us to perform our resolves and when all is done thy Grace must give success We that of our selves can do nothing may through Christ strengthning us be able to do all things and gain the sentence of approbation that shall be pronounc'd upon his steadfast followers Well done good and faithfull Servants enter you into your Masters Joy. Hymn 13. LOrd we again lift up our eyes And leave our sluggish beds But why we wake or why we rise Comes seldom in our heads Is it to sweat and toyl for wealth Or sport our time away That thou preserv'st us still in health And giv'st us this new day No no unskilful Soul not so Be not deceiv'd with toyes Thy Lords commands more wisely go And aim at higher joyes They bid us wake to seek new grace And some fresh vertue gain They call us up to mend our pace 'Till we the prize attain That glorious Prize for which all run Who wisely spend their breath Who when this weary life is done Are sure of rest in death Not such a rest as here we prove Disturb'd with cares and fears But endless joy and peace and love Unmixt with grief and tears Glory to Thee O bounteous Lord Who giv'st to all things breath Glory to Thee Eternal Word Who sav'st us by thy Death Glory O blessed Spirit to Thee Who fill'st our Souls with Love Glory to all the mystick Three Who reign one God above Amen MEDITATION II. LOrd with what admirable Wisdom dost thou govern the world and order the several conditions of Men thy wise Providence orders some to be poor and appoints them their task of innocent work Thy Providence is pleased to make others rich and give them leisure for their better improvements Thou hast made both poor and rich to be some way needful to one another that all may live in love and unity and apply themselves to mutual assistance Happy are they O Lord who have so much employment that there remains no room for idle thoughts Happy are they who have so little business that they want not space to attend their Souls Happy yet more are they who in the midst of their work can think sometimes of the wages above whom nothing diverts from that chief concern of seeking to make their Election sure But while their backs are bow'd down with labour they freely can raise up their minds to Heaven And while they are ty'd to their Beds with sickness can yet move on towards their Eternal rest Often they rejoyce with themselves alone and silently say in their contented hearts Here we alas are narrowly confin'd and our time entertain'd with trivial affairs But hereafter we expect an unbounded enlargement and the same glorious office with the blessed Angels Here we are subject to a thousand miseries and the most prosperous life is vain and short but hereafter we expect an infinity of Joy and the solid Pleasures of Heaven for ever We too my Soul let us Pray to be guided in the middle Path and take care that we decline to no vicious extream to avoid the stormy sea of too much business and the dead water of a slothful life lest we be cast away by forgetting God or become corrupted by neglecting our selves Sometimes at least recollect thy thoughts how much soever thy condition distracts thee In all thy works remember thy last end when thou must bid a long farewel to all this World Remember that dreadful Day of the Universal Judgment when thou must give an account for every idle word Remember the Joyes prepar'd for the Innocent and the miseries that attend the wicked Remember how nearly it concerns thee to
and brings us forth to see thy light This is alone the proper Machine wherein thy hand has set our Lives to learn the art of managing it right and wind up our selves to thy glorious Heaven O that we had that happy skill how soon would every thing help forward to advance us Whether we eat or drink or whatever else an innocent hand can undertake if we regard our faithful end and order all to the improvement of our minds They instantly change their secular name and deservedly are preferr'd to become religious Riches themselves and imperious Honour have not so perverse and fixt a malice but a prudent use converts them to Piety and makes them fit instruments of highest Bliss Our very delights O the goodness of our God! may be temper'd with so wise an alloy that his mercy accounts them as parts of our Duty and fails not to give them their full reward while they are entertain'd for the health of our Bodies or the just refreshment of our wearied spirits and both our Bodies and Spirits constantly apply'd to gain new degrees of the love of Heaven Thus gracious Lord every moment of our lives may still be climbing up towards thee thus may we still proceed in thy service even then when we most of all serve our selves And then indeed it is we best serve our selves when we are busiest in what we call thy service Thou sweetly vouchsafest to stile that thy glory which in very truth is nothing but our interest Thou kindly complain'st we dishonour thy Name when we onely mischief our own Souls MEDITATION III. THis Life indeed is the way we must walk but this alone cannot bring us to our end E're we arrive at our appointed home we must be led through the Gates of Death where we shall absolutely be stript of all we have and carry nothing with us but what we are Where we not only must quit the whole World but leave behind us even part of our selves Hast thou my Soul seen some Neighbour dye and dost thou remember those circumstances of Sorrow We are sure the Case e're long will be our own and are not sure but it may be very soon Have we our selves been dangerously sick and do we remember the thoughts we had then How we resolv'd to correct our Passions and strive against the vices that particularly endanger us It will come to this again and no reprieve shall be found to stay one single Minute the hand of Death But he immediately will seize upon us and bear us away to the Region of spirits there to be rang'd in our proper place as the course of our Life has qualified us here Nor is this all to expire and dye and dwell for a time in a state of Separation We must expect another day a day of publick accounts and restitution of all things When the Arch-Angel shall sound his Trumpet and proclaim aloud this universal summons Arise you dead and come to Judgment arise appear befor the Throne of God. Then shall the little heaps of Dust immediately awake and every Soul put on again her proper Body Immediately all the Children of Adam shall be gather'd together from Heaven and Hell and every corner of the Earth There they must stand and all attend their doom but O with how sad and fatal a difference The Just shall look up with a chearful confidence and in their new white robes triumph and sing Alleluja let us rejoice for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Bride has prepar'd her self Let us rejoice for the Kingdom of the World is made our Lords and his Christs and he shall Reign for ever and ever Let us rejoice for now our Redeemer is nigh behold he comes quickly and his reward is with him Come come Lord Jesu thou long desire of our Hearts come quickly thou full delight of our Souls Come and declare to all the world thy Glory come and reward before all the World thy Servants Lo where aloft he comes in Power and Majesty attended with a train of innumerable Angels Behold where he sits enthron'd on the Wings of Cherubims and takes at once a view of all mankind Soon he commands his Angels to sever his sheep and gather them together on his Right hand First then to them he turns his glorious Face and shines upon them and saies these ravishing words Come ye blessed of my Father possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World. O the joyes their Souls shall feel when those Heavenly Words sound in their Ears Joyes that the wit of man cannot conceive joyes that the Tongues of Angels cannot express Let it suffice themselves shall tast their own felicity and feed on its sweetness for ever But O with what dejected Eyes and trembling Hearts shall the wicked stand expecting their Judge What shall they do when where-ever they look their griev'd Eye can meet with nothing but what will cause despair Above the offended Judge ready to condemn them below the bottomless Pit gaping to devour them Within the worm of Conscience gnawing their Bowels and round about them all the world is in flames What shall they do when that terrible voice shall strike them suddenly down to the bottom of Hell Go you accursed into everlasting Fire prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels The day of man is past when Sinners did what they pleas'd and God seem'd to hold his Peace 'T is now the day of God when his wrath shall speak in thunder and Sinners shall suffer what their wickedness deserves Then shall they sink immediately into the Pit of Sorrow and dwell in darkness and torments for ever While the just shall go up in Joy and Triumph and Reign with our Lord in his Kingdom for ever Thus shall the whole Creation be finally dispos'd and Mercy and Justice divide the world O my Soul who now art here below and read'st these dreadful Truths as things afar off Know thou shalt be present and see them with thine Eyes and be thy self concern'd for all Eternity Know as thou livest thou art sure to die and as thou diest thou art sure to be judged Think what a sad condition it will be to find thy self on the wrong hand Think what then thou would'st give to have repented in time think what thou would'st give for a little time to repent Think on these things and now heartily repent while yet a moment of time is left thee Improve this moment about the necessary work because thou canst not be assur'd of the Succession of another Watch now thy self continually and continually pray for we know not the Hour when the Son of man will come PETITIONS O Son of God and Man who camest in Mercy to save O bring the same Mercy with Thee when thou comest to Judge us In the mean while assist me by thy heavenly Grace to stand perpetually with my accounts prepared that I may die in the Peace of God and Communion of
Glory and invite all the World to sing thy deserved Praises Inspire our he arts O Lord with such loving wishes as these Praise our Lord O you holy Angels Praise him O you happy Saints Let the Faithful Souls departed from this Life by his Grace ever praise him Let all the living on Earth who subsist by his mercy praise him Let one Gone-â—â—â—ion after another carry on the Duty of praise till Generations shall be no more and say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen For Sunday Evening MEDITATION I. O Sin how hast thou disturbed and confounded this our miserable World. Before Sin entred nothing but Happiness dwelt here Sin has disordered the Nature of Mankind and of every thing else The Righteous Vengeance of God has laid a deserved Curse upon the whole Creation Now is unhappy man born to trouble as the sparks of Fire are to fly upward Poor Mankind this is not the place of thy rest because thy Sin has defil'd it Thou art liable to receive hurt and trouble from all things here below and thou canst never be happy till thou art translated into Heaven Heaven only is the Place of true and lasting Joy the place of ease and secure rest Who will give my weary Soul the wings of a Dove that I may fly away and be at rest That I may leave this dangerous dark uncomfortable vexatious world That I may fly away from the troubles of this Life and be at rest Dear Lord with Thee Here we alas are forced to utter many a deep Sigh to bear with grief the burthen of weighty Miseries Often we encounter chances that endanger us and divert our progress in the way of Bliss Often we are assaulted with temptations that overcome us and set us back in the accounts of Eternity How many times O my Soul have we plainly concluded that this Earth affords no real Joy. When we have observed by our own experience or by the carriage of others that the enjoyment never preforms that which the expectation promises How many times have we fully agreed that Heaven alone is the place of Happiness When we have found all places and conditions here encombred with Vanity and Vexation Yet these false allurements do again and again deceive us and seduce our Hearts to dote on folly We have found that which glitter'd like Gold to be but dross and yet we are caught again with something else that glisters Thus do we foolish and unconstant Creatures forget our wisest resolves and the mean-while we neglect our true felicity My Soul to be Wise and Happy thou must only Thirst and Sigh after thy God He is the living Fountain of the true Rivers of Pleasures Thou must despise all other delights and set thy affections entirely on the joyes which the blisseful enjoyment of him affords Nothing can ever satisfie thy desires but He and he alone can do this O then seek nothing so much as him seek nothing be sure that stands in competition with him To seek him is to save thy self for thou shalt find him but by seeking other things in neglect of him thou wilt lose him and thy self and them Nothing but labour disquiet and unrest will attend thy seeking other things and the enjoyment of them will not render thee free from those MEDITATION II. IF my Gracious God afford me but the Innocence of the Dove I shall need none of its Wings If my Soul Lord be fill'd with thy mild Spirit Heaven it self will dwell in my Heart 'T is on the proud thou lookest afar off but inclinest thine Ear to the humble and meek Those who delight in the Peace of a contented mind and limit their thoughts to their own little Sphear Who never intermedle with the actions of others unless where Justice or Charity to men or Piety to God does ingage them Whose lov'd employment is to sit in silence and meditate on the Happiness that they expect hereafter To contemplate the joyes of Saints and Angels and the blissful Face of our Glorified Jesus O how secure and sweetly do they sleep who go to bed with a quiet Conscience Who after a day of honest painful industry in a course of just and pious living lay down their wearied Heads in Peace and safely rest in the Bosom of Providence If they awake their Conscience Comforts them in the Dark and bids them not fear the shadow of Death No nor even Death it self but confidently look up and long for the dawn of that Eternal day that succeeds it This too my Soul should be our care to note and censure and correct our selves To strive for Mastery over our passions that molest us and dismiss from our thoughts what does no way concern us Are not our own occasions business enough to fill as much time as this Life deserves Does not the other at least deserve every Minute of leisure that we can spare from this Let then the worldly men pursue their fancied liberties and say and do as they think fit What 's that to Thee my Soul who shalt not answer for others unless thou some way make their faults thine own Thy pity may grieve and thy charity endeavour but if they will not hear follow thou thy God. Follow the way that leads to Truth follow the Truth that leads to Life Follow the steps of thy beloved Jesus who alone is the Way the Truth and the Life Follow his Holiness in what he did follow his Patience in what he suffer'd Follow him that calls thee with a thousand bounteous Promises kindly condescending to invite when he might only command and who will crown those that follow him with unconceiveable Rewards Follow thy faithful Lord O my Soul to the end and thou maist be sure in the end to enjoy him for ever MEDITATION III. LEarn of me sayes our kind and wise Master for I am meek and humble of Heart and you shall find rest to your Souls Thou Lord were 't wondrously meek a glorious pattern of Humility and Patience And in that meekness and Patience didst alwaies possess a well-composed Soul. A mind regular in all it's motions alwaies easie to it's self and alwaies ready to do the will of him that sent Thee Meekness of Spirit is indeed to us the Heaven of this Life but the Heaven of Heavens O Lord is above with Thee Meekness may qualifie our miseries here and make the tedious time of this Life pass the gentlier away It fortifies the composed Spirit to bear the present burdens But to be fully happy we must stay till hereafter when all burden shall be removed till thy Mercy bring us to our last great end That Glorious end for which our Souls are made and all things else to serve them in their way It is not to sport away our time in Pleasures that thou O Lord hast plac'd us here on Earth 'T
is not to gain a fair estate that thy kindness still prolongs our daies But to do good to our selves and others and to glorifie thee in a wise improvement and regular use of thy Creatures To encrease every day our longing desires of beholding thee in thine own bright self By the goodness of thy Creatures we should be inflamed with greater longings towards thee because thou hast all that goodness in thy self By the defect and insufficiency of the Creatures we should increase our desire of thy self because thou hast that goodness which they want PETITIONS O Thou who art the victorious Conquerer of Sin and Death We weak Combatants beseech thee to assist us in our dangerous Warfare Assist us against the Rebellions of our Passions still thou quickly all the tumults which the occurrences of this World begin to raise in our Souls O thou the Fountain as well as Pattern of Meekness possess our Souls with this excellent vertue that our minds may never be discompos'd that our Tongues may not break forth into violent expressions nor our Hands into any rash injurious actions Let us be calm and regular within however irregular and full of confusion the World be without us O thou blessed Spirit the onely sure Comforter the benign refresher of distressed spirits grant us thy Joyes and Consolations to relieve us in this tedious Pilgrimage Let our Souls feel onely the sweet impulses of divine Hope and Charity O glorious and chiefest Good whose infinite sweetness provokes and satisfies all our Appetites May my entire Affections delight in Thee above all the vain enjoyments of the World Above all Praise and empty Honour above all Beauty and fading Pleasure above Health and all deceitfull Riches above all Power and subtlest Knowledge above even all that thy own Bounty can give and whatever is not thy very self O may my wearied Soul repose in thee the home and centre of eternal Rest May I forget my self to think on thee and fill my Memory with the wonders of thy Love That infinite Love which when my thoughts consider not as they ought alas but as I am able the Goods or Ills of this World lose their Names and yield not either relish or distast O my adored Jesu let me love thee alwayes because from Eternity thou hast loved me Let me love thee above all Creatures because thou hast loved Mankind more than any besides O let me love thee onely gracious God! because thou alone deservest all my Heart Alwayes and onely let me love thee dear Lord since alwayes my hope is onely in thee Amen Hymn 16. DEar Jesu when when shall it be That I no more shall break with thee When will this War of Passions cease And let my Soul enjoy thy Peace Here I repent and sin again Now I revive and now am slain Slain with the same unhappy dart Which O! too often wounds my Heart When dearest Lord when shall I be A Garden seal'd to all but thee No more expos'd no more undone But live and grow to thee alone 'T is not alas on this low Earth That such pure flowers can find a birth Only they spring above the skies Where none can live till here he dies Then let me die that I may go And dwell where those bright Lilies grow Where those blest plants of Glory rise And make a safer Paradise No dangerous fruit no tempting Eve No crafty Serpent to deceive But we like Gods indeed shall be O let me die that life to see Thus sayes my Song but does my Heart Join with the words and sing its part Am I so thorow-wise to choose The other World and this refuse Why should I not what do I find That fully here contents my mind What is this meat and drink and sleep That such poor things from Heaven should keep What is this Honour or great place Or bag of Money or fair Face What 's all the World that thus we should Still long to live with flesh and blood Fear not my Soul stand to the word Which thou hast sung to thy dear Lord Let but thy love be firm and true And with more heat thy wish renew O may this dying life make haste To die into true life at last No hope have I to live before But then to live and die no more Great ever-living God! to thee In Essence One in Persons Three May all thy works their Tribute bring And every Age thy Glory sing Amen For Monday Morning MEDITATION I. COme let us Meditate the Praises of our God and joyfully recite his divine Perfections His Being is of himself alone and no dependance his eternal Essence knows His Knowledge fathoms the vast extent of all things and with his Power he commands and disposes them as he pleases His Goodness is supreamly Infinite and all his glorious Attributes transcendently adorable Come let us Meditate the Praises of our God and joyfully recite his divine Perfections He is the source of all Felicity eternally full of his own unchangeable Bliss before time began he was and when the Sun must lose its light his bright day will remain the same for ever The Heaven of Heavens is the Palace of his Glory and all created nature the subject of his Dominion In his Presence the brightest Seraphims cover their Faces and all the blessed Spirits bow down their Heads to his Foot-stool It is the lov'd Imployment of those Spirits to sing aloud the eminent Prerogatives of their God and ours let us then stretch our utmost thoughts to exalt the divine Greatness But O most glorious and dreadful Deity how dare we Wretches undertake thy Praise How dare our sin-polluted Lips pronounce thy Name or where shall we seek expressions fit for thee All we can say is nothing to thy unspeakable Excellencies all we can think but a faint shadow of thy unconceivable Beauties Even the Voice of Angels is too low to reach thy worth and their highest Strains fall infinitely short of Thee Only in this shall thy Servants rejoyce and all the Powers of our Souls be glad that thy self alone art thy full Praise that all thy Works meerly in what they are do Praise thee Thou hast magnified thy self in making the Creatures The boundless Ocean of Being would not contain his Streams but overflow'd upon pure nothing and out of nothing a beauteous World appear'd Be to thy self O great Creator thine own glory as thou hast made all things for thy self Live our great God eternally encompast with the beams of thine own inaccessible light Live our ador'd Creator and reign for ever on the Throne of thine own immortal Kingdom Hymn 17. OBserve my Soul how every thing Consents to serve our bounteous King Each Creature double tribute payes Sings first its part and then obeys Birds Natures chief and sweetest Quire Him with their chearful notes admire Chanting out every day their Lauds While the glad grove their Song applauds And though their Voices lower be Yet Streams have too
their Melody All night all day they warbling run They never pause but still sing on All the fine Flowers that guild the Spring To this Praise their still Musick bring If kind Heaven bless them thankful they Will smell more sweet and look more gay Only Mankind can scarce afford This easie homage to our Lord We on whom his large bounty flows Gives all we have yet nothing owes Awake for shame my sluggish Heart Rouse thee and gladly sing thy part Learn of these birds and beasts and flowers How thou shouldst use thy nobler powers Invite whole nature to thine aid Since it was he whole nature made Joyn all in one Eternal Song Who to one Author all belong Say Live for ever glorious Lord Live by all thy great works ador'd Thou one in three and three in one All we thrice bow to Thee alone Amen MEDITATION II. TOo Glorious art Thou O Lord in thy self and thy direct Ray shines too bright for our Eyes Yet we may venture to Praise Thee in thy Works and Contemplate Thee at least reflected from thy Creatures In them we may safely behold our Almighty Maker and freely admire the Magnificence of our God Heaven and Earth are full of his greatness Heaven and Earth were created by his Power From him did all the Hosts of Angels receive their Being from him they have the honour to worship in his presence He kindled warmth and brightness in the Sun and beauteously garnisht the Firmament with Stars He spread the Air and stor'd it with flocks of Birds He gather'd the Waters and replenisht them with shoals of Fishes He establisht the Earth on a firm Foundation and richly adorn'd it with innumerable Varieties Every Element is fill'd with his Blessings and all the World with his liberal Miracles He spake the word and they were made he commands and they are still preserv'd He governs their motions in perfect order and distributes to each his proper Office contriving the whole into one vast Machin a spacious Theater of his own unlimited Greatness O Glorious Architect of universal Nature who disposest all things in number weight and measure How does thy Wisdom engage us to admire Thee How does thy Goodness oblige us to love Thee How does thy Greatness and Supream Excellency command us to reverence and stand in awe of Thee Not for themselves alone O gracious God did thy hand produce those happy Spirits above but partly to receive in charge thy little Flock and watch them in this Wilderness till thou gatherest them to folds of Bliss Not for themselves at all O Bounteous Lord were the rest of this huge Creation fram'd but to sustain our Lives in the way and carry us on to our Eternal home O my Soul do thou first Praise him for thy self and the excellent Powers that he has given thee and employ all thy Powers in his excellent Service Praise him next for all his Gifts but infinitely above all still value the Giver Let every Blessing be a motive of thy gratitude and every Creature a step of approach towards God So wilt thou faithfully observe their end and happily arrive at thine own Thou wilt use them only to sustain and comfort thee a little here and they will not hinder thy Souls preparation for Heaven And when thou art become full ripe for thy translation hence the kind Angels shall conduct thee into the divine Presence MEDITATION III. HOW admirable is thy Name O Lord over all the Earth How wise and gracious the Counsels of thy Providence After thou hadst thus prepar'd the World as a House ready furnish'd for a Man to Inhabit thy mighty hand fram'd our Bodies of the dust and built them in a shape of use and beauty Thou didst breath into us the Spirit of Life and fit us with faculties proportion'd to our end Thou gav'st us a Soul to govern our Bodies and reason to command in our Soul Thou didst reveal a Law for the Improvement of our reason and inablest us by thy grace to observe that Law Thou madest us Lords over all thy Creatures but little inferiour to thy glorious Angels Thou compellest whole Nature to serve us without reward and invitest us to love thee for our own happiness Thou designedst us an age of pure delights in that sweet and fruitful Garden where having led a long and pleasant Life thou promisedst to transplant us to thine own Paradise All this thou didst O glorious God the full Possessor of universal Bliss not for any need thou hadst of us or the least advantage thou couldst derive from our being All this thou didst O Infinite Goodness the liberal bestower of all that we possess not for any merit alas of ours or for the least motive we could offer to induce thee but for thine own excessive Charity and the meer inclination of thine own rich nature that empty we might receive of thy fullness and be partakers of thy overflowing bounty So sheds the generous Sun his beams and freely scatters them on every side guilding all the World with his beauteous light and kindly cherishing it with his fruitful heat And so dost thou and infinitely more O thou God of infinite more Perfection So we confess thou dost to us but we what return have we made to Thee have we considered well the end of our being and faithfully comply'd with thy purpose to save us Ah wretched we we neglect thy Holy Rules and govern our actions by chance and humour We quite forget our God that made us and fill our heads with thoughts that undo us This is the only praise thou expectest from us and the whole honour thou requirest of thy Creatures That by observing the orders thou appointest here in this lower region of motion and change we may all grow up to be happy hereafter in that state of permanency and Eternal rest above PETITIONS O Lord the Merciful and Gracious God I poor Sinner humbly beseech Thee to pardon all my past ingratitude all my neglect and forgetfulness of Thee and mercifully do thou direct my time to come Teach me wherein I have done amiss and have omitted my Duty and inable me to practise a sincere Repentance and amendment Teach every passage of my yet remaining Life to express the acknowledgements due to thee and to thy Mercies O Infinite and perfect Being make me to know and adore Thee to ascribe all excellency and perfection to Thee So guide thou my thoughts and words that neither of them may at any time impute what is unworthy of thee Make me ever humbly to adore thy infinite fulness of Being a fulness underived independant and unchangable Make me often to think and fully believe that there is none besides Thee like unto Thee and alwaies to ascribe unsearchable greatness Give me too O bounteous Lord I pray among thy other gifts a large sense of thy Immense liberality to Mankind that I may fitly acknowledge and praise thy bounteous Mercy Give to all mankind a
and to observe the whole Religion of our Saviour To be taught by his Precepts and to follow his excellent Example Thou must not then learn the foolish Maxims of this world nor conform to the sinful practices of it But live as one redeem'd from a vain Conversation and engag'd to hate every wicked way Thou must hereafter challenge no right to have thy self at thine own disposal But deny thy self to please thy Master and take up thy Cross when he requires it When it would cost thee thy Estate or Life to own him and profess his Truth thou must cleave to him with full purpose of Heart and forsake all things as dross and dung for his sake Thou must endeavour to walk worthy of thy Heavenly calling and that thy Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel And therefore live not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and live Godly Righteously and Soberly in this present world Do good to them that hate thee and pray for them that despitefully use thee Forgive those that injure thee and live in Charity with all Mankind As thou hast opportunity it is required that thou do good to all men but especially to those of the houshold of Faith. The Law of thy Saviour requires that according to thy capacity thou do cloath these when they are naked and feed any of them when they are hungry direct them when they are wandering restore them when they are fallen quicken them when they are slothful fortifie them when they are tempted Bear with their acknowledg'd infirmities and encourage them in all their well-doing And the Lord having plentifully entertain'd thee at his Table does expect my Soul that thou shouldst encrease in strength He expects that thy knowledge of Divine things should be more clear thy Faith be stronger to resist Temptations That thou be more patient under the adversities of this Life and more ardent in thy desires after a better That thou be fruitful in Holy Thoughts and pious words fruitful in just and charitable deeds fruitful to thy self in thine own improvements and to others in thy good example If thou do not encrease in strength it is because thou art slothful in business Be diligent then in thy work and hold on thy way so shall thy exercise of Grace make thee grow stronger and stronger for to him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance MEDITATION II. MY Soul thou didst dissemble with God in going to his Sacred Table if it was not in thy intention and purpose to love him and keep his Commands And if thou do not continue in that purpose afterwards and endeavour to put in practice thy resolutions thou despisest the obligations of his Love and art basely false to thy Covenant Every act of sin that thou commitest after thou hast been a partaker of thy Lords Supper is not only a neglect of thy Duty but the breach of a renewed Oath Canst thou find in thy heart to take the Cup of Salvation and not call upon the Name of the Lord if he delivers thee from Death and Hell thou art highly obliged to Worship him and reverence all his Institutions Wilt thou take an interest in Christ without giving him an interest in thee Is it not a very fitting act of Thanksgiving for this to offer and resign thy self to his disposal Is it not great shame that thou shouldst ever hereafter account any thing too much to part with or do for his sake when he loved not his own Life to the Death that he might ransome thee from eternal misery Thou hast renewed the remembrance of thy Saviour's dying Love received new Pledges of thy interest in it These things ought to tye thee faster in bonds of Love to him and spread the divine Love further in thy Soul 'till all thy faculties and powers be under the command of it and thy whole self as it were chang'd into Love. Such should thy Love be as never to forget how great things his Love has done for thee such as never to think of those great things without the most fervent and hearty adorations such as to make thee much delighted to think often of his Love and often to commemorate him at his Supper to make thee study what will please him and strive to do it in an universal Obedience to make thee desire that his Honour may be promoted in the World and his Kingdom enlarged to all the corners of the Earth Did our Saviour come into the World to destroy the works of the Devil and shall I help to carry on those works in the world by retaining and living in any sin This sure were highly to affront the great Redeemer and despise his kind undertaking To such there remains no other Offering for sin but they ought with fear to expect a terrible Judgment Wilt thou my Soul entertain and cherish that which has pierc'd the heart of thy Saviour O with what Indignation should we regard all sin even our most beloved sins when it was these that gave him his many Wounds these brought him to the Agony in the Garden these caused his secret Sufferings on the Cross which his Soul felt when he sadly cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All these things will condemn me if I regard any Iniquity in my heart Consider further my Soul what is worthy of them who are washt in the precious Blood of the Lamb. How very much ought they to love to whom much has been forgiven How should they love one another whom the Father so lov'd as to give them his Son Consider again how they ought to walk who are consign'd to immortal Blessedness How should they purifie themselves as God is pure and cast away all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit With what Contempt should they look upon all the Pomp and Glory of this World and pity those that fondly admire it and never envy any the enjoyment of it With what Moderation and Indifferency should they desire and enjoy these things They should never be proud of any enjoyments in this world nor be dejected with any wants In vain was our Saviour a man of Sorrows and acquainted with Griefs to purchase for us the Glories and Joyes of Heaven if the hopes of Glory are not worthy to delight us and make us rejoyce evermore Thou dost undervalue thy Saviours Purchase if the thoughts of Heaven do not enflame thy desires and account his Blood cheaply thrown away if thou think it not worth thy endeavours To answer then the obligations of thy Saviours Love thou must earnestly strive to fit thy self for Heaven thou must greatly desire to be there and cherish the hopes of it as thy chiefest Joyes and Consolations on Earth MEDITATION III. I Acknowledge O Blessed Son of God and Lord of Heaven and Earth that as I am thine by receiving my being from thee so I was early devoted to thee I was engaged in a Solemn Covenant by which I stand bound to
do thee faithful Service I own O Lord the Justice and Equity of being so obliged I account it my Interest to be intirely thine I am saved by being Devoted to thee and honour'd in admission to thy Service It is the greatest Preferment I can attain to serve him who is Lord of Heaven and Prince of the Kings of the Earth Thy Service O Lord is perfect Freedom and they have great Peace that love thy Law There are no riches comparable to thy rewards nor any Pleasures so sweet as thy Consolations I am asham'd O Lord and have great reason to be so for that I have liv'd no more suitable to such a Devoted State That I have presum'd to dispose of my self so much according to the devices and desires of of my own heart I have often wander'd from the safe and pleasant Path of thy Commandments and often stept into the dangerous uneasie wayes of sin I have greatly disparaged my self hereby in thy sight and in the sight of thy Holy Angels O it is fit that thou and they who have seen my sins should see my repentance that have seen me most basely breaking my Covenant with my God should see me heartily renewing again so just a Covenant I thank thy Love Dear Jesu for 't is by what thou hast done for us that our Repentance may be accepted I thank thee O gracious Saviour for Instituting thy Supper for the Renewal and Confirmation of our Baptismal Covenant that thou hast commanded us at that to reinforce our resolutions and that thou art ready to confirm them by thy Grace It is Lord the sincere desire of my Soul never to revolt from Thee any more I believe there is no greater happiness than to be a firm Confederate with the faithful Jesus By which I shall become a Temple to the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Light and Love the Spirit of Grace and Glory Now Lord that I have had a fresh sight of thy Love and have sate under thy Shadow with Delight thy blessed Name shall be deeply engraven in my heart I will allow no affection but the Love of Jesus and all my powers and all their motions shall be subject to that I will say to all the Vanities of the world Be gone I have no room in my heart for you whom I cannot love too little I will reserve it all for my Saviour whom I can never love too much I will say to those Temptations that would draw me into sin cease your base Solicitations for I cannot willingly grieve my loving Saviour If it be difficult to serve him I will steadily conflict with those difficulties If it will cost me the loss of all worldly Conveniencies I will gladly forsake all to adhere to him If it expose my Life I will let that goe rather than deny my loving Lord. Now that I have receiv'd the Blessed Jesus at his Supper and thou Lord art come to make thy abode with me I will study to give thee such kind Entertainment as may please thee and keep thee with me I will indeavour in my thoughts words and actions to set alwayes before thee what I think will be acceptable I will watch against every thing that is impure and would be offensive to thy holy sight I will often retire from the World to converse with thee Worldly cares and business shall not keep me from thy Company I have been praising thee O Lord in thy House and at thy Table but I have not praised thee enough And who can praise thee enough for what I there saw for what I there received Oh! how low are my Conceptions of thy Love how vastly below it are all my words I will try O Lord what my deeds can do in praising thee and every part of my Life shall endeavour thy honour Thus Lord I may and ought to resolve but my Practice depends entirely on thy Grace PETITIONS O Lord our kind and gracious Redeemer Thou art exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins I beseech thee O Lord as thou hast enabled me to repent and to confess the folly of my backsliding heart do thou graciously give me thy pardon Forgive me O Lord that I have been so false to former Vows and have so often contradicted my Covenants with thee O deal not with me as I deserve cast me not away from thy presence take not thy Holy Spirit from me I have been weakly striving against my sins and could not so far conquer them as I would And therefore Lord I came to thy Table to receive greater strength against them O let such a vertue come from thy Death at this Remembrance of it as may lay all my sins utterly dead and let the Influence of that power so remain as that they may never revive that I may never be hinder'd in my Duty by any sin easily besetting me that I may serve and please thee in all purity heavenly-mindedness integrity in Charity Humility and Contentedness in whatever condition it shall please thee to place me Enable me perfectly to overcome my Passions and keep them all subject to the Laws of thy Love. Let thy Love which is represented in this Sacrament so deeply affect me that I may delight to think and to speak of it and may endeavour as far as I can to imitate it Keep me mindful of my Vows make my Endeavours successful and my Obedience perfect and compleat in all things So possess me with the Love of thee my kind Redeemer as to make me ardently desirous of seeing thee face to face Refine me at length by that holy fire from all the dross of my Corruptions and to such a degree of holiness and purity that I may be fit to fly away from this World to the Habitation of thy Holiness and Glory Amen Hymn 24. DO I resolve an easie life With plenty stor'd and free from strife When my dear Lord thy days and nights Were past in poverty and fights Do I design a gentle Death Just singing out my aged Breath When my Love cruel tortures tore Thy dear Soul out all drown'd in gore Oh no our Christian Sacrifice Acting in a sweet disguise My Saviours Passion o're again Shall all such fond Conceits restrain This must keep lively in my mind How I ought still to be resign'd This humble pattern should destroy My sensual Grief and worldly Joy. Are Sufferings Ills No Goodness chose His and our way to Bliss through those Are Pleasures Goods No Wisdom scorn'd Their dalliance and has us forewarn'd This Lord this make my Song to be At least whene're I meet with thee Thee its glad ground so oft repeating As may prevent my Souls forgetting Jesu thus arm'd no terrours shall E're make my vertuous Courage fall No flatteries here my blest hopes drown Since thy sad Cross led to thy Crown O live for ever glorious Lord Live by all Heaven and Earth ador'd May both their joyful praises give They
rather forget such impertinent things What have we seen but distracting Vanities and what brought home but unprofitable Fancies How often have we felt our Minds disturb'd how often endanger'd by unhappy accidents Sometimes we frowardly throw our selves down and like sullen Children will not stand Sometimes the tempest throws us down and like weak Children we cannot stand Yet are we venturing still among the snares entic'd by the Appearance of some present delight We weary out our selves with running after flies which are hard to catch and trifles when they are caught This we pursue and follow that but nothing we meet can fill our Hearts till we have found out Thee O Gracious Lord our only full all-satisfying good Till we have found out Thee not by a dark belief but clearly as thou art in thine own bright self Remember O my Soul this truth of the World we live in which our own experience too evidently proves The Eye is not fill'd with seeing it's varieties nor the Ear with hearing all its harmony Remember also this Truth of the World we hope for which is made sure to our Faith by the Word of Christ The Eye has not seen such beauteous glories nor has the Ear ever heard such ravishing charms nor can the Heart it self conceive such incredible joyes as our God has provided for them that love him As our Blessed Jesus has purchas'd for his Servants and even for Thee my Soul if thou art one of them Then thou may'st in Peace lay down thy Head and rest secure in the protection of thy God Whose Mercy has so graciously singled thee out from among the race of guilty Mortals To give thee the Peace which passes all understanding and the hopes that are strongly establisht on himself PETITIONS O Infinitely mild and unexhaustible source of Mercy and Compassion have Mercy upon me poor miserable Sinner Have Mercy Lord and help me for I spend my daies in Vanity though I am continually hasting down to the Grave I do not improve as I might in Vertue by the occasions I meet with but they often make me guilty and improve in Vice. O Lord enter not into Judgment with thy poor Creature for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Lord make me judge my self lest I be condemn'd by Thee and frequently chastise my self lest I be punisht by thee Make me mortifie my senses with discreet austerities that I may reduce my Body into Subjection to my Mind and bring my Mind at length into a due Subjection to thee O Lord of thy great Mercy pardon my daily Sins and let thy Grace make even them occasions of improvement in Vertue Let thy Provident Mercy O God make every day a new Branch of Knowledge to me from whence the Evening may gather fresh variety of Fruits to nourish my Soul to an Eternal Life fruits that may strengthen me against those occasions by which I have been most frequently overcome that may render me steady in the wayes of Vertue Grant I beseech Thee that no experience of Good or Evil which this day has afforded may be lost upon me Make me more skilful by all to discern the true value and use of the present state in all its various postures wean me more from this world since thou hast made me for a better Make me more ready to offer up with our Saviour my whole Concerns and Being here to thy will and the sole advance of thy Glory that I may at length be Crown'd with bliss among the rest of thy resign'd and devoted Servants through Jesus Christ thy well-beloved Son. Amen Hymn 26. 'T is not for us and our proud Hearts O Mighty Lord to chuse our parts But act well what thou wisely giv'st 'T is not in our weak pow'r to make One step o' th' way we undertake Unless thou kindly us reliev'st What thou hast given thou canst take And when thou wilt new gifts canst make As all things flow from thee alone When thou didst give it it was thine When thou retook'st it 't was not mine 'T is fit thy will in all be done It might perhaps too pleasant prove Too much attractive of my love And so make less my love of thee Some things there are 〈◊〉 Scriptures say And reason proves that Heaven and they Can very seldom will agree Lord let me then sit calmly down And rest contented with my own That is with what thou here allow'st Keep thou my mind serene and free Often to think on Heaven and Thee And those great things thou there bestow'st There let me have my portion Lord There all my losses be restor'd And then no matter what falls here Is' t not enough that we shall sing And love for ever our blest King Whose glorious goodness brought us there Great God as thou art One may we With one another all agree All in thy thankful praise conspire May Men and Angels joyn and sing Eternal Hymns to Thee their King And make up one Adoring Quire. Amen For Saturday Morning MEDITATION I. IF we rejoyced for our selves in the Sufferings of our Lord let us now rejoyce for him that his Sufferings are ended Now that the Fowlers Net is broken and the meek and innocent Dove escap'd Now that the Cup of bitterness is past away and never possible to return again Never again O dearest Jesu shall those blest Eyes weep nor thy holy Soul be sorrowful unto Death Never shall thy precious Life be subject any more to the bloody Malice of ambitious Hypocrites Never shall thy Innocence any more be expos'd to the barbarous fury of an ingrateful multitude But thou shalt live and reign for ever and all created Nature shall perpetually adore thee O happy end of well endur'd Afflictions O blessed Fruits that spring from the Cross of Jesus Look up my Soul and see thy Crucified Lord sit gloriously enthron'd at the right hand of his Father Behold the ragged Purple now turn'd into a Robe of light and the scornful Reed into a royal Scepter The wreath of Thorns is grown into a sparkling Diadem and all his Scars polisht into brightness His Tears are all now chang'd into Joy and the Laughter of his Persecutors into sad Despair Herod long since perisht in miserable conntempt and Pilate still trembles with everlasting fears the impenitent Jews are scatter'd over the World to attest his Truth and their own obdurate blindness But himself is crown'd with eternal Triumphs and the Souls he redeems shall sing his Victories for ever Live glorious King of Men and Angels live happy Conquerour of Sin and Death Our Praises shall alwayes attend thy Sufferings and our Patience endeavour to bear our own Through fiercest dangers our Faith shall follow thee and nothing wrest from us our hope at last to see thee We will fear no more the sting of Death nor be frighted at the darkness of the Grave since thou hast chang'd our Grave into a Bed of rest and made Death it self but a
passage into Life We will love no more the Pleasures of Vanity nor set our hearts on unsatisfying riches since thou hast opened Paradise again and Purchas'd for us the Kingdom of Heaven Hymn 27. MY God to Thee our selves we owe And to thy Bounty all we have Behold to thee our Praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave If we are happy in a Friend That very Friend 't is thou bestow'st His power his will to help our end Is just so much as thou allow'st If we enjoy a free Estate Our only Title is from thee Thou mad'st our lot to bear that rate Which else an empty blank would be If we have Health that well-tun'd ground That gives the Musick to the rest It is by thee our Air is sound Our Food secur'd our Physick blest If we have hope one day to view The Glories of thy blissful Face Each drop of that refreshing Dew Must fall from Heaven and thy free grace Thus then to thee our Praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave Since 't is to thee our selves we owe And to thy bounty all we have Glory to Thee great God alone Three Persons in one Deity As it has been in Ages gone May now and still for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. BLessed be thy Name O holy Jesu and blessed be the mercy of thy Providence Who hast cast our lot in these times of Grace and design'd our birth in the dayes of light when we may clearly see our ready way and directly go on to our glorious end 'Till thou appearedst O thou only Light of the World our miserable Earth lay cover'd with darkness 'Till thou wentest away O thou Sovereign Lord of Life the Kingdom of Heaven was close shut up When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of Death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Thou didst communicate thy Joyes to all the World and display the bright glories of thy happy Kingdom to all that esteem'd so blest a sight and stood prepar'd to entertain thy coming As for the rest whose eyes are shut or turn'd away by their own malice thy Presence yields them no more Joy than light to those that will not see But the hearts that receive and love thee thou fillest with gladness and overflowest them with an ocean of heavenly delights Come ye happy believing Souls that are made partakers of the mercies of his Kingdom Come let us now raise up our thoughts and continually Meditate our future Beatitude Let us comfort our selves with the hope of rest and our Sufferings with the expectance of a glorious reward Now that the hand of our gracious Lord has unlockt the gates of everlasting Bliss Now that they stand wide open to admit such as diligently strive to enter in Such as have wisely made choice of Heaven for the only end and business of their life rejecting all the false allurements of this World to attend the pursuit of true felicity MEDITATION III. PRaise our Lord O you children of Men Praise him as the Anthor of all your hopes Praise our Lord O you blessed of Heaven Praise him as the Finisher of all your Joyes Sing O you reverend Patriarchs and holy Prophets Sing Hymns of Glory to the great Messias Sing and Rejoyce all you ancient Saints who have so long enjoy'd the happy repose of Abraham's bosom Bring forth your best and purest Incense and humbly offer it at the Throne of the Lamb The Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the World by the sprinkling of whose Blood you all were saved O still sing on the Praises of the King of Peace and bless for ever his victorious Mercy It was he dissolv'd the power of darkness and broke asunder the strong bars of Death He has conquer'd Death and him that had the power of it even the Devil that his faithful Followers might triumph over both How did your glad eyes sparkle with Joy to see the Ascension of your humbled Redeemer How were your Spirits transported with delight to behold the splendours of his glorious Exaltation to have his Presence among you his blissful Presence that can turn even the saddest night into a chearful day that can change a Dungeon into a house of Mirth and make every place a joyful Paradice O glorious Presence when shall our Souls be fill'd with strong and constant desires of enjoying Thee O sluggish Soul how canst thou contentedly hover about this Earth when the loving Jesus is Ascended above the Skies with longing hopes look up thither and say When dearest Jesu shall my desires be fill'd with the everlasting fruition of thy blessed self Henceforth for thee and for thy Sacred Love O thou great and only Comfort of our Souls shall all Afflictions be welcome to me as wholsome Physick to correct my Follies shall the Pleasures of the World be very cautiously used as dangerous Fruit that may fill me with Diseases Will I by thy example neither fear to Dye nor refuse the labours of this present Life But while I live I will obey thy Grace that when I dye I may enjoy thy Glory PETITIONS O Blessed Jesu our only hope our all-sufficient strength and the liberal Rewarder of all thy Servants As thou hast freely prepared for us ready wages so Lord let thy Grace inable us to work Let thy Grace excite to diligence in our work and make us steady and persevering in the way thou lovest Make us direct our whole Life to thee O Fullness of Bliss and undervalue all things compar'd with thy Love. O Seal up our Eyes to the Illusions of this World and open them upwards to thy solid Joyes there let them fix their pleased sight and look 'till we be transformed into thy glorious likeness That when our present earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved and this House of Clay shall fall down into the dust we may ascend to thee and dwell above in that Building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens O Jesu thou didst expire on the Cross and descend into the Grave to destroy the life of Sin in us and the fears of Death Grant then I beseech thee that these may never revive in me to tempt or affright me from the wayes of Holiness Fix in me O Lord the firm belief of this very sure and important Truth That the greatest mischiefs which our Salvation can cost us here are but momentary and shall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Through thy abundant Merits O dear Redeemer Glory be to c. Amen For Saturday Evening MEDITATION I. TOO often are we troubled about many things when the truely necessary is only one Retire O my Soul into thine own bosom and search what thou aim'st at in all thy thoughts Examine where thou dost place thy chief Felicity and whither tend thy strongest desires Go to the Great and Prudent of the World and learn of them to choose thy Interests Do they not there encrease their Estates where they
mean to spend the most of their life Do they project their Mansion Seat in a Country through which they only pass as Travellers No more my Soul should we build our best hopes on the sandy Foundation of this perishable Earth where sure we are that we cannot stay long and are not sure we may have leave to stay but a very little while We must then use this transitory Life as Pilgrims returning to their beloved Home that we may take only what our Journey requires and not think of settling in a forreign Countrey but wisely forecast our Treasures so as to be happy there where we must alwayes be Let us use this World as not abusing it for the fashion of this World passes away Use it so as to gain thereby the next in reward for our using this well So shall this short Time end in a happy Eternity MEDITATION II. NOW thou hast found thy happy end and found it the onely good that lasts for ever study O my Soul to know still more and still more to value those immortal joyes Strive for so glorious a prize with thy whole force with the utmost endeavours of all thy Faculties Purchase at any rate that blest Inheritance and wisely neglect before that any thing else any thing that would divert thee from thy holy course or but retard the speed of thy Advance For though the lowest degree of Happiness in the Mansions above be happy enough where every satisfied Vessel is fill'd to the brim yet to enlarge our Capacity to the least nigher degree deserves the busiest diligence of our whole life Shall the industrious Bee endure no rest but fly and sing and labour all day Shall the unwearied Ant be running up and down to fetch and carry a few grains of Corn And we for whom all Nature so faithfully works and tires it self in a perpetual Motion for whom the tender Providence of God commands even his Angels to watch continually for whom the ador'd Jesus came down from Heaven and spent a whole life in continual labours Shall we sleep on in a drowsie Sloth and not stir a finger to help our selves Awake my Soul and chide thy sluggish thoughts and let their stupid folly plainly know we have a store to provide as well as 〈◊〉 and infinitely richer than their poor hoard We have a work to do as well as Bees and that which is infinitely sweeter than all their honey What can so nobly enrich an immortal Soul as still to be gathering a stock for Eternity What can so highly delight one that every day improves as daily to see the encrease of his hope O blessed hope thou shalt be my chief delight and the onely Treasure I covet to lay up Thou art the quickning Life of all my Actions and the sweet allay of all my Sufferings So shall I never refuse any the meanest labour while I look to receive such glorious Wages So shall I never repine at any temporal loss while I hope to gain such Eternal Rewards MEDITATION III. BUt O! 't is not so much our sloath undoes us as the imprudent choice in applying our Diligence Many alas take pains enough many perplex themselves too much See how the busie toylers of the world are chain'd perpetually like slaves to their work How early they rise and go late to sleep and eat the Bread of Care and Sorrow See how the hardy Souldiers follow their Prince through a thousand difficulties to meet with dangers See how the venturous Mariners expose their lives over stormy Seas barbarous Nations And why is all this poor ill-advised wretches but to fetch perhaps a little Fish or Spice To gain a few Pence or some petty Honour which others often share in more than your selves O Gracious Lord how easie are thy commands how cheap hast thou made the purchase of Heaven Half these pains would make us excellent Saints half these Sufferings would place us in thy account among the Martyrs were they devoutly undertaken for thee and the higher enjoyment of thy Glorious Promises Thou dost not bid us freeze under the Polar Star nor burn in the heats of the torrid Zone But proposest a sweet and gentle rule and such as our Nature it self would choose did not our passions strangely mislead us and the World about us distract our reason Thou biddest us but wisely love our selves and attend above all things our own true happiness Thou bid'st us value even this world as much as it deserves since 't is the School that breeds us up for the other Only we are forbidden to be wilful fools and prefer a short Vanity before Eternal felicity O the mild Government of the King of Heaven his will we can do whatever else we are doing This we can do even while we sit still and only move our Thoughts towards thee Yet take care my Soul that this sweetness of thy Lord be never abused to a◠wanton neglect But strive still to love thy Lord so much the more as by any means thou discoverest more the excess of his love PETITIONS O Thou the Eternal being who changest not and yet art the cause and end of all our changes Who still remainest the same rich fulness in thy self the same bright Glory to all thy Blessed Make me sensible of my approaching change of the dissolution that will call me away from this present world And make me regard this world as a place of Pilgrimage as having here no enduring City Teach me also O Lord the Immortality of my Soul and convince me that I must dwell for ever in another world so make me endeavour to have thee the Eternal God for my Everlasting Portion and spend this short time in diligent striving to reach the Blissful Enjoyment of Thee Suffer me not O God to take up my rest on Earth to be ever unconcern'd about Eternity whatever my condition be here When I see with what unwearied diligence the wretched adventures for all sorts of Vanity do round about me pursue their vain designs let this Lord be taken as a very just reproach for my negligence in the pursuit of better things Make me asham'd to see any others more concern'd for the applause of men than I am for the favour and approbation of God To see others more eager of the transient pleasures of this World than I for the lasting delights of Heaven Preserve me O Gracious Lord from the many dangers which on all sides assault me now to divert or hinder my progress towards Heaven O keep my mind ever dispos'd to receive thy Holy inspirations that being alwayes strongly and pleasantly carried forward by thy Holy Spirit I may at last happily arrive at the Heavenly Jerusalem For the sake of Jesus Christ the Mediatour Amen Hymn 28. MY Soul what 's all this world to thee This world of sin and woe Where only sense can tast its sweets And those unwholsome too Truth is thy food truth thy delight Which cannot here be free Thy
thou the desire of all Nations We were misled by the errour of our Forefathers we were abus'd by our own blind passions The Kingdom we expected deserves not that Name a short vain and troublesome Prosperity Thy Dominion O Lord is Holiness and Peace and of thy Kingdom there shall be no end Such was the Kingdom thou promisedst to David Thy Throne will I establish for ever Such is the Kingdom thou giv'st to thy Servants they shall live and reign with thee for ever If we love my Soul and seek first this eternal Kingdom all other things shall be added to it This Happy Kingdom we ought to love and seek though nothing else should be added to it Thou art O Lord the true light of the World they who follow Thee walk not in darkness MEDITATION II. RIse Holy Spouse of the Son of God rise and put on thy robes of joy Rise and shine forth for thy Glory is come and the splendour of our Lord strikes bright upon Thee The Gentiles shall walk in the beams of thy light and Kings in the lustre of thy Brightness Lift up thine Eyes round about and behold they gather all together and flock to thee Thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters be nurst at thy side Then thou shalt see and flow together thy Heart shall wonder and be enlarged with gladness Because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto Thee and the strength of the Gentiles come unto thee The Sons of Strangers shall build up thy Walls and their Kings shall Minister unto Thee The Nation shall perish that will not serve thee and the Kingdom be utterly wasted that refuses thee The Sons of thy afflicters shall come bending before Thee and all they that despised thee bow thimselves down at the soles of thy feet For our Lord shall be thy everlasting light and the dayes of thy Mourning shall end in Glory To thee shall be given the Keys of Heaven and thou shalt shut and open those Eternal Doors Thy Foundation shall be laid on a firm Rock and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against thee A way shall be made so direct and plain that the Passengers though Fools shall not erre therein And the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of our Lord as the waters cover the Sea. All this we read all this we firmly believe for the mouth of our Lord has spoken it Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not a tittle of his word be disappointed for ever Many of the Sacred Prophesies are already fulfill'd abundantly sufficient to assure us of the rest Already a Virgin has brought forth a Son and given him the Gracious Name of Jesus The Kings of the East have been led to him by a Star and offer'd him Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh His Holy Parents have presented him in the Temple and the devout Simeon was over-joyed to see him In his tender infancy he fled into Egypt and out of Egypt again God brought forth his Son. He past his private Life in Peace and meekness and taught a contradicting People in Patience and Humility He confirm'd his Doctrine with innumerable Miracles and defended the Truth to the last drop of his Blood. He rose again victoriously from the Grave and ascended in Triumph to the Right Hand of his Father And there O Glorious Jesu wilt thou sit and Reign till all thy Enemies become thy footstool Nor has thy Judgement slept O dreadful Lord but with a swift and terrible Vengeance crusht them into ruine Jerusalem long since was made a heap of stones and the Children of thy Crucisiers run wandering over the World But while thou art thus severe in the Predictions of thy Justice thou hast not forgot those of thy Mercy Thousands of that ungrateful City have acknowledg'd Thee their Lord Thousands of that perverse Generation have submitted to thy Scepter Whole Nations of the Gentiles have embrac'd thy Faith and remotest Islands obey'd thy Law. Blessed for ever be thy Name O Lord and blessed be the sweetness of thy Mercy who hast reveal'd thy self to those that knew Thee not and art found of those that sought thee not Who often followest those that fly from thee and never refusest any that come to Thee Thou still exactly performest thy part but we ingrateful wretches how do we comply with ours Where is the profit thou maist justly require to answer the â—are of thy Providence over us Thou hast planted us O Lord in thine own Vineyard and fenced us about with thy Holy Discipline Where is the Fruit we should alwayes be bearing since good works are never out of season Of our selves alas we are very dry and barren and our Nature at best brings forth nothing but leaves In Thee Lord while we remain we live but separated from Thee we are certainly dead and fruitless In thee O Lord is all our hope and that thou wilt have Mercy on the work of thy hands That thou wilt not curse these fruitless branches lest they wither away and be cast into the fire Nor pronounce against us that dreadful Sentence Cut them down why cumber they the ground But mercifully cut them off from their wild stock and graft them in thy self the true Vine And then still water us with the dew of Heaven and bless our low shrubs with thy powerful influence So shall Grapes grow on Thorns and Figs be gather'd from those that were Thistles MEDITATION III. REjoyce in our Lord all you Children of Adam rejoyce in the bounty of his free Grace No longer now confin'd to a few choice Favourites and the narrow compass of a private Family he has thrown down that partition Wall and opened the way of Life to all Mankind That all may believe and love him here and all enjoy and be happy in him hereafter But O my God! what do we see when we look abroad into the wide World We see the sad effects but cannot see the cause why so many Kingdoms lye miserably waste We know O Lord thy wayes are in the deep Abyss and humbly adore thy secret Councels Onely we cannot think of their lamentable condition without pitying their misery and imploring thy mercy Some have not yet so much as heard of thee and others who have heard have refus'd to entertain thee Some who have once acknowledg'd thee have quite fallen away others have corrupted thy Doctrines by mixing with them their own Traditions Many even of those who rightly believe abuse their holy Faith by a wicked Life Thus the far greatest part of wretched Mankind whom thy goodness created after thine own similitude whom thou hast shed thy precious Blood to redeem and to bring them to an everlasting Happiness still fail alas of their true end and die in their sins and everlastingly perish Where O Lord is thy Zeal and the Bowels of thy Mercy Where are thy promises to thy beloved Son Hast thou not said All Nations shall adore him and all the
Spirit of Adoption Blessed be thou O Eternal Father God of abundant and infinite goodness for this unspeakable kindness of sending thy Spirit into our miserable and wicked World a Spirit so suited to our necessities and able to bring many of us to glory This Lord was thy free gift with respect to us unworthy Creatures Mankind did not could not deserve it of thee it ought therefore to be the more marvellous in our eyes And we may justly wonder not only at thy Bounty but at thy Patience too herein for Mankind had highly forfeited this Mercy and it was directly contrary to his Deserts Thou didst send thy Spirit for our good and advantage after that the ungrateful World had abused and put to Death thy Son. Blessed be thou O Dear Redeemer whose Blood and Death purchased for us this incomparable gift and whose powerful Intercession in Heaven obtain'd it Blessed be thy merciful Providence O Jesu who when thou hadst finisht thy great work on Earth didst ascend into Heaven to draw our minds even thither after thee Blessed be thy Infinite Goodness who when thou hadst taught us the words of Eternal Life sentest down the Holy Ghost to make us observe them and raise up our Affections to that glorious Kingdom whither thou art gone before us that where Thou our happiness art our hearts as they should may also be Blessing and Praise be to the Holy Spirit himself who though proceeding from the Father and the Son is equal in nature and glory whose free goodness it was to give himself to our forlorn World He is both the Giver and the Gift from the great Love wherewith he loved us Thus are we beholden to the ever blessed Trinity not only for excellent and supernatural Graces but also for his Presence who is the cause and Author of all Grace And they to whom this Spirit is given have not only the Streams but the Fountain of living Waters in whom therefore they must needs be springing up even unto Eternal Life PETITIONS O Merciful Lord who hast loved us from the beginning be graciously pleased to love us unto the end Pity the unhappy state of fallen Mankind which neither Nature nor Law could bring to any perfection Send out thy Spirit O Lord and we shall be created again unto good Works and from our nothing of sin be raised to a Life of Holiness O send out thy Spirit and renew the face of the Earth and then our weeds and thorns shall be turn'd into a Paradise O cure our World in thy due time of all those distempers in the spirits of men that make us miserable confus'd and unquiet Deliver us from the spirit of Prophaneness and Infidelity from the spirit of Errour Heresie and Schism Deliver us from the spirit of Pride and Avarice from the spirit of Anger Sloth and Envy Deliver us from the spirit of Drunkenness and Gluttony from the spirit of Lust and Wantonness and Impurity Deliver us O God from every evil spirit and vouchsafe to give us the Graces of thy good Spirit that Order and Peace may flourish in the World and Mankind may not hate nor fear nor persecute one another O may the Christian Church which thou hast wonderfully begun and with many wonders yet continued in the World may it go on still to the end of time and make it Lord to encrease and multiply till every Nation speak in their own language the wonderful Works of God. O blessed Spirit the Church thou hast been pleased to establish vouchsafe alwayes to govern Alwayes keep it free from Usurpation and Tyranny in the Governours and from Contention Unruliness and spiritual Pride in those that should be govern'd That it may alwayes be in a fit posture to receive the Influences of thy Grace and may with those heavenly dews be as a fruitful Field Which things we humbly implore through the Merits of Jesus Christ Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. COme my Soul and adore our God that sanctifies us implore his Grace to make thee able and then adore him Him who from the Father and the Son eternally proceeds and with the Father and the Son must be equally worship'd and glorified In thy Name O Lord together with that of the Father and the Son we are by divine appointment Baptized and so directed to believe in thee Thou art therefore a distinct Person in that Adorable Trinity which is the one eternal God Thou dost make the for the Saints with the Father and therefore art not only the power of the Father Thy coming O Lord into this World did depend upon the departure of the Son therefore I believe thou art distinct from the Son. I believe O Lord thou wast manifestly distinguisht from the Father and the Son when at the Baptism of our Saviour thou didst descend upon him in the likeness of a Dove when at the same time there was a voice from the Father saying This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased Thou art O Lord not a created Person but with the Father and Son art God blessed for evermore By thee was our Saviour conceived in the Womb of a Virgin and therefore was her Birth called the Son of God. Thy dwelling in one of us converts a poor Creature into a Sacred Temple therefore we ought to adore thee as God And I humbly adore thee as the most high eternal God as of the same Nature Attributes and Operations with the Father and the Son. I adore thee as having inseparable from thy Nature an infinite essential and original Holiness as God. And it is peculiarly and especially thy Undertaking or Office to make us poor sinners holy therefore I adore thee under the glorious Title of Holy Spirit It was thou O Lord that didst speak to the World by all the holy Prophets that have been since the Beginning And thus it came to pass that all the holy Scripture was given to us by the inspiration of God. Thou art the Author and Finisher of our Faith by an internal illumination of our Minds Thereby thou inclinest us to the obedience of Faith and to give our assent to those Divine Truths which our carnal corrupted natures would reject as foolishness By thee it is that we are renewed in all the faculties of our Souls and our Affections and Will are made conform'd unto the will of God. Thou dost infuse into us the breath of Life and bring us forth in our second Birth in which birth we become the Children of God and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven By thee are all sincere Christians baptized into one Body even the Mystical Body of Christ and it is thy Testimony alone that comfortably assures to any of them their Adoption In order to these great things it is thy kind office to sanctifie and set apart
conspire with it against us Sometimes surprizing our unwary negligence sometimes defeating even our strongest resolves Not that they can compell our wills unless we yield or make the least wound without our consent Much less prevail against the power of Heaven and frustrate the purpose of the Almighty Wisdom Whose Mercy has us'd more arts to save us than the craft of Vice can invent to destroy us Such a Redemption so miraculously wrought such holy Sacraments so often repeated Such glorious promises so faithfully assur'd and which revives our hope so easily attain'd O infinite goodness how generous is thy Love how liberally extended over all the World Thou invites t little Children to come to thee and the lame and the blind to sit down at thy Feast None are shut out of Heaven but such as will not go in none made unhappy but those who care not to be otherwise Chear then thy self my Heart and let no fears molest thee nor even Death it self abate thy courage Death is a passage that was alwayes short and our Saviours death has made it safe to them that follow him in their lives By the practice of the Saints it is grown familiar and by their happy success become desirable Lose not then thy hope in so glorious an enterprize where Eternity is at stake and Heaven is the reward That Heaven for which the Ancient Hermits sought devout retirement in the Deserts That Heaven for which the holy Confessors spent all their time and innumerable Martyrs laid down their dearest lives That Heaven where Millions of Angels continually sing and all the blessed make one Quire That Heaven where the adored Jesus eternally Reigns and the Immortal Deity shines bright for ever That very Heaven is promis'd to thee my Soul that blest Eternity thou art commanded to hope for Raise now thy head and see those beauteous Prospects that ravish the Hearts of all their beholders Yonder far above the Stars is thy Saviours Kingdom yonder we must dwell when we leave this Earth Yonder must our Souls remove to rest when the stroak of Death shall divide them from their Bodies And when the Almighty Power shall joyn them again yonder must we live with our God for ever PETITIONS O Most Gracious and Bountiful King of Saints It was by thy sufficient grace afforded to them that any of thy Saints were able to do much good and to suffer much evil for thy sake They acknowledg'd it was not they that did any good but it was Christ that lived in them O Lord to whom then should we go but unto thee for assistance to follow those that have been Followers of Thee To thee O Lord we must address our selves and to Thee alone for thou alone art the Dispenser of that Grace we need And we thank thee thou hast given us such assurance of thy good will in taking our nature and dying for us that we know not nor need desire one more tender than thou and more ready to help us O Lord direct us we Pray to find the footsteps of thy Flock and inable us to follow the blessed track that we may come at last to the happy rest thou givest them Pity O Lord the Infirmities of thy Servants and quicken our slowness by the example of thy Saints What we see they have done for the love of Jesus let us be ambitious to do what they patiently suffer'd let us neither sinfully decline nor undergo with murmuring and discontent Make us especially O Lord to remember what thou hast done and suffer'd to set before our selves thy bright example the light of which directed them And make us mindful too of what thou promisest and what they have gain'd by following thee that their Names according to thy Promise are written in the Book of Life and they shall be exalted to sit with thee on thy high Throne O Bounteous Lord the only Author of all we have the only object of all we hope As thou hast prepared a Heaven for us O may thy grace prepare us for it O make us live the Life of the Just and let our last end be like theirs that we may dye the death of the Just and live for ever in that blest Society and in that blest Society may for ever sing thy Praise and say To him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own Blood and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his Father to him be Glory and Dominion for ever and ever Amen Hymn 34. TEll me ye glorious Stars that shine About the Lambs Caelestial throne How from such bodies once as mine Are you to this great brightness grown Hark with one Voice they thus reply This to the Lambs desert is due His humble Death rais'd him so high And us his faithful Followers too With one Voice this too they will say Our Lord taught us the happy Skill By his bright steps to guide our way And follow his best Followers still As we saw they had set their mind And rul'd their course we order'd ours This State alone we both design'd And up towa'rds this strein'd all our powers Taught by wise Temperance we abstain'd From Earths low Joyes for greater goods And slighting little drops we gain'd Full sweet and everlasting Floods Well arm'd with Fortitude we bare All lesser evils worse to flye And mortal-death we durst out-dare That we might not for ever dye Strict Justice we observ'd by giving To every one their utmost due That all in peace and order living All freely might this Heaven pursue But Prudence govern'd all the rest Prudence that made us still apply That which was fittest and was best To advance greatest Charity On these swift golden wheels of Grace That Loves bright fiery Chariot bear We all arriv'd at this bright place O follow us and do not fear O certain Truths O blest Attesters O that all yet on Earth might prove Of both these things such strong digesters That both these things might feed their love Him who hath made us all for this Him who hath made himself our waâ—… Him that will lead us in 't to Bliss May all men Praise and all obey Amen Devotions FOR THE Holy-dayes The Second Part. FOR THE FEASTS OF OUR BLESSED SAVIOUR For the Morning MEDITATION I. COme let us ascend to the house of our Lord and celebrate this day with a holy Joy imploring his Mercy in all we need and blessing his Bounty for all we have He is our God and we are his People Created by his goodness to be happy for ever He is our Redeemer and we his Purchase restor'd by his Death to a forfeited Happiness to day let us adore our God that Redeem'd us Praise our Lord all you Nations of the Earth Praise him with the Voice of Joy and of Thanksgiving Praise him with the well-tun'd strings of your Hearts Praise him with the sweetest Instrument a chearful Obedience Let every one that pretends to felicity sing immortal
secur'd of the enjoyment of our God who by the sole perfection of his own free Goodness can never deny himself to those that love him else would their very loving him be a cause of great misery since the misery of a Soul is the want of what it loves Indeed he that is possest with love is so far already a partaker of a divine nature for thou hast told us O Lord that God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him He then that loves must needs be proportionably happy too for so much as he has of God so much he possesses of his true good Thus Lord Jesus whatever thy holy books do record of thee in expressions suited to our low capacities Whatever they say of thy restoring all things and repairing again the ruines of Mankind All is exactly verified with this one line which our thankful Hearts should repeat with joy Heaven is attain'd by Love alone and Love alone by thee MEDITATION III. STill my Soul let us repeat a few Lines more to the praise of him whose Mercies are no fewer than infinite Of him whose pity took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light Of thee O Blessed Jesu our Lord our God who alone art the source of all our Happiness The World till thou camest sate wrapt in darkness and few discern'd so much as a shadow of thee They follow'd the Appetites of Sense and Humour and plac'd their felicity in being prosperous here Little considering the Life to come and less the joyes that entertain that Life This was alas their miserable State and which was worse than this they had no power to help it How could they believe what they never heard of or love what they never believed How could they desire what they never lov'd or be glad to receive what they never desir'd It was thou O Lord didst first teach us our true end the blissful Vision of the Eternal Deity It was thou didst first teach us the true means to attain that end by a hearty love and desire to attain it O the blest change which thy hand has wrought the happy improvements which thy coming has produc't Now every Woman and illiterate Man can discourse familiarly of the highest Truths The Creation of the World and the fall of Adam the Incarnation of God and Redemption of Man the mystery of the Trinity and Miracle of the Resurrection the day of Judgment and State of Eternity All these we know but it was thou O Lord who taught'st us and by thy holy Church first spread them over the World. Now thou hast opened our Eyes we plainly see what unassisted nature could never have reacht We see the framing right of our Affections here is both cause and measure of our Happiness hereafter If we supreamly esteem the goods of the future life we shall find them there and be happy If we love Heaven with our whole Soul and press on strongly with all our force we shall enter its Glories with a strange surprizing delight and possess them for ever in a perpetual extasie We see our Souls are made to know and perfect themselves by the worthiest objects We see their Nature is free and unconfin'd and nothing can fill them but that which is infinite All other knowledges enlarge our faculties and breed new desire to know still more which if unsatisfi'd we yet are miserable since none can be happy who want their desire Only the sight of God fills us to the brim and infinitely overflows our utmost capacities It fills and overflows all the powers of our Souls with joy and wonder and inconceivable sweetness O blest and glorious sight when will the happy day appear and open to my Soul that beauteous prospect When dearest Lord shall I fee thee face to face when shall I heartily at least desire to see Thee Thou art my full and high felicity and only and alone sufficient for me PETITIONS O Most Gracious and adorable Jesu who so lovedst this sinful World as to die for us we cannot think thou wilt deny us any thing that we humbly ask of thee according to thy will. Those that believing come unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast out Let me then obtain I beseech thee these important favours and whatever else thou seest conducing to my Happiness Teach me I pray effectually that this low world can never make me happy that I must set my affections on things above Make me seek therefore in the first place the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof to love with my whole affections the enjoyment of God since nothing but love can qualifie me for that enjoyment and nothing without that enjoyment can ever render me happy O my God make me ardently love thee that I may eagerly desire thee and eagerly desire thee that I may with joyful transport enjoy thee Make me O Blessed Jesu so meditate on thy infinite Mercies that my whole Soul may be fill'd with the memory of thy love that the frequent remembrance of it may diffuse a vigorous love of thee into all my powers let the mark and badge which they all bear be the love of Jesus Let every step of thy love dear Lord in redeeming lost Mankind confirm my Soul in Love and Duty fortifie me thereby against all Persecution and discouragement and so effectually draw me into thine own Kingdom of Glory by thy Holy Life and precious Death and glorious Resurrection Make me to persevere in thy obedience to the end that I may die in thy favour and rise again to rejoice with thee for ever Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest one God World without end Glory be to c. Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. REtire now my Soul from thy common thoughts that are permitted to entertain thy less serious hours Retire and call thy wandering Fancies home and speedily range them in peace and order that thou may'st be so prepar'd to hear thy Lord who invites thee among the rest to taste his sweetness The Prince of Love and Bounty sayes Come to me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest to your Souls For my yoke is easie and my burthen is light Enough dear Lord enough is said to draw all the World to thy holy Discipline What can be offer'd so agreeable to our Natures too much alas inclin'd to pleasure and profit What can be offer'd so powerfully attractive as to make our work delightfull and then reward it As to propose an Employment like the Musick of Churches devout sweet and gainful to the Performers Whither O my God should we go but unto thee Thou alone hast the words of eternal Life Thou art our wise Instructor to know what to do and our onely Enabler to do what we know Thou
art the free Bestower of all we have the faithfull Promiser of all we hope for Thy kind Saviour my Soul has given thee a gracious Call to thee has he sent the Invitations of the Gospel Shall he call and wilt thou not hear his voice and constantly follow it till thou come to him Wilt thou be so foolish as still to go astray like a lost sheep wandering up and down in thine own By-wayes Wandering out of his wayes and the wayes of Happiness pursuing only thine own Perdition By seeking our selves in this World of Vanity we lose both thee O Lord and our own Souls By seeking our selves in thee and in thy Love we find both thee and our own Happiness O how unspeakable are thy sweetnesses O Lord which thou hast hid for those who fear thee which thou hast partly reveal'd to those who love thee and keep their taste uncorrupted with the World. But O! what are they then to those who see thee and in that sight see all that is necessary to their Happiness to those who rejoyce perpetually before thee and in that joy find all joyes beside O beauteous Truth which known inforces Love and which well lov'd begets Felicity Live thou for ever in my faithfull Memory and be my constant Guide in all my wayes Still my Soul let us think of the Joyes above and undervalue all things compar'd with everlasting Salvation Still contemplate thy dear Saviour's Love that purchased for thee all those unutterable joyes MEDITATION II. MY God when I remember those Words of thine Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand When I consider they were the first thou spakest in publick the chosen Text of the Eternal Wisdom I cannot think but they contain a very important Precept and that I ought to be deeply affected with the power of the Motive My Soul did Christ begin his publick work with this Command Apply then those searching Words to thy self and bind them fast upon thee Repent O my Soul for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand repent for the Kingdom of Heaven depends upon thy Repentance Unhappy me that I cannot live without sin but blessed be our God that I may obtain Pardon by my Repentance Practise then my Soul that safe and easie method of censuring thy self to be acquitted by him Every night sit as an impartial Judge and lay before thee all thou canst of the past day Severely examine every thought and word and strictly search every Deed and Omission And since thou art not strong enough to be perfectly innocent at least endeavour to be humble enough to be truely penitent Say Woe to the day and hour wherein I sinn'd woe to the many dayes and hours I have foolishly mispent Or rather Woe to me who abuse my dayes and hours allow'd by thy goodness to work out my Salvation Be heartily sorry for what thou hast done amiss and make firm and wary resolutions not to do again what will make thee sorry Implore for the past the Mercy of Heaven and for the time to come the same indulgent Mercy Ask it in the Name of Jesus Christ for 't is only by his Blood that our Repentance can obtain the remission of our Sins If perhaps thou find in thy Examination that some little thing has been well done return to God all the Glory for this and beg his Grace to continue thy good and improve it His is the hand that sowes the seed his is the Blessing that gives the Increase Thus I will once in a day at least look home and seriously inquire into the state of my Soul Whate're my Malice or weakness may have done I should now undo it as it were by a hearty Contrition Let not the Sun go down upon thy Wrath nor upon any other unrepented Sin. O happy man that can write at the foot of his Account Reconcil'd to my God and in Charity with all the World. Such an one may go to Bed with a quiet Conscience and fall asleep in peace and hope MEDITATION III. LOrd e're I take my leave of this Day which thy Church has devoted to the honour of thy Memory I would repeat some few words more of those incomparable many that thou hast left among us I would attentively meditate their substantial sence and settle them as Principles of my Life and Actions Thou hast said I remember O divine Wisdom and well worthy it is to be remember'd Lay not up for your selves treasures on Earth where moth and rust do corrupt and Thieves break through and steal But lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust do corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal For where your treasure is there will your heart be also Go now you curious and study what you please for me I 'l stay and listen to my Saviour He will teach me high and sure and useful Truths he 'll teach me Truths that will bring me to Happiness Only I must receive and keep the Truths he teaches me and obey their direction in my course of Life In vain am I told this Instruction if I will still dote on the uncertain Goods of this World utterly in vain if I will not be concern'd for the more durable and certain possessions of a better Notwithstanding this wise instruction I shall be a fool if I suffer my heart to six below if I set my Affections on that which is not All our few dayes we live here my Soul are full of Vanity and our choicest pleasures are sprinkled with bitterness The things here perish in the using and our transitory joyes vanish like a Dream Besides consider there is no reason thy Heart should six here when thou thy self art design'd for a removal Thou art but a meer Sojourner and Stranger on Earth and art passing hence to an eternal home Already I am dead to all the years I have lived and shall never live them over again All must go down to the same dark Grave and none can tell how soon he may be call'd To day we are in health among our friends and neighbours and to morrow Arrested by the hand of Death Nature may faintly struggle for a time but must yield at last and be buried in the Earth At last we must take our leave of nearest Relations and bid a long Farewell to all the World. And how sad a thing my Soul will it be in that day to have no Treasure but what thou must leave and to leave the onely Treasure that thy heart is set upon Let thy chosen Treasure then be in Heaven since where the treasure is the heart will be also Ye careless Worldlings hear but this one word more which our great Master has also spoken and then I expect you will stay and observe his Instructions too if any sense of your eternal good can hold you Heark he tells us this new and glorious secret We shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven O precious word to them
that relish it and thoroughly digest it 's strong nourishment to them that feed on it as often as their daily bread We shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven Those that now set their Affections on things above shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven And what O dearest Lord are those blest Angels but Spirits that know and love and delight for ever Such O my soul we shall be if we follow now the Instructions of our Saviour We shall lead that sweet life and be and live like the Angels in Heaven We shall know all that is true and love all that is good and delight in that Knowledge and Love for ever No ignorance shall darken us nor errour deceive us for we shall be like the Angels in Heaven No Cares shall perplex us nor Crosses afflict us for we shall be like the Angels in Heaven Our joyes shall be full and pure and everlasting for we shall be like the Angels in Heaven Chear thee my Soul and bless thy bounteous Lord by whom thou shalt be exalted to that dignity Comfort thy self and raise thy hopes yet gloriously higher raise them to the expectation of more than thou canst conceive for so much yet more is intended for thee so much more is included in those wonderful words We shall be like him for we shall see him as he is PETITIONS O Blessed Jesu whose Sacred Body was laid in a Sepulcher after thou hadst finisht in it the work of our Redemption Make me so frequently to renew in my Mind the memory of thy Death and burial as may put me upon a serious preparation for my own Since thou didst not design to abide long on this Earth let not my Heart be set on any condition here make me to grow daily less affected to this transitory life and more in love with thy eternal joyes Give me O thou that art the only giver of repentance a truly penitent Heart for all my past neglects of thee Deliver me O Lord from the punishments my Sins deserve and deliver me from the Sins which deserve those Punishments Make thy self O my ador'd Redeemer the Master-wish of my Heart the scope and end of all my time Wherever I am in this unconstant World and whatever business entertains my hand still let my inward eye look up towards thee and fix it's sight on thy glorious face Soon as I awake let me look up towards thee and when I rise first bow my knees to thee Help me often in the day to call in my thoughts to thee and when I go to rest close up mine Eyes in Thee Suffer me not O Lord to be any longer distracted about many things from thee who art the one thing Necessary but gather me up from the World into my self and then take me up from my self into thee there to be ravisht with thy kind embraces there to be feasted with the Antipasts of Heaven So shall my time be govern'd by thy Grace and my Eternity be crown'd with thy Glory Grant these things the purchases of thy precious blood O Lord for thine own Eternal Honour and Glory Amen Hymn 36. LOrd now the time returns For weary man to rest And lay aside those pains and cares With which our day 's opprest Or rather change our thoughts To more concerning cares How to redeem our mispent time With sighs and tears and prayer's How to provide for Heaven That place of rest and peace Where our full joyes shall never wain Our pleasures never cease Blest be thy Love dear Lord That taught us this sweet way Only to love thee for thy self And for that Love obey O thou our Souls chief hope We to thy Mercy fly In ev'ry place thou canst protect And all we need supply Whether we wake or sleep To thee we both resign By Night we see as well as Day If thy light on us shine Whether we live or dye Both we submit to thee In Death we live as well as Life If thine in Death we be Glory to Thee Great God One Coeternal three To Father Son and Holy Ghost Eternal Glory be Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE HOLY GHOST For the Morning MEDITATION I. COnsider now my Soul the Mercies of thy God consider the wonders he has wrought for the Children of Men The Eternal Father created us of nothing and set us in the way to everlasting Happiness the Eternal Son came down from Heaven to seek and restore us again to it when we had lost our selves the Eternal Spirit sends his Grace to sanctifie us and gives strength to walk that holy way Thus every Person of the Sacred Trinity has freely contributed his peculiar Blessing and all together as one co-infinite Goodness have graciously agreed to compleat our Felicity But O Ingrateful we was it not enough to receive of our God all we have and are was it not enough that the Son of God should come down and live here to teach us and dye to redeem us was not all this enough to make us Love And Love is all he aim'd at and Love is all we needed We will confess to thee O Lord our miserable condition and to the Praise of thy necessary merciful relief Such alas was the corruption of our nature and so many and so strong the Temptations round about us that without this thy last miraculous favour of sending the Holy Ghost to guide and quicken us we should still have remain'd in our old dull pace slow to understand and slower to obey We should have quite forgotten our God that made us and neglected the service of our Lord that bought us had not thy fulness been furnisht with one Blessing more and thy goodness ready to bestow it on thy poor Creatures hadst thou not providently reserv'd a better Blessing than the dew of the Clouds and fatness of the Earth better than Plenty of Corn and Wine or the multitude of Posterity or Dominion over our Brethren These were the great Rewards of the old Law but behold far greater than these are here Divine Refreshments from the Heaven of Heavens and the rare delicious fruits of the Holy Ghost Meekness and Peace and Joy diffus'd in our Breasts Strength and undaunted Courage kindled in our Hearts The strong and sweet Ardours of Divine Love that make every Duty in our way delightful and every Cross tolerable A thousand sweet Embraces of the Spouse of Souls a thousand dear Pledges of his everlasting Love These are the great Rewards of the Law of Grace and are given to prepare us for the Kingdom of Glory Hymn 37. COme Holy Spirit send down those beams Which gently flow in silent Streams From thy bright Throne in Heaven above Come thou Enricher of the Poor And bounteous source of all our Store Come fill our Souls with thy pure Love. Come thou our Souls delicious Guest The weary'd Pilgrims sweetest Rest The injur'd Suffe'rers best relief Come thou our Passions cool allay Whose Comfort wipes all tears
swallow their unwholsome sweets then alas it is that they most undoe us by feeding the humour of our fatal disease Vain at the best and very short of duration are the enjoyments of this world and after they have flatter'd us a while they betray our neglected Souls into an eternal ruin Thou art O Lord the only Anchor of our hope O Jesu unless thou save us we perish MEDITATION II. THus are they miserably tost up and down who float on the waves of their own Passions Their wearied Souls soon faint within them when they see the Lord has withdrawn his presence They seek him but in such distraction and confusion that they cannot find him they call upon him but he gives them no answer presently And now when all their fears are grown to the height and no means appear to sustain their patience when the proud waves beat violently against them and are ready to cover their little Vessel with despair and ruin then he awakes to their help if they have persisted to call upon him though he sometimes may slumber for a while to try their duty or punish their disobedience Though he may suffer for a while the fury of the tempest to lye upon them to show them their hopeless state if left to themselves yet when they still seek and implore his help his mercy at length hears their cry and pities their fear and danger And then his blessed voice commands a Calm and immediately the Sea and stormy winds obey him immediately his Sun arises in their hearts and with its gentle beams revives their hopes Then is their darkness turn'd into light and the clouds disperst into a bright day Then they recollect their scattered thoughts and range them again in their right order Often they look back on the dangers they have escaped and as often bless the mercy that delivered them Often they look forwards on the course they hold and as often sing with joy for their happy change Welcome again they say the easie yoke of Christ and the light burthen of loving our Saviour Welcome the holy exercises of sweet Devotion welcome the easie pleasant moderate heat of Soul-enflaming Prayer Now we discern this beauteous truth O may we print it deeply in our minds That the pleasures of Piety and Vertue are pure and constant and that infinite blessings attend to reward it But the pursuit of Vice is troublesome and intricate and finishes its course in an abyss of misery MEDITATION III. TAke care then my Soul to interrupt and break off the course of Vice by a timely repentance and a sincere amendment that it may not finish in thy eternal misery If passions do sometimes invade thee let them not rest in thy mind do not give way to their settlement lest they grow into rooted habitual vices Let not frequent and abiding Anger make thee contentious and malicious If any passion has ruffled thee call on thy Saviour for his aid that the Storm may not drown thee Call earnestly and labour diligently with thy self the mean-while to get out of thy danger If he sees thee rowing hard and striving earnestly against the waves he will assist thee And remember alwaies when his Kindness has given thee seasonable relief that thou take care not to lose this unhappy experience but learn wisdom from thy former miscarriage Reflect and find out where thy Errour was what betray'd thee into this disorder and fortifie thy self against that defect Carefully avoid all the occasions of sin and the importunities of such as delight in folly Avoid the snares of kind enticing Company and the dangerous infection of evil Example Set a strict watch continually upon thine Eyes and diligently keep the door of thy Lips. Govern all thy Sences that they do not seduce the mind and observe and govern every inward motion of thy Heart and Fancy When O my Soul did we ever follow our Passions but they instantly wrought our disturbance and did threaten our ruin Suppress then all temptations in their first approach when their power is weak and thy choice is in full liberty Remember how formerly their flatteries have abus'd thee and when they counterfeit again be no more deceiv'd Never look on the face of Pleasures as they come but as they go off when they leave nothing behind them but their venomous sting Let thy experience of the miserable Effects of yielding to their allurements make thee more wary in observing and more severe in repressing their first motions So shalt thou gain the best of victories while thou masterest thy own corrupt inclinations and conquerest thy violent passions So shalt thou enjoy an universal peace Thou shalt maintain peace with the bad by bearing their injuries and with the good by conforming to their Vertues And with thy self by subduing Sence to Reason and with thy God by improving Reason with Religion Better is he that governs his own spirit than he that conquers a City PETITIONS BUT O Blessed Jesu Do thou save me or I perish I am in this world as always upon a dangerous Sea continually liable to these storms and likely to be lost by them Oh send down thy powerful Grace and bear me up against them When I am engag'd let thy great Mercy speedily rescue thy poor servant Fortifie me against all the furious Assaults of Passion and Temptation that I may be more than conquerour over them Bring it to pass O Lord that Reason and Faith and thy Love may more and more be enforced and strengthened in me As thy all-wise Providence seems to sleep sometimes and suffer storms to grow high and loud O be pleased also to hear me when I call for thou wouldst have me call and let thy favourable hand still send me seasonable relief O leave me not then to my infirmities lest the enemy of my Soul prevail against me Forsake not my miserable state when I am sinking but reach forth thy hand and keep me from drowning Suffer not my frailties to become a Custom lest I die impenitent and perish without recovery Deliver me often O Lord from the Occasions of sin succeed my watchfulness and lead me not into temptation Perfect O Dear Redeemer the work thou hast begun and cherish the good wishes thou hast sown in me that they may become rooted habits of Vertue and bring forth a plenteous Harvest of good actions to thy Praise And make O Lord I pray thee even my Passions servants to thy Grace Change my rude Anger into a severity against my self and a prudent Zeal against the sins of others Convert my fear into a timerousness to offend and an awful reverence of thy sacred Name Let all my affections be turn'd into thy Charity that my heart may desire nothing but Thee whom I may safely love with all my heart and strength whose Heaven I may greatly covet and fear no excess O Thou whose blissfull Vision is the Joy of Angels and sovereign Happiness of all thy Saints O that my