are blessed because theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven And seeing the Captain of our Salvation was made Perfect through Sufferings why should it not also be the same with his Followers 2. Another Reason why it pleases God to Exercise us here with Afflictions is That our hearts might be drawn off from the love of the World which is an Enemy to God The inordinate love of the World makes the Soul uncapable of the love of God for St. Iohn tells us expresly That if any Man love the World the love of the Father is not in him How much better is it then to have the hatred of the World and to have God our Friend than to have the World our Friend and God our Enemy And sure we have no reason to complain of Afflictions since St. Paul tells us We are chastened of the Lord that we might not be condemned with the World God is pleased to imbitter the World to us by Afflictions as a Tender Mother does her Teat when she wou'd wean her Child from the Brest she rubs her Nipple with Aloes or Wormwood which the Child tasting will take the Brest no more So when the World wou'd intice us to the love thereof by its Delights and Pleasures our merciful Father sends us Tribulations and Afflictions to take our hearts from the love of present things which could we have quietly Enjoy'd we should have been for building Tabernacles here Could the Prodigal Son have fill'd his Belly with Husks he would never have thought of Returning to his Father but Want and Affliction brought him from the Swine with whom he would have staid could he have got his Belly full 3. Another Benefit we receive by Affliction is That we are thereby Cured of our Soul-Disease and that too of such as are otherwise almost incurable Honours Riches and a Prosperous Condition in the World causes us too often to contract those sinful Habits which we never come to reflect upon much less to repent of until Affliction makes us Therefore it is that Solomon tells us The Rod and Reproof give Wisdom The Story of Ioseph's Brethren is remarkable they had sold their Brother to the Ishmaelitish Merchants and made their Father believe he was torn in pieces of Wild Beasts and then thought all was well and were not at all troubled that they had sold their Brother and deceiv'd their Father But afterwards when they went down to Egypt were there put in Ward and charged as being Spies this Affliction brings to their remembrance their former Usage of their Brother Ioseph and now they cry out We are verily guilty concerning our Brother We saw the anguish of his Soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distress come upon us Had it not been for that affliction in all probability they had never repented of their Cruelty to Ioseph One likeneth Afflictions to the Rod of Moses for as the striking that upon the Rock brought forth Water so the Rod of Affliction often mollifieth stony-hearted Sinners and makes the Waters of Repentance to gush out Another compares it to a File for as that cleanses the Iron from its Rust and make it bright So Affliction files off that Rust of Sin which worldly Prosperity has contracted and makes our Graces shine more bright and glorious The Scripture likewise compares it to a Furnace wherein Gold is tried and purged from all its filth and dross and brought to the greatest degree of Perfection It may also well be compared to a Purging Potion for as that driveth the corrupt and ill humours out of a diseased Body so Afflictions drive out evil Passions and corrupt Desires and Affections out of the Soul such as Pride Vain-glory Sloth Niceness Lust Gluttony Drunkenness and many more And Elihu speaking to Iob of the Afflictions with which God uses to exercise his People tells him It is that he may with-draw Man from his Purpose and hide Pride from him he does indeed says Elihu chasten him with Pains upon his Bed and the multitude of his Bones with strong Pain so that his Life abhorreth Bread and his Soul dainty Meat yea his Soul draweth near to the Grave and his Life to the destroyers Lo these things says he worketh God often-times with Man But wou'd you know to what End 'T is to bring back his Soul from the Pit to be Enlightened with the light of the Living 4. Another Benefit of Affliction is That it is a Preservative from Evil and keeps us from many Sins which we should otherwise run into This is what God intends by the Prophet Hosea when he tells the Children of Iudah that were bent upon Idolatry and resolved to go after their Lovers that God wou'd prevent 'em and put a stop in their Way I 'll hedge up thy way with Thorns says God That is I will bring such afflictions upon you as shall be as so many Thorns in your sides which shall put a stop to your Careir in Wickedness And this was the Experience of holy David long before For he tells us Psal. cxix 71. It is good for me that I have been Afflicted If you ask why it was good for him or what Benefit he found by it He readily tells you Vers. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy Word And therefore instead of murmuring against God for Afflictions he justifies God I know O Lord says he that thy Iudgments are just and that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me 5. ANOTHER Advantage we reap by Afflictions is That hereby God puts us upon the Tryal of our Graces There are many that will swim with the Tide that won't venture when the stream is against ' em What the Devil falsly said of Iob is but too true of many Men they won't serve God for nought When God blesses them with the good things of this Life and they have all that their Hearts can wish then they will be for God and for the Profession of Religion but if he puts forth his hand and takes away what they have they will be like those that the Prophet Isaiah speaks of who when they are hungry and hardly bestead shall fret themselves and curse their King and their God And therefore Iob's Constancy under those great Afflictions made his Piety and Patience so much the more Illustrious 'T is Affliction that shews us which are Hypocrites and which are sincere Christians a sincere Christian varies not with the Times but is semper idem always the same whereas a Hypocrite is a Time-server and will turn with the Times rather than be turn'd out If Tribulation comes he is for avoiding of it let it come from what Quarter it will How many can we remember that made the greatest Pretences of Loyalty to the King that cou'd be and had there been no occasion to try their Loyalty would have been Loyal still but when Times of Affliction and Trial came on and the King was
Thou ever art a Merciful Father Forget not thy Fatherly Goodness to me who pray thy Pardon for offending Thee Thy Grace to serve Thee and Thy Providence to preserve me this Night and Evermore through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for one in Affliction O Lord That Affliction which is now my Lot is the Result of thy good Pleasure and as such let me Eye it and improve it to Reclaim me from Evil Ways and to direct my course into those that are Good If it be so grievous to bear it for a Time what is it O God to suffer it and ten thousand times more misery than it for Ever Then if it be ill let it be thy Rod to reclaim me and if Good thy Staff to make me stand better in Grace and advance me to thy Glory Thy Fan to Purge me Thy Furnace to Prove me So Adversity to my Body be the Prosperity of my Soul let it come and Welcome O Lord that my Soul may at last everlastingly Prosper with Thee in that Day of Bliss which knows no Cloud of Ill nor end of Good to Eternity Since Affliction is a sign of thy Mercy a Badge of thy Favour and a means of Glory let me not be Impatient under it lest I perpetuate my Woes to two Worlds and whom Thou hast but for a Time make my self miserable for ever Blessed Jesus who didst go from a Cross to a Crown and doest Cross me to Crown me let me carry mine Patiently that I may come to thy Throne and not cast my self from a Cross of Woe into a Gulph of Confusion From such Miscarriages under my Present Afflictions O Lord deliver me Dear Jesus By the Merits and Example of thy holy Cross and by the Vertues and Works of thy holy Spirit Do it for me and Sanctifie it to me Amen A Concluding Prayer BEhold O Lord what I have Prayed unto thee for and grant I humbly beseech thee the Requests that I have put up unto Thee this Evening and hear the Petitions of thy Servant And do for me for the Nation for thy Church and for all Estates and Conditions therein not only according to what I have Prayed but according to what I should and ought to have Prayed and what any else have prayed with me for Jesus Christ his sake in whose Name I have presented them with whose Words I desire to Perfume and Perfect my Prayers Beseeching Thee That his Spirit may breathe in those Words in which I know I Pray both what and as I ought And therefore as Devoutly Confidently say Our Father which art in Heaven c. The Blessing BLESSED are the Afflicted and Troubled and those that mourn under those Calamities we feel and fear The Blessing and Comfort of God the Father and the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ and the Consolations of the holy Spirit be upon me and upon all such sad and sorrowful Souls with me this Night and Evermore Amen Meditations and Prayers FOR THE NOLY COMMUNION BOTH Before At and After Receiving A Meditation before the Receiving the holy Communion O My dear Lord Thy Passion makes me full of all Passions I am in Love and yet I Hate I have my Longings and my Loathings I both Rejoyce and Grieve and Cherish Hope and Fear I am Incens'd and Ravish'd I am in Love with Thee O blessed Jesus I am Enamour'd of thy Person O Thou God-Man The Son of God! The Beauty of Heaven and Earth The Center of all Created and Uncreated Excellency The Mirror of the Godhead The Wonder of Angels The Glory of Mankind I am Inflamed with thy Love Thou mad'st thy Love to Lazarus legible in thy Tears See how he loved him said the Jews and shall not I read it in thy Wounds They saw Love in thy driping Eye and shall not I in thy Bleeding Side They in the Hot-water thou didst bestow on his Dead Body and shall not I see it in that reaking Blood thou sheddest for my lost and Dying Soul O let not my heart be so hard to see those Wounds of so great Love to me and yet to have no Woundings of Affection for Thee For thee Lord Yes and all in Heaven and Earth that have Relation to Thee I am also in Love with the God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ who would give his Son his only Son the Son of his Love so to suffer on Earth for a Time that I might not suffer for Ever in Hell I am also in Love with Thee O Thou Blessed and Holy Spirit of GOD who didst anoint Jesus to be my Christ and thereby Inaugurate him to his Crown of Thorns and Blessed tho' most Bloody Passion which he suffered for me I am in Love with the whole Blessed Trinity whose glorious Essence and Ineffable Unity I Adore tho' I cannot comprehend and whose Counsels fill my Soul with the highest Admiration tho' I am never able to search out their Unfathomable depth I have also Love for the Sons of Men for them especially for whom my Lord Jesus shed his precious Blood thereby to make them the Sons of God and Brothers of Christ Thy Cross O Jesus shall make all Mankind my Friends for where thou gavest thy Blood why shou'd not I give my Heart THUS Lord I love all for thee and thee in all And now I will love my self for thy sake amongst them O Lord I am one in whom is thy Flesh a Man I am one in whom is thy Spirit a Christian I am one for whom thou didst shed thy Blood on whom thou hast shed thy Spirit A redeemed esteemed Man by Thee and shall I be so poor as to Value Dirt to thy Blood Shall I be tempted to give my self from Thee to the Flesh and to the World O Lord I will Value thy Blood more I will keep the Spirit better I will set a higher price on my self than to sell thy Blessed Purchase to the Devil for a base Piece of Flesh and a small portion of the World So am I and let me ever be in love with Thee O Lord. BUT O Sin I am in Hate with Thee for my own and for my Saviour's sake O thou Enemy of God and Man how execrable art thou More than heart can think That madest him lamentable more than Eye saw AND O Devil I hate Thee who didst tempt Man out of Paradise and so draw Christ to a Cross And could thy Temptations have prevail'd and thy Power been equal to thy Malice wouldst have cast the second Adam out too that so nor the First nor his Seed might ever have come in again AND O World I abhor thee as the Imp of the Devil who of his Jews and Gentiles couldst find hands for such horrid Acts and Sins that made those Bloody Passions So Sin Devil World for the Death of my King and Lord and Christ you have my Hate I have also my Longings too I Long for the Lord My Soul Longeth for God even the
thou hadst most occasion for 'em then they left thee and fled away to strangers Is it not therefore far better to trust in the Living God than in uncertain Riches For Riches profit not in the Day of Wrath but Righteousness delivereth from Death And if thou mak'st it thy chief Business to seek first the Kingdom of GOD and the Righteousness thereof there is nothing necessary for thee but GOD has promis'd it shall be added to thee And wilt thou grieve because thou art depriv'd of Unnecessary Things Learn O my Soul to make the Will of God the measure of thy Desires And when thou desirest nothing but what God wills thou may'st desire what thou wilt and obtain it Thou mayst assure thy self that God wills what is best for thee and when thou hast conform'd thy Will to his thou needest not fear a blessed Issue And if what God has done appears not at the present best to thee it is not because it really is not best but because by reason of thy present Darkness thou canst not see it so God sees the End of all his Works from the beginning and perfectly knows the Events of all his Dispensations but thou O my Soul are short-sighted can'st not see far before thee and since thou canst not see what God intends by his present Providences 't is now thy time to live in the Exercise of Patience and glorifie him by believing A PRAYER O Most Merciful and gracious God who art the Well-spring of Life and an inexhaustible Fountain of Goodness be pleased to look in Mercy upon me poor and miserable Sinner who had been immers'd in the things of this Life and drown'd in the Love of the World hadst not thou in mercy taken them away from me O help me to acknowledge thy righteous hand herein and kiss that Rod wherewith thou hast so mercifully chastiz'd me And O most gracious God wilt thou please for the time to come to take off my Heart from the inordinate Love of Riches and all other things of this World and to place my Affections upon thy blessed Majesty who art my Souls supreme and ultimate Happiness and it s exceeding great Reward Convince me more and more of the Wickedness as well as Folly of my former Life in forsaking Thee the Fountain of Living Waters and hewing out to my self Cisterns broken Cisterns that could hold no Water Suffer me O Lord no longis to follow after Lying Vanities and so to forsake my own Mercy And let thy Love O thou God of my Life purge my Soul from the love of all other things whatsoever Thou hast said in thy Word That those that love Thee shall inherit Substance whilst I like a wretched Prodigal have been feeding on Husks and grasping at Shadows O let me not henceforth trust in uncertain Riches but in Thee the Living God and buy of Thee Gold Try'd in the Fire that so I may be truly rich and white Rayment that I may be cloathed Grant this O Lord and whatsoever else Thou seest necessary for me for Iesus Christ his sake Amen Our Father c. Meditation III. Of the Vanity of Worldly Pleasures PLEASURE is that which all pursue and covet tho' most mistake the Object of it It is that for which Men value their lives and without which they think it wou'd scarce be worth the Living But if they mean the Pleasures of this World abstracted from the Love of God and those unspeakable Delights that are in him there 's nothing in which men are more mistaken So far is Worldly Pleasure from making of Men happy that it puts 'em in a state of Death This St. Paul assures us 1 Tim. V. 6. She that liveth in Pleasure is dead while she liveth And large Experience confirms this Truth for those that have most affected it have always found it fatal LET us give a few Instances For we are apter to be led by Examples than Precepts The Philistines had taken Sampson thro' the Treachery of Dalilah Sampson wou'd needs enjoy his Pleasure with Dalilah but she refus'd to let him unless he told her where his strength lay which when she knew she straight betray'd him to his Enemies And this was the effect of Sampson's Pleasure When the Philistines had obtain'd this Prize it made 'em mighty merry and they must needs go take their pleasure too And Sampson whom they barbarously had blinded must be sent for that he might make them Sport But it was fatal Sport to the Philistines for Sampson having with some assistance grop'd out the two Supporters or chief Pillars of the House praying to God to strengthen him that he might be aveng'd for his two Eyes was heard and answer'd and Sampson pulls the House about their Ears whereby they all were slain which put a bloody Period to their Pleasure THE Persians were a People given up to Pleasure above other Nations which made 'em so effeminate as render'd 'em an easie Conquest to their Enemies Belshazzar was a Prince given to Pleasure and liv'd in great Voluptuousness and that not only in a time of Peace but when he was surrounded by his Enemies and Darius lay with a Vast Army on the other side the River Euphrates This notwithstanding Belshazzar was resolv'd to take his Pleasure and makes a great Feast to a Thousand of his Lords and drinks Wine before 'em even out of the sacred Vessels taken out of the Temple of the House of God which was at Ierusalem But while Belshazzar was taking of his Pleasure and Carrousing with his Lords there appears suddenly a Hand Writing upon the Wall which tho' the King understood not yet his Countenance was chang'd and his Thoughts so troubled him that the Ioynts of his Loyns were loosed and his knees smote one against another This quickly put an End to all their Pleasure and fill'd 'em with Confusion and Astonishment And the sad Epilogue to this Jovial Feast was That God had number'd his Kingdom and finished it and that he was weigh'd in the Balances and found wanting and his Kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians And that Night Belshazzar himself was slain which put a final End to all his Pleasure So that it is very evident that what is affirmed of Wordly Sorrow is much more true of Worldly Pleasure That it worketh Death And Solomon who of all Men was best able to Extract the quintessence of Pleasure and taste what was in it gives us this poor yet true Account of it after he had made the Experiment Behold this also is Vanity Eccles. II. 1 2. Not only Vain but Vanity it self in the Abstract and as if this was not enough he lays a greater Imputation on it in the next Verse where he tells us I said of Laughter It is mad and of Mirth What doth it And this he further Exemplifies by telling us It is better to go to the House of Mourning than to go to the House of Feasting Eccles. VII 2.
all Blessings without whose Gracious Influence the best of all our Performances will neither bring glory to thee nor Profit to our selves Look down we pray thee in Mercy upon us and let this Work be so attended with thy Blessing that it may be Efficacious through thy Grace to take off our Hearts and Affections from the love of those things of which thou hast justly depriv'd us for our Sins that so we may now with more earnestness and intenseness of Soul seek after those things that cannot be taken from us to which end we pray thee shew us the emptiness of all present things whether they be Honours Riches or Pleasures and that Thou only art that chief Good which alone can satisfie our Souls Hear us O Lord and help us for Iesus Christ his sake And let these Words of our Mouths and Meditations of our Hearts be acceptable in thy sight O LORD our GOD and our Redeemer Meditation I. Of the Vanity and Vncertainty of Honour THERE is certainly nothing so convincing as our own Experience and if we truly consider it it is no small Advantage that we reap even by our Losses if thereby we come to be convinc'd of the Vanity of that which we have lost For such is the Deceitfulness of our Hearts and the Corruption of our Natures that while we are in the Possession of any outward Good we are loth to let it go and tho' we find no real Good in it we are yet so much pleas'd with it as to Endeavour with all our Might to retain it And let us hear from the Ministers of GOD's Word never so long and learned Harrangues of the Vanity and Uncertainty of them we are unwilling to believe them But when the Storm of GOD's Anger is come upon us and the Tempest of his Wrath has cover'd us and taken from us our King our Queen our Princes and Nobles all our pleasant and delectable things we by our own Experience come to see that Honour is but an Empty Puff of Air that it is only Vox preterea nihil a Voice and nothing else and that all is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit BUT to come a little more particularly to shew the Vanity of Honour What Certainty is there in that which consists in Popular Applause and depends on the breath of the Vulgar Well may it be compar'd to Wind for with every Wind it changes Did not the common People change their Notes like the Wind even to our Saviour himself How did they cry Hosamna one Day and the next Crucifie him Now the Blessed Jesus is esteem'd a Prophet by 'em and anon reputed a Samaritan that hath a Devil Nor had his Followers less Experience of the Inconstancy of the People When St. Paul escap'd Shipwrack and was cast upon the Island call'd Melita a Viper fasten'd on his hand which made the People take him for a Murderer but when they saw him shake it off without doing him any harm they chang'd their Minds and said he was a God And the same St. Paul accompanied with St. Barnabas were at another time first honoured with Paganish Devotion as tho' they had been Iupiter and Mercury and soon after stoned as tho they were Malefactors Again St. Paul and Silas were one time imprison'd in the lowest Dungeon at Philippos and afterwards Honour'd and Ador'd of the same Goaler that was their Executioner Even as our Blessed Lord was honour'd of the same Iudas that was his Betrayer and of the same Pilate that was his Condemner How lamentable was the Case of Zedikiah who of King of Iudah was made a Captive to the King of Babylon and put in Chains he had indeed for a short time his Eyes spared but it was only that he might behold the Dreadful Slaughter of his Children and then the Light of his Eyes was obscur'd in utter Darkness O lamentable Vicissitude of Worldly Honours When Crowns and Scepters are tumbled under Foot And Royal Blood is shed like Water on the Ground that cann't be gather'd up again How soon was Pharoah tumbled from his Triumphal Chariot when he pursu'd the Israelites and was made Food for Fishes and all his Pomp lay buried in the Sea The like unhappy but just Fate befel Adonibezeck who from a great and a Puissant King was disgracefully mangled in his Hands and Toes and forc'd to Eat such Crumbs as fell under the Table like a Dog And Agag likewise another Royalet was hewn in Pieces like an Ox even when he thought the bitterness of Death was past And Iezabel who well deserv'd her fate tho' a great Queen her self and a Kings Daughter was Eaten up and gnaw'd by Dogs like Carrion Nay the great Nebuchadnezzar that Universal Monarch of Chaldea whilst he was hugging of himself in his own Happiness and Contemplating the Glory of his Kingdom and the honour of his Majesty was turn'd out of his Pallace and forc'd to graze like a brute Beast in his own Park See here the Instability of Worldly Honour And what prodigious changes a moment can produce When from the highest Pinacle of Glory a Mighty King whom all the World obey'd is turn'd a grazing with the very Beasts NOR do we find that prophane Histories are wanting in producing Numerous Examples of the Uncertainty of Worldly Greatness and how Airy a Nothing the Breath of Honour is Of which one fatal Instance is that of the great Bajazet the Emperour of the Turks who like a Wolf or some wild Beast of Prey was carried up and down by Conquering Tamberlain in an Iron Cage and expos'd to that Contempt which he thought worse than Death and therefore to release himself he knock'd out his Brains against the Bars of the Cage in which they kept him Valerian the Emperour was another Instance likewise who as a Slave and Vassal to Sapores King of Persia was forc'd to hold his Stirrop whilst he got up on Horseback as tho' he had been Pope And even amongst Christians Frederick the Third one of the best of Emperours was Trod upon by Alexander the Sixth one of the worst of Popes in St. Mark 's Church in Venice as if he had been an Asp or a Basilisk the Pope most Blasphemously using these Words Thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and the Adder the Young Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou trample under feet Nor is it without a just Compassion to be remembred that the Emperour Mauritius had his Empress and his Children slain before his Eyes by that Bloody Phocas his Servant who after he had slain his Master and usurp'd his Empire was Countenanc'd in all his Villany by the Pope because he stil'd him Universal Bishop This sudden change of Fortune likewise befel the Aged Priam King of Troy and Palaeologas the Emperour of Constantinople when those two Famous Cities were destroy'd the one by the Greeks the other by the Turks These and many more Great Ones in the World have been suddenly thrown down from the Top of
forc'd to with-draw himself they likewise with-drew their Loyalty This shews that times of Affliction are times of Trial by which God proves the Truth of our Love to him and our Zeal for him And by which we also may come to know the Deceitfulness of our own Hearts which is also the Design of God in our Afflictions as the holy Ghost testifies 2 Chron. xxxii 31. where speaking of Hezekiah we have these words Howbeit in the business of the Ambassadors of the Princes of Babylon who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the Land God left him to try him that he i. e. Hezekiah might know all that was in his Heart 6 Another Benefit that we receive by Afflictions is That they make us run to God Fulness and Prosperity oft makes us forget God and run away from him but Afflictions generally drive us to him and indeed is the only way to reclaim us This the Prophet Hosea tells us where God speaking of his People that had gone away from him and follow'd Idols threatens to bring Afflictions upon 'em I will be as a Lyon and as a Young Lyon to the House of Judah I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue Would you know God's design herein I will go says he and return to my Place till they acknowledge their offences and seek my Face But when will that be O says God In their Affliction they will seek me Early When we are walking abroad in the Fields and the Weather is good we are not solicitous about a Place of shelter but if a Storm arises and a Shower comes then we look out for a Shelter and make haste unto it God is call'd in the Scripture A Covert from the Storm and from the Rain Isa. iv 6. And therefore when the Tempest of God's Wrath arises and the Storm of his Anger is pour'd upon the World whither shall we run for safety but to Him who is a Covert from the storm and from the rain At such times especially we run to God as to our great Assylum and Refuge knowing that under the shadow of his Wings we shall be safe Thus it was in the Wilderness with the Israelites a stiff-necked generation continually provoking God by their unbelief and this they did to that degree that God often sent his Judgments amongst them by which many of them were destroyed and these Afflictions made them seek after and run to God for so the Psalmist tells Psal. lxxviii 34. When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God And tho' the Psalmist tells us that they did but flatter him with their Mouth and lied unto him with their Tongue and that their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant yet this running of theirs to him in the time of their affliction did so far prevail with God that he being full of Compassion destroyed them not but turned his Anger away and did not stir up all his Wrath. And David himself frequently professes that God was his Refuge in time of Trouble whereto he did continually resort So that this is certainly a great Advantage that we gain by Afflictions that they drive us to God to whom we fly for Refuge and where we find Security 7. There is also this Advantage in Afflictions That by means of them we come to live in the daily exercise of all Vertues which without Afflictions we could not do This St. Paul affirms Rom. v. 3. We glory in Tribulations also knowing that Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Experience and Experience Hope and Hope maketh not ashamed This is the natural Consequence of Afflictions for then we live in the Exercise of Faith by believing Gods Promise that all things shall work together for our Good and relying upon him for our Deliverance We live in the Exercise of Hope by an assured Expectation of the Reward promised to them that suffer And in the Exercise of Charity by having our hearts inflam'd with the love of Christ who gave himself for us whereby we are made willing to offer up our selves a Free-will-Offering to him both in Life and Death Our Patience is Exercis'd in suffering the Will of God with Quietness and Resignation of Soul and our Humility by abasing our selves in the sight of God and being willing to suffer shame for his sake 8. ANOTHER Advantage that we reap by Afflictions which is the last I shall mention because I affect brevity is That when they have brought forth in us the Peaceable Fruits of Righteousness our Mouths and our Hearts too shall be filled with Songs of Deliverance Thus David rejoyc'd in God Psal. LIX 16. I will sing of thy Power yea I will sing aloud of thy Mercy in the Morning for thou hast been my Defence and Refuge in the Day of my Trouble The Children of Israel had been kept a long time in the House of Bondage in the Land of Egypt where they were made to serve with Rigor But with what Songs of Praise were their Mouths filled upon their Deliverance How did they exult in the Lord and glory in the God of their Salvation There had been no occasion for those Songs of Deliverance had they not been kept in Bondage Nor had they seen the Power of God so wonderfully display'd on their behalf which made them cry out Who is like unto thee O Lord among the gods Who is like unto thee Glorious in Holiness Fearful in Praises doing Wonders Had King David come to the Crown without meeting with those Troubles that preceded it he had not been so sensibly affected with God's Mercy in Delivering him as he was nor in all probability have writ that excellent Song of Praise recited both in 2 Sam. xxii and in Psal. xviii Intituled A Psalm of David the Servant of the LORD who spake unto the LORD the words of this Song in the Day that the LORD Deliver'd him from the hand of all his Enemies and from the hand of Saul In which he first gives an Account of his great Distresses for says he The Sorrows of Death compassed me and the floods of ungodly Men made me afraid nay he goes further than this and tells us The sorrows of Hell compassed him about and the snares of Death prevented him And then exults in GOD for his great Deliverance The Lord was my stay By Thee have I run through a Troop by my GOD have I leaped over a Wall As for GOD his way is perfect The Word of the LORD is tried He is a Buckler to all those that trust in Him For who is GOD save the LORD Or who is a Rock save our GOD The LORD liveth and blessed be my Rock and let the GOD of my Salvation be exalted It is GOD that avengeth me and subdueth the People under me He delivereth me from mine Enemies Yea Thou liftest me up above those that rise up
Body thy Temple more pure from Sin and holy to Thee and my Heart thy Bed more clean from Lust and undefiled before Thee In the strength of Thee the Living Bread let me grow more able to serve thee And by Vertue of so near an Vnion and Communion with thee let not mine but thy holy Spirit from henceforth Lighten Lead and Enliven me that I may shun Sin which thou hatest and daily do those Duties of Devotion and Charity which please Thee So let this holy Sacrament at once Seal to me thy Mercy and my Glory where I shall for ever Communicate with Thee in Perfect Purity and Felicity To that happy Communion by thy Grace dear Saviour ever Prepare me and Now for a holy Communion with Thee Amen Amen Say Amen Lord Jesus A Prayer At our Receiving the Holy Communion DIDST Thou not Invite me to thy holy Table O Lord I durst not come Now thou callest me I dare not keep away And yet when I do consider Who and What is here I fear and tremble to come Thou O Lord art a holy and dreadful Majesty and so thy Mysteries be Holy Bread and holy Wine A most holy Body and Blood No Taint in his Blood who is GOD as well as Man The Lamb of God Immaculate Undefiled without Spot All-Pure most High and Holy But alas I am Unclean Unclean Unclean Originally Actually Every-way in Heart Hand and Lips throughout Childhood Youth and Manhood most Unworthy to approach a Presence so Pure who am so Unholy TRUE Lord But I Lament my Uncleanness I Renounce my own Unworthiness I come not because Worthy but Needy I come to be made Clean and Worthy That Body and Blood can make me Clean it is my Saviours and his Merits can make me Worthy They are thy Sons O Lord And here is a Conveyance of that blessed Body and Blood It is thy Sacrament LORD Think me Worthy for his sake and make me Worthy for thy Mercies sake by my Coming Give my Sins thy Pardon my Soul thy Grace my Self thy Acceptance in thy Beloved And what thou doest Convey Seal to me by what I now Receive from Thee the Blessed Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer and Thanksgiving After the Receiving of the holy Communion PARDON O Father the Errors and Infirmities of thy poor Child which have pass'd in thy holy Service whether Before or In or Since the Sacrament And in and for the Precious Blood of thy holy Child Jesus of which I have had the holy Communion Seal me my Pardon And behold and accept thy Servant from a Heart full of thy Love pouring out Praises to Thee for the Inestimable Benefits Received in those high and holy Mysteries What am I O Lord or what is in me that thou shouldest do this great Honour and Favour to me I am unworthy to touch the Tresholds of thy House and Thou hast taken me to thy Table I am not worthy to stand amongst thy Saints and thou hast made me Sit with my Saviour I am not worthy to come before thee and fall down before thy Footstool and Thou hast been pleased to come into me and make my Heart thy Throne I am not worthy to Eat the Bread of Men and thou hast given me the Bread of Angels Yea Lord the Angels hunger but have not this Bread What they admire I have Received whom they Adore I have Entertained The Body and Blood of Jesus their Mirror is my Meat Christ and they are two but I and my Saviour are One Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bone One Blood one Body O unspeakable Mystery O incomparable Mercy LORD I beseech Thee since of my self I cannot enough Praise Thee make me some way worthy of Thee Let my Hands which have Received thy Blessed Body and Blood be henceforth Sacred and do no Deeds that may offend Thee Let my Lips which have touched those holy Mysteries be hallowed from all Words that may displease thee And let my Heart the Habitation of my Lord and Saviour be hereafter holy and no Vain Thoughts lodge within me As I am one with him in Body and Blood let me be one in Spirit the Spirit of Wisdom Love and Holiness Truly to know Thee serve Thee and cleave unto thee By the blessed Sacrament of his Body and Blood convey it to me Confirm it in me Let it be to my Soul the Signet of thy Love and Seal of thy Glory And Even for the precious Merits of that Blood and Body receive me to it I beseech Thee that I may be one in Everlasting Union and Communion with Thee for Jesus his sake Amen Amen A Thanksgiving for a Devout Soul After Receiving the Communion O Thou that hast given the Bread of Heaven to feed me give me the Tongue of Angels to praise Thee Lord the very Angels are not blessed with such Bread O what an high Mystery and Mercy is this that my Saviour is my Sustenance and their Maker my Meat The Body and Blood of Christ the Eternal Son of God to be in an holy Communion Eaten and Drunken by the Mouth of a Mortal Man O the Infinite Condescending Goodness of a gracious God! To make my humble Heart the Habitation of his Holiness To come to me Enter in me and become one not by Reconciliation only but Heavenly Vnion and Communion with me O miraculous Vnion O mysterious Incorporation O happy Soul that art so near to thy Saviour O blessed Saviour that art so near my Soul O wretched Soul if thou esteem'st any thing too dear for such a Saviour Wilt thou not give thy Body and Blood for his Truth Wilt thou not offer thy Life as a Sacrifice to his Glory O Lord Let my Soul which by thy Sacrament is made so happy by my Sin never be made wretched And since I have received thy Body and Blood let thy Spirit take Possession of my Heart and Guide me Lead me Command me and Rule me Be thou the Spirit of my Soul and Soul of my Body Let not the Flesh World or Devil have any Power in me Live O Live Thou in me O Christ Live in my Earthly Tabernacle and let me live for Ever with Thee in thy heavenly Habitation Even by the Merits and Vertues of thy pretious Body and Blood O sweet Iesus I beseech Thee Amen I AM now come through the Divine Assistance to the last thing I Promised which is Some General Rules and Directions for our Daily Practice In which I shall be very short a few things well digested being better than many which oftentimes prove burdensome to the Memory and hinder instead of help I HAVE already set down a Form of Prayer to be us'd Morning and Evening in Times of Affliction besides which I will add Rules of Devotion for the Morning IN the Morning when you first awake lift up your Eyes to God and say I lift up mine Eyes to the Hills from whence cometh my help THEN lift