Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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A65322
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New prayers and meditations with pious exhortations for fast-days pursuant to Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary's injunctions to suppress irreligion and prophaneness / by Tho. Watts, Vicar of Orpington and St. Mary Crey in Kent.
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Watts, Thomas, 1665-1739.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing W1157; ESTC R38244
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22,013
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34
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thy corrupt Appetites and resist Satan that he may fly from thee Canst thou not sincerely repent and thus religiously and constantly use all the means of Grace and Salvation Oh canst thou not thus take upon thee Christs Yoak and Burthen which thou wilt soon experience to be most easie light and pleasant And now consider O my Soul what a blessed Change is this to be the Servant of God instead of the Devil's Bond-slave 6. The contrary and Comparison a Son and an Inheritor in the Kingdom of Heaven instead of being a Factor for and Heir of Hell Is it not better here to live innocently and with a quiet Conscience than to be always in a Hurricane to be ever guilty restless and uneasie Is it not better to make for thy self an Interest with the Almighty and become a Friend of the Lord than to make God and Man and thine inward Accuser thy just Enemies and Avengers Is it not more Eligible to be truly rational than altogether senstive to be a Man than a Beast to be a Christian than an Infidel is it not better to adore and worship thy great Creator and Redeemer to renew thy Baptismal Covenant frequently at the Lord's Table and to lay hold of all opportunities for doing good and offering to the Lord the devout Sacrifices of Prayer and Thanksgiving which is thy bounden Duty and reasonable Service than to blaspheme and prophane God's holy Word Ministers and Ordinances and to neglect all and thus dare and provoke Heaven's Vengeance against thee And thus too is it not better and easier to remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth to repent and live well betimes than to run the bazard of an uncertain morrow and futurity to continue impenitent till thou art harden'd in sin and chained fast in the Old Serpent's Trap till thou art reprobated and hast no place left for Repentance And is it not safer to live under Gods protection and be sure both of his temporal and eternal Blessings to be holy as he is Holy and thus to anticipare Heaven 's Joys and resemble upon Earth the inconceivable felicities and glories above than to be discarded an abandoned to the roaring Lyon and all the Calamities Accidents and Miseries of Life and at length to be certain of nothing but frying in everlasting Flames in unquenchable Fire and be gnawed by the Worm that never dyeth O turn ye turn ye then from your evil Ways 7. The Names and Testimonies ye sinful Worms that ye may live and not dye Oh be converted and the Lord will heal you confess thy sins unto the Lord and he will forgive the Multitude of thy Transgressions Smite thy Breast and pray to God to be merciful to thee a sinner eschew Evil and do good seek peace and ensue it weep and lament and learn the ways of God's Commandments and be stedfastly purposed to observe his statutes and keep his righteous judgments Refrain thy Lips from Evil and thy Tongue from speaking guile wash thy hands in innocency and so mayest thou compass the divine Altar Examln thy self try thy Reins and thy Heart and search our all thy ways acknowledg with righteous Job I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of Men Job 9.20 Relent cry and be sorrowful with Holy David and the Lord will pardon thy sin run to Christ with Mary Magdalen and lye at his feet weeping till his grace and compassion raise thee up Call to mind all thine impiety and then retire with St Peter and weep bitterly Luk. 22.62 Know that the Lord is gracious long-suffering and of great goodness and that he willeth not the death of the Wicked Exod. 33.11 but that the Wicked turn from his way and live O turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye dye O house of Israel Now this does God admonish his Ministers under the Title and duty of Watch-Men to forewarn his people of denouncing death to either of them that neglect their Duty as may be seen in the beginning of this Chapter Draw near then thou stubborn or ignorant sinner come for thy Souls good to thy Spiritual guide as thou wouldst for thy Body and Estate to the Physician and the Lawyer Yea is not thy Soul more precious and oughtest thou not to be more zealous for and carefull of it And so in all its sickness to send for the Elders of the Church thy lawful Ministers to pray over thee as St. James directs Chap. 5. v. 14. And know what God declares by his Prophet Malachy c. 2. v. 9. That the Priests Lips should keep knowledge and they should hear the Law at his Mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts O therefore attend upon our sacred Ministry keep holy the Lords day and joyn with us at all times possible in all our publick Duties especially in that most necessary one at the Lords Table in devout obedience to our dying Saviour's own holy Institution and Command to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood that we may have eternal Life and he may raise us up at the last day and that we may dwell in him and he in us according to his gracious Promise in John 6.54 55 56. And thus too as Christ has most exceedingly loved us so ought we to love one another which is his positive Commandment in Joh. 15.12 and upon this has he left his blessed Legacy of Peace amongst us Now how can the Transgressors of these Commands pretend to be Christians Who can know them to be Christ's Disciples and how can they hope to be saved contrary to the Gospel Covenant Oh therefore consider this thou irreligious Soul and know thy self to be in a state of damnation as long as thou continuest in this state of sin Oh consider and repent quickly and so for this end as the Apostle to the Hebrews advises c. 13. v. 16 17. To do good and to Communicate forget not for with such services God is well pleased Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly And as St. Paul admonishes 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Moreover 't is requir'd in Stewards that a Man be found faithful And accordingly will God protect us in our Duty vindicate our Wrongs and for instance even accounts the defrauding of our very temporal maintenance a robbing of himself for does not God thus expostulate with the sacrilegious herein by his Prophet Malachy chap. 3. v. 8 9. Will a Man rob God yet ye have robbed me And ye say Wherein have we robbed thee in Tythes and Offerings You are cursed with a Curse for
that we be not overcome by them but may when thou shalt call us to it resist even unto Blood striving against sin that we being faithful unto death thou mayest give us the Crown of Life O remember not Lord our iniquities nor the iniquities of our Fore-fathers neither take thou vengeance of our Sins but spare us good Lord spare thy People whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious Blood Spare us good Lord and deliver us from all Evil and Mischief from Sin from the crafts and assaults of the Devil from thy Wrath and from everlasting Damnation from all blindness of Heart from Pride Vain-Glory and Hypocrisie from Envy Hatred and Malice and all Uncharitableness from Fornication and all other deadly Sin and from the deceits of the World the Flesh and the Devil from Lightning and Tempest from Plague Pestilence and Famine from Battel and Murder and from sudden Death from all Sedition Privy Conspiracy and Rebellion from all false Doctrine Heresie and Schism from hardness of Heart and contempt of thy Word and Commandment good Lord deliver us O Lord our heavenly Father Almighty and Everlasting God who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day defend us we pray thee in the same with thy mighty Power and grant that this day we fall into no sin neither run into any kind of danger but that all our doings may be order'd by thy governance to do always that which is righteous in thy sight And vouchsafe O Lord we beseech thee to direct sanctifie and govern both our Hearts and Bodies in the ways of thy Laws and in the Works of thy Commandments that through thy most mighty protection both here and ever we may be preserved in Body and Soul through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Almighty and everlasting God who by thy holy Apostles hast taught us to make Prayers and Supplications and to give thanks for all Men we humbly besseech thee most mercifully to receive these our Prayers which we offer to thy Divine Majesty beseeching thee to inspire continually the Universal Church with the Spirit of Truth Unity and Concord And grant that all they that do confess thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy Word and live in Unity and godly Love We beseech thee also to save and defend all Christian Kings Princes and Governours and especially thy Servants William and Mary our King and Queen that under them we may be godly and quietly govern'd And grant unto their whole Council and to all that are put in Authority under them that they may truly and indifferently minister Justice to the punishment of Wickedness and Vice and to the maintainance of God's true Religion and Vertue Give grace O heavenly Father to all Bishops and Curates more particularly to those under whose care thou hast placed us that they may both by their Life and Doctrine set forth thy true and lively Word and rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments And to all thy People give thy heavenly grace and especially to us and ours all sorts of Relations Friends Benefactors and even to our Enemies that with meek hearts and due reverence we may ever hear and receive thy holy Word and Ordinances truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of our Life And we most humbly beseech thee of thy goodness O Lord to comfort and succour all them who in this transitory Life are in trouble sorrow need sickness or any other Adversity especially our afflicted Friends c. And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy Servants departed this Life in thy faith and fear beseeching thee to give us grace so to follow their good Examples that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly Kingdom Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ's sake our only Mediator and Advocate Amen Hear us and graciously answer our Petitions for thou art the good King over all the Earth whose Power is infinite and art able to do for us above all that we can ask or think and to whom belongeth the Glory of that good thou workest in us or for us Therefore Blessing Honour Glory and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne to our God for ever an ever Amen All this O God and whatsoever thou knowest best for us in respect both to this life and that which is to come we do earnestly and penitently beg through the satisfactory Merits and Intercession and in the sacred Name and Words of our glorious Redeemer as himself hath taught and commanded us when we pray to say Our Father which art in Heaven c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen Holy Vows and Meditations GOOD Prayers never came weeping home I am sure I shall receive either what I ask or what I should ask It is the basest Love of all others that is for a Benefit for herein we love not another so much as our selves Tho' there were no Heaven O Lord I would love thee now there is one I will esteem it I will desire it Yet still I will love thee for thy goodness-sake thy self is reward sufficient As it is a happy necessity that enforceth to good so is that next happy which hinders from Evil. Not only commission makes a Sin a Man is guilty of all the Sins he hateth not If I cannot avoid all I will yet hate all Sin and abstain from all Appearance of Evil. I will loath every Evil for it's own sake I will do good but not trust to it If it be well-accepted it is well if not my thanks is with God I will not be more afraid of doing good things amiss than of being proud when I have well performed them The Godly sow in Tears and reap in Joy the Seed-time is commonly waterish and lowring I will be content with a wet Spring so I may be sure of a clear and joyful Harvest Nothing shall more joy me than my inward Quietness Whatever become of my Body Reputation or Estate here I will ever labour to find somewhat added to the Stature of my Soul In having I will account that my good which doth me good I account it the only valour to remit a wrong and will applaud it to my self as Right Noble and Christian that I might hurt and will not If it be ill with me on Earth it is well my Torment is so short and so easie I will not be so covetous to hope for two Heavens Henceforth I will envy none but a good Man and I will pity nothing so much as the prosperity of the Wicked An Evening Prayer for Family or Closet c. Lord we call upon thee haste thee unto us and consider our voice when we cry unto thee Let our Prayers be set forth in thy sight as the Incense and let the lifting up of our hands be an Evening Sacrifice Psal 141.1 2. O Holy Blessed and