without reproof Hereupon Christ commends to his Disciples the care of his keeping of his Commandments as the truest testimony of our love unto him So far therefore doth a Man love Christ as he makes conscience to walk in his Commandmenâ—s and the more unto Christ is our love the less will our pains seem in keeping his Law The Laws curse which under the Old Testament was so terrible is under the New by the Death of Christ abolished to the regenerate the rigour which made it so impossible to our Nature before is now to the new born so mollified by the spirit that it seems facil and easie The Apostles indeed pressed on the unconverted Jews and Gentiles the impossibility of keeping the Law by ability of Nature corrupted But when they have to do with regenerate Christians they require to the Law which is the Rule of righteousness true obedience in word and deed the mortifying of their members the crucifying of the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof resurrection to newness of life walking in the spirit overcoming of the world by faith so that tho' no Man can say as Christ Which of you can rebuke me of sin yet every regenerate Christian can say of himself which of you can rebuke me of being an Adulterer Whoremonger Swearer Drunkard Thief Vsurer Oppressor Proud Malicious Covetous Prophaner of the holy Sabbath a Lyar a neglecter of God's Publick service and such like gross sins else he is no true Christian. When a man casts off the conscience of being ruled by God's Law then God gives him over to be led by his own lusts the surest sign of a Reprobate sense Thus the Law which since the fall no man by his own natural ability can fulfil is fulfilled in truth of every true regenerate Christian through the gracious assistance of Christ's Holy Spirit And this Spirit God will give to every Christian that will pray for it and incline his heart to keep his Laws V. When the unregenerate man hears that God delights more in the inward mind than in the outward man then he feigneth with himself that all outward reverence and profession is but either superstitious or superfluous Hence it is that he seldom kneeleth in the Church that he puts on his Hat at singing of Psalms and the publick Prayers which the prophane Varlet would not offer to do in the presence of a Prince or Noble man And so that he keep his mind unto God he thinks he may fashion himself in other things to the world He divides his thoughts and gives so much to God and so much to his own lusts yea he will divide with God the Sabbath and will give him almost the one half and spend the other wholly in his own pleasures But know O carnal Man that Almighty God will not be served by halfs because he hath created and redeemed the whole Man And as God detests the service of the outward man without the inward heart as hypocrisie so he counts the inward service without all external reverence to be meer prophaneness he requireth both in his worship In prayer therefore bow thy knees in witness of thy humiliation lift up thine eyes and thy hand in testimony of thy confidence hang dowâ— thy head and smite thy brest in token of thy contrition but especially call upon God with a sincere heart serve him holily serve him wholly serve him only for God and the Prince of this world are two contrary masters and therefore no man can possibly serve both VI. The unregenerate Christian holds the hearing of the Gospel preached to be but an indifferent matter which he may use or not use at his pleasure but whosoever thou art that will be assured in thy heart that thou art one of Christ's Elect Sheep thou must have a special care and conscience if possibly thou canst to hear God's Word Preached For first the preaching of the Gospel is the chief ordinary means which God hath appointed to convert the souls of all that he hath predestinated to be saved therefore it is called the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth And where this Divine Ordinance is not the people perish and whosoever shall refuse it it shall be more tolerable for the Land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for those people Secondly the preaching of the Gospel is the Standard or Ensign of Christ to which all Soldiers and Elect People must assemble themselves when this Ensign is displayed as upon the Lord's Day he is none of Christ's People that flocks not unto it neither shall any drop of the rain of his Grace light on their souls Thirdly it is the ordinary means by which the Holy Ghost begetteth faith in our hearts without which we cannot please God If the hearing of Christ's voice be the chief Mark of Christ's Elect sheep and of the Bridegrooms friends then must it be a fearful mark of a reprobate goat either to neglect or contemn to hear the preaching of the Gospel Let no man think this position foolish for by this foolishness of preaching it pleaseth God to save them which believe Their state is therefore fearful who live in peace without caring for the preaching of the Gospel Can men look for God's mercy and despâ—â—s his means He saith Christ of the Preachers of his Gospel that despiseth you despiseth me He that is of God heareth God's Word ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God Had not the Israelites heard Phineas's message they had never wept Had not the Baptist preached the Jews had never mourned Had not they who crucified Christ heard Peter's Sermon their hearts had never been pricked Had not the Ninevites heard Jonas preaching they had never repented and if thou wilt not hear and repent thou shalt never be saved VII The opinion that the Sacraments are but bare signs and seals of God's promise and grace unto us doth not a little hinder Piety whereas indeed they are seals as well of our service and obedience unto God which service if we perform not unto him the Sacraments seal no Grace unto us But if we receive them upon the resolution to be his faithful and penitent servants then the Sacraments do not only signifie and offer but also seal and exhibit indeed the inward spiritual grace which they outwardly promise and represent and to this end Baptism is called the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost and the Lord's Supper The Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. Were this truth believed the holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper would be oftener and with greater revereâ—ce received VIII The last and not the least block whereat Piety stumbleth in the course of Religion is by adorning Vices with the names of
it self commands us to hear did alter it from that seventh day to this first day of the Week whereon we keep the Sabbath For the holy Evangelist notes that our Lord came into the midst of the holy Assembly on the two first days of the two Weeks immediately following his Resurrection and then blessed the Church breathed on the Apostles the Holy Ghost and gave them the ministerial keys and power of binding and remitting sins And so it is most probable he did in a solemn manner every first-day of the week during the forty days he continued on earth between his Resurrection and Ascension for the fiftieth day after being the first day of the week the Apostles were assembled during which time he gave Commandments unto the Apostles and spake unto them those things which appertain to the Kingdom of God that is instructed them how they should throughout the Churches which were to be converted change the Sabbath to the Lord's-Day the bodily sacrifices of beasts to the spiritual sacrifices of Praise Prayer and contrite Hearts the Levitical Priesthood of the Law to the Christian Ministery of the Gospel the Jewish Temples and Synagogues to Churches and Oratories the Old Sacraments of Circumcision and Passover to Baptism and the Lord's Supper c. as may appear by the like Phrase Acts 19. 8. and Acts 28. 23. Col. 4. 11. put for the whole sum of Paul's Doctrine by which were wrought all these changes where it took effect So that as Christ was forty days instructing Moses in Sinai what he should teach and how he should rule the Church under the Law so he continued forty days teaching his Disciples in Sion what they should preach and how they should govern the Church under the Gospel And seeing it is manifest that within those forty days Christ appointed what Ministers should teach and how they should govern his Church to the world's end it is not to be doubted but that within those forty days he likewise ordained on what day they should keep their Sabbath and ordinarily to the works of their Ministery especially seeing that under the Old Testament God shewed himself as careful both by his Moral and Ceremonial Law to prescribe the time as well as the matter of his Worship Neither is it a thing to be omitted that the Lord who hath times and seasons in his own power appointed this first day of the week to be the very day wherein he sent down from Heaven the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles so that upon that day they first began and ever after continued the publick exercising of their Ministery in the preaching of the Word the administration of the Sacraments and the loosing of the sins of penitent sinners Upon these and the like grounds Athanasius plainly affirmeth that the Sabbath day was changed by the Lord himself As therefore our Communion is termed the Lord's Supper because it was instituted of the Lord for the remembrance of his death so the Christian Sabbath is called of the Lord's day because it was ordained of the Lord for the memorial of his Resurrection And as the Name of the Lord honoureth the one so doth it the other and as the Lord of the Sabbath by his royal Prerogative and transcendent authority could so he had also reason to change the Holy Sabbath from the seventh day to this whereon we keep it For as concerning the seventh day which followed the six days wherein God finished the Creation there was no such precise institution or necessity of sanctifying it perpetually but such as by the same authority or upon greater reason and occasion it might very well be changed and altered unto some other seventh day For the Commandment doth not say Remember to keep hnly the seventh day next following the sixth day of the Creation or this or that seventh day but indefinitely Remember that thou keep holy a seventh day And to speak properly as we take a day for the distinction of time called either a day natural consisting of 24 hours or a day artificial consisting of 12 hours from Sun-rising to Sun-setting and withal consider the Sun standing still at noon in Joshuah's time the space of a whole day and the Sun going back ten degrees viz. five hours almost half an artificial day in Ezekiah's time the Jews themselves could not keep their Sabbath upon that precise and just distinction of time called at the first the seventh day from the Creation Add hereunto that in respect of the diversity of Meridians and the unequal rising and setting of the Sun every day varieth in some places a quarter in some half in others a whole day Therefore the Jewish seventh day cannot precisely be kept at the same instant of time every where in the World Now our Lord Jesus having authority as Lord over the Sabbath had likewise now far greater reason and occasion to translate the Sabbath from the Jewish seventh day unto the seventh day whereon Christians do keep the Sabbath 1. Because that by his Resurrection from the dead there is wrought a new spiritual Creation of the World without which all the Sons of Adam had been turned to everlasting destruction and all the works of the first creation had ministred no consolation unto us 2. And in respect of this new spiritual Creation the Scripture saith that Old things are passed away and all things are become new new Creatures new People new men new knowledge new Testament new commandment new names new way new song new garment new wine new vessels new Jerusalem new Heaven and a new earth And therefore of necessity there must be instead of the old a new Sabbath day to honour and praise our Redeemer and to meditate upon the work of our redemption and to shew the new change of the old Testament 3. Because that on this day Christ rested from all the sufferings of his Passion and finished the glorious work of our Redemption If therefore the finishing of the work of the first Creation whereby God mightily manifested himself unto his creatures deserved a Sabbath for to solemnize the memorial of so great a work to the honour of the worker and therefore calls it mine holy-day much more doth the new Creatition of the world effected by the resurrection of Christ whereby he mightly declared himself to be the Son of God deserve a Sabbath for the perpetual commemoration thereof to the honour of Christ and therefore worthily called the Lord's day For as the deliverance out of the Captivity of Babylon being greater took away the name from the deliverance out of the Bondage of Egypt so the day whereon Christ finished the redemption of the world did more justly deserve to have the Sabbath kept on it than on that day whereon God ceased from creating the world As therefore in
18. 14. d Luk. 15. 20. e Psal. 103. 8 f Mat. 11. 28. g Ezek. 18. 21 22 c. h Deut. 27. 26. Gal. 3. 10. Lam. 3 22. Mat. 3 6. a Col. 3. 12. b Mat. 3. 17. c Psal. 28 4. d Hos. 13. 5. e Isa. 1. 16 18. f Mat. 9. 12. g 1 Joh. 1. 7. h Joh. 3. 14. Gal. 4. 5 7. 1 Thess. 5. 23. 1 Pet. 5. 8. Psal. 31. 5. Mat. 25. 2. Nudus in hunc mundum veni nudus quoque abibo a Luke 16. 2. b Mat. 24. 2. * Job 17. 13. Ut somnus mortis sic lectus imago sepulchri †Mat. 12. 40. * 1 Thes 4. 14. * Isa. 57. 2. Isa. 26. 20. Psal. 4. 8. Gen. 18. 17 19. Gen. 14. 14. Josh. 24. 15. Deut 6. 6 7. Psal. 101. 6 7. Esther 4. 16. Gen. 30. 27. Gen. 39. 3. Gen. 39. 22. 23. a Psal. 127. 1 2. b Jer. 10. 25. c Psal. 52. 5 d Gen. 15. 16. e Lev. 18. 25. Psal. 37. 29. * Origen would have the word expounded in Christian houses Hom. 9. In Rev. Augustine saith that what the Preacher is in the Pulpit the same the Housholder is in the house * Hoc me docuisti ut quemâ—dmodâ—m medicamenta sic alimenta sumpturus accâ—dam Aug. l. 10. Conf. †Major sum ad majora genitus quâ—m ut tâ—â—â—cipium 〈◊〉 mei corporis Senec. * Of Galal which signifieth man's Dung as Ezek. 4. 17 15. a Heb. 11. 3. b Psal. 145. 15 16. â—atth 5. 5 c. ct 14. 17. †Hanc ob causam Genâ—les mensâ—s â—cras festa â—â—inab nâ— â—iâ—es * St. Austin had written 〈◊〉 his able Quisquis amat dictis absâ—ntâ—m â—dâ—re amicum Hanc mensam vecitam noverit esse sibi Possâ—d de viâ—a Aug. a Luk. 9. 16. Mat. 14. 19. 15. 36. Mark 6. 41. 8. 6. Luk. 24. 30. Joh. 6. 11. b Mat. 26. 30. Mar 14. 26. c Deut. 8. 10. d 1 Sam. 9. 13. e Joel 2. 26. f Act. 27. 35. Joh. 6. 9 11. Dan. 5. 1 4. Act. 17. 28. â—ob 1â— 14. Psal. 69. 22. * Gen. 3. 17. †1 Tim. 4. 4 5. b Mat. 4. 4. c Lev 26. 26. Ezek. 4. 16. and 5. 16. d 1 Sam. 9. 13. Mat. 14. 19. Luk. 24. 30. 2 Cor. 10. 16. e Rom. 14. 6. 1 Thes. 5. 18. f Eccl. 10. 1â— Luk. 21. 3â— g Neh 5 17. Amos 6. 6. h 1 Sam. 9. 13 i Mat. 14. 19. a Psal 10. 17. b Joel 1. 10. Psal. 147. 9 c 1 Tim. 4. 5. d 1 King 13. 8. Mat. 12. 43. a 1 Cor. 14. 15. b 1 Cor. 11. 4. c Eph. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. Mat. 3. 17. Rom. 6. 6. Phil. 3. 10. Rom. 8. 29. Eph 4. 24. Jam. 1. 17. Psal. 78. 49. Psal. 91. 5. Gen. 32. 2. 2 King 6. 16 17. Psal. 91. 11 12. Luk. 21. â—5 Mat. 25. 3â— â—◠†Mat. 12. 8. Deut. 18. 18 19. John 20. 22. * Act. 1. 2 3. Cyril bids us note that St. John doth not simply set down the manner of Christ's appearing unto Thomas but also the circumstance of the time post dies octo whence he concludes thus Diem igitur octavum Dominicam diem esse necesse est Cyril in Johan lib. 12. cap. 58. †Heb. 7. 11 12. Eph. 4. 8 11 12. a Act. 1. 7. b Act. 2. 1 c. c Act. 2. 1 4. d Act. 2. 38 41 42. e Act. 2. 38. f Athan in frontispicio hom defent g Rev. 1. 10. The Scripture of the New Testament gives not this honourable title to any thing but only to the blessed Sabbath and holy Supper For as he substituted the Lord's Supper in stead of the Passover so did he the Lord's day in the Jewish Sabbath's roâ—m h 1 Cor. 11. 20. * Wolphii Chronolog de Tem. l. cap. 1. p. 92. †Legis substantia est sex diebus terrâ—nis negotiis incumbâ—re septimâ divino cultui dare operam Josh. 10. 12 13. 2 Kin. 20. 11. Christoph. Helvic Syst. Cont. Theol. cum Judaeis c. de Sab. Mat. 12. 8. Isaiah 65. 17 c. Isaiah 66. 22. Psal. 90. 2. a 2 Cor. 5. 17. b Gal. 6. 15. c 1 Pet. 2. 10. d Eph. 4. 24. e Col. 3. 10. f Mat. 26. 28. g Joh. 12. 14. h Rev. 2. 17. i Heb. 10. 10. k Rev. 3. 9. l Luk. 5. 36 37. m Rev. 21. 2. n 2 Pet. 3. 13. Isa. 66. 22. o Heb. 4. 9. Isa. 58. 13. Rom. 1. 4. Rev. 1. 10. Jer. 23. 7 8. * Gen. 2. 2. â—ev 23. 32. Nâ—h 13. 19. a Mat. 28. 1. b Act. 20. 7 11. Exod. 25. 31 Rev. 1. 13. Gen. 23. 28. Psal. 110. 3. Zach. 14. 27. Psal. 118. 24. Zohar upon Gen. fol. 21. H. Broughton Require of Consent 49 50 51. Ex H. Wolphii Chron. de Temp. lib. 2. cap. 2. Augustir Epist ad Januar 119. c. 3. * Sacramentum hoc fuit diei illius octavi quo Dominus resurrexit ad justificationem nostram c. ut scribit ad Fidum Cyprianus l. 3. Epist. 10. Jan. in Gen. 17. 12. †2 Cor. 4. 4. a 1 Cor. 16. 1 2. b The Syriack translation hath Quum congrâ—gaâ—iâ—â— non 〈◊〉 justum est in die Domini nostri comeditis bibitis The Arabian translation also hath it thus Non comeditis bibitis â—word verè diâ—bus Domini nostri de ceâ—â—nd Beza witnesseth that in one ancient Greek Copy there is read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord's-day added to every first-day c. c 1 Cor. 11. 20 25 26. d 1 Cor. 14. 33. * As the Phrase of breaking of Bread comprehendeth all other Exercises of Religion Acts 20. 7. So this Phrase of laying by in store comprehendeth all the other exercises of the Sabbath And why should the Apostle require the Collections to be made on the first-day of the week but because that on this day the holy Assembly was held in the Apostles time 1 Cor. 11. â—â— 1 Cor. 14. 3◠〈…〉 c. a Acts 21. 4 c. b Rev. 1. 10. Mos Christianus c. It is the manner of Christians to call it the Lord's day Bed in Luc. cap. 41. Heb. 2. 5. * Jer. 15. 22. Ezek. 20 19 20 21 24. Ezek. 23. 38. Neh. 9 4. †Ex Bodin le Repub. l. 4. c. 2. 1 Cor 14. 33. 40. Isa. 55. 1 2. Rev. â— 18. Jâ—m â— 1â— Gen. 2. 3. a Exod. 34. 1. c. Deut. 4. 13. Deut. 4. 2. 1 King 8. 9. Heb. 9. 4. Mat. 5. 17. Verse 19. Act â—â— 10 20 21 24 28. Mat. 24. 20. * Euseb hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 5. It is probable that this Oracle was that voice Mâ—grâ—nus hinc which with in earthquake was heard by â—ight in the Temple â—entionâ—â— by Josephus 〈…〉 l. 7. c. 12. †〈◊〉 24. 35. Isa. 56. 6. Nehem. 13. 1â— c. Eph. 2. 14. * Prov. 2. 17. b Mat. 19. 6 8. * Nitimur in vetitum Hor. c Gen. 1. 18. d Job 9. 9. Job 38. 31.
man to travel in and the night for him to take his rest so I beseech thee sanctifie unto me this night's rest and sleep that I may enjoy the same as thy sweet blessing and benefit That so this dull and wearied body of mine being refreshed with moderate sleep and rest I may be the better enabled to walk before thee doing all such good works as thou hast appointed when it shall please thee by thy divine Power to waken me the next morning And whilst I sleep do thou O Lord who art the keeper of Israel that neither slamberest nor sleepest watch over me in thy holy providence to protect me from all dangers so that neither the evil Angels of Satan nor any wicked enemy may have any power to do me any harm or evil And to this end give a charge unto thy holy Angels that they at thine appointment may pitch their tents round about me for my defence and safety as thou hast promised that they should do about them that fear thy name And knowing that thy name is a strong Tower of defence unto all those that trust therein I here recommend my self and all that do belong unto me unto thy holy protection and custody If it be thy blessed will to call for me in my sleep O Lord for Christ his sake have mercy upon me and receive my soul into thy heavenly kingdom And if it be thy blessed pleasure to add more days unto my Life O Lord add more amendment unto my days and wean my mind from the love of the world and worldly vanities and cause me more and more to settle my conversation on heaven and heavenly things And perfect daily in me that good work which thou hast begun to the glory of thy Name and the salvation of my sinful soul. O Lord I beseech thee likewise save and defend from all evil and danger thy whole Church our King Charles Queen Mary the noble and hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the Royal Progeny the religious Lady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and her Princely Issue keep them all in the sincerity of thy Truth and prosper them in all grace and happiness Bless the Nobility Ministers and Magistrates of these Churches and Kingdoms each of them with those graces which are expedient for their place and calling And be thou O Lord a comfort and consolation to all thy people whom thou hast thought meet to visit with any kind of sickness cross or calamity Hasten O Father the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Make me ever mindful of my last end and of the reckoning that I am to make unto thee therein and in the mean while careful so to foâ—â—ow Christ in the regeneration during this life as that with Christ I may have a portion in the resurrection of the just when this mortal life is ended These graces and all other blessings which thou O Father knowest to be requisite and necessary for me I humbly beg and crave at thy hands in the name and meditation of Jesus Christ thy Son and in that form of Prayer which he himself hath taught me to say unto thee Our Father which art in Heaven c. Another short Evening Prayer O Eternal God and heavenly Father if I were not taught and assured by the promises of thy Gospel and the examples of Peter Mary Magdalen the Publican the Prodigal child and many other penitent sinners that thou art so full of Compassion and so ready to forgive the greatest sinners who are heaviest laden with sin at what time soever they return unto thee with penitent hearts lamenting their sins and imploring thy grace I should despair for mine own sins and be utterly discouraged from presuming to come into thy presence considering the hardness of my heart the unruliness of my affections and the uncleanness of my conversation by means whereof I have trangressed all thy laws and deserved thy curse which might cause my body to be smitten with some fearful disease my soul to languish with the death of sin my good name to be traduced with scandalous reproaches and make mine estate liable to all manner of crosses and casualties And I confess O Lord that thy mercy is the cause that I have not been long ago confounded But O my God as thy mercy only staied thy judgment from falling upon me hitherto so I humbly beseech thee in the bowels of the mercy of Jesus Christ in whom only thou art well pleased that thou wilt not deal with me according to my deserts but that thou wouldst freely and fully remit unto me all my sins and transgressions and that thou wouldst wash them clean from me with the vertue of that most precious blood which thy Son Jesus Christ hath shed for me For he alone is the Phâ—sician and his blood only is the medicine that ean heal my sickness And he is the true brazen Serpent that can cure that poison wherewith the fiery Serpent of my sins have stung and poisoned my sick and wounded soul. And give me I beseech thee thine holy Spirit which may assure me of mine adoption and that may confirm my faith encrease my repentance enlighten my understanding purifie my heart rectifie my will and affections and so sanctifie me â—hroughout that my whole body soul and spiâ—it may be kept unblameable until the glorious â—oming of my Lord Jesus Christ. And now O Lord I give thee most hearty thanks â—nd praise for that thou hast this day preserved me from all harms and perils notwithstanding all my sins and ill deserts And I beseech thee likewise defend me â—his night from the roaring Lyon which â—ight and day seeketh to devour me Watch â—hou O Lord over me this night to keep â—e from his temptations and tyranny and â—et thy mercy shield me from his unappeaâ—ble rage and malice And to this end I â—ommend my self into thy hands and proâ—ection beseeching thee O my Lord and God not to suffer Satan nor any of his eâ—il members to have power to do unto me â—ny hurt or violence this night And grant â—ood Lord that whether I sleep or wake â—ve or die I may sleep wake live and die â—nto thee and to the glory of thy name â—nd the salvation of my soul. Lord bless â—nd defend all thy chosen People every â—here Grant our King a long and happy â—eign over us Bless our gracious Queen Mary with their Princely Progeny the â—ady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and â—er Princely Issue together with all our â—agistrates and Ministers comfort them â—ho are in misery need or sickness good â—ord give me grace to be one of those â—ise Virgins which may have my heart â—repared like a Lamp furnished with the 〈◊〉 of faith and light of good works to meet the Lord Jesus the sweet Bridegroom of my soul
and eyes unto the great Creator and Feeder of all Creatures and before Meat pray unto him thus Grace before Meat O Most gracious God and loving Father who feedest all creatures living which depend upon thy divine providence we beseech the sanctifie these creatures which thou hast ordained for us give them virtue to nourish our bodies in life and health and give us grace to receive them soberly and thankfully as from thy hands that so in the strength of these and other thy blessings we may walk in the uprightness of our hearts before thy face this day and all the days of our lives through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen Or thus MOst gracious God and merciful Father we beseech thee sanctifie these Creatures to our use make them healthful for our nourishment and us thankful for all thy blessings through Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen Another Grace before Meat O Eternal God in whom we live move and have our being we beseech thee bless unto thy Servants these Creatures that in the strength of them we may live to the setting forth of thy praise and glory through Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen After every meal be careful of thy self and family as Job was for himself and his Children Job 1. 4. lest that in the chearfulness of eating and drinking some speech hath slipped out which might be either offensive to God or injurious to man and therefore with the like comely gâ—sture and reverence give thanks unto God and pâ—ay in this manner BLessed be thy holy Name O Lord our God for these thy good benefits wherewith thou hast so plentifully at this time refreshed our bodies O Lord vouchsafe likewise to feed our souls with the spiritual food of thy holy Word and Spirit unto life everlasting Lord defend and save thy whole Church our gracious King Charles Queen Mary the noble and hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the royal progeny the Lady Elizabeth the Kings only Sister and her Princely issue Forgive us our sins and unthankfulness pass by our manifold infirmities make us all mindful of our last end and of the reckoning that we are to make to thee therein and in the mean while grant unto us health peace and truth in Jesus Christ our Lord and only Saviour Amen Or thus BLessed be thy Holy name O Lord for these thy good benefits wherewith thou hast refreshed us at this time Lord forgive us all our sins and frailties save and defend thy whole Church our King and his Royal posterity and grant us health peace and truth in Christ our only Saviour Amen Or thus WE give thee thanks O heavenly Father for feeding our bodies so graciously with thy good creatures to this temporal life beseeching thee likewise to feed our souls with thy holy Word unto life everlasting Defend O Lord thine universal Church the King and his royal Posterity and grant us continuance of thy grace and mercy in Christ our only Saviour Amen The Practice of Piety at Evening At Evening when the due time of repairing to rest approacheth call together again all thy Family Read a Chapter in the same manner that was prescribed in the morning Then in holy imitation of our Lord and his Disciples sing a Psalm But in singing of Psalms either after Supper or at any other time observe these rules Rules to be observed in singing of Psalm 1. BEware of singing divine Psalms for an ordinary recreation as do men of impure Spirits who sing holy Psalms intermingled with prophane Ballads They are God's Word take them not in thy mouth in vain 2 Remember to sing David's Psalms with David's Spirit 3. Practise Saint Paul's rule I will sing with the spirit but I will sing with the understanding also 4. As you sing uncover your heads and behave your selves in comely reverence as in the sight of God singing to God in God's own words but be sure that the matter make more melody in your hearts than the Musick in your ear for the singing with grace in our hearts is that which the Lord is delighted withal according to that old verse Non vox sed votum non musica cordula sed cor Non clamans sed amans psallit in aure Dei 'T is not the voice but vow Sound heart not sounding string True zeal not outward show That in God's ear doth ring 5. Thou maiest if thou thinkest good sing all the Psalms over in order for all are most divine and comfortable But if thou wilt chuse some special Psalms as more fit for some times and purposes and such as by the oft usage thy people may the easilier commit to memory Then sing In the Morning Psal. 3. 5. 16. 22. 144. In the Evening Psal. 4. 127. 141. For mercy after a sin committed Psal 51. 103. In sickness or heaviness Psal. 6. 13. 89. 90. 91. 137. 146. When thou art recovered Psal. 30. 32. On the Sabbath day Psal. 19. 92. 95. In time of joy Psal. 80. 98. 107. 136. 145. Before Sermon Psal. 1. 12. 147. the 1. and 5. Part of the 119. After Sermon any Psalm which concerneth the chief argument of the Sermon At the Communion Psal. 22. 23. 103. 111. 116. For spiritual solace Psal. 15. 19. 25. 46. 67. 112. 116. After wrong and disgrace received Psal. 42. 69. 70. 140. 144. After the Psalm all kneeling down in reverent manner as is before described let the Father of the Family or the chiefest in his absence pray thus Evening Prayer for a Family O Eternal God and most gracious Father we thine unworthy Servants here assembled do cast down our selves at the footstool of thy grace acknowledging that we have inherited our Fathers corruption and actually in thought word and deed transgressed all thy holy Commandments so that in us naturally there dwelleth nothing that is good for our hearts are full of secret pride anger impatience dissembling lying lust vanity prophanâ—ness distruâ—â— too much love of our selves and the World too little love of thee and thy Kingdom but empty and void of faith love patience and every spiritual grace If thou therefore shouldst but enter into judgment with us and search out our natural corruption and observe all the cursed fruits and effects that we have derived from thence Satan might justly challenge us for his own and we could noâ— expect any thing from thy Majesty but thy wrath and our condemnation which we have long ago deserved But good Father for Jesus Christ thy dear Son's sake in whom only thou art well pleased and for the merits of that bitter death and bloody passion which we believe that he hath suffered for us have mercy upon us pardon and forgive us all our sins and free us from the shame and confusion which are due unto us for them that they may never seize upon us to our confusion in this life nor to our condemnation in the world
was spiritual 6. That he will have the Collection tho' necessity removed against his coming lest it should hinder his preaching but not their holy meeting on the Lord's-day for it was the time ordained for the publick worship of the Lord which argueth a necessity And in the same Epistle St. Paul protesteth that he dâ—livered them none other Ordinance or Doctrine but what he had received of the Lord. Insomuch that he chaâ—geth them that if any man think himself to be a prophet or Spiritual let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But he wrote unto them and ordained among them to keep their Sabbath on the first day of the Week therefore to keep the Sabbath on that day is the very commandment of the Lord. And how can he be either a true Prophet or have any grace of God's Spirit in his heart who seeing so clearly the Lord's day to have been iâ—â—â—â—tuted and ordained by the Apostles will not acknowledge the keeping holy of the Lord's day to be a Commendment of the Lord The Jews confess this change of the Sabbath to have been made by the Apostles Peter Alphon. in Dialog contra Judaeâ—s tit 12. They are therefore more blind and sottish than the Jews who prophanely deny it Aâ— Troas likewise St. Paul together with seven of the Chief Evangellâ—â—s of the Church Sosipater Aristarchus Secundus Gaius Timotheus Tychicus and Trophimus and all the Christians that were there kept the holy Sabbath on the first day of the week in praying preaching and receiving the Lord's-Supper And it is a thing to be noted That Luke saith not that the Disciples were sent to hear Paul preach but the Disciples being come together to break bread upon the first day of the week that is to be partakers of the holy Communion at what time the Lord's death was by the preaching of the Word shewed 1 Cor. 11. 26. Paul preached unto them c. And that none kept those meetings but Christians who only are called Disciples Act. 11. 26. But at Philippi whereas yet there were no Disciples Paul is said to go on their Sabbath day to the place where the Jews and their Proselytes were wont to pray and there preached unto them Acts 16. 12 13. so that it is as clear as the Sun that it was the Christians usual manner to pass over the Jewish seventh day and to keep the Sabbath and their holy meetings on the first day of the week And why doth S. John call this the Lord's day but because it was a day known to be generally kept holy to the honour of the Lord Jesus who rose from death to life upon that day throughout all the Churches which the Apostles planted Which S. John called the Lord's day the rather to stir up Christians to a thankful remembrance of their Redemption by Christ his Resurrection from the dead And with the day the blessing of the Sabbath is likewise translated to the Lord's day because that all the sanctification belonging to this new world is in Christ and from him conveyed to Christians And because there cannot come a greater authority than that of Christ and his Apostles nor the like cause as the new Creation of the world therefore the Sabbath can never be altered from this day to any other whilst this world lasteth Add hereunto how the Scripture noteth that in the first planting and setling of the Church nothing was done but by the special order and direction of the Apostles 1 Cor. 11. 34. 1 Cor. 14. 36 37. Tit. 1. 5. Act. 15. 6 24. and the Apostles did nothing but what they had warrant for from Christ 1 Cor. 11. 23. To sanctifie then the Sabbath on the seventh Day is not a ceremonial Law abrogated but the moral and perpetual law of God perfected So that the same perpetual Commandment which bound the Jews to keep the Sabbath on that seventh day to celebrate the World's Creation binds Christians to solemnize the Subbath on this seventh day in memorial of the World's Redemption for the fourth Commandment being a Moral Law requireth a seventh day to be kept holy for ever And the Morality of this as of the rest of the Commandments is more religiously to be kept of us under the Gospel than of the Jews under the Law by how much we in Baptism have made a more special Covenant with God to keep his Commandments and God hath covenanted with us to free us from the curse and to assist us with his Spirit to keep his Laws And that this Commandment of the Sabbath as well as the other nine is Moral and perpetual may plainly appear by these reasons Ten reasons demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be Moral 1. BEcause all the reasons of this Commandment are moral and perpetual And God hath bound us to the obedience of this Commandment with more forcible reasons than to any of the rest First because he did foresee that irreligious men would either more carelesly neglect or more boldly break this Commandment than any other Secondly because that in the practice of this Commandment the keeping of all the other consisteth which makes God so often complain that all his worship is neglected or overthrown when the Sabbath is either neglected or transgressed It would make a man amazed saith Mr. Calvin to consider how oft and with what zeal and protestation God requireth all that will be his people to sanctifie the seventh day yea how the God of Mercy mercilesly punisheth the breach of this Commandment with cruel death as though it were the sum of his whole honour and service And it is certain that he who makes no conscience to break the Sabbath will not to serve his turn make any Conscience to break any of the other Commandments so he may do it without discredit of his reputation or danger of Man's Law Therefore God placed this Commandment in the midst of the Two Tables because the keeping of it is the best help to the keeping of all the rest The conscionable keeping of the Sabbath is the Mother of all religion and good discipline in the Church Take away the Sabbath and let every man serve God when he listeth and what will shortly become of Religion and that peace and order which God will have to be kept in his Church the Sabbath day is God's Market-day for the weeks provision wherein He will have us to come unto him and buy of him without silver or money the Bread of Angels and Water of Life the Wine of the Sacrament and Milk of the Word to feed our souls tryed gold to enrich our faith precious Eâ—e-salve â—o heal our spiritual blindness and the white raiment of Christ's righteousness to cover our silchy nakedness He is not far from true Piety who makes conscience to keep the Sabbath day but he who can disâ—ence with his conscience to break
by a certain chain of God's providence disposing all things in number measure and weight All times are therefore measured by the Sabbath so that Time and the Sabbath can never be separated And the Angel swears that this measuring of time shall continue till that time shall be no more And as the Sabbath had its first institution in the first Book of the Scriptures so hath it its confirmation in the last and as this Book doth authorize this day so this day graceth the Book in that the matter thereof was revealed upon so holy a day the Lord's revelation upon the Lord's Day As well therefore may they pull the Sun Moon and Stars out of the Heavens as abolish the Holy Sabbath times meet-rod out of the Chruch seeing the Sabbath is ordained in the Church as well as the Sun and Moon in the Firmament for the distinction of times 8. Because that the whole Church by an Universal consent ever since the Apostles time have still held the Commandment of the Sabbath to be the moral and perpetual Law of God and the keeping of the Sabbath on the first day of the week to be the institution of Christ and his Apostles The Synod called Synodus Coloniensis saith that the Lord's-day hath been famous in the Church ever since the Apostles time Ignatius Bishop of Antioch living in St. John's time saith Let every one that loveth Christ keep holy the Lord's-day renowned by his Resurrection which is the Queen of days in which death is overcome and life is sprung up in Christ. Justin Martyr who lived not long after him sheweth how the Christians kept their Sabbath on the Lord's-day as we do Origen who lived about 1â—0 years after Christ shews the reason why the Sabbath is translated to the Lord's-day Augustin saith That the Lord's-day was declared unto the Church by the Resurrection of the Lord upon that day Et ex illo eâ—â—pit habere festivitatem suam and by Christ it was first ordained to be kept holy And in another place That the Apostles appointed the Lord's-day to be kept with all religious solemnity because that upon that day our Redeemer rose from the dead which also is therefore called the lord's-Lord's-day As therefore David said of the City of God so may I say of the lord's-Lord's-day Glorious things are spoken of the day of the Lord for it was the birth-day of the World the first day wherein all Creatures began to have being In it light was drawn out of darkness In it the Law was given on Mount Sinai In it the Lord rose from death to life In it the Saints came out of their graves assuring that on it Christians should rise to newness of life In it the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles And it is very probable that on the seventh day when the seven Trumpets have blown the cursed Jerichâ— of this World shall fall and our true Jesus shall give us the promised possession of the heavenly Canaan â—e that would see the uniform consent of Antiquiry and practice of the Primitive Church in this point let him read Eusebius ' s Ecclesiastical History Lib. 4 c 23 Tertullian lib. de Idololatâ—â—a cap. 14. Chrâ—s Serm. 5. de resurrection Constitut. Apal l. cap. 37. Câ—â—il in Jâ—ham l. 12. c. â—8 Of this Juâ—gment are all the found new Writers see â—ox on Rev. 1. 10. Bucer in Mat. 12. 1â— Gualt in Malach. 3. hâ—m 23. â—ulk on the Râ—emish Testam Apoc. 1. 10. Chem. Exaâ—â— Conc. Tâ—â—d par 4. de diebus festis Wolph Chron. lib. 2. cap. 1. Armin Thes in 4 praecept and innumerable others Learned Junius shall speak for all Quaâ—â—brem câ—â—m dies â—â—minicus c. Wherefore seeing the Lord's day is both the fast of Christ viz. his resurrection and often appearing to his Disciples upon that day by the example and institution of the Apostles and by the continual practice of the ancient Church and by the testimony of the Scripture observed and substituted into the place of the Jewish Sabbath Ineptè faciunt they do foolishly who say that the observation of the Lord's day is of Tradition and not from the Scripture that by this means they might establish the Traditions of Men. And again the cause of this change is the resurrection of Christ and the benefit of the restoring of the Church by Christ the remembrance of which benefit did succeed into the place of the memory of the creation Non humanâ traditione sed Christi ipsius observatione instituto Not by the tradition of Man but by the observation and appointment of Christ who both on the day of his resurrection and on every 8th day after unto his ascension into heaven did appear unto his Disciples and came into their assemblies 9. Because that the Lord himself expoundeth the end of the Sabbath to be a sign and document for ever betwixt him and his people that he is Jehovah by whom they are sanctified and therefore must only of them be worshiped and upon the pain of death chargeth his people for ever to keep this memorial unviolated But this end is moral and perpetual Therefore the Sabbath is moral and perpetual What God hath perpetually sanctified let no man ever presume to make common or prophane Upon this ground it is that the Commandment terms this day the Sabbath of the Lord thy God And God himself calls it his holy day And upon the same ground likewise the Old Testament consecrated all their Sabbaths and holy days to the worship and honour of God alone To dedicate therefore a Sabbath to the honour of any creature is gross Idolatry For the first Table makes it a part of God's Worship to have a Sabbath to his honour so doth Levit. 23. 3 37 38 c. and Ezek. 20. 20. Neh 9. 14. the Sabbath is put for the whole worship of God And our Saviour teacheth that We must Worship the Lord God only Mat. 4. 10. and therefore keep a Sabbath to the only honour of God The Holy Ghost notes it as one of Jeroboam's greatest sins that he ordained a Feast from the device of his own heart 1 Kings 12. 33. And God threatneth to visit Israel for keeping the days of Baalim That is of Lords as Papists do of Saints Hos. 2. 13. but saith that such forget him And so indeed none are less careful in keeping the Lord's Sabbath than they who are most superstitious observers of mens holy days The Church of Rome therefore commits gross Idolatry First in taking upon her to ordain Sabbaths which belongs only unto the Lord of the Sabbath to do Secondly in dedicating those holy days to the honour of Creatures which in effect is to make them sanctifying Gods Thirdly In tying to these days God's Worship Prayers Fasting and Merit Fourthly In exacting on these days of mens
unto the Sabbath Christ at his Death rested in the Grave all the Jewish Sabbath day and by that rest fulfilled all those Ceremonial Accessaries Now as the ceasing of the Ceremonies annexed to the 1 5 and 6 Commandments and to Marriage did not abolish those Commandments and Marriage nor cause them to cease from being the perpetual Rules of God's worship and man's righteousness no more did the abrogating of the Ceremonies annexed to the Sabbath abolish the morality of the Commandment of the Sabbath so that though the Ceremonies be abolished by the access of the Substance and the Shadow over-shadowed by the Body which is Christ yet the holy rest which was commanded and kept before either the Jews were a people or those Ceremonies annexed to the Sabbath still continueth as God's perpetual Law whereby all the Posterity of Adam are bound to rest from their ordinary business that they may wholly spend every seventh day in the solemn Worship and only Service of GOD their Creator and Redeemer but in the substance of the fourth Commandment there is not found one word of any Ceremony The chief Objections against the Morality of the Sabbath are Three 1. That of Paul to the Galatians Ye observe days and months and times and years c. But there the Apostle condemns not the moral Sabbath which we call the Lord's day and which he himself ordained according to Christ's Commandment in the same Churches of Galatia and Corinth and kept himself in other Churches but he speaks of the Jewish days and times and years and the keeping of the Sabbath on the seventh day from the Creation which he termeth shadows of things to come abolished now by Christ the body and in the Law are called Sabbaths but distinguished from the moral Sabbaths 2. That of Paul to the Colossians Let no man therefore condemn you in meat or drink or in respect of an holy-day or of the new-moon or of the sabbath-Sabbath-days But here the Apostle meaneth the Jewish ceremonial Sabbaths not the Christians Lord's day as before 3. That of the same Apostle to the Romans This man esteemeth one day above another day and another counteth every day alike c. But S. Paul makes no such account For the question there is not between Jews and Gentiles but between the stronger and weaker Christians The stronger esteemed one day above another as appears in that there was a day both commanded and received in the Church every where known and honoured by the name of the Lord's day And therefore Paul saith here that he that observeth this day observeth it unto the Lord. The observation whereof because of the change of the Jewish seventh day some weak Christians as many now adays thought not so necessary so that if men because the Jewish day is abrogated will not honour and keep holy the Lord's day but count it like other days it is an Argument saith the Apostle of their weakness whose infirmity must be born till they have time to be further instructed and perswaded Other objections are frivolous and not worth the answering The true manner of keeping holy the Lord's Day NOW the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things First In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life Secondly In consecrating that rest wholly to the Service of God and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life For the first 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are generally all civil works from the least to the greatest More particularly First from all the works of our Calling though it were reaping in the time of harvest Secondly from carrying burthens as Carriers do or riding abroad for profit or for pleasure God hath commanded that the beasts should rest on the Sabbath day because all occasions of travelling or labouring with them should be cut off from man God gives them that day a rest and he that without necessity deprives them of their rest on the Lord's day the groans of the poor tyr'd Beasts shall in the day of the Lord rise up in judgment against him Likewise such as spend the greatest part of this day in trimming painting and painpering of themselves like Jezabels doing the devil's work upon God's day Thirdly from keeping of Fairs or Markets which for the most part God punisheth with Pestilence Fire and strange Floods Fourthly from studying any Books of Science but the holy Scriptures and Divinity For our study must be to be ravished in spirit upon the Lord's day In a word thou must on that day cease in thy calling to do thy work that the Lord by his Calling may do his work in thee For whatsoever is gotten by common working on this day shall never be blessed of the Lord but it will prove like Achan's Gold which being got contrary to the Lord's Commandment brought the fire of God's curse upon all the rest which he had lawfully gotten And if Christ scourged them out as thieves who bought and sold in his Temple which was but a Ceremony shortly to be abrogated is it to be thought that he will ever suffer those to escape unpunished who contrary to his Commandment buy and sell on the Sabbath day which is his perpetual Law Christ calleth such sacrilegious Thieves and as well may they steal the Communion Cup from the Lord's Table as steal from God the chiefest part of the Lord's day to consume it in their own lusts Such shall one day find the judgments of God heavier than the opinions of Men. Fifthly from all recreations and sports which at other times are lawful for if lawful works be forbidden on this day much more lawful sports which do more steal away our affections from the contemplation of heavenly things than any bodily work or Labour Neither can there be unto a man that delighteth in the Lord any greater delight or recreation than the sanctifying of the Lord's day For can there be any greater joy for a person condemned than to come to his Prince his house to have his Pardon sealed for one that is deadly sick to come to a Physician that can cure him or for a prodigal child that fed on the husks of swine to be admitted to eat the bread of life at his father's table or for him who fears for sin the tidings of death to come to hear from God the assurance of eternal life If thou wilt allow thy self or thy servant recreation allow it in the six days which are thine not on the Lord's day which is neither thine nor theirs No bodily recreation therefore is to be used on this day but so far as it may help the soul to do more chearfully the service of God Sixthly from gross feeding liberal drinking of Wine or strong Drink which may make us either drowsie or unapt to serve God with our hearts and minds Seventhly From
Because that God hath ever smitten with fearful Judgments those who have presumed to use his holy Ordinances without due fear and preparation God set a flaming Sword in a Cherubim's hand to smite our first Parents being defiled with Sin if they should attempt to go into Paradise to eat the Sacrament of the Tree of Life Fear thou therefore to be smitten with the Sword of God's vengeance if thou presumest to go to the Church with an impenitent heart to eat the Sacrament of the Lord of Life God smote fifty thousand of the Bethshemites for looking irreverently into his Ark and kill'd Vzza with sudden death for but rash touching of the Ark and smote Vzziah with a Leprosie for medling with the Priests Office which pertained not unto him The fear of such a stroke made Hezekiah so earnestly to pray unto God that he would not smite the People that wanted time to prepare themselves as they should to eat the Passover and it is said that the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people Intimating that had it not been for Hezekiah's Prayer the Lord had smitten the People for their want of due preparation And the man who came to the Marriage-Feast without his Wedding-garment or examining of himself was examined of another and thereupon bound hand and foot and cast into utter darkness Matth. 22. 12. And St. Paul tells the Corinthians that for want of this preparation in examining and judging themselves before they did eat the Lord's-Supper God had sent that fearful sickness among them whereof some were then sick others weak and many fallen asleep that is taken away by temporal death Insomuch that the Apostle saith that every unworthy receiver eats his own judgment temporal if he repents eternal if he repents not and that in so hainous a measure as if he were guilty of the very Body and Blood of the Lord whereof this Sacrament is a holy sign and seal And Princes punish the Indignity offered to their Great Seal in as deep a measure as that which is done to their own Persons whom it representeth And how hainous the guiltiness of Christ's Blood is may appear by the misery of the Jews ever since they wished His Blood to be on them and their Children But then thou wilt say It were safer to abstain from coming at all to the holy Communion Not so for God hath threatned to punish the wilful neglect of his Sacraments with eternal damnation both of Body and Soul And it is the Commandment of Christ Take eat do this in remembrance of me And he will have his Commandment under the penalty of his Curse obeyed And seeing that this Sacrament was the greatest Token of Christ's love which he left at his end to his friends whom he loved to the end therefore the neglect and contempt of this Sacrament must argue the contempt and neglect of his love and blood-shedding than which no sin in God's account can seem more hainous Nothing hinders why thou maist not come freely to the Lord's Table but because thou hadst rather want the love of God than leave thy filthy sins Oh come but come a Guest prepared for the Lord's Table seeing they are blessed who are called to the Lambs Supper O come but come prepared because the efficacy of this Sacrament is received according to the proportion of the Faith of the Receiver This preparation consists in the serious consideration of three things First of the worthiness of the Sacrament which is termed to discern the Lord's Body Secondly of thine own unworthiness which is to judge thy self Thirdly of the means whereby thou mayest become a worthy Receiver called Communication of the Lord's Body 1. Of the worthiness of the Sacrament THE worthiness of this Sacrament is considered three ways First by the Majesty of the Author ordaining Secondly by the preciousness of the Parts whereof it consisteth Thirdly by the excellency of the Ends for which it was ordained 1. Of the Author of the Sacrament The Author was not any Saint or Angel but our Lord Jesus the eternal Son of God For it pertaineth to Christ only under the New Testament to institute a Sacrament because he only can promise and perform the grace that it signifieth And we are charged to hear no voice but his in his Church How sacred should we esteem the Ordinance that proceedeth from so Divine an Author 2. Of the parts of the Sacrament The parts of this blessed Sacrament are three First the earthly signs signifying Secondly the Divine Word Sanctifying Thirdly the Heavenly Graces signified First the Earthly signs are * Bread and Wine in number two but one in use Secondly the Divine Word is the Word of Christ's Institution pronounced with prayers and blessings by a lawful Minister The Bread and Wine without the Word are nothing but as they were before but when the Word cometh to those Elements then they are made a Sacrament and God is present with his own ordinance and ready to perform whatsoever he doth promise The Divine Words of blessing do not change or annihilate the substance of the Bread and Wine for if their substance did not remain it could be no Sacrament but it changeth them in use and in name For that which was before but common Bread and Wine to nourish mens Bodies is after the blessing destinated to an holy use for the feeding of the Souls of Christians And where before they were called but Bread and Wine they are now called by the name of those holy things which they signifie The Body and Blood of Christ the better to draw our minds from those outward Elements to the Heavenly Graces which by the sight of our bodies they represent to the spiritual eyes of our Faith Neither did Christ direct these words This is my body This is my blood to the Bread and Wine but to his Disciples as appears by the words going before Take ye eat ye Neither is the Bread his Body but in the same sense that the Cup is the New Testament viz. by a Sacramental Metonymie And Mark notes plainly that the words This is my Blood c. were not pronounced by our Saviour till after that all his Disciples had drunk of the Cup. Mark 14. 23 24. And afterwards in respect of the natural substance thereof he calls that the fruit of the Vine which in respect of the spiritual signification thereof he had before termed his Blood verse 25. after the manner of terming all Sacraments And Christ bids us not to make him but to do this in remembrance of him and he bids us eat not simply his Body but his Body as it was then broken and his Blood shed Which S. Paul expounds to be but the Communion of Christ's Body and the Communion of his Blood that is an effectual Pledge that we are 〈…〉 of Christ and of all the Merits of his Body and
Blood And by the frequent use of this Communion Paul will have us to make a shew of the Lord's death till he come from Heaven and till we as Eagles shall be caught up into the air to meet him who is the blessed Carkase and Life of our Souls Thirdly The spiritual Graces are likewise two the Body of Christ as it was with the feeling of God's anger due to us crucified and his blood as it was in the like sort shed for the remission of their sins They are also in number two but in use one viz. whole Christ with all his benefits offered to all and given indeed to the faithful These are the Three integral parts of this blessed Sacrament the Sign the Word and the Grace The Sign without the Word or the Word without the Sign can do nothing and both conjoyned are unprofitable without the Grace signified but all Three concurring make an effectual Sacrament to a worthy Receiver Some receive the outward Sign without the spiritual Grace as Judas who as Austin saith received the bread of the Lord but not the bread which was the Lord. Some receive the spiritual Grace without the outward Sign as the Saint-Thief on the Cross and innumerable of the faithful who dying desire it but cannot receive it through some external impediments but the worthy Receivers to their comfort receive both in the lord's-Lord's-Supper Christ chose Bread and Wine rather than any other Elements to be the outward Signs in this blessed Sacrament first because they are easiest for all sorts to attain unto Secondly to teach us that as man's temporal life is chiefly nourished by bread and cherished by wine so are our Souls by his body and blood sustained and quickned unto eternal Life Christ appointed Wine with the Bread to be the outward Signs in this Sacrament to teach us first that as the perfect nourishment of Man's Body consists both of meat and drink so Christ is unto our Souls not in part but in perfection both salvation and nourishment Secondly that by seeing the Sacramental Wine apart from the Bread we should remember how all his precious blood was spilt out of his blessed body for the remission of our sins The outward signs the Pastor gives in the Church and thou dost eat with the mouth of thy body the spiritual grace Christ reacheth from Heaven and thou must eat it with the mouth of thy Faith 3. Of the Ends for which this holy Sacrament was ordained The excellent and admirable Ends or Fruits for which this blessed Sacrament was ordained are seven Of the first End of the Lord's-Supper 1. To keep Christians in a continual remembrance of that propitiatory sacrifice which Christ once for all offered by his death upon the Cross to reconcile us unto God Do this saith Christ in remembrance of me And saith the Apostle As oft as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye do shew the Lord's death till he come And he saith that by this Sacrament and the Preaching of the Word Jesus Christ was so evidently set forth before the eyes of the Galatians as if he had been crucified among them for the whole action representeth Christ's death the breaking of the bread blessed the crucifying of his blessed body and the pouring forth of the sanctifyed wine the shedding of his holy blood Christ was once in himself really offered but as oft as the Sacrament is celebrated so oft is he spiritually offered by the faithful Hence the Lord's Supper is called a propitiatory Sacrifice not properly or really but figuratively because it is a memorial of that propitiatory Sacrifice which Christ offered upon the Cross. And to distinguish it from that real Sacrifice the Fathers call it the * unbloody Sacrifice It is also called the Eucharist because that the Church in this Action offereth unto God the Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for her Redemption effected by the true and only expiatory Sacrifice of Christ upon the Cross. If the sight of Moab's King sacrificing on his walls his own son to move his Gods to rescue his 2 King 3. 27. moved the assailing Kings to such pity that they ceas'd the assault and raised their siege how should the spiritual sight of God the Father sacrificing on the Cross his only begotten Son to save thy soul move thee to love God thy Redeemer and to leave sin that could not in justice be expiated by any meaner ransom Of the second end of the Lord's Supper 2. To confirm our Faith For God by this Sacrament doth signifie and seal unto us from Heaven that according to the promise and new covenant which he hath made in Christ he will truly receive into his grace and mercy all penitent believers who duly receive this holy Sacrament and that for the merits of the death and passion of Christ he will as verily forgive them all their sins as they are made partakers of this Sacrament In this respect the holy Sacrament is called The seal of the new Covenant and remission of sins In our greatest doubts we may therefore receiving this Sacrament undoubtedly say with Samson's Mother If the Lord would kill us he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands neither would he have shewed us all these things nor would at this time have told us such things as these Of the third end of the Lord's Supper 3. To be a pledge and symbol of the most near and effectual communion which Christians have with Christ. the Cup of blessing which we bless is it not the communion of the blood of Christ the bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ that is a most effectual sign and pledge of our Communion with Christ This union is called abiding in us joyning to the Lord dwelling in our hearts and set forth in the holy Scriptures by divers Similes 1. Of the Vine and branches 2. Of the head and body 3. Of the foundation and building 4. Of one Loaf confected of many Grains 5. Of the matrimonial union 'twixt Man and Wife and such like And it is threefold betwixt Christ and Christians The first is natural betwixt our Humane Nature and Christ's Divine Nature in the Person of the Word The second is mystical betwixt our Persons absent from the Lord and the Person of Christ God and Man in one mystical Body The third is celestial betwixt our Persons present with the Lord and the Person of Christ in a body glorified These three Conjunctions depend each upon other For had not our Nature been first Hypostatically united to the Nature of God in the second Person we could never have been united to Christ in a Mystical Body And if we be not in this life though absent united to Christ by a Mystical Union we shall never have Communion of glory with him in his
heavenly Presence The Mystical Vnion chiefly here meant is wrought betwixt Christ and us by the Spirit of Christ apprehending us and by our faith stirred up by the same Spirit apprehending Christ again Both which St. Paul doth most lively express I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus How can he fall away that holdeth and is so firmly holden This Union he shall best understand in his mind who doth most feel it in his heart But of all other times this Union is best felt and most confirmed when we duly receive the Lord's-Supper For then we shall sensibly feel our hearts knit unto Christ and the desires of our souls drawn by Faith and the Holy Ghost as by the cords of love nearer and nearer to his holiness From this Communion with Christ there follow to the faithful many unspeakable benefits As first Christ took by imputation all their sins and guiltiness upon him to satisfie God's Justice for them and he freely gives by imputation unto us all his righteousness in this life and all his right unto eternal life when this is ended and counteth all the good or ill that is done unto us as done unto his own person Secondly There floweth from Christ's Nature into our Nature united to him the lively spirit and breath of grace which reneweth us to a spiritual life and so sanctifieth our minds wills and affections that we daily grow more and more conformable to the Image of Christ. Thirdly He bestoweth upon them all saving graces necessary to attain eternal life as the sense of God's love the assurance of our election with regeneration justification and grace to do good works till we come to live with him in his heavenly Kingdom This should teach all true Christians to keep themselves as the undefiled members of Christ's holy body and to beware of all uncleanness and filthiness knowing that they live in Christ or rather that Christ liveth in them From this Vnion with Christ sealed unto us by the Lord's-Supper St. Paul draweth arguments to withdraw the Corinthians from the pollution both of Idolatry 1 Cor. 10. 16. and Adultery 1 Cor. 16. 15 16. Lastly From the former Communion 'twixt Christ and Christians there flows another Communion 'twixt Christians among themselves Which is also lively represented by the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper in that the whole Church being many do all communicate of one Bread in that holy action We being many are one bread and one body for we are all partakers of that one Bread that as the Bread which we eat in the Sacrament is but one tho' it be confected of many Grains so all the faithful tho' they be many yet are they but one mystical body under one head which is Christ. Our Saviour prayed five times in that Prayer which he made after his last Supper that his Disciples might be one to teach us at once how much this Vnity pleaseth him This Vnion betwixt the faithful is so ample that no distance of place can part it so strong that death cannot dissolve it so durable that time cannot wear it out so effectual that it breeds a fervent love betwixt those who never saw one anothers face And this conjunction of Souls is termed the Communion of Saints which Christ effecteth by six special means First by governing them all by one and the same holy Spirit Secondly by enduring them all with one and the same Faith Thirdly by shedding abroad his own love into all their hearts Fourthly by regenerating them all by one and the same Baptism Fifthly by nourishing them all with one and the same spiritual food Sixthly by being one quickning Head of that one body of his Church which he reconciled to God in the body of his flesh Hence it was that the multitude of believers in the Primitive Church were of one heart and of one soul in truth affection and compassion And this should teach Christians to love one another seeing they are all members of the same holy and mystical Body whereof Christ is Head And therefore they should have all a Christian sympathy and fellow feelling to rejoyce one in anothers joy to condole one in anothers grief to bear with one anothers infirmity and mutually to relieve one anothers wants Of the fourth end of the Lord's Supper 4. To feed the Souls of the faithful in the assured hope of life everlasting For this Sacrament is a sign and pledge unto as many as shall receive the same according to Christ's Institution that he will according to his promise by the vertue of his crucified body and blood as verily feed our souls to life eternal as our bodies are by Bread and Wine nourished to this temporal life And to this end Christ in the action of the Sacrament really giveth his very Body and Blood to every faithful Receiver Therefore the Sacrament is called the Communion of the body and blood of the Lord. And Communication is not of things absent but present neither were it the Lord's Supper if the Lord's Body and Blood were not there Christ is verily present in the Sacrament by a double Vnion whereof the first is spiritual 'twixt Christ and the worthy Receiver the second is Sacramental 'twixt the Body and Blood of Christ and the outward signs in the Sacrament The former is wrought by means that the same holy Spirit dwelling in Christ and in the Faithful incorporateth the Faithful as Members unto Christ their Head and so makes them one with Christ and partakers of all the Graces Holiness and eternal Glory which is in him as sure and as verily as they hear the words of the promise and are partakers of the outwards signs of the holy Sacrament Hence it is that the Will of Christ is a true Christians will and the Christians life is Christ who liveth in him Gal. 2. 20. If you look to the things that are united this Union is essential if to the truth of this Union it is real if to the manner how it is wrought it is spiritual It is not our Faith that makes the Body and Blood of Christ to be present but the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him and us Our Father doth but receive and apply unto our Souls those heavenly Graces which are offered in the Sacrament The other being the Sacramental Vnion is not a Physical or Local but a Spiritual conjunction of the earthly signs which are Bread and Wine with the heavenly Graces which are the Body and Blood of Christ in the act of receiving as if by a mutual relation they were but one and the same thing Hence it is that in the same instant of time that the worthy Receiver eateth with his mouth the Bread and Wine of the Lord he eateth also with the mouth of his Faith the very Body and Blood of Christ.
believe life everlasting but also Edo vitam eternam I eat life everlasting And indeed this is the true Tree of life which God hath planted in the midst of the Paradise of the Church And whereof he hath promised to give every one that overcometh to eat And this Tree of life by infinite degrees excelleth the Tree of life that grew in the Paradise of Eden for that had his root in the Earth this from Heaven that gave buâ— life to the Body this to the Soul that did but preserve the life of the living this restoreth life to the dead The leaves of this tree heal the nations of believers and it yields every month a new manner of fruit which nourisheth them to life everlasting Oh blessed are they who often eat of this Sacrament at least once every month taste anew of this renewing fruit which Christ hath prepared for us at his Table to heal our infirmities and to confirm our belief of life everlasting Of the seventh end of the Lord's-Supper 7. To bind all Christians as it were by an oath of fidelity to serve the one only true God and to admit no other propitiatony sacrifice for sins but that one real sacrifice which by his death Christ once offered and by which he finishâ—d the sacrifices of the Law and effected eternal Redemption and Righteousness for all believers And so to remain for ever a publick mark of profession to distinguish Christians from all Sects and false Religions And seeing that in the Mâ—ss there is a strange Christ adored not he that was born of the Virgin Mary but one that is made of a Wafer Cake and that the offering up of this breaden god is thrust upon the Church as a Propitiatory Sâ—crifice for the quick and the dead all true Christians upon the danger of wilful perjury before the Lord Chief Justice of heaven and earth are to detest the Mass as the Idol of Indignation which is most derogatory to the all-sufficient world-saving merits of Christ's Death and Passion For by receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper we all swear that all real Sacrifices are ended by our Lord's death and that his body and blood once crucified and shed is the perpetual food and nourishment of our Souls 2. How to consider thine own unworthiness A Man shall best perceive his own unworthiness by examining his life according to the Ten Commandments of Almighty God Search therefore what duties thou hast omitted and what vices thou hast committed contrary to every one of the Commandments remembring that without repentance and God's mercy in Christ the Curse of God containing all the miseries of this life and everlasting torments in hell fire when this is ended is due to the breach of the least of God's Commandments And having taken a due survey both of thy sins and miseries retire to some secret place and there putting thy self in the sight of the Judge as a guilty malefactor standing at the Bar to receive his Sentence bowing thy knees to the earth smiting thy breast with thy fists and â—edewing thy cheeks with thy tears confess thy sins and humbly ask him mercy and forgiveness in these or the like words An humble confession of sins to be made unto God before the receiving of the holy Communion O God and heavenly Father when I consider the goodness which thou hast ever shewed unto me and the wickedness which I have committed against heaven and against thee I am ashamed of my self and confusion seems to cover my face as a veil for which of thy Commandments have I not transgressed O Lord I stand here guilty of the breach of all thy holy Laws For the love of my heart hath not so intirely cleaved unto thy * Majesty as to vain and earthly things I have not feared thy judgments to deterr me from sins nor trusted to thy promises to keep me from doubting of my temporal or from despairing of mine eternal state I have made the rule of thy divine worship to be what my mind thought fit not what thy Word prescribed finding my heart more prone to remember my blessed Saviour in a painted Picture of Man's device rather than to be behold him crucified in his Word and Sacraments after his own ordinance Where I should never use thy Name whereat all knees do bow but with religious reverence nor any part of thy worship without due preparation and zeal I have blasphemously abused thy holy Name to rash and customary oaths yea I have used oaths by thy sacred name as false covers of my filthy sins And I have been present at thy Service oft-times more for ceremony than conscience and to please Men more than to please thee my gracious God Where I should sanctifie thy Sabbath-day by being present at the publick exercises of the Church and by meditating privately on the word and works of God and by visiting the sick and relieving of my poor brethren alas I have thought those holy Exercises a burden because they hindred my vain sports yea I have spent many of thy Sabbaths in my own prophane Pleasures without being present at any part of thy divine worship Where I should have given all due reverence to my Natural Ecclesiastical and Politick Parents I have not shewed that measure of duty and affection to my Parents which their care and kindness hath deserved I have not had thy Ministers in such singular love for their works sake as I ought but I have taunted at their zeal and hated them because they reproved me justly And I have carried my self contemptuously against thy Mâ—gistrates and Ministers though I knew that it is 〈◊〉 ordinance that I should be obedient unto them Where I should be slâ—w to wrath and ready to forgive offences and not 〈◊〉 the Sun to go down upon my wrath but to 〈◊〉 good for evil loving my very enemies for thy sake I alas for one sorry word have burst out into open rage and harbouring thoughts of mischief in my heart I have preferred to feed on mine own malice rather than to eat of thy holy Supper Where I should keep my Mind from all filthy lusts and my Body from all uncleanness O Lord I have defiled both and made my Heart a Cage of all impure thoughts and my Mind a very stâ—e of the unclean Spirit Yea the remedy which thou Lord hast ordained for incontinency could not contain me within the bounds of Chastity for by doting on beauty whose grounds is but dust Satan hath bewitched my flesh to lust after strange flesh Where I should have lived in uprightness givâ—ng every Man his due being contented with mine own Estate and living consâ—ionably in my lawful Calling should be ready according to mine Ability to lend and give unto the Poor O Lord I have by oppression extortion bribes cavillation and other indirect dealings under
fearful estate of those Pastors who minister unto them without Catechising 2. Of sincere Faith required to make a worthy Communicant Sincere Faith is not a bare knowledge of the Scriptures and first grounds of Religion for that Devils and Reprobate have in an excellent measure and do believe it and tremble but a true persuasion as of all those things whatsoever the Lord hath revealed in his Word so also a particural applications unto a man 's own soul of all the promises of mercy which God hath made in Christ to all believing sinners And consequently the Christ and all his merits do belong unto him as well as to any other For first if we have not the righteousness of Faith the Sacrament seals nothing unto us and every man in the Lord's Supper receiveth so much as he believeth Secondly because that without Faith we communicating on earth cannot apprehend Christ in Heaven For as he dwelleth in us by Faith so by faith we must likewise eat him Thirdly because that without faith we cannot be perswaded in our consciences that our receiving is acceptable unto God 3. Of unfeigned Repentance requisite a for true Communicant True Repentance is a holy change of the mind when upon the feeling sight of God's mercy and of a man 's own misery he turneth from all his known and secret sins to serve God in holiness and righteousness all the rest of his days For as he that is glutted with meat is not apt to eat bread so he that is stuffed with sins is not sit to receive Christ. And a conscience defiled with wilful filthiness makes the use of all holy things unholy unto us Our sacrificed spotless Passover cannot be eaten with the sowre leaven of malice and wickedness saith Paul 1 Cor. 5. 8. Neither can the old Bottles of our corrupt and impure Consciences retain the new Wine of Christ's precious Blood as our Saviour saith Mar. 2. 22. We must therefore truly repent if we will be worthy partakers 4. The duty to be performed in respect of our Neighbour is Charity Charity is a hearty forgiving of others who have offended us and after reconciliation an outward unfeigned testifying of the inward affections of our hearts by gestures words and deeds as oft as we meet and occasion is offered For first without love to our Neighbour no Sacrifice is acceptable unto God Secondly because one chief end wherefore the Lord's Supper was ordained is to confirm Christians love one towards another Thirdly no man can assure himself that his own sins are forgiven of God if his heart cannot yield to forgive the faults of men that have offended him Thus far of the first sort of Duties which we are to perform before we come to the Lord's Table called Preparation 2. Of the Second sort of Duties which a worthy Communicant is to perform at the receiving of the Lord's Supper called Meditation THis Exercise of spiritual Meditation consist in divers Points First when the Sermon is ended and the Banquet of the Lord's Supper begins to be celebrated meditate with thy self how thou art invited by Christ to be a Guest at his Holy Table and how lovingly he inviteth thee Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters of life c. Come buy wine and milk without money and without price eat ye that which is good let your soul delight it self in fatness Take ye eat ye This is my body which was broken for you drink ye all of this for this is my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins What greater honour can be vouchsafed than to be admitted to sit at the Lordâ— own Table What better fare can be afforded than to feed on the Lord 's own Body and Blood If David thought it to be the greatest favour that he could shew unto good Barzillai for all the kindness that he shewed unto him in his Troubles to offer him that he should feed with him at his own Table in Jerusalem how much greater favour ought we to account it When Christ doth indeed feed us in the Church at his own Table and that with his own most holy Body and Blood Secondly As Abraham when he went up to the mount to sacrifice Isaac his Son left his Servants beneath in the Valley so when thou comest to the spiritual sacrifice of the Lord's Supper lay aside all earthly thoughts and cogitations that thou maiest wholly contemplate of Christ and offer up thy Soul unto him who sacrificed both his Soul and Body for thee Thirdly Meditate with thy self how precious and venerable is the Body and Blood of the Son of God who is the Ruler of Heaven and Earth the Lord at whose beck the Angels tremble and by whom both the quick and dead shall be judged at the last day and thou among the â—est And how that it is he who having been crucified for thy sins offereth now to be received by faith into thy sâ—ul On the other side consider how sinful a Creature thou art how altogether unworthy of so holy a Guest how ill deserving to taste of such sacred food having been conceived in filthiness and wallowing ever since in the mire of iniquity bearing the Name of a Christian but doing the works of the Devil adoring Christ with an Ave Rex in thy mouth but spitting Oaths in his face and crucifying him anew with thy graceless actions Fourthly Ponder then with what face darest thou offer to touch so holy a Body with such defiled hands or to drink such precious blood with so lewd and lying a mouth or to lodge so blessed a Guest in so uncle an a stable For if the Bethshemites were slain for but looking irreverently into the Ark of the old Testament what Judgment maist thou justly expect who with such impure Eyes and Heart art come to see and receive the Ark of the New Testament in which dwelleth all the fulness of the God-head bodily If Vzzah for but touching though not without zeal the Ark of the Covenant was stricken with sudden death what stroke of divine Judgment mayst thou not fear that so rudely with unclean hands dost presume to handle the Ark of the Eternal Testament wherein are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge If John Baptist the holiest man that was born of a Woman thought himself unworthy to bear his shooes O Lord how unworthy is such a Prophane Wretch as thou art to eat his holy Flesh and to drink his precious Blood If the blessed Apostle Saint Peter seeing but a glimpse of Christ's Almighty Power thought himself unworthy to stand in the same Boat with him how unworthy art thou to sit with Christ at the same Table where thou mayest behold the infiniteness of his Grace and Mercy displayed If the Centurion thought that the roof of his house was not worthy to harbour so Divine a Guest what room
Ghost thou maist become one with Christ and Christ with thee and so maist feel thy Communion with Christ confirmed and increased daily more and more That as it is impossible to separate the Bread and Wine digested into the blood and substance of thy body so it may be more impossible to part Christ from thy Soul or thy Soul from Christ. Lastly As the Bread of the Sacrament though confected of many Grains yet makes but one Bread so must thou remember that though all the faithful are many yet are they all but one mystical Body whereof Christ is Head And therefore thou must love every Christian as thy self and a member of thy body Thus far of the duties to be done at the receiving of the holy Sacrament called Meditation 3. Of the duties which we are to perform after receiving of the holy Communion called Action or Practice THE duty which we are to perform after the receiving of the Lord's Supper is called Action or Practice without which all the rest will minister unto us no comfort The Action consists of Two sorts of duties First such as we are to perform in the Church or else after that we are gone home Those that we are to perform in the Church are either several from our own souls or else joyntly with the Congregation The several duties which thou must perform from thine own Soul are Three First Thou must be careful that forasmuch as Christ now dwelleth in thee therefore to entertain him in a clean heart and with pure affections for the most holy will be holy with the holy for if Joseph of Arimathea when he had begged of Pilate his dead body to bury it wrapped it in sweet odours and fine Linen and laid it in a new Tomb how much more shouldest thou lodge Christ in a new heart and perfume his Rooms with the odoriferous incense of Prayers and all pure affections If God required Moses to provide a Pot of pure gold to keep the Manna that fell in the Wilderness what a pure heart shouldst thou provide to receive this divine Manna that is come down from Heaven And as thou camest sorrowing like Joseph and Mary to seek Christ in the Temple so now having there found him in the midst of his Word and Sacraments be careful with joy to carry him home with thee as they did And if the man that found but his lost sheep rejoyced so much how canst thou having found the Saviour of the World but rejoyce much more Secondly Thou must offer the Sacrifice of a private thanksgiving unto God for this inestimable grace and mercy for as this action is common unto the whole Church so is it applied particularly to every one of the faithful in the Church and for this particular mercy every soul must joyfully offer up a particular Sacrifice of Thanksgiving For if the Wise Men rejoyced so much when they saw the Star which conducted them unto Christ and worshipped him so devoutly when he lay a Babe in the Manger and offered unto him their Gold Myrrhe and Frankincense how much more shouldest thou rejoyce now that thou hast both seen and received this Sacrament which guideth thy soul unto him where he sitteth at the right hand of his Father in glory And thither lifting up thy heart adore him and offer up unto him the gold of a pure Faith the Myrrhe of a mortified heart and this or the like sweet incense of Prayer and Thanksgiving A Prayer to be said after the receiving of the Communion WHAT shall I render unto thee O blessed Saviour for all these blessings which thou hast so graciously bestowed upon my Soul How can I sufficiently thank thee when I can scarce express them Where thou mightest have made me a Beast thou madest me a Man after thine own Image When by sin I had lost both thine Image and my self thou didst renew in me thine Image by thy Spirit and didst redeem my Soul by thy Blood again and now thou hast given unto me thy Seal and Pledge of my Redemtion nay thou hast given thy self unto me O blessed Redeemer Oh what an inestimable treasure of riches and overflowing Fountain of grace hath he got who hath gained thee No man ever touched thee by Faith but thou didst heal him by Grace for thou art the Author of Salvation the remedy of all evils the medicine of the sick the life of the quick and the resurrection of the dead Seemed it a small matter unto thee to appoint thy holy Angels to attend upon so vile a Creature as I am but that thou would'st enter thy self into my Soul there to preserve nourish and cherish me unto life everlasting If the carcase of the dead Prophet could revive a dead man that touched it how much more shall the living body of the Lord of all Prophets quicken the faithful in whose heart he dwelleth And if thou wilt raise my body at the last day out of the dust how much more wilt thou now revive my Soul which thou hast sanctified with thy Spirit and purified with thy blood O Lord what could I more desire or what couldest thou more bestow upon me than to give me thy body for meat thy blood for drink and to lay down thy Soul for the price of my Redemption Thou Lord enduredst the pain and I do reap the profit I received pardon and thou didst bear the punishment Thy tears were my bath thy wounds my weal and the injustice done to thee satisfied for the Judgment which was due to me Thus by thy birth thou art become my Brother by thy death my ransom by thy mercy my reward and by thy Sacrament my nourishment O divine â—ood by which the sons of men are transformed into the sons of God so that man's nature dieth and God's nature liveth and ruleth in us Indeed all Creatures wondred that the Creator would be inclosed nine Months in the Virgins Womb though her Womb being replenished with the Holy Ghost was more splendid than the Starry Firmament but that thou should'st thus humble thy self to dwell for ever in my heart which thou foundest more unclean than a Dunghill it is able to make all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth to stand amazed But seeing it is thy free Grace and meer pleasure thus to enter and to dwell in my heart I would to God that I had so pure a heart as my heart could wish to entertain thee And who is fit to entertain Christ or who though invited would not chuse with Mary rather to kneel at thy feet than presume to sit with thee at thy Table Though I want a pure heart for thee to dwell in yet weeping eyes shall never be wanting to wash thy blessed feet and to lament my filthy sins And albeit I cannot weep so many tears as may suffice to wash thy holy feet yet Lord it is sufficient that thou hast shed Blood enough to cleanse my sinful Soâ—l And
Journey towards God 2. If thou hast Children give to every one of them a Portion according to thy ability in thy life-time that thy life may seem an ease and not a yoak unto them yet so give as that thy Children may still be beholden unto thee and noâ— thou unto them But if thou keep all iâ— thy hands whilst thou livest they may thank Death and not thee for the portion that thou leavest them If thou hast nâ— Children and the Lord hath blest theâ— with a great portion of the goods of thiâ— World and if thou meanest to bestow them upon any charitable or pious uses put not over that good work to the trusâ— of others seeing thou seest how most oâ— other mens Executors prove almost Exeâ—cutioners And if Friends be so unfaithfuâ—â— in a man's life how much greater causâ— hast thou to distrust their fidelity afteâ— thy death Lamentable experience sheweth how many dead men's Wills have of laâ— either been quite concealed utterly overthrown or by cavils and quirks of Law frustrated or altered whereas by the Law of God the will of the dead should not be violated but all his godly intentions conscionably performed and fulfilled as in the sight of God who in the Day of the Resurrection will be just Judge both of the quick and dead And if any thing should hap in his Will to be ambiguous or doubtful it should be construed as it might come nearest to the Honour of God and the honest Intention of the Testator But let the vengeance due to such unchristian Deeds light on the Actors that do them not on the Kingdom wherein they are suffered to be done And let other rich Men be warned by such wretched examples not so to marry their Minds to their Money as that they will do no good with their Goods till Death divorceth them Considering therefore the shortness of thine own life and the uncertainty of others just dealing after thy death in these unjust days let me advise thee whom God hath blessed with ability and an intent to do good to become in thy life time thine own Administrator make thine own Hands thine Executors and thine own Eyes thy Over-seers cause thy Lanthorn to give her light before thee and not behind thee give God the Glory and thou shalt receive of him in due time the reward which of his grace and mercy he hath promised to thy good works 4. Having thus set thy House and Soul in order if the determined number of thy days be not expired God will either have mercy upon thee and say Spare him O killing Malady that he go not down into the pit for I have received a reconciliation Or else his Fatherly providence will direct thee to such a Physician and to such means as that by his blessing upon their endeavours thou shalt recover and be restored to thy former Health again But in any wise take heed that thou nor none for thee send unto Sorcerers Wizards Charmers or Inchanters for help for this were to leave the God of Israel and to go to Baal-zebub the God of Ekron for help as did wicked Ahaziah and to break thy Vow which thou hast made with the blessed Trinity in thy Baptism and be sure that God will never give a Blessing by those means which he hath accursed but if he permit Satan to cure thy Body fear lest it tend to the damnation of thy Soul Thou art tried beware 5. When thou hast sent for the Physician take heed that thou put not thy trust rather in the Physician than in the Lord as Asa did of whom it is said that he sought not to the Lord in his Disease but to the Physician which is a kind of Idolatry that will increase the Lord's anger and make the Physick received uneffectual Use therefore the Physician as God's Instrument and Physick as God's Means And seeing it is not lawful without Prayer to use ordinary food 1 Tim. 4. 4. much less extraordinary Physick whose good effect depends upon the blessing of God before thou takest thy Physick pray therefore heartily unto God to bless it unto thy use in these or the like words A Prayer before taking of Physick O Merciful Father who art the Lord of health and of sickness of life and of death who killest and makest alive who bringest down to the grave and raisest up again I come unto thee as to the only Physician who canst cure my Soul from sin and my Body from sickness I desire neither life nor death but refer my self to thy most holy Will For tho' we must needs die and being dead our lives are as water spilt on the ground which cannot be gather'd up again yet hath thy gracious Providence whilst liâ—â— remaineth appointed means which thou wilt have thy Children to use and by the lawful use thereof to expect thy blessing upon thine own means to the curing of their sickness and restitution of their health Aâ—d now O Lord in this my necessity I have according to thine Ordinance seâ—t for thy Servant the Physician who hath prepared for me this Physick which I receive as means sent from thy fatherly hand I beseech thee therefore that as by thy blessing on a lâ—â—p of dry Figs thou didst heal Hezekiah's sore that he recovered and by seven times washing in the river of Jordan didst cleanse Naaman the Syrian of his Leprosie and didst restore the Man that was blind from his birth by anointing his Eyes with Clay and Spittle and sending him to wash in the Pool of Siloam and by touching the hand of Peter's Wife's Mother didst cure her of her Fever and didst restore the Woman that touched the hem of thy Garment from her bloody Issue So it would please thee of thine infinite goodness and mercy to sanctifie this Physick to my use and to give such a blessing unto it that it may if it be thy Will and Pleasure remove this my sickness and â—ain and restore me to health and strength again But if the number of those days which thou hast appointed for me to live in this Vale of misery be at an end and that thou hast sent this sickness as thy Messenger to call me out of this mortal life then Lord let thy blessed will be done for I submit my will to thy most holy Pleasure Only I beseech thee increase my faith and patience and let thy grace and mercy be never wanting unto me but in the midst of all extremities assist me with thy Holy Spirit that I may willingly and chearfully resign up my Soul the price of thine own Blood into thy most gracious hands and custody Grant this O Father for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory both now and evermore Amen Meditations for the sick WHilst thy sickness remaineth use often for thy comfort these
his sins unto his Pastor and that he desire his private endeavour for the application of some comfort unto his soul whose office it is both publickly and privately to administer Evangelical Consolation to God's People Beza highly commendeth this practice and Luther saith That he had rather lose a thousand worlds than suâ—â—er private confession to be thrust out of the Church Our Church hath ever most soundly maintained the truth of this Doctrine but most justly abolished the Tyrannous and Antichristian abuse of Popish Auricular Confession which they thrust upon the souls of Christians as an expiatory Sacrifice and a meritorious satisfaction for sin racking their Consciences to confess when they feel no distress and to enumerate all their sins which is imposâ—ible That by this means they might dive into the secrets of all Men which oft-times hath proved pernicious not only to private Persons but also to publick Estates But the truth of God's Word is that no person having received Orders in the Church of Rome can truly absolve a sinner for the Keys of Absolution are Two the one is the Key of Authority and that only Christ hath the other is the Key of Ministry and this he gives to his Ministers who are therefore called the Ministers of Christ the Stewards of God's Mysteries the Ambassadors of Reconciliation Bishops Pastors Elders c. But Christ never ordained in the new Testament any order of sacrificing Priests neither is the name of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth Sacerdos or sacrificing Priest given to any officer of Christ in all the New Testament Neither do we read in all the new Testament of any who confessed himself to a Priest but Judas Neither is there any real Priest in the New Testament but only Christ. Neither is there any part of his Priesthood to be now accomplished on Earth but that which he fulfilleth in Heaven by making intercession for us Seeing therefore Christ never ordained any order of sacrificing Priest and that Popish Priests scorn the name of Ministers of the Gospel to whom only Christ committed his Keys it necessarily followeth that no Popish Priest can truly either excommunicate or absolve any sinner or have any lawful right to meddle with Christ's Keys But the Antichristian abuse of this Divine Ordinance should not abolish the lawful â—se thereof betwixt Christians and their Pastors in cases of distress of conscience for which it was chiefly ordained And verily there is not any means more excellent to humble a proud heart nor â—o raise up an humble spirit than this spiritual conference betwixt the Pastors and the People committed to their charge If any sin therefore troubleth thy Conscience confess it to God's Minister ask his counsel and if thou dost truly repent receive his absolution And then doubt not in foro Conscientiae but thy sins be as verily forgiven on earth as if thou didst hear Christ himself in foro judicii pronouncing them to be forgiven in heaven Qui vos audit me audit he that heareth you heareth me Try this and tell me whether thou shalt not â—ind more ease in thy Conscience than can be expressed in words Did prophane Men consider the dignity of this Divine Calling they would the more honour the Calling and reverence the Persons The sick Man having thus eased his Conscience and received his absolution may do well having a convenient number of faithful Christians joyned with him to receive the holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper to encourage him in his Faith and to discourage the Devil in his assaults In this respect the Council of Nice termeth this Sacrament Viaticum the Soul's proâ—ision for her journey And albeit the Lord's Supper be an Ecclesiastical action yet forasmuch as our Lord the first instituter celebrated it in a private house and that St. Paul termeth the houses of Christians the Churches of Christ and that Christ himself hath promised to be in the midst of the faithful where but two or three are gathered together in his Name I see no reason but if Christians desire it when they are not through sickness able to come to the Church but that they should receive and Pastors ought to administer unto them the Sacrament at home He sheweth more simplicity than knowledge who thinks that this savours of a Private Mass. For a Mass is called private not because it is said in a private house but because as Bishop Jewel teacheth out of Aquinas the Priest reciveth the Sacrament himself alone without distribution made unto others and then it is private although the whole Parish be present and look upon him There is as much difference between such a Communion and the Antichristian Idol of a private Mass as there is betwixt Heaven and Hell For at a Communion in a private Family upon such an extraordinary occasion Christ his Institution is observed Many faithful Brethren meet together and tarry one for another Christ his Death is remembred and shewed and the Minister together with the faithful and the sick party to communicate Mr. Calvin saith That he doth very willingly admit administring of the Communion to them that are sick when the case and opportunity so requireth And in another place he saith That he hath many weighty reasons to compel him not to deny the Lord's Supper unto the sick Yet I would wish all Christians to use to receive often in their health especially once every Month with the whole Church for then they shall not need so much to assemble their friends upon such an occasion nor so much to be troubled themselves for want of the Sacrament For as M. Perkins saith very well The fruit aâ—d efficacy of the Sacrament is not to be restrained to the time of receiving but it extends it self to the whole time of man's life afterwards the efficacy whereof did men throughly understand they should not need to be so often exhorted to receive it Pastores omnes hic exoratos vellem ut in hujus controversiae statâ—m penitiùs introspiciant nec fideles ex hac vita migrantes panem vitae petentes viatico suo fraudari sinâ—nt nè lugubris ista in iis adimpleatur lamentatio Parvuli panem petunt non sit qui fâ—â—ngat eis As therefore when a wicked liver dieth he may say to death as Ahab said to Elijah Hast thou found me O mine enemy So on the other side whâ—â— it is told a penitent sinner that Deaâ—â— knocks at the door and begins to look him in the face he may sâ—â— of Death as David said of Ahimaaz Let him come and welcome for he is a good man and cometh with good tidings he is the messengâ—â— of Christ and bringeth unto me the joyful 〈◊〉 of eternal life And as the Red Sea was a gulf to drown the Egâ—ptians to destruction but a passage to the
both for Princes and People to study than that which â—eacheth sinful man to deny himself by mortifying his corruption â—hat he may enjoy Christ the Author of his salvation to renounce these false and momentary pleasures of the world that he may attain to the true and eternal joys of heaven And to make them truly honourable before God in Piety who are now only honourable before Men in vanity What charges soever we spend in earthly vanities for the most part they either die before us or we shortly die after them But what we spend like Mary in the Practice of Piety shall remain our true memorial for ever For Piety hath the promise of this life and of that which shall never end But without Piety there is no internal comfort to be found in Conscience noâ— external Peace to be looked for in the World nor any eternal happiness to be hoped for in Heaven How can Piety but promise to her self 〈◊〉 zealous Patron of your Highness being the sole Son and Heir of 〈◊〉 gracious and great a Monarch who is not only the Defender of the Faith by title but also a Defendeâ— of the Faith in truth as the Christian World hath taken notice by hiâ— learned confuting of Bellarmine ever spreading Heresies and his suppressing in the blade of Vorstius ' s Athean blasphemies and â—ow easie is it for your Highness to equal if not exceed all that were before you in Grace and Greatness if you do but set your heart to seek and to serve God considering how religiously your Highness hath been educated by godly and vertuous Governours and Tutors as also that you live in such a time wherein God's Providence and the King 's Religious Care have placed over this Church to the unspeakable comfort thereof another venerable Jehoiada that doth good in our Israel both towards God and towards his House of whom your Highness at all times in all doubts may learn the sincerity of Religion for the Salvation of your inward Soul and the wisest counsel for the direction of your outward state And to excite you the rather to the zealoâ—s Practice of divine Piety often suppose with your self that your Highness hears your Religious Father James speaking unto you as sometimes holy David spake to his Son Solomon And thou Charles my Son know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts iâ— thou seek him he will be found of thee but if thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever To help you the better to seek and serve this God Almighty who must be your chief Protector in life and only comfort in death I here once again on my bended knees offer my old Mite new stampt into your Highness'sâ— hands daily for your Highness offering up unto the most High my humblest prayers that as you grow in age and stature so you may like your Master Christ increase in wisdom and favour with God and all good men This suit will I never cease in all other matters I will ever rest Your Highness humble Servant during life to be commanded LEWES BAILY AD CAROLUM PRINCIPEM Tolle Malos extolle Pious cognosce Teipsum Sacra tene Paci consule disce pati ADVERTISEMENT This Book being now exactly Corrected and purged from many Thousand Faults which have escaped former Impressions is now also printed in a fair large Roman Character for the Use and Benefit of Aged Persons and to be sold by Edward Brewster at the Crane in St. Paul's Church-yard 1695. The 42. Edition TO THE Devout Reader I Had not purposed to enlarge the last Edition save that the importunity of many devoutly disposed prevailed with me to add some points and to amplifie others To satisfie whose godly requests I have done my best endeavour and withal finished all that I intend in this argument If thou shalt hereby reap any more profit give God the more praise And remember him in thy Prayers who hath vowed both his life and his labours to further thy Salvation as his own Farewell in the Lord JESUS THE CHIEF CONTENTS Of this Book 1. A Plain description of God in respect of his Essence Persons and Attributes so far as every Christian should competently endeavour to learn and know with sundry sweet Observations and Meditations thereupon Page 4 2. Meditations setting forth the miseries of man in his life and death that is not reconciled to God in Christ. 37 3. Meditations of the blessed state both in life and death of a man that is reconciled to God in Christ Wherein thou shalt find not a few things worthy the reading and observation 63 4. Meditations on seven hindrances which keep back a sinner from the Practice of Piety necessary to be read of all but especially of carnal Gospellers in these times 104 5. How to begin the Morning with pious Meditations and Prayers 138 6. How to read the Bible with profit and ease once over every year 143 7. A Morning Prayer 217 Another shorter Prayer for the Morning 157 Another brief Morning Prayer 161 8. Meditations how to walk with God all the day 162 Especially how to guide thy Thoughts ibid Thy Words 168 Thy Actions 173 9. Meditations for the Evening 185 10. An Evening Prayer 189 Another shorter Evening Prayer 195 11. Things to be meditated upon as thou art going to bed 198 12. Meditations for a godly Housholder 200 13. A Morning Prayer for a Family 203 14. Holy Meditations and Graces before and after dinner and supper 209 15. Rules to be observed in singing of Psalms 215 16. An Evening Prayer for a Family 217 17. A Religious Discourse of the Sabbath Day wherein is proved that the Sabbath was altered from the seventh to the first day of the week not by humane ordinance but by Christ himself and his Apostles that the fourth Commandment is perpetual and moral under the New Testament as well as under the old And the true manner of sanctifying the Sabbath Day is described out of the Word of God 222 18. A Morning Prayer for the Sabbath Day 267 19. An Evening Prayer for the Sabbath Day 282 20. Meditations of the true manner of Fasting and giving of Alms out of the Word of God 287 21. The right manner of holy Feasting 303 22. Holy and devout Meditations of the worthy and reverent receiving of the Lord's Supper 305 23. An humble Confession of sins before the holy Communion 330 24. A sweet Soliloquy to be said a little before the receiving of the holy Sacrament 345 25. A Prayer to be said after the receiving of the holy Sacrament 353 26. Meditations how to behave thy self in the time of sickness 363 27. A Prayer when one begins to be sick 365 28. Directions for making thy Will and setting thy House in order 371 29. A Prayer before the taking of
Physick 375 30. Meditations for one that is recover'd from sickness 386. And a Thanksgiving 390 31. Meditations for the sick taken from the end of God's chastisements 394. 32. Meditations for one that is like to die 396 33. A Prayer to be said of one that is like to die 399 34. Comfortable Meditations against despair 402 35. Directions for those who come to visit the sick 415 36. A Prayer to be said for the sick by those who visit him 418 And choice Scriptures to be read unto him 421 422 37. Consolations against impatiency in sickness ibid. 38. Consolations against the fear of death 425 39. Seven sanctified Thoughts and so many spiritual Sighs fit for a sick Man that is like to die 429 40. Of the comfortable use of true Absolution and receiving of the Lord's Supper to the faithful and penitent before they depart this Life if they may conveniently be had 435 41. The last speech of a godly Man dying 444 42. Meditations of Martyrdom wherein is proved that those who die for Popery cannot be Christ's Martyrs 445 43. A Divine Colloquy betwixt Christ and the Soul concerning the virtue and efficacy of his dolorous Passion 452 44. The Soul's Soliloquy unto Christ her Saviour 461 THE PRACTICE OF PIETY Directing a Christian how to walk that he may please God WHo ever thou art that lookest into this Book never undertake to read it unless thou first resolvest to become from thine heart an unfeigned Practitioner of Piety Yet read it and that speedily lest before thou hast read it over God by some unexpected death cut thee off for thine inveterate Impiety The Practice of Piety consists 1. In knowing 1. The Essence of God that in respect of 1. The diverse manner of being therein which are three Persons 1 The Father 2. The Son 3. Holy Ghost 2. The Attributes thereof which are either Nominal or 1. Absolute 1. Simpleness 2. Infiniteness 2. Relative 1. Life 2. Understanding 3. Will. 4. Power 5. Majesty Real 2. Thy own self in respect of thy state of 1. Corruption 2. Renovation 2. In glorifying God aright 1. By thy life in dedicating thy self devoutly to serve him Ordinarily 1. Privately in thine own Person 2. Publickly 1. With thy Family every day 2. With the Church on the Sabbath day Extraordinarily by Fasting Feasting 2. By thy death in dying 1. In the Lord. 2. For the Lord. Unless that a Man doth truly know God he neither can nor will worship him aright for how can a Man love him whom he knoweth not and who will worship him whose help a Man thinks he needeth not and how shall a Man seek remedy by Grace who never understood his misery by Nature Therefore saith the Apostle He that cometh to God must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of them that seek him And for as much as there can be no true Piety without the knowledge of God nor any good practice without the knowledge of a Man 's own self we will therefore lay down the knowledge of God's Majesty and Man's Misery as the first and chiefest grounds of the Practice of Piety A PLAIN DESCRIPTION OF THE Essence and Attributes of GOD out of the Holy Scripture so far forth as every Christian must competently know and necessarily believe that will be saved ALthough no Creature can define what God is because he is incomprehensible and dwelling in inaccessible light yet it hath pleased his Majesty to reveal himself in his Word unto us so far as our weak capacity can best conceive him Thus God is that one spiritual and infinitely perfect Essence whose Being is of himself eternally In the Divine Essence we are to consider two things First the diverse manner of being therein Secondly the Attributes thereof The diverse manner of being therein are called Persons A person is a distinct subsistence of the whole God-head There are three Divine Persons the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost these Three Persons are not Three several Substances bâ—t Three distinct Subsistences or Three divers manner of Beings of one and the same substance and Divine Essence So that a Person in the God-head is an individual understanding and incommunicable Subsistence living of it self and not sustained by another In the unity of the God-head there is a plurality which is not accidental for God is a most pure act and admits no accidents nor essential for God is one Essence only but personally The Persons in this one Essence are but three In this Mystery there is alius alius another and another But not aliud aliud another thing and another thing The Divine Essence in it self is neither divided nor distinguished But the Three Persons in the Divine Essence are distinguished among themselves Three manner of ways 1. By their Names 2. By their Order 3. By their Actions 1. By their Names thus THE first Person is named the Father first in respect of his natural Son Christ secondly in respect of the Elect his adopted sons that is those who being not his sons by Nature are made his sons by Grace The second Person is named the Son because he is begotten of his Father's substance or nature and he is called the Word First because the conception of a word in man's mind is the nearest thing that in some sort can shadow unto us the manner how he is eternally begotten of his Father's substance and in this respect he is also called the wisdom of his Father Prov. 8. 12. Secondly because that by him the Father hath from the beginning declared his will for our salvation hence he is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Person speaking with or by the Father Thirdly because he is the chief argument of all the Word of God or that Word whereof God spake when he promised the blessed Seeâ— to the Fathers under the Old Testament The Third Person is named the Holy Ghost First because he is spiritual without a body secondly because he is spired and as it were breathed from both the Father and the Son that is proproceedeth from them both And he is called holy both because he is holy in his own nature and also the immediate sanctifier of all God's Elect people 2. By their Order thus THe Persons of the God-head are either the Father or those which are of the Father The Father is the first Person in the glorious Trinity having neither his being nor beginning of any other but of himself begetting his Son and together with his Son sending forth the Holy Ghost from everlasting The Persons which are of the Father are those who in respect of their personal existence have the whole Divine Essence eternally communicated unto them from the Father And those are either from the Father alone
every true Mordecai who mourned under the Sackeloth of this corrupt Flesh shall be arrayed with the King 's Royal Apparel and have the Crown Royal set upon his Head that all the World may see how it shall be done to him whom the King of Kings delighteth to honour If now the rising of one Sun makes the morning so glorious how glorious shall that Day be when innumerable Millions of Millions of Bodies of Saints and Angels shall appear more glorious than the brightness of the Sun the Body of Christ in glory surpassing all 4. In Agility whereby our bodies shall be able to ascend and meet the Lord at his glorious coming in the Air as Eagles flying unto their Blessed Carcass To this Agility of the Saints glorious Bodies the Prophet alludes saying They shall renew their strength They shall mount up with wings as Eagles They shall run and not be weary They shall walk and not faint And to this state may that saying of Wisdom be referred In the time of their Vision they shall shine and run to and fro as sparks amongst the stubble And in respect of these four Qualities Paul calleth the raised bodies of the Elect Spiritual for they shall be spiritual in qualities but the same still in substance And howsoever sin and corruption make a Man in this state of Mortality lower than Angels yet surely when God shall thus crown him with glory and honour I cannot see how Man shall be any thing inferiour to Angels For are they Spirits so is Man also in respect of his Soul yea more than this they shall have also a spiritual body fashioned like unto the glorious body of the Lord Jesus Christ in whom Man's Nature is exalted by a personal Vnion into the Glory of the Godhead and individual Society of the Blessed Trinity an Honour which he never vouchsafed Angels And in this respect Man hath a Prerogative above them Nay they are but Spirits appointed to be Ministers unto the Elect and as many of them who at the first disdained this Office and would not keep their first standing were for their pride hurried into Hell This lesseneth not the Dignity of Angels but extols the greatness of God's love to Mankind But as for all the Elect who at that second and sudden coming of Christ shall be found quick and living the fire that shall burn up the corruption of the world and the works therein shall in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye overtake them as it finds them either grinding in the Mill of Provision or walking in the Fields of pleasure or lying in the bed of ease and so burning up their dross and corruption of Mortal make them Immortal Bodies and this change shall be unto them instead of Death Then shall the Soul with joyfulness greet her Body saying O well met again my dear Sister How sweet is thy Voice How comely is thy countenance having lain hid so long in the Clefts of the Rocks and in the secret places of the grave thou art indeed an habitation fit not only for me to dwell in but such as the H. Ghost thinks meet to reside in as his Temple for ever The Winter of our affliction is now past the storm of our misery is blown over and gone The Bodies of our Elect Brethren appear more glorious than the Lily-flowers on the Earth the time of singing Hallelujahs is come and the voice of the Trumpet is heard in the Land Thou hast been my Yoke-fellow in the Lord's labours and companion in persecutions and wrongs for Christ and his Gospel sake now shall we enter together into our Master's Joy As thou hast born with me the Cross so shalt thou now wear with me the Crown As thou hast with me sowed plenteously in tears so shalt thou reap with me abundantly in joy O blessed ay blessed be that God! who when yonder Reprobates spent their whole time in Pride fleshly Lusts eating drinking and prophane Vanities gave us grace to join together in watching fasting praying reading the Scriptures keeping his Sabbaths hearing Sermons receiving the holy Communion relieving the Poor exercising in all humility the works of Piety to God and walking conscionably in the Duties of our calling towards Men. Thou shalt anon hear no mention of thy sins for they are remitted and covered but every good work which thou hast done for the Lord's sake shall be rehearsed and rewarded Chear up thy heart for thy Judge is flesh of thy flesh and bone of thy bone Lift up thy head behold these glorious Angels like so many Gabriels flying towards us to tell us That the day of our Redemption is come and to convey us in the Clouds to meet our Redeemer in the Air. Lo they are at hand Arise therefore my Dove my Love my fair One and come away And so like Roes or young Harts they run with Angels towards Christ over the trembling Mountains of Bether 6. Both quick and dead being thus revived and gloâ—â—fied shall forthwith by the ministry of God's holy Angels be gathered from all the quarters and parts of the world and caught up together in the Clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and so shall come with him as a part of his glorious Train to judge the Reprobates and evil Angels The twelve Apostles shall sit upon twelve thrones next Christ to judge the twelve Tribes who refused to hear the Gospel preached by their Ministry and all the Saints inâ— honour and order shall stand next unto them as Judges also to judge the evil Angels and earthly-minded Men. And as every of them received grace in this life to be more zealous of his glory and more faithful in his service than others so shall their glory and reward be greater than others in that Day The place whither they shall be gathered unto Christ and where Christ shall sit in judgment shall be in the Air over the Valley of Jehoshaphat by Mount Olivet near unto Jerusalem Eastward from the Temple as it is probable for four reasons 1. Because the holy Scripture seeâ—s to intimate so much in plain words I wiâ— gather all Nations into the valley of Jehoshaâ—phat and plead with them there Cause thy mighty one to come down O Lord let the heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge aâ— the heathen round about Jehoshaphat signifieth the Lord will judge And this Valley was so called from the great victory which the Lord gave Jehoshaphat and his people over the Ammonites Moabites and inhabitants of Mount Seir. Which victory was a type of the final victory which Christ â—he supream Judge shall give his Elect over â—ll their enemies in that place at the last â—ay as all the Jews interpret it See Zech. â— 4 5. Psalm 51. 1 2 c. all agreeing
and receiving of the Sacrament to the knowledge of thy saving grace and obedience of thy blessed will for that thou hast bought and redeemed me with the blood of thine only begotten Son from the torments of Hell amd thrall of Satan for that thou hast by faith in Christ freely justified me who am by nature the Child of wrath for that thou hast in good measure sanctified me by thy holy Spirit and given me so large a time to repent together with the means of repentance I thank thee likewise good Lord for my life health wealth food raiment peace prosperity and plenty and for that thou hast preserved me this night from all perils and dangers of body and soul and hast brought me lafe to the beginning of this day And as thou hast now wakned my body from sleep so I beseech thee waken my soul from sin and carnal security and as thou hast caused the light of the day to shine in my bodily eyes so good Lord cause the light of thy Word and holy Spirit to illuminate my heart and give me grace as one of thy children of light to walk in all holy obedience before thy face this day and that I may endeavour to keep faith and a clear conscience towards thee and towards all men in all my thoughts words and dealings And so good Lord bless all my studies and actions which I shall take in hand this day as that they may tend to thy glory the good of others and the comfort of mine own Soul and Conscience in that day when I shall make my final accounts unto thee for them Oh my God keep thy servant that I do no evil unto any man this day and let it be thy blessed will not to suffer the Devil nor his wicked Angels nor any of his evil Members or any malicious enemies to have any power to do me any hurt or violence But let the eye of thy holy providence watch over me for good and not for evil and command thy holy Angels to pitch their Tents round about me for my defence and safety in me going out and coming in as thou hast promised they should do about them that fear thy Name For into thy hands O Father I do here commend my soul and body my actions and all that ever I have to be guided defended and protected by thee being assured that whatsoever thou takest into thy custody cannot perish nor suffer any hurt or harm And if I at any time this day shall through frailty forget thee yet Lord I beseech thee do thou in mercy remember me And I pray not unto thee O Father for my self alone but I beseech thee also be merciful unto thy whole Church and chosen people wheresoever they live upon the face of the earth Defend them from the Rage and Tyranny of the Devil the World and Antichrist Give thy Gospel a free and a joyful passage through the world for the conversion of those who belong to thine Election and Kingdom Bless the Churches and Kingdoms wherein we live with the continuance of Peace Justice and true Religion Defend the King's Majesty from all his Enemies and grant him a long life in health and all happiness to reign over us Bless our gracious Queen Mary Prince Charles the Lady Mary the Lady Elizabeth and her Princely Issue Increase in them all heroical gifts and spiritual graces which may make them fit for those places for which thou hast ordained them Direct all the Nobility Bishops Ministers and Magistrates of this Church and Common-wealth to govern the Commons in true religion justice obedience and tranquility Be merciful unto all the Brethren which fear thee and call upon thy name and comfort as many among them as are sick and comfortless in body or mind especially be favourable to all such as suffer any trouble or persecution for the testimony of thy truth and holy Gospel And give them a gracious deliverance out of all their troubles which way it shall seem best to thy Wisdom for the glory of thy Name the further enlarging of the truth and the more ample increase of their own Comfort and Consolation Hasten thy coming O blessed Saviour and end these sinful days And give me grace that like a wife Virgin I may be prepared with oil in my Lamp to meet thee the sweet Bridegroom of my Soul at thy coming whether it be by the day of Death or of Judgment and then Lord Jesus come when thou wilt even Lord Jesus come quickly These and all other graces which thou knowest needful and necessary for me this day and evermore I humbly beg and crave at thy hands O Father giving thee thy glory in that form of Prayer which Christ himself hath taught me to say unto thee Our Father which art in heaven hallowed be thy Name c. Meditations to stir us up to Morning Prayer IF when thou art about to pray Satan shall suggest that thy Prayers are too long and that therefore it were better either to omit Prayers or else to cut them shorter meditate that Prayer is thy spiritual sacrifice wherewith God is well pleased and therefore it is so displeasing to the Devil and so irksome to thy Flesh. Bend therefore thy Affections will they nill thy to so holy an exercise assuring thy self that it doth by so much the more please God by how much the more it is unpleasing to thy flesh 2. Forget not how the Holy Ghost puts at down as a special note of reprobates they call not upon the Lord they call not upon God And when Eliphaz supposed that Job had cast off the fear of God and tha◠God had cast Job out of his favour he chargeth him that he restrained prayer 〈◊〉 God making that a sure none of the 〈◊〉 and a sufficient cause of the other On the other side that God hath promised that whosoever shall call on his name shall be saved It is certain that he who maketh no conscience of the duty of Prayer hath no grace of the holy Spirit in him For the spirit of grace and of prayer are one And therefore Grace and Prayer go together But he that can from a penitent heart morning and evening pray unto God it is sure that he hath his measure of grace in this world and he shall have his portion of glory in the life which is to come 3. Remember that as loathing of meat and painfulness of speaking are two symptoms of a sick body So irkesomness of praying when thou talkest with God and carelesness in hearing when God by his Word speaks unto thee are two sure signs of a sick Soul 4. Call to mind the zealous devotions of the Christians in the Primitive Church who spent many whole nights and vigils in watching and praying for the forgiveness of
this second and sudden coming in glory Grant this good Father for Christ Jesus sake my only Saviour and Mediator in whose blessed Name and in whose own words I call upon thee as he hath taught me Our Father which art c. Afterwards say Thy Grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy and blessed Spirit be with me and dwell in my heart this night and evermore Amen Then rising up in a holy Reverence meditate as thou art putting off thy Clothes Things to be meditated upon as thou art putting off thy Clothes 1. THat the day is coming when thou must be as barely unstript of alâ— that thou hast in the World as thou arâ— now of thy Clothes thou hast therefore here but the use of all things as a Steward for a time and that upon accounts Whilst therefore thou art trusted with thiâ— Stewardship be wise and faithful 2. When thou seest thy Bed let it puâ— thee in mind of thy grave which is now the bed of Christ for Christ by laying hiâ— holy body to rest three days and three nights in the grave hath sanctified anâ— as it were warmed it for the bodies oâ— his Saints to rest and sleep in till thâ— morning of the Resurrection so that now unto the faithful death is but a sweet sleep and the grave is but Christ's bed where their bodies rest and sleep in peace until the joyful morning of the Resurrection-day shall dawn unto them Let therefore thy Bed-clothes represent unto thee the mould of the Earth that shall cover thee thy sheets thy winding sheet thy sleep thy death thy waking thy resurrection And being laid down in thy bed when thou perceivest sleep to approach say I will lay me down and sleep in peace for thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety Thus religiously opening every Morning thy heart and shutting it up again every Evening with the Word of God and Prayer as it were with a Lock and Key and so beginning the day with God's Worship continuing it in his fear and ending it in his favour thou shalt be sure to find the blessing of God upon all thy days labours and good endeavours and at night thou maist assure thy self thou shalt sleep safely and sweetly in the arms of thy heavenly Father's providence Thus far of the Piety which every Christian in private ought to practise every day Now followeth that which he being an Housholder must practise publickly with his Family Meditations for Houshold Piety 1. IF thou beest called to the government of a Family thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thine own person unless thou causest all under thy charge to do the same with thee For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham that he would not hide from him his counsel For saith God I know him that he will command his sons and his houshold after him that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that he hath spoken unto him And Abraham had 318 Men servants which were thus born and catechized in his house With whose help he rescued also his Nephew Lot from the captivity of his Enemies And religiously valiant Joshua protesteth before all the people That if they all would fall away from the true Worship of God yet that he and his house would serve the Lord. And God himself gives a special charge to all Housholders that they do instruct their Family in his Word and train them up in his fear and service These words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart and thou shalt whet them continually upon thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou tarriest in thine house and as thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up c. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him David according to this Law had so ordered his Family That no deceitful person should dwell in his house but such as would serve God and walk in his way and religious Esther had taught her Maids to serve God in fasting and prayer And the more to further thy family in the zeal of religion settle ever thy chiefest affection on those whom thou shalt perceive to be best addicted to true Religion This also will turn to thine own advantage in a double respect First God will the rather bless and prosper the labour and handy-work of such godly servants For Laban perceived that God blessed him for Jacob's sake And Potiphar saw that the Lord made all that Jeseph did to prosper in his hand yea when innocent Joseph was cast into prison his keeper saw that whatsoever he did the Lord made it to prosper and therefore the keeper committed all the charge of the Prisoners into Joseph's hand 2. The trulier a man doth serve God the faithfullier he will serve thee 2. If every Houshoulder were thus careful according to his duty to bring up his Children and Family in the service and fear of God in his own house then the house of God would be better filled and the Lord's Table more frequented every Sabbath day and the Pastor's publick preaching and labour would take more effect than it doth The streets of Towns and Cities would not abound with so many drunkards swearers whore-mongers and prophane scorners of true Piety and Religion Westminister-Hall would not be so full of contentions wrangling suits and unchristian debates and the prisons would not be every Sessions so full of Thieves Robbers Traitors and Murtherers But alas most Housholders make no other use of their Servants than they do of their Beasts Whilst they may have their Bodies to do their service they care not if their Souls serve the Devil Yet the common complaint is that faithful and good servants are scarce to be found True but the reason is because there are so many prophane and irreligious Masters for the example and instruction of a Godly and Religious Master will make a good and a faithful servant as may witness the examples of Abraham Joshua David Cornelius c. who had good servants because they were religious Masters such as were careful to make their servants God's servants It is the chief labour and care of most men to raise and to advance their house yet let them rise up early and lie down late and eat the bread of carefulness all will be but in vain for except the Lord build an house that is raise up a Family they labour in vain For God hath sealed this as an irrevocable decree That he will pour his wrath upon the Families that call not upon his name yea God will take the wicked and pluck him out of his tabernacle and root him out of the land c. Yea when his
iniquities are full he will make the land to spue out every Canaanite Religion then and the Service of God in a Family is the best building and surest entailing of House and Land to a Man and his Posterity for the righteous Man shall inherit the Land and dwell therein for ever As therefore thou desirest to have the blessing of God upon thy self and upon thy family either before or after thy own private devotions call every morning all thy family to some convenient room and first either read thy self unto them a Chapter in the Word of God or cause it to be read distinctly by some other If leisure serve thou maist admonish them of some remarkable notes and then kneeling down with them in reverent sort as is before described pray with them in this manner Morning Prayer for a Family O Lord our God and heavenly Father who art the only Creator and Governour of heaven and earth and all things therein contained we confess that we are unworthy to appear in thy sight and presence considering our manifold sins which we have committed against heaven and before thee and how that we have been born in sin and do daily break thy holy Laws and Commandments contrary to our knowledge and consciences albeit that we know that thou art our Creator who hast made us our Redeemer who hast bought us with the blood of thine only begotten Son and our Comforter who bestowest upon us all the good and holy graces which we enjoy in our souls and bodies And if thou should'st but deal with us as our wickedness and unthankfulness have deserved what other thing might we O Lord expect from thee but shame and confusion in this life and in the World to come wrath and everlasting condemnation Yet O Lord in the obedience of thy Commandment and in the confidence which we have in thy unspeakable and endless mercy in thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ we thy poor servants appealing from thy Throne of Justice where we are justly lost and condemned to thy Throne of grace where mercy reigneth to pardon abounding sin do from the bottom of our hearts most humbly beseech thee to remit and forgive unto us all our offences and misdeeds that by the virtue of the precious blood of Jesus Christ thine innocent Lamb which he so abundantly shed to take away the sins of the world all our sins both original and actual may be so cleansed and washed from us as that they may never be laid to our charge nor ever have power to rise up in judgment against us And we beseech thee good Fatherâ— for Christ his death and passions sake thaâ— thou wilt not suffer to fall upon us thaâ— fearful curse and vengeance which thy laâ—â— hath threatned and our sins have justly deserved And for as much O Lord as we arâ— taught by thy word that Idolaters Adulterrers covetous Men contentious Persons Drunkards Gluttons and such like inordinate livers shall not inherit the kingdom of God pour the grace of thy Holy Spirit into our hearts whereby we may be enlightned to see the filthiness of our sins to abhor them and may be more and more stirred up to live in newness of life and love of thy Majesty so that we may daily increase in the obedience of thy Word and in a conscionable care of keeping thy Commandments And now O Lord we render unto thee most hearty thanks for that thou hast elected created redeemed called justified and sanctified us in good measure in this life and given us an assured hope that thou wilt glorifie us in thy heavenly kingdom when this mortal life is ended Likewise we thank thee for our life health wealth liberty prosperity and peace especially O Lord for the continuance of thy holy Gospel among us and for sparing us so long and granting us so gracious a time of repentance Also we praise thee for all other thy mercies bestowed upon us more especially for preserving us this night past from all dangers that might have befaln our souls or bodies And seeing thou hast now brought us safe to the beginning of this day we beseech thee protect and direct us in the same Bless and defend us in our going out and coming in this day and evermore Shield us O Lord from the temptations of the Devil and grant us the custody of thy holy Angels to defend and direct us in all our ways And to this end we recommend our selves and all those that belong unto us and are abroad from us into thy hands and Almighty tuition Lord defend them from all evil prosper them in all graces and fill them with thy goodness Preserve us likewise this day from falling into any gross sin especially those whereunto our Natures are most prone Set a watch before the door of our lips that we offend not thy Majesty by any rash or false Oaths or by any lewd or lying Speeches give unto us patient Minds pure and chaste Hearts and all other graces of thy Spirit which thou knowest to be needful for us that we may the better be enabled to serve thee in holiness and righteousness And seeing that all Man's labour without thy blessing is in vain bless every one of us in our several places and callings direct thou the work of our hands upon us even prosper thou our handy-work for except thou guide us with thy grace our endeavours can have no good success And provide for us all things which thou O Father knowest to be needful for every one of us in our Souls and Bodies this day And grant that we may so pass through the pilgrimage of this short life that our hearts being not setled upon any transitory things which we meet with in the way our Souls may every day be more and more ravished with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdom Defend likewise O Lord thy universal Church and every particular Member thereof especially we beseech thee to continue the peace and prosperity of these Churches and Kingdoms wherein we live Preserve and defend from all evils and dangers our gracious King Charles Queen Mary the noble and hopeful Prince Charles with the rest of the Royal Progeny the Lady Elizabeth the King 's only Sister and her Princely Issue Multiply their days in bliss and felicity and afterwards crown them with everlasting Joy and Glory Bless all our Ministers and Magistrates with all graces needful for their places and govern thou them that they may govern us in peace and godliness and of thy mercy O Lord comfort all our brethren that are distressed sick or any way comfortless especially those who are afflicted either with an evil conscience because they have sinned against thy Word or for a good conscience because they will not sin against thy truth Make the first to know that not one drop of the blood of Christ was a drop of vengeance but all drops of grace powerful to procure pardon upon repentance for
the Sabbath for his own profit or pleasure his heart never yet felt what either the fear of God or true 〈…〉 For of this 〈…〉 speech of S. James 〈…〉 faileth in one is guilty of all seeing therefore that God hath fenced this commandment with so many moral reasons it is evident that the Commandment it self is moral 2. Because it was commanded of God to Adam in his Innocency whilst holding his happiness not by faith in Christ's merits but by obedience to God's Law he needed no ceremony shadowing the redemption of Christ. A Sabbath therefore of a seventh day cannot be simply a ceremony but an Essential part of God's worship enjoyned unto Man when there was but one condition of all men And if it was necessary for our first Parents to have a Sabbath day to serve God in their perfection much more need their posterity to keep the Sabbath in the stare of their corruption And seeing God himself kept this day holy how can that man be holy that doth wilfully prophane it 3. Because it is one of the Commandments which God spake with his own mouth and twice wrote with his own fingers in Tables of stone to signifie their authority and perpetuity All that God wrote were moral and perpetual Commandments and those are reckoned Ten in number If this were now but an abrogated Ceremony then there were but nine Commandments the Ceremonial that were to be abrogated by Christ were written all by Moses But this of the Sabbath with the other nine written by God himself were put into the Ark where no Ceremonial Law was put to shew that they should be the perpetual Rules of the Church yet such as none could perfectly fulfil and keep but only Christ. 4. Because Christ professeth that he came not to destroy the moral Law and that the least of them should not be abrogated in his kingdom of the New Testament Insomuch that whosoever breaketh one of the least of these ten Commandments and teacheth men so he should be called the least in the Kingdom of heaven that is he should have no place in his Church Now the Moral Law commandeth one day of seven to be perpetually kept a holy Sabbath And Christ himself expresly mentioneth the keeping of a Sabbath among his Christians at the destruction of Jerusalem about 42. years after his resurrection By which time all the Mosaical ceremonies except eating of blood and things strangled were by a publick Decree of all the Apostles quite abolished and abrogated in Christian Churches And therefore Christ admonished his Disciples to pray that their flight be not in the winter nor on the Sabbath day Not in the winter for that by reason of the foulness of the ways and weather their flight should be more painful and troublsome unto them not upon the Sabbath because it would be more grievous to their hearts to spend that day in toiling to save their lives which the Lord had commanded to be spent in holy exercises to comfort their souls Now if the sanctifying of the Sabbath on this day had been but ceremonial it had been no grief to have fled on this day any more than on any other day of the week But in that Christ doth tender so much this fear and grief of being driven to fly on the Sabbath day and therefore wisheth his to pray unto God to prevent such an occasion he plainly demonstrates that the observation of the Sabbath is no abrogated Ceremony but a Moral Commandment confirmed and established by Christ among Christians If you would know the day whereupon Christ appointed Christians to keep the Sabbath S. John will tell you that is was on the Lord's day Rev. 1. 10. If you will know on what day of the week that was S. Paul will tell you that it was on every first day of the week 1 Cor. 16. 1. As Christ admonished so Christians prayed and according to their prayers God a little before the wars began warned by an Oracle all the Christians in Jerusalem to depart thence and to go to Pella a little town beyond Jordan and so to escape the wrath of God that should fell upon that City and Nation If then a Christian should not without grief of heart fly for the safety of his life on the Lord's day with what joy or comfort can a true Christian neglect the holy exercises of God's worship in the Church to spend the greatest part of the Lord's day in prophane and carnal spâ—rts or servile labour And seeing the destruction of Jerusalem was hath a 〈◊〉 and an assurance of the destruction of the World who seeth not but that the holy Sabbath must continue till the very end of the world 5. Because that all the Ceremonial Law was enjoyned to the Jews only and not to the Gentiles but this Commandment of the holy Sabbath as Matrimoâ—y was instituted of God in the stare of innocency when there was but one state of all men and therefore enjoyned to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews So that all Magistrates and Housholders were commanded to constrain all strangers as well as their own Subjects and Family to observe the holy Sabbath as appears by the fourth Commandment and practice of Nehemiah All the Ceremonies were a partition wall to separate Jews and Gentiles But seeing the Gentiles are bound to keep this Commandment as well as the Jews it is evident that it is no Jewish ceremony And seeing the same authority is for the Sabbath that is for marriage a man may as well say that marriage is but a ceremonial Law as the Sabbath And remember that whereas marriage is termed but once the covenâ—â—â— of God because instituted by God in the beginning the Sabbath is every where called the Sabbath of the Lord thy God because ordained by God in the same beginning both of time state and perpetuity therefore not Ceremonial 6. The corruption of our nature found in the manifest opposition of wicked men and in the secret unwillingness of good men to sanctifie sincerely the Sabbath sufficiently demonstrateth that the Commandment of the Sabbath is spiritual and moral 7. Because that as God by a perpetual decree made the Sun the Moon and other lights in the Firmament of Heaven not only to divided the day from the night but also to be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years so he ordained in the Church on Earth the holy Sabbath to be not only the appointed season for his solemn Worship but also the perpetual rule and measure of time So that as seven days make a week four weeks a month 12 months a year so seven years make a Sabbath of years seven Sabbaths of years a Jubilee 80 Jubilees or 4000 years or after Ezekiel 4000 cubits the whole time of the Old Testament till Christ by his Baptism and Preaching began the
in the state of Corruption no man living can sanctifie a Sabbath in that spiritual manner that he should but that he commits many breaches thereof in his Thoughts Words and Deeds humbly crave pardon for thy defects and reconcile thy self unto God with this or the like Evening Sacrifice A Private Evening Prayer for the Lord's-day O Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbath suffer me who am but dust and ashes to speak unto thy most glorious Majâ—sty I know that thou art a consuming â—ire I acknowledge that I am but withered stubble My sins are in thy sight and Satan stands at my right-hand to accuse me for them I come not to excuse but to judg my self worthy of all those judgments which thy Justice might most justly inflict upon me a wretched Creature for my sins and transgressions The Number of them is so great the Nature of them is so grievous that they make me seem vile in mine own eyes how much more loathsome in thy sight I confess they make me so far from being worthy to be called thy Son that I am altogether unworthy to have the Name of thy meanest Servant And if thou shouldest but recompence me according to my desert the Earth as weary of such a sinful burthen should open her mouth and swallow me up like one of Dathan's Family into the bettomless pit of Hell For if thou didst not spare the natural branches those Angels of glorious Excellency but hurldst them down from the heavenly Habitations into the pains of hellish darkness to be kept unto damnation when they sinned but once against thy Majesty and didst expel our first Parents out of Paradise when they did but transgress one of thy Laws alas what vengeance may I expect who have not offended in one sin only heaping daily un upon sin without any true repentance drinking iniquity as it were water ever pouring in but never pouring out any filthyness and have transgressed not one but all thy holy laws and commandments Yea this present day which thou hast straitly commanded me to keep holy to thy praise and worship I have not so religiously kept and observed nor prepared my soul in that holiness and chastity of heart as was fit to meeâ— thy blessed Majesty in the holy assembly of the Saints I have not attended to the preaching of thy Word nor to the administration of thy Sacraments with that humility reverence and devotion that I should For tho' I was present at those holy exercises in my body yet Lord I was overtaken with much drowsiness And when I was awake my mind was so distracted and carried away with vain and worldly thoughts that my â—oul seemed to be absent and oâ—â— of the Church I have not so duly as I should meditated with my self nor conferred with my Family upon those good instruâ—ctions which we have heard and received out of thy holy Word by the publick Ministry For default whereof Satan hath stoln the most part of those instructions out of my heart and I wretched creature have forgotten them as though they had never been heard And my family doth not thrive in knowledge and sanctification under my government as they should Though I know where many of my poor brethren live in want and necessity and some in pain and comfortless yet I have not remembred to relieve the one with my Alms nor the other with Consolations but I have feasted my self and satisfied mine own Lusts. I have spent the most part of the day in idle talk vain sports and exercises Yea Lord I have c. And for all these my sins my Conscience cries guilty thy Law condemns me and I am in thy hand to receive the sentence and curse that is due to the wilful breach of so holy a Commandment But what if I am by thy Law condemned Yet Lord thy Gospel assures me that thy mercy is above all thy works that thy grace transcends thy Law and thy goodness delighteth there to reign where sins do most abound In the multitude therefore of thy Mercies and for the Merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour I beseech thee O Lord who despiseth not the sighings of a contrite heart nor desirest the death of a penitent sinner to pardon and forgive me all those my sins and all the errors of this day and of my whole life and free my soul from that curse and Judgment which is due unto me for them Thou that didst justifie the contrite Publican for Four Words of confession and received'st the Prodigal Child when he had spent all the stock of thy grace into favour upon his repentance pardon my sins likewise O Lord and suffer me not to perish for my transgressions O spare me and receive me into thy favour again Wilâ— thou O Lord reject me who hast received all Publicans Harlots and Sinners that upon repentance sued to thee for grace Shall I alone be excluded from thy mercy Far be it from me to think so for thou art the same God of mercy unto me that thou wast unto them and thy compassions never fail Wherefore O Lord deal not with me after my merits but according to thy great mercy Execute â—ot thy severe Justice against me a sinner but exercise thy long-sufferance in forbearing thine own creature I have nothing to present unto thee for a satisfaction but only those Bloody Wounds bitter Death and Passion which thy blessed Son my only Saviour hath suffered for me Him in whom only thou art well pleased I offer unto thee for all my sins wherewith thou art displeased Him my Mediator the Request of whose Blood speaking better things than that of Abel thy mercy can never gain-say Illuminate my understanding and sanctifie my heart with thy holy Spirit that it may bring to my remembrance all those good and profitable lessons which this day and at other times have been taught me out of thy holy Word that I may remember thy Commandments to keep them thy Judgments to avoid them aâ—d thy sweet Promises to rely upon them in time of misery and distress And now O Lord I resign my self to thy most holy Will O receive me into thy favour and so draw me by thy grace unto thy self that I may as well be thine by love and imitation as by calling and creation and give me grace so to keep holy thy Sabbaths in this life as that when this life is ended I may with all thy Saints and Angels celebrate an eternal Sabbath of joys and praise to the honour of thy most glorious Name in thy heavenly Kingdom for evermore Amen And then calling thy Family together shut up the Sabbath with the Meditations and Prayers before prescribed for thy Family And the Lord will give thee 〈◊〉 Night a more sweet and quiet rest than ordinary and prosper thee the better in all the labours of the week following Thus far of the ordinary
Not that Christ is brought down from Heaven to the Sacrament but that the holy Spirit by the Sacrament lifts up his mind unto Christ not by any local mutation but by a devout affection so that in the holy contemplation of Faith he is at that present with Christ and Christ with him And thus believing and meditating how Christ his Body was crucified and his precious blood shed for the remission of his sins and the reconciliation of his Soul unto God his Soul is hereby more effectually fed in the assurance of eternal Life than Bread and Wine can nourish his Body to this Temporal life There must be therefore of necessity in the Sacrament both the outward signs to be visibly seen with the eyes of the Body and the Body and Blood of Christ to be spiritually discerned with the Eye of Faith But the form how the Holy Ghost makes the Body of Christ being absent from us in place to be present with us by our union S. Paul terms a great mystery such as our understanding cannot worthily comprehend The Sacramental Bread and Wine therefore are not bare signifying signs but such as wherewith Christ doth indeed exhibite and give to every worthy Receiver not only his divine virtue and efficacy but also his very Body and Blood as verily as he gave to his Disciples the Holy Ghost by the sign of his sacred breath or health to the diseased by the Word of his mouth or touch of his hand or garment And the apprehension by faith is more forcible than the exquisitest comprehension of Sense or Reason To conclude this point this holy Sacrament is that blessed Bread which being eaten opened the eyes of the Emauites that they knew Christ. This is that Lordly Cup by which we are all made to drink into one Spirit This is that Rock flowing with honey that reviveth the fainting spirits of every true Jonathan that tasts it with the mouth of Faith This is that barley loaf which tumbling from above strikes down the tents of the Midianites of infernal darkness Elias's Angelical Cake and Water preserved him forty days in Horeb and Manna Angels food fed the Israelites forty years in the wilderness but this is that true Bread of life and heavenly Manna which if we shall duely eat will nourish our souls for ever unto life eternal How should then our Souls make unto Christ thâ—t request from a spiritual desire which the Capernaites did from a carnal motion Lord evermore give us this bread The fifth end of the Lords Supper 5. To be an assured pledge unto us of our Resurrection The Resurrection of a Christian is Twofold First the spiritual Resurrection of our Souls in this life from the death of sin called the first Resurrection because that by the Trumpet-voice of Christ in the preaching of the Gospel we are raised from the death of sin to the life of Grace Blessed and holy is he saith St. John who hath part in the first Resurrection for on such the second death hath no power The Lord's Supper is both a mean and a pledge unto us of this spiritual and first Resurrection He that eateth me even he shall live by me And then we are fit guests to sit at the table with Christ when like Lazarus we are raised from the death of sin to newness of life The truth of this first Resurrection will appear by the motion wherewith they are internally moved for if when thou art moved to the duties of Religion and practice of Piety thy heart answereth with Samuel Here I am speak Lord for thy servant heareth and with David O God my heart is ready And with Paul Lord what wilt thou have me to do Then surely thou art raised from the death of sin and hast thy part in the first Resurrection but if thou remainest ignorant of the true grounds of Religion and findest in thy self a kind of secret loathing of the exercises thereof and must be drawn as it were against thy will to do the works of Piety c. then surely thou hast but a name that thou livest but thou art dead as Christ told the Angel of the Church of Sardis and thy soul is but as salt to keep thy body from stinking 2. The corporal resurrection of our bodies at the last day which is called the second resurrection which freeth us from the first death He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eterraâ— life and I â—id raise him up at the last day For this Sacrament signifieth and fealeth unto us that Christ died and rose again for us and that his flesh quickeneth and nourisheth us unto eternal life and that therefore our bodies shall surely be raised to eternal life at the last day For seeing our head is risen all the members of the body shall likewise surely rise again For how can those bodies which being thâ— weapons of righteousness Rom. 16. 13. Temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19 and members of Christ have been fed and nourished with the Body and Blood of the Lord of life but be raised up again at the last day And this is the cause that the bodies of the Saints being dead are so reverently buried and laid to sleep in the Lord. And their burial places are termed the beds and dormitories of the Saints The Reprobates shall arise at the last day but by the Almighty Power of Christ as he is Judge bringing them as malefactors out of the Gaol to receive their sentence and deserved execution but the Elect shall arise by virtue of Christ's Resurrection and of the Communion which they have with him as with their Head And his Resurrection is the cause and assurance of ours The Resurrection of Christ is a Christian 's particular faith the Resurrection of the dead is the Child of God's chiefest confidence Therefore Christians in the Primitive Church were wont to salute one another in the Morning with these Phrases The Lord is risen and the other would answer True the Lord is risen indeed The sixth end of the Lord's Supper 6. To seal unto us the assurance of everlasting Life Oh what more wished or loved than life Or what do all men naturally more either fear or abhor than death Yet is this first death nothing if it be compared with the second death neither is this Life any thing worth in comparison of the Life to come If therefore thou desirest to be assured of eternal life prepare thy self to be a worthy receiver of this blessed Sacrament For our Saviour assureth us That if any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever and the bread that I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world He therefore who duly eateth of this holy Sacrament may truly say not only Credo vitam eternam I
can there be fit under thy ribs for Christ's holiness to dwell in If the Blood-issued sick Woman feared to touch the hem of his garment how should'st thou tremble to eat his flesh and to drink his all-healing Blood Yet if thou comest humbly in Faith Repentance and Charity abhorring thy sins past and purposing unfeignedly to amend thy life henceforth let not thy former sins affright thee for they shall never be laid unto thy charge and this Sacrament shall seal unto thy Soul that all thy sins and the Judgments due unto them are fully pardoned aâ—d clean washed away by the Blood of Christ. For this Sacrament was not ordained for them who are perfect but to help penitent sinners unto perfection Christ came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance And he saith that the whole need not the Physician but they that are sick Those hath Christ called and when they came them hath he ever helped Witness the whole Gospel which testifieth that not one Sinner who came to Christ for mercy went ever away without his errand Bathe thou likewise thy sick Soul in this fountain of Christ's Blood and doubtless according to his promise Zach. 13. 1. thou shalt be healed of thy sins and uncleanness Not Sinners therefore but they who are unwilling to repent of their sins are debarred this Sacrament Fifthly Meditate that Christ left this Sacrament unto us as the chief token and pledge of his love not when we would have made him a King John 6. 15 which might have seemed a requital of kindness but when Judas and the High-Priests were conspiring his Death therefore wholly of his mere favour When Nathan would shew David how intirely the poor man loved his sheep that was killed by the rich man He gave her saith he to eat of his own Morsels and of his own Cup to drink 2 Sam. 12. 3. and must not then the love of Christ to his Church be unspeakable when he gives her his own flesh to eat and his own blood to drink for her spiritual and eternal nourishment If then there be any love in thine heart take the Cup of Salvation into thy hand and pledge his love with love again Psal. 116. 11. Sixthly when the Minister beginneth the holy Consecration of the Sacrament then lay aside all praying reading and all other cogitations whatsoever and settle thy Meditations only upon those holy actions and rites which according to Christ's institution are used in and about the holy Sacrament For it hath pleased God considering our weakness to appoint those rites as means the better to lift up our Minds to the serious contemplation of his Heavenly Graces When therefore thou seest the Minister putting apart Bread and Wine on the Lord's-Table and consecrating them by Prayers and the rehearsal of Christ's Institution to be a holy Sacrament of the blessed Body and Blood of Christ then meditate how God the Father of his mere love to Mankind set apart and sealed his only begotten Son to be the all-sufficient means and only Mediator to redeem us from sin and to reconcile us to his grace and to bring us to his glory When thou seest the Minister break the Bread being blessed thou must meditate that Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God was put to death and his blessed Soul and Body with the sense of God's anger broken asunder for thy sins as verily as thou now seest the holy Sacrament to be broken before thine eyes And withal call to mind the heinousness of thy sins and the greatness of God's hatred against the same seeing God's Justice could not be satisfied but by such a Sacrifice When the Minister hath blessed and broken the Sacrament and is addressing himself to distribute it then meditate That the King who is the Master of the Feast stands at the Table to see his guests and looketh upon thee whether thou hast on thee thy Wedding-Garment Think also that all the holy Aâ—gels that attend upon the Elect in the Church and do desire to behold the celebration of these holâ— mysteries do observe thy reverence and behaviour Let thy soul therefore whilst the Minister bringeth the Sacrament unto thee offer this or the like short Soliloquy unto Christ. A sweet Soliloquy to be said betwixt the consecration and receiving of the Sacrament IS it true indeed that God will dwell on earth Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens are not able to contain thee how much more unable iâ— the soul of â—uch a sinful Caitiff as I am to receive thee But seeing it is thy blessed pleasure to come thus to sup with me and to dwell in me I cannot for joy but burst out and say What is man that thou art so mindful of him and the son of man that thou so regardest him What favour soever thou vouchsafest me in the abundance of thy Grace I will freely confess what I am in the wretchedness of my Nature I am in a word a carnal Creature whose very soul is sold under sin a wretched man compassed about with a body of Death Yet Lord seeing thou callest here I come and seeing thou callest sinners I have thrust my self in among the rest and seeing thou callest all with their heaviest loads I see no reason why I should stay behind O Lord I am sick and whither should I go but unto thee the Physician of my Soul Thou hast cured many but never didst thou meet with a more miserable Patient for I am more leprous than Gehazi more unclean than Magdalen more blind in Soul than Bartimeus was in Body for I have lived all this while and never seen the true light of thy Word my soul runs with a greater flux of sin than was the Hemorrhoise Issue of blood Mephibosheth was not more lame to go than my Soul is to walk after thee in love Jeroboam's Arm was not more withered to strike the Prophet than my Hand is maimed to relieve the Poor Cure me O Lord and thou shalt do as great a work as in curing them all And though I have all their Sins and Sores yet Lord so abundant is thy grace so great is thy skill that if thou wilt thou canst with a word forgive the one and heal the other and why should I doubt of thy good will when to save me will cost thee now but one loving smile who didst shew thy self so willing to redeem me though it should cost thee all thy heart-blood and now offerest so graciously unto me the assured pledge of my Redemption by thy blood Who am I O Lord God and what is my merit that thou hast bought me with so dear a price It is merely thy mercy and I O Lord am not worthy the least of all thy mercies much less to be partaker of this holy Sacrament the greatest pledge of the greatest mercy that ever thou didst bestow upon those sons of men whom thou lovest
I am fully O Lord assured that all the 〈◊〉 fare wherewith the disdainfull Phaâ—isee entertained thee at his Table did not so much please thee as those tears which penitent Mary poured under the â—â—ble I would therefore wish with Jeremy that my head were a fountain of tears that seeing I can by no means yield sufficient thanks for thy love to me yet I might by continual Tears testifie my love unto thee And though no man is worthy of so infinite a grace yet this is my comfort That he is worthy whom thou in favour accountest worthy And seeing that now of thy mere grace thou hast counted me among others thy chosen worthy of this unspeakable favour and sealed by thy Sacrament the assurance of thy love and the forgiveness of my sins O Lord confirm thy favour unto thy Servant and say of me as Isaac did of Jacob I have blessed him therefore he shall be blessed And that I may say unto thee with David Thou O Lord hast blessed my Soul and made it thy house and it shall be blessed for ever And seeing it pleased thee to bless the house of Obed-edom and all his houshold whilest the Ark of the Lord remained in his house I doubt not but thou wilt much more bless my soul and body and all that do belong unto me now that it hath pleased thy Majesty of thine own good will to enter under my roof and to dwell for ever in my poor cottage Bless me O Lord so that my sins may wholly be remitted by thy Blood my conscience sanctified by thy Spirit my mind enlightned by thy Truth my Heart guided by thy Spirit and my Will in all things subdued to thy blessed Will and Pleasure Bless me with all graces which I want and increase in me those good gifts which thou hast already bestowed upon me And seeing that I hold thee not by the arms as Jacob wrestling without me but inwardly dwelling by Faith within me surely Lord I will never let thee go except thou bless me and give me a new name a new heart a new spirit and strength by the power of God to prevail over sin and Satan And I beseech thee O Lord desire not to depart from me as thou didst from Jacob because the day breaketh and thy grace beginneth to dawn and appear But I from my soul humbly with the Emmauites intreat thee O sweet Jesus to abide with me because it draweth towards night For the night of temptation the night of tribulation yea my last long night of death approacheth O blessed Saviour stay with me therefore now and ever And if thy presence go not home with me carry me not from hence Go with me and live with me and let neither death nor life separate me from thee Drive me from my self draw me unto thee Let me be sick but sound in thee and in my weakness let thy strength appear Let me seem as dead that thou alone mayest be seen to live in me so that all my members may be but instruments to act thy motions Set me as a seal upon thine heart and let thy zeal be setled upon mine that I may be out of love with all that I may be only in love with thee And grant O Lord that as thou now vouchsafest me this favour to sit at thy Table to receive this Sacrament in thy house of grace so I may hereafter through thy mercy be received to â— eat and drink at thy Table in thy kingdom of Glory And for thy mercy I do here with the four beasts and twenty four Elders cast my self down before thy Throne of Grace acknowledging that it is thou that hast redeemed with thy blood and that salvation cometh only from thee And therefore unto thee I do yield all praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and might and Majesty O my Lord and my God for evermore Amen Thirdly Seeing Christ hath sacrificed himself for thee and all that thou canst give is too little therefore thou must offer thy self to be a living holy and acceptable sacrifice unto God by serving him in righteousness and holiness all thy days Thus Iertullian witnesseth that in his time a Christian was known from another man only by the holiness and uprightness of his life 2. Of the duties which we are to do after the Communion joyntly with the Congregation THE duties to be performed joyntly with the Church are Three First publick thanksgiving both by Prayers and singing of Psalms Thus Christ himself and his Apostles did Secondly joining with the Church in giving every man according to his ability towards the relief of the poor This was the manner of the Primitive Churches to make Collections and Love Feasts after the Lord's Supper for the relief of the poor Christians Thirdly when thanks and praise is ended then with all reverence to stand up and to receive the blessing of God by the mouth of his Minister and to receive it as if thou didst hear God himself pronouncing it unto thee from Heaven For by their blessing God doth bless his people Thus far of the Duties to be practised in the Church The Duties which thou art to practise after that thou art departed home are three First to observe diligently whether thou hast truly received Christ in the Sacrament Which thou maist thus easily perceive for seeing his flesh is meat indeed and his blood is drink indeed and that he is so full of grace that no man ever touched him by faith but he received virtue from him it cannot possibly be that if thou hast eaten his flesh or drunk his blood but thou shalt receive grace and power to be cleansed from thy sins and filthiness For if the Hemorrhoise that did but touch his garment had her bloody issue that continued so long forthwith stanched how much more will the bloody issue of thy sin be stanched if thou then hast truly eaten and drunk the very flesh and blood of Christ But if thy issue still runneth thou maist justly suspect thou hast never yet truly touched Christ Secondly seeing thou hast now reconciled thy self to God and renewed thy Covenant and vowed newness and amendment of life thou must therefore have a special care that thou dost not yield to commit thy former sins any more knowing that the unclean spirit if ever he can get into thy Soul again after that it is swept and garnished he will enter forcible possession with seven other devils worse than himself So that the end of that man shall be worse than his beginning Be ye not therefore like the Dog that returns to his vomit or the washed Sow that walloweth in the mire again And return not to thy malice like to the Adder who laying aside her poyson while she drinks takes it up again when she hath done But when either the devil or thy flesh shall offer to
tempt and move thee to relapse into thy former sins answer them as the Spouse doth in the Canticles I have put off my coat of my former corruption how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them again Lastly If ever thou hast found either joy or comfort in receiving the holy Sacrament let it appear by the eager desire of receiving it often again For the Body of Christ as it was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows so doth it yield a sweeter savour than all the ointments of the world The fragrant smell whereof allureth all Souls who have once tasted the sweetness thereof ever after to desire oftner to taste thereof again Because of the savour of thy good Ointments therefore do the Virgins love thee O taste therefore often and see how good the Lord is saith David This is the Commandment of Christ himself Do this in remembrance of me and in doing this thou shalt shew thy self best mindful and thankful for his death For as oft as ye shall eat this bread and drink this cup ye shall shew the Lord's death until he came And let this be the chief end whereunto both thy receiving and living tendeth that thou maist be a holy Christian zelous of good works purged from sin to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world that thou mayst be acceptable to God profitable to thy brethren and comfortable unto thine own soul. Thus far of the manner of glorifying God in thy life Now followeth the Practice of Piety in glorifying God in the time of sickness and when thou art called to die in the Lord. AS soon as thou perceivest thy self to be visited with any sickness meditate with thy self 1. That misery cometh not forth of the dust neither doth affliction spring out of the earth Sickness comes not by hap or chance as the Philistines supposed that their Mice and Emrods came but from mans wickedness which as sparkles breaketh out Man suffereth saith Jeremy for his sins Fools saith David by reason of their transgressions and because of their iniquities are afflicted As therefore Solomon adviseth a man to carry himself towards an earthly Prince If the Spirit of him that ruleth rise up against thee leave not thy place for gentleness pacifieth great sins so counsel I thee to deal with the Prince of Princes If the spirit of him that ruleth heaven and earth rise up against thee let not thy heart despair for repentance pacifieth great sins And who soever returneth in his affliction to the Lord God of Israel and seeks him he will be found of him 2. Shut to thy Chamber door Examine thine own heart upon thy bed search and try thy ways Search as diligently for thy capital sin as Joshua did for Achan till thou findest it For albeit God when he beginneth to chasten his Children hath respect to all their sins yet when his anger is incensed he chiefly taketh occasion to chasten and enter with them into judgment for some one grievous sin wherein they have lived without Repentance 3. When thou hast thus considered all thy sins put thy self before the Judgment-Seat of God as a Felon or Murtherer standing at the Bar of an earthly Judge and with grief and sorrow of heart confess unto God all thy known sins especially thy Capital Offences wherewith God is chiefly displeased Lay them open with all the circumstances of the time place and manner how they were committed as may most serve to aggravate the hainousness of thy sins and to shew the contrition of thy heart for the same Lift up thine hand and acknowledge thy self before the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth guilty of eternal death and damnation for those thy hainous sins and transgressions And having thus accused and judged thy self cast down thy self before the Fcotstool of his Throne of grace assuring thy self that whatsoever the Kings of Israel be yet the God of Israel is a merciful God And cry unto him from a penitent and faithful heart for mercy and forgiveness as eagerly and earnestly as ever thou knewest a malefactor being to receive his sentence crying unto the Judge for favour and pardon vowing amendment of life and by the assistance of his grace never to commit the like sin any more All which thou maist do in these or the like words A Prayer when one begins to be sick O Most righteous Judge yet in JESUS CHRIST my gracious Father I wretched sinner do here return unto thee though driven with pain and sickness like the prodigal Child with want and hunger I acknowledge that this sickness and paiâ— comes not by blind chance or fortune but by thy divine providence and special appointment It is the stroke of thy heavy hand which my sins have justly deserved and the things that I feared are now faln upon me Yet I do well perceive that in wrath thou remembrest mercy when I consider how many and how hainous are my sins and how few and easie are thy corrections Thou mightest have strucken me with some fearful and sudden death whereby I should not have had either time or space to have called upon thee for grace and mercy and so I should have perished in my sins and have been for ever condemned in hell But thou O Lord visitest me with such a fatherly chastisement as thou usest to visit thy dearest Children whom thou best lovest giving me by this sicknes both warning and time to repent and to sue unto thee for grace and pardon I take not therefore O Lord this thy visitation as any sign of thy wrath or hatred but as an assured pledge and token of thy favour and loving kindness whereby thou dost with thy temporal Judgments draw me to judge my self and to repent of my wicked life that I should not be condemned with the godless and unrepentant World For thy holy Word assures me that whom thou lovest thou thus chastenest and that thou scourgest every son that thou receivest That if I endure thy chastening thou offerest thy self unto me as unto a son and that all that continue in sin and yet escape without correction whereof all thy children are partakers are bastards and not sons and that thou chastenest me for my profit that I may be a partaker of thy holiness O Lord how full of goodness is thy Nature that hast dealt with me so graciously in the time of my health and prosperity and now being provoked by my sins and unthankfulness hast such fatherly and profitable ends in inflicting upon me this sickness and correction I confess Lord that thou dost justly afflict my Body with sickness for my Soul was sick before of a long prosperity and surfeited with ease peace plenty and fulness of bread And now O Lord I lament and mourn for my sins I acknowledge my wickedness and mine iniquities
grace and mercy Yea we read of many in the Gospel that by sicknesses and afflictions were driven to câ—me unto Christ who if they had had health and prosperity as others would have like others neglected or contemn'd their Saviour and never have sought unto him for his saving health and grace For as the Ark of Noah the higher it was tossed with the Flood the nearer it mounted towards Heaven so the sanctified Soul the more it is exercised with affliction the nearer it is lifted towards God O blessed is that Cross that draweth a sinner to come upon the knees of his heart unto Christ to confess his own misery and to implore his endless mercy Oh blessed ever blessed be that Christ that never refuseth the sinner that cometh unto him though weather-driven by affliction and misery 7. Affliction worketh in us pity and compassion towards our fellow brethren that be in distress and misery whereby we learn to have a fellow-feeling of their Calamities and to condole their estate as if we suffer'd with them And for this cause Christ himself would suffer and be tempted in all things like unto us sin only excepted that he might be a merciful High Priest touched with the feeling of our infirmities For none can so heartily bemoan the misery of another as he who first suffered himself the same affliction Hereupon a Sinner in misery may boldly say unto Christ Non ignare mali miseris succurito Christe Our frailty sith O Christ thou didst perceive Condole our state who still in frailty cleave 8. God useth our sicknesses and afflictions as means and examples both to manifest unto others the faith and vertues which he hath bestowed upon us as also to strengthen those who have not received so great a measure of Faith as we For there can be no greater encouragement to a weak Christian than behold a true Professor in the extreamest sickness of his Body supported with greater patience and consolation in his Soul And the comfortable and blessed departure of such a man will arm him against the fear of death and assure him that the hope of the godly is a far more precious thing than that flesh and blood can understand or mortal eyes behold in this vale of misery And were it not that we did see many of those whom we know to be the undoubted Children of God to have endured such afflictions and calamities before us the greatness of the miseries and crosses which oft-times we endure would make us doubt whether we be the Children of God or no. And to this purpose St. James saith God made Job and the Prophets an example of suffering adversity and of long patience 9. By afflictions God makes us conformable to the Image of Christ his Son who being the Captain of our Salvation was made perfect through sufferings And therefore he first bare the Cross in shame before he was crowned with glory and did first taste gall before he did eat the honey-comb and was first derided King of the Jews by the Soldiers in the High-Priests Hall before he was saluted King of Glory by the angels in his Father's Court. And the more lively our Heavenly Father shall perceive the Image of his natural Son to appear in us the better he will love us and when we have for a time born his likeness in his sufferings and fought and overcome we shall be crowned by Christ and with Christ sit on his Throne and of Christ receive the precious white Stone and morning Star that shall make us shine like Christ for ever in his Glory 10. Lastly That the godly may be humbled in respect of their own state and misery and God glorified by delivering them out of their Troubles and Afflictions when they call upon him for his help and succour For though there be no Man so pure but if the Lord will straitly mark Iniquities he shall find in him just cause to punish him for his sin yet the Lord in mercy doth not always in the affliction of his Children respect their sins but sometimes layeth afflictions and crosses upon them for his glories sake Thus our Saviour Christ told his Disciples That the man was not born blind for his own or his Parents sin but that the work of God should be shewed on him So he told them likewise that Lazarus's sickness was not unto the death but for the glory of God O the unspeakable goodness of God which turneth those afflictions which are the shame and punishment due to our sins to be the subject of his honour and glory These are the blessed and profitable ends wherefore God sendeth sickness and affliction upon his Children whereby it may plainly appear that afflictions are not signs either of God's hatred or of our reprobation but rather tokens and pledges of his fatherly love unto his Children whom he loveth and therefore chasteneth them in this life where upon repentance there remains hope of pardon rather than to refer the punishment to that life where there is no hope of pardon nor end of punishment For this cause the Christians in the Primitive Church were wont to give God great thanks for afflicting them in this life So the Apostles rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ's Name Acts 5. 41. And the Christian Hebrews suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods knowing that they had in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Heb. 10. 34. And in respect of those holy Ends the Apostle saith That though no affliction for the present seemeth joyous but grievous yet afterwards it bringeth the quiet fruit of righteousness to them who are thereby exercised Pray therefore heartily that as God hath sent unto thee this sickness so it would please him to come himself unto thee with thy sickness by teaching thee to make those sanctified uses of it for which he hath inflicted the same upon thee Meditations for one that is recovered from Sickness IF God hath of his mercy heard thy Prayers and restored thee to thy health again consider with thy self 1. That thou hast now received from God as it were another life Spend it therefore to the honour of God in newness of life Let thy sin die with thy sickness but live thou by grace to holiness 2. Be not the more secure that thou art restored to health neither insult in thy self that thou hast escaped Death but think rather that God seeing how unprepared thou wast hath of his mercy heard thy Prayer spared thee and given thee some little longer time of respite that thou maist both amend thy life and put thy self in a better readiness against the time that he shall call for thee without further delay out of this World For though thou hast escaped this it may be thou shalt not escape the next sickness 3. Consider how fearful a reckoning
outward man doth decay so my inward man may more and more by thy grace and consolation increase and gather strength O Saviour put my Soul in a readiness that like a wise Virgin having the Wedding Garment of thy Righteousness and holiness she may be ready to meet thee at thy comming with Oyl in her Lamp Marry her unto thy self that she may be one with thee in everlasting love and fellowship O Lord reprove Satan and chase him away Deliver my soul from the power of the Dog Save me from the Lyon's mouth I thank thee O Lord for all thy blessings both spiritual and temporal bestowed upon me especially for my Redemption by the death of my Saviour Christ. I thank thee that thou hast protected me with thy holy Angels from my youth up until now Lord I beseech thee give them a charge to attend upon me till thou callest for my soul and then to carry her as they did the soul of Lazarus into thy Heavenly Kingdom And as the time of my departure shall approach nearer unto me so grant O Lord that my Soul may draw nearer unto thee and that I may joy fully commend my Soul into thy hands as into the hands of a loving Father and merciful Redeemer and at that instant O Lord graciously receive my Spirit All which that I may do assist me I beseech thee with thy Grace and let thy holy spirit continue with me unto the end and in the end for Jesus Christ his sake thy Son my Lord and only Saviour In whose Name I give thee the glory and beg these things at thy hand in that Prayer which Christ himself hath â—aught me saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. Meditations against Despair or doubting of God's Mercy IT is found by continual experience that near the time of Death when the Children of God are weakest then Satan makes the greatest flourish of his strength and assails them with his strongest temptations For he knoweth that either he must now or never prevail for if their souls once go to Heaven he shall never vex nor trouble them any more And therefore he will now bestir himself as much as he can and labour to set before their eyes all the gross sins which ever they committed and the Judgments of God which are due unto them thereby to drive them if he can unto despair which is a grievouser sin than all the sins hat they committed or he can accuse them of If Satan therefore trouble thy Conscience more towards thy death than in thy life 1. Confess thy sins unto God not only in general but also in particular 2. Make satisfaction unto those Men whom thou hast wronged if thou beâ—st able And if thou dost injuriously or fraudulently detain or keep in thy possession any Lands or Goods that of right do belong to any Widow or Fatherless Child presume not as thou tenderest thy Soul's health to look Christ the righteous Judge in the face unless thou dost first make a restitution thereof to the right owners for the Law of God under the penalty of his curse requireth thee to restore whatsoever was given thee to keep or which was committed to thy trust or whatsoever by robbery or violent oppression thou tookest from thy neighbour with a fifth part for amends added to the principal And unless that like Zaccheus thou dost make restitâ—tion of such Goods and Lands according to God's Law thou canst never truly repent and without true Repentance thou canst never be saved But though by the temptation of the Devil thou hast done wrong and injury yet if thou dost truly repent and make restitution to thy power the Lord hath promised to be merciful unto thee to hear the Prayers of his faithful Ministers for thee to forgive thee thy trespass and sin and to receive thy Soul in the Merits of Christ's Blood as a Lamb without blemish 3. Ask God for Christ his sake pardon and forgiveness And then these troubles of mind are no Discouragements but rather Comforts Exercises not Punishments They are assurances unto thee that thou art in the right way for the way to Heaven is by the gates of Hell that is by suffering pains in the body and such doubtings in the mind that thy estate in this life being every way made bitter the joys of eternal life may relish unto thee better and more sweet If Satan tell thee that thou hast no Faith because thou hast no feeling Meditate 1. That the truest Faith hath oftentimes the least feeling and greatest doubts but so long as thou hatest such doubtings they shall not be laid unto thy charge for they belong to the flesh from which thou art divorced When thy flesh shall perish thy weak inward man which hates them and loves the Lord Jesus shall be saved 2. That it is a better Faith to believe without feeling than with feeling The least Faith so much as a grain of Mustard-seed so much as is in an Infant baptized is enough to save the Soul which loveth Christ and believeth in him 3. That the Child of God which desireth to feel the assurance of God's favour shall have his desire when God shall see it to be for his good For God hath promised to give them the Water of Life who thirst for it we have an example in Mr. Glover the holy Martyr who could have no comfortable feeling till he came to the sight of the Stake and then cryed out and clapped his hands for joy to his Friends saying O Austin he is come he is come meaning the feeling joy of Faith and the Holy Ghost Tarry therefore the Lord's leisure be strong and he shall comfort thine heart If Satan shall aggravate unto thee the greatness the multitude and hainousness of thy sins meditate 1. That upon true Repentance it is as easie with God to forgive the greatest sin as the least and he is as willing to forgive many as to pardon one And his mercy shineth more in pardoning great sinners than small offenders as appears in the Examples of Manasses Magdalen Peter Paul c. And where sin most aboundeth there doth his Grace rejoyce to abound much more 2. That God did never forsake any man till a man did first forsake God as appears in the examples of Cain Saul Achitophel Ahazia Judas c. 3. That God calleth all even those sinners who were heavy laden with sin and that he did never deny his mercy to any sinner that asked his mercy with a penitent heart This the history of the Gospel witnesseth There came unto Christ all sorts of sick sinners the blind lame halt Lepers such as were sick of Palsies Dropsies Bloody-fluxes such as were Lunatick and possessed with unclean Spirits and Devils Yet of all these not one that came and asked his mercy and help went
away without his errand If mercy he asked mercy he found were his sin never so great were his Disease never so grievous Nay he offered and gave his mercy to many that never asked it being moved only with the Bowels of his own compassion and the sight of their misery as to the woman of Samaria the widow of Naim and to the sick man that lay at the Pool of Bethesda who had been 38 years sick If he thus willingly gave his mercy to them that did not ask it and was found of them as the Prophet saith that sought him not will he deny mercy unto thee who dost so earnestly pray for it with Tears and dost like the poor Publican so heartily knock for it with penitent fists upon a bruised and broken heart Especially when thou prayest to thy Father in the name and mediation of Christ for whose sake he hath promised to grant whatsoever we shall ask of him as sure as God is true he will not Though Nineve's sins had provoked the Lord to send out his sentence against them yet upon their repentance he recalled it again and spared the City how much more if thou likewise repentest will he spare thee seeing his sentence is not yet gone forth against thee if he deferred the judgments all Ahab's days for the external shew only which he made of humiliation how much more will he clean turn away his vengeance if thou wilt unfeignedly repent of thy sin and return unto him for grace and mercy He offered his mercy unto Cain who murthered his innocent Brother If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted As if he should have said if thou wilt leave thy envy and malice and offer unto me from a faithful and contrite heart both thou and thine Oblation also shall be acceptable unto me And to Judas that so treacherously betray'd him in calling him friend a sweet appellation of love and when Judas offered he willingly consented with that mouth wherein never was found guile to kiss those dissembling lips under which lurked the poyson of Asps. Had Judas apprehended this word friend out of the mouth of Christ as Benhadad did the word Brother from the mouth of Ahab doubtless Judas should have found the God of Israel more merciful than Benhadad found the King of Israel But God was more displeased with Cain for despairing of his mercy than for murthering his Brother and with Judas for hanging himself than for betraying his Master in that they would make the sins of mortal men greater than â—he Infinite mercy of the eternal God or as if they could be more sinful than God was merciful Whereas the least drop of Christ's Blood is of more merit to procure God's mercy for thy salvation than all the sins that thou hast committed can be of force to provoke his wrath to thy damnation If Satan shall suggest that all this is true of God's mercy but that it doth not belong unto thee because thy sins are greater than other mens as being sins of knowledge and of many years continuance and such as whereby others have been undone and all for the most part â—ommitted wilfully and presumptuously against God and thy Conscience And therefore though he will be merciful unto others yet he will not be merciful unto thee Meditate 1. That many who are now in Heaven most blessed and glorious Saints committed in the same kind when they lived on earth as great and greater sins then ever thou hast committed and continued before they repented in those sins as long as ever thou hast done As therefore all their sins and the continuance in them could not hinder God's mercy upon their repentance from forgiving their sins and receiving them into favour no more shall thy sins and continuance therein hinder him from being merciful unto thee if thou dost repent as they did yea upon thy Repentance every one of their examples is a pledge that he will do the same unto thee that he did unto them For as the least sin in God's Justice without repentance is damnable so the greatest sin upon repentance is in his mercy pardonable Thy greatest and inveteratest sins are but the sins of a man but the least of his Mercies is the mercy of God Because thou knowest thine own sins thou doubtest whether they shall be pardoned Mark how this doubtful case is resolved by Good himself Many in Isaiah's days thought as thou dost that they had continued so long in sin that it was too late for them now to seek to return unto God for Grace and Mercy But God answereth them Seek ye the Lord whilst he may be found call ye upon him whilst he is near As if he had said whilst life lasteth and my Word is preached I am near to be found of all that seek me and pray unto me The People reply But we O Lord are grievous sinners and therefore dare not presume to call upon thy Name or to come near thine Holiness To this the Lord answereth Let the wicked forsake his way and the man of iniquity his thoughts and let him return unto me and I will have mercy upon him and to his God and I will pardon him abundantly But we would think say the people that if our sins were but ordinary sins this promise of Mercy might belong unto us But because our sins are so great and of such long continuance therefore we fear lest when we appear before God he will reject us To this God answereth again My thoughts of mercy are not your thoughts neither are your ways of pardoning my ways for as the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts If therefore every sinner in the world were a world of such sinners as thou art do thou but yet what God bids thee repent and believe and the Blood of Jesus Christ being the Blood of God will cleanse both thee and them from all your sins 2. That as God did foresee all the sins which the world should commit and yet all those could not hinder him from loving the world so that he gave his only begotten Son to death to save as many of the world as would believe and repent much less shall thy sins being the sins of the least member of the world be able to hinder God from loving thy soul and forgiving thy sins if thou dost repent and believe 3. That if he loved thee so dearly when thou wast his Enemy that he payed for thee so dear a price as the spilling of his heart blood how can he now but be gracious unto thee when to save thee will cost him but the casting of a gracious look upon thee Look nor thou therefore to the greatness of thy sins but to the infiniteness of his mercy which is so surpassing great that if thou puttest all thine own grievous sins
cleansâ—th him from all his sins and either asswage his pain or else increase his patience to endure thy blessed will and pleasure And good Lord lay no more upon him than thou shalt enable him to bear Heave him up unto thy self with those sighs aâ—d groans which cannot be expressed Make him now to feel what is the hope of his Calling and what is the exceeding greatness of thy Mercy and Power towards them that believe in thee And in his weakness O Lord shew thou thy strength Defend him against the suggestions and temptations of Satan who as he hath all his life time will now in his weakness especially seek to assail him and to devour him O save his Soul and reprove Satan and command thy holy Angels to be about him to aid him and to chase away all evil and malignant Spirits far from him Make him more and more to loath this world and to desire to be loosed and to be with Christ. And when that good hour and time shall come wherein thou hast determined to call for him out of this present life give him grace peacefully and joyfully to yield up his soul into thy merciful hands and do thou receive her into thy mercy and let thy blessed Angels carry her into thy kingdom Make his last hour his best hour his last words his best words and his last thoughts his best thoughts And when the sight of his eyes is gone and his tongue shall fail to do its office grant O Lord that his Soul may with Stephen behold Jesus Christ in Heaven ready to receive him and that thy Spirit within him may make request for him with sighs which cannot be expressed Teach us in him to read and see our own end and mortality and therefore to be careful to prepare our selves for our last ends and put our selves in a readiness against the time that thou shalt call for us in the like manner Thus Lord we recommend this our dear Brother or Sister thy sick servant unto thy eternal Grace and Mercy in that Prayer which Christ our Saviour hath taught us saying Our Father which art in heaven c. Thy grace O Lord Jesus Christ thy love O heavenly Father thy comfort and consolation O holy Spirit be with us all and especially with this thy sick servant to the end and in the end Amen Let them read often unto the sick some special Chapters of the holy Scripture as The three first Chapters of the Book of Job The 14. and 19. Chapters of Job The 34. Chapter of Deuteronomy The two last Chapters of Joshua The 17. Chapter of the first of Kings The 2 4 and 12. Chapters of the Second of Kings The 38 40 and 65. Chapters of Isaiah The History of the Passion of Christ. The 8. Chapter of the Romans The 15. Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians The fourth of the first Epistle to the Thessalonians The fifth Chapter of the second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians The first and last Chapters of St. James The 11 and 12 to the Hebrews The first Epistle of Peter The three first and the three last Chapters of the Revelations or some of these And so exhorting the sick party to wait upon God by faith and patience till he send for him and praying the Lord to send them a joyful meeting in the Kingdom of Heaven and a blessed Resurrection at the last day they may depart at their pleasure in the Peace of God Consolations against impatience in sickness IF in thy sickness by extremity of pain thou be driven to impatience meditate 1. That thy sins have deserved the pains of hell therefore thou maist with greater patience endure these fatherly Corrections 2. That these are the scourges of thy heavenly Father and the rod is in his hand If thou didst suffer with reverence being a child the correction of thy earthly Parents how much rather should'st thou now subject thy self being the Child of God to â—he chastisâ—ment of thy heavenly Father seeing it is for thine eternal good 3. That Christ suffered in his soul and body far grievo ser pains for thee therefore thou must more willingly suffer his blessed pleasure for thine own good Therefore saith Peter Christ suffered for you leaving you an example that ye should follow hiâ— steps And Let us saith S. Pauâ— run with joy the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross c. 4. That these afflictions which now you suffer are none other but such as are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world as witnesseth Peter Yea Job's afflictions were far more grievous There is not one of the Saints which now are at rest in heavenly joys but endured as much as you do before they went thither yea â—â—ny of them willingly suffered all the torments that Tyrants could inflict upon them that they might come to those heavenly 〈◊〉 whereunto you are now called And you have a promise that the God of aâ—l grace after that you have suffered a while will make you perfect stablish strengthen and settle you And that God of his fidelity will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it 5. That God hath determined the time when thy affliction shall end as well as the time when it began 38 years were appointed the sick man at Beâ—hesda's Pool Twelve Years to the Woman with the bloody Issueâ— Three months to Moses Ten days tribulation to the Angel of the Church of Smyrna Three days plague to David Yea the number of the godly man's tears are registred in God's book and the quantity kept in his bottle The time of our trouble saith Christ is but a Modicum God's Anger lasts but a moment saith David A little season saith the Lord and therefore calls all the time of our pain but the hour of sorrow Daâ—id for the swiftness thereof compares our present trouble to a Book and Aâ—â—anasius to a Shower Compare the longest misery that Man endures in this 〈◊〉 to the eternity of heavenly joys and they will appear to be nothing And as the sight of a Son safe born makes the Mâ—ther forget all her former deadly pain so the sight of Christ in Heaven who was born for thee will make all these pangs of death to be quite forgotten as if they had never been like Stephen who as soon as he saw Christ forgat his own wounds with the horror of the grave and terror of the stones and sweetly yielded his soul into the hands of his Saviour Forget thine own pain think of Christ's wounds Be faithful unto the death and he will give thee the Crown of eternal life 6. That you are
now called to Repetitions in Christ's School to see how much Faith Patience and Godliness you have learned all this while and whether you can like Job receive at the hand of God some evil as well as you have hitherto received a great deal of good As therefore you have always prayed Thy will be done so be not now offended at this which is done by his holy will 7. That all things shall work together for the best to them that love God Insomuch that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord. Assure your self that every pang is a prevention of the pains of hell every resâ—ite an earnest of Heavens rest and how many stripes do you esteem heaven worth As your life hath been a comfort to others so give your friends a Christian example to die and deceive the Devil as Job did It is but the â—â—oss of Christ sent before to crucifie the love of the World in thee that thou mâ—â—st go eternally to live with Christ who was crucified for thee As thou art therefore a true Christian take up like Simon of Cyrâ—nâ— with both thy arms his holy Cross carry it after him 〈◊〉 him thy pains will shortly pass thy joys shall never pass away Consolations against the fear of Death IF in the time of thy sickness thou findest thy self fearful to die meditate 1. That it argueth a dastardly mind to fear that which is nor For in the Church of Christ there is no death Isa. 25. 7 8. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Christ shall never die Job 11. 26. Let them fear death who live without Christ. Christians die not but when they please God they are like 〈◊〉 translated unto God Their pains are but Elijah's fiery chariot to carry them up to heaven or like Lazarâ—â—'s sores sending them to Abraham's Bosom In a word if thou be one of them that like Lazarus lovest Jesus thy sickness is not unto the death but for the glory of God who of his love changeth thy living death to an everlasting life And if mans heathen men as Socratâ—s Câ—â—tiuâ— Seneca c. died willingâ—â— when they might have lived in hâ—pe of the immortality of the soul wilt thou being traiâ—â—d so loâ—g in Châ—â—st's Schâ—ol and now câ—llâ—d to the Marriage Supper of the blessed Lâ—â—h Rev. 19 7. be one of those Guests thâ—â— refuse to go to that joyful banquet God forbid 2 Remember that thy abode here is but the second degree of thy life for after thou hadst first lived nine Months in thy Mothers Womb thou wast of necessity driven thence to live here in a second degree of life And when that number of months which God hath determined for this life are expired thou must likewise leave this and pass to a third degree in the other world which never ends Which to them that live and die in the Lord surpasseth as far this kind of life as this doth that which one lives in his Mothers Womb. To this last and excellentest degree of life through this door passed Christ himself and all his Saints that were before thee and so shall all the rest after them and thee Why shouldst thou fear that which is common to all God's Elect Why should that be uncouth to thee which was so welcom to all them Fear not death for as it is the Exodus of a bad so it is the Genesis of a better World the end of a temporal but the beginning of an eternal life 3. Consider that there are but three things that can make death so fearful unto thee 1. The loss thou hast thereby 2. The pain that is therein 3. The terrible effects which follow after All these are but false â—res and causeless fears For the first if thou leavest here uncertain goods which Thieves may rob thou shalt find in heaven a true Treasure that can never be taken away these were but lent thee as a Steward upon accounts those shall be given thee as thy reward for ever If thou leavesâ— a loâ—ing Wise thou shalt be married to Christ which is more lovely If thou leavest Children and Friends thou shalt there find all thy religious Ancestors and Children departed yea Christ and all his blessed Saints and Angels and as many of thy Children as be God's Children shall thither follow after thee Thou leavest an earthly pâ—ssession and a house of clay and thou shalt enjoy an heavenly inheritance and mansion of glory which is purchased prepared and reserved for thee What hast thou lost Nay is not death unto thee gain Go home go 〈◊〉 and we will follow after thee Secondly For the pain in death the fear of death more pains many than the very paâ—gs of death for many a Christian dies without any great pangs or pains â—itch the 〈◊〉 of thy Hope on the firm ground of the Woâ—d of God who hath promised in thy weakness to perfect his strength and not to suffer thee to be tempted above that thou art able to bear And Christ will shortly turn all thy temporal pains to his eternal joys Lastly As for the terrible effects which follow after death they belong not unto thee being a member of Christ for Christ by his death hath taken away the sting of death to the faithful so that now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus And Christ hath protested that he that believeth in him hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but haâ—â— passed from death unto life Hereupon the holy Spirit from Heaven saith Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord and that from thenceforth they rest from their labours and their works do follow them In respect therefore of the faithful death is swallowed up in victory and his sting which is sin and the punishment thereof is taken away by Christ. Hence death is called in respect of our bodies a sleep and rest In respect of our Souls a going to our heavenly Father a departing in peace a removing from this body to go to the Lord a dissolving of soul and body to be with Christ. What shall I say Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints These pains are but thy throes and travail to bring forth eternal life And who would not pass through Hell to go to Paradise much more through death There is nothing after death that thou needest feaâ— not thy sinsâ— because Chrâ—st hath payed thy ransom not the Judge for hâ— is thy loving brother not the grave 〈◊〉 iâ— is the Lord's bed not he for thy Redeemâ—r keeps the keys not the Devil for God's holy Angels pitch their Tents about thee and will not leave thee till they bring thee to Heaven Thou wast never 〈◊〉 etâ—â—nal life glorifie therefore â—â—ist by a
terrible pains and cruel torments the Apostles and Martyrs have voluntarily suffered for the Defence of Christ's Faith when they might have lived by dissembling or denying him how much more wilâ—ing should'st thou be to depart in the â—aith of Christ having 〈◊〉 pains to torment thee and â—ere 〈◊〉 to comfort thee The spiritual sigh upon the seventh Thought O Lord my sins have deserved the pains of Hell and eternal death much more these fatherly corrections wherewith thou dost afflict me But O blessed Lamb of God which takest away the sins of the world have mercy upon me and wash away all my filthy sins with thy most precious blood and receive my soul into thy heavenly Kingdom for into thy hands O Father I commend my spirit and thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of truth The sick Person ought now to send for some godly and religious Pastor IN any wise remember if conveniently it may be to send for some godly and religious Pastor not only to pray for thee at thy death for God in such a caâ—e hath promised to hear the prayers of the righteous Prophets and Elders of the Church but also upon thy confession and unfeigned Repentance to absolve thee of thy sins For as Christ hath given him a calling to baptize thee unto repentance for the remission of thy sins so hath he likewise given him a calling and power and authority upon repentance to absolve thee from the sins I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And again Verily I say unto you whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye lâ—ose on earth shall be loosed in heaven And again Receive ye the holy Ghost whose soevever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained This Doctrine was as ancient in the Church of God as Job for Elihu tells him That when God strikes a man with malâ—dy on his bed so that his soul draweth near the grace and his life to the burieâ—â— if there be any messenger with him or an interpreter one of a thousand to declare unto man his righteousness then will â—e have mercy upon him c. and answerable hereunto saith St. James if the sick have committed sins upon his repentance and the Prayers of the Elders they shall be forgiven him These have power to shut Heaven and to deliver the scandalous impenitent sinner to Satan For the weapons of their warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to cast down c. and to have vengeance in readiness against all disobedience They have the key of loosing therefore the power of absolving The Bishops and Pastors of the Church do not forgive sin by any absolute power of their own for so only Christ theâ—r Master forgive 〈◊〉 but ministerially as the seâ—vants of Christ and Stâ—wards to whose fidelity their Lord and Master â—ath committed his Keys and that is when they do declare and pronounce either publickly or privately by the Word of God what bindeth what looseth and the meâ—cieâ—â— of God to penitent sinners or his Judgments to impenitent and obstinate persons and so do apply the general promises or threatnings to the penitent or impenitent For Christ from Heaven doth by them as by his Ministers on Earth declare whom he remitteth and bindeth and to whom he will open the gates of heaven and against whom he will shut them And therefore it is not said Whose sins ye signifie to be remitted but whose sins ye remit They then do remit sins because Christ by their Ministry remitteth sins as Christ by his Disciples loosed Lazarâ—s Joh. 11. 44. And as no water could wash away Naaman's Leprosie but the waters of Jordan tho' other Rivers were as clear because the promise was annexed unto the water of Jordan and not of other Rivers so tho' another Man may pronounce the same words yet have they not the like efficacy and power to work on the conscience as when they are pronounced from the Mouth of Christ's Ministers because the promise is annexed to the Word of God in their mouths for them hath he chosen separated and sâ—t apart for this work and to them he hath committed the ministry and word of reconciliation by their holy calling and ordination they have received the holy Ghost and the ministerial power of binding and loosing They are sent forth of the holy Ghost for this work whereunto he hath called them And Christ gives his Ministers power to forgive sins to the penitent in the same words that he teacheth us in the Lord's Prayer to desire God to forgive us our sins to assure all penitent sinners that God by his Minister's absolution doth fully through the merits of Christ's Blood forgive them all their sins So that what Christ decreeth in heaven in â—oro ju â—icii the same he declareth on earth by his reconciling Ministers in foro poenitentie so â—hat as God hath reconciled the world to himself by Jesus Christ so hath he saith the Apostle given unto us the ministry of this reconciliation He that sent them to baptize saying Go and teach all nations baptizing them c. sent them also to remit sins saying As my Father sent me so send I you whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them c. As therefore none can baptize tho' he use the same water and words but only the lawful Minister which Christ hath called and authorized to this Divine and Ministerial Function so tho' others may comfort with good words yet none can absolve from sin but only those to whom Christ â—ath committed the holy Ministry and Word of reconciliation and of their absolution Christ speaketh He that heareth you heareth me In a doubtful Title thou wilt ask the Counsel of a skilful Lawyer In peril of sickness thou wilt know the Advice of the learned Physician and is there no danger in dread of damnation for a sinner to be his own Judge Judicious Calvin teacheth this point of Doctrine most plainly Etsi omnes mutuo â—â—s debeamus consolari c. Altho saith he â—e ought to comfort and confirm one another â—n the confidence of God's Mercy yet we see that the Ministers are appointed as witnesses and sureties to ascertain our Consciences of the â—emission of sins insomuch as they are said tyremit sins and to loose souls Let every faithful man therefore remember that it is his duty if inwardly he be vexed and afflicted with the sense of his sins not to neglect that remedy which is offered unto him by the Lord to wit that for the easing of his conscience he make private confession of
true believing Christian may in this life be assured of his salvation Rom. 8. 9 16 35 c. 18. That no man in this life since Adam's fall can perfectly fulfil the Commandments of God Rom. 7. 10 c. Rom. 3. 19 c. Rom. 11. 32. 19. That to place Religion in the difference of meats and days is superstition Rom. 14. 3. 5 6 17 23. 20. That the imputed righteousness of Christ is that only that makes us just before God Rom. 4. 9 17 23. 21. That Christ's flesh was made of the Seed of David by Incaâ—nation not of a Wafer Cake by Transubstantiation Rom. 1. 3. 22. That all true Christians are Saints and not those whom the Pope only doth Canonize Rom. 1. 7. Rom 8. 27. Rom. 15. 31. Rom. 16. 2. and 15. Rom. 15. 25. 23. That Ipse Christ the God of Peace and not Ipsa the Woman should bruise the Serpent's Head Rom. 16. 20. 24. That every soul must of conscience be subject and pay Tribute to the higher powers that is the magistrates which bear the Sword Rom. 13. 1 2. c. and therefore the Pope and all Prelates must be subject to their Emperors Kings and Magistrates unless they will bring damnation upon their souls as Traitors that resist God and his Ordinance Rom. 13. 2. 25. That Paul not Peter was ordained by the grace of God to be the chief Apostle of the Gentiles and consequently of Rome the chief City of the Gentiles Rom. 15. 15 16 19 20 c. Rom 11. 14. Rom. 16. 4. 26. That the Church of Rome may err and fall away from the true Faith as well as the Church of Jerusalem or any other particular Church Rom. 11. 20 21 22. And seeing the new upstart Church of Rome teacheth in all these and in innumerable other points clean contrary to that which the Apostle taught the Primitive Romans let God and this Epistle judge betwixt them and us whether of us both stands in the true ancient Catholick Faith which the Apostle taught the old Romans And whether we have not done well to depart from them so far as they have departed from the Apostles Doctrine And whether it be not better to return to St. Paul's Truth than still to continue in Rome's Error And if this be true then let Jesuites and Seminary Priests take heed and fear lest it be not faith but faction not truth but treason not Religion but Rebellion beginning at Tiber and ending at Tyburn which is the cause of their deaths And being sent from a troublesome Apostatical See rather than from a peaceable Apostolical Seat because they cannot be suffered to perswade Subjects to break their Oaths and to withdraw their Allegiance from their Sovereign to raise Rebellion to move Invasion to stab and poison Queens to kill and murther Kings to blow up whole States with Gun powder they desperately cast away their own bodies to be hanged quartered and their souls saved if they belong to God I wish such honour to all his Saints that sends them And I have just cause to fear that the miracles of Lipsius's Two Ladies Blunstone's Boy Garnet's Straw and the Maid's fiery Apron will not suffice to clear that these men are not Murtherers of themselves rather than Martyrs of Christ. And with what conscience can any Papist count Garnet a Martyr when his own conscience forced him to conâ—ess that it was for Treason and not for Religion that he died But if the Priests of such a Gunpowder Gospel be Martyrs I marvel who are Murtherers if they be Saints who are Scythians who are Canibals if they be Catholicks But leaving these if they will be filthy to their filthiness still let us to whose fidelity the Lord hath committed his true faith as a precious depositum pray unto God that we 〈◊〉 lead a holy life answerable to our holy faith in piety to Christ and obedience to oâ—r King that if our Saviour shall ever count us worthy that honour to suffer Martyrdom for his Gospel's sake be it by open burning at the stake as in Q. Mary's days or by secret murthering as in the Inquisition-house or by outragious massacring as in the Parisians Mattens in being blown up with Gun-powder as was intended in the Parliament-House we may have grace to pray for the assistance of his holy Spirit so to strengthen our frailty and to defend his cause as that we may seal with our deaths the evangelical truth which we have professed in our lives That in the days of our lives we may be blessed by his word in the day of Death be blessed in the Lord and in the day of judgment be the blessed of his Father Even so grant Lord Jesus Amen A Divine Colloquy betwixt the Soul and her Saviour concerning the effectual merits of his dolorous Passion Soul LOrd wherefore didst thou wash thy Disciples feet Christ To teach thee how thou shouldest prepare thy self to come to my Supper S. Lord why would'st thou wash them thy self C. To teach thee humility if thou wilt be my Disciple S. Lord wherefore didst thou before thy death institute thy last Supper C. That thou mightest the better remember my death and be assured that all the merits thereof are thine S. Lord wherefore would'st thou go to such a place where Judas knew to find thee C. That thou mightest know that I went as willingly to suffer for thy sin as ever thou wentest to any place to commit a sin S. Lord wherefore would'st thou begin thy passion in a Garden C. Because that in a Garden thy sin took first beginning S. Lord wherefore did thy three select Disciples fall so fast asleep when thou beganst to fall into thy agony C. To shew that I alone wrought the work of thy Redemption S. Lord why were there so many plots and snares laid for thee C. That I might make thee to escape all the snares of thy Ghostly Hunter S. Lord why would'st thou suffer Judas betraying thee to kiss thee C. That by enduring the words of dissembling Lips I might there begin to expiate sin where 〈◊〉 find brought it into the world S. Lord why would'st thee be sold for thiâ—ty pieces of Silver C. That I might free thee from perpetual bondage S. Lord why didst thou pray with such strâ—ng crying and tears C. That I might 〈◊〉 the fury of God's Justice which was so fiercely kindled against thee S. Lord why wast thou so afraid and cast â—nto such an Aâ—â—ny C. That 〈◊〉 the â—rath due to thy sins thou mightest be more secure in thy deâ—â—h and 〈◊〉 more comfort in thy crosse S. Lord wherâ—fâ—re 〈…〉 and so earnestly 〈…〉 〈◊〉 thee C. That 〈…〉 the horrour of that curseâ—◠〈…〉 being due to thy sin I was 〈…〉 and endure for thee S. Lord wherefore didst thou after 〈◊〉 wish submit thy will unto
fruit thou didst hang on the cursed tree I plaid the glutton and thou didst fast evil concupiscence drew me to eat the pleasaâ—â— apple and perfect charity led thee to drink of the bitter cup I assayed the sweetness of the fruit and thou didst taste the bitterness of the gall Foolish Eve smiled when I laughed but blessed Mary wept when thy heart bled died O my God here I see thy goodness and my badness thy justice and my injustice the impiety of my flesh and the piety of thy nature And now O blessed Lord thou hast endured all this for my sake what shall I render unto thee for all thy benefits bestowed upon me a sinful soul Indeed Lord I acknowledge that I owe thee already for my creation more than I am able to pay for I am in that respect bound with all my powers and affections to love and adore thee If I owed my self unto thee for giving me my self in my creation what shall I now render to thee for giving thy self for me to so cruel a death to procure my Redemption Great was the benefit that thou wouldest create me of nothing but what tongue can express the greatness of this grace that thou didst redeem me with so dear a price when I was worse than nothing Surely Lord if I cannot pay the thanks I owe thee and who can pay thee who bestowest thy graces without respect of merit or regard of measure it is the abundance of thy blessings that makes me such a bankrupt that I am so far unable to pay the principal that I cannot possibly pay so much as the interest of thy love But O my Lord thou knowest that since the loss of thine Image by the fall of my first unhappy Parents I cannot love thee with all my might and mind as I should therefore as thou didst first cast thy love upon me when I was a child of wrath and a lump of the lost and condemned world so now I beseech thee shed abroad thy love by thy Spirit through all my faculties and affections that though I can never pay thee in that measure of love which thou hast deserved yet I may endeavour to repay thee in such a manner as thou vouchsafest to accept in mercy that I may in truth of heart love my neighbour for thy sake and love thee above all for thine own sake Let nothing be pleasant unto me but that which is pleasing unto thee And sweet Saviour suffer me never to be lost or cast away whom thou hast bought so dearly with thine own most precious blood O Lord let me never forget thine infinite love and this unspeakable benefit of my Redemption without which it had been better for me never to have been than to have any being And seeing that thou hast vouchsafed me the assistance of thy holy Spirit suffer me O heavenly Father who art the Father of Spirits in the meditation of thy Son to speak a few words in the ears of my Lord. If thou O Father despisest me for mine iniquities as I have deserved yet be merciful unto me for the merits of thy Son who so much for me hath suffered What if thou seest nothing in me but misery which might move anger and passion Yet behold the merits of thy Son and thou shalt see enough to move thee to mercy and compassion Behold the mystery of his incarnation and remit the misery of my transgression And as oft as the wounds of thy Son appear in thy sight O let the woes of my sins be hid from thy presence As oft as the redness of his blood glisters in thine eyes O let the guiltiness of my sins be blotted out of thy Book The wantonness of my flesh provoked thee unto wrath O let the chastity of his flesh perswade thee to mercy that as my flesh seduced me to sin so his flesh may reduce me unto thy favour My disobedience hath deserved a great revenge but his obedience merits a greater weight of mercy for what can man deserve to suffer which God made man cannot merit to have forgiven When I consider the greatness of thy passion then do I see the trueness of that saying That Christ came into the world to save the chiefest sinners Dâ—rest thou O Cain say that thy sins are greater than may be forgiven Thou lâ—est like a murtherer the mercies of one Christ are able to forgive a world of Cains if they 'll believe repent The sins of all sinners are finite the mercies of God are infinite Therefore O Father for the death and passions sake which thy Son Jesu Christ hath suffer'd for me I have now remembred to thee pardon and forgive thou unto me all my sins deliver me from the curse vengeance which they have justly deserved through his merits make me O Lord a partaker of thy mercy It is thy mercy that I so earnestly knock for neither shall mine importunity cease to call and knock with the man that would borrow the loaves until thou arise and open unto me thy gates of grace And if thou wilt not bestow on me thy loaves yet O Lord deny me not the crums of thy mercy and those shall suffice thy hungry hand-mind And seeing thou reqâ—i est nothing for thy benefits but that I love thee in the truth of my inward heart whereof a new creature is the truest outward testimony and that it is as easie for thee to make me a new creature as to bid me to be such create in me O Christ a new heart and renew in me a right spirit and then thou shalt see how mortifying old Adam and his corrupt lust I will serve thee as thy new creature in a new life after a new way with a new tongue and new manners with new words and new works to the glory of thy Name and the winning other sinful souls unto thy Faith by my devout example Keep me for ever O my Saviour from the torments of hell and tyranny of the Devil And when I am to depart this life send thy holy Angels to carry me as they did the soul of Lazarus into thy Kingdom Receive me into that joyful Paradise which thou didst promise to thâ— penitent thief which at his last gasp upon the Cross so devoutly begg'd thy mercy and admission into thy Kingdom Grant this O Christ for thy own Name 's sake to whom as is most due I ascribe all glory and honour praise and dominion both now and for ever Amen FINIS * 1 Tim. 6. 15. Rev. 12. 13. †1 Sam. 20. 20. * 2 Chron. 34. 3. * Qui monet ut facias quod jam facis ipse moneâ— do Laudat hortatu comprobat acta suo 2 Cor. 8. 7. Matth. 15. 1. 2. Tim. 2. 4. * Exemplum accidit mulieris Domino teste quae Theatrum adiit inde cum daemonio â—â—diit Itaque in exorcismo cùm oneraretur immundus spiritus quod ausus est fidelem aggredi