thine Ordinances do thou graciously draw nigh to us and satisfie us with those good things thou hast to bestow make us joyful in thy house of Prayer and renew our strength while we wait upon thee Let every approach to thee in Worship conform us more to thy likeness and fit us more to see thy face in Heaven These things O Lord our God are desired as the purchases of our dear Saviours Blood to whom be Glory and Praise world without end Amen Hymn 10. COme Royal Sion come and sing Thy Soul 's kind Saviour thy hearts King Stretch all thy powers thy Song to raise And since this lofty Theam's above The best ambition of thy Love Call Heavens loud Quires to help thy Praise Sing how his Love from Heavens high throne To Earth's low footstool brought him down For thee a cursed death to dye Sing that when hence he did remove He lest a Legacy of Love His needful Presence to supply Lo here the Bread of Life this day 's Triumphant text provokes thy Praise The living and life-giving Bread See the heart-chearing precious Wine Which Great Love 's pierc't Heart did resign To the Great Twelve distributed Praise him who has thy Pastors bid Ever to do what he once did And thankfully his gifts receive Sing loud that to this bounteous Feast Each hungry Soul may be a guest And from his Death may Life derive The Heav'n-instructed House of Faith Here a mysterious dictate hath Himself to me my Saviour brings With graces which are all divine Under the veils of Bread and Wine Immortal cloath'd with mortal things Lo the life-food of Angels then Bow'd to the lowly mouths of men Lo the full final Sacrifice The ransom'd Isaac and his Ram The Manna and the Pascal Lamb As figures fixt on this their eyes Jesu to thee we sinners sue O Thou our Food and Shepherd too Grant in all good we may improve Still by thy self vouchsafe to keep As with thy self thou feed'st thy Sheep And from us Lord all ill remove Blest be that love which thus makes thee Mix with our low mortality O may it raise and set us up Coheirs with Saints that so all may Drink the same Wine and the same way Convicters all of thy full Cup. Amen For Fryday Morning MEDITATION I. MY God who can complain of doing too much if they consider the labours of the loving Jesus those painful labours that he freely undertook and the humble task he so mildly stoopt to When he might have flown on the wings of Cherubims he chose to walk with us Worms in the dust When he might have call'd for Manna from Heaven in the sweat of his brows he would eat his Bread When he might have made the Angels his foot-stool he rather became the servant of his Parents living with them in their little Cottage and readily obeying even their least Command There in that humble privacy he encreas'd in wisdom and grew in favour with God and man still by his pious candour gaining the love of those happy few that saw his life Happy they that saw thy life O glorious Jesu and heard with joy and wonder thy incomparable sayings that felt a gentle motion stir their hearts to love and imitate so blest a pattern O that the same sweet Spirit of grace might draw our minds dear Lord to thee O that we could my Soul in every passage of our life still actually reflect on the example of His His retirements were fill'd with holy Speculations and in the midst of business his mind was free for Heaven His Converse with others mispent no time but bestowed every moment in excellent Charity sometimes he was imployed to instruct the ignorant sometimes to inform aright those that were deceived He apply'd himself to comfort the afflicted and heal the diseased to convince the froward and absolve the penitent and perswade all the world to be truly happy It was meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will and it should be ours to perform his It was for our sakes that he made himself subject to the Law and to obtain for us an everlasting happiness he perfectly obey'd it Take up thy Cross my Soul and follow thy Lord for his yoke is sweet his burthen is light He humbled himself for us and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross to save us When we had sold our selves to sin and were all become the slaves of Satan our blessed Jesus descended from Heaven and brought a vast price to buy out our freedom The price was no less than his own dearest Blood which he plenteously shed on the ignominious Cross depositing so his inestimable life to rescue us sinners from eternal death Come let us adore our God that redeem'd us Hymn 11. COme let 's adore the King of Love And King of Sufferings too For Love it was that brought him down And set him here in woe Love drew him from his Paradise Where flowers that fade not grow And planted him in our poor dust Among us weeds below Here for a time this heavenly Plant Fairly grew up and thriv'd Diffus'd its sweetness all about And all in sweetness liv'd But envious frosts and furious storms So long so fiercely chide This tender Plant at last bow'd down Its bruised head and dy'd O narrow thoughts and narrower speech Here your defects confess The Life of God the death of Christ How faintly you express O Thou who from a Virgin-root Mad'st this fair flower to spring Help us to raise both heart and voice And with more spirit sing To Father Son and Holy Ghost One undivided Three All highest Praise all humblest Thanke Now and for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. MY God who can repine at suffering too much if they remember the afflictions of Jesus Those many afflictions He so patiently endur'd and bore with Silence all their weight Even from his humble Cradle in the City of Bethlehem to his bitter Cross on the Mount of Calvary How little do we read of glad and prosperous in his Life how much of pains and grief and perpetual affronts sometimes he was abandon'd by his nearest Friends and left alone among all his discomforts sometimes pursu'd by his fiercest enemies and made the common mark of all their spite sometimes they plot to insnare Him in his words and enviously slander his miraculous Deeds sometimes they tumultuously gather about him to gaze at and abuse a man of sorrows Sometimes they furiously seize on his Person and hale and drag him along the streets At last they all conspire to take away his life and condemn him to a sharp and cruel death Have you ever seen a harmless Lamb stand silent in the midst of ravenous Wolves so stood the Prince of Peace and Innocence besieg'd with a ring of savage Jews When they blasphemed Him he reply'd not again and when they injuriously struck him he only observ'd their rashness When they provok't him with their utmost Malice he
Crucified Redeemer I cannot question the love of the Father to Mankind God the Father it appears did so love the world as that he gave his only begotten Son to dye for them God the Son I see is willing that many should be partakers in his Death since he has Instituted this Blessed Sacrament and Invites all men to it With Angels then and Archangels and all the glorious host of Heaven I Praise and admire the Love of God the Father and God the Son I Praise and adore the ever blessed Trinity for the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ And I come O Saviour to take and eat thy Body which was broken for me I come joyfully to drink that Cup which is the New Testament in thy Blood which Blood thou hast shed for the remission of the sins of many and invited all believing Souls to partake of I desire I long to partake of this my necessary Food I desire I long to receive these incomparable dainties As the Hart pants after the water-brooks so thirsteth my Soul after thee O Christ I will open my mouth wide O Lord for thy fullness can suffice my largest desires When O my Soul thou seest the Holy Bread broken and the Consecrated Wine apart from it say I remember thy sufferings O crucified Love and that bitter passion which ended in Death it self I call to mind how thy Blessed Body was scourg'd and bruised How thy Sacred Head was prick't with the sharp Thorns How thy Hands which had wrought many a kind Miracle were bored through and torn with great Nails How thy Feet which had carryed Thee about to do good were now by ungrateful men nail'd to the Cross How thy tender Heart was pierc't by the Souldiers Spear and at these wounds thy Blood and thy Life forsook Thee I must grieve and I must love O thou great Martyr of Love when I consider all this was undergone for me I must needs detest my self and abhor my Sins when I consider thou wast made a curse for me My numerous Sins increas'd thy heavy load my Sins were some of the procuring causes of thy bitter Death With a broken and contrite Heart I deeply lament my past transgressions and resolve that from henceforth every Sin shall be very odious to me I resolve to sight against it with all possible care and industry and will not allow any known Sin to be quiet in me When the Bread and Wine my Soul are by Christs Ministers given to thee say These kind Lord are thy Instruments of conveyance and they make over to me the Blessings of the New Covenant Welcome dear signs of my Saviours presence Welcome sure pledges of his love and of my Happiness Open ye everlasting doors of my Heart and let this King of Glory enter in Welcome dear Lord to my poor Soul and sit thou as sovereign of my Heart I shall be very happy under thy Dominion and very safe under thy protection My Beloved is mine and I am his I will live to my Love that dyed for me When the Bread and Wine are given to others in thy sight thou must look upon them as members of Jesus Christ Thou must look with love upon those whom he loves and resolve to practise all the kindness to them that thou canst Conclude the solemnity with hearty Joy and Thankfulness and say What shall I render unto the Lord for all his Benefits O matchless love of God to a poor Sinner O Love beyond Degree O Love that passes Knowledge I can never sufficiently show my self grateful Yet bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Praise him who graciously forgiveth all thy Sins and justifies thee freely by his Grace Praise him who healeth all thy diseases Study to make as liberal returns to thy Lord as thou canst for thy Lord has dealt very bountifully with Thee PETITIONS O Lord thou art the great searcher of Hearts and thou know'st us altogether O assist my serious examinations of my self that I may overlook no secret Sin. Thou Lord know'st how to influence and turn our Hearts even as pleaseth thee O prepare my Heart according to thine own will to draw nigh to thee Breath O Divine Spirit upon my Soul and then the grateful odours of my Grace will flow forth O Lord I would with all due affections commemorate and receive my Saviour and I earnestly desire that every Grace may renew its strength Let every Grace O Lord be so improv'd as that I may bring forth more fruit in doing well and may more steadily resist the assaults of all temptation to evil Lord I believe help thou my unbelief and fill me with all Joy and Peace in believing Inflame my Heart with a more ardent Charity let my love be stronger than Death let me be rooted and grounded in love Make me to mind more the things above and despise the things below to be more patient in adversity and more humble and fruitful in prosperity To be strictly just and honest in a deceitful World and charitable to those that injure me and set themselves against me Increase in me the Love of all thy Commands and the hatred of every Sin. O God the Father our Creatour and Sovereign Lord regard I beseech Thee thy Son's death which we shall now commemorate before Thee remember how well he pleased thee in all things and when I am united to him regard me with favour too When I partake of his Sacrifice accept it as a propitiation for my Sins and pardon for his sake all my transgressions O Spotless Lamb of God once slain for us Sinners on the Cross have Mercy upon me O Christ hear me and be my powerful Advocate with the Heavenly Father Solicite by thy merits his Mercy for my poor Soul. Offer thy sacred Body before his Throne and turn away the wrath that my sins have deserved If thou wilt O Eternal Merciful God one God in three persons do all these kind things for me for the sake and merits of the Redeemer and out of thy great love to Souls then since I can never have given thee praises enow grant that I may ever live to praise Thee Glory be to the Father c. Amen For Thursday Evening MEDITATION I. HAst thou my Soul been Feasting at the Table of the Lord Has he given thee himself and his rich blessings What thou hast done signifies the renewal of that Covenant that was made in Baptism between the Lord and Thee Thou hast in coming to this Feast profest thy self a Christian and declar'd a resolution to live and dye so Thou hast pretended to account nothing so precious to thee as thy Saviour and that no other Lord but he shall have dominion over thee The Loving Jesus must now have full possession of thy Heart and thou maist not be govern'd by the love of this World. Thou hast bound thy self my Soul to be the Servant of Jesus Christ
do thee faithful Service I own O Lord the Justice and Equity of being so obliged I account it my Interest to be intirely thine I am saved by being Devoted to thee and honour'd in admission to thy Service It is the greatest Preferment I can attain to serve him who is Lord of Heaven and Prince of the Kings of the Earth Thy Service O Lord is perfect Freedom and they have great Peace that love thy Law There are no riches comparable to thy rewards nor any Pleasures so sweet as thy Consolations I am asham'd O Lord and have great reason to be so for that I have liv'd no more suitable to such a Devoted State That I have presum'd to dispose of my self so much according to the devices and desires of of my own heart I have often wander'd from the safe and pleasant Path of thy Commandments and often stept into the dangerous uneasie wayes of sin I have greatly disparaged my self hereby in thy sight and in the sight of thy Holy Angels O it is fit that thou and they who have seen my sins should see my repentance that have seen me most basely breaking my Covenant with my God should see me heartily renewing again so just a Covenant I thank thy Love Dear Jesu for 't is by what thou hast done for us that our Repentance may be accepted I thank thee O gracious Saviour for Instituting thy Supper for the Renewal and Confirmation of our Baptismal Covenant that thou hast commanded us at that to reinforce our resolutions and that thou art ready to confirm them by thy Grace It is Lord the sincere desire of my Soul never to revolt from Thee any more I believe there is no greater happiness than to be a firm Confederate with the faithful Jesus By which I shall become a Temple to the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Light and Love the Spirit of Grace and Glory Now Lord that I have had a fresh sight of thy Love and have sate under thy Shadow with Delight thy blessed Name shall be deeply engraven in my heart I will allow no affection but the Love of Jesus and all my powers and all their motions shall be subject to that I will say to all the Vanities of the world Be gone I have no room in my heart for you whom I cannot love too little I will reserve it all for my Saviour whom I can never love too much I will say to those Temptations that would draw me into sin cease your base Solicitations for I cannot willingly grieve my loving Saviour If it be difficult to serve him I will steadily conflict with those difficulties If it will cost me the loss of all worldly Conveniencies I will gladly forsake all to adhere to him If it expose my Life I will let that goe rather than deny my loving Lord. Now that I have receiv'd the Blessed Jesus at his Supper and thou Lord art come to make thy abode with me I will study to give thee such kind Entertainment as may please thee and keep thee with me I will indeavour in my thoughts words and actions to set alwayes before thee what I think will be acceptable I will watch against every thing that is impure and would be offensive to thy holy sight I will often retire from the World to converse with thee Worldly cares and business shall not keep me from thy Company I have been praising thee O Lord in thy House and at thy Table but I have not praised thee enough And who can praise thee enough for what I there saw for what I there received Oh! how low are my Conceptions of thy Love how vastly below it are all my words I will try O Lord what my deeds can do in praising thee and every part of my Life shall endeavour thy honour Thus Lord I may and ought to resolve but my Practice depends entirely on thy Grace PETITIONS O Lord our kind and gracious Redeemer Thou art exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins I beseech thee O Lord as thou hast enabled me to repent and to confess the folly of my backsliding heart do thou graciously give me thy pardon Forgive me O Lord that I have been so false to former Vows and have so often contradicted my Covenants with thee O deal not with me as I deserve cast me not away from thy presence take not thy Holy Spirit from me I have been weakly striving against my sins and could not so far conquer them as I would And therefore Lord I came to thy Table to receive greater strength against them O let such a vertue come from thy Death at this Remembrance of it as may lay all my sins utterly dead and let the Influence of that power so remain as that they may never revive that I may never be hinder'd in my Duty by any sin easily besetting me that I may serve and please thee in all purity heavenly-mindedness integrity in Charity Humility and Contentedness in whatever condition it shall please thee to place me Enable me perfectly to overcome my Passions and keep them all subject to the Laws of thy Love. Let thy Love which is represented in this Sacrament so deeply affect me that I may delight to think and to speak of it and may endeavour as far as I can to imitate it Keep me mindful of my Vows make my Endeavours successful and my Obedience perfect and compleat in all things So possess me with the Love of thee my kind Redeemer as to make me ardently desirous of seeing thee face to face Refine me at length by that holy fire from all the dross of my Corruptions and to such a degree of holiness and purity that I may be fit to fly away from this World to the Habitation of thy Holiness and Glory Amen Hymn 24. DO I resolve an easie life With plenty stor'd and free from strife When my dear Lord thy days and nights Were past in poverty and fights Do I design a gentle Death Just singing out my aged Breath When my Love cruel tortures tore Thy dear Soul out all drown'd in gore Oh no our Christian Sacrifice Acting in a sweet disguise My Saviours Passion o're again Shall all such fond Conceits restrain This must keep lively in my mind How I ought still to be resign'd This humble pattern should destroy My sensual Grief and worldly Joy. Are Sufferings Ills No Goodness chose His and our way to Bliss through those Are Pleasures Goods No Wisdom scorn'd Their dalliance and has us forewarn'd This Lord this make my Song to be At least whene're I meet with thee Thee its glad ground so oft repeating As may prevent my Souls forgetting Jesu thus arm'd no terrours shall E're make my vertuous Courage fall No flatteries here my blest hopes drown Since thy sad Cross led to thy Crown O live for ever glorious Lord Live by all Heaven and Earth ador'd May both their joyful praises give They
Praises to the God of our Salvation He is our full and all-sufficient Redeemer he has perfectly finisht what he graciously undertook for all our Trespasses he has made satisfaction for all our forfeitures he has paid the ransome We by our Disobedience were banisht from Paradise and he has received us into his own Kingdom He has set up a Kingdom of Grace on Earth to prepare us for his Kingdom of Glory We wandred up and down in the wilderness of Errour and he has guided us into the wayes of Truth We were by nature Children of wrath and he has mediated our Peace with his offended Father We were become the Slaves of sin and he has bought our Freedom with his own Blood We were in bondage to the dominion of Satan and he has overcome and confin'd his Power We were in danger of sinking into Hell and he has sav'd us from that bottomless Pit The gates of Heaven were shut against us and he went up himself and opened them to all Believers dissolving for ever the terrours of Death and rendring it now but a passage into Life O dearest Lord who mad'st us first of nothing and restor'dst us again when we had undone our selves Who wouldst at any rate redeem us from Misery at any rate procure our Felicity How came we wretches to be so consider'd How came we Sinners to obtain such Favour that from thy Throne of Glory where Seraphims ador'd thee thou should'st descend on our Earth where Slaves would affront thee That thou should'st lead a Life of poverty and labour and in perfect Innocence dye a Death of shame and sorrow That thou should'st do all this for such contemptible worms as we without the least concern or benefit to thy self only to raise us up from our humble dust and set us to shine amongst thy glorious Angels O infinite Goodness the bounteous Authour of all our hopes What shall we say to thy excessive Charity O gracious Lord and mighty deliverer from all our fears What shall we render for thy unspeakable Mercies We cannot chuse but search over all we have but we can find nothing to return but what thou hast given us We will therefore use the gifts thou hast bestowed on us according to thy direction and give the Praise to Thee of what we do well All the Glory of our Salvation we will ascribe to thee and to thee alone as the great cause who hast begun alone as and wilt at length finish it By thee we will alwayes say we do good and not lean to our own understandings by thee we will expect our Reward and never rely upon our own Merits Hymn 35. SWeet Jesu why why dost thou love Such worthless things as we Why is thy Heart still towards us Who seldom think on thee Thy Bounty gives us all we have And we thy Gifts abuse Thy bounty gives us ev'n thy self And we thy self refuse My Soul and why why do we love Such worthless things as these These that withdraw us from our Lord And his pure Eyes displease Break off and be no more a Child To run and sweat and cry While all this stir this huge concern Is only for a Fly Some silly Fly that 's hard to catch And nothing when 't is caught Such are the toyes thou striv'st for here Not worth a serious thought Break off and raise thy manly Eye Up to those Joyes above Behold all those thy Lord prepares To wooe and crown thy Love. Alas Dear Lord I cannot love Unless thou draw my Heart Thou who thus kindly mak'st me know O make me do my part Still do thou love me O my Lord That I may still love Thee Still make me love thee O my God! That thou may'st still love me Thus may my God and my poor Soul Still one another love Till I depart from this low World To ' enjoy my God above To thee Great God to thee alone One Coeternal three All Pow'r and Praise all Joy and Bliss Now and for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. PRoceed my Soul to celebrate the Praises of thy Lord go on with fresh attention to remember the Mercies of thy God whose Wisdom has contriv'd to save Mankind by so compendious a method as may be exprest in one short word He saw the only cause of all our ruin was our Love misplac'd on this present World He saw the only remedy of all our Misery was to fix our Love on the World to come This therefore was his great intent and in this concentred all his Merits to possess us with Love the end of Faith and greatest of divine graces to change the byass of our wrong-set hearts by establishing among us new motives of Charity such as might strongly incline our Affections and efficaciously draw us to Love our true Good such as might gain by degrees upon all Mankind and render Salvation easie and universal For this he came down from his Fathers Bosom to teach us the rules of Eternal Life that we might firmly believe those Sacred Truths which God himself with his own mouth has told us For this he Converst so long on our Earth to encourage and provoke us by his own example that we might confidently embrace those unquestionable Virtues which God himself in his own Person had practised For this he endur'd so sharp and many Afflictions and became at last obedient to the Death that we might patiently suffer whatever should befall us when God himself was so treated by his Creatures For this he so often Preacht of the Joyes of Heaven and set them before us in so clear a light that seeing so rich a Prize hang at the end of our Race we might run and strive with our utmost force to obtain it For this he ordain'd all the means of Grace and left us the Sacraments of his Body and Blood that he might breed and nourish in us the Life of Charity and ravish our Hearts with the sweetness of his Presence For this he establisht a perpetual Church and sent the Holy Ghost to Inspire and govern it that it might be maintain'd through all Ages in Truth and Sanctity and plant the same heavenly Seed over all the World For this he assum'd those strange endearing Names of Friend and Brother and Spouse to us Wretches doing far more for us O wondrous Love than all those Names import than all our hearts can wish Blessed O Glorious Jesu be the Wisdom of thy Mercy that has found so sweet and short a way to save us Thou art O Lord the cause of all our Love and Love the cause of all our Happiness By Love we fulfil all thy Commands and in keeping thy Commands there is great reward By Love we are reconcil'd from Enemies to Friends by Holy Love we are translated from Death to Life by Love we are deliver'd from the fear of Hell by Love we are the regenerated Heirs of Heaven by Love we are dispos'd for that blissful Vision by Love we are
that relish it and thoroughly digest it 's strong nourishment to them that feed on it as often as their daily bread We shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven Those that now set their Affections on things above shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven And what O dearest Lord are those blest Angels but Spirits that know and love and delight for ever Such O my soul we shall be if we follow now the Instructions of our Saviour We shall lead that sweet life and be and live like the Angels in Heaven We shall know all that is true and love all that is good and delight in that Knowledge and Love for ever No ignorance shall darken us nor errour deceive us for we shall be like the Angels in Heaven No Cares shall perplex us nor Crosses afflict us for we shall be like the Angels in Heaven Our joyes shall be full and pure and everlasting for we shall be like the Angels in Heaven Chear thee my Soul and bless thy bounteous Lord by whom thou shalt be exalted to that dignity Comfort thy self and raise thy hopes yet gloriously higher raise them to the expectation of more than thou canst conceive for so much yet more is intended for thee so much more is included in those wonderful words We shall be like him for we shall see him as he is PETITIONS O Blessed Jesu whose Sacred Body was laid in a Sepulcher after thou hadst finisht in it the work of our Redemption Make me so frequently to renew in my Mind the memory of thy Death and burial as may put me upon a serious preparation for my own Since thou didst not design to abide long on this Earth let not my Heart be set on any condition here make me to grow daily less affected to this transitory life and more in love with thy eternal joyes Give me O thou that art the only giver of repentance a truly penitent Heart for all my past neglects of thee Deliver me O Lord from the punishments my Sins deserve and deliver me from the Sins which deserve those Punishments Make thy self O my ador'd Redeemer the Master-wish of my Heart the scope and end of all my time Wherever I am in this unconstant World and whatever business entertains my hand still let my inward eye look up towards thee and fix it's sight on thy glorious face Soon as I awake let me look up towards thee and when I rise first bow my knees to thee Help me often in the day to call in my thoughts to thee and when I go to rest close up mine Eyes in Thee Suffer me not O Lord to be any longer distracted about many things from thee who art the one thing Necessary but gather me up from the World into my self and then take me up from my self into thee there to be ravisht with thy kind embraces there to be feasted with the Antipasts of Heaven So shall my time be govern'd by thy Grace and my Eternity be crown'd with thy Glory Grant these things the purchases of thy precious blood O Lord for thine own Eternal Honour and Glory Amen Hymn 36. LOrd now the time returns For weary man to rest And lay aside those pains and cares With which our day 's opprest Or rather change our thoughts To more concerning cares How to redeem our mispent time With sighs and tears and prayer's How to provide for Heaven That place of rest and peace Where our full joyes shall never wain Our pleasures never cease Blest be thy Love dear Lord That taught us this sweet way Only to love thee for thy self And for that Love obey O thou our Souls chief hope We to thy Mercy fly In ev'ry place thou canst protect And all we need supply Whether we wake or sleep To thee we both resign By Night we see as well as Day If thy light on us shine Whether we live or dye Both we submit to thee In Death we live as well as Life If thine in Death we be Glory to Thee Great God One Coeternal three To Father Son and Holy Ghost Eternal Glory be Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE HOLY GHOST For the Morning MEDITATION I. COnsider now my Soul the Mercies of thy God consider the wonders he has wrought for the Children of Men The Eternal Father created us of nothing and set us in the way to everlasting Happiness the Eternal Son came down from Heaven to seek and restore us again to it when we had lost our selves the Eternal Spirit sends his Grace to sanctifie us and gives strength to walk that holy way Thus every Person of the Sacred Trinity has freely contributed his peculiar Blessing and all together as one co-infinite Goodness have graciously agreed to compleat our Felicity But O Ingrateful we was it not enough to receive of our God all we have and are was it not enough that the Son of God should come down and live here to teach us and dye to redeem us was not all this enough to make us Love And Love is all he aim'd at and Love is all we needed We will confess to thee O Lord our miserable condition and to the Praise of thy necessary merciful relief Such alas was the corruption of our nature and so many and so strong the Temptations round about us that without this thy last miraculous favour of sending the Holy Ghost to guide and quicken us we should still have remain'd in our old dull pace slow to understand and slower to obey We should have quite forgotten our God that made us and neglected the service of our Lord that bought us had not thy fulness been furnisht with one Blessing more and thy goodness ready to bestow it on thy poor Creatures hadst thou not providently reserv'd a better Blessing than the dew of the Clouds and fatness of the Earth better than Plenty of Corn and Wine or the multitude of Posterity or Dominion over our Brethren These were the great Rewards of the old Law but behold far greater than these are here Divine Refreshments from the Heaven of Heavens and the rare delicious fruits of the Holy Ghost Meekness and Peace and Joy diffus'd in our Breasts Strength and undaunted Courage kindled in our Hearts The strong and sweet Ardours of Divine Love that make every Duty in our way delightful and every Cross tolerable A thousand sweet Embraces of the Spouse of Souls a thousand dear Pledges of his everlasting Love These are the great Rewards of the Law of Grace and are given to prepare us for the Kingdom of Glory Hymn 37. COme Holy Spirit send down those beams Which gently flow in silent Streams From thy bright Throne in Heaven above Come thou Enricher of the Poor And bounteous source of all our Store Come fill our Souls with thy pure Love. Come thou our Souls delicious Guest The weary'd Pilgrims sweetest Rest The injur'd Suffe'rers best relief Come thou our Passions cool allay Whose Comfort wipes all tears
creatures besides Make me to see emptiness and vanity in all things else to account that all is vanity of vanities but only the Love of God and enjoyment of him Let me when I find this world ordain'd by thee to breed and widen only and not fill my capacity let me make this use of all thy Creatures here to raise and heighten my desires of thy infinite self in thy Eternity O God be thou to me my God and my All and make me nothing in mine own eyes Be thou my whole everlasting delight and let nothing else be any thing to me but thy self so draw my heart to thee so engross I beseech thee all my affections as to famish all the helpless Idols of my soul which in my state of darkness and enmity to thee I have so fondly ador'd Pity Oh pity gracious Lord according to thy infinite compassion my miserable distance from thee Thy hands have made me and fashioned me thou hast made me capable to enjoy thee thou hast given a capacity too large to receive satisfaction from any thing but thy self Oh regard with favour the work of thy hands say to my soul thou art my salvation and say it so Lord as to make me hear thy powerful word can open the deaf ear And through my ear Lord reach my heart quicken my stupid soul put a new life into me so make me gladly follow thee that by following I may find thee and having found may never lose thy sight again never turn away my eyes from thee never grow estranged again nor lose thy blissful acquaintance Never let any thing but thy Eternal self be the prevailing ruling Joy of my heart Grant these requests or I am undone Grant these requests for the love of thy only Son our Mediator and Advocate Amen Hymn 4. LOrd who shall dwell above with thee There on thy holy Hill Who shall those glorious prospects see That Heaven with gladness fill Those happy souls who prize that life Above the bravest here Whose greatest hope whose eagerest strife Is once to settle there They use this world but value that That they supreamly love They travel through this present state But place their home above Lord who are they that thus chuse thee But those thou first didst chuse To whom thou gav'st thy grace most free Thy grace not to refuse We of our selves can nothing do But all on thee depend Thine is the work and wages too Thine both the way and end O make us still our work attend And wee 'l not doubt our pay We will not fear a blessed end If thou but guide our way Glory to Thee O Bounteous Lord Who giv'st to all things breath Glory to thee Eternal Word Who sav'st us by thy death Glory O Blessed Spirit to Thee Who fill'st our hearts with love Glory to all the Mystick three Who reign one God above Amen For Tuesday Morning MEDITATION I. FRom thee O Lord we derive our being and from the same Goodness our Continuance to be if thou but withdrawest thy hand for one single moment we instantly return to our first nothing Thou art without Cause or Maker as thou art without beginning and hast thy dependance upon none else we have but a derived being only borrow'd worth we have nothing which we have not received nothing but our Sins is entirely our own which we have reason to be asham'd of Should we presume at any time O Lord to divide thy Grace and proudly challenge any share to our selves thy mighty Truth stands up against us and our own infirmities may plainly confute us Shouldst thou severely examine our Hearts and ask who works all their actions in them surely we must needs bow down our hâ—â—ds and from our low Dust humbly say Nothing are we O Lord but what thou hast made us nothing have we but what thou hast given us Not unto us then O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be Glory When we have applied our utmost cares and us'd all the diligence that lies in our power what can we do but look up to thee and second all our endeavours with Prayers for thy Blessing And when we implore thy gracious Mercy what can we do but submit our hopes and expect the event from thy free goodness If thou denyest what we wish who can compell thy will or call in question thy Decrees Are we not all thy Creatures O Gracious God! and as helpless Children hanging at the Breast of thy Providence Are we not all as clay in thy hands to frame us into vessels of what use thou pleasest Behold we confess O Lord in thee we live in thee we move and have our being All our sufficiency proceeds from thee and all our success depends on thy favour Others may tell us the way that we should go but thou alone canst enable us to walk in it And they that tell us our way must be first taught it by thee And they must be moved by thee to act that Charity and so at last all is resolv'd into thee We know further O Lord and thou thy self hast taught us that unless thou defend the City the Guard watches it in vain We acknowledge and our own experience tells us that unless thou reach forth thy hand we are presently in danger of sinking Every moment of our day subsists by thee From all our Enemies thy Providence defends us and covers our Head in the day of danger Thou sendest in thy Grace to relieve our weakness and so disappointest the temptations that threaten to undo us O my Soul be thou ready to adore thy God that preserves thee Has he watcht over thee all this night for good has he renewed his mercies this morning does he bestow on thee all thy daies and the comforts they bring Then be asham'd to think much of spending one half hour in his service Hymn 5. COme let 's adore the Gracious hand That brought us to this light That gave his Angels strict Command To be our Guard this Night When we laid down our weary head And Sleep seal'd up our Eye They stood and watch't about our bed To let no harm come nigh Now we are up they still go on And guide us through the day They never leave their Charge alone Whate're besets our way And O my Soul how many snares Ly spread before our feet In all our joyes in all our cares Some danger still we meet Sometimes the Sin does us o'retake And on our weakness win Sometimes our selves our ruine make And we o'retake the sin O save us Lord from all those darts That seek our Souls to slay Save us from us and our false Hearts Lest we our selves betray Save us O Lord to thee we cry From whom all blessings Spring We on thy Grace alone rely Alone thy Glory sing Glory to thee Eternal Lord Thrice blessed three in one Thy Name at all times be ador'd Till time it self be done Amen MEDITATION II. THe Almighty Power
great many thousands find favour with God to be saved from an universal deluge In several populous Cities before this floud could well be forgotten there could not ten righteous persons be found for whose sake they might be spar'd from destruction Then the rayes of divine light were communicated but to a few particular persons Only Abraham found favour with God to have a numerous seed and that his seed should be heirs of a Covenant of Promise I will be thy God said the Almighty to him and the God of thy seed after thee Accordingly he that was the God of Abraham took also particular care of Isaac and Jacob and he gave his Statutes and Judgments to the Children of Israel but did not deal so with any other Nation But since thy coming O glorious Messiah light is come into the world and the way of Salvation has been made known to all men unclouded light has come wlth thee no more opprest with ceremonial veils which therefore has diffused it self into the dark corners of the Earth and spread it self to the ends of the World. The Day-spring from on high has visited our distant region and on us has the Sun of righteousness kindly arose The Christian Church thanks be to thy Love Dear Lord has included within its pale a great many Nations It has had thousands that with a strong and generous love have run swiftly after Thee in the way of thy counsels nay millions with a fair degree of hope have walked constantly towards thee in the way of thy Commands Whence O my God could this strange improvement come but from the infinite Merits of the Redeemers death Hence it was that when he had ended his holy Life he ascended to Heaven and gave gifts to men He gave largely of his Spirit to his chosen Apostles and sent them out to preach his Word and dispence his appointed Sacraments He gave them the gift of Tongues that they might Preach to all Nations and the gift of working Miracles to confirm their Doctrines By his Spirits cooperating with these and succeeding their endeavours they every where propagated the Faith and Love of Jesus Our kind Lord before he ascended into Heaven appointed the use of two sacred Rites in his Church to assist the Faith of those who did not see his Person that they might notwithstanding believe and in believing be blessed Lest mankind should be so ungrateful as to forget him he has left us memorials of his tender love By these he shews us his bloody Death and Passion and makes himself present to those that believe and love and these by the powerful working of his Holy Spirit have confirm'd many Disciples in their most holy Faith Many they have possest with a holy fervour and courage to do and suffer great things for the name of Jesus O blest Memorials of my Saviours love and faithful seals of all his promises whereby what he has done for us is represented and what he has purchas'd is applyed to us If I forget to sing of you let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth If I forget to meditate on you let my head forfeit its power to think MEDITATION III. WHere O thou boundless Ocean of Immense charity where will thy overslowing streams stay their course we and our ingratitude basely strive to oppose Thee but nothing can resist thy Almighty Goodness Thou didst come to thine own People and they received Thee not yet thou didst not forsake the kind design of thy coming When the Impiety of man was treacherously plotting to betray and murder Thee then didst thou mercifully consult about means to convey thy saving blessings to the world When they were resolving to bruise and kill thy sacred Body thou wast contriving how we might best reap advantage from thy Passion and Death Thy love we see was desirous to do more than dye for us having contrived moreover a way to live in us The Lord Jesus on the same night when he was betray'd took Bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said Take Eat this is my Body which was broken for you this do in remembrance of me After the same manner also he took the Cup after Supper saying This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood which is shed for the remission of the sins of many Drink ye all of it and do this as oft as you Drink it in remembrance of me Thus has our wise Lord found an excellent way to make even our flesh assist the Spirit in us He has contrived by sensible things to make us move towards heavenly by those things which are wont to draw and fasten us to this earth When he distributed the Bread and Wine to his Disciples he gave them an interest in his abundant graces and merits And thus is he ready to bestow himself still upon those that believe and are desirous to partake of him He has commanded the celebration of this Holy Supper to be continu'd in the Christian Church to the end of the world And that not only to keep alive a thankful remembrance of his Death but also to confirm his gracious Promises to them that believe on him To the happy Soul then that with faith and thankfulness does thus commemorate the dying Love of our Saviour this Holy Supper is a Feast of fat things and of Wine on the lees well refined Jesus Christ himself will come and Sup with such and be willing to make his constant abode with them His Promise assures his Presence with them while they are here on Earth and that they shall when they go hence be taken up to be where he is O Praise the Lord ye Nations of the Earth all praise and admire his wisdom and love His Love that so industriously seeks our happiness and his Wisdom that finds such excellent means to accomplish it Praise him that is the sole fountain of spiritual Blessings and who alone has right to ordain the means of conveying them for that he has instituted a few means and those easie to be observed and made them the conveyances of all the riches of his Grace Give hearty thanks to the kind Redeemer for this Institution and express your thankfulness by coming to this his Supper Come to it to remember his propitiatory Death and to receive Jesus Christ who offers himself to you Come to partake of the important purchases of his Death and to devote your selves entirely to him who has so lov'd you Come all ye People of the wide world and let us adore the God that feeds us With himself our kind Saviour will feed us and with his Sacred Flesh his sacred Flesh is meat indeed and his Blood is drink indeed Our first Parents eat of the forbidden tree and incurr'd for themselves and their posterity an eternal Death We are invited to a Feast of spiritual Food which whosoever eateth shall live for ever With these dainties will divine love nourish us up to immortal
spirits who neglect this Means appointed to convey spiritual strength and to furnish them with the Spirit of Grace Such must needs have lamentable cause to bewail the weakness of their Graces and the slow progress of their Holiness Well may they contract very deep stains that do not often wash themselves with the blood of the Lamb. Well may they that begin in the Spirit soon after end in the Flesh who do not often here renew their resolutions and receive fresh strength to hold on their race Those were times of vigorous and sound piety when Christians had a strong appetite to this Spiriual Food This Appetite discover'd their health and by often eating they maintain'd it When they could hardly be contented a Day without receiving one of these blessed meals When they never came together to worship but they also broke this holy Bread Then they were patient under the hardest sufferings and then they abounded in every good work Then did the love of Jesus burn hot in their breasts and the light of it shined bright before men Then they had great charity towards all men and much peace one with another It is a sad sign and may be reckon'd a cause that the Spiritual life greatly languishes in our daies When the proper Food of it is little relisht by many and a great many more never desire it Our sad dayes are likely still to languish in devotion to be over-run with impiety and profaneness Still will the base love of the world abound amongst us every one minding his own things and none the things of Christ Christians will be enemies to one another and more barbarous and cruel than wild-beasts They will go on to bite and devour their own kind and to consume and destroy the Christian Church If we do not oftner commemorate the Love of our Lord and solemnly bind our selves to love one another MEDITATION III. Does our gracious Lord make a Feast of himself for us and invite us poor Sinners to sit down at his Table And should we not readily obey his call and go to the Feast he has so kindly prepared Behold our Lord himself is willing to meet us and to bring a Heaven with him to entertain us O leave the trifles of this world ye reasonable Souls and go to partake of his substantial Joyes Suspend the pursuit of transitory goods ye immortal Creatures and seek of Christ his eternal Treasures O how ungrateful Dear Lord to thee are all they that neglect this thy incomparable Provision The Eternal Fathers Love is slighted by them who gave his beloved Son to dye for us The Love of our kind Redeemer is not duly valu'd while we have no esteem or desire for the blessings he has purchas'd The sweet and saving Influences of the Holy Spirit are set at nought while we decline the proper means to enjoy them Is it not a most unspeakable ingratitude in mankind to trample under foot the Blood of the Son of God to despise that precious Blood which was shed for our sakes which was shed for the remission of our sins should we forget that painful Death he underwent to excuse us from suffering an eternal death It was the particular charge that great Love left when he was just a going to be sacrificed for us That we should devoutly celebrate this holy Supper and often do it in remembrance of him Are we not under great Obligation from his Love to do any difficult or dangerous thing for his sake and much more to comply with his dying will when it requires so easie and so pleasant a duty Did our Saviour drink Vinegar and eat Gall for us and shall we refuse at his command to take these pleasant dainties He drank off the bitter Cup which the Father gave him to purchase for us a Cup of blessing O how well would it become the whole world to say We will take the Cup of Salvation and praise the name of the Lord We will remember thy Love more than Wine dear Lord and never forget thy most useful Benefits We will show that we love thee as we ought to do by keeping this and the rest of thy Commands Had we but ingenuous Souls we should be extreamly glad that he who has done so much for us has told us what will please him This Feast is appointed by our Lord to shew forth his Death 'till he come For he will come again in Glory and with Power to Judge both the quick and the dead When he will render to every man according to his works and severely Punish all those that obey not the Gospel What must become of all those in that dreadful day that do constantly neglect an undoubted Precept Men pretend to fear the incurring of damnation by unworthy receiving but do not fear to deserve it by neglecting to receive his Supper But since we disobey and offend our Lord in both of these it should be our labour and care to prepare our selves and draw nigh PETITIONS O Most Gracious and Merciful God who hast in kindness sent thy Son into the world O let the same kindness effectually draw us and we will run after him for none of us can come unto him except the Father that has sent him draw them Alas Lord we know not our true Interest 'till thou do effectually reveal it we certainly refuse our own mercies if thou do not incline us to pursue them O send forth a mighty power of thy Spirit upon the world and convince men of sin because they believe not in Jesus let him convince men of their guilty state by nature and of their further guilt in not obeying the Gospel Bring them in multitudes to Jesus Christ by making them sensible that there is no other name but his by which they can be saved Teach us how necessary to make atonement for our sins the great Sacrifice of himself was which he offer'd upon the Cross and make us all earnestly concern'd to partake of that Sacrifice and therefore forward to use the appointed means of it Convince us that we are poor without the riches of his grace and naked without the robes of his righteousness and in want of all things necessary to Salvation 'till we are possest of an interest in him O make us come to Jesus Christ that we may have life that our forfeited right to eternal Life may be restor'd and that he by his Spirit may quicken us to a spiritual and divine Life who are by nature dead in trespasses and sins Quicken us O thou who wast dead and art alive for thou alone hast the words of eternal Life Make us discern and seek and relish divine and spiritual things capable of the pleasures of devotion and desirous above all things of Communion with thy self Make us in retir'd Devotion and publick Worship often seek to have Communion with the Father and the Son through the Spirit And Lord whenever we draw nigh to thee by coming carefully prepar'd to
glorious Dear Lord are the effects of thy Grace How shameful the instances of our folly and weakness PETITIONS OBlessed Jesu who art a Prince and Saviour whose kindness it is to give repentance and remission of sin Bestow I beseech thee on me such a hearty Contrition for all the wandring steps that I have made from my Duty as to fit me to receive thy Pardon And then Pardon O Meek Redeemer what my passions have done and what my weakness has omitted Let a sence that thou my God art reconcil'd to me give me this night a sweet repose as in the arms of thy tender Mercy Make me too hereafter O Lord if I shall live after this night more carefully watch my self that my few dayes do not slide unprofitably away and especially that they be not spent in sin Make me every day retire to study thee and my self My self that I may know and correct my many Infirmities and Thee that I may adore thy infinite Perfections And to thy Perfections O Lord and the strength from them communicated unto me make me ascribe all the good that I am able to do Let me alwayes say as I ought This is not I but Christ that liveth in me Make me also the more attentively obsequious to the steady guidance of thy Grace and grant I may never want it while the time of my warfare and pilgrimage continues Instruct me I beseech thee O thou who art the best of Teachers in these great and wise truths that the things of this world are of very little import since its joys and griefs will last but a very little while and that the future state does infinitely concern me where the Life and Death are for ever Fix my heart O Sovereign Goodness I pray thee on thy self alone Let me not be good only by halves since there is a glorious Heaven prepared that is worth all our labours Prevent by the power and prevalence of thy grace in me my mingling so much as formerly thy pure Grace with my corrupted Nature Deliver me O Lord from the Temptations of this world and mercifully save me from the wrath to come that dreadful wrath which we so justly fear and which many condemned wretches do already irrecoverably feel Hymn 22. AND do we then believe There is a world to come Where all this world shall summon'd be To take their final doom Is there a Heaven indeed To crown the Innocent Is there a Hell and horrid Pains The Wicked to torment Are these Eternal too And never to have end Shall never those Delights decay These Sorrows never mend Good God is all this true And sure most true it is And yet we live as if there were Nothing so false as this O quicken Lord our Faith Of these great Joyes and Fears And make the last dayes Trumpet be Still sounding in our Ears Still may this glorious hope Shine bright before our eyes We shall go up at last to meet Our Jesus in the Skies Come Jesu come and take Our banisht Souls to thee Come quickly Lord that in thy light Our eyes thy light may see Glory to Thee great God One Coeternal Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen For Thursday Morning MEDITATION I. HE who made the Sun to enlighten our steps in the Pilgrimage of this short Life has he ordain'd no guide to conduct our Souls in the difficult way to our eternal home Yes he sent his Son a bright light into the world by whose Directions we may find our Happiness He who feeds the Ravens when they call upon him has he not provided Bread for his Children He has and still his Mercy furnishes means to perform whatever his Justice commands The Son of God himself became incarnate and took the humane nature into a Personal Union Thus it was consecrated by him to become the Instrument wherewith he would accomplish our Redemption He was sacrificed for us upon the Cross that so he might become food to our Faith And that food he gives with the Sacramental Bread and Wine to every the meanest meet receiver Though he be now exalted to the right Hand of God and his Glorified Body shall suffer Death no more Yet the believing Soul that comes to this Supper finds him really present and does partake of his Body and Blood. The Lord of love has espoused to himself an Holy Church and promis'd it his presence to the end of the World He has made her all Glorious within the Saints are the excellent of the Earth With these he is present at the celebration of his worship and feeds them with his own Crucified Body at his Supper O Souls redeem'd by the Blood of Jesus and nourisht with his Sacred Body why melt you not away in Tears of Joy for being so regarded by the King of Heaven What hast thou promised O Gracious and Faithful Lord to him that receives Thee with an Humble Love All that is contain'd in those sweet and mystick words He dwells in me and I in him O Blessed Words if once my Soul can say He dwells in me and I in him He is my Refuge in all Temptations He is my Comfort in all Distresses He is my Security against all mine Enemies He dwells in me and I in him What can an infinite bounty give greater than it self and what can an empty Creature receive better than the Alsufficient God Blessed O Jesu are they who discern Thee under the Veils of Bread and Wine Blessed are the Souls prepar'd by Faith and Love to receive Thee at this Sacred Supper Blessed yet more is that devout Heart that desires thy second coming into the World that longs to see thy immediate self and to see thee in thy Glory O thou Lord of Grace and Glory our chiefest Joy and best Portion in the land of the living what hast thou prepared for thy Servants to give them hereafter when thy bounty is so liberal to them here What dost thou reserve in thy Kingdom who givest us thy self in this place of Banishment How will thy open vision transport our Souls when our dark Faith yields us now such delight O my ador'd Redeemer my Soul longs for the Happy Day when I shall see thy Face without a Veil When I shall be able to endure the beams of thy Glory shining out upon me in their full brightness And my weakness will not need as now to converse with Thee with Clouds and Shadows interpos'd My Soul seek thy Saviour now and thou shalt find him hereafter receive him thus veil'd and thou shalt enjoy him in his Glory Take these things that he offers Thee with a thankful Heart and humble Faith and then they shall prove sure pledges that Christ himself will be ever thine Hymn 23. WIth all the Pow'rs my poor Soul hath Of Humble Love and Loyal Faith I come Dear Lord and worship Thee Whom too much love bow'd low for me Down busie Sense Discourses dye And all
and to observe the whole Religion of our Saviour To be taught by his Precepts and to follow his excellent Example Thou must not then learn the foolish Maxims of this world nor conform to the sinful practices of it But live as one redeem'd from a vain Conversation and engag'd to hate every wicked way Thou must hereafter challenge no right to have thy self at thine own disposal But deny thy self to please thy Master and take up thy Cross when he requires it When it would cost thee thy Estate or Life to own him and profess his Truth thou must cleave to him with full purpose of Heart and forsake all things as dross and dung for his sake Thou must endeavour to walk worthy of thy Heavenly calling and that thy Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel And therefore live not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and live Godly Righteously and Soberly in this present world Do good to them that hate thee and pray for them that despitefully use thee Forgive those that injure thee and live in Charity with all Mankind As thou hast opportunity it is required that thou do good to all men but especially to those of the houshold of Faith. The Law of thy Saviour requires that according to thy capacity thou do cloath these when they are naked and feed any of them when they are hungry direct them when they are wandering restore them when they are fallen quicken them when they are slothful fortifie them when they are tempted Bear with their acknowledg'd infirmities and encourage them in all their well-doing And the Lord having plentifully entertain'd thee at his Table does expect my Soul that thou shouldst encrease in strength He expects that thy knowledge of Divine things should be more clear thy Faith be stronger to resist Temptations That thou be more patient under the adversities of this Life and more ardent in thy desires after a better That thou be fruitful in Holy Thoughts and pious words fruitful in just and charitable deeds fruitful to thy self in thine own improvements and to others in thy good example If thou do not encrease in strength it is because thou art slothful in business Be diligent then in thy work and hold on thy way so shall thy exercise of Grace make thee grow stronger and stronger for to him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance MEDITATION II. MY Soul thou didst dissemble with God in going to his Sacred Table if it was not in thy intention and purpose to love him and keep his Commands And if thou do not continue in that purpose afterwards and endeavour to put in practice thy resolutions thou despisest the obligations of his Love and art basely false to thy Covenant Every act of sin that thou commitest after thou hast been a partaker of thy Lords Supper is not only a neglect of thy Duty but the breach of a renewed Oath Canst thou find in thy heart to take the Cup of Salvation and not call upon the Name of the Lord if he delivers thee from Death and Hell thou art highly obliged to Worship him and reverence all his Institutions Wilt thou take an interest in Christ without giving him an interest in thee Is it not a very fitting act of Thanksgiving for this to offer and resign thy self to his disposal Is it not great shame that thou shouldst ever hereafter account any thing too much to part with or do for his sake when he loved not his own Life to the Death that he might ransome thee from eternal misery Thou hast renewed the remembrance of thy Saviour's dying Love received new Pledges of thy interest in it These things ought to tye thee faster in bonds of Love to him and spread the divine Love further in thy Soul 'till all thy faculties and powers be under the command of it and thy whole self as it were chang'd into Love. Such should thy Love be as never to forget how great things his Love has done for thee such as never to think of those great things without the most fervent and hearty adorations such as to make thee much delighted to think often of his Love and often to commemorate him at his Supper to make thee study what will please him and strive to do it in an universal Obedience to make thee desire that his Honour may be promoted in the World and his Kingdom enlarged to all the corners of the Earth Did our Saviour come into the World to destroy the works of the Devil and shall I help to carry on those works in the world by retaining and living in any sin This sure were highly to affront the great Redeemer and despise his kind undertaking To such there remains no other Offering for sin but they ought with fear to expect a terrible Judgment Wilt thou my Soul entertain and cherish that which has pierc'd the heart of thy Saviour O with what Indignation should we regard all sin even our most beloved sins when it was these that gave him his many Wounds these brought him to the Agony in the Garden these caused his secret Sufferings on the Cross which his Soul felt when he sadly cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All these things will condemn me if I regard any Iniquity in my heart Consider further my Soul what is worthy of them who are washt in the precious Blood of the Lamb. How very much ought they to love to whom much has been forgiven How should they love one another whom the Father so lov'd as to give them his Son Consider again how they ought to walk who are consign'd to immortal Blessedness How should they purifie themselves as God is pure and cast away all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit With what Contempt should they look upon all the Pomp and Glory of this World and pity those that fondly admire it and never envy any the enjoyment of it With what Moderation and Indifferency should they desire and enjoy these things They should never be proud of any enjoyments in this world nor be dejected with any wants In vain was our Saviour a man of Sorrows and acquainted with Griefs to purchase for us the Glories and Joyes of Heaven if the hopes of Glory are not worthy to delight us and make us rejoyce evermore Thou dost undervalue thy Saviours Purchase if the thoughts of Heaven do not enflame thy desires and account his Blood cheaply thrown away if thou think it not worth thy endeavours To answer then the obligations of thy Saviours Love thou must earnestly strive to fit thy self for Heaven thou must greatly desire to be there and cherish the hopes of it as thy chiefest Joyes and Consolations on Earth MEDITATION III. I Acknowledge O Blessed Son of God and Lord of Heaven and Earth that as I am thine by receiving my being from thee so I was early devoted to thee I was engaged in a Solemn Covenant by which I stand bound to
wandring At every toy which passes by sly Still spending so your strength in vain While what you wish you ne're can gain Come my fond Soul who sure must be Quite tir'd with all this Life can see This Life where little can be seen But reigning misery and sin And cheating Images of Good Most valu'd when least understood Which yet to our pursuits are coy As they prove vain when we enjoy Come let the wings of thy desire Fond man to nobler things aspire Implore the Spirits kind gales and He To nobler things will carry thee Let warm Devotions Holy Fire And Love Divine thy Breast inspire So shalt thou Heavens true Pleasures tast And grow more sit for Heaven at last Seek thou no more abroad thy rest Seek it at home in thine own Breast Let but thy mind from guilt be clear Then seek for all thy Comfort there With thy self and thy gracious God Delight to make thy chief abode In him repose secure and free And no mischance can trouble thee Should Death it self thy walls assail Still thou art safe and canst not fail Still is thy Soul thine own and she To a new House remov'd shall be New and Eternal there above All built and furnisht with pure Love There shall this dark mud-wall of thine Repair'd the brightest Stars out-shine Great Spirit of Love and Source of Peace Our Praise of thee shall never cease To thee the Father and the Son Eternal Homage shall be done Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE SAINTS For the Morning MEDITATION I. GReat is the Majesty of the King we serve and rich the splendour of his Courts where the humble Saints all shine as the light and rejoyce in uninterrupted felicity Come let us that call our selves by his Name humbly adore the King of Saints let us meet in Peace and Love which are highly pleasing to him and joyn our Hearts and Voices into one glad Song And which of his wondrous works shall we make our Theam which shall be the worthy subject of our Contemplation and Praise Shall we admire the mighty Conquerours of this World or any of the Great ones whom the World applands Shall we admire the men of deep or universal Learning or those that manage all their worldly Affairs with a dexterous and successful wisdom Oh no there are greater things than these to employ our Admiration those blessed Spirits who bravely overcame themselves and that led in triumph their own Passions those who renounc'd the greatness of this World to be rid of its incumbrances and that they might with more ease and speed prepare themselves for a better Those who learned Jesus Christ so as to imitate him well and were so wise as to work out their Salvation those who from mean and poor on Earth from reproacht and despis'd are advanced to be bright Courtiers in the Kingdom of Heaven and honour'd by the King of Saints Rejoyce thou my Soul who feelest these miseries here and often complainest of the dangers of this Life Rejoyce at their glad delivery from all these sorrows and heartily congratulate their secure Felicity Rejoyce and with thy best instructed thoughts admire the exquisite Wisdom of the divine Providence who from such low beginnings can raise so great effects making every step thrust connaturally on the next Behold a little Seed that is buried in the Earth shoot gently out its tender leaves and nourisht on with the Clouds and Sun climb up by degrees into a tall stalk there it displayes its full blown hope and crowns its own head with a silver Lilly. Such is the progress of immortal Souls even those who shine now among the highest Seraphims At first shut up in their Mothers womb where they lye confin'd close Prisoners in the dark thence they come forth to see and hear and slowly begin to walk and speak next they advance to understand and discourse then learn to â—â—ve with the wings of Grace till they get up even beyond themselves and believe above their own nature at last the kindly hand of Death gives them a stroak and they instantly become like the glorious Angels Instantly their dark and narrow knowledge unfolds it self and spreads into a clear and spacious view where they at once shall see all the glories of Heaven at once possess and for ever enjoy them Thus from the humble seed of Grace connaturally spring the flowers of Glory and from this Life 's green stem of Hope grow just on the top the Lillies of Paradice Lillies that never fade but still shine on and fill the Heavens with beauteous sweetness Lillies that even Solomon in all his glory was not array'd like one of these Sing then my Soul his Praise who planted water'd and encreas'd these beauteous Flowers But still among thy Hymns thou must mingle resolves to imitate whatsoever thou findest good in their Lives This is the Praise most delightful to him whose kindness desires the Conversion of a Sinner Learn but of them to be Humble and Meek and submit all thy Wishes to the Will of Heaven to govern thy Senses by the rule of Reason and thy Reason by the dictates of Religion to design thy whole Life in order to thy End and establish for thy end the Bliss of Eternity These holy Lessons let thy Life transcribe and then the King will accept thy Praises Hymn 39. WAke all my Hopes lift up your Eyes And crown your heads with Mirth See how they shine beyond the Skies Who once dwelt on our Earth Peace busie thoughts away vain cares That clog us here below Let us go up above the Sphears And with those Orders bow Bow low to Heave'ns Eternal King Whose bounteous goodness 't is That makes the happy Orders sing And fills the place with Bliss With glorious Angels Heirs of Light The high-born Sons of Fire Whose Heats burn chast whose Flames shine bright All Joy yet all Desire With Holy Saints who long in hope On this Life 's green Stem sate But gain'd at length the beauteous top Of Heaven's resplendent State. With great Apostles of the Lamb Who brought that early ray Which from our Sun reflected came And made our first fair day With generous Martyrs whose strong hearts Bravely rejoyc'd to prove How weak pale Death are all thy darts Compar'd to those of Love. With steadfast Confessors who dy'd A Death too Love did give Whilst their own Flesh they crucifie'd To make the Spirit live With beauteous Virgins whose chast Vows Renounc'd all fond desires Who wisely chose our Lord their Spouse And burnt with his pure fires With all the happy Spirits above Who make that glorious ring About the sparkling Throne of Love And there for ever sing To some low place of that bright Quire While loftier notes they raise Let this thy little wreath aspire And joyn their Crowns of Praise All Glory to the Sacred Three One ever-living Lord As at the first still may he be Belov'd Obey'd Ador'd Amen MEDITATION II. THou art our
justly fears the angry brow of his offended Prince so let my oft-forgiven Soul continually tremble to provoke the wrath of thy dread Majesty Thus temper O Lord my Love with reverence and allay my fear with hope that I may live to thy glory in a chearful Obedience Glory be to the Father c. Amen For Monday Evening MEDITATION I. TO know Thee O Lord is the highest Learning and to see thy face is the only true Happiness Consider now my Soul and thankfully remember what the great God is to us men Thou Lord art the great Beginning of our nature and the glorious end of all our actions Thou art the overflowing source from whence we spring and the Immense Ocean into which we tend Thou art the free bestower of all we possess and the faithful promiser of all we hope for Thou art the strong sustainer of our lives and our ready protection from all our enemies Thou art the merciful Scourger of our sins and the bounteous Rewarder of our Obedience Thou art the only wise God and the only safe Conductor of this lifes pilgrimage Thou art the ever blessed God and the Eternal Rest of our wearied Souls God is the Guide to find my way my strength to walk in it and my rest in the end of it He must draw me or I cannot run after him He must seek me or I can never find him and unless I find and enjoy him I can never be happy Such words our narrowness is constrain'd to use when we endeavour to speak the divine bounties when we would express how many wayes mankind are beholden to him that made them In a few words Lord here is much exprest what may fill our minds with a great many thoughts and afford matter for long Meditation But yet our words are and our highest thoughts must be far short of the goodness and mercy of thy thoughts towards us they are more than can be numbred by Men or Angels MEDITATION II. LEt us now consider my Soul and with great humility remember what we are to the great God We who alas are nothing in our selves what can we be to his Immensity Thou Lord who art all things in thine own rich self what canst thou receive from our poverty This only we are to Thee O Great Cretor the unthankful objects of all thy bounties This only we are to thee O dear Redeemer the unworthy cause of all thy sufferings Guilty we committed the Crime and thou with thine own Innocency undertook'st the Punishment We went astray from the path of life and thy mercy came down from Heaven to seek us to seek us in the wilderness where we had lost our selves and bring us home to the discipline of thy Love. Thou hast sent thy Spirit to gather the lost Sheep and what are we to Thee O holy and blessed Spirit but very stubborn and untractable creatures We are not sheep till thou hast changed our natures Man is born like the wild Asses colt Lord what are we that thou shouldst thus regard such poor vile and inconsiderable wretches What can our good will avail thy Bliss that with so many charms thou wooest us to love thee What can our enmity prejudice thy content that thou dost threaten so severely if we love thee not Is there O my God not felicity enough in the sweetness alone of loving thee Is there not certainly misery enough in living destitute of thy blissfull love Yes Yes Dear Lord so it is and that thou knewest and that is indeed the only cause which moved thy goodness to court our affections Thou knew'st we would else cast away our selves by doating on the follies of this deceitful world Thou knewest the danger of our wilfull nature and therefore strivest by greatest fears and hopes and by all the wisest arts of Love and Bounty to draw us to thy self and endow us with thy Kingdom But Oh unhappy we whose frowardness requir'd so strange proceeding to force upon us our own Salvation Yet happy we are in this that our wants have met so kind a hand that our God is good long-suffering and whose mercy endures for ever His goodness needs but our emptiness to engage him to fill us and nothing but our misery to move him to make us happy MEDITATION III. LOrd without Thee what 's all the world to us but a flying dream of busie vanities It promises indeed a Paradise of bliss but all it performs is an empty cloud Thine are the Joyes that shine fixt as the Stars and make the only solid Heaven Lord without Thee what are we to our selves but the wretched causes of our own ruin We 'till thou gavest us being were purely nothing more remov'd from happiness than the most miserable of thy Creatures Now thou hast made us we wholly depend on thee and perish immediately if thou forsake us Thou who without us art the same All-glorious Essence perfectly full of thy own eternal Felicity Without us thy royal Throne stands firm for ever and all the powers of Heaven obey thy pleasures O Lord how contrary is our imperfect nature in every circumstance to thy excellency and perfection Thou dwellest above in the Mansions of Glory and we below in houses of Clay Thou art from everlasting to everlasting we are but of yesterday and are every moment going downwards to our dissolution Thou art Immense and thy presence fills the Heavens but the greatest of us alas how little are we two yards of Air contain us while we liâ—e and a few spans of Earth suffice us at our death Thou art Almighty power all-sufficient fullness we are poverty and weakness When O when my God shall these vast distances meet together it is in thy power to make these extremities embrace each other we know that by thy amazing power they were once miraculously joyn'd in the sacred person of thy Eternal Son when the King of Heaven stoopt down to earth and grafted into his own Person the nature of man We hope they once again shall be happily united in the blissfull vision of thy glorious self when we shall be like thee by seeing thee as thou art when the children of Earth shall be exalted to Heaven and be satisfied with thy likeness But are there no means here below O thou infinitely high and glorious God! Is there no way for us now to approach towards thee to diminish at least this uncomfortable distance There is none but the way of holy Love Divine Love elevates our meanness Love will bring us near to the blessed God it will make us live in a happy union to him And none can attain this but by thy free gift unless Thou O dearest Lord do first Love us and with thy Love kindle the sacred fire in our breasts we shall never be so happy as to Love thee PETITIONS O Bounteous God! O abundant Goodness add to all thy other favours this of making me love and esteem thee above all things above my self and all
pleases thy self only let my Portion hereafter be with thy blessed Fix thou O Lord my steps establish my goings in thy Word that I may not stagger at the uneven motions of this world but may steadily go on towards my glorious home not censuring my journey by the weather I meet with nor turning out of the way for any accident that may befall me Thou hast told us O Lord it is not in man that walketh to direct his own steps and therefore bid us not to lean to our own understanding I humbly beg of thee continual direction I desire thou wouldest cause all self-presumption to dye in me let this be the effect of all my disappointments and ill successes and make my whole confidence to rely on thee so shall my frailty make me more strong and thy Power O my God may be magnified in my weakness and thy mercy triumph in the relief of my misery Teach me to begin all my works with fear to go on with obedience and finish them with love and after all to sit humbly down in hope and with a chearful confidence look up to thee All this we may do for men and they may fail us we may fear and obey and they forget our service we may love and hope and they despise our affections only Thou O Lord whom we can no way benefit thou wilt not fail those that trust and serve thee thy promises are faithful thou art unchangeable and thy rewards are Eternal Glory be to c. Amen For Tuesday Evening MEDITATION I. WIth awfull reverance my Soul consider that the Great God is infinite in his power to punish he has been and he can always be very terrible in his Judgments Our God is a consuming fire Let vain dust no more speak proudly against the Almighty nor be so fool-hardy as to provoke the living God. Let all seal up their lips in humble silence when they are witnesses of his terrible Judgments and with fear and trembling always remember them Remember thou my Soul how the Earth opened it self and swallow'd up alive many thousands of his Enemies Call to mind that the Clouds rain'd Fire and Brimstone and buried several rebellious Cities in their own Ashes Remember that a general deluge did once by Gods Commission over-spread the whole world and swept away almost all mankind when the wickednesse of man was great upon the Earth Remember steadily that sin was the cause of all this misery and ruin Sin threw the Angels down from Heaven and chain'd them up in eternal darkness Sin banisht Adam out of Paradise and turn'd the delicious Garden into a Field of weeds O God how terrible is thy mighty arm when thou stretchest it forth to be avenged on thine enimies O Sin how fatal is thy desperate Malice that pulls on our heads all the thunder of Heaven O my Soul how dull and sencelesse are we to sleep secure as if all were safe Can we repeat these amazing truths and not tremble at the wrath of divine Justice Can we consider the deplorable end of Sinners and still dare to go on in the waies of Sin Even when we sing thy praises O glorious Lord it is our duty to rejoyce with trembling before Thee What should corrupted nature then do when it sees it self ready to offend Thee What should a guilty Conscience do when it sees it self upon the brink of ruin by offending Thee MEDITATION II. YEt O my Soul do not give up thy self to despair under a sence of thy sins bring thou to him but a humble and penitent heart and thou shalt find there is forgiveness with him He that is thus infinte in power to punish is full as infinite in goodness to save How often have we broke his Commands yet still his Earth sustains and serves us How oft alas have we abused our fulness of Bread yet still his Clouds shower plenty upon us He is merciful and gracious as well as Long-suffering a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sin He spares us so long that we may have time to repent and to seek and obtain his Pardon Only the proud apostate Angels find no forgiveness because their obstinacy does refuse to seek it Could those rebel spirits disclaim their crimes and turn again to obey their Maker his clemency would soon revoke their sentence and restore them to shine in their first bright seats But O the excesse of mercy vouchsafe't to Adam and to us dust and ashes his contemptible Posterity For whom the soveraign King of Heaven humbled himself to descend upon Earth to lead a poor laborious life and to suffer a painful death He came to be a Prince and a Saviour to us to give us repentance and remission of sins to teach us by an exemplary Life how to live acceptably to God and to satisfie for our sins by his death Thy mercies O Lord are above all thy works and this is above all the rest of thy mercies MEDITATON III. STill my Soul dwell in contemplation of the divine mercies it is good and pleasant to be here When we lay buried in the abyss of nothing it was his own free Goodness that call'd us into being He fashion'd our limbs in our Mothers womb and fill'd our Nurses breasts with milk He enlarg'd our little steps when we began to go and carefully preserv'd our helplesse Infancy He commanded even his Angels to bear us up lest we should dash our feet against a stone How many dangers my Soul consider hast thou escaped and not one of them but was govern'd by a Divine Providence How many blessings dost thou daily receive and there is not one of them which does not proceed from his bounty He provided Tutors to instruct our Youth and to plant in our tender minds the seeds of Vertue He appointed Pastors to feed our Souls and safely guide them in the wayes of Bliss He seal'd his Love with Sacraments of Grace to nourish in us Faith and Charity All this thou hast done O merciful Lord the wise disposer of Heaven and earth All this thou hast done and still thou goest on by infinite waies to gain us to thy Love. Thou commandest us to ask and promisest to grant thou invitest us to seek and assurest that we shall find Thou dost vouchsafe even thy self to stand at the door and knock and if we open thou enterest and fillest our hearts with joy If we forget thee thou renewest our Memories if we fly from thee thou still kindly findest some means to recall us If we defer our amendment thou dost patiently stay for us and nevertheless when we return we find thy arms open to embrace us And if when we were not thou didst freely love us we may be assur'd thou wilt not forsake us when we strive to love Thee If when we had lost our way and were wandring from thee thy matchless kindness did condescend to seek us and give us an effectual call thou wilt not refuse us when we
Cross as strangers unconcern'd Thus we again Crucifie the Lord of Glory and put him afresh to an open shame Is this O wretched we the Duty we pay to the Sacred Memory of our Dear Redeemer Are these the Thanks our gratitude returns to that strange excess of our Saviours Love When we sate in darkness he took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light We sought not him but he came from far to find us we look't not towards him but his Mercy call'd after us He call'd aloud in Words of melting tenderness Why will you perish O ye Children of Men Why will ye run after empty trifles as if there were no joyes above with me Return O you Dear bought Souls and I will receive you repent and though you had really crucified me I will forgive you Behold O Blessed Jesu to Thee we come on Thee O crucifi'd Love we fasten all our Confidence Never will we unclasp our hold till thy Grace has seal'd the pardon of our Sins Never will we part from this standard of Hope till our troubled Consciences be dismist in Peace There will we stand and sigh and weep and every one humbly say to thy Mercy Jesu my God I am a miserable Sinner O be thou my kind Advocate with the Father MEDITATION II. BElieve in Jesus O my Soul and thou maist be silent for he thy Lord will answer for thee rely on him and he will be thy security love him and thou art united to his satisfaction and merits Be innocent and he will defend Thee be humble and he will exalt Thee Repent and he will forgive thy Sins and purge away all thy foul impurities He will wash away the guilt of those Sins which thy wickedness has ever caused in others and of those also which thy weakness has at any time receiv'd from them The merciful Lord will purge thee from all thy secret faults and from those darling Sins that most abuse our Nature He will pardon what thou hast been and correct what thou art Will order by his good Providence what thou shalt be and in the end crown his own excellent Gifts Direct thy prayers to his tender Mercy and his Bounty will bestow more than thou askest Never let us fear the favour of our God if we can but esteem and earnestly desire it He that so freely gave us himself will he not with himself give us all things else Is not his painful Life and bitter Death sufficient pledge of his Mighty Love to us He has greater tenderness than any Mother and more faithful Love to our true Interest than any Friend O disparage not his great willingness to help by seeking aid of any other Mediatours Surely they have little Faith and far less hope who doubt the Mercies of so Gracious a God Mercies confirm'd by a thousand Miracles and Dearly seal'd with his own precious Blood That Innocent Blood which was shed for us to appease the wrath of his offended Father Is not his infinite love to us sufficient motive of our duty to him A Duty to which we are so many waies oblig'd and wherein our Eternity is so highly concern'd Now my Soul is the time of Acceptance now is the only day of Salvation Seek to Jesus to be washt in the pure Fountain of his Blood and apply thy self to do whatever he as thy Lord requires thee So shall the blessed Jesus be to thee Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption MEDITATION III. SHould'st thou O Lord have dealt with us in rigour we had long since been sentenced to Eternal Death Long since our guilty Souls had been snatcht away from this World and hurried down to everlasting Torments But thy gracious Mercy has yet repriev'd our lives and given us space to work out our Salvation Now is the time of Acceptance with thee Now is the Day of Salvation for us Now O my Soul let us mourn our former Offences and henceforth take care to bring forth fruits worthy of Repentance If we have hitherto persecuted the Lord of Glory and with our sins nail'd the Blessed Jesus on the Tree of Death Now let our whole endeavours attend the Service of our Saviour and loyally conspire to un-crucifie their Lord. Let us ascend the Mount of Calvary and often as we go salute his holy steps We kiss thy steps dear Lord when we love thy wayes and humble our selves and follow thee Let us there on our knees approach him on the Cross and reverently cover his naked Body We cover thee when our Charity cloaths thy Servants and hides the infirmities of thy little ones Let us there with tenderest care unfasten the nails and gently draw them out of his Hands and Feet We draw them out O Lord when we freely obey thy Will and loosen our Affections from cleaving to the World When thou hast thus my Soul rescu'd thy Lord nail thy self in his stead to the Cross Mortifie thy members which are upon the Earth and crucifie the Flesh with all its inordinrte Lusts PETITIONS O Father of Mercies and of our loving Saviour let the love of thee and of thy Son win our hearts entirely to thy self Win them from this vain Life and all the little goods of it to the sole pursuit and hopes of enjoying thee in thy Eternity Let the love of our crucified Redeemer soften our hearts and make them break for our past offences against thee For we have broken the Laws of our Maker we have provok'd the wrath of our Judge we have despised the goodness of our God. O deal not with us according to our fins nor give us the sad desert of our Iniquities We fly O Lord from the Bar of thy Justice to the mild and gracious Seat of thy Mercy Spare us O Lord who are the works of thine hands spare us whom thou hast redeem'd with the blood of Christ Pardon O Lord our sins of weakness and surprize pardon our sins of wilfulness and deliberation pardon our relapsing into the sins we have repented pardon our former living in sin without Repentance Make us so grieve for our sins as to hate them so hate as utterly to forsake them O may the good Spirit mortifie all our corrupt Affections that no principle may ever divert us from loving and serving thee Crucifie O Lord our Flesh with the fear of thee and let us have all our portion of sorrow in this World Crucifie us to the World and the World to us that being dead to it we may live to thee At least live thou in us O holy Jesu Possess thou us who hast bought us so dear as with thy Life's last drop of precious blood Dispose of all our motions according to thy righteous will help us to root out all our Vices with the constant practice of contrary Vertues that so we may bring forth fruits agreeable to a true Repentance And confirm O Lord we beseech thee our resolutions against sin and our courage to fight manfully
under the Banner of thee our Crucified Saviour that we may withstand the shock of all Temptations and conquer the Assaults of all our spiritual Enemies And make us watch as well as pray lest we enter into temptation that so we may be delivered from evil So guide and govern us dear Lord by thy great Wisdom and Love that nothing may be able to separate us from the love of thee our Glorious Redeemer who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen Hymn 12. AND now my Soul canst thou forget That thy whole life is one long debt Of love to him who on a Tree Paid back the Flesh he took for thee Lo how the Streams of precious Blood Flow from five wounds into one Flood With these he washes all thy stains And buys thy ease with his own pains Thy Cross dear Lord does clearly now That doubt of former Ages show It was this wood should make the Throne Fit for a more than Solomon Large Throne of Love royally spread With purple of too rich a red Strange costly price thus to make good It s own esteem with its Kings blood Jesu best plant of Paradise To thee our hopes lift up our eyes O may aloft thy branches shoot And fill the Nations with thy fruit O may all reap from thy increase The just more strength the Sinner peace While our half-withered hearts and we Engraft our selves and grow on thee Live O for ever live and reign Blest Lamb whom thine own love has slain And may thy lost sheep live to be True lovers of thy Cross and thee All Glory to the sacred Three One undivided Deity As it has been in Ages gone May now and ever still be done Amen For Saturday Morning MEDITATION I. A Wake all ye Powers of my Soul and come pay your homage to the Prince of our Salvation cast your unworthy selves at his sacred feet and renew your vows of following his steps He triumpht over death in his own body and will enable us to conquer it in ours He chang'd the corrupted government of the world and establisht a new and holy Law that as we were Vassals to sin before we might now become the free subjects of Grace Let us live and dye in his blest Obedience and let no temptation ever separate us from him who if we resist will make us overcome and when we have overcome will crown us with peace Come let us adore our victorious Redeemer Thou hast O Lord triumpht over all thy enemies and ours but we alas are yet conversing in the midst of our enemies Prostrate before Thee we will confess our misery To how many dangers is our life expos'd with how many tentations are we round besieged tentations in meat tentations in drink tentations in conversing tentations in solitude tentations in business tentations in leisure tentations in riches tentations in poverty all our wayes are strew'd with snares and even our Sences conspire against us Whither O my God shall our poor Souls go encompast with a body so frail and a world so corrupt Whither but to thee the justifier of sinners and to thy grace the sustainer of the weak Thy Grace instructs us what we ought to do and breeds in us the will to endeavour what we know Thy Grace inables us to perform our resolves and when all is done thy Grace must give success We that of our selves can do nothing may through Christ strengthning us be able to do all things and gain the sentence of approbation that shall be pronounc'd upon his steadfast followers Well done good and faithfull Servants enter you into your Masters Joy. Hymn 13. LOrd we again lift up our eyes And leave our sluggish beds But why we wake or why we rise Comes seldom in our heads Is it to sweat and toyl for wealth Or sport our time away That thou preserv'st us still in health And giv'st us this new day No no unskilful Soul not so Be not deceiv'd with toyes Thy Lords commands more wisely go And aim at higher joyes They bid us wake to seek new grace And some fresh vertue gain They call us up to mend our pace 'Till we the prize attain That glorious Prize for which all run Who wisely spend their breath Who when this weary life is done Are sure of rest in death Not such a rest as here we prove Disturb'd with cares and fears But endless joy and peace and love Unmixt with grief and tears Glory to Thee O bounteous Lord Who giv'st to all things breath Glory to Thee Eternal Word Who sav'st us by thy Death Glory O blessed Spirit to Thee Who fill'st our Souls with Love Glory to all the mystick Three Who reign one God above Amen MEDITATION II. LOrd with what admirable Wisdom dost thou govern the world and order the several conditions of Men thy wise Providence orders some to be poor and appoints them their task of innocent work Thy Providence is pleased to make others rich and give them leisure for their better improvements Thou hast made both poor and rich to be some way needful to one another that all may live in love and unity and apply themselves to mutual assistance Happy are they O Lord who have so much employment that there remains no room for idle thoughts Happy are they who have so little business that they want not space to attend their Souls Happy yet more are they who in the midst of their work can think sometimes of the wages above whom nothing diverts from that chief concern of seeking to make their Election sure But while their backs are bow'd down with labour they freely can raise up their minds to Heaven And while they are ty'd to their Beds with sickness can yet move on towards their Eternal rest Often they rejoyce with themselves alone and silently say in their contented hearts Here we alas are narrowly confin'd and our time entertain'd with trivial affairs But hereafter we expect an unbounded enlargement and the same glorious office with the blessed Angels Here we are subject to a thousand miseries and the most prosperous life is vain and short but hereafter we expect an infinity of Joy and the solid Pleasures of Heaven for ever We too my Soul let us Pray to be guided in the middle Path and take care that we decline to no vicious extream to avoid the stormy sea of too much business and the dead water of a slothful life lest we be cast away by forgetting God or become corrupted by neglecting our selves Sometimes at least recollect thy thoughts how much soever thy condition distracts thee In all thy works remember thy last end when thou must bid a long farewel to all this World Remember that dreadful Day of the Universal Judgment when thou must give an account for every idle word Remember the Joyes prepar'd for the Innocent and the miseries that attend the wicked Remember how nearly it concerns thee to
is not to gain a fair estate that thy kindness still prolongs our daies But to do good to our selves and others and to glorifie thee in a wise improvement and regular use of thy Creatures To encrease every day our longing desires of beholding thee in thine own bright self By the goodness of thy Creatures we should be inflamed with greater longings towards thee because thou hast all that goodness in thy self By the defect and insufficiency of the Creatures we should increase our desire of thy self because thou hast that goodness which they want PETITIONS O Thou who art the victorious Conquerer of Sin and Death We weak Combatants beseech thee to assist us in our dangerous Warfare Assist us against the Rebellions of our Passions still thou quickly all the tumults which the occurrences of this World begin to raise in our Souls O thou the Fountain as well as Pattern of Meekness possess our Souls with this excellent vertue that our minds may never be discompos'd that our Tongues may not break forth into violent expressions nor our Hands into any rash injurious actions Let us be calm and regular within however irregular and full of confusion the World be without us O thou blessed Spirit the onely sure Comforter the benign refresher of distressed spirits grant us thy Joyes and Consolations to relieve us in this tedious Pilgrimage Let our Souls feel onely the sweet impulses of divine Hope and Charity O glorious and chiefest Good whose infinite sweetness provokes and satisfies all our Appetites May my entire Affections delight in Thee above all the vain enjoyments of the World Above all Praise and empty Honour above all Beauty and fading Pleasure above Health and all deceitfull Riches above all Power and subtlest Knowledge above even all that thy own Bounty can give and whatever is not thy very self O may my wearied Soul repose in thee the home and centre of eternal Rest May I forget my self to think on thee and fill my Memory with the wonders of thy Love That infinite Love which when my thoughts consider not as they ought alas but as I am able the Goods or Ills of this World lose their Names and yield not either relish or distast O my adored Jesu let me love thee alwayes because from Eternity thou hast loved me Let me love thee above all Creatures because thou hast loved Mankind more than any besides O let me love thee onely gracious God! because thou alone deservest all my Heart Alwayes and onely let me love thee dear Lord since alwayes my hope is onely in thee Amen Hymn 16. DEar Jesu when when shall it be That I no more shall break with thee When will this War of Passions cease And let my Soul enjoy thy Peace Here I repent and sin again Now I revive and now am slain Slain with the same unhappy dart Which O! too often wounds my Heart When dearest Lord when shall I be A Garden seal'd to all but thee No more expos'd no more undone But live and grow to thee alone 'T is not alas on this low Earth That such pure flowers can find a birth Only they spring above the skies Where none can live till here he dies Then let me die that I may go And dwell where those bright Lilies grow Where those blest plants of Glory rise And make a safer Paradise No dangerous fruit no tempting Eve No crafty Serpent to deceive But we like Gods indeed shall be O let me die that life to see Thus sayes my Song but does my Heart Join with the words and sing its part Am I so thorow-wise to choose The other World and this refuse Why should I not what do I find That fully here contents my mind What is this meat and drink and sleep That such poor things from Heaven should keep What is this Honour or great place Or bag of Money or fair Face What 's all the World that thus we should Still long to live with flesh and blood Fear not my Soul stand to the word Which thou hast sung to thy dear Lord Let but thy love be firm and true And with more heat thy wish renew O may this dying life make haste To die into true life at last No hope have I to live before But then to live and die no more Great ever-living God! to thee In Essence One in Persons Three May all thy works their Tribute bring And every Age thy Glory sing Amen For Monday Morning MEDITATION I. COme let us Meditate the Praises of our God and joyfully recite his divine Perfections His Being is of himself alone and no dependance his eternal Essence knows His Knowledge fathoms the vast extent of all things and with his Power he commands and disposes them as he pleases His Goodness is supreamly Infinite and all his glorious Attributes transcendently adorable Come let us Meditate the Praises of our God and joyfully recite his divine Perfections He is the source of all Felicity eternally full of his own unchangeable Bliss before time began he was and when the Sun must lose its light his bright day will remain the same for ever The Heaven of Heavens is the Palace of his Glory and all created nature the subject of his Dominion In his Presence the brightest Seraphims cover their Faces and all the blessed Spirits bow down their Heads to his Foot-stool It is the lov'd Imployment of those Spirits to sing aloud the eminent Prerogatives of their God and ours let us then stretch our utmost thoughts to exalt the divine Greatness But O most glorious and dreadful Deity how dare we Wretches undertake thy Praise How dare our sin-polluted Lips pronounce thy Name or where shall we seek expressions fit for thee All we can say is nothing to thy unspeakable Excellencies all we can think but a faint shadow of thy unconceivable Beauties Even the Voice of Angels is too low to reach thy worth and their highest Strains fall infinitely short of Thee Only in this shall thy Servants rejoyce and all the Powers of our Souls be glad that thy self alone art thy full Praise that all thy Works meerly in what they are do Praise thee Thou hast magnified thy self in making the Creatures The boundless Ocean of Being would not contain his Streams but overflow'd upon pure nothing and out of nothing a beauteous World appear'd Be to thy self O great Creator thine own glory as thou hast made all things for thy self Live our great God eternally encompast with the beams of thine own inaccessible light Live our ador'd Creator and reign for ever on the Throne of thine own immortal Kingdom Hymn 17. OBserve my Soul how every thing Consents to serve our bounteous King Each Creature double tribute payes Sings first its part and then obeys Birds Natures chief and sweetest Quire Him with their chearful notes admire Chanting out every day their Lauds While the glad grove their Song applauds And though their Voices lower be Yet Streams have too
sit and grateful sense of thy Mercies that the people every where with one consent may confess and praise thee that one Generation may praise thy name to another and thankully talk of all thy wonderous Mercies O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of men O make our senses subject to our reason and our reason intirely obedient to Thee Make us alwaies in using thy Creatures to take their service as admonition and obligation to mind our Duty to thy self Teach thou us that all things in this world ought to praise Thee by the Tongues and Hearts of men whom thou hast not only made capable to know their goodness but hast also given leave to enjoy their usefulness O make the whole Creation conspire to thine Honour and all that depend on Thee join together in thy Praise Mercifully carry on the whole Creation to its end Order thy Creatures about us to attain their end in serving us and so order us that we may attain ours in glorifying and enjoying Thee Glory be to the Father c. For Monday Evening MEDITATION I. MY God in every thing I see thy hand in every passage thy wise and gracious Providence Thou wisely governest the House thou hast built and preventest with thy Mercies all our wants Thou callest us up early in the morning and givest us light by the beams of the Sun that we may every one labour in his proper work and so fill up the little place appointed for us in this World Doing that service to Thee and that good to Mankind which thou our great Lord and Master dost require And thou providest also a rest for our weary Evening and favourest our sleep with a shady darkness to refresh our bodies in the Peace of Night and save the waste of our decaying Spirits Again thou awakest our drowsie eyes and biddest us return to our daily task Thus has thy Wisdom mixed our Life and beauteously interwoven it with rest and work whose mutual change sweeten each other and both prepare us for our greatest duty That of finishing here the work of our Salvation to rest hereafter in thy Holy place In like manner thy wise Providence O Lord has appointed that after a little time of toil and trouble death should call thy Saints away to a state of rest Thou dost not we thank thee oblige us to conflict with the difficulties and evils of this Life till the day of retribution comes Thou soon callest us to a place where the wicked cease from troubling and our subtle adversary the Devil from tempting us Where our own appetites and passions shall strive no more against our Reason and Conscience Where our Innocence shall be no longer assaulted or endanger'd by the threatnings or allurements of this World Our Souls are enlarged to a spacious liberty being let out from this prison of the Body and go to dwell in the region of Spirits While our Bodies quietly rest in their silent grave till they rise again to Immortal Glory And thou hast design'd O Lord that they shall awake again from the sleep of Death and rise even from the bed of the Grave And then indeed there comes a Morning which shall never be succeeded by an Evening a waking time for the body after which it shall sleep no more It rises indeed to work again but that work never tires it any more that work is sweeter than the rest it leaves There needs no interruption of that work to sweeten it which is eternally pleasant and delightful MEDITATION II. LOrd how does thy bounty give us all things else with a large and open hand Our Fields at once are cover'd with Corn and our Trees bow under the weight of their Fruit. At once thou fillest our Magazines with plenty and sendest us whole showers of other blessings Only our time thou distillest by drops and never givest us two moments at once But takest away one while thou lendest another to teach us to prize so precious a Jewel That we may learn to value every hour and not childishly spend them upon trifles Much less maliciously murther whole daies in pursuing a course of Sin and Shame It was thy Mercy too O Gracious God to disperse by parcels our portion of time That the succeeding day may learn to grow wise and correct its faults by experience of the past Else if our being were all at once as it shall be in the next the Eternal Life our Sins would have here no power to be repented and then alas how desperate were we We who are born in the way to Misery and unless we change can never be happy We who so often wilfully go astray and unless we return must perish for ever Thou hast appointed our time O Soveraign Lord beyond which we cannot pass When thou takest away our breath we die we return to the dust and our place here shall know us again no more for ever Thou commandest the grave to dispense with none but indifferently to seize us all alike That all alike may provide for the fatal hour of death and none may be undone with mistaken hopes Thou tellest us plainly we must dye but kindly concealest the time and place that every where we may stand upon our guard and every moment expect thy coming MEDITATION III. WHy do we so much bemoan our selves and complain for the necessity of dying Seems it so hard a fate to tread the path which all our Ancestors have gone before us Adam the first of men and Abraham the Friend of God David the man after Gods own Heart and the Blessed Mary Virgin-Mother of our Lord. All these have paid their debt to Nature and subscribed to the Law of universal Mortality Yea Jesus Christ himself the Eternal Son of God expir'd on the Cross and went to his Glory through the Gates of Death And shall our fond self-self-love so blindly flatter us as to make us wish an exemption from this common fate Should we not be glad that a troublesome Life will have an end and rejoice to get out of danger into safety from a stormy Sea to a quiet Harbour This Life is so encombred with evils that we have reason to be thankful it will not last alwayes and rather to wish than complain that it may not last long If we die in Old age Death should be very welcome to us after a long and tedious voyage If in our Youth we die it prevents a thousand calamites a thousand dangers of ruining our Souls What need we be possest with fear at thinking how many kinds of Death there are we are sure there is but one for us Dying is an act to be done but once and if it be once well done we are happy for ever Our dayes perhaps are too few to grow rich in or to satisfie the ambition of a haughty Spirit But to be taught the Love of God and the Meek and Humble Life of Jesus requires
not so much the number of years as the faithful endeavours and prayers of a pious Mind Would we bestow on the improvement of our Souls the time we vainly trifle away our day would be short enough and not seem tedious and yet would be long enough to finish our appointed task And what O Glorious Lord is our business here but to trim our Lamps and await thy coming To sow the Immortal seed of Hope and expect to receive the happy encrease It is no matter how late the fruit be gather'd if still it go on in growing better No matter how soon it fall from the Tree if it be not blown down before 't is ripe PETITIONS O Thou most just but secret Providence who governest all things by the Counsel of thine own Will whose powerful hand can wound and heal lead down to the Grave and bring back again Behold to thee we bow our heads and freely submit our dearest concerns Strike as thou pleasest our Health our Lives we cannot be safer than at thy dispose Onely these few requests we humbly make which O! may thy Clemency vouchsafe to hear Cut us not off in the midst of our folly nor suffer us to expire impenitent and with our sins unpardon'd But make us Lord first ready for thy self and then take us to thy self in thine own fit time Thou dost frequently O Lord put us in mind of our own and the World's last end by burying every day in the dark silent Grave of Night Sweeten we humbly beseech thee and render familiar to our expectation those terrible Periods of time by our constant due use of night and sleep Grant that our yielding so often and so easily at the Summons of our drowsie humours to suspend a while the operations of the whole man may teach our Souls to reflect themselves into a more reasonable willingness when ever thou callest to leave our Bodies in the Bed of dust and pass into the state of their own perfect and ever-waking Activity and Bliss Do thou Lord in whose indulgent hands are both our Time and our Eternity whose Providence gives every minute of our Life and governs the fatal period of our Death make us every Evening still provide to pass with comfort that important hour Make us still balance our accounts for Heaven and strive to encrease our Treasure with thee That if we rise no more to our acquaintance here we may joyfully waken among thy blessed Angels there to unite our Hymns with theirs and joyn all together in one full Quire. Amen Hymn 18. NOw O my Soul the day is gone Which in the morn was thine It 's emptied Glass no more shall run It 's Sun no longer shine 'T is true alas the day is gone O were it onely so Is it not lost as well as done Cast up thy Counts and know Art thou got so much nearer Heaven As nearer to the Grave Has thy Hearts grief a fitness given Sin 's pardon to receive From what base Vice hast thou refrain'd To break the course of sin Or what new Vertue hast thou gain'd To make thee rich within Their time is well bestow'd on those Who well their time bestow Whose main concern still forward goes Whose hopes still riper grow Who when the warning Clocks proclaim Another hour is past Have the wise art to set their aim And thoughts upon their last This sad Life's last and happiest hour Which brings them to their home Where they shall sing and bless the power That made them thither come O my dear Lord of Life and Death The ever-living King Since thou dost give to all their breath May all thy Glory sing Glory and Honour Power and Praise To the mysterious Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen For Tuesday Morning MEDITATION I. BE thou eternally adored O God of our Salvation and may thy Praises be sung by thy Servants for ever When our first Parents had disobey'd thy Precepts to the ruine of themselves and their whole Posterity thy wondrous mercy did immediately provide a remedy Thou didst provide and promise a powerfull Redeemer Thou didst commit the helping us to him that is able to save to the uttermost A Redeemer that could conquer Sin and Death and crush the Serpents head who drew us into misery A Redeemer that could fully repair the breaches our sin had made and render our condition better than before That could satisfie for our sins by his Death and merit the Beginning and Perfection of happiness for us in our present Holiness and future Glory He can enlighten our eyes with a clearer view of those excellent Truths that belong to our peace can support our feeble Nature with a stronger Grace to carry us on safely through all Encounters till we arrive at the Land of Rest and be received for ever into the glorious Kingdom O Blessed Jesu our Strength our Guide who knowest and dost pity our weak Capacities and in thy tender care hast so contrived the way to our happiness that nothing can undoe us but our own perverseness nothing but the wilful love of Sin and Death How easie hast thou made the way to Heaven how light is the burthen thou lay'st on thy followers It is but to believe in thee the God of Truth but to love thee our greatest Benefactor but to desire earnestly the seeing thee that thou requirest and doing thus we are sure to possess an Eternity of Joy. Eternal Praises be given to the admirable wisdom of God who knows how to bring good out of evil Eternal praises to that infinite Goodness which graciously condescended to do this Let all the admiring World join together in this and say O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Goodness of God! How unsearchable are his Attributes and his wayes how much past finding out Man guiltily threw away the happiness his God had given him God takes occasion thence to give him greater He not only restores us to our first degree but makes even our fall rebound us to a greater height This is the Love of God the Father to Mankind This is the Love of Jesus the Christ this is the love of the eternal Spirit of Love. Hymn 19. LET others take their course And sing what name they please Let Wealth or Beauty be their Theam Such empty Sounds as these For me I 'l ne'r admire A lump of burnisht Clay Howe're it shines it is but dust And shall to dust decay Sweet Jesus is the Name My Song shall still adore Sweet Jesus is the Charming word That does my life restore When I am dead in grief Or which is worse in Sin I call on Jesus and he hears And I to live begin Wherefore at this bright Name Behold thus low I bow And thus again yet is all this Much less than what I owe. Down then down both my knees Still lower to the ground While with mine Eyes and Voice lift up Aloud these lines
honour while Man basely falls far below his in neglecting the rules of that Law which thou hast given to be his direction The Sun observes his place of rising and sets exactly at his appointed time The Sun stands still if thou commandest and goes back to obey thy will and yet the Sun pretends to no reward nor looks to be placed in a higher Heaven But we who expect the performance of glorious Promises we forget and neglect the Law of our God a Law that brings great rewards with the observance of it in this Life and is followed by greater in the next Thy Law O Lord written in our Hearts perfects our corrupted natures by restoring to us thy glorious Image in righteousness and true holiness Thy Law fills the dark mind with chearing light and makes the simple truly wise Thy Law raises the will to its true Liberty and frees it from the fetters of sin It tames the unruly Passions and Appetites of the flesh and settles a happy Peace within us If we are so wise and happy as not to be discouraged from observing it by the little difficulty which attends it at first our steady perseverance in well doing will find it easie and incomparably pleasant Thy Laws will dispose us to pass with comfort through the various circumstances of this Life and they will also prepare us to enter at the end of it into the pure mansions of Heaven For our kind Lord has prepared unspeakable Happiness to reward them with who love Him and keep his Commands Thy bounteous goodness O Lord will reward us for the performance of our Duty thou wilt reward us for doing what is good for our selves Thy Laws are all Holy and Just and Good and thy Rewards are unconceivable and Eternal Joyes O what Blindness and Folly possesses the sinful world who neglect and refuse so great advantages MEDITATION II. Does it become Mankind for whom Christ died to neglect his sacred Laws Shall we say of him who has done so much for us he shall not reign over us shall we neglect so Gracious a Saviour whose only design is to draw us to his love Shall we neglect so generous a love whose only design is to make us Happy Yet O Lord how are thy just Commands neglected in the World How few are there that demonstrate they love Thee by keeping them And indeed to say the World generally neglect to keep thy Commands is too mild a reproof for us who in many instances directly contradict them What thou forbiddest we eagerly pursue as if our kind Saviour had therein envied us some great advantage And whatever thou commandest we are forward still to do the contrary as if the thing thou requirest were hurtful We boldly converse with temptation and sin which thy Charity advises us to fly like Death We timerously dread the incurring any worldly losses or the displeasure of men when thou commandest us to proceed with undaunted courage And we do not stand in aw of the Wrath of Almighty God nor fear the loss of our own Souls when thou threatnest us with them to restrain us from Sin. We greedily pursue the little vanities of this World which thou forbiddest us to set our affections upon and are by them too easily drawn into Sin But the greater goods of a better world we slight and will not suffer our selves to be allured by them to Holiness We govern our actions by our own wild fancies and expect that thy Providence should comply with our Humours We would have Thee relieve us when we list and Rain and Shine as we think fit Thus is our rude perverseness O Lord apt in every thing to go contrary to Thee MEDITATION III. IT was not alone to make the day that thou O Lord didst make a Glorious Sun. But to teach us these pious Lessons too and write them plain as its own Beams That so should our light shine forth to others and direct them to glorifie God So should our Charity warm their coldness and quicken them to an active Zeal for his Honour So when they say we are under a cloud of Adversity we should like the Sun be really above it And though to the sight of men we may be eclips'd by disadvantageous circumstances and may seem quite extinguisht in a Night of Sorrow and Affliction Still we should shine to our selves and God and still go on in the waies of light Though we become small and despised in the Eye of the World yet we should not forsake thy Law. So shall we after the vicissitudes of bright and dark of fair weather and foul which we must expect to meet with in this World enjoy an Eternal bright and serene day Not like the Sun that every Night goes down and must at last be put quite out When we have finisht here our course and seem to set to this dark Earth we hope to rise and set no more but shine perpetually in a brighter Heaven And this sweet Hope my Soul may justly allay the grief of thy present Afflictions Thy rest and Comfort meet with many interruptions now but let not them interrupt thy Faith and Holiness and hereafter thou shalt enjoy an endless unmixed rest and felicity I am the Resurrection and the Life sayes the Son of God who was dead and is now alive and lives for evermore He that believes in me though he be dead shall live and every one that lives and believes in me shall not dye for ever O praise our Lord all you blessed Saints who are advanced from the transient mutable Light of this World to the durable Glory of the other My Soul be thou a steadfast follower of them as they were of Christ and thou canst not fail to attain the same Glory O praise our Gracious Lord and bounteous Master ye Glorious Angels whose bright felicity began so early Stars that arose in the Morning of the World and still through the goodness of God retain an unchanged Lustre shining perpetually near the Throne of God as the top and Master-piece of all his works Let all Mankind with them praise the Lord for our excellent work and for our Glorious Wages That our God did make us but little lower than them at first and when we are become a great deal lower by following our own inventions does concern himself to recover us from our fall and raise us by degrees to their bright and Happy Society O Praise our Lord all you his Works bless him and magnifie him for ever PETITIONS O Infinite Wisdom and Goodness Teach I pray Thee and convince my Soul of the great Excellency and Wisdom of thy incomparable Laws Make me to esteem all thy Commandments concerning all things to be right to consent unto thy Law that it is good to delight in it in the inward man and regulate my whole Conversation thereby So shall I walk by the best rule the rule that certainly leads to Happiness Lord make me to have such apprehensions of
thy goodness as to esteem thy commands the necessary rules of Soul-saving love to account that thou hast required nothing of us but what is necessary and highly conducing to the Salvation of our Souls Let me not be so dangerously foolish as in any thing to think my self wise in contradiction to the Precepts and Dictates of thy Word O may thy Holy Will dear Lord therein reveal'd be all my rule and thy Gracious Hand my constant guide Order thou my steps in thy Word let no iniquity have dominion over me Hold up my goings that my footsteps do not slide Quicken O Lord I pray the too frequent slackness of my obedience by the example of the Creatures about me who yield thee a constant and unrelucting obedience and by a firm belief and apprehension of those great and glorious rewards which thou hast prepared for such as serve Thee fashion my Spirit to a humble submission and conformity to thy will. Make me exactly observe what thou prescribest how bitter soever it may tast to Flesh and Blood Make me alwaies readily submit to every dispensation of thy Providence though for the present it may be grievous And Lord since thy wisdom knows our infirmities I pray thee lay upon me at no time more burden than I shall be able to bear let not my circumstances be attended with temptations either that are so violent or so lasting as to overcome me Since thy goodness delights in our relief assist me against the difficulties of Duty Lord help me so to do all the work thou givest for thou alone canst help me as that I may at last attain thy Eternal rewards through the Merits of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen Hymn 20. BLessed O Lord be thy wise grace That governs all our day And to the night assigns its place To rest us in our way If works the labouring hand impair Or thoughts the studious mind Both are consider'd by thy care Both fit refreshment find Fit to relieve the present state Fit to prepare the next While we are taught to meditate This plain and useful Text. As every Night layes down our head And Morning opes our eyes So shall the dust be once our bed And so we hope to rise To rise and see that beauteous light Spring from those eyes of thine Not to be checkt by any night But clear for ever shine That thou maist hope my Soul to view That lasting blissful light Take heed thy present work thou do And use thy rest aright All glory to the Sacred Three One ever-living Lord As at the first still may he be Belov'd Obey'd Ador'd Amen For Wednesday Morning MEDITATION I. LET them neglect thy Praises O Lord who never consider thy Mercies Let them be silent to thee O gracious God whose Mouths are full of themselves But as for me who subsist by thy gifts and thankfully acknowledge the riches of thy goodness my heart shall continually Meditate on thee and my Lips shall delight to sing thy glory All my Life long will I Praise my God and lift up my hands to his holy Throne Blessed for ever be thy Name O Jesu and blessed be the sweetness of thy Wisdom whose infinite Charity has vouchsaf't our Earth such excellent Rules to guide it to Heaven Thou hast taught us that happy Skill of finding our lives by a generous losing them to follow thee Thou hast taught us to love our true selves best by wisely hating our mistaken selves Thou hast taught us to trample this world under our feet and use it as a step to climb up to the next From thee we learn those glorious Mysteries that exalt our Faith so high above Reason From thee we derive those Heroick Counsels that raise our Souls so far above nature from thee alone and from thy School of grace we learn all that we know and receive power for all that we do How long alas might we have wander'd here in the midst of Darkness and Error had not thy love and pity O merciful Lord brought down thy very self to become our light Never should we else have learnt to deny our selves and take up our Cross and follow thee Never should we have known that great secret of Peace to forgive our Enemies and do good to those who despitefully use us On the unsatisfying things of this low Earth should we blindly have set our whole Affections if thou hadst not told us of the Kingdom of Heaven and bid us lay up our treasures there We had alwayes chose the deceitful and pernicious wayes of sin if thou hadst not terrified us to fear thy wrath by declaring the miseries that attend them We should ever have neglected thy good Commands and lost the happiness of a religious life if thou hadst not invited us to obey thy Commands and proposed to us the felicities that will attend our doing so O what hast thou promised Gracious Lord to the meek and poor in Spirit O what hast thou promised to the Weepers here to those that hunger and thirst after Holiness How many Joyes has thy bounty prepar'd for the lovers of Mercy and makers of Peace How many Blessings for the pure of Heart and those who with Patience bear their Crosses Thus hast thou Lord kindly shown us our end and suggested the true way to attain it Thou hast given us such blessed directions as tend to make our Life here more sweet and to lead us hereafter to everlasting Felicity Hymn 21. MY God had I my breath from thee This Power to speak and sing And shall my Voice and shall my Song Praise any but their King My God had I my Soul from thee This Power to judge and chuse And shall my brain and shall my will Their best to thee refuse Hast thou reveal'd the wayes that lead To Happiness above And shall I let my wandering feet From thy blest Paths remove Alas not this alone or that Hast thou bestow'd on me But all I have and all I hope I have and hope from thee And more I have and more I hope Than I can speak or think Thy Blessings first refresh then fill Then overflow the brink But though my Voice and Fancy be Too low to reach thy Praise Yet both shall strain thy glorious Name High as they can to raise Glory to thee Immortal God One great Coequal Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. NEver will we cease to exalt thy Goodness O gracious Jesu since thou never ceasest to oblige us with new Blessings Thy generous Charity could not be thus satisfi'd to have only spoken to us the words of Life it was not enough for thy excessive Love that thy heavenly Sermons told us our duty but thou would'st moreover urge and provoke our Obedience by the sweet enforcement of thine own Example Thou didst forbid thy followers to affect Superfluities and accordingly thine own Provision was a few Barly Loves Thou didst command the rich to give
Spirit of Adoption Blessed be thou O Eternal Father God of abundant and infinite goodness for this unspeakable kindness of sending thy Spirit into our miserable and wicked World a Spirit so suited to our necessities and able to bring many of us to glory This Lord was thy free gift with respect to us unworthy Creatures Mankind did not could not deserve it of thee it ought therefore to be the more marvellous in our eyes And we may justly wonder not only at thy Bounty but at thy Patience too herein for Mankind had highly forfeited this Mercy and it was directly contrary to his Deserts Thou didst send thy Spirit for our good and advantage after that the ungrateful World had abused and put to Death thy Son. Blessed be thou O Dear Redeemer whose Blood and Death purchased for us this incomparable gift and whose powerful Intercession in Heaven obtain'd it Blessed be thy merciful Providence O Jesu who when thou hadst finisht thy great work on Earth didst ascend into Heaven to draw our minds even thither after thee Blessed be thy Infinite Goodness who when thou hadst taught us the words of Eternal Life sentest down the Holy Ghost to make us observe them and raise up our Affections to that glorious Kingdom whither thou art gone before us that where Thou our happiness art our hearts as they should may also be Blessing and Praise be to the Holy Spirit himself who though proceeding from the Father and the Son is equal in nature and glory whose free goodness it was to give himself to our forlorn World He is both the Giver and the Gift from the great Love wherewith he loved us Thus are we beholden to the ever blessed Trinity not only for excellent and supernatural Graces but also for his Presence who is the cause and Author of all Grace And they to whom this Spirit is given have not only the Streams but the Fountain of living Waters in whom therefore they must needs be springing up even unto Eternal Life PETITIONS O Merciful Lord who hast loved us from the beginning be graciously pleased to love us unto the end Pity the unhappy state of fallen Mankind which neither Nature nor Law could bring to any perfection Send out thy Spirit O Lord and we shall be created again unto good Works and from our nothing of sin be raised to a Life of Holiness O send out thy Spirit and renew the face of the Earth and then our weeds and thorns shall be turn'd into a Paradise O cure our World in thy due time of all those distempers in the spirits of men that make us miserable confus'd and unquiet Deliver us from the spirit of Prophaneness and Infidelity from the spirit of Errour Heresie and Schism Deliver us from the spirit of Pride and Avarice from the spirit of Anger Sloth and Envy Deliver us from the spirit of Drunkenness and Gluttony from the spirit of Lust and Wantonness and Impurity Deliver us O God from every evil spirit and vouchsafe to give us the Graces of thy good Spirit that Order and Peace may flourish in the World and Mankind may not hate nor fear nor persecute one another O may the Christian Church which thou hast wonderfully begun and with many wonders yet continued in the World may it go on still to the end of time and make it Lord to encrease and multiply till every Nation speak in their own language the wonderful Works of God. O blessed Spirit the Church thou hast been pleased to establish vouchsafe alwayes to govern Alwayes keep it free from Usurpation and Tyranny in the Governours and from Contention Unruliness and spiritual Pride in those that should be govern'd That it may alwayes be in a fit posture to receive the Influences of thy Grace and may with those heavenly dews be as a fruitful Field Which things we humbly implore through the Merits of Jesus Christ Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. COme my Soul and adore our God that sanctifies us implore his Grace to make thee able and then adore him Him who from the Father and the Son eternally proceeds and with the Father and the Son must be equally worship'd and glorified In thy Name O Lord together with that of the Father and the Son we are by divine appointment Baptized and so directed to believe in thee Thou art therefore a distinct Person in that Adorable Trinity which is the one eternal God Thou dost make the for the Saints with the Father and therefore art not only the power of the Father Thy coming O Lord into this World did depend upon the departure of the Son therefore I believe thou art distinct from the Son. I believe O Lord thou wast manifestly distinguisht from the Father and the Son when at the Baptism of our Saviour thou didst descend upon him in the likeness of a Dove when at the same time there was a voice from the Father saying This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased Thou art O Lord not a created Person but with the Father and Son art God blessed for evermore By thee was our Saviour conceived in the Womb of a Virgin and therefore was her Birth called the Son of God. Thy dwelling in one of us converts a poor Creature into a Sacred Temple therefore we ought to adore thee as God And I humbly adore thee as the most high eternal God as of the same Nature Attributes and Operations with the Father and the Son. I adore thee as having inseparable from thy Nature an infinite essential and original Holiness as God. And it is peculiarly and especially thy Undertaking or Office to make us poor sinners holy therefore I adore thee under the glorious Title of Holy Spirit It was thou O Lord that didst speak to the World by all the holy Prophets that have been since the Beginning And thus it came to pass that all the holy Scripture was given to us by the inspiration of God. Thou art the Author and Finisher of our Faith by an internal illumination of our Minds Thereby thou inclinest us to the obedience of Faith and to give our assent to those Divine Truths which our carnal corrupted natures would reject as foolishness By thee it is that we are renewed in all the faculties of our Souls and our Affections and Will are made conform'd unto the will of God. Thou dost infuse into us the breath of Life and bring us forth in our second Birth in which birth we become the Children of God and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven By thee are all sincere Christians baptized into one Body even the Mystical Body of Christ and it is thy Testimony alone that comfortably assures to any of them their Adoption In order to these great things it is thy kind office to sanctifie and set apart
love and constantly do the things that belong to my Everlasting Peace Till my understanding with the Knowledge of such Truths as may fix it on thee the Eternal Verity Inure my will to embrace such objects as may unite them to Thee the Sovereign goodness O suffer me not obstinately to persist in any known wickedness nor maliciously to impugn any know Truth Grant I may never be deceiv'd by any false spirit nor be overcome by the vicious suggestions of Flesh and Blood. In all my doubts do thou direct me into the way of thy Truth in all my weakness grant me the assistance of thy Grace Help me devoutly and most thankfully to commemorate thy Descent to this World in the likeness of fiery Tongues which sate on each head of thy Disciples and fitted them to preach the Gospel to every Nation And let it so encrease the holy fervour of my Heart that my Life may attest by all fruits of Grace the same Spirit 's still abiding with me To the Glory of thee O God the Holy Spirit who with the Father and the Son livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen Hymn 32. COme mild and Holy Dove Descend into our Breast Do thou in us make us in thee For ever dwell and rest Come and spread o're our heads Thy soft all-cherishing wing That in its shade we safe may sit And to Thee Praises sing To thee who giv'st us Life Our better Life of Grace Who giv'st us Breath and Strength and Speed To run and win our Race If by the way we faint Thou reachest forth thy hand If our own weakness makes us fall Thou mak'st our weakness stand When we are sliding back Thou dost our danger stop When we again alas are fall'n Again thou tak'st us up Else there we still must lye And still sink lower down Our hope to rise is all from thee Our ruin's all our own O my Ingrateful Soul What shall our dulness do For him that does all this for us Only our Love to wooe We 'l Love thee then Dear Lord But thou must give that Love We 'l humbly beg it of thy grace But thou our Prayers must move O hear thine own self speak For thou in us dost Pray Thou canst as quickly grant as ask Thy grace knows no delay Glory to Thee O Lord One Coeternal Three To Father Son and Holy Ghost One equal Glory be Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE SAINTS For the Morning MEDITATION I. TEll me you eager Lovers of this present World what is it you aim at in all your pretences You weary your Bodies with restless labour and afflict your Minds with perpetual care day and night you are still perplext still busily plotting to compass your ends Tell me what are those ends you so long have sought and I will tell you what you soon will find while they are many they but distract your thoughts and often engage them to quarrel among themselves One end and one alone is the way to true and lasting Peace and on that one must all the rest depend It is true perhaps you will say and by that rule we guide our Lives whatever we undertake our ultimate design is only to be happy It is to be happy that we strive to be great and enrich our selves by defrauding others It is to be happy that we run after Pleasures and covet to have in every thing our own proud will But you alas mistake your Happiness and foolishly seek it where 't is not to be found As silly Children think to catch the Sun when they see it setting at so near a distance they travail on and tire themselves in vain for the thing they seek is in another World Just so we foolish Mortals commonly judge and are just so deceived when we think to meet with Heaven upon Earth This World alas has now no Paradise but all its Fruits are mixt with Weeds and Thorns all dangerously mixed with occasions of sin all sprinkled over with the bitterness of sorrow What did we ever passionately love but still in the end it made us repent Nay the best end was heartily to repent and learn by our falling to tread more sure It is not then here that we must seek our happiness and yet it is happiness that we all must seek Happy are thy Saints O Lord who wisely chose their end and constantly pursu'd the means to attain it Come let us adore the King of Saints Hymn 33. AWake my Soul chase from thine eyes This drowsie sloth and quickly rise Get up and to thy work apace No less than Kingdoms are prepar'd And endless bliss for their reward Who finish well this short Life's race 'T is not so poor a thing to be Servants to Heaven Dear Lord and thee As this mistaken World believes Not even here where oft the wise Are most expos'd to Injuries And Vertue poor and friendless grieves Sometimes thy hand lets gently fall A little drop that sweetens all The present bitter of our Cup O what hereafter shall we be When we shall have whole draughts of thee Fill'd to the brim and drink them up Say happy Souls whose thirst now meets The fresh and living stream of sweets Which ever spring from that blest throne Did you not find this true even here Do you not find it truer there Now Heave'ns strong Joyes are all your own Oh yes the sweets we taste exceed All we can say or you can read They satisfie and never cloy On Earth our Cup was sweet but mixt Here all is pure refin'd and fixt All highest Quintessence of Joy. Here in Heave'ns splendid Court have we Our blest abode and ever see The kind and radiant face of Love Whose Beams make us with Glory shine Our glad hearts warm with Love divine And these our Tongues with Praises move Hear'st thou my Soul what glorious things The Church of Heave'n in triumph sings Of their Seraphick life above Chear thy saint hopes and bid them live All these thy God to thee will give If thou embrace his bounteous Love. Great God of rich Rewards who thus Hast crown'd thy Saints and wilt crown us As we do both to thee belong O may we both together sing Eternal praise to thee our King In one Eternal thankful Song Amen MEDITATION II. IF thus our Nature tends to Happiness there is sure some Happiness to content our Nature Sure the All-wise Creator has provided means to satisfie the Appetites which himself has made Doubt not my Soul the Bounty of thy Lord but turn all thy fear on thine unworthiness and yet correct that fear again that it do not degenerate into despair by consisidering the worthiness of our kind Mediator Look up then and see a rich delicious Land that flows with sweeter Streams than Milk and Hony Look up and see a glorious City incomparably braver than the splendid Courts of Kings Behold the blessed Angels shining on their Thrones and all the holy Saints triumphing with
secur'd of the enjoyment of our God who by the sole perfection of his own free Goodness can never deny himself to those that love him else would their very loving him be a cause of great misery since the misery of a Soul is the want of what it loves Indeed he that is possest with love is so far already a partaker of a divine nature for thou hast told us O Lord that God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him He then that loves must needs be proportionably happy too for so much as he has of God so much he possesses of his true good Thus Lord Jesus whatever thy holy books do record of thee in expressions suited to our low capacities Whatever they say of thy restoring all things and repairing again the ruines of Mankind All is exactly verified with this one line which our thankful Hearts should repeat with joy Heaven is attain'd by Love alone and Love alone by thee MEDITATION III. STill my Soul let us repeat a few Lines more to the praise of him whose Mercies are no fewer than infinite Of him whose pity took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light Of thee O Blessed Jesu our Lord our God who alone art the source of all our Happiness The World till thou camest sate wrapt in darkness and few discern'd so much as a shadow of thee They follow'd the Appetites of Sense and Humour and plac'd their felicity in being prosperous here Little considering the Life to come and less the joyes that entertain that Life This was alas their miserable State and which was worse than this they had no power to help it How could they believe what they never heard of or love what they never believed How could they desire what they never lov'd or be glad to receive what they never desir'd It was thou O Lord didst first teach us our true end the blissful Vision of the Eternal Deity It was thou didst first teach us the true means to attain that end by a hearty love and desire to attain it O the blest change which thy hand has wrought the happy improvements which thy coming has produc't Now every Woman and illiterate Man can discourse familiarly of the highest Truths The Creation of the World and the fall of Adam the Incarnation of God and Redemption of Man the mystery of the Trinity and Miracle of the Resurrection the day of Judgment and State of Eternity All these we know but it was thou O Lord who taught'st us and by thy holy Church first spread them over the World. Now thou hast opened our Eyes we plainly see what unassisted nature could never have reacht We see the framing right of our Affections here is both cause and measure of our Happiness hereafter If we supreamly esteem the goods of the future life we shall find them there and be happy If we love Heaven with our whole Soul and press on strongly with all our force we shall enter its Glories with a strange surprizing delight and possess them for ever in a perpetual extasie We see our Souls are made to know and perfect themselves by the worthiest objects We see their Nature is free and unconfin'd and nothing can fill them but that which is infinite All other knowledges enlarge our faculties and breed new desire to know still more which if unsatisfi'd we yet are miserable since none can be happy who want their desire Only the sight of God fills us to the brim and infinitely overflows our utmost capacities It fills and overflows all the powers of our Souls with joy and wonder and inconceivable sweetness O blest and glorious sight when will the happy day appear and open to my Soul that beauteous prospect When dearest Lord shall I fee thee face to face when shall I heartily at least desire to see Thee Thou art my full and high felicity and only and alone sufficient for me PETITIONS O Most Gracious and adorable Jesu who so lovedst this sinful World as to die for us we cannot think thou wilt deny us any thing that we humbly ask of thee according to thy will. Those that believing come unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast out Let me then obtain I beseech thee these important favours and whatever else thou seest conducing to my Happiness Teach me I pray effectually that this low world can never make me happy that I must set my affections on things above Make me seek therefore in the first place the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof to love with my whole affections the enjoyment of God since nothing but love can qualifie me for that enjoyment and nothing without that enjoyment can ever render me happy O my God make me ardently love thee that I may eagerly desire thee and eagerly desire thee that I may with joyful transport enjoy thee Make me O Blessed Jesu so meditate on thy infinite Mercies that my whole Soul may be fill'd with the memory of thy love that the frequent remembrance of it may diffuse a vigorous love of thee into all my powers let the mark and badge which they all bear be the love of Jesus Let every step of thy love dear Lord in redeeming lost Mankind confirm my Soul in Love and Duty fortifie me thereby against all Persecution and discouragement and so effectually draw me into thine own Kingdom of Glory by thy Holy Life and precious Death and glorious Resurrection Make me to persevere in thy obedience to the end that I may die in thy favour and rise again to rejoice with thee for ever Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest one God World without end Glory be to c. Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. REtire now my Soul from thy common thoughts that are permitted to entertain thy less serious hours Retire and call thy wandering Fancies home and speedily range them in peace and order that thou may'st be so prepar'd to hear thy Lord who invites thee among the rest to taste his sweetness The Prince of Love and Bounty sayes Come to me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest to your Souls For my yoke is easie and my burthen is light Enough dear Lord enough is said to draw all the World to thy holy Discipline What can be offer'd so agreeable to our Natures too much alas inclin'd to pleasure and profit What can be offer'd so powerfully attractive as to make our work delightfull and then reward it As to propose an Employment like the Musick of Churches devout sweet and gainful to the Performers Whither O my God should we go but unto thee Thou alone hast the words of eternal Life Thou art our wise Instructor to know what to do and our onely Enabler to do what we know Thou
art the free Bestower of all we have the faithfull Promiser of all we hope for Thy kind Saviour my Soul has given thee a gracious Call to thee has he sent the Invitations of the Gospel Shall he call and wilt thou not hear his voice and constantly follow it till thou come to him Wilt thou be so foolish as still to go astray like a lost sheep wandering up and down in thine own By-wayes Wandering out of his wayes and the wayes of Happiness pursuing only thine own Perdition By seeking our selves in this World of Vanity we lose both thee O Lord and our own Souls By seeking our selves in thee and in thy Love we find both thee and our own Happiness O how unspeakable are thy sweetnesses O Lord which thou hast hid for those who fear thee which thou hast partly reveal'd to those who love thee and keep their taste uncorrupted with the World. But O! what are they then to those who see thee and in that sight see all that is necessary to their Happiness to those who rejoyce perpetually before thee and in that joy find all joyes beside O beauteous Truth which known inforces Love and which well lov'd begets Felicity Live thou for ever in my faithfull Memory and be my constant Guide in all my wayes Still my Soul let us think of the Joyes above and undervalue all things compar'd with everlasting Salvation Still contemplate thy dear Saviour's Love that purchased for thee all those unutterable joyes MEDITATION II. MY God when I remember those Words of thine Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand When I consider they were the first thou spakest in publick the chosen Text of the Eternal Wisdom I cannot think but they contain a very important Precept and that I ought to be deeply affected with the power of the Motive My Soul did Christ begin his publick work with this Command Apply then those searching Words to thy self and bind them fast upon thee Repent O my Soul for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand repent for the Kingdom of Heaven depends upon thy Repentance Unhappy me that I cannot live without sin but blessed be our God that I may obtain Pardon by my Repentance Practise then my Soul that safe and easie method of censuring thy self to be acquitted by him Every night sit as an impartial Judge and lay before thee all thou canst of the past day Severely examine every thought and word and strictly search every Deed and Omission And since thou art not strong enough to be perfectly innocent at least endeavour to be humble enough to be truely penitent Say Woe to the day and hour wherein I sinn'd woe to the many dayes and hours I have foolishly mispent Or rather Woe to me who abuse my dayes and hours allow'd by thy goodness to work out my Salvation Be heartily sorry for what thou hast done amiss and make firm and wary resolutions not to do again what will make thee sorry Implore for the past the Mercy of Heaven and for the time to come the same indulgent Mercy Ask it in the Name of Jesus Christ for 't is only by his Blood that our Repentance can obtain the remission of our Sins If perhaps thou find in thy Examination that some little thing has been well done return to God all the Glory for this and beg his Grace to continue thy good and improve it His is the hand that sowes the seed his is the Blessing that gives the Increase Thus I will once in a day at least look home and seriously inquire into the state of my Soul Whate're my Malice or weakness may have done I should now undo it as it were by a hearty Contrition Let not the Sun go down upon thy Wrath nor upon any other unrepented Sin. O happy man that can write at the foot of his Account Reconcil'd to my God and in Charity with all the World. Such an one may go to Bed with a quiet Conscience and fall asleep in peace and hope MEDITATION III. LOrd e're I take my leave of this Day which thy Church has devoted to the honour of thy Memory I would repeat some few words more of those incomparable many that thou hast left among us I would attentively meditate their substantial sence and settle them as Principles of my Life and Actions Thou hast said I remember O divine Wisdom and well worthy it is to be remember'd Lay not up for your selves treasures on Earth where moth and rust do corrupt and Thieves break through and steal But lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust do corrupt nor Thieves break through and steal For where your treasure is there will your heart be also Go now you curious and study what you please for me I 'l stay and listen to my Saviour He will teach me high and sure and useful Truths he 'll teach me Truths that will bring me to Happiness Only I must receive and keep the Truths he teaches me and obey their direction in my course of Life In vain am I told this Instruction if I will still dote on the uncertain Goods of this World utterly in vain if I will not be concern'd for the more durable and certain possessions of a better Notwithstanding this wise instruction I shall be a fool if I suffer my heart to six below if I set my Affections on that which is not All our few dayes we live here my Soul are full of Vanity and our choicest pleasures are sprinkled with bitterness The things here perish in the using and our transitory joyes vanish like a Dream Besides consider there is no reason thy Heart should six here when thou thy self art design'd for a removal Thou art but a meer Sojourner and Stranger on Earth and art passing hence to an eternal home Already I am dead to all the years I have lived and shall never live them over again All must go down to the same dark Grave and none can tell how soon he may be call'd To day we are in health among our friends and neighbours and to morrow Arrested by the hand of Death Nature may faintly struggle for a time but must yield at last and be buried in the Earth At last we must take our leave of nearest Relations and bid a long Farewell to all the World. And how sad a thing my Soul will it be in that day to have no Treasure but what thou must leave and to leave the onely Treasure that thy heart is set upon Let thy chosen Treasure then be in Heaven since where the treasure is the heart will be also Ye careless Worldlings hear but this one word more which our great Master has also spoken and then I expect you will stay and observe his Instructions too if any sense of your eternal good can hold you Heark he tells us this new and glorious secret We shall be hereafter like the Angels in Heaven O precious word to them