expression relates 1. Cor. 7.34 The Virgin careth that she may be holy both in Body and in Spirit And for this reason it seems to be that we find abstinence from the acts of if I may so call it lawful Lust advised for the better performance of holy Duties or in times of Humiliation c. even to those who are in the State of Marriage as doubtless conjugal Chastity also hath many degrees in it and in some men is far more pure than in others and the permissions of Matrimonial Priviledges are very easily transgressed See Exod. 19.15 before the descent of the Lord upon Mount Sinai the people commanded three days sanctification and not coming at their wives 1. Sam. 21.4 Women kept from the young men for about three days and the vessels of the young men holy i.e. from their wives See Zechar. 7.3 in times of more earnest Addresses to God this separation from Carnality continued Neither is this only Old-Testament-Ceremonial-Holiness But see 1. Cor. 7.5 a place parallel to these Defraud ye not one another except it be with consent for a time that you may give your selves to Fasting and Prayer where it may be noted that as Fasting hath no good correspondence with the acts of the conjugal bed sine Cerere c. so these acts also are as prejudicial to Fasting and its Companions And suitable to these Scriptures were the Decrees of the ancient Church Diebus orationis jejuniorum preparationis ad Eucharistiam a conjuge abstinendum And this because carnal pleasures are some way or other always enemies to Spiritual Exercises either proceeding to excess and so rendring us faulty or too much either heightning or also debilitating our temper and so making us undisposed or dividing and diverting some portion of that love and of those intentions to things inferior which are always all incomparably best spent upon and consecrated to God the supreme Good Again we find that after one Marriage the abstaining from a second is both commended see Luk. 2.36 and to some persons to wit those entertained in the pious or holy services of God or of the Church enjoined As appears in the Widows of the Church 1. Tim. 5.9 of whom it is there required That such Widow have been the wife of one man Which words being capable of several senses either that she have not had two husbands at once or not two successively again not two successively either by a Divorce from the former or upon the Death of the former Seeing that no Woman might have two Husbands at one time nor any Woman at all was allowed remarrying upon Divorce See 1. Cor. 7.11 It follows that the Apostles Widow must be understood to be such as had not had a second Husband after the first dead For this Injunction seems to have something singular in it the same caution being given no where to any but only to Church-Officers and Servants And the Apostle seems here rather to require something of extraordinary example and goodness above others in such as were thus to be devoted to the Churches Service and maintained by her Charity than only to caution that they should not be of the most wicked among Christians Which is further confirmed by St. Paul's displeasure against against those Church Widows that re-married ver 11. And if this Interpretation be admitted for the Widows so ought it to be upon the like expression a Husband of one Wife for the Bishops of the Church 1. Tim. 3.2 And for the Deacons 1. Tim. 3.12 2. Consider the great advantages spiritual and secular of a single life and forbearance of Marriage to those who can live continently for Prayer and Fasting and all other service of God without distraction and so for gaining the Kingdome of Heaven Matt. 19.12 For works of Charity to our Neighbour For avoiding Covetousness worldly Cares and Impediments and this in all not only in afflicted times For enjoying our Liberty 1. Cor. 7.4 which when we can have it we are rather to use it 1. Cor. 7.21 See for these 1. Cor. 7. Ver. 5. That you may give your selves to Fasting and Prayer vers 28. Such the married shall have trouble in the flesh I spare you vers 35. I would have you without carefulness He that is unmarried careth for the things of the Lord how he may please the Lord But he that is married careth for the things of the World how he may please his Wife and is divided as the Vulgar hath it The Virgin careth for the things of the Lord that she may be Holy both in Body and Spirit but She that is married careth for the things of the World how she may please her Husband Vers 35. This I speak for your own profit That you may attend upon the Lord without distraction Vers 38. Who giveth her not in Marriage doth better See Matt. 19.12 There be who have made themselves Eunuches for the Kingdome of Heaven's sake He who is able to receive it let him receive it See Luk. 14.20 1. Tim. 5.4 5 6.11.12 3. Consider its higher reward in the next life For tho Celibacy as it occasions other fruits of Righteousness hath no preeminence before this in Wedlock if a married condition also produceth the same Yet as in it self it is a stronger resistance of the lustings of the Flesh and a greater subduer of that natural Concupiscence which all have less or more whose importunities it heroically repelleth whilst the married only lawfully satisfies them thus it seems worthy of and so to have promised to it an higher Reward and Crown in the world to come and is one of the most eminent of all the Vertues as not moderating but subduing the most violent of Passions And those who grant in the Kingdome of Heaven several degrees of Glory proportioned to those here of Sanctity must give the highest to Virgins because if supposed only equal with the rest in all other Graces they are granted in one to be Superior 4. Consider I say not the actual possession always but the attainableness of this Grace of Continency by all using the means i e. much Prayer and Meditation Temperance constant Business remoteness from Temptations c. Proijce te in Illum Deum non se subtrahet ut cadas said St. Aust to himself about leaving his Incontinency Confes 8. l. 11. c. Where by the Grace of Continency I mean not a power of being freed from all Concupiscence and from the first motions of Lust for so none at all have this power but for a power to suppress these first motions and quench these lesser sparks before they break out into a flame i. e. either into 1 Fornication therefore 1. Cor. 7. ver 2. Marriage is opposed to Fornication as it is Ver. 9. to burning or into 2 Vncleanness which Uncleanness distinct from Fornication is no small Guilt but every where marcheth along with it as its fellow in the Catalogue of those Sins that exclude us from
Adam after his fall to the acknowledgment of his fault and who upon Moses's Prayer forgavest the transgressions of thy people against thee From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us Who frequently restoredst the Israelites after they had sinned when turning unto thee being penitent out of the hands of their enemies From thy great wrath c. Who puttedst away David's sin confessing and doing penance in sackcloth and fasting who sparedst Ahab humbling himself and doing penance From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us Who heardst Manasses repenting and restoredst him to his Kingdome who heardst Jonah crying unto thee out of the belly of the Whale after he had run away from thee who pardonedst the Ninevites doing penance in fasting sackcloth and ashes From thy great wrath c. JESU Son of the living God who camest into this world to save sinners the good Shepherd who camest to seek and to save that which was lost From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us Who being to redeem the world sent'st John the Baptist the Preacher of Penance and gavest him to be a wonderful pattern thereof in the severity of his diet and raiment From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us JESU who tho thou knewest no sin yet was frequent in fastings watchings and other acts of Penance From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us Who declaredst the Publican acknowledging his guilt with sorrow and humbly beating his breast to be justified who calledst the Publicans and Sinners and not the Just to repentance and broughtest Salvation to the houses of Matthew and Zacheus being penitent From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us Who deliveredst those that were afflicted with diseases by Satan first forgiving their sins who by the example of the Prodigal Son returning to his Father hast given poor sinners great hopes of pardon and forgiveness From thy great wrath good Lord deliver us Who mercifully absolvedst the Woman taken in Adultery and who forgavest much to Mary Magdalen a Sinner because she loved much From thy great wrath c. Who by graciously looking upon Peter after he had denied thee thrice broughtst him to confession of his Sin and bitter tears of Penitence and who miraculously calledst St. Paul when a great Persecutor and making havock of thy Church From thy great wrath c. Who didst bear our sins in thy Body upon the Cross and wast made a propitiation for us From thy great c. We confess unto thee O Lord our transgressions and the transgressions of our fore-fathers by which we with them have offended thee and walked contrary to thy commandments Be merciful and spare us O Lord. Behold we were conceived in sin and in iniquity did our Mothers bring us forth and as we have multiplied our days so have we multiplied the number of our transgressions Be merciful and spare us O Lord We have sinned by our vain thoughts and the unlawful desires of our hearts the idle and wicked words of our lips by our wicked works and our whole life spent unprofitably Be merciful and spare us O Lord. We have sinned against thee by unthankfulness for thy benefits by impatience under thy chastisements and our care to fulfil our own sinful lusts more than thy holy commandments Be merciful and spare us O Lord. We have sinned against our brethren not doing to others as we would have them do to us Be merciful c. We have sinned against our selves by preferring the profits of this present world before our eternal happiness Be merciful and spare us O Lord. We have sinned by deferring our Conversion and putting off our good purposes of amending our lives by exposing our weak nature to new temptations by neglecting many opportunities of doing good and even our best endeavours have been full of imperfections Be merciful and spare us O Lord. We have sinned by not improving those talents thou hast bestowed upon us by loosing our precious time and neglecting the means thou hast afforded us for the promoting of our Salvation Be merciful and spare us O Lord. Our iniquities have multiplied over our heads and our transgressions have grown up to the heavens to thee O Lord belongeth mercy and forgiveness but unto us shame and confusion of face Be merciful and spare us c. Just art thou O Lord in all the evils that have befallen us for thou hast dealt righteously with us but we have done wickedly and our destruction is from our selves Be merciful and spare us O Lord. Be merciful and spare us O Lord. From all Evil Deliver us O Lord. From all Sin Deliver us O Lord. From all profaness and contempt of Sacred things from all Superstition and Hypocrisy from Idolatry and worshiping of thee according to our own fancy from rash swearing perjury and cursing Deliver us O Lord. From neglect in coming to and irreverence in celebrating thy holy service Deliver us O Lord. From disobedience to our Superiors and doing injuries to our Neighbour from anger and contention from cousining and fraud from lying and back-biting Deliver us O Lord. From all wicked desires from wanton thoughts filthy concupiscences and uncleanness from lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes Deliver us O Lord. From pride covetousness and luxury from envy anger and gluttony from sloth in things concerning our eternal Salvation and all other mortal sin Deliver us c. From all impatience and murmuring against the righteous Dispensations of thy Divine Providence Deliver c. From all Schism and Heresy from presuming on our own judgments from all seducing of others into sin Deliver us O Lord. From relapsing into those sins of which we have once repented from hardness of heart and security of an evil conscience Deliver us O Lord. From the sight of the angry Judge from being placed at thy left hand and hearing that fearful sentence Deliver us O Lord. From the worm that dies not and the fire that is unquenchable from the bitter pains of eternal death from the gates of hell and power of darkness Deliver us c. By the paternal bowels of God the Father by the bloody wounds of God the Son by the ineffable goodness of God the Holy Ghost Deliver us O Lord. By that Name besides which there is no other given under heaven by which we can be saved by the blood of the New Testament and propitiation for the whole world Deliver us O Lord. We sinners beseech Thee to hear us O Lord. That thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring us to true Penance and that we may always bear in memory in the bitterness of our Souls the ill spent years of our forepast life We sinners beseech Thee to hear us That thou wouldst be pleased to enlighten our minds to the finding out of our secret sins and of such as formerly known are now forgotten by us We sinners c. That we may duly perform the penances enjoyned us by our Ghostly Fathers and that we may judge our selves and so escape thy
distress because when he is weak then he is strong He taketh upon him thy yoke that he may find rest and leaveth all that he hath that he may receive an hundred fold By election of some voluntary sufferings he procures freedome from much greater which others unwillingly do undergo He abaseth himself he mourneth he hungreth and thirsteth to obtain a kingdome and to be comforted and to be filled Because he is wise and knoweth thy ways therefore after this manner seeketh he thy blessings and rewards § 3 Thy ways are not as man's ways O Lord and thou infinitely excellest him Repeat the Preface in all perfections which thou requirest of him and who is there who in love pitty patience long suffering humiliation of himself remitting of his due and laying down his honour is any way comparable unto thee Thou hast shewed so far thy love even to thine enemies as to give thine onely Son to death to save their lives Thou makest thy Sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendest Rain on the just and on the unjust and art kind to the unthankful Thou pardonest the most notorious and malicious sinners even after a million of times that they have provoked thee that thou maist shew the vastness of thy mercy and compassion Thou aboundest so far in thy long-suffering and toleration even of the highest offenders that impatient men report of thee that there is no God to do Justice In thy corrections thou punishest us much less than we deserve and when thou punishest soon repentest thee of the evil and withdrawest them often out of meer pity before our amendment When thy chastisements profit us not thou ceasest from them and contendest not in judgment with us when we persevere in our wickedness Thou art not fond toward thy friends nor cruel toward thine enemies as man is Those whom thou most lovest for their perfection thou most afflictest and who beginneth to serve thee must prepare his Soul for temptations from thee Thou measurest out temptations according to our ability to bear them and those who suffer least are the weakest We would make this life for a time of comfort and thou designest it for a time of tryal Thou deliverest thy servants out of troubles rather then exemptest them from being at all troubled and who receives a Consolation from thee must presently expect a new Combat and thou sellest thy Graces for Sufferings Thou bringest evil upon thy servants to shew more thy power and love to them in their delivery and to encrease their joy thou preparest the way thereto through sorrows Thou bringest evils on them from things abroad to make them more love and adhere to thee and by looking on their sufferings also thou increasest thine own pity and tender affection towards them Contrary to the ways of men thy great love to humility causeth thee to converse most with those who seem most below thee Thy most intimate conversation and most familiar presence is with the poor and the sick the contemned the weak and desolate then thou most valuest them and drawest near unto them and lovest to be with them Thou hidest thy secrets from the wise and prudent and tellest them unto babes and such must they become who mean to be thy favorites Thou seest not as men seeth and that which is highly esteemed amongst men is an abomination in thy sight Thou art content to receive honour from a few and that thy wisdome be justified onely of its children whilst the greatest part of men dayly reproacheth thee as if there could be no God that governeth such a disorderly world or if any that thou hadst given man no sufficient evidence in what way of Religion thou wouldest have him to serve thee Thou art blasphemed and provoked every day and no Saint ever suffered in his honor and good name as thy most pure and holy name doth No mens actions are so much or so often blamed as thine none suffers so much detraction and calumny and being injured and having power doth so long or so patiently hold his peace But in the day of wrath thy anger is intollerable according to thy infinite power so is thy vengeance upon thine enemies infinite Man is astonished at the thought thereof and cannot comprehend the reason of thy Justice These things thou dost and sufferest O Lord that men may acknowledge and glorify thy all-excelling holiness and goodness These things thou dost O Lord that man may acknowledge and trust in thy all-ore-ruling power These are thy dayly works and for these we desire to praise thee and who so are wise and will meditate these things they shall understand the righteous ways ef the Lord. FINIS