grace that I may now willingly leave this fraile and wicked flesh in hope of the resurrection which in better manner shall restore it to me againe grant me O Lord God that thou wilt by thy grace make strong my soule against all temptations and that thou wilt cover and defend me with the buckler of thy mercy against the assaults of Satan I acknowledge that there is in my selfe no hope of salvation but all my hope and trust is in thy most mercifull goodnesse I have no merits nor good workes which I may alleadge before thee of sinnes and evill works alas I see a great heape but through thy mercy I trust to be of the number of them to whom thou wilt not impute their sins but take and impute mee for righteous and just and to be the inheritor of everlasting glory Thou O most mercifull Lord wert borne for my sake thou didst suffer both hunger and thirst thou didst preach teach pray and fast for my sake thou didst all good works and sufferedst most grievous pangs and torments for my sake and finally thou gavest thy most precious body to dye and thy blessed bloud to bee shed on the Crosse for my sake wherefore most mercifull Saviour let all these things profit me which thou hast freely given mee which hast given thy selfe for me let thy bloud cleanse and wash away the spots and foulenesse of my sinnes let thy righteousnesse hide and cover my unrighteousnesse let the merits of thy bitter sufferings be a sufficient and propitiatory sacrifice and satisfaction for my sinnes give me O Lord thy grace that my faith and beleefe of thy true and grievous death waver not in me but ever be firme and constant that the hope of thy mercy life everlasting never decay in me that charity waxe not cold in me and finally that the weaknesse of my flesh be not overcome with the feare of death grant me also O most mercifull Saviour that when death hath shut up the eyes of my body yet the eyes of my soule may still behold and look upon thee and that when death hath taken away the use of my tongue and speech yet my heart may cry and say unto thee O Lord into thy hands I give and commit my soule Lord Jesus receive my spirit and take me to thy mercies Amen A Prayer for a Woman in time of her travaile RIghteous and holy Lord God I doe now finde by experience the fruit of my sinne that I must travaile in sorrow and bring forth in paine and I unfainedly adore the truth of thy sacred Word as certifying unto me that sorrow must be in the Evening so comforting me also against the Morning that a Childe shall be borne Willingly I doe desire to submit my selfe in hope unto this thy chastisement and to learne the desert of my sinnes horrible in themselves that these temporall paines are forerunners of eternall and yet by thy mercy may be so sanctified unto me as not onely to prevent eternall vengeance but also prepare for eternall comforts even to be saved by bearing of Children Grant me therefore gracious Father true repentance and pardon for my sinnes past that they may not stand at this time in this my need betweene mee and thy mercy Give mee a comfortable feeling of thy love in Christ which may sweeten all other pangs though never so violent or extreame make me still to lift up my soule unto thee in my greatest agonies knowing that thou alone must give a blessing to the ordinary meanes for my safe deliverance Lay no more upon me then I am able to endure strengthen my weake body to the bearing of what sorrowsoever by which it shall seeme good unto thee to make triall of me Grant mee to consider that howsoever it be with me yet I am alwaies at thine hand whose mercies faile not who wilt bee found in the Mount and greatest extremitie and to whom belong the issues of death so prepare me therefore to death that I may be fit for life even to yeeld fruit alive unto the world and to be renewed and enabled to nourish the same And when thou hast safely given mee the expected fruit of my wombe make me with a thankfull heart to consecrate both it and my selfe wholly to thy service all the daies of my life through Jesus Christ mine onely Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Thankesgiving after safe deliverance O Blessed for ever bee thy great and glorious Name most deere and loving Father for thy great mercy to me most weake and sinfull woman Wonderfull art thou in all thy workes O Lord the riches of thy mercies are past finding out thou hast plunged me with great afflictions and yet thou hast returned and refreshed me againe thou hast brought mee to the feare of the grave and yet thou hast raised me up again to life O how hast thou shewed thy power in my weaknesse How hath thy loving kindnesse prevailed against my unworthinesse Thou mightest for my sinnes have left me to perish in mine extremities but thou hast compassed me about with joyfull deliverance thou mightest have made my wombe a grave to bury the dead or in affoording life to another thou mightest have procured my death but yet thou hast not onely made my wombe a well-spring of life but restored life unto me also for the cherishing thereof Marveilous O Lord are thy workes infinite are thy mercies my soule by present experience knoweth it well O my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits Thou hast heard my prayers and looked upon my sorrow thou hast redeemed my life from death and healed mine infirmities and crowned me with thine everlasting compassions O give me I humbly pray thee a thankfull heart not onely now while the memory and sense of thy favour is fresh before me but continually even so long as I have any being Grant that I may learne by his lively evidence of thy power and mercy for ever hereafter â—o depend only on thee Quicâ—en me also to all holy duties â—hat my thankfullnesse may appeare in my pure and Christian â—arriage Make me a kind and carefull â—nother willing to undergoe the â—aine and trouble of education â—et no nicenesse or curiositie â—inder me from those services â—o whom both nature and reliâ—ion hath appointed me let me â—â—so be carefull when time reâ—uireth to season the fruit thou â—ast given me with the saving â—nowledge of thee thy deere on that my desire may manifestly appeare to be set for the â—ncrease of thy Kingdome Vouchsafe so to order my affections and to bring them in obedience unto thee that if it should bee thy pleasure either now oâ— hereafter to take this infant from me I may as willingly part with it as thou freely gave it me And now O God perfect in mee that strength which thou hast begun make me to grow in care to
this thy Syon crowne her with plenty prosperity and victory Let not her enemies rejoyce in her subversion nor triumph in her destruction Hide not thy face from her in the day of trouble stoppe not thine eares at our prayers Be unto us all a horne of salvation a rocke of safety a wall of brasse a strong tower and fortresse against the face and force of our enemies divert their designes frustrate their envie abate their fury asswage their pride restraine their power and in thy name let us tread them under that maliciously and mischievously rise up against us Suffer not the light of thy Gospel to be ecâ—lipsed nor the splendor of thy glory to be obscured let not thy name be dishonoured nor thy Sanctuary defiled nor thy truth slandered but now and ever defend and deliver as thou hast formerly done this Church and State from Plague Pestilence and above all that most terrible vengeance the devouring sword and that for his sake who hath led captivity captive and like a victorious Conqueror hath triumphed over all his enemies even Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and Holy Ghost be all honour and glory Amen A Prayer for them that are about the Sicke HEare us Almighty and most mercifull God and Saviour extend thine accustomed goodâ—esse to this thy servant which â—s grieved with sicknes visit him O Lord as thou didst Peters wives mother and the Captains â—ervant restore unto this sicke â—ody his former health if it be â—hy will or else give him grace â—o take this thy visitation patiently that after this painfull life ended he may dwell with thee in everlasting life O Lord behold we bend our knees yea the knees of our hearts with unfained prayers and lift up our eyes to the throne of thy mercie seat to hearken to these our petitions according to thy promises therefore O Lord grant our requests we are gathered here together in thy name in the behalfe of this thy servant deliver him we humbly beseech thee from these his languishing paines and miseries of sicknesse and as it hath pleased thee to lay thine hand upon him so O Lord restore him to his former health keepe him O Lord from fearefull and terrible assaults and despightfull â—â—mptations of the Divell sinne â—â—d hell deliver him O Lord 〈◊〉 thou deliveredst Noah from â—e raging waves of the floods 〈◊〉 from the destruction of Soâ—me Abraham from the feare â—â— the Caldeans the children of â—â—rael from the tyranny of Phaâ—â—oh David from the hands of â—â—liah the three men from the â—lence of the fiery furnace in â—â—bylon Daniell from the mouth 〈◊〉 the Lyons Ionas from the â—â—lly of the Whale and Peter â—m the prison of Herod Even â— O gratious Lord deliver the â—â—le of this person both now 〈◊〉 whensoever he shall depart â—â—ce from all perill and danâ—â—r open unto him at the houre of death the doore of Paradice the gates of heaven and the entry of everlasting life O Lord Jesus Christ forgive him all his sinnes and lead him with joy into the kingdome of thy heavenly Father even unto the bosome of Abraham and appoint him his everlasting rest that hee may rejoyce with thee and all the elect children of God to whom be all honour glory power and dominion Amen The sicke persons Prayer LOrd hearken to my prayer and give eare to my humble request Lord be mercifull unto mee and give mee grace patiently to beare the crosse and in the midst of this my sicknesse alwaies to say thy will O heavenly Father be done and not mine forgive and forget most gracious Father all 〈…〉 quities bloâ— them out of thy remembrance and cast them from thy sight O Lord as farre as the East is from the West the North from the South they are many and innumerable let them not rise up in judgement against me neither enter thou into thy narrow judgement with thy servant O Lord for no flesh is righteous before thee handle me not according to my deserts deale not with me after my wickednesse neither reward me after mine iniquities O Lord my God looke not into my enormious nor incestious life I am ashamed of my sinnes and aske pardon for my faults even with a repenting heart and sorrowfull mind a bleeding soule with hidden teares of a true and unfained repentance for my misdeeds yea my wounded breast surcharged with oppressing griefes doth sigh groane and lament under the burthen of my hainous crimes wherefore O Lord wash them away with thy bloud which thou hast shed for my sinnes and I shall be clean and pure without spot purge me O Lord with those precious drops that distilled from thy tormented heart and I shall be whiter then the snow burie mine offences in the sepulcher of thy death and cloath me with the garment of righteousnesse O Lord for thine infinite goodnesse and mercy sake receive me into thy tuition and favour pardon O Lord and remit my sins as thou forgavest David his murther and adultery with Barsheba Saul his persecutions of thy people Peter his deniall Mary Magdalen her lascivious life and the Publican in the Temple with striking his breast craved thy gracious pardon saying Lord have mercy upon me a sinner and although my sinnes and offences are farre greater and more grievous then these yet O Lord thy mercies exceede and are far more compassionate then our sinnes manifold I justifie not my selfe O my God by the offences of these but declare thy righteousnesse and mercifull clemencies in forgetting and forgiving our abhominable trespasses and transgressions of thy will which though we are froward yet thou art gentle though we are stubborne yet thou art meeke and though we run headlong to the pits brinke and to the gates of hell yet thou of thy goodnesse callest us backe and remittest all that wee have done amisse O Lord I have acknowledged my faults that they are best knowne unto thee wherefore O Lord I aske forgivenes for the same send me the comfort of thy holy Spirit that if thou give me my former health and strength of body I may amend my life according to thy sacred will and walke worthily in thy Lawes and Commandements if it be thy pleasure to take mee hence out of this transitory life O Lord grant that I may rest and live with thee forever world without end O Lord hearken unto these my petitions for Jesus Christ his sake I aske them and all other things which thou shalt think meet both for my soule and bodie in the same forme of prayer as he himself hath taught me saying Our Father c. A Prayer at the houre of death O Lord Jesus Christ which art the only health of all men living the everlasting life of them which dye in thy faith I wretched sinner give and submit my selfe wholly to thy most blessed will being sure that the thing cannot perish which is committed unto thy mercy I most humbly beseech thee O Lord to give me
gift which God hath â—â—en me contrived a great picture in a little ring set forth the â—eat vanity of this world in a â—â—tle Map Let us now learne the lesson â—f Saint Iohn the beloved Disâ—â—ple of Christ who wrote so â—uch of love doth yet dehort â— from loving the world 1 Iohn â— 15. Love not the world neither â—e things that are in the world Why not the world for three â—asons 1. If any man love the â—orld the love of the Father is not â— him 2. All that is in the world â—e lust of the flesh the lust of the â—â—s and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world 3. The World passeth away and the lust thereof that is it is vain and vanishing yea in the abstract Vanity For these reason we must not suffer our hearts tâ— cleave to the best things in thâ— world as if happinesse were tâ— be found in them Follow thâ— counsell of the Holy Ghosâ— 1 Cor. 7. 31. Use this world 〈◊〉 though thou used it not for thâ— fashion of this world goeth 〈◊〉 way Use the things of thâ— world as helpes to thee in thâ— travell to heaven-ward but 〈◊〉 them not steale away thy heaâ—â— from better things from Goâ— and Christ and Heaven anâ— peace of conscience and joy the Holy Ghost these must dâ—light the heart of a Christian who was redeemed not with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious bloud of Jesus Christ in comparison of whom all the things of the world must seeme losse and drosse and dung and whatsoever is most despicable in the eyes of man If riches increase set not thy heart upon them no â—reasure no pleasure no honour nor gold nor plate nor jewels nor house nor land nor apparell nor friends must steale away thy heart We must be â—ffected to these things as Theodoricke the good King of Aâ—â—taine was with his play * In good casts he was silent in ill merâ—y in neither angry in both a Phylosopher or a wise man We must not make these a rivall unto God we must not leaue upon these by our confidence for they are a reed that shall quickly breake and the shivers will run into our hand Death is the most terrible of all things that are terrible said the Philosopher Aristotle it is terrible both to man and beast but most terrible to a wicked man that is worse then a beast when he remembers his sinfull life past the complexion of his flesh the palenesse of his face the dissolution of his members the rottennesse of his bones the obscurenesse of his grave the solitarinesse of his sepulcher the gnawing of wormes and the like But alas albeit these are terrible yet these are nothing without the consideration of sin which is the sting of death the strength and victory of the grave Thinke upon thy sinnes whereof thou art guilty and for which thou must dye as the condemned malefactor that after sentence pronounced is hurried to the fatall place of execution to suffer deserved punishment Remember yea againe and againe I say remember how miserably how violently how suddainely others have suffered death that were guilty of those sins which are more predominant in thee then they were in them Art thou a thiefe which thou maist be though thou wert never attached for theft by the lawes of men for covetousnesse is a Pick-purse before God read and remember how Achan dyed Iosh 7. Art thou a whoremaster which thou maist bee as well in thy minde as in thy body then read and remember how Hophni and Phineas dyed how Zimri and Cesbi were slaine in the very act of their uncleannesse And Iezabel an impudent strumpet dyed a sodaine and shamefull death Art thou a blasphemous swearer that dost rend grinde the sacred name of God betweene thy teeth Remember him under the Law that was stoned to death for his blasphemy Art thou an Idolatrous impe of the Popish Church that dost leave our Lord to worship our Lady and give that honour to Saints nay to stockes and stones which is proper to God alone call to minde how Sennacherib was slaine in the midst of his Idolatry Art thou an intemperate drunkard that dost sacrifice thy time and state nay soule and body unto Bacchus rising early to drinke strong drinke and sitting up late till Wine inflame thee thinke upon Belshazzar that was slaine in the midst of his cups whilst he was drinking in that Wine which the swords of his insulting enemies drew out of him together with his latest blood Art thou a covetous Usurer that dost let out thy money to men thy time to Mammon and thy soule to Satan that like a common Hackney jade wilt not beare thy debtors one houre past thy day or art thou a griping oppressor that dost racke thy poore tenants and exact upon thy neighbour to gaine a little transitory trash Remember Nabal and remember that Miser in the Gospell who being asleep in security and dreaming of enlarged barns and plentifull harvests was sodainly bereft of all and being awaked upon the hearing of his Soule-knell perceived himself to be forever wrerched Consider whether these and the like sinners that have made their souls the slaves of vanity have not in the end made themselves the slaves of misery Have they prospered or have they perished if they have prospered then follow them if perished as indeed they have then in the feare of God retire out of their paths left thou bee speedily cut off having no information of the danger till thine own eyes amazed with the sodainnesse behold it in the shape of inevitable damnation Be thou warned by their examples for God hath punished sinne in them to prevent sinne in thee Vt exempla sint omnium torment a paucorum that the torments of some few may be terrours unto all like as thunderbolts fall Paucorum periculo sed omnium metu to the hurt but of few though not without the horror of all That ship which sees another ship sinke before her lookes about her puls downe her saile turneth her course and escapes the sands which else would swallow her up as they did the other When the earth swallowed up Corah and his confederates all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them for they said Lest the earth swallow us up also Num. 16. 34. The Bird will not light on the lime-bush nor into the net if shee see another insnared before her the Horse will not follow another whom he sees to sticke fast in the mire oh be not lesse wise then bird or beast nor more brutish then Horse and Mule that hath no understanding If thou seest another fall into the fire thou wilt not willingly follow him then follow not sinners to the fire of hell lest thou be constrained at last when it shall bee too late to bewaile thy folly to cry out with those that have
mispent their time in vanity Oh that now I might die the death of the righteous Oh that I might not die at all Oh that I might feele in my conscience the least hope of pardon which is as unpossible as to unâ—ade all the water in the vast Ocean with aspoone Oh that God would give mee the least dram of grace which is as impossible as for the least graine of Mustardseed to fill the whole earth prevent this betimes which thou maist doe by abandoning the vanity of the world and so live that wheresoever or howsoever thou dyest whether abroad or at home by day or by night sleeping or waking whether a sodaine death or a deliberate death thou maist willingly commend thy spirit unto the hands of God as unto the hands of a faithfull Creator and maist say with the Bride Come Lord Iesu even so come Lord Iesu come quickly my heart is prepared to enter into thy rest receive me into the armes of thy mercy entertaine mee into thy owne kingdome that leaving the vanity of this world I may with thy glorified Angels and blessed Saints enjoy that everlasting felicity of a better world which never shall have an end Adew therfore vaine world with all worldly delights whatsoever and now solitary soule begin to take thy solace in better things And to prove the world vaine and consequently thy selfe vaine behold these shapes read these Verses and in order open the leaves that are folded up Herein as in a mirrour behold thy owne estate reade and consider what thou readest that thou maist know and see thy owne vanity Here thou shalt see what thou wert what thou art and what thou shalt be Dust thou wert dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt returne dust in thy creation dust in thy constitution dust in thy dissolution Hels Torments I. THough long it were since Adam was Yet seemes he here to be A blessed creature once he was Now naked as you see Whose wife was cause of all my care To say I may be bold Turne back the leaves and then you may My picture there behold II. To thinke upon the workes of God All worldly men may wonder But thinking on thy sinnes O man Thy heart may burst asunder The sinner sits and sweetly sings And so his heart beguiles Till I come with my bitter stings And turne to griefe his smiles III. Muse not to gaze upon my shape Whose nakednesse you see By flattering and deceitfull words The Divell deceived me Let me example be to all That once from God doe range Turne backe the leaves and then behold Another sight as strange IV. Had Adam and Eve never beene As there you saw their shape I never had deceived them Nor they ere made debate But turne behold where both doe stand And lay the fault on me Turne backe the upper and nether crests There each of them you see I. III. Here we doe standin perfect state All formed as we were But what the Serpent did by hate Shall sodainely appeare Then here behold how both doe stand And where the fault did lye Th' almighty power did so command That once we all must dye II. IV. See what comes of wicked deed As all men well doe know And for the same God hath decreed That we should live in woe The dust it was my daily food Vnto it we must turne And darknesse is my chiefe abode In sorrow so we mourne Of the punishments which the Lord threatneth unto such as live a sinfull life ONe of the principall meanes that our Lord hath used oftentimes to bridle the hearts of men and to draw them unto the obedience of his commandements hath beene to set before their eyes the horrible plagues and punishments that are prepared for such persons as bee rebels and transgressours of his Law For although the hope of the rewards that are promised unto the good in the life to come may move us very much hereunto yet are wee commonly more moved with things that be irkesome unto us than with such as be pleasant even as we see by daily experience that we are vexed more with an injury done unto us than delighted with any honour and we are more troubled with sicknesse than comforted with health and so by the discommodity of sicknes we come to understand the commodity of health as by a thing so much the better perceived by how much more it is sensibly felt Now for this cause did our Lord in times past use this meane more than any other as it appeareth most clearely by the writings of the Prophets which are every where full of dreadfull sayings and threatnings wherewith our Lord pretendeth to put a terrour into the hearts of men and so to bridle and subdue them under the obedience of his Law And for this end he commanded the Prophet Ieremie That hee should take a white booke and write in the same all the threatnings and calamities which hee had revealed unto him even from the first day he began to mlke with him untill that present houre and that he should read the same in the presence of all the people to see if peradventure they would bee moved therewith unto repentance and to change their former life to the end that hee might also change the determination of his wrath which he had purposed to execute upon them And the holy Scripture saith That when the Prophet had done according as hee was commanded by almighty God and had read all those threatnings in the presence of the people and of the Rulers there arose such a feare and terrour amongst them that they were all astonished and as it were bestraughted of their wits looking one in anothers face for the exceeding great fear which they had conceived of those words This was one of the principall means which Almighty God used with men in the time of the written Law and so he did also in the time of the Law of graces in vvhich the holy Apostle saith That as there is revealed a justice vvhereby God maketh men just so is there also revealed an indignation and vvrath vvhereby he punisheth the unjust for vvhich cause S. Iohn Baptist the glorious forerunner of our Saviour Christ was sent vvith this commission and embassage to preach unto the world That the axe was now put to the rooot of the tree and that every tree that brought not forth good fruit should bee cut downe and cast into the fire Hee said moreover That there was another come into the world more mighty than hee that carried in his hand a fanne to winnow and cleanse therewith his floore and that he would put up the corne into his garner but the chaffe hee will burne in a fire that should never bee quenched This was the preaching and embassage which â—he holy fore-runner of our Saviour Jesus Christ brought â—nto the world And so great was the thunder of these words â—nd the terrour which entered â—nto mens hearts so dreadfull that