read over these Meditations and Prayers the Comfort will bee thine own SECT I. Meditations of Death THe life of a Christian should bee a continual Meditation of Death The flight of a Bird is directed by her traile the course of a Ship is steered by the helm so is the life of man ordered by the serious apprehension of his last end The first man was called Adam which signifieth a piece of red Earth hee was cloathed with the skins of dead beasts hee was adjudged to the Earth to digge God would have his Name his Garments and his Imployments remembrances of his Grave and Mortality And therefore Christians read over the 90th Psalm and meditate thereupon So teach us to number our daies that we may apply our hearts unto wisdome vers 12. SECT II. The Meditation of Death is good against the Sin of Pride Whatsoever thy Wealth Birth Wisdome Beauty State or Strength bee thy foundation is in the Dust Job 4.19 Some are cloathed in Purple and fare well every day others lye at the Gates and have not so much as the crumbs of their Tables But in the Grave Rich and Poor meet together and the Ulcers of Lazarus will make as good dust as the Paint of Jezabel Kings must leave their Crowns and Scepters at the Grave I have said yee are Gods and all of you are Children of the most High but yee shall dye like men Psal 82.6 7. SECT III. The Meditation of Death is good against Covetâ—â—…sness The Rich man in the Gospel when hee had built his Barns and inned his Harvest was called away by Death and carries nothing with him of all his great store hee had provided Luk. 12. Wee brought nothing with us into the world and it is certain wee can carry nothing out of it 1 Tim. 6.7 Bee not covetous O dust and ashes The Meditation of Death is profitable against Lust The Prodigal seeing many spectacles of mortality by reason of the great Famine leaves his Concubines and riotous living and returns again to his Father Luke 15. I have read of one going to the Stews who meets a dead Corps carrying to the Grave the sight whereof makes him goe back and ever after lived a chaste life I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims abstaine from fleshly lusts which war against the soul 1 Pet. 2.11 the Argument used by these Apostles to beat down in us the lust of sin and the sin of lust is the mortality of our bodies why then art thou lustful O dust and ashes SECT IV. Againe the meditation of death is an Antidote against all evil in the world Death is certaine Abraham the Father of the faithful dyed and the friend of God Jacob wrestled with an Angel and prevailed Death was too hard for him David triumphed over ten thousand Philistines and Death triumphed over him Solomon a Wise man he knew the nature of all Plants and no Plant had the vertue to make him immortal man is like an Hour-glass new turned up which never ceaseth running till it be all out We must needs dye and are us water spilt upon the ground which cannot be gathered up againe 2 Sam. 14.14 SECT V. The time when we shall dye uncertaine The rich man promised to himself many years but foole that he was that night his soul was fetcht from him Luk. 12. Behold now I am old and know not the day of my death Gen. 27.2 God would have us ignorant of the last day that we might be ready every day To defer Repentance till to morrow is dangerous God hath promised thee pardon if thou dost repent to day but if thou dost not repent hee hath not promised thou shalt live till to morrow And if it be not an end of thy sins it may be an end of thy life If it bring not forth Conversion it may bring forth Confusion Do therefore as the wise Steward before thou beest turned out of this house make sure of God and Heaven SECT VI. The place where we shall Dye uncertain Death surprized Abel in the Field Gen. 4.8 And Eli sitting at his Door 1 Sam. 4.18 Job's Children at a Feast Job 1.19 Eglon in his summer Room Judges 3.20 Herod sitting upon his Throne Acts 12.13 Expect that therefore in every place which in all places expects thee and let not the place of thy death trouble thee for the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof SECT VII The manner of Death is uncertain There is a natural death when a man dies as a Lamp goes out because there is no more Oyle to feed it And there is a violent Death when the soul is thrust out of doors and the Lamp of life not burnt but blown out There is a timely Death when a man dyes in a full Age. There is an untimely Death when a man is crop'd like an ear of Corn before it is ripe There is a lingering Death when the soul is besieged with Sickness and as it were starved and tired out of her habitation And there is a Death accompanied with raving madness and distemperature of Body Now who knows which of these deaths are appointed for him Now the Lord prepare us to meet him for unto God the Lord belongs the Issues of Death Psal 68.20 Death is a sleep Brethren I would not have you ignorant concerning them that are asleep 1 Thes 4.13 I will lay mee down in place and take my rest Psal 4.8 Death hath nosting Death is swallowed up in Victory O Death where is thy sting Thanks be to God who hath given us Victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 15.25 28. Is our death uncertaine and the manner of our death uncertaine learn to live well fear God and keep his Commandements doe justly and love mercy walk humbly before God for precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints Blessed are they that dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them Revel 14.13 Some Directions 1 In the time of thy Sickness with Hezekiah call thy self to an Accompt for all thy Sins mourn for them in the bitterness of thy soul confess them to God and ask forgiveness 2 Send for the Minister and desire his Prayers 3 Let him give thee the Sacrament of the Lords Supper this is the best provision for so long a journey I say to thee as the Angel to Elijah Arise and eate for the journey is too great for thee and if with Elijah thou dost eate and drink by faith and true Repentance thou mayest travel in the strength of this meat to Horeb the Mount of God 1 King 19.7 8. this will not make thee dye more quickly but more quietly 4 Remember Christ hath purchased Heaven happiness and glory for thee 5 If thou beest a Father or Mother of Children call them before thee and bless them so did Jacob when he departed 6 Make satisfaction if thou beest able to such as thou hast wronged and defrauded
without restitution no remission inquire with Samuel whose Oxe thou hast taken or whose Asle thou hast taken whom thou hast defrauded whom thou hast oppressed or of whose hands thou hast received a bribe and restore it send for them who have offended thee and forgive them and for those whom thou hast offended and ask forgiveness 7 And lastly resigne and give over thy self to God Behold here am I let the Lord do to me as seemeth good to him 2 Sam. 15.26 Not my will but thine be done and if thus thou beest prepared at the day of death Oh well is thee and happy shalt thou be 1 Samuel 12.8.2 Blessed is that Servant whom his Lord when hee cometh shall finde thus doing thus dying Mat. 24.26 And conclude thy life by Prayer A Prayer to bee used by a sick or dying man I Will praise thee O Lord God that thou hast considered my low estate and hast not shut mée up in the hands of my enemies nor made my foes to rejoyce over mee and now let thy right hand protect mee and let thy mercy come upon mee for my soul is in trouble and anguish because of its departure from the body O let not the assemblies of its wicked and cruel enemies méet it in the passing forth nor hinder me by reason of the sins of my passed life O Lord be favourable unto mée that my soul may not behold the hellish countenance of the Spirits of darknesse but let thy bright and joyful Angels entertain it that it may give glory to thy Holy Name and to thy Majesty Place me by thy merciful Arme before thy Seat of Iudgement and let not the hand of the Prince of this World snatch mée from thy Presence or bear mee into Hell Mercy swéet Iesu Amen Another Prayer in time of Plague O Lord our God in whose Name standeth our help and among other evils hast promised us to deliver thy people from the snares of the hunter and the noysome Pestilence we beséech thée take this thy Plague away from us and as the stench of our sins hath ascended up into thy nostrils to provoke thy wrath against us so let our humble supplications come before thée to procure our happy and spéedy release from it Lord call back thine Angel and cause him to sheath his Sword again wée are thy Children the works of thy hand we are sorry for our sins which are the cause of all this and we purpose amendment Wée are but men dust and ashes not able to bear long therefore Lord have mercy upon us and that soon send us comfort and suffer us not to perish after so miserable a sort Wée thank thée O Lord that thou hast not left us altogether comfortlesse without hope considering how many thousands are left alive Wherefore O Lord wée beséech thée blesse us and all those that depend upon us Set thy saving mark upon out houses as thou didst upon the Israelites and give order to the Destroyer that he hurt us not Put strength to our Medicines let thy good blessing make the Preservatives of the Physitian and our shuttings up places of more security to us and profitable and let us not trust too much in the outward Means but chiefly in thy Mercies and Blessings upon them kéep us in our down lying and uprising and protect us in our vocations Have pity upon our distressed brethren comfort the desolate Widdows provide for all the Fatherlesse Children gather us together again that by this means are dispersed and continue thy Merciful Work in diminishing our dead numbers till wée may justly say in confidence and thanks with the Prophet we shall not dye but live and declare the Works of the Lord Grant this O Lord for Iesus Christs sake our onely Saviour Amen A Prayer to bee said in the Progress of Sickness O Lord my God blessed Iesu who by thy bitter Death and Passion hast swéetned the Cup of Death to us taking away its bitterness and sting and making it an entrance to Life and Glory Have pity upon mée thy Servant who have so déep a share in sin that I cannot shake off the terrours of Death but that my Nature with its hereditary corruption still would preserve it self in a disunion from the joyes of thy Kingdome Lord I acknowledge my own infirmities and begge thy pity it is better for me to be with thée but the remembrance of my sins doth so depress my growing confidence that I am in a great strait betwéen my fears and hopes betwéen the infirmities of my Nature and the better desires of conforming to thy holy Will and Pleasure O my dear Redéemer wean my soul and all my desires from the flatteries of this World Pardon all my sins and consign so great a favour by the comforts and attestation of thy Divinest Spirit that my fears being mastered my sins pardoned my desires rectified as the Hart thirsts after the springs of water so my soul may long after thée O God and to enter into thy Courts Heavenly Father if it may be for thy Glory and my Ghostly good to have the daies of my Pilgrimage prolonged I begg of thée health and life but if it bée not pleasing to thée to have this Cup passe from mée thy will be done My Saviour hath drunk off all the bitternesse behold O Lord I am in thy hands do with me as séemeth good in thine eyes Though I walk through the Valley of the shadow of the death I will fear none evil for thou art with me thy Rod and thy Staffe comfort me I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou Lord only who shalt make me to dwell in everlasting safety and to partake of the joyes of thy Kingdome who Livest and Reignest eternal God World without end Amen A Prayer for one in danger of Death O Lord Iesus Christ our health and life our hope and our Resurrection from the dead I resign my self up to thy holy will and pleasure either to life that I may live longer to thy service and amendment or to death to the perpetual enjoyment of thy presence and of thy Glories Into thy hands I commend my spirit for I know O Lord that nothing can perish which is committed to thy Mercy For my soul strengthen it with thy Grace against all temptations let thy loving kindness defend it as with a shield against all the violences and hostile assaults of Satan Let the same mercie bee my guard and defence which protected thy Martyrs Crowning them with victory in the midst of flames horrid torments and most cruel deaths There is no help in me O Lord I cannot by mine own power give a minutes rest to my wearied body but my trust is in thy sure mercies and I call to minde to my unspeakable comfort that thou weart hungry and thirsty and wearied and whipt and Crowned with Thorns and mocked and Crucified for mée O let that Mercy which made thée suffer for me
so much pardon me and save me let thy mercies answer for my impieties let thy Righteousness cover my sins thy blood wash away my stains and thy comforts refresh my soul as my body grows weak let thy grace be stronger let not my faith doubt nor my hope tremble nor my charity grow cold nor my soul be affrighted with the terrours of death but let the light of thy countenance enlighten mine eyes that I sléep not in death eternal And when my tongue fails let thy Spirit teach my heart to pray with strong cryings and groans that are unutterable O let not the Enemy do me any violence but let thy holy mercies and thy Angels repel and defeat his malice and fraud that my soul may by thy strength tryumph in the joyes of eternity in the fruition of thée my life my joy my hope my excéeding great reward my Lord and Saviour Christ Amen A Prayer for a dying person in or near the Agonies of Death MOst Merciful and Blessed Saviour have mercy upon the soul of this thy Servant remember not his ignorances nor the sins of his youth but according to thy great mercy remember him in the mercies and glories of thy Kingdome Thou O Lord hast opened the Kingdome of Heaven to all Believers let thy everlasting Gates be opened and receive his soul Let the Angels who rejoyce at the conversion of a sinner tryumph and be exalted in his deliverance and salvation make him partaker of the benefits of thy holy Incarnation Life and Sanctity Passion and Death Resurrection and Ascention and of all the Prayers of the Church of the joy of the Elect and all the fruits of the blessed Communion of the Saints and daily add to the number of thy beatifyed Servants such as shall be saved that thy coming may be hastned and the expectation of the Saints may be fulfilled and the Glory of thée our Lord Iesu be advanced all the whole Church singing praises to the honour of thy Name who livest and reignest ever one God World without end Amen O most Merciful Iesus who didst dye to Redéem us from death and damnation have mercy upon this thy Servant whom thy hand hath visited with Sickness of thy goodnesse be pleased to forgive him all his sins and seal his hopes of Glory with the refreshments of thy holy Spirit Lord give him strength and confidence in thée asswage his pain repel the assaults of his Ghostly Enemies by thy Mercies and a guard of holy Angels Preserve him in the unity of the Church kéep his senses entire his understanding right give him a great measure of contrition true faith well grounded hope and an abundant charity give him a quiet and a joyful departure let thy ministring Spirits convey his soul to the Mansions of peace and rest there with certainty to expect a joyful Resurrection to the fulnesse of Ioy at thy right hand where there is pleasures for evermore Amen A Prayer for the Joyes of Heaven O Most Glorious Iesu who art the portion and excéeding great reward of a faithful people thou hast beautified humane nature with glorious immortality and hast carryed the same above all Heavens above the Seat of Angels beyond the Cherubims and Seraphims placing it on the right hand of thy Heavenly Father and grant to us all the issues of thy abundant Charity that we may live in thy fear and dye in thy favour Prepare our Souls with Heavenly Vertues for Heavenly Ioyes making us Righteous here that we may bee Beatified hereafter Amen Books sold by Henry Million at the Sign of the Half-Moon in the Old-Bayly Mr. Baxter 's Saints Rest in 4. Mr. Baxter 's True Catholick in 12. His Catholick Unity in 12. Burgesse 's Godly-man 's choice in 8. Clark 's Apples of Gold in 8. Artimmidorus of Dreams in 8. The History of the Gentle-Craft in 4. FINIS