by well doing to walke before God and to be vpright Thus whosoeuer prepareth himselfe in a sanctified life in earth he cannot feare death which is an entrance into a glorious life in heauen where God before whom he sincerely walketh hath prouided him a Citie a Kingdome a Crowne He then that longeth to see good dayes while he liueth will be euer studious to please him by whom he is assured he shall receiue that endlesse inheritance when he dies Let euery man therefore while it is to day pray that God will vouchsafe him his grace not to prolong his godly preparation to die but to teach him wisdome in the inner parts that he may so rectifie his conuersation as he may be acceptable to God through Christ in his life vpon earth and wishedly surrender vp his spirit to him that gaue it when he requires the same And to this holy purpose serueth this prayer following Remember euer that thou must die and thou shalt neuer doe amisse nor die eternally A Prayer to be often vsed that we may so liue as we neuer need feare to die fit to be often vsed of all men especially in sicknesse GOod and gracious Father who formedst me of dust and breathedst life into a lumpe of earth wher of I am made and hast made mee partaker of thy Spirit and so a liuing soule of an eternall being beyond that which thou hast done for any other earthly creature who dying perish turne wholly to dust whereof they are wholly and only made As for mee thou hast taught mee to know thy more then wonderfull work-manship and thy more then apprehensible fauour and loue in that thou hast not only made me a liuing creature as are the beasts of the field the fowles of the aite and creeping things of the earth but little inferiour to thine heauenly Angels giuing me a soule diuine and immortal which liueth eternally And of thy further and more free grace hast vouchsafed me a seed of the light of diuine vnderstanding and thy word of glad tidings to teach me thy will to direct and encourage me in the way of saluation lest hauing receiued the testimonie of thy louâ— here in this life and the earnest of thy Spirit I should yet liue to die and not die to liue Thou Lord knowest whereof I am made thou canst not forget that I am but dust giue me grace to remember alwayes my mortalitie and that I am borne to die and that then commeth iudgement Lord we are all the children of ssinning Adam elected and reiected according to thy will vessels of honor or dishonor as thou pleasest to make vs we are the clay thou the Potter thou giuest life and againe thou sayest Returne yee children of men to dust Oh what is man that thou so regardest him or the son of Man that thou so fatherly visâ—test him Thou hast clothed him with glorie And he hath brought shame vpon himselfe thou off reâ—â—st life vnto him but he hath embraced death And he shall die thou hast so decreed yet hast conceiled from him the time when the place where and the maner how to the end that none should presume vpon his strength health wisedome or wealth to become secure and in their securitie to forget thee sinne against thee our Creator whâ— as with the breath of thy mouth thou madest vs liuing soules so by the breath of thy mouth canst thou confouÌ„d our bodies soules yea Lord our dearest soules deare in respect of thee who gauest them deare in respect of him that shed his dearest bloud for them but most deare vnto vs wretches if for our mindes vanities and our bodies pleasures we should lose our bodies make shipwracke of our soules Precious in thy sight is the death of thy Saints but most feareful to the wicked in the death of their bodies that sleeping in the graue send their soules before them to be mutually tormented when they shall meet in Judgement This fearefull separation Lord amazeth mee when I consider it in my naturall vnderstanding not looking into the course of thy loue wherein thou didst send thy dearest Soune to die for sinners penitent Oh teach me thy waies instruct me in thy Commandements Giue me a repenting heart and sanctified conuersation that before I goe hence and be no more seene I may assure my selfe that I am of the number of them to whome thou imputest no sinne Let thy word worke fruitfully in mee the sauour of life vnto life Teach me and guide me in the true course of holy obedience in righteousnesse and true holinesse that I may euer walke before thee and be vpright giue me a prepared heart constantly and faithfully to desire to be dissolued to be with Christ. Take away the frailty of my fainting flesh increase and confirme my faith in thee and my hope of the glory promised in Christ after this mortall life Let me alwayes wait the time of my deliuery and be willingly content to lay downe this my earthly tabernacle and to giue vp my soule into thy hands giue me a continuall watchfull heart that death come not vpon me vnawares a prepared heart that I may be still readie when or where or how thou hast determined my dissolution Let nothing be so deare vnto me as Christ my Sauiour Let me esteeme all things as dung in respect of the glorie to come Let nothing bewitch or intice me to the loue of this sinfull life nor dismay or terrifie me froÌ„ embracing death But that I may vse this life as if I vsed it not and feare death as if I feared it not That when my life shall be swallowed vp of death I may then enter into that new life and treade downe death and the power thereof vnder my feete by Christ that triumphed ouer Satan death and Hell vpon the Crosse for me grant it for me my Lord my God my life my light my strength and my Redeemer Amen Lord increase my faith and grant that I may liue in thy feare and die in thy fauour Amen A MOTIVE TO A Prayer to bee said of one in his sicknes or in any disease or defect of his sences or limbes fit to be read of or vnto the sick and diseased person SIcknes of the bodie is the gentlest and most fauourable crosse that God layeth vpoÌ„ his children and yet it is grieuous to flesh and bloud which delite altogether in Ease in Health in Strength of the body to which griefe sicknesse and weaknesse are contraries and therefore vnwelcome to carnall men who thinke nothing more to bee wished then power to sinne which power is diminished by sicknes and consequently in most salutarie and healthful for the soule And therefore doth the Wise-man counsell vs to humble our selues before we be sicke and while wee yet haue power to sinne to shew our conuersion whose counsell whoso truly and carefully followeth preuenteth the feare of death for he that before sicknes seaze vpon him duely
considereth that death is the end of all flesh and that sicknesse is the fore-runner of death cannot bee suddenly surprised because he stil expecteth the comming of that which whether it tarrie long or come quickly come it will and finding vs secure and wanton and carelesse and deliting our selues in the strength of our sinning parts it wil be so much the more grieuous and irkesome by how much we affect the strength to sinne which is thereby weakened And to that end doth God euen in loue punish his own children with sicknes and maladies of the bodie to kill sinne presently possessing vs and to preuent the power of future sinning and threatneth the stifnecked and rebellious with many infirmities as to smite them in the knees and in the thighes with a fore botch that they shall not be healed euen from the sole of the â—â—ore to the top of their head The Lord will make the plagues of the disobedient wonderfull and of long continuance and their diseases cruell and of long durance For as much then as Sicknesse is both the reward of sinne as also the physicke for sinne It implieth both the mercie of God towards his and his iudgements against the impenitent And therefore whosoeuer thou be that art visited with whatsoeuer bodily disease or infirmitie think that God hath sent it as a cure or a curse A cure to them that enter into the examination of their sinnes and truely repent them and a curse vnto them that make no vse of it as too many worldlings doe who in their sicknesse are as inclinable in desire to sinne as in their health And nothing preuenreth the acte of sinne but weaknes to effect it or oportunitie to attempt it If therfore the will to do euill be not mortified by the sicknes of the bodie it is an argument that that man or woman hath his or her conscience seared vp which is a fearefull estate and full of horror howsoeuer it be for the time hidden euen from his or her feeling and sence in fine it will work in the accusing conscience and bring forth the fruit of despaire of recouery of bodily health and plunge the soule into the pit of ineuitable perdition It is therefore a most dangerous negligence in men so little to consider the inconstancy of corporal health which is long in decaying yet sodaine in surprising men of greatest strength and when men are taken and cast downe be he as strong as Samson he is inforced to yeeld vnto weaknes and if he haue any sparke of grace he will then indeuour to turne his heart vnto God as Hezekiah did but then cannot his petitions be so powerfull as when he enioyed his health neither can his repentance be so well manifested being as it were wrested from him by this kinde of extremitie as when it is wrought in bodily strength for whatsoeuer commeth by compulsion is not so acceptable as what is voluntarie yet is repentance truely begun in sicknesse and effectually continued though weakly in respect of the bodies infirmity yet may it be most true through the strength of faith without repentance there is no cure comfortable to the soule or bodie Though God may permit a wicked man to be cased or cured of his bodily disease by humane physicke yet the soule lieth still in almost deadly sicknesse The truest ground of preuailing physicke is to make peace first with God the good and great Physitian according to the counsell of the Wiseman who thus aduiseth My sonne faile not in thy sicknesse to pray vnto the Lord and hee will make thee whole yet he addeth a condition That he leaue off from sinne that he order his hands aright and that he clense his heart from all wickednesse and if hw be able truely to say as Hezekiah in his sicknes did I beseech thee Lord remember now how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight Then he may bee assured that his sicknesse shall be turned from a curse to a blessing and God that hath made the wound will binde it vp and cure it he will raise him againe or giue him patience in a liuely hope to change this mortall for an immortall estate and for his patient suffering this medicinable crosse will giue him a glorious crowne of eternitie Whosoeuer therfore thou be that art visited turne vnto the Lord pray vnto him trust in him and recommend thy life death vnto his free disposition who worketh all things for the best to them that loue him A Prayer to be said of one that is sick or diseased LOrd God almightie Father louing in thy Son Iesus Christ cast thine eye of compassion â—n me thy creature whom thou hast at this time touched with sicknesse and brought low by thy present visitation Thou createdst me in the beginning not to liue euer in this â—abernacle of dust but that my liuing bodie of dust should be againe dissolued into dust without life at â—hine appointed time for all â—lesh is grasse and as the flower of the 〈◊〉 it withereth decayeth with 〈◊〉 sicknes or griefe of minde we are all but as â—arthen vessels whome thou canâ—â— make and confound with the breath of thy mouth and howsoeuer and whensoeuer the most Iustie and strong stand conceited of their health and permanent securitie of their bodies agilitie and the â—imbleâ—es of their limbes and sences suddenly thou touchest them and they become feeble in strength their beautie changed their sences dulled their hearts fainting and all the parts and powers of their bodies altered and the whole man turned as it were into the very image of pale death it selfe Thou hast appointed that all men shall once die but thou conceilest from al men the time when the place where the manner how they shall die and therefore it behâ—ueth all men to be euer watchful in well doing that when thou shalt send thy Messenger Sicknes of bodie to put them in mind that their day is comming they be not found vnprepared and great happinesse it is to him whom when he is suniâ—â—oneâ— he may chearefully say I am heereÌ„ Lord ready to attend thy will Oh make me thus ready deare father that now thou callest me I may not only not flie from thee for feare of death but hartily willingly and faithfully crie Come Lord Iesu come quickly for I am no better then my Fathers who are fallen asleepe therfore if this my sicknes be vnto death fortifie me against the feare thereof The spirit Lord is willing but flesh and bloud weake and fearefull But assist my spirit by thy sauing Spirit So shall 〈◊〉 heart within me reioyce that thou remembrest me and my weake 〈◊〉 feeble body shal sing forth thy goodnes in this sad and sicke estate all the powers of my bodie and faculties of my soule shall conioyne in the heauenly harmonie of thy sauing truth in the peace of mine owne conscience
in Iesus Christ iâ— hope that thou wilt either restore me to happie health or in thy good time take me to thy more happ 〈…〉 kingdome and howsoeuer the will shall be make me patient in my greatest fits of paine and 〈◊〉 mitigate the extremitie of my disease that I be not driuen to bee sencelesse of my sinnes or forgetfull of thy promises through the violennce thereof nor lay more vpon me Lord then I shall be able to beare Another prayer to be said of a sicke man I Doâ— confesse vnto thee Oh father my sinnes for which I do acknowledge thou doest deseruedly afflict me I cannot beare nor vndergoe the stripes that I haue deserued at thy hands who knowing thy will haue not done according vnto the same but haue cast thy holy CommaÌ„dements and mine obedience vnto them behinde my backe what I should not haue done that I haue done and what I should haue done I haue not done O vnprofitable seruant that I haue bin yet cast me not away good father for I am the worke of thine owne hands as touching the framing of this my earthly tabernacle as for sinne it is of myselfe therein was I begotten and borne and thereby doe I daily offend thee and so much the more haue I sinned by how much I haue enioyed the health and strength of my bodie and the vse of my sences and I cannot but acknowledge Lord that it is good for-me thaâ— thou hast afflicted mee with this thy fatherly visitation giue me grace to accept it as a fauour of thine and the fruit of thy mercie for my renouation and reformatiâ—on and let not Satan suggest or perswade mee that it is in iudgement as the fruit of thine indignation to driue me to despaire of the sauing health The health of my bodie is a sweet blessing vnto me yet thou knowest Lord what a spurre it is to forbidden vanities And sicknes as it is in it selfe is most grieuous and lothsome yet being seasoned with thy inward grace a sweet remedie against the killing disease of sinne Oh show it downe Lord into my distressed soule the sweet showres of thy sanctifying Spirit that I may hee sanctified throughout so shall my sicke and weake bodie bee richly and sweetly comforted in this comfortlesse condition which were it not supported by thy fauour loue could not but faint al the powers both of my soule bodie faile within me Oh speak coÌ„fortable things Lord vnto thy diseased seruant extend a fatherly helping hand to make my bed in my sicknes Thou art the Physitian of our soules bodies I am sicke in both cure me Lord in both my sicke soule hath need of the bloud of the Lambe to refresh it and to clense it from spirituall leprosse and my body Lord lieth at the foot-stoole of thy mercy and as thou by thy word didst make me in the beginning so by thy word canst thou reuiue me that am neere both spiritually corporally dead If thou in thy wisedome thinke that this my infirmity be more profitable vnto me then health or death more coÌ„uenient for me theÌ„ life performe thine owne good pleasure towards me only make me inwardly and outwardly ready that I setting both the houses of my soule and bodie in order through Christ I may recommend both into thy most sacred and sauing disposition Grant this Oh Father for Iesus Christ thy beare Sonnes sake who liueth and raigneth with thee in the heauens with whome and in whom grant Lord that I may liue and after this life raigne for euermore Amen O Lord increase my faith euermore Meditations vpon the sicke mans recouerie of his health I Will prayse thee O Lord with all my heart and I will magnifie thy name for euer for many are thy mercies towards me for thou hast deliuered my soule from the lowest graue Therefore now as thâ—â— hast renued my outward health renue my inward obedience Rectifie my iudgement make true peace in my conscience blesse my sences purifie my affections order my memorie increase and con 〈…〉 e my loue of thee who hast shewâ—â— me more mercies and fauours then my tongue can expresse O my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within thee praise his holy name my soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits which forgiueth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities which hath redeemed thy life from the graue crowned thee with mercie and louing kindnesse which filleth thy mouth with good things and renueth thine age as an Eagle Thou Lord are full of compassion and mercie slow to anger and of great goodnesse thou wilt not alway childe neither keepest thou thine anger for euer Thou hast not dealt with mee according to my sinnes nor rewarded mee according to mine iniquities As a father hath compassion on his sonne so hast thou compassion on them that feare thee I will praise thee O Lord among the people I will sing vnto thee in the congregation of the Saints for thy mercie is great aboue the Heauens and thy truth reacheth vnto the cloudes Thou knowâ—st whereof I am made Thou remembrest that I am but dust Let my soule therefore liue and it shall prayse thee Lord increase my faith and confirme it ouermore in Christ Iesus Amen A MOTIVE TO A Prayer to be said of such as visite a sicke friend or brother MAn that is borne of a â—â—man hath but a short time to liue and is full of miserie Therefore is euery man subiect to sicknes and death To bewaile therefore the sickenesse or death of our dearest friends beyond that which is â—it is much to be reproued because it argueth a kinde of discontent that God should visite vs in the visitation of our friends children or dearest parents We must therefore auoid two extreameâ— â—â—â—st that we sorrow not as doe the Heathen that haue no hope of a future better life Secondly wee must beware wee follow not the steps of Ieroboam who â—ought help at the hands of Baal-zebuâ— for his sonne And as did Ahaziah in his owne sicknesse we must rather enter into an holy consideration that God in whatsoeuer he layeth vpon our selues or vpon them we loue as our selues it is for his owne glory and therefore to be praised of vs both for ours the good of those our friends whom he afflicteth if we beleeue his promises that all things shall worke together for the good of them that loue him The best office then and the most Christian duety that a Father can performe for and in the behalfe of his sicke childe or one deare friend or brother for another is first to admonish him that sinnes cause sicknesse and to moue him to repent them that euery man is borne to die and therefore to perswade him to prepare himselfe for another condition not to flatter him as too many doe as that they seenâ— cause why he should feare death at this time they seeme rather to assure him
their faces at the glory of thy great Maiestie And as for man clothed with mortality thou affirmest cannot see thy face and liue And yet thou sayest Seeke my face Lord what is it to seeke thy face but to seeke thy truth and to search thy word to couet to know thy will and to bee truely instructed and faithfully and sincerely inclined to keepe thy commaundements Thy word is a light vnto our pathes and a lanthorne vnto our feet It is the life of our soules the heauenly Manna without it there is no light no hope no spirituall comfort no assurance of saluation O how deare ought this word then be vnto vs Farre more sweet then the hony or the hony combe more precious then golde yea then the finest gold therein Lord see wee thy face therein beholde wee thy louing countenance there finde we the hidde pearle which to purchase the wisest will sell all worldly vanities yet is it to the foolish foolishnesse and a stumbling blocke vnto the carnally minded Jt is a mysterie Lord and a secret hidden from the wise of the world and reuealed onely vnto the humble to such as acknowledge themselues ignorant and hunger and thirst for the knowledge of the truth Such hast thou promised to teach and to instruct in the way of true wisedome by reuealing thy word which howsoeuer it seeme in the outward letter easie to be vnderstood it hath a spirituall and diuine sense which requireth a spirituall and diuine interpretation which commeth not neither can it be apprehended by nature And therefore in thy great mercy and loue thou hast ordained meanes whereby they whom thou hast appointed to saluation may bee made able to vnderstand the same namely the outward ministrie of men and the iuward elumination of thy holy spirit for without the second the first auayleth nothing neither in the minister that speaketh nor they to whom he speaketh vnlesse hee be sent of thee and the hearers eares opened and their hearts prepared by thee hee preacheth and they heare in vaine To the one a woe is pronounced as not preaching the Gospel sincerely to the other a curse for not receiuing the good word of truth as into good and fruitfull ground bringing foorth the liuely fruits of a life answerable to that word which is either the sauour of life vnto life or the sauor of death vnto death O Lord I am now come into thy presence to heare thee speake vnto vs here assembled by the mouth of thy seruant whom thou hast sent to preach thy word open therefore mine eares prepare my heart sanctifie mine Attention inlighten mine Vnderstanding strengthen my memorie rectifie my will that I may diligently heare attentiuely harken retentiuely remember and willingly imbrace and practice what shall bee truely and sincerely deliuered by thy minister And let not thy word Lord that shall fall from his mouth bee either choaked in mee with the thorny cares of the world nor be cast into so corrupt a heart as the vaine delights of my minde should deuoure it nor into so â—arraine a heart as should not bring foorth fruit at the least twentie fold to the glory and prayse of thy most blessed name to the beâ—â—ering and better direction of my conuersation before men to the assurance and sure sealing vp of my saluation in Jesus Christ to whom with thee O Father and the holy Ghost 〈◊〉 prayse for euer Amen Lord increase my faith A MOTIVE TO A Prayer to bee said after a Sermon heard AS the body of a man 〈◊〉 beast neither groweth to strength nor co 〈…〉 nueth in health without naturall foodâ— no more can the soule of man liue without Spirituall food the word of God And as man by art helpeth nature to concoct and digest his food to make it nutratiue to his body So the spiritual man hauing heard the sauing word of God vseth the means to make it profitable to the soule for as natural food takeÌ„ into the mouth and instantly spet out againe though it be a while detained and chawed and not taken into the bodie relieueth not the body So the Word heard with the care and not conueyed into and retained in the heart yeeldeth no comfort vnto the soule but rather worketh a kinde of contempt by custome and a kinde of lothing of the Word as a matter without the which his soule may liue for as that meate wherein the pallet hath no feeling of a pleasing taste delighteth not the appetiâ—â— no more can that Word which is not sauourie and delightfull to the soule be pleasing or profitable to the outward eare and consequently nothing comfortable to the vnfeeling soule But it is not in the power of man by nature profitably or with comfort to heare much lesse to make true vse of the word of God It is the gift of God to open the eare which is common to the good and bad hearers but a worke of the holy Ghost to open and prepare the heart to receiue the Word and to bring forth the fruit thereof without the which it is not only not an idle sound but a killing letter for it neuer falleth into the ears of any but it is either the sauour of life vnto life by the operation of faith and repentance or the sauour of death vnto death by the hardnes of the impenetrable and impenitent heart Therfore it much behoueth Christians not only to be carefull to heare but to be diligent and considerate how they heare to lay it vp in their hearts to make vse of it vpon all occasions in prosperity and aduersitie in sicknes and health and in what estate soeuer he is for it is as a treasure to purchase in euery calamitie comfort through patience and in all consolation inward or outward liuely and true thankfulnes Whatsoeuer or whosoeuer therefore thou be that hast at any time tasted of the good word of God forget not that although it be pronounced by man it is the word of the most Highest who will take an account of thee how and what thou hast heard and if thou fold it vp in the napking of forgetfulnes and put it not forth to the vse of thy soule it shall be taken from thee euen that thou hast and thou cast out of his presence whose word and counsaile thou hast so neglected Be not therefore forgetfull to ruminate and as it were often to â—hew the cud of that word thou hearest as at the mouth of God and because we are naturally al flow to heare what we should heare and our mindes very hard to retaine the good things proceeding out of the mouth of God we are to pray and humbly to petition the Lord of life to turne the word heard to the sauour of life vnto our eternally life it ought to be our continuall studie yea aboue al our worldly cares and occasions to meditate of the word we haue heard that it slippe not out of our mindes it is a Iewell which we shall hardly