nights in the graue hath sanctified and as it were warmed it for the bodies of his Saints to rest and sleepe in till the morning of the resurrection So that now vnto the faithfull Death is but a sweet sleepe and the graue but Christs bed where their bodies rest and sleepe in peace vntill the ioyfull morning of the Resurrection day shall dawne vnto them Let therefore thy bed-cloathes represent vnto thee the mould of the earth that shall couer thee thy shâ—etes thy winding sheete thy sleepe thy death thy waking thy resurrection And being laid downe in thy bed when thou perceiuest sleep to approach say I will lay mee downe and sleepe in peace for thou Lord onely makest mee dwell in safety Thus religiously opening euery Morning thy heart and shutting it vp againe euery Euening with the word of God and praier as it were vvith a locke and key and so beginning the day with GODS worship continuing it in his feare and ending it in his fauour thou shalt be sure to finde the blessing of GOD vpon all thy daies labours and good endeauours and at night thou mayest assure thy selfe thou shalt sleepe safely and sweetly in the armes of thy heauenly Fathers prouidence Thus farre of the Piety which euery Christian in priuate ought to Practise euery day Now followeth that which he being a Housholder must practise publikely with his Family Meditations for Houshold Piety 1 IF thou be called to the gouernment of a Familie thou must not hold it sufficient to serue GOD and liue vprightly in thine owne person vnlesse thou cause all vnder thy charge to doe the same with thee For the performance of this dutie God was so well pleased with Abraham that he would not hide from him his counsell For saith GOD I know him that he will command his sons and his houshold after him that they keepe the way of the Lord to doe righteousnesse and iudgement that the Lord may bring vpon Abraham that he hath spoken vnto him And Abraham had 318. men seruants which were thus borne and Catechized in his house With whose helpe hee rescued also his Nephew Lâ—t from the captiuity of his enemies And religiously valiant Iosuah protesteth before all the people that if they all would fall away from the true worship of GOD yet that hee and his house would serue the Lord. And GOD himselfe giues a speciall charge to all householders that they do instruct their Family in his word and traine them vp in his feare and seruice These words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart and thou shalt whâ—â— them continually vpon thy children and shalt talke of them when thou tarriest in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest downe and when thou risest vp c. Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and serue him Dauid according to this Law had so ordered his Family That no deceitful person should dwell in his house but such as would serue God and walke in his way And religious Hester had taught her Maydes to serue GOD in fasting and prayer And the more to further thy family in the zeale of Religion settle euer thy chiefest affection on those whom thou shalt perceiue to be best addicted to true religion This also will turne to thine owne aduantage in a double respect First GOD will the rather blesse and prosper the labour and handy worke of such godly Seruants For Laban perceiued that God blessed him for Iacobs sake And Potiphar saw that the Lord made all that Ioseph did to prosper in his hand yea when innocent Ioseph vvas cast into prison his Keeper saw that whatsoeuer he did the Lord made it to prosper and therefore the Keeper committed all the charge of the Prisoners into Iosephs hand Secondly the truer a man doth serue God the faithfuller he will serue thee 2 If euery Housholder were thus carefull according to his duetie to bring vp his Children and Familie in the seruice and feare of God in his owne house then the house of God should be better filled and the Lords Table more frequented euery Sabbath day and the Pastors publike preaching and labour would take more effect then it doth The streetes of Townes and Cities would not abound with so many drunkards swearers whoremongers prophane scorners of true Pietie and Religion Westminster-Hall would not be so full of contentions wrangling suites and vnchristian debates and the Prisons vvould not be euery Sessions so full of theeues robbers traytors and murtherers But alas most Housholders make no other vse of their Seruants then they doe of their beasts Whilest they may haue their bodies to doe their seruice they care not if their Soules serue the Diuell Yet the common complaint is that faithfull and good seruants are scarce to be found True but the reason is because there are so many prophane and irreligious Masters for the example and instruction of a godly and religious Master will make a good and a faithfull seruant as may witnesse the examples of Abraham Ioshua Dauid Cornelius c. who had good seruants because they were religious masters such as were carefull to make their seruants Gods seruants It is the chiefe labour and care of most men to raise and to aduance their house yet let them rise vp earely lye downe late and eate the bread of carefulnesse all vvill be but in vaine for except the Lord build a house that is raise vp a familie they labour in vaine For GOD hath sealed this as an irreuocable Decree that he will poure his wrath vpon the Families that call not vpon his Name yea God will take the wicked and plucke him out of his Tabernacle and roote him out of the land c. Yea when his iniquities are full he will make the Land to spue out euery Canaanite Religion then and the Seruice of God in a Family is the best building and surest entailing of house and Land to a man and his posteritie for the righteous man shall inherit the land and dwell therein for euer As therefore if thou desirest to haue the blessing of God vpon thy selfe and vpon thy familie eyther before or after thine owne priuate deuotion call euery morning all thy familie to some conuenient roome and first eyther reade thy selfe vnto them a Chapter in the word of God or cause it to be read distinctly by some other If leasure serue thou maist admonish them of some remarkeable good notes and then kneeling downe with them in reuerent sort as is before described pray with them in this manner Morning Prayer for a Familie O Lord our GOD and heauenly father who art the onely Creator Gouernour of Heauen and Earth and all things therein contained we confesse that wee are vnworthy to appeare in thy sight and presence considering our manifold sinnes vvhich wee haue committed
but a foolerie for a man liues forty yeeres before hee knowes himselfe to be a foole and by that time hee seeth his folly his life is finished Hearke Husbandman before thou seest many more crops of haruest thy selfe shalt be ripe and Death will cut thee downe with his Syckle Heark Trades-man ere many sixe moneths goes ouer thy last moneth will come on after which thou shalt trace away and trade no longer Hearke most graue Iudge within a few Tearmes the terme of thy life approcheth wherein thou shalt cease to iudge others and goe thy selfe to be iudged Hearke ô man of God that goest to the Pulpit preach this Sermon as if it were the last thou shouldest make to thy people Hearke Noble-man lay aside the high conceit of thy Honour Death ere it be long vvill lay thine Honour in the dust and make thee as base as the earth that thou treadest vnder thy feet Hearke thou that now readest this Booke assure thy selfe ere it be long there vvill be but two holes where now thy two eyes are placed and others shall reade the truth of this lesson vpon thy bare skull which now thou readest in this little Booke How soone I know not but this I am sure of that thy time is appointed thy moneths are determined thy dayes are numbred and thy very last houre is limited beyond which thou shalt not passe for then the first borne of Death mounted on his pale Horse shall alight at thy doore and notwithstanding all thy Wealth thy Honour and the teares of thy dearest friends will carry thee away bound hand and foote as his prisoner and keepe thy body vnder a loade of earth vntill that day come vvherein thou must be brought forth to receiue according to the things which thou hast done in that body whether it be good or euill Oh let not then the false hope of an vncertaine long life hinder thee from becomming a present Practizer of religious Pietie GOD offereth grace to day but who promiseth to morrow There are now in hell many young-men vvho had purposed to repent in their olde age but Death cut them off in their impenitencie ere euer they could attaine to the time they set for their repentance The longer a man runnes in a disease the harder it is to be cured for custome of sin breedes hardnesse of heart and the impediments vvhich hinder thee from repenting now will hinder thee more when thou art more aged A wise man being to goe a farre and foule iourney will not lay the heauiest burthen vpon the weakest horse And with what conscience canst thou lay the great load of repentance on thy feeble and tyred old age Whereas now in thy chiefest strength thou canst not lift it but art ready to stagger vnder it Is it wisdome for him that is to saile a long and dangerous voyage to lye playing and sleeping whilest the winde serueth and the Sea is calme the shippe sound the Pilote well the Marriners strong and then to set foorth when the windes are contrary the weather tempestuous the Sea raging the Ship rotten the Pilote sicke and the Sailers languishing Therefore O sinfull soule beginne now thy conuersion to God whilest life health strength and youth lasteth before those yeeres draw nigh wheÌ„ as thou shalt say I haue no pleasure in them GOD euer required in his seruice the first borne and the first fruits and those to be offered vnto him without delay So iust d Abel offered vnto GOD his firstlings and fattest lambes and reason good that the best Lord should be first best serued All Gods seruants should therefore remember to serue their Creator in the daies of their youth and earely in the morning like Abraham to sacrifice vnto GOD the yong Isaak of their age Yee shall not see my face saith Ioseph to his brethren except you bring your yonger brother with you And how shalt thou looke in the face of Iesus if thou giuest thy younger yeeres to the Diuell and bringest him nothing but thy blinde lame and decrepit old age Offer it vnto thy Prince saith Malachy If he will not accept such a one to serue him how shall the Prince of Princes admit such a one to be his seruant If the King of Babel would haue young men well fauoured and such as had ability in them to stand in his palace shall the King of heauen haue none to stand in his Courts but the blinde and lame such as the soule of Dauid hated Thinkest thou when thou hast serued Satan with thy prime yeeres to satisfie God with thy dogge daies Take heede lest God turne thee ouer to thy olde master againe That as thou hast all the daies of thy life done his worke so hee may in the ende pay thee thy wages Is that a fit time to vndertake by the serious exercises of repentance which is the worke of workes to turne thy sinnefull Soule to GOD when thou art not able with all thy strength to turne thy weary bones on thy soft bed If thou findest it so hard a matter now thou shalt finde it farre harder then For thy sinne will waxe stronger thy strength will grow weaker thy conscience will clog thee paine will distracte thee the feare of death will amaze thee and the visitation of friends will so disturbe thee that if thou be not furnished aforehand with store of faith patience and consolation thou shalt not be able either to meditate thy selfe or to heare the words of comfort from others nor to pray alone nor to ioyne with others who pray for thee It may bee thou shalt be taken with a dumbe palsey or such a deadly senslessenesse that thou shalt neither remember God nor thinke vpon thine owne estate And doest thou not well deserue that God should forget to saue thee in thy death vvho art so vnmindefull now to serue him in thy life The feare of death will driue many at that time to cry Lord Lord but Christ protesteth that hee will not then know them for his Yea many shal then like Esau with teares seeke to repent and yet finde no place to repentance For man hath not free-wil to repent when he will but when God will giue him grace And if Mercy shewed her selfe so inexoâ—able that shee would not open her gates to so tender suiters as Virgins to so earnest suiters as knockers because they knocked too late How thinkest thou that shee will euer suffer thee to enter her gates being so impure a wretch that neuer thinketh to leaue sinne till sinne first leaueth thee and didst neuer yet knocke with thine owne fistes vpon the breasts of a penitent heart And iustly doth her Grace deny to open the gates of Heauen when thou knockest in thine aduersitie who in thy prosperitie wouldest not suffer Christ whilest he knocked to enter at in the dore of thy
then to dance vpon the Sabbath day Now in the name of Almighty God who rested hauing created Heauen and Earth and of his eternall Sonne Iesus the Redeemer of his Church who shall shortly come on the dreadfull day of doome to iudge all men according to the obedience which they haue shewed to his commandements I require thee who readest these words as thou wilt answere before the face of Christ and all his holy Angels at that day that thou better weigh and consider whether dauncing stage-playing masking carding dicing tabling chesse-playing bowling shooting Beare-baiting carowsing tippling and such other fooleries of Robbin-Hood Morrice-daunces Wakes and May-games be exercises that GOD will blesse and allowe on the Sabbath day And seeing that no action ought to bee done that day but such as whereby we either blesse God or looke to receiue a blessing from God how darest thou doe those things on that blessed day on which thou darest not to pray to God to bestow a blessing on it to thy vse Heare this and tremble at this O prophane youth of a prophane age O heart all frozen and voide of the feeling of the grace of God! that hauing euery day in sixe euery houre in euery day euery minute in euery houre so tasted the sweet mercy of thy God in Christ vvithout which thou haddest perished euery moment Yet canst not finde in thy corrupt and irreligious heart to spend in thy Masters seruice that one day of the weeke which he hath reserued for his owne praise and worship Let men in defence of their prophanenesse obiect what they will and answere what the Diuell puts in their mouthes yet I would wish them to remember that seeing it is an ancient Tradition in the Church that the Lords second comming shall be vpon the Lords day how little ioy they should haue to be ouertaken in those carnall sports to please themselues when their Master should finde them in spirituall exercises seruing him The prophanest wretch would then wish rather to be taken kneeling at prayers in the Church then skipping like a Goate in a daunce If this cannot moue yet I would wish our impure gallants to remember that whilest they thus daunce on the Lords day contrary to the Lords commandement they doe but daunce about the pits brinke and they know not which of them shall first fall therein Whereinto being once fallen without repentance no greatnesse can exempt them from the vengeance of that great GOD whose commandement contrary to their knowledge and conscience they doe thus presumptuously transgresse If then Gods commandement cannot deterre thee nor Gods word aduise thee I say no more but what Saint Iohn said before me he which is filthy let him be filthy still For the second 2 The consecration of the Sabbaths rest consists in performing three sorts of duties First before Secondly at Thirdly after the publike exercises of the Church The duties to be performed before the publike exercises are 1 To giue ouer working betimes on the Eue that thy body may bee the more refreshed and thy minde the better fitted to sanctifie the Sabbath on the next day For want of this preparation thy selfe and thy seruants being tyred with labour and watching the night before are so heauy that when you should be seruing God and hearing what his spirit saith vnto the Church for your soules instruction you cannot holde vp your heads for sleeping to the dishonour of God the offence of the church and the shame of your selues therfore the Lord commands vs not only to keepe holy but also to remember afore-hand the Sabbath day to keepe it holy by preparing our harts remouing all busines that might hinder vs to consecrate it as a glorious day vnto the Lord. Therefore vvhereas the Lord in the other Commandements doth but eyther bid or forbid hee doth both in this commandement and that with a speciall memorandum As if a Master should charge his Seruant to looke well vnto tenne things of great trust but to haue a more speciall care to remember one of those ten for diuers vvaightie reasons should not a faithfull Seruant that loues his Masteâ— shew a more speciall care vnto that thing abouâ— all other businesse Thus Moses taught the people ouer-night to remember the Sabbath and it vvas a holy custome among our fore fathers when at the ringing to Prayer on the Eue before the Husbandman would giue ouer his labour in the field and the Tradesman his worke in the Shoppe and goe to Euening Prayer in the Church to prepare their soules that their minds might more cheerefully attend Gods worship on the Sabbath day 2 To possessâ— that night thy vessell in holinesse and honour that thou maist present thy Soule more purely in the sight of GOD the next morning 3 To rise vp earely in the morning on the Sabbath day Be carefull therefore to rise sooner on this day then on other dayes by how much the seruice of GOD is to be preferred before all earthly businesses For there is no Master to serue so good as God and in the end no worke shall be better rewarded then his seruice 4 When thou art vp consider with thy selfe what an impure sinner thou art and into what an holy place thou goest to appeare before the most holy GOD vvho seeth thy heart and hateth all impuritie and hypocrisie Examine thy selfe therefore before thou goest to Church what grieuous sinnes thou hast committed the weeke past confesse them vnto God and earnestly pray for the pardon and forgiuenesse of them And so reconcile thy selfe with God in Christ Renew thy vowes to vvalke more conscionably and pray for an increase of those graces which thou hast and a supply of those which thou wantest But especially pray that thou maist haue Grace to heare the Word of God read and preached vvith profit and that thou maist receiue the holy Sacrament vvith comfort If it be a Communion day that God by his holy Spirit vvould assist the Preacher to speake something that may â—ill thy sinne and comfort thy soule which thou maist doe in this or the like sort A Morning Prayer for the Sabbath day O Lord most high O God eternall all whose Workes are glorious and whose Thoughts are very deepe there can be no better thing then to praise thy Name and to declare thy louing kindnesse in the morning on thy holy and blessed Sabbath day For it is thy will and commandement that wee should sanctifie this day in thy seruice and prayse and in the thankefull remembrance as of the creation of the World by the power of thy Word so of the redemption of mankind by the death of thy Sonne Thine O Lord I confesse is greatnesse and power and glory and victory and praise for all that is in heauen and earth is thine Thine is thy Kingdome O Lord and thou excellest as head ouer all both riches and honour come of thee
prayer beseeching GOD to giue such a blessing to those things which thou hast heard that they may be a direction to thy life and a consolation vnto thy Soule for till the Word be made thus our owne and as it were close hidden in our hearts wee are in danger least Sathan steale it away and we shall receiue no profit thereby And when thou goest to dinner in that reuerend and thankfull manner before prescribed remember according to thine abilitie to haue one or more poore Christians whose hungry bowels may be refreshed with thy meate imitating holy Iob who protested that hee did neuer eate his morsels alone without the good companie of the poore and fatherlesse this is the Commandement of Christ our Master Luke 14.13 Or at least-wise send some part of thy dinner to the poore who lies sicke in the backe-lane without any food For this will bring a blessing vpon all thy workes and labours and it will one day more reioyce thy soule then it doth now refresh his body when Christ shall say vnto thee O blessed child of God! I was an hungred and thou gauest not â—eate c. And forasmuch as thou hast done it for my sake to the least of these my Brethren I take it in as good part as if thou hadst done it to mine owne self When dinner is ended and the Lord praised call thy familie together examine what they haue learned in the Sermon commend them that doe well yet discourage not them whose memories or capacities are weaker but rather helpe them for their will and mindes may be as good Turne to the proofes which the Preacher alledged and rub those good things ouer their memories againe Then sing a Psalme or more If time permit thou maist teach and examine them in some part of the Catechisme conferring euery point with the proofes of the holy Scripture This will both encrease our knowledge and shaâ—pen our memory seeing by experience wee finde that in euery trade they who are most exercised are euer best expert But in any wise remember so to dispose all these priuate exercises as that thou maist be with the first in the holy congregation at the Euening exercise where behaue thy selfe in the like deuotion and reuerence as was prescribed for the holy Exercise of the morning After Euening Prayer and at thy Supper behaue thy selfe in the like religious and holy manner as was formerly prescribed And eyther before or after Supper if the season of the yeere and weather doth serue 1 Walke into the fields and meditate vpon the Workes of God for in euery creature thou maist read as in an open Booke the Wisedome Power Prouidence and Goodnesse of Almightie God and how that none is able to make all these things in the varietie of their formes vertues beauties life motions and qualities but our most glorious God 2 Consider how gracious hee is that made all these things to serue vs. 3 Take occasion hereby to stirre vp both thy selfe and others to admire and adore his Power Wisedome and Goodnesse and to thinke what vngratefull wretches we are if wee vvill not in all obedience serue and honour him 4 If any neighbour be sicke or in any heauinesse goe to visite him If any be fallen at variance helpe to reconcile them To conclude three sorts of vvorkes may lawfully be done on the Sabbath day 1 Workes of Pietie which eyther directly concerne the Seruice of God though they be performed by bodily labour as vnder the Law the Priests did labour in killing and dressing the Sacrifices and burning them on the Altar And Christians vnder the Gospell when they trauaile farre to the places of Gods Worship it is but a Sabbath dayes iourney like to that of the Shunamite vvho trauailed from home to heare the Prophet on the Sabbath day because she had no teaching neere her owne dwelling And the Preacher though he laboureth in the sweate of his browes to the wearying of his body yet he doth but a Sabbath dayes worke For the holy end sanctifieth the worke as the temple did the Gold or the Altar the gift thereon Or else such bodily labour whereby the people of God are assembled to his worship as the sounding of Trumpets vnder the Law or the ringing of Bels vnder the Gospell 2 Workes of Charitie as to saue the life of a man or of a beast to fodder water and dresse Cattell To make honest prouision of meate and drincke to refresh our selues and to relieue the poore to visite the sicke to make collections for the poore and such like 3 Workes of necessitie not fained but present and imminent and such as could not be preuented before nor cannot be deferred vnto another day As to resist the inuasion of Enemies or the robberies of Theeues to quench the rage of Fire and for Physitians to stanch or let bloud or to cure any other desperate disease and for Mid-wiues to helpe women in labour Mariners may doe their labour Souldiers being assailed may fight and Posts may ride for the publique good and such like On these or the like occasions a man may lawfully vvorke Yea and vvhen they are called they may vpon any of these occasions goe out of the Church and from the holy exercises of the Word and Sacraments prouided alwayes that they bee humbled that such occasions falles out vpon that day and time And that they take no Money for their paines on that day but onely for their stuffe as in the feare of God conscience of his commandement When the time of rest approacheth retire thy selfe to some priuate place and knowing that in the state of corruption no man liuing can sanctifie a Sabbath in that Spirituall manner that hee should but that hee commits many breaches thereof in his thoughts words and deedes humbly craue pardon for thy defects and reconcile thy selfe vnto God with this or the like Euening Sacrifice A priuate Euening Prayer for the Lords day O Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbaoth Suffer me who am but dust ashes to speake vnto thy most glorious Maiestie I know that thou art a consuming fire I acknowledge that I am but withered stubble my sinnes are in my sight and Sathan stands at my right hand to accuse me for them I come not to excuse but to iudge my selfe worthy of all those Iudgements which thy iustice might most iustly inflict vpon mee a wretched creature for my sinnes and transgressions The number of them is so great the nature of them is so grieuous that they make me seeme vile in mine owne eies how much more loathsome in thy sight I confesse they make mee so farre from being worthy to be called thy Sonne that I am altogether vnworthy to haue the name of thy meanest seruant And if thou shouldest but