our Lord Jesus in that rare pattern of his present Intercession in Heaven the last Prayer he made upon Earth for his Church did pray That all of his Religion might be preserved in Truth and Unity John 17.17.21 so that we are assured we beg the same here that he intercedes for above and therefore if it should not be compleatly granted yet he that hath asked this with a great Devotion and endeavoured it to his power shall have satisfaction in the Testimony of a good Conscience and hath testified his unfeigned Charity to the Church and his love to all the Members thereof § 7. We beseech thee also to save and defend all Christian Kings Princes and Governours especially thy Servant CHARLES our King that under him we may be godly and quietly governed We have often prayed for the King already but principally respecting his Authority in the State so we prayed for him alone but now we consider him as a Principal Person in the Church of which he is under Christ i Nutritii patres Ecclesiae Jesai 49.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aristot pol. 3. as the Bishops of Rome of old confessed the supream Head and so are other Christian k Christus Imperatori omnia tribuit dominari eum non solum Militibus concessit Greg. Mag. Epist 64. ad Theodor. Princes in their several Countries wnom we therefore here do pray for also as St. Paul commands 1 Tim. 2.2 and as the Antient Church ever did in the time of this Mystery There are now three sorts of Rulers in the Christian World which are here expressed by three words First Kings that is such as have absolute Monarchies Secondly Princes who have Royal Authority in lesser Dominions though not without paying some homages Thirdly Governours who preside in Aristocracies and Common-wealths these and each of these are or ought to be supream Presidents over Ecclesiastical as well as Civil Affairs in the several Jurisdictions and since their Power is imployed to save and l Deus Op. Max. pietatis justae Actionis quoddam quasi vinculum nos esse voluerit Theodos Imp. Ep. ad Cyril defend the Church she is obliged to desire the King of Kings to save and defend them all from Invasions and Rebellions Treasons and all Mischiefs that they may not be hindred in the exercise of their most useful and pious Authority And if we prevail many Millions will receive benefit thereby and every Christian Nation shall have its share in this Blessing It happens I confess sometimes contrary to the wish of all pious Men that even Princes of the same Religion have differences with each other but then we must at this Holy Sacrament forgive our Enemies and with the welfare of the whole Church only we must pray for the safety of other Kings no further than is consistent with the welfare of our natural Liege for whom we must pray especially because under him we enjoy our Liberty and Religion our proprieties and our Peace and if it please God to defend him we doubt not but we shall have under him Quiet and peaceable lives in all Godliness and Honesty 1 Tim. 2.2 that is in two words we shall be godlily and quietly governed and thus our own interest may move us earnestly to intercede for the safety of our Soveraign for the benefit is ours more than his § 8. And grant unto his whole Councel and to all that are put in Authority under him that they may truly and indifferently Minister Iustice to the Punishment of Wickedness and Vice and to the maintenance of thy true Religion and Vertue When Justice is purest in the King the Fountain thereof it is often corrupted in the streams the subordinate Dispensers for Mortal Princes cannot see all with their own Eyes m Numb 10.31 Heb loco oculorum h. e. Confiliarius 70. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut oculus nobis charus necessarius Fag Grot. in loc nor Act all things with their own hands though they be said to judg the Nation Psal 72.2 yet the Mountains or higher Magistrates and the little Hills that is inferior Officers do bring this Righteousness to the people who can seldom receive judgment immediately from the Princes mouth ver 3. Wherefore since we must be more particular in our desires for the welfare of these Kingdoms it is necessary that we pray for all that advise in the making and assist in the executing of good Laws viz. for the Kings Council at large in Parliament as the old Christians prayed pro Senatu or more strictly for the Lords of his Privy-Council who besides their Examination of Causes in those places and their influence upon the Royal Determinations are usually Persons enjoying the highest Dignities and weightiest Offices of the Nation And because by them and the lower Orders of Magistrates all Causes are decided we are bound to pray heartily for them that they may judge by the Rules of Equity truly and indifferently without mistake or partiality and have before their Eyes the great end of all Laws which is the punishment of evil Doers and the incouragement and reward of them that do well u Leges improbos supplicio afficiunt ac defendunt tuentur bonos Cicer. de leg 2. Pius IV. Pont. R pingebat laures cum Virgis cum hoc lemmate Praemium Poena pro sumbolo suo Nic. Cauâ—sin 1 Pet. 2.14 Rom. 13.3 4. And surely happy are the people that are in such a Case when their Counsellors are faithful and prudent their Judges deliberate and upright their Officers careful and without rigour for then the profession of Religion shall be guarded and the practice of Virtue incouraged Innocence shall be safe and wickedness punished nay all Vices made infamous according to the Will of God the desire of our gracious Soveraign and the wishes of all this people especially those who now at this Sacrament come to dedicate themselves to Piety and Devotion they have peculiar Reason to pray that they may be secured in their rights and encouraged in their holy purposes by the due Administration of Justice and the punishment of all that would harm or hinder them because their innocence doth more expose them to the designs of evil men § 9. Give grace O Heavenly Father to all Bishops and Curates that they mat both by their life and Doctrine set forth thy true and lively Word and rightly and duly Administer thy Holy Sacraments The greatest gifts that the divine goodness hath bestowed upon the Sons of Men saith Justinian in his Authenticks are the Royal Power and the Office of Priesthood Both of which are so contrived that they are necessary not only for the Conservation of the World but for the mutual support of each other o Christus voluit ut Christiani Imperatores pro vitâ aeternâ Pontificibus indigerent Pontifices pro cursu temporalium rerum Imperialibus legibus uterentur Rom. leg c.
Almighty almost weary of Correcting thee and shewest thou lovest thy Sin too well to be easily torn from it Fifthly And finally how mischievous have the effects of thy transgressions been They have dishonoured God disgraced thy Religion incouraged the wicked to persevere incited the innocent to follow thy steps and offended weak and tender Christians This is indeed a sad story and if we rightly apprehend it may make the best to cry out with trembling and deep contrition Lord have mercy upon us But lest this dismal Account which will scarce fetch one sigh from a stupid Soul should overwhelm others in grief and desperation I shall add that we are not like the Jew who when the Law thundered from Mount Eball could only sign it with a dreadful Amen For we look further and beholding the Lamb of God make bold to crave mercy the very acknowledgment of our Sin being wrapt up in a Petition for Pardon And the right use of all this is not to affright us from Jesus but to drive us to him to shew not only how little we deserve but how much we need a pardon It is to represent how far God can forgive and how highly our dear Redeemer hath merited seeing so great and deserved vengeance is yet with-holden and the Gate of Mercy still kept open for such wretched Creatures Our design in this discovery of Sin is to convince us that it is high time to desist from adding to this infinite heap that it is extreamly necessary to seek for Absolution and that it will be an admirable ingaging favour if we be again accepted For Mount Sinah is the way to Sion and the Law our School-master to bring us to Christ When therefore your heart is full of these thoughts and when hope and fear sorrow and desire are strugling within you In the midst of these Passions bend your knees and begin to arraign your self at the Bar of your merciful Judge where humble Confession a In quantum tibi non peperceris in tantum tibi Deus crede parcet Tertul. is the readiest way to Remission Acknowledge therefore all you have found relate your shame and indignation at your self your grief and anguish for all your misdoings intreat as for your life and with all earnestness beg for pity and pardon remembring he never did cast off any that thus came to him Your Confession it self will be no other than a larger Paraphrase of Lord have mercy c. But if you require a form the Church hath made excellent provision in that acknowledgment before the Consecration b See Part. 2. Sect. 3. Sect. 9. to which the Reader is desired to turn and while his heart is in this frame with great Devotion to recite that Form § 8. But that this is not all the use of these Ten Commandments we may learn from the other part of the Versicle repeated after each of them which is Davids Prayer Psal 119.36 viz. And incline our hearts to keep this Law Which minds us of the next part of our Preparation for the Holy Sacrament to which the Law is apt to minister viz. Secondly The Renewing of our Covenant and this will necessarily follow our Confession if it be sincere and the language of a contrite heart Since we now have discovered the vileness and danger of our sinful courses We must needs be full of indignation against those ways and cannot but wish we may never fall into the like circumstances again Nay God may expect that those who are so drenched in tears and amazed with fear shall now study how they may keep the right paths of his Law hereafter And this was the principal end why you were put upon considering your ways that you might turn your feet to his Testimonies Psal 119.59 And if you be now desirous to do this it is the best sign of your Repentance the surest evidence of your pardon and the best disposition in the World for your reception of these Mysteries wherein it is Gods part to seal your Absolution by the blood of his dear Son and yours to give up your self entirely to his Service for ever hereafter since he hath so graciously quitted the old scores So that there is no doubt but the true Penitent doth now desire with all his Soul to forsake his Sins and do his duty better Only because he finds his heart averse and not easily inclined to this which his Conscience tells him is his interest and his happiness The Church hath added this short but significant Petition to him that can turn the heart and work in us both to will and to do That he would Encline c. Which Prayer that it may be said with Davids Spirit c Et oremus quod ille â—ravit quod oremus imitemur effectu si eramus sermone compatiamur mente S. Ambr. in Psal 119. We must resolve to follow those good inclinations when it pleaseth God to work them in us And to that purpose before we make this our solemn promise we must labour to bring our hearts to condemn the wayes of Sin and to approve of the ways of Holiness lest we should mock the Almighty by begging his help in that which we never intend to perform and lest our vow should vanish into Air if we do not first consider the particulars to which we bind our selves And for our assistance herein viz. that our Engagement may be advised and well grounded and our Prayers for the divine Aid may be hearty and sincere We may after our Confession while our hearts are yet bleeding for our former offences enlarge our thoughts into these or the like Meditations § 9. First to alienate our affections from Sin that we may in earnest and for ever renounce it Let every one of us ask his Soul these Questions First How little of either true profit or solid pleasure have I reaped from Sin The gain is cursed and intangled the delight short and unsatisfying ending either in vexation or a restless desire which stays longer and wounds deeper than ever the fantastick pleasure reached How certain is it that none of these purchases can last beyond the short duration of my frail life and how little security have I that my death shall not be ere the next Morning Secondly How great a trouble yet have I had all my life for this trifling and uncertain reward the gain was a shadow but have I not thereby lost my good name or my health my time and my parts the love of my best friends and the hopes of Gods favour Have not these Sins hindered my Prayers disquieted my Conscience set my Neighbours against me and filled my ways with losses crosses mischiefs and evil Accidents Have they not often made me ridiculous and base hated and distrusted and left me full of fears and sad expectations making my life uneasie and my death far more bitter and more terrible Thirdly But these are but the beginnings of sorrow
receive it able to understand it b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plotinus John 7.17 Ecclus 1.26 nor likely to profit by it Nor must any Man think these divine Precepts of the Moral Law so appropriated to the Jewish Synagogues where they were constantly with great reverence used as to deserve no place in the Christian Worship Or at least that we need not so great preparations before they are read to us For our Saviour hath rather more strictly enjoined than any ways abrogated these Measures of Eternal goodness And withal assures us that the keeping of the Precepts is the way to Everlasting Life Matth. 5.19 20. and Chap. 19.17 So that all of us are concern'd to know this Covenant to which we have ingaged in our Baptism this Rule by which we are to square our lives here and this Law by which we must be judged hereafter And therefore it is appointed that these Commandments shall be read in this place while all the Congregation is together to the Catechumens as well as to the Elder Christians to those that do not as well as to those that do Communicate And that immediately before the Gospel to make that the more welcom to us when the Law hath humbled us by its Terrors Wherefore we here present the general Division of them both to instruct the ignorant and to afford all an Opportunity to see their principal offences against them at one glance while the Minister is reading them or when we have no time for more particular Examination The Analysis of the Ten Commandments § 2. The Ten Commandments are by Christ himself divided into Two Tables I. Table Of Piety towards God 1. As to the Object of Worship I. Com. Thou shalt have no other gods c. I Sins chiefly forbidden Apostasie Deifying the Creature Distrust of God 2. As to the Manner of Worship 1. In our solemn Addresses to God II. Com. Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven image c. II Idolatry Superstition Slight and careless Worship 2. In all other Acts that have respect unto him III. Com. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord c. III Blasphemy Swearing vainly falsly Cursing Profaning Holy things Sacrilege 3. As to the Time of Worship IV. Com. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath c. IV Neglect of the Sabbath Holy Times Mispending them in Idlenesâ— or Debauchery II. Table Of Charity to our Neighbor 1. Directing us in the Duties of our several Relations 1. Natural as Parents Children 2. Religious Ministers People 3. Civil Princes Subjects 4. Domestical Masters Servants V. Com. Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. V Superiours Negligence Pride Evil Example Inferiour Disobedience Contempt Resisting 2. Forbidding us to do any injury either 1. Indeed against our Neighbour's 1. Life VI. Com. Thou shalt doe no murder VI Taking away Life Quarrelling Anger Revenge Cruelty 2. Chastity VII Thou shalt not commit adultery VII Adultery Fornication Wanton Desires Words Behaviour Drukenness 3. Estate or Goods VIII Thou shalt not steal VIII Theft and Robbery Oppression Cheating Unjust detaining Idleness 4. Good Name IX Thou shalt not bear false witness c. IX False Testimonies Lying Slandering Tale-bearing Flattery 2. Or in thought or desire X. Com. Thou shalt not covet c. X Covetousness Envy at others Discontent with our own A Practical Discourse of the Ten Commandments § 3. It must not be expected that I should explain the particular Commandments which would too much swell this work Only I shall undertake two things First To direct how to use them for our profit when there is no Communion Secondly And chiefly how they may be used in private to help us in our Preparation for the Blessed Sacrament As our natural Ignorance makes it necessary to teach us this Law of God in our Catechism So our aptness to forget that which is good requires that it should be repeated in our publick Service It is dangerous either not to know or not to remember these holy Commandments which are proclaimed by our God approved by our own Consciences established with eternal rewards and punishments c 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Porph. de abst 1. 8. Whosoever therefore thinks it a trouble to hear them so often neither considers the weight of these divine Precepts nor observes that his own frequent breaches of them do shew that they are not read often enough to fix them so in his mind as to procure a sincere Obedience For till we do exactly observe them We do not know or remember them as we ought Let us then endeavour so often as we use them to receive benefit to our Souls thereby And to that purpose First You must with great humility receive them from the Mouth of the Minister as if they were spoken from Mount Sinai by God himself imitating the tenderness of good Josiah 2 Chron. 34.19 and cast your selves down upon your knees for that is the most suitable posture for Criminals who are to petition for pardon and thus listen to every Commandment with diligent attention and a submissive Reverence Secondly Apply them every one carefully to your ways for since you have neglected to follow the direction of this holy Law as your Guide d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Clem. Alex Paed. 1. it now becomes your Accuser e Rectum est index sui obliqui and it may be an excellent opportunity to bring you to the knowledge of your sinful Estate and so unto repentance because your gracious God doth allow you the liberty of second thoughts and will not condemn you for these offences if you condemn your selves for them Ask then your own heart seriously at every one Have I not been such an one Done this evil Neglected this duty And when your Conscience Answers Yes then you must most passionately cry out Lord have mercy upon me and forgive me this or that sin Thirdly Let the discovery of so many breaches and the sight of so vast a heap of guilt make you afraid to add Sin unto Sin f Iterata enim lex solliciâ—iores reddit regligente Ambr. in Galat. and to break these holy bonds any more g Hoc nos pâ—ssimos facit quod nemo vitam suam respicit Sen. Epist 38. for therefore have you lived at random because you have not considered your ways nor compared them strictly with Gods sacred Law But now that you are freshly minded of your Duty and reproved for your former Neglect It will be expected you shall be more afraid to transgress hereafter and therefore desiring never more to offend say Lord incline my heart to keep this Law And thus the hearing of the Ten Commandments may be an exercise of our Repentance and a means of amendment every day § 4. It is of excellent use frequently to compare our ways with Gods Law for so it would be our guide before we act to put us upon our Duty Our reprover afterward to bring us
to Preach the Gospel and carry the glad Tidings of Salvation lest they be taken off by any Worldly care should be furnished by the people and live of the rewards n Evangelium pro donariis quibus laetumnentium remuneramus 70. 2 Sam. 4 10. 1 Cor. 9.23 See Medes Diatribe on 1 Cor. 9.14 and offerings which Men make in token of their thankfulness for and esteem of the Gospel which is brought unto them by the Ministers thereof § 9. 2 Corinth 9.6 7. If any ask now how much they must give to Ministers or the poor The Apostle will not determine your Free-will offering yet First He shews it is best to give largely ver 6. But secondly Necessary to give chearfully v. 7. Paraphrase ver 6. Mens various abilities and the nature of a Free-gift make it unfit to prescribe a certain sum only it is your interest to give as much as you can for He that soweth of this seed of Alms but little in proportion to His Estate shall reap little reward from God And he that having a heart fuller of divine love soweth plenteously and giveth largely according to his ability shall reap abundant blessings o Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebraismus pro copiose Joel 2.21 See Luke 6.38 and be rewarded most plenteously by that God whose remunerations do agree to the proportions though they exceed the merits of all our Charities Ver. 7. Which being seriously considered Let every man do in this Case of Alms-giving according as he is by Gods grace inclined and disposed in his heart But whether he give little or much let him not spoil his gift in the manner of giving Let him offer therefore not grudgingly p Qui donum dat facie iratâ perinde est ac si noon dedisset RR. Nemo autem libenter debet quod non accepit sed expressit Sen. de benef l. 1. initio with repining that he hath given so much or of necessity as if he had been compelled to it since that will certainly hinder the acceptance of his Charity whatever it be for God who giveth freely to all himself as well as Man loveth a chearful countenance and a willing heart in the Giver and then he is pleased with the gift § 10. Galat. 6.6 7. Finally to give to Ministers is not only a matter of Prudence but an absolute Duty for which here is first an Apostolical command ver 6. and secondly to neglect it and yet hope for Heaven is shewed to be a mocking of God Paraphrase ver 6. I charge you in Christs name Let him that by Gods Minister is taught in the Word of the Gospel the way to Salvation give and minister unto him that teacheth him a part and share in all that he enjoyeth of the good things of this life towards his support Ver. 7. The Lord requireth this as you hope for any reward at his hands therefore Be not deceived with vain expectations of happiness if you neglect so necessary a Duty for though you may delude your selves yet God is not so easily mocked with your Hypocrisie nor dispense◠with the obedience to his Laws so lightly for whatsoever a man giveth and soweth that shall he also reap and receive for they that give nothing here shall have no reward hereafter § 11. Galat. 6.10 We come now secondly to shew more fully who are the objects of our Charity besides the Ministers viz. First All men since there is no man to whom another may not some way or other do good But secondly especially Christians Paraphrase We have many objects of our Charity and our life is short and our Estate uncertain while we have time therefore and such an opportunity as this Sacrament q Prov. 3.28 ita Phocylides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which perhaps we may never have more Let us Christians imitate our Heavenly Father and do good even to Infidels Hereticks or evil men r Aristoteles reprehensus quod viro malo dedisset Resp Hominem non mores respexi Laert. l. 5. and in some kind shew our Charity to all men who any ways need our help But especially let us have regard to the wants and give most largely to them that be Children of the same Father nourished at the same Table of the Houshold of God and Professors of the same Faith as Christ himself is the Saviour of all especially of them that believe § 12. 1 Tim. 6.6 7. To this may be objected We shall become poor our selves if we give so often and to so many Answ Mony is not a Christians Riches but content makes him rich here and Godliness hereafter ver 6. Secondly Our wealth is not our own nor can we carry it out of this World with us ver 7. Paraphrase ver 6. Be not ye Christians afraid to give liberally as if all your Wealth lay in perishing Gold and Silver For Godliness and the peace of a good Conscience is really the great Riches and molt valuable treasure For there is true Riches in the fear of God if a man desire not Worldly Wealth but be content with that little competency which he hath He is happier than in all abundance for he hath all which he desires whilst he lives and he shall need Earthly things no longer Ver. 7. Our happiness had need consist in something else besides outward Riches which we only have the use of here For we were born naked and so brought nothing with us when we came into this World These were all given us by God for whose sake we may well give part thereof especially since we must leave ſ Job 1.21 Da quod non potes retinere ut recipias quod non potes amittere Aug. Epist Quae stutitia est illic relinquere unde exiturus es eo non praemittere quo iturus es Chrysost in Math. 6. Quod pauperi non dederis habebit alter Petr de Raven all the rest behind Neither when we die may we carry any thing of that which we save out with us so that it is our wisdom not to lay up all here from whence we are removeing but to give of these things while they are in our power which we are about to leave for ever § 13. 1 Tim. 6.17 18 19. Though the Apostle perswade all to do what they can yet if men of ability be negligent here is First a positive command to the rich Merchants of Ephesus pressed with this motive that this is the best provision they can lay up in order to the obtaining Everlasting Life Paraphrase It is most dangerous of all and wholly inexcusable for those of ability not to give wherefore charge them who by the divine bounty are rich in the things of this World t Locupletem te dicis divitem Divitem te sentiant pauperes locupletem indigentes Cypr. not to forget such as are in want but that they be ready without asking or urging out of their abundance to give
doth acknowledge himself to be thy Servant even CHARLES our King and Soveraign Liege Help him so to defend Religion execute Justice and subdue his Enemies that under him we and all his Subjects may be religiously and godly peaceably and quietly Governed and accordingly be obedient unto as well as happy in so gracious a Prince And that his excellent Laws may not be perverted in their Administration O Lord Grant such grace unto his whole Council with whom he adviseth in making Laws and to all Magistrates and Officers that are put in Authority to execute them under him That they may deliberately weigh every cause and truly and indifferently determine it so as to make it appear they do minister Iustice and imploy their Power To the punishment of wickedness and greater Crimes the correction of lesser enormities and Vice And the maintenancâ— and defence of the Profession of thy true Religion together with the Practice of all Equity and Vertue which is the endeavour of all Righteous Magistrates But that Piety and Justice may be taught by the Ministers as well as outwardly incouraged â—iâ—e grace O Heavenly Father for the same thy Son Jesus Christs sake to all whom thou hast made Bishops and Governours or Pastors and Curates over thy Flock Assist them so in those sacred offices that they may both by the holiness of their life and the purity of their Doctrine declare and set forth the excellencies of thy true quickening and lively Wâ—rd so that many may be won to live according to it And grant that they may also orderly and rightly frequently and duly Administer both Baptism and the Lords Supper which are thy Holy Sacraments And let them be particularly assisted in the Celebration of the present mystery And that all their labours be not in vain Do thou to all thy People throughout the Christian World â—ive thy Heavenly Grace to dispose their hearts rightly to receive divine things Especially grant to this Congregation and every person here present before thee that with meek hearts from a sense of their own ignorance and due reverence from the apprehension of thy Authority they may hear attentively and receive by Faith the directions of thy Holy Word O Lord let them be converted by it and become real Christians truly serving thee in all the duties of Piety and Holiness Charity and Righteousness and continue in this Obedience all the days of their life especially after this solemn renewing of their Covenant with thee And further reflecting upon thy pitty towards all afflicted persons for the sufferings-sake of thy dear Son We that yet are spared do most humbly beseech thee that though we and our Brethren deserve to suffer yet of thy goodness thou wilt be pleased O Lord effectually at present to comfort and speedily to deliver and succour not those distressed Creatures alone which we particularly love or know but all them who are capable of the benefit of our Prayers even all who in this transitory life the Scene of sorrows are in trouble and fear of some approaching Evil or in sorrow for some Calamity already sustained All that are in need and want as to their outward Estate or in pain and sickness as to their body Or who are visited with some or all of these or any other Adversity Oh pitty and relieve them all And Finally as we praise thee for all the Mercies which thou minglest with the Miseries of this life so we also bless and chiefly praise thy holy Name for those who have no mixtures of sin or sorrow in their Cup of pure and perfect joy even for all thy Saints and holy Servants who were once as frail as we but by thy grace are now departed out of this life but who did live in thy Faith and die in thy fear never forsaking Religion nor a good Conscience We rejoice in their happiness and though we need not pray for them yet we cannot forbear beseeching thee for our selves who are yet upon the Waves that thou wilt please to give us also the same grace which thou gavest them That we may be able so to follow their good Examples in all Piety and Charity while we live that with them and in that glorious Society we may when we die be Partakers by the like Mercy of thy Heavenly Kingdom and its unspeakable felicities Hear us we beseech thee and Grant this and all the rest O Father to thy poor Children who make not our Requests in our own Name or trusting in our own merits but for Iesus Christ his sake and through the most prevailing Sacrifice of his Death here Commemorated Nor do we need or desire to use any other name since he is Our only Mediator to make our peace and Advocate to plead our cause who also joins with us in these Petitions and therefore we hope thou wilt say to him and to us Amen and then it shall be so SECT VIII Of the warning before the Communion § 1. IT is fit that great Mysteries should be ushered in with the solemnities of a great preparation for which cause God gave the Israelites three days warning of his design to publish the Law Exod. 19.15 and ordered their Festivals to be proclaimed by the sound of a Trumpet some time before Levit. 25.9 Numb 10.2 The Paschal Lamb the Type of Christ in this Sacrament was to be chosen and kept by them four days to mind them to prepare for the Celebration of the Passover Exod. 12.3.6 And Christians having more and higher duties in order to this Holy Feast must not have less time or shorter warning whereupon as good Hezekiah published by particular expresses his intended Passover long before 2 Chron. 30. so hath our Church prudently ordered this timely notice to be given that none might pretend to stay away out of ignorance of the time or unfitness for the duty but that all might come and come prepared also It is needless to expect a President for this in the antient Church their daily or Weekly Communions made it known that there was then no solemn Assembly of Christians without it and every one not under censure was expected to Communicate But now when the time is somewhat uncertain and our long omissions have made some of us ignorant and others forgetful of this duty most of us unwilling and all of us more or less indisposed for it it was both prudent and necessary to provide these large Warnings and Exhortations Cautions and Instructions For the Composures themselves they are exact and rarely fitted to be the Harbingers to this blessed Sacâ—ament and if we duly weigh and carefully improve them they will exceedingly help towards our Preparation as will be evident enough without a Paraphrase in the succeeding Analysis and Discourse The Analysis of the Warning before the Communion § 2. This Warning consisteth of three principal Parts 1. Information concerning 1. The Time Dearly beloved on next I purpose c. 2. The Persons to administer to all
man considers before he set upon any great affair First He surveys the nature of the work Secondly He examines his own fitness to undertake it Thus did Solomon when he was to build the Temple 1 Kings 3.3.8 9. and when a marriage with Sauls Daughter was proposed to David Seemeth it saith he a light thing unto you to be a Kings Son c. so must we meditate of this divine Ordinance and say to our own Souls O how dreadful is this place Gen. 28.17 seemeth it a small thing unto thee to be feasted with God waited on by Angels fed with the body of Jesus and refreshed with a Cup of that saving blood which hath attoned the sins of the World What meaneth this secret that so poor a Wretch and sinful a Rebel should receive so mighty a favour and be received to so near embraces How can I approach to these Terrible Mysteries till I have pulled back the Veil and worshipped him that feeds my body to convey grace to my Soul and makes that stoop to the Eye of sense which Angels cannot behold with open faces The Minister's considering this before doth not excuse us from considering it also but we our selves must as he adviseth consider withal the dignity to make us full of desires and humble and the danger to put us upon the strictest care and preparation And if the peril of unworthy receiving do only make us more diligent to come well it becomes its own Cure and the consideration of this danger makes that really there is none to those who come humbly esteeming this Ordinance as it doth deserve § 7. And so to search and examine your own Consciences and that not lightly and after the manner of dissemblers with God but so that ye may come holy and clean to such an Heavenly Feast in the marriage garment required by God in holy Scripture and be received as worthy partakers of that holy Table Having spent some time in a serious contemplation of the dignity of this mystery our next duty is to search and try how we are fitted for it we must not only admire the Guest but prepare and cleanse the House for his reception and if we have done the first part so as that we have begot in our Souls a due esteem of the blessed Jesus we shall not dare to bring him into a filthy heart the receptacle of his Enemies and his Murderers When Augustus found but mean entertainment at the House of a Roman Citizen to whom he was invited he accounted it a disrespect to his Person and in anger said Sir I thought you and I had not been so familiar but our Lord is not offended at the meanness of his treat if there be no mixtures of uncleanness and iniquity Pythagoras his mystical precept not to cast Bread into a draught i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may fitly warn us not to put this Bread of Life into a Soul more odious to the Eyes of God than the receptacles of abomination can be to ours How careful was Joseph and Nicodemus to wrap his dead body in the purest linnen and shall we shew a less regard to his Person now that he liveth for ever But surely no Christian need be urged to so plain and so necessary a Duty only let us note those excellent directions for the manner of doing it which are here given us viz. That which we must search is the the Records of Conscience which if we examine l Salvatorem nostrum suscepturi totis viribus debemus nos cum iplius adjutorio praeparare omnes latebras animae nostrae diligentèr aspicere ne fortè sit in nobis aliquod peccatum absconditum quod conscientiam nostram confundat oculos divina Majestatis offendat Ambros de Sacram. seriously and strictly we may find there an impartial account of all the good we have omitted and all the evil which we have committed for there are those remembrances which will either accuse or excuse us at the holy Table Rom. 2.15 Wherefore we must take heed that we do not this lightly only out of Custom before a solemn time or meerly that we may seem to have done it as most men do who only gently touch these sores and give a slight and superficial glance at some of their greatest or latest committed sins but never care for searching into the bottom and looking into the inward Corners of their Corruptions These alas are but Dissemblers with God who only seek for some matter to confess and tell a sad story without any sorrow or real purposes of amendment yet call this preparation and come to this Sacrament with expectations of pardon and acceptance But truly we had as good do nothing neither God nor Conscience will so excuse us we do but lose our labour and cheat our selves with a shadow for the substance unless we do it impartially and with real designs to see our sins clearly and be humbled deeply for them so that we may hate and forsake them for ever hereafter Now that our Examination may be thus performed let us as the wise man adviseth Remember the end and we shall never do amiss Ecclus 7.16 We must consider therefore in the present case That we are so to try our selves First That we may come to this Heavenly Feast holy and adorned with the Wedding Garment Math. 22.2 that is we must examine not only till we see our sin but till we hate it and instead of those filthy rags have put on pure and pious dispositions which are that clean Linnen even the Righteousness of the Saints Revel 19.8 for by these Ornaments are holy Souls fitted for that Coelestial Company which is to be met at this Solemnity And secondly another end of our Examination is that we may be accepted by God himself as worthy Communicants that he who seeth the heart may approve the sincerity of our Repentance and the great King who comes in to see the Guests may by his gracious estimation supply the defects of our performance and call us worthy though strictly we are not so It is not that men may think we have duly prepared but that the All-seeing God may receive us that is treat us nobly and entertain us kindly as the word to receive signifies Math. 18.5 Act. 21.17 at this Heavenly Banquet And can we think a formal search will procure these graces or prevail for the divine acceptance nothing less than a through Repentance will suffice to this end and how to perform that the next Paragraph will discover § 8. The way and means thereto is first to examine your lives and Conversations by the Rule of Gods Commandments and whereinsoever ye shall perceive your selves to have offended either by Will Word or Deed there to bewail your own sinfulness and to confess your selves to Almighty God with full purpose of amendment If all that hath been said have convinced us of the necessity and advantage of a strict preparation
now raised up again by the mercies of God and the merits of Jesus walk after a new manner in all religious and holy Conversation so should our deliverance be for the glory of his holy name through Christ Jesus for whatsoever Lusts we shall conquer or whatsoever good we shall perform the praise must wholly redound to him who did revive and restore us And surely we shall find it a most happy change from the slavery of sin the bondage of Satan and the fear of Hell to be acquainted with the pleasures of holiness the peace of a good Conscience and the love of God wherefore though this be the last let it not be thought the least of these Petitions but let us beg it with such Devotion as may attest our sincerity in all the other parts of this Confession so will our Heavenly Father grant them all to us through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The Paraphrase of the Confession § 9. O Almighty God we thy poor sinful Creatures full of anguish and confusion for our offences against thy Majesty do make bold to come unto thee because thou art the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and for his sake inclinable to shew us mercy Thou art the Maker of us and all things and thou hatest nothing which thou hast made but hast pity on all the works of thy hands so that we are encouraged to make our supplication unto thee O thou judge of all men for it is in thy power for ever to acquit or to condemn us We tremble and blush to be found Sinners against so infinite a power and goodness but we must not add Hypocrisie to our disobedience Wherefore We acknowledge freely and bewail most bitterly our manifold offences of all kinds from the least of our Sins to the greatest of our Crimes and wickedness All and every one of which we long and frequently from time to time with many provoking aggravations most grievously have committed O Lord who can tell how oft we have offended * Here call to mind some of the greatest of thy particular sins in thoughts words or actions By thought in vain and evil imaginations by word in false uncharitable or blasphemous speeches and by Deed in ungodly unjust or intemperate actions For alas by all and every one of these ways we have daily sinned against thy Divine Majesty turning thereby thy loving kindness into displeasure and provoking thee to anger we have given thee cause most justly to let loose thy wrath and indignation against us to our utter ruine if thy mercy do not help us Our guilt is evident our danger apparent and our estate is most deplorable wherefore We do most passionately and earnestly repent us that ever we did commit them And are heartily sorry with all our Souls for these our so many and so abominable misdoings When we look upon the baseness and presumption of these vile offences The remembrance of them doth pierce our hearts with shame and sorrow and is most grievous unto us When we behold thy Favour which we have forfeited and Eternal Damnation which we have deserved thereby the burden of them presseth down our Souls with a load of terror and amazement that is intolerable Yet since thou callest all that are heavy laden we must not despair of thy pity but in this great distress we do beseech thee to Have mercy upon us and since our necessity forceth us to be importunate we will cry again Have mercy upon us We know thou art a most merciful Father though by sin we are unworthy to be called thy Children yet we hope thy bowels will yern upon us We lie prostrate and helpless begging of thee for thy dearly beloved Son our Lord Iesus Christ his sake and by the merits of his Cross and Passion to forgive us freely and fully for all that is past from the beginning of our life until this very moment Lord make us instances of thy mercy And grant when we have received so excellent and undeserved a favour that we may be so engaged thereby as that for ever hereafter we may beware of falling back into the like sin and misery Convert us we beseech thee as well as pardon us and enable us most obediently to serve and most intirely to please thee by spending the rest of our time in newness of life and all holy conversation Which through the help of thy grace we do here vow and resolve upon that this mighty change may tend to the honour and glory of thy Name who hast so wonderfully delivered us All which we most heartily beg through Iesus Christ our Lord to whose intercession for us do thou say Amen and it shall be to us according to thy word Amen SECT IV. Of the Absolution § 1. HE must be wholly a stranger to the Discipline of the Antient Church who knows not how great a care was taken that no publick offender might partake of these mysteries until by a long tryal and a great humiliation he had received an Absolution as publick as his crime had been so that it was a mighty and scandalous irregularity in S. Cyprians time a Nondum poenitentiâ actâ nondum exomologesi factâ nondum manu eis ab Episcopo Clero impositâ Eucharistia iis datur Cypr. de laps that lapsed persons by the favour of the Confessors and Martyrs were in some places suffered to Communicate without the solemn Absolution which yet was rectified afterwards b Vbique mysterii ordo servatur ut prius per remissionem vulneribus medicina tribuatur postea alimonia mensae coelestis exuberet Ambr. in Luc. But this godly Discipline being now every where laid aside it is so much the more necessary to supply it by this general Confession and Absolution Concerning which in general the Reader may consult what is said before Compan to the Temp. SECT IV. § 1. And as to this particular form it shall suffice to note that it is in imitation of that antient form of blessing c Benedictio ista pronuncianda est à sacerdote stante facie ad populum versâ manibus elevatis altâ voce in nomine Dei proprio RR. ap Fag Numb 6.24 c. being expressed by way of Prayer as there The Lord bless thee c. And since it is certain there is such a Power vested in the Ministers of the Gospel to support the spirits of a dejected Penitent by antedating his pardon in the name of God there can be no fitter opportunity to exercise this power than now when so many poor humbled Sinners are kneeling before God and begging forgiveness at his hands Then it becomes the Priest in Confidence of his Masters Mercy to give them his best wishes and with more than an ordinary Prayer to signifie as well as ask their pardon You have said with David We have sinned wherefore God hath sent his Minister like another Nathan to assure you that He hath also put away the iniquity of your
for it as to intitle it to all the Blessings of the Covenant and it is an excellent Charity of the Church to lend them hands to receive such a mercy without which they must remain under the power of Death There are other Reasons also given of the Institution of Godfathers and Godmothers viz. 1. For the security of the Church that the Children shall not Apostatize hence they are called Sureties 2. That every Christian may have a Monitor who was present and concerned in his Vow hence they are called Witnesses 3. That the New-birth may be better represented by new and spiritual Relations whence they are termed Godfathers and Godmothers For God and Nature have sufficiently obliged the natural Parents already yet for the greater care of the baptized's Salvation the Church hath added two or three more that if some neglect their Duty the others may supply their defects Now to these Sureties is this plain admonition directed as an introduction to the Covenant into which they are about to enter And first it looks back and briefly remembers them what hath been done already 1. They have presented the Child and in the two first Collects begged that God will accept it Pardon it Sanctifie it and make it an Heir of his Kingdom 2. On Gods part they have heard from the mouth of Jesus that this Child is capable to receive and he is willing to give all these blessings as well unto it as to those of riper Years provided the Child be engaged to perform those conditions without which God will not grant these blessings to old nor young Secondly Therefore this Exhortation looks forwards and as briefly tells them what it is which the Lord expects from them viz. To become Sureties in the name of this Child and to promise to him in its behalf First Repentance Secondly Faith Thirdly Obedience Let them therefore stand forth with seriousness and sobriety remembring they are bound to all these things already for themselves Yet now God is pleased to accept them as Bondsmen for a poor helpless Soul in whose stead they stand and Covenant for it to save it from Hell and to procure it a right to glory the particulars of which stipulation do next follow §. 8. The Interrogatories and Answers I demand therefore Dost thou in the name of this Child renounce the Devil c. Almighty God hath promised Eternal Life but it is upon certain Conditions viz. of Faith Repentance and Obedience and since the Master requires these the Servant cannot dispense with them it were vain in the Minister to offer and impudent in any Person to expect Salvation upon other terms m Avidus ad mercedem piger ad laborem quâ fronte speras quod promisit Deus qui non facis quod jussit Deus August de Sanct. 4. As God promiseth on his part we must engage on ours and he is willing to deal with us after the manner of men amongst whom n In omnibus pactis stipulatio subjici debet ut ex stipulatione actio nasci possit Paulus jurisc 2. sent 22. Sect. ult all contracts are made by mutual promises Wherefore he hath placed the Priest in his stead to take security that this Infant shall observe the conditions of the Covenant and because it cannot Answer for it self the Church hath lent unto it the tongue of its Surety to promise for it o Accommodat illis mater Ecclesia aliorum pedes ut veniant aliorum cor ut credant aliorum linguam ut stipulent Aug. in Act. 2. Since for want of Age Children saith S. Augustine p Aug. de bapt in Donatist cap. 24. cannot believe with the heart to righteousness nor confess with the mouth unto Salvation therefore others answer for them that the Sacrament may be Administred compleatly to them and this sufficeth for their Consecration because they cannot Answer Where we may Observe that this Baptismal Covenant was always made by Question and Answer which is taken notice of by all the Antients and seems to have been the method in the Apostles days because St. Peter calls Baptism the Answer or as the word rather signifies q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vulg. Conscientiae bonae interregatio Beza stipulatio The asking of or concerning a good Conscience 1 Peter 3.21 for there was always Queries put to the party Baptized which adult Persons did Answer themselves and Children by their Representatives who are here to Answer in the first Person as the Advocate doth speak in the Person of his Client I renounce c. because the contract is made properly with the Child And since this is so solemn a Covenant these Sureties must speak with a plain and audible Voice r Praeterea inutilis est stipulatio si quis ad ea quae interrogatus fuit non Respondeat Justin instit l. 3. Tit. 20. Sect. 5. to the several Queries which we will now consider in Order being four in all The first Concerning Repentance and forsaking of Evil. The second and third concerning Faith and believing of the Truth The fourth Concerning Obedience and the doing of that which is good Query 1. When we enter into League with God and become his Confederates we must have the same Friends and Enemies especially because the same which are Enemies to him are also Enemies to our Salvation Nor can we be listed under Christ unless we engage to fight against the World the Flesh and the Devil ſ Neque enim potest esse quis Domini nisi prius renuntiaverit mundo Ambros Luc. 20. Vide Rom. 6.18.22 And First because Satan is the chief Agent in opposing our Salvation and all his Works tend to subvert us we must Renounce him and all his Works and vow that we will never serve under him nor do his Commands nor entertain his suggestions Now this renuntiation was done in the Primitive times with great Solemnity by such as were of Age and had been Converted from the actual service of the Devil and Idolatry These did turn toward the West and three times repeat I renounce c. and then spitting as it were in defiance of their old Master they were signed with the Cross and marked for Christs Souldiers and finally Consecrated with many holy Prayers called Exorcisms to secure them in the possession of Jesus as may be seen in the Antient Doctors t Cyril Cateches 1. Ambros de initiand c. 2. Hieronym in Amos 6. Dionys Eccles Hierar c. 2. But now since we commonly Baptize Children many of these Ceremonies are omitted and yet the substance is retained still because Children are by nature slaves of Satan and though as yet they have not been actually in his service yet they will be apt to be drawn into it by the pomps of this alluring World and the Lusts of their Flesh so that it is necessary to secure them for God betimes and engage them to take all these for their Enemies viz. 1. The Devil
may fitly be used when we fear or feel any Temptation to Sin as the other when we apprehended any danger For so long as our hearts and bodies are kept in the ways of Righteousness we may be assured of universal and continual safety The Paraphrase of the Second Prayer O Almighty Lord Eternal and Everlasting God whose Power is infinite and always the same Remember the frailty of us thy finite Creatures and vouchsafe we beseech thee to keep us wholly and throughout h 1 Thessal 5.23 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl Direct by thy Wisdom sanctifie by thy grace and govern by thy Providence both the affections of our hearts where sin is wont to begin i Spiritus enim dominatur caro famulatur Tertul. de Bapt. and the members of our Bodies by which it is too often accomplished Keeping them both in the right and pleasant ways of thy Laws assisting them in the duties and in the holy and good works of thy Commandments Let us never stray from thy sure paths so that through thy most mighty Protection which is always over those that are exercised in well-doing Both here in this present life and ever hereafter We may be preserved from all sin and danger and kept safe both in Body and Soul until we come to thy Kingdom Which we beg through his merits who is our Lord to govern us and our Saviour to deliver us even for Iesus Christ his sake Amen III. A Prayer for a Blessing upon the Word of God § 4. This short Collect is of excellent use after the Sermon or Lessons in publick as also when the Scripture hath been read in private And because it is not the hearing of Gods word with our Ears but the engrafting it in our hearts James 1.21 which makes it powerful to our Salvation we ought always after it to pray as here 1. That it may take root in our hearts 2. That it may spring forth in our lives The Paraphrase of the third Prayer O Lord we have brought forth little fruit of all the excellent things which we have hitherto heard Grant we beseech thee therefore O Almighty God who only givest increase to this spiritual Seed k 1 Corinth 3.6 Cathedram in coelo habet qui corda docet Aug. in Ep. Johan That the words which we have heard this day Preached or read out of holy Scripture with our outward Ears which are so apt to let good things slip l Nec retinent patulae commissa fidelitèr aures Pauci illam quam conceperunt mentem domum perferre potuerunt Sen. ep 108. even that they may through the working of thy Grace which quickens all things be so grafted and planted m James 1.23 Graec. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syriac plantatum benè nam Verbum Dei saepe confertur semini Math. 13. c. inwardly in our very hearts and affections that they may never be forgotten but take root there and bring forth in us so plentifully that our whole Conversation may abound in the fruit n Coloss 1.6 James 1.22 of good works Which blessed effect of thy Word we pray for because it will not only tend to our benefit but to the spreading of the Honour and setting forth the Praise of thy Name who hast so happily reformed our ways Do thou therefore thus teach us through the merits and for the sake of Iesus Christ our Lord be it so Amen IV. A Prayer for Success in all our actions § 5. If we acknowledge Gods Providence we must undertake nothing till we have first asked his Counsel to direct us o Ita Scipio referente Plutar. Et ap Platon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Timae and as we go on we must call for his assistance to further us and when we have done we must wait for his blessing to Crown all with success All which we are taught to do in this compendious and pious form which is never unseasonable but very fit to be used especially in the Morning before we begin our work The Paraphrase of the fourth Prayer O God our ways are not in our own Power p Jer. 10.23 wherefore we commit them to thee who art able to bring them to pass q Psal 37.5 And be thou pleased to Prevent r Prevent vex media Psal 88.13 in malo sensu Psal 18.18 in bono 21.3 Psal 59.10 Bonitas tua O Deus meus antevertat Vulg. praeveniet me Vatabl. Psal 79.10 Vulg. Antevertat nos Misericordia tua Vide item Hammond Psal 21. ver 3. Annot. b. us O Lord before we expect it in the beginning of all our doings and come early to meet us before hand with thy most gracious savour so that we may begin things pleasing and then as we go on further us all the way with thy continual help And leave us not till we have accomplished them by thy prospering our endeavours Å¿ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Demosthen Olynth 2. So that in the performance of all our works since they are Begun by thee and thy direction continued through thee and thy assistance and ended t Hinc omne principium huc refer exitum Horat. Carm. l. 3. Od. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plato in thee and with thy blessing We may have continual cause to glorifie and speak good of thy holy Name when we find how we prosper by trusting in thee And finally having advanced thy Glory in this short life let us though unworthy and without any merit in our selves yet by thy mercy obtain that everlasting life where we may praise thee for ever through Iesus Christ our Lord for whose sake we beseech thee to hear us Amen V. A Prayer to supply the defects of our other Devotions § 6. When St. Paul had asked all he could for his Ephesians he commits them to him that was able to do more for them than he could ask or think u Ephes 3.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl And from thence we have taken this suppletory Prayer being very proper for the beginning or ending of publick or private Supplications because it sets before us 1. The incomparable Wisdom of God 2. Our own Imperfections And thence deduceth 1. A general Petition for Compassion as to all the defects of our Prayers 2. A particular request for the adding of that which we omitted The Paraphrase of the fifth Prayer x Note this Prayer is very proper to be said to our selves when we kneel down at our first coming into the Church to Prayers O Almighty God the Original of all Power and the fountain of all Wâ—sâ—om y Proverbs 2.6 We make not our Prayers to instruct thee z Math. 6.32 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theophyl who knowest our necessities and all our wants before we ask of thee to supply them And who discernest our Ignorance and folly in asking hurtful things because we do not well know what is good for ourselves
a Vide Rom. 8.26 Wherefore We beseech thee O merciful Father to have Compasâ—ion upon us because of these our infirmities excusing the failings and supplying the defects of these our Prayers And those things which we have left out being checked by our Consciences for our unworthiness which made us that we dare not pray for them As also those things which for our ignorance and for our spiritual blindness we cannot ask not knowing they were good for us vouchsafe to give them all unto us of thy bounty which is wont to go beyond b Vberior semper est Dei gratia quam nostra precatio Ambr. in Luc. Fides aliquando recipit quod Oratio non praesumit Bernard de grad humil Ex gratiâ 1 Reg. 3.13 Psal 21.4 Luc. 23.42 43. all our Petitions Withold not any good thing because we are unworthy but give us all that we need for the worthiness and merits of thy Son Iesus Christ our Lord who hath deserved this grace for us Amen VI. A Concluding Prayer for the acceptance of the rest § 7. There are three Qualifications of an acceptable Prayer 1. That it be made in Christs name c John 14.13 16.23 2. That it be agreeable to Gods will d 1 Ep. S. John 5.14 3. That it be asked in Faith e Math. 21.22 James 5.15 Now because it were impudent to expect to be heard upon other Terms the Church hath here put them all together in this finishing Prayer which is very properly used after any of our Prayers especially the Common Prayers which if we have said in Faith we are sure the Petitions are according to Gods will and made in the name of Christ The Paraphrase of the sixth Prayer Almighty God who in thy holy Word hast promised graciously to hear and readily to answer the Petitions of them that according to thy direction do ask in thy Sons name the only Mediator and Advocate of his Church Relying on this thy Promise We beseech thee most mercifully to incline thy Ears and most speedily to return an answer to us that have made now in our great necessity these our Prayers and Supplications and presented them unto thee in the name of Jesus Christ And grant us this last request even that those great and excellent things which trusting in thy mercy we have faithfully asked Provided they be according to thy will and such things as thou seest to be good for us that they may effectually be obtained by our Petitions and speedily bestowed on us And this thy mercy in granting our requests will both tend to the relief of us thy servants in all our Necessities And also to the setting forth of thy own infinite glory before all the World who will perceive thy goodness towards us thy unworthy Creatures through Iesus Christ our Lord In whose Name we ask and for whose sake thou givest every good thing by whom therefore all glory be to thee for ever Amen The End of the Communion Office A BRIEF DISCOURSE UPON THE OFFICES OF BAPTISM AND CONFIRMATION LONDON Printed by J. M. for John Martyn at the Bell in St. Pauls Church-Yard MDCLXXIV TO THE REVEREND and WORTHY JOHN TILLOTSON Doctor of DIVINITY DEAN OF CANTERBURY c. SIR I Do not imagine I shall discharge those Obligations which your Goodness hath laid upon me but rather encrease them by the Presenting these little Tracts unto you for it will contribute to their Reputation to be ushered in with so worthy a Name Place this before Page 357. and add to their Authors Character to be reckoned among the number of your Friends So that if this Tender be accepted but as the Testimony of my Gratitude I shall confess my self to be your Debtor still The Discourses are brief that they may be of as general use as they are of Vniversal Concernment The first upon the Office of Baptism shewing as well the Consent of this Church with the best Antiquity therein as the several duties of Parents Sureties and younger Christians in order to the making and keeping the Baptismal Vow The Second being a like Account of the necessary though neglected Office of Confirmation containing the Motives to perswade to it the Method of its Administration and the means to profit by it And I hope they are so done that they may be honoured with your approbation as well as your Name for then they will be effectually recommended to all the judicious and raised above the censures of the less discerning I shall only add That as I wish no others may measure the worth of these Papers barely by their Proportion a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Demosthenes so I will particularly request from your self not to estimate the Respects of the Presenter by the Quantity of the Present b In quo censendum nil nisi Dantis amor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Chrysost hom in Johan for though the Treatises are small yet they are tendered with a great affection by Reverend Sir Your most obliged and most faithful Servant Tho. Comber THE INTRODVCTION Of Baptism in general § 1. WAter hath so naturally a property of cleansing that it hath been made the Symbol of Purification by all Nations and used with that signification a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Plut. quaest Roman in the Rites of all Religions The Gentiles washed before their Sacrifices b 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 idem Lavabo ut rem divinam faciam Plautus and for the Expiation of their offences c Aquae vero adspersione corporis labem tolli castimoniam praestari putabant Alex. ab Alexandr de Aegyptiis sacerd gen di l. 4. c. 17. yea Satan who delights to counterfeit divine Institutions had taught the Heathens divers kinds of Baptisms as means of remission of their sins d Nationes extraneae viduis aquis sibi mentiuntur nam sacris quibusdam per lavacrum initiantur Isidis alicujus aut Mithrae certè ludis Apollinaribus Pelusiis tinguntur idque se in regenerationem ut impunitatem perjuriorum suorum agere praesumunt Tert. de Bapt. Aug. de Bapt. in Donatist The frequent washings of the Jews are known to all and Baptism is no stranger to them for they Baptize such as are admitted Proselytes at large and when any of those Nations turn Jews who are already Circumcised they receive them by Baptism only with which Ceremony also they purified Heathen Women which were to be married to Jewish Husbands And some of their own Rabbins had said of old That in the days of the Messiah there should be so many Converts that they should be forced to baptize them because it would be impossible to Circumcise them all And this is that universal plain and easie Rite which our Lord Jesus adopted to be a mystery in his Religion and the Sacrament of admission into his Church enjoining his Disciples and all their Successors to use it to this end in all parts