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A09331 A weekes worke, and a worke for every weeke by R.B. Bernard, Richard, 1568-1641. 1616 (1616) STC 1964.3; ESTC S1779 36,940 190

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in this manner liue towards God so in holines towards men so righteously Oh that I might passe thus thorow this sinfull world with that peace of conscience with that ioy of the spirit with that preparednes for death with that longing after our Lord Iesus his comming which is gotten hereby and which the very creatures doe groane for and all the godly true repentants heartily wish for Oh how grieuous is it now to mee to consider how far I am from this practice of piety especially when I doe weigh my owne weaknesses and also want of grace to attaine to the due full performance of this so conscionable a course Oh what shall I doe Oh what shall I do I am so loden with corruptions and the world so full of tentations compassing mee about with examples of wickednesse that I feare my fall He that seeketh goodnes oh how little is he regarded vertue wanteth praise vice is not abhorred innocency made a prey iustice set to sale sincerity reputed follie and iust dealing is held the high way to beggerie If yet for all these things I should disclaim the way of well doing I should therewith loose the hope of heauen if I should embrace vngodlinesse and vanitie I am sure to be damned in hell As Sir what shall I doe Ah my poore imprisoned soule oh that I were dissolued let mee loose O Lord out of this prison of my body O come Lord Iesu O come quickly and make an end of these dayes of sinne I desire bee dissolued and to bee with thee Iohn Alas good soule what moueth thee thus to bemone thy selfe thou art a happie Creature and hast no such cause to complaine in this so sorrowful a manner Comfort thy selfe my heart in that large portion of piety giuen vnto thee thy desire in time shall bee satisfied vpon thy lowlinesse assuredly the Lord doth look Feare not to finde mercy and fauour he will refresh those that trauell and bee heauie loden And therefore let vs proceed on as wee haue done hitherto if thou wouldest know more wherein I may enforme thee demand and I will make answere shew wherin and I will instruct thee and the Lord direct thee in the way that thou shalt chuse Gaius Sir seeing I haue thus found fauour in your eyes and that you iudge mee among the faithfull I desire to be informed more particularly The vse and end of this booke how from time to time euery day as a worke for euery weeke during life I may behaue my selfe religiously in the way to eternitie Iohn Is it thy desire beloued Gaius to haue mee set downe how thou The sum and parts handled herein shouldest exercise thy selfe first in the morning on the day time abroad in the euening returning home and in the night time awakening and so in the end of the weeke for a preparation to the Sabbath Gaius Euen so this indeed Sir is my desire for hauing particular rules so set before me I may the better vnderstand what to doe more orderly goe forward and according to the distinction of times looke ouer daily my precepts till I become cunning by a conscionable practice which the holy one vouchsafe mee of his great goodnesse and mercy Iohn Euen so be it my Directions for euery morning bowels Now therefore awaking in the morning forthwith before other things I. Consider how 1. Dutie graciously God hath renewed his mercy towards thee preseruing thee aliue in the night and giuing thee as it were in the morning a new life awaking thee perhaps by the voice of man by the crowing of a cooke by the sound of a bell or otherwise and opened againe thine eyes in darkenesse to behold the shining light for which mercy giue him hearty thanks and praises and withall desire him to giue thee sight to thy soule as thou hast light for thy body and that as hee expelleth darknesse from thee and affoordeth thee day light and Sun-shine to the eyes of the body so in like maner to bee pleased to remoue ignorance that spituall darknesse from thy minde by the light of his illuminating spirit that thy soule by the sun-shine of the holy Scriptures may see how to walke in this vaile of teares thorow this darkenesse in which the world lieth without sight of sinne or remorse of conscience vnto thy heauenly harbour Then secondly fall to 2. Dutie Meditations vpon our awaking meditation and first how God can awake vs from the sleepe of sinne and open our eyes to see the light of the truth either by extraordinarie means or by ordinarie and these weake or more forcible as it pleased him to awake Dauid by Nathan and Peter by the cocke although wee haue slept as many yeeres in sinne as houres in our bed Secondly that after a sleeping though long if there be life there followeth a wakening so is it with the elect though they fall asleepe againe in sin and lie therein a long time yet because they are not vtterly without the life of God they shall at length awake againe Thirdly that as awaking in the morning by the day light in the appointed time to arise and men vp in health there is not by and by a returning to sleepe in bed againe no more shall bodily death seaze vpon any there shall be no more returning to rest in the graue in the day of the last resurrection Fourthly that as a carefull husband aiming at his thrift is ashamed to lie sleeping in bed as if it were still night when the Sunne is vp yea shining vpon him and hee called to his businesse euen so should euery good Christian carefull of saluation be ashamed to lie sleepiing in any sinne when the cleare light of the Gospell shineth vpon him and is called vpon by faithfull Teachers to the performance of his duties Fifthly by thy rising vp Meditations in rising thinke vpon thy resurrection which is twofold first from the kingdome of darknesse and our naturall corruption to the true light and kingdome of grace and of the second resurrection from the darknesse of the graue to the heauēly light of the kingdome of glory Sixthly in arising vp Meditations vpon our naked nesse without clothes as naked 1. consider how naked we be by nature of all holines and righteousnesse when wee come into the world so to bewaile our wretchednesse 2. That wee shall arise naked at the last day as Adam was in his innocencie 3. That as in this bodily nakednes without clothes wee bee ashamed for the vncomelines therof to bee seene so of men vnlesse wee bee fooles or madde euen so should we be ashamed to be seen of God of his Angels and of any good men naked without the couering of grace and goodnesse because of the filthinesse of sinne And as none but fooles and madde men come naked before men so do none but mad men wicked fooles and men desperately leaud liue naked of goodnesse
my minde in heauenly meditations from vncleane vnquiet and foolish dreames and so refresh me by the quiet benefit of sweet sleepe that I may arise more chearfully comfortably in the morning to the labours of my particular calling While I doe sleepe watch I beseech thee ouer me cause thy holy Angels to pitch their tents about me that so I may rest and also arise in safety and therby be moued to laud and praise thee still renewing my thankes as thou doest renew thy mercies daily And now Lord going to my bed I commend my selfe my soule and body into the hands of thy fatherey protection for thou art awake when I sleepe and thou onely art able to preserue mee If it so please thee now this night to take my life from me and to remoue me out of this vale of miserie this doe O Lord of thy great mercy pardon me all my sins wilfull transgressions negligences and ignorances euils committed and duties omitted in any measure manner or any way displeasing to thy Maiesty and that for the death and passion the righteousnesse the merits and intercession of Iesus Christ thy Sonne and our blessed Sauiour I humbly beseech thee and for his sake take vp my soule to thy heauenly habitation there to rest vntill I come wholly body and soule vnto thee in that great day of the resurrection But if it yet please thee stil further to prolong my life then I hartily pray thee good God of thy tender mercy herein to heare mee that as dayes be added to the time of life so graces may bee encreased that as I grow in yeeres so may I also bee fruitfull in good workes encreasing in grace to thy praise my better preparednesse to death and to my eternall comfort at the last day the time of my perfect redemption through Iesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and that blessed Spirit bee giuen all honour glory and praise of me and all thy people as is most due for all thy louing mercies past and present for the future hope of eternall blisse this night and for euermore Amen Gaius Now if it please thee my Father proceed to the next point and shew vnto me what meditatiōs I should haue in the night season if it happen that then I should awake Iohn Let it 1. put thee Meditations vpon our awaking in the night in mind of awaking from sinne as thou hast awaked frō sleep that thou perish not by death 2. Thinke also how God can make men which are dead in the graue to liue againe as easily as hee hath made thee to awake out of thy sleepe 3. By thy sudden awaking to consider how suddenly thou mayest bee raised vp and summoned to iudgement Secondly by the darknes Of darknesse of the night first thinke of the spirituall darknesse in which natural men sinfully and desperately doe sleepe to pray that God would open their eyes to see the wonders of his law then of the vtter darknesse into which all such impenitent sleepers shall bee cast to moue thee to mourne for them aliue that they may not bee damned when they bee dead further by this darknesse so comfortlesse behold also their comfortles estate for as they cannot which are in darknes see either themselues or others or their way or house or friends or enemies no more can men in spirituall darknesse know thēselues nor the Church of God nor discerne the godly from the vngodly nor the way of life from the way of death nor foresee perils or the pit prepared for them no more then men which remaine in darknesse can see to auoide the dangers which they may fall into vntill the light doe againe shine vpon them Thirdly if thou canst Of dreames cal thy dreames to remembrance by their vanitie iudge of thy leuity by their vncleannesse thy filthinesse by their idlenes thy foolishnesse by the furie in them thy madnes by their much vncertainty thy wauering and inconstancie the delight in their deceits thy easinesse to bee led by delusions the fearfulnesse in them thy timorous heart the seldome thoughts of goodnes thy much delight in wickednesse and little care of godlinesse Fourthly in the silent night vpon thy bed it is good to fall into an examination of thine owne heart it is the time freest from disturbance in respect of outward impediments thou mayest haue with thy soule free and peaceable conference By a true and serious search thou mayest finde out thy selfe and so bee better knowne to thy selfe and the more thou art acquainted with thy owne corruption the more wilt thou bewaile thy wants and seeke after the grace of sanctification Fifthly in thine inclination to sleepe againe note thereby how a man may awake from sin through Gods mercy and yet bee readie to sleepe againe in sinne by his owne infirmitie Sixthly before thou sleepe againe commend thy selfe in some short prayer to God according to the former meditations and so asleepe for refreshment taking so much as may suffice nature for more strength of labour but not to satisfie the flesh to grow thereby lazie and lustfull Gaius Oh what conceited Laodiceans are we wee out of an ordinarie profession in any measure aboue our brethren hold our selues full of deuotion wee iudge our selues goodly Christians rich in graces flowing in goodnesse lacking little to perfection but alas now I see by the neglect of these things that we are wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked I confesse that the Lord hath cause to rebuke and chasten vs except wee speedily grow more zealous and amend Iohn Indeed Gaius men are too wickedly carelesse of a holy conuersation and how to keepe a good cōscience towards God man Men seeme to hate so very much popish superstition as they neglect altogether Christian deuotiō it is iudged enough to bee no Papist though otherwise a man bee little better then a very Atheist in all his courses Gaius Right so my father such as see it may lament it but not remedie it I pray for better vnto him that can reforme it But leauing this proceed on I beseech thee with mee as thou hast begun and come to the last particular how I may make my selfe readie for the sanctifying of the Sabbath Iohn I perceiue that thy heart thirsteth after grace the Lord more and more perfect the same so happily begun in thee First besides these things Directions for a preparation to the Sabbath before mentioned carefully haue in remēbrance euery day the Lords day to keepe it holy when it commeth therefore foresee thy businesse neglect no ordinarie labour order thy worldly affaires so as that day bee set apart for the speciall and publike worship of God that so thy deuotion bee not hindered nor the day prophaned hee hath vtterly lost the power of religion that is carelesse of the Sabbaths sanctification Secondly in the end of the weeke iudge by this holy course of thy growth in religion of