Life confirming and encreasing that happy union with himself which is begun even while we live below on earth and shall be perfected when we come to Heaven PETITIONS O God the Father of mercies Father of our blessed Saviour Jesus the Christ We believe that having given us thy dear Son thou wilt with him also freely give us all things that whatever we ask of thee O Father in thy Sons name believing we shall receive it I humbly beceech thee therefore O Lord to have mercy upon me a poor miserable sinner And as thou hast sent thy Son into the World send him also to take possession of my Heart Let this great light of the world enlighten my dark mind with a saving knowledge of thee and of himself Direct me to discern my true happiness from the false flattering goods of this world that I may not spend my time here in worldly cares and pursuits but in seeking thee my End by him the only true Way to thee Let him teach and convince me of the great excellency of thy Laws and make me consider my wayes and turn my feet unto thy Testimonies Let the glad tidings of the Gospel O Lord by joyful tidings to me by thy giving me an assured interest in them Give me the pardon of all my sins by the Death of Christ and a right to Life and Happiness by his meritorious Life In me I pray that the mighty Redeemer may effectually destroy all the works of the Devil deface the ugly image of the Apostate spirit and restore the glorious likeness of thee my God. Make me Lord diligently and reverently to use thy appointed Means of Grace and let thy blessing alwaies make them means of grace to me And while I thankfully use them and am duly fruitful under them let me enjoy the means of Grace till thou hast brought me to glory Grant this O Father for the sake of thy beloved Son our compassionate Saviour Glory be to the Father c. Amen For Thursday Evening MEDITATION I. THe kind Master of this blessed Feast sends his Embassadors to make a general invitation He that is the divine Food puts the kindest words into their mouths that their invitation may not fail of good success He has said Come to me all ye that labour for Holiness and are oppress'd under the weight of your sins Come and I will give you the end of your Labour and will ease you of that intolerable burden Come you that hunger after Angels spiritual Food and thirst to drink at the fountain of bliss Come to me I will refresh you with the Wine of gladness and the bread of life Come you that are weak and you shall be strong come you that are strong lest you become weak Come you that have leisure and here entertain your time to your great advantage And you also that are busie and here sanctifie and devote your Employment Our glorious God did not only make a visit but is willing to dwell perpetually with us men upon earth He whom the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain will make his residence in our little Tabernacles He whom the Seraphims prostrate adore and fly with all their wings to perform his commands He who came down to die for us sinners and ascended again above the highest Heavens Himself is there with all his precious blessings to the Soul that does desire and believe To such a Soul this blessed Sacrament applies all the vertues and merits of our Saviours Death and Passion When he receives the consecrated Bread and Wine from the hands of Christs Minister in his stead he is made a partaker in the Satisfaction of his death and the Pardon of all his sins is seal'd and confirm'd By eating the Bread and drinking the Wine the good Soul is more firmly united to the Redeemer And as a member of his mystical body shall be quickned and guided by his good Spirit The indwelling Spirit shall teach him his duty and inable him to run in the way everlasting He shall communicate power to conquer difficulties and temptations and to persevere with patience till he reach the Crown By this is such a soul united also to that Jesus who rose again from the death he submitted to And as it is assuredly risen to a new life of Grace it shall hereafter rise to an eternal life of Glory It may look on these signs as certain pledges that it shall be advanced to the happy mansions above Thus as our Lord himself when on Earth contain'd under his outward poverty all the glorious fulness of the Godhead so these signs that represent him to us are but poor in themselves in comparison to the rich blessings they bring along with them Whatever faintness we feel if we hunger after Christ and come hither to receive him he can refresh us Whatever fears dwell in our guilty minds and trouble us this Wine of true Consolation will chase them away O How great is thy Love Dear Lord that invites us miserable sinners to partake of thee That invites our emptiness to be united to thy fulness and our weakness to be cured by thy al sufficient power O how should the sons of men flock in when he sends out his invitations to this Feast when he calls us to a Feast of peace and love A feast of joy and incomparable sweetness What should the Captive wish but Liberty and the weary Pilgrim but rest What should the Sick desire but health and the depending Creature but to be near its God All are welcome to this Feast that have but Desire to partake and Faith to receive MEDITATION II. LOrd who are we unworthy wretches that thou thus regardest our sinful dust what is all the world compar'd to Thee that thus thou seemest for our sakes to disregard thy self It is for our sakes and to make us rich in Grace that thou so graciously condescendest to come among us More unworthy yet do we make our selves if we neglect to come where thou wilt be present O how insensible of their own true interest are those that neglect to approach this Sacred Feast Is it a small matter with you O careless wretches to ly under a great load of guilt that you come not to receive the pardon of your sins Is the Great God willing to be reconcil'd to sinners and to give them sure pledges of his reconcilement And should not all Mankind then earnestly seek his favour and gladly receive the pledges of his love None of us can be assur'd that he will not turn us into Hell till we are assur'd of our title to Heaven Where are all they that have been baptized and pretend that they account themselves Christians Why do they not come and own the Covenant then made by renewing it again at this Supper They that neglect this do in effect renounce that Covenant and despise the incomparable blessings it promises Well may they be impotent towards all good and enslaved to the tyranny of evil
Cross as strangers unconcern'd Thus we again Crucifie the Lord of Glory and put him afresh to an open shame Is this O wretched we the Duty we pay to the Sacred Memory of our Dear Redeemer Are these the Thanks our gratitude returns to that strange excess of our Saviours Love When we sate in darkness he took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light We sought not him but he came from far to find us we look't not towards him but his Mercy call'd after us He call'd aloud in Words of melting tenderness Why will you perish O ye Children of Men Why will ye run after empty trifles as if there were no joyes above with me Return O you Dear bought Souls and I will receive you repent and though you had really crucified me I will forgive you Behold O Blessed Jesu to Thee we come on Thee O crucifi'd Love we fasten all our Confidence Never will we unclasp our hold till thy Grace has seal'd the pardon of our Sins Never will we part from this standard of Hope till our troubled Consciences be dismist in Peace There will we stand and sigh and weep and every one humbly say to thy Mercy Jesu my God I am a miserable Sinner O be thou my kind Advocate with the Father MEDITATION II. BElieve in Jesus O my Soul and thou maist be silent for he thy Lord will answer for thee rely on him and he will be thy security love him and thou art united to his satisfaction and merits Be innocent and he will defend Thee be humble and he will exalt Thee Repent and he will forgive thy Sins and purge away all thy foul impurities He will wash away the guilt of those Sins which thy wickedness has ever caused in others and of those also which thy weakness has at any time receiv'd from them The merciful Lord will purge thee from all thy secret faults and from those darling Sins that most abuse our Nature He will pardon what thou hast been and correct what thou art Will order by his good Providence what thou shalt be and in the end crown his own excellent Gifts Direct thy prayers to his tender Mercy and his Bounty will bestow more than thou askest Never let us fear the favour of our God if we can but esteem and earnestly desire it He that so freely gave us himself will he not with himself give us all things else Is not his painful Life and bitter Death sufficient pledge of his Mighty Love to us He has greater tenderness than any Mother and more faithful Love to our true Interest than any Friend O disparage not his great willingness to help by seeking aid of any other Mediatours Surely they have little Faith and far less hope who doubt the Mercies of so Gracious a God Mercies confirm'd by a thousand Miracles and Dearly seal'd with his own precious Blood That Innocent Blood which was shed for us to appease the wrath of his offended Father Is not his infinite love to us sufficient motive of our duty to him A Duty to which we are so many waies oblig'd and wherein our Eternity is so highly concern'd Now my Soul is the time of Acceptance now is the only day of Salvation Seek to Jesus to be washt in the pure Fountain of his Blood and apply thy self to do whatever he as thy Lord requires thee So shall the blessed Jesus be to thee Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption MEDITATION III. SHould'st thou O Lord have dealt with us in rigour we had long since been sentenced to Eternal Death Long since our guilty Souls had been snatcht away from this World and hurried down to everlasting Torments But thy gracious Mercy has yet repriev'd our lives and given us space to work out our Salvation Now is the time of Acceptance with thee Now is the Day of Salvation for us Now O my Soul let us mourn our former Offences and henceforth take care to bring forth fruits worthy of Repentance If we have hitherto persecuted the Lord of Glory and with our sins nail'd the Blessed Jesus on the Tree of Death Now let our whole endeavours attend the Service of our Saviour and loyally conspire to un-crucifie their Lord. Let us ascend the Mount of Calvary and often as we go salute his holy steps We kiss thy steps dear Lord when we love thy wayes and humble our selves and follow thee Let us there on our knees approach him on the Cross and reverently cover his naked Body We cover thee when our Charity cloaths thy Servants and hides the infirmities of thy little ones Let us there with tenderest care unfasten the nails and gently draw them out of his Hands and Feet We draw them out O Lord when we freely obey thy Will and loosen our Affections from cleaving to the World When thou hast thus my Soul rescu'd thy Lord nail thy self in his stead to the Cross Mortifie thy members which are upon the Earth and crucifie the Flesh with all its inordinrte Lusts PETITIONS O Father of Mercies and of our loving Saviour let the love of thee and of thy Son win our hearts entirely to thy self Win them from this vain Life and all the little goods of it to the sole pursuit and hopes of enjoying thee in thy Eternity Let the love of our crucified Redeemer soften our hearts and make them break for our past offences against thee For we have broken the Laws of our Maker we have provok'd the wrath of our Judge we have despised the goodness of our God. O deal not with us according to our fins nor give us the sad desert of our Iniquities We fly O Lord from the Bar of thy Justice to the mild and gracious Seat of thy Mercy Spare us O Lord who are the works of thine hands spare us whom thou hast redeem'd with the blood of Christ Pardon O Lord our sins of weakness and surprize pardon our sins of wilfulness and deliberation pardon our relapsing into the sins we have repented pardon our former living in sin without Repentance Make us so grieve for our sins as to hate them so hate as utterly to forsake them O may the good Spirit mortifie all our corrupt Affections that no principle may ever divert us from loving and serving thee Crucifie O Lord our Flesh with the fear of thee and let us have all our portion of sorrow in this World Crucifie us to the World and the World to us that being dead to it we may live to thee At least live thou in us O holy Jesu Possess thou us who hast bought us so dear as with thy Life's last drop of precious blood Dispose of all our motions according to thy righteous will help us to root out all our Vices with the constant practice of contrary Vertues that so we may bring forth fruits agreeable to a true Repentance And confirm O Lord we beseech thee our resolutions against sin and our courage to fight manfully
end of our being Hymn 15. A Wake my Soul rise from this Bed Of dull and sluggish Earth Quickly arise lift up thy head And see thy Lords new birth Once did he come O Blessed He Born of a Virgin-womb Lo now he comes and still for thee Sprung from a Virgin-tomb See thy Lord rises fresh and bright Incircled round with Stars Which all from him receive their light And from his glorious Scars And thus as he his Progress makes Up to his Heaven again Each risen Saint his Musick takes And follows in his train Thus all together they ascend 'Till at Heavens gate they come Where wondering Angels do attend To bid them welcome home The Angels know again their King And soon his Call obey All the glad Quires come forth to sing And crown with mirth the day Come thou my Soul let us rejoyce Us too our consort bring Up to high Heaven let 's lift our voice And with the Angels sing Glory and Honour Power and Praise To the mysterious Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. RAise thy head O my Soul and look up and behold the Glory of thy Crucified Saviour He that was dead and laid in the Grave low enough to prove himself Man He is risen again and ascended into Heaven and is in exaltation high enough to prove himself God. He arose and made the light his Garment and commanded the Clouds to be the Chariot of his Triumph The gates of Heaven obeyed their Lord and the everlasting Doors opened to the King of Glory Enter bright King thy glorious Palace attended with thy shining Angels enter with the glad train of thy new delivered Captives the first Fruits of thy Victory and the earnests of more Enter and repossess thy ancient Throne and reign eternally at the right hand of thy Father May every Knee bow low at thy exalted Name and every Tongue confess thy Glory May all created Nature adore thy Power and the Church of thy Redeemed exult in thy goodness Whom have we in Heaven but thee O Lord who didst expresly go thither to make way for thy followers What have we on Earth that yields us any comfort and delight but our hope by following thee to arrive at last where thou art gone before us And worth our while O Lord it is to follow thee in the greatest labour of doing well and in patience under the greatest Adversities since the end of all is that where thou art we shall be We shall be there and shall be like thee for we shall see thee as thou art We shall be exalted and glorify'd and rest from our labours O glorious Jesu our Strength and our Joy and the immortal Life of all our Souls Thou art worthy to be the principal Subject of our Studies and the daily entertainment of our most serious thoughts MEDITATION III. WHat mighty cause O God hast thou given poor Mankind to rejoyce and praise thee in that thou hast raised our Saviour from the Grave He died for our sins and rose again for our Justification In this we see a full satisfaction made for our sins by his death Hereby he ever lives to make intercession for us sinners O let all the World rejoyce in the Victory and Triumph of our Lord over all the Enemies of our Salvation I bless thee O my Saviour for thy Death and I praise and adore thee for thy Resurrection The one a work of infinite condescending Mercy the other of infinite Power And now my Soul how art thou conformable to thy kind Lord if when he is risen thou lye dead in trespasses and sins If thou be not risen with Christ to a new and spiritual Life certainly thou art none of his Will he not draw all his own thus after him Will he suffer any of them to lye entangled in earthly desires If he has not drawn thy heart from the World and from thy self and made thee value him most and delight to run the way of his Commandments thou hast no part in him And if thou be risen with Christ thou should'st seek those things which are above Why should our Hearts dwell on Earth when the best Treasure of our Hearts is return'd to Heaven Since our glorified Jesus is ascended above to prepare us a place in his own Kingdom A place of rest and secure peace where we shall see and praise and adore him for ever a place of joy and everlasting fruition where we shall love and possess and delight in him for ever O happy we and our poor Souls if once admitted to that blissfull Vision If once those heavenly Portals unfold their Gates and let us in to the joyes of our Lord how will our Spirits be ravisht within themselves to reflect on the fullness of their own Beatitude How shall we all rejoyce in one anothers felicity but infinitely more in the infinitely greater felicity of God. O Heaven towards thee it is meet that we frequently lift up craving eyes and with out-stretcht hands reach at thy Glories It is fit that with languishing Hearts we often say When O when shall we behold that incomparable light with which our exalted Saviour is cloathed as with a Garment That Glory which illuminates the eyes of Angels and eternally renews the youth of immortalized Saints That light is thy very self O Lord our God whom we shall there see face to face whom we shall there know as we are known In thy light we shall see light PETITIONS O Divine Immense Original Light shine thou perpetually in our eyes that thy brightness may for ever darken all the false lustre of this World. O light that delightest to diffuse and communicate thy self shed so many of thy powerful Beams into our Hearts as that thy heat may burn up all other desires Make us burn continually with the pure Love of thee and let that resining fire purge us from the love of this World. Let thy light shine in our Hearts and be a guide to our wayes till we be call'd from this vale of darkness into the glorious presence of the living God To see him that made the Heavens and the Earth and gave to all things their Lustre and Beauty To see him that first gave us our Being then govern'd us in our way and brought us to so bless'd an end Mean while O glorious Jesu who art the foundation and finisher of all our hopes do thou make us entertain our life with the comfort of this hope and our hope with the assurance of thy promises Let thy Triumphs and Glories ever shine in our eyes to animate our Labours and comfort our Sufferings Let them confirm our Faith in this comfortable point That if we are thy faithful followers in this Life we shall hereafter be partakers in thy Glory Make us also Lord every day more perfectly understand our own great Duty and thy infinite Love. Make us especially on this thy Day meditate the advancement of thy
do thee faithful Service I own O Lord the Justice and Equity of being so obliged I account it my Interest to be intirely thine I am saved by being Devoted to thee and honour'd in admission to thy Service It is the greatest Preferment I can attain to serve him who is Lord of Heaven and Prince of the Kings of the Earth Thy Service O Lord is perfect Freedom and they have great Peace that love thy Law There are no riches comparable to thy rewards nor any Pleasures so sweet as thy Consolations I am asham'd O Lord and have great reason to be so for that I have liv'd no more suitable to such a Devoted State That I have presum'd to dispose of my self so much according to the devices and desires of of my own heart I have often wander'd from the safe and pleasant Path of thy Commandments and often stept into the dangerous uneasie wayes of sin I have greatly disparaged my self hereby in thy sight and in the sight of thy Holy Angels O it is fit that thou and they who have seen my sins should see my repentance that have seen me most basely breaking my Covenant with my God should see me heartily renewing again so just a Covenant I thank thy Love Dear Jesu for 't is by what thou hast done for us that our Repentance may be accepted I thank thee O gracious Saviour for Instituting thy Supper for the Renewal and Confirmation of our Baptismal Covenant that thou hast commanded us at that to reinforce our resolutions and that thou art ready to confirm them by thy Grace It is Lord the sincere desire of my Soul never to revolt from Thee any more I believe there is no greater happiness than to be a firm Confederate with the faithful Jesus By which I shall become a Temple to the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Light and Love the Spirit of Grace and Glory Now Lord that I have had a fresh sight of thy Love and have sate under thy Shadow with Delight thy blessed Name shall be deeply engraven in my heart I will allow no affection but the Love of Jesus and all my powers and all their motions shall be subject to that I will say to all the Vanities of the world Be gone I have no room in my heart for you whom I cannot love too little I will reserve it all for my Saviour whom I can never love too much I will say to those Temptations that would draw me into sin cease your base Solicitations for I cannot willingly grieve my loving Saviour If it be difficult to serve him I will steadily conflict with those difficulties If it will cost me the loss of all worldly Conveniencies I will gladly forsake all to adhere to him If it expose my Life I will let that goe rather than deny my loving Lord. Now that I have receiv'd the Blessed Jesus at his Supper and thou Lord art come to make thy abode with me I will study to give thee such kind Entertainment as may please thee and keep thee with me I will indeavour in my thoughts words and actions to set alwayes before thee what I think will be acceptable I will watch against every thing that is impure and would be offensive to thy holy sight I will often retire from the World to converse with thee Worldly cares and business shall not keep me from thy Company I have been praising thee O Lord in thy House and at thy Table but I have not praised thee enough And who can praise thee enough for what I there saw for what I there received Oh! how low are my Conceptions of thy Love how vastly below it are all my words I will try O Lord what my deeds can do in praising thee and every part of my Life shall endeavour thy honour Thus Lord I may and ought to resolve but my Practice depends entirely on thy Grace PETITIONS O Lord our kind and gracious Redeemer Thou art exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Remission of Sins I beseech thee O Lord as thou hast enabled me to repent and to confess the folly of my backsliding heart do thou graciously give me thy pardon Forgive me O Lord that I have been so false to former Vows and have so often contradicted my Covenants with thee O deal not with me as I deserve cast me not away from thy presence take not thy Holy Spirit from me I have been weakly striving against my sins and could not so far conquer them as I would And therefore Lord I came to thy Table to receive greater strength against them O let such a vertue come from thy Death at this Remembrance of it as may lay all my sins utterly dead and let the Influence of that power so remain as that they may never revive that I may never be hinder'd in my Duty by any sin easily besetting me that I may serve and please thee in all purity heavenly-mindedness integrity in Charity Humility and Contentedness in whatever condition it shall please thee to place me Enable me perfectly to overcome my Passions and keep them all subject to the Laws of thy Love. Let thy Love which is represented in this Sacrament so deeply affect me that I may delight to think and to speak of it and may endeavour as far as I can to imitate it Keep me mindful of my Vows make my Endeavours successful and my Obedience perfect and compleat in all things So possess me with the Love of thee my kind Redeemer as to make me ardently desirous of seeing thee face to face Refine me at length by that holy fire from all the dross of my Corruptions and to such a degree of holiness and purity that I may be fit to fly away from this World to the Habitation of thy Holiness and Glory Amen Hymn 24. DO I resolve an easie life With plenty stor'd and free from strife When my dear Lord thy days and nights Were past in poverty and fights Do I design a gentle Death Just singing out my aged Breath When my Love cruel tortures tore Thy dear Soul out all drown'd in gore Oh no our Christian Sacrifice Acting in a sweet disguise My Saviours Passion o're again Shall all such fond Conceits restrain This must keep lively in my mind How I ought still to be resign'd This humble pattern should destroy My sensual Grief and worldly Joy. Are Sufferings Ills No Goodness chose His and our way to Bliss through those Are Pleasures Goods No Wisdom scorn'd Their dalliance and has us forewarn'd This Lord this make my Song to be At least whene're I meet with thee Thee its glad ground so oft repeating As may prevent my Souls forgetting Jesu thus arm'd no terrours shall E're make my vertuous Courage fall No flatteries here my blest hopes drown Since thy sad Cross led to thy Crown O live for ever glorious Lord Live by all Heaven and Earth ador'd May both their joyful praises give They
the other World and soon returns again and brings us light And so dost thou dear Lord and more Thy very darkness is our light 'T is by thy death we are made to live and by thy wounds our sores are heal'd O my ador'd Redeemer who took'st upon thee all our miseries to impart to us thine own Felicities Can we remember thy Labours for us and not be convinc't of our Duty to thee Can our cold Hearts recount thy Sufferings and not be inflam'd with the Love that suffer'd Can we believe our Salvation cost thee so dear and live as if to be sav'd were not worth our pains Ingrateful we how do we slight the kindness of our God! how carelesly comply with his gracious designs For all his gifts he requires no other return than to hope still more and desire still greater Blessings For all his favours he seeks no other praise than our following his steps to arrive at his Glory PETITIONS O Glorious Jesu behold to thee we bow and humbly implore thy blessing in whom all fulness dwells Accomplish in us we pray those gracious purposes for which thou didst assume the humane Nature and suffer a painful and ignominious Death Teach us O Lord by thy Word and thy example the sole way to that Bliss for which we were created Give us an assur'd pardon of all our sins and the priviledge of becoming the Sons of God Possess us with the joyful hope of an eternal Life purchas'd for us by our Redeemer's Death O Almighty Redeemer destroy in us the works of the Devil Deliver us for none else can from the power of every sin Set us at liberty to run the wayes of thy Commandments thy Service is perfect freedom Give us the special Assistance of thy Grace that we may wean our Affections from all vain desires and clear our thoughts from all impertinent fancies that our lives may be intirely dedicated to thee and all the Faculties of our Souls to thy holy Service That our minds may continually study thy Knowledge and our Wills grow every day stronger in thy Love Our Memories may faithfully lay up thy Mercy and both Tongue and Heart be continually disposed and often employ'd to praise thee to praise thy incomparable Love which has done and suffer'd so much for lost Mankind O let the continual memory of thy bitter Passion and Death make us despise the Goods or Ills that we meet with here compar'd to the advancing our selves or others in the esteem of what we hope hereafter through the Sufferings and Merits of thee our Lord Jesus Christ Glory be to c. Amen For Friday Evening MEDITATION I. COme let us now call off our thoughts from ranging abroad where they but lose themselves Let us diligently examine the Accounts of our Time and summ up the profit we have made to day What have we gain'd by all we have seen or heard For nothing is so barren but it may yield some fruit had we the Art to cultivate it right and fitly apply it to our own advantage If we have spy'd some good Example which our gracious God has presented to instruct or quicken us did we immediately entertain the motion and resolve in our heart effectively to follow it If we have fallen among vicious Company which O! too often engages into folly did the danger encrease our care and the sin of others breed Vertue in us We have heard perhaps some melancholy news of sudden sicknesses or unexpected Deaths But did we fear to be surprized our selves and provide betimes for that day of Trial We meet with accidents enow to disparage this World but do we really feel it lose credit in our Hearts Does our esteem of the other grow strong and high and every one faithfully tell his own Soul 'T is not in this poor World thou must expect content It is not here you must hope to enjoy a perfect rest Order thy whole affairs with utmost skil and which is seldom seen let all thy designs succeed Still thou shalt find something to trouble thee and even thy pleasures will be tedious to thee Wheresoever thou goest still Crosses will follow thee because where-ever thou goest thou carriest thy self Who then my God is truely happy in this World or rather I should ask who comes the nearest to happiness He that with patience resolves to suffer whatever his endeavours are not able to avoid Happy yet more is he that delights to suffer and glories to be like his Crucify'd Saviour When thou art come to this my Soul that thy Crosses seem sweet for the love of Jesus think then thy self sublimely happy for surely thou hast found a Heaven upon Earth at least the best Heaven that this Earth can afford and take it as a pledge of a better to come MEDITATION II. MY Soul when thou art thus retir'd alone and fitly dispos'd for quiet thoughts never let the greatness of another molest thy Peace nor his prosperous condition make thee repine Say not in thy Heart had I that fair Estate or were I intrusted with so high a place I should know how to contrive things better and never commit such gross mistakes Tell me how dost thou manage thine own Employments and fit the little room thou holdest in the World If thou hast leisure art thou not idle and spendest thy precious time in unprofitable follies If thou art busie art thou not so too much and leavest no time to provide for thy Immortal Soul Do thy riches make thee more wise and generously assist the innocent poor Does thy poverty make thee humble and faithfully labour for thy little Family Dost thou in every state give thanks to Heaven and contentedly submit to its severest decrees Canst thou rejoicingly say to God O my ador'd Creatour I am glad my Lot is in thy Hands Thou art all Wisdom and seest my wants thou art all goodness and delightest to relieve me Under thy Providence I know I am safe whatever befalls me thou guidest to my advantage If thou wilt have me obscure and low thy blessed will not mine be done If thou wilt load my back with Crosses and imbitter my daies with Grief or Sickness still may thy Blessed Will O Lord be done still govern thy Creatures in thine own best way Place where-ever thou pleasest thy other favours but secure to my Soul a Portion in thy love Take what thou wilt of the things thou hast lent me but leave I beseech thee in my Heart the Possession of thy self Let others be preferr'd and me neglected let their affairs succeed and mine if thou pleasest miscarry Onely one thing I cannot chuse but desire and may my Gracious God vouchsafe to grant me that That thou cast me not away from thy presence for ever nor wipe my Name out of the book of Life But let my Eternal hopes remain and still grow quicker as they approach their end MEDITATION III. MY Thoughts run over the passages you have met to day or
Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall look on me whom they have pierced and mourn But O you holy Prophets what was the dismal cause that shed the blood of this spotless Lamb He had they quickly answer done no Iniquity neither was guile found in his mouth He was cut off from the land of the living For the transgression of the people was he stricken He hath poured out his soul to death and he was number'd with the Transgressors He bore the sins of many and made intercession for the Transgressours All we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our sins The chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed Thou wert for us O Lord obedient to the Death even the cursed Death of the Cross wherefore God also has highly exalted thee and given thee a name above every name Live glorious Jesu and reign for ever eternal King of Heaven and Earth may all thy Blessed above perpetually adore thee and all thy Servants here continually praise thee PETITIONS O Most blessed and adorable Jesu who ha st graciously vindicated our Nature from the Contempt and Tyranny of the Devil by taking it into a personal Union with thy Godhead I earnestly beseech thee deliver me in my person from the dominion of that my great adversary let not the Prince of Darkness rule in me as a Child of Disobedience Make me always a watchful Enemy against any thing that may debase my Nature which thou hast so much honoured To hate all sensual and devilish sins abstain from all appearance of evil and not willingly enslave my self to any base Lusts Make me Lord duly to adore thee as God who art Lord of Heaven and Earth and teach me to imitate thee in the excellent pattern thou hast set us of a holy harmless and beneficent Man. Thou did'st take upon thee O blessed Jesu our innocent Infirmities to bestow on us thy perfections to cure us of our guilty Infirmities Heal me then I pray thee O thou great Physician of Souls and as thou wert free from sin make me so O cleanse me from all unrighteousness Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Let every step thou took'st in the working of our Redemption which thy Servants have recorded in thy Life and Actions to be consider'd by us men be often and alwayes profitably consider'd by me Let each have some good influence upon my Heart and Life and by thy powerful Grace tend to the healing my sinfulness and the fitting me for eternal Happiness Heal me O Lord and advance me in Holiness by the Mystery of thy holy Incarnation instruct me by the meanness of thy humble Birth Heal and save me by the precious blood of thy Circumcision When thou took'st upon thee the sweet and ever blessed name of Jesus a name signifying thy kind design which was the saving thy people from their sins Strengthen my Faith in thee O Lord by thy wondrous Miracles confirm my Hope and inflame my Love by thy kind and meritorious Passion Help me by the joyes of thy victorious Resurrection and the Triumph of thy glorious Ascension So effectually rule me here O Lord that I may always obey thy Grace and do thou so favour me hereafter that I may enjoy thy Glory Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. LEt us be willing to learn of the Blessed Jesus and he will teach us his waies let us follow him who is the light of the world He that followeth him shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of Life The Law and its Types were given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Lift up thy Voice O Jerusalem and be not afraid say to the Cities of Judah Behold your God Behold the Lord your God is come with a strong hand his Reward is with him and his Work before him He is come to bring Redemption to all the world and Graciously offers it first to you his People But ye deny'd the Holy One and the Just and desir'd a Murtherer to be granted to you Heark with how sweet and elegant a Compassion thy kind Redeemer complains of thy ingratitude O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them that are sent unto Thee How often would I have gathered thy Children together as a Hen gathereth her brood under her wings and ye would not Heark with how tender and charitable a reproof thy Lord unwillingly withdraws from thee his favour O hadst thou known in this thy day the things that belong to thy Peace but now they are hid from thine Eyes Hearken once more and if his kindness cannot move thy Love he will try how his anger can work upon thy Fear Hearken then and tremble at those terrible threatnings with which thy Provident Lord forewarns thee of thy danger O Daughter of my People gird thee with Sackcloath and wallow thy self in Ashes make thee mourning as for an only Son most bitter Lamentation For the daies shall come upon thee when thy Enemies shall cast a Trench about thee they shall compass thee round and keep thee in on every side They shall lay thee even with the ground and thy Children in thee and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another Thy People shall fall by the edge of the Sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations They shall abide many daies without a King and without a Prince they shall mourn without Sacrifice or Altar And Jerusalem shall be troden down by the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled But O how long Lord Holy and Merciful how long Wilt thou be angry with them for ever Hast thou not said he that scatters Israel will gather them again and keep them as a Shepherd does his flock When thou wilt remember thy ancient Promises O Lord and resolve to save the remnant of thy once lov'd Israel When thou wilt take away the veil from before their Eyes that they may see thy Truth and embrace it Take away the hardness from their stony Hearts that they again may be thy People and thou again their God Then shall they lay aside the Garment of Mourning and put on the brightness which comes from Thee They shall celebrate the Jubilee of this their greatest deliverance and every one sing in that day of Joy Come let us ascend to the Mountain of our Lord to the house of the God of Jacob he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths As it was our wickedness to go astray from our God so now return'd let us seek him ten times more Too late have we believed on thee O thou ancient Truth too late have we lov'd thee O
creatures besides Make me to see emptiness and vanity in all things else to account that all is vanity of vanities but only the Love of God and enjoyment of him Let me when I find this world ordain'd by thee to breed and widen only and not fill my capacity let me make this use of all thy Creatures here to raise and heighten my desires of thy infinite self in thy Eternity O God be thou to me my God and my All and make me nothing in mine own eyes Be thou my whole everlasting delight and let nothing else be any thing to me but thy self so draw my heart to thee so engross I beseech thee all my affections as to famish all the helpless Idols of my soul which in my state of darkness and enmity to thee I have so fondly ador'd Pity Oh pity gracious Lord according to thy infinite compassion my miserable distance from thee Thy hands have made me and fashioned me thou hast made me capable to enjoy thee thou hast given a capacity too large to receive satisfaction from any thing but thy self Oh regard with favour the work of thy hands say to my soul thou art my salvation and say it so Lord as to make me hear thy powerful word can open the deaf ear And through my ear Lord reach my heart quicken my stupid soul put a new life into me so make me gladly follow thee that by following I may find thee and having found may never lose thy sight again never turn away my eyes from thee never grow estranged again nor lose thy blissful acquaintance Never let any thing but thy Eternal self be the prevailing ruling Joy of my heart Grant these requests or I am undone Grant these requests for the love of thy only Son our Mediator and Advocate Amen Hymn 4. LOrd who shall dwell above with thee There on thy holy Hill Who shall those glorious prospects see That Heaven with gladness fill Those happy souls who prize that life Above the bravest here Whose greatest hope whose eagerest strife Is once to settle there They use this world but value that That they supreamly love They travel through this present state But place their home above Lord who are they that thus chuse thee But those thou first didst chuse To whom thou gav'st thy grace most free Thy grace not to refuse We of our selves can nothing do But all on thee depend Thine is the work and wages too Thine both the way and end O make us still our work attend And wee 'l not doubt our pay We will not fear a blessed end If thou but guide our way Glory to Thee O Bounteous Lord Who giv'st to all things breath Glory to thee Eternal Word Who sav'st us by thy death Glory O Blessed Spirit to Thee Who fill'st our hearts with love Glory to all the Mystick three Who reign one God above Amen For Tuesday Morning MEDITATION I. FRom thee O Lord we derive our being and from the same Goodness our Continuance to be if thou but withdrawest thy hand for one single moment we instantly return to our first nothing Thou art without Cause or Maker as thou art without beginning and hast thy dependance upon none else we have but a derived being only borrow'd worth we have nothing which we have not received nothing but our Sins is entirely our own which we have reason to be asham'd of Should we presume at any time O Lord to divide thy Grace and proudly challenge any share to our selves thy mighty Truth stands up against us and our own infirmities may plainly confute us Shouldst thou severely examine our Hearts and ask who works all their actions in them surely we must needs bow down our hâ—â—ds and from our low Dust humbly say Nothing are we O Lord but what thou hast made us nothing have we but what thou hast given us Not unto us then O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be Glory When we have applied our utmost cares and us'd all the diligence that lies in our power what can we do but look up to thee and second all our endeavours with Prayers for thy Blessing And when we implore thy gracious Mercy what can we do but submit our hopes and expect the event from thy free goodness If thou denyest what we wish who can compell thy will or call in question thy Decrees Are we not all thy Creatures O Gracious God! and as helpless Children hanging at the Breast of thy Providence Are we not all as clay in thy hands to frame us into vessels of what use thou pleasest Behold we confess O Lord in thee we live in thee we move and have our being All our sufficiency proceeds from thee and all our success depends on thy favour Others may tell us the way that we should go but thou alone canst enable us to walk in it And they that tell us our way must be first taught it by thee And they must be moved by thee to act that Charity and so at last all is resolv'd into thee We know further O Lord and thou thy self hast taught us that unless thou defend the City the Guard watches it in vain We acknowledge and our own experience tells us that unless thou reach forth thy hand we are presently in danger of sinking Every moment of our day subsists by thee From all our Enemies thy Providence defends us and covers our Head in the day of danger Thou sendest in thy Grace to relieve our weakness and so disappointest the temptations that threaten to undo us O my Soul be thou ready to adore thy God that preserves thee Has he watcht over thee all this night for good has he renewed his mercies this morning does he bestow on thee all thy daies and the comforts they bring Then be asham'd to think much of spending one half hour in his service Hymn 5. COme let 's adore the Gracious hand That brought us to this light That gave his Angels strict Command To be our Guard this Night When we laid down our weary head And Sleep seal'd up our Eye They stood and watch't about our bed To let no harm come nigh Now we are up they still go on And guide us through the day They never leave their Charge alone Whate're besets our way And O my Soul how many snares Ly spread before our feet In all our joyes in all our cares Some danger still we meet Sometimes the Sin does us o'retake And on our weakness win Sometimes our selves our ruine make And we o'retake the sin O save us Lord from all those darts That seek our Souls to slay Save us from us and our false Hearts Lest we our selves betray Save us O Lord to thee we cry From whom all blessings Spring We on thy Grace alone rely Alone thy Glory sing Glory to thee Eternal Lord Thrice blessed three in one Thy Name at all times be ador'd Till time it self be done Amen MEDITATION II. THe Almighty Power
spirits who neglect this Means appointed to convey spiritual strength and to furnish them with the Spirit of Grace Such must needs have lamentable cause to bewail the weakness of their Graces and the slow progress of their Holiness Well may they contract very deep stains that do not often wash themselves with the blood of the Lamb. Well may they that begin in the Spirit soon after end in the Flesh who do not often here renew their resolutions and receive fresh strength to hold on their race Those were times of vigorous and sound piety when Christians had a strong appetite to this Spiriual Food This Appetite discover'd their health and by often eating they maintain'd it When they could hardly be contented a Day without receiving one of these blessed meals When they never came together to worship but they also broke this holy Bread Then they were patient under the hardest sufferings and then they abounded in every good work Then did the love of Jesus burn hot in their breasts and the light of it shined bright before men Then they had great charity towards all men and much peace one with another It is a sad sign and may be reckon'd a cause that the Spiritual life greatly languishes in our daies When the proper Food of it is little relisht by many and a great many more never desire it Our sad dayes are likely still to languish in devotion to be over-run with impiety and profaneness Still will the base love of the world abound amongst us every one minding his own things and none the things of Christ Christians will be enemies to one another and more barbarous and cruel than wild-beasts They will go on to bite and devour their own kind and to consume and destroy the Christian Church If we do not oftner commemorate the Love of our Lord and solemnly bind our selves to love one another MEDITATION III. Does our gracious Lord make a Feast of himself for us and invite us poor Sinners to sit down at his Table And should we not readily obey his call and go to the Feast he has so kindly prepared Behold our Lord himself is willing to meet us and to bring a Heaven with him to entertain us O leave the trifles of this world ye reasonable Souls and go to partake of his substantial Joyes Suspend the pursuit of transitory goods ye immortal Creatures and seek of Christ his eternal Treasures O how ungrateful Dear Lord to thee are all they that neglect this thy incomparable Provision The Eternal Fathers Love is slighted by them who gave his beloved Son to dye for us The Love of our kind Redeemer is not duly valu'd while we have no esteem or desire for the blessings he has purchas'd The sweet and saving Influences of the Holy Spirit are set at nought while we decline the proper means to enjoy them Is it not a most unspeakable ingratitude in mankind to trample under foot the Blood of the Son of God to despise that precious Blood which was shed for our sakes which was shed for the remission of our sins should we forget that painful Death he underwent to excuse us from suffering an eternal death It was the particular charge that great Love left when he was just a going to be sacrificed for us That we should devoutly celebrate this holy Supper and often do it in remembrance of him Are we not under great Obligation from his Love to do any difficult or dangerous thing for his sake and much more to comply with his dying will when it requires so easie and so pleasant a duty Did our Saviour drink Vinegar and eat Gall for us and shall we refuse at his command to take these pleasant dainties He drank off the bitter Cup which the Father gave him to purchase for us a Cup of blessing O how well would it become the whole world to say We will take the Cup of Salvation and praise the name of the Lord We will remember thy Love more than Wine dear Lord and never forget thy most useful Benefits We will show that we love thee as we ought to do by keeping this and the rest of thy Commands Had we but ingenuous Souls we should be extreamly glad that he who has done so much for us has told us what will please him This Feast is appointed by our Lord to shew forth his Death 'till he come For he will come again in Glory and with Power to Judge both the quick and the dead When he will render to every man according to his works and severely Punish all those that obey not the Gospel What must become of all those in that dreadful day that do constantly neglect an undoubted Precept Men pretend to fear the incurring of damnation by unworthy receiving but do not fear to deserve it by neglecting to receive his Supper But since we disobey and offend our Lord in both of these it should be our labour and care to prepare our selves and draw nigh PETITIONS O Most Gracious and Merciful God who hast in kindness sent thy Son into the world O let the same kindness effectually draw us and we will run after him for none of us can come unto him except the Father that has sent him draw them Alas Lord we know not our true Interest 'till thou do effectually reveal it we certainly refuse our own mercies if thou do not incline us to pursue them O send forth a mighty power of thy Spirit upon the world and convince men of sin because they believe not in Jesus let him convince men of their guilty state by nature and of their further guilt in not obeying the Gospel Bring them in multitudes to Jesus Christ by making them sensible that there is no other name but his by which they can be saved Teach us how necessary to make atonement for our sins the great Sacrifice of himself was which he offer'd upon the Cross and make us all earnestly concern'd to partake of that Sacrifice and therefore forward to use the appointed means of it Convince us that we are poor without the riches of his grace and naked without the robes of his righteousness and in want of all things necessary to Salvation 'till we are possest of an interest in him O make us come to Jesus Christ that we may have life that our forfeited right to eternal Life may be restor'd and that he by his Spirit may quicken us to a spiritual and divine Life who are by nature dead in trespasses and sins Quicken us O thou who wast dead and art alive for thou alone hast the words of eternal Life Make us discern and seek and relish divine and spiritual things capable of the pleasures of devotion and desirous above all things of Communion with thy self Make us in retir'd Devotion and publick Worship often seek to have Communion with the Father and the Son through the Spirit And Lord whenever we draw nigh to thee by coming carefully prepar'd to
thine Ordinances do thou graciously draw nigh to us and satisfie us with those good things thou hast to bestow make us joyful in thy house of Prayer and renew our strength while we wait upon thee Let every approach to thee in Worship conform us more to thy likeness and fit us more to see thy face in Heaven These things O Lord our God are desired as the purchases of our dear Saviours Blood to whom be Glory and Praise world without end Amen Hymn 10. COme Royal Sion come and sing Thy Soul 's kind Saviour thy hearts King Stretch all thy powers thy Song to raise And since this lofty Theam's above The best ambition of thy Love Call Heavens loud Quires to help thy Praise Sing how his Love from Heavens high throne To Earth's low footstool brought him down For thee a cursed death to dye Sing that when hence he did remove He lest a Legacy of Love His needful Presence to supply Lo here the Bread of Life this day 's Triumphant text provokes thy Praise The living and life-giving Bread See the heart-chearing precious Wine Which Great Love 's pierc't Heart did resign To the Great Twelve distributed Praise him who has thy Pastors bid Ever to do what he once did And thankfully his gifts receive Sing loud that to this bounteous Feast Each hungry Soul may be a guest And from his Death may Life derive The Heav'n-instructed House of Faith Here a mysterious dictate hath Himself to me my Saviour brings With graces which are all divine Under the veils of Bread and Wine Immortal cloath'd with mortal things Lo the life-food of Angels then Bow'd to the lowly mouths of men Lo the full final Sacrifice The ransom'd Isaac and his Ram The Manna and the Pascal Lamb As figures fixt on this their eyes Jesu to thee we sinners sue O Thou our Food and Shepherd too Grant in all good we may improve Still by thy self vouchsafe to keep As with thy self thou feed'st thy Sheep And from us Lord all ill remove Blest be that love which thus makes thee Mix with our low mortality O may it raise and set us up Coheirs with Saints that so all may Drink the same Wine and the same way Convicters all of thy full Cup. Amen For Fryday Morning MEDITATION I. MY God who can complain of doing too much if they consider the labours of the loving Jesus those painful labours that he freely undertook and the humble task he so mildly stoopt to When he might have flown on the wings of Cherubims he chose to walk with us Worms in the dust When he might have call'd for Manna from Heaven in the sweat of his brows he would eat his Bread When he might have made the Angels his foot-stool he rather became the servant of his Parents living with them in their little Cottage and readily obeying even their least Command There in that humble privacy he encreas'd in wisdom and grew in favour with God and man still by his pious candour gaining the love of those happy few that saw his life Happy they that saw thy life O glorious Jesu and heard with joy and wonder thy incomparable sayings that felt a gentle motion stir their hearts to love and imitate so blest a pattern O that the same sweet Spirit of grace might draw our minds dear Lord to thee O that we could my Soul in every passage of our life still actually reflect on the example of His His retirements were fill'd with holy Speculations and in the midst of business his mind was free for Heaven His Converse with others mispent no time but bestowed every moment in excellent Charity sometimes he was imployed to instruct the ignorant sometimes to inform aright those that were deceived He apply'd himself to comfort the afflicted and heal the diseased to convince the froward and absolve the penitent and perswade all the world to be truly happy It was meat and drink to him to do his Fathers will and it should be ours to perform his It was for our sakes that he made himself subject to the Law and to obtain for us an everlasting happiness he perfectly obey'd it Take up thy Cross my Soul and follow thy Lord for his yoke is sweet his burthen is light He humbled himself for us and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross to save us When we had sold our selves to sin and were all become the slaves of Satan our blessed Jesus descended from Heaven and brought a vast price to buy out our freedom The price was no less than his own dearest Blood which he plenteously shed on the ignominious Cross depositing so his inestimable life to rescue us sinners from eternal death Come let us adore our God that redeem'd us Hymn 11. COme let 's adore the King of Love And King of Sufferings too For Love it was that brought him down And set him here in woe Love drew him from his Paradise Where flowers that fade not grow And planted him in our poor dust Among us weeds below Here for a time this heavenly Plant Fairly grew up and thriv'd Diffus'd its sweetness all about And all in sweetness liv'd But envious frosts and furious storms So long so fiercely chide This tender Plant at last bow'd down Its bruised head and dy'd O narrow thoughts and narrower speech Here your defects confess The Life of God the death of Christ How faintly you express O Thou who from a Virgin-root Mad'st this fair flower to spring Help us to raise both heart and voice And with more spirit sing To Father Son and Holy Ghost One undivided Three All highest Praise all humblest Thanke Now and for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. MY God who can repine at suffering too much if they remember the afflictions of Jesus Those many afflictions He so patiently endur'd and bore with Silence all their weight Even from his humble Cradle in the City of Bethlehem to his bitter Cross on the Mount of Calvary How little do we read of glad and prosperous in his Life how much of pains and grief and perpetual affronts sometimes he was abandon'd by his nearest Friends and left alone among all his discomforts sometimes pursu'd by his fiercest enemies and made the common mark of all their spite sometimes they plot to insnare Him in his words and enviously slander his miraculous Deeds sometimes they tumultuously gather about him to gaze at and abuse a man of sorrows Sometimes they furiously seize on his Person and hale and drag him along the streets At last they all conspire to take away his life and condemn him to a sharp and cruel death Have you ever seen a harmless Lamb stand silent in the midst of ravenous Wolves so stood the Prince of Peace and Innocence besieg'd with a ring of savage Jews When they blasphemed Him he reply'd not again and when they injuriously struck him he only observ'd their rashness When they provok't him with their utmost Malice he
under the Banner of thee our Crucified Saviour that we may withstand the shock of all Temptations and conquer the Assaults of all our spiritual Enemies And make us watch as well as pray lest we enter into temptation that so we may be delivered from evil So guide and govern us dear Lord by thy great Wisdom and Love that nothing may be able to separate us from the love of thee our Glorious Redeemer who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen Hymn 12. AND now my Soul canst thou forget That thy whole life is one long debt Of love to him who on a Tree Paid back the Flesh he took for thee Lo how the Streams of precious Blood Flow from five wounds into one Flood With these he washes all thy stains And buys thy ease with his own pains Thy Cross dear Lord does clearly now That doubt of former Ages show It was this wood should make the Throne Fit for a more than Solomon Large Throne of Love royally spread With purple of too rich a red Strange costly price thus to make good It s own esteem with its Kings blood Jesu best plant of Paradise To thee our hopes lift up our eyes O may aloft thy branches shoot And fill the Nations with thy fruit O may all reap from thy increase The just more strength the Sinner peace While our half-withered hearts and we Engraft our selves and grow on thee Live O for ever live and reign Blest Lamb whom thine own love has slain And may thy lost sheep live to be True lovers of thy Cross and thee All Glory to the sacred Three One undivided Deity As it has been in Ages gone May now and ever still be done Amen For Saturday Morning MEDITATION I. A Wake all ye Powers of my Soul and come pay your homage to the Prince of our Salvation cast your unworthy selves at his sacred feet and renew your vows of following his steps He triumpht over death in his own body and will enable us to conquer it in ours He chang'd the corrupted government of the world and establisht a new and holy Law that as we were Vassals to sin before we might now become the free subjects of Grace Let us live and dye in his blest Obedience and let no temptation ever separate us from him who if we resist will make us overcome and when we have overcome will crown us with peace Come let us adore our victorious Redeemer Thou hast O Lord triumpht over all thy enemies and ours but we alas are yet conversing in the midst of our enemies Prostrate before Thee we will confess our misery To how many dangers is our life expos'd with how many tentations are we round besieged tentations in meat tentations in drink tentations in conversing tentations in solitude tentations in business tentations in leisure tentations in riches tentations in poverty all our wayes are strew'd with snares and even our Sences conspire against us Whither O my God shall our poor Souls go encompast with a body so frail and a world so corrupt Whither but to thee the justifier of sinners and to thy grace the sustainer of the weak Thy Grace instructs us what we ought to do and breeds in us the will to endeavour what we know Thy Grace inables us to perform our resolves and when all is done thy Grace must give success We that of our selves can do nothing may through Christ strengthning us be able to do all things and gain the sentence of approbation that shall be pronounc'd upon his steadfast followers Well done good and faithfull Servants enter you into your Masters Joy. Hymn 13. LOrd we again lift up our eyes And leave our sluggish beds But why we wake or why we rise Comes seldom in our heads Is it to sweat and toyl for wealth Or sport our time away That thou preserv'st us still in health And giv'st us this new day No no unskilful Soul not so Be not deceiv'd with toyes Thy Lords commands more wisely go And aim at higher joyes They bid us wake to seek new grace And some fresh vertue gain They call us up to mend our pace 'Till we the prize attain That glorious Prize for which all run Who wisely spend their breath Who when this weary life is done Are sure of rest in death Not such a rest as here we prove Disturb'd with cares and fears But endless joy and peace and love Unmixt with grief and tears Glory to Thee O bounteous Lord Who giv'st to all things breath Glory to Thee Eternal Word Who sav'st us by thy Death Glory O blessed Spirit to Thee Who fill'st our Souls with Love Glory to all the mystick Three Who reign one God above Amen MEDITATION II. LOrd with what admirable Wisdom dost thou govern the world and order the several conditions of Men thy wise Providence orders some to be poor and appoints them their task of innocent work Thy Providence is pleased to make others rich and give them leisure for their better improvements Thou hast made both poor and rich to be some way needful to one another that all may live in love and unity and apply themselves to mutual assistance Happy are they O Lord who have so much employment that there remains no room for idle thoughts Happy are they who have so little business that they want not space to attend their Souls Happy yet more are they who in the midst of their work can think sometimes of the wages above whom nothing diverts from that chief concern of seeking to make their Election sure But while their backs are bow'd down with labour they freely can raise up their minds to Heaven And while they are ty'd to their Beds with sickness can yet move on towards their Eternal rest Often they rejoyce with themselves alone and silently say in their contented hearts Here we alas are narrowly confin'd and our time entertain'd with trivial affairs But hereafter we expect an unbounded enlargement and the same glorious office with the blessed Angels Here we are subject to a thousand miseries and the most prosperous life is vain and short but hereafter we expect an infinity of Joy and the solid Pleasures of Heaven for ever We too my Soul let us Pray to be guided in the middle Path and take care that we decline to no vicious extream to avoid the stormy sea of too much business and the dead water of a slothful life lest we be cast away by forgetting God or become corrupted by neglecting our selves Sometimes at least recollect thy thoughts how much soever thy condition distracts thee In all thy works remember thy last end when thou must bid a long farewel to all this World Remember that dreadful Day of the Universal Judgment when thou must give an account for every idle word Remember the Joyes prepar'd for the Innocent and the miseries that attend the wicked Remember how nearly it concerns thee to
sit and grateful sense of thy Mercies that the people every where with one consent may confess and praise thee that one Generation may praise thy name to another and thankully talk of all thy wonderous Mercies O that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the Children of men O make our senses subject to our reason and our reason intirely obedient to Thee Make us alwaies in using thy Creatures to take their service as admonition and obligation to mind our Duty to thy self Teach thou us that all things in this world ought to praise Thee by the Tongues and Hearts of men whom thou hast not only made capable to know their goodness but hast also given leave to enjoy their usefulness O make the whole Creation conspire to thine Honour and all that depend on Thee join together in thy Praise Mercifully carry on the whole Creation to its end Order thy Creatures about us to attain their end in serving us and so order us that we may attain ours in glorifying and enjoying Thee Glory be to the Father c. For Monday Evening MEDITATION I. MY God in every thing I see thy hand in every passage thy wise and gracious Providence Thou wisely governest the House thou hast built and preventest with thy Mercies all our wants Thou callest us up early in the morning and givest us light by the beams of the Sun that we may every one labour in his proper work and so fill up the little place appointed for us in this World Doing that service to Thee and that good to Mankind which thou our great Lord and Master dost require And thou providest also a rest for our weary Evening and favourest our sleep with a shady darkness to refresh our bodies in the Peace of Night and save the waste of our decaying Spirits Again thou awakest our drowsie eyes and biddest us return to our daily task Thus has thy Wisdom mixed our Life and beauteously interwoven it with rest and work whose mutual change sweeten each other and both prepare us for our greatest duty That of finishing here the work of our Salvation to rest hereafter in thy Holy place In like manner thy wise Providence O Lord has appointed that after a little time of toil and trouble death should call thy Saints away to a state of rest Thou dost not we thank thee oblige us to conflict with the difficulties and evils of this Life till the day of retribution comes Thou soon callest us to a place where the wicked cease from troubling and our subtle adversary the Devil from tempting us Where our own appetites and passions shall strive no more against our Reason and Conscience Where our Innocence shall be no longer assaulted or endanger'd by the threatnings or allurements of this World Our Souls are enlarged to a spacious liberty being let out from this prison of the Body and go to dwell in the region of Spirits While our Bodies quietly rest in their silent grave till they rise again to Immortal Glory And thou hast design'd O Lord that they shall awake again from the sleep of Death and rise even from the bed of the Grave And then indeed there comes a Morning which shall never be succeeded by an Evening a waking time for the body after which it shall sleep no more It rises indeed to work again but that work never tires it any more that work is sweeter than the rest it leaves There needs no interruption of that work to sweeten it which is eternally pleasant and delightful MEDITATION II. LOrd how does thy bounty give us all things else with a large and open hand Our Fields at once are cover'd with Corn and our Trees bow under the weight of their Fruit. At once thou fillest our Magazines with plenty and sendest us whole showers of other blessings Only our time thou distillest by drops and never givest us two moments at once But takest away one while thou lendest another to teach us to prize so precious a Jewel That we may learn to value every hour and not childishly spend them upon trifles Much less maliciously murther whole daies in pursuing a course of Sin and Shame It was thy Mercy too O Gracious God to disperse by parcels our portion of time That the succeeding day may learn to grow wise and correct its faults by experience of the past Else if our being were all at once as it shall be in the next the Eternal Life our Sins would have here no power to be repented and then alas how desperate were we We who are born in the way to Misery and unless we change can never be happy We who so often wilfully go astray and unless we return must perish for ever Thou hast appointed our time O Soveraign Lord beyond which we cannot pass When thou takest away our breath we die we return to the dust and our place here shall know us again no more for ever Thou commandest the grave to dispense with none but indifferently to seize us all alike That all alike may provide for the fatal hour of death and none may be undone with mistaken hopes Thou tellest us plainly we must dye but kindly concealest the time and place that every where we may stand upon our guard and every moment expect thy coming MEDITATION III. WHy do we so much bemoan our selves and complain for the necessity of dying Seems it so hard a fate to tread the path which all our Ancestors have gone before us Adam the first of men and Abraham the Friend of God David the man after Gods own Heart and the Blessed Mary Virgin-Mother of our Lord. All these have paid their debt to Nature and subscribed to the Law of universal Mortality Yea Jesus Christ himself the Eternal Son of God expir'd on the Cross and went to his Glory through the Gates of Death And shall our fond self-love so blindly flatter us as to make us wish an exemption from this common fate Should we not be glad that a troublesome Life will have an end and rejoice to get out of danger into safety from a stormy Sea to a quiet Harbour This Life is so encombred with evils that we have reason to be thankful it will not last alwayes and rather to wish than complain that it may not last long If we die in Old age Death should be very welcome to us after a long and tedious voyage If in our Youth we die it prevents a thousand calamites a thousand dangers of ruining our Souls What need we be possest with fear at thinking how many kinds of Death there are we are sure there is but one for us Dying is an act to be done but once and if it be once well done we are happy for ever Our dayes perhaps are too few to grow rich in or to satisfie the ambition of a haughty Spirit But to be taught the Love of God and the Meek and Humble Life of Jesus requires
not so much the number of years as the faithful endeavours and prayers of a pious Mind Would we bestow on the improvement of our Souls the time we vainly trifle away our day would be short enough and not seem tedious and yet would be long enough to finish our appointed task And what O Glorious Lord is our business here but to trim our Lamps and await thy coming To sow the Immortal seed of Hope and expect to receive the happy encrease It is no matter how late the fruit be gather'd if still it go on in growing better No matter how soon it fall from the Tree if it be not blown down before 't is ripe PETITIONS O Thou most just but secret Providence who governest all things by the Counsel of thine own Will whose powerful hand can wound and heal lead down to the Grave and bring back again Behold to thee we bow our heads and freely submit our dearest concerns Strike as thou pleasest our Health our Lives we cannot be safer than at thy dispose Onely these few requests we humbly make which O! may thy Clemency vouchsafe to hear Cut us not off in the midst of our folly nor suffer us to expire impenitent and with our sins unpardon'd But make us Lord first ready for thy self and then take us to thy self in thine own fit time Thou dost frequently O Lord put us in mind of our own and the World's last end by burying every day in the dark silent Grave of Night Sweeten we humbly beseech thee and render familiar to our expectation those terrible Periods of time by our constant due use of night and sleep Grant that our yielding so often and so easily at the Summons of our drowsie humours to suspend a while the operations of the whole man may teach our Souls to reflect themselves into a more reasonable willingness when ever thou callest to leave our Bodies in the Bed of dust and pass into the state of their own perfect and ever-waking Activity and Bliss Do thou Lord in whose indulgent hands are both our Time and our Eternity whose Providence gives every minute of our Life and governs the fatal period of our Death make us every Evening still provide to pass with comfort that important hour Make us still balance our accounts for Heaven and strive to encrease our Treasure with thee That if we rise no more to our acquaintance here we may joyfully waken among thy blessed Angels there to unite our Hymns with theirs and joyn all together in one full Quire. Amen Hymn 18. NOw O my Soul the day is gone Which in the morn was thine It 's emptied Glass no more shall run It 's Sun no longer shine 'T is true alas the day is gone O were it onely so Is it not lost as well as done Cast up thy Counts and know Art thou got so much nearer Heaven As nearer to the Grave Has thy Hearts grief a fitness given Sin 's pardon to receive From what base Vice hast thou refrain'd To break the course of sin Or what new Vertue hast thou gain'd To make thee rich within Their time is well bestow'd on those Who well their time bestow Whose main concern still forward goes Whose hopes still riper grow Who when the warning Clocks proclaim Another hour is past Have the wise art to set their aim And thoughts upon their last This sad Life's last and happiest hour Which brings them to their home Where they shall sing and bless the power That made them thither come O my dear Lord of Life and Death The ever-living King Since thou dost give to all their breath May all thy Glory sing Glory and Honour Power and Praise To the mysterious Three As at the first beginning was May now and ever be Amen For Tuesday Morning MEDITATION I. BE thou eternally adored O God of our Salvation and may thy Praises be sung by thy Servants for ever When our first Parents had disobey'd thy Precepts to the ruine of themselves and their whole Posterity thy wondrous mercy did immediately provide a remedy Thou didst provide and promise a powerfull Redeemer Thou didst commit the helping us to him that is able to save to the uttermost A Redeemer that could conquer Sin and Death and crush the Serpents head who drew us into misery A Redeemer that could fully repair the breaches our sin had made and render our condition better than before That could satisfie for our sins by his Death and merit the Beginning and Perfection of happiness for us in our present Holiness and future Glory He can enlighten our eyes with a clearer view of those excellent Truths that belong to our peace can support our feeble Nature with a stronger Grace to carry us on safely through all Encounters till we arrive at the Land of Rest and be received for ever into the glorious Kingdom O Blessed Jesu our Strength our Guide who knowest and dost pity our weak Capacities and in thy tender care hast so contrived the way to our happiness that nothing can undoe us but our own perverseness nothing but the wilful love of Sin and Death How easie hast thou made the way to Heaven how light is the burthen thou lay'st on thy followers It is but to believe in thee the God of Truth but to love thee our greatest Benefactor but to desire earnestly the seeing thee that thou requirest and doing thus we are sure to possess an Eternity of Joy. Eternal Praises be given to the admirable wisdom of God who knows how to bring good out of evil Eternal praises to that infinite Goodness which graciously condescended to do this Let all the admiring World join together in this and say O the depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Goodness of God! How unsearchable are his Attributes and his wayes how much past finding out Man guiltily threw away the happiness his God had given him God takes occasion thence to give him greater He not only restores us to our first degree but makes even our fall rebound us to a greater height This is the Love of God the Father to Mankind This is the Love of Jesus the Christ this is the love of the eternal Spirit of Love. Hymn 19. LET others take their course And sing what name they please Let Wealth or Beauty be their Theam Such empty Sounds as these For me I 'l ne'r admire A lump of burnisht Clay Howe're it shines it is but dust And shall to dust decay Sweet Jesus is the Name My Song shall still adore Sweet Jesus is the Charming word That does my life restore When I am dead in grief Or which is worse in Sin I call on Jesus and he hears And I to live begin Wherefore at this bright Name Behold thus low I bow And thus again yet is all this Much less than what I owe. Down then down both my knees Still lower to the ground While with mine Eyes and Voice lift up Aloud these lines
Crucified Redeemer I cannot question the love of the Father to Mankind God the Father it appears did so love the world as that he gave his only begotten Son to dye for them God the Son I see is willing that many should be partakers in his Death since he has Instituted this Blessed Sacrament and Invites all men to it With Angels then and Archangels and all the glorious host of Heaven I Praise and admire the Love of God the Father and God the Son I Praise and adore the ever blessed Trinity for the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ And I come O Saviour to take and eat thy Body which was broken for me I come joyfully to drink that Cup which is the New Testament in thy Blood which Blood thou hast shed for the remission of the sins of many and invited all believing Souls to partake of I desire I long to partake of this my necessary Food I desire I long to receive these incomparable dainties As the Hart pants after the water-brooks so thirsteth my Soul after thee O Christ I will open my mouth wide O Lord for thy fullness can suffice my largest desires When O my Soul thou seest the Holy Bread broken and the Consecrated Wine apart from it say I remember thy sufferings O crucified Love and that bitter passion which ended in Death it self I call to mind how thy Blessed Body was scourg'd and bruised How thy Sacred Head was prick't with the sharp Thorns How thy Hands which had wrought many a kind Miracle were bored through and torn with great Nails How thy Feet which had carryed Thee about to do good were now by ungrateful men nail'd to the Cross How thy tender Heart was pierc't by the Souldiers Spear and at these wounds thy Blood and thy Life forsook Thee I must grieve and I must love O thou great Martyr of Love when I consider all this was undergone for me I must needs detest my self and abhor my Sins when I consider thou wast made a curse for me My numerous Sins increas'd thy heavy load my Sins were some of the procuring causes of thy bitter Death With a broken and contrite Heart I deeply lament my past transgressions and resolve that from henceforth every Sin shall be very odious to me I resolve to sight against it with all possible care and industry and will not allow any known Sin to be quiet in me When the Bread and Wine my Soul are by Christs Ministers given to thee say These kind Lord are thy Instruments of conveyance and they make over to me the Blessings of the New Covenant Welcome dear signs of my Saviours presence Welcome sure pledges of his love and of my Happiness Open ye everlasting doors of my Heart and let this King of Glory enter in Welcome dear Lord to my poor Soul and sit thou as sovereign of my Heart I shall be very happy under thy Dominion and very safe under thy protection My Beloved is mine and I am his I will live to my Love that dyed for me When the Bread and Wine are given to others in thy sight thou must look upon them as members of Jesus Christ Thou must look with love upon those whom he loves and resolve to practise all the kindness to them that thou canst Conclude the solemnity with hearty Joy and Thankfulness and say What shall I render unto the Lord for all his Benefits O matchless love of God to a poor Sinner O Love beyond Degree O Love that passes Knowledge I can never sufficiently show my self grateful Yet bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me praise his Holy Name Praise him who graciously forgiveth all thy Sins and justifies thee freely by his Grace Praise him who healeth all thy diseases Study to make as liberal returns to thy Lord as thou canst for thy Lord has dealt very bountifully with Thee PETITIONS O Lord thou art the great searcher of Hearts and thou know'st us altogether O assist my serious examinations of my self that I may overlook no secret Sin. Thou Lord know'st how to influence and turn our Hearts even as pleaseth thee O prepare my Heart according to thine own will to draw nigh to thee Breath O Divine Spirit upon my Soul and then the grateful odours of my Grace will flow forth O Lord I would with all due affections commemorate and receive my Saviour and I earnestly desire that every Grace may renew its strength Let every Grace O Lord be so improv'd as that I may bring forth more fruit in doing well and may more steadily resist the assaults of all temptation to evil Lord I believe help thou my unbelief and fill me with all Joy and Peace in believing Inflame my Heart with a more ardent Charity let my love be stronger than Death let me be rooted and grounded in love Make me to mind more the things above and despise the things below to be more patient in adversity and more humble and fruitful in prosperity To be strictly just and honest in a deceitful World and charitable to those that injure me and set themselves against me Increase in me the Love of all thy Commands and the hatred of every Sin. O God the Father our Creatour and Sovereign Lord regard I beseech Thee thy Son's death which we shall now commemorate before Thee remember how well he pleased thee in all things and when I am united to him regard me with favour too When I partake of his Sacrifice accept it as a propitiation for my Sins and pardon for his sake all my transgressions O Spotless Lamb of God once slain for us Sinners on the Cross have Mercy upon me O Christ hear me and be my powerful Advocate with the Heavenly Father Solicite by thy merits his Mercy for my poor Soul. Offer thy sacred Body before his Throne and turn away the wrath that my sins have deserved If thou wilt O Eternal Merciful God one God in three persons do all these kind things for me for the sake and merits of the Redeemer and out of thy great love to Souls then since I can never have given thee praises enow grant that I may ever live to praise Thee Glory be to the Father c. Amen For Thursday Evening MEDITATION I. HAst thou my Soul been Feasting at the Table of the Lord Has he given thee himself and his rich blessings What thou hast done signifies the renewal of that Covenant that was made in Baptism between the Lord and Thee Thou hast in coming to this Feast profest thy self a Christian and declar'd a resolution to live and dye so Thou hast pretended to account nothing so precious to thee as thy Saviour and that no other Lord but he shall have dominion over thee The Loving Jesus must now have full possession of thy Heart and thou maist not be govern'd by the love of this World. Thou hast bound thy self my Soul to be the Servant of Jesus Christ
and to observe the whole Religion of our Saviour To be taught by his Precepts and to follow his excellent Example Thou must not then learn the foolish Maxims of this world nor conform to the sinful practices of it But live as one redeem'd from a vain Conversation and engag'd to hate every wicked way Thou must hereafter challenge no right to have thy self at thine own disposal But deny thy self to please thy Master and take up thy Cross when he requires it When it would cost thee thy Estate or Life to own him and profess his Truth thou must cleave to him with full purpose of Heart and forsake all things as dross and dung for his sake Thou must endeavour to walk worthy of thy Heavenly calling and that thy Conversation be such as becomes the Gospel And therefore live not after the Flesh but after the Spirit and live Godly Righteously and Soberly in this present world Do good to them that hate thee and pray for them that despitefully use thee Forgive those that injure thee and live in Charity with all Mankind As thou hast opportunity it is required that thou do good to all men but especially to those of the houshold of Faith. The Law of thy Saviour requires that according to thy capacity thou do cloath these when they are naked and feed any of them when they are hungry direct them when they are wandering restore them when they are fallen quicken them when they are slothful fortifie them when they are tempted Bear with their acknowledg'd infirmities and encourage them in all their well-doing And the Lord having plentifully entertain'd thee at his Table does expect my Soul that thou shouldst encrease in strength He expects that thy knowledge of Divine things should be more clear thy Faith be stronger to resist Temptations That thou be more patient under the adversities of this Life and more ardent in thy desires after a better That thou be fruitful in Holy Thoughts and pious words fruitful in just and charitable deeds fruitful to thy self in thine own improvements and to others in thy good example If thou do not encrease in strength it is because thou art slothful in business Be diligent then in thy work and hold on thy way so shall thy exercise of Grace make thee grow stronger and stronger for to him that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance MEDITATION II. MY Soul thou didst dissemble with God in going to his Sacred Table if it was not in thy intention and purpose to love him and keep his Commands And if thou do not continue in that purpose afterwards and endeavour to put in practice thy resolutions thou despisest the obligations of his Love and art basely false to thy Covenant Every act of sin that thou commitest after thou hast been a partaker of thy Lords Supper is not only a neglect of thy Duty but the breach of a renewed Oath Canst thou find in thy heart to take the Cup of Salvation and not call upon the Name of the Lord if he delivers thee from Death and Hell thou art highly obliged to Worship him and reverence all his Institutions Wilt thou take an interest in Christ without giving him an interest in thee Is it not a very fitting act of Thanksgiving for this to offer and resign thy self to his disposal Is it not great shame that thou shouldst ever hereafter account any thing too much to part with or do for his sake when he loved not his own Life to the Death that he might ransome thee from eternal misery Thou hast renewed the remembrance of thy Saviour's dying Love received new Pledges of thy interest in it These things ought to tye thee faster in bonds of Love to him and spread the divine Love further in thy Soul 'till all thy faculties and powers be under the command of it and thy whole self as it were chang'd into Love. Such should thy Love be as never to forget how great things his Love has done for thee such as never to think of those great things without the most fervent and hearty adorations such as to make thee much delighted to think often of his Love and often to commemorate him at his Supper to make thee study what will please him and strive to do it in an universal Obedience to make thee desire that his Honour may be promoted in the World and his Kingdom enlarged to all the corners of the Earth Did our Saviour come into the World to destroy the works of the Devil and shall I help to carry on those works in the world by retaining and living in any sin This sure were highly to affront the great Redeemer and despise his kind undertaking To such there remains no other Offering for sin but they ought with fear to expect a terrible Judgment Wilt thou my Soul entertain and cherish that which has pierc'd the heart of thy Saviour O with what Indignation should we regard all sin even our most beloved sins when it was these that gave him his many Wounds these brought him to the Agony in the Garden these caused his secret Sufferings on the Cross which his Soul felt when he sadly cryed out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me All these things will condemn me if I regard any Iniquity in my heart Consider further my Soul what is worthy of them who are washt in the precious Blood of the Lamb. How very much ought they to love to whom much has been forgiven How should they love one another whom the Father so lov'd as to give them his Son Consider again how they ought to walk who are consign'd to immortal Blessedness How should they purifie themselves as God is pure and cast away all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit With what Contempt should they look upon all the Pomp and Glory of this World and pity those that fondly admire it and never envy any the enjoyment of it With what Moderation and Indifferency should they desire and enjoy these things They should never be proud of any enjoyments in this world nor be dejected with any wants In vain was our Saviour a man of Sorrows and acquainted with Griefs to purchase for us the Glories and Joyes of Heaven if the hopes of Glory are not worthy to delight us and make us rejoyce evermore Thou dost undervalue thy Saviours Purchase if the thoughts of Heaven do not enflame thy desires and account his Blood cheaply thrown away if thou think it not worth thy endeavours To answer then the obligations of thy Saviours Love thou must earnestly strive to fit thy self for Heaven thou must greatly desire to be there and cherish the hopes of it as thy chiefest Joyes and Consolations on Earth MEDITATION III. I Acknowledge O Blessed Son of God and Lord of Heaven and Earth that as I am thine by receiving my being from thee so I was early devoted to thee I was engaged in a Solemn Covenant by which I stand bound to
who can see we who believe Praise to the glorious Three in One Let Time ascribe till Time be done Then let the work continued be By an endless Eternity Amen For Friday Morning MEDITATION I. COme let us glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ in whom is our Life and Health and Resurrection Shall we rejoyce my Soul to day Shall we not rather mourn at the Funeral of our dear Redeemer Such O my Lord was the Excess of thy Goodness to derive joyes for us from thine own Sorrows Thou forbad'st thy followers to weep for thee and reserved'st to thy self alone the shame and grief Thou invitest all the World to glory in thy Cross and command'st us to delight in the memory of thy Passion Sing then all you dear-bought Nations of the Earth sing Hymns of Glory to the holy Jesus Sing every one who pretends to Felicity sing immortal praises to the God of our Salvation To him who for us endur'd so much scorn and patiently receiv'd so many Injuries To him who for us sweat drops of Blood and drank off the dreggs of his Father's wrath To the Eternal Lord of Heaven and Earth who for us was slain by the hands of the wicked who for us was led away as a Sheep to the slaughter and as a meek Lamb opened not his Mouth Whither O my God did thy Compassion carry thee how did thy Charity too far prevail with thee Was it not enough to become Man for us but thou must expose thy self to all our Miseries Was it not enough to labour all thy life but thou must suffer for us even the pains of Death No gracious Lord thy Mercy still observ'd some wants in our condition as yet unsupply'd Thou saw'st our too much fondness of Life needed thy parting with it to reconcile us to Death Thou saw'st our fear of Sufferings could no way be abated but by freely undergoing them in thine own person Thou saw'st our Souls so deeply stain'd with Guilt that without thy Blood we could have no Remission O Blessed Jesu whose Grace alone begins and perfects all our hopes How are we bound to praise thy Love how infinitely oblig'd to adore thy goodness At any rate thou would'st still go on to heal our weak and wounded Nature Even at the price of thine own dear Blood thou would'st accomplish for us the purchase of Heaven Hymn 25. TUne now your selves my Heart-strings high Let us alost our Voices raise That our loud Song may reach the Skie And there present to thee our Praise To thee Blest Jesu who cam'st down From those bright Sphears of Joy above To purchase us a dear-bought Crown And wooe our Souls to ' espouse thy Love. Long had the World in darkness sate 'Till thou and thy all-glorious Light Began to dawn from Heavens fair Gate And with thy Beams dispel their Night We too alas still there had stood As common Slaves in the same shade But Mercy came and with his Blood Our general Ransome freely paid Not all the Spite of all the Jews Nor Death it self could him remove Still he his blest design pursues And gives his Life to crown our Love. And now my Lord my God my all What shall I most in thee admire That power which made the World and shall The World again dissolve with fire Oh no thy strange Humility Thy Wounds thy Pains thy Cross thy Death These shall alone my wonder be My Health my Joy my Staff my Breath To thee Great God! to thee alone Three Persons in one Deity As former Ages still have done All Glory now and ever be Amen MEDITATION II. AWake my Soul and speedily prepare thy richest Sacrifice of humble Praise Awake and summon all thy thoughts to make haste and adore our great Redeemer To him let us reverently go and offer our devout hearts at his sacred Feet Thither let us fly from the Troubles of the World with him let us dwell among the Mercies of Heaven Under the shade of that happy Tree let us fix our abode A Tree of safe defence and delicious fruit Let us remember every passage of our Saviour's Love and desire that none may escape our thanks Let us compassionate every stroke of his Death and one by one salute his sacred Wounds Blest be the Hands that wrought so many Miracles and were bor'd with cruel Nails Blest be the Feet that so often travell'd for us and at last were unmercifully fastened to the Cross Blest be the Head which was crowned with Thorns the Head that so industriously studied our Happiness Blest be the Heart which was pierc'd with a Spear the Heart that so passionately lov'd our peace Blest be the entire person of our Crucifi'd Lord and may all our powers joyn in his praise In thy eternal praise O gracious Jesu and the ravishing thoughts of thy incomparable Sweetness O what excess of Kindness was this what strange extremity of Love and Pity The Lord is sold that the Slave may be free the innocent condemn'd that the guilty may be sav'd The Physician is sick that the Patient may be cur'd and he who was God dies that man may live Tell me my Soul when first thou hast well consider'd and lookt about among all we know tell me Who ever wisht us so much good Who ever lov'd us with so much tenderness What have our nearest Friends done for us or even our Parents in comparison of this Charity No less than the Son of God came down to redeem us no less than his own dear Life was the price he paid for us What can the favour of the whole World promise us compar'd to this miraculous Bounty No less than the joyes of Angels are become our hope no less than the Kingdom of Heaven is made our Inheritance MEDITATION III. TO thee O God we owe our selves for making us after thine own Image To thee O Lord we owe more than our selves for redeeming us with the Death of thine onely Son. Nor were our Ruines so soon repair'd as at first our Being was easily produc'd Thy Power to Create us said but one word and immediately we became a living Soul But thy Wisdom to Redeem us both spake much and wrought more and suffer'd most of all To redeem us he humbled himself to this low World and all the infirmities of our miserable Nature He patiently endur'd hunger and thirst and the malicious affronts of enraged Enemies How many times did he hazard his life to sustain with Courage the Truths of Heaven how many Tears did he tenderly weep in compassion of his blind ungrateful Country how many drops of Blood did he shed in the doleful Garden and on the bitter Cross the Cross where after three long hours of grief and shame and intolerable pains he meekly bow'd his fainting Head and in an Agony of Prayer yielded up the Ghost So sets the glorious Sun in a sad Cloud and leaves our Earth in darkness and disorder but goes to shine immediately in
rather forget such impertinent things What have we seen but distracting Vanities and what brought home but unprofitable Fancies How often have we felt our Minds disturb'd how often endanger'd by unhappy accidents Sometimes we frowardly throw our selves down and like sullen Children will not stand Sometimes the tempest throws us down and like weak Children we cannot stand Yet are we venturing still among the snares entic'd by the Appearance of some present delight We weary out our selves with running after flies which are hard to catch and trifles when they are caught This we pursue and follow that but nothing we meet can fill our Hearts till we have found out Thee O Gracious Lord our only full all-satisfying good Till we have found out Thee not by a dark belief but clearly as thou art in thine own bright self Remember O my Soul this truth of the World we live in which our own experience too evidently proves The Eye is not fill'd with seeing it's varieties nor the Ear with hearing all its harmony Remember also this Truth of the World we hope for which is made sure to our Faith by the Word of Christ The Eye has not seen such beauteous glories nor has the Ear ever heard such ravishing charms nor can the Heart it self conceive such incredible joyes as our God has provided for them that love him As our Blessed Jesus has purchas'd for his Servants and even for Thee my Soul if thou art one of them Then thou may'st in Peace lay down thy Head and rest secure in the protection of thy God Whose Mercy has so graciously singled thee out from among the race of guilty Mortals To give thee the Peace which passes all understanding and the hopes that are strongly establisht on himself PETITIONS O Infinitely mild and unexhaustible source of Mercy and Compassion have Mercy upon me poor miserable Sinner Have Mercy Lord and help me for I spend my daies in Vanity though I am continually hasting down to the Grave I do not improve as I might in Vertue by the occasions I meet with but they often make me guilty and improve in Vice. O Lord enter not into Judgment with thy poor Creature for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Lord make me judge my self lest I be condemn'd by Thee and frequently chastise my self lest I be punisht by thee Make me mortifie my senses with discreet austerities that I may reduce my Body into Subjection to my Mind and bring my Mind at length into a due Subjection to thee O Lord of thy great Mercy pardon my daily Sins and let thy Grace make even them occasions of improvement in Vertue Let thy Provident Mercy O God make every day a new Branch of Knowledge to me from whence the Evening may gather fresh variety of Fruits to nourish my Soul to an Eternal Life fruits that may strengthen me against those occasions by which I have been most frequently overcome that may render me steady in the wayes of Vertue Grant I beseech Thee that no experience of Good or Evil which this day has afforded may be lost upon me Make me more skilful by all to discern the true value and use of the present state in all its various postures wean me more from this world since thou hast made me for a better Make me more ready to offer up with our Saviour my whole Concerns and Being here to thy will and the sole advance of thy Glory that I may at length be Crown'd with bliss among the rest of thy resign'd and devoted Servants through Jesus Christ thy well-beloved Son. Amen Hymn 26. 'T is not for us and our proud Hearts O Mighty Lord to chuse our parts But act well what thou wisely giv'st 'T is not in our weak pow'r to make One step o' th' way we undertake Unless thou kindly us reliev'st What thou hast given thou canst take And when thou wilt new gifts canst make As all things flow from thee alone When thou didst give it it was thine When thou retook'st it 't was not mine 'T is fit thy will in all be done It might perhaps too pleasant prove Too much attractive of my love And so make less my love of thee Some things there are 〈◊〉 Scriptures say And reason proves that Heaven and they Can very seldom will agree Lord let me then sit calmly down And rest contented with my own That is with what thou here allow'st Keep thou my mind serene and free Often to think on Heaven and Thee And those great things thou there bestow'st There let me have my portion Lord There all my losses be restor'd And then no matter what falls here Is' t not enough that we shall sing And love for ever our blest King Whose glorious goodness brought us there Great God as thou art One may we With one another all agree All in thy thankful praise conspire May Men and Angels joyn and sing Eternal Hymns to Thee their King And make up one Adoring Quire. Amen For Saturday Morning MEDITATION I. IF we rejoyced for our selves in the Sufferings of our Lord let us now rejoyce for him that his Sufferings are ended Now that the Fowlers Net is broken and the meek and innocent Dove escap'd Now that the Cup of bitterness is past away and never possible to return again Never again O dearest Jesu shall those blest Eyes weep nor thy holy Soul be sorrowful unto Death Never shall thy precious Life be subject any more to the bloody Malice of ambitious Hypocrites Never shall thy Innocence any more be expos'd to the barbarous fury of an ingrateful multitude But thou shalt live and reign for ever and all created Nature shall perpetually adore thee O happy end of well endur'd Afflictions O blessed Fruits that spring from the Cross of Jesus Look up my Soul and see thy Crucified Lord sit gloriously enthron'd at the right hand of his Father Behold the ragged Purple now turn'd into a Robe of light and the scornful Reed into a royal Scepter The wreath of Thorns is grown into a sparkling Diadem and all his Scars polisht into brightness His Tears are all now chang'd into Joy and the Laughter of his Persecutors into sad Despair Herod long since perisht in miserable conntempt and Pilate still trembles with everlasting fears the impenitent Jews are scatter'd over the World to attest his Truth and their own obdurate blindness But himself is crown'd with eternal Triumphs and the Souls he redeems shall sing his Victories for ever Live glorious King of Men and Angels live happy Conquerour of Sin and Death Our Praises shall alwayes attend thy Sufferings and our Patience endeavour to bear our own Through fiercest dangers our Faith shall follow thee and nothing wrest from us our hope at last to see thee We will fear no more the sting of Death nor be frighted at the darkness of the Grave since thou hast chang'd our Grave into a Bed of rest and made Death it self but a
passage into Life We will love no more the Pleasures of Vanity nor set our hearts on unsatisfying riches since thou hast opened Paradise again and Purchas'd for us the Kingdom of Heaven Hymn 27. MY God to Thee our selves we owe And to thy Bounty all we have Behold to thee our Praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave If we are happy in a Friend That very Friend 't is thou bestow'st His power his will to help our end Is just so much as thou allow'st If we enjoy a free Estate Our only Title is from thee Thou mad'st our lot to bear that rate Which else an empty blank would be If we have Health that well-tun'd ground That gives the Musick to the rest It is by thee our Air is sound Our Food secur'd our Physick blest If we have hope one day to view The Glories of thy blissful Face Each drop of that refreshing Dew Must fall from Heaven and thy free grace Thus then to thee our Praises bow And humbly thy acceptance crave Since 't is to thee our selves we owe And to thy bounty all we have Glory to Thee great God alone Three Persons in one Deity As it has been in Ages gone May now and still for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. BLessed be thy Name O holy Jesu and blessed be the mercy of thy Providence Who hast cast our lot in these times of Grace and design'd our birth in the dayes of light when we may clearly see our ready way and directly go on to our glorious end 'Till thou appearedst O thou only Light of the World our miserable Earth lay cover'd with darkness 'Till thou wentest away O thou Sovereign Lord of Life the Kingdom of Heaven was close shut up When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of Death thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all Believers Thou didst communicate thy Joyes to all the World and display the bright glories of thy happy Kingdom to all that esteem'd so blest a sight and stood prepar'd to entertain thy coming As for the rest whose eyes are shut or turn'd away by their own malice thy Presence yields them no more Joy than light to those that will not see But the hearts that receive and love thee thou fillest with gladness and overflowest them with an ocean of heavenly delights Come ye happy believing Souls that are made partakers of the mercies of his Kingdom Come let us now raise up our thoughts and continually Meditate our future Beatitude Let us comfort our selves with the hope of rest and our Sufferings with the expectance of a glorious reward Now that the hand of our gracious Lord has unlockt the gates of everlasting Bliss Now that they stand wide open to admit such as diligently strive to enter in Such as have wisely made choice of Heaven for the only end and business of their life rejecting all the false allurements of this World to attend the pursuit of true felicity MEDITATION III. PRaise our Lord O you children of Men Praise him as the Anthor of all your hopes Praise our Lord O you blessed of Heaven Praise him as the Finisher of all your Joyes Sing O you reverend Patriarchs and holy Prophets Sing Hymns of Glory to the great Messias Sing and Rejoyce all you ancient Saints who have so long enjoy'd the happy repose of Abraham's bosom Bring forth your best and purest Incense and humbly offer it at the Throne of the Lamb The Lamb that was slain from the beginning of the World by the sprinkling of whose Blood you all were saved O still sing on the Praises of the King of Peace and bless for ever his victorious Mercy It was he dissolv'd the power of darkness and broke asunder the strong bars of Death He has conquer'd Death and him that had the power of it even the Devil that his faithful Followers might triumph over both How did your glad eyes sparkle with Joy to see the Ascension of your humbled Redeemer How were your Spirits transported with delight to behold the splendours of his glorious Exaltation to have his Presence among you his blissful Presence that can turn even the saddest night into a chearful day that can change a Dungeon into a house of Mirth and make every place a joyful Paradice O glorious Presence when shall our Souls be fill'd with strong and constant desires of enjoying Thee O sluggish Soul how canst thou contentedly hover about this Earth when the loving Jesus is Ascended above the Skies with longing hopes look up thither and say When dearest Jesu shall my desires be fill'd with the everlasting fruition of thy blessed self Henceforth for thee and for thy Sacred Love O thou great and only Comfort of our Souls shall all Afflictions be welcome to me as wholsome Physick to correct my Follies shall the Pleasures of the World be very cautiously used as dangerous Fruit that may fill me with Diseases Will I by thy example neither fear to Dye nor refuse the labours of this present Life But while I live I will obey thy Grace that when I dye I may enjoy thy Glory PETITIONS O Blessed Jesu our only hope our all-sufficient strength and the liberal Rewarder of all thy Servants As thou hast freely prepared for us ready wages so Lord let thy Grace inable us to work Let thy Grace excite to diligence in our work and make us steady and persevering in the way thou lovest Make us direct our whole Life to thee O Fullness of Bliss and undervalue all things compar'd with thy Love. O Seal up our Eyes to the Illusions of this World and open them upwards to thy solid Joyes there let them fix their pleased sight and look 'till we be transformed into thy glorious likeness That when our present earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved and this House of Clay shall fall down into the dust we may ascend to thee and dwell above in that Building not made with hands eternal in the Heavens O Jesu thou didst expire on the Cross and descend into the Grave to destroy the life of Sin in us and the fears of Death Grant then I beseech thee that these may never revive in me to tempt or affright me from the wayes of Holiness Fix in me O Lord the firm belief of this very sure and important Truth That the greatest mischiefs which our Salvation can cost us here are but momentary and shall work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Through thy abundant Merits O dear Redeemer Glory be to c. Amen For Saturday Evening MEDITATION I. TOO often are we troubled about many things when the truely necessary is only one Retire O my Soul into thine own bosom and search what thou aim'st at in all thy thoughts Examine where thou dost place thy chief Felicity and whither tend thy strongest desires Go to the Great and Prudent of the World and learn of them to choose thy Interests Do they not there encrease their Estates where they
Tribes of the Earth be blessed in him Hast thou not said thy self O glorious Jesu If I be lifted up I will draw all men after me Hast thou not given thy Disciples express Commission to go into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature When wilt thou again O infinite Charity choose out burning and shining Lights and send them forth over all the World and send them not alone lest they faint by the way or miscarry in the end If thou wilt go with them thy self and guide them by thy Grace and crown their Labours with thy powerful Blessing Oh then what mighty works would be done by them Then shall the humble Vallies be rais'd up and the stubborn Mountains be brought low So shall the crooked paths be made direct and the rough wayes smooth and plain So shall the Glory of God be every where reveal'd and all Flesh shall joyfully see it together the light of the knowledge of the Glory of God in the bright face of Jesus Christ Happy the times when this shall come to pass happy the eyes that shall see these times Come glorious days wherein that Sun shall shine which enlightens all at once both the Hemisphears PETITIONS REmember O God the Father God of everlasting Truth thy dear Engagements to the Son Remember O God the Son who art the Author and Finisher of our Faith thy gracious Promises to the World. Come holy Jesu in a plentiful effusion of thy Spirit upon us and make that glorious day of Gospel light which we greatly desire and thy Promises give us leave to expect Come and in the largest sence maintain thy Title and be effectively the Saviour of the universal World. Visit O Lord thine own House first and throughly redress what thou findest amiss Make our Lives holy as thou hast made our Faith and let all that name thy Name depart from Iniquity O thou who art the Author of Peace and lover of Concord who did'st so often repeat the Command that thy Disciples should love one another Inspire we beseech thee thy whole Church with a Spirit of Truth Unity and Concord Bring thou into the way of Truth all such as have erred and are deceived Convince us all that the wrath and fury of Man worketh not the Righteousness of God and hasten the time when there shall be no hurting nor destroying in all thy holy Mountain Kindle O Lord in the hearts of Kings and the great Ones of the World an heroick Spirit to advance thy Glory Inflame the hearts of Prelates and the Priests of thy Church with a generous Zeal for the Conversion of Souls Convince them all it is the End and Duty of their places to endeavour the improving of Mankind in vertue and Religion and direct them to the use of such just and gentle means as are suitable to the End and agreeable to thy Word Send forth thy saving light O Lord into the dark corners of the World and bring them from the power of Satan into the Kingdom of God. Remember thy great Love which thou hast shown and the Mercies which seem yet promised to the Jews Let every people bow their Knees to thy great Name Oh blessed Jesu and all Tongues confess thy Greatness Make all to receive thy Truth in the love of it and mix it with Faith that it may become an engrafted Word able to save their Souls These things we crave for the honour of our Advocate and onely Mediator Jesus the Christ Amen Hymn 30. JEsu whose Grace directs thy Priests To keep alive by solemn Feasts The memory of thy great Love O may we here so pass thy days That they at last our Souls may raise To that long Feast with thee above To that long day of sacred Rest Whereon our happy Souls shall feast On thy celestial Joyes and thee Our Bodies too thy Love shall raise Thy self to see and sing thy praise In a blest Immortality Jesu behold three Kings from far Led to thy Cradle by a Star Bring gifts to thee their greater King O guide us by thy Light that we May find thy lov'd Face and to thee Our selves may for thy Tribute bring O thou the pure and spotless Lamb Who to the Temple humbly came Appointed legal Rites to pay Make our proud Heart and stubborn Will Thine and thy Churche's Law fulfill Whate're relucting Natures say Jesu who on the fatal Wood Pourd'st forth thy life's last drop of Blood For us nail'd to a shamefull Cross O! may we bless thy Love and be Ready dear Lord to bear for thee All present grief or pain or loss Dear Lord who by thine own Love slain By thine own Powe'r took'st Life again And from the Sepulcher did'st rise O may thy Death our Spir'its revive And at our Death a new Life give A lasting Life that never dies Jesu who to thy Heaven again Returnd'st in Triumph there to reign Of Men and Angels mighty King O may our parting Souls take flight Up to that Land of Joy and Light And there with Angels ever sing All Glory to the Sacred Three One undivided Deity All honour blessing power and praise O may thy blessed Name shine bright Crown'd with those Beams of beauteous light It s own eternal glorious Rays Amen FOR THE FEASTS OF THE HOLY GHOST For the Morning MEDITATION I. LOrd we are forced to admire the sweet and natural conduct with which thy Providence governs the Children of men Leading them on from one degree to another 'till thou hast brought them up to their highest perfection Thou puttest them to learn in the School of Virtue and disposest their Capacities into several forms In the first Ages when the World was young thou gavest them for their guide the Book of Nature there thy divine Assistance helpt them to read some few plain Lessons of their Duty to thee They saw this admirable frame of Creatures and as far as these could argue they could conclude Sure there is a God the cause of all things certainly there is a Providence that disposes of all things He must be very powerful that made so vast a World and exceeding wise that contriv'd such excellent works He must be goodness it self that did all this for us and we ingrateful Wretches if we will do nothing for him Thus far some few could say and very few could do with those slender Assistances which they then enjoy'd Afterward thou gavest thy People a written Rule which train'd them up in a set form of Discipline which grew and spread into a publick Religion and which was uniformly profest by a whole Nation They had some weak conceit of the Kingdom of Heaven and some imperfect means to bring them thither But for those high supernatural Mysteries that so gloriously exalt the Christian Faith they all alas were blind or in the dark and dangerously exposed to the effects of their own Ignorance wanting those clear Instructious to know their end and those powerful Motives to love
wicked Deliver us from those vain deceitful courses in which many make an eternal shipwrack of their Souls Bless us O Lord with a happy Death that our Souls may depart in peace and go up to dwell among thy Saints and Angels Bless us with a holy Life and then our Death cannot but be happy Grant these things O Lord for the sake of our Redeemer Jesus Christ Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the Beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. LOrd what a lukewarm Life is this of ours compar'd to the zeal and fervour of some of thy primitive Saints Often and long many of them fasted to chastize their Bodies and bring them under the command of Reason On all their senses they set a constant guard to let nothing in that might disturb their peace Part of the night they would watch when most of the day they had labour'd and both night and day continually pray'd All things about them went on in perfect measure just fit for their pious purpose and no more Their Cloaths their Food their Sleep their Recreation all taught to serve the improvement of their mind their mind the only aim of all their cares the only scope of all their severities that disengag'd from the embroilments of this World they might quietly consider the Felicities of the other That they might daily grow more enamour'd of their Lord and more enflam'd with his divine perfections till at last dissolv'd in those holy fires they melted away with longings to enjoy him Sharp to themselves they were but sweet to others obliging all the World with their candid Charity Whatever any wanted they gladly supply'd and gave away at once sometimes both fruit and tree They studied not how to raise their Families here but to entail on their Posterity the example of their Vertues It was not their Plot to leave a fair Estate behind them but to benefit the World by their useful Labours To instruct the ignorant and confirm the weak to comfort the sorrowful and protect the helpless innocent This was their constant work this their belov'd design to promote with their utmost strength the happiness of all Lord what a little 't is our frowardness endures compar'd to the heroick patience of some former Saints when they were revil'd they reviled not again when spitefully scorn'd they meekly held their peace when they were curst they blest their Enemies when barbarously oppress'd they pray'd for their Persecutors They serv'd their Lord in hunger and thirst and all the incommodities of an impoverish'd life Often they were threatned and they stood the danger often entic'd and they repell'd the flattery Prisons and Chains they willingly accepted Tortures and Racks they chearfully embrac'd even Death it self they undauntedly encountred Death furiously arm'd with every shape of Terrour All this they endur'd and a great deal more of which unmindfull we keep no remembrance All this they endur'd and under all rejoyc'd that they were counted worthy to suffer for Jesus O generous Souls you conquer'd Heaven it self and entred by force those everlasting Gates You would not sit down in the lowest Forms but still press'd on to new degrees of perfection and while you carefully wrought out your own Salvation you endeavour'd the Salvation of others Excellent Copies of our great Masters Original Life which he drew himself in Holiness and Righteousness and Goodness My Soul do thou endeavour also to be a follower of Christ as thou hast the Saints for an example MEDITATION II. LIttle we know O Lord is the good we do little the ill we suffer with patience But what alas should we have done or suffer'd had not thy Grace assisted us and given us such excellent examples thy provident hand has helpt us by hanging out those Lamps bright as Stars to shine before us But more by thine own appearing O Sun of Righteousness to light and warm us with thy cherishing beams Our Faith had been dark our Charity cold and the flower of our hope had languisht away Now we are sure the way to Heaven is passable since it has been trod by so many Passengers And all of them men cloath'd in flesh and blood like us and weakned with the same imperfect nature Now we are sure the Promises of God are true confirm'd by as many Witnesses as there are Saints in Paradise Who by their own experience are fully convinced and with joy acknowledge that they are so And by ravishing sweets they perpetually tast are perpetually excited to adore and sing Faithful is our Lord in all his words and overflowingly bounteous in all his Gifts While we liv'd we receiv'd the hundred fold and now we are translated to an infinity of Bliss What he freely promis'd he has fully perform'd what he engag'd to give us he has abundantly paid He told us of treasures and golden crowns but the joyes we find are incomparably greater Joyes of a far more high and noble race which neither we can express nor you below conceive 'T is enough for us that we feel them in our Breast 't is enough for you as yet that ye see them in your Faith. Even our lesser happinesses infinitely surpass the greatest pleasures of your dull world O how agreeable is the Company we enjoy how delightful the meeting of our old acquaintance with whom we have pray'd and wept and suffer'd with whom we spake of this day and of this place With whom we now can safely sing free from the scorn and malice of our Enemies Blessed for ever be the goodness of our God that has brought us hither to his own Palace This is not like our Cottages of clay nor the loathsom Prisons where we lay in Fetters This chearful melody is not like our old complaints nor the threatning words of our Stern Oppressours The Scene is chang'd and for our world of Miseries behold we enjoy a Paradise of endless felicities Here we shall live and ever live here we shall praise our God and ever praise him Thus sings the Church triumphant and thus shall we if we practise diligently the Lessons they have taught us If we inure our selves to the same blest notes on Earth and live in tune with our holy Songs We shall hereafter be admitted to their Quires and sing as long and as loud as they MEDITATION III. TAke courage now my Soul and chase away thy Doubts far more are with us than against us The Almighty God is on our side and all his hosts of ministring Spirits Our great Creator looks on to excite us our gracious Redeemer comes down to instruct us The Blessed Spirit is within us to confirm our Hearts and the whole Trinity ready to crown our Victories Whom shall we then fear when we are thus safely guarded who can resist so invincible a strength None but our own corrupted nature dare contend and the unlucky accidents that
Praises to the God of our Salvation He is our full and all-sufficient Redeemer he has perfectly finisht what he graciously undertook for all our Trespasses he has made satisfaction for all our forfeitures he has paid the ransome We by our Disobedience were banisht from Paradise and he has received us into his own Kingdom He has set up a Kingdom of Grace on Earth to prepare us for his Kingdom of Glory We wandred up and down in the wilderness of Errour and he has guided us into the wayes of Truth We were by nature Children of wrath and he has mediated our Peace with his offended Father We were become the Slaves of sin and he has bought our Freedom with his own Blood We were in bondage to the dominion of Satan and he has overcome and confin'd his Power We were in danger of sinking into Hell and he has sav'd us from that bottomless Pit The gates of Heaven were shut against us and he went up himself and opened them to all Believers dissolving for ever the terrours of Death and rendring it now but a passage into Life O dearest Lord who mad'st us first of nothing and restor'dst us again when we had undone our selves Who wouldst at any rate redeem us from Misery at any rate procure our Felicity How came we wretches to be so consider'd How came we Sinners to obtain such Favour that from thy Throne of Glory where Seraphims ador'd thee thou should'st descend on our Earth where Slaves would affront thee That thou should'st lead a Life of poverty and labour and in perfect Innocence dye a Death of shame and sorrow That thou should'st do all this for such contemptible worms as we without the least concern or benefit to thy self only to raise us up from our humble dust and set us to shine amongst thy glorious Angels O infinite Goodness the bounteous Authour of all our hopes What shall we say to thy excessive Charity O gracious Lord and mighty deliverer from all our fears What shall we render for thy unspeakable Mercies We cannot chuse but search over all we have but we can find nothing to return but what thou hast given us We will therefore use the gifts thou hast bestowed on us according to thy direction and give the Praise to Thee of what we do well All the Glory of our Salvation we will ascribe to thee and to thee alone as the great cause who hast begun alone as and wilt at length finish it By thee we will alwayes say we do good and not lean to our own understandings by thee we will expect our Reward and never rely upon our own Merits Hymn 35. SWeet Jesu why why dost thou love Such worthless things as we Why is thy Heart still towards us Who seldom think on thee Thy Bounty gives us all we have And we thy Gifts abuse Thy bounty gives us ev'n thy self And we thy self refuse My Soul and why why do we love Such worthless things as these These that withdraw us from our Lord And his pure Eyes displease Break off and be no more a Child To run and sweat and cry While all this stir this huge concern Is only for a Fly Some silly Fly that 's hard to catch And nothing when 't is caught Such are the toyes thou striv'st for here Not worth a serious thought Break off and raise thy manly Eye Up to those Joyes above Behold all those thy Lord prepares To wooe and crown thy Love. Alas Dear Lord I cannot love Unless thou draw my Heart Thou who thus kindly mak'st me know O make me do my part Still do thou love me O my Lord That I may still love Thee Still make me love thee O my God! That thou may'st still love me Thus may my God and my poor Soul Still one another love Till I depart from this low World To ' enjoy my God above To thee Great God to thee alone One Coeternal three All Pow'r and Praise all Joy and Bliss Now and for ever be Amen MEDITATION II. PRoceed my Soul to celebrate the Praises of thy Lord go on with fresh attention to remember the Mercies of thy God whose Wisdom has contriv'd to save Mankind by so compendious a method as may be exprest in one short word He saw the only cause of all our ruin was our Love misplac'd on this present World He saw the only remedy of all our Misery was to fix our Love on the World to come This therefore was his great intent and in this concentred all his Merits to possess us with Love the end of Faith and greatest of divine graces to change the byass of our wrong-set hearts by establishing among us new motives of Charity such as might strongly incline our Affections and efficaciously draw us to Love our true Good such as might gain by degrees upon all Mankind and render Salvation easie and universal For this he came down from his Fathers Bosom to teach us the rules of Eternal Life that we might firmly believe those Sacred Truths which God himself with his own mouth has told us For this he Converst so long on our Earth to encourage and provoke us by his own example that we might confidently embrace those unquestionable Virtues which God himself in his own Person had practised For this he endur'd so sharp and many Afflictions and became at last obedient to the Death that we might patiently suffer whatever should befall us when God himself was so treated by his Creatures For this he so often Preacht of the Joyes of Heaven and set them before us in so clear a light that seeing so rich a Prize hang at the end of our Race we might run and strive with our utmost force to obtain it For this he ordain'd all the means of Grace and left us the Sacraments of his Body and Blood that he might breed and nourish in us the Life of Charity and ravish our Hearts with the sweetness of his Presence For this he establisht a perpetual Church and sent the Holy Ghost to Inspire and govern it that it might be maintain'd through all Ages in Truth and Sanctity and plant the same heavenly Seed over all the World For this he assum'd those strange endearing Names of Friend and Brother and Spouse to us Wretches doing far more for us O wondrous Love than all those Names import than all our hearts can wish Blessed O Glorious Jesu be the Wisdom of thy Mercy that has found so sweet and short a way to save us Thou art O Lord the cause of all our Love and Love the cause of all our Happiness By Love we fulfil all thy Commands and in keeping thy Commands there is great reward By Love we are reconcil'd from Enemies to Friends by Holy Love we are translated from Death to Life by Love we are deliver'd from the fear of Hell by Love we are the regenerated Heirs of Heaven by Love we are dispos'd for that blissful Vision by Love we are
secur'd of the enjoyment of our God who by the sole perfection of his own free Goodness can never deny himself to those that love him else would their very loving him be a cause of great misery since the misery of a Soul is the want of what it loves Indeed he that is possest with love is so far already a partaker of a divine nature for thou hast told us O Lord that God is Love and he that dwelleth in Love dwelleth in God and God in him He then that loves must needs be proportionably happy too for so much as he has of God so much he possesses of his true good Thus Lord Jesus whatever thy holy books do record of thee in expressions suited to our low capacities Whatever they say of thy restoring all things and repairing again the ruines of Mankind All is exactly verified with this one line which our thankful Hearts should repeat with joy Heaven is attain'd by Love alone and Love alone by thee MEDITATION III. STill my Soul let us repeat a few Lines more to the praise of him whose Mercies are no fewer than infinite Of him whose pity took us by the hand and kindly led us into his own light Of thee O Blessed Jesu our Lord our God who alone art the source of all our Happiness The World till thou camest sate wrapt in darkness and few discern'd so much as a shadow of thee They follow'd the Appetites of Sense and Humour and plac'd their felicity in being prosperous here Little considering the Life to come and less the joyes that entertain that Life This was alas their miserable State and which was worse than this they had no power to help it How could they believe what they never heard of or love what they never believed How could they desire what they never lov'd or be glad to receive what they never desir'd It was thou O Lord didst first teach us our true end the blissful Vision of the Eternal Deity It was thou didst first teach us the true means to attain that end by a hearty love and desire to attain it O the blest change which thy hand has wrought the happy improvements which thy coming has produc't Now every Woman and illiterate Man can discourse familiarly of the highest Truths The Creation of the World and the fall of Adam the Incarnation of God and Redemption of Man the mystery of the Trinity and Miracle of the Resurrection the day of Judgment and State of Eternity All these we know but it was thou O Lord who taught'st us and by thy holy Church first spread them over the World. Now thou hast opened our Eyes we plainly see what unassisted nature could never have reacht We see the framing right of our Affections here is both cause and measure of our Happiness hereafter If we supreamly esteem the goods of the future life we shall find them there and be happy If we love Heaven with our whole Soul and press on strongly with all our force we shall enter its Glories with a strange surprizing delight and possess them for ever in a perpetual extasie We see our Souls are made to know and perfect themselves by the worthiest objects We see their Nature is free and unconfin'd and nothing can fill them but that which is infinite All other knowledges enlarge our faculties and breed new desire to know still more which if unsatisfi'd we yet are miserable since none can be happy who want their desire Only the sight of God fills us to the brim and infinitely overflows our utmost capacities It fills and overflows all the powers of our Souls with joy and wonder and inconceivable sweetness O blest and glorious sight when will the happy day appear and open to my Soul that beauteous prospect When dearest Lord shall I fee thee face to face when shall I heartily at least desire to see Thee Thou art my full and high felicity and only and alone sufficient for me PETITIONS O Most Gracious and adorable Jesu who so lovedst this sinful World as to die for us we cannot think thou wilt deny us any thing that we humbly ask of thee according to thy will. Those that believing come unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast out Let me then obtain I beseech thee these important favours and whatever else thou seest conducing to my Happiness Teach me I pray effectually that this low world can never make me happy that I must set my affections on things above Make me seek therefore in the first place the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof to love with my whole affections the enjoyment of God since nothing but love can qualifie me for that enjoyment and nothing without that enjoyment can ever render me happy O my God make me ardently love thee that I may eagerly desire thee and eagerly desire thee that I may with joyful transport enjoy thee Make me O Blessed Jesu so meditate on thy infinite Mercies that my whole Soul may be fill'd with the memory of thy love that the frequent remembrance of it may diffuse a vigorous love of thee into all my powers let the mark and badge which they all bear be the love of Jesus Let every step of thy love dear Lord in redeeming lost Mankind confirm my Soul in Love and Duty fortifie me thereby against all Persecution and discouragement and so effectually draw me into thine own Kingdom of Glory by thy Holy Life and precious Death and glorious Resurrection Make me to persevere in thy obedience to the end that I may die in thy favour and rise again to rejoice with thee for ever Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest one God World without end Glory be to c. Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. REtire now my Soul from thy common thoughts that are permitted to entertain thy less serious hours Retire and call thy wandering Fancies home and speedily range them in peace and order that thou may'st be so prepar'd to hear thy Lord who invites thee among the rest to taste his sweetness The Prince of Love and Bounty sayes Come to me all you that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and you shall find rest to your Souls For my yoke is easie and my burthen is light Enough dear Lord enough is said to draw all the World to thy holy Discipline What can be offer'd so agreeable to our Natures too much alas inclin'd to pleasure and profit What can be offer'd so powerfully attractive as to make our work delightfull and then reward it As to propose an Employment like the Musick of Churches devout sweet and gainful to the Performers Whither O my God should we go but unto thee Thou alone hast the words of eternal Life Thou art our wise Instructor to know what to do and our onely Enabler to do what we know Thou
away And into Joy turns all our Grief Come thou bright Sun shoot home thy darts Pierce to the Center of our Hearts And make our living Faith love thee Without thy Grace without thy Light Our strength is weakness our day night And we can neither move nor see Lord wash our sinful stains away Water from Heaven our barren Clay Our many mortal Bruises heal To thy sweet Yoke our stiff Necks bow Warm with thy fire our Hearts of Snow And soon our wandring feet repeal O grant thy Faithful dearest Lord Whose only hope is thy sure Word The saving gifts of thy good Spirit Grant us in Life t' obey thy Grace Grant us at Death to see thy Face And Heave'ns Eternal Joyes inherit All Glory to the Sacred Three One ever-living Deity All Power ascribe and Bliss and Praise As at the first when time begun May the same Homage still be done While time does last when time decayes Amen MEDITATION II. HOw glorious O Lord is thy Grace over all the World How admirable are the influences of thy Spirit They who through dulness so slowly understood the often repeated Lessons of their divine Master now when the Spirit descended upon them did with the first swift glance see through all and no mystery could pose nor errour deceive them They who through fear forsook their Lord and fled away from the danger of being his now do rejoice in suffering for his Name and neither Life nor Death can forbid them to confess him They who knew only their Mother tongue and that no better than as simple Fishermen now speak to every Nation in their several language and with their powerful Eloquence ravish their Hearts They who after our Saviours resurrection shut fast the doors for fear of the Jews now in the open Streets and publick Synagogues confidently proclaim the Name of Jesus These were new bottles sill'd with new Wine wine that made them quite forget their former selves Wine that exalted them into a generous Spirit of despising all things for the love of Jesus Wine that in the midst of Racks and Prisons made them often break forth into that sweet extasie no joy like the pain of suffering for Jesus no Life like the death endur'd for his Love. O were there now such tongues of fire to kindle in the world those divine flames O were there now such Hearts in the world to receive the holy sparks that fall from Heaven The Apostle Peter preach't but one Sermon and immediately there were converted to Thee three thousand Souls he preach't again and wrought but one Miracle and five thousand more were added to the Church Thus every day they encreas'd in number and which was better their number encreas'd in Vertue They were all inebriated with the same heavenly Wine and all fill'd with the same Heroick Spirit They sold all they had and brought the price and laid it down at the Apostles feet they liv'd in an Innocent community and call'd nothing their own even in their will and understanding they were all united Every one had enough and that is to be rich none had too much and that is to be free free from the cares that perplex the wealthy free from the temptations that wait on superfluity Hadst thou been there my Soul to have seen the flaming ardour of those first converts it would have made thee utterly asham'd of all sloath and coldness You may easily suppose you might have heard them saying such passionate words as these from a mixture of grief and love Ah dearest Lord why were we not so happy as to be converted by thee while thou livedst amongst us Why not to entertain Salvation when thou broughtest it to our homes and didst preferre our little Nation before all the World Unhappy we in our neglect and perverseness which were the causes of our insidelity We lookt on thy many kind miracles O Lord and did not see them Before our Eyes thou didst give sight to the Blind and our Souls were dark with Sin and prejudice Thou didst cleanse the Leprous and heal all manner of Diseases thou didst raise the Dead and cast out Devils with a Word Yet we alas how many of us blasphem'd thy Name how many conspir'd with thy Bloody Crucifiers We cryed out among the tumultuous rabble Away with him away with him crucifie him crucifie him for we knew thee not then to be the Lord of Glory Blessed be thy holy Spirit who has opened our Eyes and made us see through the veil that eclips'd thy lustre Now we believe thee the Messias we expected now we acknowledge thee the King of Israel MEDITATION III. PRoceed my Soul a little further to meditate on the mighty works of the Holy Spirit and with their greatness admire his power and with their goodness his bounty and Love. When Lord thou didst descend into our wretched World then was that Word of thy faithful Prophet fulfill'd The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid the Calf and the Young Lion and the Fatling shall be together and even a little Child shall lead them They who in the day of our Saviours Passion fiercely persecuted him like Lions and Wolves thou didst easily convert many of them into innocent Sheep and join them with the rest of his harmless Flock Those that were covetous as Wolves thy powerful Grace made them liberal those that were fierce and proud as Lions it made humble and meek Those that had been intemperate as Swine were made sober and they that were lustful as Goats became chast They were all join'd together in the bonds of pure Charity and submitted to the government of the meek and poor Apostles Then was the worship of God not a burden but a delight not a diversion but a business to the ardent love thou didst inspire The Disciples continued daily in the Apostles Doctrine humbly attending to their saving instructions Daily they broke the holy Bread and celebrated the appointed Supper of our Lord inflaming thereby their love to him and confirming their holy Faith and resolutions Daily they assembled to unite their Prayers being fill'd with the Spirit of Grace and Supplications Thus they obey'd thy dictates and thus they encreas'd in the measure of thy Gifts and the strength of thy Graces Such were the fervours of those happy times and Oh how Happy were our times had we those fervours too But our times alas are become miserable by Schisms and heresies and the darkness that covers a great part of the World Ours are become miserable by the defect of Charity and by the scandalous examples of too many Christians Many are scandalous in the Principles which they profess to the disparagement of our Lord's instructions and many others in their vicious Conversations which disparage his wise and pure Precepts Too many alas there are of these yet the Gates of Hell can never prevail against the Power of God Still the same Spirit visits the World and
to adore thee the kind Saviour of us all who with the Father and the Spirit art one God blessed for ever Glory be to c. Amen For the Evening MEDITATION I. ALL things do live to thee O Lord thou sole preserver of universal nature the blessed Saints rejoice in thy glory and our imperfect Souls are here sustain'd in hope We know that thou wilt bring us to the Grave which is the house appointed for all the living and from thence thou wilt raise us again to an universal Judgment and then dispose of us to our Eternal Portion O happy they whom our Lord shall honour on that day of his solemn triumph and rising from his seat of Judgment go gloriously before them and with these sweet and gracious words invite them to follow him Come you blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World. The reward of your labours I will give you I my self will be your reward you have firmly believ'd you have readily obey'd you have constantly suffer'd Come enter now into your Masters joy They that are careful my Soul to dye the death of the righteous will with them be thus caress'd at the day of judgement Now thou hast pass'd another day another step towards thy long home thou hast seen the Sun a few hours more and this day is gone and lost in its own night But hast thou lost it too and made no use of it while it shin'd then let the dew of thy penitent tears for shame lament its departure Thou art nearer thy death but no more prepar'd for it if thou hast made no advance towards perfection Examine thy self to know the truth and ask thy self these useful Questions Am I grown devout as the Saints of God were Am I chaste temperate and resign'd as they yet Do I despise now the World with a Zeal like theirs and value Heaven at the same high rate with them Would I give all I have just now to be there And part with Life it self just now to go thither Has the consideration of their blissful reward brought me to a full resolution to aim at the highest imitation of them At least have I learnt to humble my self and check the vanity of my proud conceits To mourn and blush at my own many Infirmities when I consider their excellent Lives and Vertues If thou canst not equal my Soul such glorious patterns yet let it be thy hearts desire to do it and what they really did do thou really wish to do MEDITATION II. LET us humble our selves we that are yet in this low state but not grow faint at the sight of others so far before us Rather let us quicken our sloth by considering their swift pace and encourage our fears with their happy success We who profess the Religion of all these Saints who liv'd and dy'd Members of the same Church with us We who partake of the same holy Sacraments and eat the same celestial Food who may partake of the same holy and powerful Spirit if we diligently seek and readily receive him Why should we fear but that one day we may shine above and rejoyce together with the glorified Saints Are we not all redeem'd by the same rich price and the same eternal Crowns propos'd to us all Are we not bred in the same Apostolick Faith and taught of God by his appointed Ministers The Lessons I see and Teacher is the same but the hand is dull and the Instrument out of tune They liv'd in a dangerous World like this and were ty'd to Bodies frail as ours But by a constant vigilance they overcame the World and subdu'd those Bodies to the service of their Minds They overcame with a joyful Heart and we thus congratulate the Triumph of their victories They overcame but not by their own strong hand and now they triumph but 't is by the bounty of their God. Chear then thy self my Soul and raise thy Head and open thy bosom to the hopes of Heaven Fear not our God has a blessing too for us if we have a love and obedience for him If we delight in the wayes of Piety and diligently attend the Offices of Devotion If we refrain from the liberties of the World and curb the loose suggestions of the Flesh If we can look on Gold and Honour and their flaming beams not dazle our Eyes if we perform with them the part of faithful Servants we shall surely with them have the portion of Children MEDITATION III. PRecious in thy sight O Lord is the death of thy Saints which finishes thy greatest Work the perfecting of Souls whom thou esteemest as the Jewels of Heaven and choicely gatherest into thine own Treasury Precious to themselves O Lord is the death of thy Saints which takes off the dusky cover that hides their brightness which shapes and polishes them to a beauteous lustre and sets them as Stars round about thy Throne Precious O Lord to us is the death of thy Saints from whence we are furnisht with such means of Vertue Some teach us courage to encounter dangers and not for fear make shipwrack of our Conscience Others by their Example instruct us to converse with meekness and patiently bear neglects and injuries From some we may learn how to use this world wisely and make it serve us in our way to the next From others we may learn how more generously to despise it and pass our dayes in Peace and Prayer By all with thy blessing we may learn this best of arts to live and dye like Saints and do this in the best of methods thy glorious Example O gracious Lord whose Love still looks about and searches every way to save us sinners who camest thy self bright Sun of Glory to enlighten our darkness and warm our frozen Hearts Who with thy fruitful Beams still kindlest others to burn as Tapers in thy Church's hand and by their near proportionate distance stand fit to shine into every corner of our lives We will ever bless thy Name for all these Mercies and take care to pass by not one with Ingratitude We will not consider in vain the Crown at the Race's end and sit down lazily in the shades of ease nor keep in vain the memory of thy Saints without endeavouring to imitate them which would be to the reproach of our unprofitable lives We will strain all our Powers and pursue to the mark for the glorious prize that is set before us Still with our utmost speed we will follow them whose travel ended in so sweet a rest PETITIONS O God of infinite adorable Goodness who after thy faithful Servants had spent their day of life in a course of steady and laborious Piety and Vertue did'st graciously close their Evening with a comfortable death and give them instead of this an eternal day of Glory O grant to us below we beseech thee so to imitate thy Saints in the wise bestowing our allotted time on our Earth that we may follow them in their happy passage out of this World and be admitted with them to thy everlasting Glories in the other When our Life's last day O Lord begins to fall and bids us hasten to prepare for night then send thy willing Angels to watch about us and suffer not the Enemy to disturb our passage Send them to receive in peace our departing Souls and to bear them safely to thy presence Then O thou dear Redeemer of the World and sovereign King of Life and Death thou who despisest not the Tears of the Penitent nor turnest away from the sighs of the Afflicted Thou who preservest all that rely on thee and fulfillest their desires that long to be with thee Do thou hear our cries and pardon our sins and graciously deliver us from all our fears Call us to thy self with thine own blest Voice Call us O dearest Jesu in thine own sweet words Say Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World. Then will our happy Souls immediately obey and go forth with gladness to meet their Lord and Love to live with him and behold his Glory and partake of his Happiness and sing his Praise These things O Lord we humbly expect from the merit of thy humble Death and the power of thy glorious Exaltation O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World have mercy upon us have mercy upon us and grant us thy eternal peace Amen Hymn 40. TOO hasty night forbear our Praise And our yet young beginning Hope Set to encrease on these blest dayes So faint and dull requires more scope Night will not hear but sullen flies And summons all the World to sleep Commands us close our Books and Eyes What we have gain'd content to keep O happy Saints this broken rate Our slowness bids to ply its wings While your unwearied active state Does alwaies wake and alwaies sings Yet eve'n our state your School too was And those your now unweary'd Laies By such a change of sing and pause Here among us you learn'd to raise Here you thus often too took breath And yet have climb'd those hills of light O may your good success bequeath A Hope to reach that glorious height Though now our Notes be short and few Our rests too frequent are and long If we but keep in tune with you We shall at last sing your glad Song If with our utmost humble powers We here our daily Praye'rs attend These poor Devotions shall like yours There in a nightless fervour end Glory O Lord to thee alone Be here below as there above O may thy joyes Great Three in One Ever attract and Crown our Love. Amen FINIS ERRATA These few mistakes of the Press the Courteous Reader is desir'd to Pardon and Correct PAge 6. line 7. for talk read task p. 17. l. 20. f. beautified r. beatified p. 28. l. â—8 f. seel r. feel p. 72. r. Hymn 7. p. 96 f. Son r. Sun. p. 204. l. 6. f. potion r. portion p. 282. last l. r. thus acting p. 302. first l. of the Hymn r. ' T is not for us p. 319. l. 7. f. adventures r. adventurers p. 358. r. H. 31. p. 442 443. 445 446. at the top f. Even r. Morn p. 452. l. 17. f. fire r. flame