ye have robbed me even this whole Nation And now that this is applicable to us under the Gospel and that we have the same divine Right and Support herein is clearly evident in 1 Cor. 1.13 14. Do ye not know that they who minister about holy things live of the Sacrifice and they who wait at the Altar are partakers with the Altar Even so hath the Lord ordained that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel And the reason hereof is plain in verse 12. If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great matter if we shall reap your worldly things And further to add a few more Scripture Testimonies for a general Reformation Ought not every Parent and head of a Family to resolve with Joshua c. 24.15 As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. And with holy David That only they who fear the Lord shall dwell in his House that a Lyar shall not dwell in his sight that the ungodly shall be far from him and that he will not know a wicked Person And with Solomon To train up their Children in the way they should go that when they are old they may not depart from it Prov. 22.6 And for effecting all this use good Conversation Reading and Praying with thy Family and constantly resort to God's House of Prayer with all Reverence Devotion Humility and Piety behaving thy self in all decently orderly according to the most excellent Rules of our establish'd Church wherein hold ye fast the Profession of your Faith without wavering not forsaking the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is For thus God hath shewed thee Man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and walk humbly with thy God Mic. 6.8 Thus I draw to a conclusion proceeding to the remaining Rules of our Meditation As O taste then my Soul and see how good the Lord my strength is 8. The Taste of our Meditation Chuse now to go to the House of Mourning rather than the House of Feasting Is not one day in the Lords Courts better than a thousand And who would not rather be a Door-keeper in the House of his God than to dwell in Tents of Ungodliness Yea wouldst thou not chuse rather Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season But O how amiable are thy Dwellings thou Lord of Hosts My Soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the Courts of the Lord my Heart and my Flesh rejoyce in the living God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be always praising thee Blessed is the Man whose strength is in thee in whose Heart are thy ways who going through the vale of Misery use it for a Well and the Pools are filled with Water they will go from strength to strength and unto the God of Gods appeareth every one of them in Sion But O my vileness and corruption 9. The Complaint the Wish the Confession behold I was born in sin and in iniquity did my Mother conceive me My Nature is wholly tainted and defil'd I am all over wounds and bruises and putrifying Sores I have too long liv'd in Ungodliness I have Eyes to pluck out and hands to cut off I have too many bewitching Darlings to part with and I am overwhelm'd with evil pester'd with infections cover'd with guiltiness and surrounded with charming and violent Temptations O would to God I had never known these Would I had begun the real renouncing of them sooner Would I had endeavour'd after a more early Innocence and more timely performance of my Vows and Duty But yet O Lord thou wilt not cast me off uttely thou only canst raise me and make me clean Tho' my horrible guiltiness makes me tremble to approach thee yet where shall my polluted Soul be washt if not in the Fountain which thou hast open'd for sin and for uncleanness tho the Flesh is weak yet the Spirit is ready and willing and tho' after all my best Righteousnesses will be but as filthy Rags and when I have done my utmost I must still acknowledge my self an unprofitable Servant Yet say the word only O my God I will be thou clean O Lord God of Hosts hear my Prayer hearken O God of Jacob 10. The Petition and Enforcement have mercy upon me O Lord after thy great Goodness and according to the multitude of thy Mercies do away mine Offences Accept of my infirm Faith and Repentance and grant me the application of my Saviour's Merits and unsinning Obedience then and thus alone can I be presented pure and unblameable and unreproveable in thy sight This O Lord I believe upon my sincere Repentance this thou hast promis'd and thus hast thou receiv'd returning Sinners yea thus hast thou met the Prodigal Sons Why dost thou doubt then O my Soul 11. Lastly the Assurance Confidence and Thanksgiving Why art thou so full of heaviness and so disquieted within me Put thy trust in God for he is thy Helper and the strength of thy Salvation thou art secure and happy in the Divine Word thy Conversion Humility Contrition thy Love and Devotion are accepted the guilt of thy sin is wash'd away in thy Saviour's Blood and the power thereof subdu'd by his grace Thy loathsom Issues are already stanched and thy Sicknesses will not be unto death but to the glory of God's Mercy in pardoning to the glory of his grace in purifying so polluted a Wretch Christ is thy ransom the Holy Spirit thy guide and the Almighty Father thy qeconciled Friend and Protector Fear not then my Soul only sin no more beware both of Presumption and Despair and in an holy awe and reverence endeavour to sight manfully under Christ's Banner against Sin the World and the Devil and to continue his faithful Souldier and Servant unto thy lives end For the Lord God is thy Light and Defence the Lord will give Grace and Worship and no good thing will he with-hold from them that live a godly Life O sing Praises sing Praises unto our God sing Praises to our King and Saviour O sing ye Praises with understanding While I live will I praise the Lord yea as long as I have any breath I will sing Praises unto my God Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen Now thus have I briefly gone thro' the Rules laid down by the Godly and Learned Bishop Hall in his Art of Divine Meditation whereto as also to the pious Dr. Horneck 's Great Law of Consideration I refer the Readers for your complete Instruction in this useful excellent and necessary Duty which ransacks our deep and false hearts weans us from the World finds out and expels our secret Enemies which prevents temptations chears up our Solitariness tempers our
Glorious Trinity three Persons and one God look down from Heaven the habitation of thy Holiness and of thy Glory with Mercy upon us miserable sinners and purifie we beseech thee our carnal Hearts enlighten our Understandings and exalt our Affections to a pious Contemplation of thy glorious Attributes to a Religious sense and admiration of all thy wonderful Works and condescending gracious Benefits to Mankind Thus let us learn in the profoundest Reverence to adore and magnifie thy holy Name And thus let us bless and praise thee for our Reason and Senses Health and Strength Food and Raiment with all the temporal Comforts and Necessaries of this Life Particularly for the Mercies of this Day c. But most especially for thy spiritual Blessings and for the Fountain and Foundation of them all thy miraculous and inestimable Love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for all the means of grace and hope of glory O Father of mercies thou art kind even to the unthankful yea thus must we ever acknowledge our selves to have abundantly experimented that gracious goodness of thine For notwithstanding our daily Provocations against thee thou still heapest mercy and loving kindness upon us All our Contempts and Despisings of thy spiritual Favours have not yet made thee withdraw them but in the riches of thy goodness and long-suffering thou still continuest to us the offers of grace and life in thy Son And all our abuses of thy temporal Blessings thou hast not punished with an utter deprivation of them but art still pleased to afford us a liberal portion of them The Sins of this day thou hast not repay'd as justly thou might'st by sweeping us away with a swift destruction but hast spared and preserved us according to the greatness of thy mercy Here mention all particular Blessings What shall we render unto the Lord for all these benefits he hath done unto us Lord let this goodness of thine lead us to Repentance and grant that we may not only offer thee thanks and praise but may also order our Conversations aright that so we may at last see the Salvation of God Grant that we may render thee not only the fruit of our lips but the obedience of our lives that so these Blessings here might be an Earnest of those richer Blessings thou hast prepared for them that love thee in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee mercifully grant O God that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts to withstand the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee the only God And thus may it please thee to endow our Souls with these heavenly Graces and Vertues of Faith Hope Love Sincerity Devotion Humility Fear Trust Thankfulness Contrition Meekness Chastity Temperance Contentedness Diligence Justice Charity and perseverance in all good O thus be pleased to make us partakers of thy Kingdom of Grace here and Glory hereafter And thus reign in our hearts by thy Graces now that thou mayest receive us into thy blissful Mansions above Oh! let there be always Oyl in our Vessels and our Lamps burning ready to attend our glorious Bridegroom at the uncertain hour of his coming either to Death or Judgment And O everlasting God who hast constituted and ordain'd the Services of Angels and Men in a wonderful order mercifully grant that as thy holy Angels alway do thee Service in Heaven so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on Earth And that we may ever imitate their chearful and absolute obedience to thy Commands till we are translated hence to sing with them the everlasting Hallelujahs And O Almighty God who seest that we have no power of our selves to help our selves in thy bountiful goodness provide for us daily and keep us both outwardly in our Bodies and inwardly in our Souls that we may constantly be supported in both and may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the Body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul O continue ever to feed our Souls with the due and solemn administration of thy holy Word and Sacraments and with all those happy means of Grace and Salvation thou hast blessed us with in the Communion of thy holy Church which enable us to observe thankfully and devoutly especially in thy visible publick Worship O may all both Priests and People unanimously and piously offer up the constant Sacrifices of Praise and Prayer duly celebrate thy Sabbaths and holy Days and frequently approach as worthy Guests to thy holy Table thus often commemorating and beseeching thee O Christ O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World to grant us thy peace and have mercy upon us and never remove thy Candlestick from us miserable Sinners And be thou pleased to provide for our Bodies Food and Raiment with whatever else thou seest convenient and necessary for our well-being here giving us grateful and contented hearts for all and guiding us in such a right use of all as may tend most to thy honour and glory and our eternal welfare And O Merciful God who hast made all Men hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all them that are Penitent create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we worthily lamenting our sins acknowledging our wretchedness may obtain of thee the God of all Mercy perfect Remission and Forgiveness and thus O Lord we beseech thee to Absolve us from our Offences that we may be deliver'd from the Bonds of those Sins which by our frailty we have committed especially this Day c. O Lord we bewail all these our manifold Sins and Wickednesses which we from time to time most grievously have committed by Thought Word and Deed against thy Divine Majesty most justly provoking thy Wrath and Indignation against us O Lord mercifully relieve us by the comfort of thy Grace and grant unto us and to all thy Faithful People Pardon and Peace that we may be cleansed from all our Sins and serve thee with a quiet Mind And thus too we pray thee O God to enable us entirely to forgive at all times as we desire to be forgiven to do in all things as we would be done by and so to love one another that all Men may know us to be Christ's Disciples O thus may our Light so Shine before Men that they may see our Good Works and Glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Thus O Lord Jesus come quickly and deliver us by the Mystery of thy Holy Incarnation by thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision by thy Baptism Fasting and Temptation By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat by thy Cross and Passion by thy Pretious Death and Burial by thy Glorious Resurrection and Ascention and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost And Good Lord Deliver us In all time of our
Tribulation in all time of our Wealth in the Hour of Death and in the Day of Judgment O God who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers that we cannot always stand upright grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers and carry us through all Temptations And O God who art the Author of Peace and Lover of Concord give unto us thy humble Servants that peace which the World cannot give O deliver us from te fear of all our Enemies both Spiritual and Temporal that we pass our time in rest and quietness and lighten our darkness we be beseech thee O Lord and by thy great Mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this Night and now and evermore be pleased O Lord to save us and all Mankind in all dangers Ghostly and Bodily and to keep us from all Sin and Wickedness and from our Ghostly Enemy and from everlasting Death And particularly we pray thee O blessed Lord whose Mercy is over all thy Works to have Mercy upon all Men and grant that the Pretious Ransom which was paid by thy Son for all may be effectual to the saving of all Give thy inlightning Grace to those that are in Darkness and thy Converting Grace to those that are in Sin Look with thy tenderest Compassions upon the Universal Church O be favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the Walls of Jerusalem unite all those that profess thy Name to thee by purity and holiness and to each other by Brotherly Love O blessed Lord how long shall Christendom continue the vilest part of the World a Sink of all those Abominable Pollutions which even Barbarians detest O let not our profession and our Practice be always at so wide a distance Let not the Disciples of the Holy and Immaculate Jesus be of all others the most prophane and Impure Let not the Subjects of the Prince of Peace be of all others the most contentious and bloody but make us Christians in Deed as well as in Name that we may walk worthy of that Holy Vocation wherewith we are called O may all with one Mind and one Mouth Glorifie thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Have Mercy on this desolate Church and sinful Nation thou hast moved the Land and divided it heal the Sores thereof for it shaketh Make us so truly to Repent of those Sins which have provoked thy Judgments that thou also may'st turn and repent and leave a Blessing behind thee Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours whether in Church or State so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands that they may neither want Will nor Power to punish Wickedness and Vice and to maintain God's true Religion and Vertue Have pity O Lord on all that are in Affliction be a Father to the Fatherless and plead the Cause of the Widow Comfort the Feeble Minded Support the Weak Heal the Sick Relieve the Needy Defend the Oppressed and Administer to every one according to their several Necessities Let thy Blessings rest upon all that are near and dear to us and grant them whatsoever thou seest necessary either to their Bodies or their Souls Here name all Relations c. Reward all those that have done us good and Pardon all those that have done or wish'd us Evil and Work in them and us all that good which may make us acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ And O Merciful God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who art the Resurrection and the Life in whom whosoever believeth shall live though he die and whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall not die eternally we meekly beseech thee to raise us all from the Death of Sin to the Life of Righteousness that whenever we depart this life we may rest in him and that at the General Resurrection in the last day we may be found acceptable in thy sight and receive that Blessing which thy Well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee saying Come ye blessed Children of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World Amen Therefore with Angels and Arch-Angels and all the Company of Heaven we Laud and Magnifie thy Holy Name evermore Praising thee and saying Holy holy holy Lord God Allmighty Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O God most high And thus Finally we beseech thee O Lord to Pardon the Wandrings and Coldness of these and all our Petitions and deal with us not according either to our Prayers or Deserts but according to our Needs and thine own rich Mercies in Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers saying Our Father c. Unto thy Mercy and Protection O God we commit our selves this Night and for evermore O Lord bless and keep us Lord make thy Face to shine upon us and be Gracious unto us Lord lift up thy Countenance upon us and give us Peace both now and evermore Amen Holy Meditations and Vows AS Christ was both a Lamb and a Lyon so is every true Christian a Lamb for Patience in Suffering and Innocence of Life A Lyon for boldness in his Innocency I would so order my Courage and Mildness that I may be neither Lyon-like in my Conversation nor Sheepish in the Defence of a good Cause I will not strive for Victory but for Truth I will keep my Passions bare and Impotent I shall rather Bow than breake to God but for Satan or the World I had rather be broken in pieces with their Violence than suffer my self to be Bow'd unto their Obedience A Just War is a Thousand times more happy than an Ill-condition'd Peace In mine own Wrongs I will hold Patience laudable but in God's Injuries Impious Though I find my Brother this day my Friend and to morrow mine Enemy though my Reputation 's Blasted with the Fire of Hell's Engine the Malitious Tongue though his Corroding Envy and Hatred encrease by Unjust Jealousies though he often deceives me by Hypocrisie and Persecutes me with Inveterate Prejudice yet I will bear all Meekly will forgive him until Seventy times Seven and will ever Love my Neighbour as my Self I had rather wrong my self by Credulity than others by Unjust Censures and Suspitions I will so remit Wrongs as I may not encourage others to offer them and so retain them as I may not induce God to retain mine to him I will ever Believe in Worship and Obey God the Father Son and Holy Ghost I will Piously and Constantly attend the Publick Administration of God's Holy Word and Sacraments I will serve the Lord daily according to his own most Sacred Ordinances and will thus Religiously abide in the Communion of his Church I will Conscientiously observe all our Divine and Human Laws and not meddle with those who are given to Change I will have but this one Care to live well to God's Glory and the Salvation of Souls So let me be Free Noble Rich Wise Happy to God I pass not what I am to the World Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. FINIS
depraved Will lay thy self prostrate before the Throne of Grace cry mightily to God for Pardon and Mercy and begin now to wash off thy filthiness in the Tears of Penitence fly to the laver of Regeneration and pray for divine help in the due knowledge and performance hereof and for this end consider my Soul what is this Repentance is it not a Sorrow for sin A due sense and acknowledgment with an utter abhorrence of all Impiety 2. The descrip and division and an entire Reformation of Life Is it not a Mourning in a more doleful manner than was heretofore signifyed by the external signs of Sackcloth and Ashes And is it not a weeping an inward roaring disquietness and grief with stronger crying and Tears then can be express'd by rending the Hair and Garments and besmearing the Face For this is a rending of the Heart afflicting the Mind and Soul creating such a troubled Spirit such a broken and contrite Heart as God may not despise and thus true and sincere Repentance consists of these three Parts Confession Contrition and firm Resolution of Amendment with actual Deeds of a new and throughly Reformed Life O set about this then betimes and view thy necessary Obligations and Incouragements hereto do not the Commands of thy Creator and Redeemer at all move thee 3. The Causes Does not Love Justice and Gratitude compell thee to this Duty Will not the experienc'd Abomination and Odiousness the ridiculous Folly and Vanity the sordid irksome drudgery the manifest Evils Mischiefs and dangers and even the self-punishment of sin force thee to Repent Or may not the most benigh and bountiful Offers of heavenly Grace and assistance the assured hopes of Gods favour here and glory hereafter or the inevitable privation of these in insuportable Misery and an Eternity of Torments drive thee to work out thy own Salvation with fear and Trembling Oh will neither the greatest benefits the most earnest invitations and charming Inducements on the one hand nor the dreaded displeasures certain Vengeance and Terrours of the Lord on the other perswade thee Or dost thou not remember thy Baptismal Vows and repeated Promises and Resolutions with thy manifold breaches thereof adding the worse of Perjury Rebellion and Treachery to the black and dismal Catalogue of thine innumerable transgressions But further do not Nature and Conscience check and inform thee Do not the invisible Motions and secret whisperings of the Blessed Spirit instruct and reprove thee And do not the sacred Ordinances of God and his Church whereof thou art a sworn Member or the ordinary visible means of Grace and Salvation in the solemn Administration of God's holy Word Rites and Sacraments remind thee of all And do not thus thy lawful Pastors and Teachers those Stewards of the unfathomable Mysteries and Embassadors of Heaven cry aloud lift up their Voices like Trumpets and call frequently upon thee to turn from thy Evil Ways and live Enough enough I groan under the intolerable weight of sin my bones are broken my heart is contrite my Spirit Heavy my flesh 4. The Effects my wounds stink and are corrupt I am abominable and loathsome I abhor my self in dust and ashes in great bitterness and anguish I cry unto the Lord I call upon my blessed Physician for ease comfort and freedom for help and Pardon I loath the mire which I have been long wallowing in I run with horrour and amazement from the fatal Precipice which I was tumbling down I have laid hold upon the Horns of the Altar and fled to the Sanctuary and now methinks I am almost rap'd up into the third Heaven I am risen from death I am flying in Ahrahams Bosom I admire and love the Life of the Saints and I long to be triumphant with them above Since now my God thou hast mercifully cleansed and heal'd me thou hast purg'd me with Hyssop thou hast wash'd me and made me whiter than Snow yea thou hast made me hear of joy and gladness in turning thy Face from my misdeeds blotting out my Transgressions with thy Blood nailing them to thy Cross and renewing in me a clean Heart and a right Spirit therefore will I rejoice in thy Salvation I will love thy gracious Precepts and in love will I ever obey thy holy good and just Laws O stablish me with thy free Spirit that I may teach thy Ways unto the Wicked and Sinners shall be converted unto thee O satisfie me with the Pleasures of thy House let me dwell in thy Temple and wait at thine Altar yea thus let me live that I may never be disappointed of my hope O come Lord Jesus come quickly and let thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven But Lord what is Man that thou shouldest be thus mindful of him 5. The Subjects and Adjuncts or the Son of Man that thou shouldest so regard him Man whom thou didst make after thine own Image didst indow with Innocence seat in paradise and gavest him Dominion over all the works of thy hands yet Man who so soon fell and was so wretchedly tempted to a fatal sin by the miserable Serpent Man who thus brought the Devil sin Death and Hell with all Temporal and Eternal Curses and Plagues upon himself Yet Man whom thou hast prodigiously thro' meer Compassion and infinite loving kindness redeem'd O Father by the Incarnation and Blood of thine own eternal and only begotten Son and Man of whom thou requirest no more than Faith and Repentance and a godly righteous sober living according to thy most reasonable and upright Laws which alone can render him happy both here and hereafter For is not Godliness O my Soul profitable unto all things having the promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come and yet O Man why dost thou sin why dost thou remain still disobedient and prove the only Rebel of the whole Creation Dost thou not know that God is of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity Dost thou not see the Devil prevailing upon the weakness of thy Flesh alluring thee with Worldly Vanities enslaving and fettering thee only to secure thy Soul and Body for his eternal Torments dost thou not perceive thy barbarous Ingratitude in making thy dear Saviour bleed afresh by thy blasphemy prophaneness irreligion by thy Covetousness uncharitableness oppression cruelty prodigality worldly-mindedness by thy Luciferian pride arrogance presumption hypocrise Schism Heresie Ambition Lust Rage Intemperance with all the Brutal Vices Diabolical Villanies and innumerable wilful Transgressions daily and impenitently perpetrated in the World Why dost thou not cast off this old Man Why dost thou not seek to be renewed O seek to the Lord to heal thee of these Ulcers and to expell these torturing Feavers hast thou not the means before thee canst thou not fast and pray without which this kind goeth not forth canst thou not abstain and mortify and bring thy Body in Subjection to thy Soul canst thou not deny