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 mans state of life be really so busy 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 find 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 Charracter 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 Eâ—â—Câ—LATIONS 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 Artificer at his work the husband man 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 alwayes 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 a cordâ—nâ— to the tresent need and temper of his soul. I have given these not as a full collection but only as a taste by which the Readers appetiâ—e 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 sight 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 Jmage of that Christ on whom I beleeve 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 onely 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 entering even within the vail whither the forerunner is for me entered 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 bountiful and compassionate towards me I beseech thee suffer not my heart to be so hardned through the deceitfulness of sin as to resist such charmes of love but let them make deep and lasting impressions on my soul. Lord thou art pleased to require my heart and thou onely 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 vanities hath seized it and like a strong man armed keeps possession O thou who art stronger come upon him and take this unworthy heart of mine as thine own spoil refine it with that purifying fire of thy love that it may be a fit habitation for thy Spirit Lord if thou see it fit be pleased to let me taste of those joyes those ravishments of thy love wherewith thy Saints have bin so transported But if in this I know not what I ask if I may not chuse my place in thy Kingdome yet O Lord deny me not to drink of thy cup let me have such a sincerity and degree of love as may make me endure any thing for thy sake such a perfect love as may cast out all fear and all sloth too that nothing may seem to me too grievous to suffer or too difficult to do in obedience to thee that so expressing my love by keeping thy Commandments I may by thy mercy at last obtain that Crown of life which thou hast promised to those that love thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. For SINCERITY O Holy Lord who requirest truth in the inward parts I humbly beseech thee to purge me from all hypocrisy and unsincerity The heart O Lord is deceitful above all things and my heart is deceitful above all hearts O thou who searchest the heart and reins try me and seek the ground of my heart and suffer not any accursed thing to lurk within me but purify me even with fire so thou consume my dross O Lord I cannot deceive thee but I may most easily deceive my self I beseech thee let me not rest in any such deceit but bring me to a sight and hatred of my most hidden corruptions that I may not cherish any one darling lust but make an utter destruction of every Amalekite O suffer me not to speak peace to my self when there is no peace but grant I may judge of my self as thou judgest of me that I may never be at peace with my self till I am at perfect peace with thee and by purity of heart be qualified to see thee in thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ. For DEVOTION in PRAYER O Gracious Lord God who not onely permittest but invitest us miserable and needy creatures to present our petition to thee grant I beseech thee that the frequency of my prayer may be somewhat proportionable to those continual needs I have of thy mercy Lord I confess it is the greatest honour and the greatest advantage thus to be allowed access to thee yet so sottish and stupid is my profane heart that it shuns or frustrates the opportunities of it My Soul O Lord is possest with a spirit of infirmity it is bowed together and can in no wise lift up it self to thee O be thou pleased to cure this sad this miserable disease to inspirit and inliven this earthy drossy heart that it may freely mount towards thee that I may set a true value on this most valuable priviledge and take delight in approaching to thee and that my approaches may be with a reverence some way answerable to that awful Majesty
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 precious 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 beginning 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 't 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 practice 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 Mat. 7. 5. and therefore be sure thou qualify thy self for thy 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 thingk it nothin to go to Law about every pity 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 mattets 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 and most agreeably to the advice of the Apostle 1 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 thâ—s 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 thâ—s who make it their pleasure themselves to disquiâ—t their Neighbour or their Trade to stir up others to do it This tender regard of Peace both in our selves and others is absolutely necessary to be entertained of all those who own themselves for servants of him whose title it is to be the Prince of Peace Isa. 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 onely 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 here 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 kind 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 â—ay 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 Mat 5. 44. Let us therefore resolve that all acts of reall kindness are to be performed to our enemies for which we have not onely the command but also the example of Christ who had not only some inward relentings toward 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 blood And surely we can never pretend to be either obeyers of his Command or followers of his example if we grudge to testify our love 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 a manner as might draw them from their enmity 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 fiâ—e on their headâ— not coals to burn but to melt them into all love and tenderness towards us and this were indeed the most complete 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-love I mean not that true love of our selves which is the love and cure 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 find this sin of
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 O 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 mayest 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 purify 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 dayes that behaving my self as a good and faithful servant I may by thy mercy at 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 to do according to thy good pleasure inlighten my mind 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 alwayes 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 in joyments 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 royall Law of thine of loving him as my self grant me exactly to perform all parts of justice yeâ—lding to all whatsoever by any kind of right becomes their due and give me such bowels of mercy compassion that I may never fail to do al 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 blamelesse 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 O Blessed 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 effectual 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 wals 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 of those sins which have provoked thy Judgments that thou also mayest turn and repent and leave a blessing behind thee Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours whether in Church or State so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands that they may neither want will nor power to punish wickedness and vice and to maintain Gods true Religion and Vertue Have pity O Lord on all that are in affliction Be a Father to the fatherless and plead the cause of the widow comfort the feeble minded support the weak heal the sick releeve the needy defend the oppressed and administer to every one according to their several necessities let thy blessings rest upon all that are near and dear to me and grant them whatsoever thou seest necessary either to their bodies or their Souls Here name thy neerest Relations Reward all those that have done me good and pardon all those that have done or wisht me evil and work in them and me all that good which may make us acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ. For PRESERVATION O Merciful God by whose bounty alone it is that I have this Day added to my life I beseech thee so to guide me in it by thy grace that I may do nothing which may dishonour thee or wound my own Soul but that I may diligently apply my self to do all such good works as thou hast prepared for me to walk in and Lord I beseech thee give thy Angels charge over me to keep me in all my wayes that no evil happen unto me nor any plague come nigh my dwelling but that I and mine may be safe under thy gracious protection through Jesus Christ. O Lord pardon the wandrings and coldness of these petitions and deal with me not according either to my prayers or deserts but according to my needs and thine own rich mercies in Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words I conclude these my imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. DIRECTIONS for NIGHT. AT NIGHT when it drawes towards the time of rest bethink thy self how thou hast passed the day examine thine own heart what sin either of Thought Word or Deed thou hast committed what opportunity of doing good thou hast omitted and whatsoever thou findest to accuse thy self of confess humbly and penitently to God renew thy purposes and resolutions of amendment and beg his pardon in Christ and this not slightly and onely as of course but with all devout earnestness and heartiness as thou wouldst do if thou wert sure thy death were as neer approaching as thy sleep which for ought thou knowest may be so indeed and therefore thou shouldest no more venture to sleep unreconciled to God theâ— thou wouldest dare to die so In the next place consider what special and extraordinary mercies thou hast that day received as if thou hast had any great deliverance either in thy inward man from some dangerous temptations or in thy outward from any great and apparent danger and offer to God thy hearty and devout praise for the same Or if nothing extraordinary have so happened and thou hast been kept even from the approach
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 doest still love to inhabite only in pure 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 glorify 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 I may alwayes use this liberty with thankfulness and moderation O let me never be so enslaved to that brutish pleasure of the 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 onely 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 and thy love forward to dispence good things to us O let me alwayes fully and intirely resign my self to thy disposals have no desires of my 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 oâ— 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 DILIGENGE 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 last from this state of warfare thou translate me to the state of triumph and bliss in thy Kingdom through Jesus Christ. For JUSTICE O Thou King of righteousness who hast Commanded us to keep judgement and do Justice be pleased by thy grace to cleanse my heart and hands from all fraud and injustice and give me a perfect integrity and uprightness in all my dealings O make me ever abhor to use my power to oppress or my skill to deceive my brother and grant I most strictly observe that sacred rule of doing as I would be done to that I may not dishonour my Christian profession by an unjust or fraudulent life but in simplicity and godly sincerity have my conversation in this life never seeking to heap up treasures of wickedness but preferring a little with righteousness before great revenues without right Lord make me exactly careful to render to every man what by any sort of obligation becomes his due that I may never break the bond of any of those relations thou hast placed me in but may so behave my self towards all that none may have any evil thing to say of me That so if it be possible I may have peace with all men or however I may by keeping innocency and taking heed to the thing that is right have peace at the last even peace with thee through Jesus Christ our Lord. For CHARITY O Merciful Lord who hast made of one blood and redeemed by one ransome all Nations of men let me never harden my bowels against any that partake of the same nature and redemption with me but grant me an Universal Charity towards all men Give me O thou Father of compassions such a tenderness and meltingness of heart that I may be deeply affected with all the miseries and calamities outward or inward of my brethren and diligently imploy all my abilities for their succour and relief O let not an unchristian self-self-love possess my heart but drive out that accursed spirit and let thy Spirit of love enter and dwell there and make me seek not to please my self but my Neighbour for his good to edification even as Christ pleased not himself Lord make me a faithful steward of all those talents thou hast committed to me for the benefit of others that so when thou shalt call me to give an account of my stewardship I may do it with joy and not with grief grant this merciful Lord I beseech thee for Jesus Christ his sake For PERSEVERANCE O Eternal and unchangeable Lord God who art the same yesterday and to day and for ever Be thou pleased to communicate some small ray of that excellence some degree of that stability to me thy wretched creature who am light and unconstant turned about with every blast my understanding is very deceivable O establish it in thy truth keep it from the snares of seducing spirits that I may not be led away with the errour of the wicked and fall from my own stedfastness my will also O Lord is irresolute and wavering and doth not cleave stedfastly unto God my goodness is but as the morning cloud as the early dew it passeth away O strengthen and confirm
justice have bin ere this sent quick into Hell Nay possibly thou hast before thee many examples of less sinners then thou art who have bin suddenly snatcht away in the midst of their sins And what cause canst thou give why thou hast thus long escaped but only because his eye hath spared thee And what cause of that sparing but his tender compassions towards thee his unwillingness that thou should'st perish This consideration if it be prest home upon thy soul cannot chuse if thy heart be not as hard as the neather Milstone but awake somewhat of love in thee towards this gracious this long-suffering God and that love will certainly make it appear to thee that it is an evil thing and a bitter that thou hast forsaken the Lord Ier. 2. 19. That thou hast made such wretched requitals of so great mercy it will make thee both ashamed and angry at thy self that thou hast bin such an unthankful creature But if the consideration of this one sort of mercy Gods forbearance only be such an engagement and help to this Godly sorrow what will then be the multitude of those other mercies which every man is able to reckon up to himself and therefore let every man be as particular in it as he can call to mind as many of them as he is able that so he may attain to the greater degree of true contrition 9. And to all these endeavours most be added earnest prayers to God that he by his holy spirit would shew you your sins and soften your hearts that you may thorowly bewail and lament them 10. To this must be joyned an humble confession of sins to God and that not only in general but also in particular as far as your memory of them will reach and that with all those heightning circumstances of them which you have by the forementioned examination discovered Yea even secret and forgotten sins must in general be acknowledged for it is certain there are multitudes of such so that it is necessary for every one of us to say with David Psal. 19. 12. Who can understand his errors cleanse thou me from my secret faults When you have thus confest your sins with this hearty sorrow and sincere hatred of them you may then and not before be concluded to feel so much of your disease that it will be seasonable to apply the remedy 11. In the next place therefore you are to look on him whom God hath set forth to be the propitiation of our sins Rom. 3. 25. Even Iesus Christ that Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world Io. 1. 29. And earnestly beg of God that by his most precious blood your sins may be washed away and that God would for his sake be reconciled to you And this you are to believe will surely be done if you do for the rest of your time forsake your sins and give your selves up sincerely to obey God in all his commands But without that it is vain to hope any benefit from Christ or his sufferings And therefore the next part of your preparation must be the setting those resolutiâ—ns of obedience which I told you was the third thing you were to examine your selves of before your approach to the holy Sacrament 12. Concerning the particulars of this resolution I need say no more but that it must answer every part and branch of our duty that is we must not only in general resolve that we will observe Gods Commandments but we must resolve it for every Commandment by it self and especially where we have found our selves most to have failed heretofore there especially to renew our resolutions And herein it neerly concerns us to look that these resolutions be sincere and unfeigned and not only such slight ones as people use 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 intirely hate all sin will resolve to forsake it for you know forsaking naturally followes 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 trie your resolutions thorowly 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 uneasy 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 sins whatever but especially in those whereof you have formerly bin guilty For there it will not be hard for you to find 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 yeild And therefore you must particularly fence you 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 way fit 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
eates 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 mediating on Gods promises to all penitent sinners your love to God by considering his mercies especially those remembred in this 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 pattern of his in a perfect forgiveness of all that have offended us and not only forgiveness but such a kindness 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 unkindness or injury to any person then you are to seek forgiveness from him and to that end first acknowledg your fault and 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 aceptable with God as appears by that precept of Christ Mat. 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 affaires and wholy to set our selves to this business of preparation one very especial part of which preparation lyes in raising up our soules 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 soules 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 whereby we must obtain all those other graces required in our preparation Therefore be sure this be not omitted for if you use never so much endeavour besides and leave out this it is the going to work in your own strength without looking to God for his help and then it is impossible you should prosper in it For we are not able of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. Therefore be instant with him so to assist you with his grace that you may come so fitted to this Holy Table that you may be partakers of the benefits there reached out to all worthy receivers 20. These and all other spiritual graces our Souls must be clothed with when we come to this Feast for this is that wedding garment without which whosoever comes is like to have the entertainment mentioned in the parable of him who came to the marriage without a wedding garment Mat. 22. 13. who was cast into utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of teeth for though it is possible he may sit it out at the present and not be snatcht from the Table yet St. Paul assures him he drinks damnation to himself and howsoever it may fall on him is uncertain But it is sure it will if repentance prevent it not and as sure that when ever it does come it will be intolerable for who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings Isa. 33. 14. 21. I shall add but one thing more concerning the things which are to be done before the Sacrament and that is an advice That if any person upon a serions view of himself cannot satisfy his own Soul of his sincerity and so doubts whether he may come to the Sacrament He do not rest wholly on his own Judgement in the case For if he be a truly humblâ—d Soul it is likely he may judge too hardly of himself if he be not it is odds but if he be left to the satisfying of his own doubts he will quickly bring himself to pass too favourable a sentence Or whether he be the one or the other if he come to the Sacrament in that doubt he certainly plunges himself into further doubts and scruples if not into sin On the other side if he forbear because of it if that fear be a causeless one then he groundlesly absents himself from that Holy Ordinance and so deprives his Soul of the benefits of it Threfore in the midst of so many dangers which attend the mistake of himself I would as I said before exhort him not to trust to his own judgement but to make known his case to some discreet and Godly Minister and rather be guidâ—â— by his who will probably if the case be duely and without any disguise discovered to him be better able to judge of him then he of himself This is the councel the Church gives in the exhortation before the Communion where it is advised that if any by other means therefore mentioned cannot quiet his own conscience but require farther counsel and comfort than let him go to some discreâ—t and learned Minister of Gods Word and open his grief that he
the fountain of happiness and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore Psal. 16. 11. And therefore the nearer we draw to him the happier we must needs be the very joys of heaven arising from our neerness to God Now in this life we have no way of drawing so neer to him as by this of Prayer and therefore surely it is that which in it self is apt to afford abundance of delight and pleasure if it seem otherwise to us it is from some distemper of our own hearts which like a sick palate cannot relish the most pleasant meat Prayer is a pleasant duty but it is withal a spiritual one and therefore if thy heart be carnal if that be set either on the contrary pleasures of the flesh or dross of the world no marvail then if thou taste no pleasantness in it if like the Israelites thou despise Manna whilst thou longest after the flesh pots of Egypt Therefore if thou find a weariness in this duty suspect thy self purge and refine thy heart from the love of all sin and endeavour to put it into a heavenly and spiritual trance and then thou wilt find this no unpleasant exercise but full of delight and satisfaction In the mean time complain not of the hardness of the duty but of the untowardness of thy own heart 18. But there may also be another reason of its seeming unpleasant to us and that iâ— want of use You know there are many things which seem uneasie at the first tryal which yet after we are accustomed to them seem very delightful and if this by thy case then thou knowest a ready cure viz to use it oftner and so this consideration naturally inforces the exhortation of being frequent in this duty 19. But we are not only to consider how often but how well we perform it Now to do it well we are to respect first the matter of our Prayers to look that we ask nothing that is unlawful as revenge upon our enemies or the like secondly the manner and that must be first in faith we must believe that if we ask as we ought God will either give us the thing we ask for or else something which he sees better for us And then secondly in humility we must acknowledg our selves utterly unworthy of any of those good things we beg for and therefore sue for them only for Christs sake thirdly with attention we must mind what we are about and not suffer our selves to be carried away to the thought of other things I told you at the first that Prayer was the business of the soul but if our minds be wandering it is the work only of the tongue and lips which makes it in Gods account no better then vain babbling and so will never bring a blessing on us Nay as Jacob said to his mother Gen. 27. 12. It will be more likely to bring a curse on us then a blessing for it is a profaning one of the most solemn parts of Gods service it is a piece of Hypocrisie the drawing neer to him with our lip when our hearts are far from him and a great slighting and despising that dreadful Majesty we come before And as to our selves it is a most ridiculous folly that we who come to God upon such weighty errands as are all the concernments of our souls and bodies should in the midst forget our business and pursue every the lightest thing that either our own vain fancies or the Divel whose business it is here to hinder us can offer to us It is just as if a malefactor that comes to sue for his life to the King should in the midst of his supplication happen to espie a butterflie and then should leave his suit run a chace after that butterflie Would you not think it pitty a pardon should be cast away upon so wretchless a creature And sure it will be as unreasonable to expect that God should attend grant those suits of ours which we do not at all consider our selves 20. This wandring in Prayer is a thing we are much concerned to arm our selves against it being that to which we are naturally wonderful prone To that end it will be necessary first to possess our hearts at our coming to Prayers with the greatness of that Majesty we are to approach that so we may dread to be vain and trifling in his presence Secondly We are to consider the great concernment of the things we are to ask some whereof are such that if we should not be heard we were of all creatures the most miserable yet this wandring is the way to keep us from being heard Thirdly We are to beg Gods aid in this particular And therefore when thou settest to Prayer let thy first petition be for this grace of attention 21. Lastly Be as watchful as is possible over thy heart in time of prayer to keep out all wandering thoughts or if any have gotten in let them not find entertainment but as soon as ever thou discernest them suffer them not to abide one moment but cast them out with indignation and beg Gods pardon for them And if thou dost thus sincerely and diligently strive against them either God will enable thee in some measure to overcome them or he will in his mercy pardon thee what thou canst not prevent But if it be through thy own negligence thou art to expect neither so long as that negligence continues 22. In the fourth place we must look our Prayers be with zeal and earnestness it is not enough that we so far attend them as barely to know what it is we say but we must put forth all the affection and devotion of our souls and that according to the several parts of Prayer before mentioned It is not the cold faint request that will ever obtain from God We see it will not from our selves for if a beggar should ask relief from us and do it in such a scornful manner that he seemed indifferent whether he had it or no we should think he had either little want or great pride and so have no heart to give him Now surely the things we ask from God are so much above the rule of an ordinary almes that we can never expect they should be given to slight and heartless petitions No more in like manner will our Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving ever be accepted by him if it be not offered from a heart truly affected with the sence of his mercies it 's but a kind of formal complementing which wil never be approved by him who requires the heart and not the lips only And the like may be said of all the other parts of Prayer Therefore be careful when thou drawest nigh to God in Prayer to raise up thy soul to the highest pitch of zeal and earnestness thou art able And because of thy self alone thou art not able to do any
wicked men the shame of the world be so terrible as the just reproof of thine own conscience at the present and that eternal confusion of face that shall befal all those that go on in this sin at the last day Weigh all these I say I need not say in the balance of the Sanctuary but even in the scales of common reason and sure thou wilt be forced to pronounce that the motives to temperance infinitely out-weigh those against it When thou hast thus advisedly judged then fix thy resolution accordingly and when ever any of these temptations come to stagger thee remember thou hast formerly weighed them knowest the just value of them and that they are a most unworthy price for those precious advantages thou must give in exchange for them And therefore hold fast thy resolution and with indignation reject all motions to the contrary 19. But be sure thou thus reject them at their very first tender and do not yield in the least degree For if once thou givest ground thou art lost the sin will by little and little pervail upon thee Thus we see many who have profest to be resolved upon great temperance yet for want of this care have adventured into the company of good fellowes when they have been there they have at the first been over intreated to take a cup after that another till at last they have taken their rounds as freely as any of them and in that floud of drink drowned all their sober resolutions Therefore whoever thou art that dost really desire to forsake the sin take care to avoid the occasions and beginnings of it To wâ—â—ch end it wâ—ll be good openly to declare and own thy purpose of sobriety that so thou mayest discourage men from assaulting thee But if either thou art ashamed to own it or seemest to be so they will quickly make use of that shame to bring thee to break it 20. If thou be thus wary to keep thee from the first beginnings thou art then sure never to be overtaken with this sin For it is like the keeping the out-works of a besieged City which so long as they are stoutly defended there is no danger but if they be either surprized or yielded the City cannot long hold out The advice therefore of the wise man is very agreeable to this matter Eccles. 19. 1. He that despiseth small things shall perish by little and little But because as the Psalmist saith Psa. 127. 1. Except the Lord keep the City the watch-man waketh but in vain therefore to this guard of thy self add thy most earnest prayers to God that he will also watch over thee and by the strength of his grace enable thee to resist all temptations to this sin 21. If thou do in the sincerity of thy hâ—art use these means there is no doubt but thou wilt be able to overcome this vice how long soever thou hast been accustomed to it therefore if thou do still remain under the power of it never excuse thy self by the impossibility of the task but rather accuse the falseness of thy own heart that hath still such a love to this sin that thou wilt not set roundly to the means of subduing it 22. Perhaps the great commonness of the sin and thy particular custome of it may have made it so much thy familiar thy bosome acquaintance that thou art loth to entertaâ—n hard thoughts of it very unwilling thou art to tâ—ink that it means thee any hurt and therefore art aâ—t to speak peace to thy self to hope that either this is no sin or at most but a frailty such as will not bar thee out of Heaven But deceive not thy self for thou mayest as well say there is no Heaven as that drunkenness shall not keep thee thence I am sure the same word of God which tels us there is such a place of happiness tels us also that drunkards are of the number of those that shall not inherit it 1 Cor. 6. 10. and again Gal. 5. 21. Drunkenness is reckoned among those works of the flesh which they that do shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And indeed had not these plain texts yet meer reason would tell us the same That is a place of infinite purity such that flesh and blood till it be refined and purified is not capable of as the Apostle tels us 1 Cor. 15. 53. and if as we are meer men we are too gross and impure for it we must sure be more so when we are changed our selves into swine the foulest of beasts we are then prepared for the devils to enter into as they did into the herd Mark 5. 13. and that not onely some one or two but a Legion a troop and multitude of them And of this we daily see examples for where this sin of drunkenness hath taken possession it usually comes as an harbinger to abundance of others each act of drunkenness prepares a man not onely for another of the same sin but of others lust and rage and all brutish appetites are then let loose and so a man brings himself under that curse which was the sadest David knew how to foretel to any Psa. 69. 28. The falling from one wickedness to another If all this be not enough to affright thee out of this drunken fit thou must still wallow in thy vomit continue in this sottish senseless condition till the flames of Hell rowse thee then thou wilt by sad experience find what now thou wilt not believe that the end of these things as the Apostle sayeth Rom. 6. 21. is Death God in his infinite mercy timely awake the hearts of all that are in this sin that by a timely forsaking it they may flye from that wrath to come I have now done with this second part of temperance concerning drinking PARTITION IX Temperance in SLEEP The rule of it c. Of RECREATION Of APPAREL § 1 THE third part of Temperance concerns sleep And temperance in that also must be measured by the end for which sleep was ordained by God which was onely the refreshing and supporting of our frail bodies which being of such a temper that continual labour and toil tires and wearies them out sleep comes as a Medicine to that weariness as a repairer of that decay that so we may be enabled to such labours as the duties of Religion or works of our calling require of us Sleep was intended to make us more profitable not more idle as we give rest to our beasts not that we are pleased with their doing nothing but that they may do us the better service 2. By this therefore you may judge what is temperate sleeping to wit that which tends to the refreshing and making us more lively and fit for action And to that end a moderate degree serves best It will be impossible to set down just how many hours is that moderate degree because as in eating so in sleep some constiâ—utions
among us there being nothing more common then to see men make large professions to those who as soon as their back are turned they either deride or mischief Fifthly it casts out all mercenariness and self-seeking 't is of so noble and generous a temper that it dispises all projectings for gain or advantage love seeketh not her own 1 Cor. 13. 5. And therefore that huckstering kind of love so much used in the world which places it self only there where it may fetch in benefit is very far from this charity Lastly It turns out of the heart all malice and desire of revenge which is so utterly contrary to it that it is impossible they should both dwell in the same brest 't is the property of love to bear all things 1 Cor. 13. 7. To endure the greatest injuries without thought of making any other return to them then prayers and blessings and therefore the malicious revengeful person is of all others the greatest stranger to this charity 'T is true if this vertue were to be exercised but towards some sort of persons it might consist with malice to others it being possible for a man that bitterly hates one to love another but we are to take notice that this charity must not be so confined but must extend and stretch it self to all men in the world particularly to enemies or else it is not that divine charity commended to us by Christ. The loving of friends and benefactors is so low a pitch that the very Publicans and sinners the worst of men were able to attain to it Mat. 5. 46 And therefore 't is not counted rewardable in a Disciple of Christ No he expects we should soar higher and therefore hath set us this more spiritual and excellent precept of loving of enemies Mat. 5. 44. I say unto you love your enemies bless them that curse you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you and whoever does not thus will never be owned by him for a disciple We are therefore to conclude that all which hath been said concerning this Charity of the affections must be understood to belong as well to our spitefullest enemy as our most obliging friend But because this is a duty to which the froward nature of man is apt to object much 't will not be amiss to insist a little on some considerations which may inforce it on us And first consider what hath been already toucht on that it is the Command of Christ both in the Text above mentioned and multitudes of others there being scarce any precept so often repeated in the New Testament as this of loving and forgiving of enemies Thus Eph. 4. 32. Be ye kind one to another tender hearted forgiving one another and again Col. 3. 13. Forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against any even as Christ forgave you so also do ye So also 1 Pet. 3. 9. Not rendring evil for evil nor railing for railing but contrariwise Blessing A whole volume of Texts might be brought to this purpose but these are certainly enough to convince any man that this is strictly required of us by Christ and indeed I think there are few that ever heard of the Gospel but know it is so The more prodigiously strange is it that men that call themselves Christians should give no degree of obedience to it nay not onely so but even publickly avow and profess the contrary as we daily see they do it being ordinary to have men resolve and declare that they will not forgive such or such a man and no consideration of Christs Command can at all move them from their purpose Certainly these men understand not what is meant by the very word Christian which signifies a Servant and Disciple of Christ and this Charity is the very badg of the one the lesson of the other and therefore 't is the greatest absurdity and contradiction to profess themselves Christians and yet at the same time to resist this so express Command of that Christ whom they own as their Master If I be a Master saith God where is my fear Mal. 1. 6. Obedience and reverence are so much the duties of Servants that no man is thought to look on him as a Master to whom he payes them not Why call ye me Lord Lord and do not the things that I say saith Christ Luk. 6. 46. The whole world is divided into two great Families Christs and Satans aâ—d the obedience each man payes signifies to which of these Masters he belongs if he obey Christ to Christ if Satan to Satan Now this sin of malice and revenge is so much the dictate of that wicked spirit that there is nothing can be a more direct obeying of him 't is the taking his livery on our backs the proclaiming whose servants we are What ridiculous impudence is it then for men that have thus entred themselves of Satans Family to pretend to be the Servants of Christ Let such know assuredly they shall not be owned by him but at the great day of accompt be turned over to their proper Master to receive their wages in fire and brimstone A second consideration is the example of God this is an argument Christ himself thought fit to use to impress this duty on us as you may see Luk 6. 35 36. where after having given the Command of Loving enemies he incourages to the practice of it by telling that it is that which will make us the Children of the Highest that is 't will give us a likeness and resemblance to him as children have to their Parents for he is kind to the unthankful and the evil And to the same purpose you may read Mat. 5. 45. He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust And sure this is a most forcible consideration to excite us to this duty God we know is the fountain of perfection and the being like to him is the summe of all we can wish for and though it was Lucifers fall his ambition to be like the most high yet had the likeness he affected been onely that of Holyness and Goodness he might still have been an Angel of light This desire of imitating our Heavenly Father is the especial mark of a child of his Now this kindness and goodness to enemies is most eminently remarkable in God and that not onely in respect of the temporal mercies which he indifferently bestowes on all his sun and rain on the unjust as in the Text forementioned but chiefly in his spiritual mercies We are all by our wicked works Col. 1. 21. Enemies to him and the mischief of that enmity would have fallen wholly upon our selves God had no motive besides that of his pity to us to wish a reconciliation yet so farr was he from returning our enmity when he might have revenged himself to our eternal ruine
benefits deserve what a shameful unthankfulnesse is it then to deny him so poor a satisfaction as this the forgiving our brethren suppose a man that were ransomed either from death or slavery by the bounty sufferings of another should upon his release be charged by him that so freed him in return of that kindnesse of his to forgive some slight debt which was owing him by some third person would you not think him the unthankfullest wretch in the world that should refuse this to so great a benefactor yet such a wretch much worse is every revengeful person Christ hath bought us out of eternal slavery and that not with corruptible things as silver and gold 1 Pet. 1. 8. But with his own most precious blood and hath earnestly recommended to us the love of our brethren and that with the most moving arguments drawn from the greatnesse of his love to us and if we shall obstinately refuse him in so just so moderate a demand how unspeakable a vilenesse is it and yet this we do downright if we keep any malice or grudg to any person whatsoever Nay farther this is not barely an unthanfulness but there is also joyned with it a horrible contempt and despising of him This Peace and unity of brethren was a thing so much prized and valued by him that when he was to leave the world he thought it the most precious thing he could bequeath and therefore left it by way of legacy to his Disciples Jo. 14. 27. Peace I leave with you we use to set a great value on the slightest bequests of our dead friends to be exceeding careful not to lose them and therefore if we wilfully bangle away this so precious a Legacy of Christ 't is a plain sign we want that love and esteem of him which we have of our earthly friends and that we despise him as well as his Legacy The great prevailing of this sin of uncharitablenesse has made me stand thus long on these considerationâ— for the subduing it God grant they may make such impression on the reader as may be available to that purpose I shall add only this one advice that these or whatsoever other remedies against this sin must be used timly 'T is oftentimes the frustrating of bodily medicines the applying them too late and 't is much oftner so in spiritual therefore if it be possible let these and the like considerations be so constantly and habitually fixt in thy heart that they may frame it to such meekness as may prevent all risings of rancour or revenge in thee for it is much better they should serve as armour to prevent then as balsome to cure the wound But if this passion be not yet so subdued in thee but that there will be some stirrings of it yet then be sure to take it at the very first rise and let not thy fancy chew as it were upon the injury by often rolling it in thy mind but remember betimes the foregoing considerations and withal that this is a time and season of tryal to thee wherein thou mayest shew how thou hast profited in Christs School there now being an opportunity offered thee either of obeying and pleasing God by passing by this offence of thy brother or else of obeying and pleaseing Satan that lover of discord by nourishing hatred against him Remember this I say betimes before thou be inflamed for if this fire be throughly kindled it will cast such a smoak as will blind thy reason and make thee unfit to judge even in this so very plain case whether it be bettet by obeying God to purchase to thy self eternally bliss or by obeying Satan eternal torments Whereas as if thou put the question to thy self before this commotion and disturbance of mind 't is impossible but thy understanding must pronounce for God And then unless thy will be so perverse 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 prooceed now to that of the Actions And this indeed 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 Saint James does of the Faith he speaks of that it is dead Jam. 2. 20. It is the loving indeed that must approve our hearts before God 1 Jo. 3. 18. Now this love in the Actions may lâ—kewise 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 natural or spiritual sense and 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 cheerfulness especially when we see any under any sadness or heaviness then to bring out all the cordials 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 speaks 2 Cor. 1. 4. But the Soul in the spiritual sense is yâ—t of greater concernment and the securing of that is a matter of much greater moment then the refreshing of the mind onely in as much as the eternal sorrwes and sadnesses of Hell exceed the deepest sorrowes of this life and therefore though we must not omit the former yet on this we are to imploy 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 design 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 vile of another to reprehend admonish him the faint and weak vertue of another to confirme and incourage him Every spiritual 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
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 St. 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 ver 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-self-love for 't is impossible they can prosper together 19. But when we have removed this hindrance we must remember that this as all 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 a gâ—ll-lesse 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 Lu. 19. 21. That reapâ— 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 an impossible so neither is it such a sad melancholly task as men are apt to think it 'T is a special policy 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 â—yants we shall meet with but let us not thus be cheated let us but take the courage to trye and we shall indeed find it a Canaan a land flâ—wing with milk and honey God is not in this respect to his people a wilderâ—ess a land of darkness Ier. 2. 31. His service does not bereave men of any true joy but helps them to a great deal Christs yoke is an easy nay a pleasant yoke his burden a light yea a gracious burde There is in the practice of Christian duties a great deal of present pleasure and if we feel it not it is because of the resistance our vicious and sinful customes make which by the contention raises an uneasinesse But then first that is to be charged only on our selves for having got those ill customes 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 customes 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 St. Peter tels us that if any suffer as a Christian he is to glorifie God for it 1 Pet. 4. 16. There is such a force and vertue in the testimony of a good conscience as is able to change the greatest suffering into the joyfullest triumph and that testimony we can never have more clear and lively then when we suffer for righteousnesse sake so that you see Christianity is very amiable even in its saddest dresse the inward comforts of it do fat surpasse all the outward tribulations that attend it and that even in the instant while we are in the state of warfare upon earth But then if we look forward to the crown of our victories those eternal rewards in heaven we can never think those tasks sad though we had nothing at present to sweeten them that have such recompences await them at the end were our labours never so heavy we could have no cause to faint under them Let us therefore whenever we meet with any discouragements in our course fix our eye on this rich prize and then run with patience the race which is set before us Heb. 12. 2 Follow the Captain of our salvation through the greatest sufferings yea even through the same red Sea of blood which he hath waded whenever our obedience to him shall require it for though our fidelity to him should bring us to death it self we are sure to be no losers by it for to such he hath promised a Crown of life the very expectation whereof is able to keep a Christian more cheerful in his fetters and dungeon then a worldling can be in the midst of his greatest prosperities 22. All that remains for me farther to add is earnestly to intreat and beseech the Reader that without delay he puts himself into this so pleasant so gainful a course by setting sincerely to the practice of all those things which either by this book or by any other means he discerns to be his and the further he hath formerly gone out of his way the more haste it concerns him to make to get into it and to use the more diligence in walking in it He that hath a long journey to go and finds he hath lost a great part of his day in a wrong way will not need much intreaty either to turn into the right or to quicken his pace in it And this is the case of all those that have lived in any course of sin they are in a wrong road which will never bring them to the place they aim at Nay which will certainly bring them to the place they most fear and abhor much of their day is spent how much will be left to finish their journey in none knowes perhaps the next hour the next minute the night of death may overtake them what a madness is it then for them to defer one moment to turn out of that path which leads to certain destruction and to put themselves in that which will bring them to bliss and glory Yet so are men bewitched and enchanted with the deceitfulness of sin that no
enable me I beseech thee willingly and cheerfully to embrace it thou seest O Lord I am fallen into dayes wherein he that departeth from evil maketh himself a Prey O make me so readily to expose all my outward concernments when my obedience to thee requireth it that what falls as a prey to men may by thee be accepted as a sacrifice to God Lord preserve me so by thy grace that I never suffer as an evil doer and then O Lord if it be my lot to suffer as a Christian let me not be ashamed but rejoyce that I am counted worthy to suffer for thy name O thou who for my sake enduredst the cross and despisedst the shame let the example of that love and patience prevail against all the tremblings of my corrupt heart that no terrors may ever be able to shake my constancy but that how long soever thou shalt permit the rod of the wicked to lye on my back I may never put my hand unto wickedness Lord thou knowest whereof I am made thou remembrest that I am but flesh and flesh O Lord shrinks at the approach of any thing grievous It is thy Spirit thy Spirit alone that can uphold me O stablish me with thy free Spirit that I be not weary faint in my mind And by how much the greater thou discernest my weakness so much the more do thou shew forth thy power in me and make me O Lord in all temptations stedfastly to look to thee the author and finisher of my faith that so I may run the race which is set before me and resist even unto blood striving against sin O dear Jesus hear me and though Satan desire to have me that he may winnow me as wheat yet do thou O blessed Mediator pray for me that my faith fail not but that though it be tryed with fire it may be found unto praise and glory and honour at thy appearing And O Lord I beseech thee grant that I may preserve not only constancy towards God but charity also towards men even those whom thou shalt permit to be the instruments of my sufferings Lord let me not fail to imitate that admirable meekness of thine in loving and praying for my greatest persecutors and do thou O Lord overcome all their evil with thy infinite goodness turn their hearts and draw them powerfully to thy self and at last receive both me and mine enemies into those mansions of peace and rest where thou reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost one God for ever A Prayer in time of Affliction O JUST and holy Lord who with rebukes doest chasten man for sin I desire unfeignedly to humble my self under thy mighty hand which now lyes heavy upon me I heartily acknowledg O Lord that all I do all I can suffer is but the due reward of my deeds and therefore in thy severest inflâ—ctions I must still say Righteous art thou O Lord and upright are thy judgments But O Lord I beseech thee in judgment remember mercy though my sins have enforced thee to strike yet consider my weakness and let not thy stripes be more heavy or more lasting then thou seest profitable for my soul correct me but with the Chastisement of a father not with the wounds of an enemy and though thou take not off thy rod yet take away thine anger Lord do not abhor my soul nor cast thy servant away in displeasure but pardon my sins I beseech thee and if yet in thy fatherly wisdome thou see fit to prolong thy corrections thy blessed will be done I cast my self O Lord at thy feet do with me what thou pleasest Trye me as silver is tryed 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 little soever thou shalt please to make it Lord let it pâ—ove 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 Thanksgiving 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 acknowledg before thee that thou hast not dealt with me after my sins nor rewarded me according to my iniquities My rebellions O Lord deserved to be scourged with scorpions and thou hast corrected them only with a gentle and fatherly rod neither hast thou suffered me to lâ—e long under that but hast given me a timely and a gracious issue out of my late distress 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 dayes 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 sâ—â—urity renew thy repentance for all the old sins of thy former life beg most earnestly and importunately his mercy and pâ—rdâ—n in Christ Iesus 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 〈◊〉 heart deceive thee not in this so weighty a business it will be wisdom to send for some godly Divine not onely 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 judg 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 sâ— And when thou hast thus provided for thy better part thy soul then consider thy body also and as the Wise man saith Eccl. 38. 12. Give pâ—aâ—e to the Physician for the Lord hath created him Vse such means as may be most likely to recover thy health but alwayes remember that the successe of them must come from