give it thou wilt give it in time place and measure whereas if we take it we shall observe none of these rules but take it to the destruction of our own souls and bodies The Petitions run along still with the rule of Charity For when we say give us we speak not thus To me and my family This word us is more general as well to our Brethren the Sons of the same Father who want Bread as to me and my family That is This day of our life This time We are not to petition for an Age being but of a day and a particle of a day For being uncertain of our dayes why should we beg bread for uncertain times For we are not assured of life for an age a year or a day Our life is but a day and a day is the resemblance of our life Yet Providence is not hereby forbidden or that none should lay up with Ioseph or the Ant But he that provides not before-hand is more foolish than an Ant nay worse than an Infidel We must gather up the fragments and the things we gather provide and lay up must be justly gotten We must not put our confidence in them and we must bestow aud use them well Give us O Lord Bread convenient and meet to serve us to day and to morrow also This is all the fruit to take away sin This Petition tacitely implies an acknowledgement that we are sinners And indeed we are all sinners If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us And therefore it is most expedient to ask forgiveness For although God by his Omniscience is not ignorant of our sins yet it shews well in us to ask forgiveness for them This benefit accrues by confessing them that God is prone to absolve us If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive them And this detriment befalls if we continue in them without attonement that they make a separation between God and us Our iniquities have separated between us our God and our sins have hid his face from us that he will not hear us We have great need to beg forgiveness for them for Our iniquities have withholden good things from us And why God hath set our sins as a cloud that our prayers for good things might not pass through And we know saith Saint Iohn that God heareth not sinners that are not reconciled to him by confession As long as our sins stand up against us and are not remitted we cannot hope to receive any good at Gods hands Therefore O Lord not only give but forgive also both the guilt and punishment of them And in this thy Mercy is manifested that thou givest to those who after they have received must ask forgiveness Give unto us who are thine enemies and when thou hast given forgive us also Forgive us for we confess we need forgiveness And we have thy promises and practice of remission to those which confess their sins 1. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whosoever confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy And it shall be when he shall be guilty in any one of these things that he shall confess that he hath sinned in that thing c. And the Priest shall make an attonement c. If they shall confess the iniquity of their Fathers with their trespasses which they have trespassed against me c. Then will I remember my Covenant c. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 2. Thy practice is seen in divers examples Of David by his own confession I said I will confess my sins unto the Lord and so thou forgavest the wickedness of my sin By the mouth of Nathan David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David The Lord also hath put away thy sin Of the Prodigal Son Of the Publican Of Mary Magdalen and divers others Yet thou hast not dealt so with the Angels that fell Their sins are not will not be forgiven Ours may in thy good pleasure We are unworthy Let us not be unthankful They be Debts which we owe and pay not but detain against the will of the Owner We are Debtors to thy Commandements being thy Creatures and created to the keeping of them As often then as we omit and have undone those things which thou commandest us to do and commit those things which thou forbiddest we detain a Debt and become Debtors or Trespassers We see then that all men are sinners and debtors That there are sins which deprive us not from the Sonship of God That there is place and time for remission after Baptism Now of our sins some are committed Ignorantly others Of knowledge Unwillinlgy others Willingly and greedily Before our calling others Being called Against God others Against our Neighbours and our selves In heart others In word and deed By our selves alone others With others either as authors or provokers Of Commission others Of Omission Secretly others Of which our heart reproveth us And in all these is the root of bitterness Forgive them O Lord retain not the offence exact not the puunishment due for them Be reconciled to us by laying aside thy just displeasure by receiving us to thy favour and grace Connive at them while they are doing Bring them not into question call them not into examination nor us to account for them being done And the hand writing that is against us Tear it Hang it upon thy Sons Cross. Cast it behind thee Drown it in the Sea And as the morning Cloud make it to vanish away and come to nothing Forgive them because he that taught us thus to pray our Surety hath paid and discharged these Debts Not only my trespasses but the offences of my brethren There is in this Petition a brotherly Charity also and as Christ transferred our sins upon himself so charity takes our brothers sins to us and makes us pray for them And it is but Iustice also to pray for the sins of others in regard many offences are committed by them by our perswasion or example Not only my trespasses but the offences of mine enemies As thou forgivest us so forgive our enemies also And this is the highest pitch of charity Forgive and it shall be forgiven to you was thy Sons promise Blessed be thy name for propounding so easie a condition to us To forgive a mite and be forgiven a talent Oh happy exchange to receive gold for dross a pearl for stubble Oh happy necessity imposed on us thus to pray For a malevolent mind can neither be lifted to God nor quietly and peaceably conversant with men And while he makes us like himself by this condition that is slow to wrath and ready to forgive
chearful heart And because O Lord that this life hath not one certain hour I beseech thee to Enlighten mine eyes that I sleep not in death and grant that after I have rested quietly I may by thy grace and mercy arise to serve thee in singleness of heart Lighten O Saviour my darkness and mercifully keep me from all dangers of this night Save me waking and keep me sleeping that I may watch in thee and rest in peace There is nothing that more resembleth our Life than the Day nor the Grave than our Beds O Lord therefore when I am laid down and by sleep made unable to help my self being like unto a dead man defend me then by thy power from the crafts and assaults of the Enemy that he do me no harm so that though my Body sleep my Soul may watch unto thee and contemplate of the life to come And grant that having passed the night quietly I may arise as well from the sleep of sin as from my natural sleep and with all alacrity pass the day following in thy service and in the end of my pilgrimage by thy merits receive the Crown which thou hast promised to those that love thee in that day which no night shall follow and in that Heavenly Kingdom where thou reignest together with the Father and the blessed Spirit world without end Evening Prayer LEt my prayer O Lord be set forth in thy sight as the Incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an Evening Sacrifice In the Evening Morning and at Noon-day will I pray and that instantly and thou Lord shalt hear my prayer Blessed be thou O Lord Who hast preserved me from the Arrow that flyeth by day and from the Sickness that destroyeth in the noon-day Who hast not cut off my life like a Weaver nor made an end of me O Lord I confess that as my dayes have increased so hath my sin multiplied The just man falleth seven times a day But I miserable sinner seventy times seven times But I return to thee O Lord and repent Let not the Sun go down in thy wrath O Lord whatsoever good I have done this day I acknowledge that thou hast wrought it in me and desire thee graciously to accept of me for it as thy Instrument only O Lord whatsoever evil I have committed this day I confess it to be the work of mine own hands and heartily pray thee to pardon it O Lord which givest the sleep of health to them that love and causest those that fear thee to sleep confidently Lighten mine eyes that I sleep not in death Keep me from the terrours of the night aud from the works of darkness Lord though I sleep yet let my heart watch to thee and when I wake let me be present before thee let my thoughts ascend to thee Grant that I may alwayes remember that the night is no night with thee and that darkness and light are to thee alike Grant that I may alwayes meditate upon the long and last sleep the sleep of Death the Bed of my Grave and the Covering of Worms and Dust. Let my sleep be a cessation from sin and let me not in my sleep do or think any thing that may offend thee or defile my self And grant that after the sleep shall depart from mine eyes I may remember thee search my reines and try my heart O Lord I commend my self and all that of thy bounty is mine to thee In thee I put all my trust and confidence Thou seest in what dangers we are what snares the Devil layeth for us I humbly therefore pray thee to defend me from him And grant me so to order and end my life that I may sleep in peace and take my rest with thee for the merits of Iesus Christ c. I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Evening Prayer for a Family O Almighty and everlasting God who hast appointed all times and seasons to succeed in their due course and hast ordained the day for the works of the day and bodily labour and the night to take our quiet rest refreshing by whose providence and mercy we have been preserved this day from all dangers have been furnished with all things necessary for this life we humbly pray and beseech thee that now in this time of night and darkness wherein we poor and miserable sinners stand in most need of thy help and aid thou wouldst be pleased to keep us from all dangers spiritual and temporal O Lord we confess that we have not deserved the least of thy favours nay if thou shouldst with strict eye examine our actions how we have spent this day and the rest of our dayes past we should not be able to stand in thy sight much less beg any further blessings of thee For notwithstanding thy manifold and daily favours we have in all things been rebellious and repugnant to thy blessed Will and obedient and conformable to the command of our Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil Insomuch as we have lost our liberties and are become servants and slaves unto them For we have wholly given ourselves to serve the pleasures of the Flesh in Concupiscences and other carnal Acts We have hearkned too much to the delights of the World in covetous desiring that which is not our own in abusing the Creatures thereof which were created for our necessary use and not for our wanton and insatiable desires And we are become the servants of Satan in not opposing and resisting his unclean and wicked Tentations Our sins are infinite and our iniquities are numberless so that we cannot nor are any way able to recount them unto thee We have fled from thee seeking us neglected thee loving us stopped our ears to thee speaking to us turned our backs to thee reaching thy hand to us forgotten thee doing good to us and despised thee correcting us Yet O Lord we humbly intreat thee to shew thy accustomed mercy to us poor and miserable sinners who in grief and anguish of soul confess these our offences and earnestly and bitterly bewail them Look upon us with the eyes of compassion not for any thing in us but for the love and respect which thou bearest to thy Son CHRIST JESUS in whom we verily believe that thou art fully reconciled unto us Take away our sins and the punishment due unto us for them Let thy wrath be turned from us and destroy us not together with our manifold transgressions Lord thou seest our wickedness and withall how and in whose name we crave thy mercy Turn thee O Lord from thine anger which thou mightest justly pour upon us and be gracious unto us according to thy wonted goodness who abhorrest nothing which thou hast made Create also we beseech thee in us new hearts hearts fit to serve thee and write
thy power and rule both in Heaven and Earth Thou shewest mercy on whom thou wilt art pitiful to whom thou pleasest and wouldst not the death of a sinner neither delightest in the destruction of any O God rich in mercy who out of thy extraordinary love to Mankind even when we were thine Enemies didst send thine only Son into the world that every one that believed on him might not perish but have life everlasting Have mercy upon me have mercy upon me according to thy mercy and according to the multitude of thy mercies do away my offenses Holy Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son I have turned from thee and have broken all thy Commandements I have not walked aright but have gone after mine own lusts choosing those wayes which thou hast forbidden me to tread in Neither O Lord have I feared thine anger but have been in all things disobedient unto thee and have hardned my heart against thee I have hated instruction and cast thy sayings behind me Truth hath found no place in me and my hands have been the workers of much wickedness I have spoken vainly idlely and wickedly I have brought forth deceit and meditated the way of untruth I have provoked thy wrath against me by accustoming my self to do the work of the flesh and rejecting the good motions of the Spirit Woe unto me rebellious wretch that I have committed these wicked acts against thee so loving so good so gracious a God to the utter destruction of my soul without thy mercy in Christ Iesus In remembrance and confidence whereof O Lord I come to thee and humbly intreat thee that thou wouldest not reject a contrite humble miserable and repentant sinner who at this time earnestly invocateth thy Name Return a little O Lord and be intreated for my manifold sins do not unto me according to the multitude of them neither reward me according to my transgressions Let my humble Prayers sighs and groans come into thy presence and according to thy promises receive me again into thy favour For O Father I am one of those whom thy only Son redeemed with his most precious blood O Lord my soul doth loath my life by reason of my manifold sins and I humble my self under thy mighty hand because I know that in thine anger thou shewest mercy and in time of trouble thou dost forgive offences And behold O Lord that I confess my sins beseeching thee for thy goodness to do unto me according to thy wonted mercy I am confounded and ashamed to lift up mine eyes unto thee because my sins have prevented my prayers and have ascended up to thee before them Against thee O Lord have I sinned and done much evil in thy sight Yet wherefore should I dye in my sins seeing it is not thy pleasure that any sinner should dye but turn unto thee and live For thou art good and gracious and savest those who are altogether unworthy out of the abundance of thy mercy in Christ Iesus the Righteous For although thine anger against sinners is unsufferable and who may abide it Yet thy mercy towards offenders is unsearchable and who can find out the depth thereof or describe it Our Fathers in their troubles cryed unto thee and thou didst deliver them they put their trust in thee and were not confounded And though they by their offences have justly provoked thine anger yet upon their humiliation thou didst remember thy Covenant and ease them of their afflictions O Lord be merciful also unto me for I am miserable and wretched Heal my soul for I have sinned against thee My soul is very much disquieted within me How long Lord will it be ere thou look upon me and deliver it Lighten mine eyes for I have too long slept in death and my sins have too long had dominion over me Return O Lord at the last and be gracious unto me O deliver my soul and have mercy upon me And all my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee To thee be all Honour Praise and Glory World without end Another O Lord Iesus Christ the only Physician of sick souls who in the fulness of God came into this World not to call the just but sinners to Repentance Behold me the most wretched of all sinners who with as much humility as I am able in the confidence of thy great goodness cast my self before the foot-stool of thy Majesty confessing my great and grievous offences And if the Publican in the Gospel durst not lift up his eyes to heaven but stood a far off and smote his brest saying Lord be merciful to me a sinner what shall I doe whose sins surpass the greatest sinners offences For all my inward and outward parts are wholly depraved and nothing that is good remaineth in me And when I look into the book of my conscience I find that I have abominably polluted the garment of innocency which I received at my Baptism I have put all my strength to offend thee with all the members I have For my feet have been swift to evil and flow to good mine eyes open to vanity and shut to that which is truly amiable My hands stretched to covetousness and closed from the works of mercy mine ears ready to hear evil and stopped to the good motions of the Spirit and my soul the noblest part in me which hath eyes to contemplate the glory of thy Majesty I have turned away from the consideration of thy Excellency to the vain and transitory things of this life I have given liberty to whatsoever mine eyes have desired and have not resisted the unclean passions of my heart so that the whole course of my life hath been a continual warfare against the. How often have I returned as a dog to the vomit and as a sow washed to the myre I am that Fool which hath said in his heart there is no God For I have lived so dissolutely that I have made plain demonstration by my behaviour That I believed thou either wert not at all or else couldst do nothing at all Thou O Lord hast often called me and I have neglected thy voice Thou hast expected me and I have abused thy patience Thou hast given me the treasure of a long time to repent and I have consumed it wastefully Thou hast stricken me and I have not been sensible of thy hand Thou hast afflicted me and I have made no use of thy correction Thou didst sweat to make me clean and I still remain in my pollution I am hardned as well with thy punishments as with thy blessings being rebellious to the one and unthankful for the other And what shall I further say but that my heart soul thoughts and body are all impure and defiled and that of all sinners I am the chief unworthy Earth
long after is not only meat for those that are in health but Physick also for the sick and doth not only refresh the righteous but cleanseth those that are sinners also If I be weak by it I shall be strengthned If in health in health by it I shall be preserved and if dead in sin by it I shall be revived I humbly therefore intreat thee O Father that as as David did admit Mephibosheth to his Table for his Fathers sake so thou wouldest suffer me to be partaker of thy heavenly Table for thy Sons sake who with so great labour and sorrow did regenerate us by his death on the Cross and liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit for ever Prayers before the Communion O Almighty Lord God Father of all mercie and consolation I humbly beseech thee to behold with the eye of pity my poor and wretched soul which though thou didst create after thine own Image and washedst with the blood of thy dear Son yet I have so abominably defiled and defaced with the stain of sin that it can hardly be known O Father I was thy sonne whom thou didst to lovingly imbrace and load with blessings and who was in thy house in great honour and dignity In the Sacrament of Baptisme thou didst adopt me and gavest me the inheritance of a sonne and heir but I unthankfully and prodigally by my evil life have wasted my Patrimony I have wickedly abused the flower and prime of my youth and the good parts and faculties of my soul and body with the pleasures of the flesh pride surfetting envy lust covetousness ideness rebellion and disobedience and now at the last I find that all the temporal delights of the flesh and the World are altogether vain and vanish like smoak For all flesh is grass and all the Glory of man is but like the flower of the field and is suddenly gone He that is rich to day to morrow becommeth poor and miserable he that walketh in health and strength of body to day to morrow is by sickness made feeble and weak he that liveth to day the next day dieth and he which to day glorieth in the greatest pomp to morrow is laid in his Coffin and carried to his Grave Therefore O Lord consider the weakness and frailty of man and turn away I pray pray thee thy face from my sins and remember not them so in thine anger that thou forget either thine own mercy or my weakness By mine own fault I confess O Lord and by my evil conversation I have made my self unworthy of thy favour and by my evil concupiscences I have grievously wounded my conscience I have often grieved thy holy Spirit by not hearkning to the good motions thereof but yeilding to my sensual lust and beastly appetite Yet O mercifull Father cast me not utterly from thy sight for from the beginning of the world it was not heard that thou didst reject any sinner that with a contrite heart came unto thee Behold I come unto thee in great necessity and cast my self at thy feet confessing the greatness and multitude of my sins They have brought me into that evil state and condition that I am not worthy to be called thy Son yet I pray thee receive me into the number of thy hired Servants Give me grace heartily to repent me of my sins feed and cherish me with the bread and drink of the Body and Blood of thy Son Christ Iesus that by thy mercy I may be received to grace and restored to the former dignity from which I am worthily cast and to the inheritance of thy everlasting Kingdom through the same our Saviour Iesus Christ. Another O Blessed Saviour I poor unworthy sinner have a great desire and earnest longing to come to thy Table but considering my many and grievous sins tremble and fear to approach unto it For when I consider thy words to thy Disciples Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you And on the other side the words of the Apostle whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord I am in such a streight that I know not what to do For gladly would I receive this Sacrament being desirous to live but fearful I am to take it unworthily trembling at thy Comination I come therefore to thee the Fountain of Mercy hoping that thou wilt wash me I come to thee the good Samaritan hoping that thou wilt cleanse my wounds I open my grief and discover my iniquities to thee I look upon my sins great and grievous and thereupon tremble yet beholding thy mercies great and plentiful I am therewith again refreshed Remember O Lord how many drops of Sweat and Blood thou didst shed how many Pains and Sorrows thou didst sustain to expiate my sins I intreat thee therefore by them to purge and purifie me that I may worthily be incorporated into thy body which is thy Church and may worthily also receive this blessed Sacrament that so together with thy whole Church I may give thee praise everlastingly Or thus O Merciful Lord Iesus I confess my self to be a most grievous and wretched sinner not worthy to approach into thy presence altogether unfit and unmeet to receive thee under the roof of my Soul in respect of the stains and pollutions thereof and that it is not decked and fitted with such good graces as thy Majesty and Presence requireth and therefore am afraid to come near unto thee Yet O Lord considering thy comfortable saying that Thou dost not desire the death of a sinner but that he should turn unto thee and live and thy blessed invitation how lovingly with the armes of thy mercy stretched out thou hast called all that are heavily oppressed with the burden of their sins to come to thee for comfort and ease And lastly thy usual practice in pitying and relieving those which were cast down with the thought of their misdeeds as the Thief on the Cross Mary Magdalen the Woman taken in Adultery the Publican Peter and Paul all of them grievous sinners I am comforted and emboldned to come unto thee assuredly trusting that thou wilt of thy goodness supply my defects and make me a worthy receiver of the high mystery and benefit of thy blessed Sacrament whereof of my self I am altogether unworthy Stretch out thy right hand O sweet Iesu to me thy poor servant and give out of thy rich store-house of mercy what I want that thereby I may be made a living Temple to thee and an acceptable habitation for thine honour to abide in And grant that being cleansed by thy mercy and goodness I may by thy grace and power persevere in all godliness and holiness of conversation to the end of my days and attain to that blessed place where thou reignest with the
and Seraphin If therefore every one be a debtor for that which he hath received and that with the Philosopher Dii Parentibus nunquam reddatur aequivalens A Man can never render that which is equivalent to that which he receives from GOD or his Parents Man ought to remember his Creator with thankfulness as often and as long as he breaths If I be a Father where is my honour Hac conditione gignimur ut generanti nos Deo justa debita obsequia praebeamus We are begotten upon this condition to behave our selves in all due respect and observance to God who begat us II. By his Providence and Conservation Thou O Man hast no more power to subsist without him being made than to be created before thou wert made Thou wert but once made but oftentimes preserved from Fire from Water from Sickness from Enemies c. He defends us under the shadow of his wings He giveth his Angels charge over us as in the example of Elizeus He is as careful over us as a Father over his Children a Mother over hers a Shepheard over his Flock He governeth all things by his Providence Not a Sparrow falleth on the ground He feedeth the young Ravens He giveth us meat in due season Cast your care on him for he careth for you In him we live move and have our being To end this with St. Ambrose If thou art sick he is thy Physician If thou art weak he is thy strength If thou fearest death he is thy life If thou desirest Heaven he is the way If thou shunnest darkness he is the light If thou wantest food he is thy nutriment Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. III. By his Love Delighting in the works of his hands Loving them that love him Nay when we loved not him he first loved us I am found of them which sought me not Nay when we were his enemies And that with a perpetual and everlasting love especially manifested in our Redemption Which degree of his Love and the benefit arising by it no tongue or pen is able to express Saint Bernard saith If I owe to God all that I am for my Creation what shall I give further for my Redemption In my Creation he gave me to my self in my Redemption he gave himself to me and restored me to my self 1. And not only in respect of the Act it self 2. But in regard of the Manner 1. Man being fallen from blessedness by our first Parents sin God in mercy had pitty on his estate and was reconciled to him was content that he should be redeemed from the bondage and penalty of sin from everlasting death of body and soul and this was the Act it self 2. The Manner of it was extraordinary Even by his Son his only Son God from all eternity taking ours and not the Angels nature upon him Suffering death the worst the most accursedst of the Cross even when we were his enemies Whereby we were not only freed from what we deserved Punishment eternal death of Body and Soul But made capable of what we could not expect everlasting felicity and life of both Is not this love without parallel That we that were enemies children of wrath and eternal perdition should now be called the Sons of GOD. This is a greater act of love this manifesteth Gods love to us more than our Creation For by his word he created us without weariness But our Redemption cost more his only Sons dearest blood Who suffered for our sins the just for the unjust And poured out his soul unto death Was made a curse for us Humbled himself to the death of the Cross. To redeem us from the death and curse of the Law He sent Redemption unto his people He redeemeth Israel from all his sins He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity IV. By his Patience toward Men daily provoking him in all ages In the dayes of Noah The Amorites The Israelites forty years The Ninivites and many others He is Long suffering He is Slow to anger V. By his Mildness Lenity in Correcting Not utterly consuming those whom he correcteth And it is of his mercy that we are not consumed In his anger remembring mercy Not delighting in punishment Not utterly taking away his mercy Not dealing with us after our sins VI. By his Mercy and Grace to Sinners Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful The Father of mercy He was ever so He is tender and compassionate rich and not sparing in his mercy Bringing many benefits with it Begetting us again by it Preserving us from dangers and sickness Preserving their souls Saving us by it which is the chief and greatest benefit mankind can desire And as he is rich in mercy by pardoning sinners so in his favour too promising good to his Servants I will love them that love me I will inrich them The Lord will preserve the souls of his Saints The Children of his Saints shall continue and their seed stand fast in his sight No man that hath forsaken house c. for my sake but he shall receive an hundred fold A hundred fold here by inward graces if not by outward dignity For deceivable things they shall receive true For doubtful things they shall receive certain For corporal things they shall receive spiritual For transitory things they shall receive permanent Their cares shall be turned into security Their tears into joy Their trouble into quiet Their perturbations into inward peace The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye Not a bone of them shall be broken For God rewardeth secundum though not propter opera And reward maketh all works seem easie to the Husbandman in his toyl to the Merchant in his danger The reward of the good shall not fail The Lord is good to them that trust in him He sendeth health and wealth to his servants He never faileth them that seek him His reward is plentiful to them that fear him Now let us take a view of all these benefits 1. Of our Creation and in that of all things for our use 2. Of Gods preservation and providence over us 3. His love to us Before we loved him Loving him While we were his enemies With an everlasting love In such a large extent by Our Redemption In the act when we were in bondage of the Devil Sin In the manner by his only Son by his death most ignominious and cruel To free us from deserved death To estate us in undeserved happiness even life
Womans Daughter were delivered from the Devil The Mans Son were delivered from the Devil The sick were made whole The Widow of Sarepthas Son were revived The Shunamites Son were revived The Rulers Daughter were revived Dorcas were revived The Publican obtained Remission of sins The Thief obtained Paradise S. Stephen obtained Heaven And lastly That it is the surest remedy to the godly in time of affliction appeareth by our Saviours example who when he was in such straits that he said Undequaque trist is anima mea usque ad mortem My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death went aside and fell thrice on his face and prayed warning his sleepy Disciples to do the like Now Seeing that for these respects pray we must in the next place we are to consider How Prayer is to be made that it turn not to sin 1. Prayer must be made to God and to none other 1. Because God hath so commanded For Prayer is a part of his Service and Worship and his Service and Glory he will impart to none else Him only shalt thou serve And Whatsoever you shall ask of my Father not of Angels Saints or the like 2. In regard of his Glory and Majesty wherein he excelleth all others and ought therefore above all to be prayed unto 3. In regard of his singular Knowledge for he knoweth our necessities better than we our selves 4. In regard of his Power and Ability to help us 5. In regard of his willingness and readiness to relieve us 6. In respect of the practice of all the Saints and of Christ himself Of Hanna of David of the Saints of Christ. 7. In regard of the absurdity in praying to those which cannot help themselves much less us For to which of the Saints or Angels can be properly said Our Father which art in Heaven or Hallowed be thy Name c. But to GOD alone is this service to be done for he only saveth us and besides him is no Saviour And all this must be done in Christ Iesus without whom though Moses and Samuel should intercede yet GOD would not pardon but destroy for as no work of devotion can be acceptable to God without Him so our sins are so odious that except our prayes be offered by the mediation of Christ Iesus they will never be accepted by God We have an High Priest that is passed into the Heavens Iesus the Son of God c. Secondly Our Prayes ought to be made in Faith for whatsoever is not of Faith is sin and whosoever desireth to have good success in his Prayers ought to believe and not to pray waveringly This Faith makes our Prayers acceptable For Prayer being the testimony of our Faith how will our Faith appear if we doubt in our Prayers Si Fides deficit oratio perit Our Saviour said to the Petitioner for his deaf and dumb Son If thou canst believe all things are possible to him that believeth And to his Disciples All things whatsoever you shall ask in Prayers believing you shall receive Which lesson St. Iames also teacheth If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God c. But let him ask in Faith Saint Iohn saith This is the confidence we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Saint Paul also biddeth us Come with the same confidence that we may obtain mercy Again As Faith is the foundation of all Vertues required in Prayer so Hope certain and assured is to be fixed and setled in us when we pray that God will perform the promises which he hath made and that he will hear and grant those things which we shall desire according to his will for the Devil is apt to perswade us that our Prayers are in vain either because God regardeth them not or that it is needless to pray to Him who knoweth before what we want or that whether we pray or not all things shall come to pass as God hath decreed and in these respects that there is no profit in our Prayers All which are but illusions and clearly against the rule of truth and practice of the Saints In te speraverunt saith David Our Fathers hoped in thee they trusted in thee and thou didst deliver them The Reubenites cryed to God in battel and he was intreated of them because they put their trust in him Indeed as Saint Bernard saith a sinners prayers are hindered two ways either with too little or too much light He hath no light which neither seeth nor confesseth his sins and he hath too much which seeing them despaireth of Gods mercy Neither of these can be said to pray How then The sinner ought so to temper his light that he may not only see and confess his sins but pray that they may and hope that they will be forgiven For it is in Prayer as in Repentance Nemo potest agere poenitentiam qui non speravit indulgentiam No man can truly repent that hath no hope of pardon for that he repenteth of And none can be said to pray well who hopeth not of Gods favour in that for which he petitioneth And that our Prayers may the better ascend they are to put on the wings of Charity which is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit For without this quality our Prayers will prove cold heavy and lumpish and will return empty unto us This Charity is two-fold First towards God Secondly towards our Neighbour 1. Towards God in keeping his Commandements for our Saviour saith He that keepeth my Commandements is he that loveth me And the Apostle saith We receive of him because we keep his Commandements that is we love him so that we are both to offend him 2. Towards our Neighbour which Charity is also manifested two ways 1. In forgiving all injuries received from him or by his means after our Saviours rule When you stand praying forgive if you have ought against any that your Father also which is in Heaven may forgive you our trespasses And again If you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you But if you forgive not men their trespasses either will your Father forgive your trespasses 2. Secondly In praying for his wants and supplying them to oâ—â— powers according to Saint Iames direction Pray for one another And to Saint Paul's I exhort that first Prayers c. be made for all men And to encourage us to relieve them our Saviour pronounceth a blessing â—â— all that are charitable in that kind Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy So that by this we may plainly see that if we be uncharitable our Prayer will be barren and unfruitful Fifthly Humility must accompany these former Vertues We must acknowledge our selves
the prosperity and good success Of Merchants Husbandmen Artificers Trades-men And that they may live carefully and honestly in their vocations For the prosperous Education of Youth either in Universities Schools or Other parts of the Kingdom For our Parents Kindred Friends Neighbours and Benefactors For those of whom we have the charge committed to us either in Church Common-Wealth or Families For our Enemies especially those that hate us without cause that God would convert them For those that commend themselves to our prayers and those whose affairs and troubles will not suffer them to pray as they ought For those who are in affliction of body or mind Who are in danger or want in Prison or condemned to Death For those that Excell In qualities of the mind Strength of body Abundance of wealth That they exalt not themselves above their brethren For those who undertake any notable Action which may redound To the Glory of God The Peace of the Church The Honour of the Kingdom Deprecation O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath Cast me not off for ever Cast me not away from thy presence Hide not thy face from me With-hold not thy mercy from me Forsake me not O Lord. Put me not to shame Turn away reproach from me Let not mine Enemies triumph over me Deliver me not over to their will Preserve my life from them Deliver me O Lord From hardness of heart to impenitence Grossness of heart Impudence of countenance Hardness of countenance From a seared conscience A reprobate mind Sin unto death Viz. Against the Holy Ghost From all superfluity of naughtiness The weight of sin The lusts of the flesh and eyes and pride of life All wicked and vain desires Hurtful and unclean thoughts Desire of vain-glory From a deceitful tongue Unpure lips Hands stretched out to covetousness Feet swift to evil Eyes open to Toyes Ears open to Vanity From blindness of heart Inconstancy of mind Scurrility of speech Intemperance of the belly From desire of riches Reproach of my neighbours Contempt of the poor Oppression of the weak Rancor of mind Root out of me O Lord. Prophaneness and Superstition Pride and Undecency Anger and Contention Swearing and Cursing Passion and Corruption Fraud and Rapine Lying and Slander Envy and Malice Take from me the Sin of Gluttony Give to me the Vertue of Abstinence Take from me the Spirit of Uncleanness Give to me the Love of Chistity Take from me the Desire of the World Give to me Content of Mind Take from me the Heat of Anger Give to me the Spirit of Meekness Take from me the Care of this Life Give to me thy SPIRITUAL Ioy. Take from me Haughtiness of Mind Give to me Compunction of Heart Deliver me O Lord From all evil and mischief All noysome Diseases All things hurtful to My Soul My Health My Estate My Quiet From all Scandal From all Grief From all Infamy From all Enemies Secret From all Enemies Open From all Enemies Crafty From all Enemies Potent From Sudden Death From Violent Death In all my Prayers and Petitions Distresses and Dangers Infirmities and Need. Tentations and Tribulations Good Lord deliver me and help me From the Terrors of Hell Eternal Damnation The angry Countenance of the Iudge The fearful Sentence Depart from me into Utter Darkness The Chains of Everlasting Darkness The Lake of Fire and Brimstone The Smoke of the Torment which ascends for ever Good Lord of thy great mercy deliver me In Affliction MOst merciful Redeemer always loving to us whether thou sendest us heaviness or joy for thy mercy is great whilst by outward afflictions as by bitter pills thou curest the inward diseased man and by temporary troubles thou preparest us and makest us fit for joyes eternal Grant O sweet Saviour that I may drink of this Cup of adversity and all others as reached to me by thy hand Thou knowest O Lord that they are bitter to flesh and blood yet withall I know that thou didst endure far greater things for me and that I have deserved to suffer much more than thou hast laid upon me O Lord thou knowest also the weakness and frailty of mans nature and therefore I do assuredly believe that thou the good Samaritan wilt not only cleanse the wounds of my sins with the sharp wine of thy justice but wilt also add the oyl of thy mercy and comfort whereby I may be strengthned again If thou thinkest not yet sufficient or that enough which thou hast laid upon me yet add patience I beseech thee to my further grief and grant that that these thy punishments may provoke me to true repentance whereby I may by thy merits obtain remission of my sins But if thy Fatherly Clemency shall be contented with this gentle and mild chastisement take off thy corrections and heavy hand from me that so I may for both thy mercies to me praise thy holy Name as well that thou hast so gently dealt with me in amending me so unprofitable a Servant as that thou hast in time taken off the bitterness of affliction and not utterly confounded me in the first of thy works of mercy respecting my necessity and in the last not forgetting my infirmity To thee O Saviour with the Father and Holy Spirit be all Praise Laud and Glory now and evermore Amen In time of Pestilence O Lord God who rejectest none that trusting in thy goodness and believing in thy promises come to thee for succour and help Behold we beseech thee with the eyes of compassion and mercy thy poor sinful and miserable people who now are much afflicted and visited with the Plague of Pestilence with the scourge of thine angry hand Our streets are full of grief and our houses are filled with heaviness and all our joy is turned into mourning by reason of thy heavy wrath and hot displeasure which now is gone out to destroy and consume us from the face of the Earth We confess O Lord it is but just that all thy Creatures should rebell against Man and oppose themselves against him who hath so desperately rebelled against thee his Creator For they are all obedient to thee only Man sinful and wretched Man is continually stubborn and rebellious daily abusing thy Blessings and hourly transgressing thy Commandments got leaving his evil wayes for fear of thy threats nor being allured to goodness with the hope of thy promises We daily hear by thy Messengers and read in thy Sacred Word what thou hast threatned of old to thy rebellious people and in them to us How that if they kept not thy Commandements Thou wouldst send upon them the Sword to avenge the quarrel of thy Covenant and when they should be gathered in their Cities thou wouldst send the Pestilence among them and they should be delivered into the hands of the Enemy And
man escape unpunished God will neither be made flexible by favour nor corrupt by gifts Riches profit not in the day of wrath And therefore say not I have sinned what harm hath happened to me For though God be long suffering he will in no wise let thee go unpunished Concerning propitiation be not without fear to add sin to sin And say not His mercy is great he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins for mercy and wrath come from him and his indignation resteth upon sinners We must all appear before his Tribunal and receive according to the thing which every one hath done His Sentence will be so Iust that though in this World we may say Veniet qui malè judicata rejudicabit dies The day will come when there will be a re-view of things ill carried Yet in the case between God and Man then it will not be not be so 3. Being Wise Omniscient Nothing is hid from his all-seeing eyes He beholdeth all our actions He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart All things are naked and open to his eyes He knoweth our thoughts long before our manifold transgressions and our mighty sins Therefore no hope of Evasion by hiding any thing from him 4. Being Good He will expect our Thankfulness He hath ever been gracious to us heaped many benefits on us And by how much the more beneficial he hath been to us the longer expected our conversion and the oftner admonished us by so much the more rigorously will he deal with us for neglecting these benefits Unto whom much is given of him much shall be required An accompt will be exacted of our Talents received Every man shall be rewarded according to his works He will exact an accompt from us How we have used the Body and Soul given unto us How we have employed our Natural Gifts Temporal Blessings and the rest The signes of his Goodness to us And can we answer one for a thousand Our Iudgement therefore the greater for abusing his Goodness Again If we consider this Iudgement in respect of the Parties lyable to it we shall have greater cause to betake our selves to a more serious consideration of our estates 1. In regard of the Nature and condition of Man A flower Of short continuance A leaf Dry stabble His substance but dust His life but a wind a shadow of no continuance Format us de terra Conceptus in culpa Natus ad poenam Made of earth Conceived in sin Born to suffer punishment In regard that he is sinful and wretched Composed of vanity Every man living altogether vanity Lighter than vanity Shaped in wickedness Conceived in sin Born in uncleanness A child of wrath A vessel of perdition dishonour Unclean like a silthy clout Drinking iniquity like water All have erred Agunt mala quae non licent vana quae non expediunt Faciles ad seducendum Debiles ad operandum Fragiles ad resistendum They do evil which is unlawful and are vain which is not meet Easie to deceive Weak to work Frail to resist So that our entrance into the world is miserable Conversation in it Culpable Dissolution from it Damnable The Consideration of this unworthiness hath terrified all the Saints and Servants of God lest they should fall under this judgement I have sinned what shall I doe saith Iob. How shall I answer O Lord correct me not in thine indignation saith David Correct me O Lord but yet not in thy fury lest I be brought to nothing saith Ieremy In respect of the sentence it self which will be to the good Venite Benedicti Come ye blessed to the bad Discedite Maledicti Depart ye cursed which last sentence is terrible 1. They are cast into eternal torments a punishment sensible for the pain and misery felt 2. They are deprived of the Beatifical vision of God a punishment prejudicial for the Glory lost The first is terrible 1. In regard of the Suddenness and Horrour At the time of the Iudges appearance A consuming fire shall goe before him and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up about him Their visitation shall be in Thunder Earthquake and great noise storm and Tempests and the flame of devouring fire The day of the Lord is very terrible who may abide it A day of wrath a day of trouble and distress c. It shall burn as an Oven and the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stubble They shall behold Above them The Angry Iudge disdaining them Under them The Horrible Pit gaping for them Within them The Worm of Conscience gnawing them About them The World burning Near to them The Devils accusing them Whither then shall a sinner flee It is impossible to be hidden and insufferable to abide If it were terrible for the Israelites to hear Gods voice delivered by an Angel who brought no ill news Insomuch as they said If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more we shall die And to Moses Talk thou with us let not God lest we die What will it be for sinners to hear the Iudge pronounce this heavy sentence Discedite Maledicti 2. In regard of the Accusers 1. The Heaven and the Earth 2. Christ as Iudge Witness I will reprove thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done I will shew thy filthiness I was hungry and ye gave me no meat c. 3. The Angels Their attendants in this life 4. The Devils who attend them for future torments 5. The Books of their Consciences Thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy turnings back shall reprove thee 6. The Creatures whom they have abused Consider this lest ye howl and weep in your misery In regard of the intollerable paines which follow the Sentence 1. Everlasting Chains of Darkness Vermis corum non morietur They shall weep for ever 2. Sharp Beyond the Fornace seven times heated 3. Various of divers sorts According to the diversity of sinners offences 4. Stinking In the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone 5. Affrighting Tormented by Devils 6. In Bonds not able to stir Bind him hand and foot Held with Cords of his own sin Bind the Tares c. Gathered as Prisoners into a pit Chains of darkness 7. In horrid darkness Prefigured by that of AEgypt A Land of darkness 8. With Company detestable In regard that Hell is a Place of no Order Dilatavit Infernus animam suam aperuit os suum absque ullo termino Hell hath enlarged it self and hath opened his mouth without measure Of no Rest or Comfort But cries vexation weeping and gnashing of teeth Not a drop of cool water to the thirsty Continual mourning sorrow without
Who wouldest have all to be saved none so perish I am thine O save me Despise not the work of thy hands Who hatest nothing which thou hast made I am thy Servant and Son of thy Handmaid Thy Name is called on by us Thou art not ashamed to be called our Lord. I am the price of thy Sons blood O spare thy Workmanship Thy Child Thy Name The price of thy Sons blood But I am a sinner and God heareth not sinners Yet I pray thee remember of what I am made That I am but flesh and a wind that passeth away and cometh not again Take notice of the matter of which I am made Remember that I am but dust Frail flesh Light wind Loose dust And wilt thou O Lord break a leaf driven with the wind too and fro and wilt thou pursue dry stubble Behold O Lord though I have sinned yet I humble my self under thy mighty hand Spare the humble and contrite David spared Shimei that railed on him And David was a man according to thine own heart Therefore do thou spare me Ahab King of Israel forgave the King of Syria his offence upon his humiliation Was there ever King of Israel more merciful than thou Thou forgavest the same Ahab who had sold himself to sin when he humbled himself Spare me also I beseech thee O Lord how long wilt thou be angry with thy Servant which prayeth Surely Lord I hide not my sins like Adam but confess them Behold I judge my self Accept O Lord the Sacrifice of a troubled Spirit A contrite heart A grieved Soul A wounded Conscience Though I have sinned against thee It hath ever been thy Practice to be merciful Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and were not confounded Thy mercies have been ever of old Lord where are thy former loving kindnesses Look at the Generations of old and see did ever any trust in the Lord and was confounded Or whom did he ever despise that called upon him It is due by thy Promise Remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope Let thy mercy come unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word God hath promised which cannot lie He is a God of truth And confirmed it with an Oath Which promise the unbelief of men cannot make void If we believe not yet he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself There will arise no benefit by my destruction For what profit is there in my blood if I go down into the pit For in death is no remembrance of thee and in the grave who shall give thee thanks Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead Or shall the dead arise and praise thee Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave Or thy faithfulness in destruction The grave cannot praise thee death cannot celebrate thee the living the living he shall praise thee I will not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord. O taste and see how gracious the Lord is blessed is the man that trusteth in him Thy mercies O Lord are Sweet Comfortable Better than life Many A multitude of them Plentiful Tender Superabundant Wonderful Infinite Great Broad From the East to the West Long. Deep High To the Heavens High Above the Heavens Past knowledge Eternal of old For ever Preventing Following Compassing Pardoning Crowning Over all thy works Our sins Thy justice Thou art the Father of mercies Thou art patient and slow to anger Thou winkest at the sins of men because they should repent Sparing thy people forty years Many times thou didst turn thy wrath away and wouldest not suffer thy whole displeasure to arise It is of thy mercy that we are not consumed Gentle in correcting insomuch as thy justice is not without mercy I will visit their offences with the rod and their sin with scourges Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him He hath not dealt with us after our sins How shall I smile thee O Ephraim Placable and easie to be pacified He will not alway be chiding neither keepeth he his anger for ever His wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee In anger he remembreth mercy David said I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David The Lord hath also put away thy sin thou shalt not dye The Lord waiteth to be gracious unto us Compassionate Thy Compassions are called bowels of mercy When thou didst see the misery of thy people thou hadst compassion on them Then the Lord of the servant moved with compassion loosed him and forgave him the debt Not only ready to forgive but profuse in mercy With thee is plentious redemption The Father of the Prodigal not only pardoned him but put on him the best Robe and a Ring and killed the fat Calf for him He will have joy in Heaven for a sinner repenting Thy pardon extendeth not only to small but great sins and sinners Such as Pet. who forsware thee Paul who blasphemed thee The Thief on the Cross. The Adulteress Mary Magdalen They say If a man put away his Wife and she go from him and become another mans shall he return unto her again shall not the Land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. He is kind to the unthankful and evil But all these are recapitulated and summed up in Christ Iesus In whom he hath given us great and precious promises And in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen In naming of whom it will be sufficient Iesus thou Son of David have mercy on me Which Name Jesus was given unto him because he saveth us from our sins Lord Do not so earnestly mark our sins as that thereby thou forget thine own Name Thou Son of David who forgave Shimei his sworn Enemy reviling him Forgive me O Christ hear me Intercede for me Make thy Father propitious to me Say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation Let not thy Apostle comfort me in vain when he saith This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners Where sin hath abounded there grace hath super-abounded God hath concluded all under sin that he might have mercy upon all When we were Gods Enemies we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son Let not another of thy Apostles say in vain Christ
are strong to do evil and they also that hate me because they see my Conversion wrongfully and without cause are multiplyed and exceedingly increased 20 They also that unthankfully render evil to me for the good which I have done unto them are also become mine Adversaries and do unto me all the mischief they can and why because they perceive my conversion and that I follow and love the thing that good is which they hate 21 Forsake me not either in tentation or tribulation O Lord the Author of my salvation O my God whom I desire to serve be not far from me by with-drawing thy grace from me 22 Make haste lest I faint under the burthen of my sins to help me against my Enemies O Lord who art my only stay in this life and my salvation in the life to come Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 51. HAve mercy upon me miserable sinner O God full of mercy and compassion according to thy loving and infinite kindness to the Sons of men and as my sins are infinite so according to the multitude of thy tender mercies which thou hast ever shewed to penitent sinners blot out of the book of thy remembrance my innumerable transgressions 2 Wash me thorowly with the blood of thy dear Son from mine iniquity whereby I have so often offended thy Majesty and cleanse me in the fountain of thy mercies from my sin whereby I have also offended my Neighhour 3 For behold O Lord I hide not nor excuse but in the bitter tears of repentance acknowledge and confess my horrible transgressions against thee and my grievous sin in which I did for a time take delight is grown odious to me and is ever before me in remorse of Conscience 4. Against thee most mercifull Father only have I sinned and though I were ashamed to commit sin in the sight of men yet I have done this great evil in thy all-seeing sight yet O Lord be mercifull to me and pardon it that thou mightest be justified and found true and faithfull when thou speakest as thou hast often done of mercy and forgiveness to the penitent and be clear from the imputation of injustice when thou art arrogantly and falsly judged for severity thy punishments being just though the eyes of our understanding be not so clear as to perceive the justice of them 5 Behold O Lord that I as all man-kind was shapen in the iniquity of original sin from which fountain springeth my misery and in sin and concupiscence did my mother conceive me from whence groweth the infirmity of my flesh 6 Behold also O Lord I know that thou desirest Truth Faith and integrity in the inward parts of my conscience and in the hidden parts of me my soul Thou shalt make me by the illumination of thy Holy Spirit to know wisdom to eternal life 7. Purge me leprous sinner with spiritual Hisope the blood of thy Son instead of the Hysope which was wont to clense the leprous in the law and by that blood I shall be clean and purified from the leprosie of sin Wash me in the fountain of Grace and then by tears of repentance and the merits of my Saviour I shall be whiter in thy sight than Snow 8. Make me poor wretch to hear and sensibly feel the joy and comfort of remission of my sins and let me find gladness in the promise of life eternal that the spiritual bones of my soul which thou hast broken with tentations and afflictions may rejoyce and give thee thanks and praise 9 Hide and turn away thy face and wrathfull countenance from my sins lay them not to my charge and blot out of thy Register all mine iniquities that they never appear to condemn me 10 Create in me polluted a clean and pure heart O God the Creator of all things and renew by thy Grace a right and sanctified Spirit in me 11 Cast me not away into the pit of desperation by debarring me from thy presence where only is fulness of joy and take not for ever thy Holy Spirit of comfort from me 12 Restore unto me rather the unspeakable joy of thy Salvation in Christ Jesus which they feel in their consciences whose sins thou remittest and when I am reinstated in thy favour uphold and keep me from falling again with thy free powerfull and saving Spirit 13 Then even when I shall be restored I will by word of exhortation and example of conversation teach transgressors how they shall keep thy wayes and Commandements and by that means thy Grace assisting they which now are sinners shall forsake their wickedness and shall be truly converted unto thee 14 Deliver me and quit me from my former bloody offences and keep me henceforth from blood-guiltiness and carnal corruptions O God my Protector Thou God which art my Redeemer and the Author of my Salvation and all the dayes of my life my tongue for joy thereof shall sing unto thee and that aloud and chearfully and praise thy Name by extolling of thy righteousness who dost justifie sinners and art merciful to the penitent 15 O Lord that givest wisdom to the simple open thou my lips which are closed by sin from doing any service unto thee and then with boldness my mouth shall utter and shew forth thy praise For to thee alone belongeth all Honour and Glory 16 For thou O God desirest not that I should offer the Sacrifice of Goats and Calves to expiate my offences else would I willingly give it and lay it on thy Altar but thou having by sending thy Son Christ Jesus abrogated the Ceremonies of the Law delightest not any longer in burnt Offerings but in obedience to thy Commandements 17 The Sacrifices accepted of God and whereby we are in Christ reconciled to him are a broken and humble Spirit dejected with the sight of sin a broken and contrite heart truly mortified and repentant O God thou hast promised that thou wilt not despise but lovingly accept 18 Do good O God in thy good pleasure and be favourable and gracious unto Sion thy Catholick Church Build thou upon a sure Foundation of Religion and establish the hearts of thy Saints and Servants the walls of thy Church Ierusalem 19 Then shalt thou in Christ Jesus be pleased with us and with the Sacrifice of Righteousness in thy Congregation And with burnt Offerings and Oblations of our hearts Then shall they thy Servants thus established offer Bullocks the Sacrifice of praise upon thine Altar in thy presence to the honour of thy most holy Name Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 102. HEar my Prayer which in the bitterness of my Soul I make to thee O Lord whose mercy is the Sanctuary of distressed sinners and let nothing stand between that mercy and me which may hinder my cry to come to thee 2 Hide not thy face turn not away thy countenance from me as if thou wert offended at me but rather in the day of adversity when I am in trouble
and sorrow encline thine ear of pity unto me and that right soon and speedily 3 For my dayes which I have mis-spent are consumed away like smoke which for want of substance dissolveth to nothing and my bones which by my broken spirit are dryed up are burnt up as a fire-brand 4 My heart is dejected and smitten with the thought of thy Justice and it is withered with remembrance of thy Judgements like grass without juyce or sap so that in this anguish of Soul I forget and loath to eat my bread 5 By reason of the grievous voice of my groaning sighs and tears I am so consumed away that my bones for want of flesh cleave to my skin and I am nothing but skin and bone 6 I am for shame that I have offended thee become in condition like a Pelican that liveth solitarily in the Wilderness and I am like an Owl not daring to be seen but that avoideth the light and is continually in the Desert shunning the company of other Birds 7 I watch and sleep not for the thought of my sins and am as a Sparrow that caring for no company sitteth alone making grievous lamentation in a mournful note upon the house-top 8 Mine Enemies seeing me thus penitent reproach me with opprobrious speeches all the day continually deriding me and they that while I was their companion in sin applauded me are upon my conversion mad against me and do combine and are sworn to do me mischief and to that end set themselves against me 9 For this cause taking no pleasure in this world I have eaten ashes and fed upon course meat like as it were fine bread and dainty fare and I have mingled my drink with tears weeping and lamenting for my sinnes 10 Because of thine indignation against me for them and thy wrath for my bad life past all this evil and more hath befallen me for thou hast lifted me up very high and from thence hast cast me down that my fall might be the greater 11 My dayes few and evil are passed like a shadow upon a Sun-Dyal that declineth toward the Evening and I that lately seemed to flourish am withered and dryed up like grass without sap for want of thy comfort 12 But thou O Lord which wert and art shalt continue immutable and shalt endure for ever while all transitory things pass and come to nothing and thy glorious works shall be had in remembrance unto all generations even unto the end of the world 13 Thou O Lord who seemest to men to sleep shalt arise in thy strength and have mercy and compassion upon Sion thy Church militant now oppressed with the tyranny of Antichrist for the time to look upon her and favour her is at hand yea the set time which thou hast decreed for her deliverance is or will not be long ere it come 14 For they which be thy true and faithfull Servants take pleasure and delight in her stones their fellow Servants and are glad when they see them prosper and favour and pity the very dust and ruines thereof when they see them under persecution 15 So that when they shall be delivered from their misery the very heathen shall fear and tremble at the Name of the Lord and be converted to him and all the Kings and Potentates on earth which now oppose the truth shall acknowledge thee O Lord to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and be afraid at the greatness of thy glory and Majesty 16 When the Lord by his almighty power shall build up Sion and repair the ruines of his Church he shall then to the confusion of his enemies appear in his glory which they shall not be able to endure 17 He will then in mercy regard and hearken to the prayer of his poor servants and the destitute of his help and not any longer seem to turn away his face from them nor despise their prayer and earnest supplications 18 This mercy of his shall then be recorded and written as a remembrance for the generations to come even to the end of the world which shall attempt the like against his Church and the people yet unborn that shall succeed and be created in ages to come shall praise and magnifie the Lord which only doth marvellous things 19 For he hath in mercy by sending his Son Christ Jesus looked down from the height of his Sanctuary his holy place even from Heaven his Fathers bosom did the Lord Jesus behold the Earth and had compassion upon all the Sons of men 20 To hear and pity the groaning of the Prisoners such as did groan under the burden of the Law and to loose and set at liberty by his passion and intercession those of the posterity of Adam that are appointed to suffer death for not fullfiling the same 21 To the end that they being so delivered may declare and shew the power and the Name of the Lord which is Jesus the Saviour in Sion his Church and magnifie and extol his praise in Ierusalem his holy habitation 22 When the faithful people which are yet dispersed over the face of the Earth are gathered together and made one Congregation and the Kingdoms of the Earth which are yet in darkness are instructed to serve thee the only Lord of Heaven and Earth 23 He even the Lord in the time of this expectation hath weakned and abated my strength so that I can do no good of my self in the way of this my earthly pilgrimage he hath shortned and cut off my dayes by afflicting me for my sin 24 I said yet in this weakness and anguish of my Soul O my God with-draw not now thy mercy from me and take me not away out of this world in the midst of my dayes the chief time of my strength as for thy years as they are from all eternity so shall they endure throughout all generations even for ever 25 Of old at the beginning of time hast thou of thine own power laid and created the Foundations of the Earth the visible World and all things in it and the Heavens and Firmament thereof are the only work of thy Almighty hands and power 26 They even Heaven and Earth and all things in them shall pass away and perish from the form they now have but thou O Lord the Creator of them shalt endure immutable Yea without all doubt all of them as thou hast decreed shall wax old and consume with age like a garment long worn and as a vesture or garment shalt thou by the sound of the last Trump change and dissolve them and they shall yield to thy power and be changed 27 But thou O Lord art the same alwayes unchangeable and thy years being from all Eternity shall have no end but continue for ever 28 The Children and posterity of thy faithful Servants begotten by the seeds-men of thy Word shall continue in grace in this life and their righteous seed shall stand fast and be established for ever together with
them in glory hereafter and enjoy everlasting happiness before thee in thy blessed presence Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 130. OUt of the depth of tentations dangers and sorrow for my sins wherein my Spirit is almost overwhelmed have I by fervent prayer cryed and called unto thee O Lord who only art able to give me relief 2 Lord of thy mercy haste thee and hear my voice and petition and deliver me from my misery O my God let thine ears of pity and compassion be attentive to consider and well weigh the lamentable voice of my humble supplications and let not my prayer return unpitied or unheard of thee 3 If thou Lord contrary to thy disposition shouldest be so exact and extreme as in the rigour of thy justice to mark the iniquities which we by our natural corruption daily fall into and punish us accordingly O good Lord who none not the most upright shall be able to answer one for a thousand or stand before thee without much horrour at the Judgement Seat 4 But for the comfort of poor wretched sinners and to keep us from utter desperation we find it recorded by the holy Spirit that there is forgiveness of sins and mercy toward sinners repenting with thee by Jesus Christ who came to save them and yet this mercy of thine is tyed with such conditions that thou who also art just mayest be also feared lest thy lenity be abused 5 I for my part wait and confidently expect for the Lord to receive mercy from him My sinful but repentant Soul waits to receive consolation and in his Word whereby he promiseth mercy to repentant sinners do I hope and place my whole confidence because I know that he which hath promised is just 6 My sinful Soul in this expectation waiteth for the Lord and tarryeth his good pleasure to comfort it more earnestly than they that in a disconsolate long night watch for the morning Yea I say it again more zealously than they that are weary of the night and watch for the light of the morning 7 Let Israel and all Gods faithful people hope still and put their trust in the goodness of the Lord and not without cause for with the Lord though he justly take vengeance on us for our sins yet there is ever was and will be found mercy towards penitent sinners and with him by Jesus Christ is not only forgiveness for a few sins but plenteous redemption from the captivity of the Devil and Sinne. 8 And he even Jesus Christ by his merits and intercession shall redeem and save Israel and each of his faithful servants from all his iniquities and the punishment due for them Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 143. HEar my earnest and humble prayer O Lord which in my misery I make unto thee Give ear and be not deaf to my supplicatious in the time of my distress but in thy faithfulness and truth which endureth for ever answer me and grant my petition which I make not trusting in any merits of mine own but in thy righteousness 2 And my further petition to thee is that thou enter not into the Throne of thy Iudgement by strictly examining my mis-deeds and dealing rigorously with me thy poor servant who hath mis-spent his talent for in thy all-seeing sight shall no man living in this vale of misery be justified or found innocent 3 For the Old Enemy of mankind the Devil hath by his malice persecuted and sought to entrap my Soul to separate it from the love of thee he hath smitten and cast my life and Soul down to the ground and filled me full of earthly desires he hath made and caused me to dwell and take pleasure in the darkness of of my sins as those that are without sense and have been long dead 4 Therefore O Lord considering my desperate estate is my spirit overwhelmed with grief within me and my heart is disquieted within me and is also desolate and sore troubled 5 I yet in the midst of the sorrows that are in my heart do remember what I have read and heard what thou hast done in the dayes of old how that thou hast been gracious to the penitent and severe against the unrepentant sinner I meditate also on all thy works but especially on that of thy mercy and I muse and exercise my self in contemplating on the works of thy hands admiring thy Power and Wisdom in the Creation of all things 6 I stretch forth and lift up my hands in my prayers unto thee O Lord my Soul which is dry for want of the dew of thy grace thirsteth after thee for the water of life as a thirsty land in a time of drought 7 Hear me and answer me speedily delay not O Lord for my spirit waxeth faint and faileth me in my devotion Oh hide not thy face and loving countenance from me miserable sinner lest it come to pass that I be like in condition unto them that go down headlong after their own inventions into the pit of destruction and perdition 8 Cause me by thy Spirit to hear and feel thy loving kindness and mercy in the morning speedily lest I perish for in thee only and not in the help of Men or Angels do I place my whole trust and confidence Cause me by thy grace to know and learn the way of thy testimonies wherein I should and ought to walk without declining to the right hand or the left For I lift up my soul by prayer and repentance unto thee who only canst direct me aright 9 Desiver me O Lord by thy power from all mine Enemies visible and invisible for I flee and make haste for succour unto thee as to my Protector to hide and defend me from their violence 10 Teach and instruct me that am ignorant to do thy Will and those things which thou commandest for thou art thy God and Director Thy Spirit is good and all-sufficient for me Lead me therefore by it into the right way which bringeth into the Land of Righteousness and Truth 11 Quicken me again O Lord and revive me from the death of sin for thy Names sake which is Jesus and for thy Righteousness sake and love to goodness bring my Soul by thy grace out of the trouble and anguish whereinto my sins have brought me 12 And of thy tender mercy and compassion cut off and kill in me mine Enemies the concupiscences of the flesh and destroy and confound all them that with injuries and tentations afflict and disquiet my Soul which is wholy devoted to thee for I am thy servant and Son of thy Handmaid and desire to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of my life Glory be to the Father c. Directions before Receiving the Holy Communion AS many as desire to be partakers of the holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ as of necessity every one must be that intendeth to receive benefit by him ought before the
taking of it to prepare his Soul and fit it for the due receiving of it and not come to it carelesly without due examination of himself and respective consideration of the excellency and worth thereof And therefore before the time of communicating we ought to spend some hours or dayes the more the better in meditating upon the great and unspeakable love and mercy of God towards us miserable sinners in ordaining so powerful a means to purge and cleanse us and bring us to him in believing all his promises made to us in Christ Iesus in applying them to our selves in performing the works of charity in examining in what estate our Souls do stand in calling to mind our sins and confessing them to God in grieving and repenting for them and that in all humility and godly sorrow in returning with the Prodigal smiteing our breasts with the Publican weeping with Mary Magdalen begging mercy with the Thief on the Cross and lastly in promising to God to lead a better life for the time to come Thus if we do no doubt but we shall be welcome Guests to this Feast as being of that number for whom it was prepared For by how much the more we come prepared to take this Sacrament so much the greater shall be the grace which we shall receive by it There are four Duties required in every Communicant First Faith to believe that Iesus Christ did and suffered all things which are written of him in the Holy Scriptures for the Redemption of Mankind Secondly Repentance by which a man confessing his sins to God with a purpose to lead a new life is reconciled to him Thirdly Reverend Behaviour that in all humility we make our selves fit Guests for such a Feast Fourthly Meditation and Attention that we during tht time of the administration of the Sacrament attend no earthly thoughts but wholly fix our Souls upon our Saviour Christ and meditate on nothing but this great and high benefit and thereby be enflamed with a hearty love and thankful mind to God not only for his infinite love in suffering so great things for us but also for instituting this blessed Sacrament to remain to the end of the World as a sure pledge of his continuance among us and perpetual care over us After we have communicated and are refreshed we ought also to be thankful to God for so great a benefit Thankfulness being not the least Duty of this Service The Sacrament it self being called Eucharistia which is Thanksgiving and to strive to imitate him as well in life as death to live purely and not to defile our Souls again being purged and cleansed by the powerful operation of this blessed Sacrament that so by Examination Meditation Thanksgiving and constant Resolution of Amendment We may worthily receive Christ into our Souls and be made members of his mystical body Meditations and Prayers before the Communion VVHat am I O Lord that I should be so bold as to come near to thee what am I that I should attempt to receive this so great and high mystery what is man by nature but a vessel of corruption unapt to any good propense and most ready to any evil What is man but a creature of all others most wretched blind in judgement inconstant in his actions unclean in his desires and though small in desert yet proud and great in his own conceit Thou seest O Lord what I am But thou O Lord art great good wise and eternal omnipotent in strength wonderfull in wisdom deep in thy counsells terrible in thy judgements and absolutely perfect in all thy works How then dare I that am so base and unclean a creature approach to the Feast of so great a God and a Lord of so great a Majesty Behold the Heavens are not clean in thy sight and the Pillars of Heaven shake and tremble at thy word Saint Iohn the Baptist who was sanctified in his Mothers Womb professed himself not worthy to unloose the latchet of thy shooes Saint Peter cryed out to thee to depart from him a sinfull man How then can I the chief of all sinners but tremble at thy presence O Lord I fear that being thus wretched and unfit I shall not be admitted to this Feast but rather be repelled for want of a wedding garment even the garment of a sanctified Soul For my whole life hath been so wretchedly and lewdly spent and my dayes have been so wickedly wasted that I hourly seem to renew thy passion Many a time I have with Iudas sold thee for a small sum of pleasure or profit and now in coming to receive thee unworthily what doe I else but with him betray thee with a kiss How then shall I dare to receive thee in so desperate and wicked estate How canst thou abide or dwell in so loathsome a Dungeon wherein there is no part room or corner clean O Lord I acknowledge mine unworthiness and yet withall thy mercies are not hid from me and by them I am encouraged to come with confidence unto thee for by how much the unworthier I come unto thee by so much the more will thy mercy be glorified if thou do not reject me Lord thou art not wont to put sinners back but to call and set them forward to repentance Wherefore O Lord animated by thy calling and invitation I come unto thee overburthened with the weight of my sins hoping to find ease and relief of thee Thy custome while thou wert upon earth was to receive sinners and to eat with them and thy delight was to be with the Sons of men If thou O Lord be still pleased with such guests behold one here at this time of that kind a notorious sinner I verily believe thou tookest more pleasure in the tears of the sinfull Woman than in the great feast of the proud Pharisee and for a few tears of hers didst forgive many sins unto her Behold O Lord new matter offered for thy great mercy to work upon Here lyeth a sinner who hath many more sins than she but fewer tears by many who though he hath more grievously offended yet doth more carelesly bewayle his offences than she did She was neither the first nor the last whom thou in thy mercy didst receive to favour O Lord let me also be one of the subjects of this thy mercy and although I have not tears sufficient to wash thy feet yet thou hadst shed drops of blood more than sufficient to cleanse my sins I read O Lord in the Gospel that all that were diseased flocked to thee and by that vertue which came out of thee were healed and I verily perswade my self that thy Nature is not changed for in thee is and will be to the end of the world health and remedy for all griefs and thou art readier to make us whole than we are to ask health of thee I know O Lord that this Sacrament which I so earnestly
Christi I conceive that there is nothing perpetual in this confused and disordered life but think that all things are transitory and pass away And whosoever duly considereth this falls upon his face knowing how far he is distant from the Majesty of GOD and will bend his knees to GOD the Father in the name of Iesus Christ and crave to be dissolved 2. It is Miserable Besides the brevity many miseries accompany it No year day nor hour but hath his misery One sues thee for thine estate another layeth wait for thy life a third wrongeth thy good name Evil Children vex thee if thou have any If thou hast none thou art grieved for the want Thy Wife unchast and unquiet disquiets thee Thy friends death discomforts thee One loseth an eye another an arm One is slain by a fall from his horse Another perisheth by water or fire So that the miseries over-ballance the joyes Then I would know what felicity is in it Saint Augustine describes them at large Plena sunt omnia laqueis plena periculis incitant cupiditates insidiantur illecebrae blandiunt lucra damna deterrent amarae sunt obloquentium linguae nec semper veraecia sunt ora laudantium c. All things are full of snares full of dangers concupiscence tickleth allurements lye in wait gain flattereth loss terrifieth slanderous tongues of some are bitter and the praises of others are not alwayes true or pleasing to us c. 3. It is sinful All the actions of it and of all that live in it being so In it you may see the Innocents afflicted the Guilty acquit the good despised the evil preferred The Lord himself looked down from Heaven upon the children of men and found them all abominable none to do good No truth mercy nor knowledge of GOD in the Land but swearing lying killing and whoring If the Devil be Prince of the world what goodness can be expected in his Dominions 4. Lastly It is Deceitful It seems to be that it is not promiseth that it gives not Out of the pleasures thereof arise many sorrows Children bestowed bring cares Honour enjoyed brings emulation Wealth encreased brings fear Offices possessed bring envy Unlawful pleasures used bring diseases If the World flatter thee it is but to deceive thee If it exalt thee it is but to cast thee down headlong If it make thee merry it is but in short time after to afflict thee the more Extrema gaudia luctus occupaet Si spes nobis in vita non esset relicta quam de vita futura concipimus non multum hic mundus ab inferno distaret If we had not here some hope left to us which we conceive of the felicity of the life to come there were little difference between this World aud Hell it self Therefore to end this first point love it not for he which loves it hath not the love of God in him But settle your affections on high on God alone in whose service consists true happiness No Creature can be fully at rest till it attain to the end for which it was created but is restless till then Now God is the object of Mans happiness and the end of his felicity Nothing can satisfie Mans heart but God nor can it be at rest though it possess the whole world till it return to him The nearer to him the quieter No Man hath perfect blessedness in this World Vanitas vanitatum omnia vanitas said Solomon who had his hearts desire as much as any Usque quo filii hominum How long will ye have pleasure in vanity in the things of this life follow lies in the false appearance of them The World is a Hypocrite covers his defects It is a Harlot that bears her Lover out of doors when their money is spent I will conclude with Saint Augustine Mare terras omnia percurre scrutare universa ubique misereris nisi ad Deum refugeris Travel over Sea and Land and search all places yet shalt thou be miserable and wretched every where except thou have recourse to God And in Gods service all good is to be found If thou desire profit Eye hath not seen c. what God hath prepared for them that love him If length of dayes Length of dayes is in his right hand If pleasures Pleasures for evermore If honour The Iust shall be had in everlasting remembrance Them that honour me I will honour Blessed therefore are they which are undefiled in the way and walk in the Law of God Blessed are they which keep his testimonies and seek after him with their whole heart II. The second part of Gods service in general is To avoid that which he forbiddeth that is Sin The difinition whereof and how it cometh you shall have out of St. Gregory All sin is committed gradatim by three degrees 1. By Suggestion of the Devil 2. By Delight of the Flesh. 3. By Consent of the Spirit 1. For when the malicious Spirit suggesteth sin in the mind of Man no delight in it follow sin is no way acted 2. But when the flesh beginneth to delight in it the sin is begun to be in the birth 3. Then if a Man descend to consent upon deliberation then it is plain that sin is committed So that in the suggestion is the seed in the delight is the nourishment and in the consent is the full accomplishment Now as vertue and goodness is for divers respects to be followed So sin is to be avoided for many reasons Because God hateth sin and sinners The Psalmist calleth sinners Gods enemies The ungodly and his ungodliness are both hated alike of God Your iniquities have separated you from God His hate may appear by the continuance of it He visiteth the wickedness of the Fathers upon the Children in the third and fourth generation Seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God I will also forget thy children 2. By with-holding good things from them I will hide my face from them I will take away the hedge of my Vineyard I will not feed you I will be to Ephraim as a Moth. 3. By the severe punishment of Offenders from time to time Who gave Iacob for a spoyl and Israel to the Robbers Did not the Lord because we have sinned against him For sin God drove our first Parents out of Paradise The Angels from Heaven Sodom and Gomorrah was consumed by fire The whole World by Deluge God drowned Pharaoh and the Egyptians Destroyed Korah Dathan and Abiram The two Sons of Aaron and of Heli. Ananias and Saphira Ierusalem his own City and oâ— 600000. which went out of Egypt only two came into the Land of promise Because God heareth not the prayers of the wicked When they stretch out their hands he will hide his eyes from them and though they make many prayers he
merits and cast nor those from thy favour and grace whom by Nature thou of thy goodness hast vouchsafed to make thy Brethren Who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Spirit now and for ever Amen Petitions for Spiritual Graces OH that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes O LORD Blessed is the man whom thou teachest out of thy Law Open mine eyes that I may see the wonderous things of thy Law Teach me to do thy will for thou and my GOD let thy good Spirit lead me into the Land of Righteousness Give me Grace O LORD To know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing To abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the Soul To keep in mind alwayes Thou the World passeth away and the desire thereof And that the benefit which a Man getteth by the World is nothing but Destruction Truly to say I have remembred thy everlasting Iudgements and my Son receiveth comfort thereby O thou that givest Grace to the humble give me Grace to be humble Give me a good heart which hearing thy Word may keep it and bring forth fruit with patience O Lord Let me find Grace in this eyes Let me find a place and time of Repentance Let me not receive thy Grace in vain Let me not fail or fall from it But let me continue in it And let me grow in it To the end of my dayes Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Carefulness Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Defence or clearing my self Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Indignation Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Fear Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Vehement Desire Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Zeal Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Revenge Give me Grace to think upon and do Whatsoever things are True Give me Grace to think upon and do Venerable Give me Grace to think upon and do Honest Give me Grace to think upon and do Iust Give me Grace to think upon and do Pure Give me Grace to think upon and do Lovely Give me Grace to think upon and do Of Good Report Give unto me O LORD Humility of Heart Give unto me O LORD Charity to my neighbour Give unto me O LORD Patience of Mind Give unto me O LORD Temperance of Life Give unto me O LORD Chastity of Body Give unto me O LORD Contentedness of Mind Give unto me O LORD Alacrity of Spirit Give unto me good Lord Perfect knowledge of my Sins Give unto me good Lord Hearty sorrow for them Give unto me good Lord Perfect hatred against them Give unto me good Lord Fervent love to all Goodness Give unto me good Lord True obedience to thy Will Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Faith Vertue Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Vertue Knowledge Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Knowledge Temperance Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Temperance Patience Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Patience Godliness Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Godliness Brotherly Kindness Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Brotherly Kindness Charity Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Love Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Ioy Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Peace Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Long Suffering Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Gentleness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Goodness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Faith Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spririt Meckness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Temperance Give unto me good Lord Contempt of the World Give unto me good Lord Hatred of Sin Give unto me good Lord Loathing of the flesh Give unto me good Lord Desire of Heaven Give unto me ô Lord A right Faith to live well Give unto me ô Lord A sure Hope to persevere well Give unto me ô Lord A perfect Humility to obey well Give unto me ô Lord A true Charity never to be divided from thee Give me grace O Lord to be content with that which is necessary To despise that wich is superflous Grant O Lord That I may so live that I repent not to have lived That I may so live that no man may know I have lived amiss That I may so live that I may alwayes live That dying I may live and living I may dye and say with a chearful Spirit Lord now leitest thou thy servant depart in peace I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. Amen Prayers for Spiritual Graces O Blessed Lord Jesus Christ who art my only Tutor and Instructer and from whom I have learned whatsoever I know I beseech thee that thou wouldst further teach me those things whereof I am ignorant and which are necessary for my Salvation that thou wouldst keep me in things which I have already learned and rectifie me in those matters wherein as a man I erre Strengthen me and make me firm wherein soever I waver and am doubtful and keep me from that which is erronious and hurtful Above all things O Saviour strengthen my Faith and give me grace daily to prosit in the knowledge and understanding of thy Holy Word and so govern all my actions by thy Holy Spirit that my life may be answerable to my knowledge and that I may shew the fruits of whatsoever I have learned by my good and religious conversation Give me a firm and assured hope in thee and thy gracious promises that in all my troubles and necessities I may be evermore confident in thy mercy Be unto me a strong Tower of defence against mine Enemies that whether the World allure me the Devil assail me or the Flesh rebel I may fly unto thee for refuge And although thou presently put not forth thy hand to help me but defer thy comfort according to thy good pleasure yet keep me from doubting or despairing of thy aid because thy promises are sure Give me a fervent Love and perfect Charity to my Neighbour that I may be as kind to him and as careful of him as of one who is a Member with me of the same Body whereof thou O sweet Saviour art the Head Let my love to him be sincere and unfeigned which may charitably relieve him in his wants patiently bear with his infirmities and willingly forgive him all his trespasses against me Create in me I beseech thee a pure mild peaceable and humble heart which may think harm to no man nor recompense evil for evil but good for injuries Cleanse me from all unclean and earthly desires and lift up my heart to thee and Heavenly things and so write thy Laws in it that I may wholly bend my self to keep them and please thee persevering in the same to my
and having set thine Offences before thee confess them to him and in the bitterness of thy Soul repent thee be sorry for them and crave pardon for them and desire his grace that thou offend no more in the like 3. Pray to God to continue his care ever thee the night following and to defend thee from all perils and dangers So that going to thy rest with these good action and thoughts thou shalt do like to those which rake up Fire in the Embers over night that they may the more readily find it in the Morning In the Night VVHen thou awakest in the Night call upon God likewise for the Night was not made wholly for sleep praise him contemplate and meditate upon his works Sometimes weep for thy sins according to the practice of DAVID For as the nightly dew refresheth and tempereth the Earth so do our nightly tears asswage our Concupiscences And sometimes rejoyce in the Lord according to that of the Psalmist for the great benefits thou hast received from him By these means keeping thy self to one holy Exercise or other thou shalt be sure to avoid the Devils Tentations whose chief time of setting upon us fitteth best with his works which are usually stiled The works of darkness Evening Prayer The Lord hath granted his loving kindness in the ` Day therefore in the Night will I sing of him and make my Prayer to the God of my life O Lord God Father everlasting I yield thee most humble and hearty thanks that thou hast not only averted thy punishments from me which my grievous sins have deserved but instead thereof hast preserved me from all dangers and supplyed me with all necessaries of this life O Lord I confess that I have so highly offended thee this day that all the punishments which may be inflicted upon vile and miserable sinners are due to me I confess O Lord that I have offended thy Majesty in And not only these do I acknowledge but all the rest which I have committed from my infancy to this present hour wittingly or ignorantly in thought word or deed against Thee my Neighbour and my Self O Lord I confess my weakness I do not that which I should and would do but that which I should not and am unwilling to do I do Not regarding or fearing thy incomprehensible Glory venerable Presence terrible Power exquisite Iustice nor thy Goodness unspeakable for which if thou shouldest enter into judgement what would become of me But O Lord for as much as thou art a Father of mercies and dost not desire the death of a sinner if he return unto thee by unfeigned repentance I most humbly in the Name and Mediation of our blessed Saviour Christ Iesus crave pardon for them Lord I repent help my impenitency and hear my request Be merciful to me a sinner and pardon all my offences whereof thou O Lord knowest me to be guilty And I beseech thee O Lord for the time to come to mollifie my heart water it with the dew of thy Heavenly Grace that I may not alwayes bring forth thornes and weeds fit for nothing but the fire Convert me O Lord and I shall be converted open my eyes direct my heart and wayes Draw me after thee and being converted suffer me not to return again with the Dog to his vomit And forasmuch O Lord as thou hast appointed the Night to refresh our bodies I humbly pray thee to defend me as well sleeping as waking from the snares of the Devil O Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit which thou hast redeemed by thy precious death and passion Suffer it not to sleep in sin and in it lye languishing unto death and so be buried in the grave of thy judgements but watch over it I beseech thee and defend it under the shadow of thy wings Let me not be oppressed with unnecessary sleep but raise me in due time to thy Service and Praise Thou knowest O Lord that of my self I have no strength waking much less when I sleep I humbly therefore pray thee to defend my Soul Body Goods and all things which thou hast bestowed upon me this Night from all evil and damage and so dispose of me that I be not troubled with any terrours terrified with any vain phantasies weakned by any sickness or impoverished with any casualties or crosses Keep me O Lord from all evil dreams and unclean thoughts and compass me with a wall of thy mercies that the Tempter approach not to my Bed so that being preserved by thy protection and refreshed with comfortable rest I may arise and offer unto thee my daily bounden duty and service even praise and thanks to thy most holy Name Or thus O Blessed Lord Iesus Christ to whose inexhaustible bounty we owe all honour and praise I give thee all possible thanks that thou hast vouchsafed to keep me this day from all evil so that none of thy fearful judgements to which I was justly lyable have fallen upon me but of thy unspeakable mercy thou hast preserved me from them and hast also liberally and with a bountiful hand supplyed me with the necessaries of this life notwithstanding my great and manifold sins committed against thee O Lord I confess that I have wasted the time which thou hast given me for repentance altogether idlely vainly and unprofitably not so much as considering or taking notice that this day might have been the last of my life but have added and heaped up sin upon sin in thy All-seeing sight as if I had stood in no fear of thee at all daily renewing as much as in me lay thy torments and passions for which I have deserved that the Earth should open unto me and Hell devour me which that it is not come to pass I ascribe with all thankful acknowledgement to thy infinite mercy and goodness O Lord I acknowledge that it is of thy goodness alone that I am thus preserved from all thy judgements seeing that many calamities have befallen divers others who have less deserved them than my self That some have therefore perished by water some by fire some by sword others by sudden and violent death and that I live That some have been taken blind some lame some distracted in their senses That others have sustained much damage in their worldly estate and I have escaped and not been punished in any of these kinds To what shall I ascribe and attribute the cause surely to thy mercy alone for which I cannot give unto thee sufficient thanks But O sweet Saviour as thy mercy exceedeth so do our necessities increase thou canst not want matter for thy mercy to work upon by reason of our inabilities to help our selves Wherefore I further pray thee that this night following may be also safe and prosperous unto me that by a sweet sleep and comfortable refreshing I may be fitted when I awake to serve thee with a thankful
life to come For a Young Man or Maid O Lord forasmuch as I am at these years in the heat of the flesh and in the most dangerous time of my life I beseech thee take not thy Mercy and Fatherly Providence from me but by how much the greater danger of Tentations I am in with so much the more care let thy Grace preserve me lest happily I become a Prey to mine Enemies who go about to load me with so many sins that if they prevail I shall never of my self get from under the burthen of them But O merciful Father distrusting in mine own strength I betake my self wholly to thy protection and desire thee both now and ever to keep me Let me not get that habit of sinning in my younger years that I be forced in my age if I be not stifled before in my Offences to bewail the sins of my youth and to say with David Remember not O Lord the sins of my youth But rather accustome me from this time forward to all goodness that I may daily more and more profit therein And that serving thee with a pure heart now I may in mine age say with good King Ezechias O Lord remember I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Most loving Father who takest care of all men I commend unto thee my Soul as a Child that can of himself do nothing Defend me I pray thee from all mine Enemies spiritual and temporal keep my Body and Soul pure chast and undefiled that I offend not either in obscene speech impure thought or unclean act My Chastity is a more precious Iewel than I can keep without thy help I therefore beseech thee who hast pronounced a blessing to the pure heart to keep my heart pure be thou my guide and preserver lest in the heat of Concupiscence I forget thee Give me grace O Lord to serve and obey my Parents and those to whose Government I am committed and that in all humility And grant that if thou shalt be pleased to call me to the honourable estate of Wedlock I may be matched with one with whom I may serve thee in peace and holiness all the dayes of my life and at the last rest with thee in thy Heavenly Kingdom through Iesus Christ our Lord. For a Servant BLessed Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ who when thou wert the Son of God and Lord of all the World didst take upon thee the form of a Servant that by thy obedience thou mightest work the salvation of all people as well bond as free I pray thee that since thou hast been pleased to call me to the state of a Servant thou wouldst give me an humble and obedient heart and make me contented with this condition of life as alotted to me by thy providence Grant that I may with gentleness of spirit and singleness of heart and willingness of mind serve those under whom I am placed and that I may not either murmure against them or envy those that are seated in a higher estate that I may obey them in all their honest commands in all fear and true respect not with Eye-service as Men-pleasers but with all my heart and the rather because thy commandement bindeth me so to doe Grant that serving them diligently faithfully and carefully I may avoid their displeasure and obtain thy favour and blessing and at the end of my dayes come to that blessed place where Thou with the Father and blessed Spirit dost raign world without end Before a Iourney ALmighty and everlasting God who art the Way the Life and the Truth behold I beseech thee to how many dangers of the World Flesh and Devil I am subject so that without thy aid I cannot safely pass through this Vale of Misery Lead guide and direct me therefore O Lord in the high and right way whither I would go that I turn neither to the right hand or the left nor become a Prey to mine Enemies O Lord thou hast a general care over thy Creatures I therefore in this my Iourney commend unto thee my Soul and Body Defend me from all perils I beseech thee O Lord which didst send thy Angel as a Companion or Fellow-Traveller with the Son of Tobias and didst preserve Abraham and all other thy Servants in their travels vouchsafe thy blessed Angel to guide and conduct me Be thou my comfort in the way and a defence in all dangers Prosper the business which I go about and make this enterprise successful to me And grant that my affairs being dispatched I may return home safe in body and mind Preserve in my absence my Family and all I possess that I being returned in safety and they securely preserved we may altogether give thanks to thy glorious Name through Iesus c. After a Iourney I Give thee thanks O gracious Lord for thy great mercies to me all the dayes of my Life Thou art he which created me and thou art also he that preservest that which thou hast created How often O Lord hast thou turned thine eyes from my sins and made as though thou didst not see them How often and that justly mightest thou have withheld thy hand of preservation from me And yet thy patience hath been so great towards me that thou hast suffered no harm to befall me And as I owe thee many thanks for thy former preservations so now I am further obliged to thee in that thou hast at this time not only guided me to the place whither I intended to go but hast also brought me back in safety and in my absence hast preserved all things unto me Good Lord give me grace to be alwayes mindful of these and all other thy benefits to me and to be truly thankful to thee for them And grant that as by thy mercy I have well ended my affairs abroad and am safely returned to this Temporal Habitation so my Spirit after this Pilgrimage may return to thy Heavenly Mansion and there abide with thee for ever and that even for the merits of our only Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Amen Intercession IN which we are to pray For all Mankind For the conversion of Iews to the Truth For the conversion of Turks to the Truth For the conversion of Heathen to the Truth For all Christians That they may be strengthned that stand That they may be converted that are in errour For the Churches throughout the World that they may be united in Religion For our Church that whatsoever is amiss in it may be amended For the Kings Majesty and his prosperity For all Kingdoms Christian. For Ours and each part of it that it may flourish in peace For the Clergy That they may Teach well That they may Live well For Wisdom in the Council Integrity in the Iudges Strength in our Armies Discretion in the Magistrates Obedience in the People For
Seed For Performance of that Promise For sending his only Sonne out of his bosome to work the great work of our Redemption In being born in pure and humble manner In being conversant on earth in painfull manner In suffering Death in grievous manner For all that he did or suffered For us on Earth For all his comfortable Parables of mercy Of the Two Debtors Of the Publican and Pharisee Of the lost Sheep Of the lost Groat Of the Prodigal Son Of those that were called at the eleventh hour For his comfortable sayings of Mercy God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it I came not to judge the World but to save it The Son of Man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them I am not sent to call the righteous but sinners to repentance The Son of Man came to save and seek that which was lost Come unto me all ye that labour c. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Father forgive them c. This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise For his Examples of Mercy The Woman of Canaan The Woman of Samaria The Woman with the Bloody Issue The Woman taken in Adultery Mary Magdalen Zacheus The Thief Peter Paul Sinners contradicting him That would have destroyed him That stoned him That reviled and blasphemed him That crucified him This man receiveth Sinners For the Holy Spirit In the Old Testament By moving on the waters By sending it into living creatures By inspiring it into man By descending on the Prophets In the New Testament visibly In the shape of a Dove at Christs Baptisme By the gift of Christ to the Apostles In the shape of fiery tongues to them Invisibly In the Virgins Conception of Christ. Upon the Congregation in prayer Cornelius and others The twelve Disciples at Ephesus For his care over us For the illumination of our understanding In our justification Our Regeneration Governing our actions Comforting us in Tentations Strengthning us in Tentations Bearing witness with us and assuring us that we are Gods Children Reproving us in evil actions Assisting us in good works Putting good things into our remembrance Interceding for us with groans unutterable Motives to Repentance NE erubescat poenitentiam agere qui non erubuit poenitenda committere BLush not thou to repent that wert not ashamed to commit things worthy to be repented of For as much as it is beyond the compass and out of the power of natural man not to sin at all but that we adde dayly sin to sin as a Fountain casting up her waters and that it hath pleased God of his mercy to mankind to promise forgiveness to those that shall truly and faithfully repent them of the same Therefore the duty of Repentance of all other parts of Devotion is most necessary for us seeing that by it God in Christ Iesus is reconciled to us His anger toward us is appeased We are restored to his favour Certainly it is a blessed act to confess our own wretchedness for whosoever humbleth himself and penitently bewaileth his sins shall be heard by God and by him be delivered from the punishment due for them A contrite heart suffereth no repulse Repentance is a bewailing for sins already committed and avoiding for the future the sins for which we grieve for he that mourns for his sins and leaves them not incurrs the greater punishment It consisteth not in the often repetition and confession of them without forsaking them for that is but a simple profession of them not a repenting for them But this is true Repentance when those things seem grievous and bitter to our souls which in the act were sweet and delightfull and when that ill which was formerly pleasing to us causeth a hearty and unfeigned grief in us and provoketh us to look more carefully to our wayes for the future Vera peccati confessio est sine intermissione temporis peonitere Peccati verò poenitentia est ab eo quod poenitendum intellexeris distitisse It is a true confession of sin when we repent without intermission But that is a true repentance of sin when we forsake that which we conceive we had cause to repent for And again Nultus id quod confessus est deinceps debet admittere quia confessio peccati est professio desinendi No man ought to commit again the same sin of which he confessed because there is no true confession of sin without a profession to leave the same And this is the fruit of Repentance as St. Iohn the Baptist calleth it to lament for sins past and utterly forsake them for the time to come Therefore saith one well Agere poenitentiam nihil aliud est quà m profiteri affirmare se non ulter us peccaturum To repent truly is nothing elle but to profess and promise never to offend again Seeing then what Repentance is let us take a view how necessary it is and for what respects 1. In regard of Gods hate to sin and of that God whom we offend who being infinite requireth infinite satisfaction 2. In regard of our Selves Hominos sumus ad poenitentiam nati We are Men and subject to fall and therefore upon the matter we are born to repent us of our sins that we may prevent Gods Iudgements in this world of all which hath formerly been treated to escape his Iudgement in the world to come Eternal Death For as Men we shall dye and as Christians we shall give an account To say somewhat of this Death for by it we shall pass to the other except Repentance and Gods mercies prevent it 1. Death is Certain it will come 2. It is Universal or General none shall escape it 3. It is Terrible especially to the wicked 1. It is appointed for all men to dye S. Hierome calleth it Irrecusabilis mort is necessitas The necessity of dying is not to be avoyded S. August saith That all things in this life are uncertain but death and Natus es certum est quia morieris Art thou born as certain it is thou shalt die It was the saying of the Heathen Philosopher Sciebam me genuisse mortalem I knew I had begotten no other than a mortal man hearing of his Sons death This point and the certainty of it is easily proved by experience of Former ages Our own time The longest liver Methusalah died The Patriarchs Prophets c. died and were gathered to their Fathers Where are the Princes of the Heathen become c. They are vanquished and gone down to the grave 2. And as it is certain so it is universal It is the house appointed for all the
songs of praise for my deliverance 9 I will instruct thee saith God O Man if thou wilt be ruled by me and teach thee in the way of righteousness which thou shalt wal in without erring I will guide thee in the right way with mine eye of providence that no evil shall happen unto thee 10 Be ye not therefore O foolish men since I am so careful over you without reason as the unruly Horse and dull Mule which have no understanding to bridle their head-strong desires whose hard mouth must be held in with strong hand and with bit and bridle and you with tribulations and afflictions if you be rebellious then as they must be held in lest they come near thee and fall upon their Rider or kick at them so shall you be forced by adversity to know your selves for opposing God your Creator 11 Many sorrows either in this world or torments in the world to come shall be to the obstinate and unrepentant wicked but he that with his whole heart dependeth on and trusteth in the Lord his God the Mercy of the same God shall compass and defend him on every side from all dangers 12 Be glad then O ye Servants of the most High in the salvation of the Lord and not in your own strength and rejoyce in fervency of spirit ye that are just and righteous shout for joy in the comfort of a good Conscience all ye that are upright in heart Because the Lord is gracious to those that love him and hath delight in the prosperity of his Servants Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 38. O Lord I do not altogether decline and refuse thy corrections only this I require of thee that thou rebuke me not in thy fierce wrath by condemning me with the reprobate neither chasten me poor sinner too severely by the extraordinary afflictions of this life or in thy hot displeasure 2 For it is not without cause that I should thus deprecate thine anger for thine arrows of grief and anguish stick fast in me and are sore upon me already and thy hand of present affliction presseth and troubleth me sore 3 There is no soundness nor health in my flesh because of the vehemency of thine anger against me Neither is there any rest or quiet in my bones and inward parts when I consider that thy displeasure ariseth towards me because of the grievousness of my sinne 4. For having recollected my thoughts I find that mine iniquities which hitherto I regarded not are so many that they are gone over my head they are past my understanding for quantity and quality and as a heavy burthen for the weight of them they are become to heavy for me to bear any longer they press me down so much that I cannot look up to Heaven or heavenly things 5 My wounds which sin hath made in my Conscience stink in thy nostrils O God and they are so abominable that now they corrupt and putrifie in mine own sight and all this is come upon me because of my foolishness that have let them go so long unsearched un-repented of that they are almost past cure or remedy 6 I am troubled therefore that I have so long put off my conversion I am bowed and pressed down with the weight of my transgressions and an humbled in soul for them greatly and crave pardon for them I go mourning and grieving all the day long be wailing the former time of my life mis-spend 7 For my loyns are filled and infected with a loathsome disease or carnal concupiscence and there is no soundness nor goodness at all in my flesh for that it rebelleth against the Spirit 8 I am feeble in body and sore broken in mind in so much that considering with my self how grievously I have offended thee I have roared and cryed bitterly by reason of the disquietness of my sinful heart O Lord therefore forgive my offences 9 Lord who knowest all things and dost search into the hearts of all men all my desire to be reconciled to thee and to lead a new life is before thee thou knowest it and my groaning and earnest prayer mingled with sighs and tears is not hid from thee but I hope is ascended into thy presence 10 My heart which hath lost the peace of Conscience panteth for fear of thy Judgements my wonted strength faileth me and I am grown weak as for the light of mine inward eyes wherewith I was wont to discern good from evil it is also dim and gone from me and I am become like to them that walk in darknesse 11 My lovers and those which I took for friends because they see me go about to forsake my evil courses stand aloof off from my sore and instead of giving me comfort become mine adversaries and my kinsmen who in my prosperity fawned on me now stand afar off and leave me comfortless 12 They also of mine Enemies that seek after the ruine of my life and eternal happiness lay snares and tentations for me and they that seek my hurt in bereaving me of my good name speak mischievous and false things to my reproach and imagine deceit how to divert me from the right way all the day long 13 But I being resolved to persist in the way of repentance and to trust wholly in the mercy of God behaved my self to them as a deaf man giving no ear to their allurements and made as though I heard them not and I was in my behaviour to them as a dumb man that knew not how to speak or that opened not his mouth 14 Thus careful was I lest mine Enemies should entrap me and I continued still as a man that heareth not nor is moved with their tentations and in whose mouth notwithstanding their evil deeds to me are no reproofs 15 For in thee O Lord let them do what they can do I hope and put my confidence that thou wilt keep thy promise and hear me when I call upon thee O Lord my God and Saviour 16 For I said in my prayer to thee hear me O Lord lest if thou forsake me they should rejoyce and triumph over me for when and as soon as my foot of Faith slippeth never so little by infirmity they presently imagine that thou hast forsaken me and magnifie themselves as though they had obtained victory against me 17 For I cannot marvel that they should so do considering that when I feel the weight of my sins I my self am ready to halt and despair and the reason of my sorrow is because thy judgements are before me and in my thoughts 18 For remedy whereof I will declare and confess to thee O Lord in the biterness of my Soul my iniquity and take revenge of my self for it yea I will be as long as I live heartily sorry and much grieved for my sin past though it be forgiven 19 But mine Enemies think not of forsaking their wayes they are lively and merry and cry peace peace to their Souls and they
creature that thou hast created me and given to me a body the workmanship and excellency whereof when I behold and well consider I find so many several benefits received as I have members veins joynts sinews and nerves all which discover and manifest the wisdom and power of the Maker of them The benefit of which several parts none can so well know as they which want any of them or are grieved with the infirmity or weakness of them I therefore bless thee that thou hast not created me blind lame deaf or dumb evil-shaped or weak in my senses but hast given me a sound and right mind in a healthful body I further praise thy Name O Lord for that thou hast infused a soul into this my body a work so glorious and transcendent that if I were not altogether stupid and void of all judgement I would not by my actions account so basely of it as I seem to do nor defile it with such impure contemptible and unclean works as I daily commit I thank thee O Lord that I was not born amongst Infidels and amongst those who do not truly call upon thy Name but in that part of the world where thy Gospel is truly preached and thy Sacraments duly administred I thank thee also for thy gracious preservation of me from my birth to this present hour I confess O Lord that it is of thy mercy and goodness that I am thus preserved for if thou shouldest but withdraw thine hand of preservation from me it could not be but that in the twinkling of an eye I should miserably perish and return to nothing I thank thee that thou hast of thy providence appointed all thy Creatures for my sustenance and service some for health and some for delight Grant O Lord that I may use them to those ends for which thou hast created them and that by them I may be moved truly to meditate on thy goodness and seriously praise thee for them I further thank thee O Father that when as by our first Parents fall all mankind was in the state of damnation it pleased thee not to deal with us as thou didst with Lucifer whom thou utterly expelledst thy presence but to send thy only Son from thy bosom into this world that by his bitter death we might be restored to our former estate I acknowledge O Lord that I owe much unto thee for my Creation but much more for my Redemption For what would it have profited me nay what misery should I not have suffered to have been born and afterward to be condemned for ever I thank thee O Lord that thou hast also vouchsafed to call me out of the depth of darkness and shadow of death wherein I lay by the admirable light of thy justifying grace to the true knowledge and love of thee It is not the least of thy benefits O Lord it sheweth not the least part of thy power that thou hast called me from so vile an estate whereinto I had cast my self after Baptism and in the same had continued many years rebelliously to the estate of Salvation For it must needs be acknowledged that thy mercy is great in pardoning sinners their offences but withall it cannot be denied but that thy power is greater in making sinners righteous and just Great was the benefit of my Creation but by that act I was not only made the Son of man but greater is the benefit of Iustification for thereby in Christ I am made the Son of God Great is the benefit of Redemption and indeed the greatest of all others but without Vocation and Iustification it had availed me nothing Great is the benefit which ariseth by the expectation of Glory and no less is this of Iustification for it is a work of no less power to make a just man of a sinner than to make a just man happy and blessed for as much as the difference between sin and grace is more than between Grace and Glory I acknowledge therefore O Lord that the benefits which arise by these heavenly gifts and graces are so great that my tongue faileth and my heart wanteth ability wherewith sufficiently to praise thee for them I praise thee also O Lord for thy blessed Sacraments for that of Baptism whereby I was cleansed from the guilt of original sins and regenerated and adopted into the number of thy Children and for the other of the blessed body and blood of our Saviour Iesus Christ the Sacrament of Grace Unity Charity and Remission of sins the food of our Souls in this Pilgrimage and the Conduit through which all graces are conveyed to our fainting Souls Lastly I thank thee for thy preservation of me in thy Grace by which I am restrained from returning to the mire with the washed Sow and to the vomit with the Dog and by which I am strengthned to doe something acceptable and pleasing unto thee I confess O Lord that whatsoever good I have done is wrought in me by thee and whatsoever tentation or evil I escape is meerly by thy providence O Lord continue and keep me still in this grace that I may so use all thy blessings and so keep them in mind that they may stir up in me a more ardent desire to magnifie thy blessed Name and a greater care of ordering my wayes hereafter that I may no more grieve thy troubled Spirit who with thee and thy blessed Son our only Saviour liveth and reigneth one God world without end Another ALL praise honour and glory be given to thee O Lord God Father Almighty for all thy inestimable benefits bestowed upon me and all mankind whether private or publick general or particular spiritual or temporal Who is able to reckon up or declare the several kinds or parts of them for creating the world beautifying enriching and making it fruitful for the use of man for giving unto us souls and bodies and adorning them with infinite faculties and gifts and which exceeds the rest of thy blessings for delivering us from the power and servitude of sin and the Devil for forbearing and expecting our repentance so loug preserving us from all dangers and furnishing us with all things necessary for this life What praise shall we render to thee O sweet Iesus for all that thou hast done and suffered for us VVee praise and bless thee for thy Incarnation and Birth for all the labours pains sorrows wounds and disgraces together with the vile and ignominious death which thou didst suffer to reconcile us to thy Fathers favour from which our sins had justly excluded us for which thy great love to the Sons of men blessed be thy holy Name O holy and blessed Spirit who in the beginning of time didst move upon the face of the waters at our Saviours Baptism in the shape of a Dove and on the Apostles in the shape of fiery tongues we praise and worship thee for enlightning our understandings for fitting and making us apt to conceive the
mysteries of life eternal for converting us from evil conversation to newness of life and for sanctifying us to life everlasting for directing us in the works of truth and governing us in our temporal affairs O glorious and sacred Trinity infuse into us we beseech thee such measure of thy grace that we may be dayly mindfull of all these thy blessings Pardon all our former ingratitude and negligence in that we have been no more zealous to love thee nor more carefull to serve thee and so forgetfull to thank thee for all thy benefits and mercies Illuminate our hearts that we may firmly beleeve in thee devoutly call upon thee and obediently execute thy holy Will that at the last we may by the merits and passion of thee O Saviour attain to that heavenly Mansion where thou O blessed Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity abidest world without end I thank thee O Lord For my Creation my being my well being That I am indued with Reason That I am A civil man A Christian. Freeborn Ingenious Of honest Parents That I am sound in mind Senses Body That I am well brought up taught I thank thee For thy gifts of Nature Grace Estate For delivering me from Danger Infamy Trouble For the health of my body A Competency of Estates Friends Children Kindred I thank thee O Lord For thy Redemption Regeneration Instruction Vocation Consolation Illumination Iustification Hope of glorification For thy patience toward me For thy Grace preventing me For Governing me For thy Continual care over me For Strengthning me in tentation For Reproving me in evil For Assisting me in good For the Conjunction of my heart For the hopes of pardon for my sins For the benefits I have received For any good done by me For all those that have done me good by their Writings Sermons Conferences Prayers Examples Reproofs Injuries For all and every of these and for all other known or unknown remembred or forgotten I confess and will confess thee I bless and will bless thee I thank and will thank thee as the Author and Giver of them all Seven Psalms of Thanksgiving Paraphrased Psalm 8. O Lord our God Creator and Preserver of all things how excellent glorious and reverend is thy great and holy Name not in one particular Nation only but in all the Kingdoms of the Earth who as thou hast magnified thy Name in the Earth so hast thou set and extolled thy glory above the Heavens also 2 Out of the mouths and tongues of babes and sucklings even very Infants hast thou because men of riper years and understanding neglect thy glory ordained strength and given little Children ability to praise thee because of the malice of thine Enemies the principalities of this world that thou mightest by this thy great wisdom and power still the tongues suppress the blasphemous speeches of the Enemy and Avenger when he shall see that by such weak means thou canst effect so great matters 3 When I consider and duly weigh thy Heavens and the glorious frame thereof the work of thy fingers made and created only by thee together with the Moon and the Stars and other beautiful Lights of Heaven which thou at the beginning of time hast ordained of nothing I cannot but in the depth of admiration say 4 What is man for whose use and service thou hast made them and all things in this world and him to serve thee That thou so great and glorious a God art mindful of him in so large a manner and what is the Son of man the posterity of sinful Adam that thou in such measure of mercy visitest and regardest him 5 For if I look unto his Creation and consider whose Image he beareth I find that thou hast made him in all respects very little lower in degree than the pure Angels who are honoured with thy presence and hast of thy bounty and especial favour crowned him with glory and honour in making him so glorious a Creature 6 Thou madest and hast appointed him also thy Vicegerent on Earth to have dominion and command over thy Creatures the works of thy hands and Creation thou hast subjected and put all things which thou hast made under his feet to obey and serve him 7 All Sheep and Oxen Beasts for his food and sustentation yea and not those only but the untamed beasts of the field also hast thou made plyable and serviceable to him 8 The Fowl of the Air some for food and some for pleasure and delight and the Fish of the vast Sea which is stored with variety and whatsoever else passeth swimmeth or liveth through the unknown pathes of the Sea are also created by thee to serve him 9 O Lord our Lord when I seriously consider thy power and wisdom in thy work of Creation and the especial honour and favour thou shewest to Mankind in giving him this large Commission over the rest of thy Creatures I cannot but admire and say how excellent and great is thy Name and Power in all the Kingdomes of the World There is none O Lord worthy to be compared to thee Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. Psalm 30. I Will extoll thee and praise thy Name O Lord as long as I live and not without great cause for thou in thy mercy hast lifted me up and endowed me with thy blessings and hast not made no nor suffered my Foes to work their will against me who intended if thou hadst forsaken me to rejoyce and triumph over me 2 O Lord my God and Saviour I cryed and made my humble supplication unto thee in my trouble and adversity and thou of thy accustomed goodness didst graciously hear me and hast healed me of all mine infirmities 3 O Lord thou by the power of thy grace hast brought up and restored to life my sinful soul from the grave of perdition whereinto my sins had well nigh cast me Thou hast in thy love to me kept me alive and preserved me from many dangerous sicknesses that I should not yet go down into the pit of death but live and praise thy holy Name 4 Sing and rejoyce unto the Lord our God O ye Saints and faithful people of his who have with me felt and tasted of his mercy and give thanks together with me at the remembrance and consideration of his holiness 5 For his anger and displeasure endureth towards sinners but a moment and short space if they truly turn unto to him and if we seriously consider his mercies we shall find that in his favour is life to those that lye desparately sick in their sins if he but touch them with his finger of grace as for weeping heaviness and affliction it may and of necessity must sometime befall his servants but yet it shall endure and afflict them for a night a little while only but joy and comfort commeth again to refresh them in the morning by sending the light of his countenance upon them 6 And
before I fully understood how God useth to deal with his Servants I was so confident of my self that in my prosperity when I felt the grace of God abundantly in me I said and presumed that I was so fully setled in Gods favour that I shall never fall or be removed from it 7 Lord by thy favour and goodness thou hadst fixed and made my mountain of grace to stand so strong that I conceived my self so secure that I could not slide back or fall away Yet after a while I found by experience that I was in an errour for thou didst but hide thy face and a little while obscured thy grace from me and being left to my self I found such an alteration and defect in me to do good that I was therewith sore troubled and disquieted 8 I thereupon presently recalled my self and cryed earnestly by prayer to thee O Lord and betook my self unto the Lord who never utterly forsaketh his Servants and to him I made my earnest supplication never ceasing till I obtained his return and thus I said in my prayer 9 What profit O Lord is there can there be in my blood or death when I go down into the pit or if I dye in my sins surely none to thee for thou delighten not in blood or in the death of a sinner Shall the dust or they which are dissolved thereinto before repentance praise thee or shall it declare thy truth and shew thy glory Nay verily they shall rather in the horror of punishment blaspheme thy Name Suffer me not therefore O Lord to be of that reprobate number of which I must needs be one if thou absent thy self or with-draw thy grace any longer from me 10 Hear me therefore O Lord and that right soon for my spirit waxeth faint for want of thy gracious assistance and have mercy upon me in this distress O Lord I renounce all further confidence in mine own strength be thou my only stay and helper Upon this petition the Lord heard my request and thereupon I turned my prayer into a song of praise and said 11 Thou O Lord art worthy of all honour and praise for thou hast turned for me and for my good my mourning for thy absence into dancing and joy for thy gracious presence thou hast made me to put off my sad habit of sackcloath and sorrow and instead thereof hast girded and apparelled me with a vesture of gladness even the peace of conscience And all these things hast thou done for me 12 To the end that all my sorrow being removed and I being delivered from all fear my glory tongue and heart together may sing praise and thanks to thee who hast done so great things for me and that I should not be silent in extolling thy mercy And therefore O Lord my God as thy goodness deserveth and my duty requireth I will with all the affections and faculties of soul and body give thanks unto thee and praise thy Majesty for ever as the only Author and finisher of my salvation Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 34. I Will bless and praise the Lord for all that he hath done unto me at all times as well in adversity as prosperity and his praise as it shall ever be in my mind and heart so shall it be continually without intermission in my mouth by declaring it to others 2 My Soul especially shall make her boast and glory in the Lord and not in any thing that is in me so the humble and they which are any way dejected when they shall hear thereof how gracious God hath been to me shall in hope of the like mercy to them rejoyce and be glad also 3 O ye whosoever hath felt Gods favour as I have magnifie and extoll the mercies of the Lord with me for his goodness and let us joyfully with one accord exalt and praise his Name together 4 I my self when I was in trouble sought the Lord by prayer and humiliation and he rejected not my petition but graciously heard me and granted it and he not only delivered me from the danger I was in but from all my fears also which I conceived at it 5 They also that lived in former ages our fore-Fathers whensoever they were distressed looked up and cryed unto him and were relieved by his mercy and lightned by his grace their faces were not any whit ashamed because they did put their trust in him 6 This poor man even my self cryed by their example in my distress and the Lord plentiful in compassion graciously heard him and saved and delivered him immediately out of all his troubles and calamity 7 The good Angel of the Lord deputed by him for each mans protection encampeth and fortifieth round about them that with an unfeigned heart fear and serve him which Angel preserveth them in all their wayes and delivereth them from all the machinations of the Devil and his Angels 8 O taste ye therefore and see make experience aud you shall soon find that the Lord is good and loving to those that faithfully call upon him and you will also confess with me and say Blessed and happy is the man that layeth aside all confidence in himself and that in all his necessities trusteth in him and his protection 9 O fear reverence and love the Lord all ye that by truly believing in him become his Saints and observe his Commandements for take this as an infallible truth that there is no want to them they shall lack nothing that is needful for them that with an upright heart fear and serve him 10 The young Lyons mighty and worldly minded men although they think themselve 〈◊〉 do they lack true peace of Conscience and suffer hunger and want that which is truly good but they which with a pure heart and humble spirit seek the Lord and desire to please him shall not want any good thing when the Lord in his wisdom shall think it needful for them 11 Come therefore O ye Children that desire to be informed and with attentive minds hearken and give good ear unto me that am experienced in the mercies of the Lord and I will teach and instruct you in the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom 12 What man is he among the Sons of men that desireth to live a good life and loveth to spend many daye so in this life that he may see and enjoy good and happy dayes hereafter 13 Keep first of all thy tongue from speaking evil let that member do no man wrong and preserve thy lips from speaking guile or that which is false though to be to thine own prejudice for the Lord abhoreth lying lips 14 Depart from evil avoid all things which thou knowest displeasing to God and yet think not that sufficient except thou also apply thy self to do that which is good and acceptable to him Seek peace between God and thy self thy self and thy Conscience thy self and thy Neighbour and if thou shalt find that
a short time he is no more seen nor his remembrance shall be no where found 16 For as the wind and storms passeth over it and every flower and presently it is gone and withered and the place thereof where it grew shall not know it not bear it any more So Man after he hath a while felt the troubles and storms of this World shall soon dye and be forgotten and the place of his being will be no more known 17 But yet the mercy and loving kindness of the Lord to the Sons of Men is and was from everlasting and shall continue to everlasting to the end of the World and shall ever be upon them especially that with unfeigned hearts serve love and fear him and his righteousness in all his promises shall be accomplished to his servants and unto their Childrens Children their posterity through many generations 18 To such especially as forget not his Commandements faithfully keep and observe his Covenant and to those that remember and be mindful of his Commandements and frame themselves to do them 19 The Lord who commandeth the observance of his Laws is most worthy of all honour and not to be neglected for he hath before the Foundations of the World prepared his Throne and Seat of Majesty in the Heavens where he is attended on by the glorious Company of Angels and his Kingdom is not straitned or limited to one peculiar Place or Country but he ruleth and commandeth over all People and Nations 20 Bless therefore the Lord that is so mighty ye that be his holy Angels magnifie and laud his holy Name ye that excell in strength and that gladly do and execute his Commandements and that by hearkning unto and obeying the voice of his Word willingly execute his will and pleasure 21 Bless ye and praise I say the Lord your and our God all ye his Heavenly Hosts ye blessed Angels ye that are Ministers and Servants of his that willingly and gladly execute and do his pleasure 22 Bless and praise together with one accord the Lord our God all his works which he hath created for the celebration of his glory wheresover ye remain in all places of his Dominion even every where And lastly as I began with thee O my Soul to stir thee up to his praise so I end with the same excitation Bless Praise Laud and Magnifie the Lord thy God O my Soul to whom he hath ever been so gracious and merciful Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 111. I Will praise the Lord and give thanks unto his holy Name with my whole heart and that not only in my private Devotions but in the publick Assembly and Meeting of the Upright in heart and in the Congregation of the Faithful the Church also 2 The wondrous works of the Lord our God even from the beginning thorow all ages even to this time are so great and glorious that worthily he alone deserveth to be magnified for them they are sought out and searched into of all them that have pleasure and delight in meditating and contemplating therein 3 His work in the Creation and Fabrique of the Universe is honourable and glorious of all his Creatures worthily to be admired and his Righteousness and Equity his Care and Providence in the preservation and government of it is likewise to be magnified because it is permanent and endureth for ever 4 He hath made and perfected his wonderful works with such wisdom and power that they ought to be remembred and his Name to be celebrated for them And as he is omnipotent so the Lord is also gracious and loving to his Servants and full of compassion plenteous in mercy to every repentant sinner 5 He hath of his providence and bounty ever given meat and all other necessaries to them that fear and serve him yea and he as he hath formerly so will he ever to the end of the World be mindfull of his Covenant of Grace to his Servants 6 He hath shewed and manifested to his people his elect the power and efficacy of his great works not only in the creation but in the Redemption of mankind that he may give unto them that are in Chirst the heritage of the heathen according to the promise made to our fore-fathers 7 The works of his hands all his actions are done in verity and Iudgement and all his Commandements are sure just holy and worthy to be observed 8 They stand fast and are setled firm for ever and ever to the end of the world and they are done and commanded upon good grounds in truth and uprightness as being enjoyned by the Author of Truth and Equity 9 He in the fulness of time sons Redemption and Salvation unto his Elect People by Jesus Christ he hath commanded his Covenant of the New Testament for ever to be observed by them and it concerneth them carefully to keep it because he which commanded it is a jealous God and severe to transgressors and Holy reverend is his Name 10 The filial fear of the same holy and reverend Lord is the beginning and basis of all true wisdom which whosoever hath not attained to is not really wise howsoever he may be esteemed by the world but a good and perfect understanding have they and they are truly wise indeed that do his Commandements and keep his Precepts his praise and remembrance endureth for-ever and continueth throughout all generations Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 138. I Will praise and blesse thee O Lord with my whole heart with all my strength yea before the Gods in the presence of thy holy Angels will I sing praise and laud unto thee 2 I will worship in fear and reverence towards thy holy Temple dedicated to thy honour and service and I will praise thy holy and great Name for two of thy blessings especially namely for thy loving kindness in comforting distressed sinners and for thy Truth in performing thy promises for thou thy self hast preferred and magnified thy Word of Truth above all the Attributes of thy Name else whatsoever 3 In the day and time of my affliction when I cryed unto thee by earnest prayer thou didst not stop thine ears but graciously answeredst me yea and strengthned me with thy Grace and strength in my Soul 4 All the Kings and mighty men of the earth be they never so high in condition shall and may worthily praise thee without disparagement to themselves when they by the preaching of the Gospel hear the words of thy mouth which are nothing but Truth 5 Yea they shall sing and rejoyce in excercising themselves in the wayes and Commandements of the Lord for great and unutterable is the glory and Majesty of the Lord of Hosts 6 Though the Lord our God be high and his Majesty be above all things yet in his abundant mercy hath he respect unto the lowly in their own eyes and the more humble they are the more he regardeth them but as for the proud and those
which exalt themselves he despiseth them and knoweth them as it were a farre off 8 Though I walk and live in the midst of trouble and sorrow and in the shadow of death yet whensoever I call upon thee faithfully thou wilt I know revive and raise me up thou shalt also stretch forth and reach unto me thy hand of power against the wrath and malice of mine Enemies and bridle their fury and thy right hand of omnipotence shall save me from all their enterprizes 8. The Lord of his goodness will perfect and finish that which concerneth me and my salvation thy mercy and loving kindness O Lord never faileth but endureth from generation to generation even for ever Withdraw not therefore that mercy of thine from me O Lord and forsake not thou the work of thine owne hands not made by any strange God but by thee the only and true God Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 145. I Will extoll and praise thee my God and Creator O King or Majesty and Glory and I will blesse and magnifie thy Name O preserver of mankind for ever and ever even all the dayes of my life 2 Every day not a day shall passe over my head but I will blesse thee and be speaking of thy mercies and I will praise and give thanks unto thee and to thy Name for ever and ever as long as I live 3 Great and glorious is the Lord far exceeding all the false Gods of the heathen and greatly is he to be praised for all his works and his greatness hath neither end nor beginning but is unsearchable and past mans finding out 4 One generation and age shall praise and leave the memory of thy goodnesse and thy works of power wisdom and mercy to another succeeding generation and shall declare to posterity the remembrance of thy mighty acts 5 I my self as well as I am able will as I have good cause speak of and extoll the glorious honour and the exceeding greatness of thy Majesty and tell unto the people the excellency of thy wondrous works 6 And not only I but all other Men shall be forced to confess and speak of the exceeding might and the wonderfull effects of thy terrible acts against thine enemies and I according to my poor ability will declare unto posterity thy greatness and Majesty 7 They even all people which are governed by thy power and satisfied with thy goodness shall abundantly utter and continually with praise acknowledge and keep the memory of thy great and super-abundant goodness and mercy and shall in all Assemblies and Congregations sing and rejoyce because of thy Righteousness wherewith thou rulest and disposest all things 8 The Lord our God notwithstanding our grievous sins is gracious and loving yea and full of compassion by nature evermore slow and unwilling to wreak his anger upon us it being an act contrary to his disposition and instead of punishing he is of great mercy and ready to pardon the repentant 9 The Lord is also good and gracious not to any particular persons or people only but to all that turn unto him and if we shall consider his tender mercies to the Sons of Men they are over his justice and all his other works 10 All thy works and creatures shall therefore praise and magnifie thee O Lord in general and above the rest thy Saints and Servants to whom in particular thou extendest thy mercy shall bless and continually praise thee for the same 11 They especially shall not be silent but speak of and declare unto those that have not known thy Name the Glory and Majesty of thy Kingdom which is above all the Kingdoms of the Earth and shall wheresoever they come talk of and set forth thy mighty power which no Potentate is able to resist 12 To make known and to make manifest thereby to the Sons of Men even all the generations to come his mighty and wonderful acts which he hath done in our time and in the ages fore-going and also the glorious Majesty and Super-excellency of his Kingdom and Power 13 Thy Kingdom O Lord is not temporary or of short continuance but it is an everlasting Kingdom was without beginning and never shall have end and this thy Dominion and Rule endureth firm and stable throughout all generations to the end of the World 14 The Lord in his mercy upholdeth and lifteth up all those that fall by frailty and weakness and raiseth up by the grace of his holy Spirit all those that be dejected bowed and cast down with the thought of their sinnes 15 The eyes of all Creatures wait and are fixed upon thee as upon their careful Father for sustenance and help and they no sooner call unto thee but thou of thy providence supplyest their wants and givest them their meat and all things necessary for them not only in due proportion but in due season and time also 16 Thou openest thy hand of bounty and satisfiest the insatiable desire of men which nothing but thy self can satisfie and of every other living thing besides 17 The Lord is only righteous just and unreprovable in all his wayes and actions and it is he only that is holy and pure in all his works 18 The Lord is nigh and ready at hand unto all them that in distress call upon him and seek unto him for help Yea to all without respect of persons that call upon him in truth faith and uprightness of heart 19 He is so gracious that he will not only hear them but grant their petitions and fullfil and satisfie the desire and request of them that fear and serve him he also will hear their cry in time of affliction and will save and deliver them out of all their trouble 20 The Lord by his omnipotent power preserveth and keepeth all them that love him sincerely and obey his Commandements but as for all the wicked and unrepentant obstinate sinners those will he destroy from the face of the Earth 21 My mouth shall as long as I have any being speak of and declare the Praise and Majesty of the Lord most mighty and as I do so let all Flesh People Nations and Kindreds from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof bless laud and magnifie together with me his holy and great Name even for ever and ever from this time forth for evermore Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. Imprecation THis part of Devotion or of Zeal as I may call it although it seem harsh and not well to stand with the Charity of a Christian yet in some caeses it hath been and may be lawfully used 1. When the Church of God in any part of the World lyeth as it were at the Stake and groaneth under the burden of Persecution and the Enemies thereof are incorrigible and not to be reconciled In this case not only a private man in his Devotions but the Church also in generel may use these Imprecations to the end that
daily sinned and not repented considering that from the Infernal pit there is no redemption Be thou merciful to me O Lord and save me for thy Names sake and in thy strength deliver and comfort me I know O Lord that thy judgements are just and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled Oh let this light affliction which will quickly be gone cause unto me afterward a more excellent and eternal weight of glory In the midst of the sorrows that are in my heart let thy comforts O Lord refresh my soul. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me round about yet thou dost destroy me Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt thou bring me into the dust again Hast thou not powred me out like milk and curdled me like a cheese Thou hast cloathed me with skin and flesh and fenced me with bones and sinews Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit O Lord thou numberest my steps and dost set a watch over my sin My breath is corrupt my dayes are extinct the grave is ready for me I have said to Corruption Thou art my Father and to the Worm Thou art my Mother and Sister Is there not an appointed time to man upon Earth and are not his dayes as the dayes of an hireling My dayes are swifter than a Post they flee away and see no good I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all the living Woe is me therefore O Lord that I have sinned What shall I do Whither shall I flee but to thee O Lord my God Be merciful to me in the last day My Soul is very much disquieted within me But Lord I require thy aid and comfort Be mindful O Lord of thy Word wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust and let thy mercy come unto me according to thy Promise For thou art my Maker and I am the work of thy hands Deliver me O Lord from eternal death in that day wherein Heaven and Earth shall be dissolved when thou comest to judge the Earth I am affrighted when I consider that day the day of thy wrath the day of misery that great and exceeding bitter day O Lord in that day where shall I hide my self from the face of thine anger O Lord when thou comest to Iudgement condemn me not I beseech thee but deliver from the Gates of Hell my poor Soul which I commend unto thee Acknowledge then O Lord thy Creature not made by any strange Gods but by thee the true and living God Make my Soul joyful with thy presence and remember not my sins but according to thy great mercy think upon me in that day for the merits of my blessed Saviour Iesus Christ Amen A Prayer for the Sick ALmighty and most merciful Lord God who by the infirmities of this life dost put us in mind of our mortality and by these outward afflictions dost call us to inward Repentance I cry unto thee with my whole heart Rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy displeasure Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed Thou art He O Lord That woundest and healest again that killest and revivest that leadest to the Gates of Hell and bringest back again If this my sickness O Lord be not unto death help me on this my bed of infirmity and strengthen me If thou thinkest expedient rather that I should dye than live do with me according to thy good pleasure and receive my spirit to thy peace which I commend into thy hands who livest and reignest God of all mercy world without end AMEN Or thus O Merciful Lord God who of thy great mercy dost forgive the offences of those who truly repent mercifully look upon me thy poor servant and hearken unto me who humbly crave of thee remission of my sins Renew O Lord in me whatsoever is corrupt and decayed by the Devils malice or mine own frailty Pity my sighs pity my tears pity my groans vouchsafe to be reconciled to me that have confidence in nothing but thy meer mercy O Lord it grieveth me that I have offended thy Majesty and it grieveth me much that I can grieve no more than I do And I humbly pray thee by the Death Passion and Intercession of thy Son Christ Iesus to pardon my offences promising that if I recover my former health thy grace assisting me to abstain from displeasing thy Majesty hereafter I willingly O Lord and freely from my heart for thy sake forgive all offenders and offences against me and I heartily desire all those whom I have any way offended to forgive me O Lord though my natural man trembleth at the thought of death yet I profess that I am willing to dye if it be thy good pleasure I. have received life and all the blessings of this life from thee What shall I render back to thee for them I will willingly receive this Cup of Death and praise thy Name I commend into thy hands my Spirit And whether thou disposest of me to live or dye I resign it to thy good will and disposition and humbly pray thee that if thou seest it good for me to prolong my dayes on Earth that thou wouldest renew my conversation by the direction of thy Holy Spirit that I may pass those dayes in thy fear If thou be otherwise pleased to dispose of me take me I beseech thee into the armes of thy mercy for Iesus Christs sake my only Saviour and Redeemer Or Thus. O God of all Consolation who hast promised to hear all those that faithfully call upon thee and not to reject any that with a contrite heart and penitent soul shall humble himself before thee I humbly intreat thee in the Name and Mediation of thy Son Iesus Christ that thou wouldest be pleased to be merciful to me thy poor servant at this time afflicted with sickness O Lord pardon forget and blot out of thy remembrance whatsoever I have committed against thee in the whole course of my life Seal and confirm unto me by thy Spirit a pardon unto me for all my offences that I may thereby receive such comfort in my soul that I may with all joy and willingness depart out of this life unto thee Let me be certified That there is no condemnation to those which are united and ingrafted into Iesus Christ by Faith That I may be confident That neither my Sins Death the Devil nor ought else can draw me away or separate me from thee And that I may be assured that thy Throne will not be to me a Barr of Severity but a Haven of Safety and a sure Sanctuary and Refuge for me to flee unto Strengthen this Faith in me which may serve as a Buckler to defend me from all tentations and that
forsaking the confidence or strength of all other things I may flee wholly to thy mercy in Christ Iesus whereby I may be protected from the terrours of thy Iudgement Grant unto me distressed sinner these graces even for the same Iesus Christ his sake who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth for ever Or thus ALmighty and everlasting God whose years fail not and who hast determined the dayes of man which he cannot pass yet thy self endurest for ever and thy Throne from generation to generation Remember that I am but dust like grass and my dayes as the flower of the field which flourisheth in the morning and in the evening is dryed up and withered O let me know my end make me mindful of my mortality I am a stranger with thee and a sojourner as all my Fathers were and cannot promise my self one hour much less any dayes or years in this my Pilgrimage I am like a tottering wall and a broken fence give me grace therefore that I trust not in the uncertainty of this life like the rich Fool in the Gospel but I may every hour prepare my self in thy fear to pass out of this frail mansion and to expect thee with a solid Faith and firm Hope waiting chearfully for the day and time of my dissolution And looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Saviour Iesus Christ. Make me like the faithful and wise servant ever ready and prepared for the coming of my Lord lest being suddenly prevented I be taken like a Bird in the snare of the Fowler O Lord thou hast by this gentle correction put me in mind of my mortality give me also grace that I may make good use of it that I may cast off all the cares of this world and wholly betake my self to make my peace with thee And I humbly pray thee that thou wouldest not forget me in my pains and miseries in all my infirmities be not far from me when by reason of the terrors of Death and assaults of the Enemy I have most need of thy help but strengthen my soul with thy holy grace against all sensations that my faith fail me not but that thy holy Spirit assisting me I may overcome my spiritual Enemies and at the hour of death Lord I beseech thee let thy servant depart in peace according to thy word Or thus BLessed Lord Iesus Christ the only comfort of the living and the eternal life of those which dye in thee I wholly submit to thy blessed Will whether it please thee to suffer my Soul any longer to live in this Earthly Tabernacle to serve thee or to have it depart out of this transitory world being certainly assured that it cannot perish if committed to thy keeping O Lord I put off this frail Flesh with a willing mind in hope of the Resurrection of it at the last day together with my Soul when it will become much more glorious and happy than now it is I beseech thee O Lord Iesu strengthen me with thy grace against all temptations and defend me with the shield of thy mercy against all the assaults of the Devil I know that of my self I have no strength wherefore my whole confidence is in thee I have no merits of mine own to allege for I see many yea too many of my sins to stand up against me but by thy mercy I trust that thou wilt repute me amongst the just Thou wert born for me didst hunger thirst fast and pray for me thou didst many good works and sufferedst many bitter things for my sake Let thy Blood wash away the spots of my Offences let thy Iustice cover my Unrighteousness and thy Merits plead for me before the great and severe Iudge And as many sickness increaseth let thy grace increase that my faith fail not my hope waver not nor my love to thee wax cold Let me not be cast down or dejected with the terror of death but when death shall seize on the eyes of my body let the eyes of my soul look to thee and when the use of my tongue shall fail me let my heart cry unto thee I commend my spirit into thy hands O Lord who livest and reignest c. Although thou kill me yet will I trust in thee and though I walk in the midst of the shadow of death yet will I not fear because thou Lord art with me FINIS A short Table of the chief Heads contained in this Book A General Exhortation to Gods Service Pag. 1 To Prayer 50 In regard of Gods Precept 51 Promise Ibid. Christs Example 52 The Necessity ib. The Dignity 54 The Benefit ib. Directions how to Pray 1. To God only 58 In Christ. 60 2. Faith ib. 3. In Hope 61 4. In Charity 62 5. In Humility 64 Of Spirit 65 Of Body ib. 6. In Perseverance 68 With Fervency Diligence and Attention 70 The Time for Prayer 74 The Place for Prayer 75 How to Pray Ariight 76 Prayer divided into Parts 78 The Use of the Lords Prayer 82 The Lords Prayer Analysed 85 Prayers for Spiritual Graces 142 A Prayer before Prayer 145 Before a Sermon 147 Petitions for Temporal Blessings 148 Rules for the Morning 150 Morning Prayer private 151 For a Family 160 Rules for the Evening and Night 165 Evening Prayers private 167 For a Family 176 Prayers upon the Life and Death of Iesus Christ. 180 Prayers for several Persons For a Married Man 196 For a Married Woman 198 For a Child 200 For a Woman with Child 201 For a Young Man or Maid 202 For a Servant 205 Before a Iourney 206 After a Iourney 207 Intercession 209 Deprecation 211 In Affliction 216 In Time of Pestilence 218 The Creed Analysed 221 Confession of Gods Glory 242 Motives to Repentance 246 The Duty of Repentance 284 Confession of Sins 287 Seven Penitential Psalms Paraphrased 318 Direction before the Sacrament 362 Meditations and Prayers Before the Sacrament 365 Meditations and Prayers After the Sacrament 376 Motives to Thanksgiving 383 Thanksgivings 386 Seven Psalms of Thanksgiving Paraphrased 399 Imprecation 432 The Ten Commandementts Paraphrased 438 Meditations of Death 469 Meditations for the Sick 472 Prayers for the Sick 479 FINIS Cicero Esa. 55.6 Job 37. 16.11.17 Mat. 5.48 Tert. 1. Psal. 139. 6 c. Esa. 66 1. Jer. 23. 24. Wisd. 1.7 S. Hier. S. Aug. Deut. 31.4 Dan. 4 34. Apoc. 4 9 1 Tim. 6. 16. S. Hier. Ps. 90. 2. 102. 27. Dan. 7.13 Ps. 102.26 Mal. 3. 6. Jam. 1. 17. Pro. 19. 21 Esa. 46. 10 Heb. 6. 17. Tit. 1. 2. S. Hier. Psal. 1. 7 94. 11. 147 5. Esa. 40 28 Joh. 21. 17 Act. 15 18 Rom. 11. 33. 1 Co. 2. 10 Heb. 4. 13 1 Joh. 3. 20 Ex 15. 11. 1 Sam. 2. 2 Esa. 29. 23 40. 25. Abac. 1.13 Esa. 6. 3. Apoc. 4. 8. Josh. 24. 19. Lev 11. 44. Jer. 10.10 Joh. 17.3 Rom. 3.4 1 Thes. 1.9 Apoc. 15. 3. 16. 7.
iu my Mothers womb that I might come safe into this world and receive the mark and badge of all thine even the Sacrament of Baptism whereby I was cleansed from the guilt of Original sin Amongst a multitude of Infidels dispersed over the face of the Earth thou wouldest have me in the number of the Faithfal even of those to whom so happy a lot hath fallen to be thine regenerated with the water of Baptism From which time I was taken to be thine and that admirable and happy Contract was made between us that thou shouldest be my Lord and I thy Servant thou my Father and I thy Son that thou shouldest perform and shew to me the love of a Father and I to thee the duty of a Son Further O Lord thou didst descend from Heaven to Earth for my sake seeking me in all the ways wherein I had lost my self With thy humanity thou didst ennoble my nature and by thy bonds didst deliver me from bondage Thou didst challenge me from the power of the Devil by delivering thy self into the hands of sinners and didst destroy sin by taking upon thee the form of a sinner With what reverence shall I speak of that other blessed Sacrament which Thou also O Lord hast instituted and ordained for a remedy of all the miseries which have befallen me and the many sins I have committed since my Baptism and for a salve and cure for all my spiritual diseases even the Sacrament of thy most precious Body and Blood And as thou hast bestowed on me all these divine and heavenly blessings so likewise in plentiful manner hast thou heaped on me temporal favours Thou hast from my birth to this hour preserved nourished cloathed and fed me in most abundant manner giving to me the use of all thy creatures for my sustentation Nay what couldest thou have done more for me than thou hast done Or what couldest thou have given me more than thou hast bestowed upon me either of blessings of this world or of the world to come Now having received all these mercies and favours from thee how have I on my part behaved my self in thankfulness to thee for them Have I returned due praise unto thy Majesty for them or carried my self and ordered my life like to one that might any way deserve them O Lord I confess that I have not for such hath been the malice of my heart that instead of shewing my self conformable to thy will I dayly adde sin to sin and iniquity to iniquity heaping up wrath for my self against the day of wrath How can I without tears remember how often thou mightest justly have slain me and yet notwithstanding my sins which call for vengeance no evil hath happened unto me How many souls burn in Hell fire which have sinned far less than I and yet I remain alive What had become of me if thou hadst taken me away with those at the same time How strict had my Iudgement been if thy Iustice had laid hold on me laden with so many sins Who then O Lord hath bound the hands of thy Iustice who hath deprecated for me when I lay thus lulled asleep in the security of my sins What hath pleased thee in me that thou shouldst deal more mercifully with me than with those who in the midst of their dayes in the heat of their youth are taken away from amongst us My sins cryed out against me and thou stoppedst thine ears my offences dayly increased against thee yet thy mercy dayly abounded towards me I sinned thou didst expect me I fled from thee and thou followedst me I was weary in offending thee and thou not weary in expecting me And in the midst of all my sins I ever received many good inspirations and goodly reproofs from thy holy Spirit which checked me in the dissolute course of my life How often hast thou called me with the voice of Love How often hast thou terrified me with threats and fears laying before me the peril of death and the rigour of thy divine Iustice How often hast thou followed me with thy Word preached invited me with thy blessings chastened me with thy scourges compassing me about that I could by no means slee from thee And lastly which is not the least of thy mercies with what patience hast thou waited for my serious Repentance What then O Lord shall I render back to thee for all that thou hast done unto me In that thou hast created me I owe thee all that I am created in that thou hast preserved me and thus long expected my return to thee I owe thee life and all that I am But in that thou hast regenerated sanctified and redeemed me and left those excellent pledges for my salvation I know not what to render unto thee For if the lives of all men and Angels were in my power and that I could offer them unto thee for a sacrifice of praise and thanks yet were it nothing being compared to the least of all thy spiritual blessings bestowed on me VVho therefore will give a fountain of tears to mine eyes that I may lament my great ingratitude and unjust retribution for all these thy manifold blessings heaped upon me Help me thou O Lord and give me grace that I may heartily confess and grievously bewail my hainous offences and transgressions against thee that thou mayest be reconciled to me and in thy abundant mercies shew some pity to me for them I am thy creature O Lord made after thine own Likeness and Image acknowledge thy workmanship for it is thine own In taking away the soyl and filth wherewith it is defiled and stained thou shalt soon perceive it to be thine own handy-work Art not thou a Father of mercies which have neither number end nor measure Although I have shaken off the duty and obedience of a child towards thee yet cast not thou off the love of a Father toward me I beseech thee Although I have done many things whereby thou mightest justly condemn me yet thou hast not lost the means whereby thou mayest mercifully save me If thou forsake me to whom shall I flee who is there to help me besides thy self Acknowledge G Lord a straying sheep Behold I come to thee all wounded thou canst heal me blind thou canst enlighten me full of leprosie thou canst cleanse me and spiritually dead yet thou canst revive me Thy mercy is greater than my sin thy clemency more than my wickedness and thou canst remit more than I can commit Do not then O Lord put me back from thee look not so much upon my sins as upon thy infinite meocies who livest and reignest God of all mercies world without end Another O Almighty Lord God great in thy power and terrible in thy judgements who madest the Heaven the Earth the Sea and all things in them by thy Word whose Power cannot be resisted and whose Mercy is over all thy works All things are under