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A11116 A most excellent treatise containing the way to seek heavens glory, to flie earths vanity, to feare hells horror with Godly prayers and the bell-mans summons. Rowlands, Samuel, 1570?-1630? 1639 (1639) STC 21384; ESTC S502 58,638 288

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Be blest a sleepe be blest awake SIth neither men nor Angels know When as the dreadful trump shal blow Nor when our Saviour Christ shall come To give the world a wofull doome Thinke then but what a case you 're in That sleepe in unrepented sinne O wake O wake O watch and pray And think upon this dreadfull day SLeepe not so sound rest not secure Marke well my words of this be sure The waking Virgins past the gate When those that slept came al too late Wherefore be watchfull in your center That you may with the bridegroome enter IF wicked impes wake day and night And keep their candle alwayes light And all their skill and practise bend To bring their damned plots to end Let us not sleepe but laud his skill That frustrates all their projects still THe night well spent the day drawes night Awake from sleep and sin defie All sluggish sloath expell away Have still in mind the judgement day When dead shall rise at trumpets call The graves shall open wide with all ARise from sin awake from sleepe The earth doth mourne The Heavens weepe The winds and Seas distempered bin And all by reason of mans sin Wherefore arise lay sleepe aside And call on God to be your guide From raging sword and arrowes flight And from the terrours of the night From fires flame from sin and sorrow God blesse you all and so good morrow ALL you which in your beds doe lie Vnto the Lord ye ought to cry ●hat he would pardon all your sins And thus the Bel●mans prayer begins Lord give us grace our sinful life to mend And at the last to send a joyfull end ●aving put out your fire and your light ●or to conclude I bid you all good night MAns life is like a warfare on the earth Whose time is spent with troubles toyles and cares Subject to all temptations from his birth In woe he lives and dies at unnawares The surest signe true fortitude to show Is in his life all vice to overthrow O Harke O harke my Masters all To your poore servants cry and call And know all you that lie at ease That our great God may if he please Deprive you of your vitall breath Then sleeping thinke your sleepe is death LEt true repentance cleanse your sin And then your soules cōmend to him That by his death hath rais'd and cur'd The dead the blind and them assured To give to them eternall rest To live in Heaven among the blest Confesse thy sins to God on hie Who pardons sinners when they cry Bewray thy faults to him in time Who will in Christ forgive thy crime HE that on the Crosse hath died And for our sins was crucified Be you ever blest in him And cleane remitted from your sin Be it granted as I have praid And so the Bel-man resteth paid ALL you that in bed doe lye Harken well to what I cry Leave off your sins repentance crave It is the onely way your soules to save REpent in time while ye have breath Repentāce commeth not after death He therefore that will live for aye Must leave his sins and to God pray O Gratious God and blessed Preserve all ye that be in bed So that your quiet rest may take Vntill the morning that ye wake Then may ye all with praises sing To thee O God our heavenly King REmember man thou art but dust There is none alive but dye he must To day a man to morrow none So soone our life is past and gone Mans life is like a withered flower Alive and dead all in an houre Leave of thy sins therefore in time And Christ will rid thee from thy crime O Mortall man that is made of dust In worldly riches put not thy trust Remember how thy time doth passe Even like the sand that from the Glasse ●ath spent the time and there remaines ●ever canst thou call that time againe SIcke men complaine they cannot sleepe The Bel-man such a noise doth keepe Others that doe win at play Sayes he too soone proclaimes the day Yet to the sicke that drawes short breath It puts them in the mind of death And saies the gamster makes good stake If he for Heaven so long would wake And all this while like silly worme He doth his office but performe Then if his duty breed disease Hee le goe to bed and none displease FINIS Psal 2. 2 3. Nequities vitae non sini● esse senem Rom. 6. 12. * * Conventum terrariō orbis Justin l. 2. Dan. 5. Dan. 4. 2 King 25. Eccl. ● Eccl 1. 2. Ps 102 26. 1 Pet. 1 19. Ps 26. 10. In 〈◊〉 i●ctib●● tacet in ma●● rides in utrisque Philosophatur 2 Sam. 3. Numb 25. 8. Isa 37. ult Dan. ● ult Lut. 12 Cyprian ser 5. de Laps Thus Franci● Spira cried out after hee had renounced the profession of true pietie for the possession of earths vanity Rev. 2●
sorrowes of hell have compassed me round about and the snares of death have besieged me For on which side soever they looke or turne their eyes they doe continually behold occasions of sorrow and griefe and none at all of any ease or comfort The wise Virgins saith the Evangelist that stood ready prepared at the gate of the Bridegroome entred in and the gate was forthwith locked fast O locking everlasting O enclosure immortall O gate of all goodnesse which shal never any more be opened againe As if he had said more plainely the gate of pardon of mercy of comfort of grace of intercession of hope and of all other goodnesse is shut up for ever and ever Six daies and no more was Manna to be gathered but the seventh day which was the Sabbath day was there none to bee found and therefore shall he fast for ever that hath not in due time made his provision aforehand The sluggard saith the Wise man will not till his ground for feare of cold and therefore shall he beg his bread in summer and no man shall give him to eat And in another place he saith He that gathereth in summer is a wise sonne but hee that giveth himselfe to sleeping at that season is the sonne of confusion For what confusion can be greater then that which that miserable covetous rich man suffereth who with a few crums of bread that fell from his table might have purchased to himselfe abundance of everlasting felicity and glory in the kingdome of Heaven But because he would not give so small a thing he came to such an extreame necessity that he begged yea and shall for ever beg in vaine onely one drop of water and shall never obtaine it Who is not moved with that request of that unfortunate damned person who cried O father Abraham have compassion on me and send downe Lazarus unto me that hee may dip the tip of his finger in water and touch my tongue for these horrible flames doe torment me exceedingly What smaller request could there be desired than this He durst not request so much as one cup of water neither that Lazarus should put his whole hand into the water nor yet which is more to be wondered at did he request so much as the whole finger but onely the tip of it that it might but touch his tongue and yet even this alone would not be granted unto him Whereby thou maiest perceive how fast the gate of all consolation is shut up and how universall that interdict and excommunication is that is there laid upon the damned sith this rich Glutton could not obtaine so much as this small request So that wheresoever the damned persons doe turne their eyes and on which side soever they stretch their hands they shall not finde any manner of comfort be it never so small And as he that is in the Sea choaked and almost drowned under the water not finding any stay whereupon to set his foot stretcheth forth his hands oftentimes on every side in vaine because all that he graspeth after is thin and liquid water which deceives him even so shall it fare with the damned persons when they shall be drowned in that deepe Sea of so many miseries where they shall strive and struggle alwaies with death without finding any succour or place of stay whereupon they may rest themselves Now this is one of the greatest paines wherewith they be tormented in that cursed place for if these torments should have their continuance limited but for a certaine time though it were for a thousand yea a hundred thousand millions of yeares yet even this would be some little comfort unto them for nothing is perfectly great in case it have an end But alas they have not so much as this poore and miserable comfort but contrariwise their paines are equall in continuance with the eternity of Almighty God and the lasting of their misery with the eternity of Gods glory As long as Almighty God shall live so long shall they die and when Almighty God shall cease to be God then shall they also cease to be as they are O deadly life O immortall death I know not whether I may truely tearme thee either life or death for if thou be life why dost thou kill And if thou be death why doest thou endure Wherefore I will call thee neither the one nor the other for so much as in both of them there is contained something that is good as in life there is rest and in death there is an end which is a great comfort to the afflicted but thou hast neither rest nor end What art thou then Marry thou art the worst of life and the worst of death for of death thou hast the torment without any end and of life thou hast the continuance without any rest O bitter composition O unsavory purgation of our Lords cup of the which all the sinners of the earth shall drinke their part Now in this continuance in this eternity I would wish that thou my deare Christian brother wouldst fixe the eyes of thy consideration a little while and that as the cleane beast cheweth the cud even so thou wouldest weigh this point within thy selfe with great deliberation And to the intent thou maiest doe it the better consider a little the paines that a sicke man abideth in one evill night especially if he be vexed with any vehement griefe or sharpe disease Marke how oft he tumbleth and tosseth in his bed what disquietnesse he hath how long and tedious one night seemeth unto him how duely he counteth all the houres of the clocke and how long hee deemeth each houre of them to be how he passeth the time in wishing for the dawning of the day which notwithstanding is like to helpe him little towards the curing of his disease If this then be accounted so great a torment what torment shall that be thinke you in that everlasting night in hell which hath no morning nor so much as any hope of any dawning of the day O darknesse most obscure O night everlasting O night accursed even by the mouth of Almighty God and all his Saints That one shall wish for light and shall never see it neither shall the brightnesse of the morning arise any more Consider then what a kinde of torment shall that bee to live everlastingly in such a night as this is lying not in a soft bed as the sicke man doth but in a hot burning furnace foming out such terrible raging flames What shoulders shall be able to abide those horrible heats If it seeme to us as a thing intollerable to have onely some part of our feet standing upon a pan of burning coales for the space of repeating the Lords prayer What shall it be thinke you to stand body and soule burning in the midst of those everlasting hot raging fires in hell in comparison of which the fires of this world are but painted fires Is there any wit or judgement in this
continuing in such a dissolute and wicked life as thou doest Where is now become the understanding judgement and reason which thou hast of a man Why art thou not affraid of so horrible so certaine and so assured perils and dangers if there were a dish o● meate set before thee and some man albeit hee were a lyer should say unto thee refraine to touch and eate therof for it is poysoned durst thou once adventure to stretch out thy hand to take a taste thereof though the meate were never so savoury and delicate and hee never so great a lyer that should beare thee thus in hand If then the Prophets if the Apostles if the Evangelists yea if Almighty God himselfe doe cry out unto thee and say Take heede thou miserable man for death is in that kinde of meate and death doth lye lurking in that glutto●ous morsell which the divell hath set before thee How da●est thou reach for everlasting death with thine owne hands ●nd drinke thine owne damna●ion Where is the applying of ●hy wits thy judgement and the discourse and reason which ●hou hast of a spirituall man Where is their light where is ●heir force Sith that none of ●hem doe bridle thee any whit from thy common usuall vices Oh thou wretched and carelesse creature be witched by the ●ommon enemy Satan adjudg●d to everlasting darknesse both inward and outward and so ●oest goe from one darkenesse ●o the other Thou art blinde to see thine owne misery in sensible to understand thine owne perdition and harde● than any Adamant to feele the hammer of Gods word Oh a thousand times most miserable thou art worthy to be lamented with none other teares than with those wherewith thy damnation was lamented when i● was said Luke 19. Oh that thou knewest this day the peace quietnesse and treasures which Almighty God hath offered unto thee that doe now lye hidden from thine eyes Oh miserable is the day of thy nativity and much more miserable the day of thy death forsomuch as that shall be the beginning of thine everlasting damnation Oh how much better had it beene for thee never to have been borne if thou shalt be damned in the horrible pit of hell for ever where the torments are perpetually durable How much better had it beene for thee never to have beene baptised not yet to have received the Christian Faith if through the abusing thereof by thy wicked life thy damnation shallt hereby be the greater For if the light of reason onely sufficeth to make the Heathen Philosophers inexcusable because they knowing God in some degree did not glorifie him nor serve him as the Apostle saith in the first to the Romans how much lesse shall hee be excused that hath received the light of faith and the water of Baptisme yea and the holy Sacrament of the body and bloud of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ hearing daily the doctrine of the Gospell if hee doe nothing more than those Pagan Philosophers have done Now what other thing may we inferre of the premises but briefly to conclude That there is none other understanding none other wisedome none other counsell in the world but that setting aside all the impediments and combersome dangerous wayes of this life wee follow that onely true and certaine way whereby true peace and everlasting life is obtained Hereunto are we called by reason by wisedome by law by heaven by earth by hell and by the life death justice and mercy of Almighty God Hereunto are we also very notably invited by the Holy Word spoken by the mouth of Ecclesiasticus in the sixt Chapter in this wise My sonne hearken to instruction even from the first yeares of thy youth and in thy latter daies thou shalt enjoy the sweet fruit of wisedome Approach unto it as one that ploweth and soweth and with patience expect the fruitfull increase which it shall yeeld unto thee The paines that thou shalt take shall bee but little and the benefits that thou shalt speedily enjoy shall be great My son hearken to my words and neglect not this my counsell which I shall give thee put thy feet willingly into her fetters and thy necke into her chaines bow downe thy shoulders and carry her upon thee and be not displeased with her bonds approach neere unto her with all thy heart and follow her wayes with all thy strength seeke for her with all thy diligence and she will make her selfe knowne unto thee and after that thou hast found her never forsake her for by her shalt thou finde rest in thy latter daies and that which before did seeme so painfull unto thee will afterwards become very pleasant Her fetters shall be a defence of thy strength and a foundation of vertue and her chaine shall be a ●obe of glory for in her is the beauty of life and her bonds ●re the bonds of health Hetherto Ecclesiasticus Whereby thou maiest understand in some degree how great the beauty the delights the liberty and riches of true wisedome are which is vertue it selfe and the knowledge of Almighty God wherof wee doe intreate But if all this be insufficient to mollifie our stony hearts lift up thine eyes and fix thy thoughts constantly to behold our omnipotent God in his mercy and love towards sinners upon his dying crosse where he made full satisfaction for thy sinnes There shalt thou behold him in this forme his feet nailed fast looking for thee his armes spread abroad to receive thee and his head bowing downe to give thee as to another prodigall sonne new kisses of peace and attonement From thence hee calleth thee if thou wouldest heare with so many callings and cries as there be wounds in his whole body Hearken thou therefore unto these voyces and consider well with thy selfe that if his prayer be not heard that hearkeneth not unto the cries of the poore how much lesse shall he be heard that maketh himselfe deafe to such cries as these being the most mercifull cryings of our loving Saviour and intended for our soules salvation Who is he that hath not cause to resolve himselfe wholly into teares to weepe and bewaile his manifold offences Who is he that can lament and will not lament at this unlesse he be such a one as seeth not nor careth what great shipwracke waste and havocke he maketh of al the riches and treasures of his soule FINIS GODLY PRAYERS NECESSARY AND VSEFVLL for Christian Families upon severall occasions Therefore I say unto you What things ever yee desire when yee pray beleeve ●●at ye receive them and yee shall ●●ve them LONDON Printed by G. M. for M. S. 1629. Godly CHRISTIAN Prayers A houshold Prayer for private Families in the Morning MOst mighty and glorious God the onely Creator and Governour of Heaven and ●arth and all things therein ●ontained we miserable sinners here met together by thy gra●● doe in thy feare prostrate selves before thy throne of Majesty and glory desiring in so measure to shew
our unfain thankfullnesse for thy innurable mercies multiplied up us from the first houre of birth yea before our birth a before time was Before foundations of the world w● laid thou out of thy free 〈◊〉 and meere mercy didst elect to eternall life when thou di● reject others Thou didst ●ate us after thine owne ima●● engraving upon us the cha●●cters of spirituall wisedom righteousnesse and true ho●●nesse when it was in thy pow●● to have made us like unto beasts that perish yea to have ●qualled us to the basest of thy ●●eatures And when through ●ur owne default wee lost that ●●ignity thou didst so pittie us as ●● send from thine owne bo●ome thine onely begotten Son ●● recover it for us and to re●tore it to us and that with no ●esse price then his owne heart●loud Besides it hath pleased ●hee continually to spread the wings of thy gracious protection over us to ward and guard ●s by thy providence to open ●●y hand and to replenish us with good things to continue our life health strength food ●aiment peace and liberty to his very houre Thou hast even loaded us with thy benefits if we had hearts rightly to consider it thou renewest thy mercy towards us every morning and the night past hast given us a testimony of thy love For whereas for the sinnes committed the day before thou mightest even in the dead of sleepe have given us a sodaine call out of this world and so presently have brought us to that great account which wee must make before thee thou vouchsafest yet to spare us yea which is more to refresh us with comfortable rest to preserve us from all dangers that might have befallen our soules or bodies and to bring us in safety to the beginning of this day Heavenly Father grant that we may not be unmindfull of thy manifold mercies but that wee may often thinke of them and speake of them to thy glory and that the consideration thereof may stirre us up to devote all the powers of our soules and members of our bodies to thy service Forgive us our former unthankefulnesse for thy mercies and our severall abuses of them yea pardon all our sinnes past we most humbly beseech thee for thy owne mercies sake and for thy Sonnes merits Our sinnes are great and grievous for in sinne we were borne and ever since have we gone on in a course of sinne and rebellion against thee we doe daily breake thy holy precepts and that against the light of our owne knowledge albeit we know that thou art our Creatour who hast made us ou● Redeemer who hast bought us with the precious blood of thy onely begotten sonne and ou● Comforter who bestowes● upon us all things needfull fo● our being and well-being fo● this life and for a better life Yea even thee thee O Lord have we presumed to offend that hast beene thus abundantly mercifull unto us For this ou● unthankefulnesse and wicked nesse enter not into judgement with us wee most humbly beseech thee from the bottom of our hearts but have merc● upon us have mercy upon u● most mercifull Father and in mercy wash away all our sinnes with the bloud of Jesus Christ ●hat so they may never bee laid ●o our charge nor have power ●rise up in judgement against ●s Pierce our hearts with a ●eeling of our sinnes that wee ●ay mourne for them as wee ●ught to doe make us to loath ●nd abhorre them that we may ●ave and avoid them that wee may be watchfull against all occasions of sinne and circum●ect over our owne wayes ●owre thy Spirit and put thy ●ace into our hearts that thereby we may be inabled for thy ●●vice and both in body and ●ule may glorifie thee heere ●●at wee may be glorified of thee and with thee hereafter And as a speciall meanes to keepe us in subjection before thee work in us holy Father a continuall and effectuall remembrance of this earths vanity of our owne mortality o● that great and terrible judgement to come of the paines o● hell and joyes of heaven which follow after O let the remembrance of these things be a spu● to provoke us unto vertue and a bridle to hold us in from galloping after vice and wickednesse We know not how soon thou wilt set a period to ou● lives and call for our soules to appeare before thee whether this day or not before the evening O prepare us therefore for the houre of death that we may then neither feare nor faint but may with joy yeeld up our soules into thy mercifull hands and doe thou O Father of mercy receive them Let thy mercifull eye look upon us this day shield us from the temptations of the divell and grant us ●he custody of thy holy Angels to defend us in all our wayes ●nable us with diligence and ●onscience to discharge the du●●es of our callings and crowne all our endeavours with thy blessing without thy blessing all mans labour is but vaine ●oe thou therefore blesse us in ●ur severall places O prosper ●hou our handy-work Provide ●or us all things which thou knowest to bee needfull for every one of us this day Give us a sanctified use of thy creatures agodly jealousie over ourselves a continual remembrance of thy omniscience omnipresence that we may labour to approve our very thoughts unto thee weane us from the love of thi● world and ravish our soule with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdome Defend the universall Church the Churches of this Land especially our gracious King Charles our illustrious Queen Mary together with the Princesse Elizabeth and her Princely issue crowne them with thy graces heere and with thy glory hereafter Bee with th● Magistracie and Ministerie of the Realme make thy Gospell to flourish amongst us by the labours of those whom thou hast appointed to this great service Comfort thine afflicted servants in what place or case soever they be give us a fellow feeling of their miseries and wisedome to prepare our selves against the evill day Heare us in these things and grant what else thou knowest needfull for us not for our worthinesse but for thy Sonnes sake our alone Saviour in whose name and words we conclude our imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. A houshold Prayer for private Families in the Evening O Glorious God in Jesus Christ our gracious Father we wretched creatures by nature but by thy grace thy servants and children doe heere make bold to appeare before thee in the humility of our soules to performe some part of that duty which we owe unto thee And first we offer unto thy divine Majestie the calves of our lips the sacrifice ●f praise and thanksgiving for ●ine infinite mercies which ●hou hast beene pleased to con●erre upon us out of thy boundnesse and endlesse goodnesse What thou hast done for us this ●hy is beyond all that we are ●ble to expresse or conceive ●hou hast preserved us from all ●erils and dangers
grace that I may now willingly leave this fraile and wicked flesh in hope of the resurrection which in better manner shall restore it to me againe grant me O Lord God that thou wilt by thy grace make strong my soule against all temptations and that thou wilt cover and defend me with the buckler of thy mercy against the assaults of Satan I acknowledge that there is in my selfe no hope of salvation but all my hope and trust is in thy most mercifull goodnesse I have no merits nor good workes which I may alleadge before thee of sinnes and evill works alas I see a great heape but through thy mercy I trust to be of the number of them to whom thou wilt not impute their sins but take and impute mee for righteous and just and to be the inheritor of everlasting glory Thou O most mercifull Lord wert borne for my sake thou didst suffer both hunger and thirst thou didst preach teach pray and fast for my sake thou didst all good works and sufferedst most grievous pangs and torments for my sake and finally thou gavest thy most precious body to dye and thy blessed bloud to bee shed on the Crosse for my sake wherefore most mercifull Saviour let all these things profit me which thou hast freely given mee which hast given thy selfe for me let thy bloud cleanse and wash away the spots and foulenesse of my sinnes let thy righteousnesse hide and cover my unrighteousnesse let the merits of thy bitter sufferings be a sufficient and propitiatory sacrifice and satisfaction for my sinnes give me O Lord thy grace that my faith and beleefe of thy true and grievous death waver not in me but ever be firme and constant that the hope of thy mercy life everlasting never decay in me that charity waxe not cold in me and finally that the weaknesse of my flesh be not overcome with the feare of death grant me also O most mercifull Saviour that when death hath shut up the eyes of my body yet the eyes of my soule may still behold and look upon thee and that when death hath taken away the use of my tongue and speech yet my heart may cry and say unto thee O Lord into thy hands I give and commit my soule Lord Jesus receive my spirit and take me to thy mercies Amen A Prayer for a Woman in time of her travaile RIghteous and holy Lord God I doe now finde by experience the fruit of my sinne that I must travaile in sorrow and bring forth in paine and I unfainedly adore the truth of thy sacred Word as certifying unto me that sorrow must be in the Evening so comforting me also against the Morning that a Childe shall be borne Willingly I doe desire to submit my selfe in hope unto this thy chastisement and to learne the desert of my sinnes horrible in themselves that these temporall paines are forerunners of eternall and yet by thy mercy may be so sanctified unto me as not onely to prevent eternall vengeance but also prepare for eternall comforts even to be saved by bearing of Children Grant me therefore gracious Father true repentance and pardon for my sinnes past that they may not stand at this time in this my need betweene mee and thy mercy Give mee a comfortable feeling of thy love in Christ which may sweeten all other pangs though never so violent or extreame make me still to lift up my soule unto thee in my greatest agonies knowing that thou alone must give a blessing to the ordinary meanes for my safe deliverance Lay no more upon me then I am able to endure strengthen my weake body to the bearing of what sorrowsoever by which it shall seeme good unto thee to make triall of me Grant mee to consider that howsoever it be with me yet I am alwaies at thine hand whose mercies faile not who wilt bee found in the Mount and greatest extremitie and to whom belong the issues of death so prepare me therefore to death that I may be fit for life even to yeeld fruit alive unto the world and to be renewed and enabled to nourish the same And when thou hast safely given mee the expected fruit of my wombe make me with a thankfull heart to consecrate both it and my selfe wholly to thy service all the daies of my life through Jesus Christ mine onely Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Thankesgiving after safe deliverance O Blessed for ever bee thy great and glorious Name most deere and loving Father for thy great mercy to me most weake and sinfull woman Wonderfull art thou in all thy workes O Lord the riches of thy mercies are past finding out thou hast plunged me with great afflictions and yet thou hast returned and refreshed me againe thou hast brought mee to the feare of the grave and yet thou hast raised me up again to life O how hast thou shewed thy power in my weaknesse How hath thy loving kindnesse prevailed against my unworthinesse Thou mightest for my sinnes have left me to perish in mine extremities but thou hast compassed me about with joyfull deliverance thou mightest have made my wombe a grave to bury the dead or in affoording life to another thou mightest have procured my death but yet thou hast not onely made my wombe a well-spring of life but restored life unto me also for the cherishing thereof Marveilous O Lord are thy workes infinite are thy mercies my soule by present experience knoweth it well O my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits Thou hast heard my prayers and looked upon my sorrow thou hast redeemed my life from death and healed mine infirmities and crowned me with thine everlasting compassions O give me I humbly pray thee a thankfull heart not onely now while the memory and sense of thy favour is fresh before me but continually even so long as I have any being Grant that I may learne by his lively evidence of thy power and mercy for ever hereafter ●o depend only on thee Quic●en me also to all holy duties ●hat my thankfullnesse may appeare in my pure and Christian ●arriage Make me a kind and carefull ●nother willing to undergoe the ●aine and trouble of education ●et no nicenesse or curiositie ●inder me from those services ●o whom both nature and reli●ion hath appointed me let me ●●so be carefull when time re●uireth to season the fruit thou ●ast given me with the saving ●nowledge of thee thy deere on that my desire may manifestly appeare to be set for the ●ncrease of thy Kingdome Vouchsafe so to order my affections and to bring them in obedience unto thee that if it should bee thy pleasure either now o● hereafter to take this infant from me I may as willingly part with it as thou freely gave it me And now O God perfect in mee that strength which thou hast begun make me to grow in care to
serve thee faithfully both in the duties of piety and in other businesse of my place and calling that I may be a comfort to my husband a● example to my neighbours ● grace to my profession and ● meanes of glory to thy Name through Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour Amen FINIS THE COMMON CALLES CRIES and Sounds of the BEL-MAN OR Divers verses to put us in minde of our mortality Which serve as warnings to be prepared at all times for the day of death LONDON Printed by G. M. for M. S. Junior at the Blew Bible in Green-Arbour 1639. THE BEL-MANS SOVNDS For Christmas day REmember all that on this Morne Our blesseds aviour Christ was borne Who issued from a Virgin pure Our soules from Satan to secure And patronise our feeble spirit That we through him may heaven inherit For Saint Stephens day THis blessed time beare in your mind How that blest Martyr Stephen died In whom was all that good confinde That might with flesh and blood abide In Doctrine and example he Taught what to doe and what to flee Full of the Spirit he would preach Against opinions false and naught Confute them to and bouldly teach What Christ himselfe to him had taught For which at last he lost his breath Ston'd by the stonie hearts to death Let us then learne by this blest Martyrs end To see our follies and our lives amend For Saint Iohns day THis man the Word did bouldly teach Saw Christ transform'd and did preach The glory in that Mount he saw And by that glory strove to draw The soule of man from sinfull thrall To heaven to which God send us all For Innocents day THe swords of Herods servants tooke Such sweet yong things as with a look Might make a heart of Marble melt But they no grace nor pittie felt Some from the cradle some awake Some sweetly sleeping some they take Dandled upon their mothers lap Some from their armes some from the pap For New-yeares day ALL you that doe the Bell-man heere The first day of this hopefull yeare ●oe in love admonish you So bid your old sins all adue And walk as Gods just Law requires In holy deeds and good desires Which if to doe you le doe your best God will in Christ forgive the rest For Saint Davids day I Am no Welchman but yet to show The love I to the Countrey owe I call this morning and be seeke Each man prepare him for his Leeke For as I heare some men say The first of March is Saint Davids day That worthy Britaine valiant wise Withstood his countries enemies And caused his Souldiers there to choose Leekes for to know them from his foes Who bravely fought and conquest wone And so the custome first begun Then weare your Lecks and doe not shame To memorize your worthies name So noble Britaines all adew Love stil King Charles for he loves you For the 5. of Novemb. AWake Britaines subjects with one accord Extoll and praise and magnifie the Lord Humble your hearts and with devotion sing Praises of thanks to God for our most gratious King This was the night when in a darkesome Cell Treason was found in earth it hatcht in hell And had it tooke effect what would avail'd our sorrow The traine being laid to have blowne us up o' th' morrow Yet God our guide reveal'd the damned plot And they themselves destroy'd and we were not Then let us not forget him thanks to render That hath preserv'd and kept our faiths Defender For Good Friday ALL you that now in bed do lie Know Iesus Christ this night did die ●●r soules most sinfull for to save That we eternall life might have His whips his grones his crown of thorns Would make us weep lament and mourn For Sunday LEt labour passe let prayer be This day the chiefest worke for thee Thy selfe and servants more and lesse This day must let all labour passe ALL hale to you that sleepe and rest Repent awake your sins detest Call to your mind the day of doome For then our Saviour Christ will come Accompt to have he hath decreed Of every thought word worke and deed And as we have our times here past So shall our judgements be at last AS darke some night unto thy thoughts present What 't is to want the daies bright Element So let thy soule descend through contemplation Where utter darknesse keepes her habitation Where endlesse easelesse paines remedilesse Attend to torture sins curst wilfulnesse O then remember whilst thou yet hast time To call for mercy for each forepast crime And with good David wash thy bed with teares That so repentance may subdue hels feares Then shall thy sovle more purer then the Sunne Ioy as a Gyant her best race to run And in unspotted robes her selfe addresse To meet her Lord that Sonne of righteousnesse To whom with God the Father and the Spirit Be all due praise where all true joyes inherit THe Belman like tho wakefull morning Cocke Doth warne you to be vigilant and wise Looke to your fire your candle and your locke Prevent what may through negligence arise So may you sleepe with peace and wake with joy And no mischances shall your state annoy YOur beds compare unto the grave Then think what sepulcher you have For though you lay you downe to sleepe The Bell-man wakes your peace to keepe Andnightly walks the round about To see if fire and light be out But when the morne daies light appeares Be you as ready for your prayers So shall your labours thrive each day That you the Bel-man well may pay LIke to the Seaman is our life Tost by the waves of sinfull strife Finding no ground whereon to stand Vncertaine death is still at hand If that our lives so vainelesse be Then all the world is vanitie THose that live in wrathfull ire And goe to rest in any sinne They are worse unto their house then fire Or violent theeves that would breake in Then seek to shun with all your might That Hidras head that monstrous sin That God may blesse your goods abroad And eke also your selves within SLeepe on in peace yet waking be And dread his powerfull Majestie Who can translate the irkesome night rom darknesse to that glorious light Whose radient beames when once they rise With winged speed the darkenesse flies THou God that art our helpe at hand Preserve and keep our King and land ●rom forraigne and domesticke foes ●uch as the word and truth depose And ever prosper those of pittie That love the peace of this our Citie AWake from sleepe awake from sin With voice and heart to call on him VVho from above pleas'd to descend From Sathans malice to defend Our forfeit soules to that rich grace Where we may still behold his face LEt us repare and God implore That henceforth we transgres no more And that our joy be at this tide That we in him be satisfide Then shall we all for his deare sake
HEAVENS GLORY SEEKE IT EARTS VANITIE FLYE IT HELLS HORROR FERE IT LONDON printed for Michaell Sparke Ao. 1638. A Most Excellent TREATISE Containing the way To seek Heavens Glory To flie Earths Vanity To feare Hells Horror With Godly Prayers And The Bell-Mans Summons The third Edition by S. R. LONDON Printed by G M. for Michael Sparke Junior at the blew Bible in Greene-Arbour 1639. To the Reader THE present carelesse security of all men in generall is like unto our first Parents neglect of Gods sacred commandement in Paradice when the seducing Serpent no sooner perswaded evill but it was instantly put in practise You shall die said God was heard but you shal not die said the Divell was beleeved Our eares are daily acquainted with the threatnings of Gods denounced against sinners and yet that sinne that broad way path and high-way to hell is attempted with a delectation and pleasure so craftie and subtill are the baits and lures of the deceiver and so void of spirituall wisedome is the soule-murdering sinner But if due consideration were had of the wages of sinne and the reward of unrighteousnesse and to what bitternesse it will turne in the end it would make us lesse bold to sinne and more fearefull to offend if wee would take into our company for a daily consort the pale memory of death and whereto he summeth us after this life Death it selfe is very fearefull but much more terrible in regard of the judgement it warneth us unto Imagine to see a sinner lie on his departing bed burdened and tyred with the grievous and heavie load of all his former trespasses goared with the sting and pricke of a festered conscience feeling the crampe of death wresting at his heart strings ready to make the ruthfull divorce betweene soule and body panting for breath and swimming in a cold and fatall sweat wearied with strugling against the deadly pangs Oh how much would he give for an houre of repentance at what rate would he value a daies contrition Then worlds would bee worthlesse in respect of a little respite a short truce would seeme more precious than the treasures of Empires nothing would bee so much esteemed as a moment of time which now by moneths and yeeres is lavishly spent How inconsolable were his case his friends being fled his sences frighted his thoughts amazed his memorie decaied his whole minde agast and no part able to performe that it should but onely his guiltie conscience pestered with sinne continually upbraiding him with bitter accusations what would hee thinke then stripped out of this mortall weed and turned both out of the service and house-roome of this world hee must passe before a most severe Iudge carrying in his owne conscience his enditement written and a perfect register of all his misdeeds when he should see the Iudge prepared to passe the sentence against him and the same to bee his Vmpire whom by so many offences he hath made his enemie VVhen not onely the divels but even the Angels should plead against him and himselfe maugre his will bee his owne sharpest appeacher VVhat were to be done in these dreadfull exigents VVhen hee saw that gastly dungeon and huge gulfe of hell breaking out with fearefull flames the weeping hou●ing and gnashing of teeth the rage of all those hellish monsters the horrour of the place the rigour of the paine the terrour of the company and the eternitie of all those punishments Would you thinke them wise that would daily in so weighty matters and idlely play away the time allotted them to prevent these intollerable calamities Would you then account it secure to nurse in your bosome so many ougly Serpents as sinnes are or to foster in your soule so many malicious accusers as mortall faults are Would you not then thinke one life too little to repent for so many iniquities everie one whereof were enough to cast you into those everlasting and unspeakeable torments Why then doe wee not at the least devote that small remnant of these our latter dayes to the making an attonement with God that our consciences may be free from this eternall danger Who would relie the everlasting affaires of the life to come upon the gliding slipperinesse and running streame of our uncertaine life It is a preposterous pollicie in any wise conceit to fight against God till our weapons bee blunted our forces consumed our limmes impotent and our breath spent and then when wee fall for faintnesse and have fought our selves almost dead to presume on his mercy It were a strange peece of Art and a very exorbitant course while the Ship is sound the Pylot well the Marriners strong the gale favourable and the Sea calme to lie idle at rode and when the Ship leakes the Pylot were sicke the Marriners faint the stormes boysterous and the Sea turmoyled with surges to launch forth for a voyage into a farre Countrey yet such is the skill of our evening repenters who though in the soundnesse of health and in the perfect use of reason they cannot resolve to weigh the ankers that withhold them from God neverthelesse feed themselves with a strong perswasion that when their sences are astonied their wits distracted their understanding dusked and both body and minde racked and tormented with the throbs and gripes of a mortall sicknesse then will they thinke of the weightiest matters ad become Saints when they are scarse able to behave themselves like reasonable creatures being then presumed to bee lesse then men for how can he that is assaulted with an unsetled conscience distrained with the wringing fits of his dying flesh maimed in all his abilities and circled in with so many encombrances be thought of due discretion to dispose of his chiefest jewell which is his soule No no they that will loyter in seed time and begin then to sow when others begin to reape they that will riot out their health and cast their accounts when they can scarsely speake they that will slumber out the day and enter their journey when the light doth faile them let them blame their owne folly if they die in debt and eternall beggerie and fall headlong into the lapse of endlesse perdition Great cause have wee then to have an hourely watchfull care over our soule being so dangerous assaulted and environed most instantly entreating the divine Majesty to be our assured defence and let us passe the day in mourning the night in watching and weeping and our whole time in plainefull lamenting falling downe upon the ground humbled in sackcloth and ashes having lost the garment of Christ that hee may receive what the persecuting enemy would have spoyled every short sigh will not bee sufficient satisfaction nor every knocke a warrant to getin Many shall cry Lord Lord and shall not be accepted the foolish Virgins did knocke but were not admitted Judas had some sorrow and yet died desperate Foreslow not saith the Holy Ghost to be converted unto God and make not a daily
the ●ittle pleasure that I have en●oyed and the great felicity which I have lost and how far greater that was which I might have gained by forgoing that little which J would not forgoe This is that immortall worme that shall never dye but shall lye there everlastingly gnawing at the entrailes of the wicked which is one of the most terrible paines that can possibly be imagined Peradventure thou art now perswaded good Reader that there can be added no more unto this than hath beene said But surely the mighty arme of God wanteth not force to chastise his enemies more more for all these paines that are hitherto rehearsed are such as doe appertaine generally to all the damned but besides these generall paines there are also other particular paines which each one of the damned shall there suffer in divers sorts according to the quality of his sinne And so according to this proportion the haughty and proud shall there be abased and brought low to their great confusion The covetous shall bee driven to great necessity The glutton shall rage with continuall hunger and thirst The lecherous shall burne in the very same flames which they themselves have enkindled And those that have al their life time hunted after their pleasures and pastimes shall live there in continuall lamentation and sorrow But because examples are of very great force to move our hearts I will bring onely one for this purpose wherby somewhat of this matter may the better be perceived It is written of a certaine holy man that he saw the paines in spirit of a licentious and worldly man in this sort First he saw how the divels that were present at the houre of his death when hee yeelded up his ghost snatched away his soule with great rejoycing and made a present thereof to the Prince of darkenesse who was then sitting in a chaire of fire expecting the comming of this present Immediately after that it was presented before him he arose up out of his seat and said unto the damned soule that he would give him the preheminence of that honourable seat because he had been a man of honour and was alwaies very much affected to the same Incontinently after that he was placed therein crying and lamenting in that honourable torment there appeared before him two other most ougly divels and offered him a cup full of most bitter and stinking liquor and made him to drinke and carouse it up all perforce saying It is meet sithence thou hast beene a lover of precious wines and bankets that thou shouldest likewise prove of this our wine whereof all we doe use to drinke in these parts Immediately after this there came other two with two fiery trumpets and setting them at his eares began to blow into them flames of fire saying This melody have we reserved for thee understanding that in the world thou wast very much delighted with minstrelcie and wanton songs and sodainly he espied other divels loaden with vipers and serpents the which they threw upon the breast and bellies of that miserable sinner saying unto him that for somuch as he had beene greatly delighted with the wanton embracings and lecherous lusts of women he should now solace himselfe with these refreshings instead of those licentious delights and pleasures which he had enjoyed in the world After this sort as the Prophet Esay saith in the 47. Chapter when the sinner is punished there is given measure for measure to the end that in such a great variety and proportion of punishments the order and wisedome of Gods justice might the more manifestly appeare This vision hath Almighty God shewed in spirit to this holy man for advertisement and instruction not that in hell these things are altogether so materially done but that by them we might understand in some manner the variety and multitude of the paines which bee there appointed for the damned Whereof I know not how some of the Pagans have had a certaine knowledge for a Poet speaking of this multitude of paines affirmed That although he had a hundred mouthes and as many tongues with a voice as strong as Iron yet were they not able onely to expresse the names of them A Poet he was that spake this but truely therin he spake more like a Prophet or an Evangelist than a Poet. Now then if all this evill shall most assuredly come to passe what man is he that seeing all this so certainely with the eyes of his faith will not turne over the leafe and begin to provide for himselfe against that time Where is the judgement of men now become Where is their wits yea where is at least their selfe-love which seeketh evermore for his owne profit and is much afraid of any losse May it be thought that men are become beasts that provide onely for the time present Or have they peradventure so dimmed their eye-sight that they cannot looke before them Hearken saith Esay O yee deafe and ye blinde open your eyes that you may see Who is blinde but my servant And who is deafe but wee unto whom I have sent my messengers And who is blind but he that suffereth himselfe to be sold for a slaue Thou that seest so many things wilt thou not suffer thy selfe to see this Thou that hast thine eares open wilt thou not giue eare hereunto If thou beleeve not this how art thou then a Christian If thou beleeve it and doest not provide for it how canst thou be thought a reasonable man Aristotle saith That this is the difference betweene opinion and imagination that an imagination alone is not sufficient to cause a feare but an opinion is a for if I doe imagine that a house may fall upon mee it is no● enough to make me afraid unlesse J beleeve or have an opinion it will be so indeed fo● then it is sufficient to make mee afraid And hereof commeth the feare that murderers alwaies have by reason of the suspition they conceive that their enemies doe lye in wai● for them If then the opinion and onely suspition of danger is able to cause the greatest courage to feare how is it that the certainty and beleefe of so many and so great terrible miseries which are farre more sure than any opinion doth not make thee to feare If thou perceivest that for these many yeares past thou hast led a licentious and sinfull life and that at the last according to present justice thou art condemned to these horrible torments in hell if also there appeare by probable conjecture that there is no more likelihood of thy amendment for ensuing years to come than there was in those already past how happeneth it that running head long into so manifest a danger thou art not at all afraid Especially considering the sinfull state wherein thou livest and the horrible paines and torments which doe attend for thee and the time which thou hast lost and the endlesse repentance which thou shall have therefore in the most horrible