with that constancy and unweariedness that was fitting till brought to an end our Refections and Recreations were they used with that sobriety as was meet and broken off with cheerfulness to go fresh to our Masters service again 3. Were all things done in their due and set time or did we fail otherwise than for necessity or charity out of inconstancy in good things or tediousness of our proper business 4. Lastly have we done what we might have done by the means afforded us by the opportunities offer'd us such hints given such impulsions moving such occasions inviting Or have we done contrary have we fail'd in any one kind or more in our duty or manner of doing it by omission not doing what we ought And how often and how deeply and why did we so Then sum up readily what comes to mind in every kind with ordinary intention of mind and without study such hath been our Lords blessings such his provisions for us such his scourges if any such temptations to prove our faithfulness and for return of service thus and thus have we done no better in answer to all his love and care for us All his talents helps means opportunities impulsions restraints upon us and these our rebellions if any gross sin these failings that we know of and for our secret sins who can tell how oft he offendeth and worse than thus we had done had not he upholden us with his hands prevented supported restrained us by his grace Lord I know I have done amiss I have done evil in thy sight thou alone knowest how much how evil Thou seest my Soul wherein thy discharge lies in a peace-offering of Praise a sin-offering of sorrow and contrition for offences committed with a promise of better obedience These make up the Evening Sacrifice and with these prepare to meet thy God A Prayer against Afflictions HEavenly Father seeing thou art willing so to have it let the cup of thy wrath and displeasure pass from us and let the cup of thy blessing be ever amongst us expose us not good Father to those bloody and grievous conflicts with the powers of Hell and darkness which thy Son sustained for us Oh lay no more upon us than thou shalt give us strength and patience through him and for him to undergo and vanquish Make us to triumph as conquerors in this victory over Hell and Satan over all the power of the enemy Amen A Brief Soliloquy by way of Admonition FOrasmuch as the violence of sickness which ordinarily goes before death hinders us often from applying our selves in due manner to God in our last duties suitable to that estate to prevent such hinderances it will be to very good purpose O my Soul to make choice of some solemn time of Retirement every year if not every week or day to do such duties in before-hand which then we should but cannot so well perform An Exercise Preparative to a good Death consisting of several Acts of Piety VIZ. I. Submission to the sentence of Death II. Thanksgiving for all benefits of the life past III. Confession of our Sins IV. A Prayer to die to Sin V. A Petition for the Virtues of the dying Jesus with special recommendation of those of our charge to Gods grace and blessing and of our own spirits into the hand of God I. A Submission to the Sentence of Death O Lord my God in most profound humility of Soul and Body I cast my self at the feet of thy Divine Majesty adoring thee as my Soveraign Judg who hast pronounc'd against me and all sinners in the first man that sinned the sentence of death saying Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return In homage of thy Divine Justice I submit from my Soul to the sentence then pronounced against me acknowledging it most just and due to me both for that and infinite other sins of mine that I have since committed against thee As also in homage of the bloody and shameful death of thy Son Jesus Christ who after that he had suffer'd unspeakable sorrows of his soul in his Agony and bloody sweat offer'd up himself a Sacrifice for mine and the sins of the whole World I resign my self wholly to thy Will touching my death at least I desire so to do for the time and place and manner and all circumstances that all be according to the high pleasure of thy holy Will If thou hast ordained that I die a painful death and even a shameful death or that I should be forsaken and cast off by all humane succours so my God be ever with me I submit If I should be void of reason or sense by the extremity of my disease so as to fall into any idle or even evil words any thing against the Catholick Faith thy house or the purity of the Christian profession I yield my self a living sacrifice to thee to do and to be done with as it shall please thee Only I make this protestation that I abhor from my soul and renounce and hereby revoke all or any such words as may be offensive to Christian ears as none of mine humbly begging this my protestation may be entred in thy Book resolved and ready by thy grace if thou shouldst call me to die for the honour of thy name of the Christian Catholick faith and religion to thy glory and the eternal salvation of my poor soul through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen II. Having accepted the sentence of Death the first thing we are to do is to prepare for an holy Death to be thankful to God for all the benefits of this life GRacious God the fountain of all goodness and all Graces out of the storehouse of whose all-sufficiency Angels and Men and all Creatures have received all the good that is in them that they have and that they can do I bless and adore thy sacred Majesty for all thy goodness to all and especially to me and mine for all thy blessings of my being and well-being from the first hour of my conception to this day from the womb and from the breasts to my riper years to my age of full strength to my gray hairs for all thy blessings in the Ordinances of Nature and Grace and for the hopes of glory for all the Blessings of my Creation Redemption Preservation for all the good things thou hast bestowed upon me and all the evil thou hast saved me from or kept from me bodily or ghostly for the abundant supply of all my necessities of body and soul for all my worldly comforts and ghostly comforts for all thy mercies in forgiving my infinite transgressions for all thy patience in bearing with my follies and for thy long-suffering in my errors and strayings expecting my return and for all thy goodness in receiving thy child thy prodigal Child so graciously for all the gifts of grace for thy holy Spirit and for all the means of Grace and for the good use of it and them For all the good
mercy upon me By all thine anguish thou didst feel in the suspension of the divine aid have mercy upon me By the immensity of thy love in this thy most copious Redemption have mercy upon me and fill my Soul with the love of thee By all the barbarous outrages which thou didst endure for me deliver me from all mine Enemies visible and invisible My dearest Lord be thou the only supream love of my heart and the life of my Soul Let thy Virtues be in all my Actions and be thy honour the sole end of all my intentions Let me live in thy Wounds and for ever remain in thy love O my dear Lord Jesus thou heavenly Physitian of all humane nature thou great and glorious and eternal King remember I beseech thee all the bitter pains thou didst endure in all thy sacred members when thou wert hoised up on the Cross for me And let not my Soul be lost which cost thee all those inexplicable pains Make me feelingly and thankfully to remember how all thy precious body was rent and torn thy sacred limbs tortur'd and rackt thy head pierced thy bones disjoynted and all thy body broken for me Let me never forget this love of thine or ever offend thee more From the crown of the head to the soal of the foot thou hadst no part left whole in thee Never suffering like thine Never dolor like thine Never love like thy love Yet wert thou unmindful of all thine own Sufferings and didst pray to thy Father for thy cruel enemies O by this mercy of thine give me love and mercy to all that offend me and do thou now have mercy upon me Grant that I may always have such a devout memory and feeling of thy Passion that it may be a most powerful protection of my Soul against all temptation O thou who hanging on the Tree didst there make satisfaction for the sins of the world have mercy upon all Men. Convert the Obdurate Convince Hereticks Reduce Schismaticks Call in the Jews Bring in the fulness of the Gentiles Make all the Profane to tremble at thy Word Enflame all luke-warm Christians with an holy zeal unto thee Take pity on those who do not pity themselves Bring us all into obedience unto thee O holy Father accept of this propitiatory Sacrifice of thine only eternal Son for the full pacification of thy wrath and for the satisfaction and salvation of all returning sinful penitent and believing Souls Bring all that are ignorant of this thy Sons redeeming love to the knowledg of it and thee Since it is life eternal to know thee O holy Father and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Make all those who are ignorant of the terms of the Gospel to know and embrace the same Bring in all who are out of the Covenant of Grace by sincere faith and unfeigned Repentance into Covenant with thee Convert those in particular whom I am obliged to pray for effectually Keep my Soul for ever from offending thee Let this sweet peace my Saviour hath purchased with his own blood never more be broken between me and thee Let none of my rebellions break it keep me from sin that it never be disturbed O blessed Jesus as there was darkness at the hour of thy Passion over all the Earth untill the Ninth hour deliver me from all the works and from the place of everlasting darkness by thy holy sufferings in this hour Amen O soveraign Lord and blessed Saviour Jesus our only Redeemer Saviour of the World who by the sole motive of thy mercy didst humble thy Soul to the death for our Redemption and ascend to thy Father for the full accomplishment of our peace graciously apply to our Souls the infinite Merits of thy sacred Passion and with thy precious blood cleanse us from all our sins nail them to thy Cross hide them in thy Wounds bury them in thy Grave that they may die in us and we live in thee the life of Grace here and the life of Glory hereafter wherewith the Father and the Holy Ghost thou livest and reignest in the Unity of the Glorious Trinity ever blessed World without end Amen Prayers for the Ninth Hour O Blessed Jesus I come now to commemorate thy holy Death which after all thy pains hanging so tedious a time on the Cross thou didst suffer at the Ninth Hour in full satisfaction for all our sins O by this death of thine have mercy upon me let it kill crucifie and destroy all sin in me let me die unto the World and live henceforth only unto thee At the Ninth Hour was thy Heart pierced with a Spear O transfix my Heart unto thee By that precious Water and Blood shed for me have mercy upon me wash cleanse purifie heal my wounded and defiled Soul Then blessed Jesus did the virtue of the Holy Sacraments flow from thy sacred side the Water by which we are regenerated the Blood by which we are redeemed give me evermore the virtue and benefit thereof Then was thy sacred Soul separated from thy Holy Body O separate me from this evil World and unite me wholly unto thee Then didst thou admit the Thief into Paradise O admit me into thy Heavenly Kingdom For all these stupendious Mercies I praise and magnifie thy Name for ever I beseech thee that the power and effect of all thou hast done for me may be saving to me Make me now to feel the horror of Sin and the sorrow due unto it that hath cost thee thy life and the very last drop of Blood to make atonement for it O that I could comprehend the immense love of my dying Saviour that I might make some grateful return of love unto thee Why should not the sense of thy Weeping make mine eyes to overflow with tears for offending Why should not the Blood which thou didst shed for me make me desirous to shed mine for the love of thee O my dear Lord let thy thirsting brest make mine to thirst and languish after thee inebriate me with the delicious viands of thy grace and love since my Soul can take no satisfaction in any thing but thee O fountain of living Waters to thee I come let me by faith drink up the Water and Blood which flowed from thee As thy Heart was broken for me break mine with sorrow for offending thee proceeding purely from the love I owe unto thee Hide me in thy wounded side till thy Fathers indignation be over past By thy precious Blood save me By thy holy Water cleanse me By thy prevailing death give me life and By thy Resurrection Glory O blessed Jesus what a bill of payment hast thou here discharged what an acquittance hast thou made for me The Rocks did rent the Graves open the Heavens mourn the Earth did shake at thy Passion and shall I evermore make leight of any transgression more O strike the Rock of my hard Heart that it may kindly flow forth in tears for thee as thou didst overflow
indignation against my self in hearty confession that I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies to deplore my weakness to implore thy assistance to lay before thee all my wants to beg thy supplies to meditate upon thy life death and passion and to be thankful for the admirable work of our Redemption to shew thee my wounds and to creep into thine for cure to judg condemn and deny my self that I may not be judged condemned and denied by thee I correct my self that thou mayest spare me I abhor my self that thou maist pity me and I desire to die to the world to live with thee I desire not only to fast for sin but above all from sin so to meditate upon thy Life Death and Passion as to make most grateful returns of love and obedience In serious care to imitate all thy Virtues truly conforming my self to all thy imitable perfections Since if our Humiliations produce not these effects it may well be suspected they have more of formality humour or hypocrisie than true sorrow and integrity Therefore I earnestly crave thine Almighty aid and grace for my sincere performance Help me dear Lord to search and try my heart to discover discern and eradicate all my sins to empty my self of all vanity and do thou plant in me true sanctifying grace and constant piety Help me to overcome all my Infirmities and especially those which by my corrupt nature careless and evil customs inadvertency or condition of life I am most subject unto Help me also dear Lord to make worthy preparations for the holy Sacrament that having chastised my self in this time of willing and obediential Humiliation I may come out so cleansed healed and restored by thy Death and Passion that I may partake of all the joys of thy glorious Resurrection Give me therefore I beseech thee blessed and happy opportunities of Retirement and Introversion with the grace of profitable Meditation and a lively faith for effectual Application Give me the blessing of health and strength to perform the same make me so earnestly to implore all thy Graces as to attain them so to deprecate thy Judgments that thou maist ever withhold them deliver me from all vain and sinful company from great disturbances and from all destraction that may impede my duty to thee Give me a discerning Spirit that I may know the duties of my calling that I may neither be negligent of it nor too solicitous in it Give me opportunities of doing good to all but especially to those of the Houshold of Faith for both the Will and power comes from thee Make me a comfort to the afflicted a help to the poor and needy an encourager and example of virtue a discountenancer of Vice a meet help for my individual Relation in all things but especially in the best Help me to bear injuries patiently to take contradictions easily to forgive all freely Make me a true a prudent and a faithful friend a kind neighbour a good Master or Mistress in my Family liberal to the poor and truly loving to my Relations Tender and compassionate meek humble and courteous to all Make me as much to honour thee as ever I have dishonoured thee as much to please thee as ever I have displeased thee O that thou wouldst make me a great instrument of thy glory and though without thy grace I can do nothing enable me so that I may experimentally say and evidence to all the world that through thy grace I can do all things That thy strength may be seen in my weakness and that from the greatness of my sin and misery the greater glory may arise to thine infinite goodness and mercy Lord do thy work of Grace speedily and mightily upon me and make thy servant unalterably constant in thy faith and service to which end bless all the means of grace unto me Let my private devotions so fit and prepare me for thy publick Worship that all thine Ordinances may be profitable to me that so by thy Grace derived from them my whole life may be acceptable in and through my blessed Lord and Saviour A Daily Thanksgiving I Praise thee for electing me before all time For creating me in time For redeeming me in the fulness of time For all the parts and mysteries in my Redemption For thy patient forbearance of me so long a time For giving me a time to repent and repentance in that time For justifying me in thy good time For my Sanctification at all times And for my hope of Glorification when time shall be no more I praise thee for thy wonderful mercy in preserving me from a thousandfold dangers miseries diseases falls and troubles which without thy mercy had befaln me For delivering me from those calamities I have so particularly feared and so much deserved For delivering me out of all the mire of iniquity and those sinks of sin in this evil world which without thy grace and mercy I had faln into and perisht in if thou hadst not snatched me as a firebrand pluckt out of the fire For all the blessings of thy bounty which we daily receive from thy mercy For thy supply to me in all my wants Thy relief in all my necessities My comforts in all my sadness For the kindness affection ability support and comfort of my dear H. For preserving him in health and safety For thy miraculous preservation of us from the late Plague in time of eminent danger For keeping us from drowning and from all hurt and loss by fire For preserving us from Falls Fractures of Bones Dislocations Hurt or loss of any of our members or senses Above all I praise thee for making me a member of thy Holy Catholick Church and the satisfaction I enjoy therein For the miraculous preservation of the King and thy wonderful Restauration of thy Church To some degree of its wonted glory To a full degree of thy saving Truth And to a peaceable possession of our ancient Priviledges For the joy of thy Courts in the beauty of Holiness For the comforts of all our solemn Assemblies For an able pious and learned Clergy For a willing obedient and conformable Laity For the glory of our Festivals and all the glorious mysteries contained commemorated and reduc'd to practice in them For our Weekly Monthly Quarterly and yearly Fasts in our Fridays Eves Embers and Lent For the excellent uses designed in them For the unspeakable benefits derived from them By giving us in holy abstinence Life to our Prayers Light to our Understandings Vigor to our Affections Wings to our Devotions Examination of our Consciences Sorrow for our Sins Acts of penitence for them and charity against them I praise thee for our excellent Liturgy containing penitential Confessions Effectual Absolutions Charitable Intercessions for all Invocating thy Mercies Deprecating thy Judgments I praise thee for the Tears sighs and groans of our Hearts Souls and Spirits at our Prayers to the delight of God and the joy of Angels