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A65322
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New prayers and meditations with pious exhortations for fast-days pursuant to Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary's injunctions to suppress irreligion and prophaneness / by Tho. Watts, Vicar of Orpington and St. Mary Crey in Kent.
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Watts, Thomas, 1665-1739.
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1692
(1692)
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Wing W1157; ESTC R38244
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22,013
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34
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Thirdly Those who plead Conscience for their separation and set up distinct Communions of their own Secondly Those who profess to live in Communion with the Church of England and yet are too notoriously guilty of some great miscarriages in Publick Worship Such as these 1st The forsaking the Communion of their Parish Churches without just cause for it Secondly Irreverence in Worship 2dly The neglect of a due attendance on the Publick Prayers of the Church Fourthly The neglect of the Publick Administration of Baptism Fifthly That they neglect or refuse to submit their Children and Servants to publick instructions Sixthly That eithr never receive the Lord's Supper or very rarely The very naming of these things says he must needs convince all Men who have any Sense of Religion how seasonable this Discourse is for there was never any Age wherein there was more need of it And since Religion has so great an Influence upon the government of Mens Lives the neglect or miscarriage of Publick Worship does not only tend to Corrupt Mens manners but has a very ill Aspect upon publick Affairs which you may read in P. 17 18. And so for entire satisfaction in all these particulars I refer you to the excellent Book it self Proceeding to recount some few more scand lous Offenders herein as those who dishonour God defame and injure their Neighbour and defile and ruin their own Souls Bodies and Estates by the commission of such heinous Transgressions as these viz. Blasphemy Perjury common swearing and Cursing propharation of the Lords Day disobedience to Parents either Natural Civil Ecclesiastical or Oeconomical Murder Envy Revenge Malice or any manner of uncharitableness Fornication Adultery Theft Lying Deceit covetousness Oppression Injustice Luxury Pride Drunkenness and any intemperance c. Now here we may observe that there are no Vices or sins more positively and expresly forbidden and condemn'd than these both in all natural and reveal'd Religion in all the Morals of the Ancient Heathens throughout the Old and New Testamen and in our Ecclesiastical Civil and Common Laws particularly ever since Kings and Queens have become Nursing Fathers and Nursing Mothers to our Church have interwoven her in the Security and Priviledges of the State or Common-wealth and thus freed her from the burning fury and violence of Persecutions insomuch that thus now it becomes the more indispensible duty of all that are in Authority truly and indifferently to minister Justice to the punishment of all such wickedness and vice and to the maintenance of God's true Religion and Vertue which if neglected nothing can be more satal to a sinful Nation since nothing can more daringly provoke Heavens vengeance upon it And now too may we not justly conclude that those persons who will break through all these Sanctions bid defiance to all the dictates of right reason and the sacred injunctions both of God and Man by continuing in those notorious impieties presumptuously or desperately in despight of Justice are the greatest Enemies in the World not only to their own Souls and private concerns but to their Neighbourhood round them and to the publick good of any Church and State As on the other side the truest and best Friends to all are the Godly Righteous and sober persons for may we not find innumerable instances hereof both in reading and observation how God Almighty has recall'd his angry Rod upon the Prayers and Tears of the Righteous or Penitent and has destroy'd whole Cities People and Kingdoms yea and once a whole World for the persisting obstinate wickedness of them that dwelt therein allowing the Just the salvation of their own Souls only And now Lastly to refer the prosecution of these Remarks and exhortations to the Conclusion and to proceed to our Meditation May we not all easily apprehend this chief cause of that stiff-necked and general Iniquity which overspreads our Land viz. The want of consideration of divine Thought or Meditation which renders us rash head-strong and precipitate and even meer unthinking and irrational Animals not but that we are some way reasonable and thoughtful but in that we fix our Minds upon wrong Objects upon meer earthly things and place our treasure and hearts here below madly suffering our selves to be deluded by empty Charms fatal Nothings the fading and transitory Wealth Honour Pleasure and Vanities of this Sublunary World and all the while neglecting the more solid Joys and Raptures of an Immaterial Soul the true Exertion of her Faculties and Powers the right use of that soaring Reason and improvement of that divine Image stampt upon us in our Creation which alone ennobles our Natures and distinguishes us from the Beasts that perish and which alone can render us amiable in the sight of our Heavenly Father and consequently make us truly happy both here and hereafter Oh! this therefore let us all learn and experience in divine Meditation beginning it with the great fundamental Duty of Repentance a Duty always necessary and incumbent upon the best of us since none can pretend to be so Just or Holy as to need no repentance Hereto then I beg your diligent attention Most heartily praying for the Illuminations and Aids of the Holy Ghost to make the words of our Mouth and the Meditations of our Heart always acceptable to God and beneficial to his Church New Prayers AND MEDITATIONS FOR Fast Days c. AWake up my Soul and consider whence thou art What is thy business here and whither thou must go The Entrance Consider whose Image thou bearest after whose likeness and by whom wast thou Created And call to mind what Laws and Commands thine Almighty Father hath imprinted upon and reveal'd unto thee and then remember thy frequent and innumerable Transgressions with the folly and danger thereof Add to this some thoughts of thy great Creators infinite Wisdom Holiness Goodness Justice Mercy how wonderfully hath he contriv'd for thy Felicity With what amazing Condescension hath himself wrought thy Redemption and how he daily calls upon thee for a reasonable and blessed performance of thine own Engagements And now he thus invites thee upon the most gracious terms to fly into the Arms of his Eternal Love And yet how sloathful and backwards thou art How blind and deformed dost thou make thy self And how rebellious loathsome and ungrateful dost thou prove Oh think then what will be the fatal consequences of this stupidity and madness See the roaring Lyon ready to devour thee behold Death the Wages of sin coming to arrest thee and look down upon the Bottomless Gulph of Hell gaping for thee and thus think how thou canst escape their dreadful Jews How thou canst avoid their Terror Sting and endless Tortures but by speedily hearkning to thy Lords merciful Voice immediately turning from thy evil Ways presently bewailing thy Fall and Misery lamenting in dust and ashes and thus exercising timely and unfeigned Repentance Awake then quickly thou drowsie polluted Soul rouse up thy corrupted understanding and
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