Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A45865
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A guide to repentance. Or, The character and behaviour of the devout Christian in retirement Psal. 119. 54, 60. I called my own ways to remembrance, ... commandments. By John Inett, M.A. chanter and residentiary of the cathedral church of Lincoln.
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Inett, John, 1647-1717.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing I157A; ESTC R215993
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30,439
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131
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Lust and that temptation that once reigned with an uncontrouled power shrink and wither at the thoughts of Judgment Thus the Penitent impales guards his resolution his vows and prayers and under this consideration the returns of his sorrow and penitence appear always wise and reasonable But lest this Picture of Repentance should seem all shadow and leave too dark and melancholy impressions on the Penitent his next care is To form in his soul such images of the Eternal Goodness that a principle of Love may conduct his fears and sorrows and such a value and esteem of that adorable pattern he is to imitate animate a holy reverence and awe that love that may supersede every thing that is uneasie in his fears and inspire a secret pleasure and delight in all the methods of Virtue and Religion For this end he entertains himself with the contemplation of that infinite Love and Mercy to sinners that present themselves in the Passion of his Lord. His Reflections on the Death and Sufferings of Christ and the Love of God visible therein THat he who made Man after his own likeness and designed him a partaker in the felicities himself enjoys should love his own Image and with pity and concern see it defaced and lost is so natural a thought that the same notices which discover his Being present it to us as the most adorable Object in Mercy boundless in Love and Goodness infinite Thus it seems possible to account for the Mercies of Creation and Providence but the whole method of Man's Redemption is so stupendious and amazing that 't is some pain to form any Idea of it but impossible to think much more to speak of it or entertain it with the resentment it deserves That he who knows that we are but dust should pity and forgive is easie to conceive but that he should give a Beloved in exchange for a Rebellious Son part with the express Image of his Person to restore that Man had abused defaced and lost that he should give a Son from his Bosom to bring an Enemy thither and let him dye in whom he was well pleased to fit them to live who had made Death their Choice and Destruction their wish is a heighth of Love beyond the boldest Wishes and most aspiring Hopes that he who was possess'd of immense Felicity before the World began should come down from Heaven to take that Nature which had deserved his Anger that he who was over all God Blessed for ever should be led like a Lamb to the slaughter for his sake who deserved to have been an Eternal Sacrifice to Justice that he alone should tread the Wine-press of his Father's Wrath for him who only had merited the dregs of the bitter cup that he should be wounded for the Sins that ought to pierce our own Souls and bruised for the Transgressions that might have sunk us down in a deluge of Misery are such instances of an amazing pity and love that his Soul must be colder than the Earth and his Heart harder than the Rocks that can resist them but he must be a Monster something that can neither love nor think that can despite and contemn it After all that God has thus done to command my Love shall the flame that ought to melt only harden me And the Blood shed upon the Cross serve only to write my Name among those that weep and howl for ever Shall such Miracles of Charity such amazing Goodness be lost upon me No! No! I must not I cannot resist a being cloathed with every Excellence and Perfection infinitely good in himself and unspeakable good to me that is pleased with my Happiness and delighted in my Welfare deserves the noblest Passion and justly challenges all the Powers and Faculties of my Soul to love is the least return I can make the smallest acknowledgement that is due to him that gave his Son for us This consideration as it presents the Penitent with an amazing instance of Charity and Justice so it raises a Holy Emulation betwixt his Love and Fear he loves that Goodness that pitied the Sinner and reveres the Justice that punished his Sin he adores the Charity that gave but dreads the Justice that spared not his Son his Love inspires his fears and a holy awe conducts his Love he can easily resolve not to offend the Being he cannot but Love and can heartily lament it whenever he breaks his resolution and is always uneasie till he has begged Pardon and be reconciled again His Prayer for the Love of God ALmighty God whose infinite Perfections and Excellency whose immense Goodness and Beneficence justly render thee the most amiable and adorable Being worthy of all Love and Obedience and in respect of whom every thing is but vain and contemptible pour into my Heart such Love towards thee and imprint upon my Soul such an Idea of thy Excellency and Perfections that I may love thee with all my Mind with all my Heart and with all my Strength and consecrate all the Powers and Faculties of my Soul to thy Love and Service that I may prefer thy favour above all things of this World and a Love of thee inspire a cheerfulness into every Duty and shed an influence upon every thing I ought to door suffer for thee and so possess my Soul that every thing may appear vain and empty that would withdraw me from thy Servce and every thing easie and acceptable that thy Service requires from me that I may so love adore thee and do thy will on Earth that I may be fit to joyn with those whose Reward and Duty it is eternally to Love and serve thee in Heaven for Christ Jesus his sake who is the Son of thy Love Amen His Litany or short Prayers O God the Father God the Son God the Holy Ghost hide not thy self from my Petitions but hear my Prayers and have Mercy on me O thou Creator and Preserver of Man by whose Power I was made by whose Bounty I have been provided for by whose Grace and Assistance I hope to live to thee and by whose Mercy and Goodness I hope to live eternally with thee have Mercy upon me and hear my Prayers O Blessed God whom to know is Life and to serve is perfect Freedom whose ways are ways of Peace and to do whose will is our Duty and Reward O do thou teach me to know and love thee as I ought to do and keep and guide me in all thy ways O thou that knowest what Dangers and Temptations encompass me how soon my best Resolutions are broken my best Purposes overcome my most Solemn Promises and deliberate Vows rendred ineffectual let thy Goodness be present in every Danger and Temptation and thy Grace be always sufficient for me From the snares of the World the corruption of my Nature the Arts and Designs of the Destroyer from the mischief of evil Council the infection of bad Example a great Danger and an invincible
give up my Account with joy and a just assurance of his favour and love who is my Saviour and my Judge Jesus Christ the Righteous Amen 9. The Penitent's Prayer of Resignation or devoting himself to God O Blessed Father by whose Power all things were made and for whose service and pleasure they were created and in resignation to whose holy will all our felicity consists in mercy look down upon a Prodigal thy Grace and Goodness has brought to a sense of his Duty I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am unworthy to be called thy Child but it is thy will I should return and thou art pleased to receive me as a servant O blessed Father I resign my self to thy service to be disposed as thou seest fittest for me Thine shall be my will I will esteem that wise and holy thou commandest true that thy word promises or affirms just and reasonable thou appointest and will believe it my greatest interest to follow where thou art pleased to call me And here O Lord I offer and present unto thee my Soul and Body to be a holy and a reasonable Sacrifice to thee What thy Grace has made thine let thy Goodness accept and preserve and thy Spirit seal to the day of Redemption for Christ Jesus sake Amen 10. A Prayer for the Church O Blessed Father by whose Wisdom and good Providence thy Truth has been planted and preserved in these Nations In mercy look down upon that Church thy own right hand has planted therein make us so sensible of the advantages of a holy and uncorrupt Faith of the truly pious and decent Worship and the Blessings of uncorrupted and undisguised Truth we enjoy in her Communion that laying aside our Heats and Prejudices we may all study the Peace and Honour of our Holy Mother and our unhappy Divisions give no occasion to the enemies of the Reformation to attempt or hope our Ruine More especially I beseech thee to give me Grace in my place and calling to live an useful Member of this thy Church till thou shalt call me to thy Church in Glory All this I beg for his sake who died for and is the Head of the Church Jesus Christ the Righteous Amen 11. A Prayer for these Kingdoms ALmighty God by whose Providence we are preserved from Confusion and Ruine Forgive our fins and continue thy Mercies towards us and by thy Wisdom and Blessing preserve and secure the Peace and Honour of these Nations Make the Government thou hast established a great Instrument of promoting thy Honour establishing thy Gospel and securing the Peace the Welfare and Prosperity of the People of these Kingdoms and make them so sensible of the Blessings they enjoy thereby that we may all study to be quiet and live in Peace and Love and Piety till thou think fit to receive us to thy eternal Kingdom thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen 12. A Prayer for the People of these Kingdoms ALmighty God who seest what ill use we have made of thy great Mercies toward us how we have abused thy Grace and Goodness how we are fallen from that Innocence and Vertue from that Plainess and Integrity that were once the Honour of these Nations and how far that unhappy Spirit of Scoffing Irreligion and Profaneness have prevailed amongst us O Lord if it be thy will put a stop to our Profaneness and let our Wickedness come to an end revive a Spirit of Holiness and Sincerity of Justice and Temperance of Charity and Peace and make us that happy People who have the Lord for our God for Christ Jesus his sake Amen Occasional Prayers to be added On Good-Friday O Holy Father who hast ransack'd thy own bosom for arguments of pity and in thy compassion taken measure by thy infinite and unspeakable Goodness and for thy Mercies sake given thy Son to be a Ransom and a Peace-offering for thy Enemies In Him in whom thou art well pleased look down upon me let his Sacrifice of himself atone for my sins his Blood make my peace and by his Stripes let my Soul be healed O God my God Amen Another Prayer for Good-Friday O Most Holy and Ever-blessed Jesus who wast pleased to die for sinners Have pity and compassion upon me a miserable sinner and that the imitation of thy Life and Sufferings may fit me for the Merits and Blessings thereof let thy Grace and Goodness give a due influence to thy Example let thy exemplary Patience and holy Resignation teach me to resign my self and my will to the Hand and the Will of God in all his dispensations thy Charity to forgive thy Meekness to humble every aspiring thought and preserve a Spirit calm and easie amidst all the Injuries and Provocations that befal me let the Power of thy Death overcome all my propensities to sin and thy Sufferings atone for it and since thou livest for ever to make intercession for sinners and hast promised to save to the uttermost all such as come unto thee Lord hear my Prayers forgive my Sins and save me in the day of Wrath O thou Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world Amen For Ash-Wednesday or any other time of Lent O Almighty God who art always ready to give thy assistance to every good thought every honest intention and sincere endeavour to consecrate our selves to thy service yet hast taught us to hope for the Aids of thy Grace in the use of Fasting and Prayer Mortification and Self-denial and all other useful ways of subduing the Lusts of the flesh Give O Lord thy Blessings and Assistance to all that humble themselves before thee accept their Abstinence hear their Prayers and forgive their Sins Bless me O my Father let thy Spirit help my Infirmities and so assist me that my flesh being so subdued to the Spirit my Fasting may be consecrated to thee who seest in secret and thou mayest reward me openly among those who by keeping themselves from the defilements of the flesh shall be fitted to follow the Lamb for ever and ever All this I beg for his sake who fasted for ours Jesus Christ the righteous Amen For the Thirtieth of January O Almighty God who in thy Justice didst suffer these Nations to fall into Anarchy and Confusion and involve themselves in the guilt of innocent Blood the Blood of thine Anointed Look in mercy upon us and forgive our sins especially That of This Day let it never be laid to our charge and do thou spare us when thou makest inquisition for Blood and make us so sensible of our great provocations that we may all turn from the evil of our ways and our iniquities may not be our ruine O do thou who art the God of Peace and Love and Order inspire us all with a Spirit of Holiness and Charity of Meekness and Obedience and make us the People who have the Lord for our God for Christ Jesus sake our Saviour and Redeemer Amen For the