be so confirm'd by this renewal of them as that they may never be broken any more We renounce this wicked World our own corrupt Nature and thine Adversary the Devil We purpose not to suffer our selves to follow nor be led by them We will receive O Lord what Thou requirest us to believe And we devote our selves to keep and obey thy Holy Just and Good Commandments through the whole Course of our Lives To be always under the Influence and Power of Love to Thee and to our Neighbours To love Thee with all our Heart with all our Soul and with all our Might and our Neighbour as our selves O Father of Mercies graciously accept of our Repentance and return unto Thee Look upon the Death of thy Son and turn from us all thy Wrath Justifie us freely by thy Grace Pardon all our Sins upon the account of it take us into thy Service and grant that we may ever hereafter please Thee in Newness and Holiness of Life Jesus Thou Son of God have Mercy upon us O Christ hear us be Thou our Advocate with thy Father By thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision by thy Meritorious Cross and Passion by thy Precious Death and Burial by thy Glorious Resurrection and Ascension take us into thy Care and Protection Thou that hast done all these things for us have Mercy upon us O be Thou Jesus to us and save us from our Sins Give us according to thy promise to them that receive Thee the Glorious Priviledge to become the Sons of God We accept of Thee O Lord as a King to Rule us and will study to know and endeavour to Obey thy Commands We earnestly desire thy Teaching as our Great Prophet and will receive and comply with thy Divine Instructions however contrary they are to the corrupt Byass of our Nature and our Love of this World Lord we purpose to conform our selves to them by the Direction of thy Excellent Example and not to be conformed to this World And we will always acknowledge our utter unworthiness of the least Good and place all our Hopes in thy Merits and Intercession as our Great High Priest O let us find by the good success of all our Humble Addresses that Thou hast Compassion on our Miseries and dost ever live to make Intercession for us But alas we have promised and resolv'd more than we are able to perform without the Influence and Assistance of thy Good Spirit We therefore Address our selves to Thee O Blessed Spirit Come down we beseech Thee into our Hearts replenish us abundantly with thy Grace let us become thy Sacred Consecrated Temples and do thou evermore dwell in us Banish and purge out of us for ever all that is contrary and displeasing to Thee Teach us that denying all ungodliness and worldly Lusts we may live soberly and righteously and godly in this present World Write thy Law in our Hearts that we may never depart from it Increase and maintain our Faith Increase and continue our Love Cherish all Grace in us and cause us to persevere in Holiness and Vertue and Well-doing to the End of our Lives Keep us in the Knowledge and Love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. We purpose O Holy Spirit duly to wait for thy Blessed saving Influences in a diligent attendance on thy Sacred Ordinances the Word and Sacraments Oh let us be always in due fitness to attend them when the happy Opportunities of doing so are afforded us and let them be always blest to us and be effectual to promote our Sanctification and Salvation Insert this when this Prayer is used in the Morning We give Thanks to the God of all Mercies for the safe Protection the quiet and comfortable Rest of the last Night We devote this Day and all our Lives to thy Service in the Duties which Thou givest us to do Assist us mercifully O Lord in all and Accept us in Jesus Christ Insert this when this Prayer is used at Night Enlighten our dark Souls we beseech Thee O Lord with all the Knowledge that is necessary to our Salvation Fill us with Devout Affections and let thy Love always possess and rule us Be Thou we pray our Protection this Night from all the Perils and Dangers of it May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with us all henceforth for evermore Amen Our Father which c. FINIS Books printed for B. Aylmer SIX Sermons One of Stedfastness in Religion Two of Family Religion Three of the Education of Children and One of the Advantages of an Early Piety A Perswasive to Frequent Communion in the Holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper In Octavo Price 3 d. Both by his Grace John late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury The Four Last Things viz. Death Judgment Heaven and Hell Practically Consider'd and Apply'd in several Discourses By William Bates D. D. Recommended as proper to be given at Funerals Books Publisht by the Author of this Reform'd Devotions in Meditations Hymns and Petitions for Every day in the Week and every Holy-day in the Year The Excellent Woman describ'd by her True Characters and their Opposites being part of a Translation out of French Family Devotions for Sunday-Evenings throughout the Year being Practical Discourses with Suitable Prayers Vol. I. II. containing each Thirteen Sermons The other Two intended to make a Sett for the whole Year are almost finisht and design'd to be committed to the Press soon after Christmass to be Publisht together Printed for John Wyat at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard
That He would unite Himself to the Humane Nature and would become Man In that Nature He would perform a perfect Obedience to God the Father that He might merit for Mankind the Happiness which was setled to be the Reward of perfect Obedience And to excuse Man from the Eternal Death which He had deserved by his Sin He undertook to suffer Death in his stead and so to make his Death a Sacrifice for the Sins of Mankind Thus much did He very kindly and of his own accord undertake to do for us and he was accepted of the Father and assur'd that He should by doing thus obtain the Favour for us which He desir'd So He procur'd for Man that he should not be utterly cast off and thrown into endless Misery but have other terms of Favour appointed him And this Dispensation or Appointment is that which is called the New Covenant And it is call'd the New Covenant in his Blood because it was procur'd by his Undertaking to shed his Blood in the Humane Nature as a Sacrifice for Sin Upon this our First Parents were permitted to live to enjoy in some measure the Good things of this World for a while and had space allow'd them to make their Peace with God to recover his Favour and their own Happiness We must know that since it was a setled Law before the Fall of Man that He should propagate such as Himself and his Posterity should be reckon'd in the same state and relation towards God with their Father who begat them Therefore when the First Parents of Mankind thus became polluted by their Sin and were fallen into the state of guilty Rebels against God All their Posterity must needs come polluted into this World as unclean things out of unclean and must be born Children of Wrath as the Scripture speaks We therefore have the same task upon us which our First Parents had that is To recover the Favour of God and our Everlasting Happiness by performing now the Terms and Conditions of this Second Covenant Let us see then what the Tenour of this New Covenant is What are the Duties which it requires to be perform'd on our part And what are the Promises of it on God's part the Blessings which it offers to make us partakers of upon the Condition of performing those Duties SECT VII On Our Part. FIrst let us take notice of our own part of this Covenant and observe what it is that God requires of us to whom the Gospel is preached which we must do to be saved And because all Mankind are now consider'd by God as guilty and polluted Creatures as having sinned and being disposed to do wickedly There is first required of us That we repent and turn from Sin In the next place because we must return to God it is required That we do believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And lastly That we engage our selves and endeavour to keep God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the Days of our Life But because the Heart of Man is deceitfull and wicked and we are so backward to do our Duty that we are unwilling to know it Therefore it will be requisite to mention somewhat particularly the Things contain'd under these three General Heads The First main Branch of our Duty is That we repent and turn from Sin To which purpose we must stand at a defiance with all the Causes of Sin and resolve they shall not govern us Therefore has the Church been wont to express this Branch of our Duty thus We must Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomp and Vanities of this wicked World with all the covetous Desires of the same And all the sinfull Desires of the Flesh so as that we will not follow nor be led by them We must Renounce the Devil and all his Works It was by the Craft and Instigation of this Apostate Spirit the Enemy of our Happiness that Mankind were at first drawn into Disobedience against God We must resolve therefore never to have any Correspondence with him to abhorr and abstain from all those guilty ways of consulting him or seeking his Assistance which the ungodly World have ever practised We must never knowingly or willingly obey any of his Commands nor comply with his Temptations We must resolve to fight against all those Spiritual Wickednesses in our selves which he infects the Humane Nature with such as Pride Anger Envy Treachery Lying Malice and Cruelty Must abhorr to imitate or follow him in the tempting of others to Wickedness or in the Hatred and Persecution of Good Men for the sake of their Goodness We must also Renounce the Pomp and Vanities of this wicked World and all covetous Desires of the same That is We must resolve and engage that we will not let the Love of the World rule in our Hearts which is opposite to the Love of God We will not let our Hearts fix on the Wealth the Pleasures or the Dignities and Honours here below Nor will make the getting of them the Aim and Scope of our chief Endeavour and Care nor let the Enjoyment of them be our chiefest Delight and Satisfaction That we will not be guided by the Customs of the World nor follow a Multitude to do Evil That our dearest Relations or our most necessary and most usefull Friends and Benefactours shall not be able to Influence us against the Will of God and the Dictates of our Conscience That we will be ready to part with all that is dear all that is necessary to us and which we might otherwise lawfully keep and enjoy when they stand in Competition with our Love and Duty to God And we will submit to any Inconveniences in the want even of necessary things rather than do any thing to gain them which is contrary to the Laws of Divine Love We must further renounce mortifie and abandon all sinfull Desires of the Flesh All the irregular and disobedient Inclinations of our corrupt Nature must be mortified and subdued We must chace away those fleshly Lusts which war against the Soul the Love of slothfull Ease and Idleness all Intemperance and Lasciviousness We must forsake and abstain from all those Sensual Sins which abuse and prodigally waste God's good Creatures which enslave the Thoughts and Faculties of the Soul to the Appetites of the Body and which render the Soul unfit for the due Exercises and Operations of its Faculties and which tend to clog and encumber the Body with Diseases We must renounce all these three Sources of Evil the Devil the World and the Flesh and must resolve we will not follow nor be led by them And this is the First main Branch of our Duty under the New Covenant The Second is this That we must believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And this requires of us to promise and perform the Things following That we will seriously apply our selves as our leisure and opportunity will allow us
to make the best Improvement that we can of the Means of Divine Knowledge which the Providence of God affords us that so we may gain as much of that inestimable Treasure as we can That we will not through Negligence or Hatred of the Truth be ignorant of any important revealed Truth That what-ever does appear to us to be revealed from God concerning Himself and our Way to Happiness we will receive it as certain truth Because it comes from Him who is Infinite Wisdom and cannot be deceived and is a God of Truth and therefore cannot deceive These Articles of our Faith are summarily comprehended in that Form of sound Doctrine which is commonly call'd the Apostle's Creed among which these are chief ones That we believe in God the Father who hath made us and all the World That we believe in God the Son who hath redeemed us and all Mankind which implies these things We must believe that all Mankind are guilty before God and obnoxious to his Eternal Wrath and Punishment That Jesus Christ the Son of God died as a Sacrifice for the Sins of Men That He submitted to an accursed Death as the Punishment of Sin in our stead and to excuse us from suffering it for ever That his Death is accepted with the Father as an Attonement for Sin and shall redound to the advantage of all those who repent and believe on Him Who being heartily sorry for their Sins and fallen out with them do forsake them and turn to God and do expect and rely upon the Merit of his Death to find favour with God We must believe that as Jesus Christ died for our Sins so He rose again for our Justification Having made a full Attonement He was released from the Bonds of Death and is ascended into Heaven and that He ever lives there to make Intercession for us that is to obtain and bestow upon wretched Mankind all the Blessed Benefits which his Death has purchased for them And we must believe in God the Holy Ghost who graciously applies all those Blessings to us and who sanctifies us and all the Elect People of God Further we also are bound and required to make our open profession of the Religion contain'd in these Articles and to own it to the World that we are and will be the Worshippers of the one onely true and living God by one Mediatour between God and Man the Man Christ Jesus And we must chuse rather to suffer any loss or to die than to renounce or deny our Faith And we are bound also to lead a Life suitable to these Articles of Faith to let them govern our Conversations as they ought to do And our Faith must work or operate in the Exercises of Love This is the Second main Branch of our Duty under the New Covenant The Third is this That we must Engage and Endeavour to keep God's Holy Will and Commandments and to walk in the same all the Days of our Life And this obliges us to the Things following That we will diligently study and learn the Will of God as it is express'd in the Laws which He has given us will not cavil nor dispute against our Duty when we should perform it will endeavour to know our Duty that we may do it That we will love his Law and it shall be our constant Aim and Endeavour to conform to it in all things We absolutely bind our selves and are bound to live in no wilfull known and presumptuous Sin That we will not deliberately and knowingly trespass against any Law of God This Covenant indeed does not require of us to perform a perfect Obedience for that is a thing now above our Power But it binds us to endeavour a perfect Obedience that is Not to be willingly guilty of any known Sin There is alas no meer Man now that can constantly and perfectly keep the whole Law of God but in many Things we offend all And 't is one Blessing of the New Covenant that it pardons Sins as we shall see presently which supposes defects in our best Obedience Therefore also our Saviour has taught us to pray as daily for the Pardon of Sin as for our daily Bread But this Covenant bears with none but involuntary Sins such as we commit through Ignorance or Surprise and for want of Consideration on a sudden when our Ignorance and Inconsideration are not wilfull nor due to the neglect of our selves And as for known wilfull and presumptuous Sins and such as are deliberately committed They put us out of this Covenant and lose us all right to the Favours and Blessings of it till they are bitterly repented of and utterly forsaken Thus much we must heartily and sincerely bind and engage our selves to do and this is our part of the New Covenant This is also called the Covenant of Grace or Favour And we may see that it has justly that Name in that it admits of Repentance for Sin and accepts of that poor imperfect Obedience which is all that we can now perform And we shall see that Name further justified in that it will appear to be one of the Blessings and Favours of it that it affords us strength to perform our Duty SECT VIII On God's Part. AND now I come to represent and show what are the Favours and Blessings or God's Part of this New Covenant What He offers and promises and will bestow upon our Performance of the Duties and Conditions required of us And these may be comprehended under these Three rich and important Heads The First is a full and free Pardon of all our Sins God will blot our Iniquities as it were out of his Remembrance will forget that we were Sinners and will treat us as Righteous Will lay aside his most just Wrath against us and embrace us with Arms of Mercy and Love He that might most Righteously have destroy'd us with an Everlasting Destruction will rejoice over us to do us good He will pardon our most numerous Sins will pardon the greatest Offences will pardon even our known wilfull and deliberate Sins and our customs of Sinning upon our repentance and forsaking of them And a general Repentance and a humble Behaviour towards God will obtain the Pardon of those Infirmities and Involuntary Sins which we do not observe our selves to be guilty of and cannot be perfectly free from And having thus pardon'd our Sins the Course of Mercy is free all Obstruction of it is remov'd and we may address to God with Boldness in the Name of Jesus Christ as to a reconciled Father and believe Him ready to afford us all that is necessary to our Salvation The next Favour and Blessing of this Covenant is The restoring of the Divine Image in us in our Sanctification If upon the proposal of this Covenant to us we do accept of it and are willing to yield to the Conditions it requires and to give up our selves to a Life of Holiness and Righteousness according to the Laws
of God He will give us Spiritual strength to perform our Duty so far as that we shall be accepted through the Mediation of Jesus Christ If we will not undertake we shall not be able to perform but if we will undertake and bind our selves to do our Duty He will inable us to perform it It might seem a strange thing that God should require of us to bind our selves and undertake to do that which we cannot do of our selves as we do in obliging our selves to all those things fore-mentioned if it were not that the very binding our selves to this does entitle us by the Tenour of this Covenant to Grace sufficient for us In all the Exhortations of the Gospel to any Instance of Duty we may reckon there is comprehended also the Offer of Divine Assistance which shall be afforded to Him who yields in the purpose and desire of his Soul to comply with those Exhortations No Man therefore shall have ground to complain that he would leave his known Sins and do the Duties which he knows he omits but cannot do so For if a Man sincerely desires to leave his Sins devotes himself to his Duty and diligently uses the Means that may inable him to do it That is If he waits on God for this Grace in earnest and persevering Prayer and a due attendance on the Preaching of the Word and the Sacraments that Man shall infallibly come to be able to do what he thus wills and desires For He that hungers and thirsts after Righteousness shall be filled as our Saviour says And God will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him It is the Favour of this New Covenant to help us to do what it requires us to do The last Favour and Blessing of this Covenant is an Everlasting Happiness both of Body and Soul in Heaven We are left by it indeed subject to a natural Death to mind us of our guilty Rebellion against God That we may not forget we are Sinners and do deserve an Eternal Death On purpose that the sence of this might quicken our desire and concern to recover the Divine Favour and make us the more ready and willing to submit to the Terms of recovering it But Death shall not long have Dominion over us God will not leave the Soul in Hell that is it shall not be always separated from the Body nor shall the Body be always subject to the Ignominy and Punishment of its Dissolution Since the Sins are pardon'd which did deserve Death the Creature shall be released from it And our Saviour's Resurrection from the Dead does especially assure the Resurrection of those that believe on Him He has also promised that he will give them Eternal life and raise them up again at the last day The Body then however scatter'd and dispers'd and lost to all knowledge of Men shall be gather'd together by the Wisdom of God and be raised to Life by his Almighty Power And it shall be raised with great advantage It was sown a Natural Body it shall be raised a Spiritual Body It was sown in Corruption but it shall be raised Immortal And the Soul shall be again united to it never to be separated more But both shall be taken up to dwell in a glorious happy place where is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore To live in the Fellowship and Communion of kind happy and glorious Angels To dwell in the Presence of God and contemplate and praise and love Him and rejoice in his Love for ever This is now the whole Tenour of the New Covenant which was procur'd for us by the precious Blood of Jesus Christ our kind and powerfull Advocate SECT IX The Sacraments of This Covenant AND this Covenant also hath its Sacraments God has appointed sensible Actions and Signs in and by which it is to be made between Him and us In the use of these Sacraments we must testifie our Consent to this Covenant and signifie that we own our selves engag'd in it And in the use of these must we wait for and expect the Blessings and Favours on God's part to be afforded us It is by these that He has determin'd to convey those Favours which we can at present receive which are the Pardon of our Sins and the Sanctification of our Natures and also to assure that which we are to hope for our Everlasting Happiness and Glory These we must necessarily use then if Means and Opportunity be afforded us to do so that we may be partakers of his Favours And in using them we must sincerely purpose and bind our selves to the performance of our Duty The Sacraments appointed to be as we may say The Instruments of this Covenant since the coming of Christ which are all that nearly concern us are Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. These and these only are now generally necessary to Salvation By Baptism we are admitted into this Covenant and make our first solemn acceptance of it By the Lord's Supper we renew it if it has been broken on our part by any wilfull Sin committed since we were Baptized Or else we therein testifie and declare our continuance still in it and our purpose and desire to do so If any of us have liv'd so happily since we were Baptized as never to violate or break this Covenant by any wilfull known Sin It is true when we are Baptized in our Infancy we are not capable expressly to intend and design the performance of our part in this Covenant because we cannot then understand or know it But this Sacrament is in the purpose of God design'd for the Sacrament of our admission into this Covenant since the Appearance of Jesus Christ in the World And as that which was the Sacrament of this admission under the Jewish Dispensation was by God's appointment administred to Children at Eight days old so the Christian Church has been wont even from the Apostles times to administer Baptism to Infants from whence it is not to be doubted but they learnt to do this from the Apostles themselves And our Saviour gives a plain Encouragement to the practice when he says Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God Our Church therefore as without doubt it ought to do administers Baptism to Infants that they may partake of the Blessings of the New Covenant to their Salvation But because there is an engagement on the part of the Baptized person implied in his receiving Baptism the Wisdom and Piety of the Church has thought fit that it should be express'd too That so the Baptized person may be the better convinced afterwards that he did thus engage himself at his Baptism And because the Infant it self cannot express this the Church has provided that some Christian Friends should do it for us who are also Witnesses that the thing is done And they are bound to take care that as we grow up to the Use of our
this which afflicted his Body was the least part of the Sufferings He felt He suffer'd more abundantly more than all this in the Sufferings of his Soul For I must consider further that this Death of His was an Accursed one in the account of the Jewish Law that is in the account of God Himself for it was He that had order'd and taught them to account it so on purpose that it might fore-tell and signifie before-hand That the Redeemer of the World should bear in his Death the Curse and Punishment which the Divine Law had justly threatned against the Sins of Men. This then must call to thy Mind the mighty Sufferings of His Soul He was made a Curse for us and God laid on Him the Iniquities of us all By Men was He treated as a Malefactour and by God too The Light of his Father's Countenance and the pleasing Aspects of his Love which had been always the Joy of his Soul and the Reward of all his Labours in his Service and till now had been constantly enjoy'd was now when He wanted it most withdrawn when He was under His sharp outward Sufferings and when He was at the point of Death And in making his Soul an Offering for Sin He was afficted and terrified with God's Almighty Wrath and Displeasure This made Him cry out who was silent before My God my God why hast thou forsaken me He felt the Wrath which our Sins had deserved Oh terrible thing Who can conceive what He endur'd We may believe no Torments can exceed those He felt in his Soul except it be those of Hell if they do Oh wounding Thought This stabs and pierces my Soul This tells me It was not so much the Cruel Jew or Barbarous Roman Souldier that tormented and kill'd the loving Jesus as the vile Sinner It was I among the rest of Sinners that gave Him his cruellest Wounds his sharpest Sorrows It was I that wounded that kill'd my Saviour and Friend I shed his Life's most precious Blood Was there ever such a thing known besides this O Jesu there was never any Love like thine and there is nothing so vile so base as a Sinner Greater Love than this hath no Man that one lay down his Life for his Friend But thou hast laid down thine for Enemies for those that hated thee yea for those that kill'd thee Thou art there on the Cross despised that I might be honour'd Thou art there in pain that I might be at ease Thou art there hungry and thirsty that I might be supplied with all good things Thou art there accursed that I might be blest Thou art there deserted by the Father's Favour and Love that I might enjoy the Everlasting delights of it Thou art there dying that I might live an Everlasting life in Joy and Glory unspeakable and Eternal Oh Jesu Was I more dear to thee than thine own Life Was I to be rather indulg'd than thine own Ease and more to be respected than thine own Honour What am I Lord Oh what is Man that thou art thus mindfull of him There was never Love like thine None but a God could love thus Oh Adorable Mystery Oh Wonder of Wonders Thy Greatness is unsearchable thy Love is incomprehensible and thy Ways are past finding out With profoundest Reverence I Adore thy Incomprehensible Love I leave off to fathom what I can never reach and will give up my self to Praise and Admire for ever SECT XIV An Exercise of Repentance HAve I indeed given my kind and compassionate Saviour so much Grief by my Sins and shall they give me none Oh that my Head were Waters and my Eyes a Fountain of Tears to drench my filthy polluted Soul But alas it is not all the Tears that I am able to shed which could ever make me clean or wash out the stain of any the least of my Sins Oh I am become it seems so exceeding foul and have contracted stains of such a nature that nothing but this precious stream my Saviour's life's Blood can cleanse me How am I fallen from the Dignity and Honour of my Creation I was made little lower than the Angels by my Bounteous Creatour but I have made my self more vile than the Beasts that perish I was made subject to no Creature not bound to pay any Homage or Service towards the Glorious Angels though made lower than them but alas I have made my self a slave to the abject Devil I have refused to serve God my Maker and Friend and have drudg'd for my mortal Enemy Oh wretched Man that I am I have sought his Service while I have declin'd thine and run after his Temptations while I have endeavour'd to evade thy Commands Oh I have been forward to do Evil and backward to all that is Good I have combin'd with my Soul 's great Enemy to hasten and encrease my Damnation Infinite Goodness How unjustly how basely art thou requited for all thy bounteous Love to Mankind Who can conceive or express the Vileness the Enormity of Sin Which is a Contempt of thy infinite Majesty a Rebellion against thy unquestionable Authority an Abuse of thy free Goodness a Defiance of thy Almighty Power a Denial of thy incomparable Wisdom and an Affront to all thy glorious Attributes Which is contrary to that Honour and Homage which I owe thee as thy Creature Wo is me that I should ever offend my Maker so liberal and so gracious a Father Wo is me that I should slight and affront the Love of Jesus my Redeemer as I have done it in cherishing those vile Sins that He came to destroy O Jesu at what a costly rate hast thou lov'd me and merited my Love And how loth how slow am I to entertain the Love of thee Thou hast Loved where thy Hatred has been deserv'd and I vile wretch have hated Him that has infinitely deserv'd my Love Thy Love to me has been a vast Condescension and has caused thy Humility and Abasement yet wouldest thou love the Unworthy But my Love to thee would have been my Honour and Glory my Everlasting Advancement yet have I been unwilling to love thee Wo is me I have been obstinate in Wickedness Oh how have I griev'd the Holy Spirit in neglecting resisting and opposing his good and kind Motions in my Soul turning a deaf Ear to his gentle Admonitions and refusing to be converted and healed Oh my God in our Sins we despise thy Will and do our own We disown thee and make Gods of our selves In our Sins we believe the great Deceiver before the God of Truth and follow his delusive Temptations rather than thy rich and faithfull Promises In our Sins we preferr Earth before Heaven the Creature before the Creatour and reckon there is more Happiness in the Enjoying some of them than in the Enjoyment of Thee the Infinite Fountain of Good Oh how vile how enormous a thing is Sin Who can sufficiently hate it I see O Lord in the terrible
so great a Price beside this paid for any Creature I will live to my Love that died for me I will henceforth look upon my self as a devoted consecrated Thing and will ever endeavour to remain so and to carry my self as such I will never be willingly employed but as thou commandest and as thou allowest Lord for thy sake I will love thy Law and it shall be my Meditation all the day I will love thy Commandments above Gold and all false ways I will utterly abhorr Dearer shall thy Commandments be to Me than Thousands of Gold and Silver and sweeter than Honey from the Comb. I will love nothing but what thou lovest and will hate what-ever is displeasing to thee I am heartily griev'd O Lord that I have ever lov'd any thing but thee while I neglected to love thee I am heartily ashamed to think that I should place no Affection where all I could offer is but due and bestow all where little or none was due Especially does it vex and grieve me that I should be so monstrously ungratefull and mistaken as to love any thing more than the loving Jesus Hereafter dearest Lord I purpose to love nothing but far below thee and for thy sake what-ever I do love And what is most like thee or most serviceable to thy Honour and Glory shall have the most of my Love Henceforth it shall be my Honour that I am a Servant of Jesus It shall be my delight and pleasure to be a lover of Jesus it shall be my most valued Wealth that He is mine and I am His. Whom have I in Heaven but thee O Lord and there is none on Earth that I can desire in comparison to thee And therefore nothing can be so sweet to me nothing can afford me so much satisfaction and joy as to be able to say of thee My Beloved is mine and I am His For me to be thine O Jesu is my Honour my Security my Peace and Happiness everlasting For thee to be mine is health to my Soul strength to do thy Commandments it is Joy unspeakable and full of Glory it is Heaven on Earth and the Heaven of Heaven it is Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption to me O rich and bounteous Love I am thine O Lord with all my Soul that thou mayest be mine Oh how much shall I gain by giving my self to thee I shall gain my self and be saved from Everlasting Perdition and I shall gain Everlasting Happiness in the Enjoyment of thee I am thine O Jesu save me I have sought thy Precepts Lord sanctifie me wholly that in Body Soul and Spirit I may be thine Take a full possession of me for the future and let not any other Lords have Dominion over me O Lord I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy Righteous Judgments I purpose to be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the Work of the Lord as knowing that my Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. I am thine dispose of me as thou pleasest I will bear thy Yoke I will not decline thy Cross I will not despise thy shame The reproach of Christ shall be to me greater Riches than the Prosperity of this World Let but thy Grace be sufficient for me and then call me to what thou pleasest I can do all things through Christ strengthening me Lord I shall not I hope fear or decline to suffer for thy sake No though I should die with thee I purpose not to deny thee But alas it troubles me to think how weak and vain all my Resolutions are and how soon they will come to nothing without thy continual support and assistance This troubles me but it is my comfort that thy Grace is easily obtain'd it may be now had for asking of it O shield me by thy Grace against all Temptations Hold up my goings in thy Word that my footsteps slip not Guide thou me by thy Counsel till thou hast brought me to thy Glory SECT XVI An Exercise of Faith I Believe there is onely one true and living God who is the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost An Infinite Eternal Perfect Being the Maker and Preserver Owner and Governour of All things Who has right to the Homage Worship and Obedience of Mankind Who has laid upon us his Laws and takes notice of our Behaviour That his Eyes behold all the Dwellers upon Earth and try the Children of Men That He is always nigh to every one of us for it is in Him that we live move and have our Being I believe O Lord that thou art and art a Rewarder of those that diligently seek thee Thou hast appointed a Day wherein thou wilt Judge the World in Righteousness and render to every Man according to his Works That those who are found wicked in that Day shall go away into Everlasting Punishment but the Righteous into Life Eternal But I believe also that to the Lord our God belong Mercies and Forgivenesses though we have rebelled against Him if in the way of his appointment we seek his Pardoning-Mercy Thou hast O Lord Blessed be thy Name preclaim'd thy self a God forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin And declarest that thou desirest not the Death of a Sinner but had rather that he should turn from his Wickedness and live O wonderfull Condescension and Goodness Oh how sweet is thy Mercy How glorious and great The exceeding vileness and the unreasonableness of our Sins do magnifie thy Mercy beyond all Comprehension and Praise Favour and Forgiveness to a base Sinner is that the Sinner could not expect till thou hadst declar'd it should be obtain'd and didst graciously offer it When we were sunk into the most abject Misery by a vile Rebellion against thee had render'd our selves obnoxious to thy Eternal Hatred and Wrath and deserv'd to follow the Apostate Angels in their Fate and Damnation as we had follow'd them in Rebellion Then did thy Infinite Wisdom contrive how to show us Favour in a way consistent with thine own Honour Thou didst find out a way to spare Us and to punish our Sins to glorifie thy Justice in taking Vengeance on our Inventions and thy Mercy in saving the wretched Sinners And God so lov'd the World that He gave his onely-begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have Everlasting Life Thou gavest O Father thine Onely-begotten Son to the Condescension and Meanness of taking our Nature upon Him and to die a Sacrifice for our Sins and on him thy well-beloved Son didst thou lay the Iniquities of us all And in his Death thou hast receiv'd a full perfect and sufficient Sacrifice Oblation and Satisfaction for the Sins of the whole World Thou hast laid our Help on one that is Mighty and able to save to the uttermost all that come into God by Him We adore thy Incomprehensible Goodness and Compassion to Sinners Thou art abundant Oh God in Goodness and Truth Thy Mercy is over all
thy Works In Mercy thou hast great delight We remember the glorious Exercises of it We know O Lord thou canst pardon the greatest Offences For thou hast pardon'd very great Sinners David was forgiven his base Murder and Adultery Manasseh his horrid Idolatry and filling Jerusalem with innocent Blood The vile Adulteress Mary Magdalen The Apostle Peter who denied and disown'd thee with an Oath The Furious Saul who blasphem'd thee himself and being exceedingly mad against thee compell'd others to Blaspheme All these are Monuments of thy glorious forgiving Mercy Oh what comfortable what joyfull Hopes have we in such Goodness We know that having given us thy Son thou wilt not deny us any thing that is necessary to our Salvation But if we ask we shall receive if we seek we shall find if we knock it shall be opened to us On that Ransome which my Saviour has paid for me and on all thy gracious Promises which for his sake thou hast made I do wholly and firmly rely With an humble Confidence O Lord that we may find favour with thee we remember before thee in this Sacrament the bleeding Wounds of thy dear Son and his precious Death our rich Sacrifice for Sin We remember before thee and present unto thee Him whom thou hast set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his Blood And in his Name relying upon the Value and Acceptance of his Sacrifice I thy poor unworthy Servant humbly present my self before the Throne of thy Grace to seek thy Favour begging leave that I may claim thy gracious Promises which in Him are Yea and in Him Amen and that I may now entertain and delight my self with the glorious Hopes which they afford I desire I hope that thou wilt fully forgive my manifold and great Transgressions I desire I hope thou wilt give me thy Holy Spirit which thou hast promised to give to them that ask Him Oh grant me that Spirit to cleanse me from all Unrighteousness to purifie my polluted Soul to take away all the filthy stains of my Sins to strengthen my weakness in Temptations to be my support and comfort me under Discouragements and Afflictions to assist me in all my Duties to guide my Way and secure my Perseverance to the End Thou O Lord who searchest the Hearts and triest the Reins of Men well knowest I had almost said too well wherein my greatest weakness lies Lord strengthen me in particular I beseech thee against mine own Iniquity I desire I hope thou wilt graciously keep me unspotted from the World keep me from following any of the Errours and Vices that shall ever be in vogue with the giddy and wicked Multitude I desire I hope thou wilt mercifully defend me against the Wiles and Devices of my Soul 's great Adversary the Devil I humbly commit my self to thy gracious keeping Oh faithfull Creatour I desire I hope O Lord that thou wilt bless me with Health and with a competent Provision of what is needfull for me of the good things of this World and defend me if it please thee from Poverty Dependance and Contempt Give me neither Poverty nor Riches but feed me with Food convenient for me I know O Lord Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward that Sin entring into this World has brought Misery and Affliction with it And that our folly and perverseness commonly needs such Discipline to make us wise and good I desire to submit to what-ever it shall please thee to order for me to say always after the Example of my Saviour Lord not my Will but thine be done I hope thou wilt deal with me according to thy Mercy and lay upon me no more than thou wilt inable me to bear I believe thou mayest do me great good by my Afflictions I pray thee sanctifie them all to the promoting my Soul's Health and my Everlasting Happiness And give me I pray thee an humble Resignation and an invincible Patience that I may neither despise the chastening of the Lord nor faint when I am rebuked of Him Let me always encourage my self with this Assurance That these light Afflictions which are but for a moment if they be patiently born shall work for me a far more exceeding and an eternal weight of Glory I desire I hope thou wilt direct and inable me so to pass through things Temporal as that I may not finally lose the things Eternal That by thy Conduct and Guidance I may at last arrive safely to that happy World where the Weary are at Rest where the Wicked cease from Troubling where Sorrow and Sighing and Pain and Vexation and Fear and Care shall all be banish'd all Tears shall be for ever wiped from our Eyes and we shall enjoy thee and all that we can desire in perfect Bliss and Eternal Safety and Quiet This is a true Saying and worthy of all Men to be received That Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners Lord I receive it Lord I believe help thou my unbelief I believe O Jesu thou art Christ the Son of the living God that should come into the World Oh tender and condescending Love how dear is that Blessed Name to me Jesus my Saviour Oh how full of sweetness is it as a rich Perfume Thy Name is as Ointment poured forth Oh be thou ever Jesus to me To thee O Lord I fly as a refuge from the just Wrath of God I have deserv'd as able to conquer all my spiritual Enemies as willing to receive into thy protection all that come unto thee Oh Lamb of God that takest away the Sins of the World have Mercy upon my poor Soul grant me thy Peace Thou invitest those that are weary and heavy laden to come into thee Behold Lord I come let me find Rest to my Soul I come to partake of the Happiness of being united to thee in this Sacrament I believe O Lord the Truth of all thy Promises and the Vertue and Power of all thine Ordinances And that the Bread we break and the Cup we drink in this Sacrament be not bare Signs but real Instruments of Conveyance and the Communications of thy Body and Blood I come then that I may receive thy Body and Blood may be interested in the Merits of thy Passion that I may partake of the Spirit and be intitled to the Heavenly Inheritance which thou hast purchased for poor lost Sinners I come to make a Thankfull Remembrance of thy Death which thou didst kindly submit to for the Advantage of Mankind And by thy Death I hope to have Life everlasting I gladly embrace O Lord the Offers of thy Gospel I desire thee to subdue in me all my rebellious Lusts and vile Affections and as a King to rule over me I will account it my Honour to be thy meannest Subject I desire thee to afford me thy Heavenly Instructions teach me as a Prophet and make me wise to my Salvation through Faith that is in thee I desire thee
to intercede for me as Priest in the Vertue of thy most valuable Sacrifice and to bestow upon me the large Blessings which thou hast purchased for Sinners I believe O Lord thou hast died for our Sins and art risen again for our Justification I desire thy Death may utterly crucifie and till all my Sins and that thy Resurrection may revive my Hopes By thy Resurrection I desire I hope for mine By thy Ascension into Heaven I desire thee to draw my Heart and Affections from this vain empty World to the hearty Love and earnest Desire of Heavenly Things And I hope thou wilt raise me up at the Last Day and bring me to be where thou art and give me an Everlasting Life I take this Sacrament as a Pledge of thy Everlasting Love as the Evidence of great Love already shown me and the Earnest and Assurance of yet greater Communications to come My Soul thirsts for God even for the Living God Oh when shall I come and appear before God! When shall I see thy Face O dearest Jesu without a Veil be kiss'd with the Kisses of thy Mouth enjoy thy self immediately When shall these short and faint Glimpses of thy Glory be exchang'd for a full abiding sight of thee When shall I have leave not onely to visit but to dwell with thee and to receive not transient Tasts but drink large Draughts of Delight and Joy from an Infinite Fountain of Bliss and Joy For in thy presence is fulness of joy and at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Oh how I long that this my weary Pilgrimage were done That I were absent from the Body that I might be present with the Lord That I might have no necessary diversion dearest Jesu from perpetual contemplating praising loving and enjoying thee For this however I do wait This I do through thy Merits and from thy Infinite Love expect and that Expectation shall encourage me to labour in thy Service to bear thy Cross and to follow thee whithersoever thou shalt call me SECT XVII An Exercise of Charity O Jesu thou art Infinite Love I cannot but with great delight and wonder Contemplate thee and when I do so I feel a pleasing Constraint upon me to Love I must account this a most excellent and divine Qualification which is so eminently in thee I must reckon it my greatest Honour to be conform'd to the Son of God and therefore I must utterly dislike and hate my self for any defect of Love I find in my self Besides When I think how much I am lov'd How much thy free and bounteous Love has given and how much it has forgiven to me I am forced to account my self basely and extreamly unworthy of this if I do not love much I will put on then the most extensive Charity that I can I will wish well and do good to all Men as far as I have power and as oft as I have opportunity to do it I will love my Neighbour as my self and account him my Neighbour who has any need of my kindness and to whom I have it in my power to do any Office of kindness whosoever he be Thou O Blessed Jesu hast lov'd the most unworthy Wretches I then will account none unworthy of my Love and Good-will Thou hast lov'd those that were infinitely below thee and hast mightily condescended to do them kindness I will never account it below me therefore to do an Office of Kindness to my meanest Neighbour but rather the greater the Condescension is in the doing it the more I will value the opportunity of showing therein the greater Likeness and Gratitude to thee Thou Lord hast lov'd those that are altogether unprofitable to thee and from whom thou canst never receive a parallel return of Love I will be asham'd then as I most justly may to bestow no Benefits but where I have receiv'd or expect to receive some Thou O Jesu hast lov'd even thine Enemies and pray'd for those that despitefully used and persecuted thee And this is a glorious Pattern which I intend by the Assistance of thy Grace to imitate As for all that have injur'd me by Word or Deed O Lord I forgive them and I pray thee to forgive them I am more sorry for their Errour and Sin than I am for any Loss and Damage which is come or may come to me by their Injury Lord have Mercy upon their Souls Forgive my Enemies Persecutours and Slanderers and turn their Hearts I desire no harm to any that are my Enemies if any be so Nor will I rejoice over them when they fall but rather grieve to see it much less will I ever seek their harm and mischief And I purpose on the contrary notwithstanding all their unkindness to do them all the good Offices which I can consistently with a due care of my own safety and with other Obligations and Duties to thee or to others of my Neighbours I purpose to study and seek to do them good To return Blessing for Cursing Respect for Contempt and Good for Evil That I may if it be possible overcome Evil with Good As it is the Character of Charity not to be forward to think Evil I will take care that no uncharitable Jealousies or Suspicions of my Neighbour may represent him my Enemy who is not so I will take care not to interpret a mistake into a malicious design or that which is intended as a kindness into an injury But will always endeavour to take all his Words and Actions in the best Sence and to put the best Interpretation upon them all that I can Especially will I do thus by the Magistrate as being bound to it by the Obligation to Reverence and Honour him as well as by the Laws of Charity and because it is necessary and usefull to the Publick Peace and Welfare and so is in its Effects a Charity to others of my Neighbours too I thank thee O Lord for all the kindness of my Friends and for those that have done me any good I pray thee O bounteous Love abundantly to requite them in this World and the next in Temporal and Eternal Blessings Continue or encrease their Store and Worldly Prosperity if it may be good for them and especially Bless them with Spiritual Blessings in Heavenly Things I will endeavour as far as lies in my power in what I can do for their outward Estate or for their Souls always to express a most gratefull Sence of their kindness I will not despise the Love of the meanest person much rather will I thankfully resent the condescending Favours of those that are above me I make my humble Supplications to thee now O Lord at a good time for all Mankind I recommend to thy Infinite Mercy all Jews Turks and Infidels Oh let them that sit in Darkness see thy marvellous Light and be turned from the Power of Satan unto God That the Earth might be filled with Knowledge of the Lord as Waters cover the Sea
it into a Prayer thus O God that searchest the Hearts and triest the Reins of Men and who hast commanded us to come to the Holy Communion of the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ Thou knowest I have diligently Examin'd my self before I would presume to eat of this Bread and drink of this Cup and have endeavour'd that I might with a true penitent Heart and lively Faith receive this Holy Sacrament that so I may to my great Benefit and Consolation spiritually eat the Flesh of Christ herein and drink his Blood that I may be one with Christ and Christ with Me And that I might not receive the same unworthily nor which I dread to speak be guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ my Saviour and so eat and drink my own Damnation not considering the Lord's Body That I might not kindle thy Wrath against me but find favour in thy sight That I might not provoke Thee to plague me with Temporal Afflictions but obtain the continuance of such Comforts as I enjoy and the bestowing of such as Thou seest most convenient for me That I might not provoke Thee to cut me off by an untimely Death I have according to the direction of thy Apostle seriously judg'd my self Do not thou enter into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified I have repented my past Sins and do repent of them I have endeavour'd to be possest of a lively and stedfast Faith in Christ my Saviour Lord encrease my Faith I resolve to amend by the Assistance of thy Grace what-ever Evil I shall be convinced of in my Life And I heartily seek thy Favour upon this just and reasonable Condition of being in Charity with all Men. O Lord I forgive let me be forgiven And after all I most humbly pray Thee who alone canst do it to make me a meet partaker of these Holy Mysteries Above all I give most humble and hearty Thanks to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost for the Redemption of the World by the Death and Passion of our Saviour Christ both God and Man Who did humble Himself even to the Death upon the Cross for us miserable Sinners Who lay in Darkness and the shadow of Death that He might make us the Children of God and Exalt us to Everlasting Life I desire at this time with all Thankfulness to remember the Exceeding great Love of our Master and only Saviour in his thus Dying for us and the Innumerable Benefits which by his precious Blood-shedding He hath obtain'd to us I heartily give Him thanks too for that He hath further shown his Love to wretched Sinners in his Instituting and Ordaining Holy Mysteries for Pledges of his Love that we might have the move full Assurance of it and for a continual Remembrance of his Death to our Great and Endless Comfort To Him therefore with the Father and the Holy Ghost I gave as I am most bounden continual Thanks submitting my self wholly to his Holy will and Pleasure and purposing that I will study to serve Him in true Holiness and Righteousness all the Days of my Life Amen In the next place you are to join with the Minister with all Humility and true Godly Sorrow in a Confession of Sins and to receive by Him God's Absolution To the Sentences of Holy Scripture which He next recites to encourage our Faith and Hope in God it may be proper to make in your Hearts some such Answers as these To those Words of our Saviour Come unto me c. Answer Behold O Lord I come Jesus thou Son of David have Mercy upon me To those Words God so loved the World c. Answer O Father of Mercies have Mercy upon me and give me that Faith in thy Son that I may not Perish but have Everlasting Life To the Words of St. Paul This is a true Saying c. Answer Lord I believe the Truth of this and thankfully embrace so Important a Truth O Christ save me one of the chiefest of Sinners To the Words of St. John If any Man sin c. Answer Be Thou O Jesus the Righteous my Powerfull Advocate with the Father O Father accept of his Death as a Propitiation for my Sins To what the Minister says next you are to make the Answers directed and to join with Him in the Praises and Prayers following After that the Bread and Wine is by the Prayer of Consecration set apart to represent the Body and Blood of Christ and while the Ministers are receiving you must look upon the Elements with an Holy Awfull Reverence and sadly call to Mind the Scourging the Buffetings the Crown of Thorns the cruel Nails and Spear which wounded and bruised which tore and kill'd the Loving Jesus You may remember the more terrible Sufferings and sharp Agonies of his Soul which He endur'd especially when He made his Life an Offering for Sin And you should call to mind it was your Sins that gave Him all these Sufferings and Griefs that yet He endur'd them for your Advantage And He was Scourg'd that by His stripes you might be healed He shed His Blood to ransome you from Hell and Misery and died that He might obtain for you Everlasting Life and Happiness And while the rest of the Company are receiving if they are a good Number you will have leisure and may very profitably entertain your self with reading over the foregoing Exercises of Thankfull Remembrance Faith c. And in reading them you may Exercise those Graces as you ought to do If there will not be time to repeat them all you may do well to chuse some such a one or more of them as is most suitable to the present State and disposition of your Mind For the Devout Soul may be at one time more taken up in Admiration and Praise of the Dying Love of Jesus Christ At another time it may be especially possest with a deep Humiliation and Repentance at another time it may be elevated with the Hopes and Joys of Believing Or engag'd in making Earnest Resolutions of Love Obedience and Gratitude to the Great Redeemer Or in Exercises of Charity to the miserable and sinfull World And your Entertainment at this spare time may be chosen accordingly Only this must be advised in relation to this matter That you should make Observation of your self whether you do not too commonly fix your Meditations upon one and the same of these Exercises and so neglect the rest For this must not be allow'd But you must constrain your self if need be to use sometimes one and sometimes another of these that so you may at times Exercise every Grace and by the Exercise encrease in all When you go to Receive and see the Minister approaching with the Sacred Bread which represents the broken Body of our Lord look on it and say Behold my Soul the Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World Worthy is the Lamb that