of Interest For by a due Approach to our Lord's Table our Baptismal Vow is renewed our weak Faith strengthened our languishing Love inflam'd our Desires after Christ enlarg'd our Sorrow for Sin heightned fresh Power against and Victory over Sin obtained our present Joy and Comforts multiplied and our future hopes of Heaven advanced Oh how unkind then are they to their Saviour and also cruel to their own Souls who live all their days in the neglect of this engaging uniting quickning confirming Ordinance of the Lord's Supper whom all the melting Entreaties and passionate Importunities of the Ministers of Christ could never prevail upon to the practice of this most Reasonable and most Advantagious Duty 3. But let us hear the several Pleas and Pretences which so many Thousands of Persons tho' professing Christianity do make for this notorious neglect of their dying Lord's Command 1. Plea or Excuse made by some is the extraordinary Dread and Solemnity of the Ordinance these put their Saviour off with a Complement telling him that the Privilege is too great the dignity too high and the Ordinance too solemn for them to approach unto Answer This is a good Reason why you should approach the Ordinance with Preparation and Care but no Argument at all why you should turn your back upon it As if a King should invite and command you to pay Attendance at Court upon his Person and you very gravely tell him That is too high an Honour for Persons of your Rank you will therefore out of Reverence to his Person violate his Precept and at once Affront his Authority and Contemn his Kindness Know then that the Reverence which our Saviour expects to his Holy Institution is a Reverence of Obedience That man has a due sense upon his Mind of the Solemnity of the Sacrament who is careful to approach it with all the Humility and sense of Unworthiness which becomes polluted Dust and Ashes but such a superstitious sort of Reverence as makes men afraid of doing their Duty is dishonouring to God and detrimental to themselves 2. Plea Is that of Unworthiness We are unworthy to come and therefore afraid to come For he that eateth unworthily eats his own Damnation therefore we will be of the safest side and prevent coming Unworthily by keeping away and not coming at all Answer 1. There is a two-fold Worthiness in reference to the Sacrament A Worthiness of Merit and a Worthiness of Meetness if by being worthy you mean the former a worthiness of Merit by which you deserve to be Entertained at Christ's Table in that sense not only the Holiest Saint on Earth but the highest Angel in Heaven is unworthy of this Priviledge But then there is a worthiness of Meetness which imports such a fitness and preparation of Soul as the Gospel requires and Christ will accept A Begger is not worthy of your Alms yet you would not account it Humility but Pride in him to refuse your Alms when entreated to accept them upon pretence of being unworthy of them The Truth is an humble sense of our unworthiness is in God's Account our greatest worthiness 2. Whereas thou pleasest thy self that thou art on the safest side by keeping away from the Ordinance this is a manifest mistake because the guilt and danger of unworthy Refusing is certainly as great or greater than the danger of unworthy Receiving For not to come at all is a bold Affront to the Authority of Christ a mighty contempt of the love of Christ 't is the casting off the Profession of Christianity 't is a Renouncing of the Communion of Saints and a quitting all claim and interest in the Covenant of Grace Did they in the Gospel who made light of Christ's Invitation to the Marriage-Supper escape any better than he that came without the Wedding-Garment Were they not both destroyed they for their Disobedience and he for his Disrespect 3. Plea Is that of Unfitness and Unpreparedness My Conscience tells me says the Sinner that I am unfit to come to this Ordinance and therefore I had better stay away Answer 1. Whose fault is it that thou art unfit It must be either God's fault or thy own Canst thou dare'st thou say 't is God's fault when he is willing both to Assist and Accept thee when he offers thee his Assisting Grace but thou art not willing to accept it But what is it that makes thee unfit Is it not some Sin that you are not willing to part with Does not Conscience tell you that you live a bad Life that there are some sensual Lusts which you indulge and are not willing to part with This is that which makes you unfit to come and afraid to come 2. If you are unfit for this Ordinance you are not fit to die you pretend you must stay all the days of your Life till you are prepared for the Sacrament but will Death stay for you till you are prepared for that When Death calls appear you must at God's Tribunal whether fit or not fit Now what is it that prepares you for Death Is it not the exercise of Repentance and a Holy Life This will fit you for the Sacrament and without this you can never be fit for Heaven nor hope to come there 3. Speak sincerely Did you ever go about to make your self fit Didst thou ever spend a day in thy Closet in searching for and finding out thy Sins in Confessing and Bewailing of them in Resolving against them in praying earnestly to God for the Aid of his Grace to enable you to mortifie and subdue them Did ever you repair to your Minister and desire his Assistance in fitting you for the Ordinance If not which is certainly the very case of many Good Good what horrid Hypocrisie is this to offer it as a reasonable excuse that thou art unfit when thou didst never in thy whole life once attempt or endeavour to make thy self fit Unfit thou art not only for the Sacrament but for every holy Duty also unfit to Pray unfit to Hear and unfit thou wilt be for ever without thy own Endeavours to make thy self fit For Almighty God never wrought a Miracle to maintain Sloath. If thou sayest thou canst do nothing without God I Reply That God will do nothing without thee use a Faithful Endeavour to prepare thy self and thy God will both assist thee and accept thee also but it is great folly to think of excusing one fault with another 4. Plea Alas say some we are poor ignorant Creatures we were never Book-learnt and therefore want the Knowledge which is requisite in a Worthy Communicant Answer 1. If thou art wholly and grosly ignorant in the Fundamentals of Religion thy Ignorance is dangerous and damnable such as will shut thee out of Heaven as well as debar thee from the Sacrament But why dost thou rest contented with thy Ignorance Why do you not repair to your Spiritual Guides for private Instruction who would thank you for such an
THE Poor Man's Help AND Young Mans Guide CONTAINING I. Doctrinal Instructions for the right Informing of his Judgment II Practical Directions for the General Course of his Life III. Particular Advices for the Well-managing of every Day With Reference To His 1. Natural Actions 2. Civil Imployments 3. Necessary Recreations 4. Religious Duties PARTICULARLY I. Prayer Publick in the Congregation Private in the Family Secret in the Closet II. Reading the Holy Scriptures III. Hearing of the Word Preached IV. Receiving of the Lord's Supper Unto which is Added An Earnest Exhortation unto all Christians to the Love and Practice of Universal Holiness By William Burkitt M. A. of Pembrook Hall in Cambridge now Vicar of Dedham in Essex The Second Edition LONDON Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns at the lower End of Cheap-side near Mercers-Chappel 1694. Imprimatur July 9. 1693. Ra. Barker TO The PEOPLE of my Charge IT is none of the least or most inconsiderable Arguments to evince and prove the Dignity and Preciousness of the Soul of Man that Almighty God has been pleased to Institute a Sacred and Divine Office in his Church on purpose for the Benefit and Advantage of it and to appoint a Distinct Order of Men his Ministers I mean whose whole Employ and Concern it is peculiarly to Watch over the Souls of his People and to be accountable to him for the same In this Delightful Service of God and of your Souls I have now worn out more than three Apprenticeships amongst some of you Endeavouring with my utmost Care and Diligence to excite the Careless and Unconcerned Sinners on the one hand and to direct the Weak and Doubting Christian on the other hand to the Practice of their respective Duties For it is hard to say from which Religion suffers most whether from the Want of Zeal in some or from the Mistakes of Zeal in others Besides my Publick Advices to you in God's House your Consciences can Witness for me that I have taken some Pains and if God continues my Health I resolve to take much more in the Duty of Private Inspection and Ministerial Conference with you in your own Houses in order to your Preparation for that Venerable Ordinance of the Lords Supper which to the great Scandal of our most Holy Religion is so shamefully neglected by multitudes of Persons professing Christianity of all perswasions amongst us Exhorting you also to set up Religion and the Worship of God in your private Families that God may dwell where you dwell But the Answer of many of you has been this We want Abilities we are willing but not able to perform those Duties without some Assistance In great Charity therefore to those of you who want such a Help as this and are willing to make use of it I put this small Paper into your Hand which I entreat you to accept both as an Instance of my Duty and as a Monitor of your Own Know assuredly Sirs it will be the Portion of many of God's Ministers at the Great Day I pray God it may never be mine to be called forth as Witnesses against their own People when Almighty God will thus interrogate us in the presence of Men and Angels Did you not Admonish this People of the sin and danger of a resolute Impiety did you not warn them of their Neglect of Sacraments and Holy Duties publickly privaeely personally Must we not plainly and faithfully declare that all our melting Entreaties and passionate Importunities could â—â—er prevail with you to part with your Sins but you would choose rather to gratifie your Lusts than to obey your Reason Then will our Lord say unto us I pronounce you pure and Innocent from the Blood oâ— these Men Oh joyful Word to us But to Sinners will he say Your Destruction be upon your own Heads what could I or my Ministers have done more for you that has not been done therefore Depart ye Cursed into Everlasting Misery Oh doleful Word to them God grant thaâ— your and my Ears may never hear it Beloved it is your Commendation and my Comfort that when in this wanton Age a Spirit of Giddiness has possest the Minds of many that they are tossed too and fro with every Wind of Doctrine trying all things in deed but holding fast nothing you have been unanimous in this part of your Duty keeping close to the Publick Assemblies and continuing stedfast in the Apostle's Doctrine and Christian Fellowship and in Breaking of Bread and in Prayers But know that the best Communion and best Religion in the World the holiest Doctrine and the purest Worship will be of no avail to impure Worshippers and impure Livers God grant therefore that you and I may Oblige our selves to such an Eminent and Exemplary Piety of Conversation in all the several Instances of our Duty as may render the Unspotted Religion of the Holy Jesus venerable to the World And may Almighty God who sometimes delights to do great things by weak means be pleased to succeed these well-design'd Endeavours of mine in order to your Advantage that so in God's House and in your own also the most solemn Acts and Exercises of Religious Worship may be performed by you with such a becoming gravity and sincerity of Devotion that the Name of our Holy Lord may be glorified your Souls comforted with the sense of Pardon and Peace here and everlastingly refreshed with Joys unspeakable and full of Glory hereafter so prayeth Dedham 1693. Your Affectionate Minister WILLIAM BVRKITT THE POOR MAN's HELP AND YOUNG MAN's GUIDE CHAP. I. Containing Doctrinal Instructions for the right informing of the Judgment NOthing concerns Mankind in general so much as the Salvation of their Souls This is the one thing Needful and that which they are obliged above all things to mind and regard But it concerns Poor Men especially to secure the Salvation of their never-dying Souls lest they be miserable in both Worlds for they tasting but little of the Comforts and Sweetness of this Life had need take Care above others that they miss not the Consolations and Happiness of the next Now in Order to every Man's Salvation hereafter three things are indispensibly necessary here namely a right Knowledge a right Faith and a Righteous Life Knowledge is the Foundation of our Faith and Faith the Foundation of our Obedience and Obedience the Condition of our Happiness for although a Man may know the Will of God and not do it yet he can never do it acceptably and not know it A wilfully Ignorant Man can neither Serve God nor be saved by him Towards the Attaining of this Knowledge and Belief which is so absolutely Necessary to Salvation the great things required are an Humble Sense of our own Ignorance a Teachable Disposition and Readiness of Mind to receive Instruction accompanied with an Earnest Invocation and fervent Calling upon God for the Promised Illuminations of his Holy Spirit More particularly the Chief and Fundamental
of Unworthy Refusing is certainly as great as the danger of Unworthy Receiving The neglects of duty are as dangerous and damnable as the Acts of sin and sins of omission are certainly damning as well as sins of commission St. Mat. 3.10 Every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire 16. That God hath appointed a time in which he will Judge all Persons as well for their omissions of good as for their commissions of evil and every one shall receive an unalterable Sentence according to his Works Rev. 20.12 I saw the Dead standing before God and the Dead were Judged according to their Works 17. That those who have done good shall be absolved and accepted and shall inherit a Kingdom of Glory prepared for them where they shall both see and resemble their Blessed Saviour in perfect holiness and endless happiness 18. That such as have here done evil and dyed in their Impenitency shall suffer an everlasting Imprisonment with Devils and damned Spirits in Blackness of Darkness for ever Undergoing the perpetual gnawings of the Worm that dyeth not and the extreme torments of the fire which never shall be quenched St. John 5.28 Marvel not at this for the hour is â—â—ming in which all that are in the Graves shall hear his voice and they shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the Resurrection of Damnation CHAP. II. Containing Practical Directions for the General Course of Life I. Direction For the Right Ordering of Our Thoughts COgito Ergo sum I Think therefore I am is a prime Conclusion with the Modern and Ingenuous Philosopher Thinking is the surest Proof and Evidence of Being I cannot so certainly conclude I am because I walk I drink I see and hear because the Senses are oft-times deceived but If I be sure I Think I am sure I Am because Thinking is an Operation that flows from Being Now as bare Thinking is an Argument of meer Being so Well-Thinking is an Evidence of Well-Being for says the Wise-man Prov. 23. v. 7. As a Man Thinketh in his Heart so is he Therefore in Order to the right Governing of thy daily Thoughts Observe the following Rules 1. Think frequently with thy self that as thy Pulse will be continually beating so thy Thoughts will be always working to thy Dying Hour and therefore had need be well imployed 2. Think often what a World of Sin a Man may be guilty of in his Thoughts Atheism Blasphemy Idolatry Adultery Murder and what not and Believe thy self to be no less Accountable to God for the Sin of thy Thoughts than of thy Words and Actions Eccles 12.14 God shall bring every secret thing into Judgment whether it be good or whether it be evil 3. Think often what a glorious Theme and Subject for thy Thoughts God has provided and laid before thee as himself in his Attributes his Son in his Natures Life and Actions his holy Spirit in all its gracious Operations his Word and Promises his Works of Creation Preservation and Redemption c. Astronomy does but Surveigh a Dunghill in comparison of what Christianity Comtemplates Stars are but dirty Clods compared with that Glory which lyes within the reach of the Christian's Thoughts 4. Think every Morning what good Offices thou hast to do that day and so Think all the Day as if all thy Thoughts were written on thy Forehead for the whole World to read them and so Act every Day as if thou hadst a thousand Eyes upon thee 5. Think thy own Condition to be certainly the best because the Wisdom of God sees it best for thee if thou hast not as much as others yet thou hast that which is Appointed for thee In Heaven our Reward shall be not according to the good things we have received here but according to the good Works which we have done here At the Reckoning Day he will be accounted the wisest Man that has laid out his time in good Duties and his Treasure in good Works 6. Think Contentment to be the truest Riches and Covetousness the greatest Poverty He is not Rich that has much but he that has enough that Man is Poor who Covets more and yet wants a Heart to enjoy what he has already 7. Think it no part of thy Business curiously to Search into other Men's Lives but narrowly to inspect the Errors of thine own It is much better to amend one Fault in our selves than to find out an hundred Faults in another 8. Think it a greater Virtue to forgive one Injury than to do many Kindnesses because it is harder and more against Nature 9. Think him no True Friend whom one Injury can make thine Enemy He must have no Friends that will have a Friend with no Faults 10. Take a View of thy Thoughts every Night as the Master does of his Servants Work every Day and so Think if possible of all things now as thou wilt think of them when passing into Eternity II. Direction For the right Ordering of our Words Speech is a very Noble and Advantagious Benefit to Man by which he excels the whole Creation Our Tongue is our glory the Index and Expresser of our Mind and Thoughts the Instrument of our Creator's Praise and there is no Subject so sublime and honourable for the Tongue of Man to be imployed about as the Word and Works of God There is a great Difficulty in governing of the Tongue it being a proud and active Member and therefore the Scripture places much of Religion in Bridling of the Tongue St. James 1.26 It is the great Wisdom of a Man to know both when and what to speak and also how and when to be silent for a Man may sin both ways by over-silence as well as by over-much speaking Wo unto us if we want a Tongue to publish God's Truth to plead God's Cause to Vindicate God's Honour and to sound forth God's Praise To avoid all Extreams Remember these Rules 1. Accustom not thy self to speaking over-much and before thou speakest Consider let not thy Tongue run before Reason and Judgment bid it go if the Heart doth not pre-meditate the Tongue must necessarily precipitate 2. Let the Matter of your Speech be both true and profitable True logically by an Agreement betwixt the Thing and your Words without falshood and True morally by an Agreement betwixt your Tongue and your Heart without Dissimulation 3. Speak always to God with extraordinary Dread and Caution and always of him with a profound Veneration and Awfulness of Regard 4. Speak of Holy Things frequently but always seriously yet place not Religion in Talk only nor measure Goodness by good Words 't is much easier to Talk like a Saint than to be one 5. Speak well of all Men 'till thou knowest otherwise and when thou canst not speak well be Silent 6. Speak not well of any undeservedly that 's sordid Flattery Speak not well of
come 3. Let Secret Prayer by your self alone be constantly performed before the Work of the Day be Undertaken It is much better to go from Prayer to Business than from Business to Prayer in regard of the Minds freedom from Distracting Thoughts Because also if the World gets the Start of Religion in the Morning 't is hard for Religion to Overtake the World all the Day after 4. Let Family Worship be performed constantly and seasonably at that Hour which is freest in regard of Interruption and look that it be Reverently and Spiritually performed Call not then for the Cushion when there is more need of the Pillow 5. Then set about and follow the Labours of your Calling with Diligence and Industry He that says Be servent in Prayer says also Be not slothful in Business Rom. 12. and let the Day be spent in your Calling watchfully watching your Company you converse with and the Corruption which you find stirring in you but especially Watch against those Temptations which the Company you are with the Place you are in or the Work and Calling you are about may expose you to or lay you under 6. When about your Calling if alone improve the Time in fruitful Meditation and holy Ejaculations or short Prayers which are no Hindrance at all to your Worldly Business if in Company in such profitable Discourse as may tend to make thy self and others both Wiser and Better 7. In doing your Duty in the Labours of your Calling humbly depend upon God's Fatherly Care for a Comfortable Subsistence for thy self and Family and Compose thy Mind in all Conditions of Life to a quiet and steady Dependance on the Divine Providence being anxiously Careful for nothing but casting all your Care upon him that Careth for you 8. Heedfully Observe all the Passages of Divine Providence daily both towards thy self and others and those Providential Dispensations which thou canst not thoroughly understand awfully Admire 9. In all Places and in all Companies remember the Presence of God and walk continually as under the View of his All-seeing and Observing Eye Often consider that God is every where Present and then you will study to be every where Holy 10. Walk every day with an high Esteem of the preciousness swiftness and irrecoverableness of your Time and resolve to spend it in Nothing which you dare not Pray for a Blessing upon in nothing which you know must be Repented of before you Dye in Nothing which you would not be found doing if Death should surprize you in the doing of it 11. Look every Day to the faithful Discharge of the respective Duties of your several Relations as Husbands and Wives Parents and Children Masters and Servants and remember that much of the Life and Power of Religion consists in the Conscientious Practice of Relative Duties 12. In the Evening retire and take a View of your Actions the Day past Examine what good you have either done or received and bewail it as a Day lost in which you have not either Profited others or Advantaged your self CHAP. IV. Of Glorifying God in our Natural Actions viz. in our Eating Drinking and Sleeping IT is the Advice of the Holy Apostle 1. Cor. 10.31 That whether we Eat or Drink or whatever we do to do all to the Glory of God plainly implying that a Christian ought to perform his Natural Actions to spiritual Purposes and whilst he is feeding his Body must have an Eye at his Serving of God Eating and and Drinking to the satisfying of our Natures and not to the gratifying of our Lusts Our lawful Comforts without Watchfulness become our greatest Snares The first Sin that ever was committed entered the World by Eating Our first Parents pleased their Appetites to their Ruine which ought to make their Posterity afraid of all sinful Excesses to prevent which let the following Rules be remembred and observed 1. Raise not any perplexing Scruples about what you are to Eat and Drink to no purpose but only to your own Vexation Remember Christ has taken away that Distinction of Meats Clean and Unclean which was of old amongst the Jews and has given us a liberty of feeding upon all the good Creatures of God with Temperance and Sobriety 1 Tim. 4.4 Every Creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with Thanksgiving Which hints a second Rule 2. Look that your Meat and Drink be blest and sanctified to you by Prayer and Tanksgiving Sit not down to your Food as a Beast to his Fodder without taking any Notice of the Hand that provides it for you Our Meat doth not Nourish us by its own Power but by Divine Appointment and therefore our Blessed Saviour tho' he was Lord of the Creatures yet did not sit down to feed on them before he lookt up to Heaven for a Blessing upon them St. Mark 6.41 Remember that the Creatures on your Table are God's Creatures and if you Convert them to your own Use without asking God's Leave you are bold Usurpers 3. Eat and Drink as in the Presence and View of God We are most apt to forget God at our Meals feeding our selves without fear Now the Remembrance of God's Eye upon us will Remedy this It is a memorable Expression which you have in Exod. 18. v. 12. And Aron and all the Elders of Israel came to eat Bread with Moses Father-in-law before God Where Observe 1. The Greatness of their Courtesie 2. The Graciousness of their Carriage Their Courtesie was great tho' Jethro was a Stranger and no Isralite yet the Elders of Israel honoured him with their Company and their Carriage was gracious they came to eat Bread with him before God that is in gloriam honorem Dei says one to the Honour and Glory of God They received their Sustenance as in God's sight and caused their Provision to tend to God's Praise 4. Remember that Reason and not Appetite is to be our Guide and Rule both for the Quantity and Quality of our Meat and Drink Not what Appetite likes best but what Reason and Judgment tells you is best ought to be received by you Meat and Drink have destroyed more thousands than ever Poyson did because persons are not so fearfull of these as they are of that If the Brute Creatures at any time eat or drink to any Degree of Excess it is to satisfie their Nature not to gratifie their Lusts But what an Abominable shame is it for Man instead of being governed by Reason to be inslaved by his Lust and to have his sensitive Appetite command his Rational Faculty 5. Take heed of making thy Table a Snare either to thy self or others This is done two ways 1. When our Meals are Incentives to Sin and our Food is made Fewel for our Lusts the Flesh is an Enemy too strong for us when we take away its Armour and fight against it but much more so when we our selves put weapons into its hand and provide it
to refresh both Mind and Body to which purpose the following Cautions may be Necessary 1. Look that your Recreations be lawful and such as have nothing of Sin in them We must not to Recreate our selves do any thing which is dishonourable to God or injurious to our Neighbour as they do who droll upon things that are Sacred and who make Back biting Discourse their Recreation 2. Look that your Recreations answer the End and Design of their first Institution not to pass Time away which we ought above all things to Study to redeem and improve Surely no Man needs to contrive how to drive away his Time which flies so fast of it self and is so impossible to recover But the true End of Recreation is the refreshing of the Mind and recreating of the Body to make them both the fitter for the Service of God in the Duties of our general and particular Callings Therefore 3. Be careful that your Recreations be short and diverting such as may fit you for Business rather than rob you of your Time He that makes Recreation his business will think Business a Toyle The End of Recreation is to fit us for Business not to be it self a Business to us 4. Take Care that Covetousness have nothing to do in your Recreations Let your End be meerly to Recreate your self not to Win Money for that will certainly bring you into a double Danger the one of Covetousness and a greedy desire of Winning the other of Rage and Anger at thy bad Fortune if thou happen to lose Covetousness will occasion thy Cheating and Cozuening and Anger occasion thy Swearing and Cursing and thus thou makest that which is lawful in it self unlawful to thee by making it an Occasion of sin to thee 5. Let not your Recreations be Costly and Expensive Some Persons have spent more in Gaming vainly than would Build and Endow an Hospital and maintain many Families comfortably little considering that they are only God's Stewards and must be severely Accountable to him for every Inch of their Time and every Penny in their Purse which is consumed in Sin and Vanity 6. Take heed that your Sports and Recreations be not Cruel We ought not to refresh our selves with Spectacles of Cruelty in seeing either Men or Beasts needlesly Tormenting each other That Enmity which is among the Creatures is certainly the Effect of our Sin What a Heart then has that Man that can take Delight in seeing the dumb Creatures Torment one another Is it not enough for thee to behold the Antipathies which thy Sin has put into the Natures of the Creatures but thou must barbarously make thy self Merry with their Miseries who in their kind are far more serviceable to the Creator than thy self 7. Remember young Men that God's Eye is in the midst of you when in the midst of your Sports and Recreations therefore be wise and moderate in the pursuit of them Do all things as in God's sight and you will do every thing to God's glory Respect ought to be had to God in all we do not in our Vocations only but in our Recreations also and the Remembrance of God's all-seeing Eye upon us will have an Universal Influence upon all our Actions 8. Take an extraordinary Care that your Recreations do not engross too much of your Precious Time which was given for Nobler Purposes Oh how sadly do some Young Men addict themselves to a Life of Pleasure Ease and Voluptuousness unworthily wasting the Flower of their Youth the Srength of their Body the Vigour of their Minds drowning in a bruitish sensuality the Fair and goodly Hopes of a Vertuous Education together with the Honour of their Families the Expectation of their Countrey and the improvment of their Parts as if Almighty God had placed them on the Earth as Leviathan in the Sea only to take their Sport and Past-time therein such Persons being Lovers of Pleasure more than Lovers of God are certainly in a most deplorable State 9. But above all take heed of making the Lords-day your Day of Sports and Recreation This is a Crime of a tremendous Guilt Woe be to that Man which disturbs God's Holy Rest with his unholy Sports God's Holy Day calls for Holy Delights Isa 58.13 Not doing thy pleasure on my holy day Thou that art a poor Man and stealest Time from thy Family for Unnecessary Recreations on the Week-day this is Theft But to steal Time from thy Maker and Redeemer on his Day is Sacriledge of the two it is better to Plough than to Play to Digg than to Dance upon the Lords-Day CHAP. VII Of Glorifying God in our Religious Duties ALmighty God being more Honoured or Dishonoured by us in our Religious Duties than in all the Actions of our Lives besides it concerns us to be exactly Careful how we manage our Deportment in his Presence when we Worship at his Footstool and bow before his Mercy-seat If it be a Sin not to Aim at the Glory of God when Eating and Drinking at our own Table much more so when Eating and Drinking at his Table when we are performing the most tremendous Acts and Exercises of Religion How superstituously Devout were the Old Heathens in the Service of their Dumb Idols they thought nothing too good for their false Gods for whom the worst was not bad enough the Worshipper being better than the God he worshipped When they were going to offer their Sacrifices their Priests cried out in the Audience of the People Procul Oh procul este prophani Depart all you that are Impure and Prophane from the Holy Sacrifices of the Gods Oh where they so choice and chary in the Service of their dunghill Deities and shall not we exercise a more extraordinary Dread and Caution in the Religious Service of the living and true God Therefore to prevent sinful Miscarriages in Holy Duties the following Advices may be necessary 1. Labour to entertain in thy Mind awful Apprehensions and suitable Conceptions of the Majesty of that God whom thou art Addressing thy self unto Conceive of him in thy Mind as a God of such incomprehensible greatness and majesty of such transcendent Holiness and Purity of such Sanctity and Severity that he cannot behold Iniquity in any of his Worshippers without the greatest Abhorrency and Detestation and for that reason approach thou to him with a holy Fear with an humble Reverence and not without a trembling Veneration 2. Set not about Religious Duties without previous Preparaton In every Work whether Natural or Artificial some Preparation is necessary to bring it to Perfection In Works of Nature the Ground must be digg'd and dress'd plough'd and prepared before the Seed be cast into it In Works of Art the Musitian must string and tune his Instrument before he can play his Lesson melodiously Surely then in Holy and Religious Duties towards which our Hearts are naturally so backward and averse it concerns us to exercise a Preparatory Care to bring our Hearts into
and keep them in such a holy humble joyful thankful Frame and Posture that God may have the Glory and We the Comfort of all our Religious Addresses to him and attendences upon him in the way of his Ordinances 3. Keep a Watchful Eye upon thy Heart when thou art engaged in any Religious Duty Never are our Hearts so apt to wander as at such a time and therefore they require a strong Guard How very backward is the Heart to Duty how naturally dead and dull in Duty how soon weary of Duty how many Pretences will our Hearts make to cause us to Omit Holy Performances or to render us heedless and lifeless in them therefore as good Nehemiah when building did Work and Watch Watch and Work so must we in Duty Pray and Watch Watch and Pray 4. Make Conscience of Glorifying God in all Religious Duties one as well as another Partiality is hateful to God in the Duties of Religion which have all a Divine Stamp upon them Many Complain of their deadness in Prayer and dulness unto the Word who never came to the Sacrament Wonder not at it God will not meet thee in one Ordinance if thou neglectest him in another We must not limit and bind the Holy Spirit to this or that Duty but wait upon him in all Almighty God is pleased to Communicate himself with great Variety to his Children at one time in this Ordinance at another time in that on purpose to keep up the Esteem of all in our Hearts and to engage us to Attend upon all Conscientiously in the whole Course of our Lives 5. Look that in all thy Religious Duties thou servest God with an holy Alacrity with a Spiritual Delight and Joy Joy suits no Person so well as a Christian and at no Season so well as when Waiting upon God in Religious Duties We have a Promise of it Isa 12. v. 3. With Joy shall ye draw Water out of the Wells of Salvation And we have also a Promise made unto it Isa 64.5 Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteuousness that is Thou Acceptest him 6. Look that thy End in Attending upon Religious Duties be the same with God's End in Appointing of them Namely First that by them we should pay our Homage to him as our Sovereign Lord And Secondly That through them he may Communicate his Spiritual Blessings into his People's Bosoms 7. Above all take Care that thou dost not blot thy Holy and Religious Duties by a wicked and Unholy Life If thou intendest to foul thy Hands with Sins black work on the Week-day it is in vain for thee to wash them with Prayer on the Lords-day A little seeming Zeal at thy Devotion in the Church will not guild over the Weeks Miscarriages in thy Shop nor attone for thy Pride and Passion for thy Deceit and Fraud for thy Riot and Excess CHAP. VIII Of Glorifying God in Publick Worship IT is Confess'd by all Persons who have any Sense of God and Religion upon their Minds that they were made to serve and glorifie their great Creator by a constant Acknowledgment of his Sovereignty over them and their continual Dependency upon him Now much of the Honour of God and the Credit of Religion depends upon the due Performance of his Publick Worship this Glorifies God much more than any Private Addresses from the Family or the Closet both as it creates a greater Veneration and Esteem of God in the Minds of Men and also because Publick and Solemn Adorations are the most Illustrious Testimonies we can render to God of our Homage to him Besides how reasonable is it that we should own the God whom we serve in the Face of the World Not but that a Christian honours God highly and serves him Acceptably by his Family-Duties and Closet-Devotions But we do much more Glorifie him by our Publick Addresses Then we Honour God Eminently when we let others see conspicuously the high Esteem we have of his Excellencies and cause the Voice of his Praise to be heard amonst Men. The Honour that is done to Persons amongst Men is not done in secret but is always a Publick thing Honour me before the Elders of my People said Saul to Samuel in like manner we give unto the Lord the Honour due unto his Name when others are Witnesses of the Esteem which we have of his Divine Perfections by our Reverend Acknowledgment of him in his Publick Worship To excite you therefore to a diligent and daily Aâ—tendance upon God in his Publick Worship as you have Opportunity Consider 1. That Publick Worship glorifies God most 2. He Accepts it best 1. Publick Worship glorifies God most because hereby a Sense of God and Religion is best kept up and preserved in the World which otherwise would be in danger of being lost If the Publick Assemblies fall Religion cannot long stand the Worship of God in our Closets will not do this because it is unseen What we do alone no Body sees nor is it intended that they should and therefore that cannot induce others to the same way of Glorifying God But when Men see a Body of Christians assembled together in an humble manner with Pious Devotion and submissive Reverence with bended Knees and Eyes lifted to Heaven paying their Solemn Acknowledgments to the Author of their being this strikes Men with a certain Awe and supports the Belief both of God's Existence and Penâ—ficence also in the Minds of Men As for instance when we see a great multitude of poor People constantly waiting at the Gates of an House we presently conclude that some great and good Man dwells there whom the Poor wait upon Thus doth the Publick Worship of Pious Christians spread the Fame of God's extraordinary Goodness far and near whereas when few or none tread in the Courts of his House which were built to contain a multitude of Worshippers and to represent the inconceivable Greatness of that God who is therein worshipped this very much damps the Sense of God and Religion in the World and represents him after a poor and contemptible fashion Oh how unsuitable then is it that the Worship of such a superexcellent and transcendent Being as God is should be confined to our Closets and Private Houses when it is much more suitable and agreeable to his Nature that we Magnifie and Praise him as openly and as Publickly as possible we can that so we may not seem to Worship some little petty Deity but the Almighty and Universal Lord of Heaven and Earth 2. As Publick Worship glorifies God most so he accepts it best for there is nothing that Almighty God more delights in than in the joint Prayers and Praises of his People Psal 87.2 The Lord loveth the Gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob No doubt the Prayers which good Men put up to Almighty God from under their Private Roofs are very acceptable to him but if a Christian's single Voice in Prayer be so sweet what
and Service In a humble sense of our unworthiness in a chearful compliance with our Duty and in a thankful Acknowledgment of our Priviledge we desire to go forth this day to worship at they Footstool and to pay our Vows in the great Congregation God Almighty pardon to us all the Errours of our Life past and suffer them not to stand this day as a partition-wall betwixt thy Majesty and our Souls to hinder either the Ascent of our Prayers up to God or the descent of thy Grace and Mercy upon Us. Help us seriously to consider now our faces are towards thy House whose Word it is we are going forth to hear whose work it is we are about and unto whom we must all render a strict and for ought we know a very suddain Account for all Opportunities and seasons of Grace we are entrusted with Let us hear that Word of thine which shall be either read or preached this 〈…〉 deemer not worth rememembring by us Or if we have not wholly neglected that Sacred Ordinance we have not so grown in the Graces and Comforts of thy Holy Spirit by it as we might have done Forgive unto us the Sins of this Day more especially Pardon to us the Iniquities of our Holy Things our unpreparedness for our backwardness to our deadness and dullness in the Performance of those high and Holy Duties we have this Day been Engaging in let our Persons and Performances find a gracious Acceptance with thee in and through our worthy Mediator for his sake receive us and ours into thy Protection this Night may we lie down in thy fear arise in thy favour and our Rest be made refreshing to us and we thereby the better enabled to serve thee in our several Vocations and Callings the Day that is approaching Extend thy Compassions to the whole World pity the deplorable Ruines of Mankind send forth the Light of thy Gospel into the dark Corners of the Earth that perish for want of Vision Especially remember thy Church wheresoever dispersed or however distressed be a perpetual Protection and Defence to â—hat part of thy Church which thine own right hand has planted and hitherto so miraculously preserved in these Nations to which we belong We thank Thee for all the wonderful Appearances of thy Power and Goodness towards us and we beg of God to establish us upon such Foundations of Righteousness and Peace that it may never more be in the Power of our restless Adversaries to disturb us God Almighty guide and guard Bless and Protect thine Anointed Servants our Sovereign Lord and Lady King William and Queen Mary let their Days on Earth be like the Days of Heaven many and happy and after a long and a religious Reign upon a peaceable and unmolested Throne may God Crown them with the Rewards of a Glorious and Blessed Immortality Bless them and us in all their Royal Relations with all the Nobility the Judges Magistrates Gentry and Commonalty of this Land and Grant them all Wisdom and Grace to Fear God to Honour the King and Love one another But for the sake of all Bless all those that Administer unto thee in Holy Things and let all the Governours and Pastors of thy Church further the Edification of it by Soundness of Doctrine and Holiness of Life but especially Bless the Ministry of thy Servant in this Town and make it successful for the Conversion Edification and Salvation of all that sit under it Remember all the Sons and Daughters of Sorrow and Affliction and dispence thy Mercies suitably to their various Necessities Do good to all our friends Relations and Acquaintance Pardon and Forgive our Enemies and do more abundantly for us ours and all thine above what we are able to ask or worthy to receive for Christs sake in whose Name and Words we farther call upon thee Our Father c. An HYMN or Psalm of Praise for the Lords-day THis is the Day the Lords own Day A Day of Holy Rest Oh Teach our Souls to Rest from Sin That Rest will please thee best This is the Day thy Day Oh Lord On which thou didst Arise For Sinners having made thy self A Sinless Sacrifice Thou Thou alone Redeemed hast Our Souls from deadly Thrall With no less Price than precious Blood The Purchase of us all Hadst thou not dy'd we had not liv'd But dy'd Eternally We 'll live to him that dy'd for us And Paise his Name on high Thou Dy'dst indeed but Rose again And didst Ascend on high That we poor Sinners lost and dead Might live Eternally Thy Blood was shed instead of ours Thy Soul our Guilt did bear Thou took'st our sins gave us thy self Thy Love 's beyond compare Welcome and Dear unto my Soul Is thy most Holy Day But what a Sabbath shall I keep With thee my God for aye I Come I Wait I Hear I Pray Thy Footsteps Lord I trace I joy to think this is the way To see my Saviour's Face These are my Preparation-Days And when my Soul is Drest These Sabbaths shall deliver me To mine Eternal Rest CHAP. IX Of Glorifying God in Family Worship MAn's cheif Prerogative and Dignity which he hath to Glory of is this that he is the only Creature in the Visible World made to Worship and Enjoy his great Creator All the Creatures are Servants but Man is only a Priest to God they obey their Maker he only Worships him This Worship under the Law was Limitted to a particular place to wit The Tabernacle and the Temple the Tabernacle was an Ambulatory Temple and the Temple was a standing Tabernacle Into which they were of old required to repair and where Almighty God Promised to accept them But under the Gospel Almighty God has declared that it is his Will that Men pray every where lifting up pure hands without Wrath and Doubting So then a Christians private House is his Chappel of Ease in which Almighty God allows him the liberty and enjoyns him the Duty of Worshipping with his Houshold And accordingly we find that Religious Housholders have in all Ages Constantly and Conscientiously performed this Duty Devout Cornelius his Family Religion stands upon Record Acts 10.2 He feared God with all his House that is he Revere'd and Worshipt him It is added that he gave much Alms to the People and prayed to God always Surely he that was so Charitable at his door to refresh the pinched Bowels of his poor Neighbours could not be so cruel to his Relations Souls within his House as to Lock up his Religion in a Closet from them To Convince you of the Equity and Reasonableness of this Duty of Worshipping God daily in and with your Families Consider 1. The Right which Almighty God has to your Family-worship by vertue of that Relation which he stands in to your Families He is the Founder of your Families the continual Preserver of them and a daily Benefactor to them the very Being of your Families as such is from the
Lord He builds the House he setteth the Solitary in Families He has founded this Domestical Society ultimately for his own Glory and Subordinately for our good and Comfort Your Families then are Gods by a Right of Creation and by a right of Conversation also He made them and he sustains them We and ours live upon his Bounty and are maintained at his Cost 't is his Flax and his Wooll which we daily wear and he giveth us richly all things to enjoy Now if the Ox knoweth his Owner and the Ass his Masters Cribb shall a Family which Almighty God doth hourly sustain and nourish neglect to pay their Homage to Him and own their Dependance on him Consider 2. The superadded Obligation you lye under to the performance of this Duty both in point of Duty and in point of Interest In point of Duty 1. As you are intrusted by Almighty God with the Care and Charge of your Children and Servants also for which reason every Parent and Master is constituted a Prophet Priest and King in and unto his Houshold As a Prophet he is to teach them by Instruction and Example As a Priest he is to offer up the daily Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise for them And as a King he is to command his Children and Houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord. In point of Interest also 2. Have you not many Family-Sins to confess and many Family wants to supply Now is there any that can pardon the one or supply the other besides God If thy Children want bread can'st thou put it into their Mouths before God puts it into thy hand If they want Grace can any work it in their hearts but the God of all Grace In a word Do you not daily receive many Family-Mercies from the hand of Divine Bounty and is it not reasonable that they which eat of the same Feast should joyn in the same Song of Praise to the Founder of it When you awake in the Morning and find none of your Families dead in their Beds or Buried in the Ruines of their Habitation but all of you preserved from death and danger and delivered from the power and malice of Evil Spirits and out of the hands of unreasonable and wicked Men is not this a mercy that deserves thy calling thy Family together jointly to offer up your thankful acknowledgements to the God of your Mercies 3. Consider That the very Heathens at the great day will arise up in judgment and condemn all such persons as live in the neglect of worshipping God in their Families For even they had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 their Dii Domestici their Lares and Penates their Houshould Gods as they called them whom they sacrificed Morning and Evening unto that they might conciliate their Favour and be successful in their Enterprises The Old Heathens were wont to say Now we have Sacrificed let us go to bed How many that call themselves Christians say Now we have Supped let us go to bed Oh what shall we think of such persons are they Men or are they Swine they are sunk not only below Heathens but even as low as Brutes who never look up to the hand that feeds them Now that your Family-worship be performed in an Acceptable and Advantageous manner Let the following advices be observed by you 1. Take care that Family-Worship be performed constantly and seasonably by Family-Worship I mean especially Family-prayer Reading the Holy Scriptures c. Catechizing and Instructing Children and Servants in the Fundamental Principles of Christianity and praising of God in Singing All which duties the Family-Governour is to take care not only that they be performed constantly but seasonably at such times as are freest in reguard of interruption particularly the Morning is the fittest season when our Spirits are fresh and lively and before a Throng of Worldly business crowds in upon us You will find it much better to go from Prayer to Business than from business to prayer in regard of the freedom of your Minds from distracting thoughts So when the Evening comes on delay not the performance of your duty to an unseasonable hour Some Masters call for the Cushion to go to Prayer when they are more fit for the Plilow and to go to sleep But supposing that this should not be thine own case thou art wakeful thy self yet thou oughtest to consider the condition of thy poor Servants who work hard in the day and to take heed that thou dost not expose them to the sin and temptation of drousie praying 2. Look upon it as thy oblidged duty to pray Morning and Evening in thy Family many Masters pray neither Morning nor Night with their Houshold some pray at Night only and then so late that a Child is asleep in one corner and a Servant in another and the Master himself between sleeping and waking can such hanging down our heads instead of listing up our hands be Accepted as an Evening Sacrifice Surely we cannot expect it To convince you how reasonaby Almighty God may expect from you a Morning as well as an Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and praise Consider 1. That under the Law Almighty God required thus much namely both a Morning and Evening Sacrifice which was called the continual Burnt-offering 2. That we have no reason to think or suppose that Almighty God expects less but rather more homage and spiritual worship from us now having freed us from the burthen of such Ceremonial observances as they were oblidg'd to 3. That the often repeated commands of the Gospel which require us to pray always and to pray without ceasing cannot reasonably be thought to signifie less than praying as often as the Jews offered Sacrifice which was Morning and Evening And this may as properly be called a praying continually as the Morning and Evening Sacrifices under the Law were called a continual Burnt-Offering So that if you do not pray Morning and Evening you must suppose that Almighty God will accept of less service under the Gospel than he did under the Law 3. Advice is this Spend so much time in Family-worship and particularly in Prayer that those that joyn with you may be affected but not so much time as to be wearied with the Duty My meaning plainly is be neither too short nor yet too tedious To arise up from our Kees before our Hearts are affected either with our own Sin or with Gods Mercies is to come away from a duty no better than we went to it And such an over hasty Brevity argues very little delight that we take in the duty but shews that we are very glad to get out of Gods presence as soon as we can And on the other hand too much prolixity and length in duty has its inconveniencies and makes the Duty burthensom and Persons the more backward to the performance of it Let thy prudence then so guide thee in the management of thy duty that God may have the Glory
in Compassion to our Infirmities has commanded us to say Our Father c. An HYMN Or Song of Praise for the Morning LORD for the Mercies of this Night My humble Thanks I Pay And unto Thee I Dedicate The First-Fruits of the Day My God was with me all this Night And gave me sweet Repose My God did Watch even whilst I Slept Or I had never Rose How many groan'd and wisht for Sleep Untill they wisht for Day Weary both of their Bed and Life whilst I securly lay Whilst I did Sleep all Dangers Slept No Thieves did Me affright Those Evening Wolves those Beasts of Prey Disturbers of the Night No Raging Flames Nor Storms did Rend The house that I was in I heard no Dreadful Cries without Nor Doleful Groans within What Terrors have I ' scap'd this Night Which have on others fell My Body might have Slept its last My Soul have wak'd in Hell Let this Day Praise Thee oh my God And so let all my Days And oh let my Eternal Day Be thy Eternal Praise An HYMN or Song of Praise for the Evening MY God my only Help and Hope My strong and sure Defence For all the Mercies of this Day I Bless thy Providence Lord in the day thou wert about The Paths wherein I tread Now in the Night when I lye down Be thou about my Bed This Day God was my Son and sheild My keeper and my Guide His Care was on my Frailty shewn His Mercies multiplied Minutes and Mercies multiplied Have made up all this Day Minutes came quick but Mercies were More swift and free than they New Time new Favours and new Joyes Do a New Song require 'Till I shall Praise the as I would Accept my Hearts Desire Now for a Close of this Advice to Family-Governours concerning their Performance of Family Worship I shall only subjoin this one Cautionary Direction Take heed of resting in thy Family-Duties and by no means think it sufficient to prove thee a Saint and evidence thee a sincere Christian because thou art frequent in Family-Duties Alas a Man may set up the Worship of God in his House and yet not Enthrone God in his Heart The Duty it self is good but the bare Performance of it will not demonstrate thee to be so look therefore how thou daily Walkest as well as how thou Prayest If thou meanest to foul thy Hands with Sins black work in the Day it is gross Hypocrisie to pretend to wash them by Prayer in the Morning 'T is sad to pretend to Religion in the House and to practise Deceit and Fraud in the Shop Oh how many begin with God by Prayer in the Morning and keep the Devil Compain Sin all the Day after The Neglect of Family Duties will certainly bespeak thee a Bad Man But the most constant performance of them without a Life suitable to them will never prove thee a good Man CHAP. X. Of Glorifying God in Secret Duties GReat is the Condescention of Almighty God in holding Communion with his Church in their Publick Assemblies when with United Prayers and Supplications they make their Solemnest Adresses to him But Oh how Adorable is his Condescending Love in stooping so low as to maintain a holy Fellowship and sweet Communion with a single Christian in his Closet-Devotions It is not enough that in Heaven when we shall put on our Robes of Glory that he will take us into his Royal Presence and Admit us there to the sight and enjoyment of his Face and Favour but will he now whilest we are clad with Raggs of Mortality and before our Grave Cloaths are thrown off entertain us also as his Friends and indulge us the liberty of giving him a Visit in the remotest Corner of our House Verily such astonishing Love and stupendious Condescention is rather to be admired than expressed by us Now there are several Secret Duties incumbent upon Christians which Almighty God upon our humble Application to him will afford us the sweet Influences the secret Aids and Assistances of his Holy Spirit in the performance of As namely 1. Holy and Devout Meditation when the Soul retires from the World and in a serious and solemn Manner sets it self to think upon God to contemplate his glorious Attributes to ruminate upon his gracious Promises to admire his wonderful Word and Works 2. Serious Self-examination by which we make a daily enquiry into the State of our Souls and thereby arrive at a well-grounded Kowledge of the safety of our State and Condition by comparing the Frame of our Hearts and the Course of our Lives with the Holy Rule of God's Commandements and observing their sincere Conformity thereunto 3. Secret Prayer and Supplication which ought to be performed constantly and seasonably twice a Day As soon as thou arisest out of thy Bed in the Morning begin the Day with God and make a most hearty tender of your self to his Service and Glory before you set about any Worldly-Business and never think of putting off your Cloaths to lye down at Night before you have commended your selves and all yours unto his merciful Protection For your Encouragment hereunto you have the Practise and Example of our Blessed Saviour whom you find early in the Morning Praying alone St. Mark 1.35 and late in the Evening St. Matth. 14.23 and that this was our Saviour's usual Practice may be gathered from St. Luke 22.39 compared with St. Luke 21.27 Thus Christ Sanctified this Duty by his own Example and has by his Promise annexed a Gracious Reward to the faithful doing of it St. Matth. 6.6 All this our Blessed Saviour did when he was here on Earth and now that he is Ascended up into Heaven to what Purpose is he appointed our Intercessor there if we send up no Prayers to him to be presented by him to the Father Besides this the Sense of our daily wants one would think should sufficiently excite us to this Duty we standing in continual need of God or if we could be supposed to want nothing yet the Sense we have that we hold All we call Ours by the meer Mercy of God should move us to acknowledge him and to pay our Homage and Adorations to him Add to this that there is no such way to make Almighty God intirely our Friend as by commending our selves in the Duty of Prayer to him with a Pious Trust in his Mercy and an intire Devoting of our selves to his Service and Glory But oh how inexpressible will be the Comfort of going to God as an Acquaintance when we are going out of this World if we can truly say as that Devout Man Dr. Preston did a little before his Death I shall change my Place but not my Company how joyfully may we hope and comfortably expect to go to God when we dye with whom we held a constant good correspondence and maintained a sweet familiarity whilest we lived Let these Considerations briefly hinted to thy Thoughts work in thee a Pious Resolution
for the time to come so direct sanctifie and govern both my Heart and Life in the Ways of thy Laws and in the Works of thy Commandments that in all my Thoughts Words and Works I may ever seek thy Honour and Glory and may so Order my Conversation aright that at Death I may see the Salvation of God Prepare me for a sick-bed and fit me for a dying hour let not God be a Stranger nor my Conscience a Terrour to me when I come to die but do thou mercifully assist and succour me in my last Moments In the hour of Death and in the Day of Judement Good Lord deliver me and conduct me safely to thine Everlasting Kingdom I Bless thy Name Oh Lord for that good Providence of thine which has brought me to the Light of another day do thou so prevent me with thy Grace so direct and assist me by thy Holy and Good Spirit that I may not run this day into any Sin or Temptation that I may not follow nor be led by any Worldly and Carnal Lusts but be enabled in my place and station to perform my Duty to thy Self and my Neibour with such Care Fidelity and Chearfulness as may be acceptable both to God and Man I humbly commend this Church and Nation to thy merciful Care and Protection Let our Gracious King and Queen live in thy sight and rule in thy fear and let all their Subjects fear God Honour their Majesties and Love one another Assist all thy Ministers in their hard and difficult work and follow their endeavours with thy Blessing particularly his who labours amongst us in the Word and Doctrine Pity all in an afflicted Condition Pardon their Sins and supply their wants Remember all my Relations for good requite the kindness of my Friends pardon and forgive my Enemies and Enable me to forgive them also These Mercies with whatever else thou knowest to be needful for me and all Mankind I humbly beg in the Name and Words of my Blessed Redeemer saying as he has Taught me Our Father c. An Evening Prayer for a Private Person MOst Holy and ever Blessed Lord God! the Father of Mercies the Fountain of Goodness and the Author of all Grace I desire again this Evening to bow before thy Mercy-Seat to adore and praise thy Glorious Majesty for thy Gracious Care and Providence over me the day past Pardon unto me most Merciful Father I most humby Beseech whatever I have committed or omitted this day contrary to my Resolutions and Obligations Pity my weaknesses and accept my sincere endeavours to serve and glorifie Thee Wherein I have been wont to slip Lord help me to be more Watchful where I have been careless and negligent let me use greater Diligence and Circumspection help me more sensibly to groan under this Body of Sin which I carry about with me and which so interrupts me in thy Service that when I would do Good evil is present with me And oh that the Sense of that Corruption which I find stirring in my Soul may cause me more earnestly to implore the help of thy Blessed Spirit which alone can enable me to Mortifie all Evil and Corrupt Affections to deny all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Raise up my Heart and my Affections above this World and the things below and place them upon thy Self and the things that are above oh help me to Realize the Things of Eternity and another World to my Mind and to believe them as certainly as if I saw them with my Bodily Eyes Hear Oh Lord and Answer the Supplications and Prayers which have been put up unto Thee by any of thine this day on the behalf of this Church and Nation Oh that Peace and Happiness Truth and Justice Religion and Piety may be established amongst us for all Generations Secure the Persons of thy Servants King William and Queen Mary from all attempts of Violence and let that hand be for ever withered which shall be once stretched forth to hurt the Lords anointed and let all that are in Authority under them execute Judgment and Justice impartially to the Punishment of Wickedness and Vice and to the maintainance of thy True Religion and Godliness Let all that Minister unto Thee in Holy things endeavour both by the Purity of their Doctrine and the Piety of their Lives to win many to a Love of Holiness and Religion that they may shine as Stars for ever and ever Pity all those that are in a worse Condition than my self supply their wants out of thy abundance and work in me a readiness of Disposition to administer to their necessities according to my Ability Accept my Thankful returns to thy Majesty for all thy Mercies for the Fountain of them all the Holy Jesus for all the invaluable Benefits of his Incarnation Death and Passion Resurrection Ascension and Intercession for the Gift of thy Holy Spirit for the Light of thy Glorious Gospel for all the Comforts and Conveniences of Life afforded to me which many Better than my self are deprived of for thy watchful care and good Hand of Providence over me this day Receive me into thy Protection this Night sanctifie my Rest and keep me from sinning against Thee upon my Bed and let the natural repose of my Body put me in Mind that e're long I must sleep in the Bosom of the Grave and awake no more 'till the Morning of the Resurrection for which solemn hour good Lord prepare and sit me and all Mankind by a renewed frame of Heart and a Religious course of Life for thy Mercies sake in Christ Jesus who has both directed and commanded me when I pray to say Our Father c. A short Hymn for the Evening NOw from the Altar of my Heart Let Incense Flames arise Assist me Lord to offer up My Evening Sacrifice Lord Watch and Ward when I shall sleep I humbly Thee implore Thine Angels let my Guardians be Both now and evermore Into thy hands do I commit My Spirit which is thy due For why Thou hast created it Yea didst Redeem it too Lord if I live let me be thine Thine also if I die Come Life come Death let Heaven be mine Amen Amen say I. CHAP. XI Of Reading the Holy Scriptures THE Holy Bible being a Letter wrote unto us by the Finger of God himself what is our Reading of it and daily Conversing with it but a Communing with the Almighty and making an inquiry after that Revelation of his Will which his Wisdom has been pleased to make unto us How stupendious then is the Folly and Impiety of those who either lay the Bible aside as a neglected Book or else read it carelesly irreverently unattentively without an honest simplicity of Mind to be guided instructed and directed by it To prevent the Sin and danger of both which neglects it will be our Wisdom to resolve with our selves to redeem some time every
day either Morning or Evening or both to read in our Closets as well as in our Families some part of Gods Holy World And that we may read it with the greater Profit resolve we to read the Bible through and in Order which may be done once a year by reading about three Chapters every day two out of the Old Testament and one out of the New In the Discharge of which Duty the following Directions may be of Use and Advantage to us 1. The first Preparative to our reading the Holy Scripture should be Prayer as the Scriptures were dictated at first by the Holy Spirit so do they still owe their Effects and Influences to the Spirits Co-operation he teacheth his People to profit the Things of the Spirit the Apostle tells us are Spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 And altho' the natural Man may well enough apprehend the Letter and Grammatical sense of the Scriptures yet its Power and Energy that perswasive force whereby it works upon mens Hearts this is peculiar to the Spirit and therefore without his Aids the Bible whilest it lies open before us may be as a Book that is Sealed to us Whenever therefoâ—e thou takest the Bible into thy Hands dart up such Ejaculations as these towards Heaven and say Lord open thou mine Eyes that I may see the wondrous things of thy Law Blessed art thou oh Lord Teach me thy Statutes Let thy good Word be a Light unto my Feet and a Lamp unto my Paths Order my Steps in thy Word and let no Iniquity have Dominion over me Give me understanding that I may walk all my days by the Councel of thy Word and in the end of my dayes die in the Comfort of it If you read the Word of God without Prayer you must expect to read it without Profit 2. A second Qualification preparatory to the reading of the Holy Scriptures is Reverence When we take the Bible into our Hands we should do it with other Sentiments and Apprehensions than when we take a common Book considering that to all that converse with it 't is either the Savour of Life unto Life or of Death unto Death that is in the regular and right use of it 'T is the Instrument of our Salvation but upon our abuse of it 't is the Promoter of our Destruction And accordingly we find good men in all Ages have been wonderfully affected with the Holy Scriptures and to the inward Reverence of their Minds have joined the outward Prostration of their Bodies never reading the Bible but upon their Knees to the great reproach and shame of our Prophaness who snatch up the Bible as we do a Play-Book and read it with as little Reverence and Regard Yet with this difference that we dismiss the one much sooner and retain the Impressions of the other much longer Now this proceeds in some from the want of that habitual Reverence which we should always have to the Word of God and in others from the want of Actual exciting of that inward Reverence when they go to read This is certain that where there is no Reverence there can be no Prospect of any genuine and lasting Obedience 3. A third Requisite to the reading of the Holy Scriptures with Profit is Sincerity this is twofold Namely a Sincerity of the Understanding in order to Belief and a Sincerity of the Will in order unto Practice We must come to the Word of God with a Preparation of Mind to embrace indifferently whatever God reveals as an Object of our Faith and we must also direct our Reading to the proper end for which the Holy Scriptures were designed namely the knowing Gods Will in Order to the doing of it Psal 111.10 A good Understanding have all they that do his Commandments 4. Read the Scriptues with special Attention 'T is Folly and Lightness not to do so in the reading of humane Authors but 't is sinful and dangerous not to do so in perusing of this Divine Book What greater contempt can be shewn of a Man whom we hear speak if we mind not at all what is spoken by him This vile affront do all those put upon Almighty God who hear or read his Word but give it no Attention the Vertue which God has put into his Word consists not in the Letters and Syllables of it which are no more Sacred than those of another Book but 't is the sense and meaning which is divinely inspired and which can never be understood by Drowsie and Unattentive Readers 5. Read the Word of God with particular Application this is the proper end of our Attention let us therefore when we Read look upon our selves as spoken to in what we Read when we read our Saviours Denunciation to the Jews Except ye repent ye shall all perish Luke 13.5 We are to look upon it as spoken to our selves and to conclude the indispensable Necessity of our own Repentance When we Read that Black Catalogue of Crimes in 1 Cor. 6.10 which exclude Persons from the Kingdom of Heaven we are to Believe that the same Crimes will as certainly shut Heaven Gates against us as against those to whom that Epistle was immediately directed So in all the Precepts of Good Life we are to think our selves as nearly and particularly concern'd as if we had been Christs Auditors on the Mount In like manner when we Read the Threatnings and Promises we are either to Tremble or Hope according as we adhere to those sins against which the Tereatnings are Denounced or practice those Duties to which the Promises are annexed 6. Read the Word of God with a Resolution to practise what thou Readest otherwise all your Reading serves but to encrease your Guilt and will Aggravate your Condemnation As Christianity is not a Speculative Science but a practical Art of Holy Living so the Bible was not given us meerly for a Theeme of Speculation but for a Rule of Life Alas what will it avail us that our Knowledge is right if our Manners be crooked and our Practise be bad We shall wish another day we had studied the Alcoran rather than the Book of Life Read then the Holy Lives and Actions of Gods Children not as matters of History only but as Patterns of Imitation When thou readest of Noahs uprightness of Abrahams faithfulness of Moses meekness of Davids devotion of Jobs patience of Josiahs zeal labour to be inwardly indued with the like Vertues and to be outwardly Adorned with the same Graces Wo unto us if we read the Bible as Historians only to furnish our selves with matter of Discourse and not as Christians to Regulate our Lives according to the Precepts and Examples contained in it it will undoubtedly prove the saddest History that ever we read in all our Lives 7. Let the Word thou Readest in the Morning be much upon thy Thoughts all the Day after as thou hast opportunity if alone either walking or working meditate upon what thou hast read thy Thoughts may be
let my Entertainment now Be so Exceeding Sweet That I may long to come again And at thy Table meet 6. Having directed you in your Preparation for this Ordinance next understand how you are to behave your selves at and under it First then Come to the Ordinance with high and raised Expectations to receive great Benefit and Advantage by it both as to the Mortifying of thy Sin and Quickning of thy Grace And whatever Lust it is that thou art most Captivated by and enslaved to be it Pride Passion Earthly Mindedness c. let us set our selves against that Lust with all our might and plead with God at his Table thus Lord I come to this Ordinance with a sincere desire and design to get Victory over every Lust but particularly against which doth so often solicite and importune me oh let it receive its Death wound in the Death of my Saviour and never molest or inslave me more Secondly When come to thy Lords Table labour to cast all thy Worldly Thoughts and Concerns out of thy Head and Heart And strive to lift up thy Heart unto the Lord as thou art exhorted by the Minister say unto all unsuitable Thoughts as Abraham did unto his Servants Gen. 22.5 Abide you here below whilst I go and worship the Lord yonder 3ly The better to keep all Impertinent and Improper Thoughts out of thy mind Entertain thy self with a frequent Remembrance of the Death of Christ at the sight of the Bread broken and Wine poured out call to mind at once the Passion of the Son of God and thy Sins which exposed him to such a Painful Shameful and Accursed Death Represent to the Eye of your minds your Dear Redeemer as hanging upon the Cross Bleeding Sighing Groaning Dying under the insupportable burthen of thy sins and his Fathers Wrath. 4ly When thou perceivest the Minister approaching with the Elements towards thee put thy self in the lowliest posture of Reverence and say thus betwixt God and thy Soul How Beautifull are the feet of him that publisheth Salvation and brings the proffer of a Saviour to me I am unworthy of Christ but he is worthy of me and of my Faith I do therefore Oh Lord with all Humility accept Thee for my King Priest and Prophet for my Sanctifier and Saviour 5ly When thou hast received the Bread say to this or the like effect Lord I receive this broken Bread in remembrance of thy broken Body Oh strengthen me with thy Heavenly Grace that I may continue thine for ever and daily encrease in thy Holy Spirit more and more until I come to thine Everlasting Kingdom Amen In like manner after thou hast received the Cup pray to this purpose Oh my God Let my Soul go forth as a Gyant refreshed with this Spiritual Wine and let all the Enemies of my Salvation fall before me may I walk in the Strength of this Spiritual Meal all my days and in the end of my days enjoy the full Manifestation of thy Love which is better than Wine in thine Everlasting Kingdom Amen 6ly Imploy your time whilest others are Receiving in Meditation and Prayer in meditating upon the Love of the Father in sending and upon the Love of the Son in coming upon this great Errand to accomplish the Work of Redemption of us Also in Praying unto God for all Mankind in General for the whole Church of God in special for that part of it planted in these Nations in particular for all Christian Kings Princes and Governours especially our own for all our Friends and Benefactors that God would requite the kindnesses they have shewn us for all our Enemies that God would Pardon the wrongs and injuries done to him to us and to their own Souls This being a Feast of Love in which we commemorate the highest instance of Love that ever the World was acquainted with a greater Expression of our Love we cannot shew to our offending Brother than in a readiness to forgive him and interceeding earnestly for his Soul Lastly As an Expression of thy Thankfulness to Christ for his Mercy and Compassion towards Thee lay hold upon this occasion to shew thy Charity to his Members that thy Prayers and thine Alms may be had in Remembrance of God and as thou refreshest the Bowels of the Poor so mayst thou find Mercy of the Lod in the needful day 7. It only now Remaines to shew how we ought to behave our selves after we have waited upon Christ at his Holy Table 1. Decline if possible all Company immediately after the Action and retire instanly into some Secret Places and there upon your Knees offer up your Thanksgivings to Almighty God for his Rich Mercy and Invaluable goodness vouchsafed to you in that Ordinance entreating him to Pardon all the defects of the whole Service and imploring the Gracious Assistances of his Holy and Good Spirit whereby you may be enabled to walk in the Strength of that Grace as becometh those who have recived such great Pledges of Salvation 2. When you are return'd into Company take heed that the spiritual heat which was inkindled in your Souls by and under the Ordinance be not quenched by a sudden falling into worldly Conferences and fruitless Discourses but labour to cherish and keep alive that Holy Fire upon the Altar of your Hearts and endeavour by Prayer Meditation and Holy Conference to improve it into a Holy Flame 3. Spend the sacrament-Sacrament-day in Publick Private and Secret Duties of Religious Worship particularly in Prayer and Praises in After-Examination of your selves What Faith what Love what Humility what Sincerity was found with us when waiting upon your Saviour at his Holy Table Take notice also of any deadness of Heart and disposition of Spirit which thou labouredst under bewail it and beg pardon of it for Christs sake who bears the Iniquities of our Holy Things 4. Conclude the Sacrament-day with Prayer and an Hymn of Praise Thus did our Saviour after he had kept this Supper with his Disciples He sung an Hymn St Matth. 26.30 and betakes himself to God in Prayer and the Jews at their Passover did Sing the 113th Psalm with the five following Psalms which they call'd the great Hallelujah A Christian should every day of his Life give Thanks and Pray but especially on a Sacrament-day then should we Bless the Lord with our whole Souls and call upon all that is within us to Bliss his Holy Name such Christians as desire to do this but want suitable Words to express their desires in may make use of what here followeth A Prayer after the Sacrament FOr ever Blessed be thy Great thy Glorius and thy Holy Name Oh Lord For all thy unspeakable Favours and Benefits vouchsafed to me and to all Mankind particularly for thy invaluable Love in giving thy Dear Son to die for me in the Sacrifice and to be my Spiritual Food and sustenance in the Holy Sacrament Lord who am I and what am I that thou hast been pleased to