thou hast and a supply of those which thou wantest But especially pray that thou maist have Grace to hear the word of God read and preached with profit and that thou maist receive the holy Sacrament with comfort if it be Communion day that God by his Holy Spirit would assist the Preacher to speak something that may kill thy sin and comfort thy soul which thou maist do in this or the like sort A morning Prayer for the Sabbath-day O Lord most high O God eternal all whose works are glorious and whose thoughts are very deep there can be no better thing than to praise thy Name and to declare thy loving kindness in the morning on thy holy and blessed Sabbath day For it is thy Will and Commandment that we should sanctiâ—ie this day in thy service and praise and in the thankful 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 Son Thine O Lord I confess is greatness and power and glory and victory and praise for all that is in heaven and earth is thine Thine is the Kingdom O Lord and thou excellest as head over all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and strength and in thine hand it is to make great and to give grace unto all Now therefore O my God I praise thy glorious Name that whereas I a wretched sinner having so many ways provoked thy Majesty to anger and displeasure thou notwithstanding of thy favour and goodness passing by my prophaneness and infirmities hast vouchsafed to add this Sabbath again unto the number of my days And vouchsafe O heavenly Father for the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son whose glorious resurrection thy whole Church celebrateth this day to pardon and forgive me all my sins and misdeeds Especially O Lord cleanse my soul from those filthy sins with the blood of thy most pure and undefiled Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world And let thy Holy Spirit more and more subdue my corruptions that I may be renewed after thine own Image to serve thee in newness of life and holiness of conversation And as of thy mercy thou hast brought me to the beginning of this blessed day so I do beseech thee make it a day of Reconciliation betwixt my sinful Soul and thy Divine Majesty Give me grace to make it a day of Repentance unto thee that thy goodness may seal iâ— to be a day of pardon unto me and that I may remember that the keeping holy of this day is a Commandment which thine own finger hath written That on this day I might meditate on thy glorious works of our Creation and Redemption and learn how to know and to keep all the rest of thy holy Laws and Commandments And when anon I shall with the rest of the holy Assembly appear before thy Presence in thy House to offer unto thee our Morning Sacrifice of praise and Prayer and to hear what thy Spirit by the preaching of thy Word shall speak unto thy servant Oh let not my sins stand as a Cloud to stop my Prayers from ascending unto thee or to keep back thy grace from descending by thy Word into my heart I know O Lord and tremble to think that three parts of the good seed falls upon bad ground O let not my heart be like the high-way which through hardness and want of true understanding receives not the seed till the evil one cometh and catcheth it away nor like to the stony ground which heareth with joy for a time but falleth away as soon as persecution ariseth for the Gospel's sake nor like the thorny ground which by the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choaketh the Word which it heareth and makes it altogether unfruitful but thâ—t like unto the good ground I may hear thy Word with an honest and good heart understand it and keep it and bring forth fruit with patience in that measure that thy Wisdom shall think meet for thy glory and mine everlasting comfort Open likewise I beseech thee O Lord the door of utterance unto thy faithful servant whom thou hast sent unto us to open our Eyes that we may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God that we may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Christ. And give me grace to submit my self unto his Ministery as well when he terriâ—ieth me with judgments as when he comforteth me with thy Mercies And that I may have him in singular love for his works sake because he watcheth for my soul as he that must give an account for the same unto his Master And give me grace to behave my self in the holy Congregation with comeliness and reverence as in thy presence and in the sight of thy holy Angels Keep me from drowsiness and sleeping and from all wandring thoughts and worldly imaginations sanctifie my Memory that it may be apt to receive and firm to remember those good and profitable doctrines which shall be taught unto us out of thy Word And that through the assistance of thy holy Spirit I may put the same Lessons in practice for my direction in Prosperity for my consolation in Misery for the amendment of my Life and the glory of thy Name And that this day which godless and prophane Persons spend in their own Lusts and Pleasures I as one of thy obedient Servants may make my chief delight to consecrate to thy glory and honour not doing mine own ways nor seeking mine own will nor speaking a vain word but that ceasing from the works of sin as well as from the works of mine ordinary calling I may through thy blessing feel in my heart the beginning of that eternal Sabbath which in unspeakable joy and glory I shall celebrate with Saints and Angels to thy praise and worship in thy heavenly Kingdom for evermore All which I humbly crave at thy hands in the name and mediation of my Lord Jesus in that form of Prayer which he hath taught me Our Father which art in Heaven c. Having thus in private prepared thine own soul if thou hasâ— the charge of a Family call all thy Houshold together read a Chapter and pray as in the week-days but remember so to dispatch these private preparations and duties as that thou and thy family may be in the Church before the beginning of Prayers Else your private exercises are rather an hindranâ—e than a preparation And as thou and thy Houshold do go in all reverence towards the Church let every one meditate thus with himself Things to be meditated as thou goest to the Church 1. That thou art going to the Court of the Lord and to speak with the great God by prayer and to hear his Majesty speak unto
not the throat only be punished and therefore we must endeavour to make our eyes as at all times so especially on that day to fast from beholding vanities our ears from hearing Mirth or Musick but such as may move to mourâ— our nâ—strils from pleasant smell our tongues from lying dissembling and slandering yea the use of the Marriage bâ—d must be omitted in a religious reverence of the Divine Majesty that so nothing may hinder our true Humiliation but that all may be signs that we are unfeignedly humble Thus much of the outward manner The inward manner of fasting consists in Two things 1. Repentance 2. Prayer Repentance hath Two Parts 1. Peniteâ—cy for sins past 2. Amendment of life in time to come This Penitency consists in Three things First an inward insight of sin and sense of misery Secondly a bewailing of thy vile estate Thirdly an humble and particular confession of all thy known sins 1. Of the inward insight of sin and sâ—â—se of misery This sense and insight will be effected in thee First by considering thy sins especially thy gross sins according to the circumstances of the time when place where manner how and persons with whom it was committed Secondly the Majesty of God against whom it was done and the rather because thou didst such things against him since he became a Father unto thee and bestowed so many sweet blessings in bountiful manner upon thee Thirdly in considering the curses which God hath threatned for thy sin how grievously God hath plagued others for the same fault and how that no means in Heaven or Earth could deliver thee from being eternally damned for them had not the son of God so lovingly died for thee Lastly That if God loves thee he must chasten thee ere it be long with some grievous affliction unless thou dost prevent him by speedy and unfeigned repentance Let these and the like considerations so prick thy heart with sorrow that melting for remorse within thee it may be dissolved into a fountain of tears trickling down thy mournful Cheeks This mourning is the beginning of true fasting and therefore oft-times put for fasting the first and principal part for the whole action 2. Of the bewailing of thine own estate Bewailing or lamentation is the pouring out of the inward mourning of the heart by the outward means of the voice and tears of the eyes With such filial earnestness and importunity in prayer is our heavenly Father well pleased Nay when it is the fruit of his Spirit and the effect of our faith he cannot be displeased with it For if he heard the moans which extremity wrong from Ismael and Hagar and heareth the cry of the young ravens and roaring of Lyons how much rather will he hear the mournful lamentations which his own Children make unto him in their misery 3. Of the humble confession of sins In this action thou must deal plainly with God and acknowledge all the sins thou knowest not only in general but also in particular This hath been the manner of all God's Children in their Fasts first because that without Confession thou hast no promise of mercy or forgiveness of sins Secondly That so thou maist acknowledge God to be just and thy self unrighteous Thirdly That by the numbring of thy sins thy heart may be the more humbled and pulled down Fourthly That it may appear that thou art truly penitent for till God hath given thee grace to repent thou wilt be more ashamed to confess thy fault than to commit thy sin The plainer thou dealeâ—â— in this respect with God the more graciously will God deal with thee for if thou dost acknowledge thy sins God is faithful and just to forgive thee thy sins and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son shall clearse thee from all thy sins To help thee the better to perform these three parts of Penitency thou must diligently read such Chapters and Portions of the holy Scriptures as do chiefly concern thy particular sins that thou maist see God's curse and judgments on others for the like sins and be the more humbled thy self Thus far of the first part of Repentance which is penitency The other part which is Amendment of life consists First in devout Prayer Secondly in devout Actions This devout Prayer which we make in time of Fasting in either deprecation of evil or craving needful good things Deprecation of evil is when thou beseechâ—st GOD for Christ the Mediator's sake to pardon unto thee those sins which thou hast confessed and to turn from thee those judgments which are due unto there for thy sins And as Benhadad because the heard That the King of Israel was merciful prostrated himself unto him with a râ—pe about his neck so because thou knowest that the King of Heaven is merciful cast down thy self in his presence in all true signs of humiliation especially seeing hâ— calleth upon thee to come unto him in thy troubles and doubtless thou shalt find him most merciful The craving of needful good things is First a fervent and faithful begging of God to seal by his Spirit in thy heart the assurance of the forgiveness of all thy sins Secondly to renew thy heart by the Holy Ghost so that sin may daily decay and righteousness more and more increase in thee Lastly in desiring a supply of faith patience chastity and all other graces which thou wantest and an increase of those which God of his mercy hath bestowed upon thee already Thus far of Prayer in Fasting The devout actions in Fasting are two First Avoiding evil Secondly Doing good 1. Of avoiding Evil. This Abstinence from evil is that which is chiefly signified by thy Abstinence from food c. and is the chief end of fasting as the Ninevites very well knew A day of fast and not fasting from sin the Lord abhorreth It is not the vacuity of the stomach but the purity of the heart that God respecteth If therefore thou wouldest have God to turn from thee the evil of Affliction thou must first turn away from thy self the evil of transgression And without this fasting from evil thy Fast favours more noisom to God than thy breath doth to Man This made God so often to reject the Fast of the Jews And as thou must endeavour to avoid all sin so especially that sin wherewith thou hast provoked God either to shake his rod at thee or already to lay his chastening hand upon thee And do this with a resolution by the assistance of God's grace never to commit those sins again For what shall it profit a man by abstinence to humble his body if his mind swell with pride Or to forbear Wine and strong drink and to be drunk with wrath and malice Or to let no flesh go into the Belly when lyes slanders and ribauldry which are worse than any meat come out of the mouth To abstain
Blood And by the frequent use of this Communion Paul will have us to make a shew of the Lord's death till he come from Heaven and till we as Eagles shall be caught up into the air to meet him who is the blessed Carkase and Life of our Souls Thirdly The spiritual Graces are likewise two the Body of Christ as it was with the feeling of God's anger due to us crucified and his blood as it was in the like sort shed for the remission of their sins They are also in number two but in use one viz. whole Christ with all his benefits offered to all and given indeed to the faithful These are the Three integral parts of this blessed Sacrament the Sign the Word and the Grace The Sign without the Word or the Word without the Sign can do nothing and both conjoyned are unprofitable without the Grace signified but all Three concurring make an effectual Sacrament to a worthy Receiver Some receive the outward Sign without the spiritual Grace as Judas who as Austin saith received the bread of the Lord but not the bread which was the Lord. Some receive the spiritual Grace without the outward Sign as the Saint-Thief on the Cross and innumerable of the faithful who dying desire it but cannot receive it through some external impediments but the worthy Receivers to their comfort receive both in the Lord's-Supper Christ chose Bread and Wine rather than any other Elements to be the outward Signs in this blessed Sacrament first because they are easiest for all sorts to attain unto Secondly to teach us that as man's temporal life is chiefly nourished by bread and cherished by wine so are our Souls by his body and blood sustained and quickned unto eternal Life Christ appointed Wine with the Bread to be the outward Signs in this Sacrament to teach us first that as the perfect nourishment of Man's Body consists both of meat and drink so Christ is unto our Souls not in part but in perfection both salvation and nourishment Secondly that by seeing the Sacramental Wine apart from the Bread we should remember how all his precious blood was spilt out of his blessed body for the remission of our sins The outward signs the Pastor gives in the Church and thou dost eat with the mouth of thy body the spiritual grace Christ reacheth from Heaven and thou must eat it with the mouth of thy Faith 3. Of the Ends for which this holy Sacrament was ordained The excellent and admirable Ends or Fruits for which this blessed Sacrament was ordained are seven Of the first End of the Lord's-Supper 1. To keep Christians in a continual remembrance of that propitiatory sacrifice which Christ once for all offered by his death upon the Cross to reconcile us unto God Do this saith Christ in remembrance of me And saith the Apostle As oft as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lord's death till he come And he saith that by this Sacrament and the Preaching of the Word Jesus Christ was so evidently set forth before the eyes of the Galatians as if he had been crucified among them for the whole action representeth Christ's death the breaking of the bread blessed the crucifying of his blessed body and the pouring forth of the sanctifyed wine the shedding of his holy blood Christ was once in himself really offered but as oft as the Sacrament is celebrated so oft is he spiritually offered by the faithful Hence the Lord's Supper is called a propitiatory Sacrifice not properly or really but figuratively because it is a memorial of that propitiatory Sacrifice which Christ offered upon the Cross. And to distinguish it from that real Sacrifice the Fathers call it the * unbloody Sacrifice It is also called the Eucharist because that the Church in this Action offereth unto God the Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for her Redemption effected by the true and only expiatory Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross. If the sight of Moab's King sacrificing on his walls his own son to move his Gods to rescue his 2 King 3. 27. moved the assailing Kings to such pity that they ceas'd the assault and raised their siege how should the spiritual sight of God the Father sacrificing on the Cross his only begotten Son to save thy soul move thee to love God thy Redeemer and to leave sin that could not in justice be expiated by any meaner ransom Of the second end of the Lord's Supper 2. To confirm our Faith For God by this Sacrament doth signifie and seal unto us from Heaven that according to the promise and new covenant which he hath made in Christ he will truly receive into his grace and mercy all penitent believers who duly receive this holy Sacrament and that for the merits of the death and passion of Christ he will as verily forgive them all their sins as they are made partakers of this Sacrament In this respect the holy Sacrament is called The seal of the new Covenant and remission of sins In our greatest doubts we may therefore receiving this Sacrament undoubtedly say with Samson's Mother If the Lord would kill us he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things nor would at this time have told us such things as these Of the third end of the Lord's Supper 3. To be a pledge and symbol of the most near and effectual communion which Christians have with Christ. the Cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ that is a most effectual sign and pledge of our Communion with Christ This union is called abiding in us joyning to the Lord dwelling in our hearts and set forth in the holy Scriptures by divers Similes 1. Of the Vine and branches 2. Of the head and body 3. Of the foundation and building 4. Of one Loaf confected of many Grains 5. Of the matrimonial union 'twixt Man and Wife and such like And it is threefold betwixt Christ and Christians The first is natural betwixt our Humane Nature and Christ's Divine Nature in the Person of the Word The second is mystical betwixt our Persons absent from the Lord and the Person of Christ God and Man in one mystical Body The third is celestial betwixt our Persons present with the Lord and the Person of Christ in a body glorified These three Conjunctions depend each upon other For had not our Nature been first Hypostatically united to the Nature of God in the second Person we could never have been united to Christ in a Mystical Body And if we be not in this life though absent united to Christ by a Mystical Union we shall never have Communion of glory with him in his
Journey towards God 2. If thou hast Children give to every one of them a Portion according to thy ability in thy life-time that thy life may seem an ease and not a yoak unto them yet so give as that thy Children may still be beholden unto thee and noâ— thou unto them But if thou keep all iâ— thy hands whilst thou livest they may thank Death and not thee for the portion that thou leavest them If thou hast nâ— Children and the Lord hath blest theâ— with a great portion of the goods of thiâ— World and if thou meanest to bestow them upon any charitable or pious uses put not over that good work to the trusâ— of others seeing thou seest how most oâ— other mens Executors prove almost Exeâ—cutioners And if Friends be so unfaithfuâ—â— in a man's life how much greater causâ— hast thou to distrust their fidelity afteâ— thy death Lamentable experience sheweth how many dead men's Wills have of laâ— either been quite concealed utterly overthrown or by cavils and quirks of Law frustrated or altered whereas by the Law of God the will of the dead should not be violated but all his godly intentions conscionably performed and fulfilled as in the sight of God who in the Day of the Resurrection will be just Judge both of the quick and dead And if any thing should hap in his Will to be ambiguous or doubtful it should be construed as it might come nearest to the Honour of God and the honest Intention of the Testator But let the vengeance due to such unchristian Deeds light on the Actors that do them not on the Kingdom wherein they are suffered to be done And let other rich Men be warned by such wretched examples not so to marry their Minds to their Money as that they will do no good with their Goods till Death divorceth them Considering therefore the shortness of thine own life and the uncertainty of others just dealing after thy death in these unjust days let me advise thee whom God hath blessed with ability and an intent to do good to become in thy life time thine own Administrator make thine own Hands thine Executors and thine own Eyes thy Over-seers cause thy Lanthorn to give her light before thee and not behind thee give God the Glory and thou shalt receive of him in due time the reward which of his grace and mercy he hath promised to thy good works 4. Having thus set thy House and Soul in order if the determined number of thy days be not expired God will either have mercy upon thee and say Spare him O killing Malady that he go not down into the pit for I have received a reconciliation Or else his Fatherly providence will direct thee to such a Physician and to such means as that by his blessing upon their endeavours thou shalt recover and be restored to thy former Health again But in any wise take heed that thou nor none for thee send unto Sorcerers Wizards Charmers or Inchanters for help for this were to leave the God of Israel and to go to Baal-zebub the God of Ekron for help as did wicked Ahaziah and to break thy Vow which thou hast made with the blessed Trinity in thy Baptism and be sure that God will never give a Blessing by those means which he hath accursed but if he permit Satan to cure thy Body fear lest it tend to the damnation of thy Soul Thou art tried beware 5. When thou hast sent for the Physician take heed that thou put not thy trust rather in the Physician than in the Lord as Asa did of whom it is said that he sought not to the Lord in his Disease but to the Physician which is a kind of Idolatry that will increase the Lord's anger and make the Physick received uneffectual Use therefore the Physician as God's Instrument and Physick as God's Means And seeing it is not lawful without Prayer to use ordinary food 1 Tim. 4. 4. much less extraordinary Physick whose good effect depends upon the blessing of God before thou takest thy Physick pray therefore heartily unto God to bless it unto thy use in these or the like words A Prayer before taking of Physick O Merciful Father who art the Lord of health and of sickness of life and of death who killest and makest alive who bringest down to the grave and raisest up again I come unto thee as to the only Physician who canst cure my Soul from sin and my Body from sickness I desire neither life nor death but refer my self to thy most holy Will For tho' we must needs die and being dead our lives are as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gather'd up again yet hath thy gracious Providence whilst liâ—â— remaineth appointed means which thou wilt have thy Children to use and by the lawful use thereof to expect thy blessing upon thine own means to the curing of their sickness and restitution of their health Aâ—d now O Lord in this my necessity I have according to thine Ordinance seâ—t for thy Servant the Physician who hath prepared for me this Physick which I receive as means sent from thy fatherly hand I beseech thee therefore that as by thy blessing on a lâ—â—p of dry Figs thou didst heal Hezekiah's sore that he recovered and by seven times washing in the river of Jordan didst cleanse Naaman the Syrian of his Leprosie and didst restore the Man that was blind from his birth by anointing his Eyes with Clay and Spittle and sending him to wash in the Pool of Siloam and by touching the hand of Peter's Wife's Mother didst cure her of her Fever and didst restore the Woman that touched the hem of thy Garment from her bloody Issue So it would please thee of thine infinite goodness and mercy to sanctifie this Physick to my use and to give such a blessing unto it that it may if it be thy Will and Pleasure remove this my sickness and â—ain and restore me to health and strength again But if the number of those days which thou hast appointed for me to live in this Vale of misery be at an end and that thou hast sent this sickness as thy Messenger to call me out of this mortal life then Lord let thy blessed will be done for I submit my will to thy most holy Pleasure Only I beseech thee increase my faith and patience and let thy grace and mercy be never wanting unto me but in the midst of all extremities assist me with thy Holy Spirit that I may willingly and chearfully resign up my Soul the price of thine own Blood into thy most gracious hands and custody Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory both now and evermore Amen Meditations for the sick WHilst thy sickness remaineth use often for thy comfort these
their sins and that they might be found ready at the coming of Christ. And how that David was not concent to pray at Morning at Evening and at Noon but he would also rise up at midnight to pray unto God And if Christ did chide his Disciples because they would not watch with him one hour in praying what chiding dost thou deserve who thinkest it too long to continue in prayer but one quarter of an hour If thou hast spent divers hours in seeing a vain Mask or Play yea whole days and nights in carding and dicing to please thy flesh be ashamed to think a Prayer of a quarter of an hour long to be too long an exercise for the service of God 5. Consider that if the Papists in their blind superstition do in an unknown and therefore unedifying Tongue fit only for the Children of mystical Babylon mutter over upon their Beads every morning and evening so many scores of Ave-Maries Pater-Nosters and idolatrous prayers how shall they in their superstitious devotion rise up in judgment against thee professing thy self to be a true worshipper of Christ If that thou thinkest these Prayers to be too long a task being shorter for quantity than theirs but far more profitable for quality tending only to God's glory and thy good and so compiled of Scripture phrase as that thou may'st speak to God as well in his own holy words as in thine own native language Be ashamed that Papists in their superstitious worshipping of creatures should shew themselves more devout than thou in the sincere worshipping of the true and only God And indeed a prayer in private devotion should be one continued speech rather than many broken fragments 6. Lastly When such thoughts come into thy head either to keep thee from prayer or to distract thee in praying remember that those are the Fowls which the evil one sends to devour the good seed and the carcases of thy spiritual Sacrifices but endeavour with Abraham to drive them away Yet notwithstanding if thou perceivest at some times that thy spirits are dull and thy mind not apt for Prayer and holy devotion strive not too much for that time but humbling thy self at the sense of thine infirmity and dulness knowing that God accepteth the willing mind tho' it be oppressed with the heaviness of the flesh endeavour the next time to recompence this dulness by redoubling the zeal and for the time present commend thy soul to God in this or the like short Prayer Another shorter Morning Prayer O Most gracious God and merciful Father I thine unworthy Servant do here acknowledge that as I have been born in sin so I have lived in iniquity and broken every one of thy Commandments in thought word and deed following the desires of mine own will and lusts of my flesh not caring to be governed by thy holy Word and Spirit and therefore I have justly deserved all shame and misery in this life and everlasting condemnation in hell-fire if thou shouldest but deal with me according to thy Justice and my desert Wherefore O heavenly Father I beseech thee for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake and for the Merits of that bitter Death and bloody Passion which I believe that he hath suffered for me that thou wouldest pardon and forgive unto me all my sins and deliver me from the shame and vengeance which is due to me for them And send thy Holy Spirit into my heart which may assure me that thou art my Father and that I am thy Child and that thou lovest me with an unchangeable love and let the same thy good Spirit lead me in thy truth and crucifie in me more and more all worldly and carnal lusts that my sins may more and more die in me and that I may serve thee in unfeigned righteousness and holiness this day and all the days of my life That when this mortal life is ended I may through thy mercy in CHRIST be made partaker of everlasting glory in thy heavenly Kingdom And here O Lord from the bottom of my heart I thank thee for all thy blessings which thou hast bestowed upon my soul and body for electing me in thy love redeeming me by thy Son sanctifying me by thy Spirit and preserving me from my youth up until this present day and hour by thy most gracious providence I thaâ—k thee more especially for that thou hast defended me this night from all perils and dangers and hast brought me safe to the beginning of this day And now good Lord I beseech thee keep me this day from all evil that may hurt me and from falliâ—g into any gross sin that should offend thee Set thy fear before mine eyes and let thy spirit so rule my heart that all that I shall think do or speak this day may tend to thy glory the good of others and the peace of mine own conscience And to this end I commend my self and all my ways and actions together with all that do belong unto me unto thy gracious direction and protection praying thee to keep both them and me from all evil and to give a blessing to all our honest labours and endeavours Defend thy whole Church from the tyranny of the world and of Antichrist Preserve our gracious King from all conspiracies and treasons grant him a long and prosperous reign over us Bless our gracious Queen Mary Prince Charles the Lady Maâ—â— the Lady Elizabeth and her Princely â—â—sue endue them with thy grace and defend them from all evil Bless all our Ministers and Magistrates with those graces and gifts which thou knowest necessary for their places Be favourable to all that fear thee and tremble at thy judgments comfort all those that are sick and comfortless Lord keep me in a continual readiness by faith and repentance â—or my last end that whether I live or die I may be found thine own to thine eternal glory and mine everlasting salvation through Jesus Christ my only Saviour In whose blessed name I beg these mercies at thy hands and give unto thee thy praise and glory in that praâ—er which he hath sanctifyed with his own lips saving Our Father which art in Heaven hallâ—â—â—d be thy Name c. Further Meditations to stir us up to Prayer in the Morning THink not any business or haste though never so great a sufficient excuse to omit prayer in the Morning but meditate 1. That the greater thy business is by so much the more need thou hast to pray for God's good speed and blessing thereon seeing it is certain that nothing can prosper without his blessing 2. That many a Man when he thought himself surest hath been soonest crossed so maist thou 3. That many a Man hath gone out of his door and never come in again Many a Man who rose well and lively in the morning hath been seen a dead Man ere night So may it befal thee and if thou
day 5. Praying for rest and protection that night 6. Remembering the state of the Church the King and the Royal Posterity our Ministers and Magistrates and all our Brethren visited or persecuted 7. Lastly commending thy self and all thine to his gracious custody All which thou maist do in these or the like words A Prayer for the Evening O Most gracious God and loving Father who art about my bed and knowest my down-lying and mine up-rising and art near unto all that call upon thee in truth and sincerity I wretched sinner do beseech thee to look upon me with the eyes of thy mercy and not to behold me as I am in my self For then thou shalt see but an unclean and defiled creature conceived in sin and living in iniquity so that I am ashamed to lift up mine eyes to heaven knowing how grievously I have sinned against heaven and before thee For O Lord I have transgressed all thy Commandments and righteous Laws not only through negligence and infirmity but oftentimes through willful presumption contrary to my knowledge yea contrary to the motions of thy Holy spirit reclaiming me from them so that I have wounded my conscience and grieved thy Holy Spirit by whom thou hast sealed me to the day of redemption Thou hast consecrated my soul and body to be the temples of the Holy Ghost I wretched sinner have defiled both with all manner of pollution and uncleanness My eyes in taking pleasure to behold vanity mine ears in hearing impure and unchaste speeches my tongue in leasing and evil speaking my hands are so full of impurity that I am ashamed to lift them up unto thee and my feet have carried me after mine own ways my understanding and reasoning which are so quick in all earthly matters are only blind and stupid when I come to meditate or discourse of spiritual and heavenly things my memory which should be the treasury of all goodness is not so apt to remember any thing as those things which are vile and vain Yea Lord by woful experience I find that naturally all the imaginations of the thoughts of mine heart are only evil continually And these my sins are more in number than the hairs upon mine head and they have grown over me like a loathsom leprosie that from the Crown of my head to the sole of my feet there remains no part which they have not infected They make me seem vile in mine own eyes how much more abominable must I then appear in thy sight And the custom of sinning hath almost taken away the conscience of sin and pulled upon me such dullness of sense and hardness of heart that thy judgments denounced against my sins by the faithful Preachers of thy Word do not terrifie me to return unto thee by unfeigned repentance for them And if thou Lord shouldest but deal with me according to thy justice and my desert I should utterly be confounded and condemned But seeing that of thine infinite mercy thou hast spared me so long and still waitest for my repentance I humbly beseech thee for the bitter death and bloody passion sake which Jesus Christ hath suffered for me that thou wouldest pardon and forgive unto me all my sins and offences and open unto me that ever streaming fountain of the blood of Christ which thou hast promised to open under the New Testament to the penitent of the house of David that all my sins and uncleanness may be so bathed in his blood buried in his death and hid in his wounds that they may never be more seen to shame me in this life or to condemn me before thy Judgment-seat in the World which is to come And for as much O Lord as thou know'st that it is not in man to turn his own heart unless thou dost first give him grace to convert and seeing that it is as easie with thee to make me righteous and holy as to bid me to be such O my God give me grace to do what thou commandest and then command what thou wilt and thou shalt find me willing to do thy blessed will And to this end give unto me thine Holy Spirit which thou hast promised to give to the world's end unto all thine Elect people And let the same thy holy Spirit purge my heart heal my corruption sanctifie my nature and consecrate my soul and body that they may become the temples of the Holy Ghost to serve thee in righteousness and holiness all the days of my life that when by the direction and assistance of thy holy Spirit I shall finish my course in this short and transitory life I may chearfully leave this world and resign my soul into thy Fatherly hands in the assured confidence of enjoying everlasting life with thee in thine heavenly Kingdom which thou hast prepared for thine elect Saints who love the Lord Jesus and expect his appearing In the mean while O Father I beseech thee let thy holy Spirit work in me such a serious repentance as that I may with tears lament my sins past with grief of heart be humble for my sins present and with all mine endeavour resist the like filthy sins in time to come And let the same thy holy Spirit likewise keep me in the Vnity of thy Church lead me in the truth of thy Word and preserve me that I never swerve from the same to Popery nor any other errour or false worship And let thy Spirit open mine eyes more and more to see the wondrous things of thy Law and open my lips that my mouth may daily defend thy truth and set forth thy praise Increase in me those good gifts which of thy mercy thou hast already bestowed upon me and give unto me a patient spirit a chast heart a contented mind pure affections wise behaviour and all other graces which thou feest to be necessary for me to govern my heart in thy fear and to guide all my life in thy favour that whether I live or die I may live and die unto thee who art my God and my Redeemer And here O Lord according as I am bound I render unto thee from the Altar of my humblest heart all possible thanks for all those blessings and benefits which so graciously and plentuously thou hast bestowed upon my soul and body for this life and for that which is to come namely for mine Election Creation Redemption Vocation Justification Sanctification and Preservation from my child-hood until this present day and hour and for the firm hope which thou hast given me of my Glorification Likewise for my health wealth food raiment and prosperity and more especially for that thou hast defended me this day now past from all perils and dangers both of body and soul furnishing me with all necessary good things that I stand in need of And as thou hast ordained the day for
from * meat and to do mischief is the Devil 's fast who doth evil and is ever hungry 2. Of doing good works The good works which as a Christian thou must do every day but especially on thy Fasting-day are either the works of Piety to God or the works of Charity towards thy brethren 1. The works of Piety to God are the practice of all the former duties in the sincerity of a good Conscience and in the sight of God 2. The works of Charity towards our Brethren are forgiving wrongs remitting debts to the poor that are not well able to pay but especially in giving alms to the poor that want relief and sustenance Else we shall under pretence of godliness practice miserableness like those who will pinch their own bellies to defraud their labouring servants of their due allowance As therefore Christ joyned Fasting Prayer and Alms together in Precept â—o must thou joyn them together like Cornelius in practice And therefore be sure to give at the least so much to the poor on thy Fasting-day as thou wouldest have spent in thine own dyet if thou hadst not fasted that day And remember that he that soweth plenteously shall reap plenteously and that this is a special sowing day Let thy Fasting so afflict thee that it may refresh a poor Christian and rejoyce that thou hast dined and supped in another or rather that thou hast feasted hungry Christ in his poor Members In giving Alms observe Two things First the Rules Secondly the Rewards 1. Rules in giving of Alms and doing good works 1. They must be done in obedience to God's Commandments not because we think it to be good but because God requireth us to do such and such a good deed for such obedience of the worker God preferreth before all sacrifices and the greatest works 2. They must proceed from faith else they cannot please God nay without faith the most specious works are but shining sins and Phâ—rifees Alms. 3. Thou must not think by thy good Works and Alms to merit heaven for in vain had the Son of God shed his Blood if Heaven could have been purchased either for Money or Meat Thou must therefore seek Heaven's Possession by the purchase of Christ's Blood not by the merits of thine own works For eternal Life is the gift of God through Jesus Christ. Yet every true Christian that believes to be saved and hopes to come to Heaven must do good works as the Apostle saith for necessary uses which are four First That God may be glorified Secondly That thou mayest shew thy self thankful for thy Redemption Thirdly That thou maist make sure thine Election unto thy self Fourthly That thou mayest win others by thy holy devotion to think the better of thy Christian profession And for these uses we are said to be God's Workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works and that God hath ordained us to walk in them 4. Thou must not give thine Alms to impudent Vagabonds who live in wilful idleness and filthiness but to the religious and honest Poor who are either sick or so old that they cannot work or such who work but their work cannot competently maintain them Seek out those in the back Lâ—nes and relieve them But if thou mâ—etest one that asketh an Alms for Jesus sake and knowest him not to be unworthy deny him not for it is better to give unto ten Counterfeits than to suffer Christ to go in one poor Saint unrelieved Look not on the Person but give thy Alms as unto Christ in the Party 2. Of the Rewards of Alms-deeds and Good works 1. Alms are a special means to move God in mercy to turn away his temporal judgments from us when we by a true Faith that sheweth it self by such fruits do return unto him 2. Merciful Alms givers shall be the Children of the Highest and be like God their Father who is the Father of mercies They shall be his Stewards to dispose his Goods his Hands to distribute his Alms and if it be so great an honour to be the King's Almoner how much greater is it to be the God of Heavens Alms-giver 3. When all this World shall forsake us then only good Works and good Angels shall accompany us the one to receive their reward the other to deliver their charge 4. Liberty in Alms-deeds is our surest foundation that we shall obtain in eternal life a liberal reward through the Mercy and Merits of Christ. Lastly By Alms-deeds we feed and relieve Christ in his Members and Christ at the last day will acknowledge our love and reward us in his mercy and then it shall appear that what we gave to the poor was not lost but lent unto the Lord What greater motives can a Christian wish to excite him to be a liberal Alms-giver Thus far of the Manner of Fasting Now follow the Ends. 3. Of the Ends of Fasting The true Ends of Fasting are not to merit God's favour or eternal life for that we have only of the gift of God through Christ nor to place Religion in bodily abstinence for Fasting in it self is not the worship of God but an help to further us the better to worship God But the true Ends of Fasting are Three First To subdue our Flesh to the Spirit but not so to weaken our Bodies as that we are made unfit to do the necessary Duties of our Calling A good man saith Solomon is merciful to his beast Prov. 12. verse 10. much more to his own body Secondly That we may more devoutly contemplate God's holy Will and fervently pour forth our Souls unto him by prayer for as there are some kind of Devils so there are also some kind of Sins which cannot be subdued but by Fasting joyned unto Prayer Matth. 17. 22. Thirdly That by our serious humiliation and judging of our selves we may escape the judgment of the Lord not for the merit of our Fasting which is none but for the mercy of God who hath promised to remove his judgments from us when we by Fasting do unseignedly humble our selves before him And indeed no Child of God ever conscionably used this holy exercise but in the end he obtained his request at the hand of God both in receiving graces which he wanted as appears in the examples of Hannah Jehosaphat Nehemiah Daniel Esdras Esther as also in turning away judgments threatned or faln upon him as may be seen in the examples of the Israelites the Ninevites Rehoboam Ahab Hezekiah Manasses He who gave his dear Son from Heaven to the Death to ransom us when we were his enemies thinks nothing too dear on Earth to bestow upon us when we humble our selves being made his reconciled Friends and Children Thus far of the private Fast. 2. Of the publick Fast.
A Publick Fast is when by the Authority of the Magistrate either the whole Church within his Dominion or some special Congregation whom it concerneth do assemble themselves together to perform the forementioned duties of Humiliation either for the removing of some publick calamity threatned or already inflicted upon them as the sword invasion famine pestilence or other fearful sickness or else for the obtaining of some publick blessing for the good of the Church as to crave the assistance of his holy Spirit in the election and ordination of fit and able Pastors c. or for the tryal of Truth and execution of Justice in matters of difficulty and great importance c. When any evil is to be removed the Pastors are to lay open unto the People by the evidence of God's Word the sins which were the special causes of that Calamity call upon them to repent and publish unto them the mercies of God in Christ upon their Repentance The People must hear the Voice of God's Messengers with hearty sorrow for their sins earnestly beg pardon in Christ and promise unfeigned amendment of their life When any blessing is to be obtained the Pastors must lay open to the People the necessity of that blessing and the goodness of God who giveth such graces for the good of Men. The people must devoutly pray unto God for bestowing of that grace and that he would bless his own means to his own glory and the good of his Church And when the holy Exercise is done let every Christian have a special care according to his ability to remember the poor And whosoever when just occasion is offered useth not this holy Exercise of Fasting he may justly suspect that his heart never yet felt the power of true Christianity So much of Fasting Now followeth the exercise of holy Feasting Of the Practice of Piety in Holy Feasting HOLY Feasting is a solemn Thanksgiving appointed by Authority to be rendred unto God on some special day for some extraordinary blessings or deliverances received Such among the Jews was the Feast of the Passover to remember to praise God for their deliverance out of Egypt's bondage or the Feast of Purim to give thanks for their deliverance from Haman's conspiracy Such amongst us are the fifth of August to praise God for delivering our Gracious King from the bloody conspiracy of the traiterous Gowries And the fifth of November to praise God for the deliverance of the King and the whole State from the Popish Gun-powder Treason Such Feasts are to be celebrated by a publick rehearsal of those special benefits by spiritual Psalms and Dances by mutual feasting and sending presents every man to his Neighbour and by giving gifts to the poor But forasmuch as the benefit of our Redemption was the greatest that Man needed from God or that God ever bestowed upon Man and that the Lord's-Supper is left by our Redeemer as the chiefest memorial of our Redemption every Christian should account this holy Supper his chiefest and joyfullest Feast in this World And seeing that as it ministreth to worthy partakers the greatest assurance which they have of their salvation so it pulleth temporal judgments on the Bodies and without repentance eternal damnation on the Souls of them who receive it unworthily Let us see how a Christian may best sit himself to be a due partaker of so holy a feast and to be a worthy Guest at so sacred a Supper Meditations concerning the due manner of practising Piety in receiving the Holy Supper of the Lord. THough no man living is of himself worthy to be a Guest at so holy a Banquet yet it pleaseth God of his grace to accept him for a worthy receiver who endeavoureth to receive that holy mystery with that competent measure of reverence that he hath prescribed in his Word He that would receive this holy Sacrament with due reverence must conscionably perform three sorts of duties First those which are to be done before he receiveth Secondly those that are to be done in the receiving Thirdly those that are to be done after that he hath received the Sacrament The first is called Preparation the second Meditation the third Action or Practice Of Preparation That a Christian ought necessarily to prepare himself before he presume to be a partaker of the holy Communion may evidently appear by five Reasons First Because it is God's Commandment For if he commanded under the pain of death that none uncircumcised should eat the Paschal Lamb nor any circumcised under four days preparation how much greater preparation doth he require of him that comes to receive the Sacrament of his Body and Blood which as it succeedeth so doth it exceed by many degrees the Sacrament of the Passover Secondly Because the Examples of Christ teacheth us so much for he washed his Disciples Fâ—et before he admitted them to eat of this Supper signifying how thou shouldest lay aside all unpureness of heart and uncleanness of life and be furnished with humility and charity before thou presumest to taste of this holy Supper Thirdly because it is the counsel of the Holy Ghost Let every man examine himself and so let him eat c. And if a man when he is to eat with an earthly Prince must consider diligently what is before him and put a Knife to his Throat rather than commit any Rudeness how much more oughtest thou to prepare thy soul that thou mayest behave thy self with all fear and reverence when thou art to feast at the holy Table of the Prince of Princes Fourthly Because it hath been ever the practice of all GOD's Saints to use holy preparation before they would meddle with divine Mysteries David would not go near to God's Altar till he had first washed his hands in innocency much less shouldest thou without due preparation approach to the Lord's Table Abimelech would not give nor David and his Men would not eat the Shew-bread but on condition that their Vessels were holy How much less should'st thou presume to eat the Lord's Bread or rather the Bread which is the Lord unless the Vessel of thy heart be first cleansed by repentance And if the Lord required Joshua as he had done Moses before to put off his shooes in reverence of his Holiness who was present in that place where he appeared with his sword in his hand for the destruction of his Enemies how much rather should'st thou put off all the affections of thine earthly conversation when thou comest near that place where CHRIST appeareth to the Eye of thy Faith with Wounds in his hands and side for the Redemption of his Friends And for this cause it is said That the Lamb's Wife hath made her self ready for the marriage Prepare therefore thy self if thou wilt in this life be betrothed unto Christ by Sacramental Grace or in Heaven married unto him by Eternal Glory Fifthly
fearful estate of those Pastors who minister unto them without Catechising 2. Of sincere Faith required to make a worthy Communicant Sincere Faith is not a bare knowledge of the Scriptures and first grounds of Religion for that Devils and Reprobate have in an excellent measure and do believe it and tremble but a true persuasion as of all those things whatsoever the Lord hath revealed in his Word so also a particural applications unto a man 's own soul of all the promises of mercy which God hath made in Christ to all believing sinners And consequently the Christ and all his merits do belong unto him as well as to any other For first if we have not the righteousness of Faith the Sacrament seals nothing unto us and every man in the Lord's Supper receiveth so much as he believeth Secondly because that without Faith we communicating on earth cannot apprehend Christ in Heaven For as he dwelleth in us by Faith so by faith we must likewise eat him Thirdly because that without faith we cannot be perswaded in our consciences that our receiving is acceptable unto God 3. Of unfeigned Repentance requisite a for true Communicant True Repentance is a holy change of the mind when upon the feeling sight of God's mercy and of a man 's own misery he turneth from all his known and secret sins to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the rest of his days For as he that is glutted with meat is not apt to eat bread so he that is stuffed with sins is not sit to receive Christ. And a conscience defiled with wilful filthiness makes the use of all holy things unholy unto us Our sacrificed spotless Passover cannot be eaten with the sowre leaven of malice and wickedness saith Paul 1 Cor. 5. 8. Neither can the old Bottles of our corrupt and impure Consciences retain the new Wine of Christ's precious Blood as our Saviour saith Mar. 2. 22. We must therefore truly repent if we will be worthy partakers 4. The duty to be performed in respect of our Neighbour is Charity Charity is a hearty forgiving of others who have offended us and after reconciliation an outward unfeigned testifying of the inward affections of our hearts by gestures words and deeds as oft as we meet and occasion is offered For first without love to our Neighbour no Sacrifice is acceptable unto God Secondly because one chief end wherefore the Lord's Supper was ordained is to confirm Christians love one towards another Thirdly no man can assure himself that his own sins are forgiven of God if his heart cannot yield to forgive the faults of men that have offended him Thus far of the first sort of Duties which we are to perform before we come to the Lord's Table called Preparation 2. Of the Second sort of Duties which a worthy Communicant is to perform at the receiving of the Lord's Supper called Meditation THis Exercise of spiritual Meditation consist in divers Points First when the Sermon is ended and the Banquet of the Lord's Supper begins to be celebrated meditate with thy self how thou art invited by Christ to be a Guest at his Holy Table and how lovingly he inviteth thee Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters of life c. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price eat ye that which is good let your soul delight it self in fatness Take ye eat ye This is my body which was broken for you drink ye all of this for this is my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins What greater honour can be vouchsafed than to be admitted to sit at the Lordâ— own Table What better fare can be afforded than to feed on the Lord 's own Body and Blood If David thought it to be the greatest favour that he could shew unto good Barzillai for all the kindness that he shewed unto him in his Troubles to offer him that he should feed with him at his own Table in Jerusalem how much greater favour ought we to account it When Christ doth indeed feed us in the Church at his own Table and that with his own most holy Body and Blood Secondly As Abraham when he went up to the mount to sacrifice Isaac his Son left his Servants beneath in the Valley so when thou comest to the spiritual sacrifice of the Lord's Supper lay aside all earthly thoughts and cogitations that thou maiest wholly contemplate of Christ and offer up thy Soul unto him who sacrificed both his Soul and Body for thee Thirdly Meditate with thy self how precious and venerable is the Body and Blood of the Son of God who is the Ruler of Heaven and Earth the Lord at whose beck the Angels tremble and by whom both the quick and dead shall be judged at the last day and thou among the â—est And how that it is he who having been crucified for thy sins offereth now to be received by faith into thy sâ—ul On the other side consider how sinful a Creature thou art how altogether unworthy of so holy a Guest how ill deserving to taste of such sacred food having been conceived in filthiness and wallowing ever since in the mire of iniquity bearing the Name of a Christian but doing the works of the Devil adoring Christ with an Ave Rex in thy mouth but spitting Oaths in his face and crucifying him anew with thy graceless actions Fourthly Ponder then with what face darest thou offer to touch so holy a Body with such defiled hands or to drink such precious blood with so lewd and lying a mouth or to lodge so blessed a Guest in so uncle an a stable For if the Bethshemites were slain for but looking irreverently into the Ark of the old Testament what Judgment maist thou justly expect who with such impure Eyes and Heart art come to see and receive the Ark of the New Testament in which dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily If Vzzah for but touching though not without zeal the Ark of the Covenant was stricken with sudden death what stroke of divine Judgment mayst thou not fear that so rudely with unclean hands dost presume to handle the Ark of the Eternal Testament wherein are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge If John Baptist the holiest man that was born of a Woman thought himself unworthy to bear his shooes O Lord how unworthy is such a Prophane Wretch as thou art to eat his holy Flesh and to drink his precious Blood If the blessed Apostle Saint Peter seeing but a glimpse of Christ's Almighty Power thought himself unworthy to stand in the same Boat with him how unworthy art thou to sit with Christ at the same Table where thou mayest behold the infiniteness of his Grace and Mercy displayed If the Centurion thought that the roof of his house was not worthy to harbour so Divine a Guest what room
are always in my sight Oh what a wretched sinner am I void of all goodness by nature and full of evil by sinful custom Oh what a world of sin have I committed against thee whilst thy long-sufferance expected my conversion and thy blessings wooed me to repentance Yet O my God seeing it is thy property more to respect the goodness of thine own nature than the deserts of sinners I beseech thee O Father for thy Son Jesus Christ his sake and for the merits of that all saving death which he hath voluntarily suffered for all which believe in him Have mercy upon me according to the multitude of thy mercies turn thy face away from my sins and blot out all mine iniquities Cast me not out of thy presence neither reward me according to my deserts For if thou dost reject me who will receive me or who will succour me if thou dost forsake me But thou O Lord art the helper of the helpless and in thee the fatherless findeth mercy for though my sins be exceeding great yet thy mercy O Lord far exceedeth them all neither can I commit so many as thy grace can remit and pardon Wash therefore O Christ my sins with the vertue of thy precious Blood especially those sins which from a penitent heart I have confessed unto thee but chiefly O Lord for Christ his sake forgive me And seeing that of thy love thou didst lay down thy life for my ransom when I was thine enemy Oh save now the price of thine own Blood when it shall cost thee but a smile upon me or a gracious appearance in thy Father's sight in my behalf Reconcile me once again O merciful Mediator unto thy Father for though there be nothing in me that can please him yet I know that in thee and for thy sake he is well pleased with all whom thou acceptest and lovest And if it be thy blessed Will remove this sicknes from me and restore me to my former health again that I may live longer to set forth thy glory and to be a comfort to my friends which depend upon me and to procure to my self a more setled assurance of that heavenly inheritance which thou hast prepared for me And then Lord thou shalt see how religiously and wisely I shall redeem the time which heretofore I have so lewdly and prophanely spent And to the end that I may the sooner and the easier be delivered from this pain and sickness direct me O Lord I beseech thee by thy divine providence to such a Physician and helper as that by thy blessing upon the means I may recover my former health and welfare again And good Lord vouchsafe that as thou hast sent this sickness unto me so thou wouldst likewise be pleased to send thy holy Spirit into my heart whereby this present sickness may be sanctified unto me that I may use it as thy School wherein I may learn to know the greatness of my misery and the riches of thy mercy that I may be so humbled at the one that I despair not of the other and that I may so renounce all confidence of help in my self or in any other creature that I may only put the whole rest of my salvation in thy all sufficient merits And forasmuch as thou knowest Lord how weak a vessel I am full of frailty and imperfections and that by Nature I am angry and froward under every Cross and Affliction O Lord who art the giver of all good gifts arm me with patience to endure thy blessed will and pleasure and of thy mercy lay no more upon me than I shall be able to endure and suffer Give me grace to behave my self in all patience love and meekness unto those that shall come and visit me that I may thankfully receive and willingly embrace all good counsels and consolations from them and that they may likewise see in me such a good example of Patience and hear from me such godly lessons of comfort as may be arguments of my Christian faith and profession and instructions unto them how to behave themselves when it shall please thee to visit them with the like affliction of sickness I know O Lord I have deserved to die and I desire not longer to live than to amend my wicked life and in some better measure to set forth thy glory Therefore O Father if it be thy blessed will restore me to health again and grant me a longer life But if thou hast according to thine eternal decree appointed by this sickness to call for me out of this transitory life I resign my self into thy hands and holy pleasure thy blessed will be done whether it be by life or by death Only I beseech thee of thy mercy forgive me all my sins and prepare my poor soul that by a true faith and unfeigned repentance she may be ready against the time that thou shalt call for her out of my sick and sinful body O heavenly Father who art the hearer of prayers hear thou in heaven this my prayer and in this extremity grant me these requests not for any worthiness that is in me but for the merits of thy beloved Son Jesus my only Saviour and Mediator for whose sake thou hast promised to hear us and to grant whatsoever we shall ask of thee in his Name In his Name therefore and in his own words I conclude this my imperfect Prayer saying Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed by thy Name c. Having thus reconciled thy self unto God in Christ 1. Let thy next care be to set thy House in order as Esay advised King Hezekias making thy last Will and Testament if it be not already made If it be made then peruse it confirm it and for avoiding all doubts and contention publish it before Wittnesses that if God call for thee out of this life it may stand in force and unalterable as thy last Will and Testament and so deliver it locked or sealed up in some Box to the keeping of a faithful Friend in the presence of honest Witnesses 2. But in making thy Testament take a Religious Divine's Advice how to bestow thy Benevolence and some honest Lawâ—er 's counsel to continue it according to Law Dispatch this before thy sickness doth â—â—crease and thy memory decay lest otherwise thy Testament prove a dotement and so be another man's fancy rather than thy Will 3. To prevent many inconveniences let me recommend to thy discretion two things 1. If God hath blessed thee with any competent state of wealth make thy Will in thy health-time It will neither put thee farther from thy goods nor hasten thee sooner to thy Death but it will be a greater ease to thy mind in freeing thee from a great trouble when thou shalt have most need of quiet for when thy House is set in order thou shalt be better enabled to set thy Soul in order and to dispose of thy
few Meditations taken from the ends wherefore God sendeth afflictions to his Children Those are ten 1. That by afflictions God may not only correct our sins past but also work in us a deeper loathing of our natural corruption and so prevent us from falling into many other sins which otherwise we would commit like a good Father who suffereth his tender Babe to scorch his finger in a candle that he may the rather learn to beware of falling into a greater fire Soâ— that the Child of God may say with David It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I may learn thy statutes for before I was afflicted I went astray but now I keep thy word And indeed saith St. Paul We are chastened of the Lord because we should not be condemned with the World With one Cross God maketh two Cures the chastisement of sins past and the prevention of sin to come For though the eternal punishment of sin as it proceedeth from Justice is fully pardoned in the Sacrifice of Christ yet we are not without serious judging of our selves exempted from the temporal chastisement of sin for this proceedeth only from the love of God for our good And this is the reason that when Nathan told David from the Lord that his sins were forgiven yet that the Sword of Chastisement should not depart from his house and that his Child should surely die For God like a skilful Physician seeing the Soul to be porsoned with the setling of sin and knowing that the reigning of the flesh will prove the ruine of the Spirit ministereth the bitter Pill of affliction whereby the reliques of sin are purged and the Soul â—ore soundly cured the Flesh is subdued and the Spirit is sanctified Oh the odiousness of sin which causeth God to chasten so severely his Children whom otherwise he loveth so dearly 2. God sendeth affliction to seal unto us our Adoption for every child whom God loveth he correcteth And he is a Bastard that is not corrected Yea it is a sure note that where God seeth sin and sinites not there he detests and loves not Therefore it is said that he suffered the wicked sons of Ely to continue in their sins without correction because the Lord would stay them Oâ— the other side there is no surer token of God's fatherly love and care than to be corrected with some Cross as oft as we commit any sinful crime Affliction therefore is a seal of Adoption no sign of Reprobation For the purest Corn is cleanest â—anned the finest Gold is ofâ—est tryed and the sweetest Grape is hardest pressed and the truest Christian heaviest crossed 3. God sendeth affliction to wean our hearts from too much loving this world and wordly vanities and to cause us the more earnestly to desire and long for Eternal Life For as the Children of Israel had they not been ill intreated in Egypâ— would never have been so willing to go towards Canaan so were it not for the crosses and afflictions of this life God's Children would not so heartily long and willingly desire for the Kingdom of Heaven For we see many Epicures that would be content to forego Heaven on condition that they might still enjoy their earthly Pleasures and having never tasted the joys of a better how loth are they to depart this life Whereas the Apostle that saw Heavens gloryâ— tells us that there is no more comparison betwixt the joys of eternal life and the Pleasâ—res of this world than there is betwixt the filthiest dung and the pleasantest meat or betwixt the stinkingest Dunghill and the fairest Bed Chamber As therefore a loving Nurse puts 〈◊〉 or Mustard on the Breast to make the Child the rather to forsake the 〈◊〉 so God mixeth sometimes â— affliction with the pleasures and prosperity of 〈…〉 lest like the Children of this 〈◊〉 ration they should forgâ—â— God and fall into too much love of this 〈◊〉 sent evil World and so by Riches grow proud by Fame insolent 〈◊〉 â—iberty wanton and 〈…〉 against the Lord when they 〈◊〉 For if God's Children love the World so well when like a curst Step-mother she misâ—seth and strikes us how should we love this Harlot if she smiled upon us and stroaked us as she doth her own worldly Brats Thus doth God like a wise and loving Father embitter with crosses the pleasures of this life to his Children that finding in this earthly state no true and permanent joys they might sigh and long for eternal life where firm and everlasting joys are only to be found 4. By affliction and sickness God exerciseth his Children and the Graces which he bestoweth upon them He refineth and tryeth their faith as the Goldsmith doth his Gold in the Furnace to make it shine more glistering and bright he stirreth us up to pray more diligently and zealously and proveth what patience we have learned all this while in his School The like Experience he maketh of our Hope Love and all the rest of our Christian Vertues which without this Trial would rust like Iron unexercised or corrupt like standing Waters that either have no current or else are not poured from Vessel to Vessel whose taste remaineth and whose scent is not changed And rather than a Man should keep still the scent of his corrupt Nature to damnation who would not wish to be changed from state to state by crosses and sickness to salvation For as the Camomile which is tâ—odden groweth best and smelleth most fragrant and as the Fish is sweetest that lives in the saltest Waters so those Souls are most precious unto Christ who are most exercised and afflicted with his Cross. 5. God sendeth afflictions to demonstrate unto the world the trueness of his Childrens love and service Every Hypocrite will serve God whilst he prospereth and blesseth him as the Devil falsly accuseth Job to have done but who save his loving Child will love and serve him in adversity when God seemeth to be angry and displeased with him yea and cleave unto him most inseparably when he seemeth with the greatest frown and disgrace to reject a Man and to cast him out of his favour yea when he seemeth to wound and kill as an enemy yea then to say with Job Though thou Lord kill me yet will I put my trust in thee The loving and the serving of God and trusting in his mercy in the time of our correction and misery is the truest note of an unfeigned Child and Servant of the Lord. 9. Sanctified affliction is a singular help to further our true Conversion and to drive us home by Repentance to our heavenly Father In their affliction saith the Lord they will seek me diligently Egypts burthens made Israel cry unto God David's troubles made him pray Hezekiah's sickness made him to weep and misery drove the prodigal Child to return and sue for his Father's
away without his errand If mercy he asked mercy he found were his sin never so great were his Disease never so grievous Nay he offered and gave his mercy to many that never asked it being moved only with the Bowels of his own compassion and the sight of their misery as to the woman of Samaria the widow of Naim and to the sick man that lay at the Pool of Bethesda who had been 38 years sick If he thus willingly gave his mercy to them that did not ask it and was found of them as the Prophet saith that sought him not will he deny mercy unto thee who dost so earnestly pray for it with Tears and dost like the poor Publican so heartily knock for it with penitent fists upon a bruised and broken heart Especially when thou prayest to thy Father in the name and mediation of Christ for whose sake he hath promised to grant whatsoever we shall ask of him as sure as God is true he will not Though Nineve's sins had provoked the Lord to send out his sentence against them yet upon their repentance he recalled it again and spared the City how much more if thou likewise repentest will he spare thee seeing his sentence is not yet gone forth against thee if he deferred the judgments all Ahab's days for the external shew only which he made of humiliation how much more will he clean turn away his vengeance if thou wilt unfeignedly repent of thy sin and return unto him for grace and mercy He offered his mercy unto Cain who murthered his innocent Brother If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted As if he should have said if thou wilt leave thy envy and malice and offer unto me from a faithful and contrite heart both thou and thine Oblation also shall be acceptable unto me And to Judas that so treacherously betray'd him in calling him friend a sweet appellation of love and when Judas offered he willingly consented with that mouth wherein never was found guile to kiss those dissembling lips under which lurked the poyson of Asps. Had Judas apprehended this word friend out of the mouth of Christ as Benhadad did the word Brother from the mouth of Ahab doubtless Judas should have found the God of Israel more merciful than Benhadad found the King of Israel But God was more displeased with Cain for despairing of his mercy than for murthering his Brother and with Judas for hanging himself than for betraying his Master in that they would make the sins of mortal men greater than â—he Infinite mercy of the eternal God or as if they could be more sinful than God was merciful Whereas the least drop of Christ's Blood is of more merit to procure God's mercy for thy salvation than all the sins that thou hast committed can be of force to provoke his wrath to thy damnation If Satan shall suggest that all this is true of God's mercy but that it doth not belong unto thee because thy sins are greater than other mens as being sins of knowledge and of many years continuance and such as whereby others have been undone and all for the most part â—ommitted wilfully and presumptuously against God and thy Conscience And therefore though he will be merciful unto others yet he will not be merciful unto thee Meditate 1. That many who are now in Heaven most blessed and glorious Saints committed in the same kind when they lived on earth as great and greater sins then ever thou hast committed and continued before they repented in those sins as long as ever thou hast done As therefore all their sins and the continuance in them could not hinder God's mercy upon their repentance from forgiving their sins and receiving them into favour no more shall thy sins and continuance therein hinder him from being merciful unto thee if thou dost repent as they did yea upon thy Repentance every one of their examples is a pledge that he will do the same unto thee that he did unto them For as the least sin in God's Justice without repentance is damnable so the greatest sin upon repentance is in his mercy pardonable Thy greatest and inveteratest sins are but the sins of a man but the least of his Mercies is the mercy of God Because thou knowest thine own sins thou doubtest whether they shall be pardoned Mark how this doubtful case is resolved by Good himself Many in Isaiah's days thought as thou dost that they had continued so long in sin that it was too late for them now to seek to return unto God for Grace and Mercy But God answereth them Seek ye the Lord whilst he may be found call ye upon him whilst he is near As if he had said whilst life lasteth and my Word is preached I am near to be found of all that seek me and pray unto me The People reply But we O Lord are grievous sinners and therefore dare not presume to call upon thy Name or to come near thine Holiness To this the Lord answereth Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts and let him return unto me and I will have mercy upon him and to his God and I will pardon him abundantly But we would think say the people that if our sins were but ordinary sins this promise of Mercy might belong unto us But because our sins are so great and of such long continuance therefore we fear lest when we appear before God he will reject us To this God answereth again My thoughts of mercy are not your thoughts neither are your ways of pardoning my ways for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts If therefore every sinner in the world were a world of such sinners as thou art do thou but yet what God bids thee repent and believe and the Blood of Jesus Christ being the Blood of God will cleanse both thee and them from all your sins 2. That as God did foresee all the sins which the world should commit and yet all those could not hinder him from loving the world so that he gave his only begotten Son to death to save as many of the world as would believe and repent much less shall thy sins being the sins of the least member of the world be able to hinder God from loving thy soul and forgiving thy sins if thou dost repent and believe 3. That if he loved thee so dearly when thou wast his Enemy that he payed for thee so dear a price as the spilling of his heart blood how can he now but be gracious unto thee when to save thee will cost him but the casting of a gracious look upon thee Look nor thou therefore to the greatness of thy sins but to the infiniteness of his mercy which is so surpassing great that if thou puttest all thine own grievous sins
together and addest unto those the sins of Cain and Judas and puttest unto them all the sins of all the Reprobates in the World doubtless it would be a huge heap yet compare this huge heap with the infinite mercy of God and there will be no more comparison betwixt them than betwixt the least Mole-hill the greatest Mountain in a Country The cry of the grievous est sins that ever we read of could never reach up higher than unto Heaven as the cry of the sins of Sodom but the mercy of God saith David reacheth up higher than the Heavens and so overtoppeth all our sins And if his Mercy be greater than all his works it must needs be greater that all thy sins And so long as his mercy is greater than the sins of the whole world do thou but repent there is do doubt of pardon If â—â—tan shall object that thou hast many times vowed to repent and hast made a shew of repentance for the time and yet didst fall to the same sins again and again and that all thy repentance was but feigned and a mocking of God And that seeing thou hast so often broken thy vow therefore God hath withdrawn his mercy and hath changed his love c. mediâ—ate 1. That though this were true which indeed is hainous yet it is no sufficient cause why thou shouldst despair seeing that this is the common case of all the Children of God in this life who vow so oft to forbear some sin till perceiving their weakness nor able to perform it they vow that they will vow no more Their Vows shew the desires of their spiritual Man their breaking the weakness of their corrupt flesh And our oft slips into the same sins Christ foresaw when he taught us to pray daily Our Father forgive us our trespasses And why doth Christ enjoyn thee who art but a sinful man to forgive thy brother seven times in a day if he shall return seven times in a day and say it repenteth me But to assure thee that he being the God of mercy and goodness it self will forgive unto thee thy seventy times seven-fold sins a day which thou hast committed against him if thou return unto him by truâ— Repentance The Israelites were cured by looking though with weak eyes on the Brazen Serpent as oft as they were stung by the fiery Serpent in the Wilderness to assure thee that upon thy tears of repentance thou shalt be recovered by â—aith in Christ as often as thou are wounded to death by sin 2. That thy salvation is grounded not upon the constancy of thine obedience but upon the firmness of God's Covenant Though thou variest with God and the Covenant be broken on thy behalf yet it is firm on God's part and therefore all is safe enough if thou wilt return for there is no variableness with him neither shadow of change He hath locked up thy salvation and made it sure in his own unchangeable purpose and hath delivered to thy keeping the keys which are Faith and repentance and whilst thou hast them thou mayst perswade thy self that thy salvation is suâ—e and safe For whom God loveth he loveth to the end and never repenteth of bestowing his love on them who repent and believe Lastly If Satan shall perswade thee that thou hast been doubting a long time and that it 's best for thee now to despair seeing thy sins increase and thy judgment draweth near meditate 1. That no sin though never so great should be a cause to move any Christian to despair so long as God's mercy by so many millions of degrees is greater and that every penitent and believing Sinner hath the pardon of all his sins confirmed by the Word and Oath of God two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should lye His Word is that at what time soever a sinner whosoever doth repent of his sin whatsoever for both time and sins and sinners are indefinite from the bottom of his heart God will blot forth all his sins out of his remembrance that they shall be mentioned unto him no more If we will not take his word which God forbid we should doubt of he hath given us his Oath As I live I desire not the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live As if he had said will ye not believe my Word I swear by my life that I delight not to damn any sinner for his sins but rather to save him upon his conversion and repentance The meditation hereof moved Tertullian to exclaim O how happy are we when God sweareth that he wills not our damnation O what miserable wretches are we if we will not believe God when he sweareth this truth unto us Listen O drooping Spirit whose soul is assailed with ways of faithless despair how happy were it to see many like thee and Hezekiah who mourn like Doves for the sense of sin and chatter like Cranes and Swallows for the fear of God's anger rather than to behold many who die like Beasts without any feeling of their own estate or any fear of God's wrath or Tribunal Seat before which they are to appear Comfort thy self O languishing soul for if this earth hath any for whom Christ spilt his blood on the Cross thou assuredly art one Chear up therefore thy self in the all-sufficient atonement of the blood of the Lamb which speaketh better things than that of Abel And pray for those who never yet obtained the grace to have such a sense and detestation of sin Thou art one indeed for whom Christ died and from whom a wounded spirit judging rather according to his feeling than his faith hath wrung that doleful voice of Christ My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And doubt not but ere long thou shalt as truly reign with him as now thou dost suffer with him for Yea and Amen hath spoken it No sin bars a man from salvation but only Incredulity and Impenitency nothing makes the sin against the Holy Ghost unpardonable but want of repentance Thy unfeigned desire to repent is as acceptable unto God as the perfectest repentance that thou couldest wish to pâ—râ—orm unto him Meditate upon these Evangelical comforts and thou shalt see that in the very agonâ— of death God will so assist thee with his spirit that when Satan looketh for the greatest victory he shall receive the foulest foil yea when thy eye-strings are broken that thou canst not see the light Jesus Christ will appear unto thee to comfort thy Soul and his Holy Angels will carry thee into his Heavenly Kingdom Then shall thy Friends behold thee like Manoah's Angel doing wonders indeed when they shall see a frail man in his greatest weakness by the mere assistance of God's Spirit overcoming the strength of sin the bitterness of death and all
terrible pains and cruel torments the Apostles and Martyrs have voluntarily suffered for the Defence of Christ's Faith when they might have lived by dissembling or denying him how much more wilâ—ing should'st thou be to depart in the â—aith of Christ having 〈◊〉 pains to torment thee and â—ere 〈◊〉 to comfort thee The spiritual sigh upon the seventh Thought O Lord my sins have deserved the pains of Hell and eternal death much more these fatherly corrections wherewith thou dost afflict me But O blessed Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world have mercy upon me and wash away all my filthy sins with thy most precious blood and receive my soul into thy heavenly Kingdom for into thy hands O Father I commend my spirit and thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth The sick Person ought now to send for some godly and religious Pastor IN any wise remember if conveniently it may be to send for some godly and religious Pastor not only to pray for thee at thy death for God in such a caâ—e hath promised to hear the prayers of the righteous Prophets and Elders of the Church but also upon thy confession and unfeigned Repentance to absolve thee of thy sins For as Christ hath given him a calling to baptize thee unto repentance for the remission of thy sins so hath he likewise given him a calling and power and authority upon repentance to absolve thee from the sins I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And again Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye lâ—ose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And again Receive ye the holy Ghost whose soevever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained This Doctrine was as ancient in the Church of God as Job for Elihu tells him That when God strikes a man with malâ—dy on his bed so that his soul draweth near the grace and his life to the burieâ—â— if there be any messenger with him or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare unto man his righteousness then will â—e have mercy upon him c. and answerable hereunto saith St. James if the sick have committed sins upon his repentance and the Prayers of the Elders they shall be forgiven him These have power to shut Heaven and to deliver the scandalous impenitent sinner to Satan For the weapons of their warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to cast down c. and to have vengeance in readiness against all disobedience They have the key of loosing therefore the power of absolving The Bishops and Pastors of the Church do not forgive sin by any absolute power of their own for so only Christ theâ—r Master forgive 〈◊〉 but ministerially as the seâ—vants of Christ and Stâ—wards to whose fidelity their Lord and Master â—ath committed his Keys and that is when they do declare and pronounce either publickly or privately by the Word of God what bindeth what looseth and the meâ—cieâ—â— of God to penitent sinners or his Judgments to impenitent and obstinate persons and so do apply the general promises or threatnings to the penitent or impenitent For Christ from Heaven doth by them as by his Ministers on Earth declare whom he remitteth and bindeth and to whom he will open the gates of heaven and against whom he will shut them And therefore it is not said Whose sins ye signifie to be remitted but whose sins ye remit They then do remit sins because Christ by their Ministry remitteth sins as Christ by his Disciples loosed Lazarâ—s Joh. 11. 44. And as no water could wash away Naaman's Leprosie but the waters of Jordan tho' other Rivers were as clear because the promise was annexed unto the water of Jordan and not of other Rivers so tho' another Man may pronounce the same words yet have they not the like efficacy and power to work on the conscience as when they are pronounced from the Mouth of Christ's Ministers because the promise is annexed to the Word of God in their mouths for them hath he chosen separated and sâ—t apart for this work and to them he hath committed the ministry and word of reconciliation by their holy calling and ordination they have received the holy Ghost and the ministerial power of binding and loosing They are sent forth of the holy Ghost for this work whereunto he hath called them And Christ gives his Ministers power to forgive sins to the penitent in the same words that he teacheth us in the Lord's Prayer to desire God to forgive us our sins to assure all penitent sinners that God by his Minister's absolution doth fully through the merits of Christ's Blood forgive them all their sins So that what Christ decreeth in heaven in â—oro ju â—icii the same he declareth on earth by his reconciling Ministers in foro poenitentie so â—hat as God hath reconciled the world to himself by Jesus Christ so hath he saith the Apostle given unto us the ministry of this reconciliation He that sent them to baptize saying Go and teach all nations baptizing them c. sent them also to remit sins saying As my Father sent me so send I you whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them c. As therefore none can baptize tho' he use the same water and words but only the lawful Minister which Christ hath called and authorized to this Divine and Ministerial Function so tho' others may comfort with good words yet none can absolve from sin but only those to whom Christ â—ath committed the holy Ministry and Word of reconciliation and of their absolution Christ speaketh He that heareth you heareth me In a doubtful Title thou wilt ask the Counsel of a skilful Lawyer In peril of sickness thou wilt know the Advice of the learned Physician and is there no danger in dread of damnation for a sinner to be his own Judge Judicious Calvin teacheth this point of Doctrine most plainly Etsi omnes mutuo â—â—s debeamus consolari c. Altho saith he â—e ought to comfort and confirm one another â—n the confidence of God's Mercy yet we see that the Ministers are appointed as witnesses and sureties to ascertain our Consciences of the â—emission of sins insomuch as they are said tyremit sins and to loose souls Let every faithful man therefore remember that it is his duty if inwardly he be vexed and afflicted with the sense of his sins not to neglect that remedy which is offered unto him by the Lord to wit that for the easing of his conscience he make private confession of
the wi◠〈…〉 C. To teach thee what thou 〈…〉 do in all thy afflictions and how willingly thou should'st yield to bear with 〈◊〉 that Cross which thou seest to come from the just hand of thy heavenly Father S. Lord wherefore dist thou 〈…〉 drops of water and blood C. That I might cleanse thee from thy stains and 〈…〉 S. Lord why would'st thou be taken 〈◊〉 thou mightest have escaped thine Enemies C. That thy spiritual enemies should not take thee and cast thee into the prison of utter darkness S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be forsaken of all thy Disciples C. That I might reconcile thee unto God of whom thou wast forsaken for thy sins S. Lord wherefore wouldst thou stand to be apprehended alone C. To shew thee that my love of thy salvation was more than the love of all my Disciples S. Lord wherefore was the young man caught by the soldiers and unstrip'd of his linen who came out of his bed hearing the stir at thy apprehension and leading to the high Priest C. To shew their outrage in apprehending me and my power in preserving out of their outragious hands all my Disciples who otherwise had been worse handled by them than was that young man S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be bound C. That I might loose the Cords of thine iniquities S. Lord why wast thou denied of Peter C. that I might confess thee before my Father and thou mightest learn that there is no trust in man and that salvation proceeds of my meer mercy S. Lord wherefore would'st thou bring Peter to repentance by the crowing of a Cock C. That none should despise the means which God hath appointed for their conversion tho' they seem never so mean S. Lord wherefore didst thou at the Cock-crowing turn and look upon Peter C. Because thou might'st know that without the help of my grace no means can turn a sinner unto God when he is once fallen from him S. Lord wherefore wast thou cover'd with a purple robe C. That thou might'st perceive that it was I that did away thy scarlet sins S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be crown'd with thorns C. That by wearing thorns the first fruits of the Curse it might appear that it is I which take away the sins and curse of the world and crown thee with the Crown of life and glory S. Lord why was a reed put into thy hand C. That it might appear that I came not to break the bruised reed S. Lord wherefore wast thou mock'd of the Jews C. That thou mightest insult over Devils who otherwise would have mocked thee as the Philistines did Samson S. Lord wherefore would'st thou have thy blessed face defiled with spittle C. That I might cleanse thy face from the shame of sin S. Wherefore Lord were thine eyes hood-winkt with a veil C. That thy spiritual blindness being removed thou mightest behold the face of my Father in heaven S. Lord wherefore did they buffet thee with fists and beat thee with slaves C. That thou mightest be freed from the stroaks and tearings of infernal fiends S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be reviled C. That God might speak peace unto thee by his Word and Spirit S. Lord wherefore was thy face disfigur'd with blows and blood C. That thy face might shine glorious as the Angels in heaven S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be so â—â—â—elly scâ—urged C. That thou mightest be freed from the sting of Conscience and whips of everlasting torments S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be arraigned at Pilate's Bar C. That thou mightest at the last day be acquitted before my Judgment-seat S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be falsly accused C. That thou should'st not be justly condemned S. Lord where wast thou turned over to be condemned by a strange Judge C. That thou being redeemed from the capâ—ivity of a hellish Tyrant mightest be restored to God whose own thou art by right S. Wherefore O Christ didst thou acknowledge that Pilate had power over thee from above C. That Antichrist under pretence of being my Vicar should not exalt himself above all Principalities and Powers S. Lord why would'st thou suffer thy Passion under Pontius Pilate being a Roman President to Caesar of Rome C. To shew that the Caesarian and Pontifician Polity of Rome should chiefly persecute my Church and crucifie me in my members S. But why Lord would'st thou be condemn'd C. That the Law being condemned in me thou mightest not be condemned by it S. But why wast thou condemned seeing nothing could be proved against thee C. That thou might'st know that it was not for my faults but for thine that I suffered S. Lord wherefore wast thou led to suffer out of the city C. That I might bring thee to rest in the heavenly City S. Lord why did the Jews compel Simon of Cyrene coming out of the field to carry thy Cross C. To shew the weakness whereunto the burden of thy sins brought me and what must be every Christians case which goeth out of the field of this world toward the heavenly Jerusalem S. Lord why wast thou unstripped of thy garments C. That thou mightest see how I forsook all to redeem thee S. Lord wherefore would'st thou be liâ—t up upon a Cross C. That I might lift thee up with me to Heaven S. Lord wherefore didst thou hang upon a cursed tree C. That I might satisfie for thy sin committed in eatiâ—g the forbidden fruit of a Tree S. Lord wherefore would'st thou hang between two thieves C. That thou my dear Soul might'st have place in the midst of heavenly Angels S. Lord wherefore were thy hands and feet nailed to the Cross C. To enlarge thy hands to do the works of righteousness and to set thy feet at liberty to walk in the ways of Peace S. Lord wherefore did they crucifie thee in Golgoâ—ha the place of dead mens sculls C. To assure thee that my death is life unto the dead S. Lord why did not the Soldiers divide thy seamless coat C. To shew that my Church is one without rent or schism S. Lord wherefore didst thou taste Vinegar and Gall C. That thou mightest eat the bread of Angels and drink the water of life S. Lord why saidst thou upon the Cross It is finished C. That thou mightest know that by my death the Law was fulfilled and thy Redemption effected S. Lord why didst thou cry out upon the Cross My God my God why hast thou forsaken me C. Lest thou being forsaken of God shouldst have been driven to cry in the pains of Hell Wo and alas for evermore S. Lord wherefore was there such a general darkness when thou didst suffer and cry out on the Cross C. That thou mightest see an Image of those