is both a punisher of evil doers Rom. 2.9 and a rewarder of those that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 God hath threatned the Disobedient with fearful Judgments of all kinds outweighing all the short and brutal Pleasures of Sin Deut. 28.15 to v. 68. Psal 11.6 Rom. 2.9 and will at last say to the impenitent Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Mat. 25.41 He hath also encouraged all his Servants with Promises of very great Rewards Mark 10.30 Rom. 2.7 10. to which they may have an Eye Heb. 11.26 as being assured to them thro the Merits of his Son Rom. 8.17 1 John 5.11 And as he was gracious in making his Promises so he will be just in the performing of them To the Righteous he will deny no good thing Ps 84.11 Godliness hath the promise both of this Life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 1 John 2.25 In this life God hath promised to true Christians Mercies both temporal and spiritual as for temporal Mercies he giveth them to his Children so far as they are convenient for them that they may be Blessings to them and not Snares and he hath assured those who love him that all things shall work together for good to them Rom. 8.28 He also blesseth them Eph. 1.3 with Spiritual Blessings in Christ. By his holy Spirit going along with the means of the Gospel and the sincere endeavours of Men he enlightens the Mind and heals the Will and moderates the Affections and sanctifies the whole Man He prevents evil he brings good out of it he gives grace to repent he vouchsafes pardon he works in us to will and to do whilst we work out our Salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 13. He supports in trouble He sanctifies affliction He makes us able to resist temptation He sends deliverance in his time and way He gives that Peace which the World can neither give nor take away He makes a Man happy both in Life and Death After Death he delivers him from the insupportable Miseries of Hell and rewards his mean and temporary Services with Life everlasting 1 John 2.25 He giveth not only Grace but Glory even the eternal Glory of Heaven Eph. 4.7 1 Thes 2.12 He receiveth the Souls of the Faithful into Joy and Felicity after they are delivered from the burthen of the Flesh 2 Cor. 5.8 Phil. 1.23 And at the great day of Judgment he raiseth this Mortal Body and maketh it like to Christs Glorious Body Phil. 3.21 and uniteth it to the Soul and causeth the whole Person to be entirely happy for ever and ever Eye hath not seen 1 Cor. 2.9 neither hath Ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of Man fully to conceive the things which God hath prepared for those that love him and all this for performing but a reasonable Service Rom. 12.1 in which God also assists him Seeing now that the goodness of the End doth naturally quicken Man in the way and that God hath encouraged the Obedience of a Christian with such exceeding great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1.4 it behoves him to abstain from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit and to perfect holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 And then after he has had his Fruit unto holiness his End will be everlasting Life Rom. 6.22 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen CHAP. IV. Certain Forms of Devotion to be used either in a Family or in the Closet of a Christian A Prayer to be used at any time of the day especially in the Morning and Evening When this Prayer or any of the rest is used in a Family there needs only the change of the Person as We must be put instead of I Vs instead of Me Our instead of My Are instead of Am c. O Most Holy and Blessed Lord God the Great Creator of Heaven and Earth and the most merciful and gracious Father of Mankind in thy Son Christ Jesus It is of thy great Condescension that the Sons of Men may approach thy Presence who art Infinite in Majesty and Power and canst do what thou pleasest every where I that am miserable Dust and Ashes do humbly acknowledge the Duty which I owe thee both as I am thy Creature and as I am made a Member of the Body of thy Son I am ashamed when I call to mind my forgetfulness of thee and my Ingratitude to thee who have so often and so grievously sinned against thee in Thought Word and Deed by Ignorance Error and Presumption for which thou mightest justly cast me off for ever But Lord I repent be pleased to accept of my Repentance Lord I believe help my weak Belief Pardon all my sins that are past for the Merits of my dear Saviour and preserve me by thy Grace from offending thee for the time to come And when thou hast dealt thus graciously with my Soul be pleased to extend thy mercy to my Body also and give me such a supply of all things necessary for the support of it as thou in thy Wisdom shalt see most convenient And grant that I may use the Comforts of this Life with such Moderation and Sobriety that I may never forfeit the hopes of a better when this my Earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved Remove far from me all Evil especially that great Evil of Sin And wheresoever thou seest me apt to fall thro' the weakness of my Corrupt Nature there let thy Strength be most graciously seen in my Preservation O Lord I beseech thee let not thine Anger Rise against me to punish me in this World Or if my sins have so far provoked thee that thou wilt not spare me altogether thy VVill be done only this I humbly beg by all the meritorious sufferings of thy dear Son that thou wilt deliver me from thy VVrath and from Everlasting Damnation and of thy great Goodness bring me to Life Eternal through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Extend thy Goodness not only to me a miserable sinner but to all mankind Let thy VVays be known upon Earth thy saving health among all Nations Be gracious to Christ's Vniversal Church more especially bless these Kingdoms and that part of thy Church which is planted in them And herein be particularly gracious to our Soveraign Lord the King Prolong his Days and prosper his Government over us Bless the Princess and all the Royal Family Give thy Grace to all the Nobility and Gentry and to all that are in Authority that Justice Mercy and Truth may flourish amongst us and there may be no Complaining in our Streets Bless all our Pastors and Teachers and prosper their Endeavours for the good of Souls Look down in Mercy upon all that are in Affliction give them an entire Resignation to thy holy Will and in thy due time send a happy End to all their Troubles Let it be good for them that they have been under thy Discipline Strengthen the Good
Church by Baptism pardon I beseech thee all my former Breaches of that holy Covenant which I was then entred into And now that I am going to renew my Baptismal Vows in my own Person so strengthen me with all the graces of thy Holy Spirit that I may make open Profession of thy Holy Religion at all times hereafter and speak and think and live as becomes a true Member of Christ Give me Grace to mortifie all my evil and corrupt Affections and daily to proceed in all vertue and godliness of living till I at last attain the end of my hopes even the Salvation of my Soul through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord Amen A Prayer before the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper O Holy Just and Gracious God it is of thy Mercy alone that I am not consumed and because thy Compassions fail not I have by my manifold Provocations deserved the utmost of thy wrath and indignation against me yet behold thou hast not only spared me but hast now also invited me to the renewing of that Holy Covenant which I have so often and so shamefully broken I am not worthy of that daily bread which sustains my bodily Life how then shall I dare to approach thy Holy Table to partake of that Bread of Life which thou hast prepared for the food of Pious and Holy souls O Lord it is true my guiltiness makes me tremble to come and yet it makes me not dare to stay away For where can my polluted Soul be washed but in the Fountain of thy Sons Blood That alone which was shed for the remission of sins can take away all its stains Hither therefore I come according to thy gracious Invitation and hope that my Person and Service may be accepted in thy beloved Son To that end do thou prepare my heart to draw nigh to thee Let thy Divine Spirit breath into my Soul such holy Thoughts and devout Affections as may become one who commemorates the death of the Son of God who was wounded for our Iniquities and bruised for our Transgressions O let my heart be deeply affected with such a sense of sin as may make me hate the very thoughts of every evil way for the future and chuse to endure any thing rather than to despise the riches of his love And while I remember the love of my Blessed Saviour in dying for me a Sinner may I never forget to exercise Charity towards all Men even Enemies as well as Friends Let every Grace be so confirmed and strengthened in me that I may serve thee sincerely and acceptably all the days of my Life perfecting Holiness in thy fear Fulfil O Gracious Lord all my Petitions and grant that I may be made Partaker of the benefits of Christ's most blessed Body and Blood here and of his glory hereafter through the merits of the same our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen A Prayer at the Sacrament immediately before Receiving O Blessed Lord Jesus I remember with all humility and love and gratitude how thy Sacred Body was broken and thy Precious Blood poured out for sinners And I am now come to receive this Bread and this Wine which thou hast appointed as the Sacramental Representations of them O let that Sacrifice of thine which thou didst once make when thou didst offer up thy Sacred Body upon the Cross be effectual for the Salvation of my Soul and Body Here is that which my Soul longeth and thirsteth after O let me not be sent empty away Give me thy self and with thy self thy Holy Spirit to take possession of me and let me feel that it always dwells in me by those Heavenly Graces moving in my Soul which are the blessed fruits and effects of it Awaken mâ— Repentance encrease my Faith inflame my Charity Thankfulness and Devotion Make me a meet Partaker of thy Holy Supper here and of the Joâ—s of thy Kingdom hereafter through Christ Jesus Amen A Prayer after the Sacrament I Return unto thee O most gracious and glorious God all praise and thanks for thine infinite and inconceivable Mercies to us the Children of Men and especiall I desire to bless and magnify thy Holâ— Name for that wonderful love of thine in sending thy dear Son to die for Sinners and for that great Grace which thou hast now vouchsafed thy humble Servant in giving me a fresh assurance of an Interest in that precious Death by admitting me to partake of thy holy Sacrament ordained in remembrance of it O may I never forget what thou hast done for my Soul but carry the thoughts of it along with me to all the â—ctions of my life that it may be in me a Spring of entire obedience unto thee all the rest of my daâ—s This is indeed my unfeigned desire that may never break those Vows and Promises of a Holy Life which I have made to thee this day But I am afraid of my own treache ous Heart and the Assaults which will be made upon me by my spiritual Enemies least they should betray me into the breach of thy Holy Commandments O therefore let the assistance of thy holy Spirit be ever with me and the grace always prevent and follow me and then I trust I shall approve my self thy faithful Servant in all things and finish my course with joy With my own I desire the happiness of all Mankind that they who are still in darkness and in the shadow of Death may see the salvation of God and taste how Gracious thou art to Christians and that all those who are called by the Name of Christ may depart from Iniquity and adorn the Doctrine of Christ their Saviour in all things May we all glorifie thy Name in this World and live for ever to praise thee in the World to come through Christ our Lord Amen A Prayer to be used by or with or for a Sick Person Note that in this Prayer when used for another I must be changed to He She or We and Me to Him or Her and My to His or Her O Most Righteous and Merciful Lord the God of Health and of Sickness of Life and of Death I most humbly acknowledge the justice of thy present Visiation upon thy Servant whose Sins had long agoe deserved it from thee Yet since thou designest not the ruine but the amendment of those whom thou scourgest I beseech thee by thy Grace to sanctify this Correction to me that this sickness to my Body may be a means of health to my Soul Deliver Me from all frowardness and impatience under it and give me an entire resignation to thy Divine will If in thy good Providence thou hast appointed that I shall live longer upon Earth Lord bless all means that are uâ—ed for my recovery and give me grace to amend the rest of my Life and with good works to glorifie thy holy Name But if thou hast otherwise determined and this Sickness must be unto Death O fit and prepare me for it Wean my Heart from
That which the Apostle stiles Repentance towards God Acts 20.21 is a turning from sin unto God It 's that which begins in the Knowledge of our selves and ends in the actual forsaking of all sin that we come thus to the Knowledge of And therefore as the Scripture has made this necessary by way of Command and without which we are told we shall All certainly perish Luke 13.3 5. so whoever undertakes it must strictly enquire into the state of his own Soul carefully Re-view his past Life and compare his Actions with the Law of God the only Rule and Measure of Obedience And such as he finds his Sins are such must his Repentance be There must be Recollection Self-Condemnation Confession Deprecation Resolution Prayer for Grace to perform it and in a word a new Nature Here also the better to understand his Condition he must consider the heinousness of his Sins in respect of the great and manifold Aggravations of them Against what Convictions with what Deliberation against what Vows and Resolutions how often how long he has offended And because at the last we can never come to a perfect Knowledg of our selves so as to remember whatever of that kind is past or to observe the Daily Infirmities we are incident unto we must say with David Who can understand his Errors And with him pray Cleanse thou me O Lord from secret or unknown Faults Ps 19.12 To our Convictions must be aded a present and stedfast Resolution of forsaking all those Sins that we are thus convinced of Unless it be present and both taken up and followed without delay we shall soon forget those Resolutions And unless it be stedfast our Convictions will soon lose their Force and we shall return to the same State again Having Once Resolv'd we must lose no Time lest by Delays our Case grows to be dangerous and we finally perish in the midst of such ineffectual Resolutions When we walk abroad we are not sure to come back alive When we lie down to sleep we know not whether e're we shall awake till we hear the sound of the last Trump Or when we come upon our Death Bed who can tell but that the violence of bodily Pains and Distempers may distract us and render us altogether unfit for such a great Work as that of Repentance which requires the utmost Force of all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls to accomplish it And then having all our Life-time thus put off our Repentance and Rejected the Offers of Divine Grace God may justly reject us Prov. 1.27 c. So necessary is it for us to remember our Creator before the evil days come Eccles 12.1 and to redeem the time and to awake out of sleep this drowsie and stupid condition and arise from the dead if we expect Christ should give us Light Eph. 5.14 16. To this Duty of Repentance is that of Fasting to be joyned A Duty I call it for how little soever it be regarded we find it enjoyned by Almighty God Joel 2.12 Re-inforced by our Saviour Mat. 6.16 17. 9.15 and practised by the holy People of God in all Ages As by Esther 4.16 by Anna Luk. 2.37 by the Apostles Acts 13.2 3. 2 Cor. 6.5 And because of the Excellent Use and Advantage it is of as well as because of the Divine Institution 't is frequently in holy Writings joyned to Prayer Mat. 17.21 Luke 2.37 Acts 14.23 1 Cor. 7.5 And of singular use it is as being a fit means to keep under the Body and bring it into subjection and to render it the more helpful to the Soul in Humiliation and Devotion But how far it can be used by the Aged and Infirm must in great measure be left to their Prudence And here we are to observe That the afflicting of the Soul for Sin and the Abstaining from Sin is the principal thing which God Regards in our Fasts He requires us to Rent our Hearts rather than our Garments Joel 2.13 to bewail our Personal and National Sins to loose the Bands of Wickedness to undo the heavy burthens and to let the Oppressed go free to deal our Bread to the Hungry and bring the Poor that are cast out to our Houses and to give a covering to the naked Isa 58.6 7. And this we must do without Ostentation and desire of Vain-Glory Mat. 6.16 And then we may call and the Lord will answer Isa 58.9 and forgive all our Personal and National Iniquities and Backslidings and give us what we stand in need of 4. To Honour and Glorifie God The Glory of God is the highest End of Man Rom. 11.33 36. 1 Cor. 10.31 Phil. 1.11 1 Pet. 4.11 The glorifying of him consisteth in a most Reverend Esteem of him as a God Infinite in Power Wisdom and Goodness and in expressing and setting forth that Esteem by all the fit ways we are capable of This is done 1. By Divine Meditation And this is undoubtedly a Duty very becoming a Christian when he is in his House or Closet or in a Journey or walking alone in the Fields or in his Garden or working at his Calling or waking on his Bed as Occasions shall be presented to him to contemplate his own Unworthiness and God's Greatness and Goodness and the admirable Effects of them The World abounds with Objects which afford him Matter enough for the employing his busie and active Soul in Contemplation This was the Exercise of Isaac and David and other Devout Souls Gen. 24.63 Psal 63.6 We need look no farther for Precedents than the Book of Psalms a great part of which seems to be the Product of the Pious and Heavenly Meditations of David and of Others in their Solitudes and Private Retirements Sometimes the Psalmist contemplates the Works of the Creation saying Lord how wonderful are thy Works In Wisdom hast thou made them all Psal 104.24 Sometimes he meditates on the Works of God's Providence saying O Lord thou preservest Man and Beast Ps 36.6 Sometimes he meditates upon God's Laws crying out O! how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Ps 119.97 But the Noblest of all the Subjects of Meditation is God's inestimable Love in the Redemption of the World by the Ever-blessed Jesus John 3.16 1 Joh. 4.9 Of Pious and Heavenly Meditation there are these following Benefits First By Meditation our Good Thoughts are better digested and we encrease in Knowledge and Grace Secondly By Contemplating the Works of the Creation and Providence and finding how small a part we are of it it moves us to humble our selves and to cry out with the Psalmist Lord what is Man that thou art mindful of him c. Ps 8.4 Thirdly By Meditating upon Heaven and Hell Death and Judgment our Fears are raised in order to the preventing of Evil and our Hopes in order to the doing of Good Fourthly The Devil who watches all Opportunities is by this means prevented from casting into our Souls evil Thoughts and sinful