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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A36374	Reform'd devotions, in meditations, hymns, and petitions, for every day in the week, and every holiday in the year divided into parts.	Dorrington, Theophilus, d. 1715.; Birchley, William, 1613-1669. Devotions in the ancient way of offices.	1687 (1687)	Wing D1946; ESTC R10442	174,240	506

REFORM'D DEVOTIONS IN MEDITATIONS HYMNS AND PETITIONS FOR Every DAY in the Week AND Every HOLIDAY in the Year Divided into Two PARTS The Second Edition Ex Aedibus Lambeth May 7. 1686. Imprimatur Jo. Battely LONDON Printed by J. A. for Joseph Watts at the Angel in St. Pauls Church-yard 1687. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE LADY ANN BOSCAWEN MADAM WHen the best Things of the World are presented to the Great this is a piece of Justice done both to those Honourable Persons and to the things that are presented for thus much is undoubtedly due to the deserts of both And when such exalted persons are pleased to receive those things and approve by using them this becomes an advantage to both They have the service of what is most useful in its kind and their using it recommends it to others For the inferiour ranks of Mankind commonly derive their Estimates of things from the Opinions and Practices of those that are above them It is because I account this Book very Excellent in its kind and worthy to be recommended as such to the World which makes me presume Madam to dedicate it to so high a Person as your Honour I hope if you please to acquaint your self with it that I shall have the honour to be approv'd in my Judgment of it and It may have the great advantage to be recommended by you I know that your accomplisht Mind is disposed to approve of what is ingenious and devout Here presents it self to your Honour Divine Truth in a decent and fashionable Attire it were not fit for any one to make you a Visit in a careless Undresse The Beauty here is not conceal'd and disguised by too much external Ornament nor expos'd to Contempt by too little This Book you may be pleas'd to observe is fitted to possess mens Minds with that pure and peaceable Wisdom which is from above to excite Devotion in the coldest and most careless Hearts and to possess with a love of Devotion our too nice and witty Age since here it appears so rational and ingenious even in its highest flights Madam I must readily acknowledge the Hand that makes you this Present is too mean and unworthy but since you have not thought me too mean to receive Obligations from you I must not believe my self thereby excus'd from bringing all such Testimonies of Respect and Gratitude as I am able Yet I most humbly crave your Pardon for this Presumption as what it were still greater presumption to expect without seeking it And doing thus it were a very guilty despair on the other hand if I should not hope to obtain it from a goodness such as yours Your Honour cannot want any Noble Quality in an answerable degree who derive your high Birth from two Illustrious Families and are furnisht in them with so many excellent Presidents While I present this Book to you I present also my Prayers to Almighty God to the giver of every good and perfect Gift that by his Blessing it may become to your Honour a very profitable Entertainment That it may nourish in you those good Advances of Piety and Vertue which adorn your Youth That it may help to maintain still that prudent constancy which has shown it self able to conquer the violent current of present Wickedness while such a number of unthinking Sinners are carryed along with the fatal stream I pray that the God who has blest you with Beauty and Wealth and Honour the three greatest Gifts of this World may still continue favourable ●ou in the Dispensations of 〈◊〉 Providence and after a ●…g and happy Life may re●●●ve you to Heaven Thus 〈◊〉 Prayers shew what I am ●…dy in any other possible way express that I am MADAM Your Honours Most Humble most Obedient And devoted Servant T. D. THE PREFACE SOme Account of the Following Book I am bound to give in point of Justice both to it and my self and something may be said tending to promote the Vsefulness of it Which things will be the matter of this Preface and in such matter it will not be impertinent to detain the Reader for a little while It was a Book of Devotions dispos'd into the Form and Method of the Roman Breviary and though the matter of it was not the same with that yet therein were the Truths of Christian Religion frequently mixed as in the Belief of that Church with those erroneous Doctrines which in latter Ages have been added to Christianity What I thought to be such by the direction of Holy Scripture and the Articles of our Church which are drawn from thence according to the usual Interpretation made of it by the most pure and primitive Ages of Christianity that I have taken away and connected the Sence with what those Rules suggested to be truth Therefore has this Book the Title of Reform'd Devotions And I dare say if Holy Scripture may be the Rule to judge by in these matters as it must be in all such matters the Book is now more truly corrected and amended than it was in any of the former Editions though it pretends to have been four times printed and twice with that Advantage In the fourth and last Edition which is dated Roan 1685. it is said to be corrected and augmented and there is added to it in that a whole Office for the Virgin Mary which being very different from the former Book and much inferiour to it in all Respects and more corrupted I have wholly left it out and having made use of that part of the former Book which provided for all the Saints Dayes I should have wanted a good Reason for so regarding one particular Saint if I had used that part of the Book distinct And there being enough of the other to serve my Method I did not trouble my self to pick out the best Sentences of that to mix with the rest This I did out of one Office in the other Book because in the present Method I had no occasion for it distinct and because the greatest part of that Office related to the Souls suppos'd to be in Purgatory I am justified in the reforming of this Book and purging out those fore-mention'd Doctrines by the Authority of our Nation which did for the sake of them a few years ago condemn the Book to a publick burning And because there was a great deal of it very good Sence and that compos'd in a very devout strain and an ingenious style and mixt with several curious Hymns I thought it was worthy of a Reformation and as well too good to be thrown away whole as too bad to be used whole Which I doubt not all ingenious and devout Readers will acknowledge upon perusing what is here presented when I shall have said that the most of it is but what I found in that Book Yet I subscribe to the Wisdom and Justice of that Condemnation which it underwent as it was for the better it was in some respects since many offensive

Tribes of the Earth be blessed in him Hast thou not said thy self O glorious Jesu If I be lifted up I will draw all men after me Hast thou not given thy Disciples express Commission to go into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature When wilt thou again O infinite Charity choose out burning and shining Lights and send them forth over all the World and send them not alone lest they faint by the way or miscarry in the end If thou wilt go with them thy self and guide them by thy Grace and crown their Labours with thy powerful Blessing Oh then what mighty works would be done by them Then shall the humble Vallies be rais'd up and the stubborn Mountains be brought low So shall the crooked paths be made direct and the rough wayes smooth and plain So shall the Glory of God be every where reveal'd and all Flesh shall joyfully see it together the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the bright face of Jesus Christ Happy the times when this shall come to pass happy the eyes that shall see these times Come glorious days wherein that Sun shall shine which enlightens all at once both the Hemisphears PETITIONS REmember O God the Father God of everlasting Truth thy dear Engagements to the Son Remember O God the Son who art the Author and Finisher of our Faith thy gracious Promises to the World. Come holy Jesu in a plentiful effusion of thy Spirit upon us and make that glorious day of Gospel light which we greatly desire and thy Promises give us leave to expect Come and in the largest sence maintain thy Title and be effectively the Saviour of the universal World. Visit O Lord thine own House first and throughly redress what thou findest amiss Make our Lives holy as thou hast made our Faith and let all that name thy Name depart from Iniquity O thou who art the Author of Peace and lover of Concord who did'st so often repeat the Command that thy Disciples should love one another Inspire we beseech thee thy whole Church with a Spirit of Truth Unity and Concord Bring thou into the way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived Convince us all that the wrath and fury of Man worketh not the Righteousness of God and hasten the time when there shall be no hurting nor destroying in all thy holy Mountain Kindle O Lord in the hearts of Kings and the great Ones of the World an heroick Spirit to advance thy Glory Inflame the hearts of Prelates and the Priests of thy Church with a generous Zeal for the Conversion of Souls Convince them all it is the End and Duty of their places to endeavour the improving of Mankind in vertue and Religion and direct them to the use of such just and gentle means as are suitable to the End and agreeable to thy Word Send forth thy saving light O Lord into the dark corners of the World and bring them from the power of Satan into the Kingdom of God. Remember thy great Love which thou hast shown and the Mercies which seem yet promised to the Jews Let every people bow their Knees to thy great Name Oh blessed Jesu and all Tongues confess thy Greatness Make all to receive thy Truth in the love of it and mix it with Faith that it may become an engrafted Word able to save their Souls These things we crave for the honour of our Advocate and onely Mediator Jesus the Christ Amen Hymn 30. JEsu whose Grace directs thy Priests To keep alive by solemn Feasts The memory of thy great Love O may we here so pass thy days That they at last our Souls may raise To that long Feast with thee above To that long day of sacred Rest Whereon our happy Souls shall feast On thy celestial Joyes and thee Our Bodies too thy Love shall raise Thy self to see and sing thy praise In a blest Immortality Jesu behold three Kings from far Led to thy Cradle by a Star Bring gifts to thee their greater King O guide us by thy Light that we May find thy lov'd Face and to thee Our selves may for thy Tribute bring O thou the pure and spotless Lamb Who to the Temple humbly came Appointed legal Rites to pay Make our proud Heart and stubborn Will Thine and thy Churche's Law fulfill Whate're relucting Natures say Jesu who on the fatal Wood Pourd'st forth thy life's last drop of Blood For us nail'd to a shamefull Cross O! may we bless thy Love and be Ready dear Lord to bear for thee All present grief or pain or loss Dear Lord who by thine own Love slain By thine own Powe'r took'st Life again And from the Sepulcher did'st rise O may thy Death our Spir'its revive And at our Death a new Life give A lasting Life that never dies Jesu who to thy Heaven again Returnd'st in Triumph there to reign Of Men and Angels mighty King O may our parting Souls take flight Up to that Land of Joy and Light And there with Angels ever sing All Glory to the Sacred Three One undivided Deity All honour blessing power and praise O may thy blessed Name shine bright Crown'd with those Beams of beauteous light It s own eternal glorious Rays Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE HOLY GHOST For the Morning MEDITATION I. LOrd we are forced to admire the sweet and natural conduct with which thy Providence governs the Children of men Leading them on from one degree to another 'till thou hast brought them up to their highest perfection Thou puttest them to learn in the School of Virtue and disposest their Capacities into several forms In the first Ages when the World was young thou gavest them for their guide the Book of Nature there thy divine Assistance helpt them to read some few plain Lessons of their Duty to thee They saw this admirable frame of Creatures and as far as these could argue they could conclude Sure there is a God the cause of all things certainly there is a Providence that disposes of all things He must be very powerful that made so vast a World and exceeding wise that contriv'd such excellent works He must be goodness it self that did all this for us and we ingrateful Wretches if we will do nothing for him Thus far some few could say and very few could do with those slender Assistances which they then enjoy'd Afterward thou gavest thy People a written Rule which train'd them up in a set form of Discipline which grew and spread into a publick Religion and which was uniformly profest by a whole Nation They had some weak conceit of the Kingdom of Heaven and some imperfect means to bring them thither But for those high supernatural Mysteries that so gloriously exalt the Christian Faith they all alas were blind or in the dark and dangerously exposed to the effects of their own Ignorance wanting those clear Instructious to know their end and those powerful Motives to love