in this present life be thou unto me Jesus in death be thou unto me Jesus in the last judgement be thou unto me Jesus in the life which is everlasting I know thou wilt sweet Jesus for as thou art immutable in thy essâ—nce so also thou art immutable in thy mercy Thou wilt not change thy name Lord Jesus for my sake alone who am a miserable sinner Yea rather thou wilt become my Saviour For thou dost not cast out him that cometh unto thee Thou that hast given me a will to come unto thee grant also unto me that coming I may be received For thy words are truth and life Let the propagation of originall sinne within me condemne me yet thou art my Jesus Let my conception in sinne condemne me yet thou art my Jesus Let my forming in sinne and under the curse condemne me yet thou art my Saviour Let the corruption of my nativitie condemne me yet thou art my Saviour Let the sinnes of my youth condemne me yet thou art my Jesus Let the course of my whole life defiled with most grievous sinnes condemne me yet thou art still my Jesus Let deâ—th the just punishment of my many and grievous sinnes and offences condemne me yet thou art my Saviour Let the severe sentence in the last judgement condemne me yet thou art my Jesus In me is sinne reprobation damnation In thy name is righteousnesse election salvation I was baptized in thy name I beleeve in thy name In thy name will I die In thy name will I rise again In thy name will I appeare in judgement In this name are all good things prepared for us and shut up as it were a treasure So much are they diminished as my diffidence is increased which that it may be farre from me I beseech thee by this thy name good Jesus that for my sinne and unbelief I be not damned whom by thy precious merit and saving name thou wouldst have saved Meditat. V. An exercise of faith from the love of Christ in the agonie of death The grace of Jesus Christ to me Is th' onely true felicity SEe Lord Jesus how injurious I am to thy passion My heart is vexed and my soul is very sorrowfull because I have no good works of mine own because I have no merits when as thy passion is my action thy works my merits I am injurious to thy passion when as I seek for the supplement of my works whereas it is in it self all-sufficient If I should finde righteousnesse in my self thy righteousnesse would profit me nothing or else I should not so much desire it If I seek for the works of the law by the law shall I be condemned But I know that now I am no longer under the law but under grace I have lived wickedly I have sinned holy Father against heaven and before thee I am not worthy to be called thy sonne yet thou wilt not refuse to call me thy servant Deny me not I pray thee the fruit of thy passion let not thy bloud wax barren but let it bring forth fruit and deliver my soul. My sinnes have alwayes lived in my flesh but I intreat thee let them at length die with me Hitherto the flesh hath alwayes ruled over me but let the Spirit at length triumph Let the outward man be subject to corruption and worms that the inward man may be glorified Hitherto I have alwayes given way to the suggestions of the devil but grant hereafter I beseech thee that I may trample them under my feet Satan is readie at hand to accuse me but he hath nothing in me The sight of death affrighteth me but death is the end of my sinnes and the beginning of an holy life Now at length shall I be able perfectly to please thee O my God Now at length shall I be confirmed in goodnesse and vertue Satan terrifieth me with my sinnes but let him accuse him which took upon him my infirmities whom the Lord hath smitten for my sinnes The debt which I ow is great indeed and I cannot pay any part thereof but my trust is in the riches and bounty of him that hath undertaken the payment Let him discharge me who hath made himself suretie for me Let him pay for me who took my debt upon himself I have sinned O Lord and my sinnes are many and grievous But this horrible sinne I will not commit to make thee a lyar who by thy words works and oath dost testifie that satisfaction is made for my iniquities I am not afraid by reason of my sinnes for thou art my righteousnesse I am not afraid by reason of my ignorance for thou art my wisdome I am not afraid of death for thou art my life I am not afraid of my errours for thou art my truth I am not afraid of corruption for thou art my resurrection I am not afraid of the sorrows of death for thou art my joy I am not afraid of the severitie of judgement for thou art my righteousnesse Distill upon my withered soul the dew of thy grace and quickening consolation My spirit waxeth dry but it shall shortly rejoyce in thee My flesh doth languish and is withered but it shall shortly bud forth I am subject to corruption but thou shalt deliver me from corruption for thou hast delivered me from all evils Thou hast created me How then can the workmanship of thy hands be dissolved Thou hast redeemed me from all mine enemies How then can death have rule over me Thou hast bestowed thy body and bloud and all that thou hadst yea even thy self for my salvation How then shall death withhold them which thou hast redeemed with so precious a ransome Thou Lord Jesus art righteousnesse it self So then my sins cannot prevail against thee Thou art life it self and the resurrection So then my death cannot prevail against thee Thou art God Therefore Satan cannot prevail against thee Thou hast given me the earnest of thy Spirit in that do I glorie in that do I triumph and am fully perswaded without doubting that I shall be admitted to the marriage of the Lambe Most deare bridegroom thou art my wedding-garment which I put on in baptisme thou shalt cover my nakednesse neither will I sow the supplement of my righteousnesse to this most precious and beautifull garment What is mans righteousnes but the cloth of a menstruous woman How then can I dare to patch that most precious garment of Christs righteousnesse with this abominable ragge In this garment will I appear before thy face in judgement when thou shalt judge the world in righteousnesse and equitie In this garment will I appear before thy face in the kingdome of heaven This garment shall cover my confusion and reproch that no man remember it any more for ever There shall I appear glorious and holy in thy sight And this my flesh this my body shall be arayed with beatificall glory which glory shall be
treacheries are much to be feared In prosperitie he lifts us up with pride In adversitie he drives us to despair If he sees a man delighted with frugalitie he entangleth him in the fetters of unsatiable covetousnesse If he sees a man of an heroicall spirit he sets him on fire with flaming anger If he sees a man somewhat merrier then ordinary he incites him to burn with lust Those whom he sees to be zealous in religion he labours to entangle in vain superstition Those whom he sees exalted to dignities he pricks them forward with the spurres of ambition When he allureth a man to sinne he amplifies Gods mercie and when he hath cast him headlong into sinne he amplifies Gods justice First he will leade a man to presumption and afterwards he labours to bring him to desperation Sometimes he assaults outwardly by persecutions sometimes he assaults inwardly by fiery tentations Sometimes he sets upon us openly and by force sometimes secretly and by fraud In eating he sets before us gluttony in generating luxurie in exercising sluggishnesse in conversing envie in governing covetousnesse in correcting anger in dignitie pride In the heart he sets evil cogitations In the mouth false speakings In the other members wicked actions When we are awake he moves us to ill works when we are asleep he moves us to filthy dreams So then in every place and in every thing we must beware of the devils treacheries We sleep but he watcheth We are secure and he goes about like a roaring lion If thou shouldest see a lion ready to assault thee how wouldest thou fear and tremble When thou hearest that the infernall lion lies in wait for thee doest thou sleep soundly on both eares Consider therefore thou faithfull soul the treacheries of this most potent enemie and seek the aid of spirituall arms Let thy loyns be girt with the girdle of truth and covered with the breast-plate of righteousnesse Put on Christs perfect righteousnesse and thou shalt then be safe from the devils tentations Hide thy self in the holes of Christs wounds as often as thou art terrified by the darts of this malignant serpent The true beleever is in Christ as therefore Satan hath no power over Christ so hath he no power over the true beleever Let thy feet be shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace Let our confession of Christ be alwayes heard in our mouthes So no tentations of the devil shall hurt us The words of the enchanter do not so drive away the corporall serpent as the voice of constant confession doth put to flight this spirituall serpent Take the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of this most wicked enemie Faith removes mountains understand the mountains of doubts persecutions and tentations The Israelites whose doore-posts were signed with the bloud of the paschall Lambe were not smitten by the destroying angel So likewise those whose hearts are by faith sprinkled with the bloud of Christ shall not be hurt by this destroyer Faith relies upon Gods promises Now Satan cannot overthrow Gods promises Therefore Satan cannot prevail against faith Faith is the light of the soul and the tentations of the malignant spirit do soon appeare through this light By faith our sinnes are thrown into the profound sea of Godâ— mercie and in that the fiery darts of the devil shall be easily quenched We must put on likewise the helmet of salvation that is holy hope Endure tentation and expect an issue out of the tentation For God is the moderator of them that contend and the crown of them that overcome If there be no enemie then no fight if no fight no victorie if no victorie no crown Better is that fight that brings us nearer to God then that peace which alienateth us from God We must also take the sword of the Spirit that is the word of God Let the consolations in Scripture prevail more with thee then the contradictions of the devil Christ overcame all Satans tentations by the word and still by the word Christians overcome all Satans tentations To conclude In prayer thou hast great aid against tentations As often as the little ship of the soul is ready to be overwhelmed with the waves of tentations awake Christ by thy prayers We overcome visible enemies by striking but we overcome our invisible enemie by pouring forth prayers Fight thou O Christ both in us and for us that so through thee we also may overcome Meditat. XXVIII Generall rules of a godly life He 's onely wise who God doth know And doth by life his knowledge show EVery day thou drawest nearer to thy death judgement and eternitie Therefore think every day how thou mayst be able to stand in that most strict and severe judgement and so live for ever Look diligently unto thy thoughts words and deeds because hereafter thou must give an exact account for all thy thoughts words and deeds Every evening think that thou shalt die that night Every morning think that thou shalt die that day Do not deferre thy conversion and good works till to morrow because to morrow is uncertain but death is certain and hangs over thy head every day Nothing is more contrary to godlinesse then delay If thou contemnest the inward calling of the holy Spirit thou shalt never attain to true conversion Deferre not thy conversion and good works till thy old age but offer unto God the flower of thy youth It is uncertain whether the young man shall live till he be old But it is certain that destruction is prepared for the young man which is impenitent No age is fitter for Gods service then youth which flourisheth in strength both of body and minde For no mans sake undertake an evil cause for it is not that man but God that shall hereafter judge thee Do not therefore preferre the favour of men before the grace of God In the way of the Lord either we go forwards or else we go backwards Therefore examine thy life every day whether thou goest forwards or backwards in the study of pietie To stand in the way of the Lord is to go back Do not delight then to stand still in the course of godlinesse but study alwayes to walk in the way of the Lord. In thy conversation be courteous towards all grievous to none familiar with few To God live piously to thy self chastly to thy neighbour justly Shew favour to thy friend shew patience towards thy enemie shew thy good will towards all and thy bountie to whom thou art able In thy life die daily unto thy self and unto thy vices So in death thou shalt live unto God Let mercie appeare in thy affection courtesie in thy countenance humilitie in thy attire modestie in thy neighbourhood and patience in tribulation Alwayes think upon three things past the evil committed the good omitted and the time pretermitted Alwayes
think upon three things present the brevitie of this present life the difficultie of being saved and the paâ—citie of them that shall be saved Alwayes think upon three things to come Death then which nothing is more horrible judgement then which nothing is more terrible the pains of hell then which nothing is more intolerable Let thy evening prayers amend the sinnes of the day past Let the last day of the week amend the faults of the dayes past In the evening think how many are plunged that day into hell and give thanks unto God for granting thee time to repent There are three things above thee which never let slip out of thy memorie The eye that sees all the eare that heares all and the book wherein all things are written God hath communicated himself wholly unto thee Communicate thou thy self wholly unto thy neighbour That is the best life which is busied in the service of others Shew obedience and reverence to thy superiour give counsel and aid to thy equall defend and instruct thy inferiour Let thy bodie be subject to thy minde and thy minde to God Bewail thy evils past and esteem not the goods that are present and desire with all thy heart the goods which are future Remember thy sinne to grieve for it Remember death that thou mayst cease from sinne Remember Gods justice that thou mayst be kept in fear Remember Gods mercie that thou mayst not despair As much as thou canst withdraw thy self from the world and addict thy self wholly unto the service of the Lord. Alwayes in delights think that thy chastitie is in danger in riches think that thy humilitie is in danger in many businesses think that thy godlinesse is in danger Study to please none but Christ Fear to displease none but Christ. Alwayes pray thou unto God to command what he will and to give what he commands Pray unto him to cover what is past and to govern what is to come As thou desirest to seem so also thou must be For God judgeth not according to the shew but according to the truth In thy words take heed of much babling because for every idle word thou must give an account in the day of judgement Thy works be they what they will do not passe away but are cast as certain seeds of eternitie If thou sowest in the flesh of the flesh thou shalt reap corruption If thou sowest in the spirit of the spirit thou shalt reap life everlasting The honours of the world shall not follow thee after death neither shall thy heaps of riches follow thee neither shall thy pleasures follow thee neither shall the vanities of the world follow thee But after all thy works shall follow thee As therefore thou desirest to be at the day of judgement to day appeare to be such in the sight of God Do not esteem those things that thou hast but rather esteem those that thou wantest Be not proud for what is given thee but be humbled rather for that which is denied thee Learn to live whiles thou mayst live In this life is eternall life either obtained or lost After death there is no time to work but the time of recompense begins In the life to come working is not expected but the reward of working Let holy meditation bring forth in thee knowledge and knowledge compunction and compunction devotion and let devotion make prayer The silence of the mouth is a great good for the peace of the heart The more thou art separated from the world the more acceptable thou art unto God Whatsoever thou desirest to have ask of God whatsoever thou hast give unto God He that is not thankfull for that which is given already is unworthy to receive more Gods graces cease to descend when our thanks cease to ascend Whatsoever happeneth unto thee make use of it for good When thou art in prosperity think that thou hast then an occasion to blesse and praise God When thou art in adversitie think that thou art then put in minde of thy repentance and conversion Shew the strength of thy power in helping the strength of thy wisdome in instructing and the strength of thy riches in doing good Let not adversitie cast thee down neither let prosperitie lift thee up Let all thy life be directed unto Christ as unto the mark Follow him in the way that thou mayst overtake him in thy countrey In all things have a speciall care of profound humilitie and ardent charitie Let charitie lift up thy heart unto God that thou mayest cleave unto him And let humilitie keep thy heart down that thou beest not proud Judge God to be a Father for his clemencie a Lord for his discipline a Father for his power and gentlenesse a Lord for his severitie and justice Love him as a Father piously fear him as a Lord necessarily Love him because he willeth mercy fear him because he willeth not sinne Fear the Lord and trust in him acknowledge thy misery and proclaim his mercy O God thou that hast given us to will give us also grace to perfect Meditat. XXIX Of the shaking off securitie To live it is not but to die To live in all securitie COnsider thou devout soul what an hard matter it is to be saved and thou shalt easily shake off all securitie At no time and in no place is there securitie Neither in heaven nor in paradise and then much lesse in the world An angel fell in the presence of the divinitie and Adam fell in the place of pleasure Adam was created after the image of God and yet notwithstanding he was deceived by the treacheries of the devil Solomon was the wisest of men and yet his wives turned away his heart from the Lord. Judas was in the school of our Saviour and did every day heare the saving word of that chief Doctour and yet was not he safe from the snares of Satan He was plunged headlong into the pit of covetousnesse and so into the pit of eternall punishment David was a man after Gods own heart and he was unto the Lord as a most deare sonne and yet by murder and adulterie he became the sonne of death Where then is there securitie in this life Relie with an assured confidence of heart upon the promises of God and thou shalt be safe from the invasions of the devil There is no securitie in this life but that which is infallibly promised to those that beleeve and walk in the way of the Lord But when we come unto future happâ—nesse then at length we shall have full securitie In this life fear and religion are coupled together neither must one be without the other Be not secure in adversitie but whatsoever adversitie happâ—neth unto thee in this life think that it iâ— the reward of thy sinnes God often punisheth secret offences by open corrections Think upon the grievous stains of
he hath already punished in his Sonne The truth of the Lord endureth for ever As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his wickednesse and live Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you saith our Saviour Shall we make God a liar and labour by the weight of our sinnes to bear down his mercy To make God a liar and to denie his mercy is a greater sinne then all the sinnes of the whole world and therefore Judas sinned more in despairing then the Jews in crucifying Christ. But rather where sinne hath abounded there also grace hath abounded much more and overweigheth our sinnes by infinite degrees For sinnes are but the sinnes of men but grace is the grace of God Sinnes are temporall but the grace of our Lord is from eternitie to eternitie Satisfaction hath been made for our sinnes and the grace of God is repaired by the death of Christ and is established for ever unto which I betake my self as a devout suppliant Meditat. XI Of the satisfaction made for our sinnes The death of Christ is life to thee If thou a Christian truly be COme unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you they are the words of our Saviour It is true indeed Lord Jesus I am burdened overmuch and I sigh under the weight of my sinne But I make haste unto thee the fountain of living water Come unto me Lord Jesus that so I may come unto thee I come unto thee Lord because thou first camest unto me I come unto thee Lord Jesus and with anxietie I desire thee for I finde no goodnesse in my self But if I found any goodnesse in my self I should not with such anxietie desire thee True Lord Jesus I labour and am heavy laden neither can I compare my self with any of the saints or penitent sinners unlesse it be with the thief upon the crosse Lord have mercy upon me thou which hadst mercy on the thief upon the crosse I have lived wickedly I have lived iâ— sinne but I desire to die the death of the holy and righteous But holinesse and righteousnes are farre from my heart Therefore to thy holinesse and righteousnesse do I flie Let thy soul Lord Jesus succour me let it succour me seeing that thou layedst it down for a price of redemption for many Let thy most sacred body which was afflicted with rods spittings buffetings and thorns and fastened to the crosse for me let that succour me Let thy sacred and holy bloud O Jesus let that bloud succour me which ran out of thy side at thy death and passion which cleanseth us from all our sinnes Let thy most holy divinitie succour me thy divinitie which upheld thy humanitie at thy passion which also resting and not shewing it self the great mysterie of our redemption was finished which added infinite strength and weight unto thy passion Insomuch that God by his own bloud hath purchased unto himself me miserable man Let thy wounds succour me in which all my cure consisteth Let thy most holy passion succour me Let thy merit succour me as being my last refuge and a remedie against my sinnes For in that thou sufferedst thou sufferedst for me Therefore in that thou meritedst thou meritedst for me and for mine unworthinesse Therefore God commendeth his love towards us and proveth it by a testimonie surpassing the understanding of all men yea of the angels themselves in that Christ died for us when as yet we were sinners and the enemies of God Who can choose but admire this Who can choose but be astonished at it The Sonne of God intreated by no man yea hated of all men in great mercy intreated for us who were sinners and his enemies Neither intreated he onely but also satisfied Gods justice for us by his most poore nativitie by his most holy life by his most bitter passion by his most cruel death O Lord Jesus Thou that intreatedst for me sufferedst for me and diedst for me before I could desire thy merit and passion or move thee by my prayers to pay the ransome for me how canst thou cast me away from thy face How canst thou denie unto me the fruit of thy most holy passion when as now out of the deeps I cry unto thee and beg the fruit of thy merit with tears and sighs I was an enemie by nature when thou diedst for me but I am made by grace thy friend thy brother and thy sonne Thou heardst an enemie before he prayed unto thee and how canst thou despise thy friend which comes unto thee with prayers and tears Thou wilt not cast out him that cometh unto thee because thy word is truth Thou hast spoken unto us in spirit and truth and we have received from thee the words oâ— eternall life Attend and raise up thy self O my soul Before we were sinners by nature but now we are just by grace Before we were enemies but now we are friends and kinsfolks Before our help was in the death of Christ but now it is in Christ his life Before we were dead in sinnes but now we are quickned in Christ Oh the exceeding love of God wherewith he loved us Oh the superabundant riches of his grace whereby he hath in heaven provided a place for us Oh the tender mercie of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us But if the death of Christ hath brought unto us righteousnesse and life what shall his life do If our Saviour dying paid the price unto his Father what shall he do now being alive and interceding for us For Christ liveth and dwells in our heart if the remembrance of his most holy merit live and flourish in it Draw me Lord Jesus that I may possesse in the truth of the thing that which here I expect by the firmnesse of hope Let thy servant I pray thee be with thee and let him behold the glorie which the Father hath given to thee and let him inhabit the mansion which thou hast prepared in thy Fathers house Blessed are they that dwell in thy house O Lord They shall praise thee for ever and ever Meditat. XII Of the nature and properties of true faith Faith is not faith or if it be Faith is but dead wants charity O Thou beloved soul consider the power of faith and give thanks unto God who is the onely giver thereof It is faith alone that doth in such manner ingraft us into Christ that as vine-branches do draw their sap from the vine so we also from him do draw life righteousnesse and salvation Adam fell from the grace of God and lost the divine image by his incredulitie But we are again received to grace and the image of God begins to be renewed in us by faith By faith Christ becomes
Because she despiseth earthly things that are subject to sundry changes Consider thou devout soul the exceeding great dignitie of the church and render due thanks unto God Great are the benefits which are in the church of God but all do not meet with them It is a garden enclosed and a fountain sealed up No man sees the beautie of this enclosed garden but he that is in it Neither doth any one know the benefits that are in the church but he that is himself in it This spouse of Christ is black without but beautifull within For the kings daughter is all glorious within This ship is tossed with many tempests of persecutions This vineyard being bound doth rise up and being cut down groweth up For this woman the infernall Dragon lieth in wait after diverse manners The church is a fair lilie But yet among thorns The church is a most beautifull garden But when the North-winde of tribulations doth blow upon it the spices thereof fall The church is Gods daughter But she is exceedingly hated of the world She looks for an heavenly inheritance and therefore she is compelled to be a pilgrime in this world In this pilgrimage she is oppressed in her pressure she is silent in her silence she is strong in her strength she overcometh The church is a spirituall mother But she is compelled to stand under the crosse with Mary the mother of Christ. The church is a palm-tree Because under the weight of tribulations and tentations she grows most Consider thou devout soul the dignitie of the church And beware thou commit nothing to her dishonour The church is thy mother Take heed therefore that thou contemn not her voice She is thy mother Therefore thou must alwayes hang upon her breasts The breasts of the church are the Word and the Sacraments The church is a virgin If therefore thou art her true sonne abstain from the worlds embracements Thou art a member of the virgin the church See therefore that thou prostitute not the virgins members and so commit fornication with the devil by sinne The church is the spouse of Christ and so is every devout soul Let her beware therefore that she cleave not unto Satan Thou art the spouse of Christ See thou lose not the earnest of the holy Spirit which he hath given thee Thou art the spouse of Christ Pray continually that the bridegroom would make haste and lead thee in unto the celestiall marriage But the bridegroom will come in the night of securitie Watch therefore lest when he cometh he finde thee sleeping and so shut thee out of the gate of eternall salvation Let the oyl of thy faith shine lest at the coming of the bridegroom thou beest constrained to desire it in vain Thou art carried in the ship See therefore that thou dost not throw thy self headlong into the sea of the world before thou comest to the haven Thou art carried in the ship pray that thou beest not swallowed up by the tempests of afflictions and waves of tentations Thou art called into the Lords vineyard See that thou labourest stoutly Think upon the penie and not upon the dayes labour Thou art the Lords vineyard Cast away all unprofitable branches that is the unfruitfull works of the flesh and think the whole time of thy life to be the time of pruning Thou art a vine-branch in Christ the true vine See that thou dost remain in him and bring forth much fruit Because the heavenly husbandman will take away every branch that bringeth not forth fruit and purge that which bringeth forth fruit that it may bring forth more fruit Thou hast put on Christ by faith and art clothed with this sunne of righteousnesse See then that thou treadest the moon that is all earthly things under thy feet And esteem all other things little worth in respect of eternall goods O good Jesus thou that hast brought us into the church militant bring us at length also into the church triumphant Meditat. XXIIII Of Predestination In Christ we are by God elect Without Christ God doth all reject O Devout soul as often as thou wilt meditate upon thy predestination behold Christ hanging upon the crosse dying for the sinnes of the whole world and rising again for our justification Begin from Christ lying in the manger and so thy disputation of predestination shall proceed orderly God elected us before the foundations of the world were laid but yet he elected us in Christ If therefore thou art in Christ by faith do not doubt but that election belongeth unto thee If with a firm confidence of heart thou adherest unto Christ do not doubt but that thou art in the number of the elect But if thou goest further beyond the limits of the word and wilt search into the profunditie of predestination it is greatly to be feared that thou wilt fall into the profunditie of desperation Without Christ God is a consuming fire Take heed therefore of coming too neare this fire lest thou beest consumed Without Christs satisfaction God by the voice of his law accuseth all and condemneth all Take heed therefore that thou drawest not the mysterie of predestination out of the law Search not into the reasons of Gods counsels lest thy cogitations do much seduce thee God dwelleth in light that no man can attain unto Presume not therefore to come unto it rashly But God hath revealed unto us the light of his gospel and in this thou mayest safely inquire into the doctrine of this secret and in this light thou shalt see true light Leave the profunditie of this eternall decree made from eternitie and convert thy self to the clearnesse of the manifestation which was made in time Justification made in time is the glasse of election made without time Out of the law take notice of the wrath of God for sinne and repent out of the gospel take notice of the mercie of God through Christ his merit and apply that unto thy self by faith Take notice of the nature of faith and shew it by thy godly conversation Take notice of Gods fatherly castigation in crosses and endure through patience And then at length begin to handle the doctrine of predestination This method the apostle teacheth This method let him that is the apostles disciple follow There are three things alwayes to be observed in this mysterie The mercie of God loving us the merit of Christ suffering for us and the grace of the holy Ghost by the gospel sanctifying us Gods mercie is universall because he loved the whole world The earth is full of the Lords mercy yea his mercy is greater then heaven and earth For it is as great as God is For God is love He hath witnessed by his word that he will not the death of a sinner And if this be too little he hath confirmed it with an oath If thou canst not beleeve him
and vertues is better then all earthly riches Wherefore Because vertue pleaseth God but riches do not please him without vertue The povertie of Christ must be more acceptable unto us then the riches of the whole world Povertie was sanctified through Christ. He was poore in his nativitie poore in his life and poorest of all at his death Why dost thou stick then to preferre povertie before worldly riches when as Christ preferred it before heavenly riches How will he commit his soul unto God who doth not commit unto him the care of his body How will he lay down his life for his brother who doth not bestow his riches upon him Riches bring forth labour in the getting fear in the possessing and grief in the loosing And which is most to be lamented the labour of the covetous doth not onely perish but it causeth them also to perish as Bernard teacheth Thy love is thy God Where thy treasure is there will thy heart be also He that loveth these bodily worldly and perishing riches cannot love the spirituall heavenly and eternall riches Wherefore Because those presse down the heart of man and draw it downwards but these lift it upwards The love of earthly things is as the birdlime of spirituall punishments as one of the true lovers of Christ said Lots wife which was turned into a pillar of salt doth yet preach unto us Not to look back to those things which are in the world but to go straight on to our heavenly countrey The Apostles left all and followed Christ. Wherefore Because the knowledge of the true riches taketh away the desire after false riches If we have tasted the Spirit the flesh pleaseth not our taste If Christ be sweet to a mans taste then the world is bitter unto it But why dost thou so much seek after pleasures Let the remembrance of him that was crucified crucifie in thee all desire of pleasure Let the remembrance of hell-fire quench in thee all the fire of lust Compare the short moment of pleasure with eternall punishments Pleasures are brutish and they make us like brutes The sweetnesse of the kingdome of heaven pleaseth not his taste that is daily full with the husks of the swine Let us mortifie all sensuall pleasures and let us with Abraham offer to God as a spirituall sacrifice this our beloved sonne that is the concupiscences of our soul by renouncing voluntarily all pleasure and by embracing the bitternesse of the crosse It is not a plain way strewed with roses but a sharp way and set with thorns that leadeth unto the kingdome of heaven The outward man increaseth by pleasures but the inward man by the crosse and by tribulations As much as the outward man is augmented so much is the inward man diminished Pleasures serve the bodie but the true godly have least care of their body and the greatest care of their soul. Pleasures do captivate our hearts that they cannot be free in the love of God Not pleasures but the contempt of pleasures at death shalt thou carry away with thee and bring to judgement Let the fear of God then wound thy flesh that the love of the flesh deceive thee not Keep alwayes in thy minde the memory of Gods juâ—gement that the perverse judgement of thy sensuall appetite lead thee not into bondage Look not upon the flattering face of the serpent but look back upon his stinging tail Overcome thou by the grace of Christ that at length thou mayst as conquerour be crowned by Christ. Meditat. XL. Of the profit of tentations The palm-tree grows the more prest down And crosses prove the Churches crown IT is profitable for the faithfull soul to be tried and confirmed by tentations in this world Our Saviour himself would wrestle with the devil in the wildernesse that for us and for our salvation he might overcome him and be the first champion in our quarrel He descended first into hell and afterwards ascended up into heaven So the faithfull soul doth first descend into the hell of tentations that so it may ascend into celestiall glory The people of Israel could not come to possesse the promised land of Canaan before they had overcome divers enemies Neither can the faithfull soul promise unto it self the kingdome of heaven untill it hath overcome the flesh the world and the devil Tentation proveth purgeth and enlighteneth us Tentation proveth us For faith shaken by adversitie is confirmed more strongly in the rock of salvation it enlargeth it self more into the boughs of good works and riseth up higher unto the hope of deliverance When Abraham being commanded to sacrifice his sonne shewed himself ready to obey Gods command after the tentation the angel of the Lord appeared unto him saying Now know I that thou fearest God seeing that for my sake thou hast not spared thine onely sonne Even so in tentations if thou shalt offer unto God the beloved sonne of thy soul that is thine own will thou shalt be reputed one that truly feareth God and thou shalt in thine heart heare God speaking unto thee Fire proves gold and tentation proves faith The souldiers valour is seen in the fight And the strength of our faith appeareth in tentations When the whirling windes and the stormie waves beat upon the ship of Christ then it appeareth of how little faith some of the disciples are The Israelites whom God commanded to be led forth to overcome the Midianites were first proved at the waters So they which are to be admitted into their heavenly countrey after the conquest of their enemies are first to be proved in the waters of tribulations and tentations Whatsoever adversitie therefore whatsoever tentations happen unto the faithfull soul let her think with her self that they are for triall and not for deniall Tentation also purgeth To purge out the pestilent humour of self-love and the love of the world Christ our Physician useth many grains of bitter Aloes Tribulation sends us to search our conscience and recalls to our memorie the sinnes of our life past And further as Physick preserveth the bodie from contagious diseases So also doth tribulation preserve the soul from sinnes Man is alwayes prone to sinne But more in time of prosperitie then in adversitie Riches are thorns to many men Therefore God plucks out the thorns that they may not choak their souls Varietie of worldly businesse hindereth many from the service of God Therefore God sendeth diseases upon them that they may come to themselves and begin to die to the world and to live to God Some men have tumbled down the hill of great prosperitie And have enjoyed truest rest in their adversitie The honour of the world puffeth men up with pride Therefore God brings them into contempt and withdraweth from them the fewel of pride Last of all Tentation enlighteneth We come not to know the frailtie and vanitie of all
the end of their evils but it coupleth together those evils which are past and those that follow after They passe from the first unto the second death So neare is the union between Christ and the faithfull that death it self cannot dissolve it In the thickest cloud of death the torch of Gods grace shineth before them In their dangerous journey Christ provideth for his beloved the angels to be their protectours The bodies of the Saints are the temples of the holy Ghost The holy Ghost will not suffer his own temples altogether to be destroyed by death The word of God is the incorruptible seed It is not destroyed by death but it is hid in the hearts of the godly and shall quicken them in their due time Meditat. XLIIII Consolations at the death of friends Grieve not when friends and kinsfolks die They gain by death eternitie THink O devout soul upon Christ thy Saviour and thou shalt not be afraid for the terrours of death If the violence of death doth make thee sorrowfull let the power of Christ make thee joyfull The Israelites could not drink the waters of Marah by reason of their bitternesse but God shewed unto Moses a tree which being cast into the waters made them sweet If thou art affrighted by reason of he bitternesse of death God sheweth unto thee a tree which turneth it into sweetnesse that is a branch that did spring from the root of Jesse This branch is Christ and whosoever keepeth his word shall never see death This life is burdensome And therefore it is good to be eased of it The miserie of a Christian dieth But the Christian man dieth not That which we call death is but going a journey it is not an end of life but a beginning of a better life We do not lose our friends at their death but send them before us our friends do not die but life enjoy they go before us they do not go from us for ever It is not death but a departure When the godly depart out of this life they enter again into life The death of thâ— godly is gain unto them Do our friends die Make this interpretation of it That they cease to sinne they cease to be tossed and they cease to be miserable Do they die in the faith Interpret that thus That they depart out of the shadow of life that they may passe unto true life from darknesse to light and from men to God Our life is a navigation and death is the haven of securitie and safetie Therefore we must not grieve that our friends are dead but rather rejoyce in their behalf that out of the turbulent sea they are come safe to the haven This life is the souls imprisonment but death sets her at libertie Therefore old Simeon being about to die crieth out Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace He desires to be set at libertie being shut up in the prison of the bodie We must rejoyce therefore in the behalf of our friends that they are as it were delivered out of prison and received into true libertie In like manner the Apostle desires to be dissolved as being bound to his body of earth in a kinde of miserable servitude What shall we be sorrowfull that our friends are delivered out of their bonds and set at libertie What shall we for their sakes put on black mourning clothes when as they have put on white robes For it is written that unto the elect are given white robes in token of innocencie and palms in their hands in token of victory Shall we macerate our selves with tears and sighs for their sakes when as God hath wiped all tears from their eyes Shall we mourn and trouble our selves with grief when as they are in the place where there is neither mourning nor grief nor any cry heard but they rest from their labours Shall we for their departure kill our selves with immoderate grief when as they do enjoy the fellowship of the angels and true solid joy Shall we for their sakes weep and wail when as they sing a new song of the Lambe having harps and golden phials Shall we grieve that they are departed from the earth when they themselves rejoyce that they are departed What profit it is for to depart out of this world Christ shewed who when his disciples were sad because that he said he should depart answered If ye loved me ye would rejoyce rather If as thou wert sailing a stormie tempest should arise and the windes lift up the waves and threaten shipwrack wouldest not thou haste to the haven Behold the world staggereth and reeleth and threatneth her ruine not onely for her old age but also by the end of things And dost not thou thank God and art not thou glad for thy friends that being departed the sooner they are delivered from ruines shipwracks and imminent plagues In whose hands art thou kept safer then in the hands of Christ In what place can the souls of thy friends rest safer then in the kingdome of paradise Heare what the Apostle saith concerning death Death is gain It is gain to have escaped the increase of sinne it is gain to have left the things that are worse and to have passed to the better Although those whom by death thou hast lost were very deare unto thee yet let God be more deare unto thee whose will it was to take them unto himself Be not angry with the Lord for taking away what he hath given He hath received his own he hath taken nothing from thee Do not take it ill that the Lord doth require what he did onely lend thee It is onely the Lord that foreseeth evils to come It was his providence therefore to take away thy friends that they might not be entangled in the misfortunes to come They that die in the Lord rest sweetly in their graves when those that are alive are tormented grievously even in the palaces of their kingdome If by death thou hast lost those that were deare unto thee Beleeve that thou shalt hereafter receive them more deare unto thee A little distance of time doth separate thee from them But blessed and secure eternitie shall joyn thee again unto them For we hope upon a most true promise that we shall depart out of this life from whence some of our friends are departed before us and that we shall come to that life where the more known the more deare they shall be unto us and amiable without fear of any dissension What'ever souls have been before or shall hereafter be Shall be receiv'd i' th theatre of huge capacitie There shall we know the face of them that of our kindred be And speak answer in our course each interchangeably There with the brother sister shall and sonne with father be And there they shall keep
But thou O Christ wast made a curse for me that I might be freed from the curse of the law I shall be cursed by Moses but blessed by thee For I desire to heare that voice Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you Moses will accuse me But thou wilt not accuse me to thy Father yea thou makest intercession for me Therefore I am not afraid of Moses his curse because thou hast blotted out the hand-writing which was against me The damned will accuse me and pronounce me guiltie of the same fault with them I confesse Lord Jesus my guiltinesse doth conjoyn me with them but the acknowledgement of my guiltines and the saving knowledge of thee doth disjoyn me from them He that heareth thy word and beleeveth on him that sent thee hath life everlasting and shall not come into condemnation I heare thy word Lord and in thee I beleeve with weak faith but yet faith Lord I beleeve yet help thou my unbelief Lord I beleeve but yet do thou increase my faith Although I am not free from all the sinnes of the damned yet thou O Lord shalt deliver me from unbelief All my accusers do terrifie me but thou being my Judge dost comfort me To thee hath the Father committed all judgement Into thy hands hath he delivered all things and again thee hath he delivered up for us all and thou hast delivered up thy self for the Church to sanctifie it and cleanse it by the washing of water through the word How canst thou then according to severe judgement judge those for whom thou hast delivered thy self to death even the death of the crosse Thou canst not hate thine own flesh we are members of thy body of thy flesh and of thy bones Meditat. XLVI Of the desire of eternall life All earthly things tread under thee And let thy thoughts in heaven be DEvout soul thou must not love this life which is transitorie but rather that which remaineth for ever Ascend up by thy desires to the place where there is youth without old age life without death joy without sorrow and a kingdome without change If beauty delight thee The righteous shall shine as the sunne If swiftnesse and strength The elect shall be like unto the angels of God If a long and healthfull life There shall be healthfull eternitie and eternall healthfulnesse If fulnesse The elect shall be filled when the glory of the Lord shall appear If melodie There do the quires of angels sing without end If pure pleasure God shall make those that are his drunk in the torrent of pleasure If wisdome The very wisdome of God shall shew it self unto them If love They shall love God more then themselves and one another as themselves and God shall love them more then they themselves If concord delight There they shall be all of one minde If power To the elect shall all things be easie they shall desire nothing but what they shall be able and they shall desire nothing but what God will have them to will and to desire If honour and riches delight God will make his faithfull servants rulers over many things If true securitie They shall be as certain never to want that good as they are certain that they themselves would never lose it willingly and that God that loveth them will never take from them against their wills that which they love and that nothing is more powerfull then God to separate God and them asunder Whatsoever the elect can desire there they shall finde because they shall behold him that is all in all face to face So great are the goods of that life that they cannot be measured so many that they cannot be numbred and so precious that they cannot be valued There shall be eternall health unto our bodies and great puritie unto our souls there shall be glory and fulnesse of divine pleasure there shall we have familiaritie with the saints and angels for ever having our bodies of admirable clearnesse and brightnesse The elect shall rejoyce for the pleasantnesse of the place which they shall possesse for the pleasant societie in which they shall reigne for the glory of their bodies which they shall put on for the world which they have despised and for hell which they have escaped The least crown of eternall life shall be more worth then a thousand worlds because they are all finite but this is infinite Neither is there any fear that they shall envie one anothers brightnesse because there shall reigne in them all unitie of love By reason of that high degree of love whatsoever happeneth to one of the elect the rest shall as much rejoyce at as if it were their own There is no greater good then God in heaven and in earth Therefore there can be no greater perfecter joy then to see possesse God Therefore to see God for one moment shall go beyond all joyes For we shall see God in himself God in us and our selves in God In the way of this life we have Christ with us but hidden under the covering of the word and sacraments We know him not here as he is but in the life to come we shall behold him in presence when he shall distribute unto us the bread that satisfieth for ever As the disciples knew him not upon the way but in the Inne at length when he broke bread unto them The heavenly Jerusalem hath no temple made with hands neither sunne nor moon because the temple thereof is eternall and God is the life thereof Vision succeeds in the place of faith attainment in the place of hope and perfect fruition in the place of love As at the building of Solomons temple there was heard neither the sound of ax nor hammer So in the heavenly Jerusalem there is neither pain nor tribulation felt because the materials of this temple to wit the spirituall stones are prepared by tribulation in the world long before The queen that came to Solomon is the soul travelling to the heavenly Jerusalem unto Christ She entreth in with a great train of the holy angels with gold and precious stones of divers vertues She will wonder at the wisdome of Christ the King the order of his ministers that is the Angels and the Saints the fare of his table that is the fulnesse of eternall repast the price and value of his clothes that is the bodies glorified the beauty of his house that is the greatnesse of the heavenly palace the sacrifices that is the multitude of divine praises She will be turned into astonishment and confesse she could not beleeve what she now seeth with her eyes Therefore let the faithfull soul lift up her self and consider what good things are prepared for her Thither let the spirit be directed whither at length it shall go In time we
unto the angels and even unto himself also Oh most blessed citie Oh heavenly Jerusalem Oh the holy seat of the most holy Trinitie when shall it be that I shall enter into thy temple The Lambe is the heavenly Jerusalem to wit the Lambe which taketh away the sinnes of the world was slain for them from the beginning of the world When shall the time come that I may in that temple worship my God that is God in God when will that sunne rise upon me which enlightneth that holy city I am yet a banished man from my countrey but there is laid up for me an ample inheritance To those that beleeve power is given to be made the sonnes of God And if we be sonnes we are then heirs heirs of God and coheirs with Christ. Lift up thy self O my soul and long to come to thine inheritance The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and my exceeding great reward What could the most ample mercie and bountie of God bestow upon us more than this He bestows life He bestows his Sonne He bestows himself And if he had any thing else greater in heaven or in earth he would bestow even that also upon us In God we live Gods temple we are God we possesse here indeed in the spirit and in a mysterie but there in truth There shall our hope become fruition and there shall we not onely remain but dwell for ever Meditat. XLVIII Of the most comfortable fellowship of the angels in heaven If thou beest here a childe of grace 'Mongst angels thou shalt have a place AT the resurrection of the dead they shall neither marrie nor be given in marriage but shall be like unto the angels of God in heaven Who can worthily set forth with praises this honour of the blessed Into whose heart hath this glorie of the blessed ever entred The elect being renewed by a glorious resurrection shall enjoy the saving vision of God without all fear of death and without any spot of corruption I have seen the Lord face to face and my life is preserved saith the holy Patriarch But if the sight of God for a moment could bring so great joy What joy will it bring to see him for ever If the sight of God appearing in the shape of man brought salvation and life unto the soul Certainly the seeing of him face to face shall bring life and everlasting felicitie What then can be added to this felicitie What can the elect desire beside the fruition of the sight of God And yet notwithstanding they shall enjoy the most sweet and blessed fellowship of the angels Neither shall they onely enjoy their fellowship but they shall be also like unto them for the nimblenesse brightnesse and immortalitie of their bodies We shall be clothed with the same garment that they are we shall stand before the throne of the Lambe clothed with long white robes and sing unto the Lord an everlasting song we shall shine in the same crown of vertues we shall rejoyce in the same priviledge of immortalitie We have seen the angel of the Lord and we shall surely die crieth out Manoah But we shall see thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand angels and yet we shall live for ever And if we shall be like unto angels surely we shall have no cause to fear lest we be separated from them by the unlikenesse of our sinnes We shall put off the ragged coat of our sinfull nature and our nakednesse shall be covered with the garment of salvation and we shall be clothed with the white robe of righteousnesse No man there receiveth hurt no man is angry no man envious there is no slandring no concupiscence there is no ambition after honour and power We shall not be laden with the burden of our sins neither shall we be constrained to weep and wash away the spots of our sinnes with penitent teares neither shall we have cause to fear the deadly wounds of our soul For the Lion of the tribe of Judah hath overcome and through his vertue have we all overcome Again if we shall be like unto the angels we shall have no desire after meat or drink God shall be our meat with whose pleasures we shall be satisfied God shall be our meat which onely doth refresh us and is never deficient The blessed shall neither hunger nor thirst any more the sunne and the heat shall not scorch them because their mercifull Father shall feed them and shall leade them unto the living fountains of waters Out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living waters There shall be a feast prepared of marrow and fatnesse and wine clarified We shall feast and be merry and sing joyfully for the joy of heart Lord Jesus these things shall be fulfilled in spirit in truth Of the fruit of the vine shall we drink in thy Fathers kingdome but yet in spirit and in truth For the words which thou spakest unto us are spirit and life and thou declarest the joy of the world to come by the language of this world Again if we shall be like unto the angels we shall be free from the fear of death For death shall be swallowed up in victory and shall be trod down for ever and God shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of his people Therefore there shall be joy without sorrow which containeth everlasting joy health without sicknesse life without death light without darknesse love which shall never wax cold joy which shall never decrease No sighing shall be heard there no grief felt no sorrowfull thing seen but there shall be joy for ever There shall be great and certain securitie secure quietnesse quiet pleasure pleasant happinesse happy eternity eternall blessednesse the blessed Trinitie the Unitie of the Trinitie the Deitie of the Unitie and the blessed sight of the Deitie Lift up thy self O my soul and weigh with thy self the honour conferred upon us by Christ We shall be made fellows with the companies of Angels and Archangels with thrones and dominions with principalities and powers Neither shall we onely be fellows with them but we shall be like unto them We shall there know the angel that was appointed by God to be our keeper in our life time neither shall we stand in need of his ministerie but we shall be delighted with his sweet companie We shall not desire his protection but we shall rejoyce for his good fellowship and we shall behold his brightnesse with eyes enlightned Again if we shall be like unto the angels our frail weak and mortall bodies shall be changed and they shall be made spirituall nimble and immortall They shall be light because they shall be neare unto God who dwelleth in light that no mortall man can approach unto and is covered with light as with a garment They shall
hath pleased thee to conjoyn unto thee the humane nature in a most neare bond of personall union Although therefore my sinnes do hinder me yet the communion of nature doth not repell me I will adhere wholly unto thee because thou hast wholly assumed me wholly Amen PRAYER V. He renders thanks for Christs passion HOw great thanks do I ow unto thee O most holy Jesu for that thou hast taken upon thee the punishment of my sinnes and hast endured hunger thirst cold wearinesse reproches persecutions sorrows povertie bonds whips pricking of thorns yea and that most bitter death of the crosse for me sinner How great is the flame of thy love which forced thee of thine own accord to throw thy self into that sea of passions and that for me most vile and unthankfull servant Thy innocency and righteousnesse made thee free from all sufferings But thy infinite and unspeakable love made thee debter and guilty in my room It is I that trespassed and thou makest satisfaction It is I that committed rapine and thou makest restitution It is I that sinned and thou undergoest the passion O Jesu most benigne I acknowledge the bowels of thy mercy and the fiery heat of love Thou seemest to love me more then thy self seeing thou deliverest up thy self for me O most innocent Jesu what hast thou to do with the sentence of death O thou most beautifull amongst the sonnes of men what hast thou to do with spittings upon thee O thou most righteous what hast thou to do with whips and bonds These things belong not unto thee They are all due unto me But thou of thine unspeakable love didst descend into the prison of this world and take upon thee the shape of a servant and most willingly undergo the punishment that was due unto me I was for my sinnes to be adjudged to the lake that burneth with everlasting fire But thou by the fire of love being burnt upon the altar of the crosse dost free me from it I was to be cast away for my sinnes from the face of my heavenly Father And thou for my sake complainest that thou art forsaken of thy heavenly Father I was to be tormented of the devil and his angels for ever And thou of thine infinite love dost deliver thy self unto the ministers of Satan to be afflicted and crucified for me As many instruments as I see of thy passion so many tokens do I see of thy love towards me For my sinnes are those bonds those whips and those thorns which afflicted thee all which of thine unspeakable love thou enduredst for me Thy love was not yet satisfied with taking my flesh upon thee but thou wouldest make it as yet more manifest by that most bitter passion of thy soul and bodie Who am I most mighty Lord that for me disobedient servant thou thy self wouldst become a servant so many yeares Who am I most beautifull Bridegroom that for me the most filthy vassal of sinne and whore of the devil thou hast not refused to die Who am I most bountifull Creatour that for me most vile creature thou hast not been afraid of the passion of the crosse I am to thee most loving Bridegroom the true spouse of bloud for whom thou dost poure forth such plenty of bloud I am to thee most beautifull Lily a thorn indeed that is full of prickles It is I that laid upon thee a heavy and sharp burthen with the weight whereof thou wast so squeezed that drops of bloud did distill abundantly from thy sacred bodie To thee Lord Jesu my alone Redeemer and Mediatour for this thine unspeakable love will I sing praises for ever Amen PRAYER VI. He renders thanks for our calling by the word VNto thee O Lord my God is most due all praise honour and thanksgiving for that thou wouldest by the preaching of thy word make manifest unto us that thy Fatherly will and determinate counsel concerning our salvation By nature we are darknesse we sit in darknesse and in the region of the shadow of death But thou by the most clear light of the Gospel dost dispell this darknes In thy light do we see light that is in the light of thy word we see that true light that lighteneth every one that cometh into this world What use were there of a treasure that is hid and a light that is put under a bushel I do therefore declare with thankfulnesse that great benefit in that thou hast by the word of thy Gospel revealed unto us that treasure of benefits in thy Sonne How beautifull are the feet of those that bring good tidings and tell of salvation This peace of conscience and salvation of the soul by the preaching of the Gospel thou dost yet declare unto us and call us unto the kingdome of thy Sonne I was led into the by-paths of errours as it were a weak and miserable sheep But thou hast called me into the way again by the preaching of thy word I was condemned and utterly lost But thou in the word of thy Gospel dost offer unto me the benefits of Christ and in the benefits of Christ thy grace and in thy grace remission of sinnes and in remission of sinnes righteousnesse and in righteousnesse salvation and life everlasting Who can sufficiently in words expresse those bowels of thy mercy yea who can in minde conceive the greatnesse the riches of thy goodnesse The mysterie of our salvation kept secret from eternitie by the manifestation of thy Gospel thou dost lay open unto us The counsels which thou hadst concerning our peace before the foundations of the world were laid thou dost reveal unto us by the preaching of thy word which is a lantern unto our feet whiles we go through this darksome valley intâ— light everlasting What had it profited us to have been born unlesse by Christ thou hadst delivered us when we were captivated through sinne What had it profited us to have been redeemed unlesse thou hadst by thy word declared unto us the great benefit of our redemption Thou dost spread forth thy hands unto us all the day Thou knockest at the gate of our heart every day and callest us all unto thee by thy word O Lord most benigne how many thousand thousands of men do live in the blindenesse of Gentilisme and in errours and have not seen that light of thy heavenly word which thy bounty hath granted us of all men most unthankfull Alas how often through our contempt and unthankfulnesse do we deserve that thou shouldest take from us the candlestick of thy word But thou of thy long patience dost make as if thou sawest not our sinnes and of thy unspeakable mercy dost yet continue unto us that most holy pledge and most precious treasure of thy word For which thy great benefit we render unto thee eternall thanks and we humbly beseech thee to continue it still unto us Amen PRAYER VII He renders thanks unto
be holy in spirit and holy in body Without holinesse no man shall see thee who â—rt the most pure light As much therefore as thy beautifull vision is to be loved and desired so detestable and odious let the decrease and losse of chastitie be unto me The holy Spirit is made sorrowfull with the sparks of filthy speeches How much more then with the flaming fire of lust The very appetite of lust is full of anxietie and folly The act is full of abomination and ignominie And the end is full of repentance and shame The heat thereof ascendeth up into heaven and the stink thereof descendeth even unto hell Why therefore should I open the doore of my soul to this most filthy enemie and receive him even into the inward chamber of my heart Give unto me thou God of holines and fortitude thou Lord of hosts give unto me the strength of the Spirit that I may overcome that enemie which within me fighteth against me Grant unto me that I may not onely abstain from unlawfull embracings and outward acts of filthinesse but also that I may be freed from the inward flames and desires thereof seeing that thou dost not onely require a pure body but also a pure heart and dost behold with thy most pure eyes not onely the outwards but the inwards also Crucifie in me O Christ thou which wast crucified for me my flesh and the concupiscence thereof I beseech thee PRAYER IX He prayes for contempt of earthly things HOly God heavenly Father I call upon thee through thy beloved Sonne that by thy holy Spirit thou wouldest withdraw my heart from earthly things and lift it up unto the desire of heavenly things As fire by nature doth tend upwards So let the spirituall fire of love and devotion kindled in my heart tend to heavenly things What are these earthly things They are more brittle then glasse more moveable then Euripus more changeable then the windes I were a fool therefore if I should set my heart upon them and seek rest for my soul in them We must leave all earthly things when we die though it be against our wills Grant therefore that with a free and voluntary affection of the heart I may first forsake them Mortifie in me the love of the world that the holy love of thee may increase in me Preserve me by the aid of thy holy Spirit that I settle not my love on this world lest my heart become worldly The figure of this world passeth away the momentany glorie thereof passeth away the dissolution both of heaven and earth is at hand Bend my heart therefore that I may become a lover of the life that lasteth for ever and not of this world which soon fleeth away Whatsoever is in this world is concupiscence of the flesh concupiscence of the eyes and pride of life But how vain a thing is it to love the concupiscence of the flesh How dangerous a thing is it to satisfie the concupiscence of the eyes How hurtfull a thing is it to make choice of the pride of life He cannot truly love Christ which is the heavenly bread of life that is full with the earthly husks of the swine He can not freely flie up to God whose heart is held captive with the love of this world The love of God cannot enter in there where the heart is full with the love of this world Quench in me therefore O God my love the desire of earthly things Take from me this bond of the love of the world scoure the vessel of my heart that I may love thee with sincere love and cleave unto thee with a perfect heart Alas Why should I love those things which are in the world seeing that they cannot satisfie my soul which was created for eternitie nor recompense me again love for love Him shall my soul love with whom she shall dwell for ever Thither will I send before the desires of my heart where eternall glory is prepared for me Where my treasure is there shall my heart be also Give unto me the wings of a dove that I may flie on high unto thee and hide my self in the holes of the rock lest the hell-hunter catch me in the snares of this worldly love and draw my soul again to earthly things Let all the world wax bitter unto me that Christ alone may become sweet unto my soul. Amen PRAYER X. He prayes for deniall of himself O Jesu Christ Sonne of the living God which proclaimest in thy word Whosoever will be my disciple let him denie himself take up his crosse and follow me I intreat thee by thy most precious death and passion to perfect in me that deniall of my self which thou requirest I know it is easier to forsake all other creatures then for a man to deny himself That which I cannot therefore in my self perfect perfect thou in me I beseech thee Let the desires of mine own will keep silence that I may hearken unto thy divine oracles Let the rootie strings of the love of my self be rooted out of my heart that the most sweet plants of divine love may grow in me Let me die wholly unto my self and mine own concupiscences that I may live wholly unto thee and thy will My will is changeable and moveable wandring and unconstant Grant therefore that I may submit my will to thy will and cleave inseparably unto thee who art alone the immutable and eternall good Then do divine vertues grow in us when naturall strength decayes in us us Then at length are our works done in God when our own will is mortified in us Then are we truly in God and live in him when we are annihilated and made nothing in our selves Therefore O thou true life mortifie in me mine own will that I may begin truly to live unto thee Whatsoever in us ought to be approved and please God must from him descend upon us Therefore to God alone must all good be ascribed and to him must we leave that which is his own Whatsoever doth shine and glitter in us doth come from the eternall and immutable light which lighteneth the naturall darknesse of our mindes Let our light therefore so shine before men not that we our selves but that God may thereby be glorified O Christ thou which art the true light kindle this light of true knowledge in my minde O Christ thou which art the true glory of thy Father work in my heart this abnegation of mine own honour It is better for me in thee then in my self Where I am not there am I most happy My infirmity desires to be strengthened by thy vertue my nothing looketh up unto thy being Let thy holy will be done in the earth of my flesh that thy heavenly kingdome may come into my soul. Mortifie in me the love of my self and of mine own honour that it may not hinder the coming of thy heavenly kingdome
by thy guard and upholden by thy aid I may become at length the conquerour Within are fears without are fights For within the devil doth wound my soul with venemous and fiery darts of tentations Without he wearies me with sundrie adversities and a thousand kindes of treacheries He is a serpent for his subtiltie and fallacie a lion for his violence and invasion a dragon for his crueltie and oppression He attempted to assault the very captain of the heavenly host And will he spare me a common souldier He did not doubt to set himself in opposition against the very head And what wonder then if he go about to overthrow a weak member of the mysticall bodie There is no power in me to withstand him being strong and armed There is no wisdome in me to escape the snares and gins of this enginer that hath a thousand stratagemes To thee therefore with humble sighs do I betake my self whose power cannot be termed and whose wisdome cannot be numbred Be present with me O Christ thou which art the most strong Lion of the tribe of Judah that in thee and through thee I may be able to get the conquest over that lion of hell Thou hast fought and overcome for me Fight likewise and overcome in me that thy strength may be perfected in my weaknesse Enlighten the eyes of my minde that I may discern the treacheries of Satan Direct my feet that I may escape his hidden snares Let the victory in tentation be a testimonie unto my heart of my heavenly regeneration Let the presence of thy grace confirm unto me the promise of victorie Furnish me and arm me with the strength of thy fortitude that in this combat I may be able to stand and hereafter judge him of whom I am now oppugned The more in number and the more dangerous the treacherous assaults of this enemy are the more ardently do I flee unto the aid of thy mercy One while he inspires into me the unsatiable desire of earthly things that having bound me in the fetters of avarice he may lead me out of the way of righteousnesse Another while he inflames me with the fire of anger that my heart may burn within me till I have done my neighbour some mischief Another while he solicits me to lust and the love of pleasures Another while he suggests into my minde envie and ambition Before he precipitates and throws me headlong into sinne he perswades me it is lighter then the aire or a feather or an autumn leaf and this is to make me secure And when he hath precipitated me into sin then he tells me it is greater then the universe of heaven and earth and more weighty then the balance of Gods mercy and this is to make me despair These so many and so great and treacherous assaults and fallacies I cannot foresee How much lesse then shall I be able of my self to escape them Unto thee therefore do I flee who art my strength and the rock of my fortitude for ever Amen PRAYER XIIII He prayes for a blessed departure out of this life and for a blessed resurrection unto life everlasting O Jesu Christ Sonne of the everliving God thou that wast crucified and raised up again for us thou that didst destroy our death by thy death thou that hast merited by thy resurrection a blessed resurrection for us unto life everlasting I worship thee I pray unto thee with my whole heart the onely true God together with the Father and the holy Spirit to grant unto me a happie egresse out of the miseries of this life and a blessed ingresse in the resurrection and in the day of judgement unto life everlasting I know that there is an appointed term of my life in thy divine determination and that after death follows judgement Be present with me in the houre of death thou that sufferedst death for me on the crosse Protect me in the day of judgement thou that wast for me unjustly condemned When the tabernacle of this my earthly house shall be dissolved lead my soul into an habitation in my heavenly countrey When my eyes shall be darkened in the agony of death kindle in my heart the light of saving faith When my eares shall be stopped in the houre of death speak unto me inwardly by thy Spirit and comfort me When a cold sweat doth come forth out of my dying members make me to remember thy bloudy sweat which is a sufficient ransome for my sinnes and a defensive remedie for me against death In thy sweat there appeareth fervency in thy bloud a price and in the running down thereof sufficiency When my speech shall begin to fail me in that last agonie grant that I may sigh unto thee by the grace of thy holy Spirit When those extreme distresses seize upon my heart be thou present with me by the consolation and help of thy quickning grace and take me into thy charge and tuition when all other creatures denie me aid Grant unto me that I may patiently endure all horrours and troubles and bring my soul at length out of this prison I beseech thee by thy most sacred wounds which thou enduredst in thy pâ—ssion upon the crosse for me to grant unto me that I may be able to quench the fiery darts of Satan wherewith he doth strike at me in the houre of death I beseech thee by those most bitter torments which thou sufferedst that I may be able to endure and overcome all the violent invasions of the infernall powers Let my last word in this life be the same with which thou didst consummate all upon the crosse and receive my soul which thou hast redeemed with so deare a price when I shall commend it into thy hands Let a blessed resurrection follow a blessed death In that great day of thy severe judgement deliver me from that cruel sentence thou which in my life didst with thy ready help protect me Let my sinnes be covered with the shadow of thy grace and overwhelmed in the bottom of the sea Let my soul be bound up in the bundle of the living that with all the elect I may come into the fellowship of everlasting joy Amen The fourth Part. Of Supplications for others The Argument The meditation of our neiâ—hbours wants and indigencies concern the common good and welfare of the Church and Common-wealth anâ— makes us look upon others miseries as our own This is the fruit of tâ—ue and sinceâ—e charitie which bindes us altogether into one mystiâ—all body under one head which is Christ and commends unto us a serious care of the whole Church and of all the particular members thereof That is not a true member of the bodie which labours not as much as in it lies to preserve in safetie the whole structure of the body That is not a true member of the 〈…〉 that suffereth And the same reason is of force in the mysticall body of Christ.