vs by the Word and Sacraments The secōd Position I beléeue this faith to bee wrought in vs of the holy Ghost by the Word and Sacraments that by this faith wee might immediatly receiue and eate the bodie of Christ which was deliuered vp for vs and receiue and drinke the bloud of Christ which was shed for vs for remission of sinnes And so we might more and more bee engraffed and immediatly vnited vnto the bodie of Christ as our Mediatour who died for vs. For euen as the Bread and Wine being Earthly and Materiall Bodies cannot bee incorporated into our Earthly bodies vnlesse wee receiue them in at our mouth and eate them and drinke them So wee cannot bée vnited and incorporated into the bodie and bloud of Christ which Irenaeus calleth an Heauenly thing vnlesse by faith we take hold on Christ eate him and drinke him that is applie him vnto vs. The third Position OF the vse for which we eate the body of Christ and drinke his bloud I beléeue that the bodie of Christ in the Supper is offered and exhibited vnto vs to be eaten and his bloud to bee drunke and that faith by the Word and Sacraments by the helpe of the Holy Ghost being wrought in our hearts it is eaten of vs indéed to the end that we being more neerely and effectually incorporated into Christ we may also bee more throughly confirmed in the New Couenant which in Christ is communicated vnto vs. For as Christ did therefore deliuer his bodie vnto death and shed his bloud that by his death and bloud our sinnes being purged hee might confirme and for euer establish the couenant being renued betwéene God the Father and vs euen as the words of the Supper concerning the bloud doe teach vs and other bookes of the Scripture especially the Epistle to the Hebrewes doe confirme euen so for this end also the body and bloud of Christ is communicated vnto vs that by the participation of them we in like manner being more and more incorporated into Christ might be more and more confirmed in the New Testament Therefore when Christ gaue forth the cuppe in plaine wordes hee named the New Testament that the Apostles might vnderstand to what end the bloud of the sonne of God was not only shed and powred out but also was exhibited to be drunken of them Verily to this end that as by the shedding of his bloud their sinnes and the sinnes of all Gods Elect were purged and being purged the couenant betweene them and God was for all eternitie confirmed So also by drinking of the same both they and all the Elect being more and more incorporated may know themselues to be confirmed and established in the euerlasting Couenant But yet because the Couenant and the flesh and bloud of Christ are diuers obiects and the one is ordinated vnto the other therefore for doctrine sake I distinguish the one from the other and shew what is the proper vse of either of them The fourth Position OF the benefit or vse of the Couenant communicated vnto vs. Lastly I beléeue the couenant it selfe being ratified and confirmed in the bodie of Christ and by the bloud of Christ to bee more and more communicated vnto vs in the same bodie and bloud of Christ that by the bond thereof wee may wholy whatsoeuer we are bee vnited more and more vnto God the Father the Fountaine as of the whole Diuinitie so of all goodnesse and blessednesse by Christ the Mediatour the Spirit working and dwelling in vs and that we may be so vnited that in mind wee may daily more clearely acknowledge him by the Holy Ghost to be our true and our best Father in Christ and in our heart loue him more feruently in Iesus Christ through the Holy Ghost yea with all the powers of soule and bodie wee may daily more sincerely honour him and may bee made like vnto him in Holinesse and Iustice vntill at length sinne being vtterly destroyed and death abolished and the perfect Image of God recouered wee may so perfectly through Christ in the Spirit of God bee vnited and coupled after this life vnto God the Father that he may be all in all Amen For this is the last end vnto which not only the Supper of the Lord but also Baptisme yea the whole Word of God all his benefits all his corrections lastly all the words and works of God doe lead vs vnto CHAP. III. Of the dutie of a Christian man in the Supper of the Lord. WHerefore I thinke and beléeue that these are the duties of a Christian man in the Lords Supper First that he set before his eyes the perfect Communion with God which is none at al without Christ and is to be found only in him and that he direct all things vnto it as vnto the last end Secondly that hee may come vnto this end hee must make his beginning from the meanes which doe incurre into our senses as those things which are first perceiued by our vnderstanding and are better knowne by nature as also hee must heare the word attentiuely and come vnto the Sacraments reuerently and diligently consider as well what the word signifieth as what the Sacraments doe represent and what is offered vnto vs by the Ministerie of them both which is this that Christ hath offered vp his bodie vnto death for vs and shedde his bloud for remission of sinnes and therefore hee hath by his bloud sealed and confirmed in himselfe being Mediatour the New Testament of our euerlasting reconciliation and peace with God And these things are so signified by the Sacraments that they are also offered and giuen vnto vs to be receiued Whereby it comes to passe that they are truly called Signes not only signifying but also exhibiting and giuing the things which they signifie Thirdly I beleeue because the thinges signified and offered by the Signes are to be receiued by faith and faith is the gift of God therefore God is to be praied vnto as hee who offereth the things by the Signes and who commands vs to receiue them by faith He also can giue and increase faith whereby we are able to receiue them Fourthly I beléeue that faith being begotten in vs by hearing of the Word and increased by the diligent consideration of the Sacraments through the Holy Ghost it is the dutie of a Christian man while he receiueth the Externall and Visible Signes with his hand being also Externall and Visible and eateth them with the mouth of his body and drinketh them heare vpon Earth together also to receiue with the hand and mouth of faith and to eate and drinke the Heauenly and Inuisible thinges namely the flesh and bloud of Christ with a faithful heart lifted vp vnto the Heauenly Table that hee being more and more coupled vnto Christ and made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones may liue in Christ and Christ in him For I beleeue the faithfull in the Supper truly to
36 Obiect that friends forsake answered Pag. 146 37 Obiect that want solemne buriall answered Pag. 147 38 Of our reconciliation to man in sicknesse Pag. 147 39 VVhy we ought to haue a will in readines Pag. 148 40 How we ought to make our will Pag. 149 41 Whom we may make our executors Pag. 149 42 Who is our best friend in our sicknesse Pag. 150 43 What speeches we must vse to our friends that visit vs. Pag. 151 44 Comforts against the feare of death Pag. 151 45 Comforts against the feare of Gods anger Pag. 157 46 Comforts against the feare of desperation Pag. 159 47 Comforts against the feare of Satan Pag. 162 48 Comforts against the commission of sinne Pag. 164 49 Comforts against the greatnesse of our sinnes Pag. 167 50 Comforts against the multitude of sinnes Pag. 169 51 Comforts against our imperfect obedience Pag. 171 52 What thoughts wee must haue at the houre of death Pag. 175 53 Of speech at that time Pag. 176 54 Of sudden death Pag. 180 55 Whether we may pray against it Pag. 183 56 Why wee must take thought for our bury all Pag. 184 57 Of the place of buryall Pag. 186 58 Of keeping cleane Church-yards Pag. 187 58 Of Monuments Pag. 187 60 Of mourning Pag. 189 61 Of mourning apparell Pag. 191 62 Of Funerall Sermons Pag. 192 63 That Christs death is often to be thought on Pag. 194 64 What his passion is Pag. 195 65 What moued Christ to suffer Pag. 196 66 When his suffering beganne Pag. 196 67 What hee suffered before his apprehension Pag. 197 68 Why was his soule troubled Pag. 197 69 What it was that crucified Christ Pag. 200 70 Why he was crucified at Easter Pag. 201 71 Why he died on the Crosse Pag. 202 72 Who haue profit by Christs death Pag. 203 73 How it is meritorious Pag. 204 74 A meditation of Christs death Pag. 205 75 Whether we must follow Christ in his Crosse Pag. 208 76 Of the vertue of Christs resurrection Pag. 209 77 Of the deceitfulnesse of the world Pag. 212 78 Of eternall glorie Pag. 215 79 What we shall enioy in heauen Pag. 216 80 How we shall come vnto heauen Pag. 217 81 VVhat the obiect of life eternall is Pag. 217 82 For whom it is prepared Pag. 218 83 That our bodies shall rise Pag. 219 84 The qualities of our bodies after the resurrection Pag. 223 85 How our bodies shall be spirituall Pag. 224 86 VVhether they shall bee perfect without the least imperfection Pag. 224 87 The qualities of the soule after death Pag. 225 88 Sweet meditations of the Fathers concerning the ioyes of heauen Pag. 226 89 Of the torments of hell Pag. 231 A consolatorie Epistle against all crosses Pag. 239 An heauenly meditation in Verse Pag. 249 A prayer for morning or euening Pag. 251 A morning prayer Pag. 266 An euening prayer Pag. 277 A prayer to bee said alone or with companie changing I into we Pag. 289 A thanks-giuing for our Gunne-powder deliuerance Pag. 335 A prayer for a sick man Pag. 298 A thanks-giuing after deliuerance from sicknesse Pag. 307 A prayer to be said by a sick man Pag. 313 A thanks-giuing after the death of any Pag. 319 A prayer for a woman in trauaile Pag. 323 A thanks-giuing after her safe deliuerance Pag. 326 A prayer before the Communion Pag. 329 A thanks-giuing after Pag. 332 Graces Pag. 341 FINIS CHRISTS PRAYER EXPOVNDED The Speakers Euchedidascalus A Teacher of Prayer Phileuches A Louer of Prayer Euch. PHileuches amongst many Sermons which I haue preached vnto you you haue heard me expound the Lords prayer are you bound to giue account of that you haue heard Phil. Sir doubtlesse I am for the Apostle Peter teacheth me that I must be alwaies readie to giue an answere to euery one that asketh me a reason of the hope that is in me with meekenesse and reuerence a 1. Pet. 3.15 Euch. Repeate then the Lords Prayer Phil. Our Father which art in heauen hallowed be thy name thy kingdome come thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Giue vs this day our daily bread and forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs and lead vs not into temptation but deliuer vs from euill for thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for euer and euer Amen Euch. Why is this prayer called the Lords Prayer Phil. 1 Because Christ Iesus our Lord set downe the same b Mat. 6.9 2 Because we cannot pray vnlesse Christ teach vs c Luc. 11.1 Rom. 8.26 3 To make vs estéeme it in that it was giuen by our Lord. 4 To distinguish it from the prayers of others Euch. Why did Christ teach his Church this prayer Phil. 1 To put vs in minde of our miserie that vnlesse God giue it we can haue no good thing * Iam. 1.17 2 Of his mercy who giues if we aske 3 To comfort vs that we may be so bold as to aske 4 To instruct vs in what manner we should aske 5 To assure vs that we comming to the Father in his Sonnes owne words he will heare vs for his Sonnes sake 6 To teach vs by this short summe what we may lawfully aske at the hands of God and that other things we should not aske * Matth. 20 7 That Christ might not be inferior to Iohn who taught his disciples to pray 8 To teach Ministers Parents Tutors and Masters to doe the like to their children and people 9 To shew that God is not like the great Monarches of the earth to whom we may not come vnlesse Ahashuerosh-like he hold out his golden Scepter Ester 4. 10 That God vouchsafeth all this his honour that they may come vnto him Euch. Is there any vertue in these verie words of this prayer Phil. There is no such vertue as that by the bare repetition of it we can bind God to grant our requests or that we should neuer pray in other words but as the ten Commandements containe all things to be done of vs the Créed all things to be beléeued by vs so the Lords Praier doth comprehend all things to be asked by vs of Almighty God Euch. Is it necessarie euer to repeat all this prayer Phil. It is surely a good conclusion for our ordinarie course of praying both publikely and priuately because those things which wee cannot at such times craue or giue thanks for in particular are all contained in this platforme but that euery petition should euer bee vsed it is not necessarie Euch. How then may you repeate it with comfort Phil. Surely as Luther teacheth me to repeate the ten Commandements and the Articles of my faith in my prayers Euch. How is that Phil. To obserue the present necessity As for example Do I sée the prophanation of Gods name and contempt of his word I must then say O heauenly father maintaine I pray thee the glorie of thine owne name and suffer
Quest What is examination Ans It is a triall of my selfe how I stand in the grace of God 2. Cor. 13.5 Quest What learne you out of this that a man must examine himselfe before he come to this Table Ans First that children are not capable of this banquet 1. Cor. 11.28 though the Ancient Church administred it to them 2 That ignorant persons must not approch to this Table 1. Cor. 11.24 3 That mad people are not to be admitted to this feast 1. Sam. 21.15 4 That such as intend to liue in their sinnes must not dare to approch vnto this Communion Cor. 11.27 5 That such as doe not trie themselues cannot come 6 That such as doe trie themselues must come after triall and may come with much comfort Quest Doe you thinke that a man may not come to the Lords Table vnlesse some good time before he examine himselfe Ans There is a Primarie and after it a Customarie receiuing of the Lords Supper when I first receiue it it is most fit that I be prepared by my Parents Tutors or gouernours that I be examined by my Minister and aduised of my selfe how I come to this holy banquet But after that time vnlesse it bee after some speciall offence I thinke this strict course is not of necessitie Quest Why thinke you this course most necessarie at your first communicating Ans 1 Because it is a kind of confimation of my Baptisme 2 A second receiuing of mee into the Church 3 My first admission of me to the King of Kings Table 4 A solemnization of my spirituall marriage with Christ 5 I am but a nouice and then must especially thinke what I doe 6 I may by so doing cause others to come reuerently to this holy Table 7 If I be once fitted and prepared by my Minister he shall not need a second triall of my knowledge and faith 8 Lastly I shall stoppe the mouthes of mine aduersaries who say yong folks care not how they come to this feast Quest When then is a man fit to receiue Answ When he is fit to pray 2 When he is fit to heare 3 When he is resolued to forgiue 4 When he meanes to be a new man for all which duties I thinke we should be fitted at al times especially when we come to this Sacrament Quest Wherein stands that examination aforesaid Answ In fiue things 1 I must examine what knowledge I haue Prou. 19.2 2 What faith I haue Act. 8.37 3 What repentance I haue Exod. 12.8 4 What obedience I haue Psalm 26.6 5 What loue I beare to my brethren Matth. 5.23.24 Quest Why must you examine what knowledge you haue Answ Because 1 By knowledge I beare the Image of God Coloss 3.10 2 Without knowledge the mind is not good Prou. 19.2 Nay ignorance is hell saith Marke the Hermit 3 He that is ignorant is worse then the diuell the one knoweth much the other nothing at all 4 Without knowledge we cannot practise 5 In this knowledge is eternall life Ioh. 3.36 6 He that is ignorant is Salomons foole A foole nay a beast amongst men 7 Ignorance is a fore-runner of destruction Hos 4. 8 Knowledge is the eye of the soule 9 The Prophets pray and preach against ignorant persons Ierem. 10. Hos 4.2.3 10 Knowledge is the mother of faith repentance and all graces yea the want of it maketh men most deceiued in the doctrine of the Sacrament Quest Wherefore then are the most people ignorant Ans The reason is 1 Their idlenesse Prou. 2. 2 Their malice Iob. 21.14 3 Their pride Psal 25. 4 Their worldlinesse Eccles 38.25 5 Their blindnes by Sathan 2. Cor. 4.3 6 Naturall coruption 2. Cor. 2.14 Quest Wherein stands the examination of your knowledge Ans In two things 1 What generall knowledge I haue 2 What knowledge I haue in particular Quest Wherein consisteth general knowledge Ans In thrée things whereof the first is 1 What knowledge I haue of God 2 What knowledge I haue of my selfe 3 What knowledge I haue of the couenant of grace Quest What knowledge must you haue of God Ans I must know him to be such an one as he hath reuealed himselfe in his Word to wit one a inuisible b and indiuisible essence c and thrée truly distinct persons d namely the Father begetting e the Sonne begotten f and the g holy Ghost procéeding from the Father and the Sonne h Deutro 6.4 i Iohn 1.8 k Exodus 3.14 1. Ioh. 5.7.8 e Iohn 3.16.18 f Psal 2.7 g Iohn 15.26 Quest Must you know nothing else of God Answ Yes I must know that hee is a Creator and b gouernour of all things c a most wise vnderstander and knower of all thoughts most d holy e iust and f mercifull to his creatures that he is g eternall without either beginning or end h and that he is present in all places a Gen 1.1 b Mat. 10.10 c 1. Chron. 28.9 d 1. Pet. 1.17 e Psa 145.17 f Ps 103.8 g Reu. 1.17 h Pro. 15.3 Quest How may you know whether you haue this sauing knowledge of God Answ By my loue to him longing after him desire to be with him and zeale to performe obedience vnto him Quest What must you know concerning your selfe Answ That by nature I am stained wholly with a originall sinne so that my b minde is full of blindnesse c will of frowardnesse d affections of peruersnesse e my conscience of guiltinesse so that thereby I am subiect to the f curse of God in life in death and after death a Gen. 6.5 b Eph. 4.18 c Rom. 6.18 d Ephes 4.19 e Psalm 51. f Deut. 27.26 Galat. 3.10 Quest What things are you subiect to in life Answ By reason of this sin in my a soule I am a subiect to madnesse b in my body to diseases c in my goods to losse and d in my name to reproch a Deut. 28.61 b Deut. 28.60 Deut. 28.28.68 d Prou. 10.7 Quest What are you subiect to in death Answ To the separation of the a soule from the bodie and in that separation to be either b comfortlesse or c senselesse Gen. 2.17 b Matth. 27.4.5 c 1. Sam. 25.37 Quest What are you subiect to after death Answ To be a tormented for euer with the diuell and his angels b and to be cast away from the presence of God Matth. 25.41 b Luc. 13.26 Quest What must you know concerning the couenant of grace Answ That a Christ Iesus hath deliuered me from this misery who being very God b became man c to die d for my sinnes and rose againe for my iustificacion a Luke 1.68 c. b Ioh. 1.1 c Ioh. 1.14 d Rom. 4.25 Quest What particular knowledge is required of you Answ I must know the nature and vse of this Sacrament 1. Cor. 11.18 Quest What then is the Lords Supper Answ It is a Sacrament wherein by the vse of Bread and Wine those that are ingrafted into Christ are nourished to life Quest What learne you out
giue why you must examine your obedience Answ Amongst many I giue these 1 Disobedience is as the sinne of witchcraft 1. Sam. 15.23 2 Obedience is better then sacrifice 1. Sam. 15.22 3 It is a fruit of faith Rom. 8.1 4 By this examination I shal be moued to repent Ierem. 31.19 5 If I haue done any thing that is good I shall haue cause to giue God due thankes 6 Without it I cannot appeare before God Ierem. 7.9 Quest How many properties are there of this obedience Answ Fiue 1 It must be frée without constraint Psalm 110.3 2 Sincere without hypocrisie 2. Tim. 1.5 3 Vniuersall not to some but to all the Commaundements Psalm 119.6 Iam. 2.10 4 Perpetuall till the houre of our death Matth. 24.13 5 Personall in regard of our personall calling 1. Pet. 5.1 Quest Which is the last part of examination Answ Our reconciling our selues vnto our brethren if we haue made them any offence Matth. 5.24 Quest Can you shew mee any reasons of this examination Answ Yea surely For 1 If I loue not my brother God loues not me 1. Ioh. 3.14 2 If I forgiue not my brother God forgiueth not me Matth. 6.15 3 If I want loue I am none of Christs disciples Ioh. 13.35 4 Without it I shall neuer doe good to my brother 1. Cor. 13.2 Quest By what signes may you know whether you are so reconciled that you loue your brother Answ By these 1 If I be not ouercome with euill Rom. 12.21 2 If I ouercome euill with goodnesse Rom. 12.21 3 If I can pray for him Acts 7.60 4 If I can yéeld to him Gen. 13.19 5 If I can conceale my wrongs and his infirmities Prou. 11.12.13 6 If I can conuerse friendly with him Genes 34.4 7 If I can depart sometime from my right Gen. 13.10 8 If when I may I auenge not my selfe 2. Sam. 19.23 Quest When are we fit to receiue the Sacrament in regard of reconciliation Answ Euen then when we are fit to say in the Lords prayer Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs. And therefore many indanger their own consciences in refusing to receiue lest they should leaue their sinnes and be reconciled to men Now the Lord grant that I may after this sort examine my selfe that at all times by putting off the old man and putting on the new I may be fit to come to Gods Table Quest I hope you are well instructed in examination Tell mee what premeditation the second part of preparation is Answ It is a consideration of those graces which wee doe receiue by the death of Christ signified in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Quest Which are those graces that wee must consider of Answ Our redemption from hell our deliuerance from death damnation and the curse of the Law 2 The remission of our sinnes whereby we receiue freedome from sinne and acceptation to life Psalme 103.3.4 3 Which is a fruit of the former reconciliation with God when wee are made friends with him Colos 1.20 4 Our communion and fellowship with Christ 1. Cor. 10.16 5 Interest and title to eternall life by Christ in whom we are sonnes Iohn 1.12 Rom. 8.13 Quest What fruit ariseth out of these two Answ A spirituall hunger after Christ and his benefits for when a man hath examined his wants and hath considered the riches of Christ his hart longs after the same Ioh. 7.37 Quest You haue well said all that you haue yet said how must you be disposed in the action of receiuing Answ I must seriously thinke of these fiue points 1 When I sée the Minister take bread and wine I must consider the action of God whereby he sent Christ to worke my redemption 2 When I sée the bread broken and the wine powred out I must consider first The bitter passion of Christ for me in so suffering secondly Gods infinite loue to mée who sent Christ to redéeme me his enemy thirdly Gods wrath towards me for my sinne which nothing could satisfie but the death of Christ Fourthly I must detest those sins of mine which caused Christ thus to suffer 3 When the minister distributeth bread and wine I must consider that as it is truly offered vnto me by man so Christ is truly offered vnto me by God 4 In receiuing bread and wine I must apprehend Christ by faith 5 In eating that bread and drinking that wine I must apply Christ particularly to my selfe and be perswaded that as that bread and wine is made the nourishment of my bodie so Christs body and blood is made the nourishment of my soule Yea I must féele the power of Christ to mortifie the corruption of my nature by his death to quicken me in newnesse of life by his resurrection and to giue me power to fight against my deadly aduersaries the world the flesh and the diuell Quest When you are to receiue these consecrated mysteries may you receiue them kneeling vpon your knees Answ You taught me that this gesture hath béen much abused yet at the commandement of the Church it may be vsed without impietie 1 Because knéeling is a thing indifferent as is the vncouering of the head at that time 2 Because the Minister then prayeth to God as he giueth them 3 Because Christ is more particularlie then offered then in the word 4 That we may stoppe our aduersaries mouthes who crie out against vs that we regard not this Sacrament 5 Because then especially God requires our humiliation 6 That the better wee may lift vp our hearts to God 7 Because in matters of indifferencie we are bound to kéep the peace of the Church 8 Because we teach that this reuerence is not done to the creatures but to our Creator 9 Because by this gesture we are moued to receiue with greater reuerence 10 It is reteined by the Church of Bohemia Quest But this Ceremonie sauoreth of adoring a breaden god Answ To our aduersaries it doth to vs it doth not being taught the contrarie therfore if it be not taken away it may be vsed if it were the feare of superstition were taken away with it But in things which may be well vsed let no man be contentious we haue no such custome neither haue the Churches of God Ambrose his counsell to 〈…〉 and his mother Monica is good counsell When I am at Millaine I fast not on Saturday because there they fast not and when I come to Rome I fast on Saturday because there they then fast Thus must we doe in things indifferent that we may keep the vnitie of the Spirit in the bond of peace Quest Yet were it not fit to follow the example of Christ who did administer it sitting at the table Answ Marke what I say And the Lord giue you vnderstanding in all things 1 If we must precisely follow Christs practise in this then they who receiue standing transgresse in practise as well as they who receiue kneeling which I thinke you will not
great sin For 1 It argues madnesse for a man to lay violent hands vpon himselfe 2 Impatience that he cannot wait the leisure of God 3 Cowardlinesse that he wil not endure that which might be inflicted vpon him 4 Vnthankfulnesse not to preserue this Iewell which is bestowed vpon him And in a word such a practise causeth not onely the actors but their actions profession posteritie and Countrie to bee euill spoken of Quest Well say then that I be cast vpon my sicke bed what rules can you giue mee to obserue at that time Answ You are first to set your soule in order and sée how you stand in the fauour of God Quest And what are the reasons of this rule Answ 1 Because the sicknesse of the bodie doth procéed from the sinne of the soule Lament 3.39 2 The cure of the soule procures often the health of the bodie Matth. 9.2 3 If your sicknes be a sicknesse to death you shall die more quietly otherwise death is most fearefull in sicknesse 4 By this you shall take your sicknesse the more patiently 5 You shall so giue example to such as come to visit you to doe the like 6 All your friends shall by this bee perswaded that you are the childe of God Quest Doe you thinke in this case it is fit whilest I am in good memorie and it may be in some hope of recouerie to send for my godly Minister to comfort me Answ O it cannot but bee very fit for he is 1 The Lords messenger to declare vnto man his reconciliation by Christ 2 Hee is able to beat you downe by the curses of the Law and to raise you vp by the promises of the Gospell 3 Hee hath experience to speake a word in due season vnto you 4 Hee especially as Gods Physitian hath store of salues to cure your sicke soule 5 You may boldly vncouer your sores to him who will not discouer them to your future shame 6 Hee can see further into the nature of your heart then oftentimes you your selfe can 7 He will boldly rip vp your vlcers that after he may the better cure them 8 If he comfort or correct you for sinne you may be perswaded that both come from God 9 You shall by this much ease your owne heart by crauing comfort from a godly Preacher 10 You shall cause others in the like visitation to doe as you haue done and you your selfe he fitter to die Quest When I haue taken this course for my soule what must I doe in the next place for my body An. You are then to vse the helpe of a godly Physitian and that for these reasons 1 Your body is the soules house if it be decaying you must seeke to repaire it by al good meanes you can 2 God hath giuen expert Physitians skil to restore many diseases of the body 3 God hath appointed many soueraigne remedies to recouer man in his sicke estate 4 You shall better satisfie your selfe if you die in that you neglected not lawfull meanes 6 For want of this dutie many doe perish who might recouer Quest Now in taking Physicke what must I doe Answ You must 1 Commend it to Gods blessing by praier 2 Not rely onely vpon the meanes 3 Know that it cannot preuent either old age or death 4 Humble your soule that God may heale your body 5 Waite Gods leasure in blessing the meanes 6 Bée thankefull to God if by it you recouer Quest What then may I thinke of seeking to vngodly or superstitious Physitians though learned Answ 1 If you cannot haue any other you may with good conscience vse such 2 If they haue a peculiar gift to cure that disease which troubleth you you may goe vnto them Quest And may I not aswell vse them as Religious Physitians Answ I thinke not for 1 They will make little conscience to cure you 2 You cannot hope that they shall cure you 3 You doe as much as in you lyeth countenance them in their sinne and superstition 4 You make them able to doe much hurt 5 It is an argument that you put more confidence in such meanes then in God 6 You discourage godly men in that calling 7 You make the Gospell to bee euil spoken of 8 What doe you know whether it will one day bee a corrosiue to your conscience that you haue vsed bad meanes when as God offered you good Quest It seemeth then that to vse the helpe of good Witches or Cunning men or women as they are called is most vnlawfull Answ To vse their helpe is to goe from the God of Israel to Baalzebub God of Eckron from Samuel in Ramoth to the Witch at Endor from the Riuers of Samaria to the Waters of Damascus from the Liuing to the Dead and from God to the Deuill and yet this is the practise of most people Quest And why now I pray you would you haue mee first to send for a Physitian for my soule before I send for a Physitian for my bodie Surely this is not the customary course but rather the contrarie Answ It is so first wee haue the Physitian and when hee leaues vs then the Minister is sent for and when hee once comes wee thinke all the World is gone with vs but it is a preposterous course for these reasons 1 Neuer looke for health in bodie til you haue a good soule 2 You must desire God to blesse the meanes hee vseth which you truly cannot doe till your conscience bee perswaded of the pardon of your sinnes 3 The memorie of the torments for sin may be a meanes to increase the greatnesse of your disease 4 You shal else make the World beléeue that you are perswaded that you hope still for life Quest Well say then that I send for my Preacher and why should I not send for him as well as for my Physitian what must I doe when he is come vnto me Answ You are bound 1 To acknowledge and confesse all such sinnes as doe any way so disquiet you that you cannot bee perswaded of the pardon of them 2 You are to reueale those seuerall temptations by which Sathan assaileth you in your sicknesse 3 You are to desire comfort from him against the burden of your sinnes and those temptations of the Deuill 4 You must beléeue that whatsoeuer he saith to you out of Gods word is the voice of God 5 You must hide nothing from him by which you like hypocrites desire to bee thought to be in a better estate then you are 6 You must desire him to pray for you that God may either recouer your health or receiue your soule 7 You must not be sorrie if hee say vnto you that your sicknesse may bee a sicknesse to death and that therefore you had néed to prouide for another World 8 If you be ignorant in pietie and godlinesse you must neuer leaue him till you haue gotten a sauing and sure knowledge of God in Christ Quest And what must he doe then to
That though it bee a sharpe sicknesse yet is it also a short sicknesse and more tolerable then the Stone Dropsie Gout Palsey or the French disease 4 That Dauid desired it before either famine or warre 5 That very many who die of this disease haue their senses and memories till the last houre 6 That the tokens which come out vpon you are Gods tokens so that before you die you haue a good time to call vpon God 7 That many Noble Personages Godly Preachers Expert Physitians Skilfull Lawyers and most Christian people haue died of it 8 That by it God taketh you from many miseries of this life 9 That Iob was grieued for manie Moneths with a more fearefull disease 10 That it hinders not the saluation of your soule though you die of such a sickenesse 11 If you bee sicke of it God may recouer you 12 If it please him to recouer you againe you are like to bee after far more healthfull Quest O but my friendes will not come at mee Ans O but God will neuer forsake you and especially in Cities you shall haue so manie as can doe you any good the fewer you haue to gaze vpon you the fitter you are to looke vp to God Quest But alas I shall want my solemne funerall Answ What is that to the saluation of your soule and resurrection of your body comfort your selfe in Christian not costly buriall Quest I see then that as there is no antidote against death so there is no perfume against the plague I may die of it but good Lord deliuer me and mine and all good people from it But now when I am sicke of any disease as I must reconcile my selfe to God so ought I not to reconcile my selfe to my neighbour An. If you haue wronged him in his bodie by striking soule by seducing person by imprisoning goods by stealing name by slandering or any other way haue done him hurt you must seeke to bee reconciled vnto him Math. 5.25 Qu. What if I be so diseased that he dares not come to me or be so farre absent that hee cannot come to me what am I now to doe Answ In this case 1 God accepteth the will for the deede 2 You must testifie your desire to friends present Quest You said that a Minister must exhort sicke persons to dispose their goods Is this necessary to be done Answ Of goods yea and offices too Magistrates must be carefull of their godly successors and Ministers of their fellow-labourers Deut. 31.1 Iosh 23. Quest As for my goods is it fit to make my will in sickenesse An. Nay rather you should euer haue it ready in your health if you haue not it is néedefull in sickenesse to make it for these reasons though many thinke they must die if their Will be made 1 In regard of your own credit that others may thinke you a wise man 2 Of your own conscience that hauing set all in good order you may more fréely depart in peace 3 Of your louing wife for whom you ought to prouide 4 Of your children that each of them may haue a conuenient portion of your goods 5 Of your seruants that they may not depart empty away 6 Of your friends that some legacies may be allotted to them 7 Of the Church that you may as you are able remember it 8 Of the Common wealth that you may doe good to such societies as you haue liued in 9 Of the poore that by giuing to them you may send that portion of wealth before you to heauen 10 Of your possessions and goods themselues that they may know their owners after you are gone Quest How ought I to make my Will Ans It must bee made according to the Law 1 Of Nature by which you are borne 2 Of that Nation in wich you liue 3 Of God by whom you haue liued and to whom you die And thâ—s you must doe in few plaine and significant words Qu. Say that I haue gotten my goods badlie what must I doe Ans You must make restitution to the true owners if you know them if not the poore are the best inheritors of such goods Quest Who is the fittest to be Executors of my Will Answ That person whom thou hast tried to bee faithfull to God sincere in his conuersation wise in his owne businesse and who is like to be louing to thine and trusty to accomplish the whole intent of thy Testament Qu. As I am about my Will many friends will perhaps come and visit mee how shall I know who are my best friends Ans Surely they who giue you good aduice for your soules health who haue a fellow-feeling of your sickenesse and who wish rather your life to doe good then your death to haue goods especially your best friend is a good conscience for that wil neuer leaue you nor forsake you Quest Can you illustrate this by any storie Answ I haue read of a man going to execution for Treason against his Prince Hee meetes with three of his old friends hee desires them all to sue for his pardon the first saith I dare not but heere is money to buy you a Coffin and a shéete the second saith I may not but I will bring you to your ende and there leaue you the third saith O I will run and sue vpon my knees for you I will neuer leaue you To apply this Our first friend is money it can doe no more but performe our funerals the second is our acquaintance they will but attend vs to the graue and so leaue vs the last friend is a good conscience and it will neuer leaue vs till we are assured that God hath pardoned all our sinnes Quest But when my friends come to visite me am I to performe no duty to them Answ You are to will them 1 To serue God heartily 2 To obey Gouernours faithfully 3 To continue in the truth zealously 4 To be louing one to another 5 To be kind to your suruiuing aliance 6 To meditat of death by your example 7 To pray that you may die Christs faithfull seruant 8 To comfort you against the feare of death 9 Not to be ouer sorrowfull at your dissolution 10 To bee carefull that your goods bee disposed according to the true intent of your will And lastly to speake such good words vnto them that they may haue hope that you die in Gods fauour Quest I remember that you told me that though death be masked in the time of health yet it will shew it selfe vgly at the last gaâ—pe what comforts can you giue me against the feare of death when it commeth An. If I were a worldling I would say vnto you neuer thinke of it till it come but that it may not affright you when it comes but you may encounter with it in its owne den I wil giue vnto you certaine comforts Quest Which are they I pray you Answ I remember many and it is necessary you should know them For the day
the fierie darts of Sathan can neuer enter You haue the sword of the Spirit it is sharper then the sword of Goliah you haue the sling of Dauid it is more forcible then the speare of Goliah you may walke vpon this Lion and Aspe this young deuouring Lion and Dragon you may treade vnder your féete Psal 91.13 What if he bee wise yet God is wiser What if he be strong yet Christ is stronger What if skilfull yet the Lord is more skilfull What if he be vigilant yet the Al-séeing is more watchfull If you can call to God for aide against him as Iehoshaphat did against the Aramite and say O my God there is no strength in mee to stand before this great multitude that commeth against me neither doe I know what to doe but mine eyes are towards thee 2. Chron. 20.12 feare not neither bee afraid goe out against them the Lord will be with thee and thou shalt ouercome Say that hee ouercame Adam by ambition Saul by hypocrisie and Iudas by auarice yet by the grace of Christ hee shall not ouercome thee Thou dwellest in the secret of the most High and shalt abide in the shadow of the Almightie Hee will deliuer thée from the snare of the Hunter and from the noysome Pestilence hee will couer thée vnder his wings and thou shalt bee sure vnder his feathers his truth shall bee thy shield and buckler hee will giue his Angels charge ouer thée to kéepe thée in all thy wayes they shal beare thée vp in their hands so that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone Quest I confesse that God is able to deliuer me from Sathan but O my sinnes my sins mee thinkes giue mee ouer to Sathan helpe mee with comfort against this temptation I haue sinned and may now die in my sinnes Ans O consider with me what the word doth say Where sinne abounded grace hath superabounded Romans 5. The bloud of Iesus Christ hath purged vs from all sinne 1. Iohn 1.7 If any man sinne wee haue an Aduocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sinnes 1. Iohn 2.1.2 This is a true saying and worthie by all meanes to be receiued that Iesus Christ came into the World to saue sinners of whom I am chiefe 1. Tim. 1. Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the World Iohn 1. I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance 1. Matth. 11. The Sonne of man came to séeke and saue that which was lost Matth. 9. Come vnto mee all yee that are wearie and heauie laden and I will refresh you Matth. 11. Hee died for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Rom. 4. Hee hath loued vs and washed vs from our sinnes in his bloud Reuel 1.6 Thou shalt call his name Iesus for hee shall saue his people from their sinnes Matth. 1. Hee gaue himselfe for vs that hee might redéeme vs from all iniquitie and purge vs to bee a peculiar people vnto himselfe Titus 1.2 I will bée mercifull to their vnrighteousnesse and will remember their sinnes and their iniquities no more Hebr. 8.12 Doe you now beléeue these sayings are you perswaded that you haue faith in Christ If you haue faith you haue iustification if you haue iustification you haue no sinne I meane no such sinne as shall be able to condemne you in the day of iudgement for it is God that iustifieth who shall condemne Besides you are a member of Christs Church and this Church is without spot and wrinkle which it could not bee if you were yet in your sinnes Againe if your iniquities were not forgiuen in Christ to what end thinke you did he come into the World Furthermore consider what your Baptisme doth signifie that as pollution from your bodie is washed by water so sinne from your soule is washed by Christ Haue you forgotten that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper sealeth vnto you the forgiuenesse of sinnes by Christs death Is the Earth full of the mercies of the Lord and shal not this mercie be greater to you then all your miseries Doe you acknowledge and confesse your sinnes and will not he be faithfull and iust to forgiue you your sinnes Doe you aske and shall you not haue doe you séeke and shall you not find doe you knocke and shal not the dore of mercie be opened vnto you I thinke you know that Christs is a Physitian and to what end but to cure the diseased and what disease more dangerous then sinne I hope you know the Gospell of Christ is called the word of reconciliation of grace saluation and of life and that only because it offers all these to sinners And tell mee you that doubt of the forgiuenesse of sinnes what difference is there betwixt the sonnes of God and the sonnes of the Deuill but that they haue their sinnes forgiuen these not To conclude looke vpon the calling of the Preachers of the Gospell if they haue power to pronounce the pardon of sinnes to penitent sinners Christ hath power to giue pardon to the same sinners Therefore bee of good comfort your sinnes are forgiuen you Matth. 9.2 Quest What euen my great and grieuous sinnes mine infidelitie in mistrusting impatience in murmuring blasphemie in profaning the name of God Is the couetousnesse of monie the desire of reuenge the loue of pleasure more then the loue of God forgiuen mee Ans If you beléeue in Christ all things are possible to him that beléeueth your sinnes past shall neuer hurt you if sinne present doe not please you Though your sinnes were as redde as Scarlet God can make them as white as Snow There is no cloud so thicke but this Sun will dispell it no staine so foule but this Fullers sope will wash it out no treason so horrible but this King may pardon it and no sinne so great but God for Christs sake will forgiue it The infidelitie of Adam the Idolatrie of Abraham the incest of Lot the adulterie of Dauid the Apostasie of Peter the persecutions of Paul were grieuous sinnes but God in Christ did remit them all And whatsoeuer was written before time is written for your learning that you through patience and consolation of the Scriptures might haue hope Applie them therefore to your selfe If you owe to this creditor tenne thousand talents if you can sue to him for mercie hee will forgiue them all his Iustice can punish any sinne and his mercie can pardon any sinne When he liued vpon Earth he cured all sicknesses now hee is in Heauen hee can purge all sinnes He hath promised as a Porter to beare our iniquities is there any iniquitie too heauie for him Neuer say then despairing of Gods mercie my sinnes haue taken such hold vpon mee that I am not able to looke vp as an heauie burden they lie vpon mee I am not able to beare them Quest I hope that I shall lay these comforts to mine heart that the greatnesse
friend should haue of another in heauen within thrée houres after slept peaceably in the Lord. Luther sitting at supper and discoursing of the same argument about midnight after departed this life One Master Reade an Alderman of Norwich hauing read in the morning the chapter of Henockes taking vp in the Counsell chamber died suddenly at the table amongst his brethren And that wise Counseller the Lord of Buckhurst Earle of Dorset died suddenly at the Counsell Table in white Hall Mr. Flint a Preacher in London a man of great learning godly life and good report hauing procured the new building of his Church at which hee much reioiced fell downe from a scaffold on the top of that Church and so died In the commentaries of Iohn Holcot vpon the book of wisdom it is recorded of one who reading the fourth Chapter of the book of Wisdome was found dead in his studie with his finger pointing to the seuenth verse of that chapter Though the righteous be preuented by death yet shall he be at rest First where you shall reade these two verses Mors non est subita cui praecessit bona vita Nec minuit merita si moriatur ita If godly life do go before Through suddaine death our ioy is more 3 Know that if you liue wickedly sudden death is a fearefull iudgment for who then can bee perswaded of Gods fauour towards you and this makes the wicked of all kinds of death to pray to be deliuered from sudden death they would liue like Nabal but die like Dauid liue like the rich glutton and die like Lazarus they would die the death of the righteous but they would not liue the life of the righteous And therefore their Prayer is the prayer of Balaam Lord let mee die the death of the righteous and that my last end may bee like vnto his Numb 23. But if you liue euer in the feare of God it may bee an argument of Gods mercie to take you away vpon a short warning For so 1 You die without any great paine 2 You goe to God without any great trouble 3 You are not in danger of blaspheming God at your death 4 You will cause others to thinke well of your death because you liued a godly life 5 Many by your example will labour to prepare against such a kind of death 6 Your translation is like that of Henoch and Elias and of them that shall be aliue at the day of iudgment 1. Thess 4.17 Quest Is it lawfull to pray against a sudden death Answ The godly may and the wicked must pray against it The godly may 1 That as they haue honored God with their lips in their life so if it bee his good will they may doe it at their death 2 That because vpon the sudden few men haue their worldly estate fully setled they may haue time to order it 3 That they may not be a griefe to their friends that they are so soone taken from them 4 That they may escape the censure of the world which for the most part iudgeth hardly of this kind of death 5 That they may not die in such sort as diuers wicked men in the Scriptures haue died 6 Lest being ouertaken in some strange place they may so want the honour of Christian buriall and their friends not know what is become of them 2 The wicked must pray against it left so dying without repentance here there be no place left for them heereafter to repent in But I doubt whether God will heare their prayers For are not they worthy to want time of humiliation at their death who neglected saluation in their life The admonition of the wise man Eccl. 18.18 is very good Get thee righteousnesse before thou come to iudgement and vse Physicke before thou bee sicke Examine thy selfe before thou bee iudged and in the day of destruction thou shalt finde mercie Humble thy selfe before thou be sicke and whilest thou maiest yet sinne shew thy conuersion Quest Now since my soule must depart from my bodie ought I to take any great thought for my buriall Ans As the graue at your death is readie for you Iob. 17.1 so you also must haue care of it and your suruiuing friends must haue such respect to your dead body that it may be interred in a religious sort for 1 You are no Scythian that your dead bodie should be eaten at some feast nor Sabean that it should be cast on a dunghill nor Hyrcanian that it should bee deuoured by dogs nor Lothophagian that it should be cast into the sea nor Indian that it should be burned with fire but a Christian that it may be buried in the earth 2 Your dead body is a member of Christ 3 It was as well as the soule the temple of the holy Ghost 4 It was the ordinance of God that earth should return to his earth as the soule doth to him that gaue it Gen. 3. Eccles 7. 5 That Christ who redéemed your soule hath also paied a ransome for your bodie 6 It hath beene an instrument vsed by God to performe many seruices vnto him 7 It must rise againe out of the graue and in the day of iudgement bee made like vnto the glorious bodie of Christ Phil. 5.21 8 Religious and godly friends haue had this care to burie their dead so Abraham had to burie Sarah Ioseph to burie Iaakob Israel to burie Samuel Nichodemus to burie Christ and the Disciples to burie Iohn the Baptist and Steuen the first Martyr that suffered after Christ 9 It is one of Gods iudgements to want buriall Iere. 22.19 10 The Saints complaine for the want of it saying Psal 79.3 The dead bodies of thy seruants haue they giuen to bee meate vnto the fowles of heauen and the flesh of thy Saints vnto the beasts of the earth Their blood haue they shed like water round about Ierusalem and there was none to burie them 11 Ioseph gaue commandement concerning his bones Gen. 50. and Tobiah of his bodie Tob 14. 12 Many heathen people haue been very carefull of this dutie The Egyptians embalmed and so buried their dead and the Hebrewes made a law that no enemy should lie vnburied Quest What thinke you of the place of buriall Answ Abraham bought a field for the buriall of his dead Gen. 24. Christ was buried in a garden according to the custome of the Iewes Ioh. 20. The Turkes at this day burie none in their Cities and it was one of the lawes of the 12. Tables amongst the Romanes that none should be buried within thē walles Amongst Christians Churches and Church yards are appointed for the dead and to the end that the dead might not annoy the liuing it were well if Gouernours would be carefull to prouide larger places of buriall for this would be a meanes 1 To kéepe the City from contagion 2 That our dead bodies should not bee raked vp againe 3 To shew our care for the Saints departed 4 To take away the
Heart cannot comprehend it because it must Comprehend the heart and this wee shall more fully perceiue by how much wee doe more Faithfully beléeue Firmely expect and Ardently desire God saith the said Father hath prepared that for them that loue him which cannot be Apprehended by faith Attained to by hope or obtained by charitie it transcendeth our desires and wishes it may be Obtained it cannot be valued Quest Yet that I may get such a glimpse of that glorie begin with mine estate after I am dead what shall I enioy in the Kingdome of Heauen Ans You shall be carried to the Bosome of Abraham the Celestiall Paradise the House of your Father the new Holy and durable Ierusalem you shall then enter into your Masters Ioy you shal haue an Inheritance immortall vndefiled which withereth not reserued in the Heauens you shall Rest from your labours haue Peace from your Enemies and behold the Glorie of God in Christ Iesus in which place shall bee such and so many ioyes as all the Arithmeticians in the World are not able to number them all the Geometricians are not able to weigh them all the Grammarians Rhetoricians and Logicians are not able to expresse them in fit termes There shall bee ioy aboue vs for the Vision of God about vs for the vision of the Angels beneath vs for the vision of the Heauens and within vs for the vision of Happinesse There Salomons wisdome shall be reputed but folly Absaloms beautie but deformitie Azaels swiftnesse but slownesse Sampsons strength but weaknesse Methusalaes long age but infancie and the Kingdome of Augustus Caesar but beggerie Quest By what meanes shall I obtaine this happinesse Answ By Gods mercie that giueth it by Christs Merit that bought it by the Gospell that offereth it by Faith that receiueth it and by the Spirit that sealeth it vnto your soule Quest What is the obiect of it Ans The Vision knowledge and comprehension of God in Christ We shal indéed behold the Angels and enioy their companie sée the Saints and haue their societie But as the ioy of a Courtier is in the presence of his Prince so the ioy of a Christian shall be in the presence of his Christ Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Matthew 5.8 Blessed are they that dwell in thine house for they shall euer praise thee Psal 8.4 We shall see him as he is 1. Ioh. 3.3 The Angels doe this in the Kingdome of Heauen and wee shall doe it in the same Kingdome Here we liue by faith there we shall liue by sight Quest Is this felicitie prepared for all Answ For all that beleeue it is prepared The Elect haue obtained it the rest are hardened Rom. 11.7 In euery Nation hee that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him Acts 10. There is neither Iew nor Gentile Grecian or Barbarian Male or Female Bond or Free but wee are all one in Christ Iesus Gal. 3.27 Quest Shall my bodie only or my soule only or both bodie and soule enioy this felicitie Answ Both bodie and soule your soule shal be sanctified throughout and your body made like vnto the glorious bodie of Christ Iesus Phil. 3.20 Quest Shall this very bodie of mine rise againe to life after death Answ It shall assuredly for 1 The Lord keepeth all the bones of his Saints that not one of them shall be broken Psal 34.21 and there shall not an haire of our head perish Luke 21.18 2 Euery one shall receiue in his bodie that which he hath done be it good or euill 2. Cor. 5.10 3 God hath consecrated this bodie of yours to be a Temple for the holie Ghost to dwell in 1. Cor. 3.16 4 This corruptible shall put on incorruption saith the Apostle 1. Cor. 15. This saith he pointing as with the finger at the same substance and could not speake more expresly vnlesse hee should haue taken his owne skinne with his owne hands as Tertullian well obserued 5 Christ rose againe in his owne bodie and you shall rise as he did 6 In this bodie you haue suffered for Christ liued for Christ and in it you shall reigne with Christ 7 You shall be happie but how happie if one part should perish saith Tertullian in his booke of the Resurrection of the flesh 8 I am sure saith Iob that my Redéemer liueth though after my skin wormes destroy this bodie yet shall I sée God in my flesh whom I my selfe shall sée and mine eyes shall behold and none other for mee though my reines are now consumed within me Iob. 19.25 Quest O that you could teach me this by some such comparisons as might confirme my faith concerning this doctrine for there are many Sadduces in the world at this day who denie the resurrection of the bodie Answ Indéed I remember that Gregorie in his Morals hath a like saying of some in his time There are saith he a number of people who considering that the soule is dissolued from the bodie that the bodie is turned into rottennesse that rottennesse returneth to dust and that this dust is resolued into the first elements cannot see how that by reason there should be any resurrection and beholding drie and dead bones mistrust that they shall not againe bee clothed with their flesh and so reuiue Such men though they cannot by faith beleeue as they ought the bodies resurrection yet let them be perswaded by this naturall reason What I pray then doth the whole world but imitate our resurrection daily in her elements For wee see daily that trees in winter want both leaues and fruit and behold suddenly in the spring time out of a drie tree as it were by a new resurrection leaues bud out fruits ripen and the whole tree is apparelled with her reuiued beautie Let them behold the dead kernell set into the earth how a tree sprouteth out of it and let them deuise if they can where that great tree was in so small a seede Where was the bodie where the barke where the branches where the greene leaues where that plentie of fruit Do they not perceiue that all these were in the kernell or seede before it was cast into the ground Why then should they wonder how a little dust resolued into elements should when God will become a liuing bodie againe seeing that so small a seed comming first out of a tree should by the power of God become an huge tree againe For as the tree is in the kernell so are our bodies in the glorified bodie of Christ In the man Christ saith Cassiodorus is the flesh of euery one of vs yea our very blood and a portion of vs. Therefore I beleeue that where my portion reigneth there shall I reigne where mine owne blood ruleth there do I perceiue that I shall rule where my flesh is glorified there know I that I shall be glorious And why then shall it séeme strange vnto you that God is able to raise your body againe
aduaÌ„ced â—sswage mine enuie haue I abundance temper mine intemperance am I in want mitigate my feares doest thou exalt me keepe me from pride doest thou humble me kéep me from impatience doest thou withdraw thy selfe from mee let mee euer say Vp Lord why sleepest thou doth Satan assault mee because I am rich in grace preserue me O Lord that I lose not thy grace For woe is mee if I fall from thée I haue promised that I will not fall thou hast promised I shall not fall leade mee by thine hand that I do not fall Finally because thou hast been good vnto me many waies Lord make me thankful for all thy fauours Thou hast made mee a man not a beast a Christian not an Heathen a Protestant not a Papist Whilest many are ignorant I haue knowledge whilest many are profane I haue been obedient to thy will whilest many want the ordinarie meanes of saluation thou affordest me meanes for saluation of my soule Many are bound I am free in prison I haue libertie in want I haue sufficiencie They liue in warres I in peace they in persecution I in free profession of the truth they in sicknesse I in health And although by my sinnes I deserue to bee consumed yet thou hast spared me a great while and giuen me a long time of repentance What shall I giue vnto thee for all these mercies and fauours of thine I will take the cup of saluation praise thy great and glorious name and most humblie entreate thée that as thou neuer ceasest to bee good vnto me so I may neuer cease to be thankfull vnto thée Pardon good God my losse of time my abuse of thy creatures my negligence in my calling my vnthankfulnesse for thy kindnesse and whatsoeuer is wanting in my person practise prayer or thanksgiuing make a supplie of it in the merit of Christ Iesus to whom with thée and thy blessed spirit be all praise and glorie now and for euermore Amen A PRAIER TO BE SAID by a sick person or for him changing my vnto vs c. ALmightie God and in Iesus Christ my most mercifull and all-sufficient Sauiour I thy sicke and sinfull seruant diseassed in my bodie and distressed in my soule doe flie vnto thée yea to thée alone for succour I haue liued heretofore in the health of my bodie I acknowledge that thou wast the author of my health I am cast downe vpon my sicke bed thou hast by thy prouidence sent this Herauld to arrest me It is O Lord the messenger of death preaching vnto mee that vndoubted doctrine which I haue beene learning euer since I was borne namely That it is appointed that all must die and after death commeth iudgement My spirit is willing and would faine say Come Lord Iesus come quickly my flesh is fraile and in weaknesse doth say Father if it be possible let this cup passe from me And as in mine health I did nothing but sinne when I was not assisted by thy good Spirit so now in my sicknesse I shall doe nothing but sorrow vnlesse I bee comforted by the same Spirit O Lord comfort me in this agonie of mine and say vnto my soule I am thy saluation Thou art the Physitian heale me thou art that Samaritan pitie me thou art the resurrection and the life quicken me and quicken mee so in the inner man that neither the loue of this world nor the losseÌ„ of this light nor the consideration of thy Iustice nor the feare of death nor the terror of hell may make me vnwilling to depart this life Thou alone knowest the sorrowes of mine heart take them away thou beholdest my feare of death deliuer me out of al my feares couer my sores with the righteousnesse of thy Son heale them by the blood of thy Son and though thou launce them with the knife of the law yet bind them vp againe with the bands of the Gospell I know that my Physitian dwelleth in heauen yet he sendeth his medicines downe vpon the earth Besides thee none in heauen can helpe me and there is none in earth in comparison of thée to do me any good I am weake strengthen me I am sick cure me I am faint comfort me I must die quicken me I am assaulted defend me I am full of feare encourage mee I haue desired to liue the life of the righteous O let mee die the death of the righteous and let my last houre be like vnto his Into thine hands doe I commend my soule for thou hast redeemed it ô Lord God of truth My conscience doth tell mee that I haue sinned against thee and whatsoeuer I now suffer it is for my sinnes they are like an heauie burden vpon my soule they presse me downe to the graue of death and Satan doth lay them now especially before me to make me despaire of thy mercies in Christ Lord assure mee of the pardon of them all perswade my soule by the Spirit of my Sauiour that they are nailed to his crosse washed in his blood couered in his righteousnesse acquited by his death buried in his graue and fully discharged by his alone satisfaction Now now I stand in néed of thy Spirit let it crie in mine heart Abba Father I desire none Angell from heauen to comfort me I desire the Spirit of adoption to assure me to assure me o Lord that thou art my Father and I thy son thou my shepheard and I thy sheepe thou my king and I one of those subiects who shall shortly waite vpon thée in the kingdome of heauen to which I must passe by the gates of death O though I haue now a sick body yet grant me I pray thée a sound soule In thy hands are life and death thou hast the keyes of the graue and death thou bringest to the graue and pullest back again my mother bare mee a mortall man I came into this world to leaue it at thy pleasure it pleaseth thee now to forewarne me of mine end which might haue come vpon mee before this time I might haue perished either in the womb or in my cradle or in my childhood or before I had knowne thée or suddenly might I haue béen taken away and I deserued to die so soone as I was borne I owe thée a death as Christ Iesus died for me I haue béene salling to this hauen euer since I was borne be thou my Pilot that I sinck not in the hauens mouth but that I may land at the port of paradise I haue done I confesse little seruice vnto thée and if thou shouldest now take mee away I should die before I haue begun to liue Thou knowest what is best for me Conuert me O Lord and I shall be conuerted O Lord turne me and in a moment I shall bee turned vnto thee Therefore déere Father giue me that mind which a sick man should haue faith in thy promises hope of eternall life patience with my paine a desire to bee loosed and to bee with Christ and
is spirituall and secret And as we haue feeling of Christ dwelling on our hearts so the more shall wee haue feeling of this blessed societie by which we haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an vnion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fellowship and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 participation with whole Christ and his merits and meet altogether in the vnitie of faith and knowledge of the sonne of God vnto a perfect man and vnto the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ Ephes 4.13.5.30 But as in our separation from God by the spirit of Satan our mindes heart and wils were first seuered and then followed the whole man so the first thing in this coniunction which must be ioyned with God by his spirit is the vnderstanding by knowledge the heart by affiance the will by obedience after which will follow all the new man By the humanitie of Christ we are conioyned to him and by his Spirit he is ioyned to vs. Not either by an actuall falling of Christs flesh into ours or a naturall contiguitie or conexion of our persons or essentiall comixtion of his body with ours but by a copulation and connexion altogether spirituall felt by grace in this life and seene by glorie in the life to come when Christ and his Church before Gods iudgement seate shall appeare as one Christ. But Christ is in heauen and we vpon earth Send thy faith into heauen and hee in heauen is ioyned to thee heere vpon earth Thy sight in a moment can visiblie touch the starres of heauen much more may thy faith touch that morning starre and sunne of righteousnesse which is in heauen Say that the wife bee in England the husband in India the head aboue the feete below the branches on the top the roote in the ground the spring in one place the riuers in an other the foundation on the earth the building in the ayre is there not notwithstanding an vnion betwixt them Surely there is Christ is our husband the Church is his spouse Christ is our head ech Christian is a member Christ is the roote the righteous are branches Christ is the fountaine the Religious are riuers Christ is the foundation belieuers are Gods building Be hee neuer so high euen in the highest heauens we vpon earth are so ioyned vnto him that by vertue of this vnion our soules do receiue the life of grace in this world and our bodies shall receiue the life of glorie in the world to come Heere this coniunction appeares in the vnitie of spirit for in it there is neither a commixtion of persons nor an vnion of substances but a confederation of our affections and concatenation of our wils there it shall appeare in the consociation of our persons For wee shall enioy there a most holy and comfortable conuersation with Christ see him as he is conferre with him face to face and as in this sacrament as by a marriage ring wee are espoused to him heere so there wee shall be solemnly maried to him for euer And all this comes vnto vs because the word was made flesh not because that Flesh hath any such vertue in it selfe it is the spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing but in that it is caro verbi flesh vnited to the word to that word which is the fountaine of life quickning all things and causing the death of that flesh to obtaine for vs eternall life The flesh is not quickning in it selfe but in the word Hypostatically vnited vnto it saith Cyrill This word by personall vnion quickneth Christs humanitie and giueth it for our saluation merite and efficacie and by mysticall vnion quickneth Christian consciences and ioyneth them in loue and life vnto God so that now there is a mutuall giuing and receiuing betwixt Christ and his Church From Christ wee receiue first him selfe which the Father and their Spirit to become our portion Secondly Adoption to be actually made the children of God Thirdly a title and right to Christs righteousnesse in his sufferings and with all to his fulfilling of the whole law Lastly a right to the Kingdome of heauen which now is made the inheritance of the Saints And what doth he now receiue from vs surely drosse for gold euil for good shame for glorie sorrow for solace and a curse for this blessing For he receiues ftom vs first our sinnes with the punishment thereof made his by imputation and suertie-ship Secondly our afflictions which hee accounts his owne so long as we suffer for righteousnesse sake And this is our communion which we haue with Christ But because we are all members of one bodie and are all baptized into one Spirit and after do eate of one bread there is also a communion with all Christians one with an other Art thou a liuing saint vpon earth thou art in regard of minde of one iudgement in the grounds of pietie affection of one heart alike affected to God Christ Iesus and euery good Christian though thou wast neuer acquainted with them And in regard of the gifts of the spirit like a good candle thou wilt spend them al to the good of others be ready to serue thy brother in loue and both by example admonition exhortation consolation prayer to conuey all graces in thee to an other yea not to be wanting to him in communicating thy goods And for our communion with the dead they in heauen do pray generally for al vs and we on earth do desire our dissolution to be with them But that we may enioy this blessed societie we must walke in the light For if we say that we haue fellowship with him yet walke in darknesse we lie but if we walke in the light as hee is in the light then haue wee fellowship one with an other 1. Ioh. 1.7 that is God with vs we with God and godly people and the blood of Iesus Christ his Sonne purgeth vs from all sinne Thus then Christ in heauen by his spirit is so vnited to vs we on earth by our faith are so vnited to him that without him we can do nothing with him we are able to do al things Of his fulnesse we receiue grace for grace And as by the power of the sunne in the second heauen all things are made fruitfull heere vpon earth so by the power of Christ in the third heauen all men become sanctified in the Church yet not by the alone inward operation of his spirit without the outward vse of the word and sacraments By the word alone when the sacraments are not administred and both by word and sacraments when they are ioined together Is the word preached in it Christ speaketh by his spitit to vs. Are the sacraments administred by baptisme we are receiued in to the communion of Gods couenant and by the Eucharist wee are more confirmed in the same By the word God enters by one gate into vs namely by the eare by the Eucharist he knocks at al the gates
saith it is a Synecdoche so that both part agrée in this that it is the true and naturall bodie of Christ as the Euangelists and the Apostle doe plainly teach that it is spoken of the true bread and so that the Articles of faith bee kept on both sides in their plaine meaning pure and vncorrupt As that the naturall bodie of Christ is one is finite is humane is in Heauen doth no more die is not consumed not broken And yet indéed as the Scriptures teach is offered vnto all is communicated to all the faithfull but in a mysterie and after a Spirituall manner Euen as the faithfull themselues doe grow vp into one bodie and are incorporated with their head Christ and with the whole Catholike Church not after a Carnall but after a Spirituall manner And therefore as in the Sprituall and Mysticall fellowship with Christ and the Church wicked Hypocrites haue no part séeing they want faith but are only in the outward and Visible societie so I beléeue that those Hypocrites are Partakers not of the true and naturall and truly Heauenly flesh and bloud of Christ but only of the externall and outward signes the which also are termed by the name of the flesh and bloud of Christ euen by Christ-himselfe Wherefore wheras the Apostle saith They who eate vnworthily are guiltie of the bodie of the Lord if it bee vnderstood of the wicked which certainly and not without a cause Bucer denieth I interpret that in this sense wherein the same Apostle saith vnto the Hebrewes that some doe tread vnder foot the Son of God and account the bloud of the Testament a prophane thing to wit not because they doe truely eate the flesh of Christ and drinke the bloud but because they doe it vnworthily but rather because reiecting by their vngodlinesse the bodie and bloud the Bread and Wine being offered they drinke and eate the Bread and Wine vnworthily This thing good Christian assure thy selfe of that I am not so wicked as to doubt of the truth of Christs wordes in the Supper as some too impudently doe accuse me of neither that I dispute of the simple vnderstanding of euery word in this proposition This is my bodie For by this Article This that the Bread is declared besides that the text doth teach Paul also doth so interprete it 1. Cor. 10. 11. Neither this word is doth signifie any other thing as I thinke then to bee and I take this word bodie for the true bodie of Christ as Christ himselfe doth interpret who addeth which is giuen for you And therefore there is no controuersie among vs whether in the lawfull vse of the Supper the Bread bee truly the bodie of Christ but wee dispute only of the manner by which the Bread is the bodie of Christ And moreouer neither part call into question that the bread is after that manner the body of Christ after which Christ would then haue it will now haue it to be for it must be according to his will And whereas in the words of the Supper the wil of Christ is not expressed cōcerning the maner I think it is to be gathered out of the like places to wit Sacramentall kinde of spéeches Moreouer this foundation being laid that Christ then would not and now will not that the bread should bee his body after any of the manners of those men who take away the truth of his true humane body or else doe disagree from the analogy of faith and ouerturne some article of the faith from his simple meaning So the manner of Christs being in the Sacrament by Transubstantiation is excluded both because neither in the Sacrament of Baptisme the substance of the water is changed as also because straight way many bodies héere vpon earth should bee faigned vpon Christ besides that body which he hath in heauen and lastly because the substance of bread neither before neither after the conuersion was deliuered to death for vs I adde moreouer that according to Saint Marke the substance of wine was in the belly of the Apostles when he said This is the bloud The manner also of Consubstantiation is excluded both because neither in the water of Baptisme the bloud of Christ is locally included whereby we are washed from our sinnes as also because this maner doth take away the nature of the true humane body and doth Diametrically repugne with the article of the ascention into heauen and of the sitting at the right hand For the same causes that manner also is to be taken away which is not much vnlike vnto this which is imagined by a real and local adherency or coniunction not to speake that not one word can be read for the proofe of this that after some of these thrée manners Christ would haue the bread to be his body After what manner then is it probable that Christ would haue the bread to bee his body Verily after this manner as all other Sacraments are said to be that thing whereof they are Sacraments to wit by a Sacramental and so a Mystical vnion For that which we call a Sacrament the Grecians cal a Mystery Wherefore this spéech is vsuall with the Fathers that the bread is the body of Christ euen the present body and that it is eaten in a mystery Now a mystery is said to be when visible things doe lead vs to the true vnderstanding and receiuing of inuisible things and earthly things of heauenly things corporall things of spirituall things In which sense the Apostle to the Ephesians calleth the carnall marriage of Adam and Eue a great mystery because of the spiritual marriage which is contracted betweene Christ and his Church and to which that other marriage doth leade vs. But carnall men destitute of the spirit of God and of faith cannot be brought by earthly things vnto heauenly things or by the participation of those earthly vnto the communion of these heauenly seeing they cannot so much as vnderstand them as the Apostle saith Which is the cause why I iudge and beleeue that the flesh and bloud of Christ being heauenly and spirituall things cannot in deede and truth be receiued of wicked men no not by the mouth of their body which also was Bucers opinion Therefore hee said that the body of Christ was both present and eaten of vs in the Supper not after any worldly manner but onely after a spirituall and heauenly manner The which what is it else then to say that it is eaten of vs by the spirit of Christ For by Christ heauenly things are ioined vnto earthly things and by him they are receiued of them And this is my beleefe and iudgement for the meaning of the words of the Supper which I will constantly hold till that a better a truer and more agreeable to the Scriptures shall by other men bee offered and plainely prooued unto me Ille non edit corpus Christi qui non est de corpore Christi August He cannot eat the
calamities Isay 57.2 3 Our soules are receiued into glorie Luke 23.43 4 Our bodies are reserued to like glorie Philip. 3.20 5 That wise man Salomon thought so Eccles 7.3 6 That holy man Paul wished so Philip 1.23 Quest But because Paul desired to die may we also desire to die Answ Though the bodie and soule bee as man and wife conioyned together yet with some cautions a man may desire the diuorce of these twaine 1 If he resigne his wil to the wil of God 2 If hee can tarrie the good leasure of God 3 If he doe it that he may be with God 4 That hée may bee disburdened of this bodie of sinne and thus Paul desired to bée dissolued and to be with Christ Philip. 1.23 Quest What thinke you of such as are in miserie and desire to die to bee freed from miserie Answ I thinke their desires are not simply vnlawful especially if they submit them to the will of God I am vexed with a long and lingering disease I would bee fréed by death if God would frée me I am detained in Prison I would be deliuered by death if God would deliuer mee I am exiled from my Countrie I would goe to Heauen if God would send for mee Doe I sinne in this God forbid Elias did it when hee desired God to take away his life 1. Kings 19.4 And Iob did it when hee would haue béene contented to depart this life and many of Gods children haue done the like Quest Why then did Hezekiah mourne when he was to die and why did Dauid say Let my soule liue and Christ Let this cuppe passe from me Answ Hezekiah did so because at this time he had not receiued a promised issue to succéed him Christ did so because hee was to die the death of the crosse and Dauid did so both because he was in a grieuous temptation and if he had then died his enemies would haue triumphed ouer him Quest But all this while you haue not told me what death is Answ It is nothing else but the priuation of this naturall life or the departure of the soule from the bodie or as it were the deposition of an heauie burden of troubles in this life by which we are eased especially if wee carry not with vs such a burden of sinnes as may weigh vs downe to the pit of perdition Secundus the Philosopher being asked this question by Hadrian the Emperour said Death is an eternall sleep the dissolution of our bodies the feare of rich men the desire of poore men an ineuitable euent an vncertaine Pilgrimage a robber of Mankind the Mother of sléepe the passage of life the departure of the liuing and a dissolution of all Quest Should Adam haue tasted of this death if he had stood in his innocencie Answ Hee should not for the stipend and wages of sinne is death Romans 6.23 His bodie indéed was subiect to mortalitie but should not haue died as our bodies now are subiect to sicknesse and yet we may die without sicknesse to wounding and yet it may bée they are neuer wounded and as the garments of the Children of Israel did not by Gods prouidence weare by the space of fortie yéeres though they were subiect to wearing so we may say of Adams bodie it should not haue died though it were subiect to death Quest Are wee then any better in Christ then we were in Adam Answ We are much for in Adam wée might haue died and by him doe die In Christ wee cannot die but change this life for a farre better Quest Are there any Monitors or Messengers of death Answ There are thrée casualtie sickenesse and old age Casualtie foretels me my death is doubtfull Sicknesse that death may be grieuous Olde age that death is certaine Casualtie foretels mée of death at my backe sicknesse that she is at my héeles old age that she is before my face Quest That I may giue the better entertainment to death when shee commeth who hath sent these three Harbengers before her what can you aduise me for to doe Answ Surely I would wish you first to beléeue in Christ by whom the sting of death is taken out for They onely feare death who doubt whether Christ died for them 2 To liue well so long as you liue for Hee can neuer feare death who by a good life hath giuen entertainment to the feare of God Quest What euen in my youth must I begin to liue wel Will not God accept of my seruice when I am old Answ Will you wound your selfe that you may goe to the Chirurgian and will you sinne in your youth that you may sue for pardon in your old age will you lay all the burden vpon a lame Horse when you haue many stronger in your teame shall the Deuill haue your Flowers and God your wéeds the Deuill your wine and God the lées the Deuill the fattest and fairest of your flocke and God an halt a lame and a leane Sacrifice God forbid Quest Yet if I haue but time to say Lord haue mercie vpon me though I haue liued neuer so badly God will haue mercie vpon me Ans It is true indéed That holy Théefe did it vpon the crosse and God had mercie vpon him Marie Magdalen did it after her lewd life and God had mercie vpon her But first are you not worthie to want fauour at your death who haue refused it all your life Secondly doe you thinke that your repentance is vnfained which is but only for a few dayes or houres Thirdly doe you not sée that such repentance is often hypocriticall when men that recouer from sicknesse fall againe to sinne after such a kind of repentance Fourthly doe not many fal into desperation at their death because they haue not serued God in their life Fiftly is it not a folly to doe that all day which you must bee enforced to vndoe at night Sixtly doe you not sée that God in his Iustice doth take sense and reason from many at their death who haue refused his mercie all the dayes of their life Quest Yet you cannot denie but many bad men haue made a faire shew at the houre of death haue called vpon God and died like Lambes Ans Like Lambes why the most of them die like stones they haue liued a sottish and a senselesse life and so they die Nabal did so but hee died like a foole the rich glutton did so but he died like a beast Quest And you know also that many persons who haue liued a very strict life haue died in despaire and blaspheming of God Ans By the gates of hell they went into Heauen by the extremitie of their disease they might speake they knew not what and by the sense of Gods iudgments they might say My God why hast thou forsaken mee But know this that he neuer dies ill who hath liued well and hee seldome dies well who hath liued ill We must iudge men by their life and not iudge any by
or the longest shadow the goodliest shadow Neither men nor their liues are measured by the ell in a great and a small circle the figure is all one and it is hath béen and will be fatall euen to great and glorious personages ordinarily not to liue long Take Salomon Iosiah and Christ Iesus for example Quest O but I would not die in a strange countrey Answ No Abraham did and died quietly Ioseph did and he died honorably many Saints did and they died gloriously Are you slaine in battell you haue a tombe amongst the dead bodies of your enemies Do you die in trauaile you are héere a stranger your countrie is in heauen Death comes vnto you masked in these such like shapes take off the maske and it is the same death wherewith women and children die Euery place is a like distant from heauen Quest And when I haue seen all the world would you haue mee willing to leaue all the world Answ Why you euer haue séene the same rising and setting of the Sunne the same encreasing and decreasing of nature the like sins that haue béen in former times and if you haue séene all the world consider but the vanitie mutabilitie of this world and either you will say that this world is a world of wickednesse or that now in his old age it is passing away as a thréed-bare garment ouer-worne Quest Is it easie now thinke you to leaue wife and children father and mother and all my friends Ans Where you go you shall find more such as you neuer saw they whom you leaue behind shall shortly follow after you Quest But what shall become of my wife children friends and kins-folkes who depend vpon me Answ All these belong more to God than to you he loues them best and will prouide best for them and such so left haue often risen to high and great place Quest Yet if I died not alone I might haue more comfort Answ Alone why how many thousand in the whole world die in the same moment of time which you die in and yet which God may grant to you but a few of them goe to heauen Quest Once againe would you haue me not to feare death which causeth mee to lose life looke like a ghost and which taketh away from mee all the ioies of this world Answ By losing a temporall life you finde that life which is eternall you shall not be afraid when you looke gastly and that gastly body of yours shall one day bee clothed with glory and be made like to the glorious body of your most glorious Sauiour and as for the petie and peacocke ioies héere you shall haue ioies eternall and vnspeakable heereafter Quest Seeing then I must needs die what must I doe to die well Answ 1 Labour that your sinnes die in you before you die in the world 2 Be euer ready and prepared either for death or iudgement 3 Endeauour that your death may bee voluntary 4 Consider what an excellent thing it is to end your life before your death and in such sort that at that houre you haue nothing to doe but to die that then you haue no more néede of any thing not of time not of your selfe but sweetly and comfortably to depart this life so that you may say in the testimony of a good conscience I was not ashamed to liue and I am not afraid to die because I know my Redeemer liueth Quest How many waies may a man carry himselfe in death Answ Fiue 1 He may feare and flye it as euill 2 Attend it sweetly and patiently as a thing naturall ineuitable and reasonable 3 Contemne it as a thing indifferent and of no great importance 4 Desire and seeke after it as the onely hauen of rest from all the troubles and torments of this life and so esteeme it as great gaine 5 He may giue it to himselfe by taking away his owne life Quest What thinke you of the first because it is the opinion of the most Answ 1 Because the most thinke so therefore it is most remote from the truth 2 Such seeme to giue little credit to Gods word which teacheth that by it wée rest from our labours 3 If death be euill it is an euill only in opinion and such an euill as neuer did hurt to a good man 4 Why should a man feare that which in truth he knowes not what it is or what good it wil bring vnto him as Socrates once said vnto his friends when hee would not pleade for his life before his Iudges 5 It argueth faint-heartednesse and follie to feare that which cannot be auoided 6 If it be good why should we feare it if euill why do we by sorrow adde euill vnto euill 7 He that once begins to feare death can neuer by reason of this feare liue a good and a contented life He is neuer a freeman that feares death 8 Consider that if nature had made men immortall so that will they nill they they should haue liued euer how many thousands in miserie would haue cursed nature Surely if we had it not in this vale of misery we would desire it more Quest Giue mee your opinion of the second Answ Surely me thinkes they kéepe the golden meane for they will neither desire death as knowing it to bée against nature nor flie from it considering that it is against iustice reason and their dutie to God they know right well that the first day of their birth setteth them in their way to death Nascentes morimur finisque ab origine pendet At birth begin we life to end This end doth on that birth depend Why should wee feare to go that way which all the world hath gone before vs why to ariue at that hauen to which wee haue béen sayling euer since we were borne Quest And doe you thinke that the third sort of people do well who contemne death Answ To contemne death yea and life it selfe for the glorie of God the good of the Church the manifestation of the truth the saluation of our soules and the credit of our names argueth a courage Christian and inuincible hath béen practised both by the Saints of God many famous worthies euen amongst the heathen And surely he that feares death too much shal neuer be fit for any honorable action nay he shall neuer be a frée-man neither can he truly say that he beléeueth the immortalitie of the soule or his resurrection to eternall life by Christ Quest Need I not to craue your opinion of the fourth and fifth sort wherof one desires to die and the other in that desire doth take away his owne life Ans I haue in this treatise answered concerning the fourth shewed how a man may desire death you shall find it if you reade on in this direction But for a mā to take away his own life though it may séem sometimes to procéed from the greatnes of a mans courage yet it cannot but be a
of death is the Master day and Iudge of all other daies it is the triall and touchstone of our life if you die a good death it honoreth all your Actions if an euill it defameth them all it is the last act of the worlds Comedie and most difficult wherfore I will shew those consolations vnto you and will repeate them in your health that you may thinke of them better vpon your sicke bed wherefore against the feare of death consider 1 That wee neither liue nor die to our selues but whether we liue we liue to the Lord and whether we die wee die to the Lord. Rom. 14.8 2 That Christ is to vs in life gaine and in death aduantage Phil. 1.21 3 That Christ is to vs the resurrection and the life and whosoeuer beleeueth in him though he were dead yet shall hee liue Iohn 11.25 4 That God doth both mitigate and abbreuiate the dolours of death to his seruants 5 That our death being conuerted into a swéet sléepe is the complement of the mortification of our flesh so that hee which is dead is fréed from sinne Roman 6.7 6 That we Christians know that when this earthly tabernacle of our house shal be dissolued we shall haue a building euen of God that is an house made without hands eternall in the heauens 2. Cor. 5.1 7 That if we die in the Lord we goe to Christ which is best of all for vs. Phil. 1.23 8 That this way of all flesh is sanctified to vs by the death of Christ 9 That if euer at other times the Spirit of Christ doth cause vs to beare afflictions patiently it doth especially by the comfort which it ministreth in death inestimablie ouercome the sorrowes of death 10 That the spirit indeede is ready but the flesh is weake Matth. 26.41 so that the inward man doth not feare death but only the outward man Quest Can you yet giue any more of these most sweet consolations Answ Meditate therefore againe with me that 1 The desire you should haue to behold the most bright eies of God and so to be deliuered from this body of sinne will extinguish and extenuate both the grieuous feare and fearefull griefe of present death 2 That though wée can bée content to liue with the faithfull that are aliue and must die yet we must as well desire to be with those Saints who hauing ouercome death are gone before vs to the kingdome of heauen 3 That wee must not more estéeme of this naturall then of the spirituall life but that the loue of the one must abolish the griefe of the other 4 That we are assured of the soules immortality that it shall goe by the transportation of Angels to the assembly and societie of the first borne which are written in heauen Luk. 16.22 Heb. 11.23 and that our bodies doe rest in the earth so that one doth not vnfitly call the graue an Hauen for the bodie to arriue at 5 That wee beleeue the resurrection of the body and euerlasting life after death for this is the faith of Christians onely 6 That wee seeing euidently Gods great mercy towards our young children at their departure out of this life ought at our last end to be the more couragious especially since wee know that wee haue the seale and earnest of Gods spirit in our hearts 7 That as in our whole life so in the agony of death God doth not suffer vs his seruants to be tempted aboue that which we are able to beare 1. Cor. 10.13 but giueth an happy issue with and out of that temptation It is in truth admirable which Gregorie in his Morals saith That some doe with laughter entertaine death wee may better say that by couragious patience they doe ouercome it 8 That we ought not so much to thinke of a peaceable end as of a godly life Augustine said well Where a good life goeth before an euill death must not bee thought to follow And He cannot die ill who liues well And He seldome dies well who hath liued ill And Reade saith he and reade ouer all the monuments of learned men and you shall find nothing more horrible then that person who doth liue in such an estate that he is afraid to die 9 That death is neuer vntimely whether we respect the good or the bad They die soone that they may no longer be vexed by the wicked these die soone that they may not euer persecute the godly as the same Augustine said 10 That this life is so full of miseries that in comparison thereof death may bee thought rather a remedy then a punishment as Ambrose thought Quest Once againe giue mee more comforts against the feare of death for such is the corruptiō of my nature that al is little enough Answ I will thinke therefore but thinke you seriously 1 That he onely feares death extreamly who cannot be perswaded that he shall liue after death as Chysostome saith 2 That it is best to offer that willingly to God as a gift which one day wee must else surrender as a debt to wit this spirit and life of ours as Chrysostome said 3 That as death to the euill is euill so is it good to the good to whom all things worke for their good 4 That death is the way to life as Ambrose said very fitly And another said This day which so affrighteth thee as if it were the last day is the birthday of eternitie 5 That this death is but a repairing of our life 6 That as Bernard said the death of the righteous is good in regard of rest better in regard of nouelty best of all in regard of security and that as the same Father said the death of the godly is good better best of al Contrariwise the death of the godlesse is bad worse and worst of al. 7 That death doth not abolish but establish life in a farre better estate 8 That then death frees vs from death life from error grace from sinne 9 That if Chrysostome say true death is but a bare name 10 That God doth so temper death vnto vs that it can be no cause of euil vnto vs. And therefore if you be wise remember the saying euen of an Heathen man Summum nec metuas diem nec optes Nether feare death when it commeth nor desire it too much before it commeth Quest These are all of them sweet consolations indeed yet because Satan and my flesh may bring vpon me many feares as first that God is angry with me by reason of my sinnes how may I comfort my selfe against this temptation Quest Say vnto your soule why should I feare the wrath of God For it is written God sent not his Sonne into the world to condemne the world but that by him the world might be saued Ioh. 3. Hee that beleeueth in him shall not sée death He that beléeueth in him hath eternal life Hee that beléeueth in him shall neuer perish Who shall lay any thing to the charge
of Gods elect It is God that iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ which is dead yea rather which is risen againe who is also at the right hand of God and maketh requests for vs. Who shall separate vs from the loue of Christ shall tribulation or anguish or persecution or nakednesse or perill or the sword I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor hell nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate vs from the loue of God in Christ Iesus my Lord. Rom. 8. Say with Augustine All my whole hope is in the death of my Lord his death is my merit my refuge my saluation my life my resurrection my merit is Gods mercy I shall neuer want merit so long as this God of mercy is not wanting to me And if Gods mercies are great I also am great in merit Say with Ambrose Christ was subiect to the damnation of death that hee might free vs from the yoke of damnation hee tooke vpon him the seruitude of death that hee might giue vs the liberty of eternall life Say with S. Paul Christ hath redéemed me from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 the Iudge is satisfied he cannot be angry Say that your Sauiour maketh intercession for you for God no sooner looks on him but he is forthwith well pleased with you Say that his mercy endureth for euer I shall iudge the world with him why then shall I feare to be iudged He hath made a Couenant with mee hée will neuer breake He hath giuen me grace to beleeue and trust in him he will not now leaue me I confesse my sinnes he is ready to forgiue them I haue had his Spirit he will neuer take it from me My Sauiour shall iudge me he will not bee angry with mee and for his sake the Father will not be angry for hee is that welbeloued Sonne in whom alone hee is well pleased Quest O but I may feare that I am but a castaway and that eternall death is due vnto me if I fall into this pit what hand can you giue me to helpe me out Answ Will Satan now tell you that you must be damned comfort your selfe with these sayings God so loued the world that he gaue his only begotten Sonne that who so beléeueth in him should neuer perish but haue life euerlasting Iohn 3.16 He that heareth my words and beléeueth in him that sent me hath eternal life and shall not come into condemnation Ioh. 5. I am the resurrection and the life he that beléeueth in me though hee were dead yet shall he liue and who so liueth and beleeueth in me shall not die eternally Ioh. 11. I giue to my shéepe eternall life and tâ—ey shall neuer perish and none is able to take them out of my hands Ioh. 10. As in Adam all men died so in Christ shall all that is all the elect whereof I am one so I say in Christ shall all be made aliue 1. Cor. 15. Death is swallowed vp in victory O death where is thy victory O hell where is thy sting the sting of death is sinne the strength of sin is the law but thanks be vnto God who hath giuen vs victory through Iesus Christ our Lord. 1. Cor. 15.57 We know that when the tabernacle of this earthly house shall bee dissolued wee shall haue a building from God euen an habitation made without hands in heauen 2. Cor. 5.1 Besides these sweete and sure promises consider that as the faithlesse can neuer liue so the faithfull can neuer die That the promise of God doth quicken things that are dead and calleth things that are not as though they were You feare not the falling of heauen and earth because they are supported by the word of God and why should you feare your owne fall you being supported by the same word Doe you not know that God is present with you by his Spirit and will you feare cold when this fire burneth Can you feare darkenesse when this Sunne shineth Are you poore that haue this gold in your Chest And thinke you to die of thirst when you are at this fountaine of liuing waters Are you not a member of Christs body Is there life in the head and shall there bee death in the members Is your head aboue the water and shall your body neuer come out of the water Doth the roote of a trée giue life vnto the branches and cannot Christ the Roote of Iesse giue life vnto his branches Yea rather say My life is hid with God in Christ when Christ which is my life shall appeare then shal I also appeare with him in glorie Coloss 3. By my first roote Adam I bring foorth briers and thornes fit to be burned by my second roote Christ I am like a tree planted by the riuers of waters which shall giue out her fruit in due season and whatsoeuer I doe it shall prosper Why my deare friend you doe beleeue the forgiuenesse of sinnes can you then feare eternall damnation You doe beleeue the resurrection of your body will you now doubt of the resurrection of your body Haue the Prophets Apostles set down so much coÌ„cerning saluation by Christ that you should say I am not saued by Christ You were initiated by Baptisme confirmed by Catechisme strengthened by the Lords Supper and professed that religion which by Christ brings saluation and you haue receiued many benefits as pledges of Gods loue and will not all this perswade you that you shall goe to heauen Yea Christ hath ouercome that Diuell that you might subdue him subdued that strong man that you might conquer him and descended downe to hel that you might with him ascend vnto heauen Therefore be constant my beloued and vnmoueable alwaies in the Lord knowing that your labour is not in vaine in the Lord. 1. Cor. 15. Quest Thus I hope at the houre of death I shall not feare the place of darknesse but alas such is the weaknesse of my faith that I feare the Prince of darknesse Ans And why should you feare him the Egyptians are drowned they cannot pursue you Goliah is slaine he cannot reuile you the Philistims are ouercome they cannot hurt you Sathan is chained hee cannot harme you Hee will séeke to winnow you but he can only séeke and if he doe more hée shall finde you Gods wheate and then you must néeds be carried into Gods barne Hee is indeede Gods Executioner but why should you feare the Hangman when you haue the Kings pardon or the Sergeant when you haue his protection or the Deuill when you haue Christs intercession You are strong the Word of God dwelleth in you you haue ouercome that Euil one 1. Iohn 2.14 You haue faith your aduersarie would deuoure you by it you are able to resist him 1. Peter 5.8 You haue put on the complete Armour of God Ephesians 6.11 it is an Armour of proofe
learn all our life to die and this is the principall office of life To be briefe by this you shall purchase libertie to your conscience you shall feare nothing you will liue well contentedly and peaceably and without this knowledge there is no more pleasure in life than in the fruition of that which a man feareth alwaies to lose Quest To draw to an end and to come to my end when the pangs of death come vpon me and the wormes of the earth wait for me if God giue mee then mine vnderstanding what I pray you may bee my fittest meditation Answ Say now inwardly to your sicke soule Now my pilgrimage is ended mine haruest is inned my iourney is finished my race is run my glasse is spent my candle is in the socket many of the godly are gone before and I am now to follow them now thinke that you are come out of prison gotten out of Babylon and are going to Ierusalem Now thinke that the Angels stand at your beds head to carrie your soule into Abrahams bosome where you shall see God the Father behold God the Sonne and enioy God the holy Ghost where you shall enioy the societie of Angels the companie of the Saints and the knowledge of them whom you neuer knew héere where you shall liue eternally reigne triumphantly and obey God perfectly Meditate now that you must not bee loth to leaue this world because you go to that which is to come to leaue your house because you are going to Gods house to leaue your temporall riches because you are going to eternal riches to leaue your earthly preferments because God will set a crowne of pure gold vpon your head and to leaue your friends and acquaintance heere because you shall see them in glorie hereafter These and such like must be your meditations Quest Now it may be and I pray God it may be that I may haue speech vnto the last gaspe what words are fit for me to vtter Answ If God giue you that blessing say now with Dauid Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord God of truth With Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes haue seene thy saluation With Paul Christ is to me life and death is to mee aduantage I desire to be dissolued and to be with Christ I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course I haue kept the faith from henceforth is laid vp for mee the crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Iudge shall giue mee at that day and not to mee only but to all them that loue that appearing of his Say How sweet is my Sauiour vnto mee sweeter then the hony and the hony combe Say Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their workes follow them Say Lord I haue sinned against thee thou hast promised to forgiue me my sinnes I beleeue Lord helpe mine vnbeliefe Say with Steuen Lord into thine hands I commend my soule Say with the Saints Come Lord Iesus come quickly Say Lord keepe thy Church and people in thy trueth and peace for euermore now Lord dissolue in me the cursed workes of the diuell Say I am sicke be thou my Physitian I am to die Lord giue me life eternall Say Lord bee good vnto my kinsfolks in the flesh and my friends in the Spirit that they may liue in thy feare and die in thy fauour Say with Ambrose I haue not so led my life that I was ashamed to liue neither doe I feare death because I haue a good Lord. Say to thy friends with S. Bernard O ground the anchor of your faith and hope in the safe and sure port of Gods mercie Say with Oecolampadius to all that come to thée I will tell you newes I shall shortly be with the Lord. Say with Luther I pray thee Lord Iesus receiue my poore soule my heauenly Father though I be taken from this life and this body of mine is to be laied downe yet I know certainly that I shall remaine with thee for euer neither shal any be able to pul me out of thine hands Say with Annas Burgius Forsake me not O Lord lest I forsake thee Say with Melancthon If it be the will of God I am willing to die and I beseech him that he will grant me a ioyfull departure Say with M. Caluine I held my tongue because thou Lord hast done it I mourned as a a doue Lord thou grindest me to powder but it sufficeth mee because it was thine hand Say with Peter Martyr My bodie is weake but my minde is well There is no saluation but onely by Christ who was giuen of the Father to bee a Redeemer of mankinde This is my faith in which I die and God will destroy them that teach otherwise Farewell my brethren and deare friends Say with Babylas Martyr of Antioch Returne O my soule vnto thy rest because the Lord hath blessed thee Because thou hast deliuered my soule from death mine eyes from teares and my foote from falling I shall walke before thee in the land of the liuing Say Blessed is God in all his waies and holie in all his workes Naked I came out of my mothers wombe and naked shall I returne againe The Lord hath giuen and the Lord hath taken away blessed bee the name of the Lord. I know that my Redeemer liueth and he shall stand the last on the earth And though after my skin wormes destroy this body yet I shall see God in my flesh Whom I my selfe shall see and mine eyes shall cehold and none other for mee though my reines are consumed within me Say in a word Lord I thanke thee that I am a Christian that I liued in a Christian Church that I die amongst a Christian people that I goe to a Christian societie Lord Iesu sonne of Dauid haue mercie vpon me and receiue my soule Euen so Come Lord Iesu come quickly Amen Quest If I haue time these are fit both meditations and speeches but I may die vpon the sudden what instructions can you giue me against sudden death Answ You may indéed die suddenly either by fire in your house or water in your ship or earth falling into some pit or casualtie in your way or impostumation and an apoplexi in your body or by trauel in child-birth if you be a woman or the sword in warre if you bee a man Therefore thinke 1 That death may come vpon you vnawares wherefore as you would doe for a suspected enemie waite so for it that it may neuer surprize you 2 Know that many worthie men haue died suddenly Iulius Caesar disputing the night before of the good of sudden death was the next day by Brutus and Cassius slain suddenly in the Senate Ioannes Mathesius hauing preached a Sermon of the raising againe of the widow of Nains sonne and therein handling the knowledge that one
and that he said of himselfe he was Christ the King This he suffered that so he might deriue and take to himselfe that rebellion against Gods Maiestie whereof we all were guilty in Adam and by this humiliation make satisfaction to God for vs. If he had defended himselfe we had beene accused or acquitted himselfe we had perished but as a Lambe before the shearer he opened not his mouth that wee might haue liberty to call vpon God 2 He is ballanced with Barabbas and thought lighter then a murderer hee is condemned by a Iudge in the name of the whole Empire and being thus condemned though pronounced innocent hee is scorned by Souldiers attired like a foole beaten with rods spit vpon with reproch and only because he bare the iniquities of vs all Isai 53. 3 He is cast out of the City to giue vs a City hee carried his Crosse to carry our sinnes he is brought to Golgatha to suffer our reproach he is crucified on the Crosse to giue vs a crowne euen a crowne of glory reserued in heauen for vs. 1. Pet. 1. 4 He was crucified with theeues that he might glorifie vs with Angels with his hands spread abroad that he might call all vnto him with his naked body that wee might not be ashamed of our nakednesse in heauen with a feeling of thirst that hee might shew his desire of our saluation wâ—th drinking of gall that hee might satisfie for tâ—at deadly iuice which Adam sucked out of the forbidden fruit with his side pierced thorow that the Church might bee washed with the blood and water that came out with crying in feare that wee might cry in faith and with the losse of his life that he might saue ours Quest O cursed Caiphas who thus arraigned him O cursed Pilate who thus condemned O thrice cursed both Iewes and Romans who thus did execute the Sonne of God Answ Nay rather cursed bee our sins for which he was arraigned condemned and executed Hee that knew no sinne was made sinne for vs that we might be made the righteousnesse of God in him 2. Cor. 5. He was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes wee are healed All wee like sheepe haue gone astray wee haue turned euery one to his owne way and the Lord hath laide vpon him the iniquities of vs all Isai 53.5.6 Hee hath redeemed vs from the curse of the Law being made a curse for vs that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him Gal. 3.14 And wee were not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold from our vaine conuersation receiued by the traditions of the Fathers but with the precious bloud of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot Quest And at what time of the yeere did he suffer all this An. At Easter at the feast of the Passouer when the Iewes were commanded to kill a lambe in remembrance of their deliuerance out of Egypt to shew that he was that lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world yea and that Lambe which in Gods counsell and its owne efficacie was slaine from the beginning of the world Quest You said before that our Sauiour was crucified to what end did hee vndergoe this punishment Ans 1 That he might deriue the curse of the Law from vs vnto himselfe Gal. 3.14 2 That the corruption of our nature being crucified with him our inherent vitiositie might be abolished that henceforth wee should not serue sinne Rom. 6.6 3 That hauing paied our debt he might bring in and cancell that hand-writing wherewith wee were bounden that so the memory of our sinnes being blotted out they might not appeare before God against vs. 5 That his bloud might bee a lauer to purge our soules from all their spots of sinne 6 That we might so haue iust cause euer to acknowledge and magnifie the loue of Christ towards vs. Ephes 5.1 Quest I see by this why Christ was crucified but why did he die vpon the Crosse Answ 1 That hee might ratifie the eternall couenant and testament of grace Heb. 9.15 2 That he might abolish sin Rom. 6.10 3 That he might take away the stipend of sinne which is death Rom. 6.20 2. Tim. 1.10 4 That by death hee might ouercome him who had the power of death that is the diuell Heb. 2.14 5 That he might take from vs the feare of death Heb. 2.15 6 That we by it should die so vnto sin Rom. 6.11 that it should no more reigne in our mortall bodies Rom. 6.13 7 That wee might belong properly to Christ Rom. 7.4 8 That they which liue should no more liue vnto themselues but vnto Christ who died and rose againe for vs. 2. Cor. 5.15 9 That wee might know and acknowledge the great loue of Christ towards vs. 1. Ioh. 3.16 10 That wee might liue with Christ 1. Thess 5.10 11 That we might learne to die couragiously for his and our brethrens cause 1. Ioh. 3.16 12 That by this meanes Gods mercy and iustice might both be glorifyed in this redemption and saluation of mankinde Iohn 3.14 Quest Is this death of Christ profitable to euery singular man in the world Ans It was effectually profitable onely to the elect for 1 He gaue his life for his sheepe Iohn 10.15 2 Hee deliuered his people from their sinnes Matth. 21. 3 For them he sanctified himselfe Ioh. 17. He praied onely for them Ioh. 17. If he had died intentionally for all and all had not beene saued hee should haue missed of his purpose 4 Els the sinne of man were of ability to disanull the intent of Christ Quest How is Christs death thus meritorious Answ 1 In that hée was both God and man Acts 20. 2 In that it was a voluntary death Philip. 2.7 Quest Tell mee now what benefit comes vnto me by this death of Christ Answ Great euery way for by it 1 There is such a satisfaction made fully for your sinnes that they shall neuer rise vp in iudgement against you 1. Ioh. 1.7 2 God is pacified and reconciled to man Rom. 3.24 3 Satan is ouercome Gen. 3.15 4 Death is swallowed vp in victory and the feare thereof is so taken away that to the faithfull it is now nothing but a passage to eternall life Hos 13.14 5 You are acquitted and iustified from your sinnes Rom. 4.25 5.19 6 The Partition-wall betwixt Iewes and Gentiles is broken downe Eph. 2.14 7 All the faithfull vnder both the Old and New Testament are become subiect vnto one Head from which they were fallen and are gathered into one body Eph. 1.10 Coloss 1.21 8 The prophecies are accomplished the Truth is become agreeable to the figure of Sampson killing more at his death then in his life the brasen Serpent which cured such as looked vp vnto it and the sacrifices which were offered before for sinnes 9 By the death of Christ you euer die to
banket Giue mee grace to put on my wedding garment that the Bridegrome of this feast neuer say vnto me Frind how camest thou hither not hauing on thy wedding garment Hast thou now commanded me to examin my selfe let me now trie and examine mine heart and looke how I stand in thy sight The Iewes would not eate with vnwashen hands dare I eat with an vnwashen heart they would not drink but their vessels must be purified and dare I now drinke and my soule not purified Before the passeouer they sanctified themselues and before this sacrament shall not I now sanctifie my self I desire to doe it Lord helpe my desire lest eating and drinking vnworthily I eate and drinke mine owne damnation I therefore being now readie to come to thy Table doe acknowledge and confesse mine owne vnworthinesse I haue sinned against thée many waies and that since I last receiued this Sacrament I haue not knowne thée in thy word beheld thée in thy workes apprehended thée in thy Sonne serued thée in the spirit applied thee by faith feared thée for thy iustice nor admired thée as I ought for thy great mercies I haue not frequented thine house heard thy word laid it vp in mine heart nor practised it in my life as I should I euen I by the lusts of mine eyes the lusts of my flesh and the pride of life haue dishonoured thy great and glorious name And when thou hast forgiuen me ten thousand talents I would not forgiue my brother and hundred pence What shall I say vnto my selfe I haue sinned I will doe so no more I haue sinned Lord forgiue me all my sins and grant that in the whole course of my life hereafter I may liue to the honour of thy great name Giue vnto me now a broken heart a contrite spirit a sorrowfull soule and a minde hungring and thirsting after Christ and his righteousnes Giue me now grace to know thée the only true God the Creator and preseruer of mankinde Giue me grace now to féele the burden of my sinnes and that I am eased of them by the blood of Christ Iesus I doe beléeue in him helpe my vnbeléefe I am sorrie for my sins make me to be heartily and vnfainedly sorrowfull I promise now to liue neerer to thée then euer I haue done giue mee power to performe my promise I forgiue all that haue wronged me euen as thou for Christs sake hast forgiuen me Let this forgiuenesse of mine be without dissimulation And because I am now to taste of bread and wine make mee to consider the vse of them I know O Lord that this sacramentall bread is not the body of thy Son this sacramentall wine is not the blood of thy Sonne but this I know out of thy holy word that they are seales of his bodie and blood Teach me therefore now most gracious God that I seeing bread and wine on the table may behold Christ vpon the crosse and obseruing the bread broken to me may consider of Christs body crucified for mee looking vpon the wine powred out of the vessell may thinke how Christs blood was powred out for my sinnes And as I receiue this bread wine into my stomack for bodily sustenance so cause me to féede on the body and blood of our Sauiour Christ that it may be nourishment for my soule Grant O Lord that I may so now come to thy holy table that hereafter I may bee partaker of thy heauenly Table through Christ my Lord and only Sauiour Amen Our Father which art c. A THANKESGIVING after the Communion ALL glorie honour and praise be giuen to thée most glorious God for all thy mercies bestowed vpon mee for mine election in thy loue my redemption by thy Sonne my sanctification by thy spirit in this life and hope of glorification in the life to come I thank thée for thy word in which I beare of thy goodnesse and I thanke thee for this Sacrament in which I behold thy fauour I haue now béene partaker of bread and wine Lord make mee partaker of Christs bodie and blood Those they will turne to the nourishment of my body let these turne to the nourishment of my soule By those I féele some refreshing for a while by these let mee feele refreshing for euer O let not Christs blood be shed in vaine for me but by it cleanse me from all my sinnes I haue now cast vp all the poyson of impietie suffer me not hereafter to licke it vp againe I haue now disgorged my selfe of reuenge let me neuer returne to my vomit againe I am now washed from all my pollution make me to remember that it is the part of a swine to wallow againe in mud or mire I haue promised now to liue better than before make the latter part of my life better than the former I am a liuing stone in thy building knit me fast to the corner stone I am a branch of the vine set mee fast in that roote I am a member of Christs body kéepe mee that I neuer bee cut off I haue renued this day my couenant with thée grant that I may kéep it to my liues end I haue this day béen put in mind of the benefit by Christs death let me euery day thinke often of his death that therby I may learn to die vnto sin And grant that euer hereafter I may so walk before thee that all such as know that I haue béen at thy table may see that I am become a new creature As for the rest of this day in which thou hast thus shewed thy selfe vnto mee grant that I may spend the same not in surfetting and drunkennesse not in chambring and wantonnesse not in sporting and idlenesse but in hearing of thy word calling on thy name meditation of thy mercies and in holy conference about heauenly things Vnto thee O Father my Creator and preseruer vnto thee O Christ my Redéemer and Iustifier vnto thee O Holy Ghost my Sanctifier and Instructor bee ascribed of mee and thy whole Church all praise and power might and Maiestie glorie and dominion both now whilest we doe liue and for euer whilest we shal liue Amen Our Father which art c. NOw the very God of peace sanctifie me throughout and I pray God that my whole spirit and soule and body may be kept blamelesse vnto the comming of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen Amen A THANKESGIVING FOR our late Deliuerance from that vnnaturall conspiracie against our King and State ALmightie Lord God Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and in him our most gracious and mercifull Father many are thy mercies towards vs and that our soules know right well And as we cannot be ignorant of them vnlesse wee bee senselesse so we may not be forgetfull vnlesse we be thanklesse By thée our lot is fallen into a good soile and by thée wée haue a goodly inheritance by thée are our bodies deliuered from sicknesse and by thée are our soules