own conscience I have quenched the motions of thy Spirit I have put off the good works whereby I might have glorified thee bettered my self benefited my neighbour Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have corrupted the best of my thoughts words works and ways by cherishing the corruptions of mine own nature by entertaining the secret temptations of Satan and the open inticements of the wicked world Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have been an evill husband of the talent of grace which was committed to my improvement I have been an unthrift of that time which was lent me for repentance and the work of my salvation Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have belied my corrupt heart with fair semblances of goodness and have hypocritically deceived the good opinion of charity which beleeveth the best I have boasted in the praise that I deserved not to thy offence who requirest truth in the inward parts Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have overweened the measure of grace in my self corrupted it with my pride I have undervalued the goodness of my neighbour and either have lessened it with abatements or depraved it with unjust imputations Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have heard and seen thee my God dishonoured my neighbour traduced and wronged I have done right to neither but either for fear of offence for partial affection for base flattery or ungodly modesty or for uncharitable envy I have forborn to arise in their just defence Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not alwayes sought the outward blessings of life by good meanes sanctified by prayer I have not alwayes received them with thanksgiving and contentednesse I have not alwayes used them with sobriety nor dispensed the over-measure with the piety and charity that I ought Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not used my lawful pleasures so seasonably so moderately so religiously so thankfully as I ought but I have offended thee my God in my mirth Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not sought peace with all men nor always imbraced it when it hath been offered I have not loved mine enemy nor blessed him that cursed me nor done good to him that meant or did me hurt I have not given him such pardon as I begged from thee for my self Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sinned in vaine thoughts in vast desires in ungodly hopes in unchaste dreams in secret covetings of the goods or delights of my neighbour Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sinned in the unconscionable practice of these sins without remorse or repentance or if any good motions of thy Spirit have bred in me a godly sorrow for them the next temptation hath either replased me into the old or implunged mee in some new sin Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have hid some of these sins as Adam some of them I have excused with pretences some I have denied against the testimony of my accusing conscience some I have wickedly maintained none I have throughly repented amended Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have committed many secret sins that I have not been aware of I have sinned in the best of my works and intentions of piety and charity even when I most laboured to doe thee service Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sinned all these wayes and done many evils that I have forgotten many that I have past over without consideration and repentance and now what shall I do to thee O thou preserver of men and Judge of the whole world Lord be merciful to me a sinner Have mercy upon me O Lord according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender compassions blot out all my offences Amen Amen And that for Jesus Christ his sake in whose most blessed name and words we conclude these our imperfect prayers saying as he himself hath taught us OUR Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen Morning Prayer OLord our heavenly Father almighty everlasting God which hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day defend us in the same with thy mighty power and grant that this day we fall into no sin neither run into any kinde of danger but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance to do always that is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Evening Prayer LIghten our darknesse we beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the love of thy onely Son our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen THe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen II. DEPRECATION DEprecation is a branch of prayer directed to God either for the aversion and prevention of an evill before it comes or for the removing and taking it away when it is come And the evil which we deprecate may be either the evill of sin or the evill of punishment When we either feel or fear an evil we must not with Eliah or Jonah sit down and in a sullen humour wish our selves out of the world but we must pray as Christ did for his Disciples Joh. 17.15 not that he would take us out of the world but that he would keep us from the evil And so doing we have Gods promise not to be tempted above our strength For either he will abate the crosse or increase our strength to bear it either he will remove the temptation or give us his grace which is sufficient for us Deliver us from evil Luke 11.4 Deliver me from all my transgressions Make me not the reproach of the foolish Psal 39. Remove thy stroke from me Deliver my soul from the sword my darling from the dog Save me from the Lions mouth from the horns of the Unicorns Psal 22.20 21. THE LETANY of Deprecation FRom all the sinnes that I have done and from all that I would have done if thy grace had not prevented and restrained me Good Lord deliver me From my close bosome sins and from those sins to which I am inclined by nature or inticed by company or allured by pleasure and profit or drawn by the example of this evil world Good Lord deliver me From all the sins that I have felt in my conscience and confessed with my mouth and bewailed with my heart and begged pardon of thee with my tongue Good Lord deliver me From all the secret unknown sins which my conscience hath not felt nor my mouth confessed nor my heart bewailed
and him that serveth him not Mal. 3.17 18. I confesse the wicked are sometimes punished in this world to assure us there is a God yet it is but sometimes to assure us there is a day of judgment Verily there is a reward for the righteous verily there is a God that judgeth the earth Psal 58.11 CAP. II. An Objection answered IT is certain that the soul so soon as it is separated from the body is presented to God and receives an irrevocable doome either of woe or weal. The rich man died and presently was in hell in torments the begger died and was immediately carried by Angels into Abrahams bosome Luke 16.22 23. So that it may be demanded What need is there of a general day of judgment seeing every man is judged at the day of his death Answ 1. Every man consists of a Soul and a Body The Soul is judged at the day of death the Body also at the day of judgment For as these two doe either sin together or serve God together so they shall either burn together or reign together Every man must receive the things done in his Body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad 2 Cor. 5.10 Yet because the Soul may and often doth sin or serve God without the Body it may in the state of separation be either punished or rewarded though the Body rest in the grave Answ 2. There must be a general Judgment for the manifestation of Gods Justice God disposes of every man at the day of his death that according to the rule of Justice yet that which he did in secret he will doe in the view of the whole world that so the generall Assembly of men and Angels may give this testimony and applause of his just proceedings Righteous art thou O Lord and righteous are thy judgments Psal 119.137 Answ 3. There must be a judgment besides that at the day of death because men after they be dead may be Instruments and occasions either of vice or vertue of sin or the service of God The Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs and Fathers of the Church are dead and gone yet still they doe good in the Church of God by their godly examples and holy writings Jeroboam Machiavel Marcion all Heriticks and prophane persons die yet they poison the air with ill example wicked books divelish principles and after their death infect posterity for many generations Their word eats as doth a canker or gangrene 2 Tim. 2.17 Hence it is that as there is a particular Judgment to reward the good or punish the evil they have done themselves in their life time so there shall be a generall Judgment to reward or punish them for that which after their death they have occasioned to be done by others V.S. Basil in l. de vera virginit CAP. III. The Names given to this Day THis day is called in the Scripture The day of the Lord. Alas for the day for the day of the Lord is at hand Joel 1.15 Your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night 1 Thes 5.2 Looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of GOD 2 Pet. 3.12 This life is called Our Day O Jerusalem if thou hadst known at least in this Thy day the things that belong to thy peace Luke 19.42 For we think our own thoughts speak our own words and doe our own pleasure But that shall be the Lords day for the lofty looks of man shall be humbled the haughtiness of men shal be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day Isa 2.11 Secondly it is called a Day of Revelation or Opening Rom. 2.5 Never was there such an opening as will be at that day The heavens shall be opened and those everlasting doors shall be lift up that the King of glory may go forth with his Angels to judge the world and return back again with his Saints when he hath judged it The Earth shall be opened for the stone shall be rolled from the mouth of every Sepulchre and the graves shall give up their dead The Books shall be opened I saw the dead small and great stand before the Lord and the books were opened and another book was opened which was the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works Rev. 20.12 The secrets of all hearts shall be opened There is nothing hid that shall not be manifested neither any thing kept secret that shall not come abroad Mar. 4.22 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospell Rom. 2.16 Hell shall be opened to receive those wretches to whom it shall be said Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the divel and his angels Thirdly it is called a Day of refreshing Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord Acts 3.19 What a refreshing wil it be when our rotten and worm-eaten carkasses shall rise up in honor and in incorruption as flowers after a long winter What a refreshing wil it be when these two ancient friends the soul and the body after so long a separation shall imbrace and kisse each other What a refreshing will it be to see the Divel our worst enemy and Death our last enemy cast into the lake of fire What a refreshing wil it be to see Jesus Christ the Savior of the world and the head of his Church come in his glory attended with an innumerable company of Angels What a refreshing wil it be to hear those sweet sentences of absolution Well done good and faithfull servant enter thou into thy Masters joy Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you Fourthly in respect of the wicked it is called a day of wrath After thy hardnesse and impenitent heart thou treasurest up for thy self wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.5 As also a day of darknesse and gloominesse a day of clouds and of thick darknesse Joel 2.2 The Sun is pleasing to a good eye but offensive to an eye that is ill affected The day of judgment is a bath of refreshing to the godly but a burning Oven to the wicked Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that doe wickedly shall be stubble Mal. 4.1 Fiftly it is called a great day The Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains of darknesse unto the judgment of the Great day Jude 6. The Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moon into blood before that great and notable day of the Lord come Acts 2.20 It is a great day indeed sith so many great and notable things shall be done in it For the Lord himself shall descend
people 2 Chron. 17.9 Hezekiah commanded the people that dwelt in Jerusalem to give the portion of the Priests the Levites that they might be encouraged in the Law of the Lord 2 Chron. 31.4 If thou hast built and repaired the house of God and places of his worship as did Solomon Josiah Secondly if thou hast been an example of vertue and godlinesse to thy people David himself dances before the Ark and the house of Israel follow him 2 Sam. 6.14 The King of Ninivie was the first that humbled himself in sackcloth and ashes and then the inhabitants of the City did likewise Examples of great personages have a strong influence nay as it were a violence upon inferiors Caesar filled the Empire with Soldiers Augustus with Scholars c. Thirdly if they have provided good Laws executed them that such as live under them may be godly and quietly governed Good Laws are such as are agreeable to the Law of Nature and the word of God And they are then executed when great flies are taken as well as small ones Fourthly if thou hast punished the wicked and cherished the good Mine eyes shall be upon the faithfull of the Land that they may dwell with me he that walketh in a perfect way shall be my servant But I will early destroy all the wicked of the Land that I may cut off all wicked doers from the City of God Psal 101.6 8. Kings and Governors are sent by God for the punishment of evill doers and for the praise of them that doe well 1 Pet. 2.14 It cannot be wel then if Crows be pardoned Pigeons punished Fiftly if thou hast heard the cries of the poor received their petitions redressed their wrongs Defend the poor and fatherlesse do justice to the afflicted and needy Deliver the poor and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked Psal 82.3 4. Be wise now therefore O ye kings be instructed ye that are Judges of the earth Psal 2.10 Remember there will be Deus dies ultionis A God and a day of vengeance But art thou a Minister Thou shalt be examined First if thou didst enter in at the doore or climb in at the window if thou wert called of God or intrudest thy self A man may know if he be called of God by those talents which are committed to him It is required that every Minister have scientiam competentem if not eminentem that is competent though not eminent knowledge For the Priests lips must keep knowledge the people must seek it at his lips Mal. 2.7 Secondly if thou hast taught and instructed the people committed to thee Feed my sheep John 21.16 I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsell of God Take heed therefore unto your selves and to all the flock over the which the Lord hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood Acts 20.27 28. It is required of a Minister that he be διδακτικὸς apt and able to teach 2 Tim. 2.24 He that is ignorant and cannot teach is a dumb dog He that can and will not is a dumb Divel unless lawfully detained Where no vision is there the people perish Prov. 29.18 His bloud will I require at thy hand Ezek. 33.6 Who then is a faithfull and wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over all his houshold to give them meat in due season Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Mat. 24.45 46. Thirdly if thy life hath agreed with thy Doctrine He that was mis-shapen or had any blemish might not come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord Lev. 21.21 Moses when he blesses the tribe of Levi desires of God that his Thummim and Urim might be with his Holy One i.e. integrity of life as well as the light of Learning Deut. 33.8 It is said of Christ that he was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people Luke 24.19 Thou that teachest another teachest thou not thy self thou that preachest a man should not steal dost thou steal Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery dost thou commit adultery thou that abhorrest Idols dost thou commit sacriledg Rom. 2.21 22. Be thou an example of the beleevers in word in conversation in charity in purity in spirit in faith 1 Tim. 4.12 Or art thou an Officer Thou shall be examined If thou hast not exacted more then was appointed for thee Luke 3.13 If thou hast not dealt with the poor as the servants of Elies sons did If thou wilt not give it me I will take it by force 1 Sam. 2.16 Or art thou a Souldier Thou shalt be examined If thou hast done violence to no man If thou hast not accused any falsly If thou hast been content with thy wages Luke 3.14 Or art thou a tradesman Thou shalt be examined If thou hast not used false weights deceitfull ballances unjust measures all which are an abomination to the Lord Prov. 20.10 If thou hast not sometimes taken the name of God in vain to obtrude a bad commodity upon thy neighbour sic de caeteris I may now say of our Judg as Jacobs sons said of the Governor of Egypt The man asked us straitly of our state Gen. 43.7 SECTION IV. WE have now seene how Christ will proceed with us in the day Judgment let us in the next place consider that final and irrevocable Sentence which shal pass upon us and it is either the Sentence of Absolution or Condemnation The sentence of Absolution THe sentence of Absolution shall be pronounced in these words Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Mat 25.34 In which sentence there is not a word a syllable a letter but is musick to the care hony to the mouth and a Jubilee to the heart How wil our ears be ravished and our hearts dance within us to hear Christ pronounce us the blessed ones of his Father To hear that sweet cal invitation Come ye To hear the glory of that inheritāce to which we must come A Kingdome The Kingdome Prepared for us of old Blessed are the people that shall hear this joyfull sound Psal 89.15 CAP. II. The sentence of Absolution shall be first pronounced THE good Servant was rewarded admitted into his Masters joy and then the evil unprofitable servant was punished and cast into utter darkness Mat. 25. They on the right hand are called to a kingdome and then they on the left are cast into fire Mat. 25. God will not cast the wicked into hell till they have seen something of the happinesse of the Saints which increaseth their grief and torment The wicked shall see it be grieved he shall gnash with his teeth and melt away Psal 112.10 Or else it may bee Christ begins with the sentence of Absolution to shew that he had rather save us then damn us He