seeth not therefore the land is full of blood and the city full of perversenesse What a childe would do in the eye of his Father and a Pupil before his Tutor and a Wife in the presence of her Husband and a servant in the sight of his Master let us alwayes do the same for we are made a spectacle to God to Angels and to men we are alwayes in the sight and presence of the Allseeing and Almighty God who also is to us a Father and a Guardian a Husband and a Lord. Prayers and Devotions according to the religion and purposes of the foregoing Considerations I. For grace to spend our time well O Eternal God who from all eternity doest behold and love thy own glories and perfections infinite and hast created me to do the work of God after the manner of men and to serve thee in this generation and according to my capacities give me thy grace that I may be a curious and prudent spender of my time so as I may best prevent or resist all temptations and be profitable to the Christian Common-wealth and by discharging all my duty may glorifie thy Name Take from me all slothfulnesse and give me a diligent and an active spirit and wisdom to choose my imployment that I may do works proportionable to my person and to the dignity of a Christian and may fill up all the spaces of my time with actions of religion and charity that when the Devil assaults me he may not finde me idle and my dearest Lord at his sudden coming may finde me busie in lawful necessary and pious actions improving my talent intrusted to me by thee my Lord that I may enter into the joy of my Lord to partake of his eternal felicities even for thy mercie sake and for my dearest Saviours sake Amen Here follows the devotion of ordinary dayes for the right imployment of those portions of â—ime which every day must allow for religion The first prayers in the Morning as soon as we are dressed Humbly and reverently compose your self with heart lift up to God and your head bowed and meekly kneeling upon your knees say the Lords Prayer after which use the following Collects or as many of them as you shall choose Our Father which art in Heaven c. I. An act of adoration being the song that the Angels sing in Heaven HOly Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Heaven and Earth Angels and Men the Aire and the Sea give glory and honour and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne who liveth for ever and ever All the blessed spirits and souls of the righteous cast their crowns before the throne and worship him that liveth for ever and ever Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure they are and were created Great and marvellous are thy works O Lord God Almighty Just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Thy wisdom is infinite thy mercies are glorious and I am not worthy O Lord to appear in thy presence before whom the Angels hide their faces O Holy and Eternal Jesus Lamb of God who wert slain from the beginning of the world thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne with thee for ever Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen II. An act of thanksgiving being the song of David for the Morning SIng praises unto the Lord O ye saints of his and give thanks to him for a remembrance of his holinesse For his wrath indureth but the twinkling of an eye and in his pleasure is life heavinesse may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning Thou Lord hast preserved me this night from the violence of the spirits of darknesse from all sad casualtyes and evil accidents from the wrath which I have every day deserved thou hast brought my soul out of hell thou hast kept my life from them that go down into the pit thou hast shewed me marvellous great kindesse and hast blessed me for ever the greatnesse of thy glory reacheth unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds Therefore shall every good man sing of thy praise without ceasing O my God I will give thanks unto thee for ever Allelujah III. An act of oblation or presenting our selves to God for the day MOst Holy and Eternal God Lord and Soveraigne of all the creatures I humbly present to thy divine Majesty my self my soul and body my thoughts and my words my actions and intentions my passions and my sufferings to be disposed by thee to thy glory to be blessed by thy providence to be guided by thy counsel to be sanctified by thy spirit and afterwards that my body and soul may be received into glory for nothing can perish which is under thy custody and the enemy of souls cannot devour what is thy portion nor take it out of thy hands This day O Lord and all the dayes of my life I dedicate to thy honour and the actions of my calling to the uses of grace and the religion of all my dayes to be united to the merits and intercession of my holy Saviour Jesus that in him and for him I may be pardoned and accepted Amen IV. An act of repentance or contrition FOr as for me I am not worthy to be called thy servant much lesse am I worthy to be thy son for I am the vilest of sinners and the worst of men a lover of the things of the world and a despiser of the things of God proud and envious lustful and intemperate greedy of sin and impatient of reproof desirous to seem holy and negligent of being so transported with interest fool'd with presumption and false principles disturb'd with anger with a peevish and unmortified spirit and disordered by a whole body of sin and death Lord pardon all my sins for my sweetest Saviours sake thou who didst dye for me Holy Jesus save me and deliver me reserve not my sins to be punished in the day of wrath and eternal vengeance but wash away my sins and blot them out of thy remembrance and purifie my soul with the waters of repentance and the bloud of the crosse that for what is past thy wrath may not come out against me and for the time to come I may never provoke thee to anger or to jealousie O just and dear God be pitiful and gracious to thy servant Amen V. The prayer or petition BLesse me gracious God in my calling to such purposes as thou shalt choose for me or imploy me in Relieve me in all my sadnesses make my bed in my ficknesse give me patience in my sorrows confidence in thee and grace to call upon thee in all temptations O be thou my
I most humbly bâ—seech thee to give me wisdom from above that I may adore thee and admire thy wayes and footsteps which are in the great Deep and not to be searched out teach me to submit to thy providence in all things to be content in all changes of person and condition to be temperate in prosperity and to reade my duty in the lines of thy mercy and in adversity to be meek patient and resign'd and to look through the cloud that I may wait for the consolation of the Lord and the day of redemption in the mean time doing my duty with an unwearied diligence and an undisturbed resolution having no fondnesse for the vanities or possessions of this World but laying up my hopes in Heaven and the rewards of holy living and being strengthned with the Spirit in the inner man through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen CHAP. III. Of Christian Iustice. IUstice is by the Christian Religion enjoyn'd in all its parts by these two propositions in Scripture Whatsoever yee would that men should do to you even so do to them This is the measure of communicative justice or of that justice which supposes exchange of things profitable for things profitable that as I supply your need you may supply mine as I do a benefit to you I may receive one by you and because every man may be injur'd by another therefore his security shall depend upon mine if he will not let me be safe he shall not be safe himself onely the manner of his being punish'd is upon great reason both by God and all the World taken from particulars and committed to a publick dis-interested person who will do justice without passion both to him and to me If he refuses to do me advantage he shall receive none when his needs require it And thus God gave necessities to men that all men might need and several abilities to severall persons that each Man might help to supply the publick needs and by joyning to fill up all wants they may be knit together by justice as the parts of the world are by nature and he hath made us all obnoxicus to injuries and made every little thing sâ—râ—ng enough to do us hurt by some instrument or other and hath given us all a sufficient stock of self love and desire of self preservation to be as the chain to tye together all the pars of society and to restrain us from doing violence lest we be violently dealt withall our selves The other part of justice is commonly called distributive and is commanded in this rule Render to all their dues tribute to whom tribute is due custome to whom custome fear to whom fear honour to whom honour Owe no man any thing but to love one another This justice is distinguished froÌ„ the first because the obligation depends not upon contract or express bargain but passes upon us by vertue of some command of God or of our Superiour by nature or by grace by piety or religion by trust or by office according to that Commandment As every man hath received the gift so let him minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God And as the first considers an equality of persons in respect of the contract or particular necessity this supposes a difference of persons and no particular bargains but such necessary entercourses as by the Laws of God or man are introduced But I shall reduce all the particulars of both kindes to these four heads 1. Obedience 2. Provision 3. Negotiation 4. Restitution Sect. I. Of Obedience to our Superiours OUr Superiours are set over us in affairs of the World or the affairs of the Soul and things pertaining to Religion and are called accordingly Ecclesiastical or Civil Towards whom our duty is thus generally described in the new Testament For Temporall or Civill Governours the Commands are these Render to Caesar the things that are Caesars and Let every soul be subject to the higher powers For there is no power but of God The powers that be are ordained of God whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation and Put them in minde to be subject to principâ—lities and powers and to obey Magistrates and Submit your selves to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil doers and the praise of them that do well For Spiritual or Ecclesiastical governours thus we are commanded Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give an account and Hold such in reputation and to this end did I write that I might know the proof of you whether ye be obedient in all things said S. Paul to the Church of Corinth Our duty is reducible to practise by the following rules Acts and duties of Obedience to all our Superiours 1. We must obey all humane laws appointed and constituted by lawful Authority that iâ— of the supreme power according to the constitution of the place in which we live all laws I mean which are not against the law of God 2. In obedience to humane laws we must observe the letter of the Law where we can without doing violence to the reason of the Law and the intention of the Law-giver but where they crosse each other the charity of the Law is to be preferred before its discipline and the reason of it before the letter 3. If the general reason of the Law ceases in our particular and a contrary reason rises upon us we are to procure dispensation or leave to omit the observation of it in such circumstances if there be any persons or office appointed for granting it but if there be none or if it is not easily to be had or not without an inconvenience greater then the good of the observation of the Law in our particular we are dispensed withall in the nature of the thing without further processe or trouble 4. As long as the Law is obligatory so long our obedience is due and he that begins a contrary câ—stom without reason sins but he that breaks the law when the custom is entred and fixed is excused because it is supposed the legislative power consents when by not punishing it suffers disobedience to grow up to a custome 5. Obedience to humane laws must be for conscience sake that is because in such obedience publick order and charity and benefit is concerned and because the Law of God commands us therefore we must make a conscience in keeping the just Laws of Superiors and although the matter before the making of the Law was indifferent yet now the obedience is not indifferent but next to the Laws of God we are to obey the Laws of all our Superiours who the more publick they are
against it and presently broke it and then I tyed my self up with vows then was tempted and then I yielded by little little till I was willingly lost again and my vows fell ofâ— like cords of vanity Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin And yet O Lord I have another heap of sins to be unloaded My secrets sins O Lord are innumerable sins I noted not sins that I willingly neglected sins that I acted upon willfull ignorance and voluntary mispersuasion sins that I have forgot and sins which a diligent and a watchful spirit might have prevented but I would not Lord I am confounded with the multitude of them and the horrour of their remembrance though I consider them nakedly in their direct appearances without the deformity of their unhandsome and aggravating circumstances but so dressed they are a sight too ugly an instance of amazement infinite in degrees and insufferable in their load And yet thou hast spared me all this while and hast not thrown me into Hell where I have deserved to have been long since and even now to have been shut up to an eternity of torments with insupportable amazement fearing the revelation of thy day Miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin Thou shalt answer for me O Lord my God Thou that Prayest for me shalt be my Iudge The Prayer Thou hast prepared for me a more healthful sorrow O deny not thy servant when he begs sorrow of thee Give me a deep contrition for my sins a hearty detestation and loathing of them hating them worse then death with torments Give me grace intirely presently and for ever to forsake them to walk with care and prudence with fear and watchfulnesse all my dayes to doe all my duty with diligence and charity with zeal and a never fainting spirit to redeem the time to trust upon thy mercies to make use of all the instruments of grace to work out my salvation with fear and trembling that thou mayest have the glory of pardoning all my sins and I may reap the fruit of all thy mercies and al thy graces of thy patience and long-suffering even to live a holy life here and to reign with thee for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Ad Sect. 6. Special devâ—tions to be used upon the Lords-day and the great Festivalls Of Christians In the Morning recite the following forme of Thanksgiving upon the special Festivalls adding the commemoration of the special blessing according to the following prayers adding such prayers as you shall choose out of the foregâ—ing Devotions 2. Besides the ordinary and publick duties of the day if you retire into your closet to read and meditate after you have performed that duty say the song of S. Ambrose commonly called the Te Deum or We praise thee c then add the prayers for particular graces which are at the end of the former Chapters such and as many of them as shall fit your present needs and affections ending with the Lords prayer This form of devotion may for variety be indifferently used at other times A forme of thanksgiving with a recital of publick and private blessings To be used upon Easter-day Whit-sunday Ascension-day and all Sundayes of the year but the middle part of it may be reserved for the more solemn Festivals and the other used upon the ordinary as every mans affections or leisure shall determine I. Ex Liturgiâ S. Basilii magnâ ex parte O Eternal Essence Lord God Father Almighty Maker of all things in Heaven and Earth it is a good thing to give thanks to thee O Lord and to pay to thee all reverence worship and devotion from a clean and prepared heart and with an humble spirit to present a living and reasonable sacrifice to thy holinesse and Majesty for thou hast given unto us the knowledge of thy truth and who is able to declare thy greatnesse and to recount all thy marvellous works which thou hast done in all the generations of the world O Great Lord and Governour of all things Lord and Creator of all things visible and invisible who sittest upon the throne of thy glory and beholdest the secrets of the lowest abysse and darknesse thou art without beginning uncircumscribed incomprehensible unalterable and seated for ever unmoveable in thy own essential happinesse and tranquillity Thou art the Father of our Lord JESU SCHRIST who is Our Dearest and most Gracious Saviour our hope the wisdom of the Father the image of thy goodnesse the Word eternal and the brightnesse of thy person the power of God from eternal ages the true light that lightneth every Man that cometh into the World the Redemption of Man and the Sanctification of our Spirits By whom the holy Ghost descended upon the Church the holy Spirit of truth the seal of adoption the earnest of the inheritance of the Saints the first fruits of everlasting felicity the life-giving power the fountain of sanctification the comfort of the Church the ease of the afflicted the support of the weak the wealth of the poor the teacher of the doubtful scrupulous and ignorant the anchor of the fearful the infinite reward of all faithful souls by whom all reasonable and understanding creatures serve thee and send up a never-ceasing and a never-rejected sacrifice of prayer and praises and adoration All Angels and Archangels all Thrones and Dominions all Principalities and Powers the Cherubins with many eyes and the Seraphinâ— covered with wings from the terror and amazement of thy brightest glory These and all the powers of Heaven do perpetually sing praises and never-ceasing Hymns and eternal Anthems to the glory of the eternal God the Almighty Father of Men and Angels Holy is our God Holy is the Almighty Holy is the Immortal Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory Amen * With these holy and blessed Spirits I also thy servant O thou great lover of souls though I be unworthy to offer praise to such a Majesty yet out of my bounden duty humbly offer up my heart and voice to joyn in this blessed quire and confesse the glories of the Lord. * For thou art holy and of thy greatnesse there is no end and in thy justice and goodnesse thou hast measured out to us all thy works Thou madest man out of the earth and didst form him after thine own image thou didst place him in a garden of pleasure and gavest him laws of righteousnesse to be to him a seed of immortality O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare the wonders that he hath done for the children of men For when man sinned and listned to the whispers of a tempting spirit and refused to hear the voice of God thou didst throw him out from Paradise and sentest him to till the Earth but yet left nor his condition without remedy but didst provide
the being of a society and a Government yet they are not of its constitution as it is Christian and hopes to be saved And now the case is so with us that we are reduced to that Religion which no Man can forbid which we can keep in the midst of a persecution by which the Martyrs in the dayes of our Fathers went to Heaven that by which we can be servants of God and receive the Spirit of Christ and make use of his comforts and live in his love and in charity with all men and they that do so cannot perish My Lord I have now described some general lines and features of that Religion which I have more particularly set down in the following pages in which I have neither served nor disserved the interest of any party of Christians as they are divided by uncharitable names from the rest of their brethren and no Man will have reason to be angry with me for refusing to mingle in his unnecessary or vitious quarrels especially while I study to doe him good by conducting him in the narrow way to Heaven without intricating him in the Labyrinths and wilde turnings of Questions and uncertaine talkings I have told what Men ought to do and by what means they may be assisted and in most cases I have also told them why and yet with as much quicknesse as I could thinke necessary to establish a Rule and not to ingage in Homily or Discourse In the use of which Rules although they are plain useful and fitted for the best and for the worst understandings and for the needs of all men yet I shall desire the Reader to proceed with the following advices 1. They that will with profit make use of the proper instruments of vertue must so live as if they were alwayes under the Physicians hand For the Counsels of Religion are not to be applyed to the distempers of the soul as men use to take Hellebore but they must dwell together with the Spirit of a man and be twisted about his understanding for ever They must be used like nourishment that is by a daily care and meditation not like a single medicine and upon the actual pressure of a present necessity For counsels and wise discourses applyed to an actual distemper at the best are but like strong smels to an Epileptick person sometimes they may raise him but they never cure him The following rules if they be made familiar to our natures and the thoughts of every day may make Vertue and Religion become easy and habitual but when the temptation is present and hath already seized upon some portions of our consent we are not so apt to be counsel'd and we finde no gust or relish in the Precept the lessons are the same but the instrument is unstrung or out of tune 2. In using the instruments of vertue we must be curious to distinguish instruments from duties and prudent advices from necessary injunctions and if by any other means the duty can be secured let there be no scruples stirred concerning any other helps onely if they can in that case strengthen and secure the duty or help towards perseverance let let them serve in that station in which they can be placed For there are some persons in whom the Spirit of God hath breathed so bright a flame of love that they do all their acts of vertue by perfect choice and without objection and their zeal is warmer then that it will be allayed by temptation and to such persons mortification by Philosophical instruments as fasting sackcloth and other rudenesses to the body is wholly useless It is alwayes a more uncertain means to acquire any vertue or secure any duty if love hath filled all the corners of our soul it alone is able to do all the work of God 3. Be not nice in stating the obligations of Religion but where the duty is necessary and the means very reasonable in it self dispute not too busily whether in all Circumstances it can fit thy particular but super totam materiam upon the whole make use of it For it is a good signe of a great Religion and no imprudence when we have sufficiently considered the substance of affairs then to be easy humble obedient apt and credulous in the circumstances which are appointed to us in particular by our spiritual Guides or in general by all wise men in cases not unlike He that gives Almes does best not alwayes to consider the minutes and strict measures of his ability but to give freely incuriously and abundantly A man must not weigh grains in the accounts of his repentance but for a great sinne have a great sorrow and a great severity and in this take the ordinary advices though it may be a lesse rigour might not be insufficient 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Arithmeticall measures especially of our own proportioning are but arguments of want of Love and of forwardnesse in Religion or else are instruments of scruple and then become dangerous Use the rule heartily and enough and there will be no harme in thy errour if any should happen 4. If thou intendest heartily to serve God and avoid sinne in any one instance refuse not the hardest and most severe advice that is prescribed in order to it though possibly it be a stranger to thee for whatsoever it be custome will make it easy 5. When many instruments for the obtaining any vertue or restraining any vice are propounded observe which of them fits thy person or the circumstances of thy need and use it rather then the other that by this means thou may'st be engaged to watch and use spiritual arts and observation about thy soul. Concerning the managing of which as the interest is greater so the necessities are more and the cases more intricate and the accidents and dangers greater and more importunate and there is greater skill required then in the securing an estate or restoring health to an infirme body I wish all men in the world did heartily believe so much of this as is true it would very much help to do the work of God Thus My Lord I have made bold by your hand to reach out this little scroll of cautions to all those who by seeing your honour'd name set before my Book shall by the fairnes of such a Frontispiece be invited to look into it I must confess it cannot but look like a designe in me to borrow your name and beg your Patronage to my book that if there be no other worth in it yet at least it may have the splendour and warmth of a burning glasse which borrowing a flame from the Eye of Heaven shines and burns by the rayes of the Sun its patron I will not quit my self from the suspicion for I cannot pretend it to be a present either of it self fit to be offered to such a Personage or any part of a just return but I humbly desire you would own it for an acknowledgement of those great
indifferent actions to be adopted into the family of religion 2. That there are some actions which are usually reckoned as parts of our religion which yet of themselves are so relative and imperfect that without the purity of intention they degenerate and unlesse they be directed and proceed on to those purposes which God designed them to they return into the family of common secular or sinful actions Thus almes are for charity fasting for temperance prayer is for religion humiliation is for humility austerity or sufferance is in order to the vertue of patience and when these actions fail of their several ends or are not directed to their own purposes alms are mispent fasting is an impertinent trouble prayer is but lip-labour humiliation is but hypocrisie sufferance is but vexation for such were the alms of the Pharisee the fast of Iezabel the prayer of Iudah reproved by the Prophet Isaiah the humiliation of Ahab the martyrdome of Hereticks in which nothing is given to God but the body or the forms of religion but the soul and the power of godlinesse is wholly wanting 3. We are to confider that no intention can sanctifie an unholy or unlawful action Saul the King disobeyed Gods commandment and spared the cattel of Amalek to reserve the best for sacrifice And Saul the Pharisee persecuted the Church of God with a designe to do God service and they that kild the Apostles had also good purposes but they had unhallowed actions When there is both truth in election and charity in the intention when we go to God in wayes of his own choosing or approving then our eye is single and our hands are clean and our hearts are pure But when a man does evil that good may come of it or good to an evil purpose that man does like him that rowls himself in thorns that he may sleep easily he rosts himself in the fire that he may quench his thirst with his own sweat he turns his face to the East that he may go to bed with the Sun I end this with the saying of a wise Heathen He is to be called evil that is good onely for his own sake Regard not how full hands you bring to God but how pure Many cease from sin out of fear alone not out of innocence or love of vertue and they as yet are not to be called innocent but timerous SECT III The third general instrument of holy living or the practise of the presence of God THat God is present in all places that he sees every action hears all discourses and understands every thought is no strange thing to a Christian ear who hath been taught this doctrine not onely by right reason and the consent of all the wise men in the world but also by God himself in holy Scripture Am I a God at hand saith the Lord and not a God afar off Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him saith the Lord Do not I fill heaven and earth Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight but all things are naked and open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do for in him we live and move and have our being God is wholly in every place included in no place not bound with cords except those of love not divided into parts not changeable into several shapes filling heaven and earth with his present power and with his never absent nature So S. Augustine expresses this article So that we may imagine God to be as the Aire and the Sea and we all inclos'd in his circle wrapt up in the lap of his infinite nature or as infants in the wombs of their pregnant Mothers and we can no more be removed from the presence of God than from our own being Several manners of the divine presence The presence of God is understood by us in several manners and to several purposes 1. God is present by his essence which because it is infinite cannot be contained within the limits of any place and because he is of an essential purity and spiritual nature he cannot be undervalued by being supposed present in the places of unnatural uncleannesse because as the sun reflecting upon the mud of strands and shores is unpolluted in its beams so is God not dishonoured when we suppose him in every of his Creaturer and in every part of every one of them and is still as unmixt with any unhandfome adherence as is the soul in the bowels of the body 2. God is every where present by his power He roules the Orbs of Heaven with his hand he fixes the Earth with his Foot he guides all the Creatures with his Eye and refreshes them with his influence He makes the powers of Hell to shake with his terrours and binds the Devils with his Word and throws them out with his command and sends the Angels on Embaâ—â—ies with his decrees He hardens the joynts of Infants and confirms the bones when they are fashioned beneath secretly in the earth He it is that assists at the numerous productions of fishes and there is not one hollownesse in the bottom of the sea but he shows himself to be Lord of it by sustaining these the Creatures that come to dwell in it And in the wildernesse the Bittern and the Stork the Dragon and the Satyr the Unicorn and the Elk live upon his provisions and revere his power and feel the force of his Almightinesse 3. God is more specially present in some places by the several and more special manifestations of himself to extraordinary purposes 1. By glory Thus his fear is in Heaven because there he fits incircled with all the outward demonstrations of his glory which he is pleased to show to all the inhabitants of those his inward and secret Courts And thus they that die in the Lord may be properly said to be gone to God with whom although they were before yet now they enter into his Courts into the secret of his Tabernacle into the retinue and splendor of his glory That is called walking with God but this is dwelling or being with him I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ so said Paul But this manner of the Divine presence is reserved for the elect people of God and for their portion in their countrey 4. God is by grace and benediction specially present in holy places and in the solemn assemblies of his servants If holy people meet in grots and dens of the earth when persecution or a publick necessity disturbs the publick order circumstance and convenience God fails not to come thither to them but God is also by the same or a greater reason present there where they meet ordinarily by order and publick authority There God is present ordinarily that is at every such meeting God will go out of his way to meet his Saints when themselves are forced out of their way of order by
of charity that this day and ever I may serve thee according to all my opportunities and capacities growing from grace to grace till at last by thy mercies I shall receive the consummation and perfection of grace even the glories of thy Kingdom in the full fruition of the face and excellencies of God the Father the Son and the holy Ghost to whom be glory and praise honour and adoration given by all Angels and all Men and all Creatures now and to all eternity Amen To this may be added the prayer of intercession for others whom we are bound to remember which is at the end of the foregoing prayer or else you may take such special prayers which follow at the end of the fourth Chapter for parents for children c. After which conclude with this ejaculation Now and in all tribulation and anguish of spirit in all dangers of soul and body in prosperity and adversity in the hour of death and in the day of judgement holy and most blessed Saviour Jesus have mercy upon me save me and deliver me and all faithful people Amen Between this and Noâ—n usually are said the publick prayers appointed by Authority to which all the Clergy are obliged and other devout persons that have leisure do accompany them Afternoon or at any time of the day when a devout person retires into his closer for private prayer or spiritual exercises he may say the following devotions An exercise to be used at any time of the day In the name of the Father and of the Son c. Our Father c. The hymn collected out of the Psalms recounting the excellencies and greatnesse of God O be joyful in God all ye lands sing praises unto the honour of his Name make his Name to be glorious * O Come hither behold the works of God how wonderful he is in his doings toward the children of men He ruleth with his power for ever He is the Father of the fatherlesse and defendeth the cause of the widow even God in his holy habitation He is the God that maketh men to be of one minde in a house and bringeth the prisoners out of captivity but letteth the runnagates continue in scarcenesse It is the Lord that commandeth the warers it is the glorious God that maketh the thunder * It is the Lord that ruleth the sea the voice of the Lord is mighty in operation the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice Let all the Earth fear the Lord stand in awe of him all ye that dwell in the world Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousnesse O God of our salvation thou that art the hope of all the ends of the Earth and of them that remaine in the broad Sea Glory be to the Father c. Or this O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee I will praise thy Name for thou hast done wonderful things thy counsels of old are faithfulnesse and truth Isay 25.1 Thou in thy strength â—etst fast the Mountains and art girded about with power Thou stillest the raging of the Sea and the noise of his waves and the madnesse of his people They also that remain in the uttermost parts of the Earth shall be afraid at thy tokens thou that makest the out-goings of the morning and evening to praise thee O Lord God of Hosts who is like unto thee thy truth most mighty Lord is on every side Among the gods there is none like unto thee O Lord there is none that can do as thou doest * For thou art great doest wondrous things thou art God alone God is very greatly to be feared in the counsel of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him Righteousnesse and equity is in the habitation of thy seat mercy and truth shall go before thy face * Glory and worship are before him power and honour are in his Sanctuary Thou Lord art the thing that I long for thou art my hope even from my youth through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art he that took me out of my mothers womb my praise shall be alwayes of thee Glory be to the Father c. After this may be read some portion of holy Scripture out of the New Testament or out of the sapiential bookes of the Old viz. Proverbs Ecclesiastes c. because these are of great use to piety and to civil conversation Vpon which when you have a while meditated humbly composing your self upon your knees say as followeth Ejaculations My help standeth in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heaven and Earth Shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servant and I shall be safe Do well O Lord to them that be true of heart and evermore mightily defend them Direct me in thy truth and teach me for thou art my Saviour and my great Master Keep me from sin and death eternal and from my enemies visible and invisible Give me grace to live a holy life and thy favour that I may dye a godly and happy death Lord hear the prayer of thy servant and give me thy holy Spirit The prayer O Eternal God mercifull and gracious vouchsafe thy favour and thy blessing to thy servant let the love of thy mercies and the dread and fear of thy Majesty make me careful and inquisitive to search thy will and diligent to perform it and to persevere in the practises of a holy life even till the last of my dayes II. KEep me O Lord for I am thine by creation guide me for I am thine by purchase thou hast redeemed me by the blood of thy Son and love me with the love of a Father for I am thy childe by adoption and grace let thy mercy pardon my sins thy providence secure me from the punishments and evils I have deserved and thy care watch over me that I may never any more offend thee make me in malice to be a childe but in understanding piety and the fear of God let me be a perfect man in Christ innocent and prudent readily furnished and instructed to every good work III. KEep me O Lord from the destroying Angel and from the wrath of God let thy anger never rise against mee but thy rod gently correct my follies and guide me in thy ways and thy staffe support me in all sufferings and changes Preserve me from fracture of bones from noisome infections and sharp sicknesses from great violences of Fortune and sudden surprizes keep all my senses intire till the day of my death and let my death be neither sudden untimely nor unprovided let it be after the common manner of men having in it nothing extraordinary but an extraordinary piety and the manifestation of thy great and miraculous mercy IV. LEt no riches ever make me forget my self no poverty ever make me to forget thee Let no hope or fear no pleasure or pain no accident without no weaknesse within hinder or
discompose my duty or turn me from the wayes of thy Commandements O let thy Spirit dwell with me for ever and make my soul just and charitable full of honesty full of religion resolute and constant in holy purposes but inflexible to evil Make me humble and obedient peaceable and pious let me never envy any mans good nor deserve to be despised my self and if I be teach me to bear it with meeknesse and charity V. GIve me a tender conscience a conversation discreet and aâ—fable modest and patient liberal and obliging body a chaste and healthful competency of living according to my condition contentednesse in all estates a resigned will and mortified affections that I may be as thou wouldst have me and my portion may be in the lot of the righteous in the brightnesse of thy countenance and the glories of eternity Amen Holy is our God * Holy is the Almighty * Holy is the Immortal Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath have mercy upon me A form of Prayer for the evening to be said by such who have not time or opportunity to say the publick prayers appointed for this office I. O Eternal God Great Father of Men and Angels who hast established the Heavens and the Earth in a wonderful order making day and night to succeed each other I make my humble addresse to thy Divine Majesty begging of thee mercy protection this night ever O Lord pardon all my sins my light and rash words the vanity and impiety of my thoughts my unjust and uncharitable actions and whatsoever I have transgressed against thee this day or at any time before Behold O God my soul is troubled in the remembrance of my sins in the frailty and sinfulnesse of my flesh exposed to every temptation and of it self not able to resist any Lord God of mercy I earnestly beg of thee to give me a great portion of thy grace such as may be sufficient and effectual for the mortification of all my sins and vanities and disorders that as I have formerly served my lust and unworthy desires so now I may give my self up wholly to thy service and the studies of a holy life II. BLessed Lord teach me frequently and sadly to remember my sins and be thou pleased to remember them no more let me never forget thy mercies and do thou still remember to do me good Teach me to walk alwayes as in thy presence Ennoble my soul with great degrees of love to thee and configne my spirit with great fear religion and veneration of thy holy Name and laws that it may become the great imployment of my whole life to serve thee to advance thy glory to root out all the accursed habits of sin that in holinesse of life in humility in charity in chastity and all the ornaments of grace I may by patience wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Amen III. Teach me O Lord to number my dayes that I may apply my heart unto wisdom ever to remember my last end that I may not dare to sin against thee Let thy holy Angels be ever present with me to keep me in all my wayes from the malice and violence of the spirits of darknesse from evil company and the occasions and opportunities of evil from perishing in popular judgements from all the wayes of sinful shame from the hands of all mine enemies from a sinful life and from despair in the day of my death Then O brightest Jesu shine gloriously upon me let thy mercies and the light of thy Countenance sustain me in all my agonies weaknesses and temptations Give me opportunity of a prudent and spiritual Guide and of receiving the holy Sacrament let thy loving spirit so guide me in the wayes of peace and safety that with the testimony of a good conscience and the sense of thy mercies and refreshment I may depart this life in the unity of the Church in the love of God and a certain hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and most blessed Saviour Amen Our Father c. Another form of Evening Prayer which may also be used at bed-time Our Father c. I Will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help My help cometh of the Lord which made heaven and earth He will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The sun shall not smite thee by day neither the moon by night The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth for evermore Glory be to the Father c. I. VIsit I beseech thee O Lord this habitation with thy mercy and me with thy grace and salvation Let thy holy Angels pitch their tents round about and dwell here that no illusion of the night may abuse me the spirits of darknesse may not come neer to hurt me no evil or sad accident oppresse me and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in my soul and body filling every corner of my heart with light and grace Let no deed of darknesse overtake me and thy blessing most blessed God be upon me for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen II. INto thy hands most blessed Jesu I commend my soul and body for thou hast redeemed both with thy most precious blood So blesse and sanctifie my sleep unto me that it may be temperate holy and safe a refreshment to my wearied body to enable it so to serve my soul that both may serve thee with a never failing duty O let me never sleep in sin or death eternal but give me a watchful a prudent spirit that I may omit no oportunity of serving thee that whether I sleep or wake live or die I may be thy servant and thy childe that when the work of my life is done I may rest in the bosom of my Lord till by the voice of the Archangel the trump of God I shall be awakened and called to sit down and feast in the eternal supper of the Lamb. Grant this O Lamb of God for the honour of thy mercies and the glory of thy name O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen III. BLessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus who hath sent his Angels and kept me this day from the destruction that walketh at noon and the arrow that flyeth by day and hath given me his Spirit to restrain me from those evils to which my own weaknesses and my evil habits and my unquiet enemies would easily betray me Blessed and for ever hallowed be thy name for that never ceasing showre os blessing by which I live and am content and blessed and provided for in all necessities and set forward in my duty and way to heaven * Blessing honour
of thy glories I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart secretly among the faithful and in the congregation * For salvation belongeth unto the Lord and thy blessing is upon thy servant But as for me I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercies and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple * For of thee and in thee and through thee and for thee are all things Blessed be the name of God from generation to generation Amen A â—hort Form of thanksgiving to be said upon any special deliverance as from Châ—ld-birth from Sickness from baâ—â—el or imminent danger at sea or Land c. O most merciful and gracious God thou fountain of all mercy and blessing thou hast opened the hand of thy mercy to fill me with blessings and the sweet effects of thy loving kindnesse thou feedest us like a Shepherd thou governest us as a king thou bearest us in thy arms like a nurse thou doest cover us under the shadow of thy wings and shelter us like a hen thou O Dearest Lord wakest for us as a Watchman thou providest for us like a Husband thou lovest us as a friend and thinkest on us perpetually as a careful mother on her helplesse babe and art exceeding merciful to all that fear thee and now O Lord thou hast added this great blessing of deliverance from my late danger here name the blessing it was thy hand and the help of thy mercy that relieved me the waters of affliction had drowned me and the stream had gone over my soul if the spirit of the Lord had not moved upon these waters Thou O Lord didst revoke thy angry sentence which I had deserved and which was gone out against me Unto thee O Lord I ascribe the praise and honour of my redemption I will be glad and rejoyce in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble and hast known my soul in adversity As thou hasâ— sâ—râ—ad thy hand upon me for a covering so also enlarge my heart with thankfulnesse and fill my mouth with praises that my duty and returns to theâ— may be great as my needs of mercie are and let thy gracious favours and loving kindnesâ—e endure for ever and ever upon thy servant and grant that what thou hast sown in mercy may spring up in duty and let thy grace so strengthen my purposes that I may sin no more lest thy threatning return upon me in anger and thy anger break me into pieces but let me walk in the light of thy favour and in the paths of thy Commandments that I living here to the glory of thy name may at last enter into the glory of my Lord to spend a whole eternity in giving praise to thy exalted and ever glorious name Amen We praise thee O God we knowledge thee to be the Lord * All the earth doth worship thee the Father Everlasting * To thee All Angels cry aloud the Heavens and all the powers therein * To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry * Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth * Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy glory * The glorious company of the Apostles praise thee * The goodly fellowship of the Prophets praise thee * The noble army of Martyrs praise thee * The holy Church throughout all the world doth knowledge thee * The Father of an infinite Majesty * Thy honourable true and only Son * Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter * Thou art the King of glory O Christ. * Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father * When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man thou didst not abhor the Virgins womb * When thou hadst overcome the sharpnesse of death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers * Thou sittest at the right hand of God in the glory of the Father * We believe that thou shalt come to be our Judge * We therefore pray thee help thy servants whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood * Make them to be numbered with thy Saints in glory everlasting * O Lord save thy people and blesse thine heritage * Govern them and lift them up for ever * Day by day we magnifie thee * And we worship thy name ever world without end * Vouchsafe O Lord to keep us this day without â—in * O Lord have mercy upon us have mercy upon us * O Lord let thy mercy lighten upon us as our trust is in thee O Lord in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded Amen A Prayer of thanksgiving after the receiving some great blessing as the birth of an Heir the successe of an honest designe a victory a good harvest c. O Lord God Father of mercies the fountain of comfort and blessing of life and peace of plenty and pardon who fillest Heaven with thy glory and earth w th thy goodnes I give thee the most earnest most humble and most enlarged returnes of my glad and thankful heart for thou hast refreshed me with thy comforts and enlarged me with thy blessing thou hast made my flesh and my bones to rejoyce for besides the blessings of all mankinde the blessings of nature the blessings of grace the support of every minute and the comforts of every day thou hast opened thy bosom and at this time hast powred out an excellent expression of thy loving kindnesse here name the blessing What am I O Lord and what is my Fathers house what is the life and what are the capacities of thy servant that thou should'st do this unto me * that the great God of men and Angels should make a special decree in Heaven for me and send out an Angel of blessing and instead of condemning and ruining me as I miserably have deserved to distinguish me from many my equals and my betters by this and many other special acts of grace and savour Praised be the Lord daily even the Lord that helpeth us and powreth his benefits upon us He is our God even the God of whom cometh salvation God is the Lord by whom we escape death Thou hast brought me to great honour and comforted me on every side Thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works I will rejoyce in giving praise for the operation of thy hands O give thanks unto the Lord and call upon his name tell the people what things he hath done As for me I will give great thanks unto the Lord and praise him among the multitude Blessed be the Lord God even the Lord God of Israel which only doth wondrous gracious things And blessed be the name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty Amen Amen Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. A Prayer to be said on the Feast of Christmas or the birth of our bleâ—sed Saviour Iesus the same also may be said upon the Feast of the Annunciation and Purification of the B. Virgin
be express'd in all our actions and the light of thy countenance be upon us in all our sufferings that we may delight in the service and in the mercies of God for ever Amen O gracious Father and merciful God if it be thy wil say unto the destroying Angel it is enough and though we are not better then our brethren who are smitten with the rod of God but much worse yet may it please thee even because thou art good and because we are timerous and sinful not yet fitted for our appearance to set thy mark upon our foreheads that the Angel thy Minister of thy justice may passe over us and hurt us not let thy hand cover thy servants and hide us in the clefts of the rock in the wounds of the holy Jesus from the present anger that is gone out against us that though we walk thorough the valley of the shadow of death we may fear no evil and sufâ—er none and those whom thou hast smitten with thy rod support with thy staff and visit them with thy mercies and salvation through Jesus Christ. Amen 8. For all women with childe and for unborn children O Lord God who art the Father of them that trust in thee and shewest mercy to a thousand generations of them that fear thee have mercy upon all women great with childe * be pleased to give them a joyful a safe deliverance let thy grace preserve the fruit of their wombs and conduct them to the holy Sacrament of Baptisme that they being regenerated by thy Spirit and adopted into thy family and the portion and duty of Sons may live to the glory of God to the comfort of their parents and friends to the edification of the Christian Common-wealth and the salvation of their own souls thorough Jesus Christ. Amen 9. For all estates of Men and Women in the Christian Church O Holy God King Eternal out of the infinite stâ—re-houses of thy grace and mercy give unto all Virgins chastity and a religious spirit to all persons dedicated to thee and to religion continence and meekness an active zeal and an unwearied spirit to all married paires faith and holinesse to widows and fatherless and all that are oppressed â—hy paâ—ronage comfort and defence to all Christian women simplicity and modâ—sâ—y humility and chastity pâ—tience aâ—d charity give unto the poor to all â—hat are robbed and spoiled of their goods a competent supporâ— and a contented spirit and a treasure in heaven hereafter give unto prisoners and captives to them that toil in the mines and row in â—he gallâ—es strength of body and of spirit liberty and redemption comfort and restitution to all that travel by land thy Angel for their guide and a holy and prosperous return to all that travel by sea freedom from Pirates and shipwrack and bring them to the Haven where they would be to distressed and scrupulous consciences to melancholy and disconsolate persons to all that are afflicted with evil and unclean spirits give a light from heaven great grace and proportionable comforts and â—imely deliverance give them patience and resignation let their sorrows be changed into grace and comfort and let the sâ—orm waft them certainly to the regions of rest and glory Lord God of Mercy give to thy Martyrs Confessors and all thy persecuted constancy and prudence boldness and hope a full faith and a never failing charity To all who are condemned to death do thou minister comfort a strong a quiet and a resigned spirit take from them the fear of death and all remaining affections to sin and all imperfections of duty and cause them to dye full of grace full of hope and give to all faithfull and particularly to them who have recommended themselves to the prayers of thy unworthy servant a supply of all their needs temporal and spiritual and according to their several states and necessities rest and peace pardon and refreshment and shew us all a mercy in the day of judgment Amen Give O Lord to the Magistrates equity sinceritie courage and prudence that they may protect the good defend religion and punish the wrong doers Give to the Nobility wisdom valour and loyalty To Merchants justice and faithfulnesse to all Artificers and Labourers truth and honesty to our enemies forgivenesse and brotherly kindnesse Preserve to us the Heavens and the Ayre in healthful influence and disposition the Earth in plenty the kingdom in peace and good government our marriages in peace and sweetnesse and innocence of society thy people from famine and pestilence our houses from burning and robbery our persons from being burnt alive from banishment and prison from Widowhood destitution from violence of pains and passions from tempests and earth-quakes from inundation of waters from rebellion and invasion from impatience and inordinate cares from tediousnes of spirit and despair from murder and all violent accursed and unusual deaths from the surprize of sudden and violent accidents from passionate and unreasonable fears from all thy wrath and from all our sins good Lord deliver and preserve thy servants for ever Amen Represse the violence of all implacable warring and tyrant Nations bring home unto thy fold all that are gone astray call into the Church all strangers increase the number and holinesse of thy own people bring infants to ripenesse of age and reason confirm all baptized people with thy grace and with thy Spirit instruct the Novices and new Christians let a great grace and merciful providence bring youthful persons safely and holily through the indiscretions and passions and temptations of their younger years those whom thou hast or shalt permit to live to the age of a man give competent strength and wisdom take from them covetousnesse and churlishnesse pride and impatience fill them full of devotion and charity repentance and sobriety holy thoughts and longing desires after Heaven and heavenly things give them a holy and a blessed death and to us all a joyful resurrection through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Ad. Sect. 10. The manner of using these devotions by way of preparation to the receiving the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper The just prepararion to this holy Feast consisting principally in a holy life and consequently in the repetition of the acts of all vertues and especially of Faith Repentance Charity and Thanksgiving to the exercise of these four graces let the person that intends to communicate in the times set apart for his preparation and devotion for the exercise of his faith recite the prayer or Letany of the passion For the exercise of Repentance the form of confession of sins with the prayer annexed And for the graces of thanksgiving and charity let him use the special formes of prayer above described or if a lesse time can be allotted for preparatory devotion the two first will be the more proper as containing in them all the personal duty of the communicant To which upon the morning of that holy solemnity let him adde A
a sad necessity but else Gods usual way is to be present in those places where his servants are appointed ordinarily to meet But his presence there signifies nothing but his readinesse to hear their prayers to blesse their persons to accept their offices and to like even the circumstance of orderly and publick meeting For thither the prayers of consecration the publick authority separating it and Gods love of order and the reasonable customes of Religion have in ordinary and in a certain degree fixed this manner of his presence and he loves to have it so 5. God is especially present in the hearts of his people by his holy Spirit and indeed the hearts of holy men are Temples in the truth of things and in type and shadow they are of Heaven it self For God reigns in the hearts of his servants There is his Kingdom The power of grace hath subdued all his enemies There is his power They serve him night and day and give him thanks and praise that is his glory This is the religion and worship of God in the Temple The temple it self is the heart of man Christ is the High Priest who from thence sends up the incense of prayers and joyns them to his own intercession and presents all together to his Father and the Holy Ghost by his dwelling there hath also consecrated it into a Temple and God dwels in our hearts by faith and Christ by his Spirit and the Spirit by his purities so that we are also Cabinets of the Mysterious Trinity and what is this short of Heaven it self but as infancy is short of manhood and letters of words The same state of life it is but not the same age It is Heaven in a Looking-glasse dark but yet true representing the beauties of the soul and the graces of God and the images of his eternal glory by the reality of a special presence 6. God is especially present in the consciences of all persons good and bad by way of testimony and judgement that is he is there a remembrancer to call our actions to minde a witnesse to bring them to judgement and a Judge to acquit or to condemne And although this manner of presence is in this life after the manner of this life that is imperfect and we forget many actions of our lives yet the greatest changes of our state of grace or sin our most considerable actions are alwayes present like Capital Letters to an aged and dim eye and at the day of judgement God shall draw aside the cloud and manifest this manner of his presence more notoriously and make it appear that he was an observer of our very thoughts and that he onely laid those things by which because we covered with dust and negligence they were not then discerned But when we are risen from our dust and imperfection they all appear plain and legible Now the consideration of this great truth is of a very universal use in the whole course of the life of a Christian. All the consequents and effects of it are universal * He that remembers that God stands a witnesse and a judge beholding every secrecy besides his impiety must have put on impudence if he be not much restrained in his temptation to sin For the greatest part of sinnes is taken away if a man have a witnesse of his conversation And he is a great despiser of God who sends a Boy away when he is going to commit fornication and yet will dare to do it though he knows God is present and cannot be sent oâ—â— as if the eye of a little Boy were more awful then the all-seeing eye of God He is to be fear'd in publick he is to be fear'd in private if you go forth he spies you if you go in he sees you when you light the candle he observes you when you put it out then also God marks you Be sure that while you are in his sight you behave your self as becomes so holy a presence But if you will sin retire your self wisely and go where God cannot see For no where else can you be safe And certainly if men would alwayes actually consider and really esteem this truth that God is the great Eye of the World alwayes watching over our actions and an ever open ear to hear all our words and an unwearied arm ever lifted up to crush a sinner into ruine it would be the readiest way in the world to make sin to cease from amongst the children of men and for men to approach to the blessed estate of the Saints in Heaven who cannot sin for they alwayes walk in the presâ—nce and behold the face of God * This instrument is to be reduced to practise according to the following Rules Rules of exercising this consideration 1. Let this actual thought often return that God is omnipresent filling every place and say with David Whither shall I go from thy Spirit or whither shall I flee from thy presence If I ascend up into heaven thou art there If I make my bed in hell thou art there c. This thought by being frequent will make an habitual dread and reverence towards God and fear in all thy actions For it is a great necessity and ingagement to do unblameably when we act before that Judge who is infallible in his sentence all knowing in his information severe in his anger powerful in his providence and intolerable in his wrath and indignation 2. In the beginning of actions of Religion make an act of adoration that is solemnly worship God and place thy self in Gods presence and behold him with the eye of faith and leâ— thy desires actually six on him as the object of thy worship and the reason of thy hope and the fountain of thy blessing For when thou hast placed thy self before him and kneelest in his presence it is most likely all the following parts of thy devotion will be answerable to the wisdom of such an apprehension and the glory of such a presence 3. Let every thing you see represent to your spirit the presence the excellency and the power of God and let your conversation with the creatures lead you unto the Creator for so shall your actions be done more frequently with an actual eye to Gods presence by your often seeing him in the glasse of the creation In the face of the Sun you may see Gods beauty In the fire you may feel his heat warming in the water his gentleness to refresh you he it is that comforts your spirit wheÌ„ you have taken Cordials it is the dew of Heaven that makes your field give you bread and the breasts of God are the bottles that minister drink to your necessities This Philosophy which is obvious to every mans experience is a good advantage to our piety and by this act of understanding our wills are check'd from violence and misdemeanour 4. In your retirement make frequent colloquies or short discoursings between God and
glory and power be unto him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen Holy is our God * Holy is the Almighty Holy is the Immortal Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabaoth have mercy upon me Ejaculations and short meditations to be used in the Night when we wake Stand in awe and sin not commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still I will lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord onely makest me dwell in safety O Father of Spirits and the God of all flesh have mercy and pity upon all sick and dying Christians and receive the souls which thou hast redeemed returning unto thee Blessed are they that dwell in the heavenly Jerusalem where there is no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the glorie of God does lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof And there shal be no night there they need no candle for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign for ever and ever Revel 21.23 Meditate on Iacobs wrastling with the Angel all night be thou also importunate with God for a blessing and give not over till he hath blessed thee Meditate on the Angel passing over the children of Israel and destroying the Egyptians for disobedience and oppression Pray for the grace of obedience and charity and for the divine protection Meditate on the Angel who destroyed in a night the whole army of the Assyrians for fornication Call to minde the sins of thy youth the sins of thy bed and say with David My reins chasten me in the night season and my soul refuseth comfort Pray for pardon and the grace of chastity Meditate on the agonies of Christ in the garden his sadnesse and affliction all that night and thank and adore him for his love that made him suffer so much for thee and hate thy sins which made it necessary for the Son of God to suffer so much Meditate on the four last things 1. The certainty of death 2. The terrours of the day of judgement 3. The joyes of Heaven 4. The pains of Hell and the eternity of both Think upon all thy friends which are gone before thee and pray that God would grant to thee to meet them in a joyful resurrection The day of the Lord will come as a thiefe in the night in the which the heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godlinesse looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God 2 Pet. 3.10.11 Lord in mercy remember thy servant in the day of Judgement Thou shalt answer for me O Lord my God In thee O Lord have I trusted let me never be confounded Amen I desire the Christian Reader to observe that all these offices or forms of prayer if they should be used every day would not spend above an hour and a halfe but because soâ—e of them are double and so but one of them to be used in one day it is much lesse and by affording to God one hour in 24. thou mayest have the comforts and rewards of devotion But he that thinks this is too much either is very busie in the world or very carelesse of heaven However I have parted the prayers into smaller portions that he may use which and how many he please in any one of the forms Ad Sect. 2. A prayer for holy Intention in the beginning and pursuit of any considerable action as Study Preaching c. O Eternal God who hast made all things for man and man for thy glory sanctifie my body and soul my thoughts and my intentions my words and actions that whatsoever I shall think or speak or do may he by me designed to the glorification of thy Name and by thy blessing it may be effective and successeful in the work of God according as it can be capable Lord turn my necessities into vertue the works of nature into the works of grace by making them orderly regular temperate subordinate and profitable to ends beyond their own proper efficacy And let no pride or self-seeking no covetousnesse or revenge no impure mixture or unhandsome purposes no little ends and low imaginations pollute my Spirit and unhallow any of my words and actions but let my body be a servant of my spirit and both body and spirit servants of Jesus that doing all things for thy glory here I may be partaker of thy glory hereafter thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Ad Sect. 3. A prayer meditating and referring to the divine presence This prayer is especially to be used in temptation to private sins O Almighty God infinite and eternal thou fillest all things with thy presence thou art every where by thy essence and by thy power in heaven by Glory in holy places by thy grace and favour in the hearts of thy servants by thy Spirit in the consciences of all men by thy testimony and observation of us Teach me to walk alwayes as in thy presence to fear thy Majesty to reverence thy wisdom and omniscience that I may never dare to commit any undecency in the eye of my Lord and my Judge but that I may with so much care and reverence demean my self that my Judge may not be my accuser but my Advocate that I expressing the belief of thy presence here by careful walking may feel the effects of it in the participation of eternal glory thorough Jesus Christ. Amen CHAP. II. Of Christian Sobriety Sect. I. Of sobriety in the general sense CHristian Religion in all its moral parts is nothing else but the Law of Nature and great Reason complying with the great necessities of all the world and promoting the great profit of all relations and carrying us through all accidents of variety of chances to that end which God hath from eternal ages purposed for all that live according to it and which he hath revealed in Jesus Christ and according to the Apostles Aâ—ithmetik hath but these three parts of it 1. Sobriety 2. Justice 3. Religion For the grace of God bringing salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live 1. Soberly 2. Righteously and 3. Godly in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the greaâ— God and our Saviour Iesus Christ. The first contains all our deportment in our personal and private capacities the fâ—ir treating of our bodies and our spirits The second eâ—larges our duty in all relations to our Neighbour The third contains the offices of direct Religion and entercourse with God Christian sobriety is all that duty that concerns our selves in the matter of meat and drink and pleasures and thoughts and it hath within it
who brought a part of the stars with his tail from Heaven 4. Of all carnal sins it is that alone which the Devil takes delight to imitate counterfeit communicating with Witches impure persons in no corporal act but in this onely 5. Uncleannesse with all its kindes is a vice which hath a professed enmity against the body Every sin which a man doth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body 6. Uncleannesse is hugely contrary to the spirit of Government by embasing the spirit of a man making it effeminate sneaking soft and foolish without courage without confidence David felt this after his folly with Bathsheba he fell to unkingly arts and stratagems to hide the crime and he did nothing but increase it and remaind timorous poor spirited till he prayed to God once more to establish him with a free and a Princely spirit And no superiour dare strictly observe discipline upon his charge if he hath let himself loose to the shame of incontinence 7. The Gospel hath added two arguments against uncleannesse which were never before used nor indeed could be since GOD hath given the holy Spirit to them that are baptized and rightly confirmed and entered into covenant with him our bodies are made temples of the holy Ghost in which he dwels and therfore uncleanness is Sacriledge defiles a Temple It is S. Pauls argument Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost He that defiles a Temple him will God destroy Therfore Glorifie God in your bodies that is flee fornication To which for the likeness of the argument adde That our bodies are members of Christ and therefore God forbid that we should take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot So that uncleannesse dishonours Christ and dishonours the holy Spirit it is a sin against God and in this sence a sin against the Holy Ghost 8. The next special argument which the Gospel ministers especially against adultery for preservation of the purity of marriage is that Marriage is by Christ hallowed into a mystery to signifie the Sacramental and mystical union of Christ and his Church He therefore that breaks this knot which the Church and their mutual faith hath tyed and Christ hath knit up into a mystery dishonours a great rite of Christianity of high spiritual and excellent signification 9. S. Gregory reckons uncleannesse to be the parent of these monsters Blindnesse of minde inconsideration precipitancy or giddinesse in actions self love hatred of God love of the present pleasures a despite or despair of the joyes of religion here and of Heaven hereafter Whereas a pure minde in a chast body is the Mother of wisdom and deliberation sober counsells and ingenuous actions open deportment and sweet carriage sincere principles and unprejudicate understanding love of God and self-denyall peace and confidence holy prayers and spiritual comfort and a pleasure of Spirit infinitely greater then the sottish and beastly pleasures of unchastity For to overcome pleasure is the greatest pleasure and no victory is greater then that which is gotten over our lusts and filthy inclinations 10. Adde to all these the publick dishonesty and disreputation that all the Nations of the world have cast upon adulterous and unhallowed embraces Abimelech to the men of Gerar made it death to meddle with the wife of Isaac and Iudah condemned Thamar to be burnt for her adulterous conception and God besides the Law made to put the adulterous person to death did constitute a setled and constant miracle to discover the adultery of a suspected woman that her bowels should burst with drinking the waters of Jealousie The Egyptian Law was to cut off the nose of the adulteresse and the offending part of the adulterer The Locrians put out the adulterers both eyes The Germanes as Tacitus reports placed the Adulteresse amidst her kinred naked and shaved her head and caused her husband to beat her with clubs thorough the city The Gortinaeans crowned the man with wool to shame him for his effeminacy and the Cumani caused the woman to ride upon an asse naked and hooted at and for ever after called her by an appellative of scorn A rider upon the asse All nations barbaroâ—s and civil agreeing in their general designe of rooting so dishonest and shameful vice from under heaven The middle ages of the Church were not pleased that the Adulteresse should be put to death but in the primitive ages the civil Lawes by which Christians were then governed gave leave to the wronged husband to kill his adulterous wife if he took her in the fact but because it was a priviledge indulg'd to men rather than a direct detestation of the crime a consideration of the injury rather then of the uncleannesse therefore it was soon altered but yet hath caused an inquiry whether is worse the Adultery of the man or the woman The resolution of which case in order to our present affair is thus In respect of the person the fault is greater in a man then in a woman who is of a more plyant and easie spirit and weaker understanding and hath nothing to supply the unequal strengths of men but the defensative of a passive nature and armour of modesty which is the natural ornament of that sex And it is unjust that the man should demand chastity and severity from his wife which himself will not observe towards her said the good Emperour Antoninus It is as if the man should perswade his wife to fight against those enemies to which he had yielded himself a prisoner 2. In respect of the effects and evil consequents the adultery of the woman is worse as bringing bastardy into a family and disinherisons or great injuries to the Lawful children and infinite violations of peace and murders and divorces and all the effects of rage and madnesse 3. But in respect of the crime and as relating to God they are equal intollerable and damnable And the Church anciently refused to admit such persons to the holy Communion until they had done seven yeers penances in fasting in sackcloth in severe inflictions and instruments of chastity and sorrow according to the discipline of those ages Acts of chastity in general The actions and proper offices of the grace of chastity in general are these 1. To resist all unchast thoughts at no hand entertaining pleasure in the unfruitful fancies and remembrances of uncleannesse although no definite desire or resolution be entertained 2. At no hand to entertain any desire or any phantastick imaginative loves though by shame or disability or other circumstance they be restrained from act 3. To have a chast eye and hand for it is all one with what part of the body we commit adultery and if a man lets his eye loose and enjoyes the lust of that he is an adulterer Look not upon a
this is by S. Peter summed up in our duty thus Cast all your care upon him for he careth for you Which words he seems to have borrowed out of the 55 Psalm verse 23. where David saith the same thing almost in the same words To which I onely adde the observation made by him and the argument of experience I have been young and now am old and yet saw I never the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread And now after all this a fearlesse confidence in God and concerning a provision of necessaries is so reasonable that it is become a duty and he is scarce a Christian whose faith is so little as to be jealous in God and suspitious concerning meat and clothes that man hath nothing in him of the noblenesse or confidence of Charity Does not God provide for all the birds and beasts and fishes Do not the sparrows fly from their bush every morning finde meat where they laid it not Do not the young ravens call to God and he feeds them and were it reasonable that the sons of the family should fear the Father would give meat to the chickens and the servants his sheep and his dogs but give none to them He were a very ill Father that should do so or he were a very foolish son that should think so of a good Father * But besides the reasonablenesse of this faith and this hope we have infinite experience of it How innocent how carelesse how secure is Infancy and yet how certainly provided for we have lived at Gods charges all the dayes of our life and have as the Italian proverb sayes set down to meat at the sound of a bell and hitherto he hath not failed us we have no reason to suspect him for the future we do not vse to serve men so and lesse time of tryal creates great confidences in us towards them who for twenty years together never broke their word with us and God hath so ordered it that a man shall have had the experience of many years provision before he shall understand how to doubt thâ—t he may be provided for an answer against the temptation shall come and the mercies felt in his childehood may make him fear lesse when he is a man * Adde to this that God hath given us his holy Spirit he hath promised heaven to us he hath given us his son and we are taught from Scripture to make this inference from hence How should not he with him give us all things else The Charge of many Children We have a title to be provided for as we are Gods creatures another title as we are his Children another because God hath promised and every of our children hath the same title and therefore it is a huge folly and infidelity to be troubled and full of care because we have many children Every childe we have to feed is a new revenue a new title to Gods care and providence so that many children are a great wealth and if it be said they are chargeable it is no more then all wealth great revenues are For what difference is it Titius keeps ten ploughs Cornelia hath ten children He hath land enough to imploy and to feed all his hindes â—he blessings and promises and the provisions the truth of God to maintain all her children His hindes and horses eat up all his corn and her children are sufficiently maintained with her little They bring in and eat up and she indeed eats up but they also bring in from the store houses of heaven and the granaries of God and my children are not so much mine as they are Gods he feeds them in the womb by wayes secret insensible and would not work a perpetual miracle to bring them forth and then to starve them Violent necessities But some men are highly tempted and are brought to a strait that without a miracle they cannot be relieved what shall they do It may be their pride or vanity hath brought the necessity upon them and it is not a need of Gods making and if it be not they must cure it themselves by lessening their desires and moderating their appetites and yet if it be innocent though unnecessary God does usually relieve such necessities and he does not onely upon our prayers grant us more then he promised of temporal things but also he gives many times more then we ask This is no object for our faith but ground enough for a temporal and prudent hope and if we fail in the particular God will turn it to a bigger mercy if we submit to his dispensation and adore him in the denyal But if it be a matter of necessity let not any man by way of impatience cry out that God will not work a miracle for God by miracle did give meat and drink to his people in the wilderness of which he had made no particular promise in any Covenant and if all natural means fail it is certain that God will rather work a miracle then break his word He can do that He cannot do this Onely we must remember that our portion of temporal things is but food and raiment God hath not promised us coaches and horses rich houses and jewels Tyrian silks and Persian carpets neither hath he promised to minister to our needs in such circumstances as we shall appoint but such as himself shall choose God will enable either thee to pay thy debt if thou beggest it of him or else he will pay it for thee that is take thy desire as a discharge of thy duty and pay it to thy Creditor in blessings or in some secret of his providence It may be he hath laid up the corn that shall feed thee in the granary of thy Brother or will clothe thee with his wool he enabled Saint Peter to pay his Gabel by the ministery of a fish and Elias to be waited on by a crow who was both his minister and his steward for provisions and his Holy Son rode in triumph upon an asse that grazed in another mans pastures And if God gives to him the dominion and reserves the use to thee thou hast the better half of the two but the charitable man serves God and serves thy need and both joyn to provide for thee and God blesses both But if he takes away the flesh-pots from thee he can also alter the appetite and he hath given thee power and commandment to restrain it and if he lessens the revenue he will also shrink the necessity or if he gives but a very little he will make it go a great way or if he sends thee but course diet he will blesse it and make it healthful and can cure all the anguish of thy povertie by giving thee patience and the grace of contentednesse For the grace of God secures you of provisions and yet the grace of God feeds and supports the spirit in the want of provisions and if a thin table be apt to enfeeble
immature if he lives till seventy and yet this age is as short of the old periods before and since the flood as this youths age for whom you mourn is of the present fulnesse Suppose therefore a decree passed upon this person as there have been many upon all mankinde and God hath set him a shorter period and then we may as well bear the immature death of the young man as the death of the oldest men for they also are immature and unseasonable in respect of the old periods of many generations * And why are we troubled that he had arts and sciences before he dyed or are we troubled that he does not live to make use of them the first is cause of joy for they are excellent in order to certain ends And the second cannot be cause of sorrow because he hath no need to use them as the case now stands being provided for with the provisions of an Angel and the maner of Eternity However the sons and the parents friends and relatives are in the world like hours and minutes to a day The hour comes and must passe and some stay but minutes and they also passe and shall never return again But let it be considered that from the time in which a man is conceived from that time forward to Eternitie he shall never cease to be and let him dye young or old still he hath an immortal soul and hath laid down his body onely for a time as that which was the instrument of his trouble and sorrow and the scene of sicknesses and disease But he is in a more noble manner of being after death then he can be here and the childe may with more reason be allowed to cry for leaving his mothers womb for this world then a man can for changing this world for another Sudden deaths or violent Others are yet troubled at the manner of their childes or friends death He was drowned or lost his head or dyed of the plague and this is a new spring of sorrow but no man can give a sensible account how it shall be worse for a childe to dye with drowning in half an hour then to endure a feaver of one and twenty dayes And if my friend lost his head so he did not lose his constancy and his religion he dyed with huge advantage Being Childelesse But by this means I am left without an Heir Well suppose that Thou hast no Heir and I have no inheritance and there are many Kings and Emperors that have died childlesse many Royal lines are extinguished And Augustus Caesar was forced to adopt his wives son to inherit all the Roman greatnesse And there are many wise persons that never marryed and we read no where that any oâ— the children of the Apostles did survive their Fathers and all that inherit any thing of Christs kingdom come to it by Adoption not by natural inheritance and to dye without an natural heir is no intolerable evil since it was sanctified in â—he person of Jesus who dyed a Virgin Evil or unfortunate Children And by this means we are freed from the greater srorows of having a fool a swine or a goat to rule after us in our families and yet even this condition admits of comfort For all the wilde Americans are supposed to be the sons of Dodonaiâ— and the sons of Iacob are now the most scattered and despised people in the whole world The son of Solomon was but a silly weak man and the son of Hezekiah was wicked and all the fools and barbarous people all the thieves and pirates all the slaves and miserable men and women of the world aâ—e the sons and daughters of Noah and we must not look to be exempted from that portion of sorrow which God gave to Noah and Adam to Abraham to Isaack and to Iacob I pray God send us into the lot of Abraham But if any thing happens worse to us it is enough for us that we bear it evenly Our own death And how if you were to die your self you know you must Onely be ready for it by the preparations of a good life and then it is the greatest good that ever happened to thee else there is nothing that can comfort you But if you have served God in a holy life send away the women and the weepers tell them it is as much intemperance to weep too much as to laugh too much and when thou art alone or with fitting company dye as thou shouldest but do not dye impatiently and like a fox catch'd in a trap For if you fear death you shall never the more avoid it but you make it miserable Fannius that kild himself for fear of death dyed as certainly as Portia that eat burning coals or Cato that cut his own throat To dye is necessary and natural and it may be honourable but to dye poorly and basely and sinfully that alone is it that can make a man unfortunate No man can be a slave but he that fears pain or fears to die To such a man nothing but chance and peaceable times can secure his duty and he depends upon things without sor his felicity and so is well but during the pleasure of his enemy or a Thief or a Tyrant or it may be of a dog or a wilde bull Prayers for the several Graces and parts of Christian Sobriety A Prayer against Sensuality O Eternal Father thou that sittest in Heaven invested with essential Glories and Divine perfections fill my soul with so deep a sence of the excellencies of spiritual and heavenly things that my affections being weaned from the pleasures of the world and the false allurements of sin I may with great severity and the prudence of a holy discipline and strict desires with clear resolutions and a free spirit have my conversation in Heaven and heavenly imployments that being in affections as in my condition a Pilgrim and a stranger here I may covet after and labour for an abiding city and at last may enter into and for ever dwell in the Coelestial Jerusalem which is the mother of us all through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen For Temperance O ALmighty God and gracious Father of Men and Angels who openest thy hand and fillest all things with plenty and hast provided for thy servant sufficient to satisfie all my needs teach me to use thy creatures soberly and temperately that I may not with loads of meat or drink make the temptations of my enemy to prevail upon me or my spirit unapt for the performance of my duty or my body healthlesse or my affections sensual and unholy O my God never suffer that the blessings which thou givest me may either minister to sin or sicknesse but to health and holinesse and thanksgiving that in the strength of thy provisions I may cheerfully and actively and diligently serve thee that I may worthily feast at thy table here and be accounted worthy through thy grace to be admitted to thy
beam of comfort Possibly the Man may erre in his judgement of circumstances and therefore let him fear but because it is not certain he is mistaken let him not despair 7. Consider that God who knows all the events of Men and what their final condition shall be who shall be saved and who will perish yet he treateth them as his own calls them to be his own offers fair conditions as to his own gives them blessings arguments of mercy and instances of fear to call them off from death and to call them home to life and in all this shews no despair of happinesse to them and therefore much lesse should any Man despair for himself since he never was able to reade the Scrols of the eternal predestination 8. Remember that despair belongs onely to passionate Fools or Villains such as were Achitophel and Iudas or else to Devils and damned persons and as the hope of salvation is a good disposition towards it so is despair a certain consignation to eternal ruine A Man may be damned for despairing to be saved Despair is the proper passion of damnation God hath placed truth and felicity in Heaven Curiosity and repentance upon Earth but misery and despair are the portions of Hell 9. Gather together into your spirit and its â—reasure-house the Memory not onely all the promises of GOD but also the remembrances of experience and the former senses of the Divine favours that from thence you may argue from times past to the present and enlarge to the future and to greater blessings For although the conjectures and expectations of Hope are not like the conclusions of Faith yet they are a Helmet against the scorchings of Despair in temporal things and an anchor of the soul sure and stedfast against the fluctuations of the Spirit in matters of the soul. Saint Bernard reckons divers principles of Hope by enumerating the instances of the Divine Mercy and wee may by them reduce this rule to practise in the following manner 1. GOD hath preserved mee from many sinnes his mercies are infinite I hope he will still preserve me from more and for ever * 2. I have sinned and GOD smote me not his mercies are still over the penitent I hope he will deliver me from all the evils I have deserved He hath forgiven me many sins of malice and therefore surely he will pity my infirmities * 3. God visited my heart and chang'd it he loves the work of his own hands and so my heart is now become I hope he will love this too * 4. When I repented he receiv'd me graciously and therefore I hope if I do my endeavour he will totally forgive me 5. He help'd my slow and beginning endeavours and therefore I hope he will lead me to perfection * 6. When he had given me something first then he gave me more I hope therefore he will keep me from falling and give me the grace of perseverance * 7. He hath chosen me to be a Disciple of Christs institution he hath elected me to his Kingdom of grace and therefore I hope also to the Kingdom of his glory * 8. He died for me when I was his enemy and therefore I hope he will save me when he hath reconcil'd me to him is become my friend * 9. God hath given us his Son how should not he with him give us all things else All these S. Bernard reduces to these three Heads as the instruments of all our hopes 1. The charity of God adopting us 2. The truth of his promises 3. The power of his performance which if any truly weighs no infirmity or accident can break his hopes into undiscernable fragments but some good planks will remain after the greatest storm and shipwrack This was S. Pauls instrument Experience begets hope and hope maketh not ashamed 10. Do thou take care onely of thy duty of the means and proper instruments of thy purpose and leave the end to God lay that up with him and he will take care of all that is intrusted to him and this being an act of confidence in God is also a means of security to thee 11. By special arts of spiritual prudence and arguments secure the confident belief of the Resurrection and thou canst not but hope for every thing else which you may reasonably expect or lawfully desire upon the stock of the Divine mercies and promises 12. If a despair seizes you in a particular temporal instance let it not defile thy spirit with impure mixture or mingle in spiritual considerations but rather let it make thee fortifie thy soul in matters of Religion that by being thrown out of your Earthly dwelling and confidence you may retire into the strengths of grace and hope the more strongly in that by how much you are the more defeated in this that despair of a fortune or a successe may become the necessity of all vertue Sect. 3. Of Charity or the love of God LOve is the greatest thing that God can give us for himself is love and it is the greatest thing we can give to God for it will also give our selves and carry with it all that is ours The Apostle cals it the band of perfection it is the Old and it is the New and it is the great Commandement and it is all the Commandements for it is the fulfilling of the Law It does the work of all other graces without any instrument but its own immediate vertue For as the love to sinne makes a Man sinne against all his own reason and all the discourses of wisdom and all the advices of his friends and without temptation and without opportunity so does the love of God it makes a man chast without the laborious arts of fasting and exteriour disciplines temperate in the midst of feasts and is active enough to choose it without any intermedial appetites and reaches at Glory thorough the very heart of Grace without any other arms but those of Love It is a grace that loves God for himself and our Neighbours for God The consideration of Gods goodnesse and bounty the experience of those profitable and excellent emanations from him may be and most commonly are the first motive of our love but when we are once entred and have tasted the goodnesse of God we love the spring for its own excellency passing from passion to reason from thanking to adoring from sence to spirit from considering our selves to an union with God and this is the image and little representation of Heaven it is beatitude in picture or rather the infancy and beginnings of glory We need no incentives by way of special enumeration to move us to the love of God for we cannot love any thing for any reason real or imaginary but that excellency is infinitely more eminent in God There can but two things create love Perfection and Vsefulnesse to which answer on our part first admiration and 2. Desire and both these are centred in love For the
Divine instrument it does not prevail by the force of deduction and artificial discoursings onely but chieâ—ly by way of blessing in the ordinance and in the ministery of an appointed person At least obey the publick order and reverence the constitution and give good example of humility charity and obedience 8. When Scriptures are read you are onely to enquire with diligence and modesty into the meaning of the Spirit but if homilies or sermons be made upon the words of Scripture you are to consider whether all that be spoken be conformable to the Scriptures For although you may practise for humane reasons and humane arguments ministred from the Preacherâ— art yet you must practise nothing but the command of God nothing but the Doctrine of Scripture that is the text 9. Use the advice of some spirituall or other prudent man for the choice of such spiritual books which may be of use and benefit for the edification of thy spirit in the wayes of holy living and esteem that time well accounted for that is prudently and affectionately imployed in hearing or reading good books and pious discourses ever remembring that God by hearing us speak to him in prayer obliges us to hear him speak to us in his word by what instrument soever it be conveyed SECT V. Of Fasting FAsting if it be considered in it self without relation to Spiritual ends is a duty no where enjoyned or counselled But Christianity hath to do with it as it may be made an instrument of the Spirit by subduing the lusts of the flesh or removing any hindrances of religion And it hath been practised by all ages of the Church and advised in order to three ministeries 1. To Prayer 2. To Mortification of bodily lusts 3. To Repentance and is to be practised according to the following measures Rules for Christian Fasting 1. Fasting in order to prayer is to be measured by the proportions of the times of prayer that is it ought to be a total faft from all things during the solemnity unlesse a probable necessity intervene Thus the Jews eate nothing upon the Sabbath-dayes till their great offices were performed that is about the sixth hour and S. Peter used it as an argument that the Apostles in Penteâ—ost were not drunk because it was but the third hour of the day of such a day in which it was not lawful to eat or drink til the sixth hour and the Jews were offended at the Disciples for plucking the ears of corn upon the Sabbath early in the morning because it was before the time in which by their customs they esteemed it lawful to break their fast In imitation of this custom and in prosecution of the reason of it the Christian Church hath religiously observed fasting before the Holy Communion and the more devout persons though without any obligation at all refused to eat or drink till they had finished their morning devotions and further yet upon dayes of publick humiliation which are designed to be spent wholly in Devotion and for the averting Gods judgements if they were imminent fasting is commanded together with prayer commanded I say by the Church to this end that the Spirit might be clearer and more Angelical when it is quitted in some proportions from the loads of flesh 2. Fasting when it is in order to Prayer must be a total abstinence from all meat or else an abatement of the quantity for the help which fasting does to prayer cannot be served by changing flesh into fish or milk-meats into dry diet but by turning much into little or little into none at all during the time of solemn and extraordinary prayer 3. Fasting as it is instrumental to Prayer must be attended with other aids of the like vertue and efficacy such as are removing for the time all worldly cares and secular businesses and therefore our blessed Saviour enfolds these parts within the same caution Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this world and that day overtake you unawares To which adde alms for upon the wings of fasting and alms holy prayer infallibly mounts up to Heaven 4. When Fasting is intended to serve the duty of Repentance it is then best chosen when it is short sharp and afflictive that is either a total abstinence from all nourishment according as we shall appoint or be appointed during such a time as is separate for the solemnity and attendance upon the imployment or if we shall extend our severity beyond the solemn dayes and keep our anger against our sin as we are to keep our sorrow that is alwayes in a readinesse and often to be called upon then to refuse a pleasant morsel to abstaine from the bread of our desires and onely to take wholsome and lesse pleasing nourishment vexing our appetite by the refusing a lawful satisfaction since in its petulancie and luxurie it preyed upon an unlawfull 5. Fasting designed for repentance must be ever joyned with an extream care that we fast from sin for there is no greater folly or undecency in the world then to commit that for which I am now judging and condemning my self This is the best fast and the other may serve to promote the interest of this by increasing the disaffection to it and multiplying arguments against it 6. He that fasts for repentance must during that solemnity abstain from all bodily delights and the sensuality of all his senses and his appetites for a man must not when he mourns in his fast be merry in his sport weep at dinner and laugh all day after have a silence in his kitchen and musick in his chamber judge the stomack and feast the other seâ—ses I deny not but a man may in a single instance punish a particular sin with a proper instrument If a man have offended in his palate he may choose to fast onely if he have sinned in softnesse and in his touch he may choose to lye hard or work hard and use sharp inflictions but although this Discipline be proper and particular yet because the sorrow is of the whole man no sense must rejoyce or be with any study or purpose feasted and entertained softly This rule is intended to relate to the solemn dayes appointed for repentance publickly or privately besides which in the whole course of our life even in the midst of our most festival and freer joyes we may sprinkle some single instances and acts of self condemning or punishing as to refuse a pleasant morsel or a delicious draught with a tâ—cit remembrance of the sin that now returns to displease my spirit and though these actions be single there is no undecency in them because a man may abate of his ordinary liberty bold freedom w th great prudence so he does â—t without singularity in himself or trouble to others but he may not abate of his solemn sorrow that may be caution but this would be softnesse effoeminacy and undecency 7· When
enlarge themselves in the thoughts and fruition of temporal things running for comfort to them onely in any sadnesse and misfortune 5. They love not to frequent the Sacraments nor any the instruments of religion as sermons confessions prayers in publick fastings but love ease and a loose undisciplin'd life 6. They obey not their superiours but follow their own judgement when their judgement follows their affections and their affections follow sense and worldly pleasures 7. They neglect or dissemble or defer or do not attend to the motions and inclinations to vertue which the spirit of God puts into their soul. 8. They repent them of their vows and holy purposes not because they discover any indiscretion in them or intolerable inconvenience but because they have within them labour and as the case now stands to them displeasure 9. They content themselves with the first degrees and necessary parts of vertue and when they are arrived thither they sit down as if they were come to the mountain of the Lord and care not to proceed on toward perfection 10. They enquire into all cases in which it may be lawful to omit a duty and though they will not do lesse then they are bound to yet they will do no more then needs must for they do out of fear and self love not out of the love of God or the spirit of holinesse and zeal The event of which will be this He that will do no more then needs must will soon be brought to omit something of his duty and will be apt to believe lesse to be necessary then is Remedies against tediousnesse of spirit The Remedies against this temptation are these 1. Order your private devotions so that they become not arguments and causes of tediousnesse by their indiscreet length but reduce your words into a narrower compasse still keeping all the matter and what is cut off in the length of your prayers supply in the earnestnesâ—e of your spirit for so nothing is lost while the words are changed into matter and length of time into fervency of devotion The forms are made not the lesse perfect and the spirit is more and the scruple is removed 2. It is not imprudent if we provide variety of forms of Prayer to the same purposes that the change by consulting with the appetites of fancy may better entertain the Spirit and possibly we may be pleased to reâ—ite a hymn when a collect seems flat to us and unpleasant and we are willing to sing rather then to say or to sing this rather then that we are certain that variety is delightful and whether that be natural to us or an imperfection yet if it be complyed with it may remove some part of the temptation 3. Break your office and devotion into fragments and make frequent returnings by ejaculations and abrupt entercourses with God for so no length can oppresse your tenderness and sicklinesse of spirit and by often praying in such manner and in all circumstances we shall habituate our souls to prayer by making it the businesse of many lesser portions of our time and by thrusting in between all our other imployments it will make every thing relish of religion and by degrees turn all into its nature 4. Learn to abstract your thoughts and desires from pleasures and things of the world For nothing is a direct cure to this evill but cutting off all other loves and adherences Order your affairs so that religion may be propounded to you as a reward and prayer as your defence and holy actions as your security and charity and good works as your treasure Consider that all things else are satisfactions but to the brutish part of a man and that these are the refreshments and relishes of that noble part of us by which we are better then beasts and whatsoever other instrument exercise or consideration is of use to take our loves from the world the same is apt to place them upon God 5. Do not seek for deliciousnesse and sensible consolations in the actions of religion but onely regard the duty and the conscience of it For although in the beginning of religion most frequently and at some other times irregularly God complyes with our infirmity and encourages our duty with little overflowings of spiritual joy and sensible pleasure and delicacies in prayer so as we seem to feel some little beam of Heaven and great refreshments from the spirit of consolation yet this is not alwayes safe for us to have neither safe for us to expect and look for and when we do it is apt to make us cool in our enquiries and waitings upon Christ when we want them It is a running after him not for the miracles but for the loaves not for the wonderful things of God and the desires of pleasing him but for the pleasures of pleasing our selves And as we must not judge our devotion to be barren or unfruitful when we want the overflowings of joy running over so neither must we cease for want of them If our spirits can serve God choosingly and greedily out of pure conscience of our duty it is better in it self and more safe to us 6. Let him use to soften his spirit with frequent meditation upon sad and dolorous objects as of death the terrours of the day of judgement fearful judgements upon sinners strange horrid accidents fear of Gods wrath the pains of Hell the unspeakable amazements of the damned the intolerable load of a sad Eternity For whatsoever creates fear or makes the spirit to dwell in a religious sadnesse is apt to entender the spirit and make it devout and plyant to any part of duty For a great fear when it is ill managed is the parent of superstition but a discreet and well guided fear produces religion 7. Pray often and you shall pray oftner and when you are accustomed to a frequent devotion it will so insensibly unite to your nature and affections that it will become trouble to omit your usual or appointed prayers and what you obtain at first by doing violence to your inclinations at last will not be left without as great unwillingnesse as that by which at first it entred This rule relyes not onely upon reason derived from the nature of habits which turn into a second nature and make their actions easy frequent an delightful but it relyes upon a reason depending upon the nature and constitution of grace whose productions are of the same nature with the parent and increases it self naturally growing from granes to huge trees from minutes to vast proportions and from moments to Eternity But be sure not to omit your usual prayers without great reason though without sin it may be done because after you have omitted something in a little while you will be passed the scruple of that and begin to be tempted to leave out more keep your self up to your usual forms you may enlarge when you will but do not contract or lessen them without a
make them ashamed 11. Give looking for nothing again that is without consideration of future advantages give to children to old men to the unthankful and the dying and to those you shall never see again for else your alms or curtesy is not charity but traffick and merchandise and be sure that you omit not to relieve the needs of your enemy and the injurious for so possibly you may win him to your self but do you intend the winning him to God 12. Trust not your almes to intermedial uncertain and under dispensers by which rule is not onely intended the securing your almes in the right chanel but the humility of your person and that which the Apostle calls the labour of love and if you converse in Hospitals and Alms-houses and minister with your own hands what your heart hath first decreed you will finde your hearts endeared and made familiar with the needs and with the persons of the poor those excellent images of Christ. 13. Whatsoever is superfluous in thy estate is to be dispensed in alms He that hath two coats must give to him that hath none that is he that hath beyond his need must give that which is beyond it Only among needs we are to reckon not onely what will support our life but also what will maintain the decency of our estate and person not onely in present needs but in all future necessities and very probable contingencies but no further we are not obliged beyond this unlesse we see very great publick and calamitous necessities but yet if we do extend beyond our measures and give more then we are able we have the Philippians and many holy persons for our precedent we have S. Paul for our encouragement we have Christ for our Counseller we have God for our rewarder and a great treasure in Heaven for our recompence and restitution But I propound it to the consideration of all Christian people that they be not nice and curious fond and indulgent to themselves in taking accounts of their personal conveniences and that they make their proportions moderate and easy according to the order and manner of Christianity and the consequent will be this that the poor will more plentifully be relieved themselves will be more able to do it and the duty will be lesse chargeable and the owners of estates charged with fewer accounts in the spending them It cannot be denied but in the expences of all liberal and great personages many things might be spared some superfluous servants some idle meetings some unnecessary and imprudent feasts some garments too costly some unnecessary Law-suits some vain journeyes and when we are tempted to such needlesse expences if we shall descend to moderation and lay aside the surplusage we shall finde it with more profit to be laid out upon the poor members of Christ then upon our own with vanity But this is onely intended to be an advice in the manner of doing almes for I am not ignorant that great variety of clothes alwayes have been permitted to Princes and Nobility and others in their proportion and they usually give those clothes as rewards to servants and other persons needful enough and then they may serve their own fancy and their duty too but it is but reason and religion to be careful that they be given to such onely where duty or prudent liberality or almes determine them but in no sence let them do it so as to minister to vanity to luxury to prodigality The like also is to be observed in other instances And if we once give our mindes to the study and arts of almes we shall finde wayes enough to make this duty easy profitable and useful 1. He that playes at any game must resolve before hand to be indifferent to win or lose but if he gives to the poor all that he wins it is better then to keep it to himself but it were better yet that he lay by so much as he is willing to lose and let the game alone and by giving so much almes traffick for eternity That is one way 2. Another is keeping the fasting dayes of the Church which if our condition be such as to be able to cast our accounts and make abatements for our wanting so many meals in the whole year which by the old appointment did amount to 153 and since most of them are fallen into desuetude we may make up as many of them as we please by voluntary fasts we may from hence finde a considerable reliefe for the poor But if we be not willing sometimes to fast that our brother may eaâ— we should ill dye for him S. Martin had given all that he had in the world to the poor save one coat and that also he divided between two beggers A Father in the mount of Nitria was reduced at last to the Inventary of one Testament and that book also was tempted from him by the needs of one whom he thought poorer then himself Greater yet S. Paulinus sold himself to slavery to redeem a young man for whose captivity his Mother wept sadly and it is said that S. Katherine suck't the envenomd wounds of a villain who had injured her most impudently And I shall tell you of a greater charity then all these put together Christ gave himself to shame and death to redeem his enemies from bondage and death and Hell 3. Learn of the frugal man and onely avoid sordid actions and turn good husband and change your arts of getting into providence for the poor and we shall soon become rich in good works and why should we not do as much for charity as for covetousnesse for Heaven as for the fading world for God and the Holy Jesus as for the needlesse supersluities of back and belly 14. In giving almes to beggers and persons of that low ranck it is better to give little to each that we may give to the more so extending our alms to many persons but in charities of religion as building Hospitals Colledges and houses for devotion and in supplying the accidental wants of decayed persons fallen from great plenty to great necessity it is better to unite our almes then to disperse them to make a noble relief or maintenance to one and to restore him to comfort then to support only his natural needs and keep him alive only unrescued from sad discomforts 15. The Precept of almes or charity bindes not indefinitely to all the instances and kindes of charity for he that delights to feed the poor and spends all his proportion that way is not bound to enter into prisons and redeem captives but we are obliged by the presence of circumstances and the special disposition of providence and the pityablenesse of an obobject to this or that particular act of charity The eye is the sense of mercy and the bowels are its organ and that enkindles pity and pity produces almes when the eye sees what it never saw the heart will think what it never thought
envy is exasperated as envying to fortunate persons both their power and their will to do good and never leaves murmuring till the envied person be le velled and then onely the Unltur leaves to eat the liver for if his Neighbour be made miserable the envious man is apt to be troubled like him that is so long unbuilding the turrets till all the roof is low or flat or that the stones fall upon the lower buildings and do a mischief that the man repents of 2. Remedies against anger by way of exercise The next enemy to mercifulnes and the grace of Almes is Anger against which there are proper instruments both in prudence and religion 1. Prayer is the great remedy against anger for it must suppose it in some degree removed before we pray and then it is the more likely it will be finished when the prayer is done We must lay aside the act of anger as a prepatory to prayer and the curing the habit will be the effect and blessing of prayer so that if a man to cure his anger resolves to addresse himself to God by prayer it is first necessary that by his own observation diligence he lay the anger aside before his prayer can be fit to be presented and when we so pray and so endeavour we have all the blessings of prayer which God hath promised to it to be our security for successe 2. If Anger arises in thy breast instantly seal up thy lips and let it not go forth for like fire when it wants vent it will suppresse it self It is good in a fever to have a tender and a smooth tongue but it is better that it be so in anger for if it be rough and distempered there it is an ill signe but here it is an ill cause Angry passion is a fire and angry words are like breath to fan them together they are like steel and flint sending out fire by mutual collision some men will discourse themselves into passion and if their neighbour be enkindled too together they flame with rage and violence 3. Humility is the most excellent natural cure for anger in the world for he that by daily considering his own infirmities and failings makes the errour of his neighbour or servant to be his own case and remembers that he daily needs Gods pardon and his brothers charity will not be apt to rage at the levities or misfortunes or indiscretions of another greater then which he considers that he is very frequently and more inexcusably guilty of 4. Consider the example of the ever blessed Jesus who suffered all the contradictions of sinners and received all affronts and reproaches of malicious rash and foolish persons and yet in all them was as dispassionate and gentle as the morning sun in Autumn and in this also he propounded himself imitable by us For if innocence it self did suffer so great injuries and disgraces it is no great matter for us quietly to receive al the calamities of fortune indiscretion of servants and mistakes of friends and unkindnesses of kinred and rudenesses of enemies since we have deserved these and worse even Hell it self 5. If we be tempted to anger in the actions of Government and Discipline to our inferiours in which case anger is permitted so far as it is prudently instrumental to Government and onely is a sin when it is excessive and unreasonable and apt to disturbe our own discourse or to expresse it self in imprudent words or violent actions let us propound to our selves the example of God the Father who at the same time and with the same tranquillity decreed Heaven and Hell the joyes of blessed Angels and souls and the torments of Devils and accursed spirits and at the day of judgement when all the World shall burn under his feet God shall not be at all inflam'd or shaken in his essential seat and centre of tranquillity and joy And if at first the cause seems reasonable yet defer to execute thy anger till thou mayest better judge For as Phocion told the Athenians who upon the first news of the death of Alexander were ready to revolt stay awhile for if the King be not dead your haste will ruine you But if he be dead your stay cannot prejudice your affairs for he will be dead to morrow as well as to day so if thy servant or inferiour deserve punishment staying till to morrow will not make him innocent but it may possibly preserve thee so by preventing thy striking a guiltlesse person or being furious for a trifle 6. Remove from thy self all provocations and incentives to anger especially 1. Games of chance and great wagers petty curiosities and worldly businesse and carefulnesse about it but manage thy self with indifferency or contempt of those external things and do not spend a passion upon them for it is more then they are worth But they that desire but few things can be crossed but in a few 2. In not heaping up with an ambitious or curious prodigality any very curious or choice Utensils Seals Jewels Glasses precious stones because those very many accidents which happen in the spoiling or losse of these rarities is in event an irresistable cause of violent anger 3. Do not entertain nor suffer talebearers for they abuse our ears first and then our credulity and then steal our patience and it may be for a lye and if it be true the matter is not considerable or if it be yet it is pardonable and we may alwayes escape with patience at one of these out-lets either 1 By not hearing slanders or 2 By not believing them or 3 By not regarding the thing or 4 By forgiving the person 4. To this purpose also it may serve well if we choose as much as we can to live with peaceable persons for that prevents the occasions of confusion and if we live with prudent persons they will not easily occasion our disturbance But because these things are not in many Mens power therefore I propound this rather as a felicity then a remedy or a duty and an art of prevention rather then of cure 7. Be not inquisitive into the affairs of other Men nor the faults of thy servants nor the mistakes of thy friends but what is offered to you use according to the former rules but do not thou go out to gather sticks to kindle a fire to burn thy own house And adde this if my friend said or did well in that for which I am angry I am in the fault not he But if he did amisse he is in the misery not I for either he was deceiv'd or he was malitious and either of them both is all one with a miserable person and that is an object of pity noâ— of anger 8. Use all reasonable discourses to eâ—cuse the faults of others considering that there are many circumstances of time of person of accident of inadvertency of infrequency of aptnesse to amend of sorrow for doing it and it
lust in our very best advantage of strength and time and before it is so deeply rooted as it must needs be supposed to be at the end of a wicked life and therefore it will prove impossible when the work is so great and the strength 's so little when sinne is so strong and grace so weak for they alwayes keep the same proportion of increase and decrease and as sin growes grace decayes so that the more need wee have of grace the lesse at that time wee shall have because the greatnesse of our sinnes which makes the need hath lessened the grace of GOD which should help us into nothing To which adde this consideration that on a Mans death-bed the day of repentance is past for repentance being the renewing of a holy life a living the life of Grace it is a contradiction to say that a Man can live a holy life upon his death-bed especially if we consider that for a sinner to live a holy life must first suppose him to have overcome all his evil habits and then to have made a purchase of the contrary graces by the labours of great prudence watchfulnesse self denyal and severity Nothing that is excellent can be wrought suddenly 11. After the beginnings of thy recovery be infinitely fearful of a relapse and therefore upon the stock of thy sad experience observe where thy failings were and by especial arts fortifie that saculty and arm against that temptation For if all those arguments which God uses to us to preserve our innocence and thy late danger and thy fears and the goodnesse of God making thee once to escape and the shame of thy fall and the sence of thy â—own weaknesses will not make thee watchful against a fall especially knowing how much it costs a man to be restored it will be infinitely more dangerous if ever thou fallest again not onely for fear God should no more accept thee to pardon but even thy own hopes will be made more desperate and thy impatience greater and thy shame turn to impudence and thy own will be more estranged violent and refractory and thy latter end will be worse then thy beginning To which adde this consideration That thy sin which was formerly in a good way of being pardoned will not onely return upon thee with all its own loads but with the basenesse of unthankfulnesse and thou wilt be set as far back from Heaven as ever and all thy former labours and fears and watchings and agonies will be reckoned for nothing but as arguments to upbraid thy folly who when thou hadst set one foot in Heaven didst pull that back and carry both to Hell Motives to Repentance I shall use no other arguments to move a sinner to repentance but to tell him unlesse he does he shall certainly perish and if he does repent timely and intirely that is live a holy life he shall be forgiven and be saved But yet I desire that this consideration be enlarged with some great circumstances and let us remember 1. That to admit mankinde to repentance and pardon was a favour greater then ever God gave to the angels devils for they were never admitted to the condition of second thoughts Christ never groaned one groan for them he never suffered one stripe nor one affront nor shed one drop of blood to restore them to hopes of blessednesse after their first failings But this he did for us he paid the score of our sins only that we might be admitted to repent and that this repentance might be effectual to the great purposes of felicity and salvation 2. Consider that as it cost Christ many millions of prayers and groans and sighs so he is now at this instant and hath been for these 1600 years night and day incessantly praying for grace to us that we may repent and for pardon when we do and for degrees of pardon beyond the capacities of our infirmities and the merit of our sorrows and amendment and this prayer he will continue till his second coming for he ever liveth to make intercession for us and that we may know what it is in behalf of which he intercedes S. Paul tells us his designe we are Embassadours for Christ as though he did beseech you by us we pray yoâ— in Christs stead to be reconciled to God and what Christ prayes us to do he prayes to God that we may do that which he desires of us as his servants he desires of God who is the fountain of the grace and powers unto us and without whose assistance we can do nothing 3. That ever we should repent was so costly a purchase and so great a concernment and so high a favour and the event is esteemed by God himself so great an excellency that our blessed Saviour tells us there shall be joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth meaning that when Christ shall be glorified and at the right hand of his Father make intercession for us praying for our repentance the conversion and repentance of every sinner is part of Christs glorification it is the answering of his prayers it is a portion of his reward in which he does essentially glory by the joyes of his glorified humanity This is the joy of our Lord himself directly not of the Angels save onely by reflexion The joy said our blessed Saviour shall be in the presence of the Angels they shall see the glory of the Lord the answering of his prayers the satisfaction of his desires and the reward of his sufferings in the repentance and consequent pardon of a sinner For therefore he once suffered and for that reason he rejoyces for ever and therefore when a penitent sinner comes to receive the effect and full consummation of his pardon it is called an entring into the joy of our Lord that is a partaking of that joy which Christ received at our coversion and enjoyed ever since 4. Adde to this that the rewards of Heaven are so great and glorious and Christs burden is so light his yoke is so easy that it is a shamelesse impudence to expect so great gloryes at a lesse rate then so little a service at a lower rate then a holy life It cost the heart blood of the Son of God to obtain Heaven for us upon that condition and who shall dye again to get Heaven for us upon easier terms What would you do if God should command you to kill your eldest son or to work in the mines for a thousand years together or to fast all thy life time with bread and water Were not Heaven a very great bargain even after all this And when God requires nothing of us but to live soberly justly and godly which things of themselves are to a man a very great felicity and necessary to our present well being shall we think this to be an intolerable burden and that Heaven is too little a purchase at that price and that God in meer justice will
receive it into an unhallowed soul and body is to receive the dust of the Tabernacle in the waterâ— of jealousie it will make the belly to swell and the thigh to rot it will not convey Christ to us but the Devil will enter and dwell there till with it he returns to his dwelling of torment Remember alwayes that after a great sin or after a habit of sins a Man is not soon made clean and no unclean thing must come to this Feast It is not thâ— preparation of two or three dayes that can render a person capable of this banqueâ— For in this seast all Christ and Christs passion and all his graces the blessings and effects of his sufferings are conveyed nothing can fit us for this but what can unite us to Christ and obtain of him to present our needs to his heavenly Father this Sacrament can no otherwise be celebrated but upon the same terms on which we may hope for pardon and Heaven it self 5. When we have this general and indispensably necessary preparation we are to make our souls more adorn'd and trimm'd up with circumstances of pious actions and special devotions setting apart some portion of our time immediately before the day of solemnity according as our great occasions will permit and this time is specially to be spent in actions of repentance confession of our sins renewing our purposes of holy living praying for pardon of our failings and for those graces which may prevent the like sadnesses for the time to come meditation upon the passion upon the infinite love of God expressed in so great mysterious manners of redemption and indefinitely in all acts of vertue which may build our soules up into a Temple fit for the reception of Christ himself and the inhabitation of the holy Spirit 6. The celebration of the holy Sacrament being the most solemne prayer joyned with the most effectual instrument of its acceptance must suppose us in the love of God and in charity with all the World and therefore we must before every Communion especially remember what differences or jealousies are between us and any one else and recompose all disunions and cause right understandings betweene each other offering to satisfie whom we have injur'd and to forgive them who have injur'd us without thoughts of resuming the quarrel when the solemnity is over for that is but to rake the embers in light and phantastick ashes it must be quenched and a holy flame enkindled no fires must be at all but the fires of love and zeal and the altar of incense will send up a sweet perfume and make atonement for us 7. When the day of the feast is come lay aside all cares and impertinencies of the World and remember that this is thy Souls day a day of traffique and entercourse with Heaven Arise early in the morning 1. Give God thanks for the approach of so great a blessing 2. Confesse thy own unworthinesse to admit so Divine a Guest 3. Then remember and deplore thy sinnes which have made thee so unworthy 4. Then confesse Gods goodnesse and take sanctuary there and upon him place thy hopes 5. And invite him to thee with renewed acts of love of holy desire of hatred of his enemy sin 6. Make oblation of thy self wholly to be disposed by him to the obedience of him to his providence and possession and pray him to enter and dwell there for ever And after this with joy and holy fear and the forwardness of love addresse thy self to the receiving of him to whom and by whom and for whom all faith and all hope and all love in the whole Catholick Church both in Heaven Earth is design'd him whom Kings and Queens and whole Kingdoms are in love with and count it the greatest honour in the World that their Crowns and Scepters are laid at his holy feet 8. When the holy Man stands at the Table of blessing and ministers the rite of consecration then do as the Angels do who behold love and wonder that the Son of God should become food to the souls of his servants that he who cannot suffer any change or lessening should be broken into pieces and enter into the body to support and nourish the spirit and yet at the same time remain in Heaven while he descends to thee upon Earth that he who hath essential felicity should become miserable and dye sor thee and then give himself to thee for ever to redeem thee from sin and misery that by his wounds he should procure health to thee by his affronts he should intitle thee to glory by his death he should bring thee to life and by becoming a Man he should make thee partaker of the Divine nature These are such glories that although they are made so obvious that each eye may behold them yet they are also so deep that no thought can fathome them But so it hath pleased him to make these mysteries to be sensible because the excellency and depth of the mercy is not intelligible that while wee are ravished and comprehended within the infinitenesse of so vast mysterious a mercy yet we may be as sure of it as of that thing we see and feel and smell and taste but yet is so great that we cannot understand it 9. These holy mysteries are offered to our senses but not to bee placed under our feet they are sensible but not common and therefore as the weaknesse of the Elements addes wonder to the excellency of the Sacrament so let our reverence and venerable usages of them adde honour to the Elements and acknowledge the glory of the mystery and the Divinity of the mercy Let us receive the consecrated Elements with all devotion and humility of body and spirit and do this honour to it that it be the first food we eat and the first beverage we drink that day unlesse it he in case of sicknesse or other great necessity and that your body and soul both be prepared to its reception with abstinence from secular pleasures that you may better have attended fastings and preparatory prayers For if ever it be seasonable to observe the counsel of Saint Paul that married persons by consent should abstain for a time that they may attend to solemne Religion it is now It was not by Saint Paul nor the after ages of the Church called a duty so to do but it is most reasonable that the more solemne actions of Religion should be attended to without the mixture of any thing that may discompose the minde and make it more secular or lesse religious 10. In the act of receiving exercise acts of Faith with much confidence and resignation believing it not to be common bread and wine but holy in their use holy in their signification holy in their change and holy in their effect and believe if thou art a worthy Communicant thou doest as verily receive Christs body and blood to all effects and purposes of the spirit as
of secular imployments must come onely they must leave their secular thoughts and affections behinde them and then come and converse with God If any man be well grown in grace he must needs come because he is excellently disposed to so holy a feast but he that is but in the infancy of piety had need to come that so he may grow in grace The strong must come lest they become weak the weak that they may become strong The sick must come to be cured the healthful to be preserved They that have leisure must come because they have no excuse They that have no leisure must come hither that by so excellent religion they may sanctifie their businesse The penitent sinners must come that they may be justified and they that are justified that they may be justified still They that have fears and great reverence to these mysteries and think no preparation to be sufficient must receive that they may learn how to receive the more worthily and they that have a lesse degree of reverence must come often to have it heightned that as those Creatures that live amongst the snowes of the Mountains turne white with their food and conversation with such perpetual whitenesses so our souls may be transformed into the similitude and union with Christ by our perpetual feeding on him and conversation not onely in his Courts but in his very heart and most secret affections and incomparable purities Prayers for all sorts of Men and all necessities relating to the several parts of the vertue of Religion A Prayer for the Graces of Faith Hope Charity O Lord God of infinite mercy of infinite excellency who hast sent thy holy Son into the world to redeem us from an intolerable misery and to teach us a holy religion and to forgive us an infinite debt give me thy holy Spirit that my understanding and all my faculties may be so resigned to the discipline and doctrine of my Lord that I may be prepared in minde and will to dye for the testimony of Jesus and to suffer any affliction or calamity that shall offer to hinder my duty or tempt me to shame or sin or apostacy and let my faith be the parent of a good life a strong shield to repell the fiery darts of the Devil and the Author of a holy hope of modest desires of confidence in God and of a never failing charity to thee my God and to all the world that I may never have my portion with the unbelievers or uncharitable and desperate persons but may be supported by the strengths of faith in all temptations and may be refreshed with the comforts of a holy hope in all my sorrows and may bear the burden of the Lord and the infirmities of my neighbour by the support of charity that the yoak of Jesus may become easy to me and my love may do all the miracles of grace till from grace it swell to glory from earth to heaven from duty to reward from the imperfections of a beginning and little growing love it may arrive to the consummation of an eternal and never ceasing charity through Jesus Christ the Son of thy love the Anchor of our hope and the Author and finisher of our faith to whom with thee O Lord God Father of Heaven and Earth and with thy holy Spirit be all glory and love and obedience and dominion now and for ever Amen Acts of love by way of prayer and ejaculation to be used in private O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is to see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary because thy loving kindnes is better then life my lips shall praise thee Psal. 63. I am ready not only to be bound but to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 23. How amiable are thy Tabernacles thou Lord of Hosts my soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will still be praising thee Psal. 84. O blessed Jesu thou art worthy of all adoration and all honour and all love Thou art the Wondeâ—ful the Counsellor the mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of peace of thy government and peace there shall be no end thou art the brightnesse of thy Fathers glory the expresse image of his person the appointed Heir of all things Thou upholdest all things by the word of thy power Thou didst by thy self purge our sins Thou art set on the right hand of the Majesty on high Thou art made better then the Angels thou hast by inheritance obtain'd a more excellent name then they Thou O dearest Jesus art the head of the Church the beginning and the first born from the dead in all things thou hast the preheminence and it pleased the Father that in thee should all fulnesse dwell Kingdoms are in love with thee Kings lay their crowns and scepters at thy feet and Queens are thy handmaids and wash the feet of thy servants A Prayer to be said in any affliction as death of children of husband or wife in great poverty in imprisonment in a sad and disconsolate spirit in temptations to despair O Eternal God Father of Mercyes and God of all comfort with much mercy look upon the sadnesses and sorrowes of thy servant My sins lye heavy upon me and presse me sore and there is no health in my bones by reason of thy displeasure and my sin The waters are gone over me and I stick fast in the deep mire and my miseries are without comfort because they are punishments of my sin and I am so evil and unworthy a person that though I have great desires yet I have no dispositions or worthiness towards receiving comfort My sins have caused my sorrow and my sorrow does not cure my sins and unless for thy own sake and merely because thou art good thou shalt pity me relieve me I am as much without remedy as now I am without comfort Lord pity me Lord let thy grace refresh my Spirit Let thy comforts support me thy mercy pardon me and never let my portion be amongst hopelesse and accursed spirits for thou art good and gracious and I throw my self upon thy mercy Let me never let my hold go do thou with me what seems good in thy own eyes I cannot suffer more then I have deserved and yet I can need no relief so great as thy mercy is for thou art infinitely more merciful then I can be miserable and thy mercy which is above all thy own works must needs be far above all my sin and all my misery Dearest Jesus let me trust in thee for ever and let me never be confounded Amen Ejaculations and short meditations to be used in time of sickness and sorrow or danger of
what seemeth good in his own eyes Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven Recite Psalm 107. and 130. A form of a vow to be made in this or the like danger If the Lord will be gracious and hear the prayer of his servant and bring me safe to shore then I will praise him secretly and publickly and pay unto the uses of charity or Religion then name the sum you designe for holy uses O my God my goods are nothing unto thee I will also be thy servant all the dayes of my life and remember this mercy and my present purposes and live more to Gods glory and with a stricter duty And do thou please to accept this vow as an instance of my importunity and the greatnesse of my needs and be thou graciously moved to pity and deliver me Amen This form also may be used in praying for a blessing on an enterprize and may be instanced in actions of devotion as well as of charity A prayer before a journey O Almighty God who fillest all things with thy presence and art a God afar off as well as neer at hand thou didst send thy Angel to blesse Iacob in his journey and didst leade the children of Israel through the Red Sea making it a wall on the right hand and on the left be pleased to let thy Angel go out before me and guide me in my journey preseving me from dangers of robbers from violence of enemies and sudden and sad accidents from falls and errours and prosper my journey to thy glory and to all my innocent purposes and preserve me from all sin that I may return in peace and holinesse with thy favour and thy blessing and may serve thee in thankfulnesse and obedience all the dayes of my pilgrimage and at last bring me to thy countrey to the coelestial Jerusalem there to dwell in thy house and to sing praises to thee for ever Amen Ad Sect. 4 A prayer to be said before hearing or reading the word of God O Holy and Eternal Jesus who hast begotten us by thy word renewed us by thy Spirit fed us by thy Sacraments and by the dayly ministery of thy word still go on to build us up to life eternal Let thy most holy Spirit be present with me and rest upon me in the reading or hearing thy sacred word that I may do it humbly reverently without prejudice with a minde ready and desirous to learn and to obey â—hat I may â—e readily furnished and instructed to every good work and may practise all thy holy laws and commandments to the glory of thy holy name O holy and eternal Jesus Amen Ad Sect. 5 9 10. A form of confession of sins and repentance to be used upon fasting dayes or dayes of humiliation especially in Lent and before the Holy Sacrament Have mercy upon me O God after thy great goodnesse according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences For I will conâ—esse my wickednesse and be sorry for my sin * O my Dearest Lord I am not worthy to be accounted amongst the meanest of thy servants not worthy to be sustained by the least fragments of thy mercy but to be shut out of thy presence for ever with dogs unbelievers But for thy names sake O Lord be merciful unto my sin for it is great I am the vilest of sinners and the worst of men proud and vain glorious impatient of scorn or of just reproof â—ot enduring to be slighted and yet extreamly deserving it I have been cosened by the colours of humility and when I have truly called my self vitious I could not endure any man else should say so or think so I have been disobedient to my Superiours churlish and ungentle in my behaviour unchristian and unmanly But for thy names sake c. O Just and Dear God how can I expect pitty or pardon who am so angry and peevish with and without cause envious at good rejoycing in the evil of my neighbours negligent of my charge idle and uselesse timerous and base jealous and impudent ambitious and hard hearted soft unmortified and effeminate in my life indevout in my prayers without fancie or affection without attendance to them or perseverance in them but passionate and curious in pleasing my appetite of meat and drink and pleasures making matter both for sin and sicknesse and I have reâ—ped the cursed fruits of such improvidence entertaining undecent and impure thoughts and I have brought them forth in undecent and impure actions and the spirit of uncleanness hath entred in and unhallowed the temple which thou didst consecrate for the habitation of thy Spirit of love and holinesse But for thy names sake O Lord be merciful unto my sin for it is great Thou hast given me a whole life to serve thee in and to advance my hopes of heaven and this pretious time I have thrown away upon my sins and vanities being improvident of my time and of my talent and of thy grace and my own advantages resisting thy Spirit and quenching him I have been a great lover of my self and yet used many wayes to destroy my self I have pursued my temporal ends with greedinesse and indirect means I am revengful and unthankful forgetting benefits but not so soon forgetting injuries curious and murmuring a great breaker of promises I have not loved my neighbours good nor advanced it in all things where I could I have bin unlike thee in all things I am unmerciful and unjust a sottish admirer of things below and careless of heaven and the wayes that lead thither But for thy names sake O Lord be merciful unâ—â— my sin for it is great All my senses have been windows to let sin in and death by sin Mine eyes have been adulterous and covetous mine ears open to slander and detraction my tongue and palate loose and wanton intemperate and of foul language talkative lying rash and malicious false and flattering irreligious and irreverent detracting and censorious My hands have bin injurious and unclean my passions violent and rebellious my desires impatient and unreasonable all my members and all my faculties have been servants of sin and my very besâ— actions have more matter of pity then of confidence being imperfect in my best and intolerable in most But for thy names sake O Lord c. Unto this and a far bigger heap of sin I have added also the faults of others to my own score by neglecting to hinder them to sin in all that I could and ought but I also have encouraged them in sin have taken off their fears and hardened their consciences and tempted them directly and prevailed in it to my own râ—ine and theirs unlesse thy glorious and unspeakable mercy hath prevented so intolerable a calamity Lord I have abused thy mercy despised thy judgements turned thy grace into wantonnesse I have been unthankful for thy infinite loving kindnesse I have sinned and repented and then sinned again and resolved
Mary O Holy and Almighty God Father of mercies Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of thy love and Eternal mercies I adore and praise and glorifie thy infinite and unspeakable love and wisdom who hast sent thy Son from the bosom of felicities to take upon him our nature and our misery and our guilt and hast made the Son of God to become the Son of Man that we might become the Sons of God and partakers of the divine nature since thou hast so exalted humane nature be pleased also to sanctify my person that by a conformity to the humility and laws and sufferings of my dearest Saviour I may be united to his spirit and be made all one with the most Holy â—esus Amen O Holy and Eternal Jesus who didst pity mankinde lying in his blood and sin and misery and didst choose our sadnesses and sorrows that thou mightest make us to pertake of thy felicities let thine eyes pity me thy hands support me thy holy feet tread down all the difficulties in my way to Heaven let me dwell in thy heart be instructed with thy wisdom moved by thy affections choose with thy will and be clothed with thy righteousness that in the day of judgement I may be found having on thy garments sealed with thy impression and that bearing upon every faculty and member the character of my elder brother I may not be cast out with strangers and unbelievers Amen To God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. * To the eternal Son that was incarnate and born of a virgin * To the spirit of the Father and the Son be all honour and glory worship and adoration now and for ever Amen The same Form of Prayer may be used upon our own Birth-day or day of our Baptisme adding the following prayer A Prayer to be said upon our Birth-day or day of Baptisme O Blessed and Eternal God I give thee praise and glory for thy great mercy to me in causing me to be born of Chrisâ—ian parents and didst not allot to me a portion with Misbelievers and Heathen that have not known thee thou didst not suffer me to be strangled at the gate of the womb but thy hand sustained and brought me to the light of the world and the illumination of baptisme with thy grace preventing my election and by an artificial necessity and holy prevention engaging me to the profession and practises of Christianity Lord since that I have broken the promises made in my behalf and which I confirmed by my after act I went back from them by an evil life and yet thou hast still continued to me life and time of repentance and didst not cut me off in the beginning of my dayes and the progresse of my sins O Dearest God pardon the errours and ignorances the vices and vanities of my youth and the faults of my more forward years and let me never more stain the whiteness of my baptismal robe and now that by thy grace I still persist in the purposes of obedience and do give up my name to Christ and glory to be a Disciple of thy institution and a servant of Jesus let me never fail of thy grace let no root of bitterness spring up and disorder my purposes and desile my spirit O let my years be so many degrees of neerer approach to thee and forsake me not O God in my old age when I am gray-headed and when my strength faileth me be thou my strength and my guide unto death that I may reckon my years and apply my heart unto wisdom and at last after the spending a holy and a blessed life I may be brought unto a glorious eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Then adde the form of thanksgiving formerly described A prayer to be said upon the dayes of the memory of Apostles Martyrs c. O Eternal God to whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord and in whom the souls of them that be elected after they be delivered from the burden of the flesh be â—n peace and rest from their labours and their works follow them and their memory is blessed I blesse and magnifie thy holy and ever glorious name for the great grace and blessing manifested to thy Apostles and Martyrs and other holy persons who have glorified thy name in the dayes of their flesh and have served the interest of religion and of thy service and this day we have thy servant name the Apostle or Martyr c. in remembrance whom thou hast lead thorough the troubles and temptations of this World and now hast lodged in the bosome of a certain hope and great beatitude until the day of restitution of all things Blessed be the mercy and eternal goodnesse of God and the memory of all thy Saints is blessed Teach me to practise their doctrine to imitate their lives following their example and being united as a part of the same mystical body by the band of the same â—aith and a holy hope and a never ceasing charity and may it please thee of thy gracious goodnesse shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect to hasten thy Kingdom that we with thy servant * and all others departed in the true faith fear of thy holy Name may have our perfect consummation and blisse in body and soul in thy eternal and everlasting kingdom Amen A form of prayer recording all the parts and mysteries of Christs passion being a short history of it to be used especially in the week of the passion and before the receiving the blessed Sacrament All praise honour and glory be to the holy and eternal Jesus I adore thee O blesâ—ed Redeemer eternal God the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel for thou hast done and suffered for me more then I could wish more â—hen I could think of even all that a lost and a miserable perishing sinner could possibly need Thou wert afflicted with thirst and hunger with heat and cold with labours and sorrowes with hard journeys and restlesse nights and when thou wert contriving all the mysterious and admirable wayes of paying our scores thou didst suffer thy self to be designed to slaughter by those for whom in love thou wert ready to dye What is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou thus visitâ—st him Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus for thou wentest about doing good working miracles of mercy healing the sick comforting the distressed instructing the ignorant raising the dead inlightning the blinde strengthning the â—ame straitning the crooked relieving the poor preaching the Gospel and reconciling sinners by the mightinesse of thy power by the wisdom of thy Spirit by the Word of God and the merits of thy Passion thy heaâ—thful and bitter passion Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus who wert content to be conspired against by the Jews to be sold by thy servant for