necessary O Most great most iust and gracious God thou art of purer eyes than eo behold iniquity thou condemnest the ungodly impenitent and unbeleevers but hast promised mercy through Jesus Christ to all that repent and beleeve in him Wee confess that wee were conceived in sin and are by nature Children of wrath And have all sinned and come short of the glory of God In our Baptisme thou tookest us into the bond of the holy Covenant but wee remembered not our Creator in the daies of our youth with the fear and love and obedience which wee owed thee not pleasing and glorifying thee in all things nor walking with thee by faith in an Heavenly conversation nor serving thee fervently with all our might but fulfilled the desires of the flesh and of the Carnal minde Wee have neglected and abused thy Holy Worship thy Holy Name and thy Holy Day Wee have dishonoured our superiours and neglected our inferiours Wee have dealt unjustly and uncharitably with our Neighbours not loveing them as our selves nor doing to others as wee would they should do to us wee have not sought first Thy Kingdome and Righteousness and been contented with our dayly bread but have been careful ond troubled about many things neglecting the one thing necessary Thou hast revealed thy wonderful love to us in Christ and offered us pardon and salvation in him but wee made light of it and neglected so great salvation and resisted thy Spirit Word and Ministers and turned not at thy reproof Wee have run into temptations and the sin which wee should have hated wee have committed in thy sight both secretly and openly ignorantly and carelesly rashly and presumptuously against thy precepes thy promises and threats thy mercies and thy judgements our transgressions are multiplied before Thee and our sins testifie against us if Thou deal with us as wee deserve Thou wilt cast us away from thy presence into Hell where the worm never dieth and the fire is not quenched But in thy mercy thy Son and thy Promises is our hope Have mercy upon us most merciful Father Bee reconciled to us and let the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all our sins Take us for thy children and give us the Spirit of thy Son Sanctifie us wholly shed abroad thy love in our hearts and cause us to love Thee with all our hearts O make thy face to shine upon thy servants save us from our sins and from the wrath to come make us a peculiar people to Thee zealous of good works that wee may please Thee and shew forth thy praise Help us to redeem the time and give all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure Give us things necessary for thy service and keep us from sinful discontent and cares And seeing all these things must bee dissolved let us consider what manner of persons wee ought to be in all holy conversation and godliness Help us to watch against temptations and resist and overcome the Flesh the Devil and the World and being delivered out of the hand of all our enemies let us serve Thee without fear in holiness and righteousness before Thee all the daies of our life Guide us by thy Counsel and after receive us into thy glory through Jesus Christ our onely Saviour Amen Here use the Lords Prayer as before For the strengthening of Faith and raising the Penitent some of these sentences of the Gospel may bee here read Hear what the Lord saith to the absolution and comfort of Penitent Beleevers THe Lord your God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away his face from you if yee return unto hine If any man sin wee have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and hee is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole World Bee it known unto you men and Brethren that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins and by him all that beleeve are justified from all things from which they could not bee justified by the Law of Moses Where sin abounded grace did much more abound That as sin reigned unto death even so might grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. If wee walk in the light as hee is in the Light wâ—â— have fellowship one with another And the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin If wee say that wee have no sin wee deceive our selves and the truth is not in us If wee confess our sin hee is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Take my yoak upon you and learn of mee for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall finde rest unto your souls For my yoak is easie and my barden is light Whosoever will let him take of the Water of life freely All that the Father hath given mee shall come to mee and him that cometh to mee I will in no wise cast out I will bee mercifull to their unrighteousness and their sins and Iniquities I will remember no more Hear also what you must Bee and Do for the time to come if you would bee Saved NOw if any man have not the Spirit of Christ hee is none of his If any man bee in Christ hee is a new Creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new There is no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit For they that are after the flesh do minde the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit For to bee carnally minded is death but to bee spiritually minded is life and peace For the Carnal minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can bee So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God For if yee live after the Flesh yee shall die but if through the spirit yee mortifie the deeds of the body you shall live Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are these Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunkenness Revellings and such like of the which I tell you before as I have told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdome of God But the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace long suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law And they that are Christs have crucyfied the flesh with the affections and lusts Let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting and drunkenness not in chambering and wanionness not in strife and envying But
secrets shall bee opened and God will no more intreat you to confess Heb. 9. 7. Matth. 10. 26. Behold the Judge standeth at the door Jam. 5. 9. will sin goe then with you for as light a matter as it doth now Will you then deny it or will you stand to all the reasonings or excuses by which you would now extenuate or cover it Will you defend it as your friend and bee angry with Ministers and Reprovers as your Enemies Or will you not mourn at last with weeping and gnashing of teeth And say How have I hated Instruction and my heart despised Reproof And have not obeyed the voyce of my Teachers nor inclined mine Ear to them that Instructed mee Pro. 5. 11 12 13. Mat. 13. 4◠50. O that you were wise that you understood this and that you would consider your latter End Deut. 32. 29. beleeve Gods wrath before you feel it bee convinced by the word and servants of the Lord before you are confounded by the dreadfulness of his Majesty yet there is hope but shortly there will be none if you now neglect it yet if you consess and forsake your sins you shall have mercy but if you cover them you shall not prosper Prov. 28. 13. And if being oft reproved you harden your Neck you shall suddenly bee destroyed and that without remedy Pro. 29. 1. Bee not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever you sow that shall you also reap Gal. 6. 7. O man you know not what it is to deal with an offended and revenging God Nor what it is to hear Christ say depart from mee yee workers of Iniquity I never knew you depart from mee yee wicked into everlasting fire Matth. 7. 23. and 25. 41. You know not what it is to bee shut out of Heaven and concluded under utter desperation and in Hell to look back upon this obstinate Impenitence and rejecting of the mercy that would have saved you And there to have Conscience telling you for ever what it is that you have done Did you not know what this is could you think a Penitent confessing and forsaking your sin to be a condition too hard for the preventing of such a Doleful state O No! you know not what a case you are casting your immortal soul into The Lord give you repentance that you may never know it by experience To prevent this is our business with you Wee delight not to displease or shame you But God hath told us that if any do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that hee which converteth the sinner from the errour of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins Jam. 5. 20. I do therefore by the Command and in the name of Jesus Christ require and beseech you that you do without any more delay confess your sins and heartily bewail them and beg pardon of them and resolve and promise by the help of God to do so no more And bless God that you have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous whose blood will cleanse you from your sins if you penitently confess them 1 John 1. 7 9. and 2. 1 2. and that mercy may bee yet had on so easie terms If you had any sense of your sin and misery or any sense of the dishonour done to God or of the wrong that you have done to others and of the usefulness of your Penitent confession and amendment to the reparation of all these you would cast your self in the dust in shame and grief before the Lord and before the Church To day therefore if you will hear his voyce harden not your heart least God forsake you and give you over unto your own hearts lust to walk in your own counsels and resolve in his wrath you shall never enter into his rest Psalm 95. 8. 12. and 81. 11. 12. And then God and this Congregation will bee Witnesses that you were warned and your blood will bee upon your own head But if in Penitent confession you fly to Christ and loath your self for your iniquities and heartily forsake them I have Authority to promise you free Forgiveness and that your Iniquitie shall not bee your Ruine Luke 24. 4. 7. Ezek. 18. 30 31 32. A Form of Confession to bee made beeore the Congregation I do confess before God and this Congregation that I have greatly Sinned I have offended and dishonoured God wronged the Church and the Souls of others I have deserved to bée forsaken of the Lord and cast out of his presence and the communion of Saints into desperation and remediless misery in Hell I am no more worthy to bée called thy Son or to have a name or place among thy Servants I do here declare mine Iniquitys and am sorry for my sins They are gone over my head as a heavy burden they are too heavy for mée they take hold upon mée I am ashamed as unworthy to look up towards heaven but my hope is in the blood grace of Christ who made his life a Sacrifice for sin and came to séek and save that which was lost whose grace aboundeth where sin hath abounded The Lord bée merciful to mée a sinner I humbly beg of the Congregation that they will earnestly pray that God will wash mée throughly from mine Iniquity and cleanse mée from my sin that hée will forgive them and blot them out and hide his Face from them and remember them no more that hée will not cast mée away from his presence nor forsake mée as I have forsaken him nor deal with mée according to my deserts But that hée will create in mée a Clean heart and renew a right spirit in mée and grant mée the joy of his Salvation and I beg pardon of the Church and all that I have wronged and resolve by the grace of God to do so no more but to walk more watchfully as before the Lord and I desire all that are ungodly that they think never the worse of the Laws or waies or servants of the Lord for my misdoings For if I had béen ruled by God and by his servants I had never done as I have done There is nothing in Religion that befriendeth sin there is nothing so contrary to it as God and his Holy Laws which I should have obeyed Rather let all take warning by mée and avoid temptations and live not carelesly and hearken not to the Inclinatious or Reasonings of the Flesh nor trust not their weak and sinful hearts but live in godly fear and watchfulness and kéep under the Flesh and kéep close to God and hearken to the faithful Counsel of his servants and Intreat your Prayers to God that I may bée strengthened by his grace that I may sin thus no more least worse befal mée A Form of Prayer for a Sinner Impenitent after Publick Admonition MOst Gracious God According to thy Command wée have warned this sinner and told him of thy
peace to us wée returned again to Folly wée have deserved O Lord to bée cast out of thy presence And to bée forsaken as wée have forsaken thée and to hear to our confusion Depart from mée I know you not yée workers of iniquity Thou mayest justly tell us thou hast no pleasure in us nor wilt receive an offering at our hand But with thée there is abundant mercy And our Advocate Jesus Christ the Righteous is the propitiation for our sins who bare them in his body on the Cross and made himself an offering for them that hée might put them away by the sacrifice of himself Have mercy upon us and wash us in his blood Cloath us with his Righteousness take away our iniquities and let them not bée our ruine forgive them and remember them no more O thou that delightest not in the death of sinners heal our backslidings love us freely and say unto our souls that thou art our salvation Thou wilt in no wise cast out them that come unto thée receive us graciously to the Feast thou hast prepared for us cause us to hunger and thirst after Christ and his Righteousness that wée may bée satisfied Let his Flesh and blood bee to us Meat and Drink indéed And his spirit bée in us a well of living water Springing up to Everlasting life Give us to know thy Love in Christ which passeth knowledge Though wée have not séen him let us love him And though now wée see him not yet beleeving let us rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Though wée are unworthy of the crums that fall from thy Table yet féed us with the Bread of Life and speak and seal up Peace to our sinful wounded souls Soften our hearts that are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin Mortifie the Flesh and strengthen us with might in the inward man that wee may live and glorifie thy Grace through Jesus Christ our onely Saviour Amen Here let the Bread he brought to the Minister and received by him and set upon the Table and then the Wine in like manner or if they be set there before however let him bless them praying in these or the like words ALmighty God thou art the Creator and the Lord of all things Thou art the Soveraign Majesty whom wée have offended Thou art our most loving and merciful Father who hast given thy Son to reconcile us to thy self who hath ratified the New Testament and Covenant of Grace with his most precious blood and hath instituted this Holy Sacrament to bee celebrated in remembrance of him till his coming Sanctifie these thy Creatures of Bread and Wine which according to thy Institution and Command wee set apart to this holy use that they may bee Sacramentally The Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ Amen Then or immediately before this Prayer let the Minister read the words of the Institution saying HEar what the Apostle Paul saith 1 Cor. 11. For I have received of the Lord that which also I deliver unto you that the Lord Jesus the same night in which hee was betrayed took Bread and when hee had given thanks hee brake it and said Take Eat This is my Body which is broken for you This do in remembrance of mee After the same manner also hee took the Cup when hee had supped saying This Cup is the New Testament in my Blood This do yee as oft as yee drink it in remembrance of mee For as often as yee eat this Bread and drink this Cup yee do shew the Lords death till hee come Then let the Minister say THis Bread and Wine being set apart and consecrated to this Holy use by Gods appointment are not now Common Bread and Wine but Sacramentally the Body and Blood of Christ Then let him thus Pray MOst merciful Saviour as thou hast loved us to the death and suffered for our sins the just for the unjust and hast instituted this holy Sacrament to bee used in remembrance of Thée till thy coming Wée beséech Thée by thine intercession with the Father through the Sacrifice of thy Body and Blood give us the pardon of our sins and thy quickening Spirit without which the Flesh will profit us nothing Reconcile us to the Father Nourish us as thy Members to Everlasting Life Amen Then let the Minister take the Bread and break it in the sight of the People saying THe Body of Christ was broken for us and offered once for all to sanctifie us Behold the sacrificed Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World In like manner let him take the Cup and pour out the Wine in the sight of the Congregation saying WEE were redeemed with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot Then let him thus Pray MOst holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son by whom Christ was conceived by whom the Prophets and Apostles were inspired and the Ministers of Christ are qualified and called that dwellest and workest in all the members of Christ whom hou sanctifiest to the Image and for the service of their Head and comfortest them that they may shew forth his Praise Illuminate us that by Faith wée may sée him that is here represented to us Soften our hearts and humble us for our sins Sanctifie and quicken us That wée may rellish the Spiritual Food and feed on it to our Nourishment and growth in Grace Shed abroad the Love of God upon our hearts and draw them out in love to him Fill us with thankfulness and holy Joy and with love to one another Comfort us by witnessing that wée are the Children of God Confirm us for New Obedience Bée the Earnest of our Inheritance and seal us up to Everlasting Life Amen Then let the Minister deliver the Bread thus Consecrated and broken to the Communicants first taking and eating it himself as one of them when hee hath said TAke yée Eat yée This is the Body of Christ which is broken for you Do this in remembrance of him In like manner hee shall deliver them the Cup first drinking of it himself when hee hath said THis Cup is the New Testament in Christs Blood or Christs Blood of the New Testament which is shed for you for the remission of sins Drink yee all of it in remembrance of him Let it be left to the Ministers choice whether hee will consecrate the Bread and Wine together and break the Bread and pour out the Wine immediately or whether hee will consecrate and pour out the Wine when the Communicants have eaten the Bread If hee do the latter hee must use the fore-going Prayers and Expressions twice accordingly and let it bee left to his discretion whether hee will use any words at the breaking of the Bread and pouring out the Wine or not And if the Minister chuse to pray but once at the Consecration Commemoration and Delivery Let him pray as
and filthy Communication and all unchaste behaviour Kéep us from stealing or wronging our Neighbour in his propriety from perverting Justice from false witnessing and deceit from slandering backbiting uncharitable censuring or other wrong to the reputation of our Neighbours Kéep us from coveting any thing that is our Neighbours Let us love our Neighbours as our selves and do to others as wee would they should do to us Cause us to love Christ in his members with a pure and fervent love and to love our Enemies and do good to all as wée are able but especially to the houshold of Faith Give us our necessary sustentation and provision for thy service and contentedness therewith Bless our labours and the fruits of the earth in their season and give us such temperate weather as tendeth hereunto Deliver us and all thy servants from such sickness wants and other distresses as may unseasonably take us off thy service Kéep us from gluttony and drunkenness slothfulness unlawful gain and from making provision for the flesh to satisfie its lusts When wée sui restore us by true Repentance and Faith in Christ Let us loath our selves for our transgressions Forgive them all and accept us in thy well beloved Son save us from the curse and punishment which they deserve and teach us heartily to forgive others Convert our enemies periâ—culors and slanderers and forgive them Cause us to watch against temptations to resist and overcome the Flesh the Devil and the World and by no Allurements of pleasure profit or honour to bee drawn from thée to sin let us patiently suffer with Christ that wée may reign with him Deliver us and all thy people from the enmity and rage of Satan and all his wicked Instruments and preserve us to thy Heavenly Kingdome For thou only art the Universal King All power is thine in Heaven and Earth of Thee and through Thee and to Thee are all things and the glory shall bée Thine for ever Amen Concerning the Psalms for Publick use Wee desire that instead of the imperfect version of the Psalms in Meeter now in use Mr. William Bartons Version and that perused and approved by the Church of Scotland there in use being the best that we have seen may bee received and corrected by some skilful men and both allowed for grateful variety to bee Printed together on several Columnes or Pages and publickly used At least until a better than either of them shall bee made A Thanksgiving for Christ and his gracious Benefits MOst Glorious God accept through thy beloved Son though from the hands of sinners of thanksgiving which thy unspeakable love and mercies as well as thy Command do binde us to offer up unto Thée Thou art the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation full of compassion Gracious long suffering Plenteous in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving Iniquitie Transgression and Sin For thy glory thou didst create us after thine Image Thou madest us a little lower than the Angels and Crownedst us with glory and honour giving us Dominion over the works of thy hands and putting all these things under our feet And when wee forsâ—â—k thée and broke thy Covenant and rebelled against Thée and corrupted our selves and turned our glory into shame thou didst not leave us in the hands of Death nor cast us out into utter Desperation But thou didst so love the sinful World as to give thy Son to bee our Saviour Hée took nor upon him the nature of Angels but of man The word was made flesh and dwelt among us This is the unsearchable Mystery of love which the Angels desire to pryints Hee was tempted that hee might succour them that are tempted and conquered the Tempter that had conquered us Hee became poor that was Lord of all to make us rich Hée did not sin but fulfilled all righteousness to save us from our unrighteousness Hée made himself of no reputation but was reviled scorned and spit upon enduring the Cross and despising the shame to cover our shame and to bring us unto glory thou laidst upon him the Iniquity of us all Hée was bruised and wounded for our Transgressious that wée might bée healed by his stripes Hée gave himself a Ransome for us and died for our sins And rose again for our justification Wée thank thée for his death that saveth us from death and that hée bore the curse to redeem us from the curse and for his life which opened us the way to life Thou hast given him to bée head over all things to the Church and hast given the Heathen to bée his Inheritance and given him a name above every name and given all power and judgement unto him Wée thank thée for the New and better Covenant for thy great and precious promises That thou hast given us eternal life in Christ That wée have the clear and sure Revelation of thy will in the Holy Scriptures That thou foundedst thy Church upon Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the head Corner stone And hast committed to thy Ministers the word of Reconciliation that as Embassadours speaking in the stead of Christ they might beseech us to bee reconciled unto thee Wée thank thée that by them thou hast opened our eyes and turned us from darkness unto Light and from the power of Satan unto God Wée were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures taken captive by Satan at his will but thy mercy saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Thou mightest justly have left us to the blindness of our mindes and to the hardness of our hearts to seared consciences to bee past feeling to our own hearts lusts to walk in our own Counsels and to work uncleanness with greediness when we so oft refused to come to Christ that wee might have life and would not have him to reign over us But thy patience waited on us in our sin And all the day long didst thou stretch forth thy hand to a disobedient and gain-saying People When wee turned from thee thou calledst after us to turn and live Thou drewest us to thy Son and openedst our hearts to attend unto thy calls Thou lovedst us first and was found of them that sought thee not Thou hast pardoned our great and manifold transgressions and iustified us by Faith in Christ and given us Repentance unto life Thou hast adopted us to bee thy sons and joynt heirs with Christ and made us his members and given us his spirit Wee are no more strangers but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of thy houshold Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus-Christ who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us Thou keepest us by thy mighty power through Faith unto salvation
followeth or to this sense ALmighty God thou art the Creator and the Lord of all Thou art the Soveraign Majesty whom wee have offended Thou art our merciful Father who hast given us thy Son to reconcile us to thy self who hath ratified the New Testament and Covenant of Grace with his most precious blood and hath instituted this Holy Sacrament to bée Celebrated in memorial of him till his coming Sanctifie these thy Creatures of bread and wine which according to thy will wée set apart to this holy use that they may bée Sacramentally the Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ And through his sacrifice and intercession give us the pardon of all our sins and bée reconciled to us and nourish us by the body and blood of Christ to Everlasting life And to that end give us thy quickning spirit to shewChrist to our beléeving souls that is here represented to our senses Let him soften our hearts and humble us for our sins and cause us to féed on Christ by Faith Let him shed abroad thy love upon our hearts and draw them on in love to thée and fill us with Holy Joy and thankfulness and fervent love to one another let him comfort us by witnessing that wée are thy Children and confirm us for New obedience and bée the Earnest of our Inheritance and seal us up to life Everlasting through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen Let it bee left to the Ministers discretion whether to deliver the Bread and Wine to the People at the Table onely in General each one taking it and applying it to themselves or to deliver it in General to so many as are in each particular form or to put it into every persons hand As also at what season to take the Contribution for the Poor And let none of the people be forced to sit stand or kneel in the Act of Receiving whose Judgement is against it The Participation being ended let the Minister pray thus or to this sense MOst Glorious God how wonderful is thy power and wisdome thy Holiness and Justice thy love and mercy in this work of our Redemption by the Incarnation life death resurrection intercession and dominion of thy Son No power or wisdome in Heaven or Earth could have delivered us but thine The Angels desire to pry into this Mystery the Heavenly Host do celebrate it with praises saying Glory bée to God in the Highest On Earth peace Good will towards men The whole Creation shall proclaim thy Praises Blessing Honour Glorie and power bée unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive Power and Honour and Glory for hée hath redeemed us to God by his blood and made us Kings and Priests unto our God Where sin abounded Grace hath abounded much more And hast thou indéed forgiven us so great a debt by so precious a Ransome Wilt thou indéed give us to reign with Christ in Glory and sée thy face and love thée and bée beloved of thée for ever Yea Lord thou hast forgiven us and thou wilt glorifie us for thou art faithful that hast promised With the blood of thy Son with the Sacrament and with thy spirit thou hast sealed up to us these precious promises And shall wée not love thée that hast thus loved us Shall wée not love thy Servants and forgive our Neighbours their little debt After all this shall wée again forsake thée and deal falsly in thy Covenant God forbid O set our affections on the things above where Christ sitteth at thy right hand Let us no more minde Earthly things but let our Conversation bée in Heaven from whence wée expect our Saviour to come and change us into the likeness of his glory Teach us to do thy will O God and to follow him who is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that do obey him Order our steps by thy word and let not any iniquity have dominion over us Let us not henceforth live unto our selves but unto him who died for us and rose again Let us have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but reprove them And let our light so shine before men that they may glorifie thée In Simplicity and Godly Sincerity and not in Fleshly wisdome let us have our Conversation in the world O that our waies were so directed that wée might kéep thy statutes Though Satan will bée desirous again to sift us and séek as a roaring Lion to devour strengthen us to stand against his Wiles and shortly bruise him under our féet Accept us O Lord who resign our selves unto thée as thine own and with our thanks and praise present our selves a living Sacrifice to bée acceptable through Christ Useful for thine honour Being made frée from sin and become thy Servants let us have our fruit unto Holiness and the End Everlasting Life Through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen Next add this or some such Exhortation if there bee time DEar Brethren wee have been here feasted with the Son of God at his Table upon his Flesh and Blood in preparation for the Feast of Endless Glory You have seen here represented what sin deserveth what Christ suffered what wonderful Love the God of infinite Goodness hath expressed to us You have had Communion with the Saints you have renewed your Covenant of Faith and thankful Obedience unto Christ You have received his renewed Covenant of Pardon Grace and Glory unto you O carry hence the lively sense of these great and excellent things upon your hearts You came not onely to receive the mercy of an hour onely but that which may spring up to Endless Joy You came not onely to do the duty of an hour but to promise that which you must perform while you live on Earth Remember daily especially when temptations to unbeleef and sinful heaviness assault you what pledges of Love you here received Remember daily especially when the Flesh the Devil or the World would draw your hearts again from God and temptations to sin are laid before you what bonds God and your own consent have laid upon you If you are Penitent Beleevers you are now forgiven and washed in the Blood of Christ O go your way and sin no more No more through wilfulness and strive against you sins of weaknesse Wallow no more in the mire and return not to your vomit Let the exceeding Love of Christ constrain you having such Promises to cleanse your selves from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God And as a Chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation a Peculiar People to bee Zealous of good works and shew forth the Praises of him that hath called you Next sing some part of the Hymn in meeter or some other sit Psalm of Praise as the 23. 116. or 103. or 100 c. And conclude with this or the like Blessing NOw the God of
sins and renounce the Flesh the Devil and the World and consent to the Covenant of Grace giving up your self to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as your Creator and Reconciled Father your Redeemer and your Sanctifier Ans I do Or thus rather if the Parent bee fit to utter his own Faith Quest Do you remain stedfast in the Covenant which you made in Baptism your self Ans Repenting of my sins I do renounce the Flesh the Devil and the World and I give up my self to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost my Creator and Reconciled Father my Redeemer and my Sanctifier Quest Do you present and dedicate this Childe unto God to bee baptized into this Faith and solemnly ingaged in this Covenant unto God the Father Son and Holy Ghost against the Flesh the Devil and the World Ans It is my desire or I do present and dedicate him for this end Quest Do you here solemnly promise that if God continue it with you till it bee capable of Instructions you will faithfully indeavour to acquaint this Childe with the Covenant in which hee was here by you ingaged and to instruct and exhort him to perform this Covenant as ever hee looks for the blessings of it or to escape the curses and wrath of God that is That hee renounce the Flesh the World and the Devil and live not after them And that hee beleeve in this One God in Three Persons the Father Son and Holy Ghost his Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier That hee resign himself to him as his absolute Owner and obey hâ—m as his Supream Governour and love him as his most gracious Father hoping to injoy him as his Felicity in Endless Glory Ans I will faithfully indeavour it Quest Will you to this end faithfully endeavour to cause him to learn the Articles of the Christian Faith the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandements and to read or hear the holy Scriptures and to attend on the Publick Preaching of Gods Word Will you endeavour by your own Teaching and Example and Restraint to keep him from wickedness and train him up in a holy life Answ I will faithfully endeavour it by the help of God Then let the Minister pray thus or to this sense O Most merciful Father by the first Adam sin entred into the world and death by sin and wée are all by nature Children of Wrath But thou hast given thy only Son to bée the séed of the Woman the Saviour of the World the Captain of our Salvation to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself and to wash us in his blood and reconcile us unto thée and to renew us by the Holy Ghost and to bruise Satan under our féet In him thou hast established the Covenant of grace and hast appointed this Holy Sacrament of Baptism for our solemn Entrance into the Bonds of the Covenants and stating us in the blessings of it which thou extendest to the faithful and their séed Wée dedicate and offer this Childe to thée to bée received into thy Covenant and Church Wée beséech thée to accept him as a member of thy Son and wash him in his blood from the guilt of Sin as the Flesh is washed by this water Bée reconciled to him and take him for thy Childe renew him to the Image of thy Son make him a fellow Citizen with the Saints and one of thy Houshold Protect him and provide for him as thy own and finally preserve him to thy Heavenly Kingdome through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen Then the Minister shall ask of the Parent the name of the Childe to bee Baptized and naming him shall either dip him under the water or else pour water upon his face if hee cannot be safely or conveniently dipt and shall use these words without Alteration I Baptise thée in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And hee shall thus Declare THis Childe is now received by Christs appointment into his Church and solemnly entred into the holy Covenant and engaged if heâ— lives to the use of Reason to rise with Christ to newness of life as being buried with him by Baptism and to bear his Cross and confess Christ crucified and faithfully to fight under his Banner against the Flesh the Devil and the World and to continue his Faithful Souldier and Servant to the death that hee may receive the Crown of Life Then hee shall give Thanks and Pray WEe thank thée most merciful Father that when wée had broken thy Law and were condemned by it thou hast given us a Saviour and life in him and hast extended thy Covenant of Grace to Beleevers and to their â—éed and hast now received this Childe into thy Covenant and Church as a member of Christ by this Sacrament of Regeneration Wée beséech thée let him grow up in Holiness and when hee comes to years of discretion let thy spirit reveal unto him the mysteries of the Gospel and the riches of thy love in Jesus Christ and cause him to renew and perform the covenant that hée hath now made and to resign himself and all that hée hath entirely unto thée his Lord to bée subject and obedient to thée his Governour and to love thée his Father with all his heart and soul and might and adhere unto thée and delight in thée as the Portion of his soul desiring and hoping to enjoy thée in everlasting Glory Save him from the Lusts and Allurements of the Flesh the temptations of the Devil and the Baits of the pleasure profit and honour of the world and from all the Corruptions of his own heart and all the hurtful violence of his Enemies Kéep him in Communion with the Saints in the love and use of thy word and worship Let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow Christ the Captain of his Salvation and bée faithful unto the death and then receive the Crown of life through Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen Then use this Exhortation or the like to the Parents YOu that have devoted this Childe to God and ingaged it in Covenant to him must bee thankful for so great a mercy to the Childe and must be faithful in performing what you have promised on your parts in instructing and educating this Childe in the Faith and Fear of God that hee may own and perform the Covenant now made and receive all the Blessings which God hath promised Hear what God hath made your duty Ephes 6. 4. Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Prov. 22. 6. Train up a childe in the way hee should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Prov. 19. 15. The Rod and Reproof give Wisdome but a Childe left to himself bringeth his Mother to shame Deut. 6. 5 6 7. Thou shalt love thy Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might
and these words which I command thee this day shall bee in thy heart and thou shalt reach them diligently unto thy Children and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in the house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up Joshuah saith Josh 24. 15. As for mee and my house wee will serve the Lord. And Paul saith of Timothy 2 Tim. 3. 15. From a Childe thou hast known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus Then say to the People thus or to this sense YOu have heard Beloved how great a dignity we were advanced to in our Baptism to how great duty wee are all ingaged O search and try whether you have kept or broken the Convenant which you made and have lived according to the dignity of your Calling And if any of you bee Atheists Unbeleevers or Ungodly and love not God above all and neglect Christ and his Salvation and are yet unsanctified and live after the Flesh the Devil and the World which you here renounced As you love your souls bewail your perfidious Convenant-breaking with God Trust not the water of Baptism alone if you are not born again of the Spirit also you cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Joh. 3. 5 6. Baptism will not save you if you have not the answer of a good conscience unto God 1 Pet. 3. 21. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. Much less those wretches that hate Sanctification and despise and scorn a holy life when they were by Baptism engaged to the Holy Ghost the Sanctifier Can you think to bee saved by the Covenant which you keep not O no! your perfidiousness aggravateth your sin and misery Eccles 5. 4 5. When thou vowest a vow to God defer not to pay it for hee hath no pleasure in Fools Pay that which thou hast vowed better it is that thou shouldest not vow than that thou shouldest vow and not pay O bless the Lord that it is a Covenant of such Grace which is tendred to you that yet upon true Repentance and Coversion even your Covenant-breaking shall bee forgiven And therefore penitently cast down your selves before the Lord and beleevingly cast your selves on Christ and yeeld to the teachings and sanctifying operations of the Holy Ghost yet know the day of your Visitation and forsake the Flesh the Devil and the World and turn to God with all your hearts and give up your selves intirely to your Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier and hee will have mercy upon you and will abundantly pardon you But if you still live after the Flesh you shall dye And if you continue to neglect this great Salvation there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgement and Fire which shall devour the Adversaries Let no Children bee privately baptized nor any Minister forced to baptize them any where besides in the Publick Assembly unless upon some special weighty cause if there be occasion for baptizing the Adult let the Minister accordingly sute his expressions Of Catechizing and the Approbation of those that are to bee admitted to the Lords Supper SEEing none can bee saved at years of discretion that do not actually beleeve and personally give up themselves in Covenant to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Therefore as Parents must do their parts so Ministers must catechize the Ignorant and Diligently labour to cause them both to learn the Form of wholsome words even the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandements and some brief yet full and sound Catechism and to understand the meaning of them and to engage their hearts into the love of God and a holy Obedience to his Laws To this end let the Minister either every Lords Day before the Evening Prayers or at some convenient hour or on some other day of the week as oft as hee can examine publickly such as are not admitted to the Lords Supper and take an account of their learning and understanding the Creed the ten Commandements the Lords Prayer and the Catechism And let him by questioning and explication help them to understand them And let such of the several Families of the Parish come in their turns when they are called by the Minister to bee thus Catechized Also let the Minister either go to their houses or rather appoint the persons aforesaid in their courses at a certain hour and place in the Church or any other fit place to come to him for personal Instructions where hee may confer with those that are unmeet to bee catechized Publickly or unwilling to submit to it and there with humble prudent serious Instruction and Exhortation let him indeavour to acquaint them with the substance of Christian-Faith and Duty and to help them to make sure their Calling and Election and to prepare for Death and Judgement and exhort them to love and to good works and warn them lest they bee hardened through the deceltfulness of sin But let him not in publick or private meddle with Impertinencies or spend the time about smaller matters or singular Opinions nor sift people to know things unfit or unnecessary to bee disclosed nor meddle with matters that do not concern him as a Minister to inquire after But help them to learn and understand and practise the Christian Religion expressed in the Catechism The Catechism LEt none be admitted by the Minister to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper till they have at years of discretion understood the meaning of their Baptismal Covenant and with their own mouths and their own consent openly before the Church ratified and confirmed and also promised that by the Grace of God they will evermore endeavour themselves faithfully to observe and keep such things as by their own mouth and confession they have assented to And so being instructed in the Christian Religion do openly make a credible Profession of their own Faith and promise to bee obedientt o the Will of God A Profession is credible when it is made understandingly seriously voluntarily deliberately and not nullified by contradiction in Word or Deed And that Profession is incredible that is made ignorantly ludicrously forcedly rashly or that is nullified by verbal or practical contradiction And it must bee practice first that must make words credible when the person by perfidiousness hath forfeited his Credit It is not private persons onely but the Pastors of the Church that must approve of this Profession Therefore before any are admitted to the Lords Supper they shall give a good account of their Knowledge Faith and Christian Conversation conformable thereunto unto the Pastors of their respective Congregations or else shall produce a certificate that they have been approved or admitted to the Lords Supper in another Congregation of which they were members and that by an allowed Minister upon such approved Profession as aforesaid If the