obtain when time shall be swallowed up in Eternity when Faith shall be turn'd into Vision bare hopes into actual Enjoyment O Lord hear and graciously accept of these my Prayers through Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Preparatory Prayer before the Sacrament O Thou Searcher of hearts who knowest the secrets and most silent passages of the mind assist me in the survey and examination of my Soul that I may draw up a true Inventory of all the furniture of sin which is lodged in my breast I dare not approach thy Table before I have entred into my self and laid open all my sins and iniquities before thee which I have been contracting so long that I am become an aged sinner I have no other Sanctuary to repair to but thy mercy therefore O Lord pardon the sins of my whole life and pity the Infirmities of age and though I am of small esteem and no reputation among men though this trembling and wither'd Body of mine is become unwelcome to the eye of the World yet grant that thy holy Spirit would vouchsafe to dwell in this Ancient Temple that I may daily magnifie thy holy Name I dare not presume to draw near thy Table without making my addresses to the Throne of Grace for he that confesses his sins shall obtain a covering for them O Lord cleanse my hands and purifie my heart and make me conformable to thy Will and thy Image that I may not pollute thy heavenly food nor prophane the most blessed body and blood of my dearest Saviour To this end sanctifie my body and soul that no unclean thing may come out of my mouth that I may detest and abhor covetousness lying and injurious dealing all cursing blasphemy and unreasonable anger that I may be chaste virtuous meek and religious that I never offer to put that heavenly Food into a mouth used to gluttony and drunkenness to falsifying the truth and speaking evil of my Brethren for this will be to make no difference yea to prophane the Lord's Body Teach me to put off the Old man and repair the breaches of my decay'd Nature prosper and direct my present purposes of communicating at thy Table that I may prove a true Disciple and know my Lord in breaking of bread This is the commemoration of my Saviours death may it prove instrumental to my eternal life strike an aw and reverence in my heart because of thy Presence and in consideration that it is thy holy Ordinance My soul mourns when I consider at what a great distance my sins have set me from thee but yet now I begin to revive and wax glad because of thy faithful promise of re-union O how I hunger and thirst for thy saving health to be united to that sacred Body whose Head is Christ Give me Faith to believe in him who by Faith and new Obedience is made mine Make me a welcome Guest at thy holy Table that all the days of my life I may bear a good Conscience both towards God and towards Man which will be a continual Feast O Lord this is a Feast of Love therefore expel out of my mind all disorderly and uncharitable thoughts that I may lovingly embrace all my aged Brethren who are fed within the walls of this Religious House that I may extend it to all men even my enemies and forgive the whole world for thou didst the same thing to us who were at variance with thy holiness and purity For he that comes to thy Table with the barbarous thoughts of Revenge does certainly crucifie his Saviour afresh If my Lord and Saviour descended from his glorious Palace in Heaven was so humble as to take our Nature upon him endured the contradiction of sinners and at last laid down his life for my sake truly I am ashamed to think that I should scruple acts of kindness and civility Instances of love and charity to those who are bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh for so thy Prophet tells me by advising me not to turn away my face from my own flesh Seeing my God was made a Sacrifice for me what can I do less than make my solemn vows in the House of the Lord to serve him faithfully all the days of my life than to thank him for the pledges of his love and the seals of his Favour that while I carry about with me this frail and shattered body I may fit my self for the glorious Mansions above where there will be an Eternal Communion of Saints Who can tell how oft he offendeth therefore O Lord cleanse me from my secret faults Cast me not away in the time of my old age and forsake me not when my strength faileth me enable me to get the mastery of sin that I may perform holy duties with more ease and satisfaction and that I may have sweeter fellowship with thy Spirit I am eternally bound to thank thee for thy gracious instances of Providence in my own behalf that when I was a slave to sin and punishment thou gavest thy Son for a Ransom didst send thy holy Spirit for a pledge and comforter thy Word for a Guide and hast prepared a Kingdom for my inheritance I am now going about to renew thy Covenant to beg pardon for my failure in any of the conditions that I may not forfeit my right to Eternal Happiness Accept of my Prayers and Vows my imperfect offers of Duty and Obedience for the sake of the Son of thy Love the Holy Jesus my Mediator and Redeemer the Saviour of Mankind Grant that I may be a worthy Receiver that this holy action prescribed us by the great Attonement may prove efficacious and add to the life and refreshment of my Soul through Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer after the Receiving the holy Communion O Dearest Jesu the Head of the Church the Beginning and First-born from the Dead thou who gavest thy self a Sacrifice and Propitiation for my sins accept of my hearty Prayers and receive my Thanksgiving thou who upholdest all things by the word of thy Power sustain my weak and aged body thou who art the brightness of thy Fathers glory purifie and refine my Soul that it be not sullied with the filthiness of sin I humbly thank thee for the greatness of thy love in humbling thy self to the death of the Cross for thy institution of this Blessed Sacrament for thy gracious invitation to this holy Table and lastly for the unspeakable comfort and refreshment of my Soul Possess my Soul with a mighty sense of thy great goodness that I may declare to the sons of men the wonderful works that the Lord hath done unto me Let me clearly perceive the manifestation of thy wisdom and love who to inform and instruct my weakness are pleased by these Elements of Bread and Wine to figure out unto me the Body and Blood of my dearest Saviour may the Shadow lead me to the Substance and this Seal of thy gracious Covenant be an
instrument of my eternal Happiness that from this temporal Commemoration I may rise to the blessed Vision of my sweet Redeemer I am now almost in the Suburbs of Death grant that it may be in order to my entrance into the heavenly Jerusalem 't is not long before I shall try the Grand Experiment for now my Pulse beats about threescore and much further the strength of man cannot go Therefore I desire to settle the affairs of my Soul before I go hence and be no more seen I cannot tell whither I shall have another opportunity to partake of thy holy Table Therefore let this present participation of the holy Sacrament be a Seal and Testimony for the Remission of my Sins Though I have not long to live yet I will enter into covenant with my Soul to serve and obey thee to love the Lord my God with all my heart and with all my strength for the Righteousness of thy Testimonies is everlasting give me understanding and I shall live O thou who art the appointed Heir of all things the express Image of thy Fathers Person let thy Grace comfort and refresh me who hunger and thirst after eternal life let my Soul never faint in the Courts of the Lord as long as my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God Let Satan never find an opportunity to tempt and ensnare my Soul may I ever be diligent to prevent a surprize and abstain from transgressions lest my portion be among sad and accursed Souls As for me I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me Evening and Morning and at noon day will I pray and cry aloud and he shall hear my voice he hath delivered my Soul in peace from the Battel that was against me therefore I will put my trust in him for ever I confess I have omitted much good and am guilty of many Offences of Ignorance Infirmity and Knowledge therefore thy pardon I still beg and assistance of thy Grace that I may bring forth fruits worthy of Repentance Make thy Church happy in a Moses and Aaron in Nursing Fathers to go in and out before thy people and holy Ministers to stand before thee our God Preserve them from the malice of their Enemies and the strivings of the people let their lips preserve knowledge that we may seek the Law at their mouth Spare thy people bless them in their Souls Bodies and Estates that this Nation may be at length as great an instance of thy mercy as it has been of thy wrath and fury Every one of us more or less has contributed to the vast heap of crying sins yet seeing thou hast graciously afforded us a space for repentance and suspended the dreadful execution let our sorrow procure the continuance of thy Favours that Peace and Plenty may be within our Borders and no Invasion in the Land I thank thee O merciful Father for the freedom of thy Gospel the food of the Word the sweet refreshings of thy Sacraments publick Communions in thy Church and for all the benefits which are enjoyed by the society of Saints and good men Pitty all those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of Death who are not acquainted with thy Name or knowing it are nevertheless carried away by strong delusions into the ways of errour and mischief Bless all the sons and daughters of affliction strengthen them in the hour of tryal that neither the love of this world nor the loss of light neither the fear of death nor the terrors of Hell may make them unwilling to depart this life And now at length I humbly desire thee to give me wisdom to order my life aright from henceforth that I may be wary and circumspect in all my actions a careful and an understanding Hearer of thy Word a constant frequenter of thy Courts sober and temperate exercising my self unto all godliness that my whole Spirit Soul and Body may be kept blameless unto the end Plant in my Soul a deep detestation of all evil that when I see my sins I may also behold my Redeemer Bless this Religious Society the pious and aged Brethren that Peace and Love may endear and unite us all together that we may faithfully communicate heavenly things one to another temper our minds with submission and reverence that we may honour our Governours and pay our just duty to all our Superiours and no way carry our selves insolently to our Inferiours O Father Son and Holy Ghost the Blessed Three in One the All in All accept of these and all my hearty Prayers through Jesus Christ my God and Saviour Amen In the time of Sickness O Thou determiner of my days in whose hands are the Issues of Life and Death behold and pity thy aged and sinful Servant diseased in body and distressed in mind turn thy face unto me send down thine aid to comfort me for I am in pain desolate and poor Speak peace unto my Soul and say thou art my Salvation O dearest Jesus the brightness of thy Fathers Glory dispel these Clouds of Darkness and Despair thou who art the Souls Physician arise with healing under thy wings and shew thy skill in my weakness If it be thy Will and uncontroulable Decree by this thy Chastisement to finish my days draw near to my humble and afflicted Soul support it by thy strength in this day of Trial as I have alwaies endeavoured to live so let me now dye the death of the Righteous diminish the fears of death by the hopes of a blessed life hide not thy face from me in the time of my trouble hold not thy peace at my tears now my Soul cleaveth unto the dust but let the last Minute be the best of all my life Many days have I enjoyed the Comforts of Life in this quiet and Religious Sanctuary and all I ascribe to thy particular mercy and gracious instances of Providence But now my spirits faint my eyes wax dim my hands shake and the pillars of my house tremble now I find the time of my dissolution approaches by the regular Course of Nature therefore what is my Hope O Lord truly my hope and affiance is even in Thee O Lord my heart is smitten down and wither'd like Grass so that I forget to eat bread there is no health in my flesh because of thy displeasure and no rest in my bones by reason of my sin Therefore dear Saviour pardon me forgive me all my sins comfort me in this day of sorrow ease my pains and satisfie my doubts strengthen my hopes and relieve my Soul Thou who are the First-born from the dead the appointed Heir of all things uphold my faint and trembling Soul in the conflict and agony of death that I may utter nothing displeasing to thee O God and give me assurance that my portion shall never be among hopeless and accursed Souls in the Regions of Torment and Despair Welcome blessed Hour the period of my Pilgrimage the term of my
Cambray's Lord The bravest man that blind Age could afford Didst take compassion on the wandring Ghosts Of thy departed Friends Did'st consecrate to th' Lord of Hosts Thy Substance for Religious Ends. Thy Bounty at the best Gave only scatter'd ashes rest Sutton took care o' th' better part And did consummate it with wondrous Art By the large Issues of his boundless heart We grant ye both to us from heaven were sent Yet one 's a dead t'other a living Monument 2. Where sorrow dwelt and tears bedew'd the earth From whence the bitterest weeds deriv'd their birth Where grief and sighs were thickest found And Death had Chambers under ground Where sad Relations sorrow'd all around In that very House of mourning now The sweetest Charms of life do grow Therefore no more can we Call this a Vale of Misery No more let History say It is a Charnel house or Golgotha Unless we mean where skulls with cost and pains Have been enrich'd with wisdom and with brains 3. Vain-glorious Rome Could Heaven be purchas'd and the Joys above By what you dream will meritorious prove We have the noblest Instance here at home Sutton the best of Givers whose large mind By no Red-letter'd Model was confin'd He has erected in the Highest Sphear The largest and the noblest Mansion there Where thy great Babel never will appear 4. We heard and read of Charity before That England was its magazine and store When our Forefathers strove Religiously who should exceed in Love Who should attempt the greatest Good Till a mis-guided Zeal did so abound And cover all the richer ground That numerous streams did swell into a Floud They broke the Banks which should their force withstand And prov'd injurious to the neighbouring Land 5. Then the Reformation came and drain'd our Channels dry It gave Religion a new Name and serv'd to clear our sky A while few kind showers were found To fall upon the Brittish ground The late abuse of Charity withheld Some time its useful growth That Superstition might not yield A Nursery of Ignorance and Sloth The ground was rank and therefore all that fell Of rain and moisture here below About the Convent and the lazy Cell Did into useless Thorns and Thistles grow 6. But since we hear that Charity Just like the Orange Tree From a distant Climate come Leaving a warmer Air at home Ventur'd on our Inhospitable Isle Before she knew we had so clean a Soyl. At first this Stranger was scarce known In City Country Camp or Town She liv'd abroad she stood aloof Far from any Mansion-house She found the searching Air unkind and cold She seem'd to languish in the stiffer Mould This wa'nt a place for her to thrive No not a place to live All over shivering and timorous Therefore she beg'd the favour of a warmer Roof 7. All pale and wan she lay upon the ground Gasping for want of breath Her Eyes began to close her Pulse to cease Her trembling Soul to steal away in peace The common symptomes of approaching death Yet when the Searchers came they found That she was only in a swound Chasing her Limâ—… benum'd with cold The Native heat Appâ—â—â—d and kindly did great She woâ—ksâ— And in a pleaâ—â— honor told All she had seen above How every Region there is fill'd with love She saw the Throne And Him that sate thereon The eternal Springs from whence doth flow All the good we find below Spying poor Lazarus in the Patriarch's breast She knew 't was Heaven the place of everlasting rest Then from a tedious Trance she did revive And iâ— a Demonstration that we live 8. Rome's blind Devotion like the Mole Before did work and labour under ground As if Religion had its birth From the hollow Caverns of the Earth Where you may find the Cloyster'd Soul In Superstitious fetters bound The purest Lamp of Life they place In solitary shade below In the dark enteries of Hell Those dens and vaults where Snakes and Adders dwell As if the greatest part of Christian Race Were born to shameful misery and wo. These Romish Batts live in a daily fright Ever avoiding human sight A strange Religion which abhors the light 9. But our Great Patron void of all The trifling Fopperies of Rome Their sly Reserves and whispering Wall The grand Reproach of Christendom He bravely has secur'd our just Retreat The Reputation of the Brittish State And plac'd Religion in its proper Seat And now Triumphant Arches may be spar'd When such a lasting Monument is rear'd So God has plac'd the Rainbow in the sky A memorandum of the Floud To advertise Mortality At once that he is just and good 10. The Youth and Aged as they lay Objects of pitty in thy way Besought a helping hand Children untaught to make their moan And old Age almost speechless grown When succour they demand Point not to Thee in vain To read those lines of sorrow which complain With Lazarus they begg'd a Crum Or Belizarius a small Sum But thy large Alms did an Exchequer drain Alas thy free and generous mind Disdain'd to be confin'd When thou dost give 'T is that whereon whole Nations might live Like Macedon's great Man when thou dost pitty Thou stretchest out thy hand and giv'st a City 11. What Argument could draw Thee hence To gratifie the Reason or the Sense What pure and endless joys must that man find Who freely left to us a Paradise behind A Paradise wherein we see No tempting Eve and no forbidden Tree All things are open all are free to taste All masculine and innocent and chaste Here 's nothing naked and forlorn Expos'd to punishment or scorn All things are clad and thus it Paradise exceeds Instead of Figleaves we have nobler Weeds 12. Plenty here has chose her seat Here all things needful and convenient meet Every week are hither sent Inhabitants o' th' watry Element When I met Creatures in a throng And found they hither came Seeing so vast a number croud along Methought they went to Eden for a Name 13. Thy very Wilderness is fruitful too Every Walk and every Grove Bears the fresh characters of Love Here 's nothing wild all things encrease and thrive In just obedience to you That which was barren now has learn't to give O bounteous Heaven at thy Command Fourscore Patriarchs here Wander many a year Until they move unto the promis'd Land 14. Here they from Heaven are sed By an Almighty hand are led No Pharaoh them to trouble Yet still they have the Pillar and the Cloud All that is useful and 〈◊〉 good Only their Tents a' nt Portable Their greener years were spent in war Each Nestor bears a loyal scar But now the field is won All war's noise and tumults cease They all retire no clashing's heard But from each grey and reverend beard The sacred Oyl doth in abundance run Like Brethren they live long lives in peace 15. Here Crashaw's pious Muse was bred In this Religious place liv'd she
Free from disquiet and complaint Which trouble and distract the busie head Such peaceful paths his Infancy did tread Here the great Cowley's Poet and his Saint Was taught the Elements of Speech and Piety Cowley he was the Subject of thy Pen That Pen which did bewail the end Of thy most dear and most lamented Friend For thou didst but desire when he was snatch't from us frail men A modest portion of his sacred fire Yet some may say thy Charity was blind Because it has thy modesty outran For thou hast prov'd so kind T'embalm and bless that very man Who left Religion and his Friend behind 'T is true alas had he not stept aside But in his Mothers bosom dy'd Had his Muse not wanton been Nor fled unto Loretto's shrine He might have long since this begun From smaller Numbers his eternal Song 16. Here our first James that wore the Brittish Crown Weary'd with acclamations and the toyl Of travel to unite this long divided Isle Enter'd withall the Noble Train he â—ed Within these walls three nights he laid his thoughtful head Until he did advance into the Town Until another Palace was prepar'd As Princes came from far to view the Throne Of Mighty Solomon So Scotland's King mov'd many a tedious mile Drawn with the Fame of this Great Pile He came and saw more than ever he had heard 17. Exactly on the South I saw A comely Structure shew its head And when I question'd whose abode It was I heard the Law And Gospels read I saw twice forty Elders drawing nigher I heard the Musick of the sacred Quire And then I knew it was the House of God 18. The Image of thy boundless Soul Where e're our gazing eyes do roul Is the fair object of our view To Youth untaught to number years To active youth well near its prime In glorious Visions it appears The Aged too still dream of you Although they 're e'en worn out with time Here Innocence and Piety Are fed and nurst by Charity Here the tender Plants do grow A handsome and a graceful show There the tall and Aged Oake In patience waits the fatal stroke Which as it falls must lye Until it approach Eternity 19. Sickness and death are almost strangers here No ill-foreboding Comet dare appear Whilst Nedham's nigh they cannot kill No Carthusian blood can spill In vain they tempt his known and mighty skill In vain they make a needless strife All that belongs to human life To every Limb to every Nerve To fortifie repair and long preserve He knows it all And then for shame why do we call The Seat of Health an Hospital H 'as trac'd the Infant from the womb Through all his changes to the Tomb H 'as planted here the Tree of Life that Fate Has no Comission for to enter Here no contagious ills dare venture While this great Aesculapius guards the Gate 20. He that Robs thy Treasury of Love Shall feel the Scourge of Heaven above And as to Scripture if we strive to add 'T is thought a Crime a most as bad For then our Benefactions are in vain We empty Cockles in the boundless Main To thee alone Great Sir we pay this Right Of Thanks Thy arge and crowded Store Will entertain no more No not the Widow's Mite And yet thy Charity 's not bestow'd in vain For many Ages hence it will be found again Thy Bread is cast upon and covers all the Main 20. The Influence of thy mighty Zeal Does warm these Northern parts Dissolves the Ice and softens all our hearts Thy Love amazes all the Roman Spyes It warms our Clime and dazles all our Eyes And what is more in this fair solitude Thou by a Miracle Dost now instruct and feed a multitude So that if Saints above can understand and see How things are acted in this Vale of Misery Thy Charity to us must still encrease For there they say 't will never cease Though all thou hadst on Earth was given Yet thou hast Blessings to bestow On us poor Mortals here below As thou art made Lord Almoner of Heaven The CONTENTS Of the Old Foundation AN Account of the Rise and Original of the Carthusian Order Cap. 1. Page 1. Of the Rules and Constitution of the Order c. 2. p. 7. Of their Transplantation and Number in England c. 3. p. 12. Of the Charter-house or Carthusian Monastery near Smithfield c. 4. p. 15. Of their Fabulous Miracles c. 5. p. 22. King Edward the Third's License or Grant for the Foundation of the Monastery p. 30. Bulla Urbani Papae p. 32. Of the New Foundation Sutton's Life p. 37. The Occasions of his growing Rich p. 40. Knott the Jesuit's unjust Censure of him p. 45. Sutton's Death and Funeral Solemnities p. 54. Bishop Hall's incomparable Letter to stir him up to Charity p. 59. An Act of Parliament to erect the Hospital at Hallingbury in Essex p. 69. King James's Letters Patent to alter the Scituation p. 85. Ecclesiastical Preserments in the Governour 's disposal p. 87. Simon Baxter Heir in Law to the Founder enters an Action of Trespass against the Governours p. 88. The Casâ—â—â—…atea on both sides p. 89. Sir Francis Bacon's Letter to King James to overthrow the Foundation p. 96. The Opening of the House p. 109. An Establishment made whereby all the Officers and Members in the House are to be regulated p. 110. Concerning Assemblies and Committees p. 116. The Election and Duty of a Master p. 120. Of the Preacher p. 123. Of the Physician p. 125. The Register and Solicitor p. 126. The Receiver p. 129. The Maâ—ciple p. 130. Schoolmaster and Usher p. 135. The Auditor p. 141. Allowances to the Members p. 145. A Confirmation of the King's Letters Patent by an Act of Parl. for the removal of the Hospital p. 154. The first List of Governours p. 70. The names of the present Governours p. 176. A Patent for a Governour p. 177. Of the number and nature of the Members maintained p. 181. The Warrant for a Pensioner p. 182. How to obtain a place for an old Man or Youth p. 189. A Warrant for a Lad p. 190. An Account of the encrease and present state of the Revenues of the House p. 193. The Founder's Will p. 200. Orders for the Pensioners p. 231. Ordinis Carthusiani Monachus F. H. Van. Houe fec Of the Old FOUNDATION OF THE Charter-House CHAP. I. An Account of the Rise and Original of the Carthusian Order IN the year of our Lord 1082 at what time Gregory the Seventh was Bishop of Rome and in the Sixteenth year of the Reign of King William the Conqueror we are told there hapned in Paris a very strange and wondrous accident the Relation whereof I find much after this manner Bruno a German born at Cologne of an ancient and worthy Family by his studious life and successful endeavours obtained so great a reputation among learned Men that he was at length prevailed with to visit France where he was
place O Lord grant that by my life I may answer the ends of my admission and the purposes of our Noble Founder's Charity Sanctify my memory to treasure up good things purifie my conscience to have peace in thee and reform my will to do thy pleasure Teach me to be humble and meek to be patient full of content and thankfulness for the riches of thy mercy For how poor must that man be who is not content with a God so rich as thou art Let the remainder of my time be spent in the thoughts of eternity and the ravishing joys of another life that while I carry about with me this decay'd and wither'd body which will soon moulder into dust and ashes while I have time and opportunity I may endeavour to live in thy fear that I may dye in thy favour O thou Strength and Redeemer of Israel Amen On the Founder's Day BLessed be thy Name O God and this happy Morn wherein the Foundation of my present Comfort of this Life was laid wherein this Noble Benefaction was given by Thomas Sutton a great Lover of Souls and Bodies who has so plentifully provided for the repair and support of my aged Body and the heavenly entertainment of my Soul O my Soul give thanks unto the Lord for he is good and his mercy endureth for ever This Day let us worship him in the beauty of holiness let us come before his Presence with Thanksgiving and make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms Blow the Trumpet at the time appointed at our Solemn Feast-day Be pleased O Lord to send the Influence of thy Grace upon me that I may answer the intent and purposes of our Noble Founder in my Life and Conversation that my years and department may be exemplary for Piety and Devotion that I may sanctifie this Earth with a blameless and angelick Life and that at my last hour I may be reconciled unto Thee or else all these Benefits will rather become a Curse than a Blessing unto me Teach me O dearest Saviour to live a life worthy of the name I bear as a Member of thy Church worthy of the Blessings I have received of the Food I eat and the Ease I take of the Love my gracious God hath shewed to me and the Glory he has reserved for me I live in the abundance of thy Favours and within the influence of thy Goodness I thank thee O Lord for the fixedness and condition of my Life for many corporal and earthly comforts which I now enjoy nay thy blessings exceed far the number of my sins which are more than the hairs upon my head In this House is God known and his Name is great in our Israel for his mercy reacheth unto the Heavens and his truth unto the Clouds O Lord thou hast brought up my Soul from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down unto the Pit Thou art my Shepherd and I shall never want yea though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of Death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy Rod and thy Staff they comfort me This day thou preparedst a full Table for me surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and afterwards I hope to dwell in the House of the Lord for ever When I looked round about and saw no hand to help me thy Providence relieved my fears and all my wants and led me to this Habitation of Comfort When I was weak and stooped for Age thou wast my strength and the lifter up of my head when my eyes waxed dim and I was almost banished from the sense of the pleasures of this life thou didst recompense that loss with the joyful prospect of those Blessings which are in the Kingdom above Though my hands and the Pillars of my House tremble yet I rejoyce because my hope is founded upon the Rock of Ages which cannot be removed but abideth stedfast for ever My Passions decay and all things prove insipid unto me I have but a small relish of mortal Joys because the sense of them is swallowed up in the unexpressible thoughts of Heaven and Happiness what I am capable of partaking of in this life I heartily thank the Great Preserver of Men that he has plenteously afforded it me I had perisht long ago if I had not been sustained by his protecting Hand Therefore will I pour forth his deserved Praises with a joyful and thankful heart hoping in God's due time to sing Eternal Hallelujahs with the Blessed Saints above O thou first born of the Dead put me always in mind of the Resurrection now I am full of years let me be full of Grace and full of Faith I am heartily sensible of all the Miscarriages of a long and sinful Life yet thy mercy is over all thy Works though my Sins are as Scarlet yet thou canst make me all over as white as Snow As I have tasted of thy benefits here so let me partake of thy Salvation hereafter I consult not with Flesh and Blood but rely upon thy Providence desiring thee to bestow upon me Wisdom and Patience and Thanksgiving to know thy Will to suffer what I deserved and to extoll and praise my Guide to everlasting Glory This is the glorious Day of Relief and Consolation therefore from the rising up of the Sun to the going down of the same the Lord's Name be praised The Dead praise not the Lord nor any that go down into the Pit but we that are alive and in health who live in the Enjoyment of his peculiar Blessings will bless the Lord from this time forth for evermore Glory be to God on high on Earth peace and good will towards men Amen Vpon the Decease of a Pensioner O Thou who art the Spring and Original of all Comfort the Hope of them that live and the Resurrection of the Dead Sanctifie this mournful occasion to me thy Servant that I may seasonably prepare for my latter end and wisely provide for the journey to my long Home Spare me a little before I go hence and be no more seen I am daily sensible of the near approaches of death every moment I receive some warnings of mortality and I know within a few days I must depart and render an account of all my life Therefore teach me rightly to state the Accounts of my Soul and to improve the precious minutes of my stay in this life for on the least of them depends Eternity My Soul longeth and waiteth for the living God I desire in thy due time to appear before thy glorious Presence that I may see the good things thou hast laid up in Heaven for them that are thine Confirm my hope and make it perfect until I enjoy the lively Fruits of thy assured Salvation Bear me upon thy saving wings through the miseries of this life and let not the mire and clay wherein I stick fast detain me for ever For thy Names sake
O Lord have mercy upon me for my sin is great If every moment we offend thee and can do nothing as we ought then how long must my Accusation be who have so many years repeated so many transgressions How dreadful must the thoughts of the Process of the Day of Judgment be unto me who have been so long an experienced sinner I faint at my own unworthiness and yet otherwise I cannot appear before thee O Lord I have no other qualification for thy mercy but my extream misery I am now brought very low to a vale of misery and tears surrounded with all the Chambers and Instruments of Death This dear Brother just deceased only shews the way that I must soon follow e're long I must repair to the House of mourning I must bid my last farewel to the world but wo and eternal sorrow will be my Portion if I dye in my sins and depart in thy displeasure Therefore out of the abundance of thy love pardon cleanse and reform my poor and sinful Soul send me thy sanctifying thy guiding and supporting Spirit that I may pass safely through the valley of Death in the lively sense of thy mercies and the refreshments of thy love in the hopes of pardon and the expectation of glory O thou ancient of days at whose voice the pillars of Heaven shake and the whole Creation trembles thou art my strength and defence in whom is my sole trust deliver my Soul from death mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling cleanse me from all my iniquities and purge me from my secret sins for Heaven is so holy a place that no impure thing can inhabit there teach me so to number the rest of my days that I may apply my heart unto Wisdom Here length of days is in her right hand and her ways lead to those rivers of joy which are at Gods right hand for evermore O Lord who art touched with a sense of my Infirmities let me not be afraid of the thoughts of Death that King of Terrours but soften its severity by a mild Commission sweeten its bitterness with the most pleasant relishes of joy and immortality My life I had of thee and all the blessings I have enjoyed ever since I came into the World O Lord make me willing to render them back again into thy hands Whom have I in Heaven but thee and I desire no other Saviour but thee Teach me often to meditate on Heaven that I may wish for it of Hell that I may abhorr it of Death that I may expect it and of the Day of Judgment that I may be prepared for it To thy mercy I appeal I fly unto thee for succour my sole dependance is on thy love I fear love reverence and adore thy goodness which is thy glory Blessed is the man whom thou choosest for though he seemeth to decay and perish to be a companion of death though the body wax feeble and impotent yet he lives the life of Faith he lives in the secure Courts of thy protection and the Guardian Angels pitch their Tents round about him Let not this be a short heat and suddain fit of Devotion raised by this late instance of mortality and the amazing thoughts of Death but may these exercises of piety continue and endure to my lives end For I know that my Redeemer liveth and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the Earth and though after my skin worms destroy this body yet in my flesh shall I see God Amen In the Morning before he stirs abroad O Lord God Almighty who makest the out-goings of the Morning and Evening to praise Thee I cannot but reverence and adore thy Divine Majesty for the Blessings of the last Night for my Preservation from all evils both of Body and Soul I laid me down and slept and rose up again for the Lord hath sustained me For I am a weak and aged Creature surrounded with Infirmities of Nature and seldom free from the assault of Temptations night and day Though my Limbs wax stiff and cold yet let my Soul be vigorous and fervent that like Jacob I may seem to wrestle with thee for thou delightest in the earnest and importunate Solicitations of thy people Now I am risen from my place of slumber teach me to look upwards to found my hopes on Thee to fix my eye upon that holy place from whence the day does break Bless me in all my endeavours and duties of this day that in every action I may have a regard to thy glory and the salvation of my own Soul Unto thee O Lord have I cryed and early in the morning shall my Prayer come before thee As long as I live will I magnifie thee on this manner and lift up my hands in thy Name O let me hear of thy loving kindness in the morning betimes for in thee is my trust Shew me the way I should walk in for I lift up my Soul unto thee I desire to dedicate the powers of my Soul the Affections of my heart and the Faculties of my Body to be thy Faithful Loyal and Obedient Servants Extend O merciful Father thy loving kindness over all the World especially this sinful Land of my Nativity Herein bless his most Excellent Majesty his Royal Consort and the Illustrious Prince let the Sons of Violence do them no harm Let Mercy and Truth preserve him and his Throne be establish't for ever before thee O thou who art the wonderful Counsellor and Prince of Peace Be gracious to thine Inheritance for the glory of thy Name let not thine Enemies devour the Church and lay waste her dwelling places Defend it with the Custody of Angels and the Patronage of Kings and Princes that She may flourish under the Beams of thy Favour and Providence take root and spread and fill all Lands that the whole Nation may be blessed with thy health and salvation Bless our Noble Governours under whose care and protection we live and are sustained Let thy Truth and Mercy be ever with them and when they have happily finish't their Course in this Life crown their Wisdom and Fidelity with Immortality and Glory Hear me for all those whom I am obliged to by the bonds of Duty Charity or Affection Pity all those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death preserve them in the midst of an untoward and sinful Generation Avert thy Judgments from us and soften the hearts of all our Enemies O Lord whom my Soul does desire and my Spirit seeks early in the morning How excellent is thy Name in all the World Grant me a pure intention of mind and a stedfast regard of thy glory in all my Actions Create in me sorrow for my sins thankfulness for thy benefits fear of thy Judgments and love of thy mercies that I may have a continual reverence for thy Name and be mindful of thy presence for evermore Every morning I draw nearer the last Stage of my Life therefore
Lord assist me with thy Grace that I may be the more prepared every minute for my dissolution that when I hear news of thy Messenger Death I may not be amazed and wax faint but hope in thy Salvation Let this Day be a day of Reformation and Repentance that though I am weak and aged yet I may become a new Creature and serve thee in true holiness and righteousness all the days of my life Rule and govern my heart that it may every day be intent and studious upon good things that I may not live as an useless Creature and so become a burthen to the Earth Support me in this my long Pilgrimage in the Journey of this day and the performances thereof hold me by thy right hand that my feet slip not aside that I may fall into no danger I brought nothing into this World and it is certain I can carry nothing out therefore O Lord be thou my portion and my hope in whom I will ever trust My abode here is of no long continuance which often puts me in mind of Eternity My present weakness and poverty reminds me of thy strength and the riches of thy glory Remember thy Promises O merciful Father and suffer me never to forget thy Praises O fail me not this day following and all the days of my life my God and my Redeemer through Jesus Christ his sake Amen An Evening Prayer OMnipotent and Everlasting God thou who neither slumberest nor sleepest the great Shepherd of Israel I dare not commit my body to rest before I have commended my soul to thee I dare not suffer my eyes to sleep nor mine eye-lids to slumber nor the temples of my head to take any rest before I have poured out my soul before Thee in Praises and Thanksgiving for the blessings of this day past and the succours of thy Favours for the length of my life and the continuance of thy Providence for the comforts of my soul and the refreshment of my body which I have largely received The Day is thine and the Night is thine therefore let me experience thy goodness in both Let my Prayers be set forth in thy sight as Incense and the lifting up of my hands be as the Evening Sacrifice I humbly thank thee for all the late Instances of thy love and goodness for the improvement of my time and the blessed opportunities of Divine worship for the occasions of doing good and the benefit of holy conference for the gracious issues of thy love and the manifestation of thy glory make me to remember that the more Blessings I receive the greater will my account be at the last day Take away all the mutinous thoughts of repining nature that when I consider the happiness of my birth and the quality of my education I may not quarrel with my present condition but study to repay as much thankfulness as I receive charity Praised be thy Name that I am thus provided for that I have a place whereon to lay my head and that I am not tempted to put forth my hand to wickedness for some strange course of supply Whenever I consider of the mean circumstances of my condition let me then remember the smalness of my deserts who might well be satisfied with the bread and water of Affliction or with the crums that fall from other mens Tables Possess me with this seasonable perswasion that this my present state is fittest for me and make me sensible that thy Providence does visit the lowest condition of men and that the beams of thy Favour do reach unto the most withdrawn and solitary places of the world O thou who art pleased to call thy self the Hearer of Prayers give me a tender sense of Conscience that out of the abundance of my sorrow I may pour out a most plentiful and hearty confession of my sins before thee Make me to consider seriously that all pain and grief is but the fruit of sin and that as all sickness naturally makes way for death so death in it self is the fore-runner of Condemnation Why should I cover and hide my sins from thee when the discovery of them is the way to receive thy pardon and release For thou hast bound thy self by a promise to hear and assist all those that seek thee with an unfeigned heart I have a thousand ways done evil in thy sight My Prayers have been interrupted my Meditations perplexed and robbed of their wonted sweetness and my careless hearing and reading of thy Word hath proved unprofitable My faith has been encountred with grievous doubtings because I cannot feel that strength and power of thy Spirit which I desire I am compassed about with many weaknesses as I have found by the experience of this day Satan is full of his old subtilty to work upon all advantages therefore give me thy holy wisdom to discover his snares and thy grace to withstand his siercest assaults O Lord forgive my Ignorance and forget my Presumption pardon my iniquities committed both in youth and age give me prudence and sobriety to carry my self among men out of the reach of just exception and arm me with resolution that I may sacrifice my credit and estimation nay life it self if need be for the testimony of thy Faith Let me not be haunted with troops of unquiet thoughts because I feed on Charity when my Relations live plenteously upon their own for all the World is thine and thou art an equal Lord and Disposer of that and this too Enrich my Soul with Spiritual Blessings in heavenly things raise and ennoble my Soul that it may not dwell too long upon the Earth but often be entertained with the thoughts of that City above which hath Foundations whose Builder and Maker is God Make me to see the depth of my sins that I do not flatter and deceive my Soul pardon the vanities of my youth and the offences of my riper years When I look upon my days that are past and consider how much time has been consumed in sin and folly and how little in the exercises of Piety and offices of Religion when I behold all my sins marshalled in rank and order before my eys I am even ashamed and confounded within my self and have no other sanctuary to repair unto but thy mercy and goodness Let not thy Graces in me wither with my age nor my zeal for thy glory cool with the decay of bodily heat Suffer me not to put the evil day far from me to delude my Soul with the idle hopes of living a little and a little longer but teach me with St. Paul to dye daily Now therefore do I bow my Soul to thee O God and humbly lay my self low before thy Throne pity these feeble and trembling knees have mercy upon thy poor Suppliant though now sleep be ready to seize upon the eyes of my body yet let not vain security oppress my Soul I am now thinking of thy everlasting Rest which I hope at length to
Bondage the end of my Care and the Haven of my Hopes now I am to take my flight to the place from whence I shall never more return now I am to enter into the loving Embraces of my Lord and Saviour O thou Father of Comforts how do I love to hear of thy mercy and the joys of Heaven O how dear unto me are the promises of the Living God Suffer me not to be impatient in this day of Visitation but meekly to resign my spirit up into thy Hands and peaceably to pass by the Gates of Death to the Kingdom of Glory Separate my Transgressions O Lord from my Soul or else they will separate me from Heaven Now the Enemy is busie and Satan watches for an advantage secure my apprehension add strength to my faith and pity my Infirmities make all my Friends who stand around my Death-bed sensible of Human frailty by beholding me an object of Mortality just setting out for Eternity O Lord let thy pardon refresh my Soul let thy Spirit guide me safely in the way to the blessed Mansions above If they are at the point of death I have fought a long fight in much weakness I have near finish't my Course though in great faintness and the Crown of my Life is that through the strength of thy Grace I have kept the true faith and now dye in it I thank God for all his blessings the company of my Friends the means of Physick holy Prayers and living and dying in the best established Church in the Christian World I willingly resign my Earthly body to the Dust from whence it came and I earnestly desire to be with God I profess to all the World I know no other Name by which any man can be saved but by the Name of Jesus I renounce all presumption and confidence in my own merits I thankfully acknowledge Gods repeated Blessings and heartily bewail my own sins I repose all my trust in the mercy and promises of God and I forgive all my Enemies as now I beg of God to forgive me Into thy hands O Lord I commend my Soul Amen A Prayer to be said at any time by a young Scholar of the House O Merciful Father the Redeemer and Sanctifier of all thy Children I praise and magnifie thy holy Name because I have received many special and peculiar Blessings at thy hands I thank thee O God that I was born of Christian Parents that I was baptized into the true Faith that my Lot is fallen in this excellent place of Piety and Education and that I have the knowledge and opportunity of making my early approaches to the Throne of Grace Teach me O Lord to remember my Creator in the daies of my Youth to dedicate the Spring and Innocency of my Age to the God of Purity and Perfection I am now soft and tender apt to receive the first Impressions that are laid upon me suffer me therefore not to be led aside by the whispers of sin or the pernicious Examples of a wanton and prophane Age Season the beginnings of my years with thy Grace and Goodness let wisdom teach me the fear of the Lord that I may cheerfully run the way of thy Commandments I am now entring upon the Stage of the World and humbly desire to be led by good Example therefore O blessed Father lead me not into Temptation but deliver me from Evil Curb and restrain the unruliness of my passion rebuke and subdue the rashness and heat of youth train me up in that way wherein thou desirest I should walk Frame in me an humble and submissive mind that I may be willing to be taught and obey to entertain all godly and profitable Instructions Give me understanding to discern my duty grace and wisdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all corrupt Example and Conveâ—â—â—… and to fix my heart upon Obeâ—â—â—… Thanksgiving Here thy wonâ—… 〈◊〉 mercy has placed me to be brought up in thy Fear and praise thy Name therefore I heartily desire to fulfill thy Will that these my fresh and greener years may be consecrated to thy Service before they receive any taint of Corruption from a lewd and infectious Age I bow my Soul before thee earnestly desiring that I may betimes become a Servant of the Living God Teach me to shun the occasions and appearances of sin that I may never be defiled with its Embraces Teach me to avoid the first steps and entrances of Impiety that I may never be so bold as to violate thy Commands Let the apprehensions of a small sin so terrifie and affright my tender Soul that I may alwaies abhor the malignity of gross and filthy sins that I may keep these Evils at a distance and not be entangled in their Snares As I grow up in years let me encrease in Goodness and Learning that I may fully Answer the ends of my Noble Benefactour and be instrumental to the publishing of thy Honour and Glory Now may I justly sing Hosanna seeing thou hast made so many shiftless Babes and Sucklings to rejoyce Plant in me a just and forward Obedience to all my Governours that are set in Authority over me In an especial manner bless my Soveraign Lord King Charles let him be as the First-born and glorious among the Kings of the Earth let thine Hand hold him fast and thine Arm strengthen him Bless him likewise in all his Royal Relations Be gracious to thine Inheritance bless them who watch diligently for our Souls that at the last day they may give a joyful account of them to the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls Arise O God maintain thine own Cause remember how the foolish man blasphemeth thee daily continue unto us the Light of thy Gospel that the Name of the Man of thy Right Hand Christ Jesus may be glorified thy Church enlarged and defended and we all brought up in the true Faith of thy only Son Bless our Noble and Wise Governours our Instructors both in Sacred and Human Learning and sanctifie my heart with humility that I may shew all due Reverence to the several Members of this Religious House whether in Age or Authority placed above me Purge and cleanse my Soul from all the seeds and beginnings of evil root out of my mind all folly and vanity idleness and self-conceit expel all loose and wanton desires all stubborn and contumacious Humours which are apt to breed in younger years that every day I may wax wiser and more holy sensible of thy gracious assistance and the comforts of a chaste and vertuous life O thou Father of Lights it is by thy Providence I am placed here in the School of Instruction and from thy Goodness I crave a blessing upon my endeavours otherwise all my labour and study will be vain and fruitless To thee therefore do I lift up my Soul who art the Fountain of all Knowledge the Original of all Tongues and Languages I humbly desire thee to endue my mind with knowledge and discretion quickness of perception and a tenacious memory that I may be sit for that station which thou art pleased to design me for As I now make my Addresses betimes to thy holy Majesty so grant that the sincerity and fervour of my Soul may continue and encrease that I may be accustomed to Prayer and lifting up holy hands unto thee Pardon all the sins of my youth the errors and miscarriages of my few and imprudent years Bless me with health of body and soundness of mind increase of friends and profitable acquaintance sanctifie the ministry of thy Word unto me that my Soul may rejoyce in thy Salvation Make me able and ready every day to extol thy loving kindness and frequently to meditate upon thy mercy O thou Pittier of all that stand in need of help my Guide and Castle of Defence the great Preserver of Youth as well as Men through Jesus Christ his sake Amen FINIS Errata sic corrigat Lector Benevolus Page 10. line 14. read now p. 21. l. 11. r. dolentèr p. 21. l. 18. r. propagentur p. 38. l. penult r. 500 marks to Jesus Colledge p. 55. l. 6. r. cholick p. 87. l. 14. r. Horse-heath p. 114. l. 16. r. fitting p. 127. l. 12. r. all p. 135. l. 20. r. of age p. 187. l. 10. in the marg r. by How 's p. 191. l. penult r. latter p. 195. l. 9. r. Fryans p. 234. l. 18. r. the Senior p. 237. l. 16. r. shoes p. 238. l. 4. r. for such