induced by his Precepts his Mercy his Omniscience his Omnipresence and the Consideration of my own Weakness and God's infinite Protection Such a Fear brings me Spiritual Wisdom Protection Blessing from God Joy in my Soul Pardon of my Sins past and Grace to withstand Temptations for the time to come Thirdly I must pray to him and to none but him and this is a sign that I love and fear him My Saviour has bid me serve him only and God is jealous of his Honour I must not say O Saint pray to my Father to help me but Our Father which art in Heaven c. If I be a penitent Sinner God has promised to hear me if I be impenitent the Saints will not pray for me To obtain God's Ear I need no Spokes-man but a Devout Mind He alone can help me he will help me when he sees fit he knows the fittest time to help me in my Prayers do certainly reach his Ears he knows what I want better than I do he alone corrects me and I am sure he loves me Fourthly I must acknowledge him to be the sole Governour of all things in the World and therefore I must trust in him He gave me all that I have and therefore I ought to be thankful to him Lord have Mercy upon me and incline my Heart to keep this Law. Command II. Thou shalt not make to thy self any Graven Image c. HEre I am told that no Images of God are to be made I may make an Image or Picture of my King or my Friend for a civil Use but I must neither represent God by any likeness nor make any use of any Picture or Image in my Devotion I must not bow down to any Image that I make for the Gentiles could say We do not adore these Statues which are made of Brass Iron Wood or Stone but by them we do honour to the invisible Gods yet the goodness of their intention did not excuse the Wickedness of their Act For he is the Lord my God therefore I must serve him after the manner that he directs me He is a jealous God and will not suffer the least part of his Honour to be given to any other Being He will punish me to the Third and Fourth Generation if I obey him not and if my Posterity continue to do the same and he has Mercy in store for Thousands of such as love him and keep his Commandments Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command III. Thou shalt not take the Name c. AFter God has confined my Heart to him alone he here claims Reverence from my Tongue I must not take his Name in vain His Essence his Mysteries his Words his Commands must be reverenced not used foolishly rashly fallaciously or falsly which implys that they may be used upon a Solemn and Lawful Account I must forbear all Blasphemies Tavern-Oaths Street-Oaths Shop-Oaths and all Forged Oaths and Cursing and Banning And if these be so odious to be sure all deliberate Perjuries must be abundantly worse If I keep not up the Honour and Majesty of his Name I shall not be held guiltless all my sins shall be imputed to me and then I am sure to be damned and therefore Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command IV. Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath Day c. I Must publickly as well as privately give Worship and Honour to the Name of my God and that on all days but particularly on the Sabbath day because God rested on that day from the Creation of the World that I may admire the Handy-Work of God praise and honour him first and give my self that day wholly to him in hearing his Word praying to and praising him and receiving the Sacraments these are the publick Duties of the day but there are also Private ones to be done such as Private Examination and Prayer calling our Families to an Account Meditating on what we have heard Catechizing our Servants or Children Reading the Scriptures and making Charitable Visits to the Sick. If I thus call all to an Account once a Week I may keep my Family as well as my own Soul in Order though indeed my private Reckonings should be oftner made The Iews kept it Saturday but I on the Lords day because that day was honoured with my Saviours Resurrection If I have no Calling I have the more time to serve my God and to do good to others but if I have one God who has a Right to all my time has left me six days in seven to my particular Employment and yet any one of these six may be sanctified to God upon any particular Occasion but the Sabbath is his and therefore I must do none but his Work on that day none but what Necessity compels Charity enforces Piety commands or Duty to God enjoins Lord have Mercy upon us c. Command V. Honour thy Father and thy Mother c. BEsides my Duty to God I owe a Duty to man whether I am a superiour equal or inferiour The Words Father and Mother include all superiours as well a Civil Parent the King and his Magistrates a Master a Mistriss or an Husband and an Ecclesiastical Parent the Bishop and Ministers as the natural Parent that begat and bore thee To all these I owe Reverence and Obedience Service and Maintenance Love and Honour And I must have from my Natural Father Maintenance Education Instruction Correction and Blessing From my King Justice Reforming Abuses in Religion Encouragement to the Good Punishment to the Bad From my Husband Love Direction Maintenance and Protection From my Master or Mistress Instruction Food Correction Wages From my Minister a good Example and wholesome Administration of Spiritual Things I must observe to do all this according to my station that God may give me long Life in the Land. And though there are many Good Persons who have but short Lives yet if this Precept be true for the most part it is sufficient And he that is the soonest taken out of this Life loseth nothing because he is translated to a better Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command VI. Thou shalt do no Murder GOD having secured my Superiour now he takes care of my Equals or Inferiours I am to kill no body neither in mind by Anger Envy Hatred Malice nor in deed either by my Tongue by Murdering their Reputation or by my Hand directly striking them to death or indirectly by Usuring Oppression keeping harmful Cattle committing Bastard Children to such as will take no care of them or the like But on the contrary my mind must be peaceable ready to prevent Mischiefs apt to forgive Wrongs Long-suffering c. The punishment due to the Breach of this Precept is Eye for Eye Tooth for Tooth Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command VII Thou shalt not Commit Adultery HEre I am Commanded to abstain from defiling my Neighbour's Wife and indeed I am forbidden all kind of Uncleanness
either in Act or in Thought the sins whereof I shall not here reckon up And here I am Commanded all Chastity Sobriety and Temperance least I fall into them In short I must banish all Wanton Desires use all sober Means to keep my Body Chast and whenever I am tempted never to give way to it Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command VIII Thou shalt not steal THis Precept secures every mans Goods to him and therefore I must neither keep nor sue for that which is another Mans. I must not cheat steal rob or borrow with an intent never to pay again but must be content with my own Estate suffer every one to enjoy his own quietly pay every Man his full Due be just in my Dealings frugal in my Expences lest I spend that which is not mine restore what I have unjustly gotten and strive to do good with what I have Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command IX Thou shalt not bear false Witness c. ANd as I must not wrong my Neighbour in his Estate so I am not to take away his good Name but in all things I must speak the Truth nay I am bound to speak Charitably of my Neighbour and when I am called to be a Witness before a Lawful Magistrate I cannot be too cautious of what I say See the Third Commandment for a Larger Exposition on this Lord have Mercy upon me c. Command X. Thou shalt not Covet c. THis Commandment strikes deeper than all the rest it plucks up the Root and destroys the Seed of all Injustice and Uncharitableness As I must not take so I must not desire any thing that is my Neighbour's and if I never desire it I shall never wrong any Person What was hinted at before is now plainly spoken Here God reaches my Thoughts and most inward Intentions I must not covet nor desire other Men's Goods I must subdue all my Craving Lusts and mortify all the secret Inclinations of my perverse Nature Lord have Mercy upon me and write all these thy Laws in my Heart I most humbly and heartily beseech thee DEVOTIONS A Prayer to be said in the Morning O Most Gracious and Loving Father I the vilest of Sinners do acknowledge mine Unworthyness either to ask any thing of thee or to appear before thee For O Lord as I was conceived in Sin and brought forth in Iniquity so ever since as thou hast multiplyed the number of my days I have encreased the measure of my sins that if thou enter into Judgment with me to me belongeth nothing but Shame and Confusion both of Body and Soul yet O Gracious Father since thy Loving Mercy hath granted me so long time of Repentance and given thine only Son to suffer for me and to reconcile me unto thee Lord grant that I may feel the Comfort of the one and enjoy the Benefit of the other And though my Heart is so hardned with a constant Custom of sinning that I am not able to think a good Thought much less to turn heartily and penitently unto thee yet I humbly beg of thee to lay before mine Eyes such a sight of my Sins and such a Prospect of thy Judgments that I loathing the former and standing in awe of the latter may be drawn unto thy Son Jesus Christ who has most graciously promised Rest and Refreshment to those that are heavy laden with the Conscience and Burden of their Sins O Lord I beseech thee accept the Death of thy Son as sufficient Satisfaction for all my Sins and grant that I may feel the same effectually working in me a Death unto Sin killing in me the Lusts of the Old Adam Seal up in me the Truth of his Resurrection by raising me up to the Life of Righteousness that I may give my Soul and Body an holy living and acceptable Sacrifice unto thee which is but a reasonable Service And because that whilst I carry about me this earthly Tabernacle this body of Sin my whole Life is nothing but a continual Rebellion against thee I earnestly implore such a Measure of thy good Spirit as may work a Newness of Life in me and drive away the darkness of my Understanding that I may see the Way wherein I ought to walk subdue the Rebellion of my Will that it may submit to thy Commandments and correct my untamed Affections calling them from Hunting after Vanities to delight in thy Testimonies Give me also an Hope of thy Promises a Love of thy Majesty a tender Affection towards my Brethren a Care of my Duty and what other Graces thou knowest needful for a Member of Christ that thus I may live in thy Fear to the Honour and Glory of thy Name I may die in thy Favour to the Comfort of my Conscience and may receive the end of my Faith which is the Salvation of my Soul through the Merits and Mediation of Iesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Furthermore O Lord I give thee most hearty Thanks for all thy Benefits bestowed upon me from the beginning of my days to this present time namely that thou hast Elected me before the Foundations of the World were laid Created me after thine own Image and Similitude Redeemed me by Iesus Christ's Death and Resurrection Sanctified me by the inward working of thy Holy Spirit and in due and convenient Time called me to the Knowledge of my Election Creation Redemption and Sanctification by the Preaching of the Gospel O Lord encrease day unto my years so grant that in the same I may grow in Grace and in the Knowledge of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ In whose name for these and for what ever else thy infinite Wisdom knows to be convenient for me I humbly Pray as he in compassion of mine infirmities hath taught me saying Our Father which art in Heaven Hallowed be thy Name thy Kingdom come thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that Trespass against us And lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from Evil for thine is the Kingdom the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen A Prayer to be said in the Evening O Most Gracious and Loving Father I the vilest of Sinners do acknowledge mine Unworthyness either to ask any thing of thee or to appear before thee For O Lord as I was conceived in Sin and brought forth in Iniquity so ever since as thou hast multiplyed the number of my days I have encreased the measure of my sins that if thou enter into Judgment with me to me belongeth nothing but Shame and Confusion both of Body and Soul yet O Gracious Father since thy Loving Mercy hath granted me so long time of Repentance and given thine only Son to suffer for me and to reconcile me unto thee Lord grant that I may feel the Comfort of the one and enjoy the Benefit of the other And though my
Heart is so hardned with a constant Custom of sinning that I am not able to think a good Thought much less to turn heartily and penitently unto thee yet I humbly beg of thee to lay before mine Eyes such a sight of my Sins and such a Prospect of thy Judgments that I loathing the former and standing in awe of the latter may be drawn unto thy Son Jesus Christ who has most graciously promised Rest and Refreshment to those that are heavy laden with the Conscience and Burden of their Sins O Lord I beseech thee accept the Death of thy Son as sufficient Satisfaction for all my Sins and grant that I may feel the same effectually working in me a Death unto Sin killing in me the Lusts of the Old Adam Seal up in me the Truth of his Resurrection by raising me up to the Life of Righteousness that I may give my Soul and Body an holy living and acceptable Sacrifice unto thee which is but a reasonable Service And because that whilst I carry about me this earthly Tabernacle this body of Sin my whole Life is nothing but a continual Rebellion against thee I earnestly implore such a Measure of thy good Spirit as may work a Newness of Life in me and drive away the darkness of my Understanding that I may see the Way wherein I ought to walk subdue the Rebellion of my Will that it may submit to thy Commandments and correct my untamed Affections calling them from Hunting after Vanities to delight in thy Testimonies Give me also an Hope of thy Promises a Love of thy Majesty a tender Affection towards my Brethren a Care of my Duty and what other Graces thou knowest needful for a Member of Christ that thus I may live in thy Fear to the Honour and Glory of thy Name I may die in thy Favour to the Comfort of my Conscience and may receive the end of my Faith which is the Salvation of my Soul through the Merits and Mediation of Iesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour Furthermore O Lord I give thee most hearty Thanks for all thy Benefits bestowed upon me from the beginning of my days to this present time namely that thou hast Elected me before the Foundations of the World were laid Created me after thine own Image and Similitude Redeemed me by Iesus Christ's Death and Resurrection Sanctified me by the inward working of thy Holy Spirit and in due and convenient Time called me to the Knowledge of my Election Creation Redemption and Sanctification by the Preaching of the Gospel O Lord encrease these Blessings in me and my Thankfulness for them that I may grow from Vertue to Vertue from Strength to Strength from Faith to Faith till I come to that perfect Age that thou hast appointed me to grow in Christ Iesus I thank thee also O my God for all the temporal Blessings which thou hast bestowed upon me I have been cast upon thee ever since I was born thou art my Portion and the lifter up of my head I have none in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire in comparison of thee And now O Lord pardon the weakness of my thankfulness and grant that the meditation on these and all other thy Benefits may draw me to a true and hearty Repentance Grant that I seeing thee by so many and so great Testimonies to be my most dear and loving Father may at length cease to be an obstinate and rebellious Child And now O God having passed through the Works of this day being that the Frailties of my Flesh must needs have offended thy Majesty and I had fallen into most grievous sins if thy Grace had not prevented me I beseech thee O Lord let not the Sun go down upon thy wrath but as the darkness of the Night covers the face of the Earth so let my sins be hidden under the Veil of my Saviour's Flesh and buried in his Death that they never rise up again either here to shame me or hereafter to damn me That my Soul and Conscience being freed from the accusation of sin may partake with my body in quiet rest Let thy Gracious Providence O God watch over me for my Defence this Night and make me remember that as I lay down my body to rest so it shall be laid down in the Grave to be consumed to Earth from whence it was taken that Meditation may drive from me all vain Dreams all idle Fancies and wicked Imaginations that I may enjoy thine Ordinance of sleep soberly and quietly for the refreshing of my weak body and that I may rise again in the Morning to serve thee in the station wherein thou hast placed me walking always as becometh a Child of Light and as one that looks for the coming of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ In whose Name for these Mercies and what ever else thou knowest to be convenient for me I humbly Pray as he in compassion of my infirmities hath taught me saying Our Father which art c. A Prayer against the Temptation of the Flesh to any particular Sin. O GOD by whose only Power it is that Man Triumphs over all the Adversaries of his Salvation I acknowledge the Frailty of my own Nature that it is not only prone to the pleasures of sin but leads my Soul also captive to commit it tho' it be contrary to that Conscience or Spiritual Light that thou hast given me my weakness being too easily overcome I beseech thee whose strength appeareth in our infirmities to shew thy might in saving me from mine Enemies who have pitched their Tents round about me My Soul O Lord lieth as among Lions hungring and thirsting after my Blood who have whet their Teeth and opened their Mouths to devour me But thou O God who art of more Honour and Might awake for my defence Make haste O God to help me and hide me under the shadow of thy Wings until that Tyranny be over-past I am afraid of Satan that subtile and old Serpent with whom the World and the Flesh have conspired against me They have enticed away my outward senses and have won my corrupt affections so that they fight against me with my own weapons Whither then shall I flee for succour The World is spread abroad like a Net to ensnare me the flesh is an Iron Chain to bind me and my senses and affections are confederate with sin to betray me thus the Gates of Hell are prevailed against me and my sins have taken such hold upon me that they say Surely there is no help for him in his God. Nevertheless I have lifted up mine Eyes unto the Hills and will hope still in thy Salvation Tho' the Serpent is subtile yet the Son of God is Wisdom Tho' the World does entice me yet Heaven is my Inheritance Tho' the Flesh strives yet in the Cross of Christ I shall overcome Tho' mine Affections are unruly yet his Death will tame them And tho' Hell rage