New Prayers AND MEDITATIONS WITH Pious Exhortations FOR Fast-Days Pursuant to their MAJESTIES King WILLIAM and Queen MARY'S Injunctions to Suppress Irreligion and Prophaneness By Tho. Watts Vicar of Orpington and St. Mary Crey in KENT Except ye Repent ye shall all likewise Perish Luke 13.3 5. LONDON Printed for John Salusbury at the Rising Sun in Corn-Hill 1692. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO HIS Ever Honoured Friend the Reverend William Asheton D.D. Rector of Beckenham Reverend and worthy Sir YOur late Approbation of my good and zealous design herein however meanly manag'd by so young helpless and unqualify'd an Author emboldens me to this Publication under your Name which has so well merited of the Christian Church That I cannot but find Protection hereby from the Insolencies and Affronts of Scorn and Prejudice and from all the open Injuries of unjust Censure and uncharitableness Though Pride Worldliness and Hypocrisie may still prove irrefragable and constantly undermine the Plain-dealer Yet alass this Grievance is nothing to that common Infidelity Prophaneness and Irreligion uncontroulably revelling in this confused Age and impudently confronting every thing Just and sacred doing all possible despight to God and his Church This intolerable madness with those many-headed Monsters every where rending Christs seamless Coat cry aloud for speedy suppression or woful vengeance upon a stupid People which latter nothing surely can now prevent but either an Universal Reformation and unanimous Piety or a due execution of Primitive Discipline which the Gospel authorises which our more Zealous and Godly Forefathers exercised under the hottest Persecutions which the Greek Church has all along maintain'd under Turkish Bondage and which alass our holy Establish'd Church could not thus long have only wish'd and annually hop'd for in vain were not here more fatal and general Corruptions and more daring Impiety than any where else as consequently more dreadful will be our Desolation which nothing certainly but Gods infinite mercy through the merits of our gracious Redeemer hearkening to the Prayers and Tears of some faithful Sons of Abraham amongst us hath hitherto delayed Now therefore since only gentle perswasion remains since we are to preach in Season and of Season to Rebuke and Exhort and not wilfully to neglect any means of informing our selves or instructing others And since we must be careful of mistakes and resolvedly honest not to concel any part of our Duty from our Flocks And since it is high time for the Priests the Ministers of the Lord to weep between the Porch and the Altar and to say Spare thy People O Lord and give not thine Heritage to reproach Who can blame me for or how can I excuse my self from such poor endeavours as my double charge and circumstances can allow which otherwise perhaps might produce something more correct and elaborate and thus far more useful c. However give me leave Sir thus to attend you as my Gamaliel and in an humble tho faint imitation and even in as great a distance as your noble endowments and excellent Abilities have set me thus to presume upon admiration of your Zeal and vigilance your Piety and goodness your publick Spirited Charity and Justice your profound Judgment and Prudence and your constant meekness and affability so well know to the World in your many Beneficial Writings and Conversation at home and abroad This without Compliment or flattery which can't be here and which has always been far from my Temper I shall only mention and thus beg your favourable acceptance hereof in Testimony of those many condescending favours bestow'd upon your unworthy and ever Obliged Humble Servant Thomas Watts Orpington Jan. 23. 1692. THE PREFACE TO HIS Beloved Friends AND PARISHIONERS Grace Peace and Love be multiplyed for ever My Friends and Brethren THis small Treatise I present you with now as a seasonable New years gift desiring your candid acceptance and serious perusal hereof and most humbly beseeching our Heavenly Father so to influence us all with the graces of his holy Spirit that we may see our Errors amend our lives daily and both know and do the things which belong to our Peace before they be hid from our Eyes For sudden Desolation or impending Ruin may fall upon us and however Death which is appointed once for all Men will be our infallible Lot and then we shall be past doing our selves any good for in the Grace no Man remembreth God or giveth him thanks in the Pit and after Death follows certain judgment and then we shall have nothing to do but see our selves either sav'd or damn'd to all Eternity Wherefore as we value either and as we believe we have immortal Souls within us which will once be separated from our Bodies and be united to them again in the general Resurrection at the great aad last Assize of all Mankind So we should be careful of our behaviour in this Life and constantly endeavour our utmust Conformity to the will of our Almighty Creator and Redeemer Which all of us must needs in some measure understand and which not the meanest Capacity among us can plead invincible ignorance of and no other is in the least excusable especially under this clear shining Light of the Gospel and the frequent due Administration of Gods Holy Word and Sacraments in the Communion of a visible Church which we have all been long miraculously blessed with insomuch that we above will People in the Earth have the greatest inducements and obligations both upon the safe Principle of our truest Interests and upon the nobler divine Principle of Love and gratitude to worship and obey our mereiful Lord to glorifie his holy Name before the World in an universal and ready performance of our Religious Duties and thus to work out our own Salvation with fear and trembling Yet alass how lukewarm yea how cold and indifferent are the generality of us herein Even to a downright Prophaneness Irreligion in some and a Supine Neglect and Stupidity in others and a superficial careless observance hereof in most How do we thus obstinately or idly contemn and disregard the common means of grace and Salvation ordain'd by our Lord himself in his Church Militant here Wherein to be short all such are most eminently sinful and guilty whom the learned Doctor Sherlock most piously and rationally confutes and instructs in his Practical Discourse of Religions Assemblies a Book worthy the Perusal of every Christian out of which I shall crave leave to enumerate them Aâ—â—l Those who wholly or for the most part absent themselves from the Publick Assemblies of Christians and these are of three sorts First Those who forsake Religious Assemblies out of Prophaneness for want of a due Sense of any Religion or in contempt of it II. Those who forsake Religious Assemblies for want of a due sense of the necessity and advantage of Publick Worship who do not go to Church because they think they can Worship God as well at home in their Closets or Families
thy corrupt Appetites and resist Satan that he may fly from thee Canst thou not sincerely repent and thus religiously and constantly use all the means of Grace and Salvation Oh canst thou not thus take upon thee Christs Yoak and Burthen which thou wilt soon experience to be most easie light and pleasant And now consider O my Soul what a blessed Change is this to be the Servant of God instead of the Devil's Bond-slave 6. The contrary and Comparison a Son and an Inheritor in the Kingdom of Heaven instead of being a Factor for and Heir of Hell Is it not better here to live innocently and with a quiet Conscience than to be always in a Hurricane to be ever guilty restless and uneasie Is it not better to make for thy self an Interest with the Almighty and become a Friend of the Lord than to make God and Man and thine inward Accuser thy just Enemies and Avengers Is it not more Eligible to be truly rational than altogether senstive to be a Man than a Beast to be a Christian than an Infidel is it not better to adore and worship thy great Creator and Redeemer to renew thy Baptismal Covenant frequently at the Lord's Table and to lay hold of all opportunities for doing good and offering to the Lord the devout Sacrifices of Prayer and Thanksgiving which is thy bounden Duty and reasonable Service than to blaspheme and prophane God's holy Word Ministers and Ordinances and to neglect all and thus dare and provoke Heaven's Vengeance against thee And thus too is it not better and easier to remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth to repent and live well betimes than to run the bazard of an uncertain morrow and futurity to continue impenitent till thou art harden'd in sin and chained fast in the Old Serpent's Trap till thou art reprobated and hast no place left for Repentance And is it not safer to live under Gods protection and be sure both of his temporal and eternal Blessings to be holy as he is Holy and thus to anticipare Heaven 's Joys and resemble upon Earth the inconceivable felicities and glories above than to be discarded an abandoned to the roaring Lyon and all the Calamities Accidents and Miseries of Life and at length to be certain of nothing but frying in everlasting Flames in unquenchable Fire and be gnawed by the Worm that never dyeth O turn ye turn ye then from your evil Ways 7. The Names and Testimonies ye sinful Worms that ye may live and not dye Oh be converted and the Lord will heal you confess thy sins unto the Lord and he will forgive the Multitude of thy Transgressions Smite thy Breast and pray to God to be merciful to thee a sinner eschew Evil and do good seek peace and ensue it weep and lament and learn the ways of God's Commandments and be stedfastly purposed to observe his statutes and keep his righteous judgments Refrain thy Lips from Evil and thy Tongue from speaking guile wash thy hands in innocency and so mayest thou compass the divine Altar Examln thy self try thy Reins and thy Heart and search our all thy ways acknowledg with righteous Job I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of Men Job 9.20 Relent cry and be sorrowful with Holy David and the Lord will pardon thy sin run to Christ with Mary Magdalen and lye at his feet weeping till his grace and compassion raise thee up Call to mind all thine impiety and then retire with St Peter and weep bitterly Luk. 22.62 Know that the Lord is gracious long-suffering and of great goodness and that he willeth not the death of the Wicked Exod. 33.11 but that the Wicked turn from his way and live O turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye dye O house of Israel Now this does God admonish his Ministers under the Title and duty of Watch-Men to forewarn his people of denouncing death to either of them that neglect their Duty as may be seen in the beginning of this Chapter Draw near then thou stubborn or ignorant sinner come for thy Souls good to thy Spiritual guide as thou wouldst for thy Body and Estate to the Physician and the Lawyer Yea is not thy Soul more precious and oughtest thou not to be more zealous for and carefull of it And so in all its sickness to send for the Elders of the Church thy lawful Ministers to pray over thee as St. James directs Chap. 5. v. 14. And know what God declares by his Prophet Malachy c. 2. v. 9. That the Priests Lips should keep knowledge and they should hear the Law at his Mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts O therefore attend upon our sacred Ministry keep holy the Lords day and joyn with us at all times possible in all our publick Duties especially in that most necessary one at the Lords Table in devout obedience to our dying Saviour's own holy Institution and Command to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood that we may have eternal Life and he may raise us up at the last day and that we may dwell in him and he in us according to his gracious Promise in John 6.54 55 56. And thus too as Christ has most exceedingly loved us so ought we to love one another which is his positive Commandment in Joh. 15.12 and upon this has he left his blessed Legacy of Peace amongst us Now how can the Transgressors of these Commands pretend to be Christians Who can know them to be Christ's Disciples and how can they hope to be saved contrary to the Gospel Covenant Oh therefore consider this thou irreligious Soul and know thy self to be in a state of damnation as long as thou continuest in this state of sin Oh consider and repent quickly and so for this end as the Apostle to the Hebrews advises c. 13. v. 16 17. To do good and to Communicate forget not for with such services God is well pleased Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly And as St. Paul admonishes 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Moreover 't is requir'd in Stewards that a Man be found faithful And accordingly will God protect us in our Duty vindicate our Wrongs and for instance even accounts the defrauding of our very temporal maintenance a robbing of himself for does not God thus expostulate with the sacrilegious herein by his Prophet Malachy chap. 3. v. 8 9. Will a Man rob God yet ye have robbed me And ye say Wherein have we robbed thee in Tythes and Offerings You are cursed with a Curse for
ye have robbed me even this whole Nation And now that this is applicable to us under the Gospel and that we have the same divine Right and Support herein is clearly evident in 1 Cor. 1.13 14. Do ye not know that they who minister about holy things live of the Sacrifice and they who wait at the Altar are partakers with the Altar Even so hath the Lord ordained that they who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel And the reason hereof is plain in verse 12. If we have sown unto you spiritual things is it a great matter if we shall reap your worldly things And further to add a few more Scripture Testimonies for a general Reformation Ought not every Parent and head of a Family to resolve with Joshua c. 24.15 As for me and my house we will serve the Lord. And with holy David That only they who fear the Lord shall dwell in his House that a Lyar shall not dwell in his sight that the ungodly shall be far from him and that he will not know a wicked Person And with Solomon To train up their Children in the way they should go that when they are old they may not depart from it Prov. 22.6 And for effecting all this use good Conversation Reading and Praying with thy Family and constantly resort to God's House of Prayer with all Reverence Devotion Humility and Piety behaving thy self in all decently orderly according to the most excellent Rules of our establish'd Church wherein hold ye fast the Profession of your Faith without wavering not forsaking the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is For thus God hath shewed thee Man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly to love mercy and walk humbly with thy God Mic. 6.8 Thus I draw to a conclusion proceeding to the remaining Rules of our Meditation As O taste then my Soul and see how good the Lord my strength is 8. The Taste of our Meditation Chuse now to go to the House of Mourning rather than the House of Feasting Is not one day in the Lords Courts better than a thousand And who would not rather be a Door-keeper in the House of his God than to dwell in Tents of Ungodliness Yea wouldst thou not chuse rather Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season But O how amiable are thy Dwellings thou Lord of Hosts My Soul hath a desire and longing to enter into the Courts of the Lord my Heart and my Flesh rejoyce in the living God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will be always praising thee Blessed is the Man whose strength is in thee in whose Heart are thy ways who going through the vale of Misery use it for a Well and the Pools are filled with Water they will go from strength to strength and unto the God of Gods appeareth every one of them in Sion But O my vileness and corruption 9. The Complaint the Wish the Confession behold I was born in sin and in iniquity did my Mother conceive me My Nature is wholly tainted and defil'd I am all over wounds and bruises and putrifying Sores I have too long liv'd in Ungodliness I have Eyes to pluck out and hands to cut off I have too many bewitching Darlings to part with and I am overwhelm'd with evil pester'd with infections cover'd with guiltiness and surrounded with charming and violent Temptations O would to God I had never known these Would I had begun the real renouncing of them sooner Would I had endeavour'd after a more early Innocence and more timely performance of my Vows and Duty But yet O Lord thou wilt not cast me off uttely thou only canst raise me and make me clean Tho' my horrible guiltiness makes me tremble to approach thee yet where shall my polluted Soul be washt if not in the Fountain which thou hast open'd for sin and for uncleanness tho the Flesh is weak yet the Spirit is ready and willing and tho' after all my best Righteousnesses will be but as filthy Rags and when I have done my utmost I must still acknowledge my self an unprofitable Servant Yet say the word only O my God I will be thou clean O Lord God of Hosts hear my Prayer hearken O God of Jacob 10. The Petition and Enforcement have mercy upon me O Lord after thy great Goodness and according to the multitude of thy Mercies do away mine Offences Accept of my infirm Faith and Repentance and grant me the application of my Saviour's Merits and unsinning Obedience then and thus alone can I be presented pure and unblameable and unreproveable in thy sight This O Lord I believe upon my sincere Repentance this thou hast promis'd and thus hast thou receiv'd returning Sinners yea thus hast thou met the Prodigal Sons Why dost thou doubt then O my Soul 11. Lastly the Assurance Confidence and Thanksgiving Why art thou so full of heaviness and so disquieted within me Put thy trust in God for he is thy Helper and the strength of thy Salvation thou art secure and happy in the Divine Word thy Conversion Humility Contrition thy Love and Devotion are accepted the guilt of thy sin is wash'd away in thy Saviour's Blood and the power thereof subdu'd by his grace Thy loathsom Issues are already stanched and thy Sicknesses will not be unto death but to the glory of God's Mercy in pardoning to the glory of his grace in purifying so polluted a Wretch Christ is thy ransom the Holy Spirit thy guide and the Almighty Father thy qeconciled Friend and Protector Fear not then my Soul only sin no more beware both of Presumption and Despair and in an holy awe and reverence endeavour to sight manfully under Christ's Banner against Sin the World and the Devil and to continue his faithful Souldier and Servant unto thy lives end For the Lord God is thy Light and Defence the Lord will give Grace and Worship and no good thing will he with-hold from them that live a godly Life O sing Praises sing Praises unto our God sing Praises to our King and Saviour O sing ye Praises with understanding While I live will I praise the Lord yea as long as I have any breath I will sing Praises unto my God Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen Now thus have I briefly gone thro' the Rules laid down by the Godly and Learned Bishop Hall in his Art of Divine Meditation whereto as also to the pious Dr. Horneck 's Great Law of Consideration I refer the Readers for your complete Instruction in this useful excellent and necessary Duty which ransacks our deep and false hearts weans us from the World finds out and expels our secret Enemies which prevents temptations chears up our Solitariness tempers our