Thirdly Those who plead Conscience for their separation and set up distinct Communions of their own Secondly Those who profess to live in Communion with the Church of England and yet are too notoriously guilty of some great miscarriages in Publick Worship Such as these 1st The forsaking the Communion of their Parish Churches without just cause for it Secondly Irreverence in Worship 2dly The neglect of a due attendance on the Publick Prayers of the Church Fourthly The neglect of the Publick Administration of Baptism Fifthly That they neglect or refuse to submit their Children and Servants to publick instructions Sixthly That eithr never receive the Lord's Supper or very rarely The very naming of these things says he must needs convince all Men who have any Sense of Religion how seasonable this Discourse is for there was never any Age wherein there was more need of it And since Religion has so great an Influence upon the government of Mens Lives the neglect or miscarriage of Publick Worship does not only tend to Corrupt Mens manners but has a very ill Aspect upon publick Affairs which you may read in P. 17 18. And so for entire satisfaction in all these particulars I refer you to the excellent Book it self Proceeding to recount some few more scand lous Offenders herein as those who dishonour God defame and injure their Neighbour and defile and ruin their own Souls Bodies and Estates by the commission of such heinous Transgressions as these viz. Blasphemy Perjury common swearing and Cursing propharation of the Lords Day disobedience to Parents either Natural Civil Ecclesiastical or Oeconomical Murder Envy Revenge Malice or any manner of uncharitableness Fornication Adultery Theft Lying Deceit covetousness Oppression Injustice Luxury Pride Drunkenness and any intemperance c. Now here we may observe that there are no Vices or sins more positively and expresly forbidden and condemn'd than these both in all natural and reveal'd Religion in all the Morals of the Ancient Heathens throughout the Old and New Testamen and in our Ecclesiastical Civil and Common Laws particularly ever since Kings and Queens have become Nursing Fathers and Nursing Mothers to our Church have interwoven her in the Security and Priviledges of the State or Common-wealth and thus freed her from the burning fury and violence of Persecutions insomuch that thus now it becomes the more indispensible duty of all that are in Authority truly and indifferently to minister Justice to the punishment of all such wickedness and vice and to the maintenance of God's true Religion and Vertue which if neglected nothing can be more satal to a sinful Nation since nothing can more daringly provoke Heavens vengeance upon it And now too may we not justly conclude that those persons who will break through all these Sanctions bid defiance to all the dictates of right reason and the sacred injunctions both of God and Man by continuing in those notorious impieties presumptuously or desperately in despight of Justice are the greatest Enemies in the World not only to their own Souls and private concerns but to their Neighbourhood round them and to the publick good of any Church and State As on the other side the truest and best Friends to all are the Godly Righteous and sober persons for may we not find innumerable instances hereof both in reading and observation how God Almighty has recall'd his angry Rod upon the Prayers and Tears of the Righteous or Penitent and has destroy'd whole Cities People and Kingdoms yea and once a whole World for the persisting obstinate wickedness of them that dwelt therein allowing the Just the salvation of their own Souls only And now Lastly to refer the prosecution of these Remarks and exhortations to the Conclusion and to proceed to our Meditation May we not all easily apprehend this chief cause of that stiff-necked and general Iniquity which overspreads our Land viz. The want of consideration of divine Thought or Meditation which renders us rash head-strong and precipitate and even meer unthinking and irrational Animals not but that we are some way reasonable and thoughtful but in that we fix our Minds upon wrong Objects upon meer earthly things and place our treasure and hearts here below madly suffering our selves to be deluded by empty Charms fatal Nothings the fading and transitory Wealth Honour Pleasure and Vanities of this Sublunary World and all the while neglecting the more solid Joys and Raptures of an Immaterial Soul the true Exertion of her Faculties and Powers the right use of that soaring Reason and improvement of that divine Image stampt upon us in our Creation which alone ennobles our Natures and distinguishes us from the Beasts that perish and which alone can render us amiable in the sight of our Heavenly Father and consequently make us truly happy both here and hereafter Oh! this therefore let us all learn and experience in divine Meditation beginning it with the great fundamental Duty of Repentance a Duty always necessary and incumbent upon the best of us since none can pretend to be so Just or Holy as to need no repentance Hereto then I beg your diligent attention Most heartily praying for the Illuminations and Aids of the Holy Ghost to make the words of our Mouth and the Meditations of our Heart always acceptable to God and beneficial to his Church New Prayers AND MEDITATIONS FOR Fast Days c. AWake up my Soul and consider whence thou art What is thy business here and whither thou must go The Entrance Consider whose Image thou bearest after whose likeness and by whom wast thou Created And call to mind what Laws and Commands thine Almighty Father hath imprinted upon and reveal'd unto thee and then remember thy frequent and innumerable Transgressions with the folly and danger thereof Add to this some thoughts of thy great Creators infinite Wisdom Holiness Goodness Justice Mercy how wonderfully hath he contriv'd for thy Felicity With what amazing Condescension hath himself wrought thy Redemption and how he daily calls upon thee for a reasonable and blessed performance of thine own Engagements And now he thus invites thee upon the most gracious terms to fly into the Arms of his Eternal Love And yet how sloathful and backwards thou art How blind and deformed dost thou make thy self And how rebellious loathsome and ungrateful dost thou prove Oh think then what will be the fatal consequences of this stupidity and madness See the roaring Lyon ready to devour thee behold Death the Wages of sin coming to arrest thee and look down upon the Bottomless Gulph of Hell gaping for thee and thus think how thou canst escape their dreadful Jews How thou canst avoid their Terror Sting and endless Tortures but by speedily hearkning to thy Lords merciful Voice immediately turning from thy evil Ways presently bewailing thy Fall and Misery lamenting in dust and ashes and thus exercising timely and unfeigned Repentance Awake then quickly thou drowsie polluted Soul rouse up thy corrupted understanding and
Tribulation in all time of our Wealth in the Hour of Death and in the Day of Judgment O God who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers that we cannot always stand upright grant to us such strength and protection as may support us in all dangers and carry us through all Temptations And O God who art the Author of Peace and Lover of Concord give unto us thy humble Servants that peace which the World cannot give O deliver us from te fear of all our Enemies both Spiritual and Temporal that we pass our time in rest and quietness and lighten our darkness we be beseech thee O Lord and by thy great Mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this Night and now and evermore be pleased O Lord to save us and all Mankind in all dangers Ghostly and Bodily and to keep us from all Sin and Wickedness and from our Ghostly Enemy and from everlasting Death And particularly we pray thee O blessed Lord whose Mercy is over all thy Works to have Mercy upon all Men and grant that the Pretious Ransom which was paid by thy Son for all may be effectual to the saving of all Give thy inlightning Grace to those that are in Darkness and thy Converting Grace to those that are in Sin Look with thy tenderest Compassions upon the Universal Church O be favourable and gracious unto Sion build thou the Walls of Jerusalem unite all those that profess thy Name to thee by purity and holiness and to each other by Brotherly Love O blessed Lord how long shall Christendom continue the vilest part of the World a Sink of all those Abominable Pollutions which even Barbarians detest O let not our profession and our Practice be always at so wide a distance Let not the Disciples of the Holy and Immaculate Jesus be of all others the most prophane and Impure Let not the Subjects of the Prince of Peace be of all others the most contentious and bloody but make us Christians in Deed as well as in Name that we may walk worthy of that Holy Vocation wherewith we are called O may all with one Mind and one Mouth Glorifie thee the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Have Mercy on this desolate Church and sinful Nation thou hast moved the Land and divided it heal the Sores thereof for it shaketh Make us so truly to Repent of those Sins which have provoked thy Judgments that thou also may'st turn and repent and leave a Blessing behind thee Bless those whom thou hast appointed our Governours whether in Church or State so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands that they may neither want Will nor Power to punish Wickedness and Vice and to maintain God's true Religion and Vertue Have pity O Lord on all that are in Affliction be a Father to the Fatherless and plead the Cause of the Widow Comfort the Feeble Minded Support the Weak Heal the Sick Relieve the Needy Defend the Oppressed and Administer to every one according to their several Necessities Let thy Blessings rest upon all that are near and dear to us and grant them whatsoever thou seest necessary either to their Bodies or their Souls Here name all Relations c. Reward all those that have done us good and Pardon all those that have done or wish'd us Evil and Work in them and us all that good which may make us acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ And O Merciful God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who art the Resurrection and the Life in whom whosoever believeth shall live though he die and whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall not die eternally we meekly beseech thee to raise us all from the Death of Sin to the Life of Righteousness that whenever we depart this life we may rest in him and that at the General Resurrection in the last day we may be found acceptable in thy sight and receive that Blessing which thy Well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee saying Come ye blessed Children of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the World Amen Therefore with Angels and Arch-Angels and all the Company of Heaven we Laud and Magnifie thy Holy Name evermore Praising thee and saying Holy holy holy Lord God Allmighty Heaven and Earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory Glory be to thee O God most high And thus Finally we beseech thee O Lord to Pardon the Wandrings and Coldness of these and all our Petitions and deal with us not according either to our Prayers or Deserts but according to our Needs and thine own rich Mercies in Jesus Christ in whose blessed Name and Words we conclude these our imperfect Prayers saying Our Father c. Unto thy Mercy and Protection O God we commit our selves this Night and for evermore O Lord bless and keep us Lord make thy Face to shine upon us and be Gracious unto us Lord lift up thy Countenance upon us and give us Peace both now and evermore Amen Holy Meditations and Vows AS Christ was both a Lamb and a Lyon so is every true Christian a Lamb for Patience in Suffering and Innocence of Life A Lyon for boldness in his Innocency I would so order my Courage and Mildness that I may be neither Lyon-like in my Conversation nor Sheepish in the Defence of a good Cause I will not strive for Victory but for Truth I will keep my Passions bare and Impotent I shall rather Bow than breake to God but for Satan or the World I had rather be broken in pieces with their Violence than suffer my self to be Bow'd unto their Obedience A Just War is a Thousand times more happy than an Ill-condition'd Peace In mine own Wrongs I will hold Patience laudable but in God's Injuries Impious Though I find my Brother this day my Friend and to morrow mine Enemy though my Reputation 's Blasted with the Fire of Hell's Engine the Malitious Tongue though his Corroding Envy and Hatred encrease by Unjust Jealousies though he often deceives me by Hypocrisie and Persecutes me with Inveterate Prejudice yet I will bear all Meekly will forgive him until Seventy times Seven and will ever Love my Neighbour as my Self I had rather wrong my self by Credulity than others by Unjust Censures and Suspitions I will so remit Wrongs as I may not encourage others to offer them and so retain them as I may not induce God to retain mine to him I will ever Believe in Worship and Obey God the Father Son and Holy Ghost I will Piously and Constantly attend the Publick Administration of God's Holy Word and Sacraments I will serve the Lord daily according to his own most Sacred Ordinances and will thus Religiously abide in the Communion of his Church I will Conscientiously observe all our Divine and Human Laws and not meddle with those who are given to Change I will have but this one Care to live well to God's Glory and the Salvation of Souls So let me be Free Noble Rich Wise Happy to God I pass not what I am to the World Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. FINIS
thy corrupt Appetites and resist Satan that he may fly from thee Canst thou not sincerely repent and thus religiously and constantly use all the means of Grace and Salvation Oh canst thou not thus take upon thee Christs Yoak and Burthen which thou wilt soon experience to be most easie light and pleasant And now consider O my Soul what a blessed Change is this to be the Servant of God instead of the Devil's Bond-slave 6. The contrary and Comparison a Son and an Inheritor in the Kingdom of Heaven instead of being a Factor for and Heir of Hell Is it not better here to live innocently and with a quiet Conscience than to be always in a Hurricane to be ever guilty restless and uneasie Is it not better to make for thy self an Interest with the Almighty and become a Friend of the Lord than to make God and Man and thine inward Accuser thy just Enemies and Avengers Is it not more Eligible to be truly rational than altogether senstive to be a Man than a Beast to be a Christian than an Infidel is it not better to adore and worship thy great Creator and Redeemer to renew thy Baptismal Covenant frequently at the Lord's Table and to lay hold of all opportunities for doing good and offering to the Lord the devout Sacrifices of Prayer and Thanksgiving which is thy bounden Duty and reasonable Service than to blaspheme and prophane God's holy Word Ministers and Ordinances and to neglect all and thus dare and provoke Heaven's Vengeance against thee And thus too is it not better and easier to remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth to repent and live well betimes than to run the bazard of an uncertain morrow and futurity to continue impenitent till thou art harden'd in sin and chained fast in the Old Serpent's Trap till thou art reprobated and hast no place left for Repentance And is it not safer to live under Gods protection and be sure both of his temporal and eternal Blessings to be holy as he is Holy and thus to anticipare Heaven 's Joys and resemble upon Earth the inconceivable felicities and glories above than to be discarded an abandoned to the roaring Lyon and all the Calamities Accidents and Miseries of Life and at length to be certain of nothing but frying in everlasting Flames in unquenchable Fire and be gnawed by the Worm that never dyeth O turn ye turn ye then from your evil Ways 7. The Names and Testimonies ye sinful Worms that ye may live and not dye Oh be converted and the Lord will heal you confess thy sins unto the Lord and he will forgive the Multitude of thy Transgressions Smite thy Breast and pray to God to be merciful to thee a sinner eschew Evil and do good seek peace and ensue it weep and lament and learn the ways of God's Commandments and be stedfastly purposed to observe his statutes and keep his righteous judgments Refrain thy Lips from Evil and thy Tongue from speaking guile wash thy hands in innocency and so mayest thou compass the divine Altar Examln thy self try thy Reins and thy Heart and search our all thy ways acknowledg with righteous Job I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of Men Job 9.20 Relent cry and be sorrowful with Holy David and the Lord will pardon thy sin run to Christ with Mary Magdalen and lye at his feet weeping till his grace and compassion raise thee up Call to mind all thine impiety and then retire with St Peter and weep bitterly Luk. 22.62 Know that the Lord is gracious long-suffering and of great goodness and that he willeth not the death of the Wicked Exod. 33.11 but that the Wicked turn from his way and live O turn ye from your evil ways for why will ye dye O house of Israel Now this does God admonish his Ministers under the Title and duty of Watch-Men to forewarn his people of denouncing death to either of them that neglect their Duty as may be seen in the beginning of this Chapter Draw near then thou stubborn or ignorant sinner come for thy Souls good to thy Spiritual guide as thou wouldst for thy Body and Estate to the Physician and the Lawyer Yea is not thy Soul more precious and oughtest thou not to be more zealous for and carefull of it And so in all its sickness to send for the Elders of the Church thy lawful Ministers to pray over thee as St. James directs Chap. 5. v. 14. And know what God declares by his Prophet Malachy c. 2. v. 9. That the Priests Lips should keep knowledge and they should hear the Law at his Mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts O therefore attend upon our sacred Ministry keep holy the Lords day and joyn with us at all times possible in all our publick Duties especially in that most necessary one at the Lords Table in devout obedience to our dying Saviour's own holy Institution and Command to eat his Flesh and drink his Blood that we may have eternal Life and he may raise us up at the last day and that we may dwell in him and he in us according to his gracious Promise in John 6.54 55 56. And thus too as Christ has most exceedingly loved us so ought we to love one another which is his positive Commandment in Joh. 15.12 and upon this has he left his blessed Legacy of Peace amongst us Now how can the Transgressors of these Commands pretend to be Christians Who can know them to be Christ's Disciples and how can they hope to be saved contrary to the Gospel Covenant Oh therefore consider this thou irreligious Soul and know thy self to be in a state of damnation as long as thou continuest in this state of sin Oh consider and repent quickly and so for this end as the Apostle to the Hebrews advises c. 13. v. 16 17. To do good and to Communicate forget not for with such services God is well pleased Obey them that have the Rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give account that they may do it with joy and not with grief for that is unprofitable for you Pray for us for we trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly And as St. Paul admonishes 1 Cor. 4.1 Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God Moreover 't is requir'd in Stewards that a Man be found faithful And accordingly will God protect us in our Duty vindicate our Wrongs and for instance even accounts the defrauding of our very temporal maintenance a robbing of himself for does not God thus expostulate with the sacrilegious herein by his Prophet Malachy chap. 3. v. 8 9. Will a Man rob God yet ye have robbed me And ye say Wherein have we robbed thee in Tythes and Offerings You are cursed with a Curse for
Glorious Trinity three Persons and one God look down from Heaven the habitation of thy Holiness and of thy Glory with Mercy upon us miserable sinners and purifie we beseech thee our carnal Hearts enlighten our Understandings and exalt our Affections to a pious Contemplation of thy glorious Attributes to a Religious sense and admiration of all thy wonderful Works and condescending gracious Benefits to Mankind Thus let us learn in the profoundest Reverence to adore and magnifie thy holy Name And thus let us bless and praise thee for our Reason and Senses Health and Strength Food and Raiment with all the temporal Comforts and Necessaries of this Life Particularly for the Mercies of this Day c. But most especially for thy spiritual Blessings and for the Fountain and Foundation of them all thy miraculous and inestimable Love in the Redemption of the World by our Lord Jesus Christ for all the means of grace and hope of glory O Father of mercies thou art kind even to the unthankful yea thus must we ever acknowledge our selves to have abundantly experimented that gracious goodness of thine For notwithstanding our daily Provocations against thee thou still heapest mercy and loving kindness upon us All our Contempts and Despisings of thy spiritual Favours have not yet made thee withdraw them but in the riches of thy goodness and long-suffering thou still continuest to us the offers of grace and life in thy Son And all our abuses of thy temporal Blessings thou hast not punished with an utter deprivation of them but art still pleased to afford us a liberal portion of them The Sins of this day thou hast not repay'd as justly thou might'st by sweeping us away with a swift destruction but hast spared and preserved us according to the greatness of thy mercy Here mention all particular Blessings What shall we render unto the Lord for all these benefits he hath done unto us Lord let this goodness of thine lead us to Repentance and grant that we may not only offer thee thanks and praise but may also order our Conversations aright that so we may at last see the Salvation of God Grant that we may render thee not only the fruit of our lips but the obedience of our lives that so these Blessings here might be an Earnest of those richer Blessings thou hast prepared for them that love thee in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee mercifully grant O God that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts to withstand the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee the only God And thus may it please thee to endow our Souls with these heavenly Graces and Vertues of Faith Hope Love Sincerity Devotion Humility Fear Trust Thankfulness Contrition Meekness Chastity Temperance Contentedness Diligence Justice Charity and perseverance in all good O thus be pleased to make us partakers of thy Kingdom of Grace here and Glory hereafter And thus reign in our hearts by thy Graces now that thou mayest receive us into thy blissful Mansions above Oh! let there be always Oyl in our Vessels and our Lamps burning ready to attend our glorious Bridegroom at the uncertain hour of his coming either to Death or Judgment And O everlasting God who hast constituted and ordain'd the Services of Angels and Men in a wonderful order mercifully grant that as thy holy Angels alway do thee Service in Heaven so by thy appointment they may succour and defend us on Earth And that we may ever imitate their chearful and absolute obedience to thy Commands till we are translated hence to sing with them the everlasting Hallelujahs And O Almighty God who seest that we have no power of our selves to help our selves in thy bountiful goodness provide for us daily and keep us both outwardly in our Bodies and inwardly in our Souls that we may constantly be supported in both and may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the Body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul O continue ever to feed our Souls with the due and solemn administration of thy holy Word and Sacraments and with all those happy means of Grace and Salvation thou hast blessed us with in the Communion of thy holy Church which enable us to observe thankfully and devoutly especially in thy visible publick Worship O may all both Priests and People unanimously and piously offer up the constant Sacrifices of Praise and Prayer duly celebrate thy Sabbaths and holy Days and frequently approach as worthy Guests to thy holy Table thus often commemorating and beseeching thee O Christ O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World to grant us thy peace and have mercy upon us and never remove thy Candlestick from us miserable Sinners And be thou pleased to provide for our Bodies Food and Raiment with whatever else thou seest convenient and necessary for our well-being here giving us grateful and contented hearts for all and guiding us in such a right use of all as may tend most to thy honour and glory and our eternal welfare And O Merciful God who hast made all Men hatest nothing that thou hast made and dost forgive the sins of all them that are Penitent create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we worthily lamenting our sins acknowledging our wretchedness may obtain of thee the God of all Mercy perfect Remission and Forgiveness and thus O Lord we beseech thee to Absolve us from our Offences that we may be deliver'd from the Bonds of those Sins which by our frailty we have committed especially this Day c. O Lord we bewail all these our manifold Sins and Wickednesses which we from time to time most grievously have committed by Thought Word and Deed against thy Divine Majesty most justly provoking thy Wrath and Indignation against us O Lord mercifully relieve us by the comfort of thy Grace and grant unto us and to all thy Faithful People Pardon and Peace that we may be cleansed from all our Sins and serve thee with a quiet Mind And thus too we pray thee O God to enable us entirely to forgive at all times as we desire to be forgiven to do in all things as we would be done by and so to love one another that all Men may know us to be Christ's Disciples O thus may our Light so Shine before Men that they may see our Good Works and Glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Thus O Lord Jesus come quickly and deliver us by the Mystery of thy Holy Incarnation by thy Holy Nativity and Circumcision by thy Baptism Fasting and Temptation By thine Agony and Bloody Sweat by thy Cross and Passion by thy Pretious Death and Burial by thy Glorious Resurrection and Ascention and by the Coming of the Holy Ghost And Good Lord Deliver us In all time of our