no profit but I beseech thee cause me to know thy hand and thy might and take not away thy peace from me even loving-kindness and Mercies Jer. 16. v. 19 21 5. 54. O Lord the Hope of Israel let no distress whatsoever make me forsake that blessed Hope which thou hast given me for all that forsake thee shall be ashamed and they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth because they have forsaken the Lord the Fountain of living waters O Lord I have often forsaken thee by my sins yet let me not be ashamed because I return again to thee by my Repentance O Lord I have often departed from thee by my transgressions yet let me not be written in the earth because I now at last thirst for thee the Fountain of living waters Heal me O Lord and I shall be healed save me and I shall be saved so shalt thou be my praise now and for evermore Jer. 17. 13 14. 55. O Lord my soul is heavy and my body is sick unto the death But do thou bring me health and cure and reveal unto me abundance of peace and truth cleanse me from all mine iniquities whereby I have sinned against thee cause my captivity to return and have mercy upon me according to thine infinite mercies in Jesus Christ Jer. 33. 6 8 26. 56. O Lord thou hast added grief to my sorrow for I have fainted in my sighing and I find no rest yet dost thou forbid me to add sorrow to my own grief and to say wo is me now because that which thou hast built thou hast broken down and that which thou hadst planted thou hast plucked up even this whole Land Therefore thou forbiddest me to seek great things for my self for behold thou hast brought evil upon all flesh and how shouldst thou not bring evil upon my flesh which is the most sinful of all O then suffer me not to be a seeker of mine own discontents rather then of thy redresses whiles I look after great and good things in such miserable and wretched times but make me thankful that thou hast hitherto given me my life as a prey unto me in all places whether I have gone that remembering what thou hast given me I may not repine for what others have taken from me assuring my self that there is yet another life to come which thou wilt give me not as a prey that I should fear losing it but as an inheritance that I should long to possess it in thee and with thee for ever Amen Jer. 45. 3 4 5. 57. O Lord bring my soul out of this prison of the flesh and the shackles of sin and misery that I may wholly and entirely give thanks unto thy holy Name for all thy Mercy and great Deliverances and most especially for this the greatest of all That thou wilt deliver me from my self from the burden of mine own flesh from the bondage of mine own corruption from the thraledom of mine own body And wilt set me at liberty that I may do nothing else but serve thee whose service is perfect freedom and whose wages are life and light and joy in beholding thy presence for evermore for I earnestly desire only those Mercies wherein thou dost infinitely delight who lovest to shew Mercy to penitent sinners in the Son of thy love our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 58. O Lord pour not out thine indignation upon me blow not against me in the fire of thy wrath but deliver me from this brutish and burning disease or if thou wilt in thy Justice make my body as fewel for the fire yet in mercy deliver my soul from the everlasting burnings Ezek. 23. 31 32. 59. Grant Lord that I being risen with Christ may seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God that I may henceforth set mine affection on things above not on things in earth alwaies remembering that I am dead and my life is hid with Christ in God and alwaies rejoycing that when Christ who is my life shall appear then shall I also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 1 2 3 4. 60. Lord make my tongue sing of thy praises whiles I have breath and when I shall be breathless make my heart bear two parts to fill up that blessed Harmony that my soul may praise thee whiles it is in the state of union with my natural body and much more when it shall be in the state of separation from it and shall be joyned in consort with the holy Angels and with the beatified spirits And most of all when it shall be in the state of re-union again with that same body being made spiritual That I being at last all spirit both in soul and body neither my heart may be wearied in thinking nor my tongue in speaking thy praises to all eternity Amen 61. I will thank thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will praise thy Name for evermore for great is thy Mercy towards me and thou hast delivered my soul from the neathermost hell and wilt receive my soul into the highest heavens there to give thee thanks and praises for evermore 62. All the daies of my appointed time will I wait till my change come Job 14. 14. Lord grant I may so wait that I may receive my wages and that my change may come seasonably speedily and happily A seasonable change not to find me unprepared for it A speedy change to deliver me from the pains of sickness and from the pangs of death And a happy change to let me in to the fruition of thy glory and eternal life Amen 63. By thine unknown sufferings O my blessed Redeemer intercede for me in all my pains and sufferings that I may find Mercy and obtain Relief And make me alwaies remember and confess that my sins are far above my sufferings so shall I suffer patiently and that thy Mercy is far above my sins so shall I suffer comfortably and hope for a joyful end of all my sufferings 64. Lord grant that my conversation may from henceforth be in heaven that my soul may be prepared to go thither and know how to busie it self there that I may with joy look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ from thence who shall change my vile body that it may be like his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself Phil. 3. 2. O Lord work that blessed change in my soul to subdue all its carnal affections by a heavenly conversation before thou workest that miserable change in my body to subdue its natural constitution by an unnatural destruction And according to that mighty working whereby thou art able even to subdue all things unto thy self in the first place subdue all my sinfulness 65. Lord speak the word only and thy servant shall be whole speak the word of comfort in my distress and the greatest comfort in my greatest
redeemed with thy most precious blood and be not angry with me for ever Spare me good Lord. From this and all other evil and mischief of my body from the more afflictive and contagious sin of my soul from the crafts and assaults of the Devil either against my body or against my soul from the fear of thy wrath and from the sentence of everlasting damnation Good Lord deliver me By thine agony and bloody-sweat help and assist me in all mine agonies By thy Cross and Passion make me conquerer in all my sufferings By thy precious death and burial sweeten my death and sanctifie my grave By thy glorious resurrection and ascention raise me up again at the last day and glorifie me and by the coming of the Holy-Ghost give unto me now amidst the torments of my life and the terrours of my death the immortal comfort of a blessed resurrection to eternal glory And in this my distress by this thy special assistance help and comfort Good Lord deliver me In all time of my tribulation and adversity which thou hast now sent me In all time of my wealth and prosperity if thou shalt be pleased once again to send it me in the hour of my death and in the day of Judgement Good Lord deliver me I that am a sinner do beseech thee to hear me O Lord God And that it may please thee to rule and govern thy holy Church universally in the right way And to deliver this thy distressed and oppressed Church from all her sins and from all her troubles and to restore her to her former Truth and Peace I beseech thee to hear me good Lord. That it may please thee to let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand and the Son of man whom thou hast made so strong for thine own self and so will not we go back from thee O let us live and we will call upon thy Name Turn us again O Lord God of Hosts shew us the light of thy countenance and we shall be whole I beseech thee to hear me good Lord. That it may please thee to defend and strengthen all Bishops and Ministers of thy Church That notwithstanding the manifold oppositions contempts and persecutions of disobedient and gainsaying people they may still uphold thy true and lively Word and thy holy and blessed Sacraments and by their preaching and administring and their living and dying may set them forth and shew them accordingly I beseech thee to hear me good Lord. That it may please thee to be a Father to the Fatherless whom my sins have helped to make so and whom my repentance cannot but thy Mercy can relieve To be a husband to the widow a comfort to the comfortless and to relieve all that be desolate and oppressed and to shew thy pity upon all exiles prisoners and captives especially those that suffer imprisonment and captivity or banishment for the cause of righteousness for the Doctrine of a Catholick Faith or for the duties of a Christian life I beseech thee to hear me good Lord. That it may please thee to have Mercy upon mine enemies persecutors and slanderers to turn their hearts and to forgive their sins and to save their souls and to make me forgive as I desire to be forgiven and to make me desire to be forgiven as I stand in need of forgiveness and to make my waies to please thee that thou mayest make mine enemies to be at peace with me I beseech thee to hear me good Lord That it may please thee to give us all true repentance that thou mayest forgive us all our sins not only our negligences and ignorances but also our perversnesses and profanesses and to endue us with the grace of thy holy Spirit that we may lay aside our own animosities self-interests and worldly advantages and joyn together with one heart and mouth to praise thee and to glorifie thy holy Name not looking after fond pretences and fading vanities but looking for that blessed hope the glorious appearing of the great God and of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I beseech thee to hear me good Lord. Son of God I beseech thee to hear me O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world take away my sins also inwhom alone there is a world of sin and grant me thy peace and have Mercy upon me O Christ hear me and as thou camest to redeem me when I was utterly lost so I beseech thee suffer me not to be lost now thou hast redeemed me Lord have Mercy upon me Christ have Mercy upon me Lord have Mercy upon me And remember me according to the favour that thou bearest unto thy people O visit me with thy salvation that I may once more if it be thy will see the felicity of thy chosen and rejoyce in the gladness of thy people and give thanks with thine inheritance through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The sick mans Benediction BLessed be the Lord God even the God of Israel which only doth wonderous things And blessed be the Name of his Majesty for ever and all the earth shall be filled with his Majesty and my soul shall be filled and revived with his Mercy Amen Amen The Lord Jesus be within me to strengthen without me to assist before me to direct behind me to defend and protect beneath me to uphold and sustain above me to receive my soul. Let the power of the Father preserve me the wisdom of the Son guide and énlighten me the operation of the Holy-Ghost quicken and revive me in my passage through the gates of death and bring me into everlasting life The blood that ran from the wounded heart of my blessed Saviour which hath purchased for me abundance of grace in my life of comfort in my sickness and of hope in my death wash my soul from sin and from iniquity that it may be presented without spot or blemish before the righteous Judge of men and Angels in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy-Ghost Amen The sick mans Valediction LORD I am willing to forsake all to follow thee O let me follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth I willingly forgive all men and heartily desire all men to forgive me that though I came into this world hating my God yet I may not go out of it hating my Brother for God with whom I hope to dwell when I go from hence is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 John 4. 16. I follow after to apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus This one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things which are before I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen Phil. 3. 12 13 14. The sick mans Preparation for his Departure I am now ready to be
A Christian Legacy Consisting of two Parts I. A Preparation for Death II. A Consolation against Death Nullum sacrificium est Deo magis acceptum quam Zelus Animarum Greg. Mag. 1 Cor. 10. 17 18. He that glorieth let him glory in the Lord for not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commendeth By EDWARD HYDE Dr. of Divinity and late Rector Resident of Brightwell in Berks. Printed by R. W. for Rich. Davis in Oxon. 1657. To the Reader Christian Reader WHen first made a Member of Christ though it were at the very entrance of your life you did then receive your summons for death for you were baptized into the death of Christ buried with him by baptism into death Rom. 6. 3 4. And that same Baptism as it still gives you a Rejoycing in Christ Jesus our Lord so it bids you by That rejoycing to die daily 1 Cor. 15. 31. And indeed you are not fit to live till you are prepared to die You are not truly fit to live unless you live to God and if you live unto him you cannot be unprepared to die unto him The Man lives to himself and dies as he lives to his own corruption but the Christian lives to his Saviour and accordingly dies to his glorious Resurrection For none of us liveth to himself and no man dieth to himself for whether we live we live unto the Lord And whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords Rom. 14. 7 8. It is a great priviledge to live to Christ but a far greater priviledge to die to him By living to Christ you get the victory over your enemies and the terrours of their insolency but by dying to him you get the victory over your self and the terrours of your own conscience By living to Christ you get the conquest over life but by dying to him you get the conquest over death Neither shall the world be able to make you live unquietly nor the Devil be able to make you die uncomfortably So that if you do not want the preparation for death you cannot want the consolation against death And in this respect it were much to be wished That all the Lords people were Prophets or if they had rather Preachers to reason with themselves as S. Paul reasoned with Faelix of Righteousness Temperance Judgement to come Act. 24. 25. That all their Trembling or Quaking might begin and end here and none remain till hereafter The reasoning about Righteousness how it would confound our misdemeanours against our Brethren The reasoning about Temperance how it would confound our misdemeanours against our selves The reasoning about Judgement to come how it would confound our misdemeanours or rather outrages against our God All these would be speedily confounded by such kind of reasonings though all have been such as have affrighted Earth and amazed Heaven And truly much better were it that our reasonings should confound our misdemeanours then that our misdemeanours should confound us and make us even ashamed with Josephs Brethren to see the face of our own Brother in this world and much more afraid with Israels enemies to see the face of God our Father in the world to come However whether we will thus turn preachers or not unto our selves yet it is not to be denyed but there are some men who are bound to preach not only to themselves but also to others according to that charge committed to them and that trust reposed in them Luk. 22. 32. Et tu conversus confirma Fratres And when thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren For that Minister is not truly thankful to God for his own conversion and confirmation who makes it not his chiefest business to convert and to confirm others Knowing therefore the terrour of thâ—… Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5. 11$ They that most know the terrour oâ—… the Lord ought most to perswadâ—… men to be ready to appear before him that they may not be terrified at hiâ—… appearing and they most know thaâ—… terrour who most know it not only Rationally or Doctrinally by their stâ—…dies and contemplations but alsâ—… Experimentally or Practically by theâ—… summons and by their sufferings Foâ—… as sickness is a summons unto death 〈◊〉 is suffering an experimental dying 〈◊〉 Those therefore who have most feâ—… either sickness or suffering have in aâ—… probability most known the terrouâ—… of the Lord and they ought most 〈◊〉 perswade men Under the notionâ—… sickness the Author of this small Treâ—… tise may own to know the terrours oâ—… the Lord for he looks on himself 〈◊〉 one newly come from the dead anâ—… yet still going to the dead and therefore the fitter to put others in mind of dying nor is he troubled that his writing is so full of weakness and infirmity which is the Indisposition of his body if it may be thought full of conscience and empty of curiosity which is or should be the Disposition of his soul For it is proper for a sick mans hand to sympathize more with his heart then with his head and to delight rather in lineaments of reality then of phansie Wherefore you may here expect such a hand-writing as appeared to Belshazar Dan. 5. which sets down nothing but Numbering and Weighing and Dividing Numbering of your daies Weighing of your sins and Dividing of your self This is like to be the main subject of the first part of the Legacy which is to be the preparation for death after these God enabling shall follow several comforts and consolations 1. Against sickness which numbereth your daies 2. Against Judgement which wilâ—… number your sins 3. Against Death which will divide your soul from youâ—… body and bring it to Judgement And these are intended for the second part of the Legacie as the Consolation against death God make both these aâ—… they are intended to him that writeâ—… them and to those that shall reaâ—… them So prayeth Yours in our common Saviourâ—… E. H. Errata PAg. 4. l. 6. studâ—…es r. studie p. 10. l. ult man r. for man p. 73. l. 21. Scil. Bonam r. saâ—… Bonav sc. Bonaventur p. 128. l. 12. cuie r. curâ—… p. 190. l. 24. to him r. to have p. 231. l. 13. 20. now here r. no where p. 345. l. 18. but most 〈◊〉 worthy r. but more unworthy p. 364. l. 13. Tâ—… Common-Law r. The Canon-Law The Preparation for Death consisting of Three Chapters Mene Tekel Peres Mene or Numbring of your Daies Tekel or Weighing of your Sins Peres or Dividing of your Person CHAP. I. Mene or Numbring of your Dayes Consisting of four Sections 1. Of mans Mortality and Immortality 2. Of the Knowledge of mans mortality 3. Of mans Vanity and the Knowledge thereof 4. Of the Difficulty Necessity and Excellency of that knowledge SECT I. Of Mans Mortality and Immortality MANS Life is but a Race of mortality and is then only well Run when it comes to a blessed
truth Jam. 1. 18. And if God be Our Father by Spiritual Generation then are we also his sons by Adoption and can rightly and truly say Our Father and all the Petitions after it without giving the Lie to our own Consciences Whereas a man that is in the state of sin cannot truly say any one Petition of the Lords most Holy Prayer He cannot say Our Father for he will not be the son of God He cannot say Hallowed be thy name for he delights to profane it He cannot say Thy Kingdom come for he fears nothing more then its coming He cannot say Thy Will be done for he resolves against the doing it Wherefore if you ask me how shall sinners not yet converted say to God Our Father I Answer if they truly desire to be converted and to become his children they may say so as the Prodigal son resolving to arise and go to his Father though he were not yet come unto him had a right of calling him Father Luke 15. 18. For an unfained desire of conversion shews a true convert God accepting the will for the deed As working in us to will no less then to do of his own good pleasure And the best man that is will meet with inextricable Difficulties if he Ground the Truth of his conversion upon the Ability of his Performance and not upon the sinceritity of his desire Saint Bernard tells of a very Religious Monk who undertaking to say his Pater Noster without the least A vocation or A version of his thoughts from God which another professed that he could not obtain to do by all the fasting and prayer that he had used for many years convinced and condemned himself by his own mouth before he had gone over half the petitions interposing such an Impertinency in his prayer as plainly shewed that his mind was on earth whiles his tongue was in heaven I conclude then that only those sinners among the sons of men have no right to their Pater Noster but do hypocritically and falsly say the Lords prayer who neither are nor desire to be the children of God who so are sinners as that they also are in the state of sin and desire to continue in that state For how can that man have a right to pray who before he praies hath set his heart against his God and whiles he is praying doth set his own tongue against his heart SECT II. Weighing of our sins EVery man shall bear his own burden saith the Apostle Gal. 6. 5. And it will conâ—…ern every wise man to see he hath no greater burden then he is able to bear Of all burdens none is so heavy as sin â—…or other burdens can only press down to â—…earth but this presseth also down to hell Therefore above all other burdens it is a â—…oint of wisdom to be rid of this burden of â—…in But how shall we rid our selves of it Who will take it from us who will bear it â—…or us The Psalmist hath told us Psal. 55. â—…2 saying Cast thy burden upon the Lord â—…nd he shall sustain thee If it be thy wiâ—…est course to cast upon him the burden of â—…hy Body then much more the burden of â—…hy soul Say then to him as Hezekiah did O Lord I am oppressed Undertake for me Isa. 38. 14. Thou didst bear the heavy â—…urden of thy Cross that thou mightest â—…ear the far heavier burden of my sins This is the burden that most oppresseth me this is the burden that I most earnestâ—…y beseech thee to undertake for me and to take from me thou didst admit of one to help thee bear the burden of thy Cross but of none to help thee bear the burden of my sins Therefore I can flee to none for helâ—… but to thee alone Thou only wert able toâ—… satisfie the Justice of an angry God and 〈◊〉 beseech thee to make me a joyfull Partakeâ—… of that blessed Satisfaction One Angeâ—… was enough to strengthen thee to beaâ—… the burden of the sins of the whole worldâ—… But all the Angels in Heaven are noâ—… enough to strengthen me to bear the burden only of mine own sins therefore I sleeâ—… unto thee to undertake for me Be thou myâ—… Pledge my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pawn Lift for Life soul for soul in my stead That 〈◊〉 who have forfeited both life and soul iâ—… my self may Recover them both in my Pledge in my Undertaker But I may not hope to be so easily rid of my heavy burden by desiring to lay it upon another shoulders unless I first lay it on mine owâ—… Heart For if my Saviour were so exceeding sorrowfull for my sins it is greaâ—… reason I should be sorrowfull for mine own Sins which alone caused his greateâ—… Sorrow And How can I be sorry for my Sins till I know the burden of them How can I know their burden till I have weighed Them in the ballance of the Sanctuary There I shall find that sin is directly opposite to the Goodness of God and therefore must needs be as odious to Him as His own Goodness is amiable to Himself There I shall find that the wilfull Sinner is a Rebell against the King of Heaven doth despise the Golden scepter of his mercy and would put him down from the Throne of his Majesty There I shall find that every Sin Unrepented separates from God Isa. 59. 2. Your Iniquities have separated betwixt you and your God Grieves his Holy Spirit excludes and expels Grace from the soul nay excludes and expels the soul from it self bringing Darkness on the Understanding Perversness on the Will Forgetfulness on the Memory Debility and weakness on the Power of Action So that by Sin the soul is neither rightly Intellective nor Retentive nor Affective nor Active Most ingeniously the Casuist Dicat Saluberrimum Peccavi cujus Singulae literae indices illi esse possunt miseriae in qua constituitur Let the Sinner frequently and Heartily cry Peccavi the several Letters of which word will put him in mind of His several losses and miseries by His sins as for example P Praemiis omnium meritorum privatus e Egestate oppressus c Coecitate mentis percussus c Charitate divina spoliatus 〈◊〉 a Amaritudine repletus v Viam perdiâ—…tionis ingressus i Iram Dei meritus 〈◊〉 Reginaldus de Prudentia in Confessarioâ—… cap. 5. Innumerable are the miseries oâ—… the impenitent sinner yet reducible All tâ—… these seven Heads 1. That he loseth thâ—… benefit of his former righteousness 2. Thaâ—… he is oppressed with many wants anâ—… above All with the want of Repentance 3. That he is smitten with blindness in hiâ—… Understanding 4. That he is out oâ—… Gods Favour 5. That He is full of bitterness 6. That he is in the way of Peâ—…dition 7. That he is under the wrath oâ—… God And the word Peccavi in Latineâ—… will put Him in mind of All these 〈◊〉 and as it will shew him His Disease soâ—… will also Help
ever â—…ore Almighty God and shall they â—…t be also before me they are open in 〈◊〉 sight and shall they not be so in mine that we would consider how far we have â—…t-gone David in his sin and yet how far â—…ort we come of him in his Repentance â—…r sin though it is the work of darkness â—…t may not hope to be covered or conâ—…led by it it is never invisible but alâ—…ies comes to light God sees it man himâ—…f sees it and happy is the man who sees â—…n due time for that is the only way to â—…ake God not see it but turn away his â—…es from it yet if he see it never so late CHAP. III. Peres or Dividing of our Persons SECT I. The Soul Divided from the Body while it lives by a Voluntary Separation conversing with it self and with itâ—… Saviour A GOOD man can neveâ—… want Good company soâ—… if he may not have it froâ—… his neighbour he may havâ—… it from himself Me Interrâ—…gans mihique respondent quùm solus essem tanquam Duo essemuâ—… Ratio Ego saith Saint Aust. lib. 1. Râ—…tract c. 4. Unde hoc opus Soliloquia nominavi I did Question and Answer my self as if we had been Two Reason and I whence I called that work my Solilequies And indeed a mans safest way of talking is to talk with himself so will his tongue not defile his body as Saint James complains but purge his Soul not set on fire the course of nature but thirst after the welsprings of Grace not it self be set on fire from Hell but inflame the soul with the love desire of Heaven He that talks most with himself is like to answer for himself For the right Judgement of things is made by the Conscience which looks not on Time but on Eternity The soul must Answer by it self alone without the body â—…nd therefore had need consult with it self â—…lone about its Answer not admit the flesh â—…nto consultation which will deprave the â—…udgement and cannot rectifie it Mundus â—…egacosmus intrat in microcosmum i. e. 〈◊〉 Animam scil Bonam in itinerario menâ—…is This Great world was made to enter inâ—… man the Lesser world for the soul is â—…ble to receive it all and yet still must â—…ontinue empty But man himself was â—…ade to enter into a better world Enter â—…ou into thy Masters Joy Mat 25. 23. â—…he world above is too big to enter into â—…s we must enter into it Therefore it is better to know this world then to love because by knowledge this world enteâ—… into us but it is better to love the woâ—… above then to know it because by loâ—… we enter into that world And surely is like to have the happiest entrance tâ—… soonest knocketh at the door For soâ—… there will be who will say Lord Lâ—… open unto us who will have this answer 〈◊〉 rily I say unto you I know you not Mat. 〈◊〉 11 12. Wherefore it is necessary that tâ—… soul be divided from the body even whâ—… it dwels in it that so it may by a voluntaâ—… both prevent and facilitate its violent seâ—… ration For if she be accustomed to the oâ—… she will never fear the other Thuâ—… may be a Separatist and be no Schisâ—… tick by Separating from my self but 〈◊〉 from my brethren The Jews phaâ—… much of Gods speaking with his own Jâ—… cial house and when they find him speâ—… ing in the plural number not knowâ—… the mysterie of the Trinity or not caâ—… to acknowledge it do only tell us he is 〈◊〉 sulting with his own Judgement 〈◊〉 Solomon Jarchi on Cantic 8. v. 5. 〈◊〉 How much more ought man to conâ—… with his own soul that by so doing heâ—… also consult with God For the soul more it descends into it self the more it ascends unto its Saviour God alone haveing the Priviledge to be within the Soul as the Soul alone hath the priviledge to be within the body Therefore let me have frequent Colloquies with mine own soul that I may have frequent Colloquies with my Saviour my Colloquies with my self will wean me from the love of earth my Colloquies with my Saviour will make me in love with heaven my Colloquies with my self will shew me the Vanities of the world the Infirmities of the flesh the Malice of the Devil and the sight of these will make me say with the Psalmist O that I had wings like a Dove then would I flee away and be at Rest Psal. 55. 6. When the spirit of a Dove will not give me Rest such may be the wickedness of men yet the wings of a Dove will give it me such is the goodness of God when condescending to man by patience and meekness will not then ascending to God by prayer and meditation will give Peace and Rest unto my soul. My Colloquies with my Saviour will shew me his Al-sufficient merits His Almighty power His Al-saving mercy And the first of these will make me Abandon the worlds Vanity that I may retire to his Al-sufficiency he hath ascribed sufficiency to his Grace 2 Cor. 12. But he hath reserved the Al-sufficiency to himself The second will make me acknowledge mine own Infirmity that I may rely on his Omnipotency as saith the Apostle most gladly will I glory in mine Infirmities that the Power of Christ may rest upon me 2 Cor. 12. 9. For if the power of Christ rest on me sure I cannot but have rest in it The third will make me not fear the Devils malice whiles I place my whole trust and confidence in my Saviours everlasting and Al-saving meâ—…cies For blessed be his undeserved goodness I have a Saviour who is able and willing to save a Jesus whose name is salvation whose presence is salvation whose work is salvation they are all three Joyned together John 11. 21 Then said Martha unto Jesus Lord if thou hadst been here my brother had not dyed He is Jesus there 's Salvation in his name thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins Mat. 1. 21. If thou hadst heen here there 's Salvation in his presence My brother had not dyed there 's salvation in his work therefore must my soul be alwaies neer my Saviour that it may never be far from his Salvation It must converse with him and therefore it must be united to him by the spiritual and blessed Union which is wrought by Faith by Hope by Charity For without this Union I may not hope for that Conversation The Union or Conjunction of the soul with Christ by Faith is expressed and in that required Eph. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Not in your Heads by Phansie but in your Hearts by Faith not float in your Brains but sink down into your Breasts Wherefore let me be sure to cherish in my soul this heavenly gift of Faith by refraining my mind from vain Curiosities and bringing into captivity every thought to the Obedience
for he tasted it at his own pleasure Death feeds on us for we must tast it against our wills and not only tast it but also eat it down Corruption first seized upon our souls and from thence passed to our bodies It was to our greatest disadvantage that it seized upon our souls But it is to our greatest advantage that it seizeth upon our bodies For unless they should be quite destroyed sin which first caused mortality would in the corrupt remainders and Reliques of our bodies it self have a kind of immortality whereas Righteousness alone is and ought to be immortal And therefore it is very probable that those who shall be found alive at the last day of whom the Apostle hath said We shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed 1 Cor. 15. 51. shall have a change not only Equivalent to a Death but also to a Total Destruction For sin must totally be destroyed And therefore also our bodies that have lodged it and have been defiled by it That there may not be left the least monument of sin in the New World wherein shall dwell nothing but Righteousness 2 Pet. 3. 13. And now me thinks I can find a Paradise in Golgotha ever since my Saviour hath been there and bid hearty welcom to those worms which shall destroy that flesh which would have destroyed me For I can now safely conclude that neither in regard of my soul nor of my body ought I to fear Death which certainly is not so formidable in it self as it is generally in the worlds opinion For if the Rule be true Nomen quasi Novimen The name of every thing is that whereby it is best known and discerned then by the name of death we may best know and discern the nature of it And these are the chief Names whereby the Scripture expresseth it A Sleep A Change A Departure A Dissolution and none of all these Names is terrible and why then should the thing it self be so But if there be any terrour in the thing yet we are sure that in the Text there is a comfort greater then the terrour First Death is called a Sleep Mat. 9. 24. The maid is not dead but sleepeth And though wicked miscreants who believed not the Resurrection laughed at our blessed Saviour for calling death A sleep yet let all good Christians rejoyce that it is so and give him thanks for making it so It is a comfortable Gloss which the third Toletan Council cap. 22. gives upon those words of John 11. 35. Jesus wept For they say Dominus non flevit Lazarum sed ad vitae hujus ploravit Aerumnas resuscitandum Jesus did not weep that Lazarus slept but that he was again to be awakened to see the miseries and feel the mischiefs of this wicked world T was said before verse 11. Our friend Lazarus sleepeth And he that said it having made his death a sleep was troubled that he should awaken him so soon from his sleep In vita vigilant Justi ideo in morte dicuntur Dormire saith St. Augustine The good man when he dieth is said to sleep because he watcheth and waketh all his life but a wicked man sleeps all his life and awakens only at his death Soul take thy rest saith the rich worldling He lulls his soul asleep but what follows Thou fool this night is thy soul taken from thee Thy sleep shall soon be over together with thy life and Vengeance and Death they shall awaken thee For hast thou slept all thy life and wouldest thou also sleep at thy death Hast thou slept all the while thou wert here and wouldest thou also sleep now thou art going hence Hast thou slept when God bad thee awake and wouldest thou also sleep now that he bids thee die No Thou mayest not any longer expect rest ease and tranquillity For thou shalt certainly have disconsolation at thy departure grief in thy passage and shame at thy journeys end when thou shalt appear before Gods Judgement-seat and shalt not be able to give any account at all of thy life no more then the Souldiers could of Christ Mat. 28. for thou wert asleep Thy Death would have been a sleep if thy life had not been so Secondly Death is called A Change Job 14. 14. All the dayes of my appointiâ—… time will I wait till my Change come Thâ—… Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I wiâ—… wait till I be made again If death be thy making Tell me what can be thy marring A happy change doubtless which is nothing but a new making of that which is quite out of Order And thus saith St. Chrysostome did Symmachus expound thâ—… words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my holy Nativity or my holy Naturâ—… come The nature which I now have iâ—… full of corruption full of unholiness so that my own flesh is not so neer me as iâ—… my sinfulness O for a regeneration of my body as well as of my soul that I may be born again in my flesh as I am in my spirit Nor is there any thing that can morâ—… truly sweeten the thought of death theâ—… this consideration that it is a change For we are already in so bad a condition that we cannot well fear our Change should be for the worse And if we be truly sensible of our own condition it is most sure thaâ—… our change will be infinitely for the better For so saith the Apostle Phil. 3. 20â—… 21. For our conversation is in Heaven froâ—… whence we also look for the Saviour thâ—… Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body as if he had said we find nothing on Earth worth conversing withall therefore our conversation is in Heaven we know that our body is now vile and loathsom and therefore we look for the Lord Jesus Christ to Change and Fashion it like unto his Glorious Body Here are two great changes which the men of this world that are most given to change least care for A change of the soul from being on Earth to be in Heaven for our conversation is in Heaven A change of the body from Vileness to Glory who shall change our vile body that it may be like his glorious body Thirdly Death is called A Departure and so doth Abenezra expound the forenamed word in Job 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chaliphathi my change that is saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Halicathi my departure For the Jews express mans Birth as a Coming and his Death as a Going So Eccles. 1. 4. One generation goeth or Passeth away and another cometh Generatio vadens and Generatio Veniens The first is put for the Dying the latter for the living Generation of mankind And the first Council of Nice can 13. speaking of Dying men useth a word that only signifieth going forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De iis qâ—… exeunt And again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If any man be ready to Depart
he hath said it who is able to make good his word Mat. 12. 50. Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother Tell me if there be any Relations nearer and dearer theâ—… these and tell me whether these can be so comfortable in Earth as they are in Heaven What loss is it then to me though Death take from me All while it gives me him who is All in All The Spirit of God saith unto every faithful soul Psalm 4. 5. 10. Hearken O daughter and consider forget also thine own people and thy Fathers house so shall the King greatly desire thy beauty for he is thy Lord God and worship thou him Non est ergo magnum â—…tu obliviscaris dimittas Populum tuum Domum Patris Tui ut te totum ejus servitio submittas Quoniam ipse dimisit Coelum se totum dedit ut tibi serviret saith Hugo He requires no great thing of thee To forgo thy Fathers house on Earth for his sake who did forgo his Fathers house in heaven for thy sake He was thy Lord and yet did that to serve thee Thou art his servant and wilt thou stick at doing this to serve him But you will say Herein consists my greatest perplexity For I know that I must go to him as my Lord to Judge me but I do not know how I can stand in that Judgement that so I may find him my Father to receive me and my God to save me But for this I refer you to another Chapter as being a Piece of Divinity that most concerneth another world CHAP. III. The Comforts of the Soul against Iudgement SECT I. The terrours of the last Judgement THere is a time for a Minister to be a Boanerges a Son oâ—… Thunder to proclaim Godâ—… final Judgement against Impenitent sinners that he may bring them to an earnest Repentance foâ—… that Impenitency is the high-way to damnation But there is also a time for him to be a Barnabas a Son of Consolation tâ—… proclaim Gods mercies to the Penitent that he may bring them to a lively faith for that true faith is the high-way to salvation Galatinus reports That the Jews did use to give a strong intoxicating wine to those that were condemned to die that by disturbing their judgements they might have the less terrible apprehensions of their approaching Death wresting that Text of Prov. 31. 6. Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts A miserable way of Comforting was this to take away the pain by taking away the sense and the understanding To quiet the conscience by drowning it Had it not been more mercy in the Jews to have given the guilty a bitter potion to awaken his conscience then a pleasing potion to benum and to besot it For it is good the soul should weep with Mary John 20. 11. when she cannot readily find out Christ because it is sure the weeping soul can never lose him Wherefore it will be requisite that I first set before your eyes the terrours of the last Judgement that you may see your sins and then the comforts against those terrours that you may see your Saviour As concerning the terrours of the last Judgement they are set down in few words but many Frights 2 Thes. 1. 7 8. When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe in that day Observe the terrible manner of this Grand-Assizes The Judge shall visibly come down from heaven and bring his Posse Comitatus with him even his mighty Angels to execute his final Sentence which shall be a Sentence for the punishment of sense they shall be punished with an everlasting Destruction and for the punishment of loss from the presence of the Lord. That is A Sentence for all punishment that is imaginable and for more then is endurable And this Judge shall come down in flaming fire a Real a Material a Corporal not a Metaphorical or an Imaginary or a Spiritual fire and this fire he shall bring along with him from heaven not expect it to meet him from hell that shall lose none of its own former flames but receive more and therewith consume this corruptible and corrupted world 2. Pet. 3. 7. And after that throw all the Divels and wicked men into that same fire and then throw the fire it self with them down into hell there to increase the torments of those miscreants for ever that had before fire from hell to torment them but then they shall also have fire from heaven to encrease their torments God as he shall be glorified and admired in his Saints because of his undeserved mercy so shall he also be glorified and admired in those sinners because of his righteous Judgement And therefore though their Judges fire will be so terrible because of the flame yet their own sins will be much more terrible because they alone minister the fuel to that fire For the Books shall be opened The Book of Gods Remembrance and the Book of their own Conscience And they shall be Judged out of those things which are written in the Books according to their works Rev. 20. 12. Then in both Books shall they see such works Registred as call for a Judgement worthy of God because they had not only an Impiety but also an Impenitency unworthy of man And as they shall first see those works to their terrour so shaâ—… they after feel them to their torment noâ—… a work that had putrefaction and corruption in it but shall have its worm after it For corruption of sin begets a worm in thâ—… soul as corruption of Death begets worm in the body Vermis oritur ex putredine 〈◊〉 mordit illud in quo oritur saith Bonaventure A worm is begotten of filthiness anâ—… feeds on that which beg at it so is the woâ—… of conscience it is begotten of corruption even of sin the only corruption of the soul it frets and corrodes and gnaws and bitâ—… that soul which gave it being So that there must needs be all manner of terrours terrours from within where their worm dieth not terrours from without and the fire 〈◊〉 not quenched Mark 9. 46. And to all these terrours we must yet further add this terrible example out of Saint Peter 2 Pet. 2. 4. For if God spared not the Angels that sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto Judgement Here is a kind oâ—… an imperfect speech called ' 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his passion caused
Here is both the good Confidence and the ground of it the good Conscience The confidence is That we may have boldness in the day of Judgement The ground of that confidence is this good conscience Because as he is so are we in this world for this is in effect the Syllogism Whosoever is here like him in Piety shall hereafter be like him in Glory but we that truly believe in him are here like him in Piety therefore we shall also be like him in Glory He that hath that Good confidence upon this Good conscience as he may not be ashamed of his hope so he shall not be disappointed of it for he is sure to stand in the last Judgement because he hath the Eternal Son of God to support him on the one side with his All-sufficient merits on the other side with his All-saving mercies Two such supporters to which he cannot trust too much for which he cannot glorifie Christ enough though he glorifie him world without end Amen Deo Trin-Uni Gloria in secula seculorum Amen A sick mans Cordial composed of three Ingredients I. Contemplations II. Ejaculations III. Devotions Contemplations on Isaiah 53. Verse 3. O MY Beloved Saviour wast thou despised and rejected of men and shall not I learn to despise and reject my self that I may be like to thee approved of thee and received by thee Wast thou a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs who knewest no sin And shall I who came into the world with sin look to go out of the world without sorrow Verse 4. Didst thou so patiently bear the griefs and carry the sorrows that were due for my sins And shall not I patiently bear the griefs and carry the sorrows that are due for mine own sins How could I have sorrows if I had not sins and why should I not have patience now I must have sorrows Wast thou stricken and smitten of God and afflicted who wast his only begotten and most dearly Beloved Son And shall I look to escape the scourge who heretofore have been his enemy and still am his undutiful and unworthy servant Verse 5. I will look upon my wounds and maladies as upon so many cures and remedies Upon my bruise for I am all over nothing else as upon so much soundness since both wounds and bruises are inflicted not as satisfactions for my sins but as checks and amendments of my sinfulness For he was wounded for my transgressions and bruised for mine iniquities therefore my wounds and my bruises are not now to pacifie the wrath of the Father but to make me conformable to the Son And the chastisement of my peace was upon him therefore I will not repine at my chastisement since I have my peace It being indeed but a chastisement to correct the sinner not a punishment to avenge the sin And since I am healed in my soul I will not fear being wounded in my body For with his stripes I am healed and mine own stripes do but make me the more to see the want and the more to crave the benefit of his healing Verse 6 7. I have been a sheep in my strayings for I have turned to mine own waies O make me also a Sheep in my sufferings not once to open my mouth when thou shearest me clipping off all the comforts of my life no nor when thou slayest me bringing on all the torments oâ—… my sickness no nor when thou slayest me bringing on all the pangs and horrourâ—… of my death That as my Saviour was oppressed and afflicted yet opened not his mouth so I may be kept from murmuring and repining in all my oppressions and afflictions For I may well be as he was Meek and Patient since thou hast laid minâ—… iniquities on him but if I follow not his Meekness and his Patience I fear I shall again lay mine iniquities upon my self Verse 8 9. He was cut off from life whose generation was life what can I expect but death who had it in my very birth who was corrupted when I was generated and therefore not only in regard of my death but also in regard of my life it self must say to corruption thou art my Father and to the worm thou art my Sister and my Mother Who shall declare his Generation For he was begotten of his Father before all worlds But who shall declare my corruption for I was corrupted when I was begotten by my Father before I came into the world He was taken away by death but he was taken away from a mortal a miserable and a contemptible life so let me be taken away good Lord from mortality misery and contempt to Immortality Blessedness and Glory My life hath not left much for my death to take away from me Lord let my death take from me all that is left but my Saviour and let it fully give me him He was brought to prison that he might be Judged and he was brought to Judgement that he might be condemned and his death was his Release both from Prison and from Judgement Lord make my death so to me make my death my Release from prison for whiles I am in the body I am imprisoned fettered with the bonds of sin and corruption But bring my soul out of this prison that I may praise thy name then the righteous shall compass me about for thou shalt deal bountifully with me Psal. 142. 7. A most happy Goal-Delivery for my soul for then the Righteous shall compass me about and not sinners nay more then I shall be compassed about with Rightousness who now am compassed about with sins and that not so much with other mens as with mine own sins Thus make my death my Release from Prison and make it also my Release from Judgement For thy Son hath been Judged and condemned for me that I might escape the Judgement of thy condemnation Lord I ask not that thou wouldest not Judge me for after death comes Judgement Heb. 9. 27. I ask only that thou wilt not condemn me when I shall be Judged And this is agreeable with thy very Justice though I wholly appeal unto thy Mercy not to condemn and punish the same sin twice Thou hast already condemned and punished my sins in my Saviour O then let me escape thy condemnation and thy punishment He was Judged for mine Unrighteousness O let me stand in the Judgement for his Righteousness For the transgression of my people was he stricken Lord thou hast placed me among thy people and therefore I must believe that he was stricken for my transgressions Nay thou hast brought me nearer to thee and made me one of thine own Family having admitted me thy servant Nay thou hast brought me yet nearer to thee and made me one of thine own Inheritance having adopted me thy child I deserved not to be among thy people and I am placed among thy servants I deserved not to be among thy servants and I am accepted among thy children O then
wilt come to be my Judge who hast already come to be my Saviour and I therefore pray thee to help thy servant whom thou hast Redeemed with thy most precious blood O Lord in thy Justice when thou shalt be most ready to condemn me remember the Mercy whereby thou didst come to save me and hear thine own precious blood crying out to thee for my salvation and hear not my grievous sins crying out against me for my condemnation for what wilt thou do with thy Mercy which moved thee to shed thy blood if thou wilt not forgive sinners what wilt thou do with the Merit of thy blood that hath been shed if thou wilt not save sinners O Lord I appeal unto this Mercy which hath promised forgiveness of sins and to this Merit which hath purchased salvation for sinners and in this Mercy and in this Merit I cannot but hope to stand in the Judgement 31. If the Lord himself had not been on my side now may my soul say if the Lord himself had not been on my side when the Devils and mine own conscience rose up against me they had swallowed me up quick when they were so wrathfully displeased at me Yea the waters had drowned me and the stream had gone over my soul but praised be the Lord which hath not given me over for a prey unto their teeth My soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the Fowler the snare is broken and I am delivered My help standeth in the Name of the Lord which hath made heaven and earth and which hateth nothing that he hath made 32. O Lord Jesus Christ which upholdest all things in heaven and in earth make me evermore to put my whole trust in thee in the state of health and prosperity to trust in thee for preservation in the state of sickness and adversity to trust in thee for deliverance and relief in all states to trust in thee for grace and benediction That in the distresses of my body I may be comforted for the salvation of my soul in the distresses of my soul I may be comforted for the mercies of my Savioâ—… Let me submit my soul to thee in piety by doing righteously that thou mayest not punish me and having failed of that let me submit my soul to thee in patience by suffering contentedly when thou dost punish me for my sins Let me not despair of thy Mercy when I have most provoked thy Justice that thou mayst in Justice remember Mercy and in Mercy remember me Let me never say in my heart through impatience or infidelity There is no God Let me never wish in my heart through impenitency that there were none Let me not say in my heart â—…efore I sin There is no God least I sin with greediness Let me not wish in my heart there were no God after I have sinned lest I sin without Repentance But make me set thee alwaies before me both in thy Majesty as coming to Judge me that I sin not and in thy Mercy as willing to save me that I despair not when I have sinned And be thou alwaies with me by thy special grace that I perish not in my sins O thou which art the joy of Angels be also the joy of my sinful soul speak salvation to me who can speak nothing but damnation to my self Be unto my sinful soul sanctification from sin that thou mayest be to my sanctified soul salvation from death That I may at last stand with that great multitude who shall stand before thee cloathed with white robes and palms in their hands to cry with a loud voice saying Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever ever Amen 33. O Lord who art so merciful unto sinful man as to vouchsafe to be his Guide and Governor and so constant in thy Mercies as to guide and govern him all his life even unto death I beseech thee to be my Guide in this my greatest perplexity now that my body is as it were bitten with fiery Serpents and my soul dwelleth among Scorpions Now that torments and tumults are without me temptations and discontents are within me O be thou â—…igh at hand that none of all my outward â—…r inward vexations may either disturb my â—…fety or betray my innocency Let God â—…ise in my heart and let all his enemies â—…ere that is all my impatient thoughts 〈◊〉 scattered Like as smoke vanisheth so 〈◊〉 them vanish at the presence of God â—…nd my soul be joyful in the Lord it shall â—…ejoyce in his salvation 34. O God thy Charets are twenty thouâ—…nd even thousands of Angels O set â—…me of them compass me about as they â—…d thy servant Elisha whiles I am living â—…nd let others of them carry my soul into â—…brahams bosom when I shall die as they â—…d thy servant Lazarus That these thy â—…inistring spirits which are sent forth to â—…inister for them who shall be heirs of salâ—…tion may also minister for me thy most â—…worthy servant not only in my sickâ—…ss to succour and defend me but also in â—…y death to direct and convey my soul 〈◊〉 by thy appointment they have brought â—…e to those everlasting mansions where I â—…all together with them alwaies behold â—…e face of my Father which is in heaven â—…men 35. O Lord thou hast commanded me tâ—… break off my sins by repentance but I havâ—… broken off my soul from thee by sin anâ—… widened that breach by my impenitency Wherefore it is but just that I who have sâ—… often grieved thy Spirit should now at 〈◊〉 grieve mine own For I have often reâ—…turned to those sins which by mine owâ—… mouth had so terribly accused me and bâ—… mine own default so grievously woundeâ—… me But I beseech thee to fill my heaâ—… with Repentance which I have so ofteâ—… filled with sin and let me have that sorroâ—… here which may keep me from confusioâ—… hereafter For if thy servant Peter weâ—… three whole daies nay all his life long fâ—… denying thee thrice out of a sudden passâ—… on What tears what repentance is neeâ—… ful to the washing away of my sins whâ—… have so often denyed thee upon deliberâ—…tion If Mary Magdalen wept so griâ—…vously for seven Devils shall not I muâ—… rather for seventy seven more unclean spâ—…rits She was not then thy servant whâ—… she entertained those impure guests I haâ—… been a long time thy friend thy brotheâ—… thy son and yet have given these thiâ—… enemies my best entertainment She 〈◊〉 â—…ot in the Devils again after they had â—…een cast out but I have swept and garnishâ—…d the room for them make me therefore â—…ood Lord all my life long to wash thy â—…et with my tears that thou mayest wash â—…y soul with thy blood and so at last preâ—…nt it without spot and blemish before â—…he heavenly Father in thine eternal and everlasting Kingdom Amen 36. Lord let me often find the influence of thy grace in heavenly
thoughts that I may often feel the influence of thy mercy in heavenly joyes I have many sad and dismal sorrows from my self O give unto me true comfort in my Saviour let my trouble be in the day when thou wilt hear me and not in the day when thou wilt Judge me There is no trust but may deceive me save only my trust in thee there is nothing in which I may not miscarry but only thy Mercy O Lord let my trust be so in thee that though I have miscarried in all the desires and designs and delights of this world yet I may not miscarry in thy Mercy but may have the joyes and delights of the world to come through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen 37. Be thou exalted Lord in thine owâ—… strength so will I sing and praise thâ—… power Thy strength is that whicâ—… strengthens souls and thou lovest to shew thy strength in our weakness Lord let thy strength be made perfect in my weakness so shall I most gladly rather glory then repine in my infirmities whiles the power of Christ doth-rest upon me and my soul doth rest upon thee and thy Mercies in Jesus Christ. 38. O Lord who forgivest the sins of the penitent and coverest those sins which thou forgivest I beseech thee to accept my repentance and to cover all those sins which I desire thee to forgive That I may have the blessing of him whose unrighteousness is forgiven and whose sin is covered For if my sins should be all discovered to my self they would fill me with fear if they should be discovered to others they would fill me with shame And how wilt thou discover them either to my fear or to my shame since thou canst not forgive them unless thou cover them O then be pleased so to cover my sins here as not to discover them again hereafter so to hide my transgressions in the day of thy Mercy as not to lay them open in the day of Wrath Or if thy Justice shall require that all my sins be revealed in the day of the revelation of thy righteous Judgement let the atonement also for my sins be then revealed which I have laboured to make and thou hast promised to accept through the Merits and satisfaction of thy Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 39. O thou who art gracious and righteous and in thy righteousness teachest the upright the way of innocency and by thy grace leadest sinners in the way of repentance Have mercy upon me thy most unworthy servant and grant that my great defects and wants of the first righteousness that of Innocency may be supplyed by the fulness of the second righteousness that of Faith and Repentance And make mine eyes look so diligently to thee that I may never again want care in looking to my self Order my steps in thy Word and so shall no wickedness have dominion over me Order my heart in thy Faith and so shall I have dominion over all my wickedness for though my fears shall force me to say O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death yet my Faith will be able to suppress that saying and suggest unto me this heavenly comfort and triumph I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 40. O Lord I am in the midst of many troubles and sorrows by reason of my sufferings and much more by reason of my sins but thou hast promised that the righteous shall rejoyce in the Lord and put his trust in him and all they that are true of heart shall be glad Psal. 64. 10. O then make me true of heart that I may trust in thee and be truly righteous And give unto me true righteousness that thou mayst give unto me true joy There is no true righteousness but the righteousness of thy Son There is no true joy but the joy of thy Spirit O thou Father of Mercy give unto me the righteousness of God the Son my Redeemer that thou mayst give me the joy of God the Holy-Ghost my Comforter to be with me and to remain in me for evermore 41. O Lord thou hast brought upon me so much misery that I cannot love my condition And I have so much sin that I cannot love my self Wherefore I beseech thee to fix my love wholly upon thee that my soul may thirst for thee and my flesh also may long after thee in this barren and dry Land where no water is either to cleanse or to refresh or to revive me That looking for thee in holiness I may behold thy power and glory For my soul cannot truly thirst for thee till my flesh also long after thee since whiles my flesh is in love with the profits and pleasures of this life my spirit cannot but lose the desire and neglect the pursuit of the life everlasting O Lord thou hast taken away from me most of the profits and all the pleasures of this life O take from me also the love of it That I may not fear to lose that life which I do not love nor love that life which I am sure to lose but let me so love thee as to live in thee that I may not fear the loss either of my life or of my love 42. O Lord I am assaulted by vexations without and by temptations within and to whom should I flie for succour but only to thee who art not so displeased for my sins but that thou wilt be appeased by my repentance O give unto me that repentance which thou wilt accept and take from me that displeasure which I so fear Thou canst defend me with thy favourable kindness as with a Shield O Lord I ask no other defence but only this defence of thy Mercy to defend me from my self and all my sinfulness to defend me from thy wrath and from all the punishments of my sins Though thou leave me destitute of all other defence yet let thy loving-kindness evermore defend me according to that eternal love wherewith thou hast loved me in the Son of thy love our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 43. O Lord thou hast hitherto guided me by thy counsel and thou wilt hereafter receive me with glory Therefore have I none in heaven but thee because none else can receive me with glory and there is none upon earth that I desire in comparison of thee because none else can guide me with true counsel O Lord pardon my strayings from thy directions as thou hast been my guide that thou mayst receive me into thine habitation and be my glory for Jesus sake Amen 44. O Lord make my soul willing to depart and go from hence because it here dwells among the enemies of my peace even among mine own sins and fears which disturb the peace of a good conscience here and threaten to destroy the peace of a blessed eternity hereafter Make me to long for that blessed minute which will restore to me perfect innocency and will transmit me into everlasting peace
even that peace of God which passeth all that I do understand and will fullfill all that I can desire Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart to this peace that thou mayest at once deliver me from all my troubles for his sake who hath shed his precious blood to purchase this peace for me Jesus Christ the only righteous Amen 45. Lord give unto me an earnest repentance to cleanse and purge my soul from dead works that thou mayest give unto me a true and lively faith to settle and establish my soul in the light of life That acknowledging and bewailing mine own demerits and unrighteousness I may by the Merits and Righteousness of my blessed Redeemer obtain remission of all my sins whereof I now stand guilty before thy Judgement-seat and the assurance of that remission sealed unto my conscience by the testimony of thy holy Spirit that I may not be terrified with the thought of death being delivered from the terrours of Judgement and having that righteousness interposed in answer for me which cannot but answer all the accusations of the Devils and all the attestations and convictions of mine own conscience O my blessed Advocate do thou come to plead for me and then come Lord Jesus come quickly Amen 46. Lord make me daily more and more to see the manifold miseries of my pilgrimage whereby I am a stranger to eternity and a so journer with vanity burdened and clogged with a heavy weight of flesh and a far heavyer weight of sin That I may heartily pray to be delivered from all those burdens and miseries and not be afraid least thou shouldst hear my prayer but that my soul providing to return into her own Countrey may accordingly have longings and earnest desires after the Land of Promise and after the heavenly Jerusalem and after thee my God who there livest and reignest world without end Amen 47. Lord make me patiently to undergo this punishment of my body but earnestly to long for the deliverance of my soul Make me thankful for that small ease and refreshment thou givest me on earth but much more for the eternal rest thou hast provided for me in heaven grant that though I have affliction in the world yet I may have peace in thee and may rejoyce in that peace for thou hast overcome the world grant that though I am weak in my body yet I may be strong in my soul for thou art the strength of souls grant that though I find pain and anguish in my flesh yet I may find joy and comfort in my spirit for thou art the God of spirits grant that I may not look on thy hand scourging me with an evil eye whiles I believe that the thoughts which thou thinkest towards me are thoughts of peace and not of evil and that though thou givest me a sad beginning yet thou wilt give me an expected end Jer. 29. 11. 48. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him and I may well bear it patiently nay rather take it thankfully since it is his great goodness to punish temporally that he may spare eternally For he will at last plead my cause and execute Judgement for me he will at length bring me forth to light out of this dismal darkness and I shall behold his righteousness and he will not behold mine unrighteousness Then shall I say with great joy Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquities and passeth by transgressions and retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in Mercy Therefore he will turn again he will have compassion upon me he will subdue mine iniquities before he suffer death to subdue me and he will cast all my sins into the depth of the Sea before he will cast me into the deep of the earth Mich. 7. v. 9 18 19. 49. Art thou not from everlasting O Lord my God mine holy One and I but only of yesterday and for a moment I shall not die whiles thou art my Resurrection and my Life O Lord thou hast ordained these pains and sicknesses for Judgement and O mighty God thou hast established them for correction O Lord let them prove so to me as Judgements to advise me and as Chastisements to amend me for thou art of purer eyes then to behold evil and therefore sure of purer hands then to embrace it and thou canst not look on iniquity therefore sure wilt not encourage it O then let this thy visitation so purge away all evil and iniquity from me that thou mayest both encourage my soul in my life and embrace it at my death Hab. 1. 50. O thou the high and lofty one that inhabitest eternity whose Name is Holy thou that dwellest in the high and lofty place but with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite one be pleased to look upon the great humiliations of my body and the unfeigned contritions of my soul That thou mayst dwell with me and I may be revived in the spirit whiles I am daily put to death in the flesh And do not contend for ever neither be thou alwaies wrath least my spirit should fail before thee and the soul which thou hast made for the iniquity of my conversation thou wast wrath and smotest me but for the abundance of thine own mercies heal me and restore comforts to me and to my mourners and give unto me true joy and peace in Jesus Christ our Lord Isaiah 57. 15 c. 51. O Lord I have been long cloathed with filthy garmens even by the corruptions and pollutions of the flesh And Satan is standing at my right hand ready to tempt me here and to accuse and torment me hereafter But O Lord I beseech thee to say unto Satan The Lord rebuke thee O Satan even the Lord that hath chosen his servant rebuke thee And take away the filthy garments from me and say unto me behold I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee and I will cloath thee with change of rayment even with the wedding-garment the righteousness of that immaculate Lamb the Lord Jesus Christ so shall I appear before thee with comfort stand before thee with confidence and remain before thee with joy for evermore Zach. 3. 52. O Lord thou hast left me a Promise of entering into thy Rest O let me not come short of it and not enter into it But since I have a great high-Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God an high-Priest touched with the feeling of my infirmities let me through him come boldly to the Throne of grace that I may obtain Mercy and find Grace to help in time of need Heb. 4. 53. O Lord my strength and my fortress and my refuge in the day of affliction I desire to come unto thee from the ends of the earth where I have inherited lyes and vanity and things wherein there is
distress say effatha to my heart that it may be opened to receive thee say effatha to the heavens that they may be opened to receive my soul yea say unto my soul thou art my salvation for thou only who art All-sufficient canst speak unto my soul and thou only who art All-merciful wilt speak comfort to it And though for my sins thou art justly displeased yet for thine own Mercies thou wilt not long continue in that displeasure for thou hast proclaimed thy self to be the Lord The Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin Lord say unto me thy unworthy servant that my sins are forgiven me and that I may go hence in peace for my faith hath saved me even that faith whereby I wholly trust in the Merits and Mercies of thy eternal Son Jesus Christ. 66. Hear my prayer O Lord and consider my desire hearken unto me for thy truth and righteousness sake and enter not into Judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no man living be justified And let not mine enemy persecute my soul and if it be thy will let not my disease smite my life down to the ground nor lay me in the darkness as men that have been long dead But if it be thy pleasure to torment and to destroy my body yet let not my spirit be vexed within me nor my heart within me be desolate But make me so remember the time and thy works past that I may be comforted in the time and thy works to come that stretching forth my hands and lifting up my heart unto thee I may lay hold on thee by a lively Faith Hope and Love and at last come to enjoy thee by a blessed vision comprehension and fruition And my soul gasping â—…nto thee as a thirsty Land may be satisfied with the dew of thy heavenly blessings for evermore 67. O Lord remember that I am the work of thy hands the image of thy counteâ—…ance the price of thy blood And have mercy on me as thy work as thy image and as thy purchase for the paternal bowels of God the Father that created me for the bleeding wounds of God the Son that redeemed me and for the unutterâ—…ble groans of God the Holy-Ghost that sanctifieth me O Lord hear O Lord forgive O Lord strengthen me in my sickness receive me at my death and acquit me in the Judgement Amen 68. Hear me O Lord and that soon for my spirit waxeth faint hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit O let me hear thy loving-kindness late in the evening of this life and betimes in the morning of Eternity for in thee is my trust shew thou me the way that leadeth in the truth and unto the life for I lift up my soul unto thee Deliver me O Lord from mine enemies both corporal and spiritual for I flie unto thee to hide me Let thy loving Spirit lead me forth out of this Land of unrighteousness and lead me into the Land of righteousness Quicken me O Lord for thy Name sake and then most when I shall be nearest death and for thy righteousness sake bring my soul out of all her troubles that I may give thanks unto thee with those blessed spirits which lived here in thy fear departed hence in thy favour and now are with thee in eternal joy and glory Psal. 143. v. 7 c. 69. Deal thou so with me O Lord God according to thy Name that in the greatest bitterness of my soul I may both see and confess that sweet is thy Mercy O deliver me for I am helpless and poor and my body is tormented without me and my heart is wounded within me Psal. 109. ver 22 23. but be thou ease to my body and joy to my heart in Jesus Christ. 70. O Lord I confess to thy glory and minâ—… own shame that when I call to mind the â—…oulness of mine own transgressions I am â—…shamed when I call to mind the exactâ—…ess and severity of thy Justice I am afraid â—…o lift up mine eyes to heaven or to look â—…owards the place where thine honour â—…welleth But O look thou down upon â—…e with the eye of pity and compassion â—…ho am altogether unworthy to look up â—…nto thee with the eye of hope and confiâ—…ence and relieve me in my sickness and â—…eceive me at my death for thine infinite mercies in Jesus Christ. 71. I will alway give thanks unto the Lord â—…is praise shall ever be in my mouth yea my soul shall make her boast of the Lord â—…or I sought him and he heard me yea â—…e delivered me out of all my fear I had 〈◊〉 eye unto him and I was enlightened I â—…ave tasted and seen how gracious the â—…ord is blessed be my soul for trusting 〈◊〉 him and blessed be his grace for working 〈◊〉 my soul that trust to rely and depend â—…pon his Mercy for evermore Psal. â—…34 72. Lord touch my tongue with a coal from â—…hine Altar to take away the pollution of my lips and touch my heart with the immortal flames of thy love to take away the deadness and dulness of my thoughts that both tongue and heart being purged from the filthy dregs of flesh and sin I may in my greatest infirmities labour to praise thee according to the greatness of thy glories And because I cannot sufficiently praise thee whiles I am in this corrupted and corruptible body take my soul in thy due time away from hence that I may in thy heavenly Jerusalem sing unto thee acceptable and immortal praises for ever and ever Amen 73. Righteousness and equity O Lord are the habitation of thy seat O let righteousness and equity be fixed in my heart that thou mayest therein fix thy habitation Mercy and Truth shall go before thy face O let Mercy and Truth be alwaies in my soul Mercy to forgive Truth to be for given that when my soul shall go out of my body it may joyfully go before thy face and rejoyce in thy presence for ever more for blessed are the people O Lord that can rejoyce in thee they shall walk in the light of thy countenance Lord thou hast given me the first part of this blessing to rejoyce in thee here on earth O give me also the second part of it that when I shall go hence I may walk in the light of thy countenance hereafter in heaven Amen 74. Who am I O Lord God and what is this my house of clay that thou hast brought me hitherto And this was yet a small thing in thy sight O Lord God but thou hast spoken also of thy servant for a great while to come even for the daies of Eternity that thou wilt at last bring me to thy self For thy words sake and according to thine own heart hast thou done all these great things to make thy servant know them and
take heed he forsake not thee Wonder not then if you find many of Samuels words that is much of the Churches dictates in these Devotions but know it is because God hath taught Samuel to pray that he might teach you And having taught you to pray by Samuels Devotions may perchance not hear your prayers eveâ—… as he accepted not Sauls offering out oâ—… Samuels Communion However you may certainly by this gleaning of some few grapes see what store of good wine was and is in thâ—… whole Vintage And I hope you will noâ—… have good wine only to see and to look upon but also to tast and to make good use of it Or confess it is your own wilfulness thaâ—… you I will not say your prayers are either Faint or Dry for not tasting it The sick mans confession of his sins I Confess unto thee O Lord God Almighty and most merciful Father that I have sinned against heaven and against thee and am not worthy to be called thy Son nor to have any portion in thine inheritance because I have been hitherto so unthankful for thy Mercy so unreverent towards thy Majesty and so undutiful to thine Authority wherefore innumerable troubles are most justly come upon me and my sins have taken such hold of me that I am not able to look up yea they are more in number then the hairs of my head and my heart hath failed me But O Lord let it be thy pleasure to deliver me make hast O Lord to help me and comfort the soul of thy distressed servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul gasping for that Mercy and Forgiveness which thou hast promised to Repentant-sinners for the Merits of thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Or this Almighty God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Maker of all things Judge of all men I acknowledge and bewail my manifold sins and wickedness which I from time to time most grievously have committed by thought word and deed against thy Divine Majesty provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against me I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my mis-doings the remembrance of them is grievous unto me the burthen of them is intollerable Have Mercy upon me have Mercy upon me most merciful Father for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christs sake forgive me all that is past and grant that I may ever hereafter serve and please thee in the newness of my life or in the contentedness and patience of my death to the honour and glory of thy Name through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The sick mans Absolution or Remission of sins to be pronounced by himself alone when he cannot have the benefit of a Minister to absolve him HAve mercy upon me O God after thy great goodness and according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sins and absolve me from the guiltiness of all my transgressions according to the Promise of Mercy by thy Word the Purchase of Mercy by thy Son and the Pledges of Mercy by thy holy Spirit made and given to Repentant-sinners in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy-Ghost Amen Or this Almighty God our heavenly Father who of his great Mercy hath promised forgiveness of sins to all them which with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto him have Mercy upon me pardon and deliver me from all my sins confirm and strengthen me in all goodness and bring me to everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Then likewise he shall say O Lord open my heart that thou mayest open my lips O Lord open my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise O God make speed to save me O Lord make hast to help me That I may with a thankful heart and with a chearful voice sing and say unto thee Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy-Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen Praise ye the Lord I praise the Lord. The sick mans Psalm Psal. 6. 1. O Lord rebuke me not in thine indignation neither chasten me in thy displeasure 2. Have Mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed 3. My soul is also sore troubled but Lord how long wilt thou punish me 4. Turn thee O Lord and deliver my soul O save me for thy Mercies sake 5. For in death no man remembereth thee and who will give thee thanks in the pit 6. I am weary of my groaning every night wash I my bed and water my couch with my tears 7. My beauty is gone for very trouble and worn away because of all mine enemies 8. Away from me all ye that work vanity for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping 9. The Lord hath heard my Petition the Lord will receive my Prayer 10. All mine enemies shall be confounded and sore vexed they shall be turned back and put to shame suddenly Glory be to the Father c. As it was in the beginning c. The sick mans first lesson Job 19. 25 c. I Know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth And though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God whom I shall see for my self and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me His first Canticle I praise thee O God I acknowledge thee to be the Lord. O praise our God ye people and make the voice of his praise to be heard Which holdeth our soul in life and suffereth not our feet to slip I will go into thy house with burnt-offerings and will pay thee my vows which I promised with my lips and spake with my mouth when I was in trouble O come hither and hearken all ye that fear God and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul. I called unto him with my mouth and gave him praises with my tongue If I encline unto wickedness with my heart the Lord will not hear me But God hath heard me and considered the voice of my prayer Praised be God which hath not cast out my prayer nor turned his Mercy from me Praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name Which forgiveth all thy sin and healeth all thine infirmities Which saveth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with Mercy and loving-kindness Praise the Lord O my soul whiles I live will I praise the Lord yea as long as I have any being I will sing praises unto my God Lord make me so to praise thee here whiles it is my duty that I may exactly know how to praise thee hereafter when it shall be my reward For therefore with Angels and Arch-angels and with all the company of heaven do I now laud
and magnifie thy glorious Name because thou hast given me an assured hope that I shall with them hereafter evermore praise thee and say Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Hosts Heaven and Earth are full of thy glory Glory be to thee O Lord most high The sick mans second lesson John 5. 24. VErily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life His second Canticle Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for calling me to the knowledge of himself and to faith in his Son and to Communion with his holy Spirit Lord I believe help thou my unbelief And grant me so perfectly and without all doubt to believe in thy Son Jesus Christ that my faith may never be reproved and my person and my prayers may alwaies be accepted in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Or this In thee O Lord have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion but rid me and deliver me in thy righteousness incline thine ear unto me and save me Be thou my strong hold whereunto I may alway resort Thou hast promised to help me for thou art my house of defence and my Castle As for me I will patiently abide alway and will praise thee more and more My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousness and salvation for I know no end thereof O what great troubles and adversities hast thou shewed me and yet didst thou turn and refresh me yea and broughtest me from the deep of the earth again Therefore will I praise thee and thy faithfulness O God playing upon an instrument of Musick Unto thee will I sing upon the Harp O thou holy one of Israel My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee and so will my soul whom thou hast delivered and ever wilt deliver according to thine infinite Mercies in Jesus Christ. The sick mans Creed or the Confession of his Faith by way of prayer I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth Grant me Lord so to believe in thee my Father that as a Father pittieth his own child so I may find and feel that thou art pittiful and merciful towards me Grant me so to believe in thee as my Lord and my God that I may find the eternal comfort of being thy servant and that as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters even so my eyes may wait upon the Lord my God until he have Mercy upon me Grant me so to believe in thee as my Father God and Maker that I may alwaies rely on thy Fatherly Goodness that I may alwaies submit my self body and foul to thy Almighty power and that I may commit my soul unto thee not only in well-doing but also in well-suffering as to my saithful Creator Grant me so to believe in Jesus Christ thy only Son my Redeemer that from this Jesus I may have salvation from this Christ I may have the holy Unction from this thy Son I may have spiritual adoption Grant me so to believe in God the Holy-Ghost that from this God I may be inspired with true godliness from this Holy-Spirit I may be sanctified and made a member of the Catholike Church and both live and die in the Communion of Saints And that from this spiritual Comforter I may be filled with spiritual comforts and consolations for evermore even with the immortal comfort of the Forgiveness of my sins of the Resurrection of my body and of the translation of my soul to the life everlasting Amen Or this O blessed Lord God who fillest heaven and earth with the Majesty of thy Glory and with the Riches of thy Mercy Let not my sinful soul be empty but let me evermore be filled with dreadful apprehensions of that great and glorious Majesty wherewith thou wilt hereafter come to Judge me And with comfortable apprehensions of that great and gracious Mercy whereby thou hast already come to save me that I may never want grace to prevent and keep me from sinning nor Mercy to pardon and forgive me all my sins nor the testimony of thy holy-Spirit to assure me of that pardon and forgiveness That though thou kill me yet I may put my trust in thee and even at the hour of death may be able to say with a strong heart though with a weak voice I believe in God the Father my Creator in God the Son my Redeemer in God the Holy-Ghost my Comforter That this my Father will provide for me health and ease and all other comforts of this world as far as they shall conduâ—…e to his glory and to my salvation And hath provided for me a Portion and Inheritance in the world to come That this Redeemer hath redeemed my soul from the bondage of Sin and Satan and will also at the last day redeem my body from the bondage of death and corruption That this Comforter will not leave me comfortless when I most want and most ask his comforts but that he will be with me according to his Promise and will keep me in all places whither I go of sickness of life of death and will bring me at last to the Land of Eternal rest for he will not leave me till he hath done that which he hath spoken to me of Gen. 28. 15. till he hath translated me from his holy Church-Militant to his holy Church-Triumphant And to that Communion of Saints whereof he is the only head who is the King of Saints And to that blessed company of sanctified spirits which have mercifully received the forgiveness of their sins do earnestly expect the resurrection of their bodies and do incessantly enjoy the life everlasting Amen The sick mans Collect for the Day O Sweet Jesus who comest from the bosom of thy heavenly Father to heal the broken-hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovery of sight to the blind and to set at liberty them that are bruised shew also these thy Mercies at once and together in shewing Mercy on me who am now broken and bruised and under great blindness and captivity The eye of my soul is so dim by reason of my sins and of my sufferings that I cannot clearly see thy Merits The hand of my soul is so weak that I cannot eagerly reach after them nor strongly take hold of them Thus am I a captive under miserable blindness and weakness But shew thou me the light of thy countenance and that will recover my sight and release my captivity For in thy light I shall see the true light everlasting and in thy countenance I shall enjoy it O thou Son of righteousness which knowest not any going down and givesâ—…â—…fe food and gladness unto all things vouchsase to shine into my mind that I may not either through the weakness of the flesh or the assaults of the Devil any where stumble to fall into impatience
offered and the time of my departure is at hand 2 Tim. 4. 6. Now therefore I pray thee if I have found grace in thy sight shew me now thy way that I may know thee that I may find grace in thy sight and consider that I am one of thy people And he said my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest And he said unto him if thy presence go not with me carry me not up hence for wherein shall it be known here that I have found grace in thy sight is it not in that thou goest with me And the Lord said I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken for thou hast found grace in my sight and I know thee by name And he said I beseech thee shew me thy glory so saith my soul O Lord and because no man shall see thee and live I desire to die that I may see thee Exod. 33. 13 14 15 16 17 18. Unto him that is able to keep me from falling into the pit of everlasting destruction and to present me faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy do I recommend my soul even to the only wise God our Saviour to whom be glory and Majesty dominion and power now and ever Amen Epist. of Saint Jude v. 24 25. The Lord shall preserve me from all evil yea it is even he that shall keep my soul. The Lord shall preserve my going out and my coming in from this time forth for evermore Amen Psal. 121. 7 8. The sick mans Departure or Dismission ARise ye and depart for this is not your Rest because it is polluted it shall destroy you even with a sore destruction Micah 2. 10. Return unto thy Rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee For thou hast delivered my soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the living Psal. 116. 7 8 9. There remaineth therefore a Rest to the people of God Heb. 4. 9. Lord I willingly go out of this world that I may enter into that everlasting rest Amen I have set God before me he is at my right hand I shall not fall Therefore my heart is gland and my glory rejoyceth my flesh also shall rest in hope For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption Thou wilt shew me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore Amen Psal. 16. 8 9 10 11. To me to live is Christ and to die is gain I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ. Lord now lettest thou servant depart in peace that he may rest in hope rise in joy and reign in glory Amen A sick mans Resignation Psal. 31. 5. Into thine hand I commit my spirit thou hast Redeemed me O Lord God of Truth THere is nothing more the duty of a good Christian then whiles he lives to possess his soul in patience and when he shall die to resign his soul in comfort And indeed he must possess his soul in patience that he may resign it in comfort He must possess his soul in patience as not being fully contented much less fully delighted with his present â—…ndition in this world wherein he canâ—…t but see very much to trouble him but â—…thing at all to satisfie him Help Lord â—…h the Psalmist Psal. 12. 1. in great â—…ation of his heart and we may gather threefold reason why he is so vexed 〈◊〉 the godly man ceaseth the faithful fail â—…d they speak vanity Defectus sanctitatis 〈◊〉 affectu veritatis in intellectu sanctitatis 〈◊〉 â—…ffectu saith Alensis The defect of holiâ—…ss in the will of truth in the understandâ—…g of innocency in the action This is â—…e threefold defect that makes the good â—…ristian possess his soul not in delight as â—…on choice but only in patience as upon â—…cessity because he wants holiness in his â—…ill and cannot love God because he â—…nts truth in his understanding and â—…not know God because he wants inâ—…grity in his action and cannot honour â—…od as he is bound and desires to do This the reason that he possesseth his soul not delight but in patience and the trouble â—…at he finds in his possession makes him 〈◊〉 think himself of a Resignation The â—…ssessing his soul in patience whiles he â—…es makes him Resign his soul in comâ—…t when he is to die And here we have the form of that comfortable Resignatioâ—… Into thy hands I commit my spirit thou haâ—… redeemed me O Lord God of truth I hopâ—… no man will say that this set form of thâ—… Resignation of his soul doth stint Goâ—… Spirit which teacheth him how to Resigâ—… his own For sure we are that he useâ—… this same form of whom it is said Gâ—… giveth not the spirit by measure unto hiâ—… John 3. 34. And if a set form did not coâ—…fine the spirit in him who received it not bâ—… measure much less can it confine the spirâ—… in us who have it measured from him Well may set forms teach us rightly tâ—… commend our own spirits to God but theâ—… cannot possibly make us confine his Spirit Had there been any such inconveniency 〈◊〉 using of set forms the Spirit of Goâ—… would not have provided us so many seâ—… forms of Prayers and Praises in the Psalm and other parts of the Text so that no objection can be made against set forms oâ—… Prayer as such which may not be retorteâ—… to some undervaluing if not undermininâ—… of the Scripture it self the very light oâ—… our eyes the breath of our nostrils and thâ—… joy of our hearts We may not then hearken to this objection above all the rest unless we will say That the Spirit of Goâ—… did intend to confine himself Or the Son â—…f God did intend to confine his own Spiâ—…it in us when he absolutely prescribed a â—…t form in his own most holy Prayer comâ—…anding it to be said Luke 11. 2. when ye â—…ray say Our Father nay yet more unâ—…ess we will say that the Son of God did â—…ntend to confine his own Spirit in himself when he used this very particular form 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Into thy hands I commend my spirit Luke 23. 46. For it is the very same Greek Text in both places and the very same translation in the vulgar Latine though we in English have seemed to make a Verbal but not a Real difference And therefore it is evident that our blessed Saviour by using this set form hath sanctified it for our use and taught us thereby how to Resign our souls to him that gave them And indeed the Spirit of God had sufficiently sanctified it before so that now we have this Resignation doubly sanctified to us by the spirit and by the Son of God so happy a thing is it for us seriously to consider and much