they be for so much as thou art faulty thy selfe and must be borne withall And if thou canst not bee such as thou wouldest bee thinkest thou to make another according to thy minde We wish that others were godly and yet wee our selves mend not We would have others severely corrected which we refuse our selves We find fault with the licentiousnesse of others and wee our selves will not be gaine-said We seek that others should be bridled by Law and we our selves refuse obedience whereby it is evident that we love not our Neighbour as our selves If all were perfect what should wee suffer at other mens hands for Gods sake But now it pleaseth God that we must beare one anothers burden and that because no man is without fault no man but hath his burden no man that can live by himselfe no man but lacks advise sometimes and therefoâ—e we ought to suffer one with another to comfort one another to help instruct and admonish one another And never shall the vertue of a man be so knowne as by occasion of adversitie for occasions makes not a man fraile but shewes what he is The way to quietnesse both temporall and eternall THou must bridle and breake thy will in many things if thou wilt live a quiet life And if thou wouldest stand upright and goe forward in godlinesse account thy selfe in this world but a banished man and a pilgrime And if thou desire to be a Christian thou must prove a foole before men for Christs sake A hood or a shaven head maketh not a religious man but an alteration from vice to vertue and a mortication of thy lusts hee which loveth any thing besides God and the salvation of his soule shall find nothing but misery and sorrow and let not him looke to be long in quiet which laboureth not in the sight of men to be most abject and inferior to all for thou art in this life to serve not to rule and called to suffer and labour not to loiter and live at pleasure For men are tryed in this world as gold is in the surnace and let no man here look to stand upright unlâ—sse with all his heart he humble himselfe for the Lords sake The exercise of a true Christian THe life of a Christian should be adorned with all vertues that hee may be such inwardly as he outwardly appeareth to the world yea more vertuous should he be then he seemeth in as much as God seeth our hearts who wee must intirely revereâ—ce wheresoever we are and before whom we should walke uprightly as Angels Every day wee should renounce our mindes and as though we were but newly converted from sinne we ought to inflame our zeale and say O my Lord God assist me I humbly beseech thee in this my good purpose and zeal give me grace even at this present time godly to enter into thy service for what hitherto I have done is nothing In this our race and going forward in godlinesse wee must use great diligence if we minde to finish our course as we should For if hee which couragiously goeth on is tried many times What will become of him which either seldome or faintly setteth forward Many things cause us to change our good minds but we never so lightly omit spiritual exercise but we greatly hinder our selves thereby The purpose of the just dependeth upon the favour of God not upon their own wisdome on whom they trust in all their enterprizes For man may purpose but God disposeth neither can man of himselfe bring any thing to passe If we omit our accustomed exercise either for Religions cause or to profit our brethren we may easily attaine thereunto againe but if carelesly of sloth or faintnesse of minde we neglect the same we do both highly displease God and greatly endamage our selves Let us doe our best yet shall wee â—ffend in many things All be it will be good to shoot at some certaine things and especially against those vices which hinder us more then others we must examine and set in order as well outward as inward things for both are necâ—ssary to our proceedings If thou canâ—â— not at all times take account of thy selfe yet doe it sometimes and at the least once a day either at morne or night In the morning consider how thou wilt spend thy time till evening And at night call to minde how thou â—ast spent the day and what thy thoughts words and deeds have been for thereby we commonly both displease God and offend men Gird thy loynes like a man against Satan bridle thy riotous appetite so the more easily shalt thou bring under all the unruly desires of the flesh Be thou at no time idle altogether but alwaies either read or write or pray or meditate or doe somewhat for the publlique welfare The body must bee exercised with judgement for all exercises be not for every man private exercises must not be used in a publicke place aâ—beit thou art to take heed that thou be not too publicke slow and swift unto private but having done thy dutie according to thy calling if any leasure be gotten betake thee to thy selfe as thy profession doth require All men cannot use one exercise but that is for some which is not for others Againe according to the diversitie of time wee thinke of exercises for some like us of holydaies some on working daies some in the time of warre some in the time of quietnesse some we minde when we are pensive and some when we rejoyce in the Lord good exercises should oftentimes be renewed especially on holy daies as though we were then departing out of this life and going to the everlasting daies of rest And therefore at such times especially we should shew our selves most devout and most carefully execute Gods Hests looking as it were presently to have a reward of our labour from God which if it be deferred let us think with our selves that we are not sufficiently prepared but unworthy so great glory to be revealed unto us at a time convenient and prepare our selves more diligently to our end Happy is that Servant saith our Saviour Christ whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watchfull know ye of a truth he will make him ruler over all that he hath Of solitarinesse and silence SEeke a convenient time to meditate and oftentimes call the benefits of God into mind omit curious things and chuse such matter as may rather stir up thy mind unto godliness then busie thee too much withdraw thy self from speaking vainly from gadding idly from listning unto rumours and novelties And thou shalt find good leasure and sufficient for thy spirituall exercise and that after the example of the most godly who shunned the company of men as much as they might and chose to live a part unto God One said I never came amongst men but I departed more wicked then I was before And this we find true when we talk much together It is easier to be
to be altogether for our selves as appeares by our saying Give us Forgive us Deliver us but in the three former there is no mention of us at all as though we were no parties to them at all Is it not that we are or ought to be more jealous of Gods honour than carefull of our owne benefits And therefore when we say Hallowed be thy name we dare not say of us least we should make God a Musick of too few voyces And when we say Thy Kingdome come we dare not say to us least we should assigne his Kingdom too small a Territory And when we say Thy will be done we dare not say by us least we should stint God in the number of his servants But we say Hallowed be thy name and stop there that so no mouth may be stopped from hallowing it We say Thy Kingdome come but name not whither that so it may be intended to come every whither We say Thy will be done in earth but tell not by whom in earth that so it may be done by all in earth Many would desire to know and prize it at a great rate how theâ— might get the knowledge to be assured when their sins are forgiven and yet it is a knowledge easily to be had and every man may tell himselfe for if thou findest in thy heart a loathing of thy former sins and a resolution to continue in amendment of life and specially a fixed charity to forgive others thou mayest be assured thou art in the favour of God and all thy sins past are forgiven thee but if thou continuest to take delight in thy former sins and art unresolved in reforming thy courses and especially if thou findest in thy self a desire of revenge and art implacable towards others thou mayest then be assured thou art still in the state of Gods displeasure thy sins are not yet forgiven for these things are not only the signes but the certaine effects of Gods forgiving of us when we confesse and be grieved for our owne trespasses to him and are compassionate and relenting to the trespasses of others to us There is no deed so acceptable to God as to take all thankfully which he laies upon us for not to murmure or not to cast our eyes upon vanity are in themselves any great matters but when a man murmures not in adversity which gives so many causes of impatience or when a man casts not his eyes upon vanity in prosperity which ministers so many occasions of alurements this is a man after Gods owne heart and this is one to whom the Devill may say as he said to Christ Art thou come to torment us before the time but the difficulty of doing this and the danger of not doing this gives us all just cause to say Leade us not into temptation O my Soul if thou canst not be strong enough to resist sinne be humble to confesse it with contrition dissolve into teares for that which is past resolve upon amendment in that which is to come and if thou canst do this thou shalt finde it the true balme of Gilead and though thy sins were as red as scarlet they shall be made as white as snow And more to speak of hallowing Gods name it may not be unfit to consider the three first Petitions as they are only hallowings or Hallelujas for observing the difference of the songs we shall perceive the difference of the singers The first when we say Hallowed be thy name is the Hallelujah of Angels and we may truly say is the song of songs not only because it is sung without ceassing but because it shall be sung without ending and is both the cause and the effect both the signe and the substance of our eternal happiness The second when we say Thy Kingdom come is the Hallelujah of the â—aints in Heaven and is an asspiring to the first but an asspiring in a very near degree near in distance though remote in existence for they are in assurance of attaining and do but tarry the time but the time will not be till time will not be The third when we say Thy will be done is the Hallelujah of the Saints on earth and is an asspiring to the second but an asspiring in a remote degree for while they are in the world they are subject to all the rubs of the world while they live in the flesh to all infirmities of the flesh yet they have a confidence though no assurance or an assurance though but in confidence and therefore are remisse but not dejected bould but not presumptuous not out of heart not out of feare And may it not here be observed that as we begin in saying Hallowed be thy name so we end in acting the hallowing it and our first and last words are all for his glory who is the first and the last And these three Attributes seeme to answer to our three first Petitions Hallowed be thy name for thine is the glory Thy Kingdom come for thine is the Kingdom Thy will be done for thine is the power And we seeme to sing not only in the first an unisone with the Angels but in all the three the same ditty with the Saints in Heaven for their Hallelujah is Thou art worthy ô Lord to receive glory and honour and power and ours here Thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory That having sung the song of Saints and Angels here on the earth we may be admitted into the quiere of Saints and Angels in Heaven and sing eternally thou art worthy ô Lord to receive glory and honour and power for thine is the Kingdom the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen And now ô my soule consider how perfect a prayer this is where are the Petitions of men and Angels the Petitions of the Church millitant and triumphant the Petitions of innocent Inphants penitent sinners and faithfull beleevers And then hearken what musick it makes in Gods eares how pleasing where the songs are all of Christs own setting how mellodious where they are all such sweet singers how lowd where there are so many voyces especially when this quire of singers which hitherto have sung their parts apaâ—t shall all joyne their voyces together in that sacred Antheme For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory And so end all in that which â—s the end of all and is it selfe withâ—ut end the gloâ—y of God The children of God begotten a new by the Holy Ghost can never fall from being like him that begat them and therefore doe they much dishonour God who in words doe professe they are his Sonnes and yet in their actions they resemble the Image of Sathan It were a great blemish to a godly man to be wrongfully suspected to be the father of a wicked Son much more is God dishonoured by such as would seeme to be but are not of his seed For they that are of God indeed cannot but in some measure resemble him
chant it as cheerfully in September the beginning of Winter as in March the approach of the Summer why should not we thinke I give as cheerfull entâ—rtainment to the hoary Haires of ouâ— ages Winter as to the Primroses of our youths spring why not to the declining Sunne in adversity as like Persians to the rising Sunne of prosperity I am sent to the Ant to learne industry to the Dove to learne innocencie to the Serpâ—nt to learne wisdome aâ—d why not to this Bird to lâ—arne Equanimity and patience aâ—â— to keep the same tenoâ— of my mindâ—â— qâ—â—etness as well at the appâ—â—acâ—â— of calamitous Winter as of the Spring of hâ—ppinâ—ssâ— And since the Romans constancâ—e is so commended who changed not his countenancâ— with his changed Fortunes why shâ—uld not I with a Christian resolution hold a steddy cou se in all weatâ—ers and though I be â—orced with crosse Winds â—o shift my Sayles and catch at side Winds yâ—t skilfully to steare and keep on my course by the Cape of good hope till I arrive at the haven of eternall happinesse And now to conclude Meditation is a busie search in the Store-house of Fantasie for some Ideas of matters to be cast in the moulds of resolution into some formes of words or actions in which search when I have used my greatest diligence I finde this in conclusion that to meditate on the best is the best of Meditations and a resolution to make a good end is a good end of my resolutions A Morning Prayer O Most gracious God and loving Father we heartily thanke thee for all thy loving kindnesses so abundantly shewed upon us for our Election Creation Redemption mercifull Vocation Justification Sanctification and continuall preservation and for our assured hope of our Glorification in the world to come We praise thy gracious goodnesse for so mercifully preserving us this night past and delivering us from all dangers both of soule and body for that thou hast given us so sweet and comfortable rest and hast brought us to the beginning of this day And as thou hast safely preserved us unto this present houre from all dangers of this life so we beseech thee to continue this thy favour towards us this day and the whole course of our life suffer us not by vaine alurements of this world to be drawne away into sinne and wickednesse assist us with thy Grace and holy Spirit that we spend not our times vainely or idely but that we may alwaies be diligently exercised in the duties of our Calling to the benefit of our Brethren and discharge of our Conscience Grant that in all our consultations words and workes we may ever have thee present before our eyes through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen An Evening Prayer O Most gracious Lord God and loving Father we heartily thanke thee for all thy mercies blessings benefits and preservations so abundantly shewed towards us We doe praise thy glorious goodnesse for so mercifully preserving us this day past and delivering us from all perills and dangers both of body and soule for prospering and preserving us in health and prosperity for giving us all things necessary for this present life as health food and apparrell and other convenient things needfull this gracious goodnesse of thine we beseech thee O Lord to continue towards us for ever And here O Lord God we offer up unto thee our selves and ours our soules our bodies we recommend our lives our meanes and all we have unto thy gracious preservation and protection in assurance that that cannot perish which is committed unto thee keep us this night in safety and grant good Lord that our bodies may sleep and ouâ— souâ—es may watch for the commiâ—g of our Saviour thy Son Jesus Christ thaâ— so our soules and bodies may be more apt and able to serve thee in that estate and Calling wherein thou hast thought good to place us we doe confesse and acknowledge O mercifull God that we are most miserable and wicked sinners as well by originall corruption of Nature as by the course of our evill and naughty life we have and doe daily breake and transgresse thy most holy Law and Commandements both in thought word and deed By the meanes of this sinne and corruption we doe continually deserve most just condemnation and to be for ever cast out of thy presence yet such is thy goodnesse towards us thou wouldest not suffer us thus to perish in our sins but hast sent thine owne deare Sonne Christ Jesus to take upon him whatsoever is due to us and to reconcile and makâ— us one with thee againe In him therefore and thorow him we come unto thee beseeching thee for his sake that we feeliâ—g the grievâ—usnesse of our siâ—nes and groaning under the burthen of them may finde the release and â—ase of them in that we through thy â—â—â—y Spirit stedfastly belâ—eve that Christ hath borne the burthen of them even for us Grant O Lord that we being assured hereof in our conscience may through thy holy Spirit be renewed with more graces and hate detest and abhorre all manner of sinne and study to live in all things according to thy blessed Will during our whole life Grant this O deare Father for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer for remission of sins O Lord glorious ever-living loving everlasting Father I wretched sinner presume once againe after my sinne to returne home unto thee requesting begging praying and desiring of thy heavenly Majesty that thou wilâ— look downe upon me I confesse were it not for the hope of thy mercy anâ— the hold of thy comfort and the renewing graces which sometimes I feele from thee and that sweet taste and feeling of thy good gifts and thy heavenly Word I should sinke in despaire for my sinne is alwaies before me if I go they follow me if I run they fly after me if I look back they stare upon me if I go forward they meet me if I turne to the right hand they terrifie me if to the left hand they torment me If I look down to earth Hell is ready to devour me now have I no way but to look up to thee Lord be thou then hore ready to receive me help me good God save me deare Father succour me sweet Redeemer assist me mercifull Creator that my prayers may be so fervent so zealous so affectionate towards thee that they may draw down thy mercies upon me powre down thy blessings shower down thy graces open thy hand of mercy restore joy and comfort to my heavie and laden soule wash away my sins wipe away mine iniquity heale my infirmities purge my wicked minde of all evill thoughts pardon all misdeeds and wicked dealings renew the good Spirit of heâ—venly graces restore the joyes of thy holy comsorts upon me O Lord let me have some feeling some taste some scent some glimmering of thy glorious presence Let me feele some comfort finde some joy have some rest good Lord let
given both in Heaven and Earth Arise then thou Lord to whom the Kingdomes doe belong and shew thy selfe and let not the man of the Earth any longer exalt himselfe least he be too proud and least he ascribe to himselfe or to his graven Images or vaine Idols the conquest that thou shalt see and suffer over thy people Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name be the praise For the honour of thy Name arise before Ephraim Benjamin and Manasses before Great Britaine Ireland and other Countries that call upon thy Name arise and shew thy selfe for us for on thee only doe we call We call on thee to save us and our Forces and thy people now in more danger how and in what manner and at what time fully to declare thy Salvation we referre to thy heavenly wisedome only in the meane time that it may please thee to sanctifie and save to preserâ—e and provide for them and us and all thine both in Field and City Protect and defend deliver us and ours at home and abroad And thou great Sheheard of Israel be pleased to take downe more and more that Man of Sinne that hath and would exalt himselfe against thee Asswage then the malice of those that are enemies to us or to any of thy people and evermore confound all their devices that we being armed with thy defence may ever more and more give praise to thee which art the only Author of our peace and Giver of all victory And all this good Lord for us for them and all thine not for our merits but for thy great Mercy sake and for the Truth sake of thy gracious Promises in Jesus Christ our Lord and only Advocate and Redeemer To whom with thee O Father and the holy Spirit be all praise and glory now and for ever-more Amen A Prayer before Sermon O Most gracious God assist me I humbly beseech thee in this my good purpose and zeale and give me grace at this present time godly to enter into thy service Deare Father assist me with thy holy Spirit and drive away all vain and idle cogitations out of my minde that I may heare thy Word to my Soules comfort grant that it may take deepe roote in my heart and bring forth plentifully to the honour of thy blessed Name to the comfort of my Soule and the good example of my Brethren who seeing my good workes may glorifie thee my only Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Prayer before the receiving of the Sacrament O Most sweet lover of all Mankinde Lord and Saviour I beseech thee for thy bitter Passion sake to remove from me all pride envie and detraction wrath malice and impatience and all other sicknesses and diseases of the Soule and plant good Lord in my heart and minde true meeknesse charity temperance and modesty with all such other vertues and preservatives unto the Soule And mortifie in me good Lord all uncleane motions carnall desires and inordinate affections and revive in me the love of vertues and the perpetuall exercise thereof so that at this time and at all times I may worthily receive this holy and blessed Sacrament unto thine honour and glory and my soules endlesse joy and comfort Amen A Prayer after receiving of the Sacrament JN most humble and most hearty manner with most due reverence I thank thee good Lord most holy Father and everlasting God thaâ— by the bounty of thy mercifull grace wouldest vouchsafe thus to refresh and feed my Soule through faith with the benefit of the Death and Passion of thy Sonne our Lord God and Saviour Iesus Christ And I beseech thine infinite goodnesse that this the Sacrament of this thy Death and Passion which I most unworthy wretch have now received may never come hereafter in Iudgement and Condemnation unto me for mine evill merits and deservings but rather good Lord it may come to the profit and comfort of my body and to the salvation of my Soule unto the life everlasting Amen A Prayer at the houre of death O Heavenly Lord God wee poore wretches being overcome with griefe come all here attending thy good pleasure with this sick Servant of thine O Lord incline to heare our Prayers and his complaints unto thee be now O Lord present and send thy good Angels and Spirit to attend us be with us O Lord and comfort this sick person and now if the time be come of his departure grant O Lord he may depart with godly comfort and joy everlasting into thy Kingdome Ease O Lord his griefs mittigate his paines asswage his sorrowes anâ— give him a lively touch of thy heavenly comfort put by all worldly thoughts and beat downe all bad suggestions let nothing but good come in his minde and grant that he may to the last gaspe of breath breath out still some comfort of thy helpe and grant when he hath done his last to finish this mortall life then he may with Lazarus be carried into Abrahams bosome O Lord forgive him O Lord receive him O Lord protect him O Lord succour and save him and now and for ever grant he may rest with thee in eternall glory Heare us good Father for this our Brother and doe for him and us according to thy Fatherly mercy in Jesus Christ to whom we commend him with these our prayers for him and all his and our occasions in thaâ— prayer which thy blessed Sonne hath taught us Our Father which art c. FINIS Novemb. 29. 1648. Imprimatur John Downham