to mens Souls Bodies Goods c. THE second branch of Duty to our Neighbours is Charity or Love This is the great Gospel duty so often enjoyned us by Christ the New Commandement as himself calls it John 13 34. That ye love one another and this is again repeated twice in one Chapter John 15. 12. 17. and the first Epistle of S. John is almost wholly spent in the perswasion to this one duty by which we may see 't is no matter of indifference but most strictly required of all that professe Christ. Indeed himself has given it as the badg and livery of his Disciples John 13. 35. By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye have love one to another This Charity may be considered two wayes first in respect of the Affections secondly of the Actions Charity in the affections is a sincere kindness which disposes us to wish all good to others and that in all their capacities in the same manner that justice obliged us to wish no hurt to any man in respect either of his Soul his Body his Goods or his Credit so this first part of Charity bindes us to wish all good to them in all these And first for the Soul If we have any the least spark of Charity we cannot but wish all good to mens Soules Those precious things which Christ thought worth the ransoming with his own blood may surely well challenge our kindness and good wishes and therefore if we do not thus love one another we are far from obeying that Command of loving as he hath loved for 't was the Souls of men which he loved so tenderly and both did and suffered so much for Of this love of his to Souls there are two great and special effects the first the purifying them here by his grace the second the making them everlastingly happy in his glory and both these we are so far to copy out in our kindness as to be earnestly desirous that all men should arive to that purity and holinese here which may make them capable of eternall happiness hereafter It were to be hoped that none that himself carried a Soul about him could be so cruel to that of another mans as not sincerely to wish this did not experience shew us there are some persons whose malice is so divelish as to reach even to the direct contrary the wishing not only the sin but the damnation of others Thus may you have some who in any injury or oppression they suffer make it their only comfort that their enemies will damn themselves by it when alas that should to a Christian be much more terrible then any suffering they could bring upon him He that is of this temper is a disciple of Satans not of Christ it being directly contrary to the whole scope of that grand Christian precept of loving our neighbours as our selves For 't is sure no man that believes there is such a thing as damnation wishes it to himself be he never so fond of the wayes that lead to it yet he wishes that may not be his journeys end and therefore by that rule of Charity should as much dread it for his Neighbour Secondly We are to wish all good to the Bodies of men all health and welfare we are generally tender enough of our own bodies dread the least pain or ill that can befal them Now Charity by vertue of the forementioned precept extends this tenderness to all others and whatever we apprehend as grievous to our selves we must be unwilling should befal another The like is to be said of the other two goods and credit that as we wish our own thriving and reputation so we should likewise that of others or else we can never be said to love our neighbour as our selves This Charity of the affections if it be sincere will certainly have these several effects which are so inseparable from it that they are often in Scripture accounted as parts of the duty and so most strictly required of us First it will keep the mind in a peaceable and meek temper towards others so far from seeking occasions of contentions that no provocation shall draw us to it for where we have kindness we shall be unapt to quarrel it being one of the special qualities of Charity that it is not easily provoked 1 Cor. 13. 5. And therefore whoever is unpeaceble shewes his heart is destitute of this Charity Secondly it will breed compassion towards all the miseries of others every mis-hap that befalls where we wish well is a kinde of defeat and disaster to our selves and therefore if we wish well to all we shall be thus concerned in the calamities of all have a real grief and sorrow to see any in misery and that according to the proportion of the suffering Thirdly it will give us joy in the prosperities of others Solomon observes Prov. 13. 19. That the desire accomplished is sweet to the Soul and then whoever has this real desire of his neighbours welfare his deâ—ire is accomplished in their prosperity and therefore he cannot but have contentment and satisfaction in it Both these are together commanded by St. Paul Rom. 12. 12. Rejoyce with them that rejoyce weep with them that weep Fourthly it will excite and stir up our prayers for others We are of our selves impotent feeble creatures unable to bestow blessings where we most wish them therefore if we do indeed desire the good of others we must seek it on their behalf from him whence every good and perfect gift commeth Jam. 1. 17. This is so necessary a part of Charity that without it our kindness is but an unsignificant thing a kinde of empty complement For how can he be believed to wish well in earnest who will not thus put life and efficacy into his wishes by forming them into prayers which will otherwise be vain and fruitless The Apostle thought not fit to leave men to their bare wishes but exhorts that supplications prayers and giving of thanks be made for all men 1 Tim. 2. 1. which precept all that have this true charity of the heart will readily conform to These severals are so naturally the fruits of this Charity that it is a deceit for any man to perswade himself he hath it who cannot produce these fruits to evidence it by But there is yet a farther excellency of this grace it guards the mind and secures it from several great and dangerous vices as first from Envie This is by the Apostle taught us to be the property of Charity 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity envieth not And indeed common reason may confirm this to us for Envie is a sorrow at the prosperity of another and therefore must needs be directly contrary to that desire of it which we shewed before was the effect of love so that if love bear sway in the heart 't will certainly chace out Envie How vainly then do those pretend to this
out of custome to put on at their coming to the Sacrament which they never think of keeping afterwards For this is a certain truth that whosoever comes to this holy Table without an entire hatred of every sin comes unworthily and it is as sure that he that doth entirely hate all sin will resolve to forsake it for you know forsaking naturally follows hatred no man willingly abides with a thing or person he hates And therefore he that doth not so resolve as that God the searcher of hearts may approve it as sincere cannot be supposed to hate sin and so cannot be a worthy receiver of that holy Sacrament Therefore try your resolutions throughly that you deceive not your selves in them it is your own great danger if you do for it is certain you cannot deceive God nor gain acceptation from him by any thing which is not perfectly hearty and unfeigned 13. Now as you are to resolve on this new obedience so you are likewise to resolve on the meanes which may assist you in the performance of it And therefore consider in every duty what are the means that may help you in it and resolve to make use of them how uneasie soever they be to your flesh so on the other side consider what things they are that are likely to lead you to sin and resolve to shun and avoid them this you are to do in respect of all sias whatever but especially in those whereof you have formerly been guilty For there it will not be hard for you to finde by what steps and degrees you were drawn into it what company what occasion it was that ensnared you as also to what sort of temptations you are aptest to yield And therefore you must particularly fence your self against the sin by avoiding those occasions of it 14. But it is not enough that you resolve you will do all this hereafter but you must instantly set to it and begin the course by doing at the present whatsoever you have opportunity of doing And there are several things which you may nay must do at the present before you come to the Sacrament 15. As first you must cast off every sin not bring any one unmortified lust with you to that Table for it is not enough to purpose to cast them off afterwards but you must then actually do it by with-drawing all degrees of love and affection from them you must then give a bill of divorce to all your old beloved sins or else you are no fit way to be married to Christ. The reason of this is clear For this Sacrament is our spiritual nourishment now before we can receive spiritual nourishment we must have spiritual life for no man gives food to a dead person But whosoever continues not only in the act but in the love of any one known sin hath no spiritual life but is in Gods account no better then a dead carkass and therefore cannot receive that spiritual food It is true he may eat the bread and drink the wine but he receives not Christ but in stead of him that which is most dreadful the Apostle will tell you what 1 Cor. 11. 29. He eats and drinks his own damnation Therefore you see how great a necessity lies on you thus actually to put off every sin before you come to this Table 16. And the same necessity lies on you for a second thing to be done at this time and that is the putting your soul into a heavenly and Christian temper by possessing it with all those graces which may render it acceptable in the eyes of God For when you have turned out Satan and his accursed train you must not let your soul lie empty if you do Christ tells you Luke 11. 26. He will quickly return again and your last estate shall be worse then your first But you must by earnest prayer invite into it the holy Spirit with his graces or if they be in some degree there already you must pray that he will yet more fully possess it and you must quicken and stir them up 17. As for example you must quicken your humility by considering your many and great sins your Faith by meditating on Gods promises to all penitent sinners your love to God by considering his mercies especially those remembred in the Sacrament his giving Christ to die for us and your love to your neighbour nay to your enemies by considering that great example of his suffering for us that were enemies to him And it is most particularly required of us when we come to this Table that we copy out this patern of his in a perfect forgivenesse of all that have offended us and not only forgivenesse but such a kindnesse also as will express it self in all offices of love and friendship to them 18. And if you have formerly so quite forgot that blessed example of his as to do the direct contrary if you have done any unkindnesse or injury to any person then you are to seek forgivenesse from him and to that end first acknowledge your fault secondly Restore to him to the utmost of your power whatsoever you have deprived him of either in goods or credit This Reconciliation with our brethren is absolutely necessary towards the making any of our services acceptable with God as appears by that precept of Christ Matth. 5. 23 24. If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee leave there thy gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Where you see that though the gift be already at the Altar it must rather be left there unoffered then be offered by a man that is not at perfect peace with his neighbour And if this charity be so necessary in all our services much more in this where by a joynt partaking in the same holy mysteries we signifie our being united and knit not only to Christ our head but also to each other as fellow members And therefore if we come with any malice in our hearts we commit an act of the highest Hypocrisie by making a solemn profession in the Sacrament of that charity and brotherly love whereof our hearts are quite void 19. Another most necessary grace at this time is that of devotion for the raising whereof we must allow our selves some time to withdraw from our worldly affairs and wholly to set our selves to this business of preparation one very speciall part of which preparation lyes in raising up our souls to a devout and heavenly temper And to that it is most necessary that we cast off all thoughts of the world for they will be sure as so many clogs to hinder our souls in their mounting towards heaven A special exercise of this devotion is Prayer wherein we must be very frequent and earnest at our coming to the Sacrament this being one great instrument
him up to the power of the Devil and it is the banishing him from the face of God which are not the least parts of the misery of the damned And it is also the binding a man over to that fuller portion of wretchedness in another world For that is the last doom of the unprofitable servant Matth. 25. 30. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth You see there are no light dangers that attend this neglect of grace and therefore if we have any love nay any common pity to our Souls we must set our selves to this industry I have now done with those VERIUES which respect our SOULS I come now to those which concern our BODIES 17. The first of which is Chastity or Purity which may well be set in the front of the duties we owe to our bodies since the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 18. sets the contrary as the especial sin against them He that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body 18. Now this vertue of chastity consists in a perfect abstaining from all kinds of uncleanness not only that of adultery and fornication but all other more unnatural sorts of it committed either upon our selves or with any other In a word all acts of that kinde are utterly against Chastity save onely in lawful marriage And even there men are not to think themselves let loose to please their bruitish appetites but are to keep themselves within such rules of moderation as agree to the end of marriage which being these two the begetting of Children and the avoiding of fornication nothing must be done which may hinder the first of these ends and the second aiming onely at the subduing of lust the keeping men from any sinful effects of it is very contrary to that end to make marriage an occasion of heightning and enflaming it 19. But this vertue of chastity reacheth not only to the restraining of the grosser act but to all lower degrees it sets a guard upon our eyes according to that of our Saviour Mat. 5. 28. He that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart and upon our hand as appears by what Christ adds in that place If thy hand offend thee cut it off so also upon our tongues that they speak no immodest or filthy words Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth Ephes. 4. 29. Nay upon our very thoughts and fancies we must not entertain any foul or filthy desires nor so much as the imagination of any such thing Therefore he that forbears the grosser act and yet allows himself in any of these it is to be suspected that it is rather some outward restraint that keeps him from it then the conscience of the sin For if it were that it would keep him from these too these being sins also and very great ones in Gods sight Besides he that lets himself loose to these puts himself in very great danger of the other it being much more easier to abstain from all then to secure against the one when the other is allowed But above all it is to be considered that even these lower degrees are such as make men very odious in Gods eyes who seeth the heart and loves none that are not pure there 20. The loveliness of this Virtue of Chastity needs no other way of describing then by considering the loathsomeness and mischiefs of the contrary sin which is first very bruitish those desires are but the same that the beasts have and then how far are they sunk below the nature of men that can boast of their sins of that kind as of their special excellency when if that be the measure a Goat is the more excellent creature But indeed they that eagerly pursue this part of Beastiality do often leave themselves little besides their humane shape to difference them from beasts This sin so clouds the understanding and defaceth the reasonable Soul Therefore Solomon very well describes the young man that was going to the harlots house Prov. 7. 22. He goeth after her as an Ox goeth to the slaughter 21. Nor secondly are the effects of it better to the body then to the mind The many foul and filthy besides painful diseases which often follow this sin are sufficient witnesses how mischievous it is to the body And alas how many are there that have thus made themselves the Divels Martyrs Suffered such torments in the pursuit of this sin as would exceed the invention of the greatest tyrant Surely they that pay thus dear for damnation very well deserve to enjoy the purchase 22. But thirdly Besides the natural fruits of this sin it is attended with very great and heavy Judgments from God the most extra ordinary and miraculous Judgement that ever befel any place Fire and Brimstone from Heaven upon Sodome and Gomorrah was for this sin of uncleanness And many examples likewise of Gods vengeance may be observed on particular persons for this sin The incest of Amnon cost him his life as you may read 2 Sam. 13. Zimrie and Cozbi were slain in the very act Numb 25. 8. And no person that commits the like hath any assurance it shall not be his own case For how secretly soever it be committed it cannot be hid from God who is the sure avenger of all such wickedness Nay God hath very particularly threatned this sin 1 Cor. 3. 17. If any man defile the Temple of God him shall God destroy This sin of uncleanness is a kind of sacriledge a polluting those bodies which God hath chosen for his Temples and therefore no wonder if it be thus heavily punished 23. Lastly This sin shuts us out from the Kingdom of Heaven wherein no impure thing can enter And we never find any list of those sins which bar men thence but this of uncleanness hath a special place in it Thus it is Gal. 5. 19 and so again 1 Cor. 6 9. If we will thus pollute our selves we are fit company only for those black spirits the Divel and his Angels and therefore with them we must expect our portion where our flames of lust shall end in flames of fire 24. All this layed together may surely recommend the virtue of Chastity to us for the preserving of which we must be very careful first to check the beginnings of the temptation to cast away the very first fancy of lust with indignation for if you once fall to parley and talk with it it gains still more upon you and then it will be harder to resist therefore your way in this temptation is to flie rather then fight with it This is very necessary not only that we may avoid the danger of proceeding to act the sin but also in respect of the present fault of entertaining such fancies which of it self though it should never proceed further is as hath been shewed a great abomination
and famished Souls make my desires and gaspings after it answerable to my needs of it I have with the prodigal wasted that portion of grace thou bestowedst upon me and therefore do infinitely want a supply out of this treasury But O Lord how shall such a wretch as I dare to approach this holy Table I am a dog how shall I presume to take the childrens bread Or how shall this spiritual Manna this food of Angels be given to one who hath chosen to feed on husks with swine nay to one who hath already so often trampled these precious things under foot either carelesly neglecting or unworthily receiving these holy mysteries O Lord my horrible guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet makes me not dare to keep away for where O Lord shall my polluted soul be washed if not in this fountain which thou hast opened for sin and for uncleanness Hither therefore I come and thou hast promised that him that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out This is O Lord the blood of the New Testament grant me so to receive it that it may be to me for remission of Sins And though I have so often and so wretchedly broken my part of that Covenant whereof this Sacrament is a seal yet be thou graciously pleased to make good thine to be merciful to my unrighteousness and to remember my sins and my iniquities no more and not only so but to put thy laws into my heart and to write them in my mind and by the power of thy grace dispose my soul to such a sincere and constant obedience that I may never again provoke thee Lord grant that in these holy mysteries I may not only commemorate but effectually receive my blessed Saviour and all the benefits of his Passion and to that end give me such a preparation of soul as may qualifie me for it give me a deep sense of my sins and unworthiness that being weary and heavy laden I may be capable of his refreshings and by being suppled in my own tears I may be the fitter to be washed in his blood raise up my dull and earthly mind from groveling here below and inspire it with a holy zeal that I may with spiritual affection approach this spiritual feast and let O Lord that infinite love of Christ in dying for so wretched a sinner inflame my frozen benummed soul and kindle in me that sacred fire of love to him and that so vehement that no waters may quench no floods drown it such as may burn up all my drosse not leave one unmortified lust in my soul and such as may also extend it selfe to all whom thou hast given me command and example to love even enemies as well as friends Finally O Lord I beseech thee to cloath me in the wedding garment and make me though of my self a most unworthy yet by thy mercy an acceptable guest at this holy Table that I may not eat and drink my own condemnation but may have my pardon sealed my weakness repaired my corruptions subdued and my soul so inseparably united to thee that no temptations may ever be able to dissolve the union but that being begun here in grace it may be consummated in glory Grant this O Lord for thy dear Sons sake Jesus Christ. ANOTHER O Blessed Jesus who once offeredst up thy self for me upon the Cross and now offerest thy self to me in the Sacrament let not I beseech thee my impenitence and unworthiness frustrate these so inestimable mercies to me but qualifie me by thy grace to receive the full benefit of them O Lord I have abundant need of thee but am so clog'd with guilt so holden with the cords of my sins that I am not able to move towards thee O loose me from this band wherewith Satan and my own lusts have bound me and draw me that I may run after thee Lord thou seest dayly how eagerly I pursue the paths that lead to death but when thou invitest me to life and glory I turn my back and forsake my own mercy How often hath this feast been prepared and I have with frivolous excuses absented my self or if I have come it hath been rather to defie then to adore thee I have brought such troops of thy professed enemies unrepented sins along with me as if I came not to commemorate but renew thy passion crucifying thee afresh and putting thee to open shame and now of what punishment shall I be thought worthy who have thus trampled under foot the Son of God and counted the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing Yet O merciful Jesu this blood is my only refuge O let this make my atonement or I perish eternally Wherefore didst thou shed it but to save sinners Neither can the merit of it be overwhelmed either by the greatness or number of sins I am a sinner a great one O let me find its saving efficacy Be merciful unto me O God be merciful to me for my soul trusteth in thee and in the clefts of thy wounds shall be my refuge untill thy fathers indignation be overpast O thou who hast as my high Priest sacrificed for me intercede for me also and plead thy meritorious sufferings on my behalf and suffer not O my Redeemer the price of thy blood to be utterly lost And grant O Lord that as the sins I have to be forgiven are many so I may love much Lord thou seest what faint what cold affections I have towards thee O warm and enliven them and as in this Sacrament that transcendant love of thine in dying for me is shed forth so I beseech thee let it convey such grace into me as may enable me to make some returns of love O let this divine fire descend from heaven into my â—oul and let my sins be the burnt offering for it to consume that there may not any corrupt affection any accursed thing be sheltered in my heart that I may never again defile that place which thou hast chosen for thy Temple Thou dyedst O dear Jesu to redeem me from all iniquity O let me not again sell my self to work wickedness but grant that I may approach thee at this time with most sincere and fixed resolutions of an entire reformation and let me receive such grace and strength from thee as may enable me faithfully to perform them Lord there are many old habituated diseases my soul groans under Here mention thy most prevailing corruptions And though I lye never so long at the Pool of Bethesda come never so often to thy Table yet unless thou be pleased to put forth thy healing virtue they will still remain uncured O thou blessed Physician of souls heal me and grant I may now so touch thee that every one of these loathsome issues may immediately stanch that these sicknesses may not be unto death but unto the glory of thy mercy in Pardoning to the glory of thy grace in Purifying so polluted a wretch O Christ
c. of Fasting pag 109 PARTITION 6. Of Duties to our selves Of Sobriety Humility the great sin of Pride the Danger the Folly of this Sin Of Vain-Glory the Danger Folly Meâ—ns to prevent it Of Meekness the Means to obtain it c. pag. 136. PARTITION 7. Of Contentedness and the Contraries to it Murmuring Ambiâ—ion Covetousness Envy Helps to Contentedness Of Duties which concern our Bodies Of Chastity Helps to it Temperance Rules of Temperance in Eating c. pag. 158. PARTITION 8. Of Temperance in Drinking False Ends of Drinking viz. Good fellowship Putting away Cares Passing away time preventing reproach Bargaining c. pag. 177. PARTITION 9. Temperance in Sleep The Rule of it c. Of Recreation of Apparel and of the ends for which cloathing should be used pag. 197. PARTITION 10. Of DUTIES to our NEIGHBOURS Of Justice Negative and Positive Of the Sin of Murther Of the Hainousness of it the Punishments of it and the Strange Discoveries thereof of Maiming Wounds and stripes pag. 206 PARTITION 11. Of Justice about the Possessions of our Neighbour against Injuring him as concerning his Wife his Goods of Malice Covetousness Oppression Theft of Paying Debts c. pag. 226. PARTITION 12. Of Theft Stealing the Goods of our Neighbour Of Deceit in Trust in Traffick Of Restitution and the Necessity thereof c. pag. 238. PARTITION 13. Of False Reports False Witness Slanders Whisperings Of Despising and Scoffing for Infirmities Calamities Sins c. Of Positive Justice Speaking the Truth Of Lying Of Humility and Pride Of Envy Detraction Of Gratitude c. pag. 251. PARTITION 14. Of Duty to Parents Magistrates Pastors c. Of the Duty of Parents to Children c. Reverence Love Obedience especially in their Marriage Ministring to their wants of the Duty of Parents to their Children pag. 278. PARTITION 15. Of Duty to our Brethren and Relations Husband Wife Friends Masters Servants c. pag. 305. PARTITION 16. Other Branches of our Duty to our Neighbour Of Charity to Mens Souls Bodies Goods Credit c. pag. 329. PARTITION 17. Of Charity Alms-giving c. Of Charity in respect of our Neighbours Credit Of Peace-making Of going to Law Of Charity to our Enemies c. Christian Duties both Possible and pleasant pag. 358. A TABLE of the PRAYERS PRayers for Morning page 3. Prayers for Night 11. Collects for several Graces 17. A Paraphrase on the Lords Prayer 31. Pious Ejaculations out of the Book of Psalms 34. Brief heads of Examination before the Sacrament 37. Prayers before the Sacrament 50. Ejaculations at the Lords Table c. 55. Prayers after the Sacrament 56. Prayers for the Sick 65. Ejaculations for the Sick 74. Prayers in times of Publick Calamities 79. A Prayer for this Church 82. A Prayer for the Peace of the Church 84. Books Printed and Sold by T. Garthwait at the little North door of St. Pauls B. Chappels Methodus Concionandi 12o. Notes upon 103. Psalm being a Praxis upon that Method 8o. A Commentary on the 5 Books of Moses or Pentâ—â—euch by J. Trap. 4o. Remains of Mr. Geo Herbert late Orator of the University of Cambridge Reliquiae Woâ—tonianae A Collection of the incomparable pieces of that great Master of Language and Art Sr. Henry Wotton Knight Provost of Eton c. 12o. The Works of that profound Divine Dr. The. Jackson Pres. of Corp. Chr. Coll. Oxon. in folio in 3 Volumns Dr. Cosins Scholastical History of the Canon of the Scripture 4o. Dr. Waltons Introduction to the Oriental Languages in 12o. The Conversion of Rigep Dandulo a Turk to the Christian Faith by Mr. Gunning 8o. The Rationale on the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of England wherein is proved that that Service is Agreeable to the Primitive Usages and so not Novel that it is a Reasonable Service and so not Superstitious by Mr. A. Sparrow 12o. Mr. Joseph Mead his Dissertationum Triga 4o. Dr. Dees Actions and Conferences with Spirits c Set out by Dr. Casauâ—â—n against Athiestâ— and Enthusiasts in folio School Books Mr. Wâ—â—kers Treatise of English Particles 8o. Mr. Busbies Horat. Castigat  Juvenal   Pâ—rsius  In usum Schola Westmonaster Books newly Published Mary Magdalens Tears wipt off or the voice of Peace to an unquiet Conscience Wherein are resolved sundry Cases of Conscience incident to a Deserted Condition first writ to a Lady of Quality in 8. Dr. Stewards excellent Serion at Paris of Hezâ—kiâ—hs Reformation justifying the Church of England against the Papists and being a full Answer to Mr. Baxters imputation of Cassandrian Poptry and the Grotian Religion in 12o. The worth of the Soul The misery of loosing the Soul The danger the Soul is in The first Covenant That our Care will not be in vain The second Covenant Of the Light of NATURE The light of SCRIPTURES The Three great branches of MANS DUTY Duty to God Acknowledging him to be God FAITH Of his Affirmations Commands Threatnings Promises HOPE Presumption Despair Love its Motives Gods excellency His Kindness to us Fruit of Love Desire of pleasing Desire of Enjoying FEAR The folly of fearing Men more then God TRVST In all spiritual dangers In all Temporal Not seek to deliver our selves by any Sin In all wants spiritual Temporal wants The benefit of trusting on God HUMILITY Submission to Gods will in respects of obedience The great distance between God and us The unworthiness of our best work Submission in respect of Patience Thankfulness for Gods Corrections Fruitfulnes under them In all sorts of sufferings Submission to Gods Wisdome In his Commands In his Disposals HONOVR Several wayes of honouring God In his House His possessions The great sin of Sacriledge The punishment The times for his service Lords day The Feasts of the Church The Fasts Gods Word The holy Scriptures Catechizing Preaching The Sacraments Of Baptism The vow of Baptism The strict obligation of this vow of Baptism The Lords Supper Things to be done before receiving Examination Sins Several sorts Humiliation Contrition Confession Faith Resolutions of Obedience Of the means Present renouncing of sin Imbracing vertue Quickning of graces Charity Devotion Necessity of these graces The usefulness of a spiritual guide Not to be ashamed to discover our selves to one As necessary to the confident as to the doubtful At the time of receiving Meditation of thy unworthiness The sufferings of Christ. The aâ—onement wrought by them The thankfulness owing for them The great love of Christ in them The benefits of the New Covenant sealed in the Sacrament Upon receiving give thanks Pray After the acrament Private Prayer and â—hanksgivâ—â—g â—t preâ—ntly to fall wordly fairs To keep thy resolutions still in memory The danger of breaking them Making God thy enemy Thy own conscience Gods former pardons no incouragement to sin The obligation of this vow perpetual Yet often to be renewed Honour due to Gods Name Sins against it Blasphemy Swearing
ties you to this so Mercy doth likewise you know the poor Soul will fall into Endless and unspeakable Miseries if you continue to neglect it and then it will be too late to consider it The Last Refuge you can hope for is Gods mercy but that you have despised and abused And with what face can you in your greatest need beg for his mercy to your Souls when you would not afford them your own No not that common Charity of considering them of bestowing a few of those idle Hours you know not scarce how to pass away upon them 29. Lay this to your hearts and as ever you hope for Gods pity when you most want it be sure in time to Pity your selves by taking that due Care of your precious Souls which belongs to them 30. If what hath been said have perswaded you to this so necessary a Duty my next work will be to tell you how this Care must be imployed and that in a word is in the Doing of all those things which tend to the making the Soul Happy which is the end of our Care and what those are I come now to show you PARTITION I. Of the DUTY of MAN by the Light of Nature by the Light of Scripture Of FAITH the Promises of Hope of Love c. THE Benefits purchased for us by Christ are such as will undoubtedly make the Soul Happy for Eternal Happiness it self is one of them but because these Benefits belong not to us till we perform the Condition required of us whoever desires the happiness of his Soul must set himself to the performing of that Condition what that is I have already mentioned in the General That it is the hearty honest endeavour of obeying the whole Will of God But then that Will of God containing under it many particulars it is necessary we should also know what those are that is what are the several things that God now requires of us our performance whereof will bring us to everlasting happiness and the neglect to endless misery 2. Of these things there are some which God hath so stamp'd upon our souls that we Naturally knew them that is we should have known them to be our Duty though we had never been told so by the Scripture That this is so we may see by those Heathens who having never heard of either Old or New Testament do yet acknowledge themselves bound to some General Duties as to Worship God to be Just to Honour their Parents and the like And as S. Paul saith Rom. 2. 15. Their consciences do in those things accuse or excuse them That is tell them whether they have done what they should in those particulars or no. 3. Now though Christ have brought greater Light into the world yet he never meant by it to put out any of that Natural light which God hath set up in our Souls Therefore let me here by the way advise you not to walk contrary even to this lesser light I mean not to venture on any of those Acts which meer Natural Conscience will tell you are Sins 4. It is just matter of sadness to any Christian heart to see some in these dayes who profess much of Religion and yet live in such sins as a meer heathen would abhor men that pretending to higher degrees of Light and holiness then their brethren do yet practice contrary to all Rules of common honesty and make it part of their Christian liberty so to do of whose Seducement it concerns all that love their Souls to beware and for that purpose let this be laid as a Foundation That that Religion or Opinion cannot be of God which allows men in any wickedness 5. But though we must not put out this light which God hath thus put into our Souls yet this is not the onely way whereby God hath revealed his will and therefore we are not to rest here but proceed to the knowledg of those other things which God hath by other means revealed 6. The way for us to come to know them is by the SCRIPTURES wherein are set down those several commands of God which he hath given to be the Rule of our Duty 7. Of those some were given before Christ came into the world such are those precepts we finde scattered throughout the Old Testament but especially contained in the Ten Commandements and that excellent book of Deuteronomy others were given by Christ who added much both to the Law implanted in us by Nature and that of the Old Testament and those you shall find in the New Testament in the several precepts given by him and his Apostles but especially in that Divine Sermon on the Mount set down in the fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of S. Matthews Gospel 8. All these should be severally spoke to but because that would make the discourse very long and so lesse fit for the meaner sort of men for whose use alone it is intended I chuse to proceed in another manner By summing all these together and so as plainly as I can to lay down what is now the duty of every Christian. 9. This I find briefly contain'd in the words of the Apostle Tit. 2. 12. That we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world where the word Soberly contains our duty to our selves Righteously our duty to our neghbour and Godly our duty to God These therfore shall be the Heads of my discourse our DUTY to GOD our SELVES and our NEIGHBOUR I begin with that to God that being the best ground-work whereon to build both the other 10. There are many parts of our DUTY to GOD The two chief are these First to acknowledge him to be God Secondly to have no other under these are contained all those particulars which make up our whole duty to God which shall be shewed in their order 11. To acknowledge him to be God is to believe him to be an infinite glorious Spirit that was from everlasting without beginning and shall be to everlasting without end That he is our Creator Redeemer Sanctifier Father Son and Holy-Ghost one God blessed for ever That he is subject to no alterations but is Unchangeable that he is no bodily substance such as our eyes may behold but spiritual and invisible whom no man hath seen nor can see as the Apostle tells us 1 Tim. 3. 16. That He is Infinitely Great and Excellent beyond all that our wit or conceit can imagine that he hath received his being from none and gives being to all things 12. All this we are to believe of him in regard of his Essence and being But besides this he is set forth to us in the Scripture by several Excellencies as that he is of Infinite Goodness and Mercy Truth Justice Wisdom Power All-sufficiency Majesty That he disposes and governes all things by his Providence that he Knowes all things and is Present in all places these are by Divines called the Attributes of God
and heartily that no man can miss of enjoying them but by his own default For he doth most really and affectionately desire we should embrace them and live as appears by that solemn Oath of his Eze. 33. 11. As I live saith the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his ways and live whereto he adds this passionate expression turn ye turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye die To the same purpose you may read Ezek. 18. Consider this I say and then surely you cannot but say He hath great kindness to our souls Nay let every man but remember with himself the many calls he hath had to repentance and amendment sometimes outward by the Word sometimes inward by the secret whispers of Gods Spirit in his heart which were only to woe and intreat him to avoid Eternal misery and to accept of Eternal happiness let him I say remember these together with those many other means God hath used towards him for the same end and he will have reason to confess Gods kindness not only to mens souls in general but to his own in particular 31. Neither hath he been wanting to our Bodies all the good things they enjoy as health strength food raiment and what ever else concernes them are meerly his gifts so that indeed it is impossible we should be ignorant of his mercies to them all those outward comforts and refreshments we daily enjoy being continual effects and witnesses of it and though some enjoy more of these then others yet there is no person but enjoyes so much in one kinde or other as abundantly shews Gods mercy and kindness to him in respect of his Body 32. And now surely you will think it but reasonable we should Love him who is in all respects thus Lovely Indeed this is a duty so generally acknowledged that if you should ask any man the question whether he loved God or no he would think you did him great wrong to doubt of it yet for all this it is too plain that there are vey few that do indeed love him and this will soon be proved to you by examining a little what are the common effects of love which we bear to men like our selves and then trying whether we can shew any such fruits of our love to God 33. Of that sort there are divers but for shortness I will name but two The first is a Desire of pleasing the second a Desire of enjoying These are constantly the Fruits of Love For the first 't is known by all that he that loves any person is very desirous to approve himself to him to do whatsoever he thinks will be pleasing to him and according to the degree of love so is this desire more or less where we love earnestly we are very earnest and careful to please Now if we have indeed that love to God we pretend to it will bring forth this fruit we shall be careful to please him in all things Therefore as you judge of the tree by its fruits so may you judg of your love of God by this fruit of it nay indeed this is the way of tryal which Christ himself hath given us Jo. 14. 15. If ye love me keep my commandements and S. John tell us 1 Ep. 5. 3. That this is the love of God that we walk after his commandements and where this one proof is wanting it will be impossible to testifie our loue to God 34. But it must yet be farther considered that this love of God must not be in a low or weak degree for besides that the Motives to it his excellency and his kindness are in the highest the same Commandment which bids us love God bids us love him with all our heart and with all our strength that is as much as is possible for us and above any thing else And therefore to the fulfilling of this Commandement it is necessary we love him in that degree and if we do so then certainly we shall have not onely some slight and faint endeavours of pleasing but such as are most diligent and earnest such as will put us upon the most painful and costly duties make us willing to forsake our own ease goods friends yea life it self when we cannot keep them without disobeying God 35. Now examine thy self by this hast thou this fruit of love to shew doest thou make it thy constant and greatest care to keep Gods Commandments to obey him in all things earnestly labouring to please him to the utmost of thy power even to the forsakeing of what is dearest to thee in this world if thou dost thou maist then truly say thou lovest God But on the contrary if thou wilfully continuest in the breach of many nay but of any one command of his never deceive thy self for the love of God abides not in thee This will be made plain to you if you consider what the Scripture saith of such as that they are enemies to God by their wicked works Col. 1. 21. That the carnal minde and such is every one that continues wilfully in sin is enmity with ' God Rom. 8. 7. That he that sins wilfuly tramples under foot the Son of God and doth despight unto the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10. 29. and many the like And therefore unless you can think enmity and trampling and despight to be fruits of love you must not believe you love God whilest you go on in any wilful disobedience to him 36. A Second fruit of Love I told you was desire of Enjoying This is constantly to be seen in our love to one another If you have a friend whom you intirely love you desire his conversation wish to be alwayes in his company and thus will it also be in our love to God if that be as great and hearty as this 37. There is a two fold Enjoying of God the one Imperfect in this life the other more Perfect and compleat in the life to come that in this life is that conversation as I may call it which we have with God in his Ordinances in Praying and Meditating in Hearing his Word in Receiving the Sacrament which are all intended for this purpose to bring us into an intimacy and familiarity with God by speaking to him and hearing him speak to us 38. Now if we do indeed love God we shall certainly hugely value and desire these wayes of conversing with him it being all that we can have in this life it will make us with David esteem one day in Gods Courts better then a thousand Psal. 84. 10. We shall be glad to have these opportunities of approaching to him as often as it is possible be careful to use them diligently to that end of uniting us still more to him yea we shall come to these Spiritual exercises with the same chearfulness we would go to our dearest friend And if indeed we do thus it is a good proof of
How much worse then his very crucifiers They crucified him once but thou hast as much as in thee lay crucified him daily They crucified him because they knew him not but thou hast known both what he is in himself The Lord of Glory and what he is to thee a most tender and merciful Saviour and yet thou hast still continued thus to crucifie him afresh Consider this and let it work in thee first a great sorrow for thy sins past and then a great hatred and a firm resolution against them for the time to come 25. When thou hast a while thus thought on these sufferings of Christ for the increasing thy humility and contrition then in the second place think of them again to stir up thy Faith look on him as the sacrifice offered up for thy sins for the appeasing of Gods wrath and procuring his favour and mercies toward thee And therefore believingly yet humbly beg of God to accept of that satisfaction made by his innocent and beloved Son and for the merits thereof to pardon thee whatever is past and to be fully reconciled to thee 26. In the third place consider them again to raise thy thankfulnesse Think how much both of shame and pain he there endured but especially those great agonies of his Soul which drew from him that bitter cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Matt. 27. 45. Now all this he suffered only to keep thee from perishing And therefore consider what unexpressible thanks thou owest him and endeavour to raise thy Soul to the most zealous and hearty thanksgiving For this is a principal part of duty at this time the praising and magnifying that mercy which hath redeemed us by so dear a price Therefore it will here well become thee to say with David I will take the Cup of Salvation and will call upon the Name of the Lord. 27. Fourthly look on these sufferings of Christ to stir up this love and surely there cannot be a more effectual means of doing it for here the love of Christ to thee is most manifest according to that of the Apostle 1 John 3. 16. Hereby perceive we the love of God towards us because he laid down his life for us And that even the highest degree of love for as himself tells us John 15. 13. Greater love then this hath no man then that a man lay down his life for his friend Yet even greater love then this had he for he not only died but died the most painful and most reproachful death and that not for his friends but his utter enemies And therefore if after all this love on his part there be no return of love on ours we are worse then the vilest sort of men for even the Publicans Matth. 5. 46. Love those that love them Here therefore chide and reproach thy self that thy love to him is so faint and cool when his to thee was so zealous and affectionate And endeavour to enkindle this holy flame in thy Soul to love him in such a degree that thou mayest be ready to copy out his example to part with all things yea even life it self whenever he calls for it that is whensoever thy obedience to any command of his shall lay thee open to those sufferings But in the mean time to resolve never again to make any league with his enemies to entertain or harbour any sin in thy brest But if there have any such hitherto remained with thee make this the season to kill and crucifie it offer it up at this instant a sacrifice to him who was sacrificed for thee and particularly for that very end that he might redeem thee from all iniquity Therefore here make thy solemn resolutions to forsake every sin particularly those into which thou hast most frequently fallen And that thou mayest indeed perform those resolutions earnestly beg of this crucified Saviour that he will by the power of his death mortifie and kill all thy corruptions 28. When thou art about to receive the Consecrated Bread and Wine remember that God now offers to Seal to thee that New Covenant made with mankinde in his Son For since he gives that his Son in the Sacrament he gives with him all the benefits of that Covenant to wit pardon of sins sanctifying grace and a title to an eternal inheritance And here be astonished at the infinite goodness of God who reaches out to thee so precious a treasure But then remember that this is all but on condition that thou perform thy part of the Covenant And therefore settle in thy soul the most serious purpose of obedience and then with all possible devotion joyn with the Minister in that short but excellent prayer used at the instant of giving the Sacrament The Body of our Lord c. 29. So soon as thou hast received offer up thy devoutest praises for that great mercy together with thy most earnest prayers for such assistance of Gods Spirit as may enable thee to perform the vow thou hast now made Then remembring that Christ is a propitiation not for our sins only but also for the sins of the whâ—le world let thy charity reach as far as his hath done and pray for all mankind that every one may receive the benefit of that sacrifice of his commend also to God the estate of the Church that particularly whereof thou art a Member And forget not to pray for all to whom thou owest obedience both in Church and State and so go on to pray for such particular persons as either thy relations or their wants shall present to thee If there be any Collection for the poor as there always ought to be at this time give freely according to thy ability or if by the default of others there be no such Collection yet do thou privately design something towards the relief of thy poor brethren and be sure to give it the next fitting opportunity that offers it self All this thou must contrive to do in the time that others are receiving that so when the publick prayers after the administration begin thou mayst be ready to ioyn in them which thou must likewise take care to do with all devotion thus much for thy behaviour at the time of receiving 30. Now follows the third and last thing That is what thou art to do after thy receiving That which is immediately to be done is as soon as thou art retirâ—d from the Congregation to offer up again to God thy Sacrafice of praise for all those precious mercies conveyed to thee in that holy Sacrament as also humbly to intreat the continued assistance of his grace to enable thee to make good all those purposes of obedience thou hast now made And in whatsoever thou knowest thy self most in danger either in respect of any former habit or natural inclination there especially desire and earnestly beg his aid 31. When thou hast done thus do not presently let thy self
mouth let it be an occasion of raising up thy thoughts to him But by no means permit thy self to use it in idle by-words or the like If thou doest accustome thy self to pay this reverence to the bare mention of his name it will be an excellent fence against the prophaning it in oaths 14. A fifth means is a diligent and constant watch over thy self that thou thus offend not with thy tongue without which all the former will come to nothing And the last means is prayer which must be added to all thy endeavours therefore pray earnestly that God will enable thee to overcome this wicked custom say with the Psalmist Set a watch O Lord over my mouth and keep the door of my lips and if thou doest sincerely set thy self to the use of means for it thou mayest be assured God will not be wanting in his assistance I have been the longer on this because it is so reigning a sin God in his mercy give all that are guilty of it a true sight of the hainousness of it 15. By these several ways of dishonouring Gods Name you may understand what is the duty of honouring it viz. A strict abstaining from every one of these and that abstinence founded on an awful respect and reverence to that sacred Name which is Great Wonderful and Holy Psa. 99. 3. I have now past through the several branches of that great duty of Honouring of God PARTITION V. Of WORSHIP due to Gods Name Of PRAYER and its several parts Of publick Prayers in the CHURCH in the FAMILY Of PRIVATE PRAYER Of REPENTANCE c. Of FASTING § 1. THe Eighth Duty we owe to God is WORSHIP This is that great duty by which especially we acknowledge his Godhead Worship being proper only to God and therefore it is to be lookt on as a most weighty duty This is to be performed first by our Souls secondly by our Bodies The Souls part is Praying Now prayer is a speaking to God and there are divers parts of it according to the different things about which we speak 2. As first There is Confession that is the acknowledging our sins to God And this may be either general or particular the general is when we only confess in gross that we are sinful the particular when we mention the several sorts and acts of our sins The former is necessary to be always a part of our solemn prayers whether publick or private The latter is proper for private prayer and there the oftner it is used the better yea even in our daily private prayer it will be fit constantly to remember some of our greatest and foulest sins though never so long since past For such we should never think sufficiently confest and bewailed And this bewailing must always go along with Confession we must be heartily sorry for the sins we confess and from our souls acknowledge our own great unworthiness in having committed them For our confession is not intended to instruct God who knows our sins much better then our selves do but it is to humble our selves and therefore we must not think we have confest aright till that be done 3. The second part of prayer is Petition that is the begging of God whatsoever we want either for our Souls or Bodies For our Souls we must first beg pardon of sins and that for the sake of Jesus Christ who shed his blood to obtain it Then we must also beg the grace and assistance of Gods Spirit to enable us to forsake our sins and to walk in obedience to him And herein it will be needful particularly to beg all the several vertues as Faith Love Zeal Purity Repentance and the like but especially those which thou most wantest And therefore observe what thy wants are and if thou beest proud be most instant in praying for humility if lustful for chastity and so for all other Graces according as thou findest thy needs And in all these things that concern thy Soul be very earnest and importunate take no denial from God nor give over though thou do not presently obtain what thou suest for But if thou hast never so long prayed for a grace and yet findest it not do not grow weary of praying but rather search what the cause may be which makes thy prayer so ineffectual see if thou do not thy self hinder them perhaps thou prayest to God to enable thee to conquer some sin and yet never goest about to fight against it never makest any resistance but yieldest to it as often as it comes nay puttest thy self in its way in the road of all temptations If it be thus no wonder though thy prayers avail not for thou wilt not let them Therefore amend this and set to the doing of thy part sincerely and then thou needest not fear but God will do his 4. Secondly We are to petition also for our bodies that is we are to ask of God such necessaries of life as are needful to us while we live here But these only in such a degree and measure as his wisdom sees best for us we must not presume to be our own carvers and pray for all that wealth or greatness which our own vain hearts may perhaps desire but only for such a condition in respect of outward things as he sees may most tend to those great ends of our living here the gloryfying him and the saving of our own Souls 5. A third part of Prayer is Deprecation that is when we pray to God to turn away some evil from us Now this evil may be either the evil of sin or the evil of punishment The evil of sin is that we are especially to pray against most earnestly begging of God That he will by the power of his grace preserve us from falling into sin And whatever sins they are to which thou knowest thy self most inclined there be particularly earnest with God to preserve thee from them This is to be done daily but then more especially when we are under any present temptation and in danger of falling into any sin in which case we have reason to cry out as S. Peter did when he found himself sinking Save Lord or I perish humbly beseeching him either to withdraw the temptation or strengthen us to withstand it neither of which we can do for our selves 6. Secondly We are likewise to Pray against the evil of Punishment but principally against Spiritual punishments as the anger of God the withdrawing of his grace and eternal damnation Against these we can never pray with too much earnestness But we may also pray against temporal punishments that is any outward affliction but this with submission to Gods will according to the example of Christ Mat. 26. 39. Not as I will but as thou wilt 7. A Fourth part of Prayer is Intercession that is praying for others This in general we are to do for all mankind as well
painful and uneasie to a mans self for if as the Psalmist saith it be a joyful pleasant thing to be thankful we may by the Rule of contraries conclude It is a sad and unpleasant thing to be murmuring and I doubt not every mans own experience will confirm the truth of it 3. Secondly It is contrary to Ambition the ambitious man is always disliking his present condition and that makes him so greedily to seek a higher whereas he that is content with his own lies quiet out of the road of this temptation Now ambition is not only a great sin in it self but it puts men upon many other There is nothing so horrid which a man that eagerly seeks greatness will stick at lying perjury murder or any thing will down with him if they seem to tend to his advancement And the uneasiness of it is answerable to the sin This none can doubt of that considers what a multitude of fears and jealousies cares and distractions there are that attend ambition in its progress besides the great and publick ruines that usually befal it in the end And therefore sure Contentedness is in this respect as well a Happiness as a Vertue 4. Thirdly It is contrary to Covetousness this the Apostle witnesseth Heb. 13. 5. Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have where you see contentedness is set as the direct contrary to covetousness But of this there needs no other proof then common experience for we see the covetous man never thinks he hath enough and therefore can never be content for no man can be said to be so that thirsts after any thing he hath not Now that you may see how excellent and necessary a virtue this is that secures us against covetousness it will not be amiss a little to consider the nature of that sin 5. That it is a very great crime is most certain for it is contrary to the very foundation of all good life I mean those three great Duties to God to our Selves to our Neighbour First It is so contrary to our Duty to God that Christ himself tells us Luke 16. 13. We cannot serve God and Mammon he that sets his heart upon wealth must necessarily take it off from God And this we daily see in the covetous mans practice he is so eager in the gaining of riches that he hath no time or care to perform duty to God let but a good bargain or opportunity of gain come in his way Prayer and all duties of Religion must be neglected to attend it Nay when the committing the greatest sin against God may be likely either to get or save him ought his love of wealth quickly perswades him to commit it 6. Secondly It is contrary to the Duty we owe our Selves and that both in respect of our Souls and Bodies The covetous man despises his Soul sells that to eternal destruction for a little pelf for so every man does that by any unlawful means seeks to enrich himself Nay though he do it not by unlawful means yet if he have once set his heart upon wealth he is that covetous person upon whom the Apostle hath pronounced That he shall not enter into the Kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6. 10. Nor doth he only offend against his Soul but his Body too For he often denies that those necessary refreshments it wants and for which his wealth as far as it concerns himself was given him This is so constantly the custome of rich Misers that I need not prove it to you 7. In the third place Covetousness is contrary to the duty we owe to our neighbours And that in both the parts of it Justice and Charity he that loves money immoderately will not care whom he cheats and defrauds so he may bring in gain to himself and from hence spring those many tricks of deceit and cousenage so common in the world As for Charity that is never to be hoped for from a covetous man who dreads the lessening of his own heaps more then the starving of his poor brother You see how great a sin this is that we may well say of it as the Apostle doth 1 Tim. 6. 10. The love of money is the root of all evil And it is not much less uneasie then wicked for between the care of getting and the fear of losing the covetous man enjoyes no quiet hour Therefore every man is deeply concerned as he tenders his happiness either in this world or the next to guard himself against this sin which he can no way do but by possessing his heart with this vertue of contentedness 8. In the fourth place it is contrary to envy for he that is content with his own condition hath no temptation to envy anothers How unchristian a sin this of envy is shall hereafter be shewed At the present I need say no more but that it is also a very uneasie one it frets and gnaws the very heart of him that harbors it But the worse this sin is the more excellent still is this grace of contentedness which frees us from it I suppose I have said enough to make you think this a very lovely and desirable Vertue And sure it were not impossible to be gain'd by any that would but observe these few directions 9. First To consider that whatever our estate and condition in any respect be it is that which is alotted us by God and therefore is certainly the best for us he being much better able to judge for us then we for our selves and therefore to be displeased at it is in effect to say we are wiser then he Secondly Consider thorowly the vanity of all worldly things how very little there is in them while we have them and how uncertain we are to keep them but above all in how little stead they will stand us at the day of death or judgement and then thou canst not think any of them much worth the desiring and so wilt not be discontented for want of them Thirdly Suffer not thy fancy to run on things thou hast not many have put themselves out of love with what they have only by thinking what they want He that sees his neighbour possess somewhat which himself hath not is apt to think how happy he should be if he were in that mans condition and in the mean time never thinks of enjoying his own which yet perhaps in many respects may be much happier then that of his neighbours which he so much admires For we look but upon the outside of other mens conditions and many a man that is envied by his neighbours as a wonderful happy person hath yet some secret trouble which makes him think much otherwise of himself Therefore never compare thy condition in any thing with those thou countest more prosperous then thy self but rather do it with those thou knowest more unhappy and then thou wilt finde cause
hath distempered them can be for nothing but to make advantage of them Yet this often proves a great folly as well as a sin for he that drinks with another in hope to over-reach him doth many times prove the weaker brain'd and becomes drunk first and then he gives the other that opportunity of cheating him which he designed for the cheating of the other Now this end of drinking is so far from becoming an excuse that it is a huge heightning of the sin for if we may not drink intemperately upon any occasion much less upon so wicked a one as is the cousening and defrauding of our brethren 11. I suppose I have now shewed you the unreasonableness of those Motives which are ordinarily brought in excuse of this sin I am yet further to tell you that it is not only that huge degree of drunkeness which makes men able neither to go nor speak which is to be lookt on as a sin but all lower degrees which do at all work upon the understanding whether by dulling it and making it less fit for any imployment or by making it too light and airy apt to apish and ridiculous mirth or what is worse by inflaming men into rage and fury These or whatever else make any change in the man are to be reckoned into this sin of drunkenness Nay further the drinking beyond the natural ends of drinking that is beyond moderate refreshment is a sin though by the strength of a mans brain it makes not the least change in him and therefore those that are not actually drunk yet can spend whole days or any considerable part of them in drinking are so far from being innocent that that greater wo belongs to them which is pronounced Isa. 5. 22. against those that are mighty to drink For though such a man may make a shift to preserve his wits yet that wit serves him to very little purpose when his imployment is still but the same with him that is the most sottishly drunk that is to pour down drink 12. Nay this man is guilty of the greater waste First of the good creatures of God That drink which is by Gods providence intended for the refreshing and relieving of us is abused and mispent when it is drunk beyond that measure which those ends require and sure there is not the meanest of these creatures we enjoy but the abuse of them shall one day be accounted for and he that drinks longest hath the most of that guilt But in the second place this is a wast of that which is much more precious our time which is allowed us by God to work out our Salvation in and must be strictly reckoned for and therefore ought every minute of it to be most thriftily husbanded to that end in actions of good life but when it is thus laid out it tends to the direct contrary even the working out our damnation Besides he that thus drinks though he escape being drunk himself he is yet guilty of all the drunkenness that any of his company fall under for he gives them encouragement to drink on by his Example especially if he be one of any authority but if he be one whose company the rest are fond of his company is then a certain ensnaring of them for then they will drink too rather then lose him There is yet a greater fault that many of these stronger brained drinkers are guilty of that is the setting themselves purposely to make others drunk playing as it were a prize at it and counting it matter of triumph and victory to see others fall before them This is a most horrible wickedness it is the making our selves the Divels Factors endeavouring all we can to draw our poor brethren into eternal misery by betraying them to so grievous a sin and therefore it may well be reckoned as the highest step of this vice of drinking as having in it the sin of mischieving others added to the excess in our selves And though it be lookt upon in the world as a matter onely of jest and merriment to make others drunk that we may sport our selves with their ridiculous behaviour yet that mirth will have a sad conclusion there being a woe expresly threatned by God to this very sin Hab. 2. 15. Wâ— unto him that giveth his neighbour drink that puttest thy bottle to him and makest him drunk that thou mayest look on their nakednesse And sure he buyes his idle pastime very dear that takes it with such a Woe attending it 13. I have now gone through the several motives to and degrees of this sin of drunkenness wherein I have been the more particular because it is a sin so strangely reigning amongst us no Condition no Age or scarce Sex free from it to the great dishonour of God reproach of Christianity and ruine not only of our own Souls hereafter but even of all our present advantages and happiness in this life there being no sin which betrayes each single committer to more mischiefs in his understanding his health his credit his estate then this one doth And we have reason to believe this sin is one of those common crying guilts which have long layen heavy upon this Nation and pulled down those many sad judgements we have groaned under 14. Therefore Christian Reader let me now intreat nay conjure thee by all that tenderness and love thou oughtest to have to the honour of God the credit of thy Christian profession eternal welfare of thine own Soul the prosperity of the Church and Nation whereof thou art a member Nay by that love which certainly thou hast to thy own temporal welfare to think sadly of what hath been spoken And then judge whether there be any pleasure in this sin which can be any tolerable recompence for all those mischiefs it brings with it I am confident no man in his wits can think there is and if there be not then be ashamed to be any longer that fool which shall make so wretched a bargain but begin at this instant a firm and a faithful resolution never once more to be guilty of this swinish sin how often soever thou hast heretofore fallen into it and in the fear of God betake thee to a strict temperance which when thou hast done thou wilt find thou hast made not only a gainful but a pleasant exchange for there is no man that hath tryed both courses but his own heart will tell him there is infinitely more pleasant comfort and pleasure in sobriety and temperance then ever all his drunken revellings afforded him 15. The main difficulty is the first breaking off the custome and that arises partly from our selves partly from others That from our selves may be of two sorts the first is when by the habit of drinking we have brought such false thirsts upon our selves that our bodies seem to require it and this wants nothing but a little patience to overcome Do but refrain some few days and it
that thou wilt deliberately choose death thou wilt surely practice according to that sentence of thy understanding I shall add no more on this first part of Charity that of the Affections I proceed now to that of the Actions And this endeed is it whereby the former must be approved we may pretend great charity within but if none break forth in the Actions we may say of that Love as Saâ—nt James does of the Faith he speaks of that it is dead Jam. 2. 20. It is the loving in deed that must approve our bearts before God 1 Jo. 3. 18. Now this love in the Actions may likewise fitly be distributed as the former was in relation to the four distinct capacities of our brethren their Souls their Bodies their Goods and Credit The Soul I formerly told you may be considered either in a naturall or spirituall sense in both of them Charity binds us to do all the good we can As the Soul signifies the mind of a man so we are to endeavour the comfort and refreshment of our brethren desire to give them all true cause of joy cheerfulnes especially when we see any under any sadness or heaviness then to bring out all the cordialls we can procure that is to labour by all Christian and fit means to chear the troubled spirits of our brethren to comfort them that are in any heaviness as the Apostle speakes 2. Cor. 1. 4. But the Soul in the spirituall sence is yet of greater concernment and the securing of that is a matter of much greater moment then the refreshing of the mind only in as much as the eternall sorrows and sadnesses of Hell exceed the deepest sorrows of this life and therefore though we must not omit the former yet on this we are to employ our most zealous charities Wherein we are not to content our selves with a bare wishing well to the Souls of our brethren this alone is a sluggish sort of kindness unworthy of those who are to imitate the great Redeemer of Souls who did and suffered so much in that purchase No we must add also our endeavour to make them what we wish them to this purpose 't were very reasonable to propound to our selves in all our conversings with others that one great designe of doing some good to their souls If this purpose were fixt in our minds we should then discern perhaps many opportunities which now we overlook of doing something towards it The brutish ignorance of one would call upon thee to endeavour his instruction the open sin of another to reprehend admonish him the faint and weak vertue of another to confirm and incourage him Every spirituall want of thy brother may give thee some occasion of exercising some part of this Charity or if the circumstances be such that upon sober judging thou think it vain to attempt any thing thy self as if either thy meanness or thy unacquaintedness or any the like impediment be like to render thy exhortations fruitless yet if thou art industrious in thy Charity thou mayest probably find out some other instrument by whom to do it more successfully There cannot be a nobler study then how to benefit mens Souls and therefore where the direct means are improper 't is fit we should whet our wits for attaining of others Indeed 't is a shame we should not as industriously contrive for this great spirituall concernment of others as we do for every worldly trifling interest of our own yet in them we are unwearied and trye one means after another till we compass our end But if after all our serious endeavours the obstinacy of men do not suffer us or themselves rather to reap any fruit from them if all our wooings and intreatings of men to have mercy on their own Souls will not work on them yet be sure to continue still to exhort by thy example Let thy great care and tenderness of thy own Soul preach to them the value of theirs and give not over thy compassions to them but with the Prophet Jer. 13. 17. Let thy Soul weep in secret for them and with the Psalmist Let rivers of waters run down thy eyes because they kept not Gods Law Psal. 119. 136. Yea with Christ himself weep over them who will not know the things that belong to their peace Luk 11. 42. And when no importunities with them will work yet even then cease not to importune God for them that he will draw them to himself Thus we see Samuel when he could not diswade the people from that sinful purpose they were upon yet he professes notwithstanding that he will not cease praying for them nay he lookt on it as so much a duty that it would be sin to him to omit it God forbid sayes he that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you 1 Sam. 12. 23. Nor shall we need to fear that our prayers will be quite lost for if they prevail not for those for whom we pour them out yet however they will return into our own bosomes Psal. 35. 13 we shall be sure not to miss of the reward of that Charity In the second place we are to exercise this Active Charity towards the bodies of our Neighbours we are not only to compassionate their pains and miseries but also to do what we can for their ease and relief The good Samaritan Luke 10. had never been proposed as our pattern had he not as well helped as pitied the wounded man 'T is not good wishes no nor good words neither that avail in such cases as St. James tells us If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food and one of you say unto them Depart in peace be ye warmed and filled notwithstanding ye give him not those things that are needful for the body what doth it profit Jam. 2. 15. 16. No sure it profits them nothing in respect of their bodies and it will profit thee as little in respect of thy Soul it will never be reckoned to thee as a Charity This releeving of the bodily wants of our brethren is a thing so strictly required of us that we find it set down Mat. 25. as the especiall thing we shall be tried by at the Last Day on the omission whereof is grounded that dreadful sentence ver 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels And if it shall now be asked what are the particular acts of this kind which we are to perform I think we cannot better inform our selves for the frequent and ordinary ones then from this Chapter where are set down these severals the giving meat to the hungry and drink to the thirtty harbouring the stranger clothing the naked and visiting the sick and imprisoned By which visiting is meant not a bare coming to see them but so coming as to comfort and relieve them for otherwise it will be but like the Levite in the
without taking the lower and necessary degrees in our way and therefore let our first care be for them 14. To help us wherein there will be no better means then to keep before our eyes that grand rule of Loving our Neighbours as our selves This the Apostle makes the summe of our Whole duty to our Neighbours Rom. 13. 9. let this therefore be the standard whereby to measure all thy actions which relate to others When ever any necessity of thy Neighbours presents it self to thee ask thy self whether if thou wert in the like case thy love to thy self would not make thee industrious for relief and then resolve thy love to thy Neighbour must have the same effect for him This is that Royal Law as St. James calls it Jam. 2. 8. which all that profess themselves subjects to Christ must be ruled by and whosoever is so will not fail of performing all Charities to others because 't is sure he would upon the like occasions have all such performed to himself There is none but wishes to have his good name defended his poverty relieved his bodily sufferings succoured Only it may be said that in the spiritual wants there are some so careless of themselves that they wish no supply they desire no reproofs no instructions nay are angry when they are given them it may therefore seem that such men are not by vertue of this rule tied to those sorts of Charities To this I answer that the love of our selves which is here set as the measure of that to our Neighbour is to be understood to be that reasonable love which men ought to have and therefore though a man fail of that due love he owes himself yet his Neighbour hath not thereby forfeited his right he has still a claim to such a degree of our love as is answerable to that which in right we should bear to our selves and such I am sure is this care of our spiritual estate and therefore 't is not our despising our own Souls that will absolve us from Charity to other mens yet I shall not much press this duty in such men it being neither likely that they will be perswaded to it or do any good by it their ill example will overwhelm all their good exhortations and make them unfruitfull 15. There is yet one act of Charity behind which does not properly fall under any one of the former heads yet may relate to them all and that is the Making peace and amity among others By doing whereof we may much benefit both the Souls Bodies Goods and Credit of our brethren for all these are in danger by strife and contention The reconciling of enemies is a most blessed work and brings a blessing on the actors We have Christs word for it Blessed are the Peace-makers Mat. 5. 9. and therefore we may be incouraged diligently to lay hold of all opportunities of doing this office of Charity to use all our Art and endeavour to take up all grudges and quarrels we discern among others Neither must we onely labour to restore peace where it is lost but to preserve it where it is First generally by striving to beget in the heart of all we converse with a true value of that most pretious Jewel Peace Secondly particularly by a timely prevention of those jarres and unkindnesses we see likely to fall out It may many times be in the power of a discreet friend or neighbour to cure those mistakes and misapprehensions which are the first beginnings of quarrels and contentions and it will be both more easy and more profitable thus to prevent then pacify strifes 'T is sure 't is more easy for when a quarrel is once broken out 't is like a violent flame which cannot so soon be quencht as it might have been whilst it was but a smothering fire And then 't is also more profitable for it prevents many sins which in the progress of an open contention are almost sure to be committed Solomon sayes In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin Prov. 10. 19. which cannot more truly be said of any sorts of words then those that pass in anger and then though the quarrel be afterwards composed yet those sins will still remain on their account and therefore it is a great Charity to prevent them 16. But to fit a man for this so excellent an Office of Peace Making 'T is necessary that he be first remarkably peaceable himself for with what face canst thou perswade others to that which thou wilt not perform thy self or how canst thou expect thy perswasions should work 't will be a ready reply in every mans mouth Thou Hypocrite cast out first the beam out of thine own eye Matth. 7. 5. and therefore be sure thou qualify thy self for the work There is one point of Peaceableness which seems to be little regarded among men and that is in the case of Legal trespasses Men think it nothing to go to Law about every petty trifle and as long as they have but Law on their side never think they are to blame but sure had we that true Peaceableness of spirit which we ought we should be unwilling for such slight matters to trouble and disquiet our Neighbours Not that all going to Law is utterly unchristian but such kind of suits especially as are upon contentiousness and stoutness of humour to defend such an inconsiderable right as the parting with will do us little or no harm or which is yet worse to avenge such a trespass And even in greater matters he that shall part with somewhat of his Right for love of Peace does surely the most Christianly most agreeably to the advice of the Apostle Cor. 6. 7. rather to take wrong and suffer our selves to be defrauded But if the damage be so unsupportable that it is necessary for us to go to Law yet even then we must take care of preserving Peace first by carrying still a friendly and Christian temper towards the party not suffering our hearts to be at all estranged from him secondly by being willing to yield to any reasonable terms of agreement whenever they shall be offered and truly if we carry not this temper of mind in our suits I see not how they can be reconcileable with that peaceableness so strictly required of all Christians Let those consider this who make it their pleasure themselves to disquiet their Neighbour or their trade to stir up others to do it This tender regard of Peace both in ourselves and others is absolutely necessary to be entertained of all those who own themselves to be the servants of him whose title it is to be the Prince of Peace Isai. 9. 6. 17. All that remains to be toucht on concerning this Charity of the Actions is the extent of it which must be as large as the former of the affections even to the taking in not only strangers and those of no relation to us but even
of our bitterest enemies I have already spoken so much of the Obligation we are under to forgive them that I shall not hear say any thing of that but that being supposed a duty 't will sure then appear no unreasonable thing to proceed one step further by doing them good turns for when we have once forgiven them we can then no longer account them enemies and so 't will be no hard matter even to flesh and blood to do all kinde things to them And indeed this is the way by which we must trye the sincerity of our forgiveness 'T is easy to say I forgive such a man but if when an opportunity of doing him good is offered thou declinest it 't is apparent there yet lurks the old malice in thy heart Where there is a thorough forgiveness there will be as great a readiness to benefit an enemy as a friend nay perhaps in some respects a greater a true charitable person looking upon it as an especial prize when he has an opportunity of evidencing the truth of his reconciliation and obeying the precept of his Saviour by doing good to them that hate him Matth. 5. 44. Let us therefore resolve that all actions of kindness are to be performed to our enemies for which we have not only the command but also the example of Christ who had not only some inward relentings towards us his obstinate and most provoking enemies but shewed it in acts and those no cheap or easy ones but such as cost him his dearest bloud And surely we can never pretend to be either obeyers of his command or followers of his example if we grudge to testifie our loves to our enemies by those so much cheaper wayes of feeding them in hunger and the like recommended to us by the Apostle Rom. 12. 20. But if we could perform these acts of kindness to enemies in such manner as might draw them from their enmitie and win them to Peace the Charity would be doubled And this we should aim at for that we see the Apostle sets as the end of the forementioned acts of feeding c. that we may heap coals of fire on their heads not coals to burn but to melt them into all love and tenderness towards us and this were indeed the most compleat way of imitating Christs example who in all he did and suffered for us designed the reconciling of us to himself 18. I have now shewed you the several parts of our duty to our Neighbour towards the performance whereof I know nothing more necessary then the turning out of our hearts that self love which so often possesses them and that so wholly that it leaves no room for Charity nay nor justice neither to our Neighbour By this self-self-love I mean not that true love of our selves which is the love and care of our Souls for that would certainly help not hinder us in this duty but I mean that immoderate love of our own worldly interests and advantages which is apparently the root of all both injustice and uncharitableness towards others We finde this sin of self-love set by the Apostle in the head of a whole troop of sins 2 Tim. 3. 2. as if it were some principal officer in Satans camp and certainly not without reason for it never goes without an accursed train of many other sins which like the Dragons tail Rev. 12. 4. sweeps away all care of duty to others We are by it made so vehement and intent upon the pleasing our selves that we have no regard to any body else contrary to the direction of S. Paul Rom. 15. 2. Which is not to please our selves but every man to please his Neighbour for his good to edification which he backs with the example of Christ vers 3. For even Christ pleased not himself If therefore we have any sincere desire to have this vertue of charity rooted in our hearts we must be careful to weed out this sin of self-love for 't is impossible they can prosper together 19. But when we have removed this hindrance we must remember that this as al other graces proceeds not from our selves it is the gift of God and therefore we must earnestly pray to him to work it in us to send his holy Spirit which once appeared in the form of a dove a meek and gall-less creature to frame our hearts to the same temper and enable us rightly to perform this duty 20. I have now past through those several branches I at first proposed and shewed you what is our duty to God our selves and our neighbour Of which I may say as it is Luk. 10. 28. This do and thou shalt live And surely it is no impossible task to perform this in such a measure as God will graciously accept that is in Sincerity though not in perfection for God is not that austere master Luk 19. 20. That reaps where he has not sowed he requires nothing of us which he is not ready by his grace to enable us to perform if we be not wanting to our selves either in asking it by prayer or in using it by diligence And as it is not impossible so neither is it such a sad melancholly task as men are apt to think it 'T is a special pollicy of Satans to do as the spies did Num. 23. 28. bring up an ill report upon this good land this state of Christian life thereby to discourage us from entering into it to fright us with I know not what Gyants we shall meet with but let us not thus be cheated let us but take the courage to try and we shall indeed finde it a Canaan a land flowing with milk and honey God is not in this respect to his people a wilderness a land of darkness Jer. 2. 31. His service does not bereave men of any true joy but helps thou to â—â— great deal Christs yoke is an easy nay a pleasant yoke his burden a light yea a gracious burden There is in the practise of Christian duties a great deal of present pleasure and if we feel it not it is because of the resistance our vitious and sinful customs make which by the contention raises an uneasiness But then first that is to be charged only to our selves for having got those ill customs and thereby made that hard to us which in it self is most pleasant the duties are not to be accused for it And then secondly even there the pleasure of subduing those ill habits overcoming those corrupt customs is such as hugely outweigheth all the trouble of the combate 21. But it will perhaps be said that some parts of piety are of such a nature as will be very apt to expose us to persecutions and sufferings in the world and that those are not joyous but grievous I answer that even in those there is matter of joy we see the Apostles thought it so they rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christs name Acts 4. 41. and S.
Sacrifice acceptable to thee by Jesus Christ. A THANKSGIVING O Gracious Lord whose mercies endure for e-ever I thy unworthy servant who have so deeply tasted of them desire to render thee the tribute of my humblest praises for them In thee O Lord I live and move and have my being thou first madest me to be and then that I might not be miserable but happy thou sendest thy Son out of thy bosâ—me to redeem me from the power of my sins by his Grace and from the punishment of them by his Blood and by both to bring me to his glory Thou hast by thy mercy caused me to be born within thy peculiar fold the Christian Church where I was early consecrated to thee in Baptism and have been partaker of all those spiritual helps which might aid me to perform that Vow I there made to thee and when by my own wilfulness or negligence I have failed to do it yet thou in thy manifold mercies hast not forsaken me but hast graciously invited me to repentance afforded me all means both outward and inward for it and with much patience hast attended and not cut me off in the acts of those many damning sins I have committed as I have most justly deserved It is O Lord thy restraining grace alone by which I have been kept back from any the greatest sins and it is thy inciting and assisting grace alone by which I have been enabled to do any the least good therefore not unto me not unto me but unto thy name be the praises For these and all other thy spiritual blessings my soul doth magnifie the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy Name I likewise praise thee for those many outward blessings I enjoy as health friends food and raiment the comforts as well as the necessaries of this life for those continual protections of thy hand by which I and mine are kept from dangers and those gracious deliverances thou hast often afforded out of such as have befallen me and for that mercy of thine whereby thou hast sweetned and allâ—yed those troubles thou hast not seen sit wholly to remove for thy particular preservation of me this night and all other thy goodness towards me Lord grant that I may render thee not only the fruit of my lips but the obedience of my life that so these blessings here may be an earnest of those richer blessings thou hast prepared for those that love thee and that for his sake whom thou hast made the Author of Eternal Salvation to all that obey him even Jesus Christ. A CONFESSION O Righteous Lord who hatest iniquity I thy sinful creature cast my self at thy feet acknowledging that I most justly deserve to be utterly abhorred and forsaken by thee for I have drunk iniquity like water gone on in a continued course of sin and rebellion against thee dayly committing those things thou forbiddest and leaving undone those things thou commandest mine heart which should be an habitation for thy spirit is become a cage of unclean birds of foul and disordered affections and out of this abundance of the heart my mouth speaketh my hands act so that in thought word and deed I continually transgress against thee Here mention the greatest of thy sins Nay O Lord I have despised that goodness of thine which should lead me to Repentance hardning my heart against all those means thou hast used for my amendment And now Lord what can I expect from thee but judgment and fiery indignation that is indeed the due reward of my sins But O Lord there is mercy with thee that thou may est be feared O fit me for that mercy by giving me a deep and hearty Repentance and then according to thy goodness let thy anger and thy wrath be turned away from me look upon me in thy Son my blessed Saviour and for the merit of his sufferings pardon all my sins And Lord I beseech thee by the power of thy grace so to renew and purifie my heart that I may become a new creature utterly forsaking every evil way and living in constant sincere universal obedience to thee all the rest of my days that behaving my self as a good and faithful servant I may by thy mercy at the last be received into the joy of my Lord Grant this for Jesus Christ his sake A PRAYER for GRACE O Most gracious God from whom every good and perfect gift cometh I wretched creature that am not able of my self so much as to think a good thought beseech thee to work in me both to will and do according to thy good pleasure inlighten â—◠〈◊〉 that I may know thee and let me not be barren or unfruitful in that knowledg Lord work in my heart a true faith a purifying hope and an unfeigned love towards thee give me a full trust on thee zeal for thee reverence of all things that relate to thee make me fearful to offend thee thankful for thy mercies humble under thy corrections devout in thy service sorrowful for my sins and grant that in all things I may behave my self so as befits a creature to his Creator a servant to his Lord enable me likewise to perform that duty I owe to my self give me that meekness humility and contentedness whereby I may always possess my soul in patience and thankfulness make me diligent in all my duties watchful against all temptations perfectly pure and temperate and so moderate in my most lawful injoyments that they never become a snare to me make me also O Lord to be so affected towards my neighbour that I never transgress that royal Law of thine of loving him as my self grant me exactly to perform all parts of justice yielding to all whatsoever by any kinde of right becomes their due and give me such bowels of mercy and compassion that I may never fail to do all acts of charity to all men whether friends or enemies according to thy command and example Finally I beseech thee O Lord to sanctifie me throughout that my whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory for ever Amen INTERCESSION OBlessed Lord whose mercy is over all thy works I beseech thee to have mercy upon all men and grant that the precious ransome which was paid by thy Son for all may be effectuall to the saving of all Give thy inlightning grace to those that are in darkness and thy converting grace to those that are in sin look with thy tenderest compassions upon the Universal Church O be favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem unite all those that profess thy Name to thee by Purity and Holiness and to each other by Brotherly love Have mercy on this desolate Church and sinful Nation thou hast moved the Land and divided it heal the sores thereof for it shaketh make us so truly to repent
a liberal portion of them The sins of this day thou hast not repayed as justly thou might'st by sweeping me away with a swift destruction but hast spared and preserved me according to the greatness of thy mercy Here mention the particular mercies of that day What shall I render unto the Lord for all these benefits he hath done unto me Lord let this goodness of thine lead me to repentance and grant that I may not only offer thee thanks and praise but may also order my conversation aright that so I may at the last see the salvation of God through Jesus Christ. Here use the Prayer for Grace and that of Intercession appointed for the Morning For PRESERVATION OBlessed Lord the Keeper of Israel that neither slumbrest nor sleepest be pleased in thy mercy to watch over me this night keep me by thy grace from all works of darkness and defend me by thy power from all dangers grant me moderate and refreshing sleep such as may fit me for the duties of the day following And Lord make me ever mindful of that time when I shall lie down in the dust and because I know neither the day nor the houre of my Masters coming grant me grace that I may be always ready that I may never live in such a state as I shall fear to die in but that whether I live I may live unto the Lord or whether I die I may die unto the Lord so that living and dying I may be thine through Jesus Christ. Use the same concluding prayer as in the Morning As thou art putting off thy clothes think with thy self that the time approaches that thou must put off thy body also and then thy Soul must appear naked before Gods judgment Seat and therefore thou hadst need be careful to make it so clean and pure by repentance and holiness that he who will not look on iniquity may graciously behold and accept it Let thy Bed put thee in mind of thy Grave and when thou lyest down say O Blessed Saviour who by thy precious death burial didst take away the sting of death and power of the grave grant me the joyful fruits of that thy victory and be thou to me in life and death advantage I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Into thy hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed it O Lord thou God of truth IN the ANTIENT CHURCH there were besides morning and night four other times every day which were called HOURS OF PRAYER and the zeal of those first Christians was such as made them constantly observed It would be thought too great a strictness now in this lukewarm age to enjoyn the like frequency yet I cannot but mention the example and say that for those who are not by very necessary business prevented it will be but reasonable to imitate it and make up in publick and private those FOUR TIMES of PRAYER besides the OFFICES already set down for MORNING and NIGHT and that none may be to seek how to exercise their devotions at these times I have added divers COLLECTS for several Graces whereof every man may use at each such time of prayer so many as his zeal and leisure shall point out to him adding if he please one of the confessions appointed for morning or night and never omitting the LORDS PRAYER But if any mars state of life be really so busie as will not allow him time for so long and solemn devotions yet certainly there is no man so overlayed with business but that he may sinde leisure oftentimes in a day to say the LORDS PRAYER alone and therefore let him use that if he cannot more But because it is the Character of a Christian Phil. 3. 20. That he hath his conversation in heaven it is very fit that besides these set times of Prayer he should divers times in a day by short and sudden EJACULATIONS dart up his soul thither And for this sort of devotion no man can want leisure for it may be performed in the midst of business the Artisicer at his work the Husbandman at his Plough may practice it Now as he cannot want time so that he may not want matter for it I have thought it not unuseful out of that rich store-house the BOOK of PSALMS to furnish him with some texts which may very fitly be used for this purpose which being learned by heart will always be ready at hand to imploy his devotion and the matter of them being various some for Pardon of sin some for Grace some for the light of Gods countenance some for the Church some for Thanksgiving c. every man may fit himself according to the present need and temper of his soul. I have given these not as a full collection but only as a taste by which the Readers appetite may be raised to search after more in that Book and other parts of holy Scripture COLLECTS for several GRACES For FAITH O Blessed Lord whom without Faith it is impossible to please let thy spirit I beseech thee work in me such a Faith as may be acceptable in thy â—ight even such as worketh by love O let me not rest in a dead ineffectual Faith but grant that it may be such as may shew it self by my works that it may be that victorious Faith which may enable me to overcome the world and conform me to the Image of that Christ on whom I believe that so at the last I may receive the end of my Faith even the salvation of my soul by the same Jesus Christ. For HOPE O Lord who art the hope of all the ends of the earth let me never be destitute of a well grounded hope nor yet possest with a vain presumption suffer me not to think thou wilt either be reconciled to my sins or reject my repentance but give me I beseech thee such a hope as may be answerable to the only ground of hope thy promises and such as may both incourage and enable me to purifie my self from all filthiness both of flesh and Spirit that so it may indeed become to me an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast entring even within the vail whither the forerunner is for me entred even Jesus Christ my High Priest and blessed Redeemer For THE LOVE of GOD. O Holy and gracious Lord who art infinitely excellent in thy self and infinitely bountiâ—ul and compassionate towards me I beseech thee suffer not my heart to be so hardned through the deceitfulness of sin as to resist such charms of love but let them make deep and lasting impressions on my soul. Lord thou art pleased to require my heart and thou only hast right to it O let me not be so sacrilegiously unjust as to alienate any part of it but enable me to render it up whole and entire to thee But O my God thou seest it is already usurped the world with its
cares of this life taking thought what I shall eat or drink or wherewithal I shall be clothed but grant that having by honest labour and industry done my part I may cheerfully commit my self to thy providence casting all my care upon thee and being careful for nothing but to be of the number of those whom thou ownest and carest for even such as keep thy Testimonies and think upon thy Commandments to do them That seeking first thy Kingdom and the righteousness thereof all these outward things may be added unto me in such a measure as thy wisdom knowes best for me grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ his sake For THANKFULNES O Most Gracious and Bountiful Lord who fillest all things living with good and expectest no other return but praise and thanksgiving let me O Lord never defraud thee of that so easie tribute but let my heart be ever filled with the sense and my mouth with the acknowledgement of thy mercies It is a joyful and a pleasant thing to be thankful O suffer me not I beseech thee to loose my part in that Divine pleasure but grant that as I dayly receive blessings from thee so I may dayly from an affectionate and devout heart offer up thanks to thee and grant that not only my lips but my life may shew forth thy praise by consecrating my self to thy service and walking in Holiness and Righteousness before thee all the days of my life through Jesus Christ my Lord and blessed Saviour For CONTRITION O Holy Lord who art a merciful embracer of true penitents but yet a consuming fire towards obstinate sinners how shall I approach thee who have so many provoking sins to inflame thy wrath and so little sincere repentance to incline thy mercy O be thou pleased to soften and melt this hard obdurate heart of mine that I may heartily bewail the iniquities of my life strike this rock O Lord that the waters may flow out even floods of tears to wash my polluted conscience my drowzy Soul hath too long slept securely in sin Lord awake it though it be with thunder and let me rather â—â—â—â— thy terrors then not feel my sin Thou sentest thy blessed Son to heal the broken hearted but Lord what will that avail me if my heart be whole O break it that it may be capable of his healing virtue and grant I beseech thee that having once tasted the bitterness of sin I may flie from it as from the face of a Serpent and bring forth fruits of repentance in amendment of life to the praise and glory of thy grace in Jesus Christ our blessed Redeemer For MEEKNES O Blessed Jesu who wast led as a sheep to the slaughter let I beseech thee that admirable example of Meekness quench in me all sparks of anger and revenge and work in me such a gentleness and calmness of Spirit as no provocations may ever be able to disturb Lord grant I may be so far from offering the least injury that I may never return the greatest any otherwise then with prayers and kindness that I who have so many talents to be forgiven by thee may never exact pence of my brethren but that putting on bowels of mercy meekness long-suffering thy peace may rule in my heart and make it an acceptable habitation to thee who art the Prince of peace to whom with the Father and holy Spirit be all honour and glory for ever For CHASTITY O Holy and Immaculate Jesus whose first descent was into the Virgins womb and who dost still love to inhabit only in pure and virgin hearts I beseech thee send thy Spirit of purity to cleanse me from all filthiness both of flesh and spirit my body O Lord is the Temple of the Holy Ghost O let me never pollute that Temple with any uncleanness And because out of the heart proceed the things that defile the man Lord grant me to keep my heart with all diligence that no impure or foul thoughts be harboured there but enable me I beseech thee to keep both body and soul pure and undefiled that so I may glorifie thee here both in my body and spirit and be glorified in both with thee hereafter For TEMPERANCE O Gracious Lord who hast in thy bounty to mankind afforded us the use of thy good creatures for our corporal refreshment grant that I may always use this liberty with thankfulness and moderation O let me never be so enslaved to that brutish pleasure of taste that my Table become a snare to me but give me I beseech thee a perfect abhorrence of all degrees of excess and let me eat and drink only for those ends and according to those measures which thou hast assigned me for health and not for luxury And Lord grant that my pursuits may be not after the meat that perisheth but after that which endureth to everlasting life that hungring and thirsting after righteousness I may be filled with thy grace here and thy glory hereafter through Jesus Christ. For CONTENTEDNES O Merciful God thy wisdom is infinite to choose thy love forward to dispence good things to us O let me always fully and intirely resign my self to thy disposals have no desires of mine own but a perfect satisfaction in thy choices for me that so in whatsoever estate I am I may be therein content Lord grant I may never look with murmuring on my own condition nor with envy on other mens And to that end I beseech thee purge my heart of all covetous affections O let me never yield up any corner of my Soul to Mammon but give me such a contempt of these fading riches that whether they increase or decrease I may never set my heart upon them but that all my care may be to be rich towards God to lay up my treasure in heaven that I may so set my affections on things above that when Christ who is my life shall appear I may also appear with him in glory Grant this O Lord for the merits of the same Jesus Christ. For DILIGENCE O Lord who hast in thy wisdom ordained that man should be born to labour suffer me not to resist that design of thine by giving my self up to sloth and idleness but grant I may so imploy my time and all other talents thou hast intrusted me with that I may not fall under the sentence of the slothful and wicked servant Lord if it be thy will make me some way useful to others that I may not live an unprofitable part of mankind but however O Lord let me not be useless to my self but grant I may give all diligence to make my calling and election sure My soul is beset with many and vigilant adversaries O let me not fold my hands to sleep in the midst of so great dangers but watch and pray that I enter not into temptation enduring hardness as a good souldier of Jesus Christ till at the last from this state of warfare thou translate me to the
hear me and grant I may now approach thee with such humility and contrition love devotion that thou mayest vouch safe to come unto me abide with me communicating to me thy self all the merits of thy Passion And then O Lord let no accusations of Satan or my own conscience amaze or distract me but having peace with thee let me also have peace in my self that this Wine may make glad this Bread of life may strengthen my heart enable me chearfully to run the way of thy Commandments Grant this merciful Saviour for thine own bowels compassions sake EJACULATIONS to be used at the LORDS TABLE LORD I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof I have sinned What shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Here recollect some of thy greatest sins If thou Lord shouldst be extream to mark what is done amiss O Lord who may abide it But with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous Redemption Behold O Lord thy beloved Son in whom thou art well pleased Hearken to the cry of his blood which speaketh better things then that of Abel By his Agony and bloody Sweat by his Cross and Passion good Lord deliver me O Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world grant me thy Peace O Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world have mercy upon me Immediately before Receiving THOU hast said That he that eateth thy flesh and drinketh thy blood hath eternal life Behold the servant of the Lord be it unto me according to thy word At the Receiving of the Bread BY thy Crucified body deliver me from this body of death At the receiving of the Cup. O LET this blood of thine purge my conscience from dead works to serve the living God Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean O touch me and say I will be thou clean After Receiving WHAT shall I render unto the Lord for all the benefits he hath done unto me I will take the Cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing Therefore blessing honour glory and power be to him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Amen I have sworn and am stedfastly purposed to keep thy righteous judgements O hold thou up my goings in thy paths that my footsteps slip not A Thanksgiving after the Receiving of the Sacrament O Thou fountain of all goodness from whom every good and perfect gift cometh and to whom all honour and glory should be returned I desire with all the most fervent and inflamed affections of a grateful heart to bless and praise thee for those inestimable mercies thou hast vouchsafed me Lord what is man that thou shouldst so regard him as to send thy beloved Son to suffer such bitter things for him But Lord what am I the worst of men that I should have any part in this attonement who have so oft despised him and his sufferings O the height and depth of this mercy of thine that art pleased to admit me to the renewing of that Covenant with thee which I have so often and so perversly broken that I who am not worthy of that dayly bread which sustains the body should be made partaker of this bread of life which nourisheth the soul and that the God of all purity should vouchsafe to unite himself to so polluted a wretch O my God suffer me no more I bâ—seech thee to turn thy grace into wantonness to make thy mercy an occasion of security but let this unspeakable love of thine constrain me to obedience that since my blessed Lord hath died for me I may no longer live unto my self but to him O Lord I know there is no concord between Christ and Belial therefore since he hath now been pleased to enter my heart O let me never permit any lust to chace him thence but let him that hath so dearly bought me still keep possession of me and let nothing ever take me out of his hand To this end be thou graciously pleased to watch over me and defend me from all assaults of my spiritual enemies but especially deliver me from my self from the treachery of my own heart which is too willing to yield it self a prey And where thou seest I am either by nature or custome most weak there do thou I beseech thee magnifie thy power in my preservation Here mention thy most dangerous temptations And Lord let my Saviours sufferings for my sins and the Vows I have now made against them never depart from my minde but let the remembrance of the one enable me to perform the other that I may never make truce with those lusts which nailed his hands pierced his side and made his soul heavy to the death But that having now anew listed my self under his banner I may fight manfully and follow the Captain of my Salvation even through a sea of blood Lord lift up my hands that hang down and my feeble knees that I faint not in this warfare O be thou my strength who am not able of my self to struggle with the slightest temptations How often have I turned my back in the day of battel How many of these Sacramental vows have I violated And Lord I have still the same unconstant deceitful heart to betray me to the breach of this O thou who art Yea and Amen in whom there is no shadow of change communicate to me I beseech thee such a stability of minde that I may no more thus start aside like a broken bow but that having my heart whole with thee I may continue stedfast in thy Covenant that not one good purpose which thy Spirit hath raised in me this day may vanish as so many have formerly done but that they may bring forth fruit unto life eternal Grant this O merciful father through the merits and mediation of my Cruâ—ified Saviour A Prayer of Intercession to be used either before or after the receiving of the Sacrament O MOST gracious Lord who so tenderly lovedst mankind as to give thy dear Son out of thy Bosome to be a propitiation for the sins of the whole word grant that the effect of this Redemption may be as universal as the design of it that it may be to the salvation of all O let no person by impenitence and wilful sin forfeit his part in it but by the power of thy grace bring all even the most obstinate sinners to repentance Inlighten all that sit in darkness all Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks take from them all blindness hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and so fetch them home blessed Lord unto thy fold that they may be saved among the number of the true Israelites And for all those upon whom the Name of thy Son is called grant O Lord that their conversations may
thy blessed will be done I cast my self O Lord at thy feet do with me what thou pleasest Try me as silver is tried so thou bring me out purified And Lord make even my flesh also to subscribe to this resignation that there may be nothing in me that may rebel against thy hand but that having perfectly supprest all repining thoughts I may cheerfully drink of this cup. And how bitter soever thou shalt please to make it Lord let it prove medicinal and cure all the diseases of my soul that it may bring forth in me the peaceable fruit of righteousness That so these light afflictions which are but for a moment may work for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory through Jesus Christ. A Thanks giving for Deliverance O BLESSED Lord who art gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and repentest thee of the evil I thankfully acknowledge before thee that thou hast not dealt with me after my sins nor rewarded me according to my iniquities My rebellions O Lord deserve to be scourged with Scorpions and thou hast corrected them only with a gentle and fatherly Rod neither hast thou suffered me to lie long under that but hast given me a timely and a grcaious issue out of my late distresses O Lord I will be glad and rejoyce in thy mercy for thou hast considered my trouble and hast known my soul in adversity Thou hast smitten and thou hast healed me O let these various methods of thine have their proper effects upon my soul that I who have felt the smart of thy chastisements may stand in awe and not sin and that I who have likewise felt the sweet refreshings of thy mercy may have my heart ravished with it and knit to thee in the firmest bands of love and that by both I may be preserved in a constant entire obedience to thee all my days through Jesus Christ. Directions for the time of Sickness WHEN thou findest thy self visited with Sickness thou art immediately to remember that it is God which with rebukes doth chasten man for sin And therefore let thy first care be to find out what it is that provokes him to smite thee and to that purpose Examine thine own heart search diligently what guilts lie there confess them humbly and penitently to God and for the greater security renew thy Repentance for all the old sins of thy former life beg most earnestly and importunately his mercy and pardon in Christ Jesus and put on sincere and zealous resolutions of forsaking every evil way for the rest of that time which God shall spare thee And that thy own heart deceive thee not in this so weighty a business it will be wisdome to send for some godly Divine not only to assist thee with his prayers but with his counsel also And to that purpose open thy heart so freely to him that he may be able to judge whether thy Repentance be such as may give thee confidence to appear before Gods dreadful Tribunal and that if it be not he may help thee what he can towards the making it so And when thou hast thus provided for thy better part thy Soul then consider thy Body also and as the Wise man saith Eccluâ— 38. 12. Give place to the Physician for the Lord hath created him Use such means as may be most likely to recover thy health but always remember that the success of them must come from God and beware of Asa's sin who sought to the Physicians and not to the Lord 2 Chro. 6. 12. Dispose also betimes of thy temporal affairs by making thy Will and setting all things in such order as thou meanest finally to leave them in and defer it not till thy sickness grow more violent for then perhaps thou shalt not have such use of thy Reason as may fit thee for it or if thou have it will be then much more seasonable to imploy thy thoughts on higher things on the world thou art going to rather then that thou art about to leave we cannot carry the things of this world with us when we go hence and it is not fit we should carry the thoughts of them Therefore let those be early dispatched that they may not disturb thee at last A Prayer for a sick Person O MERCIFUL and Righteous Lord the God of health and of sickness of life and of death I most unfeignedly acknowledg that my great abuse of those many days of strength and welfare which thou hast afforded me hath most justly deserved thy present visitation I desire O Lord humbly to accept of this punishment of mine iniquity and to bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him And O thou merciful Father who designest not the ruine but the amendment of those whom thou scourgest I beseech thee by thy grace so to sanctifie this correction of thine to me that this sickness of my body may be a means of health to my soul make me diligent to search my heart and do thou O Lord enable me to discover every accursed thing how closely soever concealed there that by the removal thereof I may make way for the removal of this punishment Heal my soul O Lord which hath sinned against thee and then if it be thy blessed will heal my body also restore the voice of joy health unto my dwelling that I may live to praise thee and to bring forth fruits of repentance But if in thy wisdom thou hast otherwise disposed if thou have determined that this sickness shall be unto death I beseech thee to fit prepare me for it give me that sincere and earnest repentance to which thou hast promised mercy and pardon wean my heart from the world and all its fading vanities and make me to gasp and pant after those more excellent and durable joys which are at thy right hand for ever Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me and in all the pains of my body in all the agonies of my spirit let thy comforts refresh my soul and enable me patiently to wait till my change come And grant O Lord that when my earthly house of this Tabernacle is dissolved I may have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens And that for his sake who by his precious blood hath purchased it for me even Jesus Christ. A THANKSGIVING for RECOVERY O GRACIOUS Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh in whose hand my time is I praise and magnifie thee that thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption and restored me to health again it is thou alone O Lord that hast preserved my life from destruction thou hast chastned and corrected me but thou hast not given me over unto death O let this life which thou hast thus graciously spared be wholy consecrated to thee Behold O Lord I am by thy mercy made whole O make me strictly careful
to sin no more least a worse thing come unto me Lord let not this reprieve thou hast now given me make me secure as thinking that my Lord delayeth his coming but grant me I beseech thee to make a right use of this long suffering of thine and so to imploy every minute of that time thou shalt allow me that when thou shalt appear I may have confidence and not be ashamed before thee at thy coming Lord I have found by this approach towards death how dreadful a thing it is to be taken unprepared O let it be a perpetual admonition to me to watch for my Masters Coming And when the pleasures of sin shall present themselves to entice me O make me to remember how bitter they will be at the last O Lord hear me and as thou hast in much mercy afforded me time so grant me also grace to work out my own salvation to provide oil in my lamp that when the Bridegroom cometh I may go in with him to the marriage Grant this I beseech thee for thy dear Sons sake A Prayer at the approach of Death O ETERNAL and everliving God who first breathedst into man the breath of life and when thou takest away that breath he dies and is turned again to his dust look with compassion on me thy poor creature who am now drawing near the gates of death and which is infinitely more terrible the bar of Judgement Lord my own heart condemns me and thou art infinitely greater then my heart and knowest all things The sins I know and remember fill me with horrour but there are also multitudes of others which I either observed not at the time or have since carelesly forgot which are all present to thee Thou settest my misdeeds before thee and my secret sins in the light of thy countenance and to what a mountainous heap must the minutely provocations of so many years arise How shall one so ungodly stand in thy Judgement or such a sinner in the Congregation of the Righteous And to adde yet more to my terrour my very repentance I fear will not abide the trial my frequent relapses heretofore have sufficiently witnessed the unsincerity of my past resolutions And then O Lord what can secure me that my present dislikes of my sins are not rather the effects of my amazing danger then of any real change And O Lord I know thou art not mocked nor wilt accept of any thing that is not perfectly sincere O Lord when I consider this fearfulness and trembling comes upon me and an horrible dread overwhelmeth me my flesh trembleth for fear of thee and my heart is wounded within me But O Lord one deep calleth upon another the depth of my misery upon the depth of thy mercy Lord save now or I perish eternally O thou who willest not that any should perish but that all should come to repentance bring me I beseech thee though thus late to a sincere Repentance such as thou wilt accept who triest the heart Create in me O God a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me Lord one day is with thee as a thousand years O let thy mighty Spirit work in me now in this my last day whatsoever thou seest wanting to fit me for thy mercy and acceptation Give me a perfect and entire hatred of my sins and enable me to present thee with that sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart which thou hast promised not to despise that by this I may be made capable of that attonement which thy dear Son hath by the more excellent oblation of himself made for all repenting sinners He is the propitiation for our sins he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was on him O heal me by his stripes and let the cry of his blood drown the clamour of my sins I am indeed a childe of wrath but he is the Son of thy loue for his sake spare me O Lord spare thy creature whom he hath redeemed with his most precious blood and be not angry with me for ever In his wounds O Lord I take Sanctuary O let not thy vengeance pursue me to this city of refuge my Soul hangeth upon him O let me not perish with a Jesus with a Saviour in my arms But by his Agony and bloody Sweat by his Cross and Passion by all that he did and suffered for sinners good Lord deliver me deliver me I beseech thee from the wages of my sins thy wrath and everlasting damnation in this time of my tribulation in the hour of death and in the day of Judgement Hear me O Lord hear me and do not now repay my former neglects of thy calls by refusing to answer me in this time of my greatest need Lord there is but a step between me and death O let not my sun go down upon thy wrath but seal my pard on before I go hence and be no more seen Thy loving kindness is better then the life it self O let me have that in exchange and I shall most gladly lay down this mortal life Lord thou knowest all my desire and my groaning is not hid from thee deal thou with me O Lord according to thy Name for sweet is thy mercy take away the sting of death the guilt of my sins and then though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil I will lay me down in peace and Lord when I awake up let me be satisfied with thy presence in thy glory Grant this merciful God for his sake who is both the Redeemer and Mediator of sinners even Jesus Christ. PSALMS PUT me not to rebuke O Lord in thine anger neither chasten me in thy heavy displeasure There is no health in my flesh because of thy displeasure neither is there any rest in my bones by reason of my sins For my wickednesses are gone over my head and are a sore burden too heavy for me to bear My wounds stink and are corrupt through my foolishness Therefore is my spirit vexed within me and my heart within me is desolate My sins have taken such hold upon me that I am not able to look up yea they are more in number then the hairs of my head and my heart hath failed me But thou O Lord God art full of compassion and mercy long-suffering plenteous in goodness and truth Turn thee unto me and have mercy upon me for I am desolate and in misery If thou Lord shouldst be extream to mark what is done amiss O Lord who may abide it O remember not the sins and offences of my youth but according to thy mercy think thou upon me for thy goodness Look upon my adversity and misery and forgive me all my sin Hide not thy face from thy servant for I am in trouble O haste thee and hear me Out of the deep do I call unto thee Lord hear my voice Turn thee O Lord and deliver my
Assertory Oathes Promissory Vnlawful Oaths God greatly dishonoured by Perjury The punishments of it Vain Oaths The sin of them They lead to Perjury No temptation to them Necessity of abstaining from them Means for it Sense of the guilt and danger Truth in speaking Forsaking the occasioâ— Reverence of God â—atchfulâ—â—ss Prayer What it is to honâ—r Gods Name WORSHIP Prayer its parts Confession Petitions For our Souls Bodies Deprecation Of Sin Of Punishment Intercession Thanksgiving Spiritual Mercies Temporal Publick prayer in the Church In the Family Private Prayer Frequency in Prayer The advantages of Prayer Honour Benefit Pleasantness Carnality one reason of its seeming otherwise Want of use another To ask nothing unlawful To ask in Faith In humility With attention Helps against wandring Consideration of Gods Majesty Our needs Prayer for Gods aid Watchfulness With Zeal With purity To right ends Bodily Worship REPENTANCE A turning from sin to God Times for this Duty Daily At set times In the time of affliction At death The danger of deferring it till then The disadvantages of a death bed repentance The custom of sin Bodily pains Danger of unsincerity Fasting Fasting a revenge upon ourselvs Such revenges acceptable with God Yet no satisfaction for sins Times of fasting Second Branch of our Duty to God Inward Idolatry Duty to our SELVES Humility The great sin of Pride The danger Drawing into other sins Frustrating of remedies Betraying to punishment The Folly In respect of the goods of Nature The goods â—â— Fortune The goods of grace Means of Humility Vain glory The sin The danger The Folly Helps against vain-glory MEEKNES Advantages fit Means of obtaining it CONSIDERATION Of our State The Rule by which to try our State The danger of Inconsideration Our Actions Before we do them After they are done â—requency of â—onsideraâ—â—â—n Danger of omitting it CONTENTEDNES â—ontrary to â—â—rmuring To Ambition To Covetousness Covetousness contrary to our duty to God To our Selves To our neighbours Contentedness contrary to envy Helps to conâ—edness DILIGENCE Watchfulness against sin Industry in improving gifts Of Nature Of Grace To improve good motions The danger of the contrary CHASTITY Uncleanness forbidden in the very lowest degrees The mischiefs of it To the Soul To the Body The Judgements of God a gainst it It shuts out from Heavâ— Helps to Chastity TEMPERANCE In Eating Ends of eating Preserving of life Of Health Rules of Temperance in Eating Means of it Temperance in Drinking False ends of drinking Good Fellowship Preserving of kindness Chearing the spirits Putting away cares Preventing reproach Pleasure of the drink Bargaining Degrees of this sin The great guilt of the strong drinkers The great mischiefs of this sin Exhortation to forsake it The difficulties of doing â—o considered Seeming â—â—â—essity of drink Want of imployment Perswasions and reproaches of men The means of resisting them Weigh the advantages with the hurt Reject the temptation at the very beginning The security of doing so The esficacy of these means if not hindred by love of the sin That love makes men loth to believe it dangerous Sleep The rule of Temperance therein The many Sins that follow the transgression of it Other mischiefs of sloth Temperance in Recreation Cautions to be observed in them Unlue End of Sports Temperance in Apparel Apparel designed for covering of shame Fencing from cold Distinction of persons Too much sparing a â—ault as well as excess DUTY to our NEIGHBOUR JUSTICE Negative To the Soul In the natural sence In the spiritual Drawing to in the greatest injury Direct means of it Indirect Men sadly to consider whom they have thus injured Heartily to bewail it Endeavour to repair it Negative justice to the body In respect of the life Several wayes of being guilty of murder The hainousness of the sin The great punishments attending it The strange discoveries of it We must watch diligently against all approaches of this sin Maiming a great injury That which every man dreads for himself Yet worse if the man be poor Necessity of making what satisfaction we can Wounds and stripes injuries also This cruelty to others the effect of pride His Possession His Wife The enticing a mans wife the greatest injustice To the woman To the man The most irreparable His goods Malicious injustice Covetous injustice Oppression Gods vengeance against it Theft Not paying what we borrow What we are bound for What we have promised Stealing the goods of our neighbour Deceit In Trust. In Traffick The sellers concealing the faults of his ware His over-rating it Fraud in the Buyer Many temptations to deceit in Traffick The commonness of injustice a reproach to Christianity It is not the way to enrich a man It ruines the Soul eternally The necessity of Restitution His credit False witnes Publick slanders Whispering Several steps toward this sin Despising and scoffing For infirmities For calamities For sins Destroying the credit a great injury And irrepairable Yet every guilty person must do all he can to repair the injury Justice in the thoughts Positive Justice Speaking Truth a due to all men Lying expresly forbidden in Scripture The great commonness and folly of this sin Courteous behaviour a due to all men Not payed by the proud man Meekness a due to all men Brauling very insufferable It leads to that great sin of cursing Particular dues A respect due to men of extraordinary gifts We are not to envy them Nor detract from them The folly of both those sins A respect due to men in regard of their ranks and qualities Dues to those that are in any sort of want To the poor God withdraws those abilities which are not thus imployed Duties inspect of relation Gratitude to Benefactors The contrary too common Duty to Parents Duties to the Supream Magistrate Honour Tribute Prayers for them Obedience Duties to our Pastors Love Esteem Maintenance Obedience Prayers for them Duties to our natural Parents Reverence Love Obedience Especially in their Marriage Ministring to their wants Duty to be paid even to the worst of Parents Duty of Parents to Children To nourish them Bring them to Baptism Educate them Means towards the education of children The parent to watch over their souls even when they are grown up To provide for their subsistence To give them good example To bless them To give no unreasonable commands Dues to Brethren Natural The necessity of Love among Brethren Spiritual brotherhood Our duty to hold communion with these brethren To bear with their infirmities To restore them after falls To sympathize with them The wife owes to the husband obedience Fideâ—ty Love The faults of the husband acquits not from these duties The Husband owes â—o the Wife love Faithfulness Maintenance Instruction Husbands and Wives mutually to pray for and â—ssist each â—ther in all good The vertue of the person the chief consideration in Marriage Unlawful Marriages Friendship Its duties Faithfulness Assistance Admonition Prayer Constancy Servants owe to their Masters obedience Fidelity Submission to rebuke Diligence Masters owe to their Servants Justice Admonition Good example Means of Instruction Moderation in Command Encouragement in well doing Charity In the Affections To mens Souls To their Bodies Goods and Credit Effects of this Charity It casts ouâ— Envy Pride ensoriousss Dissembling Self-seeking Revenge This charity io be extended even to enemies Motives thereunto Command of Christ. Example of God The disproportion between our ofâ—ences against God and mens against us Pleasantness of this Duty â—f we forâ—ive not â—od will â—ot forgive â—s Gratitude â—o God â—e first â—ng of â—ncour to supprest Charity in the Actions Towards the mind of our Neighbour His Soul Charity in respect of the Body Charity in respect of the Goods Towards the rich Towards the Poor Motives of Alms giving Manner of Alms-giving Cheerfully The fear of â—mpoverish â—ng our â—lves by it â—ain and â—pious Give seasonably Prudently Charity in respect of the Credit The acts of Charity in some respects acts of Justice also The great rule of Charity Peace making He that undertake it must be peaceable himself Of going to Law This charity of the actions must reach to enemies Self-love an hindrance to this Charity Prayer â— means to procure it Christian duties both possible and pleasant Even when they expose us to outward sufferings The danger of delaying our turning to God Sunday I. Sunday II. Sunday III. Sunday IV. Sunday V. Sunday VI. Sunday VII â—unday VIII â—unday IX â—unday X. Sunday XI Sunday XII Sunday XIII Sunday XIV Sunday XV. Sunday XVI Sunday XVII