appearing meane time make us patient cheerefully to endure our trialls give us hearts rightly composed to wait all the daies of our lives till our changing come And now O gracious Father though wee are most unworthy to speake unto thee for our selves yet seeing thou hast commanded us to call upon thee one for another with promise that the prayers for the righteous shall be available if they be fervent so that they shall save the sick that thou wilt raise them up and if they have committed sinnes they shall be forgiven them we humbly pray thee for this our sick brother Lord assure him of his sinnes remission by the merits of Christ Jesus give him that peace of conscience and inward comfort of thy holy spirit which may manifest thy favour and mercy to him There is nothing impossible to thee which thou wilt doe heare therefore and have mercy on him only speake the word and blesse the meanes that he may be healed if otherwise thou hast determined thy holy will be done Lord who canst make all things happy to thy children give him patience meekely to beare thy fatherly hand remember whereof thou hast made fraile man consider his infirmity measure out his tryalls with that tender hand which best knoweth how to proportion the affliction to that strength which thy selfe hast given him O Lord God of all comfort leave him not comfortlesse but as the outward man decayeth strengthen the inward suffer not the malicious tempter to cast down or shake his confidence in Christ Jesus let not the sonne of violence come neere him as thou hast all his life time from his mothers wombe unto this present given thyne angells charge over him to pitch their tents about him so be pleased in this time of tryall to open to him the eie of faith whereby he may cleerely perceive that they are more and stronger with him then can be against him send the holy spirit the comforter to his afflicted soule to bring to memory and apply all these gracious promises which thou hast made thine elect Blessed Jesus who hast therefore taken our fraile nature on thee that thou mightst have experience of our miseries who best knowest what it is to dy having in thyne own death and bitterest passion overcome death and him that had the power thereof to deliver us from sinne and destruction the bitter fruite and effect therof now appeare his comforter assuring him of his interest in thy sufferings give him such a sense of thy mercy that the gates of hell may never prevaile against it such experience of the life of thy spirit and power by which thou didst rise againe from the dead that hee may certainely know that his Redeemer liveth and shall at last shew the same power in his resurrection in which he shall with the rest of thine elect at the voyce of the last trumpet be raised from the dust of the earth to meet thee in the clouds of heaven to see thee with those now languishing eyes which must at and to the appointed time be cloased to sleep in thee that hee may rest from his labours And now O Lord who hast hid from us the houre of our dissolution that we might alwaies expect thee let thy good spirit which sleepeth not set a carefull watch over every one of our soules that we may never sleepe without oyle in our lamps but be ready at thy appearance to enter with thee into thy kingdom where all sorrow shall cease in the fulnes of joy faith in the fruition of thy promises and this state of misery and corruption in a never ending life of glory and immortality Lord heare and help us Lord grant us these requests and whatsoever else thou knowest more needfull what thou hast promised or we should aske for thy Sonne Christ Jesus sake in whose words and mediation we conclude our imperfect prayers Our Father which art in heaven c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. Thanksgiâ—ing for health recovered O Lord God gracious and mercifull aboundant in goodnesse and truth heaven and earth sound out thy praise all thy creatures tasting of thy providence and preservation praise thee and what have I more to present thee with them what can I lesse then my humble and hearty thanks for thy tender mercy toward me whom thou hast therefore delivered from sicknesse and sorrowes of death that I might yet live to glorifie thy name among the living and for the comfort of others to declare what thou hast done for my poore soule how thou hast raised me by casting mee down and healed me by wounding an afflicted conscience with a terrible sense of thy severe judgements how thou didst sanctify my sicknesse by giving me an heart to looke up to thy fatherly hand which smote me to acknowledge my sinnes for which thou correctedest me to repent me of the same assured of thy mercy in Christ Jesus to resolve and vow to forsake all my sinfull waies to doe a more holy and faithfull endeavour to serve and please thee And now O Lord I humbly pray thee enlarge my heart and tongue to praise and glorifie thy holy and great name all things are of thee and what can any creature give thee but of thine owne hand Lord give mee that sacrifice of praise and thankesgiving which may be acceptable to thee that I may henceforth not onely speake but live thankefully and holily before thee that I may pay my vowes which I made in my distresse and feare so that it may be good for me that I have beene afflicted that I may in all temperance and godlinesse make a right use of health restored me and of the daies which thou addest to my life to thy glory and the comfortable assurance of my conscience both in life and death That thou who hast begun to shew mercy maist be pleased to continue the same in thy gratious preservation of me so that at my last houre which thou hast appointed me the former experience of thy mercy may give me a sound hope and full assurance that thou wilt keepe me unto and in my end that when this house of clay shall be dissolved I shall rest with my Saviour Jesus Christ untill the time determined to raise the dead in him to the life of glory in which our Forerunner now sitteth at thy right hand to whom with thee O Father of mercy and God of all consolation and the holy spirit bee rendred all honour praise and glory in Heaven and on Earth for ever and ever AMEN A Prayer for the sicke of the Plague O Allmighty God great and terrjble in thy judgments yet of infinite mercy and compassion to those who truly seeke thee wee humbly acknowledge that not only this plague wherein thou now afflictest this land is due unto our sinnes but also allother thy severe judgments to our destruction and desolation and to whome shall we seek for helpe but to the whome we haue so continually
perish so long as thou reignest over all The next is his comming to judge the quicke and the dead properly annexed to the foregoing because he so sitteth at Godâ—s right hand as that he both exerciseth the patience of the elect under the crosse and long permitteth the wicked enemies to insult over them to comfort us herein 't is necessary to beleeve that Christ who now sitteth at God's right hand will thence come to judge all men those whom he shall finde surviving who shall be changed in a moment at the sound of the last trump and the dead raised againe all elect and reprobate some to eternall absolution from sin and death and others to eternall shame and destruction of bodies and soules This judgement shall be of all our thoughts words and actions the books shall be opened and every secret thing manifested the evidence of every fact shall speak as Abels blood did The time of this judgment shall be at the second comming of Christ the particular yeare or day no creture knoweth neither the son of man himselfe here knew it in the state of humiliatioÌ„ nor need it seem strang how being God and man in one person the manhood could be ignorant of any thing the deity being omniscient seeing he tooke on him all our infirmities sinne excepted amongst which natiue ignorance was not a little one therefore t is said that from his childhood he encreased in wisedome which no infinite can doe and why shall I not as easily beleeue that there was a vaile of the slesh betweene the deity and humane soule intercepting some light of knowledge as I certainly know there was intercepting the present sense of his fathers assistance and of the comfort of the deity in his passion when he cried out My God my God why hast thou forsaken mee The signes of this judgements approach are 1. preaching the Gospell to all Nations 2. revelation of the man of sinne 3. a generall departing from the faith 4. Universall corruption of manners 2 Tim. 3. 1. 5. warres and rumours of warres 6. hardnesse of heart so that no importunity of the lowdest sonnes of Thunder can awake men out of sinne as it was in the dayes of Noah 7. Calling of the Jewes Rom. 11. 25. The signe which shall accompany the comming of Christ shall be the signe of the sonne of man in heaven Math. 24. 30. The Summe is Christ shall come againe to judge all men Act. 17. 31. Math. 25. 31. Jud. 14. 14. 1 Thes. 4. 16. and Math. 24. 30. where he joyneth the declaration of the judgement with the prediction of Jerusalems destruction to the end that men might be assured of the judgement to come by that which they saw or knew fulfilled in that City Concerning the place whether in the valley of Jehoshaphat or the time and lasting of this great Assizes the manner of proceeding and the like it is vaine to enquire after that which God hath not revealed specially seeing his word directeth to make better use hereof 1 To deterre men from sinne in respect of the inevitable terrour of that day 2 Not to judge one another Rom 14. 1 Cor 4. 5. 3 To prepare because the day is neere fearing God Eccles 12. 14. Rev 14. 7. keeping a good conscience Act 24. 15 16. watching that we may lift up our heads at that day Luk 22. 28. 35 36. Repenting Act 17. 30 31. Without delay 2. Pet 3. 2. Loving one another 1. Joh 3. 18. 19. That wee may assure our hearts before him and have boldnesse in the day of judgment 1. Joh 4. 17. Comforting our selves in all our sufferings our Saviour shall be our judge and who shall condemne us seeing he died to acquit us He cannot but avenge for us though he suffer long therefore we must be patient expecting his sentence Come yee blessed of my father inherit the kingdome prepared for you A Prayer O Lord God of mercy and compassion who in thy eternall and infinite love to man gavest thy onely Sonne to become man to take experience of our miseries to be tempted in all things like us sinne onely excepted and to suffer the severity of thy wrath against us sinners by offering him up a living sacrifice for us who were dead in trespasses and sins the just for the unjust that by his stripes we might be healed and hast revealed unto us that great mystery of godlinesse so much desired of the faithfull from the beginning the inestimable riches of thy grace and mercy hid from all ages unto the fulnesse of time God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit seene of Angells preached unto the Gentiles beleeved on in the world and received up into glory make us truly thankefull to thee for all thy unspeakeable favours give us true faith to apprehend and finde our interest in him with assurance that he is our God and Saviour O ever blessed Jesus whose name is as sweet ointment powred forth whom the Virgin soules therefore love draw us that we may runne after thee let the annointing which we have received of thee whereby we have the honour to be called and to be Christians and the happinesse to be enlightned with thy truth and led in thy paths abide in us and teach us all things necessary for the advancement of thy glory and our salvation let it bee like that precious nard wherewith thou wast imbalmed against the day of thy death to fill our hearts and affections with that comfortable savour of life unto life that thou maist wholy season us dwell in us and be all in all with us that the merit of thy death and vertue of thy resurrection may both mortify all our sinfull corrupt affections and raise us to the life of righteousnesse that dying to sinne governed here by thy power to which all things are committed in heaven and earth and hereafter acquitted by thy finall sentence when thou shalt come to judge the living and the dead we may at last come to the perfect union with thee in a full view and eternall enjoying of thee and thy blessed presence who hast suffered all these things to redeeme us and to purchase the kingdome prepared for us from eternity that wee may attaine that true blessednesse in the which thy holy Gospell hath preached unto us Grant this through thy mercies O heavenly Father thy merits O gracious Lord Jesus and thy assistance O holy Spirit three persons one onely wise omnipotent and immortall God to whom belongeth all honour glory praise might Majestie and dominion in heaven and earth from this time forth and to endlesse eternitie AMEN CHAP. VI. § 1. What we are to beleeve § 2. Rules thereto belonging 1 ALL knowledge of God the Father and Sonne with man can attaine to availeth him not except it be made good to him by a blessed application thereof to himselfe wrought by the
promised to give Lord give therefore a gratious answere through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee O Father of mercy and the holy Spirit the Comforter be all honour and glory in heaven and earth to all eternity AMEN Another private Prayer immediatly after receiving the Lords Supper LOrd make us thankefull for all thy mercies especially for the knowledge of thy sonne our ever blessed Redeemer and for these seales of our salvation now received Holy Jesus who even now from the right hand of the father hearest and beholdest what we have done according to thine owne institution in remembrance of thy death and passion forgive us all our failings and imperfections accept our wills to obey thee more perfectly and as thy selfe gavest the signes so give thou who only canst the powerfull effects thereof that every one of us may evidently feele the vigour and strength of this spirituall refection in our soules and consciences more and more to a full assurance of our interest in thee peace of conscience through thee sanctified wills and affections by thee and that candor of manners holinesse of words and actions which may cleerely shine in our conversations before all men to thy glory and our comfort in life and death Lord heare and help us Lord encline thy mercifull eare unto us and doe it for his merit who now intercedeth for us thy sonne our holy Saviour Jesus Christ. AMEN CHAP. XV. § 1. Of the Sabbath the name institution things considerable for the sanctification the beginning and ending reasons of Gods institution thereof § 2. Of the change to the Lords day now to be observed of Christians § 3. How we must now sanctifie it 1 SAbbath signifieth a rest from motion or worke hence this day set a part for holy conventions and the publike service of God is called a Sabbath thereto sanctified and hallowed by Gods appointment for every rest or cessation from worke is not the Sabbath of the Lord. 2. The Lord having perfected the worke of creation rested on the Seaventh day that is ceased from creation blessed it sanctified or appointed it to be kept holy by man as is repeated and interpreted in the morall law given by the ministry of Moses 3. In this praecept are considerable those things which are 1. Morall and Naturall 2. Positive and ceremoniall 1. The Morall part is that a seaventh day be set apart and kept holy for divine worship and rest from servill workes and this as all morall precepts having their ground in the law of nature concernes and bindes all men in all ages whose reason telleth them that there must be a time for the publike service of God 2. The Positive and Ceremoniall part is that which bound all men to the observation of the seaventh day from the creation untill it was changed as all the Leviticall ceremoniesâ— for a seaventh day to begin from Christs resurrection from the dead and also that which bound the Jewes to the observation of certaine ceremoniall rests and solemnities thereon untill the substance of those shadowes were come so wee read of their severall Sabbaths as first their great Sabbath which was that on which concurred a double solemnity as the last day of the Pasover and the seaventh day Sabbath secondly their holidaies or solemne feast daies wherein they were to feast and rejoyce before the Lord see Levit 23 24. c. Deut. 16. 14. and these were also to them Sabbaths Lam 1. 7. the adversaries saw her and did mock at her Sabbaths Thirdly their Sabbath of the earth every seventh yeare to rest Exod 23. 11. Levit 25. 4. Numb 28. 10. Fourthly Sabbaths of yeares seven times seven yeares 49. after which the trumpet was to â—ound the Jubile Levit 25. 8 9. Fitly their Sabbath of weekes see Levit. 23. 15 16. Deuâ— 16. 9 10. these were ceremoniall appertaining to the Levitie all law and therefore determined and ended with the rest of those ceremonies so Paul arrangeth them and would have no man judge Christians in respect of any such Sabbath Colos 2. 16. yea hee counteth it returning to weake and beggerly elements to observe daies c. Galat. 4. 10. 4. The seventh day Sabbath began at Evening and so ended the next day Evening according to the beginning and ending of naturall daies from the Creation as 't is saide the evening the morning made the first day from Even unto Even shall you celebrate your Sabbath but our Lords day beginneth in the morning from the resurrection of Christ on the morning of the third day and that 's not without a mystery that the Legall sabbath began with darknesse and the Evangelicall beganne with light 5. God appointed the observation of the Sabbath for many reasons 1. That it might be a day for Gods publike service as it was and is observed that men might come together to heare the Law pray receave the holy Sacraments c. Luk 4. 16. Act 20. 7. 1. Cor 16. 2. 2. To keepe in memory the work of creation Exod 20. 10 11. 3. In the giving of the law was added that which concerned Israels deliverance from their Egyptian servitude a type of our freedome from the bondage of sinne and Satan remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keepe this Sabbath day 4. That it might be a signe betweene God and his people that they might knowe that he is the Lord that sanctifieth them and a signe of the eternall rest in the life to come as it is said there remaineth therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Sabbath keepping to the people of God 5. To move masters to be just and equall to their servants and beasts in remembrance of their owne condition on the seventh day thou shalt rest that thy Ox and thy Asse may rest and the sonne of thy hand-maid and the stranger may bee refreshed Exod 23. 12. that thy man-servant and thy maid-servant may rest as well as thou and remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt c. 6. That God and his lawes may be remembered that in case any forgetfulnesse of him should fall on man most apt to forget God the very solemnity of the day might remember him 6. Sanctification of the Sabbath on Gods part was his appointment to keepe it holy on mans the setting it apart from common use and ordinary workes to spend it in holy exercises according to God's commandement profanation of the Sabbath was and is by doing those workes which God prohibited to be done on that day as servile workes or on any day as sinne or any thing hindering his workship on that day to bee performed as humane servile or ordinary workes of ourcallings all workes are not prohibited on the Sabbath the Preists by the law did sacrifice thereon this as other like were divine or such as appertained to the
first Adam that native inclination to sinne which continually carrieth us away captive to the lawes thereof to that evil which wee would not do which wee loath abhorre and in bitternesse of soule repent us of Lord create cleane hearts in us renew right spirits enlighten our understandings with a sound knowledge of all the mysteries of eternal life and salvation sanctifie our wills and affections and according to thine owne gracious promise put thy Law in our inward parts and write it in our hearts that wee may know thee from the least to the greatest forgive our iniquity and remember our sinne no more O Lord who didst by thy Word so heale the fountaines so that death and barrennesse was no more therein heale wee humbly intreat thee the wretched corruptions of our hearts cleanse and sanctifie all the thoughts thereof by the sweet and blessed influence of thy holy Spirit so guiding governing and directing us in the way which thou wouldst have us walke in as that wee may in all our thoughts words and actions be acceptable to thee mortifie and subdue all our evil desires and thoughts subject them all to thy holy will and pleasure that wee may constantly resist all temptations to sinne and wickednesse Keepe us and counsel us in all our affaires spiritual and temporal that wee may be filled with the holy fruits of the spirit of sanctification appearing in new and hollowed thoughts of words and actions to thy glory and our further assurance before thee so that in our bodies and in our spirits wee may be kept blamelesse in this sinful and miserable world unto the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ To him with thee O Father of mercy and the holy Spirit the Comforter of the Elect be â—rendred all honâ—r and glory in heaven and in earth from this time forth and to all eternity Amen CHAP. XXI Concerning the guidance of the Tongue § 1. Of the excellent use al use and evils of the Tongue concluding the necessity of a right guidance thereof § 2. Motives thereto § 3. Rules by which it may be done 1. THe use of the Tongue and speaking is a singular gift of God to man whom he furnished herewith that hee might communicate that inward and secret light of reason which hee created in the soule and the divine motions which by his holy Spirit hee infuseth into the same speech as reason is peculiar to man of all earthly creatures It is the soules image and interpreter neither could one soule shut up within the houses of clay other waies convey its notions into another soule or enterchange thoughts with another hereby we declare the counsell of God for our salvation in Christ hereby wee blesse God comfort and edifie one another hereby wee instruct direct aske and give counsel it were too long to reckon all 2. As Satan hath been malicious to poison the fountain of words and actions the heart so hath hee to corrupt the speech perverting that to God's dishonor overthrow of religion and sanctity and embittering of humane society by that which God ordained for the advancement of that and comfort of this God appointed the tongue for a main agent for his Kingdome but the enemy usurpeth it for the building up of his nor is there any â—acultie of man spiritual or corporeal by which hee more effecteth it there is no sinne which he promoteth not hereby the evil tongue is lusts bawd heresies disperser 〈◊〉 factor impostures agent sinnes soliciter generall ready to advance any mischiefe Art thou angry thy tongue runneth to usher in murder calumnie slander proâ—anations what mischiefe can wee think of turpâ—â—oquie perâ—ury blasphemy lying any sinne wherein the tongue is not a ready advocate and procurer 3. The holy Ghost intimatâ—th the variable mischiefes of the tongue under the severall characters wherewith hee brandeth the flattering tongue the deceitfull the double the censuring vexing bitter backbiting railing slandering lying perverse raging scandalous busie obscene and profane tongues these are the divels organs lusts bellows adulteries brokers the troublesome mischiefe of humane societies going through the world medling with and censuring every man this is the Epidemick evill so bitter as that none can well avoid it nor patiently endure it It is a fire a world of iniquity it defileth the whole body and setteth on fire the whole course of nature being it selfe set on fiâ—e of hell it is a little but unruly untamed member full of deadly poison 4. These being the diseases of the sinne-infected tongue followed with many severe judgements the necessity of a better and more holy guidance thereof appeareth which being neglected is the cause of all that evill which these worst times complain of What mischiefe is done which is not begun and fomented by the evill tongue as it is written his heart gathereth iniquity to it selfe when hee goeth abroad hee telleth it So one encourageth another or tempteth to a mischievous consent in that which is dishonour to God disadvantage to humane society and destruction to themselves That therefore every one may addresse himself to some meanes of a through reformation herein it is behovefull that we seriously weigh these ensuing motives to a matter of râ—high concâ—â—â—ment 1. Who so keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soule from troubles The inconsiderate man is snared and taken with the words of his own mouth Hee that loveth life and would see good daies let him refraine his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile Many saith the wise man have fallen by the edge of the sword but not so many as have fallen by the tongue How happy had it been for many a man to have been dumb some thinke it a glorious liberty to speak what they list to exercise their dogged eloquence barking at all that passeth by them snapping at every thing but so shall they make their owne tongues to fall upon themselves therefore the wise man saith Who shall set a watch before my mouth and a seale of wisedome upon my lips that I fall not suddenly by them and that my tongue destroy me not for the lips of a foole will swallow up himselfe death and life are in the power of the tongue For saith our Saviour by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned 2. If a man offend not in word the same is a perfect man and able to bridle the whole body but if any among you seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this mans religion is vaine 3. Men shall give an account at the day of judgment of every idle word how much more of malicious and impious words there 's not a word in thy tongue but God heareth it Therefore for the better guidance of thy tongue observe these and
Lord God wee humbly pray thee for Christ Jesus sake to pardon all our sins and failings in our dueties this day strengthen our faiths unto our ends and in our ends Suffer us not for any tryals to fall from thee neither lay thou more upon us then thou wilt make us able to beare cheerfully create clean hearts in us renew right spirits mortifie all our corrupt affections subdue and subject them all to thy holy will and pleasure enable us daily more carefully and holily to serve thee so that the neerer we draw unto our deaths the more conâ—idently we may rest assured of immortality and eternal life in the world to come assist us with a measure of thy grace proportionable to our tryals so that at our last houre against all the feares and terrors paines and sorrows of death we may be enabled to render up our soules into thy gracious hands in full assurance of thy mercy and our redemption and salvation in Jesus Christ. Blesse the universall Church specially that part thereof in Great Britan and Ireland let thy blessing and mercy rest on this family from the first to the last Keep us bodies and soules forgive all our sins let our sleep be refreshing and comfortable this night grant us grace to plant all our confidence in thee that wee may love thee fear thee and rest in thee assured of thy gracious protection whose providence sleepeth not into thy hands O Lord wee commend and commit our selves bodies and soules all that we have and are sleeping waking living and dying let us be ever thine through Jesus Christ our Lord and blessed Saviour AMEN An Evening Praier for a Family more enlarged O Lord God great and glorious who hast made the heavens thy throne and the earth thy foot-stoole God of justice and mercy terrible in thy wrath against obstinate sinners but long-suffering and of great mercy to them who with sincere hearts can seek thee and thy saving health our miseries compell us and thine owne gracious mercy inviteth us wretched creatures to call upon thee in the day of trouble But O Lord thou art a God of pure eies and canst not behold iniquity and wickednesse in which as we are conceived and born the children of wrath disobedience so have we continually walked therein and wherewithall shall we now come before our Lord and how our selves before the high God a thousand burnt-offerings and ten thousand rivers of oile cannot satisfie an infinite justice for the sinne of one soule and we are a sinful nation a people laden with iniquity wee have forsaken the covenants of our God and provoked the holy one of Israel to anger wee have gone backward and revolted more and more from the sole of the foot unto the head there is no soundnesse in us but dangerous wounds bruises and putrifying sores ripe for the lancet of thy judgments so that we deserve to have this good land laid waste that we who have forsaken thee should as thou hast threatned be consumed with the sword famine and pestilence until this numerous people be leâ—t as a cottage in vineyard a besieged city like Sodom and Gomorrha sad monuments of the fire of thine indignation that thou shouldst take no delight in us when we tread in thy courts and appear before thee with petitions for mercy but that our oblations of praise and incense of praiers should be abomination and our solemne assemblies a tâ—ouble and wearinesse unto thee that when wee spread forth our hands and make many praiers with strong cries thou shouldst hide away thy face from our miseries and stop thine ears to our cries as we have done ours to those gracious conditions of mercy which thou hast continually offered us by thy Prophets whom thou sentest to warn us that wee might retur from our vaine and unprofitable wayes and not die wee humbly acknowledge that such are we that the severest curses of the law and all the judgments sealed up therein are due to us confusion and helplesse destruction in this present woâ—â—d and unspeakable torments in hell fire in the eternity to come And now whereas wee must all appeare before thy judgement seat what shall wee plead before thee O thou great and just Iudge of all the world what can wee but guilty what shall wee say unto thee O merciful preserver of men what can wee more then be merciful unto us for our Lord Jesus sake Wee know O Lord that wee neither doe nor can deserve any favour at thy gracious hands whom wee have so often and so wilfully provoked to shew thy justice on our sinnes but therefore didst thou give thy sonne Christ Jesus that his merits might satisfie for us wee condemne our selves that thou maist spare us for his sake who dyed not in vaine O Lord though our iniquities testifie against us deale with us according to thy name wee have sinned against thee O thou hope of Israel and the saviour thereof in the time of trouble wee acknowledge our sinnes are for greatnesse unmeasurable and for multitude innumerable but as is the price of our redemption so are thy mercies infinite abhorre us not for thine owne mercy sake thou art our strength and refuge in the day of affliction correct us not in thine anger chasten us not in thy heavy displeasure but heale us that we may be saved Lord though we have many waies failed yet thou knowest all things thou knowest that the desire of our soule is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee through thine owne grace giving us that desire we would above all things in the world become so holy that we might no more displease thee O our God who only canst make us holy and unblameable give us ability to do that which thou hast given us grace to desire thou hast caused us to put our confidence in thee O God who canst not deceive trust let us not be disappointed of our hope restrain not from us thy zeal thy strength and the multitude of thy mercies and compassions O Lord our God if thou wilt thou canst make us clean cleanse us from all our iniquities that we may put away the wickedness of our doings from before thine eies that we may indeed cease to do evil and learn to do well that thou mayest make our scarlet sins twice died in original and actual guilt white as snow in Salmon that we may consent and obey and so enjoy the good things of this land and not be devoured by the sword as we are this day for our transgressions Though we deserve that the fire of thine anger should consume us as the stubble that our root should be as rottennesse and that our blossom when we hope should go up as the dust until our cities become desolate and our houses without a man because we have cast away the law of the Lord of hostes yet O Lord unto thee belongeth mercy and the issues from death though thou hast been terrible in thy
quickly to the throne of Grace to implore mercy before wrath come out against thee catch hold quickly on this second table repentance who hast lost the first of innocency condemne thy selfe and Christ will justifie thee hee onely expecteth thy voice when thou sayest I have sinned hee saith I forgive thee Doe but mark how quickly the pardon followed David's confession no sooner had hee said I have sinned against the Lord but the Lord said by the Prophet the Lord also hath put away thy sinne Peter quickly repented and as quickly found mercy Esau staied too long and so found no place for repentance though hee sought it carefully with teares If the grando fiered be suddenly cast back againe it proves only the assailants harme or danher such shall Satan's fire-works prove if thou presently cast out his tentations and heartily repent thee where any of his darts touch thee 9. Give not thy selfe over to pensive dedolency worldly sorrow and fruitlesse solitarinesse that will but feed the bitternesse of spirit think not too much of thy afflictions but sweeten them with the frequent remembrance of God's mercy toward thee take heed of worldly sorrow that is unto death cheer up thy selfe in God as David did Why art thou so sad O my soule and why art thou so disquieted within mee trust in God for I shall yet praise him a merry heart doth good like a medicine but a broken spirit drieth the bones A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance but by the sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken 10. Hearken diligently to the word of God hee is the God of all consolation and the word is his minde and revealed will for our good that is a full store-house there is no affliction incident to man which may not there finde a proper cure here thou shalt finde rules to guide thee and keep thee from sinne here thou shalt finde the sweet mercy of God in Christ Jesus to wash away the guilt of all thy transgressions but be thou not only a hearer but a constant doer of the word and lay the gracious promises up in thine heart so shalt thou in due season feele the work of God's spirit distilling the former and the later rain upon the seed to make it take root and be fruitfull 11. Hereto adde zealous and frequent prayer as the Saints have done in all their distresses and be assured that hee will not leave thee comfortlesse but at last coming with great assurance of thy salvation will abundantly recompence thy patience in suffering and perseverance in praying for pardon Satan is never more foiled and fooled in his own work then when hee gets leave to wound the hearts of the elect for as Romanus the martyr told the tormenter look how many wounds hee gives them so many mouthes hee setteth open for them to cry to God for helpe and indeed these jewels cannot come to their glorious lustre without hard grinding by afflictions A Praier for them who are of a wounded spirit in respect of their grievous sins O Lord God gracious and merciful rebuke not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure my soule is sore vexed and Lord how long Have mercy on mee for I am weak Lord heale my soule and deliver it O save mee for thy mercy sake I am weary of my groaning mine eie is consumed with griefe Lord heare my supplications receive my praier I am sorely afflicted Lord quicken mee according to thy word in thy loving kindenesse and multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions wash me throughly from my sinnes cleanse me from all mine iniquities the greatnesse and number whereof is such as that I am ashamed and afraid of thy blessed presence I acknowledge my selfe unworthy to look up to heaven to appeare before thee with petition for mercy who have so uncessantly provoked thy justice the filthy leprosie of my sinnes stop mine own mouth my heart answereth that I am unworthy that ever thou shouldst encline thy gracious eare unto so wretched a sinner These terrors of conscience wherewith thou hast now afflicted my soule are thy just judgments the fears of hell and eternal condemnation wherewith thou hast wounded mee are incomparably lesse then my sinnes but Lord remember them not who canst not forget the sufferings of thy holy sonne Jesus for them all I am not able to answer thee one of a thousand nor can thy justice require that of mee for which my Saviour and redeemer hath satisfied therefore I renounce my selfe that I may be found in thy Christ not having on our owne righteousness according to the condemning letter of the law but that I may be clothed in his righteousnesse who hath long since cancelled the hand-writing of ordinances that were against me and payed the debt for me Lord for his sake I humbly entreat thee to turne this judgement under which I now labour into mercy let it beget in my soule a true loathing of all sinne a stedfast purpose to forsake all my evil waies a comfortable experience of thy mercy pronouncing pardon to my afflicted conscience by the infallible evidence of thy holy spirit and assurance of peace with thee make mee to hear of joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice in thee cast me not away from thy presence take not the holy Spirit the comforter from mee but restore mee to the joy of thy salvation and uphold mee with thy free spirit despise not a broken and contrite heart but heale my wounded spirit then will I teach transgressors thy way that they may fear thee who art so terrible in thy justice and convert unto thee who art so abunâ—amt in thy mercy Lord heare mee Lord encline thine eare to a poore distressed soule Lord consider and do it for thy only sonne our Saviour Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thee O heavenly father and the holy spirit be all honour and glory in heaven and earth from this time forth and for ever Amen CHAP. XXVII § 1. Sense of spiritual wants afflicteth but not so much endangereth the soule § 2. What we are herein to consider § 3. How we must examine the conscience § 4. Rules of practice hereto necessary THe second thing wounding and afflicting the conscience is sense of defects and spiritual wants as want of faith hope assurance of salvation want of sanctification purity of heart the spirit of praier and hearing want of ability rightly to performe other holy dueties In these the spirit is stupified and fearfully darkned in the saint for a time a man sometimes feeleth dulnesse to and want of fervency in praier and want of comfortable assurance that God heareth or regardeth it because hee doth not presently answer or not at all grant that which wee aske sometimes hee feeleth a deviation of his minde and discomposure of thoughts in attention and unbeleef in hearing the word or reading the
sinners death but his conversion Lord convert my soule remove my sins frame my heart affections and life according to thine own will thou who hearest the poor and despisest not the wretched captive visit all that are bound Lord our redeemer hear them in an acceptable time and help them in the day of salvation preserve the oppressed and despised of men say unto the prisoners Goe forth and to them that are in darknesse Shew your selves binde up the broken hearted proclaime liberty to the captives and opening the prison to them that are shut up comfort them that mourne let their deep sighing come before thee according to the greatnesse of thy power preserve thou them that are appointed to dye Lord lift thou up my head enlarge my feet bring me out of bondage that I may live to serve and praise thee in the assemblies of thy servants however thou pleasest to dispose of mee let all my sufferings redound to thy glory and my salvation give me patience to endure constancy to depend on thee firme faith to apprehend thy promises and hope to expect thy saving health Consider my weaknesse and lay no more upon mee then thou wilt enable mee to bear cheerfully sanctifie my afflictions and make them good to mee in the fruits of righteousnesse which thou hast laid up for all those who rest on thee Heare mee O Lord let my cry come unto thee and have mercy upon me through Jesus Christ our Lord and blessed Saviour AMEN A Morning Praier for prisoners O Eternal and Almighty God Creator Preserver and Governer of all things in heaven and earth before whom the Thrones and Dominions Powers Cherubims and Seraphims vaile their faces with their wings not able to behold the brightnesse of thy Majesty nor to comprehend thy being known to none but thine owne infinite wisedome At the blasting of the breath of thy displeasure the earth is moved and the pillars of heaven doe tremble yet in thy unspeakable mercy thou vouchsafest to looke downe from thy throne of glory and to take care for man yea the poorest and most despised among the sonnes of men and not only to bow downe a gracious eare to their petitions but to command them to call upon thee that thou maist relieve and deliver them to this end hast thou made so many instances of that word of thine The fervent praier of the righteous availeth much Such praiers have divided the Seas and made their swelling waves stand on heapes beat down the armies of aliants stopped the mouthes of lions restrained the devouring flames opened and shut heaven made the Sunne and Moone stand still converted the revengeful malice of enemies into pity and compassion broken the heavy yokes of bondage shaken off the chaines opened the prison doores and delivered those that were appointed to death so that thou hast not in â—ain sayed Call upon mee in the day of thy trouble so will I heare thee and thou shalt glorifie mee Lord thy mercy is not changed thine arme shortened nor thine eare heavy only our sins have separated between thee and us this is that filthy leprosie over-spreading every part and faculty of our bodies and souls which hath covered our mouths and hindred our praies from thy graecious presence turning away thy merciful eares so that as wee have not hearkned when thou spakest unto us by thy Prophets to warn us from the waies of death and destruction so thou maist justly refuse to heare our cries But O Lord God if thy mercy could have been hindred by mans sin thou hadst never elected him to salvation for thou fore-sawest all things from eternity to all times to come If any evil could have overcome thy goodnesse thou hadst never redeemed us with so great a price as the blood of thy sonne Jesus for thou fore-knewest that they to whom thou sentest him as a redeemer would crucifie the Lord of life if the iniquity of an impious world could intercept thy bounty this sun should not shine nor thy rain descend upon the wicked neither wouldst thou have preserved us this night past that we might now meet to call upon thee for mercy and deliveraâ—ce if thy justice had not given place to mercy we therefore humbly acknowledge thy goodnesse and our own vilenesse and unworthinesse and for thy mercy sake beseech thee to pardon and put all our sins out of thy remembrance that they may no more appeare to provoke thine anger to our destruction O Lord we know not what or how to pray as wee ought help thou our infirmities by thy holy Spirit who maketh intercession for us according to thy will with groanings inuterable it is the same spirit of thine which indited the praiers of thy Prophets and Apostles by which they obtained such marvellous things which now also moveth in and for thy poore afflicted children crying unto thee Good Father give us that lively faith fervency and evidence of spirit to which thou who art the God of trueth and canst not deceive hast made the promise of audience and attaining Lord shew us the effects of that good word which saith Ask and you shall have Now give unto us that aske forgive us all our sinnes and give us an happy deliverance out of the pressures which lie so heavily upon us Give us peace with thee in the testimony of a good conscience and if it be thy holy will peace with all men as thou hast passed by us with fire storme and earth-shaking indignation so now speake unto us in the still voice of thy mercy and compassion Lord if it be possible let this cup of anger passe â—rom us if not thy will be done Give us patience and perseverance give the blessed issue who givest the bitter tryal consider whereof thou hast made fraile man Remember that wee are but poore dust and earth and as the grasse soon withering away deale with us so here that wee may not faile of living to thee in this life and with thee in that eternal life to come And now O Lord who causest the out-goings of the morning and evening to praise thee wee bless thy holy name for thy gracious providence preserving of us this night past and giving us this present oportunity of presenting our supplications unto thee Good Father continue thy mercy to us and ours this day sanctifie us unto thy service direct all our thoughts words and actions so as that in the several waies of our callings they may all tend to the glory of thy holy name the good example of our brethren and the further assurance of our consciences before thee Lord blesse thy holy Church in all nations specially that which thy right hand hath planted in this Blesse Lord our several families let our innocency appeare as the light lift up our heads from these bonds and in thy good time restore us to them againe hear their praiers for us and ours for them and both for thy sonne Jesus sake O Lord who art the
God of all true consolation who defendest the fatherlesse and widowes leave them not comfortless be thou their guider and protector though thou pleasest to take us from them take not thy grace and holy spirit from us nor them and so thy will be done Blesse all those who any where suffer in the like durance with us blesse us all here present grant that wee may make a right use of our present afflictions that they may better us give us hearts to trust in thee what ever thou doest to us cheerfully to discern thy mercies in the midst of our corrections and ever to blesse thy holy name for that thou hast corrected and not given us over to final destruction Lord encline thine eare and heare Lord help us Lord consider in mercy and do it for Jesus Christ his sake in whose ever blessed name we conclude our petitions in that absolute forme of prayer which hee hath taught us in his Gospel saying Our Father which art in heaven c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. AMEN An Evening praier for the same O Most gracious and glorious Lord God we do not here appear before thee with any confidence in our own merits being such in respect of our unhallowed thoughts corrupt words and sinful actions as that if there were neither in earth or heaven among men or Angels any witnesse of our iniquities our owne consciences would accuse and convict us and if there were no other judge our own hearts could not but condemne us and thou art greater then our hearts and nothing can be hid from thee the just and all-seeing judge of the living and the dead who must all stand before thy tribunal wee therefore in all humility of soules appeale from thy justice in which wee can looke for nothing lesse then death and destruction the due wages of sin unto the sanctuary of thy mercy there laying hold on that altar on which thy sonne Christ Jesus was offered up a living sacrifice for us who were dead in trespasses and sinnes hee is that lamb of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world and that great Angel of the Covenant who in the precious censer of his merits offereth the praiers of the Saints as Sweet odors holy and acceptable to thee for his sâ—ke â—arden all our sinnes which have rendred us not onely lesse then the least of thy mercies but also worthy of thy severest judgments temporal and eternal for his sake let our complaints come before thee and from thy mercy seat 〈◊〉 thou our supplications which come not out of feigned 〈◊〉 but from the depth of our afflicted soules Trueth it is O Lord wee have procured all these miseries unto our selves and the bitternesse wherewith thou hast filled us is none other but the fruit of our owne inventions who have obstinately followed our owne vain and unprofitable waies refusing the guidance of thy good spirit and holy word recalling us to the paths of eternal life But O Lord God of mercy thou desirest not the death of sinners but that they may be converted and live thou art the sole fountain of holinesse every good and perfect giving descendeth from thee who art the father of light enlighten thou our understandings open our eies that wee sleep not in death sanctifie our depraved wills rectifie our sinful affections and subject them all to thine owne holy will and pleasure frame every faculty of our soules and bodies to a new and sincere obedience to thy law that wee may neither decline to the right hand nor to the left but may henceforth make strait steps to our salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. In his name wee continue our supplications to thee in the behalfe of thy Church universal Lord gather dayly to her such as thou hast elected to salvation enlighten those who have not yet known thy name take off the vaile from the hearts of thy ancient people the Jewes that now neer the fulnesse of time they may see unto Christ the end of the law to every one that beleeveth both of Jewes and Gentiles shew more and more mercy in the confirmation of us whom thou hast called until our fulness be come in Discover and confound the man of sinne daily abolishing the mystery of iniquity by the brightnesse of thy coming the sword of the spirit and evident preaching the Gospel to all nations until thou shalt at thy second coming manifest thy selfe our Saviour and Redeemer and wipe all teares from our eies even so come Lord Jesus And now O Lord who lookest with a tender eie upon the pressures of thy servants let the sighing of the Prisoners come before thee and according to the greatnesse of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die be merciful to us here present before thee we have indeed at thy hands against whom wee have sinned deserved this rod but O our God correct us in mercy not in thine anger for what are wee in thy hands and who can stand before thee when thou art angry Wee have not rendred unto thee according to thy goodnesse wee have surfeited on the sweet blessings of peace and abused our liberties not valuing the benefit thereof but vainly reckoning it among our hereditary possessions as if it might never be taken from us when we had freedom to goe into the assemblies of thy children the places where thine honour dwelleth to hear thy word and present our supplications unto thee Lord how often have vain pleasures or worldly profits detained us or coming before thee how seldom have wee returned with any fruits of amendment therefore doest thou now teach us by wanting these comforts their estimate which wee would not know while wee enjoyed them But O good God seeing thy fatherly corrections are not to destroy but to amend us give us now good understanding by these chastisements give us discerning spirits that through these afflictions we may look up to the hand that smiteth us and by our corrections gain a true loathing and detestation of all the sins for which thou art displeased with us Lord if it may stand with thine honor enlarge and deliver us in mercy restore every man to his own family to the mutual comfort of us and ours that with them we may praise thy holy name and better serve thee then ever wee have done if otherwise Lord proportion our patience to our tryals forsake us not in our sad distresses be thou ever present with us that we may rest assured of thy mercies give us peace of conscience and a blessed freedom from the bondage of sin that wee may therein know that neither stone walls nor armed guards can shut thy holy spirit the comforter from us nor bar our praiers from ascending up to thee Lord as our tryals encrease encrease our comforts in thee so that as the more it rained the more the arke was listed up in which thou hadst enclosed those whom thou didst thereby save in a
the faults of manners not of age which being seperated by beter counsaile and habit may leave that age a cleere and evident capacity of being most happy as neerest to our state of blessednesse the life to come doth avarice or morosity then make age evill a prudent mastering thy selfe and resolved patience will amend this and true repentance that this take away that evill into which thine own will beareth a principall part and thou shalt finde that as thou canst not be evill except thou consentest so not unhappy in age and if thou wilt not forbeare the evill which afflicteth thee thou makest thine age evill not thy age thee 2. Bodily infirmities and decayes are but the Angells sent to pull thee out of Sodom not as Lot by the hands only by warning thee of approaching death that thou maist prepare to entertaine it and not be destroyed with a perishing world 3. Prepare for death that which leadeth age with irksome sorrow is vaine love of the World and unwillingnesse to dye there is not an old man but thinkes he may live one yeare more if thy life were entire it is so short a summe that it cannot beare any long hopes and it is great folly ever to be beginning to live to lay new foundations and hopes neere our exit what is more incongruous then for an old man in vaine hope and desire to beginne to live when indeed he is neere death he only shall easily beare the inconveniences of age who is ever resolved and willing to dye and be with Christ. 4. Learne to make a prudent use of the time which admitteth no returne the conscience of a well spent life and remembrance of many good workes is very comfortable the foole loveth nothing but that which is past and vainely troubleth his soule with desire of much more time nothing solicitous to accompt to God for that he hath already given him at thy last day it shall not much concerne thee how long thou hast lived but how well it is not long life but good which shall render a man eternally happy neither is there any true profit of living here but in gaining that by which we shall live to eternity The evills of Age may be cheerfully borne if we can truly weigh the conveniences with the inconveniences thereof For 1. It is true that Age bringeth with it many good things as it doth many evills it is good that it freeth from pleasures those impudent masters of misrule giveth wisdome and maturer counsailes as the Egyptian Ibis feeding in her youth on Serpents when age hath consumed those venemous humours hath an aromaticall and sweeter breath so hath it been observed of some that after an ill dieted and mispent youth time having digested and evaporated that venome their age hath breathed divine things and more sweet then usuall to the secular man life like Wine how ever pleasing it was young in age it groweth sharpe and dull to the Saints it is not so age is their Suburbs of heaven praeludium of eternity the gate of glory where aged Simeon sang his requiem Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation Luke 2. 29. 2. The old man dyeth more easily then the young a great advantage seeing all must dye none dye more gently then they that dye insensibly like a Lampe the oyle consumed quietly going out young men dye more painefully as Lamps overflowed with Water violence killeth the young maturity the old there 's a wrack here a quiet departing from the Inne so pleasing to the good that it seemeth to them as the sight of the port they are to make after a wearisome voyage that aged Barzillai could not so exactly tast or heare the voices of singers 2. Sam. 19. 35. was not so much a losse as security against temptations which oftentimes ensnare youth 3. It is the age of wisdome the spring hath pleasures but the Autumne profits the fruits of age are much better then the flowers of youth a little time is long enough to live well but if thou art gone much farther thou hast no more cause to sorrow then the Husbandman that the pleasant spring is past and the profitable autumne come except thou art of Themistocles minde who said it grieved him to dye when he began to be wise 4. It is not so much esteemed the end of this life as the beginning of eternity and the haven after a curst sea now as the traveller endureth the rough and bad wayes neere home for rest's sake and for the comfort which he expecteth there so must we the troubles of age which we shall easily doe if we gaine a certaine assurance of eternall blessednesse in the life to come 5. We have here comfort and confidence in temporall calamities they cannot now be long it was Solon's answer to the tyrant Pisistratus when he demanded on what ground of hope he durst resist him I am confident because old When Jacob saw the chariots which Joseph sent to bring him into Egypt his drooping spirit revived and certainly they who desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ are so farre from being grieved at their age that their soules are comforted to think they are going to him In the last place we are to know what rules of practice are observable to the improvement of old age to our good and comfort for it is certaine that happy is he whom old age seizeth in the service of Christ. 1. Be sure to attemperate and proportion thy minde to thy age that it be not said of thee as of Vespastans covetousnesse the fox hath changed his haire but not his manners lay downe thy youthfull minde with youth be grave not bitter it is an impious incongruity to beare the authority and port of an old man and the vices of the young to be youthfull in age is great folly and greater to wish to be young againe like some brainesick traveller who after a dangerous and wearisome journey would goe back againe for a little pleasant way sake though it be very hard to put off that which we are borne yet the happy way to be renewed is as much as we can attaine to to put off the old man corrupt with his affections and to put on the new man Ephes. 4. 22 23 24. this is the way to passe à ruga ad juventutem from old age to youth while man like the heavenly orbs inferior to the first mover goeth in body to the West of age but in his soule toward the east and rising sunne of righteousnesse the inward man renewing in the outward mans decay so becoming part of that lovely spouse which in her perfection shall be without spot or sinne in her innocency or wrinkle of age in her eternity in the meane if thou art wise thou wilt rejoyce that thou hast past over a tempestuous sea
not on her with honour tender love and duty nothing can fully recompence the ingratitude of this generation of Vipers their Mothers sorrow and destruction but hell Gods children love and honour his Ordinance in their parents For direction and comfort before their Travaile let Women 1. Spend the time of their expectation as they would doe the howers of their last day in hearty repentance for all their sinnes making their peace with God labouring to strengthen their faiths by recounting the comfortable promises of God in Christ Jesus rendring themselves with patience meeknesse and confidence into his mercifull hands who alone can keep them strengthen and comfort them in their paines and make them joyfull Mothers 2. Consult with God in all their fears and sorrowes as Rebecca did by the holy scriptures which are his Oracles giving certaine and infallible answers conference with the prudent Saints meditations and ascensions of the afflicted soule into Gods gracious presence 3. Reconcile themselves to all those whom they have injured by repairing them what they can for it is a condition of their salvation in childbearing that they continue in Faith and Charity and if all must quickly agree with their adversaries while they are in the way then they specially who as they say of Seamen may be reckoned between the living and the dead and in hazard of a sodaine convention at the barre by the end of this life 4. It must be a grave document as to all so specially to married Women of modesty and chastity I know not what comfort the adultresse can have who bringeth forth her Husbands irreparable injury her own shame Children of Whoredomes the indelible staine of their blood and their posterities dishonour all this with paine and horrour or more dangerous stupidity of a sinfull conscience whereas the good conscience of the chast is the soules rest bed of perfumes Garden of spices sorrowes lenitive griefes faire havens the soules Paradice and afflictions sanctuary with which though they have externall sorrowes yet are they blessed happy is the way however rough and fearefull by which they come to eternall life as the externall prosperity of the wicked can never make their waies better then destructive and unhappy So neither can any afflictions sorrowes feares or paines of the elect make them lesse then truely blessed because all these are but as the stepps in Jacobs ladder whose last shall land them in the presence of God as it is written we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdome of God 5. Let them pray frequently and fervently that God would be pleased to measure their sufferings by that assistance which he will give them strengthen them to their labour mitigate their paines grant them a speedy and safe deliverance that they may enjoy the blessing of propagation to the encrease of his Kingdome the glory of his holy name and their eternall rejoycing after their temporall sorrowes which hee hath appointed them A prayer for Woemen in or neere their Travaile MOst glorious and holy Lord God almighty creator and mercifull preserver of all thy creatures who hast commanded the weary and heavy laden to come to thee and promised by the sonne of thy love and truth Christ Jesus to ease them we prostrate our selves before thy throne of mercy with bended knees and trembling hearts yet with assurance of thy faithfulnesse to performe who hast freely promised Truth it is O Lord when we consider our own deservings we can look for nothing but the severity of thy justice and rejection from thy gracious presence that thou shouldest take no delight in us when we come before thee but that the spreadiâ—g out of our hands in Prayer should be a trouble and wearinesse unto thee we confesse that destruction of body and soule by all those judgements which thou hast denounced against the first sinners is due unto us if thou enter into judgement with us we accuse and condemne our selves as most vile and utterly unable to stand in judgment before thee the searcher of the heart and reines and most unworthy of the least of those favours which our necessities compell us to beg at thy mercifull hands in confidence that thou wilt not breake the bruised reed reject the penitent nor condemne them who condemne themselves we renounce our selves that we may be found in the righteousnesse of our Lord Jesus It was he ô blessed Father who being the eternall Word Wisdome and Power by whom the World was created and is still sustained yet to save us miserable sinners and so his enemies was made flesh for us became man to set us free took on him the forme of a Servant to sanctify and redeeme us from sinne begun in our conception and encreasing from our birth vouchsafed to be conceived in the Virgins wombe by the Holy Ghost and to be borne the man of sorrowes to suffer the severity of thy wrath against sinners 't was he that dyed for our sinnes and rose againe for our justification that thereby he might pull out the sting of death and change the judgements into fatherly corrections 't was he that became a curse for us to redeeme us from the curse of the law that by his stripes we might be healed that the blessing the promise of the spirit the comforter might come on us through faith in him for his sake holy Father be reconciled to us for his sake encline thy gracious cares to our prayers now according to thine own appointment calling on thee Thou hast indeed threatned the first sinner to multiply her sorrowes in her travailes and that sentence as the sinne in which we fell is become hereditary in paines sorrow feare and anguish in these bitter effects of sinne we acknowledge thy just judgements but Lord correct us not in thine anger consider the frailty and infirmity of this poorâ— dust and earth wherewith thou hast clothed us consider not what we have done but what thy holy Sonne Jesus in that sacred flesh indivisibly united to the Godhead hath suffered for us accept his obedience who hath done and suffered all things which thy determinate counsaile had before all worlds appointed for the worke of our redemption We are unworthy to be heard but Lord heare him ascended into heaven to take possession thereof for us and now sitting at thy right hand a faithfull mediator for us and bearing the remembrance of us before thee he is truely God able to heare and help all them that call upon him faithfully and truly man who hath had experience and can be toucht with a sense of humane miseries for his sake heare us speaking the same things to thee here on earth which his own spirit helping our infirmities both dictateth to us from heaven and presenteth to thee for us in heaven Lord for his sake helpe us give us true and hearty repentance assure us of our sinnes remission and our discharge from the curse and rigor of the law
strengthen our Faith give us assurance of thy favour and mercy toward us shed abroad thy love in our hearts that all things even our sorrowes may worke together for the best to us in mercy asswage the sorrowes of this thy servant with the comfortable assurance of an happy issue give her patience to beare and ability to overcome her tryalls it was the word of justice which appointed this affliction but Lord whose mercy is over all thy workes allay the rigor of that sentence mitigate her paines speake comfort to her soule give a powerfull assistance to her weaknesse O gracious father by the power of whose word man is thus brought into the World give her a speedy and safe deliverance now that the child is come to the birth give her strength to bring forth to the encrease of thy Kingdome through the new birth by water and the holy Ghost to the comfort of thy now afflicted servant the Fathers joy and the praise of thy holy name through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Lord heare and grant these our Petitions and what ever else thou knowest more needfull for us through his merits in whom thou hast promised to heare us in whose mediation and words we present and conclude our petitions saying Our Father which art in heaven c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. A thanksgiving for a Woman after her Deliverance O Lord God of our salvation who mercifully enclinedst thine eare unto us in our feare and distresse who appointedst in thy Law that she should bring a paire of mourning Turtles who had not a spotlesse Lamb for a sacrifice of thanks-giving it is the same thy clemency who wilt now accept their repentance who have not that unblemished innocency which can abide the tryall of thy severe justice and their hearty desire to be truely thankfull who have nothing worthy thy acceptance to render unto thee Lord therefore accept what thy selfe hast given us to bring before thee an humble and hearty desire to returne thee the fruits of our hearts and lipps the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving as for all thy fatherly mercies so particularly for that thou hast asswaged the sorrowes of this thy servant with a comfortable Issue that thou hast given her patience to beare ability to overcome her tryalls and strength to bring forth that by thy mercy mitigating her paines thou hast allayed the rigour of thy sentence which thy justice pronounced we acknowledge thee to be the only Lord in whose hands are the Issues of life and death the God of our health and salvation And now ô Lord perfect thine own worke as thou hast delivered thy servant from her feare and sorrow so give her an heart ever to trust and rejoyce in thee as thou hast given her this fruit of the wombe so make him an accession to the encrease of thy Kingdome by the spirit of regeneration sanctify him and keep him in his tender yeares from sinne and all the malitious assaults of the enemy give thy holy Angels charge over him to keep him in all his waies that he may grow up in thy faith feare and love so that in what ever condition thy good providence shall set him his interest and assurance may be of his election and salvation in Christ Jesus Lord accomplish thy worke of mercy to thy servant repaire her health and strength give her a faithfull heart carefully to imploy the same in thy service and the holy education of those thou hast given her assist her in the whole remainder of her life that she may pay all her vowes made to thee in her feare and trouble let the tast of these bitter fruits of sinne give her a more fervent love to thy mercy pardoning it and a greater hate to all that which offendeth thee lead her in thy waies teach her so to number her daies that she may apply her heart unto wisedome make her more and more fruitfull in all good workes and zealous of thy lawes so that her life may appeare not only restored but also improoved and made more happy to the glory of thy great name the good example of others who shall see as thy worke of mercy on her so the effects of that worke the fruits of sanctity in her to the further assurance of her conscience before thee confirmed by the experience of thy mercy in her deliverance and preservation and to the salvation of her body and soule to all eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord and onely Saviour AMEN Directions for the Sick CHAP. XXXV § 1. As all afflictions sanctified so sicknesse profitable for Gods children many waies § 2. How it may become so to us § 3. Duties of them that visit the sick 1 THere is nothing constant in this world but inconstancy and change of all things We are borne with a condition of dying mortality beginneth with life â—our sicknesse with our health we bring it from the wombe as derived to us from our first parents from the houre of whose transgression death tooke date and in the commencement of sicknesse he began to dye according to the sentence from which he became mortall and now all flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof as the flower of the feild the grasse withereth and the flower fadeth quickly and certainly though insensibly we perceive it soone withered though we cannot mark by what degrees it changeth so age and infirmity stealeth on 2 The good God as he is severe so is he mercifull neither loosing mercy in his justice nor his justice in his mercy There is nothing which befalleth the elect but it hath some good in it or by it to them accrewing Concerning afflictions David saith it is good for me that I have beene in trouble The very death of the Saints bitter as it is to flesh and blood is mercy to them blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord not only that they rest from their labours but also in that it is to them the death of sinne and passage to eternall life and so our sicknesse is profitable though it be the rod of an almighty Father it shall like Moses rod sometimes in the dreadfull shape of a serpent serve to divide the bitter waves and open us a passage to our eternall rest and so the decayes of these earthly tabernacles shall daily bring us neerer to the repaire of our eternall building in heaven therefore God sendeth sicknesse upon his dearest children whom he could as easily have rescued from death by a translation as he did Enoch and Eliah but hee maketh their sicknesse many waies proâ—itable unto them as by preparing them unto death by repentance and calling upon the Lord by weaning them from the love of this life by teaching them patience and subjection to the hand of God whereas impatience like the sea turneth all that which falleth into it even the otherwise sweet and comfortable blessings of
provoked by our sinnes O Lord thou art a God of mercy and wouldst not destroy but the importunitie of our sinnes hath put this heavy rod into thy hands and our iniquities have so much dâ—faced thy glorious Image in us that thou maist justly hide away thy face from our miseries no more owne us for thy Children but O Lord our onely hope is in the merit and mediation of thy sonne Jesus Christ whome thou gavest to death for us it is he O Lord who beareth all our names in his secret brest-plate it is he that appeareth hefore thee for us let our petitions ascend to thy throne of mercy like sweet incense from the precious censer of his merits it is he who standeth betweene the living and the dead O let this plague which now consumeth us be stayed Lord looke not on our sinnes but his merits in whome thou art well pleased for his sake in whome we beleeve and whose holy name we beare say unto the destroying angell it is enough cause him to sheath the sword againe and let this plague cease Lord God of all consolation comfort all those whom thou hast smitten with the infection heale them that they may recover and praise thy glorious name however thou shalt be pleased to deale with their mortall bodies speake peace to their soules and save them give them full assurance of thy mercy and their redemption in Christ Jesus let thy holy spirit the comforter ever remaine with them to prâ—serue them against all the malitious assaults of the adversary that he may never make his advantages on their surrowes infirmities or the distracting and astonishing violence of their disease comfort them at the last gaspe and breathing out their afflâ—cted soules with present sense and assurance of the eternall joyes in thy Kingdome free from death sicknesse sorrow feare and all the wretched effects of sinne preserue those whom thou hast hitherto spared let no plague come nigh their dwelling and make them in their preservation understand that thou only hast kept them to serve thee more carefully and thankefully and to shew mercy to those who are visited and shut up Lord heare and help us Lord spare thy people and restore us health that we may glorifie thy name through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN A Thanksgiving at the ceasing of the plague GRatious God and mercifull Father we are come before thee with an humble and hearty desire to present an acceptable sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving unto thy holy Majestie for all thy gracious mercies spirituall and temporall bestowed upon us unworthy of the least of them it was thy free mercy not our merit that electedst us when we were not that thou createdst us to thine own holy image that thou redeemest us that thou didst sanctify and justify us that thou hast preserved us sparing us when now thy fierce wrath came our against us in a noisome and devouring pestilence that thou was pleased to regard our teares and accept our unworthy humiliation all this was thy free mercy had we suffered as we have all deserved not one of the multitude apearing before thee this day had beene left alive to have praised thee And now O thou Saviour of Israel in the time of trouble and the blessed preserver of man whose mercies are as the unsounded deeps and can never be drawn dry give us sanctified bodies and soules that we may render them which thou hast redeemed from death a living sacrifice holy and acceptable unto thee Lord who hast the key of David who sang thy praises opening so that none can shut open our lips that our mouths may shew forth thy praise that we may now pay all our vows in our distresse and feare made unto thee As thou hast put a new song of thansgiving into our mouthes so give us new hearts new obedience new lives and conversations renew thy covenant with us and with our children to be our God and protector untill thou shalt be pleased to translate us to that Kingdome of thy Sonne where shall be joy secure from feare of loosing health without sicknesse life without death blessednesse without all measure or end where we whose hearts and soules this day praise thee shall with thy holy angels sing eternall Hallelu-jahs to the glory of thy great name through the merits of thy holy Son Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee O Father of mercy and the Holy Ghost the Comforter be rendred all honour praise thanksgiving and glory in heaven and earth this day and to all eternity AMEN Another forme of thanksgiving on the like occasion O Lord God Father of mercy and compassion we humbly acknowledge that our sinnes have beene so great and grievous that when thy wrath went out against us in thy late dreadfull visitation by the plâ—gue of pestilence it might justly have consumed us the aged with the infant the mother with the child untill thou hadst laid our habitations wast and our cities without inhabitants but seeing thou hast been pleased to remember mercy in the midst of thy judgements and to spare our lives from destruction we can do no lesse nor more then present our humble and hearty thankes unto thee in the congregation of thy people what shall wee give thee for all thy mercies what can we seeing our goods are nothing unto thee we have nothing but thankes to returne thee nor could we that except thou gavest us hearts and tongues so to doe Lord make us thankfull give us that we may give thee again and be acceptable unto thee fill our hearts with thy feare and love and our mouthes with thy praise let it come up into thy presence as the sweete incense from the Censer of the great Angell of thy covenant Christ Jesus Be thou pleased through his mediation to smell a favour of rest that thy severe judgements may be turned to mercies and fatherly corrections for our amendment that wee may truely profit thereby that we may feare and reverence thy just judgements and praise thee for thy elemency and mercy which thou hast shewed unto us in this deliverance Particularly we blesse thy holy name for these thy servants who now appeare before thee with their sacrifice of praise end thonkesgiving for that thou hast spared and delivered them from the grave and destruction which was come up into their houses Lord now grant them true thankefulnesse with holy and constant resolutions to spend the remainder of their daies to the glory of thy great name and good example of their brethren And seeing thou hast given us all the same argument of thankesgiving whom thou hast preserved and kept further off from the noisome contagion we pray thee also to accept our oblation of praise set our hearts to meditate and our tongues to sound out those praises to thy holy name which wee shall through thy mercy in Christ sing to thee for ever in the sacred Quieres of Saints and Angells in thy kingdome of glory
life and salvation through JESUS CHRIST our onely Saviour and Redeemer to whom with thee and the holy Ghost be all honour and glory ascribed in heaven and earth henceforth and for ever AMEN CHAP II. Of Religion and Faith § 1 Of true Religion wherein it consisteth § 2 Of Faith and those things which concerne the same THere is no nation so inhumane and barbarous but it pretendeth to some religion and worship divine Satan cannot put out all the light of conscience still there is a slender remainder which sheweth the very wicked that there is a God therefore he hath ever laboured to beguile men with false religions or corruptions of the true 2 True Religion is the right worship of the true God in imitation of his holinesse all other worship not agreeing with his revealed will is profanation and irreligion this is life eternall to know God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ. He that will with such knowledge come unto him must beleeve that he is no man hath seen Gods essence that is greater then any finite apprehension so that we walke by faith not sight and therefore Christ when he had assumed a visible nature for the worke of our redemption would not long be conversant on earth in his publike ministry that our salvation might not be in sense but beleeving and blessed are they which have not seene and have beleeved 3 Concerning faith these things are considerable 1. What it is 2. Whence it is 3. Whose it is 4. How necessary it is 5. How excellent it is 6. Of what measure it is 7. What we must doe concerning it 8. What is the object thereof 1 Faith is the evidence of things not seene and the substance of that we hope for it is a grace and guift of Gods spirit whereby we assent to the word of God and apply the promises thereof to our selves it cannot be forced it is wrought in our minde by perswasion not compulsion faith is by hearing this is the unchangeable rule thereof one and the same forever 2 Faith is the worke of Gods spirit in us applying the promises bearing witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God opening the hearts of hearers to the word preached and Sacraments administred Paul may plant and Apollos water but except God give the encrease who shall beleeve their report The naturall man perceiveth not the things of the spirit neither can he without a spirituall eie they shall seeme foolishnesse to him so that Paul and Apollos are but the ministers by whom we beleeve as the Lord gives to every man 3 All have not faith many talk of it and professe it but as the heathens among the multitude of their Gods made Faith a Goddesse and were farre from beleeving in God faith here intended is the White stone with a new name written which no man knoweth save he that receiveth it a peculiar of the elect as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved the seale and earnest of the spirit of promise therefore though we are taught to say our father give us forgive us yet in profession of our faith we say I beleeve in God c. we must pray one for another but every man must beleeve for himselfe 4 The necessitie of faith appeareth in that 1 the just shall live by it Heb 2. 4. 2. By faith onely we are justified Rom 3. 28. 3. Without Faith it is impossible to please God whatsoever is not of faith is sin 4. God hath appointed this meanes for us to take hold on the merits of Christ that we may be saved 5 The excellency of faith is in that it apprehendeth that is Christ and in him the unspeakable treasure of Gods mercy peace of conscience reconciliation with God remission of our sinnes indemnity from the guilt and punishment thereof justification sanctification in fine all things which concurre to the accomplishment of an happy man it is the rocke against which the gates of hell shall not prevaile the shield against the spirituall enimie it stiled Abraham Gods freind and us his sonnes it is the sanctuary of a troubled spirit the first fruits of the heavenly Paradise the effect and cause of illumination the eye which enlightneth the conscience if we beleeve we shall understand commendable is that faith which beleeveth that all the word of God is true and to be obeyed before it understandeth the particulars faith made Noah an Arke to preserve mankinde in gave Abraham possession of Canaan it hath subdued kingdomes wrought righteousnes obtained the promises stopped the mouthes of Lyons quenched the violence of fire delivered from the sword made men strong of weake and valiant in battle it is the doore keeper of heaven it lets in the theeâ—e from the crosse the Bathsheba which can have no repulse Whatsoever yee aske if yee beleeve yee shall receive it it is in effect all the world all things are yours the world and life were made for the Saints it is that one thing with which we have all things without which nothing it giveth us confident entrance to God and salvation of our selves through Jesus Christ. 6 The measures of true faith are divers yet sufficient to every one to salvation as 't is written he that gathered much had no superfluity and he that gathered little had no want In all ages God gave some great and eminent measures of faith as to the Prophets Apostles and Martyâ—s not that they should by their greater faith obtaine greater salvation then we who have received a farre lesse measure but because God appointed them to encounter greater tryalls to his honour and that the example of their constancie might be helpfull to our infirmitie as in the body of man there are veines sinewes flesh and bones to strenghthen all these not that the bones have more life then these so is the mysticall body of Christ 't is certaine that weake faith may lay sure hold on Christ and therefore be a saving faith yea the power of God is perfected in mans infirmitie to conclude it is not the merit of faith but of Christ apprehended by faith which saveth us so God crowneth his owne gifts in us 7 We must 1 examine our faith 2. Use the ordinance of God for the attaining it as hearing the word and receiving the sacraments praying c. They best know what need we have of frequent examination of our selves herein who are deeply sensible of their owne wants to them who are deluded with false lights tentations of security there appeareth no want either of faith in them selves or examination of their faith That we may examine profitably we must knowe there is a common faith which reprobates may have and it is
understanding there are many Concerning which we must hold First That the essentiall properties of God are all really the one essence of God for there is nothing in God which is not God there is no accident in him a man hath wisedome power justice but not of himselfe not ever not infinitely neither as his essence for the wisedome power justice c. of a man are not man but whatever is in God is of God and his eternall essence of himselfe subsisting independently inseparably neither are they after his essence but coeternall and coessentiall though they have not alwaies beene declared to the creatures so his wisedome and omnipotency was from all eternity though they were not manifested till that time he had appointed for the creation of the world wherein he made men and Angels witnesses thereof the same is to be understood of his other properties mercy justice patience c. Secondly That these properties are not parts of Gods essence for that which is infinite hath no parts and that which hath parts cannot be infinite but every essentiall property is the being of God who is indivisible and truly one Thirdly The essentiall properties of the deity are inseparable and incommunicable so that no creature can become a deity or have such an essence as is infinite omnipotent omnipresent c. Fourthly Some things absolutely spoken of God are in the abstract to intimate his selfe-being as when we say he is life wisedome goodnesse c. Some things in the concrete to import to us the reallity of his existence as when we say he is good just holy c. in both we understand that whatsoever is attributed to him herein is the essence of God Fifthly We are taught in Gods Word that he is an uncreated Spirit of selfe-being infinite perfect eternall immense immutable everlasting life it selfe infinitely blessed wise omniscient good gracious loving mercifull just true holy omnipotent freely and by his owne independent power doing whatsoever he will in heaven and in earth and all creatures of infinite glory and majesty 4. The foole hath said in his heart there is no God none but the foole can think so considering 1. What we reade in the booke of Nature where that which may be knowne of God is manifest Rom. 1. 19. the admirable forme masse making preservation of the world with the diversities and perpetuities of motions demonstrate a present God whence could all these things at first come who set that admirable order and constant lawes who reduced those vast and discordant seeds of this great fabricke of the world into the harmony which still preserveth it can any man thinke of an effect without a cause thou wilt say how shall we know that God made this who saw him creating why if thou seest an house thou canst easily conclude it had some builder if none but the builders were privy to it and wilt thou not believe Gods worke except thou see him that all see this none can Whatsoever thou canst see is not God Neither let this seeme strange that he is invisible thou feelest the stormy winds thou believest they are winds without the testimony of thine eies thou knowest thou canst not see them thou thinkest speakest movest and livest by thy soule didst thou ever see it if thou canst not see the creatures part of thy selfe wouldst thou examine thy invisible Creatour with carnall eies with what sense canst thou apprehend a spirit The eye cannot see him except hee be coloured the eare cannot receive him except he bee some sound the feeling cannot perceive him except he be a body hee might therefore needs passe by thee as Job said and thou not see him being obvious to no sense and above and more pure then any created understanding Thou wilt say all these things are by nature such And what is nature but the ordinary power of God Which when he pleaseth he dispenseth with parting the red sea smiting the rock and bringing the fountaines thence dividing Jordan restraining the Babylonish sier and the like that all may know that he only is Lord of the creaturs who but spake and they were made whose will is his word and his word his worke Thou seest the heavens incessantly and without any rest turning about day and night in uniforme and unwearied motion who could have set up and furnished those admirable starres and planets with a never-failing light who could move them thus but a God of infinite power thou seest and treadest on this vast ball of earth hanging in the midst of heavens which turne about it who could substaine it but God thou seest the sea ebbing and flowing the wonders of the deepe on earth the plants and flowers keeping the first law of their creation preserved by a kind of mortall immortality dying and reviving as it were in a yearly resurrection who can do the least of these things amongst all the creatures where is he in heaven or earth can imitate these things which can give life to the poorest fly when thou hast considered all thou shalt know that none but a stupid foole can thinke there is no God 2 If we consider the testimonie of mans own conscience trembling at the apprehension of suddaine dangers stormes earthquakes thunders as Caligula was wont feare of death sheweth an Atheist the same if there be nothing after death nor God to punish the wicked what art thou afraid of 3 If we consider the punishments of the wicked in this life so following sinnes that it appeareth no fortuitous hand or chance that strooke them but the all-seeing just God so fitting his rods to mens sinnes that the punishment pointeth out the crime so in Sodoms unnaturally burning lust punished with a supernaturall shower of fire and brimstone so in Pharoahs drowning Adonibezecks cruelty requited with the like it were too long to recite all the remarkable instances of this kinde wherein the consciences of wicked men convincing them they have confessed with those Egyptianâ—orcerers â—orcerers this is the singer of God 4 If we consider the constancy of the Martyres suffering death where sometimes the casting one graine of incense upon an alter might have saved their lives they constantly resolving we will not serve your Gods our God whom we serve is able to deliver us When they endure such varieties of torments under the wearied hands of tormenters in hope of that which God hath promised them who suffer for his truth we may certainly conclude that neither the consent of so many nor the perseverance of dying men would be vaine or disâ—embled and that patience it selfe could never have willingly endured such tortures without the admirable assistance of God 5 If we consider predictions of things to come and their certaine fulfilling in the appointed time and manner who but God
thee Lord despise not as I have justly deserved thine owne handy worke but mercifully repaire all my decayes it is indeed life everlasting to know thee and thy Sone Iesus but none can know thee but those to whome thou pleasest to reveale thy selfe Lord open mine eies that I sleepe not in death shew the light of thy countenance upon mee make mee to know thee in a comfortable participation of thy grace and communion of thy holy and sanctifying spirit that I may worship thee aright by serving thee sincerely take off the vaile from my heart in the reading and hearing thy holy word which testefieth thee give mee a constant assurance of thy gratious favour toward me and a comfortable sense of thy presence ever with me that in all my thoughts words and actions I may ever set my selfe in thy holy presence and walke with thee in purity of heart and sanctimony of life assure me of my interest in thee that I may in life and death depend upon thy fatherly providence that I may know that thou art my God my Saviour and mercifull preserver Lord thou art neere every one of us in thee we live move have our being Thou passest by us and we see thee not thou art about all our paths knowest all our waies the words we speak what ever we doe and the secrets of our hearts specially thou art neere unto them that call upon thee in truth thou wilt not conceale thy selfe from those who faithfully seeke thee and thy saving health which seeing none can doe except thou draw them Lord finde us that we may seeke thee and seeking finde thee Draw us with thy preventing grace that wee may follow thee and supply us with that strength that wee may not seeke thee in vaine good Lord manifest thy selfe and reveale thy will to us that doing it faithfully we may at last with all thy Saints and holy Angells enjoy thy blessed presence wherein is the fulnesse of joy for ever and ever through thy only sonne our Saviour JESUS CHRIST AMEN CHAP. IV. Of that which we are to beleeve concerning § 1. Iesus Christ Gods only sonne our Lord. § 2. Conceived by the holy Ghost § 3. Borne of the Virgin Mary THis is a sweet and comfortable part of our Creed and hath excellent promises annexed to it when Peter confessed Christ to be the sonne of the living God Christ replied upon this Rock will I build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it that is this confession shall be an unmoved foundation of them that beleeve All that beleeve in him shall receive remission of sinnes Act 10. 43. So Paul said to the Gâ—aler Act 16. 31. Beleeve in the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and all thy houshold and that upon excellent ground for God dwelleth in true beleevers 1. Joh. 4. 15. and the confession hereof maketh the Church of God as the blood of Paschal Lambe did the doores of Israel that the destroyer might not enter as the red clew did Rahabs house distinguishing it from the rest of perishing Jerico 2 In the Articles of our faith wee finde foure titles of our Saviour 1. Jesus 2. Christ. 3. God's only Sonne 4. our Lord. 1 This name Jesus in the Hebrew Jehoscua a Saviour which the Greeks rendred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and other languages Jesus signifieth his office which was to save his people from sin and death eternall it was preâ—igured in the type which bare his name Joshua to whom the leading of Israël into Canaan and the division of the inheritance was received Moses stood on Pisga and shewed the people the holy land But Joshua led them in the law shewed us heaven and the holy way to it but it brought nothing to perfection by reason of our infirmity Rom 8. 3. but Jesus Christ condemned sinne in the flesh that the righteousnesse of the law might be fulfilled in us and wee bee saved in him so all the Prophets give testimony to him that as I noted through his name all that beleeve in him shall receive remission of sinnes for the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed This name was given him by the father and brought from heaven by the Angell Gabriel thou shalt call his name Jesus he is the only Saviour Neither is there salvation in any other for among men there is given none other name under heaven whereby we must be saved He only is able perfectly to save them that come unto God by him So often then as wee heare of this sweet name Jesus we must remember all the comforts through him acrewing to us that in no affliction nor death it selfe we despaire seeing that he beareth not that name in vaine 2 The second title of the Sonne of God is Christ which signifieth annointed as also the name Messiah doth The Law and custome was to ancient Kings Priests and Prophets Exod 9. 7. 30. 30. 23. 24. and therefore is Christ eminently and above all others called the Lords Christ or annointed Psal 45 7. Isai 6. 1. Luk 4. 18. Act 10. 38. Kings and Priests thus annoited were types of Christ the annointed not with bodily oile compounded of Mirrhe Calamus and Cassia but with the spirit of God which he receaved without measure as a fountaine to derive graces to others he was appointed of God to this triple office to bee a King to governe and preserve his people a Priest for ever who was once for our redemption the Priest sacrifice and altar first to offer up himselfe a sufficient sacrifice to expiate the sinne of the world and then to mediate and appeare before God for us as the great Master of requests to present our petitions to get us audience by his never-dying merit as t is said his blood speaketh better things for us then the blood of Abel that cryed for revenge this for pardon and attonement And lasâ—â—y he was appointed a Prophet to reveale and teach us his fathers will for that kingly Priesthood and holy kingdome in which consisteth our eternall peace and happinesse was to be established by the Scepter of his word and vertue of his holy spirit with which he was annointed his annointing as a Prophet importeth that he who is in the bosome of the father eternall God took on him an humane nature annointed with the fulnesse of the spirit that he might reveale to us the will of his father concerning our redemption and salvation and thereby manifest that great mystery which had been hid from the beginning of the world in darke shadowes and representations untill the fulnesse of time so preaching peace to them a far off and to them that were neere and that he might effectually teach us by his holy spirit and ministry of the word and sacraments unto the
end of the world assisting it with his owne spirit in the speakers and faithfull hearers The subject of this annointing was the manhood of Christ made the full storehouse of Grace The spirituall oyle we must understand not of the essentiall properties of the Godhead as omnipresence infinitude uncircumscribednesse and the like for these are incommunicable in respect of the incapacity of the creature but certaine created gifts and graces placed in the humane nature The deity of Christ is infinite and therefore nothing can be added thereto neither was that nature annointed by any such addition though the person of Christ consisting of two natures was annointed and eternally consigned to the office of a mediatour as Athanasius proved against the Arians which being laid downe it may appeare that however men confesse Christ in word yet they deny him in deeds who 1. say his humane nature is omnipresent 2. Who attribute that kingly office which is peculiar to Christ to any other pretended Vicar generall or the like 3. Who depend on any other or pretend to any other Priesthood and proper expiatory sacrifice for the living and dead then the Priesthood and once sufficient expiatory sacrifice of Christ for our redemption once offered 4. Who obtrude traditions of men for his doctrine who ought to be our teacher in whose ipse dixit we must rest equalling them with the word of God 5. Who appoint other mediatours of intercession contrary to his word 1. Tim 2. 5. which saith there is one God and one mediator betweene God and men the man Christ Jesus 6. Who joine mens merits with the merits of Christ for their salvations 7. Who walke not worthy of their high calling in Christ but content themselves with the bare names of Christians whereas to be so maketh happy if thou hast indeed received the holy annointing thou shalt be a spirituall king to rule over and subdue thy corrupt affections a spirituall Priest to offer up sweet smelling sacrifices to God that will like that box of pretious oyntment powred on Christ fill all the house with the savour thereof all the faculties of body and soule shall relish of Christ it shall enlighten thy understanding make sin loathsome to thee and comfort and cheere thee in all estates this is the oyle of gladnesse when the Eunuch had but a litle touch thereof he went rejoycing home so constant and solid that it maketh men rejoce in afflictions and that they are counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. 3 The third title is his only sonne We are here to consider two things 1 That Christ is the son of God 2. That he is the only Sonne 1 We are in two relations to consider Christ as he is a Son he is of the father begotten not made as the raies are of the Sunne only we must take heed that we fix not on any finite thing further then it may serve to bring home to our finite understanding some notions of infinites this mystery is without and above all comparison as he is God he is of himselfe neither begotten nor proceeding for as the essence of the Father is its own selfe-being so is the Godhead of the Sonne for they are not divers Godheads or beings but one and the same but as he is the Sonne he is of the Father as light of light very God of very God 2 The Sonne is of the same substance with the Father and the deity of the Father is not lessened by the same nor is the Sonne divided from the Father the Father communicateth his whole nature to the Sonne not by division for infinites have no parts and therefore cannot be divided but by an incomprehensible and unspeakable communication of the whole essence of the Father to the Sonne so as that they are one and the same God coëquall coëternall for before all time he was with the Father Prov. 8. 2. Joh 1. 1. Phil 2. 6. Joh 16. 15. 3 He is the only Sonne by nature not adoption wee are Gods Sonnes by adoption not by nature as he is 4 The fourth title is our Lord so the Psalmist stileth him Psalm 110. 1. so Math 22. 44. Act 2. 36. Let all the house of Israel know for a certainty that he is made of God Lord and Christ. This Jesus I say whom yee have crucified So 1. Cor 8. 6. We have one God one Lord Jesus Christ. See Rev 1. 5. Phil 2. 10. It is not unworthy our noting that when this Lord of Lords was come into the world God's secret hand of providence made the great Master of the world Augustus Caesar vaile bonnet by a strict edict commanding that no man should give or receive the title of Lord. Christ is our Lord by right 1. of creation Joh 1. 3. 2. Redemption 1. Cor 6. 20. 3. Preservation and government Ephes 5. 23 that we may obey him trust in him and acknowledge him our Lord and God as Thomas did that we may worship him in the unitie of the sacred Trinity and finally commend our spirits into his hands as the first Martyr did Lord Jesus receave my spirit 1 We are also to beleeve that Jesus Christ our Lord was conceived by the holy Ghost as Luk 1. 35 this is that great mystery of godlinesse God manifested in the flesh for though he was to be truely man consisting of an humane body and reasonable soule of the seed and posterity of Abraham yet was he not conceived of humane propagation but an extraordinary way The first Adam in whom all dye was not begotten by man but framed and made by the power of God and so it became the second Adam by whom we are restored to life to become man by the immediate sanctifying power of God whose word caused the vast seeds of the world to conceive and frame the severall parts thereof the heavens aire water and earth as now we see them And so the spirit of God was said to move upon the face of the deep Gen 1. 2. which is spoken to expresse an omnipotent and lively efficacy of the spirit and power of God digesting forming and framing the creatures according to his wisedome so must we here understand Christs humane conception to be by the power of Gods spirit so commanding and therefore so framing Christ of a sanctified masse as that the deity and humanity of Christ became one person Neither may we think that the father and the eternall word and sonne of God were here excluded because the action is attributed to the holy Ghost but this is said to intimate that this was so by the free gift and grace of God for 't is said the power of the most high shall overshadow thee Luk 1. 35. that the manhood of Christ being but a creature should be so annointed with the oyle of gladnesse above his fellowes that it should become a part of the sonne of God
in them Their communion with the Sonne is in that they are united to him become his members he liveth in them guideth governeth protecteth and comforteth them He communicateth to them all the benefits of his merits and passion so that they become as surely theirs for their justification as they are his as 't is written we are made partakers of Christ Heb 3. 14. hereby we become coheires with him Rom 8. 17. This belongeth onely to the Saints and true beleevers who walke as children of the light 1. Job 1. 6 7. who hearken to him and persevere unto the end Heb 3. 14. but Christ hath no communion with Infidels Christs communion with us is 1. in nature by his becomming â—lesh of our â—lesh 2. by grace and assumption of our persons in a mysticall union with him answering to God for us and so making us partakers of the divine nature 2. Pet 1. 4. 3. The perfection hereof shall be the translation of us into his glory so certaine as the truth of God which is the reason why the Apostle pronounceth thereof as of a thing already past Christ received â— us to the glory of God Rom 15. 7. The first of these states relateth to the second and the second to the last as nature is subordinate to grace and grace to glory the first union causeth the following we cannot have communion with him in his future glory if we have not in his present grace nor could wee ever have beene united to him by grace had not he first united himselfe to our nature whereby he fulfilled the law satisfied God's justice for us and so the divine unction sloweth from the head to all the body The holy Ghost worketh this union by giving us faith and sanctification This union is the most arct and indivisible he tooke on him our nature into an hypostaticall union with the deity he joyneth us to his mysticall body whereof he is the head by the holy Ghost hee that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit with him 1. Cor 6. 17. 1. Cor 12. 13. 1. Joh 3 24. 1. Joh 4. 13. Rom 8. 11. Ephes 4. 4. Hereby wee are really sanctified in that measure which he appointeth every man to salvation whereby he changeth our vile body that it may be like unto his own glorious body Phil 3. 21. and even now suffereth with us reckning all that is done unto us as done unto himselfe He becommeth wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption unto us He freeth us from condemnation purgeth us from all sinne maketh us walk according to his good spirit mortifying the works of the flesh The communion of the holy Ghost is a participation of his grace by which he uniteth us to him regenerateth governeth teacheth leadeth comforteth us witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sonnes of God helpeth our infirmities intercedeth for us with unutterable groanes sealeth us up to the day of redemption and uniteth us one with another 3. Our communion one with another importeth 1. an externall communion and society of the Saints called and united in the body of the visible Church by the ministry of the word and use of the Sacraments 2. an internall conjunction in which those whom God hath united in an externall communion are also by the holy Ghost united unto God and one to another By which they have mutually and joyntly 1. The same right to adoption and sonship in God 2. The same interest in Christ and all his merits 3. The same faith and grace of justification 4. The same right to salvation life and eternall glory This communion is either of the living with the living or of the living with the deceased Saints present or that which shall be in the life to come in the Church triumphant which shall be the most compleat and excellent part thereof This is the first prerogative which the God of unity bestoweth on his Church that her true members hold an happy unity in Christ and a sweet and comfortable fellowship one with another for wee being many are partakers of one bread and one body by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body here is our happinesse in unity without which there is neither happinesse nor life the most excellent part the eye divided from the body cannot see communion must needs be happy where God uniteth we have now in that spirit which uniteth us a communion with the soules in heaven and have our conversation there though but imperfectly but when we also are perfect it shall be a most excellent state the more holy and wise we are the more divine is our fellowship which is only betweene the good and wise when Peter James and John saw Moses and Elias but two glorified Saints in our Saviours transfiguration ravished in spirit they cryed out 't is good for us to bee here let us build here why said they not so before being with Christ Alas there appeared in him before this only the forme of a servant and man of sorrowes no beauty that we should desire in him but now some beames of his glory brake through the clowd of his humanity When Moses and Elias lived on earth they were of no such esteeme there is not that poore despised Saint whose presence now seemeth irksome to the worldly prosperous man but he shall bee most aimiable in our perfect communion in the liâ—e to come Society of man is excellent what were the world to a man alone But he that said 't is not good for man in the state of innocency to be alone reserved the best society to the state of glory the best life excellent is that communion which we now have in this imperfect state for as much as we are united in one spirit faith and doctrine we have like affections love each other assist each other as in things externall so specially by mutuall prayers yea the Angels of heaven rejoyce at a sinners conversion because they hold communion with us under one head and no wonder for if the humane soule which is but a â—inite creature can give so much unity and sense to every member of the body as to make them have a mutuall sympathy care and love how much more shall the spirit of an infinite God give these to all those which he uniteth in Christ But if so excellent bee this communion to us now in this mortall life and state of imperfection what thinke yee shall it be when thiâ— corruptible hath puton iucorruption and God shall be all in all And beleeving this why should I doubt of our knowing one another in the world to come To him that beleeveth this comfortable Article of Faith these following rules are necessary 1 Love all men for Gods sake If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowsâ—ip of the spirit saith the Apostle fulfill my joy that yee
of death I will sing my nune dimittis Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace securely may hee dare Death and Hell Death where is thy sting Hell where is thy victory who can indeed say Thankes be unto God which giveth us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Confesse and repent thee of all thy sinnes that is forsake them and thou shalt find mercy if thou hidest them under any pretence of merit or pleading not guilty thou canst not prosper God's family saith not I am whole but heale mee O Lord and I shall be whole repentance is the second table after the shipwracke of our soules wee read that Peter after his fall repented wee read hee wept wee read not that hee satisfied repentance is no cause but a condition of our pardon without which it cannot be obtained because God is just as well as mercifull if God should forgive before we repent it were approbation of the fact rather then mercy nor could it stand with his justice This repentance is 1. in knowledge of our sinne without which we cannot repent therefore David prayeth Lord open mine eyes that I sheep not in death it is a fearfull judgement of God not to know our sinnes that we may repent The first degree of happinesse is not to sinne the second to knowe our sinnes there in entire innocency to save here followeth the medicine to heale 2. In hearty sorrow for all our sinnes without which we doe not repent 3. In a constant change of the minde purpose to sinne no more and forsaking our evill waies 't is not only in saying God be mercifull to me but in turning to him that hee may shew mercy who had not had any Saint had hee not pardoned sinners therefore the Prophet bids us search and try our waies turne againe unto the Lord. 3. Apply the word of God home to thy conscience that thou maist understand thy sinne and misery comming on thee and be toucht at heart as Peters hearers were Act 2. 37. 4. Pray earnestly to God to take away the stony heart which hindereth thy repentance and the comfortable effects thereof this lieth like the cover on the wells mouth at Padan Aram till it be roled away the flocks cannot bee watred the rocks at Horeb could not yeeld a drop of water till the rod of God smote it nor can mans harder heart one teare of faithfull repentance untill God touch it 5. Beware of living in or relapsing into any knowne sinne least the end be worse then the beginning in such case it had beene better for thee not to have knowne the way of righteousnesse then after the knowledge thereof to returue with the dog to the vomit 6. Be sure thou forgive 't is the condition of remission of thy sinne which Christ annexeth to thy petition for forgivenesse as we forgive them that trespasse against us and repeateth it to teach us the necessitie thereof for if we forgive them their trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you but if yee forgive not â—neither will your father forgive your trespasses malice is strange fire which never came from heaven no sacrifice of prayer can be acceptable therewith be resolved then seeing thy daily infirmities put thee upon a daily asking mercy to shew it that thou maist find it that thou be not with the evill servant who would receive but shew no pitty delivered to the tormentors for the exaction of that which thou canst never satisfie A Prayer for repentance and remission of sinnes O Lord God of mercy and compassion slow to anger and more ready to forgive then we can be to beg pardon forgive us all our sinnes which we have at any time committed in thought word or action give us hearts to consent and obay that thou maist bee pleased according to thyne owne gratious promise to make our scarlet sinnes white as snow to take away those filthy habits where with we are naturally clothed and to put us on the robe of Christ's innocency give us hearty and unfeigned repentance of all our sins that we may abandon all our evill vaine and unprofitable waies whereby we have provoked thy wrath against our owne soules Seale up our pardon by the certaine testemonie of thy spirit of truth which cannot deceave in a comfortable peace of conscience and assurance of our reconciliation by the merits of our Lord Jesus Give us security on the second table of repentance who have unhappily let goe the first of innocency As thou hast in the pretious blood of thy deare sonne Jesus cancelled the hand writing of ordinances which was against us fastning them on his crosse so accomplish thine owne mercy cancelling them to the sense of our consciences by a certaine assurance of our salvation that the stings of death may not afflict us nor the gates of hell ever prevaile against us but that our sinnes being covered and no more imputed to us we may cheerefully thankfully and holily live before thee to thy glory the good example of of others and the assurance of our owne hearts before thee that thoâ—â— who hast in some measure sanctified hast also freely and fully pardoned us Lord answer unto our soules with good and comfortable words through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour AMEN CHAP. X. § 1. Of the resurrection from the dead § 2. How the truth thereof may appeare § 3. What wee are to make of the meditation hereof 1 THe third benefit of the Church shall be the Resurrection from the dead in the first Adam all dye in the second all live hope of a joyfull resurrection is the root of all good workes Act 24. 15. 16. Act 26. 6 7. 2. It is necessary that sinne which brought death into the world like a viperous brood eating through its mothers bowels should be destroyed by death and as necessary that sins kingdome so ended all should rise againe that they may come to judgement 3. Resurrection is of the dead body of man for first death is not only a bare negation but a privation of life so dead and livelesse differ that only which had life and after died riseth againe Secondly there are two sorts of dead bodies the first sine potentiâ ad vitam without possibilitae of rising againe so beasts dye never to live againe or in potentiâ ad vitam in abilitie once to rise againe by the power of God so determining it so man dyeth and shall assuredly rise againe all men elect and reprobates shall come from death as Pharaohs two servants from their prison one to honour the other to execution some to the joyes of heaven eternall blessednesse of body and soule the other to endlesse shame and unspeakable torments in hell sire with the Devill and his Angells 4. The same body which dyeth shall be raised againe the same substance as
dead shall live CHAP. XI Concerning life everlasting § 1. What life everlasting is § 2. Wherein the happinesse thereof consisteth § 3. What rules of practice we are to hold concerning the same 1 WE are in the last place to beleeve that which is the end of faith the salvation of our soules life everlasting necessarily inserted as the Corônis and finishing the articles of our beleefe why else should we beleeve our resurrection or any other article but that in beleeving all the Gospell we shal have eternall life 2. The life of man is that act of body and soule united whereby he liveth life in generall is either uncreated which is the Godhead living of and by himselfe and giving life to all living this is incommunicable to any creature created life is that which is in and by anothers power as 't is written in him we live move and have our being the life of man is either naturall in this world sustained by such meanes as God hath thereto appointed or spirituall which is our union with Christ inchoate here to bee perfected in the world to come where we shall have no more need of any of the creatures to sustaine us we have need for the present of the word and Sacraments to support our life of grace but there God will be all in all all good all happinesse no noise of hammer was heard in Solomons Temple when it was raising all was prepared before so here shall be no noise of prophesie or preachching that shall cease God will be our illumination preservation joy and life Rev 21. 22. and in this life desire is never satisâ—ied but there is the tree of life Christ Jesus in the midst of the heavenly Paradise giving life to all and silling all with such absolute blessednesse that if all the joyes on earth and an abstract thereof were present we could no more desire them then a prudent man could childrens rattles Paul regenerate counted all things vile and worthlesse in respect of Christ how much more shall the gloriâ—ied As the Sunne eclipseth or obscureth all inferiour light so doe the heavenly all secular joyes which like Eliahs mantle fall off in our ascension to the things which are above Our blessednesse in this eternall life shall consist in 1. An absolute freedome from all wants spirituall and bodily There shall be no ignorance of that wee should know no unbeleefe no diffidence in the mercy of God no servile feare no envy anger lust corrupt affection no sicknesse paine want violence oppression injury no sinne sorrow or effect of sinne 2. Perfect knowledge of God Moses could see onely his back parts we see the effects of his wisdome power and goodnesse the effence it selfe is incomprehensible we see now but in part there we shall see face to face as he is that is as much as we can be capeable of 3. Perfect love of God for his owne sake without measure because we shall knowe him as he is most amiable 4. An absolute and perpetuall Sabbath we keep one now every seaventh day and at best wee fayle in our sanctification thereof but there shall be all holy soules and bodies yet shall not our life bee meerely contemplative and inactive nor servile but eternally spent in the service of God without lassitude or irksomenesse which was prefigured in Priests officiating on the Sabbath without violation of the holy rest 5. Glory of bodies and soules reunited incorruption immortality spirituall and divine life shall shine on us as on Christ in his transfiguration all corruptible qualities being put off and if the now visible parts of the heavens are free from corruption how much more shall man in his glorious liberty seeing heaven and earth were made for him When Christ ascended no corporall weight hindered him when Elias beganne to bee changed He ascended into a Chariot of fire no elementary gravity hindred him so shall our bodies bee freed from the burthen of first and second qualities and all seeds of naturall corruption and made active to move in Gods service without let 6. Unspeakable joy in the presence of God and union with Christ whatsoever we here enjoy or rejoyce in is but imperfect and transitory there 's ever some evill mixed with our present good some feare of loosing or unexpected bitternesse in possessing but there shall be perfect and absolute joy without any mixture of evill to blast it Eternall life is an entire and most pleasant possession of all good an unchangeable eternall reall true perfect blessedresse which after millions of yeares expired shall be as far from ending as at the first if we thinke of more millions of ages then there have been minuts since time began yet if they were ever to end the expectation of a long deferred end must leave joy lesse absolute time wasteth what ere we suffer enjoy or doe this which I write dictate or peruse is taken from my life but eternitie is infinite and therefore nothing can be added or taken from it it being perfect when Paul was taken up into heaven he heard and saw but things unutterable 1. Cor 12. 4. eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor can the heart of man apprehend for present the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1. Cor 2. 9. Isai 64. 4. 't is easier to say what heaven is not then what it is 't is not like this wretched world the most secure best condition of this life is far short of the least joy therein there shall be no more evill to embitter or discompose our happy soules God shall wipe all tears from our eyes there shall be no more feare of death nor bitter parting of deare friends no privation of any good nor sense of evill hither no enemie is admitted hence no friend departeth The Rules we are here to practise are 1. Labour for true faith apprehending Christ hee only is the way none can come to the Father but through him Whosoever beleeveth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh 3. 16. 2. Be holy if ever thou meanest to arive here no uncleane thing can enter Rev 21. 27. Heb 12. 14. 1. Cor 6. 9. 10. Math. 5. 8. when the rich man asked Christ what good thing shall I doe that I may eternally live He replyed keepe the commandements holinesse is the way to eternally life 3. Endure afflictions patiently our momentary afflictions shall cause a far more happy weight of eternall glory in the life to come 4. Set thy affections on things above and learne an holy contempt of this world the fashion whereof continually changeth that is true life which is unchangeably blessed the most pleasant temporall life compared herewith is not to bee reckned life 5. Here take comfort in all present distresses joy shall come when Joseph had made himselfe
that is bitten with hels fiery serpents all other wayes uncurable by looking upon Christ with the eye of faith shall be saved therefore in case thou find any stupid impenitencie in thy stony heart be thou the more attentive in hearing the word and more serious in applying it to thy conscience more fervent in prayer and more frequent in receiving this holy Sacrament thou shalt at last find an happy effect hereof 5. Examine whether thou be in charity with all men as he that presumed to offer with any other fire then that which came from heaven was cut off from Israâ—l so shall it be with those who offer this spirituall sacrifice in malice if hee that touched the Arke with unconsecrated hands was smitten dead what shall become of them who dare come to the Lords table with bloody hands and malicious hearts if thou be not in charity leave thy gift before the altar go first and be recenciled neither maist thou thinke thy selfe excused from communicating by thy malice God biddeth thee be reconciled and then come and offer neither maist thou thinke to lay downe thy malice as they speake of the serpent while she drinketh for a time only to resume it againe in a wilfull abstinence there is a contempt of the Sacrament which shall condemne a man and in comming to Christ our Passeover with the leven of maliciousnesse is the same danger there is no safe way but in reconciliation that thou maist receive worthily 2. The second point is how we must receive we must do it with hearts lifted up to God in holy meditations of Christ's passion frequent ejaculations imploring Gods gracious assistance obsignation and sealing up of our salvation with hallowed thoughts minds sequestred from all worldly things and the most attentive and holy reverence of soule and body for so ought wee to appeare before God in his worship Psal. 95. 6 7. Secondly the riches of Gods grace all the merits of Christ are here offered and held out to us by the hand and ordinance of Christ Thirdly 't is administred and received with a prayer for which no gesture can be too humble lastly when Moses rehearsed the mercie of God to Israël in the institution of the Passeover then the people bowed downe and prostraited themselve the same reason have wee to expresse a reverend and humble thankfulnesse for Christ our Passeover 3. After receiving 1. Give thanks to God for these seales of thy redemption in Christ. 2. Be carefull to performe all thy promises vowes holy resolutions conceived and made in thy preparation to receive and live every day of this life as if thou didst therein communicate 3. Keepe a carefull watch over thy body and thy soule least the evill one repossesse himselfe of the swept garnished roome and bring with him seaven worse spirits then himselfe Lest thou relapsing to the filthy vomit of thy old sinnes thy end proove worse then the beginning I have washed my feet said the Spouse of Christ how shall I defile them 4. Pray the Lord to make good his own ordinance unto thee effectually sealing thee up unto the day of redemptioÌ„ 5 Examine thy selfe whether thy soule be nourished and strengthned by receiving which will appeare if after it thou art more cheerefull in greater assurance of thy salvation remission of sinnes peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost if thou art more quick active and able to all holy duties if receiving breed in thee a spirituall appetite to receive againe that thou maist more be confirmed in Christ if it beget a fervent love to God and thy neighbours amendment of life and more hearty loathing thy sinnes inward sense of the life of Jesus dwelling in thee an holy contempt of this world with a longing desire and constant hope of a better life to come causing thee to set thy affections on things celestiall to walke with God in holinesse and to have thy conversation in heaven if these things are in thee blessed art thou hee hath sealed thee with his holy spirit who will knowe thee for his owne and so protect thee with his providence that the destroying Angell shall not touch thee To conclude when the diseased woeman of whom spake but touched the hemme of Christ's garment shee presently felt the powerfull effect thereof in her healing though Christ had made her no such promise and if we have received his body and blood according to his command his promise must be fulfilled and wee shall be strengthned and healed we shall feele the same power nourishing us to eternall life A private Prayer before the receiving of the Lords Supper MOst gratious Lord God Father of mercy and truth Who dwellest in that light which none can attaine unto yet vouchsafest to prepare the hearts of thy servants here on earth to help their infirmities and to heare their petitions prepare my heart teach mee to pray encline thine eare unto mee and have mercy upon mee O Lord thou art a just and a severe Judge how shall I then vile and unworthy wretch appeare this day before thee in the courts of thyne house I came into this world a child of wrath disobedience naked and destitute of all goodnesse but thou O Lord my Redeemer hast bestowed the seale of thy righteousnesse upon mee in my Baptisme thou hast called mee to the knowledge of thy gospel thou hast given me the earnest of my redemption by the spirit of regeneration Lord establish now the thing which thou hast freely wrought in mee and as thou hast this day invited mee to thy table and the communion of the body and blood of thy holy Sonne Jesus Christ so Lord bestow the wedding garment on mee that I may appeare before thee cloathed in his righteousnesse whom thou madest an offering for sinne that in him wee might become righteous before thee Lord what is man that thou so regardest him and who among the sonnes of men hath more cause to praise thy mercies then wretched I thy mercy hath long spared me thou hast taken me out of the power of darknesse kingdome of Satan thou hast given me the glorious freedome of the children of light what shall I rendër the Lord for all his benefitts towards me I will call upon the name of the Lord I will declare his mercies I will take the cup of salvation and pay my vowes all is to little which I have to give thee O Lord thou hast in my creation given me my selfe in my redemption thou hast restored me to my selfe therfore now accept againe thyne owne gift Lord let me be wholy thyne And beeing now to appeare before thee whith a sacrifice of praise I pray thee for Iesus Christ his sake prepare the alter purge me with Hysope create a cleane heart within me renue a right spirit sprinkle the doore of my soule with the blood of the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world that
parity of manners conciliateth love but Gods love createth our likenesse to him hence is it that the most excellent creatures love him most whereby they are made such some think that ardency of love denominateth those Angells which stand in Gods presence Seraphim certaine it is such are we as is our love our manners are not estimable by that which we knowe but by that we love good or evill love maketh us such if we love God we are godly if the world worldly if sinne sinfulf all men the best of all doe sinne but the wicked only love sinne looke how the glasses species are as is the posture thereof if you turne it to heaven you see only heaven in it if to the earth only earth so is it in our love the soules looking-glasse wherein we may see and judge of our selves 6. Without this love there can be no true happinesse for the wrath of God the severity of his justice remaineth for those who hate him give him all that a sinfull soule can desire make him times minion the worlds favorite you can make him nothing better then a devill But with the love of God though a man may possibly seeme or be said unhappy he cannot be so for all things worke together for good to them that love God prosperity adversity life death all things shall finally advantage them he that seeketh the love of God must looke for many enemies but contrary to their intentions they shall doe him good the love of the world is sweet at first but bitternesse in the end and the love of God hath many sharpe trialls at first but in the end shall be most comfortable This love is that divine Elixer which maketh the vile pretious an indeficient treasure which whosoever hath can never lack that which is good he that hath it not can never be the better for all hee hath what good or salvation can he expect who is so unhappy as not to love the fountaine of all blessednesse what can hee reasonably feare who loveth an omniscient and righteous God who is a pleanteous rewarder of those that love him Though we cannot be saved for any desert of Love to God for it is his mercy not our merit wee cannot be saved without it if any man love not the Lord Jesus let him be anathema maranatha 1. Cor 16. 22. 7. So excellent is this one possession that Paul counted all but meere losse for it dying Joshua left this as the chiefe legacie to his friends and family concerning whom hee resolved as for me and my house we will serve the Lord take good heed therefore unto your selves that yee love the Lord your God he need no more it is better to love God then to be heire of the world if thou canst not know this living thou shalt when thou art dying let my children faithfully love God I wish them no greater blessing who with my soule pray they may be truly blessed A Prayer for love to God O Lord God Almightie great and glorious who art cloathed with Majestie the beauty of holinesse perfection of beauty who hath filled heaven earth with the gratious effects of love and goodnesse I thy poore creature prostrating my selfe before thy mercy seat humbly acknowledge the many sinnes which render me utterly unworthy ever to appeare before thee specially that great ingratitude which maketh me ashamed to speake unto thee who art the searcher of all hearts yet in assurance of my acceptance in the son of thy love who now sitting at thy right hand maketh requests for me I am bold to pray thee to fill my heart with thy love which is better then all things that with my soule I may desire thee in the night with my spirit within me seeke thee early O Lord though the remainder of sinne in me create me many distractions though fraile flesh and blood starteth at the apprehension and feare of thy just judgments or murmur at the bitternes of thy present corrections yet thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee though with a fraile yet with a sincere heart and love with thine owne spirit infused into me O Lord my soule thirsteth after thee and thy holy presence in my sanctification and full assurance of thy mercy Therefore according to thine owne promise who caâ—st not deceive sanctifie me herein that I may love thee more and more cleanse me from all my sinnes create that purity of heart in me which may assure me of a capacity to behold thy goodnesse in the land of the living fill my lips with grace diffusive of it selfe to thy glory and the ministration of grace to the hearers guide me in the whole course of my life in that holinesse which may please thee disburden my conscience of all that guilt which leaveth me in any feare of that way by which thou hast appointed me to come unto thee and thy kingdome of glory that no afflictions paines feaâ—es or terrours of life or death may be able to separate me from thy love in Christ Jesus Blessed Lord only assure me of thy love and let thy holy will bee done with me I am thine thou madest me to thine owne image thou redeemedst and repairedst the same by thy free spirit when I was dead in trespasses and sinnes thou neither madest redeemâ—dst nor sanctifiedst me for my selfe therefore when thou doest that with me which shall best please thee in the advancement of thy glory in my salvation thou makest me happy in the end of my creation redemption and sanctification Lord it was thine owne free love which by revealing thy selfe and the inestimable riches of thy mercy to mee made me knowe what I had to love in thee neither didst thou finde in me any thing worthy of thee but the effects of thine owne love which in my election before I was determined to make me an object of thy mercy therefore thou who art Love didst set thine own image on me thou best knowest that I am of my selfe but worthlesse dust and earth and by my sinnes a masse of corruption such as onely can displease thee and deserve thine anger but O Lord God of mercy who foundest me a child of wrath and madest me a sonne an enemy and reconciledst me by the death of thy holy sonne Jesus accomplish the worke of thine owne mercy in me and love me still give mee an heart to love thee so above all with all my soule minde and might love that which thou hast wrought in my heart cherish thine owne graces in me though my love be full of imperfections yet thy worke is perfect in thee is no shadow of change Lord for thine owne loves sake now make me such as thou maist love me to eternitie through the merits of thy sonne Jesus Christ my Lord and blessed Saviour AMEN CHAP. XVII § 1. Of love to our selves of the kindes thereof § 2. Of Love to our
will I hide my selfe from him 6. Suspect not thy friend unjust suspition overthroweth freindships fundamentall lawes if thou count thy freind faithfull thou shalt thereby make him such Nor is this against the rule of wisedome which bids thee keepe the power of that which may nourish freindship in thine own hand Give not saith the wise man thy sonne and wife thy brother and friend power over thee while thou livest give not thy selfe over unto any Yet no man loveth those whom hee cannot beleeve nor beleeve those he cannot love as hatred and suspect so love and confidence are indivisibly united 7. Be constant to thy freind in every estate prosperous and adverse in presence and absence Thine own friend and thy fathers freind forsake not levity and inconstancy of mind is inconsistent with friendship That the prosperous man may reckon many freinds the afflicted but few sheweth that among many acquaintance there are but very few freinds that many love thy fortune not thee freindship which can change with externall estate was never true a freind loveth at all times and a brother is borne for adversity in prosperity 't is hard to judge whether the person or estate be loved prosperity findeth friends but adversity tryeth them a true friend therefore is neither knowne in prosperity nor hid in adversity Like the starre of a cleare heaven neither seen in the day nor concealed in the darkest shades of night as the wise man saith there is a freind that sticketh closer then a brother a false freind like Jobs brooke in the winter when wee have no need of him overfloweth with tenders of his service and shews of kindnesse but when it is hot they are consumed out of their place the troupes of Tema looked the companies of Sheba waited for them and were ashamed as are they who finde contempt neglect where they looked for the love of a constant freind there are shadowes of freinds which will goe with you in all your actions you cannot shake them off which yet vanish so soone as your prosperitie commeth under the clowd there are some vaine â—iphers whom place only brings to some accompt whose honours so much change their manners that they cannot looke so low as an old freind which concludeth levity weaknesse of minde selfe-love foolish pride and ignorance of the rules of wisdome piety and true honour which knoweth a faithfull compliance in every estate and like the sun to shine with the same unchanged though more perfect light in his exaltation or heigth and in his rising on the mole-banke and on the mountaine on the smooth and on the troubled waters it was a rare piety in Ruth to resolve concerning the afflicted Naomi entreat me not to leave thee for whether thou goest I will goe where thou dyest I will dye and there will I bee buried the Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death depart thee and mee and it was a patterne of the most noble freindship which was betweene Jonathan and David there was a nexus animarum more then the love of women the soule of Jonathan was knit with the soule of David he loved him as his owne soule which he demonstrated in his constant fidelity to him on all occasions 8. Beare with the seeming injuries which proceed from thy freinds weaknesse considering that we yet converse not with Angells of heaven but imperfect men and that our selves must have the same favour of candid interpretations in many of our actions wherein we may bee misunderstood or possibly besides our intentions hurt our freind 't is wisdome to passe by offences love to cover faults and piety to beare each others burden where all are infirme without this we can hold no amity with men but shal be foolish freinds overcaptioâ—s querulous or like Jobs miserable comforters injuriously bitterly censorious ever finding fault displeased withall of bitter spirits like contentious Ismaël our hand against every man and every mans against us or rugged Nabal living to none but himselfe this vanity of impatience drave that humane monster the times prodigie nature's paradox man-hating man the dogged Timon from the society of men 9. Reveale no secret of thy freind he that is of a faithfull spirit concealeth the matter rehearse not unto another that which is told unto thee if thou hast heard a word let it dy with thee and be told it will not hurt thee a foole travaileth with a word his minde who useth to tell newes is like the breaches in water banks you shall hardly make it hold but who sodiscovereth a secret looseth his credit and shall never finde a freind to his minde love thy freind and be faithfull unto him but if thou bewraiest his secrets follow no more after him a wound may be bound up and after reviling there may bee reconcilement but he that bewraieth secrets is without hope 10. Conceale not thy frends vertues if by speaking thou maist encourage him therein or wherein thou maist laudando praecipere teach him by praising him neither his faults if thou maist by detection amend or better him least thy silence make them thine Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart thou shalt rebuke him and not suffer sinne upon him or that thou beare not sinne for him hee loveth not who had rather venture his freinds soule then his favour in case he should distast a reproofe every one that spareth is not a freind nor every one that smiteth an enemie it is better to love with severitie then to deceive with lenity the wounds of a lover are faithfull but flattery in evill is treason against the soule of thy freind by so much worse then any other but how much greater heaven is then earth eternity then time a wise man will be glad to be reprooved and amended by any and take him to be a freind by whose tongue hee may cleanse the spots of his soule before the appearance of the strict judge A faithfull freind like a true glasse will shew thee to thy selfe as thou art how many men are unhappy only in the want hereof who having in them many excellent parts imitable qualities mixed as 't is with men with some apparent blemishes taking much off from the opinion of their worth were easily mended because wise had they but a prudent frend to discover their failings to them I beleeve hence was the complaint of the Philosopher so frequent in his mouth O freinds there 's none to freind we easily discover others faults but our owne hardly with inconvenience we owe to our native selfe-love herein we ought to helpe one another not fearing how that will be taken which is our freinds advantage and our duty Certainly if thou rebuke a wise man hee will love thee for it seeing thy sincerity which if he be not hee is better lost then
the opinion of the unwise wicked doe but consider that wise men looke most to the end that they have rightly proposed to themselves which if they attaine their worke is done whether by force or counsell they passe not they looke to the end through just meanes Suppose thine end is to overcome thine enemie if thou mightest make free choice of the meanes tell me wouldst thou overcome him by good or evill by vertue or violence by excelling him in goodnesse or equalling him in evill 'T is an epidemick madnesse to thinke there is no victory but in violence and requiting evill with evill becomming as damnable as their enemies 9. Lastly resolve that every injurie shall better thee doth thine enemie hurt thee Let it occasion thee to pray for him aud to enter into a serious examination of thine owne heart whether thou hast not injured him or some other upon discovery of injury done by thee repent and give satisfaction that God may give thee thy quietus est so will hee in his good time judge for thee ever looke to the hand that smiteth thee Assyria is but the rod of Gods anger God raised up enemies to Solomon It may be that God bad Sheimei curse be not like the foolish dog to bite the stone cast at him but looke to the cause which being removed the effect shall cease There are who bend their tongues to shoot out bitter words which God permitteth to admonish his servants of some unrepented sinnes which being discovered and repented of they proove ike Jonathans arrowes shott to warne not to wound Thy friends may possibly not see or seeing dissemble thy faults marke well what thine enemies say of thee let their vigilant malice apt to accuse thee make thee more carefully watch over thy waies least thy failings advantage them or give them just occasions of reviling thee and as Theseus is said to have cut off his comely lockes least his enemies should finde advantage by catching hold of them so doe thou all occasions of calumny how many men haâ—â— perished in their sinnes unseene had not the malice of enemies awaked admonished them And like Jason Phereus enemy cured them by wounding them Selfe-love is ever blinde and true friendship sometimes but malice hath a thousand eyes this Serpent is quick sighted to find out others faults seeing I cannot but be faulty and would not be so I had rather want many acquaintance then some enemies who may amend mee though for ill will I owe much to many good friends for other offices but most to mine enimies for this who yet through Gods mercy never hurt me but to the greater advantage of my soule I hope they who never could never shall A Prayer for Love and Charity O Lord God of mercy and compassion we humbly acknowledge that so many continuall have our rebellions been against thee that we deserve thine anger and that thoâ—â— shouldst arme all the hoste of heaven and the creatures under heaven against us but we humbly pray thee to pardon us for Jesus Christ his sake give us hearts to repent before the consummation of thy feirce wrath the day of thine anger come upon us to agree with our adversary quickly while we are yet in the way to seeke righteousnesse that we may be hid in the day of thine anger Lord our hope is in thee make us not a reproach to them that hate us withold not thy tender mercy from us let thy loving kindnesse and thy truth preserve us Thou who art the God of love and unity set thine own image again upon us and as thou hast loved redeemed us in the son of thy love Christ Jesus so give us hearts to love one another that thereby all men may knowe that we are his Disciples Lord deliver us not to the will of our enemies and oppressours but forgive us all that wherein we have any waies injured or justly offended our brethren make our waies so pleasing in thy sight that thou maist bee pleased to make our enemies at peace with us Turne their hearts and mischievous intentions as thou didst revengefull Esau's give them a true sight and sorrow for their sinnes that they may repent and bee saved Prevent and divert their malice that it may not proceed further to hurt themselves or us restraine the tempter that he may no more be able to set variance and his owne bitter influence malice and enmity between those whom thoâ— hast united by their adoption in Christ Thou hast promised the blessing on brethren who live together in unity give us that spirit that we may hold the sacred band thereof in peace that we may not bring a scandall on thy truth that our prayers be not hindred that our soules may be delivered from the snares of death in which the malitious are holden that we may all meet cheerefully before thy tribunall in the holy communion of Saints and blessed unity of the body of Christ to whom with thee O Father of love God of peace and the holy Ghost the comforter be rendred all honour glory praise and dominion in heaven and earth for ever and ever AMEN CHAP. XVIII § 1. Of the soule faculties thereof affections minde and thoughts in generall § 2. Of the corruptions of the heart the danger and difficultie of the cure § 3. Of the necessitie of right ordering our thoughts § 4. Rules of practice 1 THere are many things of whose being we know whose quality we knowe not all confesse wee have a soule which commandeth and restraineth in us what a one it is none can tell hence are those many disputes about its essence seat and subject with the subordinate faculties of it no man hath throughly beene acquainted with this secret governour in man some have defined it an harmonie some a divine vertue a particle of the deity some the most exile slender aire some a blood some heat or fire some number so innate is errour that we most erre concerning our owne selves more rightly doe they say who call it an immortall spirit an incorporeall substance created by infusion and infused in its creation made to the image of the Creatour capable of the light of understanding wisdome holinesse blessednesse and eternity so that in its conjunction with the body it ammateth giveth life action and motion wherein it differeth from an Angell and in its separation from the body for a time untill it shall be reunited in the resurrection it subsisteth as doe the Angells and then hath its proper acts and apprehensions as they Now as the eye seeth the eye in a glasâ—e so the soule knoweth it selfe by a kinde of â—reflex The soule is a divine ghest sent from heaven into these earthly Tabernacles to give them life and governe them yet is it neither seene comming nor departing it is an immortall forme of moâ—tall man the body decayeth the soule doth not being
Prov 16. 5. Fiftly they who have wicked thoughts runne swiftly to iniquity and destruction is in their paths Sixtly in the corruption of the heart the very fibrae and remainders of sins reviving root Satans venome remaineth The Hydra's ever-growâ—ng heads which when occasions ability so faile that the impious cannot serve the devill in externall actions will shew its venome in their will to sinne Lastly it is a very difficult thing rightly to compose the thoughts in respect of the hearts unsounded deceitfulnesse and the mind 's unlimited agility in these depths of quick-shifting thoughts sinne easily hideth it selfe externall sinnes in words or workes are like the plague of leprosie broken out abroad and covering all the skinne neerer the cure and by so much the more easily amended or overcome by how much more evident they are not onely to others but also to our selves the sinnes of the heart are by so much more hardly cured and avoided by how much more secretly and invisibly they are committed the thoughts are more securely extravagant carelesse and presuming by how much lesse they are obvious to any reprover or censurer without And where the heart is smitten with some aufull feare of God and resolution to repent maketh inquest after sinne that which is in word or action is more easily and frequently found but the sin of the mind like Jonathan and Ahimaaz at Bahurim is let downe into the depth of the heart whose secret enemies are like those Ligurian mountainers whom the Romans chased more hardly found then vanquished Moreover man's innate selfe-love and naturall complacency make him unapt and loath to condemne himselfe in any thing wherein hee knoweth others cannot And lastly the restlesse machination of Satan is to suggest selfe-delusions as he doth temptations to sinne whereby his baits may be swallowed his policy is to keep the heart for his retreat and if any reproofe happily chase away profanenesse bitter anger obscenity or calumny out of the tongue or adultery theft murder or the like from the outward man yet if he can but cherish and maintaine any of these in the uncleansed heart hee will finde opportunity meanes to make them breake out again or if not he knoweth that where he hath the heart bee the words and actions never so saint-like God hath no part there and this bringeth us to our third consideration There is great necessitie of regulation of our thoughts and heart without which it is but vaine to draw neere God with our lips The right ordering of the affections thoughts is of two branches that we compose them first to wisdome secondly to integrity I. Wisdome is as a mistres to tumultuous servants at whose presence the most disorderly are suddainly composed silenced an understanding heart is the inward light of the soule which God looketh on without which all externall shewes and appearances of sanctity make formall hypocrites no better then Egyptian Temples which outwardly grave decent and venerable were ridiculous with their Apes Serpents Cats and Crocadiles set up for Gods within Solomon who had granted him free choice of any thing that he would aâ—ke of God desired an understanding heart above riches or life He whom God made the wisest of meere men of all the holy pen-men gave most precepts concerning the heart and minde our direction herein must be sought for in Gods word which only is able to make us wife to salvation and begged of him who giveth all men liberally and upbraideth none He that trusteth his owne heart is a foole for the heart of the sonnes of men is full of evill and madnesse is in their heart while they live Unhappy is hee who goeth on frowardly in the way of his own heart or that which the wisedome of corrupt man can teach him seeing all that is foolishnesse with God 2. Secondly we must so compose our hearts that they may be upright and sincere before God without this our best actions prayer hearing repentance almes and what ever else wee doe is worth nothing O Jerusalem saith the Lord wash thy heart from wickednesse that thou maist be saved how long shall thy vaine thoughts lodge in thee It is but folly to labour the cure in the outward part while the contagion and venome of sinne invadeth the secure heart or to wash the eyes with floods of teares where the sinne of Judah is written with a penne of iron and graven with the point of a diamond upon the table of the heart Blessed are they in whose heart are the waies of God he is good unto them that are of a cleane heart they shall finde him who seeke him with all their heart they that knowe righteousnesse have the law of God in their heart their steps shall not slide they delight to doe Gods will they hide up the law of God in their heart that they may not sinne against him tho knowledge of God is pleasant unto their soule and shall give them length of daies and peace when they goe it shall lead them when they sleepe it shall keepe them when they wake it shall talke with them it is a lampe and light to direct them in the waies of life to keepe them from sinne Now however the waies of an hypocrite may seeme cleane in his owne eies yet seeing the God of justice weigheth the spirits it highly concerneth every man to looke to the ordering of this inward house that it may be a cleane temple for Gods spirit to dwell in without whose guidance man can doe no other then runne to destruction of body and soule by ordering our thoughts aright so we have our conversation in heaven wee walke with God and in our many dangerous sicknesses of minde sundry distempers and perturbations of fluctuant thoughts the wearied soule shall ever have recourse unto this Arke for rest There are troublesome errours of sicke mindes which see false comforts insteed of true there is anxietie impatience and griefe which eateth the heart there is the fire of anger to enflame envie and malice to transport vaine hopes and feares whose vicissitudes doe miserably afflict the disquiet minde there are many parturbations which if not prudently managed will master reason and violently carry men into the most dangerous precipices whence they cannot when they would stay themselves all which to a wise and good man shall be but exercises to make his victory over his owne passions more glorious nor is hee lesse honourable who overcommeth himselfe then he that conquereth others The great conquerers of kingdomes have beene overcome of their own affections thereby foolishly eclypsing all the glory of their victories the strong may overcome others but only the good can overcome themselves I had rather overcome mine own minde then all mine enemies I would I were secure of my selfe all the powers of
that breedeth it and as the rust of iron so envy the minde that hath it It is more miserable then any other for it is afflicted not only with it own sorrow but also for others joy what ever is good to others is a torment to him another mans store is the envions mans want another mans health his sicknesse anothers praises his reputed dishonour 2. Other sinnes had some remission anger will spend it self in time hatred hath some end but envy never ceaseth fierce lions are tamed and become tractable but the envious grow worse and worse The more good Christ did the Jewes curing their sick healing their infirme and bestowing the word of life on them the more destructively did they envy him 3. It is the canker that blasteth friendship the corruption of life plague of nature the devill 's incentive to rebellion who because he could not in his malice hurt God assailed man it instigated Cain to murder Abel and the Jews to crucifie the Saviour of the world 4. It hath irrational effects it would stop up the fountaines and vaile the sunne-beames it regardeth neither bonds of nature civility or religion Rachel envied her sister Gen. 30. 1. Jacobs sonnes their brother Joseph Gen. 37. 11. the Jewes the very preaching and hearing the Gospâ—l Acts 13. 45. It is the rottennesse of the bones Prov. 14 30. it slaieth the silly Job 5. 2. it excludeth from heaven what should envy doe where there is nothing but love and rejoycing in each others happinesse 5. It is a perverse distemper of a sick minde making the envious looke on any good of others as it were with sore eies grieved with seeing It delighteth immens miseries as the flies feed themselves on others sores so the envious please themselves with discoursing of other mens faults or afflictions to the setting out whereof they will sometimes personate the mercifull as if they spake thereof onely in pity when 't is to vent their malice sometimes the just then will they seem zealous of Lawes and due punishment of delinquents when indeed they but turn judgment into wormwood and kill or robbe by lawes who durst noâ— with the sword or open violence sometimes they will assume the most holy protenoes appearing like that Endor deâ—ill in the holy Prophets mantle doing some things externally good that they may thereby achieve some greater evill so the false Apostles preached Christ of meere envy to Paul that they might thereby adde more affliction to his bands 6. It is at best but a fruit of the flesh Gal. 5. 21. meere folly Tit. 3. 3. devillish sensuall earthly Jam. 3. 14 15. a dangerous signe of a reprobate minde given up to destruction Rom. 1. 28 29. the most that envy can doe toward it owne satisfaction is but to grieve where others joy and possibly to hurt temporally with it own eternall destruction of body and soule it is no better then the spirit of Satan in the envious 7. This mischiefe sometimes obrepeth on the incautious good men Joshua envied for Moses sake David confesseth My â—eet saith he were almost gone for I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked c. Jeremie and Habakkuk were a little infected with this contagion which the Scripture remembreth to admonish the best of men to beware of this mischiefe which endangered such men 8. The acts thereof are unconsistent with right reason if we respect the supreme giver of that which stimulateth envy for how irrationall a presumption is it in man to controle the providence of God If Jacob dim-eyed for age would not permit his deare Joseph to change the imposition of his hands or to transpose the blessing at his pleasure how much lesse will the all-seeing God permit the envious man to alter his hands if wee respect the quality of the envied for is he evill whom thou enviest it were good reason thou shouldst pity him because his sinne makes him more wretched then all the world could doe is hee good how evill must thou be who caunt envy the happinesse of any good man or if wee respect the effect of envy which is hurtfull onely to the envious as I have noted For Antidotes against this venome 1. Put on Christ and be sure thou shalt put off envy it is the Apostle's rule Let us walke honestly as in the day not in strife and envying but put yee on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof put on Christ by an holy imitation of him hee was meek and lowly in heart and therefore envied no man the meek Moses was so free from ambition and pride that hee reproved those that envied for his sake and wisht that all God's people could prophesie and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them Christ loved all respectively love envieth not If we love for God's sake we shall never be grieved for any blessings which he bestoweth but wish them greater we shall neither undervalue others nor over-rate our selves as the envious doe 2. Learne in God's schoole there 's the best cure of envy it was a thing which troubled David to understand it Vntill saith he I went into the Sanctuary of God Here thou art taught not to value secular things too much to consider his hand which setteth up and pulleth downe to referre all thy desires to the advance of his glory to acknowledge the favours which he hath conferred on thee by Christ better then a thousand worlds which thoughts can leave no place for envy 3. Consider the end of those thou enviest David found in the Sanctuary that his enemies were not to be envied Surely said he thou didst set them in slippery places thou castedst them down into destruction remember how God mixeth bitter and sweet to all men in this life this man hath great riches but neither childe to enjoy it nor heart to use it this man is healthy in body with a sick soule this man thrives and layeth up wealth but with such a conscience as that the poorest saint is incomparably more happy another man riseth in honours it may be only to greaten his fall another is many waies prosperous to the world-ward but as the moon is then most darke toward heaven when shee is most light toward the earth and contrariwise so is it commonly with men the more gloriously they shine to us the more despicable they are to God who layeth up such terrible judgements for them that a soule in hell is as proper an object of envy as these glittering epuloe's who are hasting thither 4. Ever remember that wee are brethren members of one body whereof Christ is the head therefore wee must withall meeknesse support one another through love and mutually rejoice at each others good and so cast away the works of darknesse strife and envy 7. Impatience is
to reveale his will for our salvation so neither in any thing which concerneth our present comfort and well being his word is a full store-house of spirituall consolations and directions of the outward man able to make him wise to salvation There is no condition of man no state of life which hath not directions here layed downe from the King to the poore Master of the cottage from imperial Potentates to poore Vassals here are precepts and counsels which being religiously observed will make a man happy in any estate The duety of a Master of a Family is reducible to these heads 1. That hee care and provide for his family otherwise hee denieth the faith and is worse then an infidel Carelesnesse and sloth are the mother and nurse of misery and confusion See Pro. 20. 4. Pro 2. 24 27. Pro 18. 9. Pro 21. 25. Eccles 10. 18. Pro. 24. 30 31 34. Destruction of many noble families hath been through prodigality vaine profusion in diet apparrel building suretiship and the like 2. That hee instruct his family in the fear God and exercises of true religion as Abraham did as those who call them together to prayer reading and hearing some portion of holy Scripture singing Psalmes repetition and giving an account what they have learned from the publick ministery of God's Word catechising and instructing them at all convenient times at home and seeing them presented to the publick ministery Mine eies said David shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with mee hee that walketh in a perfect way shall serve mee hee that worketh deceit shall not dwell in mine house hee that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight Reason it selfe easily concludeth that thou shouldst teach thy servants to serve God first that they may conscionably serve thee But canst thou think that hee will be faithfull to thee who is perfidious to God It was Constantines rule when as by Jehu's stratagem hee informed himselfe which of his courtiers were God's servants and which idolaters that he might banish these and encourage the other Canst thou think that thou oughtst to have better servants then God Know this that sinne is a cursed leproâ—ie in an house bringing God's anger and many plagues upon it Now whereas example is indeed the most powerfull Rhetorick the onely way to teach is to doe that which thou wouldst have another learne be sure that thou who art a master of a family give no ill example in thy house if thy servants see the impious profane profuse drunken or lazy they will imitate thee as thou servest God so will they thee If thy servant knoweth any evil of thee hee can keep thee in awe and so thy worst enemies may be they of thine own house therefore the wise man saith Beware of thine owne children 3. That hee do unto his servants that which is equal considering the impartiality of God's judgement moderately commanding not over-burdening them with labours remembring that they are men not beasts to whom men ought to be merciful as their fellow creatures not threatning or afflicting them with cruelty beating maiming or wounding God cautioned that the Hebrew servant should after six yeeres service be manumissed and set free and so in case of maiming It is folly to create contempt by too much familiarity and it is impiety to contemn him that is Christ's free-man bought with the sameprice and heire of the same kingdom of heaven with thee and what knowest thou but that God hath appointed thy servant to save thy life as a captive maid did for Naaman or thy soule When Antigonus saw his sonne cruelly entreating a servant hee said knowest not thou O Sonne that our kingdome is but a glorious servitude And Demonax in like case said Leave beating him lest thou become like thy servant such are humane conditions slaves have become masters and great Lords servants but to serve passion is the worst slavery hereof Croesus Darius Sampson Adonibezek Manasses and many others have been examples Be thou not therefore as a lyon in thine own house nor frantick among thy servants let them love thee rather then fear thee 4. Let not thy hirelings wages remaine with thee neither be thou rash upon every frivolous occasion to change servants remember that a faithfull servant is a jewel not alwaies to be purchased nor may wee be too impatient of some failings who each day begge Gods pardon for ours with condition of forgiving others be not fond to keep a fugitive Onesimus or any servant against his will Diogenes was so farre right when they perswaded him to pursue his Manes 'T were a shame said he that Manes should be able to live without Diogenes and that Diogenes should not be able to live without Manes If a true servant be not willing to go from thee leave him not destitute let thy soule love a good servant and desraud him not of liberty The duty of a Servant may be understood in these and the like rules 1. Servants be obedient to them that are your Masters with feare and trembling in singlenesse of heart as unto Christ in all things which are subordinate to God's commands otherwise God must be obeyed and not man Saul's servants who sought him a witch and killed the Preists at his command sinned so did David's who fetcht him Bathsheba and Joab who betrayed Vriah to the enemie so did those Elders who obeyed Jezabel against Naboth so did Vriah the Priest in making an altar according to the pattern from Damaseus so did Herod's servants in beheading John the good servant must not obey only with eie-service as men-pleasers but in singienesse of heart fearing God to a good man God is ever and every where a present law How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God said conscientious Joseph To this rule appertaineth that which the Apostle saith Tit. 2. 9. Exhort servants to be obedient not purloining but shewing good fidelity to do according to their trust as Abraham's servant did as Joseph and as David's servants as also that they may not be given to prating and divulging the secrets of their Masters family nor for fear or favour concealing their Masters dangers injuries or disadvantages from them 2. Let servants count their Masters worthy of all honour that they despise them not and this subjection must be given not only to the good and gentle but also to the froward 1 Pet. 2. 18. To this appertaineth that they be neither flatterers nor backbiters of their Masters that they forget not their duety but keepe that distance which may preserve a due reverence which is indeed a servants honor contrary to that rustick procacity which speaketh them base and unmannerly 3. That servants be true hating lying lest Gehazie's curse fall on them David would entertain no lyar in his
family 4. That they be docible and ingenious modest willing in meeknesse to learn and obey their Masters wills an ignorant servant is troublesome but a proud and immorigerous intolerable 5. That they be not slothful and negligent 6. That they be not qâ—arrelsom or contentious or unjust accusers of their fellowes 7. That they be not murmurers or querulous persons or rude answerers again Tit. 2. 2. 8. That they be not hearkners after their Masters counsels too full of eies or busie inquisitors into those things which are above the sphere of their duety it is many times a servants wisedome not to know what he knoweth 9. That they be not given to drunkennesse ryot intemperance luxury or subject to passion he that will be a good servant to others must first be his own master The Motives hereto are 1. God's expresse command Colos. 3. 22. Ephes. 6. 5 c. where that moveth not I know not what can Obedience to thy Master is shewing thy selfe a servant of Christ and doing the will of God Eph. 6. 6. 2. This adorneth the doctrine of God Tit. 2. 10. 3. Therefore the grace of God hath appeared to all men bond and free Tit. 2. 11. 4. If servants be faithful they shall receive the reward of the Lord Col. 3. 24. 5. Hee that doth wrong to his Master shall receive the like God will revenge it Col. 3. 25. 6. A false and trecherous servant is odious to God and man commonly branded with an indelible note of infamy as an unthankfull deceiver of trust 7. The name of God and his doctrine are blasphemed by that servant who professing to be a Christian is false injurious or unprofitable to his Master because that sacred profession is not to him a spurre to duety but a cloak of hypocrisie After reading some of the Psalmes and a Chapter of the Old or New Testament to thy Family use this or the like Prayer A short Morning Prayer with a Family O Almighty God and most merciful Father wee render thee all humble and hearty thanks as for all thy mercies and favours temporal and eternal from time to time bestowed upon us so particularly for thy gracious preservation of us this night past beseeching thee to give us also a prudent and holy use of this favor to thy glory the good example of our brethren and the assurance of our consciences before thee And as thou hast been pleased to bring us safe to the begining of this â—lay so we pray thee holy Father to continue thy providence and thy merâ—y to us therein keep us safe in bodies soules and all that thou hast given us blesse us in our several labours and endeavors let thy blessing be upon all that which thou hast given us for our use and comfort make thy creatures good and successeful to us direct us in that way wherein thou wouldst have us walke that being counselled and guided by thy good spirit which cannot erre we may in all that which we speak or dâ— keepe the testimony of a good conscience doing and saying that onely which is pleasing in thy sight and walking prudently and unblameably toward all men and holily and sincerely before thee our all-seeing God Let not our hearts decline to any evil waies but give us grace ever and in every undertaking to remember our ends wherein wee must give a strict account of all our actions words and thoughts and seriously to consider that for ought wee know this day may be our last so framing our lives and conversations that at our last houre which thy providence hath set every one of us we may be found busied in a faithful watch as careful servants continually expecting the coming of our Lord that wee may with our Lord Jesus on whom wee have beleeved enter into that joy which thou hast prepared for all them who love and loâ—ke for his comming These and all other things which thou knowest more needful for â—s wee beg at thy merciful hands for Jesus Christ his sake in that holy and perfect form which himselfe hath taught us saying Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy name c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father and the most comfortable fellowship of God the holy Ghost be with us all to direct guide and keep us this day and evermore Amen Another Morning Praier for a Family O Lord God merciful long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and trueth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving transgression and sinne unto the penitent but not acquitting the guilty and obstinate sinner wee thy poore servants through thy mercy sparing us this day appearing before thee humbly acknowledge our selves to be most vile and loathsome in thy sight not only in respect of our original corruption which we have brought into the world with us but also for our actual sinnes which we have multiplied beyond all weight and number thou art a God of pure eies and inviolable justice how shall we appeare before thee who cannot stand in the judgment of our own consciences Lord what have we more then the hearty acknowledgment of our own unworthinesse to present thee How can wee hope to prevent the curse which goeth forth over the face of the earth to cut off on this side and that 〈◊〉 afflict families and nations with sorrowes and destructions but only by condemning our selves and flying from thy justice to thy mercy our sinâ— are great and grievous but O merciful God where sinne and misery abound thy grace doth more abound and where none are able to satisfie thy justice the greatnesse of the debt can make no difference whether 500 or 50 when neither hath to pay thy mercy equally closeth an unequal account in a free forgivenesse of both Seeing theâ— for this end thou hast opened the treasures of thy mercy in Christ Jesus coming into the world to save sinners wee humbly and confidently acknowledge that of those sinners wee are chiefe Lord thou knowest there is salvation in none other look not therefore on that which we have done or can perform but on that which hee hath done and suffered for us we are indeed subject to the curse for that we many waies transgresse thy holy lawes but therefore was thy holy Jesus made a curse for us that hee might redeem us from the curse of the Law that the blessing might come on us through him in our being made heires thereof and receiving the promise of the spirit the earnest and seale of our redemption through faith Wee condemne our selves that Christ may justifie us that we may be found in him not appearing in our owne righteousness which is at best but as a soon vanishing morning cloud and in the severity of thy judgement as a silthy polluted garment in which we could expect no other sentence then Depart yee cursed into everlasting fire therefore we renounce our selves that we may be clothed with his righteousnesse which is by faith in him
and amity that they give not scandal to others nor create mutual bitternesse to themselves Mutual love is gods blessing on thy family a praeludium of heaven in thy house a comfortable pattern to thy children like the sun-beams on thy possession as the dew of heaven on thy fields which maketh all look cheerfully and be fruitful a state that cometh neerest up to that blessed Paradise-oeconomy of Adam innocent a blessing which maketh every estate such without which no store is blessed k Pro. 15. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is then a stalled oxe and hatred therewith l Pro. 17. 1. Better is a dry morsel and quietnesse therewith then an housefull of sacrifices with strife 4. That they do cheerfully and willingly communicate in all that which God hath given them in prosperity advising in adversity comforting each other with such sympathy in joy and sorrow as is in them who are truely one flesh 5. That they bear each others infirmities never taking things spoken or done in the worst sense nor making every trivial matter an occasion of quarrel or alienation of affection but passing by them so as that they may seem rather covered in love then excused in judgement or approved in stupidity in which practice Satan may be beaten with his own weapon while that every occasion which hee administred in hope to former discord being prudently used to demonstrate the invincible love of the party suffering and willing rather to put up injury then to admit the least breach of amity by retaliation more endeareth them to each other 6. That they join hands and hearts to assist each other in the way to heaven See 1 Cor. 7. 16. 1 Pet. 3. 7. 7. That they mutually defend each other so Michol preserved David when Saul sought his life so prudent Abigail endeavoured Nabal's preservation they must not be false Delilahs to conâ—ederate against the lives or estates of their husbands 8. That they neither unjustly take nor justly give occasion of jealousie which ever embittereth the otherwaies most happy families Jerom's rule is here to be commended to women m Etsi negagata non feceris tamen deforme putes testimonium si rogeris Hier ep 2l 9 though thou yeeld not being asked yet think it an odious testimony to be asked hee comes to neer who cometh to be denied The Duties proper to the Husband may appeare in these following Rules 1. Let the n 1 Pet. 3. 7. husband dwell with his wife according to knowledge giving honor to her as the weaker vessel as being co-heires of the grace of life that their prayers be not hindred where there needeth reproof let it neither be rough odious injurious publick clamorous nor disgracefull but allayed with such wisedome and opportune perswasions as may not only reform but endeare in the most happy wedlock there may be some matter of just dislike and therefore due cause of reproof it much concerneth thee to know thy wives faults but not to hate her for them let the rule be either beare thy wives faults if tolerable with patience or amend them with direction if they are intolerable in this thou makest her better in that thy selfe 2. Let a man love o Eph. 5. 33. his wife as himselfe esteeming nothing too good or dear for her good as Christ loved his Church which concludeth nothing for them who impiously and cruelly afflict their wives with stripes or otherwise for God saith p Col 3 19. Husbands love your wives and be not bitter against them it is uncertaine whether they have evil wives but certain that they deserve such who can no otherwise governe then by blowes Neither doth this binde any man to an indiscreet much lesse an impious and dangerous indulgence to his wife wherein she desireth that which needs must or probably may hurt her self her husband or family it is love and wisedome to deny her that 3. Let a man maintain his wife in cloaths and necessaries according to his estate so as shee may live cheerfully with him not as servant but as a partner in his estate 4. Let the husband use all comity holy gratious prudent and peaceable language as a pattern to all his family so specially as a pledge of love to his wife neither like rugged Nabal nor fond and vaine which commonly changeth into fits of extream bitternesse for who can like such inksome levity 5. Let the man heare the wife's advice but never be transported beyond better reason nor carried thereby against the holy will of God as Adam whose dreadfull sentence bare this cause in the front q Gen. 3. 17. because thou hast hearkned to the voice of thy wife as r 1 King 21. 25. Ahab hearkned to the voice of Jezaâ—el as s 1 King 11 3 Solomon whom his wives most fearfully corrupted t Anilâ—e mihi liber videatur cui mulier imperat cui leges imponit praescribit iubet vetat qui nihil imperaâ—â—i negare potest nihil recusare audetâ—â— ego verò isâ—um non modò servum sed nâ—quissimum servum etiamsi in amplissima â—amilta natus sit appellandum puto Cic. pared omnes sapientes liberos esse c. The Orator could say of a man so awed by his wife I doe think that hee ought to be called not onely a slave but truely the worst of such Concerning the proper dueties of Wives I sinde these three principle rules 1. Let the wife be u Eph. 5. 22. Col 3. 18. subject to her husband as unto the Lord in every thing for the man is the wife's head w 1 Tim. â— 9 12. shee was made for man God permitteth not the woman to usurpe authority over the man this duety comprehendeth love x Eph. 5. 32. reverence aiâ— and assistance doing her husband good endeavouring to content please and comfort him See Pro. 31. 11. contrary to which is the imperious command of the domineering wife unreverend speech or action neglect of her charge through pride sloth or riotous wasting her husbands estate 2. Let her be chaste modest and silent the Scripture expresseth this by y 1 Pet. 3. 5 6 1 Pet. 3 1 c. 1 Tim. â— 9 10 chast conversation coupled with feare impudency and chastity are rarely compatible and modest apparreling which becometh women professing godlinesse andâ—let the women learn with all subjectionâ— a meâ—k and a quiet spirit are of high esteem in Gods sight this is God's rule by what law they live who think it religion and good policy by their loud and quarrelsom tongues bitter spirits of contradiction and otherwise to master their husbands and cantonize themselves I know not it is certain these are heavy crosses and no better then the sad furies possessing and so restlesly haunting the house of a wretched man that hee may well take up that old bemoaning z Hei mihi nec sine te nec tecum vivere possum Woe is
and honors and undoubtedly it doth so much please God that a man doth in sense of his wants from his heart and before all things begge grace and sanctity of him that he will not deny him but adde to his grant more then wee are able to aske or thinke of A Praier for comfort and supply in case of spiritual wants O Lord God abundant in mercy and trueth who delightest not in the destruction of wretched creatures nor despisest the groanes of a troubled spirit I poore afflicted man in bitternesse of soule acknowledg my vilenesse and want of grace the corruption of my sinful nature the misery which I have procured my self by my wilful disobedience to thy holy lawes and my impotency to any thing that is good I am as that wretched traveller wounded and cast down only sensible of my wonnds utterly unable to move or helpe my selfe the Priest and Levite passe by and helpe mee not no creature can yea thy holy law which saith Doe this and live is so farre from helping or releeving mee that now by reason of my infirmity it becometh to mee a killing letter at best but like the Prophets staff sent before by the ministery of the servant not able to give life only shewing mee my sinnes and rendring me guilty as before thy dreadful tribunal so at the barre of mine owne conscience Lord let the good Samaritan the Prophet himselfe Christ Jesus my Saviour naw come to mee he only can binde up my wounded soul and heale it Thou hast wounded mee by an heavy apprehension of thy justice now heal mee by the assurance of thy mercy strengthen my faith in Châ—ist who freely justifieth sinners as thou hast in thine eternal love given him to death for my redemption so give me an infallible assurance that hee is my Jesus and Saviour that according to thine owne gracious promise in him I may live with thee Blessed Saviour who sentest the holy Ghost the comforter of all thine elect to thy afflicted Disciples to strengthen them send him to my more feeble and wretched soul it is neither of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of thine own goodnesse shewing mercy thou workest both the will and the deed of thy good pleasure be graciously pleased to sanctify my corrupted will and affections as thou hast given me a will and an hearts desire to serve and please thee that I might be saved so perfect thine owne worke in mee establish that thing which thou hast begunne will thou that I will not in vaine thou hast nothing the lesse by communicating thy goodnesse to others Lord give me true holinesse repaire thine own image in mee that thou maist own mee for thine manifest thine own worke in mee unto mee Let not the good spirit which dwelleth in mee be any longer hidden from mee Lord Jesus manifest thy selfe unto my soule let the light of thy spirit breake out in full assurance of faith that I may no more doubt of thy mercies give mee an evident victory over sinne and despaire by the manifest presence of the comforter Lord my afflicted soule knoweth no sanctuary but thy mercy unto thee it gaspeth as a thirsty land O showre downe that abundant dew of grace which may refresh my wearied spirit and fill mee with the fruits of righteousnesse which may appeare in my life and conversation to thy glory and the assurance of my election calling sanctification perseverance and salvation in thy beloved sonne my blessed Saviour Jesus Christ to whom with Thee and the holy Spirit three Persons one immortal incomprehensible omnipotent onely wise God be rendred all honour and glory in heaven and earth now and to all eternity AMEN CHAP. XXVIII § 1 Of the conscience afflicted with feare of tentations and falling away What wee are herein to consider § 2. How wee must examine the conscience herein § 3. What wee must practice WEe are next to consider the wounded spirit or conscience afflicted with feare of tentations and falling away through them enclining it to despair of grace sufficient to resist them hereby the soule is in heavinesse through manifold tentations in which case it is necessary to consider that 1. A tentation is a tryal or taking an experiment of some thing the Devil who cannot compel tryeth men whether he can allure them to sinne and this is tentation 2. There is a temptation of tryal see 1 Cor. 10. 13. Act. 20. 19. Rev. 3. 10. and so James saith My brethren count it all joy when yee fall into divers tentations for when he is tryed hee shall receive the crown of life and blessed is the man that so doth God who is said to tempt no man that is to evil because as there is no sin in him so neither is there any of him yet tryed Abraham to make him known to others and himself for no man untryed knoweth himself which is called tempting or proving as Deut. 13. 3. Ex. 15. 25. Ex. 16. 4. Deut. 8. 16. Psal. 26. 2. 1 Pet. 1. 6. And there is a temptation of seducement which is a solicitation to defection and falling from God by sinning and doing evil 1 Tim. 6. 9. 1 Thes. 3. 5. so that God tempteth that he may teach us but the Devil that he may destroy us 3. Some temptations arise from the corruption and sin inherent in the flesh Jam. 1. 14. Every man is tempted when hee is 〈…〉 his own lusts such as are mentioned Galat. 5. 19 20. Some are suggested by the tempter who being a spirit hath power to inâ—â—â—uate and convey his impious notions into our mindes suggestion between spirits being as contiguity and touching of bodies now whereas hee cannot know the unuttered secrets of the heart it being Gods peculiar to search that he marketh mens natural inclinations and their habits by their words and actions and so prepareth baits for them accordingly sishing in these depths the secrets whereof hee knoweth not till hee perceive his suggestions are swallowed and the sinner taken therefore he presenteth such thoughts as he conâ—ectureth will take by that which is obvious to the senses of men as hee sitteth an opportunity of treason to impious Judas by the malice of the high Priests of lust to Amnon of venturing on the cursed thing to Achan of revenge to Cain of idolatry to Ahaz by the altar of Damascus 4. There are foure degrees of tentations by which it cometh to full maturity 1. Suggestion 2. Delight therein 3. Consent to 4. Acting the same as James 1. 14 15. Man is tempted when hee is drawn away of his own lusts and eâ—iced thenwhen lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth sorth death the first of these a bare suggestion is not our sinne if there be no delight therein or consent thereto for Christ was tempted in all points like as wee are yet without sinne The
the precious blood of Christ and canst thou think that for want of a little meat drinke and cloaths hee will loose thee It is not a small thing that hee so valueth thy present life that hee giveth thee the lives of thy fellow creatures good for meat to preserve it Lord what is man cryed the Psalmist all is nothing to this hee gave thee the life of his sonne Jesus to save thy life eternally and canst thou be affected with such a feverish dream as to feare that hee will let thee perish for want of a little food and raiment 8. Consider how the lilies grow how hee feedeth the ravens shall hee not much more feed and cloath you upon whom hee hath put his own image the life is better â—hen meat or the body then raiment hee that gave the one will not faile to supply the other his providence descendeth to the preservation of the poorest and meanest creature will hee neglect thee hee knoweth before you aske what yee have need of adde not evil to the day by distracting cares which cannot adde one cubit to thy stature but cast thy care on him who careth for thee 9. Consider well what thy fear or impatience can bring thee certainly it can only make thy burden heavier indeed hee only is truely poore who would faine be rich an holy meeknesse and contentednesse is not only the best worldly riches but such as that without them no estate can be enough 10. Consider from how many evils poverty delivereth thee pride security intemperance and envy not the least of those black shadowes which attend riches and greatnesse with many noisome desires which drown men in sin and destruction Pittacus the wise when the Mitylens offered him many thousand acres of land for a gratuity said Give mee not that which many envy and more desire and saith my author hee accepted only an hundred hee that giveth thee riches giveth thee cares wretched is the custody of great wealth For rules of practice herein it is necessary that 1. Wee first seeke the kingdom of God and his righteousnesse and then all these things which wee want shall be administred unto us a little with righteousnesse is better then the riches of the wicked they that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing better is a little with the feâ—re of the Lord then great treasure and trouble therewith many a man laboreth and careth enough to be rich yet cannot thrive as 't is said there is that with-holdeth more then is meet but it tendeth to poverty because they seek not the Lord nor his will but some sinister ends of their own If wee neglect Gods part hee will blast all our labours If there be some hidden sacriledge our poverty may be comfortlesse untill wee prove the Lord with new obedience then will he open the windows of heaven and poure out an abundant blessing then he will rebuke the destroyer or if hee see it best for us still to exercise the outward man with wants yet hee will abundantly recompence that with inward comfort in Christ with which the saint is happily rich 2. Endeavour in some lawful calling and be industrious Love not sleep lest thou come to poverty open thine cies and thou shalt be satisfied with bread Be frugal the drunkard and glutton shall come to poverty and drousinesse shall cloath a man with raggs but hee that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread hee that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough Here is no patronage for them that incurre a voluntary poverty following ambition in a perverse way God requireth that we should live a better life then the vulgar worldly man not in all things a contrary 3. Doe thy uttermost endeavour to suppresse that turbulent Philistiâ— covetous love of the world which will still be casting earth into thy fountain of living water disturbing an holy content with vain desire of having more then necessaries It is an hard but most fruitful lesson which Paul had learned in every estate to be content If thou wilt live to necessity a little is enough if to opinion nothing when the Cynick saw men drinking water in their hands hee said With how few utencils is nature content Opinion maketh many a man poor content rich hee is so who can well agree with poverty What skils it whether a man have much or little in the chest barne fields and pastures if he reckon not on that he hath but that which hee would have It was a prudent resolution If my estate will not be enough for mee I will be for it If thou canst not justly greaten thy estate prudently lessen thy minde the poore man wanteth something the covetous all things hee least wanteth who desireth least hee wanteth who hath not enough he most to whom nothing can be enough fulnesse costeth much but temperance little and poverty is not so heavy a burden to them that cheerfully submit to Gods providence as to them who would not or have not learned how to bear it wisely so that though there be two measures of wealth first to have necessaries secondly to have enough or more then simply necessary and though there be much difference between a small estate and a strait or incompetent one yet in all the minde beareth a great part making a poore estate more light or heavy and indeed he is not so much poore who hath little as hee that desires more what ere hee hath How happy must it therefore be to learn an holy moderation submitting to Gods good providence in all conditions assured that it is best which hee doth for thee in giving or taking away as having nothing and possessing all things how happy were our first parents when they had no use of any housholdstuffe no not so much as cloaths how fully did they after live before Cain built a city Adah invented tents Jubal musical instruments or Tubal-Kain wrought in brasse and iron It is opinion and curiosity which hath invented varieties and other mens superfluities make the envious and emulous seem poore if they have not as much whereas that which natural necessity requireth is obtained without much difficulty the first external want I finde man sensible of was of clothing wherein if thou wilt not live to others opinion but thy necessity a small charge will supply thee if thou fashion not to the fickle world possibly it will despise thee what losse is that if God love and like thee if hee put on thee that best robe Christ's right cousnesse which all the riches in the world cannot purchase and for food either a little labour of thine or others charity will supply thee or thou shalt in a very little time have no need of it Once I am resolved it is more happy to be the poorest Lazarus then not only the
perishing world so the more our afflictions are showred down upon us the more let our soules be lifted up unto thee and to those things which are above with thee that we being weaned from the vain love of this world may have our conversation in heaven and be willing to be dissolved that we may live with our Lord Jesus eternally And now being by thy appointment to take our bodily rest wee pray thee to assure us of our peace with thee through the merits of thy holy son Jesus let our beds put us in remembrance of our graves to which wee are descending that wee may keep a faithful watch to the coming of Christ Jesus for our deliverance out of these earthly tabernacles let thy providence keep us and all ours from the powers of darknesse and all dangers of body and soule sleeping waking living dying have us ever in thy keeping that our waking may also remember us of our resurrection from the dead unto the life of glory These and all other things necessary for our bodies or souls wee begge of thee for Jesus Christ his sake in his name and words concluding our petitions in that form of praier which hee hath taught us saying Our Father which art in heaven c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ c. AMEN CHAP. XXXII § 1. Of Banishment several kindes general cause therâ—of § 2. What wee must do to be comforted herein 1. MAny are the afflictions of the righteous so that I may say of their sanctity as it was once of Agisilaus deformed and lame ignoti faciem ejus cùm inâ—uerentur contemnebant c. they who knew him not when they saw his face despised him but they who knew his vertue could not enough admire him Among the Saints impropriated evils may Banishment be numbred as also the consolation thereof among the fruits of Sanctity 2. There are three kindes of Banishment to which the Romanes were wont to condemne 1. Confinement to some one foreigne place 2. Inderdiction of the native soile onely 3. Limitation of mens approaches to some certaine Province or City 3. The general cause of Exile is sinne for which our first parents and we in them suffered an ejectionem firmi being cast out of the pleasant and commodious Eden to labor and sorrow in that attainder forfeiting our interest in all the good creatures until they are restored us againe by Christ in whom wee have a divine right to them all as it is written for all things are yours as also by the municipal lawes of that Republick whereof wee are a part we have a civil right to some of them now though depriving hereof by God is ever just because no man liveth and sinneth not and thereby often forfeiteth life liberty and all to his justice yet this punishment inflicted by men against a divine and civil right may make the Judges extreamly guilty though it can never make the proscribed Saint unhappy for the Lord will not leave them in their hand nor condemne them when they are judged For comfort then to those that suffeâ— any kinde of Banishment I advise 1. That thou be more careful for the heavenly inheritance whence no violence shall remove thee and the more thou art barred earthly comforts the more set thy affections on things which are above As the sea-men loosing sight of the land look up to fetch their directions from the starâ—es of heaven it was a great comfort to him who could say I have Christ a partner of my unjust banishment it were wretched indeed if mens enemies could confine them to some place where they could not finde their God but hee never deserteth his captives if hee know his owne so that if thou be driven from all humane society yet canst thou not be comfortlesse or alone if Christ be with thee if thou art justly banished let that affliction amend thee and it shall make thee happy if unjustly fear not that is thy enemies sinne not thy misery It is not banishment but guiltinesse that maketh a man unhappy nothing can make a man truely wretched but his own sinne if by any means hee can leave that though his place know him no more hee is happy enough who cannot be unhappy First then learne to walk with God living to him and with him ever setting thy self in his presence meditating on him praying to him and asking counsel of him and his oracles being so acquainted with spirituall company as that neither thy necessary society with man may hinder thy conversation in heaven nor this make thee neglectful of Gods ordinance in that who hath appointed thee both comfort in humane society and witnesses therein of thy conversation that in the sight of thy good works God may be glorifyed therefore cleave sted fastly to Christ let no condition pull away thy heart from him though thou be sequestred from all else Christ is incomparably better then all the creatures Secondly keepe a good conscience hee cannot be unhappy in any place who having the comfort of innocency is not so in himselfe miserable are they where erâ— they are who carry with them that portable hell a guilty conscience which in the midst af all secular prosperity maketh a man truely unhappy such a one like the wounded deere carrieth deaths messenger the killing arrow sinne sticking in the heart and cannot out-runne his misery a mans â—nemies are they of his own house among them his self is the worst no man can be hurt but by himselfe the powers of hell malicious as they are cannot hurt thee if thou have not an hand in it thy selfe there is no terror in the world like that of a guilty conscience only Gods anger maketh a man unhappy none other can if Christ be with thee every place shall be thy heaven 2. Know thy happinesse where ever God sheweth thee favour and leadeth thee so did Abraham when hee was a stranger in Canâ—an and Joseâ—h by his brothers envy sold into Egypt but God was with him and delivered him giving him wisedome and favor in the sight of Pharoah that minde is too much straitned in it selfe which confineth desire and content to one place as if the world had no more the heavens are as cheerful a covering abroad as at home the sunne shineth as comfortably on other nations as on that which wee call ours the same providence of God ruleth in all the world that place which thou countest forreigne and thy place of exile is a native soile to some who in thy house would have as much cause to think themselves banished as Philiscus urged for a comfort to the Orator All this world is as much our country as any part thereof if we reckon right within which if any man make himselfe an exile hee is straitned in minde rather then in place had such opinion limited all men how many great parts of the world had been
hast left may best appear in thy tryals how many of these shadowes follow thee now thou art clouded doe they not feare thy mine doth not that set a strange distance between you are these thy friends or such acquaintance as thou maist every where finde Againe how many malicious enemies hast thou left behinde who have often so embittered thy soule that thou hast cryed out Wo is mee that I sojourne in Meshech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar my soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace so that upon a just account thou art not so much banished thy country as taken from impious enemies 4. Lastly be confident that what ever is good wee shall meet withal again in the immutable happinesse of heaven what ever cannot come thither is not worth our lamenting here it being truely rather a gaine to loose it then to recover it 7. Consider how popular inconstancy usually retributeth evil to best deserts as Aristides the just Alcibiades as hee also whose epitaph sayed to posterity Ingrateful native soile thou hast not so much as my bones had experience of it Wee have examples in holy writ of those who wandred in deserts and mountaines of whom the world was not worthy All is little to that one example of Christ persecuted from his infancy carried into Egypt to avoid Herod's tyrannous fury and all his life made a man of sorrows by them hee came to save That condition to which Christ is a pattern can make no man unhappy hee came amongst his own and they received him not hee did only good to them their owne testimony was hee hath done all things well yet they crucified him remember his words The disciple is not greater then his master and doest thou think much that being innocent thou art banished thy native soile few good men live where they first drew breath or best deserve 8. Learne the good which God doth for thee who best knoweth how to make all things work for the best as in thy exile thy security from thine adversaries whose restles malice is as trucelesse as the Divells which ruleth in the enemies of Gods children that he hath set thee by better neighbours or lesse pernicious who canst not have worse then thou hast lost however thou valew this the Prophet fervently wisheth for it O that I had in the Wildernesse a Cottage of a Wayfaring man that I might leave my People and goe from them for they be all an assembly of treacherous men they bend their tongues like their bow for lies 9. Learne to seek happinesse and content in thy selfe in peace of conscience purity of heart sanctified will and affections faith patience meeknesse temperance humility and the like and no losse of these outward â—hings shall much trouble thee who hast set thy affections on heaven and to a man assured that he must ere long change this life for an eternall what matter is it from what point of the earth his soule taketh her flight whether from Pisga with Moses from the bankes of Jordan with Eliah from the Prison with John Baptist from the field mill or bed or from the mount of Olives whence Christ ascended into Heaven it is not much considerable whence thou comest thy happinesse in spight of secular afflictions and active malice shall be once to arrive at heaven where all shall be securely unchangeably and eternally happy The Banished mans Petition O Lord God holy and mercifull whose providence ruleth over all the earth is thine and thou assignest the parts thereof to the children of men thou brougâ—st a Vine out of Egypt and plantedst it thou madst the branches thereof to fill the land and spread themselves from the river to the flood but in thy displeasure thou didst cast them out of the inheritance which thou hadst given them Thou art the Lord of Mountaines and vallies land and sea and the God of the exiled and outcast Thou dost with much patience behold oâ—â—ression and wrong untill the measures of iniquity be filled up ô Lord behold the pressures of me thy poore despised and dejected servant thy mercy and gracious audience of the afflicted is neither limited to Jerusalem nor this mountaine every place is equally neere heaven where ever men lift up pure hands and hearts worshipping thee in spirit and truth thou art there present to heare and help them Gracious Father though thou seest good to permit me to the power of men to exercise me yet can they not shut thy mercifull eare against me O let my complaint therefore come before thee let thy word be as the clowdy Pillar to lead me in thy way let thy good spirit direct me cast me not from thy presence take not thy mercies from me give me grace to forsake all those sinnes for which thy chastisement is now upon me that I may happily profit by thy Fatherly corrections and if it be thy holy will restore me to these blessings and comforts which thou gavest me for my support if otherwise yet good Lord give me assurance of thy mercy and patience to expect thy saving health leave me not destitute and comfortlesse in my afflictions be my guide and helper in this earthly pilgrimage and vally of teares unto and in the howre in which thou hast appointed to take me hence into the incorruptible and undefiled inheritance by thy power reserved in heaven for all that beleeve in thee to which no hand of the oppressor shall reach where shall be no curse no sinne nor feare of forfeiture into which no enemy shall be admitted from which no inhabitant shall ever be cast out Lord heare and help me Lord have mercy on me and grant me that which I aske according to thy will and that which I should aske which thou knowest best for me through the infinite merits of the Sonne of thy Love the author and finisher of our Salvation and eternall happinesse Christ Jesus the righteous AMEN CHAP. XXXIII Of old Age directions counsels and comforts therein § 1. Age common evils thereof § 2. How the foundation of an happy Age must be laid in youth § 3. How the evils of Age may be lessened § 4. Or more patiently borne § 5. By what Rules of practice it may be improved to the comfort of the Aged 1. OLd Age is our times sun-set the last of this life and first-fruits of death that which all desire and but few like or patiently bear so ingrateful are men to God that they would be yong again so waiward doth sinne make them that they like no present state of so discomposed and foolish a minde are those aged children whose desires look to the Sodom whose dangerous â—lame they had escaped 2. It is the condition of all that groweth in time to decay Time is the devourer of his children here is nothing but perpetual changes we shall not be to morrow what wee were
the Woman was of the man without paine because innocent but now the man is of the woman with her sorrow because she hath sinned a sorrow so intense and embittered with feare and anguish that the Holy Ghost hereby expresseth the condition of the fainting afflicted and dejected spirit in sodaine feares of the affrighted conscience expecting an inevitable judgement The hower of birth and death the entrance and exit of this World being solely in Gods hand and secret counsaile none else knowing the time nor being able to dispose thereof reason more then apparent urgeth the necessity of addresse to him 2. Some are the sepulchers of their Children gone out of ere they came into this World exiled before they saw a native soile advanced from a short imprisonment in the wombe to the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God to the blessed Kingdome of Heaven before they touched this cursebearing earth some see their Benoni and thence have passage into eternall life where the sentence of death began some live to tast their sorrowes allay in â—he sweetest temper of divine mercy with justice becoming rejoycing mothers all is disposed by the all-guiding providence and unlessened power of Gods word who at the beginning but spake and it was done It hath much troubled some to think why if our sinnes be pardoned in Christ are not the punishments thereof also taken away as here why the elect and reprobate the chast matron and filthy adultresse should in this sentence share and suffer alike for satisfaction herein let the servant of God considerâ— 1. That whereas all sinne though not in the same kinde measure or degrees there remaining the same cause there must remaine the same effect in all that bring forth 2. This life is the stadium or race which we have through the variable distractions and tryalls of seducing pleasures and dejecting paines so to runne that we may obtaine here all are a like the Wheat and the tares must grow up togeather unto the harvest the difference shall appeare in the binding up which shall sufficiently crowne or punish 3. Gods finall sentence is adjourned to the Worlds great Assizes the day in which he hath appointed to judge in righteousnesse if he should by present rewards or punishments distinguish between good and evill the matter of Religion would seem acted by selfe-love feare awing and gaine alluring servile mindes to secure and serve themselves not God rather then the love of God which is the summe and ground of all true obedience nor should men according to the mercifull ordinance of God live by Faith but sense the lives of beasts rather then of men they are drawn to obsequie by rewards held out to them or compelled to duty by stripes but these by Faith in the promises of God even when there appeareth in things externall no difference between the wicked and the just nor indeed should God otherwise leave a due place for faiths reward which is not slitely tryed by our present sharing in secular evills with the wicked nor so just and great a punishment of sinne by permitting the disobedient to runne on in their own wayes storing up wrath against the day of wrath and greatning their own damnation 4. Though there is much difference in the issue between the temporall afflictions common to elect and reprobate they being the beginning of destruction to these and a fatherly correction to the other that they might not be condemned with the World yet he continueth them to his dearest children in this life that they may make them throughly sensible of the odiousnesse of sinne by the bitter effects thereof of Gods immutable and inviolable justice the same now which it was when this dolefull sentence was first pronounced of the corrupted state of mans depraved nature conceived in sinne and therefore comming into living in and going out of the World with sorrow and lastly of the necessity of our repaire by faith and continuall renewing our repentance 5. As all other afflictions are not only mitigated but made good to the Saints and coâ—perative for the best to them that love God so is this for through this temporall Childbearing they shall be saved if they continue in Faith and Charity with holinesse and sobriety and in the mean time they are not without their peculiar comforts 1. Our Saviour noted it So soon as she is delivered of the child she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man is borne into the World Doubtlesse as it was and is an affliction to be childlesse so it cannot but be a comfort to her that by an holy progeny encreaseth the Kingdome of God to be her Husbands blessing a fruitfull Vine upon the walls of his house God promising the fruit of the wombe and the sweet Olive branches round about the table for a blessing to them that feare him and walke in his waies 2. It must be a comfort to consider how God not only in Christ in whom male and female have equall interest hath taken off the curse from this sexe made coe-heires with us of the same grace but also the dishonour and bitternesse of their sentence by some peculiar favours and consolations as first that he sent forth his Sonne made of a Woman without man so that he made her mother of Christ according to the flesh that shee might by the power of the most high conceive her Saviour that as shee was the unhappy doore to let in sorrowes and paines deaths terrible harbingers and destruction on all her posterity so she might be to let in Christ the peace happinesse redeemer and life of all the elect Secondly that God made her seed to break the serpents head 3. That he made a Woman the first witnesse of the accomplishment thereof in his resurrection from the dead that the sexe that first heard and felt the sentence on sinne should first see and beleeve the ransome of our sinne there accomplished where death was absolutely vanquished 3. In the sweet object of their affection they most tenderly love who suffer the most bitter sorrow for Children God sometimes expresseth the constancy of his love by a mothers can a Mother forget could a greater among the children of men have been found his infinite love and compassion towards man should have been weighed by it 4. In their Husbands greater love as Leah said now therefore my Husband will love me none but the unnaturall but will have compassion and the more tender love to her by whose sorrowes God hath made him glad by the comfort of deare Children pledges of his posterity 5. In their Childrens love and duty who forsake not the law of their mother as fooles who are their living sorrowes onely the wicked forget their Mothers paines and care for them the ravens of the vallies are too milde executioners for them who despise their Mother when shee is old who looketh
thereof without the soules health Of what certainty or continuance is it at our best strength Are the flowers or bubles more fraile If we are wise we will not quarrell the bitternesse of the medicine so that wee may be recovered 13. Hereby we learne what we owed to God for health and in recovery what use to make thereof which is that wee be truely thankfull that we more holily employ the same knowing that God restored us not to sin that we accompt it lent us for a time to prove us ever remembring that wee must againe be sick and dye that wee betray not the good health which God hath restored us that we might serve him and be blessed to death and selfe-destruction by surfetting drinking gluttony lust this is no better then selfe-murder that wee learne in sommer to provide for winter in the calme against the storme in health against sicknesse 14. God doth herein that which he knoweth best for us though flesh and blood be impatient health hurteth many how much more happily had the theefe murderer adulterer been upon his sick bed then laying wait to sin Innocentius aegrotaret sceleratè sanus this good is in sicknesse it keepeth men more innocent 15. The hand that smiteth us should make us patient as Eli said it is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good it cannot but bee best which he doth to his children he cannot erre who correcteth those he loveth it is great anger when he smiteth not where sin aboundeth without any apparent judgement as it was with Elies sons who hearkned not unto the voice of their father because the Lord would slay them 6 Fix thy soule affections on the life to come meditate on the resurrectioÌ„ of the dead eternall life where shall be no more sin death curse sicknes old age or infirmity where the tree of life Christ Jesus is in the midest to give eternall perpetuity of happines so shalt thou be more willing to leave this miserable inconstant world for heaven if God restore thee health thou wilt pay thy vowes and spend the remainder of thy life more cheerfully in his service The duties of them that visit the sicke are 1. To remember them of the state of all men in sinne and what neede they have of the grace in Christ thereby to move them to repentance an repaire of all injuries by them done to any 2 To recount to them the promises of God in Christ endeavouring to apply them to them and to exhort them to a chearfull confession of the faith to their own and others comfort and confirmation 3. To be instant with them that they be reconciled to all with whom they have had any enmity or contention 4. To dispose of their estates for the prevention of future controversies 5. To comfort them against the feare of death by those scriptures which have Gods promises for assistance in tryalls and and a serious pressing of the resurrection of the dead and state of future glory 6. To pray with them and for them 7. To moove them faithfully to vow if God restore them to live more holily and carefully or patiently to beare their tryalls and to expect constantly the salvation and deliverance of the Lord. A prayer for the sicke MOst holy iust and mercifull Lord God we thy unworthy servants according to thyne own gratious command and promise to heare us calling on thee in the day of our trouble now appearing before thee humbly acknowledge thy fatherly hand smiting us with sicknesse thy corrections are just and so allayed with mercy that thy chastisements are few to our numberlesse sinnes thou mightest sodainly haue smitten us with death the wages of sinne and given us no more warning after our many contempts of thy law threatning and thy gospell promising but haue permitted us to a sodaine perishing in our sins whome thy long suffering could not leade home to repentance now therefore in thy judgment remember mercy correct us not in thine anger chasten us not in thy heavy displeasure Thy holy sonne Jesus hath taught us to call thee Father O let his spirit assure us that our afflictions are but fatherly chastisments smiting that thou maist heale our soules let them be occasions to make us judge our selves that we may not be condemned with an impenitent world our soules have surfetted on the sweet blessings of health and it is but just that thou now smitest us with want thereof it is mercy by these stripes to shew us our sinnes and bring us to thy mercy seat to beg pardon and obtaine remission thou hast with inâ—inite invincible patience expected our repentance and amendment thou hast allured us with every daies favours powred out upon us when that prevailed not thou doest with greater mercy shew thy justice and compell us by thy chastisements to come unto thee we come now gratious Father as out-worne prodigalls driven home by necessity but it is because when thou sawest us far off in our sinnes and miseries thou madest hast to meet us with thy preventing grace and embraced'st us with thy fatherly mercy and what can wee now say more then that we have sinned against heaven and against thee and are no more worthy to be called thy sonnes have mercy on us turne thy face from our sinnes blot out all our iniquities heale our soules cloath us with the best robe of thy righteousnesse make us as the meanest in thy kingdome doe thy will with us in health or sicknesse life or death only let us be thine It was thy eternall counsaile to redeeme sinfull man by thy sonne Christ Jesus by his righteousnesse to kill sinnes in the flesh to give us eternall life by his death and thou hast accomplished it in the appointed time it remaineth only that thou wilt be pleased to apply the assurance thereof to our consciences that after our afflictions we may enjoy the quiet fruits of righteousnesse the end of our faith salvation of bodies and soules O Lord we could looke for nothing but rejection from thy gracious presence for ever if we were to appeare before thee in our deservings but now that we come in the spotlesse robe of thy sonne Christ his righteousnesse wee are confident of the blessing because thou art faithfull in thy promises for his sake cover our sinnes let thy justice be satisfied in his merit seale up the assurance of our pardon by the spirit of truth which cannot deceave us make us fruitfull in all those workes which may give a comfortable testimony to our consciences that we are thine give us strength to fight the good fight finish our course and keep the faith against the fallacies of Satan corruptions of flesh and blood and seducements of an evill worldt o continue grounded and established that wee may be certaine that for us is laid up that immortall crowne of Righteousnesse which thou wilt give at the last day to all that love thy
thee away in thy daily sinnes will like a tender father pitty thee when thou art not able to pray he will remember what thou hast prayed yea what Christ Jesus sitting at his right hand then speaketh for thee when thou hast most need of a mediator when stupified with paines of approaching death thou canst not utter one word for thy selfe then hee will open the heavens to thee and give thee a cleere sight of those joyes as he did S. Stephen then will he give his holy Angells charge over thee to receive thy soule breathed out of thy gasping body to convey it to his gratious and ever blessed presence This world is full of labour sorrow misery there 's no rest here heaven is the arke to which the tired dove the holy soule returneth for rest the morall men seemed to know it who placed their Temple of rest without the gate of Agony How much more must we who beleeve that we shall live eternally with Christ who shall come to save and give us life in death Even so come Lord Jesus AMEN A Prayer for him who hath recieved the sentence of death in himselfe O Lord God almighty preserver of man father of the spirits of the just God of all true consolation the hope of Israel and deliverer thereof in the day of trouble who givest a gratious eare to the afflicted faithfully calling on thee through him whom thou hast appointed to be the only mediator betweene thee and Wretched man Christ Jesus the righteous I humbly acknowledge that I have nothing of my selfe to present unto thy Majestie but confession of mine owne vilenesse nothing in my sinfull flesh but corruption matter of severe judgement to thee who art a God of pure eies and argument of terrour and despaire to my selfe most impure in sinne was I conceived and borne a child of wrath and disobedience my whole life hath abounded with that which bringeth forth fruit only unto death I have not done the good which thy sanctifying spirit made me willing to doe the evill that I would not I have done I have not rendred unto thee according to thy goodnesse when I would summe up my sins they so much exceed all numbers that my heart faileth mee my conscience telleth me of my wilfull neglects of thy service and disobedience to thy word concluding my whole life no better then sinfull but how many waies I have offended thee when I observed not thou only knowest how many are the failings which though I through spirituall blindnesse and carnall security have not observed that I might judge and condemne my selfe for them thereby to prevent thy severe judgement shall yet by no meanes escape thy strict examination and now O Lord what can I more doe then humbly beg thy pardon condemne my selfe renounce all confidence in the world and plead only thy mercy and the merits of thy sonne Jesus for my justification Lord looke upon me through him in whom thou art well pleased Nothing can be past or future to thy eternall wisdome look therefore on his bleeding wounds who did not in vaine dye for me let thy justice be satisfied in his obedience and suffering for all my sins And now O Lord seeing according to thy sentence on all mankind the time of my departure hence draweth high I humbly acknowledge this fraile condition to be the due wages of sinne which brought mortality into the world but thou who didst put thine owne image on me hast not made me for so short a life only as thou givest unto the beasts which perish thou hast no need of my miserie nor advantage in my destruction nor could so inestimable a price of my redemption as the blood of thy holy sonne Jesus be given for that which thou wouldst have perish eternally He must surely live for whom the resurrection and the life of Christ Jesus died Lord therefore seale up my redemption in my afflicted heart now that the Bride is neere send those holy comforters faith and assurance of thy mercy to adorne his own temple to lift up the everlasting doores of my soule that the king of glory and Lord of life may come in and change my vaine love of the world to love of heaven who will change my vile body that it may be like his own glorious body let me hence forth live his life no more mine own assured thereby of the repaire of mine inward man to a joyfull resurrection and life of glory that he may be to me in life and death advantage that in full confidence of my union with and interest in him I may be willing to bee dissolved that I may be with him O holy Saviour who hast through death abolished death and him that had the power thereof take from me all carnall feare by bringing life and immortality to light unto my conscience thou that hast in thy hands the keyes of death and hell restraine the tempters malice and mischievous charges of my sinne-wounded soule make me faithfull unto the death and assure mee of the crowne of righteousnesse laid up for all that love thy appearing Raise me now to the life of grace that the second death may not touch mee And though thou bring this fraile flesh to the dust of the earth yet let not death have dominion over me Though it must to the appointed time separate my soule from this decaying tabernacle of clay let neither life nor death things present nor future seperate my soule from thee and thy Christ. I acknowledge thy mercy who justly mightest have taken me away in my sins by some sodaine and untimely death or set me who am by sinne a sonne of death in the condition of those who in horrour of a restlesse conscience and bitternesse of spirit seeke death and cannot finde it but O good God whose eye is upon them that feare thee to deliver their soules from death in whose hands are the issues thereof seeing thou hast thus long spared me now accomplish thy mercy in me be thou my God for ever and my guide unto my end and comfort in my end now when my heart trembleth in me the terrours of death are fallne upon me give me the long expected fruits of my hopes proposed to me in thy word O blessed Jesus who art the death of death now shew thy selfe my Saviour take from my afflicted soule the sting of death assure me of victory loose the paines allay the feare and sorrowes and sweeten the bitternesse of death untill in my enjoying thy presence it be swallowed up in victory O holy Saviour who hast had experience of all our miseries for sin wiâ—hout sin and hast admitted us to be baptized into the similitude of thy death and resurrection let me now feele in my languishing soule the power thereof O Christ whose humane soule in thy passion for my redemption was heavy to the death now mercifully consider my infirmitie who am going the way of all flesh now give