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
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
occasions of Delight gives more light to our Knowledge more heat to our Affections and more life to our Devotion Repentance and holy Living wherewith we ought to begin proceed and end every Year and Day to our last hour Thus may we grow to be as we ought Strangers and Pilgrims upon Earth and out of a right estimation of all earthly Things into a sweet fruition of invisible Comforts In a word thus we see our Saviour with Stephen talk with God as Moses and are ravish'd with St. Paul into Paradice and so qualify'd for the eternal Hallelujahs above A Morning Prayer for Family or Closet extracted out of the Whole Duty of Man and our holy Liturgy c. and composed according to that most excellent Form which our Lord Jesus hath taught and left us Mat. 6.9 O Thou that hearest Prayer unto whom all Flesh should come have thou respect unto the Prayers of thy Servants and to our Supplications O Lord our God to hearken unto the cry and to the Prayers which thy Servants pray before thee this day 1 King 8.28 O Lord who dwellest in the highest Heavens thou art the Author of our Being thou hast also begotten us again unto a lively Hope and carryest towards us the tenderness and Bowels of a compassionate Father O make us to render to thee the Love and Obedience of Children and that we may resemble thee our Father in Heaven that place of true Delight and Purity give us an holy Disdain of all the deceitful Pleasures and foul Pollutions of this World and so raise up our Minds that we may always have our Conversation in Heaven from whence we look for our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ Strike such an awe in our Hearts that we may humbly reverence thee in thy Name which is great wonderful and holy and carry such a sacred respect to all things that relate to thee and thy Worship as may express our Reverence to thy great Majesty Let all the People praise thee O God yea let all the People praise thee in a firm Belief due Sense and grateful Acknowledgment of all thy wonderful Works of Providence particularly let us praise thee for our common Creation Preservation and all the Blessings of this Life but above all for thine inestimable love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for the happy and visible means of Grace and hope of Glory so miraculously continued to us within the Pale of an holy Communion in the due Administration of thy sacred Word and Ordinances And now thus more particularly O Father of Mercies let us thine unworthy Servants render thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness as to all Men so to us and ours day and night here mentioned particular Blessings both spiritual and temporal For these and all thy gracious Wonders of the right hand and the left tending to this life and a better let our Souls magnifie the Lord and all that is within us praise his holy Name Establish thy Throne and rule for ever in our Souls and by the power of thy grace subdue those Rebellious Corruptions that exalt themselves against thee they are those Enemies of thine which would not thou shouldst reign over them O let them be brought forth and slain before thee and make us such faithful Subjects of this thy Kingdom of Grace that we may be capable of thy Kingdom of Glory and Lord Jesus come quickly Enable us by thy grace chearfully to suffer thy will in all thy Afflictions and readily to perform it in all thy Commands give us of that heavenly Zeal to thy Service wherewith the blessed Angels of thy presence are inspired that we may obey thee with the like fervour and alacrity and that following them in their Obedience we may be join'd with them to sing eternal Praises in thy Kingdom to God and to the Lamb for ever And O merciful God who hast made all Men and hatest nothing that thou hast made nor wouldest the death of a sinner but rather that he should be converted and live have mercy upon all Jews Turks Infidels and Hereticks and take from them all ignorance hardness of heart and contempt of thy Word and so fetch them home blessed Lord to thy Flock that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites and be made one fold under one Shepherd Jesus Chrit our Lord. O incorporate all Mankind into thy holy Church and regenerate all with thy Holy Spirit receiving us for thine own Children by Adoption and thus graft in our Hearts the love of thy Name encrease in us true Religion nourish us with all Goodness and of thy great mercy keep us in the same and give unto us the encrease of Faith Hope and Charity and that we may obtain that which thou dost promise make us to love that which thou dost command Give us that continual supply of thy grace which may sustain and nourish our Souls unto eternal Life and be thou pleased also to provide for our Bodies all those things which thou seest fit for their support thro' this our earthly Pilgrimage and make us chearfully to rest on thee for them first seeking thy Kingdom and the Righteousness thereof and then not doubting but all these things shall be added unto us O God the Protector of all that trust in thee without whom nothing is strong nothing holy encrease and multiply upon us thy mercy that thou being our Ruler and Guide we may so pass through things temporal that we finally lose not the things eternal Prevent us O Lord in all our doings with thy most gracious Favour and further us with thy continual help that in all our works begun continu'd and ended in thee we may glorify thy holy Name and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting Life Grant O Lord that the course of this World may be so peaceably ordered by thy governance that thy Church may joyfully serve thee in all godly quietness And grant that all those who do lean only upon the hope of thy heavenly grace may evermore be defended by thy mighty power Heal our Souls O Lord for we have sinned against thee let thy tender Mercies abound towards us in the forgiveness of all our Offences Here mention particular Transgressions And grant O Lord that we may never forfeit this pardon of thine by denying our's to our Brethren but give us those Bowels of Compassion to others which we stand in so much greater need of from thee that we may forgive as fully and finally upon Christ's Command and Example as we desire to be forgiven for his Merits and Intercession O Lord we have no strength against those multitudes of Temptations that daily assault us only our eyes are upon thee O be thou pleased either to restrain them or assist us and in thy faithfulness suffer us not to be tempted above that we are able but in all our Temptations make us a way to escape