and Family to an account for what you have read or heard and explain the same to them This is commended to us by the Practice and Example of our Lord himself who when he was come home said unto his Disciples Mat. 13.5 Have you understood all these things viz. that he had preached to the Multitude And Mark 4.34 When they were alone he expounded all things to his Disciples Whereupon one observeth That Christ by his Example doth instruct every Master of a Family how to carry himself in reference to those under his charge on the Lord's day after their departure from the publick Congregation A treble Benefit will follow hereupon 1. In respect to our selves for the more you build up others the more your selves are built up in Knowledge Faith and every Grace of God 2. In respect of your Children and Servants for it will make them to hearken more attentively to what is in publick delivered when they know they shall be called to an Account for the same at home 3. It will help much to the understanding and believing of what is heard if at home you repeat it conferr of it and examine the Proofs made use of for its Confirmation 2. Singing of Psalms is another Duty to be performed this day in our Families as well as in the Church Holy David that sweet Singer of Israel recommends it to us Psal 92. the Title of that Psalm is A Psalm or Song for the Sabbath and it begins thus It is good to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name O thou most high For the manner of performing this Duty we have the Apostle's Direction in these words singing with grace in your hearts unto the Lord. 1. It must be in or with the heart that is our hearts must go with our Voices the one must be lift up as well as the other for God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in our Hearts and Spirits as well as with our Bodies Truly singing with the Voice without concurrence of the Heart and Spirit is no more pleasing to God than a sounding Brass and tinkling Cymball 2. As we must sing in the heart so with Grace in the heart i. e. we must exercise the Graces of God's Spirit as well as in praying labouring to express the same Affection in singing a Psalm as David in the penning of it If it be a Psalm of Prayers and Petitions then must our Affections be fervent if a Psalm of Praises and Thanksgiving then must our Affections be chearful Thus must the Affections of the Heart be suitable to the Quality of the Psalm 3. Another Family-Duty is Prayer for if this Duty ought to be performed every day twice at least viz. Morning and Evening then more especially on the Lord's day a day wholly dedicated to the Worship and Service of God CHAP. X. Of resorting to the Evening Sacrifice WHen it is now almost time to repair to the Evening Service call as many of your Servants as can be well spared that they may accompany you to the publick Assembly command their Bodies though you cannot their Souls And it may not be amiss but right edifying if some one Person read a Psalm suitable to the present undertaking of going to worship God such as the 84. Psal or the 119 th one or two parts of it being taken at a time as occasion shall serve to which reading all ought reverently to attend And this being done let the same Rules and Directions which were given touching going to Church in the Morning be observed in the Evening and let all as before resort to the publick worship where your carriage ought to be the same as was before directed Surely unless you and your House appear thus the second time before God you cannot be said duly to sanctify the Lord's Day but only to do it by halves And now to move you to this duty Consider you are bound in justice to God to do it Because God hath set a day not a piece of a day apart for himself and we should be more afraid to steal away God's time than to steal away Mans Goods the one is Theft but the other Sacriledge God Almighty hath consecrated to his own Service the seventh part of our time but if you come only in the Morning you give him but the 14 th part of it nay I fear too many spare him only that time which their Morning attendance takes up in our publick Assembly on the Lord's Day Now I appeal to thy own Conscience Christian Brother Whether it be a meet and fit thing that rational Persons Created by God redeemed by Christ should afford to the Worship and Service of Christ and the great Concern of their immortal Souls but two hours at the most on the Lord's day and that time perhaps spent in a formal customary cold heartless Worship of the infinitely holy and just Deity the tremendous impartial Judge both of Angels and Men. The Jews kept a whole day holy in a grateful Memory of the lesser benefit of the Creation and their Deliverance out of Aegypt and shall we grudge to spend a whole day in remembrance of our Deliverance from Hell and Death eternal We have not only greater Motives but we have greater Means they had only Moses and the Prophets but we have Christ and the Gospel they had the Shadow we the Substance And shall we that have more Means and Helps put God off with less Duty smaller Service and shorter Performances Nay the very Heathens guided by the Light of Nature gave whole Days to their Dunghill Deities and shall we Christians refuse it to a true God You give your Bodies two Meals a-day and will you feed your Souls but once It was a rational Discourse of Joseph to his Mistress Gen. 39.9 My Master hath kept nothing from me but thee because thou art his Wife how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against my God God hath kept no Days in the Week from us but only the First Day because it is his Sabbath how can we do this great Wickedness then and sin against him Nathan's Parable to David may be applied to thee O thou most prophane Sabbath-breaker Hath God only one Day which he hath kept to himself and sanctified to his Service and laid as it were in his Bosom and shall Men be so unworthy when their Hearts tempt them to Vanity even to take this day to please and gratifie their own corrupt hearts in When they are rich in time and have six days for themselves To entrench upon the Lord's Day it is something too much Nay as it is unreasonable so is it plainly contradictory to our own Prayers that day for upon every Lord's Day Morning as we make it our open Confession so likewise a publick Prayer after the reading of the Fourth Commandment Lord have mercy upon me and incline my heart to keep this Law As much as to say Lord we
not mine Ears listned unto filthy Communication And my taste delighted it self in Gluttony and Drunkenness 5. Have I been so truly thankful for God's Mercies as I ought to have been 6. Have not I this Week omitted my Prayers Slovered them over or suffered my thoughts to wander in them Lastly Have not I been guilty of some crying Sin that might justly cause God to reject them These Queries proposed and thy Heart O Christian upon Enquiry declaring thee guilty with me say Of these and all my other Sins that I have committed from my youth up unto this present day I most heartily repent me O Lord my God! and I am truly sorry for every thought word and act by which I have provoked thy wrath and indignation against me especially for my disobedience of so holy a Law and extream ingratitude to so bountiful a Lord. O God I do acknowledge my self unworthy the least of thy Mercies and obnoxious to the greatest of thy Judgments but thou hast revealed thy self a God of Pity and Compassion for giving the Iniquities of such as truly repent and acquitting those that voluntarily acquit themselves Wherefore with a penitent and contrite Heart I confess my own guiltiness resolving patiently to bear whatsoever affliction thou laist upon me for my Sins hoping for Pardon through the alone Mercies of our Saviour Christ And now O most gracious and liberal Benefactor with my whole strength and faculties of Soul and Body I praise and magnify thy name for thy great and innumerable benefits proceeding purely from thy bounty and intended wholly for my good Particularly for preserving the this Week in the midst of so many dangers incident to my condition and delivering me from so many Calamities and Miseries due to my Sins Thou art my Creator O my God! and gracious Protector thou art the ultimate end of my being and the supream perfection of my Nature and under the shadow of thy Wings is my perpetual repose from the Light of thy Countenance flows Eternal Joy and Felicity To Thee be Glory and Honour Adoration and Praise from all Creatures now and for evermore Amen And since thou hast ordained us the day to labour in and the night to take our rest as I praise thee for the blessings of the day past so I beseech thee for thy Protection this Night Let the Eye of thy Providence watch over me and thy holy Angels pitch their Tent about me that being safely delivered from all dangers and comfortably refreshed with moderate sleep I may be the better enabled to perform the employment of my condition and faithfully persevere in the duties of thy Service to my Lifes end Amen Beware of sitting up late your self on the Saturday Night or of causing others to do so Lest when you go into the House of God to join with the multitude in Prayer you are fitter to sleep than pray differing little from the dead Bodies asleep in their Graves The one sleeps above the Earth the other underneath it And when you are laid in your Bed let not your mind run on Worldly thoughts but think of the infinite Majesty of God that you are then to meet think of the great weight and importance of the holy Ordinances then vouchsafed you how they concern thy Salvation or Damnation thy Everlasting Life or Death Meditate on the short time thou hast to enjoy the Sabbath in how near thy Life is to an end how easily God can take down this Earthly Tabernacle how there is no working no labour no striving in the other World to which thou art going and continue thus musing till the fire of Meditation begin to burn If thou thus leavest thy Heart with God on Saturday Night no doubt but you will find it with him the next Morning CHAP. II. Of Awaking with God AS soon as sleep hath unseal'd thine Eyes lift up thy Soul in Thanksgiving to thy Maker for preserving thee that night and affording thee a good beginning of a new day especially a Sabbath day to labour for his Glory and the good of thine own Soul And that you may be incited to perform this Act of praise consider these several motives 1. That perhaps many others not so sinful as thy self have been hurried from their Beds to the Bar of Judgment from a Bed of Down they have been cast into a Bed of Flames yet God in his infinite Mercy hath spared you until now to Repent and prepare your Accounts 2. Consider that many others are visited by God Almighty with Sickness so that they cannot serve God in the Publick Assemblies while you enjoy your health and free liberty to go with the multitude into his Courts 3. Consider that you are now brought to the beginning of another day which when past you shall never see again Thou maist possibly see more Sabbath Days but that space of time when the Sun is once set thou shalt never see again any more How careful then should'st thou be to improve this Day so that it may turn to the best account Solomon sends Man to School to the Ant to learn this good Husbandry Prov. 6.6 7 8. Oh that we were as wise for the Bread of Life that came down from Heaven as the poor Pismire for Bread that springs out of the Earth The Sabbath is an Harvest and he that sleeps away his time in Harvest is a Son that causeth shame The Seaman or Mariner observes his Wind and Tide otherwise he cannot get to his intended Harbour but Seasons of Grace are not like the Tides of which if you miss one you may get another How careful then shouldst thou be to improve every Minute Our Saviour Christ said to his Disciples concerning the Loaves and Fishes Gather up the Fragments that nothing be lost The like advice I give you concerning the Lord's Day Gather up the Parcels thereof Let no part of it be lost no not the least Minutes which are pretious to this end Spiritualize all the objects you meet with in the Day as thus When first awake think that God Almighty can as easily awaken you out of your Graves from the sleep of Death as he hath in your Beds from the sleep of Nature Let the rising out of your Beds put you in mind of the Resurrection And when you see the Sun Let your Meditation be That if the rising of one Sun be so glorious how glorious will that day be when so many thousands of Bodies far brighter than the Sun shall appear to accompany Christ at the great Assizes Consider that this great Star must run in one Day ten or twelve Millions of Leagues and shall you make no progress in Virtue Consider that unwearied Harbinger is gone to take you up a Lodging in the Grave each Minute is so much deducted from your Life Follow therefore the Counsel of the Son of God Work while it is Day for the Night cometh when no Man can work Let not then this Light burn in vain but
THE Country-Curate's ADVICE TO HIS Parishioners In Four PARTS I. Directs us how to serve God on the Lord's Day II. On the Week Day III. How to discharge our Duty in our several Relations as Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants IV. How to prepare for Death By H. C. LONDON Printed by T. W. for J. Robinson at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. TO THE READER REligion is the grand employment of our Lives the main design and biass of our rational Natures the important work and task that Heaven hath set us and calls for our greatest vigour and vivacity to attend it and though perhaps it may suffer some diminution from the meanness of the Person who treats of it Yet it is not to be denied that its own intrinsick worth and native excellency are sufficient to render it most acceptable to all intelligent Minds and unprejudiced Understandings I pretend not to any high strain of Eloquence or high flown Rhetorications for if I were Master of a very fluent Oratory yet should I at this time wave it and study plainness the Station I am in a Curate the Persons I write unto not Courtiers but Country-men oblige me to it My Office is to present my Reader with a Portraicture of Practical Religion especially as it hath an aspect to the Duties which constitute our Devotion Here it is not proper to be quaint and florid but to make Impression on Mens Hearts and bring the Deity into their Souls This I have attempted to accomplish in the ensuing Sheets though I most frankly acknowledge how feeble and languid my Enterprize hath been Among the plain Directions which I have given towards the Consummating of a Religious Life I have placed those which respect the Lord's Day in the Front of all and with good reason seeing this sacred time is the Queen and Empress of all the Days in the Week and hath a just precedency of them by our Saviour's Institution and the practice of his holy Apostles Religion commenceth here he that begins not with the right Celebration of this Day will be extreamly defective in all the other acts of Devotion and Religion This therefore in the first place I most passionately recommend to all Votaries of Christianity that they would concern themselves in the due Observation of this Divine Time and accordingly I here offer them such Rules as will be a certain conduct to them and fully instruct them how to behave themselves in all the Portions of that Sacred Day If this attempt be favoured and incouraged by the Religious Reader I shall be animated then to aspire to a further degree of consulting his Spiritual advantage by committing to the Press those other Directions which I have prepared for the guidance of pious Minds in the grand business of Religion In the interim I bid such adieu and incessantly implore the Tri-une Deity That these my weak endeavours may prove Auspicious H. C. THE CONTENTS of this BOOK Chap. I. THE Preparation for the Lord's Day upon Saturday Eve Chap. II. Of Awaking with God upon the Sunday Morning Chap. III. Closet-Prayer and the Preparations to it Chap. IV. Of Family-Duty ere we go to God's House Chap. V. Of the great Obligation that lies upon every one of us to worship God in publick Chap. VI. Of going to our Parish-Church Chap. VII The Souls Soliloquy as it walks to God's House and behaviour there Chap. VIII Of our behaviour at Church when the Minister is come unto it Chap. IX Of our due behaviour between Morning and Evening Service Chap. X. Of resorting to the Evening Sacrifice CHAP. I. Of Saturday's Eve Devotion I Shall wave all the Opinions I have read concerning the beginning of the Sabbath because I would not here enter into a Controversy with any Man The Sentiments of Men are various yet how different soever they may be otherwise sure I am all agree in this That a due Preparation the Even before will be a great help to perform the Duties of the Day following The Primitive Christians used to spend the greatest part of Saturday Night in Fasting Watching and Prayer to fit them for the Duty of the subsequent Day from whence I suppose our Church borrows the Custom of reading the Collect for the Sunday upon the Eve foregoing Nay so zealous were they in God's Service that upon the ringing of the Bell to Church the Plowman used to leave the Plow and the Tradesman his Shop to join with the Minister in publick Prayers for a Blessing on the Sabbath Which Devotion of theirs because this our degenerate Age is for the most part strangely averse to and very few if any will have recourse to the House of God there to perform their duty Let them repair to their private Oratory Let them enter into their Closets Let Conscience there call an Audit in their Breasts and both impartially judge the actions of the Week past and how the Case stands at present between God and their Souls Beg O beg of God Dear Christian to give thee a true sight and sense of all thy Sins which thou maist do in this following Prayer O Father of Light and God of Love grant me true Light true Love and true Wisdom that I may clearly discern what doth please or displease thy Divine Majesty most earnestly desiring even from my very Soul to detest the one and embrace the other Illuminate the Eyes of my Vnderstanding that I may truly see my Sins and Imperfections strengthen my Memory that I may duly confess them and rectify my Will that I may resolutely amend them Return O my Soul to thy Self and to thy God Lament Repent Amend The Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak therefore turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned Convert thou me and I shall be converted Further me I humbly beseech thee with thy continual help that in all my Works begun continued and ended in thee I may glorify thy holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen Questions to be put to our selves every Saturday Night 1. How have I this Week kept my Heart Have I been diligent in putting away evil thoughts of sundry sorts and have I kept my mind exercised with good and holy Meditations Have I thought humbly of my self Charitably of my Neighbour and reverently of my Maker and Redeemer 2. How have I this Week kept the Door of my Lips Have not I uttered many idle vain and unprofitable words Have I spoke of my Neighbour with that Love and Charity as I would have others speak of me Have I had that compassion of others defects as of my own 3. What aim had I in all my actions Have I done them so purely for the Love of God as I ought or had I any Worldly respect in the doing of them 4. How have I kept my Senses this Week Have not mine Eyes gazed upon wanton objects Have
may learn to redeem time and number all our days our Sabbaths more especially that so we may apply our hearts unto Wisdom that we may now get wise religious believing and Repenting Hearts O Lord give us Grace to consecrate this day as a day of delight holy and honourable to thee not doing our own Works nor following our own Pleasures nor speaking our own words but exercising our selves in duties of Piety and Mercy publickly and privately in thy House and in our own So that we may make this Season a day not only of reconciliation for the Sins of the Week past but also a day of Preparation and spiritual Provision furnishing our selves for the better performance of the duties of the Week to come And now O Heavenly Father we are going to thy House to partake of thy Ordinances we beseech thee to go with us thither and stand by us there and bring us back again rejoicing when we shall find our Faith encreased our Hope quickned our Zeal kindled our Hearts inflamed with the Love of thee and our Brethren Let us not we beseech thee make thy House which is an House of Prayer and Spiritual Exercises to be a Den of Thieves but let us look to our Feet that so we may be more ready to hear than to offer up the Sacrifice of Fools It is a fearful thing when this word which should he a Savour of Life unto Life does prove a Savour of Death unto Death as it does to many who regard not what they hear Grant therefore O Lord that we may take diligent heed what we hear and how we hear keep us we humbly pray thee that we be not like unto them that be compared unto the high way who do not so much as bend their minds to regard what is taught nor to them who are compared to the stony ground who do it but shallowly and superficially nor to them that be compared to the thorny ground that do choak and smother it with minding their ease pleasure gain and profit over much But give us Grace to be like the good ground who coming to the word with honest and good hearts bring forth good Fruit with Patience and in good Season So that keeping this day as we ought to do we may be translated to keep an Everlasting Sabbath in the highest Heaven Amen CHAP. V. Of the great obligation that lies upon every one of us to worship God in Publick NEglect not publick Ordinances upon pretence of serving God in private that God Almighty gives his Blessing both to private and Family-Duties is most certain but to put God off with these and neglect publick Worship is to rob him of a greater summ and pay him with a less It is worth our Observation that the Sabbath and publick Worship of God are by him joined together therefore let no Man put them asunder Ye shall keep my Sabbath and reverence my Sanctuary I am the Lord your God They then that despise God's Sanctuary cannot observe God's Sabbath Do but consider David's Tears for the want and his Prayers for the fruition of Publick Ordinances even then when he had opportunity for private Performances and surely then thou wilt esteem the Ministry of the word no mean mercy See his sorrow for the want of them I was driven saith he from the Sanctuary when I did but think of it my Soul was poured out like water for I had gone with the multitude I went with them to the House of God Psal 42.3 My Soul was poured out that is was over-whelm'd with grief and even ready to dye when I compare my present condition with my former happiness in the fruition of religious Assemblies How bitterly and passionately doth he plead with Saul If the Lord hath stirred thee up against me let him accept an Offering but if men Cursed be they before the Lord for they have driven me out this day from the inheritance of the Lord. 1 Sam. 16.19 How pathetically does he bemoan his own Soul Woe is me for I dwell in Meseck and have my habitation in the Tents of Kedar The loss of his Father Mother Wives Children Lands Liberty nay life it self would not have gone so near his Heart as the loss of the publick Ordinances As his sorrow was great for the want so was his Soul most earnest for the fruition of them How many Prayers does he put up for the liberty of the Tabernacle Psal 43.3 4. and Psal 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord which I will seek after viz. That I might dwell in the Tabernacle of the Lord and visit his holy Temple And Verse 8. When thou saidst seek my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek David at this time was banished the Temple and he among other reasons useth this argument to restore him to his happiness as if he had said O God thou hast commanded me to worship thee in the Temple To appear before thee is my delight my heart desires to seek and see thy face there Thus he prays to God for the performance on his side that he might be enabled to obey God's Precept Peter and John went up to the Temple at the hour of Prayer Acts 3.1 and St. Paul reasoned in the Synagogue every Sabbath day Acts 13.14 those that by their practices contemn publick worship have neither Christ nor the Apostles for their Pattern One of the Jewish Rabbies hath a saying he that dwells in a City where there is a Synagogue and cometh not to Prayers merito dicitur vicinus malus if thou forsakest the Assembly of God how useful thou maist be to others Bodies I know not but I am sure thou art neither to thine own Soul or theirs in neglecting God's service Consider the condition of Primitive Christians who were forced to serve the Lord with fear and attend his Ordinances with trembling who built Churches under ground rather than they would want the opportunity of serving God in Publick Consider also how David bemoan'd himself counting Swallows and Sparrows in this much better than he because they could build their Nests in the Temple while he was banished from it Psa 84.1 2 3. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord My Soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living God Yea the Sparrow hath found an House and the Swallow a Nest for her self where she may lay her young even thine Altars O Lord of Hosts my King and my God Did David being abridged thereof thus bemoan himself Surely then we should count it a great Mercy that we have Publick Churches and Oratories to go unto without any lett or molestation that we have no Tyrants no Foreign Enemies no Rods no Axes no noise of War to affright us from God's publick Ordinances what cause of rejoicing is here But yet if this liberty of ours make us wanton and the plenty God gives us tempts us to
acknowledge we have neglected thy Day we pray thee therefore pardon all our unchristian Sabbath-breaking for the time past and give us Grace to observe the Christian Sabbath better for the future Now shall we confess in the Forenoon and transgress in the Afternoon Will you beg pardon in the Morning and sin again the same Sin before Night Will you open your mouths to ask God's Grace to sanctifie and keep holy the Sabbath-Day and it may be prophane it in a graceless manner as soon as you are out of the Congregation But now to draw to a Conclusion You that God Almighty have blessed with Families I beseech you to take care of making any Visits on that day after Evening-Service for by that means you may become guilty of a double Sin 1. In neglecting to worship God your selves in your Family 2. In hindering others from doing that Duty But if the Weather invite you into the Fields let your Walk be such as Isaac's was to meditate and that you may not want matter to exercise your Thoughts about when you divert your self in the Field meditate on these Ten Particulars 1. The Greatness and Goodness of that God that you paid your Homage unto 2. With the Vileness of Sin and your selves because of it 3. With the Sweetness of Christ and the Greatness of his Love and Mercy 4. With the Excellency of that heavenly Work you have been about and the Gain of Godliness 5. With the Vanity of the World and all things therein 6. With the Worth and high Value of your immortal Souls 7. With the Rage Subtilty and Diligence of your Souls Enemy 8. With the Deceitfulness of your Hearts 9. With the Terrour and Torment of Hell 10. With the unspeakable and everlasting Glory of Heaven 2. Endeavour to spiritualize every Object you see As you walk and travail by the King's High-way say I am the way the truth and the life saith my blessed Redeemer the Way I must follow the Truth I must believe the Life I must hope for the Way which leadeth me the Truth which teacheth me the Life whereunto he bringeth me the Way is undefiled the Truth is infallible and the Life without end blessed are they that walk in this way that leads to everlasting life When you behold pleasant Grounds and variety of Objects O Lord how manifold are thy works in wisdom hast thou made them all the Earth is full of thy Riches When you perceive a gentle Brieze of Wind Come Holy Spirit blow upon my Garden that the Spices may flow out make my Mind calm serene and quiet breath upon me and revive me with the Light of thy Countenance When you hear a Clock strike or perceive by the Sun the Hour of the Day O how fast do hour after hour come on Time hastening to be swallowed up of Aeternity So teach me O Lord to number my days that I may apply my heart unto Wisdom wisely providing for that long day wherein the Sun of Righteousness shall rise with healing in his Wings When you see an high place Thy Mercy O Lord reacheth unto the Heavens and thy Faithfulness to the Clouds When you perceive a Dunghill O make me to know my self and discover to me my false deceitful Heart and the Odiousness and Loathsomness of my Sins that I may hate them with a perfect hatred When you behold a stately House O God make me in love with that City which hath foundations whose Maker and Builder is God Oh when shall this earthly house of this Tabernacle be dissolved and I received into that Building the House not made with hands aeternal in the Heavens When beholding any Children or Infants O Lord out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings dost thou prepare Praises for thy self When beholding a beautiful Woman O Lord let not this Creature 's Face be her Pride or the Beholder's sin or shame If you see any Cattle to stray think with your self O God how apt am I to go out of thy way I have erred and strayed O Lord like to a lost Sheep By such holy Ejaculations as these you may banish all Worldly thoughts out of your Mind and keep the Devil that is always busy to hinder the good Seed of the Word from taking effect better out of your heart than Teresa's holy Water or St. Anthony's Sign of the Cross When you come home observe the same Rules that were given you before to be practised after Dinner viz. to read the Scripture sing Psalms meditate repeat the Word c. but when you have done all look upon your selves as unprofitable Servants and that you come short of what God requires or deserves at your hands O what heavenly fervent and zealous Prayers doth such a God deserve such rich Mercy call for God is worthy a better Tongue to praise him and a better Heart to love him Disown therefore all your own Righteousness and expect all the Blessings you have prayed for through the alone Merits of Jesus Christ CHAP. XI Evening Exercise THE Day thus happily sliding away draws on the Night-season and there remains an Evening Exercise in order to even out Accompts with the great Father of the Family concerning our days labour in his Vineyard Before therefore you take your repose at night look over your days work search back into every hour of the day humble your selves and be heartily sorry for your miscarriage bless God if you have received any good Put these Questions to your Soul ere you betake your self to your rest First How did I ly down or rise up was God in my thoughts or no Secondly How did I put up my Prayers in my Closet did they proceed from my Heart or Lip only Have I gone this day with Joy into the House of Good have I heard â—he Word and treasured it up in my Heart Have not I aimed more at the information â—f my judgment than at the warming of my â—ffections was it curiosity or piety that led â—he thither have I gathered my thoughts â—ogether in the publick Prayers of the Church â—nd have my heart and desires gone along with the Supplications which the Minister of God put up to Heaven Have not I thought â—f my Farm Trade and Oxen while I have â—een repeating after him Have I read in priâ—ate have I called my Family together read â—o them instructed them made them give â—e an account of what they did remember When I received the holy Sacrament were â—y thoughts fixed on the Cross of Christ â—nd were my Soul affected with the great â—ystery of God's Love and did I meditate â—n the Word as soon as I left the Church â—as not the World in my Heart as soon as â—e word was out of the Minister's Did not â—eat and drink at Table more to please my â—ppetite than to repair the decayed strength â—f my nature Was my Discourse holy at â—â—e Table when I craved a Blessing was â—ot my mind more intent on the meat before
â—e than on the God above me have not I â—een intemperate at my Meals and eat and â—rank more than nature required have I afâ—â—r Dinner set my Servants to read and did I pray for them and with them Have not â— this day been guilty of some crying Sin foâ— which God might justly punish me as he diâ— the Fool in the Gospel with Death c. If upon enquiry you find you have madâ— any progress in Vertue got ground of Satan and mastered your Corruptions give Goâ— the Glory by whose Grace you overcamâ— them and return him thanks in this following Prayer PRaise the Lord O my Soul yea let all thâ—â— is within me praiseâ— his holy name praise be the Lord from the rising up of the Sun unto thâ— going down of the same thou art my God anâ— I will praise thee thou art my God and I wiâ—â— bless thee who hast preserved me this day from falling into Sin and hast kept me from tâ—â— power of the evil one for my Soul is this dâ—â— escaped as a Bird out of the Snare of the Fowleâ— the Snare is broken and I am delivered my heâ— standeth in the name of the Lord who hath maâ—â— Heaven and Earth But if upon enquiry you find that yoâ— have been guilty of many Frailties and Imperfections if you have not been so devout 〈◊〉 you ought to have been in your Prayers aâ—fect your Soul with the sense of your Sin iâ— this following Prayer AH frail weak and wicked Wretch art thou not ashamed to remain still in thy wonted negligences and tepidities to sing the same sinful Song after so many Vows Promises and purposes of better Obedience wallowest thou still in the same mire and lyest thou still snorting in the same Bed of Sensuality O horrid ingratitude if thou wert now summoned to give up thy just accounts what couldst thou answer for so much time mis-spent so many inspirations neglected and so many Graces abused thou approachest nearer Death and Eternity but recoilest backward in religious Piety and Perfection wilt thou still lye sleeping in this dangerous Lethargy is this the grateful and dutiful Service thou renderest thy Creator for having afforded thee all convenient means to repent for having so patiently expected thy Conversion and amendment Alas my Confounded Soul what will become of thee what course wilt thou steer and when and how wilt thou begin Ah sinful Wretch prodigal Child disloyal Friend sue to thy Physician return to thy Father repent thee of thy Disloyalty request Pardon Grace and Love resolve to repent for what is past and amend for the time to come and from this moment consecrate the remainder of thy Life to his Service And now O my Lord as thou hast given me Grace to frame this Resolution so give me strength and courage to put it in execution But if upon Inquiry you find you have greatly broken the Sabbath-day neglected his publick Worship relapsed into some crying Sin which without God's great Mercy will bring upon you speedy Death and Damnation affect your Soul with this Prayer O My good God Father of all Comfort and Compassion Creatour of Heaven and Earth and Redeemer of my poor Soul behold here a poor Worm prostrate at the feet of thy Divine Majesty humbly craving pardon for all the Iniquities and Impurities that I have committed against thy Divine Majesty from my Youth up until now especially those that I have this day committed against thee such a Sin especially most justly provoking thy wrathful Indignation against me the remembrance of them breeds an extreme Shame Fear and Sorrow in my now sensible penitent Soul Shame for having left an infinite Good to embrace an empty fading nothing Fear for having forsaken the Light of Heaven and the Life of Aeternity to remain in aeternal Death and Darkness Sorrow for having offended thee my God whâ— art so loving and liberal unto me Oh that my Heart could rend asunder with true Contrition and Compunction and my Eyes dissolve into a flood of Tears for having been disloyal to so faithful a Friend and disobedient to so free-hearted a Father Mercy dear Father to thy prodigal Child Mercy dear Lord to thy sinful Servant Pardon my past Faults pity my present Follies protect my future Frailties that with a clean quiet contented Soul I may strive to please and praise thee all my Life long hereafter and in the end die happily in thy Favour and Friendship O my Crucified Jesu my only Hope and Refuge bathe me in thy Blood beautifie me with thy Merits bless me with thy Grace by the Tears that issued out of thy Eyes by the Prayers that came from thy Mouth by the Blood that gushed from thy Wounds and Heart by all the Pains of thy Body and Pangs of thy Soul by all the Mercies of thy Divinity and Merits of thy Humanity by all that is dear and near unto thee in Heaven and Earth Cleanse quiet clothe comfort content my sick sinful weak and wretched Soul O thou Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World take away the world of sins that is in me O thou that wert my Saviour upon Earth be thou my Advocate in Heaven pleading and interceding that none of these Evils my sins have deserved may fall upon my head Forget and forgive all the Crimes Ingratitudes and Impurities of my Life past and in particular whatsoever through my carelessness have escaped my memory and whatsoever my dreadful Judge may in the rigour of his Justice lay to my charge that at the end of my days I may receive the end of my hopes the Salvation of my precious and immortal Soul Grant this O Lord for Jesu Christ his sake Amen Then fail not to add to this this usual Prayer for the Evening Before thou goest to bed be sure to offer unto God thine Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving This was shadowed out unto us under the Law where the Lord required his Evening Sacrifice as well as the Morning therefore much more doth he require it of us under the Gospel And truly if thou liest down in thy sins unrepented of thou mightest haply awaken with Hell-flames about thy Ears Thou mayst better and safelier sleep with a Serpent in thy Bosom than with a Sin upon thy Soul the one can only punish thee temporally the other torments thee aeternally Before ever then thou suffer the Temples of thy head to take any rest beg O Christian Brother not only Pardon of thy Sins but his Protection from all Dangers which you may do in this following Prayer ALmighty and Everlasting God I yield thee most humble and hearty thanks for that thou hast vouchsafed me of thy great Mercy and Goodness to preserve me this day from all evil and I also beseech thee for thy bitter Death and Passion most mercifully to forgive me a wretched Sinner all my Offences which I have this day committed by thought word or deed and hereafter to preserve and