his Church and go to live with him and that part of his Holy Church which is triumphant O Blessed Jesu King of Clemency and great rewarder of every little Grace Thou who by all we can do pretendest no gain but bestowest on us all that thy self hast done Instruct my gratitude to consecrate all to Thee since all by thy bounty will redound to thy self O Thou who tookst upon Thee all our frailty to bestow on us thine own perfections teach me to prize the joyes of Heaven and part with all things else to purchase Thee O let not the flatteries of worldly pleasures any more delude me nor any superfluous cares perplex my mind O may my chief delight be to think of thee all my study to come to the enjoyment of thee Let the shortness and vexation of all worldly enjoyments so disparage them to my Apprehensions that they may become less tempting to me and take the less hold of my heart Make me thankfully sensible of thy mercy and kindness to Mankind in mixing this worlds enjoyments with so much trouble and inconvenience since we cannot attain thee the Heaven of Heavens if we do not fix our selves intirely upon thee Nor can we do this if we are or may be satisfied with any thing beside thy glorious self Thus has thy wisdom fitly qualified this life the present dark womb of our Souls so that by its own uneasiness it will with thy blessing the more easily dispose them for a happy birth into thy blessed Eternity Through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son who with the Father and the Holy Ghost together is worshipped and glorified Amen Hymn 14. LOrd what a pleasant life were this If all did well their parts If all did one another love Sincerely with their hearts No Suits of Law no noise of War Our quiet minds would fright No fear to lose no care to keep What justly is our right No envious thought no slandoring tongue Would e're disturb our peace We should help them and they help us And all unkindness cease But the All-wise chose other Laws And thought it better so He made the World and sure he knows What 's best with it to do 'T is for our good that all this ill Is suffer'd here below 'T is to correct those dangerous sweets That else would Poyson grow So storms are rais'd to clear the air And chase dull clouds away So weeds grow up to cure our wounds And all our pains allay How often Lord do we mistake When we our Plots design Rule thou hereafter thine own world Only thy self be mine Or rather Lord let me be thine Else I am not mine own Give me thy self or take thou me Undone if left alone To thee great God of Heaven and Earth Each knee for ever bow May all thy Blessed sing above And we adore below Amen Devotions FOR Every Day IN THE WEEK The Second Part. For Sunday Morning MEDITATION I. SIng to our Lord a Psalm of Joy sing Praises to the God of our Salvation Sing with a loud and chearful Voice sing with a glad and thankful Heart Say to the weak of spirit Be strong say to the staggering Faith Be stedfast say to the sorrowful Be of good comfort Tell all the World this Soul-reviving truth and may their Hearts leap within them to hear it Tell them the Lord of life is risen again and has cloath'd himself with immortal glory He made the Angels Messengers of his Victory and vouchsaf't even himself to bring us the happy news How many wayes did thy condescending mercy invent O thou wise contriver of all our happiness to convince thy followers into this blest belief and settle in their Hearts a firm ground of hope Thou appearedst to the holy Women in their return from thy Sepulcher and openedst their eyes to know and adore thee Thou didst purposely overtake in their Journey two of thy Disciples that were discoursing of Thee and make their hearts burn within them by thy Discourse whilst thou didst kindly expound to them the things that related to thee in all the Scriptures and which by thee had been fulfill'd Thou didst show thy self on the Shore to thy Disciples labouring at Sea to intimate that they must now leave that fishing to become Fishers of Men They labour'd all night in vain without the Blessing of their Master Jesus Thou didst show thy self to them and tell them plainly who thou wert by the kind known token of a beneficial Miracle When the doors of the House were shut thou who hadst insensibly come in didst appear to give them peace and satisfaction to satisfie them of thy Resurrection from the dead and of thy continued tender Love to them How didst thou condescend to eat before them and invite them to touch thy Body How didst thou sweetly provoke the incredulous Thomas to thrust his hand into thy wounded side And thou hast taken occasion from his hardness to believe to facilitate the Faith of thy Church in after Ages We bless Thee O Lord who has so order'd the Duties of our Faith that the true reports of Sense may help us in some of them and do contradict us in none How often O gracious Lord in those blessed forty dayes did thy Charity cast to meet with thy Disciples that thou mightest teach them still some excellent truth and imprint still deeper thy Love in their Hearts Discoursing perpetually of the Kingdom of Heaven and establishing proper means to bring us thither At last when all thy glorious task was perfectly finisht and thy hour of departing from this Earth did approach Thou didst tenderly gather thy Children about thee and in their full sight goe up into Heaven leaving thy dearest Blessing on their heads and promising a kind Comforter in thy absence O how adoreable are thy Counsels O Lord How strangely endearing the wayes of thy Love Say now my Soul is not this evidence clear enough to answer all our darkest Doubts Is not this hope abundantly sufficient to sweeten all our bitterest Sorrows What though we mourn and be afflicted here and sigh under the Miseries of the world for a time we may be sure that our Tears shall one day be turn'd into Joy and that Joy none shall be able to take from us What though our Bodies be crumbled into dust and that dust should be blown about over the face of the whole Earth Yet we undoubtedly know that our Redeemer lives and shall appear in brightness at the last Great Day He shall appear in the midst of all the numerous Hosts of Angels and before him shall be brought all Nations Then with these Eyes which now read of him we shall see him we shall see him in whom we have so long believed we shall find him whom we have so often sought In our full and final Redemption we shall find him a faithful and mighty Redeemer We shall possess him whom our Souls have loved and be united to him for ever who is the only
and brings us forth to see thy light This is alone the proper Machine wherein thy hand has set our Lives to learn the art of managing it right and wind up our selves to thy glorious Heaven O that we had that happy skill how soon would every thing help forward to advance us Whether we eat or drink or whatever else an innocent hand can undertake if we regard our faithful end and order all to the improvement of our minds They instantly change their secular name and deservedly are preferr'd to become religious Riches themselves and imperious Honour have not so perverse and fixt a malice but a prudent use converts them to Piety and makes them fit instruments of highest Bliss Our very delights O the goodness of our God! may be temper'd with so wise an alloy that his mercy accounts them as parts of our Duty and fails not to give them their full reward while they are entertain'd for the health of our Bodies or the just refreshment of our wearied spirits and both our Bodies and Spirits constantly apply'd to gain new degrees of the love of Heaven Thus gracious Lord every moment of our lives may still be climbing up towards thee thus may we still proceed in thy service even then when we most of all serve our selves And then indeed it is we best serve our selves when we are busiest in what we call thy service Thou sweetly vouchsafest to stile that thy glory which in very truth is nothing but our interest Thou kindly complain'st we dishonour thy Name when we onely mischief our own Souls MEDITATION III. THis Life indeed is the way we must walk but this alone cannot bring us to our end E're we arrive at our appointed home we must be led through the Gates of Death where we shall absolutely be stript of all we have and carry nothing with us but what we are Where we not only must quit the whole World but leave behind us even part of our selves Hast thou my Soul seen some Neighbour dye and dost thou remember those circumstances of Sorrow We are sure the Case e're long will be our own and are not sure but it may be very soon Have we our selves been dangerously sick and do we remember the thoughts we had then How we resolv'd to correct our Passions and strive against the vices that particularly endanger us It will come to this again and no reprieve shall be found to stay one single Minute the hand of Death But he immediately will seize upon us and bear us away to the Region of spirits there to be rang'd in our proper place as the course of our Life has qualified us here Nor is this all to expire and dye and dwell for a time in a state of Separation We must expect another day a day of publick accounts and restitution of all things When the Arch-Angel shall sound his Trumpet and proclaim aloud this universal summons Arise you dead and come to Judgment arise appear befor the Throne of God. Then shall the little heaps of Dust immediately awake and every Soul put on again her proper Body Immediately all the Children of Adam shall be gather'd together from Heaven and Hell and every corner of the Earth There they must stand and all attend their doom but O with how sad and fatal a difference The Just shall look up with a chearful confidence and in their new white robes triumph and sing Alleluja let us rejoice for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Bride has prepar'd her self Let us rejoice for the Kingdom of the World is made our Lords and his Christs and he shall Reign for ever and ever Let us rejoice for now our Redeemer is nigh behold he comes quickly and his reward is with him Come come Lord Jesu thou long desire of our Hearts come quickly thou full delight of our Souls Come and declare to all the world thy Glory come and reward before all the World thy Servants Lo where aloft he comes in Power and Majesty attended with a train of innumerable Angels Behold where he sits enthron'd on the Wings of Cherubims and takes at once a view of all mankind Soon he commands his Angels to sever his sheep and gather them together on his Right hand First then to them he turns his glorious Face and shines upon them and saies these ravishing words Come ye blessed of my Father possess the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World. O the joyes their Souls shall feel when those Heavenly Words sound in their Ears Joyes that the wit of man cannot conceive joyes that the Tongues of Angels cannot express Let it suffice themselves shall tast their own felicity and feed on its sweetness for ever But O with what dejected Eyes and trembling Hearts shall the wicked stand expecting their Judge What shall they do when where-ever they look their griev'd Eye can meet with nothing but what will cause despair Above the offended Judge ready to condemn them below the bottomless Pit gaping to devour them Within the worm of Conscience gnawing their Bowels and round about them all the world is in flames What shall they do when that terrible voice shall strike them suddenly down to the bottom of Hell Go you accursed into everlasting Fire prepar'd for the Devil and his Angels The day of man is past when Sinners did what they pleas'd and God seem'd to hold his Peace 'T is now the day of God when his wrath shall speak in thunder and Sinners shall suffer what their wickedness deserves Then shall they sink immediately into the Pit of Sorrow and dwell in darkness and torments for ever While the just shall go up in Joy and Triumph and Reign with our Lord in his Kingdom for ever Thus shall the whole Creation be finally dispos'd and Mercy and Justice divide the world O my Soul who now art here below and read'st these dreadful Truths as things afar off Know thou shalt be present and see them with thine Eyes and be thy self concern'd for all Eternity Know as thou livest thou art sure to die and as thou diest thou art sure to be judged Think what a sad condition it will be to find thy self on the wrong hand Think what then thou would'st give to have repented in time think what thou would'st give for a little time to repent Think on these things and now heartily repent while yet a moment of time is left thee Improve this moment about the necessary work because thou canst not be assur'd of the Succession of another Watch now thy self continually and continually pray for we know not the Hour when the Son of man will come PETITIONS O Son of God and Man who camest in Mercy to save O bring the same Mercy with Thee when thou comest to Judge us In the mean while assist me by thy heavenly Grace to stand perpetually with my accounts prepared that I may die in the Peace of God and Communion of
passage into Life We will love no more the Pleasures of Vanity nor set our hearts on unsatisfying riches since thou hast opened Paradise again and Purchas'd for us the Kingdom of Heaven Hymn 27. MY God to Thee our selves we owe And to thy Bounty all we have Behold to thee our Praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave If we are happy in a Friend That very Friend 't is thou bestow'st His power his will to help our end Is just so much as thou allow'st If we enjoy a free Estate Our only Title is from thee Thou mad'st our lot to bear that rate Which else an empty blank would be If we have Health that well-tun'd ground That gives the Musick to the rest It is by thee our Air is sound Our Food secur'd our Physick blest If we have hope one day to view The Glories of thy blissful Face Each drop of that refreshing Dew Must fall from Heaven and thy free grace Thus then to thee our Praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave Since 't is to thee our selves we owe And to thy bounty all we have Glory to Thee great God alone Three Persons in one Deity As it has been in Ages gone May now and still for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. BLessed be thy Name O holy Jesu and blessed be the mercy of thy Providence Who hast cast our lot in these times of Grace and design'd our birth in the dayes of light when we may clearly see our ready way and directly go on to our glorious end 'Till thou appearedst O thou only Light of the World our miserable Earth lay cover'd with darkness 'Till thou wentest away O thou Sovereign Lord of Life the Kingdom of Heaven was close shut up When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of Death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Thou didst communicate thy Joyes to all the World and display the bright glories of thy happy Kingdom to all that esteem'd so blest a sight and stood prepar'd to entertain thy coming As for the rest whose eyes are shut or turn'd away by their own malice thy Presence yields them no more Joy than light to those that will not see But the hearts that receive and love thee thou fillest with gladness and overflowest them with an ocean of heavenly delights Come ye happy believing Souls that are made partakers of the mercies of his Kingdom Come let us now raise up our thoughts and continually Meditate our future Beatitude Let us comfort our selves with the hope of rest and our Sufferings with the expectance of a glorious reward Now that the hand of our gracious Lord has unlockt the gates of everlasting Bliss Now that they stand wide open to admit such as diligently strive to enter in Such as have wisely made choice of Heaven for the only end and business of their life rejecting all the false allurements of this World to attend the pursuit of true felicity MEDITATION III. PRaise our Lord O you children of Men Praise him as the Anthor of all your hopes Praise our Lord O you blessed of Heaven Praise him as the Finisher of all your Joyes Sing O you reverend Patriarchs and holy Prophets Sing Hymns of Glory to the great Messias Sing and Rejoyce all you ancient Saints who have so long enjoy'd the happy repose of Abraham's bosom Bring forth your best and purest Incense and humbly offer it at the Throne of the Lamb The Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the World by the sprinkling of whose Blood you all were saved O still sing on the Praises of the King of Peace and bless for ever his victorious Mercy It was he dissolv'd the power of darkness and broke asunder the strong bars of Death He has conquer'd Death and him that had the power of it even the Devil that his faithful Followers might triumph over both How did your glad eyes sparkle with Joy to see the Ascension of your humbled Redeemer How were your Spirits transported with delight to behold the splendours of his glorious Exaltation to have his Presence among you his blissful Presence that can turn even the saddest night into a chearful day that can change a Dungeon into a house of Mirth and make every place a joyful Paradice O glorious Presence when shall our Souls be fill'd with strong and constant desires of enjoying Thee O sluggish Soul how canst thou contentedly hover about this Earth when the loving Jesus is Ascended above the Skies with longing hopes look up thither and say When dearest Jesu shall my desires be fill'd with the everlasting fruition of thy blessed self Henceforth for thee and for thy Sacred Love O thou great and only Comfort of our Souls shall all Afflictions be welcome to me as wholsome Physick to correct my Follies shall the Pleasures of the World be very cautiously used as dangerous Fruit that may fill me with Diseases Will I by thy example neither fear to Dye nor refuse the labours of this present Life But while I live I will obey thy Grace that when I dye I may enjoy thy Glory PETITIONS O Blessed Jesu our only hope our all-sufficient strength and the liberal Rewarder of all thy Servants As thou hast freely prepared for us ready wages so Lord let thy Grace inable us to work Let thy Grace excite to diligence in our work and make us steady and persevering in the way thou lovest Make us direct our whole Life to thee O Fullness of Bliss and undervalue all things compar'd with thy Love. O Seal up our Eyes to the Illusions of this World and open them upwards to thy solid Joyes there let them fix their pleased sight and look 'till we be transformed into thy glorious likeness That when our present earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved and this House of Clay shall fall down into the dust we may ascend to thee and dwell above in that Building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens O Jesu thou didst expire on the Cross and descend into the Grave to destroy the life of Sin in us and the fears of Death Grant then I beseech thee that these may never revive in me to tempt or affright me from the wayes of Holiness Fix in me O Lord the firm belief of this very sure and important Truth That the greatest mischiefs which our Salvation can cost us here are but momentary and shall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Through thy abundant Merits O dear Redeemer Glory be to c. Amen For Saturday Evening MEDITATION I. TOO often are we troubled about many things when the truely necessary is only one Retire O my Soul into thine own bosom and search what thou aim'st at in all thy thoughts Examine where thou dost place thy chief Felicity and whither tend thy strongest desires Go to the Great and Prudent of the World and learn of them to choose thy Interests Do they not there encrease their Estates where they
to adore thee the kind Saviour of us all who with the Father and the Spirit art one God blessed for ever Glory be to c. Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. ALL things do live to thee O Lord thou sole preserver of universal nature the blessed Saints rejoice in thy glory and our imperfect Souls are here sustain'd in hope We know that thou wilt bring us to the Grave which is the house appointed for all the living and from thence thou wilt raise us again to an universal Judgment and then dispose of us to our Eternal Portion O happy they whom our Lord shall honour on that day of his solemn triumph and rising from his seat of Judgment go gloriously before them and with these sweet and gracious words invite them to follow him Come you blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World. The reward of your labours I will give you I my self will be your reward you have firmly believ'd you have readily obey'd you have constantly suffer'd Come enter now into your Masters joy They that are careful my Soul to dye the death of the righteous will with them be thus caress'd at the day of judgement Now thou hast pass'd another day another step towards thy long home thou hast seen the Sun a few hours more and this day is gone and lost in its own night But hast thou lost it too and made no use of it while it shin'd then let the dew of thy penitent tears for shame lament its departure Thou art nearer thy death but no more prepar'd for it if thou hast made no advance towards perfection Examine thy self to know the truth and ask thy self these useful Questions Am I grown devout as the Saints of God were Am I chaste temperate and resign'd as they yet Do I despise now the World with a Zeal like theirs and value Heaven at the same high rate with them Would I give all I have just now to be there And part with Life it self just now to go thither Has the consideration of their blissful reward brought me to a full resolution to aim at the highest imitation of them At least have I learnt to humble my self and check the vanity of my proud conceits To mourn and blush at my own many Infirmities when I consider their excellent Lives and Vertues If thou canst not equal my Soul such glorious patterns yet let it be thy hearts desire to do it and what they really did do thou really wish to do MEDITATION II. LET us humble our selves we that are yet in this low state but not grow faint at the sight of others so far before us Rather let us quicken our sloth by considering their swift pace and encourage our fears with their happy success We who profess the Religion of all these Saints who liv'd and dy'd Members of the same Church with us We who partake of the same holy Sacraments and eat the same celestial Food who may partake of the same holy and powerful Spirit if we diligently seek and readily receive him Why should we fear but that one day we may shine above and rejoyce together with the glorified Saints Are we not all redeem'd by the same rich price and the same eternal Crowns propos'd to us all Are we not bred in the same Apostolick Faith and taught of God by his appointed Ministers The Lessons I see and Teacher is the same but the hand is dull and the Instrument out of tune They liv'd in a dangerous World like this and were ty'd to Bodies frail as ours But by a constant vigilance they overcame the World and subdu'd those Bodies to the service of their Minds They overcame with a joyful Heart and we thus congratulate the Triumph of their victories They overcame but not by their own strong hand and now they triumph but 't is by the bounty of their God. Chear then thy self my Soul and raise thy Head and open thy bosom to the hopes of Heaven Fear not our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for him If we delight in the wayes of Piety and diligently attend the Offices of Devotion If we refrain from the liberties of the World and curb the loose suggestions of the Flesh If we can look on Gold and Honour and their flaming beams not dazle our Eyes if we perform with them the part of faithful Servants we shall surely with them have the portion of Children MEDITATION III. PRecious in thy sight O Lord is the death of thy Saints which finishes thy greatest Work the perfecting of Souls whom thou esteemest as the Jewels of Heaven and choicely gatherest into thine own Treasury Precious to themselves O Lord is the death of thy Saints which takes off the dusky cover that hides their brightness which shapes and polishes them to a beauteous lustre and sets them as Stars round about thy Throne Precious O Lord to us is the death of thy Saints from whence we are furnisht with such means of Vertue Some teach us courage to encounter dangers and not for fear make shipwrack of our Conscience Others by their Example instruct us to converse with meekness and patiently bear neglects and injuries From some we may learn how to use this world wisely and make it serve us in our way to the next From others we may learn how more generously to despise it and pass our dayes in Peace and Prayer By all with thy blessing we may learn this best of arts to live and dye like Saints and do this in the best of methods thy glorious Example O gracious Lord whose Love still looks about and searches every way to save us sinners who camest thy self bright Sun of Glory to enlighten our darkness and warm our frozen Hearts Who with thy fruitful Beams still kindlest others to burn as Tapers in thy Church's hand and by their near proportionate distance stand fit to shine into every corner of our lives We will ever bless thy Name for all these Mercies and take care to pass by not one with Ingratitude We will not consider in vain the Crown at the Race's end and sit down lazily in the shades of ease nor keep in vain the memory of thy Saints without endeavouring to imitate them which would be to the reproach of our unprofitable lives We will strain all our Powers and pursue to the mark for the glorious prize that is set before us Still with our utmost speed we will follow them whose travel ended in so sweet a rest PETITIONS O God of infinite adorable Goodness who after thy faithful Servants had spent their day of life in a course of steady and laborious Piety and Vertue did'st graciously close their Evening with a comfortable death and give them instead of this an eternal day of Glory O grant to us below we beseech thee so to imitate thy Saints in the wise bestowing our allotted time on our Earth that we may follow them in their happy passage out of this World and be admitted with them to thy everlasting Glories in the other When our Life's last day O Lord begins to fall and bids us hasten to prepare for night then send thy willing Angels to watch about us and suffer not the Enemy to disturb our passage Send them to receive in peace our departing Souls and to bear them safely to thy presence Then O thou dear Redeemer of the World and sovereign King of Life and Death thou who despisest not the Tears of the Penitent nor turnest away from the sighs of the Afflicted Thou who preservest all that rely on thee and fulfillest their desires that long to be with thee Do thou hear our cries and pardon our sins and graciously deliver us from all our fears Call us to thy self with thine own blest Voice Call us O dearest Jesu in thine own sweet words Say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World. Then will our happy Souls immediately obey and go forth with gladness to meet their Lord and Love to live with him and behold his Glory and partake of his Happiness and sing his Praise These things O Lord we humbly expect from the merit of thy humble Death and the power of thy glorious Exaltation O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have mercy upon us have mercy upon us and grant us thy eternal peace Amen Hymn 40. TOO hasty night forbear our Praise And our yet young beginning Hope Set to encrease on these blest dayes So faint and dull requires more scope Night will not hear but sullen flies And summons all the World to sleep Commands us close our Books and Eyes What we have gain'd content to keep O happy Saints this broken rate Our slowness bids to ply its wings While your unwearied active state Does alwaies wake and alwaies sings Yet eve'n our state your School too was And those your now unweary'd Laies By such a change of sing and pause Here among us you learn'd to raise Here you thus often too took breath And yet have climb'd those hills of light O may your good success bequeath A Hope to reach that glorious height Though now our Notes be short and few Our rests too frequent are and long If we but keep in tune with you We shall at last sing your glad Song If with our utmost humble powers We here our daily Praye'rs attend These poor Devotions shall like yours There in a nightless fervour end Glory O Lord to thee alone Be here below as there above O may thy joyes Great Three in One Ever attract and Crown our Love. Amen FINIS ERRATA These few mistakes of the Press the Courteous Reader is desir'd to Pardon and Correct PAge 6. line 7. for talk read task p. 17. l. 20. f. beautified r. beatified p. 28. l. â—8 f. seel r. feel p. 72. r. Hymn 7. p. 96 f. Son r. Sun. p. 204. l. 6. f. potion r. portion p. 282. last l. r. thus acting p. 302. first l. of the Hymn r. ' T is not for us p. 319. l. 7. f. adventures r. adventurers p. 358. r. H. 31. p. 442 443. 445 446. at the top f. Even r. Morn p. 452. l. 17. f. fire r. flame
in resolution Call all the Pleasures of the world before Thee and ask if any of those transitory relishes are worthy our enduring for them such exceeding great and endless pains Enquire whether to satisfie some irregular passion can recompense with equal advantage the forfeiture of such Felicities Ask if the vain forbidden things thou lovest deserve thy affection better than thy Maker Are they more worthy in themselves or more beneficial to Thee that thou maiest justly prefer them before thy Redeemer Dost thou expect to be at rest and satisfied by enjoying them or everlastingly happy by their procurement Will they protect thee at the hour of thy death or plead thy cause at the day of Judgment O no they have little in them they do but deceive me with a smiling look which I have too often prov'd by dear experience 'T is Heaven alone that can yield a true content it is that alone that fills with eternal delight Say then my Soul Take away your flatteries false World leave me a mind free for the entertainment of better things If my Saviour turn but his Face towards me my Mind shall be fixt on him I will look continually on his glorious beauties and be ravisht for ever with the charms of his sweetness 'T is Thee chaste Spouse of Souls 't is Thee alone I choose and dedicate my self entirely to thy service Say these things and mean as thou speakest be thou hearty and sincere in choosing thus Did we clearly see what we say we believe it would make the most of men alter the vain course of their Lives Did we but see the Damned in their flames or hear them cry in the midst of their torments How should we be afraid to follow them in their sins which we know have plunged them into all those Miseries How should we strive against the next temptation and cast about to avoid the danger Did we but see on the other side the incomparable Glories of the Saints or hear the sweet harmonious Hymns which they continually sing how should we study to imitate those holy wayes in which we know they arrived at all their Happiness How should we seek all occasions of improvement and make it our business to work out our Salvation What should we account too much to be done for the attainment of those matchless joyes What should we not readily do to avoid those sorrows Yet all this is as sure as if we saw it and would move us as much if we could but seriously consider it PETITIONS DEar Lord it is only thou that canst make me consider these things so carefully as to resolve upon a wise choice If left to my self I am alas very likely to choose the vain goods of this world to neglect my Soul to forfeit thy eternal joyes and to incurre thy eternal punishments O Blessed Jesu do thou choose me and make my ignorant Soul so sensible of my true interest as to choose Thee for my portion and Inheritance for ever Make me choose to love Thee above all thy competitors here and till I come to see thee and then I am sure that from thenceforth I cannot choose but love thee for ever Pity O Lord the present frailty of thy Creature and suffer not my blindness to lead me into ruin Supply I pray thee my want of sight by a lively Faith of the glorious and terrible things that are unseen and do thou so confirm my Faith and inable it by thy Grace that I may be very sensible it is no matter of small importance to gain or lose the Kingdom of Heaven Make me Lord to pursue the good choice when I have made it to use fit Means industriously as well as desire the fit End. Direct and assist me my God I pray to prepare my self for these Felicities Having presented to me such giorious Hopes make me to purifie my felf as thou art pure Make me to labour diligently and continue stedfastly in doing well Make me patient in suffering of whatever Afflictions it shall please thy wisdom to lay upon me Help me Lord in all conditions to be carrying on the work of my Salvation So shalt thou have Glory by my eternal happiness the Glory which thou desirest Glory be to c. Amen For Wednesday Evening MEDITATION I. A Good Conscience is a contiual feast and a peaceful mind the Antipast of Heaven Lord how secure and quiet they live whom thy Grace preserves in Innocence The day goes smoothly over their heads and silent as the shadow of a Dial. The spirits of their Fancy run calm and even they ebb and flow according to the allegiance which they owe to reason All their delight is to think of Heaven and to reckon over the many tastful joyes which they shall one day possess The devout mind free from stormy passions is like a bright day of the Spring wherein the beauty of the Sun has no cloud to obscure it the sweet Air has no storms to ruffle it the glad Birds sing and all Nature puts on a pleasing look Such a mind is full of light and peace and joy and puts the countenance into a sedate and chearful composure Oh the happiness of such a state Oh how desirable is its eternal continuance But our Days on earth are mixt with Nights our calms with storms and fair weather with foul Some unruly passion presses to come in it is importunate and fawns at first to gain admittance It promises not to interrupt the Joy and Happiness but after a little time discovers its pernicious intent if it be not very quickly rejected Soon it grows bold to undermine our repose and open a door to all our enemies Just so at a little breach in the wall of a beleaguered City a whole Army pours in their numerous body and they enslave all that submit to their violence and destroy all those that make head against it Such alas is our confusion and hurt when once we have yeilded to the first Assault of any Passion Immediately a throng of tumultuating spirits croud into our heads and utterly consume the little remainder of our peace O the endless distraction of a life led by humour by blind will O the miserable thraldom of being subject to our passions What a boisterous sea every where beset with Rocks and Quick-sands is to a Mariner that is a Mind subject to violent passions such a mind is in continual danger of making Shipwrack of a good Conscience How often do our passions engage us to contend with others and imbitter all our daies with strife and envy How often do they quarrel even among themselves and raise a fierce war in our own bosoms If they by chance agree in one desire they many times vex us with their being disappointed And the vexation of disappointment is so much the greater by how much they were concern'd If they perhaps sometimes succeed they seldom produce the expected content If they delight our corrupted taste and we greedily
pleaded their excuse and when they kill'd him he earnestly pray'd for their Pardon O strange ingratitude of humane nature thus barbarously to crucifie the Worlds Redeemer O admirable Love of the worlds Redeemer thus patiently to dye for humane Nature Say now my Soul for whom thy dearest Lord endur'd all this and infinitely more Canst thou complain of thy little troubles when the King of Glory was thus afflicted Canst thou complain of a meanly furnisht house when the Son of God had not where to lay his head We wear the badge of a crucified Lord and shall we shrink back at every Cross we meet we believe in a God that was crown'd with Thorns and shall we abide to tread on nothing but Roses Before our eyes O Jesu we see thee humble and meek and shall thy Servants be proud and insolent We see thee travel up and down poor and unregarded and shall thy followers strive to be rich and esteemed Thy charitable labours were maliciously slander'd and shall not our faults have the patience to be reproved Thou didst not disdain to be call'd thô in scorn the Carpenters Son and cannot our lowness bear a little disparagement O how unlike are we to that blest Original who descended from Heaven to become our Pattern How do we go astray from that sacred path which the Holy Jesus trac'd with his own steps MEDITATION III. ALL this O Blessed Jesu thou taughtst thy Holy Prophets to prepare the World for the coming of a Humble Saviour all this and infinitely more thou didst verifie in thine own Person with the reproaches pains and inward sorrows thou didst endure So much as was able to make even patience it self break forth into this sad complaint O all you that pass by behold and see if there be any Sorrow like unto my Sorrow My God when I consider what thou hast suffer'd for us and what we have done against our selves I am amaz'd at the wonders of thy goodness and confounded at the vileness of our misery Our Sins were the cause of thy cruel death yet still we permit them to live in us We entertain the worst of thine Enemies and treacherously lodge them in our own bosoms Preferring a petty interest before thy Heaven and a transitory pleasure before Eternal Felicity Many we confess are the follies of our Life and our Consciences may very justly tremble at their own great Guilt Many are the times thou hast graciously pardon'd us and still we relapse and abuse thy clemency The Memory Lord of my transgressions shall be very bitter to me and the thought of my ingratitude shall extreamly afflict me Oh that my Head were Waters and mine Eyes a Fountain of Tears that Day and Night I might continually lament my own many Sins and my dear Saviours Sufferings But is there O my Jesu any stain so foul which thy precious blood cannot wash away Is there any heap of Sins so vast to exceed the number of infinite Mercies O no Thou canst forgive more than we can offend but thou wilt not forgive unless we fear to offend Unless we seek to Thee for Peace and reconcilement and humble our selves in thy Holy Presence I will therefore O Lord humbly prostrate my self before Thee and cast my self upon thy infinite Mercy I will look seriously into my own Breast and make diligent search for my bosom Sins I will confess and heartily lament my many failings and strive to correct and amend my self by Fasting and Prayer All we can offer thy offended Majesty to pacifie the Justice of thy wrath is only an humble Eye bath'd in Tears and a penitent Heart broken with godly sorrow Only a firm resolve to change our lives and even all this we must beg of Thee PETITIONS O Thou our Gracious and Indulgent Lord who freely pardonest all that truly Repent who givest Repentance to all that ask and invitest all to ask by promising to give O give me I pray an unseign'd Repentance for my past offences and then give the Remission that thou hast promised to Repentance Open O Lord my Lips freely to accuse my self for all the Crimes which my Examination may find in my Heart or Life Let the consideration of thy cruel Sufferings heighten my sorrow for Sin and confirm my detestation against it Make me in every action still think of Thee and call to mind what thou hast commanded me to do make me call to mind thy Holy and exemplary Life and think what thou thy self wouldst do O Blessed Jesu if thou wert here among us And when I have thus learnt my duty make me steadily do what thou hast taught me to know When I consider my waies make me turn my feet unto thy Testimonies Pity O dear Redeemer the infirmities of thy Servant and strengthen with thy Grace my often fainting Heart Preserve me hereafter by thy Almighty Power that no tentation may surprize or overcome me Arm me O Glorious Conquerour of Sin and Death against all the fears and terrours of this world Arm all my Powers with those celestial vertues Faith and Hope and invincible Charity That I may still go on and resolutely meet whatever stands in my way to Heaven If I must suffer as a Christian since I have deserv'd it from thee as a Sinner help me to bear it with such patience as becomes thy Servant Let me not by doing evil or omitting any required duty decline any suffering I may be exposed to for thy sake Since thy love made thee suffer so much for me and has prepar'd so excellent rewards to Crown my Sufferings hereafter Since Flesh and Blood cannot enter into thy Heavenly Kingdom make me to put them off here by frequent denying even their just contentments So shall I be disposed the better to endure with patience the inconveniences of my way thither I am O Lord I must confess unworthy of the least of thy mercies but these things I hope to obtain through the merits of thy Passion Glory be to c. For Friday Evening MEDITATION I. O Senseless we that so little consider what we do against our Saviour or what he suffer'd for us Lord how the World requites thy Love How ingrateful are we to thy Blessed Memory We negligently forget thy Sacred Passion or rather which is far worse our Sins renew thy Sufferings While we deprive others of their Right what do we else but divest Thee of thy cloaths While we delight in Strife and Schism what do we else but rend thy seamless Coat If we despise the least of thy faithful Servants are we not as so many Herods that scorn'd Thee If we for Fear proceed against our Conscience how are we better than Pilate that unjustly condemn'd Thee By forsaking thy will to follow our own do we not chuse a Murderer before thee By retaining a sharp and bitter malice do we not give Thee Vinegar and Gall to drink By shewing no Mercy to the poor and afflicted do we not pass by thy
who can see we who believe Praise to the glorious Three in One Let Time ascribe till Time be done Then let the work continued be By an endless Eternity Amen For Friday Morning MEDITATION I. COme let us glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is our Life and Health and Resurrection Shall we rejoyce my Soul to day Shall we not rather mourn at the Funeral of our dear Redeemer Such O my Lord was the Excess of thy Goodness to derive joyes for us from thine own Sorrows Thou forbad'st thy followers to weep for thee and reserved'st to thy self alone the shame and grief Thou invitest all the World to glory in thy Cross and command'st us to delight in the memory of thy Passion Sing then all you dear-bought Nations of the Earth sing Hymns of Glory to the holy Jesus Sing every one who pretends to Felicity sing immortal praises to the God of our Salvation To him who for us endur'd so much scorn and patiently receiv'd so many Injuries To him who for us sweat drops of Blood and drank off the dreggs of his Father's wrath To the Eternal Lord of Heaven and Earth who for us was slain by the hands of the wicked who for us was led away as a Sheep to the slaughter and as a meek Lamb opened not his Mouth Whither O my God did thy Compassion carry thee how did thy Charity too far prevail with thee Was it not enough to become Man for us but thou must expose thy self to all our Miseries Was it not enough to labour all thy life but thou must suffer for us even the pains of Death No gracious Lord thy Mercy still observ'd some wants in our condition as yet unsupply'd Thou saw'st our too much fondness of Life needed thy parting with it to reconcile us to Death Thou saw'st our fear of Sufferings could no way be abated but by freely undergoing them in thine own person Thou saw'st our Souls so deeply stain'd with Guilt that without thy Blood we could have no Remission O Blessed Jesu whose Grace alone begins and perfects all our hopes How are we bound to praise thy Love how infinitely oblig'd to adore thy goodness At any rate thou would'st still go on to heal our weak and wounded Nature Even at the price of thine own dear Blood thou would'st accomplish for us the purchase of Heaven Hymn 25. TUne now your selves my Heart-strings high Let us alost our Voices raise That our loud Song may reach the Skie And there present to thee our Praise To thee Blest Jesu who cam'st down From those bright Sphears of Joy above To purchase us a dear-bought Crown And wooe our Souls to ' espouse thy Love. Long had the World in darkness sate 'Till thou and thy all-glorious Light Began to dawn from Heavens fair Gate And with thy Beams dispel their Night We too alas still there had stood As common Slaves in the same shade But Mercy came and with his Blood Our general Ransome freely paid Not all the Spite of all the Jews Nor Death it self could him remove Still he his blest design pursues And gives his Life to crown our Love. And now my Lord my God my all What shall I most in thee admire That power which made the World and shall The World again dissolve with fire Oh no thy strange Humility Thy Wounds thy Pains thy Cross thy Death These shall alone my wonder be My Health my Joy my Staff my Breath To thee Great God! to thee alone Three Persons in one Deity As former Ages still have done All Glory now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. AWake my Soul and speedily prepare thy richest Sacrifice of humble Praise Awake and summon all thy thoughts to make haste and adore our great Redeemer To him let us reverently go and offer our devout hearts at his sacred Feet Thither let us fly from the Troubles of the World with him let us dwell among the Mercies of Heaven Under the shade of that happy Tree let us fix our abode A Tree of safe defence and delicious fruit Let us remember every passage of our Saviour's Love and desire that none may escape our thanks Let us compassionate every stroke of his Death and one by one salute his sacred Wounds Blest be the Hands that wrought so many Miracles and were bor'd with cruel Nails Blest be the Feet that so often travell'd for us and at last were unmercifully fastened to the Cross Blest be the Head which was crowned with Thorns the Head that so industriously studied our Happiness Blest be the Heart which was pierc'd with a Spear the Heart that so passionately lov'd our peace Blest be the entire person of our Crucifi'd Lord and may all our powers joyn in his praise In thy eternal praise O gracious Jesu and the ravishing thoughts of thy incomparable Sweetness O what excess of Kindness was this what strange extremity of Love and Pity The Lord is sold that the Slave may be free the innocent condemn'd that the guilty may be sav'd The Physician is sick that the Patient may be cur'd and he who was God dies that man may live Tell me my Soul when first thou hast well consider'd and lookt about among all we know tell me Who ever wisht us so much good Who ever lov'd us with so much tenderness What have our nearest Friends done for us or even our Parents in comparison of this Charity No less than the Son of God came down to redeem us no less than his own dear Life was the price he paid for us What can the favour of the whole World promise us compar'd to this miraculous Bounty No less than the joyes of Angels are become our hope no less than the Kingdom of Heaven is made our Inheritance MEDITATION III. TO thee O God we owe our selves for making us after thine own Image To thee O Lord we owe more than our selves for redeeming us with the Death of thine onely Son. Nor were our Ruines so soon repair'd as at first our Being was easily produc'd Thy Power to Create us said but one word and immediately we became a living Soul But thy Wisdom to Redeem us both spake much and wrought more and suffer'd most of all To redeem us he humbled himself to this low World and all the infirmities of our miserable Nature He patiently endur'd hunger and thirst and the malicious affronts of enraged Enemies How many times did he hazard his life to sustain with Courage the Truths of Heaven how many Tears did he tenderly weep in compassion of his blind ungrateful Country how many drops of Blood did he shed in the doleful Garden and on the bitter Cross the Cross where after three long hours of grief and shame and intolerable pains he meekly bow'd his fainting Head and in an Agony of Prayer yielded up the Ghost So sets the glorious Sun in a sad Cloud and leaves our Earth in darkness and disorder but goes to shine immediately in
thou the desire of all Nations We were misled by the errour of our Forefathers we were abus'd by our own blind passions The Kingdom we expected deserves not that Name a short vain and troublesome Prosperity Thy Dominion O Lord is Holiness and Peace and of thy Kingdom there shall be no end Such was the Kingdom thou promisedst to David Thy Throne will I establish for ever Such is the Kingdom thou giv'st to thy Servants they shall live and reign with thee for ever If we love my Soul and seek first this eternal Kingdom all other things shall be added to it This Happy Kingdom we ought to love and seek though nothing else should be added to it Thou art O Lord the true light of the World they who follow Thee walk not in darkness MEDITATION II. RIse Holy Spouse of the Son of God rise and put on thy robes of joy Rise and shine forth for thy Glory is come and the splendour of our Lord strikes bright upon Thee The Gentiles shall walk in the beams of thy light and Kings in the lustre of thy Brightness Lift up thine Eyes round about and behold they gather all together and flock to thee Thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters be nurst at thy side Then thou shalt see and flow together thy Heart shall wonder and be enlarged with gladness Because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto Thee and the strength of the Gentiles come unto thee The Sons of Strangers shall build up thy Walls and their Kings shall Minister unto Thee The Nation shall perish that will not serve thee and the Kingdom be utterly wasted that refuses thee The Sons of thy afflicters shall come bending before Thee and all they that despised thee bow thimselves down at the soles of thy feet For our Lord shall be thy everlasting light and the dayes of thy Mourning shall end in Glory To thee shall be given the Keys of Heaven and thou shalt shut and open those Eternal Doors Thy Foundation shall be laid on a firm Rock and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against thee A way shall be made so direct and plain that the Passengers though Fools shall not erre therein And the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of our Lord as the waters cover the Sea. All this we read all this we firmly believe for the mouth of our Lord has spoken it Heaven and Earth shall pass away but not a tittle of his word be disappointed for ever Many of the Sacred Prophesies are already fulfill'd abundantly sufficient to assure us of the rest Already a Virgin has brought forth a Son and given him the Gracious Name of Jesus The Kings of the East have been led to him by a Star and offer'd him Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh His Holy Parents have presented him in the Temple and the devout Simeon was over-joyed to see him In his tender infancy he fled into Egypt and out of Egypt again God brought forth his Son. He past his private Life in Peace and meekness and taught a contradicting People in Patience and Humility He confirm'd his Doctrine with innumerable Miracles and defended the Truth to the last drop of his Blood. He rose again victoriously from the Grave and ascended in Triumph to the Right Hand of his Father And there O Glorious Jesu wilt thou sit and Reign till all thy Enemies become thy footstool Nor has thy Judgement slept O dreadful Lord but with a swift and terrible Vengeance crusht them into ruine Jerusalem long since was made a heap of stones and the Children of thy Crucisiers run wandering over the World But while thou art thus severe in the Predictions of thy Justice thou hast not forgot those of thy Mercy Thousands of that ungrateful City have acknowledg'd Thee their Lord Thousands of that perverse Generation have submitted to thy Scepter Whole Nations of the Gentiles have embrac'd thy Faith and remotest Islands obey'd thy Law. Blessed for ever be thy Name O Lord and blessed be the sweetness of thy Mercy who hast reveal'd thy self to those that knew Thee not and art found of those that sought thee not Who often followest those that fly from thee and never refusest any that come to Thee Thou still exactly performest thy part but we ingrateful wretches how do we comply with ours Where is the profit thou maist justly require to answer the â—are of thy Providence over us Thou hast planted us O Lord in thine own Vineyard and fenced us about with thy Holy Discipline Where is the Fruit we should alwayes be bearing since good works are never out of season Of our selves alas we are very dry and barren and our Nature at best brings forth nothing but leaves In Thee Lord while we remain we live but separated from Thee we are certainly dead and fruitless In thee O Lord is all our hope and that thou wilt have Mercy on the work of thy hands That thou wilt not curse these fruitless branches lest they wither away and be cast into the fire Nor pronounce against us that dreadful Sentence Cut them down why cumber they the ground But mercifully cut them off from their wild stock and graft them in thy self the true Vine And then still water us with the dew of Heaven and bless our low shrubs with thy powerful influence So shall Grapes grow on Thorns and Figs be gather'd from those that were Thistles MEDITATION III. REjoyce in our Lord all you Children of Adam rejoyce in the bounty of his free Grace No longer now confin'd to a few choice Favourites and the narrow compass of a private Family he has thrown down that partition Wall and opened the way of Life to all Mankind That all may believe and love him here and all enjoy and be happy in him hereafter But O my God! what do we see when we look abroad into the wide World We see the sad effects but cannot see the cause why so many Kingdoms lye miserably waste We know O Lord thy wayes are in the deep Abyss and humbly adore thy secret Councels Onely we cannot think of their lamentable condition without pitying their misery and imploring thy mercy Some have not yet so much as heard of thee and others who have heard have refus'd to entertain thee Some who have once acknowledg'd thee have quite fallen away others have corrupted thy Doctrines by mixing with them their own Traditions Many even of those who rightly believe abuse their holy Faith by a wicked Life Thus the far greatest part of wretched Mankind whom thy goodness created after thine own similitude whom thou hast shed thy precious Blood to redeem and to bring them to an everlasting Happiness still fail alas of their true end and die in their sins and everlastingly perish Where O Lord is thy Zeal and the Bowels of thy Mercy Where are thy promises to thy beloved Son Hast thou not said All Nations shall adore him and all the
love and constantly do the things that belong to my Everlasting Peace Till my understanding with the Knowledge of such Truths as may fix it on thee the Eternal Verity Inure my will to embrace such objects as may unite them to Thee the Sovereign goodness O suffer me not obstinately to persist in any known wickedness nor maliciously to impugn any know Truth Grant I may never be deceiv'd by any false spirit nor be overcome by the vicious suggestions of Flesh and Blood. In all my doubts do thou direct me into the way of thy Truth in all my weakness grant me the assistance of thy Grace Help me devoutly and most thankfully to commemorate thy Descent to this World in the likeness of fiery Tongues which sate on each head of thy Disciples and fitted them to preach the Gospel to every Nation And let it so encrease the holy fervour of my Heart that my Life may attest by all fruits of Grace the same Spirit 's still abiding with me To the Glory of thee O God the Holy Spirit who with the Father and the Son livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen Hymn 32. COme mild and Holy Dove Descend into our Breast Do thou in us make us in thee For ever dwell and rest Come and spread o're our heads Thy soft all-cherishing wing That in its shade we safe may sit And to Thee Praises sing To thee who giv'st us Life Our better Life of Grace Who giv'st us Breath and Strength and Speed To run and win our Race If by the way we faint Thou reachest forth thy hand If our own weakness makes us fall Thou mak'st our weakness stand When we are sliding back Thou dost our danger stop When we again alas are fall'n Again thou tak'st us up Else there we still must lye And still sink lower down Our hope to rise is all from thee Our ruin's all our own O my Ingrateful Soul What shall our dulness do For him that does all this for us Only our Love to wooe We 'l Love thee then Dear Lord But thou must give that Love We 'l humbly beg it of thy grace But thou our Prayers must move O hear thine own self speak For thou in us dost Pray Thou canst as quickly grant as ask Thy grace knows no delay Glory to Thee O Lord One Coeternal Three To Father Son and Holy Ghost One equal Glory be Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE SAINTS For the Morning MEDITATION I. TEll me you eager Lovers of this present World what is it you aim at in all your pretences You weary your Bodies with restless labour and afflict your Minds with perpetual care day and night you are still perplext still busily plotting to compass your ends Tell me what are those ends you so long have sought and I will tell you what you soon will find while they are many they but distract your thoughts and often engage them to quarrel among themselves One end and one alone is the way to true and lasting Peace and on that one must all the rest depend It is true perhaps you will say and by that rule we guide our Lives whatever we undertake our ultimate design is only to be happy It is to be happy that we strive to be great and enrich our selves by defrauding others It is to be happy that we run after Pleasures and covet to have in every thing our own proud will But you alas mistake your Happiness and foolishly seek it where 't is not to be found As silly Children think to catch the Sun when they see it setting at so near a distance they travail on and tire themselves in vain for the thing they seek is in another World Just so we foolish Mortals commonly judge and are just so deceived when we think to meet with Heaven upon Earth This World alas has now no Paradise but all its Fruits are mixt with Weeds and Thorns all dangerously mixed with occasions of sin all sprinkled over with the bitterness of sorrow What did we ever passionately love but still in the end it made us repent Nay the best end was heartily to repent and learn by our falling to tread more sure It is not then here that we must seek our happiness and yet it is happiness that we all must seek Happy are thy Saints O Lord who wisely chose their end and constantly pursu'd the means to attain it Come let us adore the King of Saints Hymn 33. AWake my Soul chase from thine eyes This drowsie sloth and quickly rise Get up and to thy work apace No less than Kingdoms are prepar'd And endless bliss for their reward Who finish well this short Life's race 'T is not so poor a thing to be Servants to Heaven Dear Lord and thee As this mistaken World believes Not even here where oft the wise Are most expos'd to Injuries And Vertue poor and friendless grieves Sometimes thy hand lets gently fall A little drop that sweetens all The present bitter of our Cup O what hereafter shall we be When we shall have whole draughts of thee Fill'd to the brim and drink them up Say happy Souls whose thirst now meets The fresh and living stream of sweets Which ever spring from that blest throne Did you not find this true even here Do you not find it truer there Now Heave'ns strong Joyes are all your own Oh yes the sweets we taste exceed All we can say or you can read They satisfie and never cloy On Earth our Cup was sweet but mixt Here all is pure refin'd and fixt All highest Quintessence of Joy. Here in Heave'ns splendid Court have we Our blest abode and ever see The kind and radiant face of Love Whose Beams make us with Glory shine Our glad hearts warm with Love divine And these our Tongues with Praises move Hear'st thou my Soul what glorious things The Church of Heave'n in triumph sings Of their Seraphick life above Chear thy saint hopes and bid them live All these thy God to thee will give If thou embrace his bounteous Love. Great God of rich Rewards who thus Hast crown'd thy Saints and wilt crown us As we do both to thee belong O may we both together sing Eternal praise to thee our King In one Eternal thankful Song Amen MEDITATION II. IF thus our Nature tends to Happiness there is sure some Happiness to content our Nature Sure the All-wise Creator has provided means to satisfie the Appetites which himself has made Doubt not my Soul the Bounty of thy Lord but turn all thy fear on thine unworthiness and yet correct that fear again that it do not degenerate into despair by consisidering the worthiness of our kind Mediator Look up then and see a rich delicious Land that flows with sweeter Streams than Milk and Hony Look up and see a glorious City incomparably braver than the splendid Courts of Kings Behold the blessed Angels shining on their Thrones and all the holy Saints triumphing with
their Hymns Great is the Clemency of our gracious Sovereign to pardon the offences of repenting Sinners Great is the bounty of our glorious Lord to Crown with Rewards his faithful Servants Thousands of Saints attend in his presence and Millions of Angels wait on his Throne all beauteously rang'd in perfect order all joyfully singing the praises of their Creator But look up yet higher O my Soul in thy Contemplations and see the glorified Humanity of thy dear Redeemer that blessed Jesus who died for us on the Cross and now invites us to partake his Crown See and rejoyce in those eternal honours which Heaven and Earth justly pay to their King. Look up once more and if thou could'st look infinitely higher and humbly admire the unconceivable Mystery Wonder now and adore the Sovereign Deity essentially full of his own blest Light full and overflowing into all his Creatures which shine but as little Beams deriv'd from him Bow low thy Head and Knees to him before whom the Seraphims cover their Faces Bow low a humble Heart to him before whom all the happy Saints cast down their Crowns When thou hast seen all this my Soul and staid and dwelt a while among these pleasing wonders then turn thine Eye down towards this Earth again and see the petty things that are wont to entertain our minds What is a name of Honour and a momentary pleasure compar'd to the Bliss of an eternal Paradise What is a bag of Money or a fair Estate if counterballanc'd with the Treasures of Heaven How narrow there do our greatest Kingdoms seem how small a Circle the whole Globe of Earth Cities and Towns appear like little Hills and the busie World but as a Swarm of Ants running up and down and justling one another and making all this stir for a few grains of Corn. O Heaven let me again lift up my Eyes to thee and take a fuller view of that glorious Prospect There I will stand and fix my steady sight till I have lookt my self into this firm judgment All that the most prosperous fortune can here possess or even the largest Fancy possibly imagine all is an idle Dream to those real Joyes an absolute Nothing to that solid Felicity Oh how glorious is the Kingdom of Heaven where our Lord reigns in the midst of his Saints MEDITATION III. IT is true there is I see a glorious State prepar'd above for the Spirits of just men made perfect But how shall we poor dust and ashes and laden too with the burthen of our sins how shall we hope to ascend those higher Regions or obtain a portion in that holy Land Fear not my Soul but send up thy Sighs and Prayers to the gracious King of Saints Seek to him and he will guide thee by his Counsel till he has brought thee also safe to his Glory If thou would'st know what makes the bright Angels so happy his Word will tell thee that they readily obey their Creator If thou would'st know what rais'd the blessed Saints to that high Felicity which they now enjoy it will be told thee They faithfully lov'd their Redeemer and follow'd the Dictates of Love till it brought them thither If thou would'st know what bred in those happy Creatures the excellent Vertues that are thus rewarded if thou could'st hear their acknowledgements thou would'st find them often repeating such as these Blessed for ever be the Grace of our God which alone has wrought all our works in us Blessed for ever be the Bounty of our Lord which first freely gave to us and then as bounteously Crown'd those his own gifts O you blest Saints who are now arriv'd at the quiet Mansions of eternal Joy Rejoyce ye in the King of Saints eternally rejoyce and sing for ever the wondrous mercies of our Lord His blessed hand has wip'd away all tears from your eyes and now you no more shall weep you shall no more complain Now the sad Evening of sorrow is over with you and the day of eternal joy is come Now you no longer shall sigh to be deliver'd out of this dark and tedious Prison but shall dwell for ever in that glorious Light the light which ever springs from the face of God. And fear thou not my Soul though now thou dwellest below and art yet sighing under the weight of Flesh and Blood fear not to ascend at last to this place of joy and take thy happy seat among those joyfull Quires since they once liv'd in this same Vale of Tears and were set to strive with the same unruly passions He that made them overcome can as easily strengthen thee he that has crown'd their victories will as surely glorifie thine Fear not for the way is smoother than the Adversary of thy Soul would make thee believe and the time of thy Warfare perhaps is shorter than even thou thy self art disposed to desire Take the direction of thy Saviour's Word and the direction of the Saints Example to know and love but thine own true Interest which sure can be thought no very hard task And do this but whilest you live which you seldom think too long and this being well done you have no more to do but to rise and sing and rejoyce with them PETITIONS TO thee O Gracious King of Saints and to thy mild Throne we direct our Eyes and Prayers To thee whose Love we know stands ready to meet our wishes will we humbly represent our fears and wants and both alas O Lord will be many while we remain below in this miserable World Often therefore must we make our Addresses to thee till thy Goodness and Mercy shall take us to thy self And when we come to possess thee in Heaven we shall want nothing and dwelling so near thee we shall fear nothing But pity us now O Lord who are lanched on a tempestuous Sea and are so variously toss'd with our passions and lusts that we cannot steer as we should any certain course Pity us who are so blinded by the mists of Ignorance that we know not to what Port we should direct our course to find a harbour of rest Shine thou upon us O Lord with thy beauteous Light and convince us throughly that there is a better World than this a happier People than any that we know here that we may at length begin our course thitherward and be all the while preparing our selves for that blessed Company Behold us O Lord struggling in this Sea of Storms and guide us safely through all our dangers Save us O thou whose power the winds and the Sea obey save us O merciful Lord or else we perish Save us who call on theee in our distresses save us for whom thy immortal Self wert pleas'd to die and graciously receive us into thine own blest arms for thou art O Lord the Haven of our Repose bring us to thy self and our Souls shall be safe Deliver us from that sad and deplorable end which thy Justice has prepar'd for the