and sorrow encline thine ear of pity unto me and that right soon and speedily 3 For my dayes which I have mis-spent are consumed away like smoke which for want of substance dissolveth to nothing and my bones which by my broken spirit are dryed up are burnt up as a fire-brand 4 My heart is dejected and smitten with the thought of thy Justice and it is withered with remembrance of thy Judgements like grass without juyce or sap so that in this anguish of Soul I forget and loath to eat my bread 5 By reason of the grievous voice of my groaning sighs and tears I am so consumed away that my bones for want of flesh cleave to my skin and I am nothing but skin and bone 6 I am for shame that I have offended thee become in condition like a Pelican that liveth solitarily in the Wilderness and I am like an Owl not daring to be seen but that avoideth the light and is continually in the Desert shunning the company of other Birds 7 I watch and sleep not for the thought of my sins and am as a Sparrow that caring for no company sitteth alone making grievous lamentation in a mournful note upon the house-top 8 Mine Enemies seeing me thus penitent reproach me with opprobrious speeches all the day continually deriding me and they that while I was their companion in sin applauded me are upon my conversion mad against me and do combine and are sworn to do me mischief and to that end set themselves against me 9 For this cause taking no pleasure in this world I have eaten ashes and fed upon course meat like as it were fine bread and dainty fare and I have mingled my drink with tears weeping and lamenting for my sinnes 10 Because of thine indignation against me for them and thy wrath for my bad life past all this evil and more hath befallen me for thou hast lifted me up very high and from thence hast cast me down that my fall might be the greater 11 My dayes few and evil are passed like a shadow upon a Sun-Dyal that declineth toward the Evening and I that lately seemed to flourish am withered and dryed up like grass without sap for want of thy comfort 12 But thou O Lord which wert and art shalt continue immutable and shalt endure for ever while all transitory things pass and come to nothing and thy glorious works shall be had in remembrance unto all generations even unto the end of the world 13 Thou O Lord who seemest to men to sleep shalt arise in thy strength and have mercy and compassion upon Sion thy Church militant now oppressed with the tyranny of Antichrist for the time to look upon her and favour her is at hand yea the set time which thou hast decreed for her deliverance is or will not be long ere it come 14 For they which be thy true and faithfull Servants take pleasure and delight in her stones their fellow Servants and are glad when they see them prosper and favour and pity the very dust and ruines thereof when they see them under persecution 15 So that when they shall be delivered from their misery the very heathen shall fear and tremble at the Name of the Lord and be converted to him and all the Kings and Potentates on earth which now oppose the truth shall acknowledge thee O Lord to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and be afraid at the greatness of thy glory and Majesty 16 When the Lord by his almighty power shall build up Sion and repair the ruines of his Church he shall then to the confusion of his enemies appear in his glory which they shall not be able to endure 17 He will then in mercy regard and hearken to the prayer of his poor servants and the destitute of his help and not any longer seem to turn away his face from them nor despise their prayer and earnest supplications 18 This mercy of his shall then be recorded and written as a remembrance for the generations to come even to the end of the world which shall attempt the like against his Church and the people yet unborn that shall succeed and be created in ages to come shall praise and magnifie the Lord which only doth marvellous things 19 For he hath in mercy by sending his Son Christ Jesus looked down from the height of his Sanctuary his holy place even from Heaven his Fathers bosom did the Lord Jesus behold the Earth and had compassion upon all the Sons of men 20 To hear and pity the groaning of the Prisoners such as did groan under the burden of the Law and to loose and set at liberty by his passion and intercession those of the posterity of Adam that are appointed to suffer death for not fullfiling the same 21 To the end that they being so delivered may declare and shew the power and the Name of the Lord which is Jesus the Saviour in Sion his Church and magnifie and extol his praise in Ierusalem his holy habitation 22 When the faithful people which are yet dispersed over the face of the Earth are gathered together and made one Congregation and the Kingdoms of the Earth which are yet in darkness are instructed to serve thee the only Lord of Heaven and Earth 23 He even the Lord in the time of this expectation hath weakned and abated my strength so that I can do no good of my self in the way of this my earthly pilgrimage he hath shortned and cut off my dayes by afflicting me for my sin 24 I said yet in this weakness and anguish of my Soul O my God with-draw not now thy mercy from me and take me not away out of this world in the midst of my dayes the chief time of my strength as for thy years as they are from all eternity so shall they endure throughout all generations even for ever 25 Of old at the beginning of time hast thou of thine own power laid and created the Foundations of the Earth the visible World and all things in it and the Heavens and Firmament thereof are the only work of thy Almighty hands and power 26 They even Heaven and Earth and all things in them shall pass away and perish from the form they now have but thou O Lord the Creator of them shalt endure immutable Yea without all doubt all of them as thou hast decreed shall wax old and consume with age like a garment long worn and as a vesture or garment shalt thou by the sound of the last Trump change and dissolve them and they shall yield to thy power and be changed 27 But thou O Lord art the same alwayes unchangeable and thy years being from all Eternity shall have no end but continue for ever 28 The Children and posterity of thy faithful Servants begotten by the seeds-men of thy Word shall continue in grace in this life and their righteous seed shall stand fast and be established for ever together with
it The Transcendency of the Godhead exceeds not only the usual strength of eloquence but of understanding likewise He is Absolute or Simple Without Composition Without Body Spiritual He is all Eye He is all Ear He is all Hand Invisible Because he seeth all things Because he heareth all things Because he worketh all things He is all Foot because he is every where When you hear him named conceive him to be a substance without beginning or end Simple without mixture Infinite Not to be circumscribed to time or place Whither shall I go from thy presence c. Heaven is my Throne c. Where is the place of my rest Do not I fill Heaven and Earth saith the Lord The Spirit of the Lord filleth all the world Deus ubique est totus ubique est AEterna stabilitate in seipso manens totus adesse rebus omnibus potest singulis totus God is every where and wholly every where By eternal stability remaining in himself he is wholly in all things and wholly in every thing Immortal I live for ever I honoured him that liveth for ever He only hath immortality Solus Deus est immortalis quia non est per gratiam sed per naturam Eternal Without beginning Thou art God from everlasting Without end Thou art the same and thy years shall not fail He is called the Ancient of dayes Immutable Not to be changed 1. In his Nature Thou shalt endure I am the Lord I change not Every good and perfect gift cometh from the Father of lights with whom is no variableness neither shadow of changing 2. In his Promises and Decrees The counsel of the Lord shall stand My counsel shall stand The immutability of his counsel saith the Apostle God hath promised who cannot lie Non mutatur Deus qui unus atque idem est mutari non potest God is not changed being one and the same uncapable of change Wise. Nothing hid from him The Lord knoweth the wayes of the righteous The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man His wisdom is infinite No searching of his understanding Loe thou knowest all things Known unto God are all his works O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God The Spirit searcheth all things All things are naked and open to his eyes God knoweth all things Holy No evil or iniquity in him Who is like unto thee O Lord glorious in holiness None holy as the Lord. The holy One of Iacob The holy One Of purer eyes than to behold evil Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts He is an Holy God I am Holy saith God himself True 1. In himself Whatsoever is in him is Truth The Lord is the true God It is life eternal to know thee true God c. Let God be true and every man a liar Ye turned from Idols to serve the true and living God 2. In his works Iust and true are thy wayes Righteous in all his works Iust art thou O Lord and righteous are thy judgements 3. In his words The words of the Lord are pure The Truth of the Lord endureth for ever Good Absolutely Not participating from any other 1. In himself 1. There is none good but God Thou art Good 2. Author of all good to others 2. Every good and perfect gift commeth from the Father of lights The Earth is full of his goodness Glorious Ye shall see the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord appeared The sight of his glory was like consuming fire The glory of the Lord appeared to all the people The glory of the Lord filled the House of God The whole Earth is full of his glory His glory is above the Heavens Powerful Working all things in all Almighty He doth great unsearchable and marvellous things without number The fabrique of the Universe is the work of his hands The Heavens beautified with Stars The Earth spacious and adorned The Sea Full of variety of his riches The Sea Stored with Fish c. All made of nothing but by his word Thou hast prepared the Light and the Sun Thou in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the Earth Through Faith we understaud that the World was ordained by GOD. Mundus hic est veluti magnus liber divinae Majestatis gloria opera explicans This World may be compared to a great Volume wherein are contained and expressed the works of the Divine Majesty and Glory He is King of Kings Lord of Lords Upholding all the Pillars of the Earth Moving the Heavens Changing the Seasons Dividing the Waters Bringing forth the Winds as out of his Treasury But in this and all other his Attributes Verius cogitatur quam dicitur We may better couceive of them than express them And we speak best of his worth when with a silent admiration we hold our peace according to that of the Psalmist Psal. 65. 1. which St. Hierom hath translated Tibi silet omnis laus DEUS in Sion Yet though the custom of the world is to respect men and things either for the goodness in them or for the benefit which accreweth by them Yet the latter worketh most For let a thing be never so good if it bring no profit it is the less regarded Let us therefore take a view of some other of Gods Attributes and consider whether we have not sufficient cause to serve him for the benefits we reap by him And first of that which cometh by him by the I. Creation In which he made Man and all things else for his service 1. He made him his chief delight He made him after his own Image He made him little lower than the Angels and crowned him with glory and honour putting all things in subjection under his feet This wrought admiration in David When he was not he made him a Man not a Beast but such a Creature as may enjoy Eternity with Him He made the Heaven and rested not He made the Earth and rested not He made the Sun and rested not He made the Moon and rested not He made the Stars and rested not But when he made Man he rested that he might have one Creature whose sins he might remit 2. He made all things for the service of Man For him The Sun riseth and goeth down For him The Moon increaseth For him The Stars arise For him Beasts Fowl and Fish For him Corn and Hearbs For him Hills and Mountains For him Valleys and Fields For him Rivers and Flowers For him Times and Seasons For him Angels and Archangels For him Principalities and Powers For him Thrones and Dominions For him Cherubim
he makes us also acceptable to himself and substitutes us as it were in his own place gives us power to forgive offences Blessed therefore be Thou O Lord for dealing thus mercifully and wonderfully with us in teaching us daily to pray thus and daily to forgive and to be forgiven And that dost bind us by this condition of mutual forgiveness For he that forgiveth not prayeth against himself and in effect thus prayeth Lord forgive not me for I do not forgive If we perform not what we say we do we shall never be forgiven And it is but due on our parts to forgive others For God hath already forgiven us for Christs sake we promise then no more than we owe to him already Grant us therefore grace O Lord to follow thy example fully and freely to forgive the offence and not to retain the punishment or any malice to those whom we seem to forgive We petition well and rightly let us do it effectually henceforth That thou mayest not have cause to say Ex ore tuo te judico Thou hast not nor shalt be forgiven When we say as we we promise not a pari but a simili not so much in quantity but the like in quality For we God help us miserable sinners forgive imperfectly but God freely and absolutely Neither do we say it O Lord as challenging or meriting any forgiveness by our forgiving but to shew our conformity to Thee in forgiving We cannot better discover our selves to be thy Disciples or Children than by being pittiful and ready to forgive and pass by offences There are two sorts of Tentation 1. Of Tryal 2. Of Deceit or Seducing 1. That of Tryal is when God doth any thing to prove the constancy and affection of his servants and this is good As were the tryals of Abraham Iob and his People 2. That of Seducing is when we are tempted by the Devil his Ministers or our own Flesh to forsake God and his Commandements and this Tentation we pray against For what benefit shall we reap by forgiving our old sins if we contract new O Lord not only be pleased to pardon that which is past but prevent and keep us from committing the like Let us not be encouraged to sin because of thy bounty in blotting out our former offences but rather to thankfulness for thy mercy and to care that we offend no more Deliver us from that which is past Subvention Keep us from that which is to come Prevention Lest we turn with the Dog to the vomit or the washed Sow to the mire It is enough that we have spent the time past in the works of the flesh For the enemy is never readier or nearer to us than when the house is swept clean Therefore the danger being so near us give us grace O Lord to be the more wary of him Behold O Lord the roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour He is at hand to ensnare us either with his own malice the delights of the world or the pleasures of the flesh If he cannot prevail by fair means he endeavours by force to compel us If he cannot puff us up with delight then he attempts to deject us with sorrow if thou be from us Wherefore O Lord forsake us not and by forsaking us lead us into tentation For of our selves without Thee we have no power to resist him nor hath he without Thee any power to tempt us Let us not flee to the Enemy O Lord being overcome either by his insulting over us nor suffer us to descend to conditions of peace with him to pacifie him with our yielding hoping thereby to make him more mild for that will not be Let us rather look up to Thee lest we yield to his violence or give credit to his craft presuming either upon our own strength or destitute of thy help Let us perceive his snares by thy light Let us resist his assaults by thy strength and power Let us neither do evil or omit that which is good by being tempted Let no Tentation but such as is common to Man take hold on us Let it be as Christs Vanne winnowing that which is evil from us and not the Devils Sieve casting through it that which is good Let us come out of Tentation as purified silver and not be burnt as dross Give us a happy issue with our Tentations Let it be to the tryal of our Faith and the confusion of Satan Lead us not further in than thou wilt bring us out again If in thy Iustice thou lead us in yet in thy Mercy lead us out Lead us not to leave us Thou O Lord temptest no Man thou leadest none in but those that first led in themselves nor hardnest any but those who first hardned themselves Leave not give us not over to Satan nor our own wills Let us not be rebellious and provoke the Tempter nor love danger lest we perish therein It is a dangerous thing to be tempted for the uncertainty of the victory It is Presumption to desire it but Humility to decline it It is joyfully to be endured but by no means to be desired Lead us not or rather bring us not in do not necessitate us There is difference between tempt and lead into tentation The first is Satans act the other oft-times is Gods GOD led Christ into the Wilderness but he was tempted by the Devil If it be thy pleasure to suffer us to be led in yet bring us back as thou didst our Saviour The Tempter often assayles us O Lord do not thou deliver us into his power to be sifted but if thou loosest his reins for a time as thou didst sometimes in Iob's case yet moderate the combat between us we pray thee and either lessen the tentation as our strength abates or increase our strength as the tentation grows strong that we may have a joyfull issue from it For if we neither overcome nor being vanquished become more humble and cautious thereby the tentation will be to our destruction not to our tryal Let it therefore be to our correction not to our condemnation we beseech thee Not only Lead us not in that is not sufficient except thou deliver us also If we cannot be free from tentation yet deliver us from the evil of it From tentation that is evil All things are Evil which divert us from thee but especially that evil enemy of thine and for thy sake our enemy for he is not our enemy in respect of our selves we are not of such strength as that he should desire to oppose us but he is our enemy because we are thy Children and belong to thee Deliver us O Lord from the evil of his bondage Let GOD arise and let his Enemies be scattered Let not the Enemy be able to do us violence nor the Son of wickedness hurt us Deliver our Souls O Lord From the neithermost Hell
lives end Give me O Lord true compunction of heart and so water it with the dew of thy Heavenly Grace that I may in the bitterness of my Soul with abundance of tears sighs and groans bewail and lament all my hainous and grievous transgressions against thee Give me grace O Lord that I may not boast in any merits or works of mine own or have any confidence in them but let me glory in this alone that I am a Member of that Body of thine which was crucified for me and did sufficiently satisfie for all the Sins of the World If thou O Lord look or expect any merits from me behold I tender unto thee thine own merits the merits of thy Death and Passion which thou hast vouchsafed to make me partaker of by vertue whereof alone I dare boldly appear before thy Tribunal These merits I set between my sins and thy Iustice and otherwise or in any other manner I dare not I will not contend with thee O sweet Iesu I desire thee to offer them to the Father as a propitiatory Sacrifice for all my great and grievous Offences that when my Soul shall depart from this Body it may by the same be freed and delivered from all the judgements and punishments which are due unto it for sin and be carried to that blessed place where there is no sorrow but endless felicity where thou together with the Father and the blessed Spirit livest and reignest for ever Before Prayer O Almighty and everliving GOD Heavenly Father to whom it is manifestly known how inconstant and wandring the minds of men are in any good actions and how easily we suffer our selves to be carried away from the contemplation of thee by diversity of distractions and unseasonable thoughts which take hold of us in the time of our Devotions and Prayers unto thee who also by thine only begotten Son Christ Iesus didst prescribe unto his Disciples a Form of Prayer to be offered up to thee and hast derived the same from them to us Behold me most wretched sinner wholly depraved and corrupt intreating thee by the same Son that for his sake thou wouldst infuse thy Holy Spirit into me which may adopt me into the number of thine Elect that it may teach me how I ought to pray according to thy Holy Will that it may allay all troublesome and wandring thoughts in me while I offer up my prayers and praises unto thee Suffer me not to serve thee with my lips and be absent in heart from thee but create a right Spirit within me that I being sensible of all thy graces and comforts may with joyful and holy zeal perform my duty to thee that so my prayers and desires may appear before thee and in thy Sons Name I may effectually be heard and my petitions may be granted to the glory and honour of thy most holy Name and the endless comfort of mine own Soul through the same our only Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. Before a Sermon O Most loving SAVIOUR I most humbly intreat thee that thou wouldst be pleased at this time to enlighten my understanding and to open my inward ears with the grace of thy Holy Spirit that I may hear that sacred Word with an humble heart and rejoyce in it in the obedience of the Spirit That I may be fully instructed thereby how to do good and avoid evil and bring forth the fruit thereof in my life and conversation That thy Honour and Glory may be thereby increased the Devil and all other the Enemies of my Soul may be vanquished my Soul may be saved and at the last I may appear with boldness before thy Tribunal and receive the reward of a good and faithful servant even his Masters joy everlasting blessedness and that by thy merits only O blessed Saviour Petitions for Temporal Blessings in which we are to desire of God THat he would be pleased to continue unto us The blessing of a good King just and religious To give unto us Magistrates and Iustices upright and careful to see good Laws duly executed Teachers to direct us in the Truth That he would bless us with Length and Goodness of Dayes Health of Body Contentedness of Mind Competency of Estate Food and Rayment Conveniency of Dwelling Wholesomeness of Air. Fruitfulness of Cartel Fruitfulness of Soyl. That he would make us happy In Wedlock In Children In Faithful Friends In Peaceable loving Neighbours In Honest Servants In Skilful Physicians That he would preserve our Goods Good Name Our Senses and Understanding That he would protect us From Trouble From Enemies From Dangers From Losses From Sicknesses That he would give Peace To all Nations Peace To our Land Peace In our private Dwellings Rules to be observed in the Morning WHen thou awakest in the Morning shut and close up the entrance to thy heart from all unclean prophane and evil thoughts and let the consideration of God and goodness enter in When thou art risen and art ready retire thy self to thy Closet or other private place and offer to God the first fruits of the Day and in praying to him and praising him remember 1. To give him Thanks for thy quiet rest received for delivering thee from all dangers ghostly and bodily and for all other his benefits to thee 2. Offer unto him thy self and all things that thou dost possess and desire him to dispose of thee and them according to his good pleasure 3. Crave his Grace to guide thee and to strengthen thee from and against all Tentations that so thou mayest do nothing the day following contrary to his will 4. And Lastly Beg of him according to the Rules before prescribed all things needful for the Soul and Body To which purpose pray as followeth Morning Prayer I Thank thee O Heavenly Father Lord of Heaven and Earth for all thy Blessings which I underservedly have received from thee that thou gavest a being from honest Parents and in that part of the World where thy Son Christ Iesus is purely professed that thou didst endue me with Reason and Understanding and didst also give me perfect Members and Senses that thou hast preserved me ever since my birth vouchsafed me health and liberty and a competency of means to maintain me and those whom thou hast placed under me That thou hast Elected me in thy Love Redeemed me by thy Son Sanctified me by thy Spirit and kept me this night past from all perils of Body and Soul and given me a sweet and comfortable rest O Lord I commend into thy hands my Soul and Body thoughts words and actions and humbly beseech thee that thou wouldst guide and order them all to thy honour and glory and my endless and eternal happiness Enlighten my mind that the darkness and cloudy mists of mine offences being dispelled I may walk before thee in my vocation without offence as in the day clean unspotted and unblameable Give unto me thy Holy Spirit which may bridle
and having set thine Offences before thee confess them to him and in the bitterness of thy Soul repent thee be sorry for them and crave pardon for them and desire his grace that thou offend no more in the like 3. Pray to God to continue his care ever thee the night following and to defend thee from all perils and dangers So that going to thy rest with these good action and thoughts thou shalt do like to those which rake up Fire in the Embers over night that they may the more readily find it in the Morning In the Night VVHen thou awakest in the Night call upon God likewise for the Night was not made wholly for sleep praise him contemplate and meditate upon his works Sometimes weep for thy sins according to the practice of DAVID For as the nightly dew refresheth and tempereth the Earth so do our nightly tears asswage our Concupiscences And sometimes rejoyce in the Lord according to that of the Psalmist for the great benefits thou hast received from him By these means keeping thy self to one holy Exercise or other thou shalt be sure to avoid the Devils Tentations whose chief time of setting upon us fitteth best with his works which are usually stiled The works of darkness Evening Prayer The Lord hath granted his loving kindness in the ` Day therefore in the Night will I sing of him and make my Prayer to the God of my life O Lord God Father everlasting I yield thee most humble and hearty thanks that thou hast not only averted thy punishments from me which my grievous sins have deserved but instead thereof hast preserved me from all dangers and supplyed me with all necessaries of this life O Lord I confess that I have so highly offended thee this day that all the punishments which may be inflicted upon vile and miserable sinners are due to me I confess O Lord that I have offended thy Majesty in And not only these do I acknowledge but all the rest which I have committed from my infancy to this present hour wittingly or ignorantly in thought word or deed against Thee my Neighbour and my Self O Lord I confess my weakness I do not that which I should and would do but that which I should not and am unwilling to do I do Not regarding or fearing thy incomprehensible Glory venerable Presence terrible Power exquisite Iustice nor thy Goodness unspeakable for which if thou shouldest enter into judgement what would become of me But O Lord for as much as thou art a Father of mercies and dost not desire the death of a sinner if he return unto thee by unfeigned repentance I most humbly in the Name and Mediation of our blessed Saviour Christ Iesus crave pardon for them Lord I repent help my impenitency and hear my request Be merciful to me a sinner and pardon all my offences whereof thou O Lord knowest me to be guilty And I beseech thee O Lord for the time to come to mollifie my heart water it with the dew of thy Heavenly Grace that I may not alwayes bring forth thornes and weeds fit for nothing but the fire Convert me O Lord and I shall be converted open my eyes direct my heart and wayes Draw me after thee and being converted suffer me not to return again with the Dog to his vomit And forasmuch O Lord as thou hast appointed the Night to refresh our bodies I humbly pray thee to defend me as well sleeping as waking from the snares of the Devil O Lord into thy hands I commend my Spirit which thou hast redeemed by thy precious death and passion Suffer it not to sleep in sin and in it lye languishing unto death and so be buried in the grave of thy judgements but watch over it I beseech thee and defend it under the shadow of thy wings Let me not be oppressed with unnecessary sleep but raise me in due time to thy Service and Praise Thou knowest O Lord that of my self I have no strength waking much less when I sleep I humbly therefore pray thee to defend my Soul Body Goods and all things which thou hast bestowed upon me this Night from all evil and damage and so dispose of me that I be not troubled with any terrours terrified with any vain phantasies weakned by any sickness or impoverished with any casualties or crosses Keep me O Lord from all evil dreams and unclean thoughts and compass me with a wall of thy mercies that the Tempter approach not to my Bed so that being preserved by thy protection and refreshed with comfortable rest I may arise and offer unto thee my daily bounden duty and service even praise and thanks to thy most holy Name Or thus O Blessed Lord Iesus Christ to whose inexhaustible bounty we owe all honour and praise I give thee all possible thanks that thou hast vouchsafed to keep me this day from all evil so that none of thy fearful judgements to which I was justly lyable have fallen upon me but of thy unspeakable mercy thou hast preserved me from them and hast also liberally and with a bountiful hand supplyed me with the necessaries of this life notwithstanding my great and manifold sins committed against thee O Lord I confess that I have wasted the time which thou hast given me for repentance altogether idlely vainly and unprofitably not so much as considering or taking notice that this day might have been the last of my life but have added and heaped up sin upon sin in thy All-seeing sight as if I had stood in no fear of thee at all daily renewing as much as in me lay thy torments and passions for which I have deserved that the Earth should open unto me and Hell devour me which that it is not come to pass I ascribe with all thankful acknowledgement to thy infinite mercy and goodness O Lord I acknowledge that it is of thy goodness alone that I am thus preserved from all thy judgements seeing that many calamities have befallen divers others who have less deserved them than my self That some have therefore perished by water some by fire some by sword others by sudden and violent death and that I live That some have been taken blind some lame some distracted in their senses That others have sustained much damage in their worldly estate and I have escaped and not been punished in any of these kinds To what shall I ascribe and attribute the cause surely to thy mercy alone for which I cannot give unto thee sufficient thanks But O sweet Saviour as thy mercy exceedeth so do our necessities increase thou canst not want matter for thy mercy to work upon by reason of our inabilities to help our selves Wherefore I further pray thee that this night following may be also safe and prosperous unto me that by a sweet sleep and comfortable refreshing I may be fitted when I awake to serve thee with a thankful
mysteries of life eternal for converting us from evil conversation to newness of life and for sanctifying us to life everlasting for directing us in the works of truth and governing us in our temporal affairs O glorious and sacred Trinity infuse into us we beseech thee such measure of thy grace that we may be dayly mindfull of all these thy blessings Pardon all our former ingratitude and negligence in that we have been no more zealous to love thee nor more carefull to serve thee and so forgetfull to thank thee for all thy benefits and mercies Illuminate our hearts that we may firmly beleeve in thee devoutly call upon thee and obediently execute thy holy Will that at the last we may by the merits and passion of thee O Saviour attain to that heavenly Mansion where thou O blessed Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity abidest world without end I thank thee O Lord For my Creation my being my well being That I am indued with Reason That I am A civil man A Christian. Freeborn Ingenious Of honest Parents That I am sound in mind Senses Body That I am well brought up taught I thank thee For thy gifts of Nature Grace Estate For delivering me from Danger Infamy Trouble For the health of my body A Competency of Estates Friends Children Kindred I thank thee O Lord For thy Redemption Regeneration Instruction Vocation Consolation Illumination Iustification Hope of glorification For thy patience toward me For thy Grace preventing me For Governing me For thy Continual care over me For Strengthning me in tentation For Reproving me in evil For Assisting me in good For the Conjunction of my heart For the hopes of pardon for my sins For the benefits I have received For any good done by me For all those that have done me good by their Writings Sermons Conferences Prayers Examples Reproofs Injuries For all and every of these and for all other known or unknown remembred or forgotten I confess and will confess thee I bless and will bless thee I thank and will thank thee as the Author and Giver of them all Seven Psalms of Thanksgiving Paraphrased Psalm 8. O Lord our God Creator and Preserver of all things how excellent glorious and reverend is thy great and holy Name not in one particular Nation only but in all the Kingdoms of the Earth who as thou hast magnified thy Name in the Earth so hast thou set and extolled thy glory above the Heavens also 2 Out of the mouths and tongues of babes and sucklings even very Infants hast thou because men of riper years and understanding neglect thy glory ordained strength and given little Children ability to praise thee because of the malice of thine Enemies the principalities of this world that thou mightest by this thy great wisdom and power still the tongues suppress the blasphemous speeches of the Enemy and Avenger when he shall see that by such weak means thou canst effect so great matters 3 When I consider and duly weigh thy Heavens and the glorious frame thereof the work of thy fingers made and created only by thee together with the Moon and the Stars and other beautiful Lights of Heaven which thou at the beginning of time hast ordained of nothing I cannot but in the depth of admiration say 4 What is man for whose use and service thou hast made them and all things in this world and him to serve thee That thou so great and glorious a God art mindful of him in so large a manner and what is the Son of man the posterity of sinful Adam that thou in such measure of mercy visitest and regardest him 5 For if I look unto his Creation and consider whose Image he beareth I find that thou hast made him in all respects very little lower in degree than the pure Angels who are honoured with thy presence and hast of thy bounty and especial favour crowned him with glory and honour in making him so glorious a Creature 6 Thou madest and hast appointed him also thy Vicegerent on Earth to have dominion and command over thy Creatures the works of thy hands and Creation thou hast subjected and put all things which thou hast made under his feet to obey and serve him 7 All Sheep and Oxen Beasts for his food and sustentation yea and not those only but the untamed beasts of the field also hast thou made plyable and serviceable to him 8 The Fowl of the Air some for food and some for pleasure and delight and the Fish of the vast Sea which is stored with variety and whatsoever else passeth swimmeth or liveth through the unknown pathes of the Sea are also created by thee to serve him 9 O Lord our Lord when I seriously consider thy power and wisdom in thy work of Creation and the especial honour and favour thou shewest to Mankind in giving him this large Commission over the rest of thy Creatures I cannot but admire and say how excellent and great is thy Name and Power in all the Kingdomes of the World There is none O Lord worthy to be compared to thee Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. Psalm 30. I Will extoll thee and praise thy Name O Lord as long as I live and not without great cause for thou in thy mercy hast lifted me up and endowed me with thy blessings and hast not made no nor suffered my Foes to work their will against me who intended if thou hadst forsaken me to rejoyce and triumph over me 2 O Lord my God and Saviour I cryed and made my humble supplication unto thee in my trouble and adversity and thou of thy accustomed goodness didst graciously hear me and hast healed me of all mine infirmities 3 O Lord thou by the power of thy grace hast brought up and restored to life my sinful soul from the grave of perdition whereinto my sins had well nigh cast me Thou hast in thy love to me kept me alive and preserved me from many dangerous sicknesses that I should not yet go down into the pit of death but live and praise thy holy Name 4 Sing and rejoyce unto the Lord our God O ye Saints and faithful people of his who have with me felt and tasted of his mercy and give thanks together with me at the remembrance and consideration of his holiness 5 For his anger and displeasure endureth towards sinners but a moment and short space if they truly turn unto to him and if we seriously consider his mercies we shall find that in his favour is life to those that lye desparately sick in their sins if he but touch them with his finger of grace as for weeping heaviness and affliction it may and of necessity must sometime befall his servants but yet it shall endure and afflict them for a night a little while only but joy and comfort commeth again to refresh them in the morning by sending the light of his countenance upon them 6 And
and Seraphin If therefore every one be a debtor for that which he hath received and that with the Philosopher Dii Parentibus nunquam reddatur aequivalens A Man can never render that which is equivalent to that which he receives from GOD or his Parents Man ought to remember his Creator with thankfulness as often and as long as he breaths If I be a Father where is my honour Hac conditione gignimur ut generanti nos Deo justa debita obsequia praebeamus We are begotten upon this condition to behave our selves in all due respect and observance to God who begat us II. By his Providence and Conservation Thou O Man hast no more power to subsist without him being made than to be created before thou wert made Thou wert but once made but oftentimes preserved from Fire from Water from Sickness from Enemies c. He defends us under the shadow of his wings He giveth his Angels charge over us as in the example of Elizeus He is as careful over us as a Father over his Children a Mother over hers a Shepheard over his Flock He governeth all things by his Providence Not a Sparrow falleth on the ground He feedeth the young Ravens He giveth us meat in due season Cast your care on him for he careth for you In him we live move and have our being To end this with St. Ambrose If thou art sick he is thy Physician If thou art weak he is thy strength If thou fearest death he is thy life If thou desirest Heaven he is the way If thou shunnest darkness he is the light If thou wantest food he is thy nutriment Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. III. By his Love Delighting in the works of his hands Loving them that love him Nay when we loved not him he first loved us I am found of them which sought me not Nay when we were his enemies And that with a perpetual and everlasting love especially manifested in our Redemption Which degree of his Love and the benefit arising by it no tongue or pen is able to express Saint Bernard saith If I owe to God all that I am for my Creation what shall I give further for my Redemption In my Creation he gave me to my self in my Redemption he gave himself to me and restored me to my self 1. And not only in respect of the Act it self 2. But in regard of the Manner 1. Man being fallen from blessedness by our first Parents sin God in mercy had pitty on his estate and was reconciled to him was content that he should be redeemed from the bondage and penalty of sin from everlasting death of body and soul and this was the Act it self 2. The Manner of it was extraordinary Even by his Son his only Son God from all eternity taking ours and not the Angels nature upon him Suffering death the worst the most accursedst of the Cross even when we were his enemies Whereby we were not only freed from what we deserved Punishment eternal death of Body and Soul But made capable of what we could not expect everlasting felicity and life of both Is not this love without parallel That we that were enemies children of wrath and eternal perdition should now be called the Sons of GOD. This is a greater act of love this manifesteth Gods love to us more than our Creation For by his word he created us without weariness But our Redemption cost more his only Sons dearest blood Who suffered for our sins the just for the unjust And poured out his soul unto death Was made a curse for us Humbled himself to the death of the Cross. To redeem us from the death and curse of the Law He sent Redemption unto his people He redeemeth Israel from all his sins He gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity IV. By his Patience toward Men daily provoking him in all ages In the dayes of Noah The Amorites The Israelites forty years The Ninivites and many others He is Long suffering He is Slow to anger V. By his Mildness Lenity in Correcting Not utterly consuming those whom he correcteth And it is of his mercy that we are not consumed In his anger remembring mercy Not delighting in punishment Not utterly taking away his mercy Not dealing with us after our sins VI. By his Mercy and Grace to Sinners Be merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful The Father of mercy He was ever so He is tender and compassionate rich and not sparing in his mercy Bringing many benefits with it Begetting us again by it Preserving us from dangers and sickness Preserving their souls Saving us by it which is the chief and greatest benefit mankind can desire And as he is rich in mercy by pardoning sinners so in his favour too promising good to his Servants I will love them that love me I will inrich them The Lord will preserve the souls of his Saints The Children of his Saints shall continue and their seed stand fast in his sight No man that hath forsaken house c. for my sake but he shall receive an hundred fold A hundred fold here by inward graces if not by outward dignity For deceivable things they shall receive true For doubtful things they shall receive certain For corporal things they shall receive spiritual For transitory things they shall receive permanent Their cares shall be turned into security Their tears into joy Their trouble into quiet Their perturbations into inward peace The righteous cry and the Lord heareth them and delivereth them out of all their troubles He that toucheth them toucheth the apple of his eye Not a bone of them shall be broken For God rewardeth secundum though not propter opera And reward maketh all works seem easie to the Husbandman in his toyl to the Merchant in his danger The reward of the good shall not fail The Lord is good to them that trust in him He sendeth health and wealth to his servants He never faileth them that seek him His reward is plentiful to them that fear him Now let us take a view of all these benefits 1. Of our Creation and in that of all things for our use 2. Of Gods preservation and providence over us 3. His love to us Before we loved him Loving him While we were his enemies With an everlasting love In such a large extent by Our Redemption In the act when we were in bondage of the Devil Sin In the manner by his only Son by his death most ignominious and cruel To free us from deserved death To estate us in undeserved happiness even life
instinct He was Created in the condition of a Son The rest but as bondslaves 3. Of Christians more especially by Grace Regeneration and Adoption by Iesus Christ his Son A Father but what Father There is no Father like unto thee When my Father and Mother forsake me then the Lord taketh me up Thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us Can a Woman forget the fruit of her womb c. Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee A most indulgent Father to whom the Prodigal Son arose and went Whom the insolvent servant besought Though thou be a displeased Father yet a Father thou art Though I be a wastful and disobedient Son yet a Son I am Though I have lost the ingenuity of a Son yet thou hast not lost the compassion and love of a Father A Father of Mercies Whom we find so to be By his inciting us to good Confirming us in it Pardoning our sins Delivering us from tentations Reclaiming us from sin Crowning us with blessings 1. If then thou be our Father in are thy Sons How great what manner of Lord hast thou bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God 2. If thou be our Father and we the Sons of God how great is the honour that we are as it were Gods 3. If thou be our Father then are we Brethren to Angels as also to Men. to Saints as also to Mean to Christ as also to men to Himself as also to Poor men And how great ought our love to be Let no man therefore extoll himself above his brethren nor be ashamed to call any man his Brother whom God hath vouchsafed to call Son 4. If thou be our Father how great is our Hope what are we to expect from thee Even all things which a Father giveth to his Children What are we to render unto thee Even all duty and obedience belonging to Children that thou mayest not repent thee nor we be unworthy either of our Creation or Adoption It is not without some reason from our Saviour that the words Mine or I are not to be found in this Prayer Our is a word of charity and unity It is not My Father as if God were any mans peculiar but our Father the Father of all as he properly is through and in Christ. Our prayers are most powerful with God when we express in them a fellow-feeling of the Necessities of our Neighbours and Sympathize with them in their misery This is Charity Let every one of us therefore be as willing and careful to pray for others as well and as heartily as for himself considering that in so doing he prayeth for him whom Charity hath made as himself Christ bare us and all our sins in his body Let us do the like to one another in word and deed For our Selves Necessity compelleth us to pray My Father For our Brethren Charity inviteth us to pray Our Father In these two words Our and Father the Law and Prophets are comprehended In Father the Love of God In Our the Love of our Neighbour And in these two words the sum of the Gospel is contained In Father our Faith In Our our Charity In these words we have a rule and direction to whom to frame our prayers Unto thee shall all flesh come Who have I in Heaven but thee saith King David He is only able to hear us and to grant our desires It is true we have Earthly Fathers but these leave and forsake us Their hands are shortned We call not to them but to thee which art in Heaven Heaven is thy Throne The Heavens declare thy Glory Not that thou art included in the Heavens only for as Solomon said The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee but as if that were thy Royal Palace where the Elect shall enjoy thy blessed presence Thou art Every where by thy Presence Thou art In Heaven by thy Excellence Thou art in Earth also But they which come to thee must be lifted up higher I have lifted up mine eyes Ultra montes expectare Sursum Corda A word of Hope For if thou be our Father and Lord and King of Heaven then our Hope is that our Inheritance is there also that thou wilt not deny us an Inheritance that hast vouchsafed us the Title of Sons Let us therefore take the wings of the Eagle and be lifted up in our Meditations to Heaven being made heirs thereof Let us look up to Heaven while we are upon Earth Unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. I will lift up mine eyes to the hills whence cometh my help Out of the deep have I called to thee O Lord. A word of Power For thou art in that place from whence at all times thou canst send us Help in danger Good things in need Plagues for our offences And though thou art a Father by thy Love yet art thou in Heaven by thy Majesty and Power Let us not therefore presume upon too much familiarity with him as with a Father but let his word in Heaven keep us in a submiss Reverence For though Father and Son be of near Relation yet a Son of the Earth and a Father in Heaven are of great distance And let us be respective of his awful Majesty and make our petitions to him in fear and trembling in all Humility and Reverence And Let us not be rash with our mouths nor our hearts hasty to utter any thing before him For GOD is in Heaven and we poor Creatures upon Earth which is but his footstool This Petition justly challengeth the first place For being thus intituled and dignified with the honour of Sons we ought primarily to consider our duties what we should render back And what should a Son desire more than the honour of his Father By this word we understand all the Attributes by which God hath manifested himself as his Majesty Iustice Power Truth Mercy Goodness c. Blessed be thou our Lord who hast given this power to men To Hallow Thy Name To Magnifie Thy Name To Glorifie Thy Name Which in it self is Holy Which all thy works in general do sanctifie Which all the unreasonable Creatures do hallow and praise in their kinds Which all reasonable Creatures as Angels and Men do glorifie The Angels and Hosts of Heaven Men that are in Heaven already though In Earth by their works In the Congregations In Afflictions Let us therefore glorifie it also and that not carelesly or slightly but zealously and holily in Thought Word and Profession For the whole scope of our Actions ought to tend to the Glory of GOD only And Lord let thy Name be sanctified by others besides us Dilate this power of sanctifying thy Name communicate it more and more to the Gentiles Make thy Gospel to spread to
We thy poor Children whom thou hast preferred before the rest of thy Creatures do from the bottom of our hearts wish and desire that thy Name may be Hallowed glorified and magnified from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof even through all parts of the World And that it may the better spread from one Nation to another give us grace who have received the Adoption of Children so to walk before thee in holiness and righteousness that the Heathen who have not known thy Name seeing our good works may glorifie thy Name together with us Thou seest O Lord that we have many Tyrants amongst us in this life as the Devil malicious and cruel the World vain and curious the Flesh frail and deceitful and our own Will vile and corrupt all which do impetuously tyrannize over us and oppose themselves against thy Kingdom Arise therefore O Lord and suppress these Tyrants and rule over thine and our Enemies by thy power and in us by thy grace that we may hereafter be Subjects in thy Kingdom of Glory Let thy Kingdom come and govern us by thy Providence defend us by thy Might lead us by thy Spirit and teach us by thy Word Drive far from us the Prince of this World and do thou only Rule in us Give us grace to follow the example of thy blessed Angels and all other thy Creatures who readily and joyfully do thy will Let our wills follow thine in all things and let nothing be displeasing to us which thy Will hath decreed either for our prosperity or adversity Let us do nothing contrary to thy Will but let the performance and execution of thy Will be the whole scope and aim of our thoughts words and actions And to this end give unto us thy holy Spirit which may direct our wills enlighten our understandings mollifie our hearts and make them obedient to thy Will We further cry unto thee O Lord who givest food to every living creature and feedest the young Ravens that call upon thee and pray thee that thou wouldst likewise give unto us this day our daily Bread First and above all the Bread of Life which may nourish us spiritually and after that Bread for our bodies to sustain Nature Give us we beseech thee all things necessary not superfluous for this life and grant that we using thy blessings as becometh us may be strengthned and enabled to pass this life quietly and soberly and at the end of these our dayes by the merits and intercession of our Saviour Iesus Christ obtain life eternal And for as much O Lord as we know thou hearest not unrepentant sinners and that our sins have long since prevented our prayers and ascended into thy preiuce to stop the current of thy mercies and to call for vengeauce against us O Lord behold that we earnestly repent us of them and are heartly sorrowful for them Wherefore we humbly pray thee for thy great mercies to mankind in thy Son Christ Iesus that thou wouldst be pleased to be reconciled unto us and to forgive us our Trespasses Enter not into Iudgement with us for if thou do no man is able to abide the mildness of thy Iustice much less the severity of it Give us also grace to follow the example of our blessed Saviour who forgave his Enemies and prayed for them that we may forgive them that trespass against us Lest when thou comest to Judgement thou dealest as severely with us as thou didst with him who had much forgiven and would not forgive a little Thou knowest O Father how unapt we are of our selves to think a good thought much less to resist so great Enemies as are hourly ready to assail us Suffer us not therefore to be tempted above our abilities neither by forsaking us or with-drawing thy hand of protection from us Lead thou us into Tentation but Lord so strengthen us that although it be not good for us to be altogether free from Tentation yet by thy aid and grace we may have a happy issue and joyful deliverance from it And as we have humbly prayed thee not to lead us in So we further desire thee to deliver us out of all evil For as long as we remain in this flesh we shall have contiuual strivings and wrestlings with divers evils but especially with the evil Spirit the Enemy of Mankind who omitteth no opportunity to bring us into his bondage But we are comforted O Lord with the assurance of thy mercy which can effect and work more to our salvation than his Malice to our destruction Grant therefore O Lord that we may be delivered from all evil and from all our Enemies spiritual and temporal that so we may serve thee ever hereafter in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of our life All these Blessings we have been the more confident to beg of thee O Lord because we know assuredly that thou art King of Kings none hath absolute power within thy Dominions but thy self and that thou hast power also without resistance to maintain thy right and defend thy Subjects being able to give those things which are necessary for those who call upon thee faithfully And we lastly pray thee that seeing it will be for thy glory to grant those things which we have desired that with the bestowing of them thou wilt also give us thy grace that we may use and employ them to that end for which thou gavest them even thy Honour and Glory That so being thy true servants here we may be glorified with thee hereafter who art Lord of all glory to all Eternity Having thus discovered and laid open our necessities to thee O Lord in that form and manner which thy Son directed us we humbly pray thee to say Amen to all our Petitions In his Name and for his merits sake we pray thee to grant them For though we have no deserts to challenge them yet his merits are numberless by which we plead for them And with this Sacrifice and Oblation we are bold to come unto thee not only craving pardon for our sins but supply of our necessities We come not to thee of our selves presuming of any thing in us but we are sent by thy Son Iesus Christ who hath commanded us with confidence to press unto thy Throne and in his Name to ask whatsoever we shall need either for this life or the life to come And as he hath sent us so hath he also put into our mouths words meet for our request O Lord take notice of the stile it is his own and for his sake say to what we have required Amen So be it And thou O blessed Saviour God and Man intercede we beseech thee for us for thou only art our Advocate Mediator and Intercessor to the Father Cover our imperfections and nakedness with the robes of thy righteousness and supply our poverty with the riches of thy
merits and cast nor those from thy favour and grace whom by Nature thou of thy goodness hast vouchsafed to make thy Brethren Who livest and reignest with the Father and Holy Spirit now and for ever Amen Petitions for Spiritual Graces OH that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes O LORD Blessed is the man whom thou teachest out of thy Law Open mine eyes that I may see the wonderous things of thy Law Teach me to do thy will for thou and my GOD let thy good Spirit lead me into the Land of Righteousness Give me Grace O LORD To know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing To abstain from fleshly lusts which fight against the Soul To keep in mind alwayes Thou the World passeth away and the desire thereof And that the benefit which a Man getteth by the World is nothing but Destruction Truly to say I have remembred thy everlasting Iudgements and my Son receiveth comfort thereby O thou that givest Grace to the humble give me Grace to be humble Give me a good heart which hearing thy Word may keep it and bring forth fruit with patience O Lord Let me find Grace in this eyes Let me find a place and time of Repentance Let me not receive thy Grace in vain Let me not fail or fall from it But let me continue in it And let me grow in it To the end of my dayes Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Carefulness Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Defence or clearing my self Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Indignation Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Fear Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Vehement Desire Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Zeal Give me O Lord the works of Repentance Revenge Give me Grace to think upon and do Whatsoever things are True Give me Grace to think upon and do Venerable Give me Grace to think upon and do Honest Give me Grace to think upon and do Iust Give me Grace to think upon and do Pure Give me Grace to think upon and do Lovely Give me Grace to think upon and do Of Good Report Give unto me O LORD Humility of Heart Give unto me O LORD Charity to my neighbour Give unto me O LORD Patience of Mind Give unto me O LORD Temperance of Life Give unto me O LORD Chastity of Body Give unto me O LORD Contentedness of Mind Give unto me O LORD Alacrity of Spirit Give unto me good Lord Perfect knowledge of my Sins Give unto me good Lord Hearty sorrow for them Give unto me good Lord Perfect hatred against them Give unto me good Lord Fervent love to all Goodness Give unto me good Lord True obedience to thy Will Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Faith Vertue Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Vertue Knowledge Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Knowledge Temperance Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Temperance Patience Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Patience Godliness Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Godliness Brotherly Kindness Give me Grace O Lord to adde To Brotherly Kindness Charity Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Love Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Ioy Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Peace Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Long Suffering Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Gentleness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Goodness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Faith Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spririt Meckness Give unto me O Lord The Fruits of the Spirit Temperance Give unto me good Lord Contempt of the World Give unto me good Lord Hatred of Sin Give unto me good Lord Loathing of the flesh Give unto me good Lord Desire of Heaven Give unto me ô Lord A right Faith to live well Give unto me ô Lord A sure Hope to persevere well Give unto me ô Lord A perfect Humility to obey well Give unto me ô Lord A true Charity never to be divided from thee Give me grace O Lord to be content with that which is necessary To despise that wich is superflous Grant O Lord That I may so live that I repent not to have lived That I may so live that no man may know I have lived amiss That I may so live that I may alwayes live That dying I may live and living I may dye and say with a chearful Spirit Lord now leitest thou thy servant depart in peace I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. Amen Prayers for Spiritual Graces O Blessed Lord Jesus Christ who art my only Tutor and Instructer and from whom I have learned whatsoever I know I beseech thee that thou wouldst further teach me those things whereof I am ignorant and which are necessary for my Salvation that thou wouldst keep me in things which I have already learned and rectifie me in those matters wherein as a man I erre Strengthen me and make me firm wherein soever I waver and am doubtful and keep me from that which is erronious and hurtful Above all things O Saviour strengthen my Faith and give me grace daily to prosit in the knowledge and understanding of thy Holy Word and so govern all my actions by thy Holy Spirit that my life may be answerable to my knowledge and that I may shew the fruits of whatsoever I have learned by my good and religious conversation Give me a firm and assured hope in thee and thy gracious promises that in all my troubles and necessities I may be evermore confident in thy mercy Be unto me a strong Tower of defence against mine Enemies that whether the World allure me the Devil assail me or the Flesh rebel I may fly unto thee for refuge And although thou presently put not forth thy hand to help me but defer thy comfort according to thy good pleasure yet keep me from doubting or despairing of thy aid because thy promises are sure Give me a fervent Love and perfect Charity to my Neighbour that I may be as kind to him and as careful of him as of one who is a Member with me of the same Body whereof thou O sweet Saviour art the Head Let my love to him be sincere and unfeigned which may charitably relieve him in his wants patiently bear with his infirmities and willingly forgive him all his trespasses against me Create in me I beseech thee a pure mild peaceable and humble heart which may think harm to no man nor recompense evil for evil but good for injuries Cleanse me from all unclean and earthly desires and lift up my heart to thee and Heavenly things and so write thy Laws in it that I may wholly bend my self to keep them and please thee persevering in the same to my
chearful heart And because O Lord that this life hath not one certain hour I beseech thee to Enlighten mine eyes that I sleep not in death and grant that after I have rested quietly I may by thy grace and mercy arise to serve thee in singleness of heart Lighten O Saviour my darkness and mercifully keep me from all dangers of this night Save me waking and keep me sleeping that I may watch in thee and rest in peace There is nothing that more resembleth our Life than the Day nor the Grave than our Beds O Lord therefore when I am laid down and by sleep made unable to help my self being like unto a dead man defend me then by thy power from the crafts and assaults of the Enemy that he do me no harm so that though my Body sleep my Soul may watch unto thee and contemplate of the life to come And grant that having passed the night quietly I may arise as well from the sleep of sin as from my natural sleep and with all alacrity pass the day following in thy service and in the end of my pilgrimage by thy merits receive the Crown which thou hast promised to those that love thee in that day which no night shall follow and in that Heavenly Kingdom where thou reignest together with the Father and the blessed Spirit world without end Evening Prayer LEt my prayer O Lord be set forth in thy sight as the Incense and let the lifting up of my hands be an Evening Sacrifice In the Evening Morning and at Noon-day will I pray and that instantly and thou Lord shalt hear my prayer Blessed be thou O Lord Who hast preserved me from the Arrow that flyeth by day and from the Sickness that destroyeth in the noon-day Who hast not cut off my life like a Weaver nor made an end of me O Lord I confess that as my dayes have increased so hath my sin multiplied The just man falleth seven times a day But I miserable sinner seventy times seven times But I return to thee O Lord and repent Let not the Sun go down in thy wrath O Lord whatsoever good I have done this day I acknowledge that thou hast wrought it in me and desire thee graciously to accept of me for it as thy Instrument only O Lord whatsoever evil I have committed this day I confess it to be the work of mine own hands and heartily pray thee to pardon it O Lord which givest the sleep of health to them that love and causest those that fear thee to sleep confidently Lighten mine eyes that I sleep not in death Keep me from the terrours of the night aud from the works of darkness Lord though I sleep yet let my heart watch to thee and when I wake let me be present before thee let my thoughts ascend to thee Grant that I may alwayes remember that the night is no night with thee and that darkness and light are to thee alike Grant that I may alwayes meditate upon the long and last sleep the sleep of Death the Bed of my Grave and the Covering of Worms and Dust. Let my sleep be a cessation from sin and let me not in my sleep do or think any thing that may offend thee or defile my self And grant that after the sleep shall depart from mine eyes I may remember thee search my reines and try my heart O Lord I commend my self and all that of thy bounty is mine to thee In thee I put all my trust and confidence Thou seest in what dangers we are what snares the Devil layeth for us I humbly therefore pray thee to defend me from him And grant me so to order and end my life that I may sleep in peace and take my rest with thee for the merits of Iesus Christ c. I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Evening Prayer for a Family O Almighty and everlasting God who hast appointed all times and seasons to succeed in their due course and hast ordained the day for the works of the day and bodily labour and the night to take our quiet rest refreshing by whose providence and mercy we have been preserved this day from all dangers have been furnished with all things necessary for this life we humbly pray and beseech thee that now in this time of night and darkness wherein we poor and miserable sinners stand in most need of thy help and aid thou wouldst be pleased to keep us from all dangers spiritual and temporal O Lord we confess that we have not deserved the least of thy favours nay if thou shouldst with strict eye examine our actions how we have spent this day and the rest of our dayes past we should not be able to stand in thy sight much less beg any further blessings of thee For notwithstanding thy manifold and daily favours we have in all things been rebellious and repugnant to thy blessed Will and obedient and conformable to the command of our Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil Insomuch as we have lost our liberties and are become servants and slaves unto them For we have wholly given ourselves to serve the pleasures of the Flesh in Concupiscences and other carnal Acts We have hearkned too much to the delights of the World in covetous desiring that which is not our own in abusing the Creatures thereof which were created for our necessary use and not for our wanton and insatiable desires And we are become the servants of Satan in not opposing and resisting his unclean and wicked Tentations Our sins are infinite and our iniquities are numberless so that we cannot nor are any way able to recount them unto thee We have fled from thee seeking us neglected thee loving us stopped our ears to thee speaking to us turned our backs to thee reaching thy hand to us forgotten thee doing good to us and despised thee correcting us Yet O Lord we humbly intreat thee to shew thy accustomed mercy to us poor and miserable sinners who in grief and anguish of soul confess these our offences and earnestly and bitterly bewail them Look upon us with the eyes of compassion not for any thing in us but for the love and respect which thou bearest to thy Son CHRIST JESUS in whom we verily believe that thou art fully reconciled unto us Take away our sins and the punishment due unto us for them Let thy wrath be turned from us and destroy us not together with our manifold transgressions Lord thou seest our wickedness and withall how and in whose name we crave thy mercy Turn thee O Lord from thine anger which thou mightest justly pour upon us and be gracious unto us according to thy wonted goodness who abhorrest nothing which thou hast made Create also we beseech thee in us new hearts hearts fit to serve thee and write
the prosperity and good success Of Merchants Husbandmen Artificers Trades-men And that they may live carefully and honestly in their vocations For the prosperous Education of Youth either in Universities Schools or Other parts of the Kingdom For our Parents Kindred Friends Neighbours and Benefactors For those of whom we have the charge committed to us either in Church Common-Wealth or Families For our Enemies especially those that hate us without cause that God would convert them For those that commend themselves to our prayers and those whose affairs and troubles will not suffer them to pray as they ought For those who are in affliction of body or mind Who are in danger or want in Prison or condemned to Death For those that Excell In qualities of the mind Strength of body Abundance of wealth That they exalt not themselves above their brethren For those who undertake any notable Action which may redound To the Glory of God The Peace of the Church The Honour of the Kingdom Deprecation O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath Cast me not off for ever Cast me not away from thy presence Hide not thy face from me With-hold not thy mercy from me Forsake me not O Lord. Put me not to shame Turn away reproach from me Let not mine Enemies triumph over me Deliver me not over to their will Preserve my life from them Deliver me O Lord From hardness of heart to impenitence Grossness of heart Impudence of countenance Hardness of countenance From a seared conscience A reprobate mind Sin unto death Viz. Against the Holy Ghost From all superfluity of naughtiness The weight of sin The lusts of the flesh and eyes and pride of life All wicked and vain desires Hurtful and unclean thoughts Desire of vain-glory From a deceitful tongue Unpure lips Hands stretched out to covetousness Feet swift to evil Eyes open to Toyes Ears open to Vanity From blindness of heart Inconstancy of mind Scurrility of speech Intemperance of the belly From desire of riches Reproach of my neighbours Contempt of the poor Oppression of the weak Rancor of mind Root out of me O Lord. Prophaneness and Superstition Pride and Undecency Anger and Contention Swearing and Cursing Passion and Corruption Fraud and Rapine Lying and Slander Envy and Malice Take from me the Sin of Gluttony Give to me the Vertue of Abstinence Take from me the Spirit of Uncleanness Give to me the Love of Chistity Take from me the Desire of the World Give to me Content of Mind Take from me the Heat of Anger Give to me the Spirit of Meekness Take from me the Care of this Life Give to me thy SPIRITUAL Ioy. Take from me Haughtiness of Mind Give to me Compunction of Heart Deliver me O Lord From all evil and mischief All noysome Diseases All things hurtful to My Soul My Health My Estate My Quiet From all Scandal From all Grief From all Infamy From all Enemies Secret From all Enemies Open From all Enemies Crafty From all Enemies Potent From Sudden Death From Violent Death In all my Prayers and Petitions Distresses and Dangers Infirmities and Need. Tentations and Tribulations Good Lord deliver me and help me From the Terrors of Hell Eternal Damnation The angry Countenance of the Iudge The fearful Sentence Depart from me into Utter Darkness The Chains of Everlasting Darkness The Lake of Fire and Brimstone The Smoke of the Torment which ascends for ever Good Lord of thy great mercy deliver me In Affliction MOst merciful Redeemer always loving to us whether thou sendest us heaviness or joy for thy mercy is great whilst by outward afflictions as by bitter pills thou curest the inward diseased man and by temporary troubles thou preparest us and makest us fit for joyes eternal Grant O sweet Saviour that I may drink of this Cup of adversity and all others as reached to me by thy hand Thou knowest O Lord that they are bitter to flesh and blood yet withall I know that thou didst endure far greater things for me and that I have deserved to suffer much more than thou hast laid upon me O Lord thou knowest also the weakness and frailty of mans nature and therefore I do assuredly believe that thou the good Samaritan wilt not only cleanse the wounds of my sins with the sharp wine of thy justice but wilt also add the oyl of thy mercy and comfort whereby I may be strengthned again If thou thinkest not yet sufficient or that enough which thou hast laid upon me yet add patience I beseech thee to my further grief and grant that that these thy punishments may provoke me to true repentance whereby I may by thy merits obtain remission of my sins But if thy Fatherly Clemency shall be contented with this gentle and mild chastisement take off thy corrections and heavy hand from me that so I may for both thy mercies to me praise thy holy Name as well that thou hast so gently dealt with me in amending me so unprofitable a Servant as that thou hast in time taken off the bitterness of affliction and not utterly confounded me in the first of thy works of mercy respecting my necessity and in the last not forgetting my infirmity To thee O Saviour with the Father and Holy Spirit be all Praise Laud and Glory now and evermore Amen In time of Pestilence O Lord God who rejectest none that trusting in thy goodness and believing in thy promises come to thee for succour and help Behold we beseech thee with the eyes of compassion and mercy thy poor sinful and miserable people who now are much afflicted and visited with the Plague of Pestilence with the scourge of thine angry hand Our streets are full of grief and our houses are filled with heaviness and all our joy is turned into mourning by reason of thy heavy wrath and hot displeasure which now is gone out to destroy and consume us from the face of the Earth We confess O Lord it is but just that all thy Creatures should rebell against Man and oppose themselves against him who hath so desperately rebelled against thee his Creator For they are all obedient to thee only Man sinful and wretched Man is continually stubborn and rebellious daily abusing thy Blessings and hourly transgressing thy Commandments got leaving his evil wayes for fear of thy threats nor being allured to goodness with the hope of thy promises We daily hear by thy Messengers and read in thy Sacred Word what thou hast threatned of old to thy rebellious people and in them to us How that if they kept not thy Commandements Thou wouldst send upon them the Sword to avenge the quarrel of thy Covenant and when they should be gathered in their Cities thou wouldst send the Pestilence among them and they should be delivered into the hands of the Enemy And
intermission Plexus ardore incomparabili dolore innumerabili poena interminabili Full of incomparable heat innumerable sorrowes and endless punishments This for Poena sensus or the Pain and misery felt Now for the Glory and Happiness lost which is usually called Poena Damni The Loss of Heavens joyes The deprivation of sinners from Gods sight Than which nothing more miserable The Excellency of Heaven the place of Gods rest may be conjectured at By the End for which it was made 1. The glory of God here above other places The Heavens declare the Glory of God and the firmament his handy-work 2. The Happiness of the Elect. Abraham Isaac and Iacob Blessed are they which dwell here They shall be satisfied inebriebuntur with the plenty of Gods house This Happiness we may also value By the Price it cost to regain it when it was lost The Pains which Martyrs endured to attain it The Testimonies of the Prophets c. The Excellency of Heaven may be imagined By the Discription of it It needs no Sun or Moon to enlighten it for the glory of God makes it bright The Lamb is the light thereof No Night there Here is that Beatifical Vision which the Fathers and Holy men so desired and rejoyced in Mine Eyes have seen thy Salvation I shall be satisfied with thine Image Shew the light of thy Countenance and we shall be safe If I have found grace in thy sight saith Moses shew me thy face If thou desire pleasure Here is pleasure for evermore If honour Such honour have all his Saints If good company God and all the Elect. If musick A quire of Angels continually praising God with their melodious songs To conclude here is abundance of all things want of nothing Wherefore Si credimus futurum Iudicium bene vivamus ne malè moriamur Maxima poena metum perdidisse judicii If we believe there will be a Judgement hereafter let us live well lest we dye in an ill case It is the sign of a seared Conscience and that is the greatest punishment can befall a man to have lost the fear of the last Iudgement Lay all these together That all men are sinners God hateth sin It standeth us upon to prevent Gods wrath In respect of the Iudgement of this World Temporal and of the World to come Eternal That it will be heavy in regard of the Omnipotence of the Iudge Iustice of the Iudge Omniscience of the Iudge Goodness of the Iudge The Weakness of Man The Imperfection of Man The Misery of Man The Sentence which makes the wicked lyable to the sense of pain and loss of good And finding that there is an unevitable necessity to repent Why defer we to use the means by which we may be made clean our sins may be pardoned and taken off A wise Traveller takes the day before him And a wise Builder the year before him Optimè fit quod suo tempore fit Stultus semper incipit vivere It is best done that is done timely A Fool alway begins to live For who hath promised thee time to repent How many have been deceived with this vain hope The Wise Man giveth this Rule Whatsoever good thing thy hand findeth to do do it instantly with thy might for there is no work c. in the Grave Make no tarrying to turn to the Lord and put not off from day to day For suddenly shall the wrath of the Lord come forth and in thy security thou shalt be destroyed Indulgentiam Deus tibi promisit crastinum diem nemo promisit Si male vixisti bene vive jam hodiè And Propter illos qui desperatione periclitantur proposuit Deus indulgentiae portum Propter illos qui spe periclitantur dilationibus illuduntur fecit diem mortis incertum Quando venit ultimus dies nescis Ingratus es qui hodiernum habes in quo corrigaris And again Qui ab iniquitatibus suis recedere negliguut sibi de Deo indulgentiam repromittunt nonnunquam ita praeveniuntur Dei furore ut net conversionis tempus nec beneficium remissionis inveniant God hath promised the pardon it is true but no man hath promised or cen that thou shalt live while tomorrow If thou hast formerly lived ill live well to day God hath been so propitious to Mankind that for the comfort of them that are ready to perish in the Sea of desparation he hath a Haven of mercy and pardon And for their sakes that are illuded with hope and delay their repentance he hath made the day of death uncertain Seeing thou knowest not when the last day will come thou art an unthankful man if thou makest not good use by repentance of this day which God hath given thee They which are careless to depart from iniquity and flatter themselves with the hope of Gods pardon are many times so prevented by the anger of God as they neither find time to convert nor the benefit of his pardon God hath reserved to himself the preheminence of lengthning aud shortning our dayes The rich man promised himself ease and rest for many years but one night brought a period to his supposed felicity Saint Ierome saith That men are worthily taken in the snare of Judgement as fish with a hook or birds in a net and therefore gives this counsel Quia didicisti quòd omnia morte finiuntur in inferno non sit poenitentia nec aliquis ad virtutes recursus dum in ipso saeculo es festina contende age poenitentiam c. Seeing thou hast learn'd that death brings an end to all things and that there 's no repentance in Hell nor any recourse to vertue make hast while thou livest strive and labour do penance c. But admit that thou hadst the priviledge to know thine own end Thinkest thou that it will be easier to repent hereafter than presently No certainly For the longer thou detractest the harder the task of repentance 1. In respect of the habit Custom is another nature Cum aliquid in habitum abierit difficulter expellitur Dum servitur libidini fit consuetudo dum consuetudini non resistitur fit necessitas When a thing hath once got a habit it is hardly expelled While we serve and feed our lust custom steals upon us and not resisting custom we are necessitated to it Therefore he gives this admonition As no man is to despair of Gods mercy yet he is not so to presume but that without delay he reconcile himself to God lest he fall into such a custom of sinning that when he would he be not able to get out of the Devils snares 2. Because the farther we plunge our selves into sin the farther God is from us Woe unto them that have fled from me God will cast them off 3. For the ground the Devil gets of us He is like the strong man which overcometh the weaker
Who wouldest have all to be saved none so perish I am thine O save me Despise not the work of thy hands Who hatest nothing which thou hast made I am thy Servant and Son of thy Handmaid Thy Name is called on by us Thou art not ashamed to be called our Lord. I am the price of thy Sons blood O spare thy Workmanship Thy Child Thy Name The price of thy Sons blood But I am a sinner and God heareth not sinners Yet I pray thee remember of what I am made That I am but flesh and a wind that passeth away and cometh not again Take notice of the matter of which I am made Remember that I am but dust Frail flesh Light wind Loose dust And wilt thou O Lord break a leaf driven with the wind too and fro and wilt thou pursue dry stubble Behold O Lord though I have sinned yet I humble my self under thy mighty hand Spare the humble and contrite David spared Shimei that railed on him And David was a man according to thine own heart Therefore do thou spare me Ahab King of Israel forgave the King of Syria his offence upon his humiliation Was there ever King of Israel more merciful than thou Thou forgavest the same Ahab who had sold himself to sin when he humbled himself Spare me also I beseech thee O Lord how long wilt thou be angry with thy Servant which prayeth Surely Lord I hide not my sins like Adam but confess them Behold I judge my self Accept O Lord the Sacrifice of a troubled Spirit A contrite heart A grieved Soul A wounded Conscience Though I have sinned against thee It hath ever been thy Practice to be merciful Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and were not confounded Thy mercies have been ever of old Lord where are thy former loving kindnesses Look at the Generations of old and see did ever any trust in the Lord and was confounded Or whom did he ever despise that called upon him It is due by thy Promise Remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope Let thy mercy come unto me O Lord even thy salvation according to thy word God hath promised which cannot lie He is a God of truth And confirmed it with an Oath Which promise the unbelief of men cannot make void If we believe not yet he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself There will arise no benefit by my destruction For what profit is there in my blood if I go down into the pit For in death is no remembrance of thee and in the grave who shall give thee thanks Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead Or shall the dead arise and praise thee Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave Or thy faithfulness in destruction The grave cannot praise thee death cannot celebrate thee the living the living he shall praise thee I will not dye but live and declare the works of the Lord. O taste and see how gracious the Lord is blessed is the man that trusteth in him Thy mercies O Lord are Sweet Comfortable Better than life Many A multitude of them Plentiful Tender Superabundant Wonderful Infinite Great Broad From the East to the West Long. Deep High To the Heavens High Above the Heavens Past knowledge Eternal of old For ever Preventing Following Compassing Pardoning Crowning Over all thy works Our sins Thy justice Thou art the Father of mercies Thou art patient and slow to anger Thou winkest at the sins of men because they should repent Sparing thy people forty years Many times thou didst turn thy wrath away and wouldest not suffer thy whole displeasure to arise It is of thy mercy that we are not consumed Gentle in correcting insomuch as thy justice is not without mercy I will visit their offences with the rod and their sin with scourges Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him He hath not dealt with us after our sins How shall I smile thee O Ephraim Placable and easie to be pacified He will not alway be chiding neither keepeth he his anger for ever His wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee In anger he remembreth mercy David said I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David The Lord hath also put away thy sin thou shalt not dye The Lord waiteth to be gracious unto us Compassionate Thy Compassions are called bowels of mercy When thou didst see the misery of thy people thou hadst compassion on them Then the Lord of the servant moved with compassion loosed him and forgave him the debt Not only ready to forgive but profuse in mercy With thee is plentious redemption The Father of the Prodigal not only pardoned him but put on him the best Robe and a Ring and killed the fat Calf for him He will have joy in Heaven for a sinner repenting Thy pardon extendeth not only to small but great sins and sinners Such as Pet. who forsware thee Paul who blasphemed thee The Thief on the Cross. The Adulteress Mary Magdalen They say If a man put away his Wife and she go from him and become another mans shall he return unto her again shall not the Land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the Harlot with many Lovers yet return again to me saith the Lord. He is kind to the unthankful and evil But all these are recapitulated and summed up in Christ Iesus In whom he hath given us great and precious promises And in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen In naming of whom it will be sufficient Iesus thou Son of David have mercy on me Which Name Jesus was given unto him because he saveth us from our sins Lord Do not so earnestly mark our sins as that thereby thou forget thine own Name Thou Son of David who forgave Shimei his sworn Enemy reviling him Forgive me O Christ hear me Intercede for me Make thy Father propitious to me Say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation Let not thy Apostle comfort me in vain when he saith This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners Where sin hath abounded there grace hath super-abounded God hath concluded all under sin that he might have mercy upon all When we were Gods Enemies we were reconciled to him by the death of his Son Let not another of thy Apostles say in vain Christ
them in glory hereafter and enjoy everlasting happiness before thee in thy blessed presence Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 130. OUt of the depth of tentations dangers and sorrow for my sins wherein my Spirit is almost overwhelmed have I by fervent prayer cryed and called unto thee O Lord who only art able to give me relief 2 Lord of thy mercy haste thee and hear my voice and petition and deliver me from my misery O my God let thine ears of pity and compassion be attentive to consider and well weigh the lamentable voice of my humble supplications and let not my prayer return unpitied or unheard of thee 3 If thou Lord contrary to thy disposition shouldest be so exact and extreme as in the rigour of thy justice to mark the iniquities which we by our natural corruption daily fall into and punish us accordingly O good Lord who none not the most upright shall be able to answer one for a thousand or stand before thee without much horrour at the Judgement Seat 4 But for the comfort of poor wretched sinners and to keep us from utter desperation we find it recorded by the holy Spirit that there is forgiveness of sins and mercy toward sinners repenting with thee by Jesus Christ who came to save them and yet this mercy of thine is tyed with such conditions that thou who also art just mayest be also feared lest thy lenity be abused 5 I for my part wait and confidently expect for the Lord to receive mercy from him My sinful but repentant Soul waits to receive consolation and in his Word whereby he promiseth mercy to repentant sinners do I hope and place my whole confidence because I know that he which hath promised is just 6 My sinful Soul in this expectation waiteth for the Lord and tarryeth his good pleasure to comfort it more earnestly than they that in a disconsolate long night watch for the morning Yea I say it again more zealously than they that are weary of the night and watch for the light of the morning 7 Let Israel and all Gods faithful people hope still and put their trust in the goodness of the Lord and not without cause for with the Lord though he justly take vengeance on us for our sins yet there is ever was and will be found mercy towards penitent sinners and with him by Jesus Christ is not only forgiveness for a few sins but plenteous redemption from the captivity of the Devil and Sinne. 8 And he even Jesus Christ by his merits and intercession shall redeem and save Israel and each of his faithful servants from all his iniquities and the punishment due for them Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 143. HEar my earnest and humble prayer O Lord which in my misery I make unto thee Give ear and be not deaf to my supplicatious in the time of my distress but in thy faithfulness and truth which endureth for ever answer me and grant my petition which I make not trusting in any merits of mine own but in thy righteousness 2 And my further petition to thee is that thou enter not into the Throne of thy Iudgement by strictly examining my mis-deeds and dealing rigorously with me thy poor servant who hath mis-spent his talent for in thy all-seeing sight shall no man living in this vale of misery be justified or found innocent 3 For the Old Enemy of mankind the Devil hath by his malice persecuted and sought to entrap my Soul to separate it from the love of thee he hath smitten and cast my life and Soul down to the ground and filled me full of earthly desires he hath made and caused me to dwell and take pleasure in the darkness of of my sins as those that are without sense and have been long dead 4 Therefore O Lord considering my desperate estate is my spirit overwhelmed with grief within me and my heart is disquieted within me and is also desolate and sore troubled 5 I yet in the midst of the sorrows that are in my heart do remember what I have read and heard what thou hast done in the dayes of old how that thou hast been gracious to the penitent and severe against the unrepentant sinner I meditate also on all thy works but especially on that of thy mercy and I muse and exercise my self in contemplating on the works of thy hands admiring thy Power and Wisdom in the Creation of all things 6 I stretch forth and lift up my hands in my prayers unto thee O Lord my Soul which is dry for want of the dew of thy grace thirsteth after thee for the water of life as a thirsty land in a time of drought 7 Hear me and answer me speedily delay not O Lord for my spirit waxeth faint and faileth me in my devotion Oh hide not thy face and loving countenance from me miserable sinner lest it come to pass that I be like in condition unto them that go down headlong after their own inventions into the pit of destruction and perdition 8 Cause me by thy Spirit to hear and feel thy loving kindness and mercy in the morning speedily lest I perish for in thee only and not in the help of Men or Angels do I place my whole trust and confidence Cause me by thy grace to know and learn the way of thy testimonies wherein I should and ought to walk without declining to the right hand or the left For I lift up my soul by prayer and repentance unto thee who only canst direct me aright 9 Desiver me O Lord by thy power from all mine Enemies visible and invisible for I flee and make haste for succour unto thee as to my Protector to hide and defend me from their violence 10 Teach and instruct me that am ignorant to do thy Will and those things which thou commandest for thou art thy God and Director Thy Spirit is good and all-sufficient for me Lead me therefore by it into the right way which bringeth into the Land of Righteousness and Truth 11 Quicken me again O Lord and revive me from the death of sin for thy Names sake which is Jesus and for thy Righteousness sake and love to goodness bring my Soul by thy grace out of the trouble and anguish whereinto my sins have brought me 12 And of thy tender mercy and compassion cut off and kill in me mine Enemies the concupiscences of the flesh and destroy and confound all them that with injuries and tentations afflict and disquiet my Soul which is wholy devoted to thee for I am thy servant and Son of thy Handmaid and desire to serve thee in holiness and righteousness all the dayes of my life Glory be to the Father c. Directions before Receiving the Holy Communion AS many as desire to be partakers of the holy Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ as of necessity every one must be that intendeth to receive benefit by him ought before the
taking of it to prepare his Soul and fit it for the due receiving of it and not come to it carelesly without due examination of himself and respective consideration of the excellency and worth thereof And therefore before the time of communicating we ought to spend some hours or dayes the more the better in meditating upon the great and unspeakable love and mercy of God towards us miserable sinners in ordaining so powerful a means to purge and cleanse us and bring us to him in believing all his promises made to us in Christ Iesus in applying them to our selves in performing the works of charity in examining in what estate our Souls do stand in calling to mind our sins and confessing them to God in grieving and repenting for them and that in all humility and godly sorrow in returning with the Prodigal smiteing our breasts with the Publican weeping with Mary Magdalen begging mercy with the Thief on the Cross and lastly in promising to God to lead a better life for the time to come Thus if we do no doubt but we shall be welcome Guests to this Feast as being of that number for whom it was prepared For by how much the more we come prepared to take this Sacrament so much the greater shall be the grace which we shall receive by it There are four Duties required in every Communicant First Faith to believe that Iesus Christ did and suffered all things which are written of him in the Holy Scriptures for the Redemption of Mankind Secondly Repentance by which a man confessing his sins to God with a purpose to lead a new life is reconciled to him Thirdly Reverend Behaviour that in all humility we make our selves fit Guests for such a Feast Fourthly Meditation and Attention that we during tht time of the administration of the Sacrament attend no earthly thoughts but wholly fix our Souls upon our Saviour Christ and meditate on nothing but this great and high benefit and thereby be enflamed with a hearty love and thankful mind to God not only for his infinite love in suffering so great things for us but also for instituting this blessed Sacrament to remain to the end of the World as a sure pledge of his continuance among us and perpetual care over us After we have communicated and are refreshed we ought also to be thankful to God for so great a benefit Thankfulness being not the least Duty of this Service The Sacrament it self being called Eucharistia which is Thanksgiving and to strive to imitate him as well in life as death to live purely and not to defile our Souls again being purged and cleansed by the powerful operation of this blessed Sacrament that so by Examination Meditation Thanksgiving and constant Resolution of Amendment We may worthily receive Christ into our Souls and be made members of his mystical body Meditations and Prayers before the Communion VVHat am I O Lord that I should be so bold as to come near to thee what am I that I should attempt to receive this so great and high mystery what is man by nature but a vessel of corruption unapt to any good propense and most ready to any evil What is man but a creature of all others most wretched blind in judgement inconstant in his actions unclean in his desires and though small in desert yet proud and great in his own conceit Thou seest O Lord what I am But thou O Lord art great good wise and eternal omnipotent in strength wonderfull in wisdom deep in thy counsells terrible in thy judgements and absolutely perfect in all thy works How then dare I that am so base and unclean a creature approach to the Feast of so great a God and a Lord of so great a Majesty Behold the Heavens are not clean in thy sight and the Pillars of Heaven shake and tremble at thy word Saint Iohn the Baptist who was sanctified in his Mothers Womb professed himself not worthy to unloose the latchet of thy shooes Saint Peter cryed out to thee to depart from him a sinfull man How then can I the chief of all sinners but tremble at thy presence O Lord I fear that being thus wretched and unfit I shall not be admitted to this Feast but rather be repelled for want of a wedding garment even the garment of a sanctified Soul For my whole life hath been so wretchedly and lewdly spent and my dayes have been so wickedly wasted that I hourly seem to renew thy passion Many a time I have with Iudas sold thee for a small sum of pleasure or profit and now in coming to receive thee unworthily what doe I else but with him betray thee with a kiss How then shall I dare to receive thee in so desperate and wicked estate How canst thou abide or dwell in so loathsome a Dungeon wherein there is no part room or corner clean O Lord I acknowledge mine unworthiness and yet withall thy mercies are not hid from me and by them I am encouraged to come with confidence unto thee for by how much the unworthier I come unto thee by so much the more will thy mercy be glorified if thou do not reject me Lord thou art not wont to put sinners back but to call and set them forward to repentance Wherefore O Lord animated by thy calling and invitation I come unto thee overburthened with the weight of my sins hoping to find ease and relief of thee Thy custome while thou wert upon earth was to receive sinners and to eat with them and thy delight was to be with the Sons of men If thou O Lord be still pleased with such guests behold one here at this time of that kind a notorious sinner I verily believe thou tookest more pleasure in the tears of the sinfull Woman than in the great feast of the proud Pharisee and for a few tears of hers didst forgive many sins unto her Behold O Lord new matter offered for thy great mercy to work upon Here lyeth a sinner who hath many more sins than she but fewer tears by many who though he hath more grievously offended yet doth more carelesly bewayle his offences than she did She was neither the first nor the last whom thou in thy mercy didst receive to favour O Lord let me also be one of the subjects of this thy mercy and although I have not tears sufficient to wash thy feet yet thou hadst shed drops of blood more than sufficient to cleanse my sins I read O Lord in the Gospel that all that were diseased flocked to thee and by that vertue which came out of thee were healed and I verily perswade my self that thy Nature is not changed for in thee is and will be to the end of the world health and remedy for all griefs and thou art readier to make us whole than we are to ask health of thee I know O Lord that this Sacrament which I so earnestly
long after is not only meat for those that are in health but Physick also for the sick and doth not only refresh the righteous but cleanseth those that are sinners also If I be weak by it I shall be strengthned If in health in health by it I shall be preserved and if dead in sin by it I shall be revived I humbly therefore intreat thee O Father that as as David did admit Mephibosheth to his Table for his Fathers sake so thou wouldest suffer me to be partaker of thy heavenly Table for thy Sons sake who with so great labour and sorrow did regenerate us by his death on the Cross and liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit for ever Prayers before the Communion O Almighty Lord God Father of all mercie and consolation I humbly beseech thee to behold with the eye of pity my poor and wretched soul which though thou didst create after thine own Image and washedst with the blood of thy dear Son yet I have so abominably defiled and defaced with the stain of sin that it can hardly be known O Father I was thy sonne whom thou didst to lovingly imbrace and load with blessings and who was in thy house in great honour and dignity In the Sacrament of Baptisme thou didst adopt me and gavest me the inheritance of a sonne and heir but I unthankfully and prodigally by my evil life have wasted my Patrimony I have wickedly abused the flower and prime of my youth and the good parts and faculties of my soul and body with the pleasures of the flesh pride surfetting envy lust covetousness ideness rebellion and disobedience and now at the last I find that all the temporal delights of the flesh and the World are altogether vain and vanish like smoak For all flesh is grass and all the Glory of man is but like the flower of the field and is suddenly gone He that is rich to day to morrow becommeth poor and miserable he that walketh in health and strength of body to day to morrow is by sickness made feeble and weak he that liveth to day the next day dieth and he which to day glorieth in the greatest pomp to morrow is laid in his Coffin and carried to his Grave Therefore O Lord consider the weakness and frailty of man and turn away I pray pray thee thy face from my sins and remember not them so in thine anger that thou forget either thine own mercy or my weakness By mine own fault I confess O Lord and by my evil conversation I have made my self unworthy of thy favour and by my evil concupiscences I have grievously wounded my conscience I have often grieved thy holy Spirit by not hearkning to the good motions thereof but yeilding to my sensual lust and beastly appetite Yet O mercifull Father cast me not utterly from thy sight for from the beginning of the world it was not heard that thou didst reject any sinner that with a contrite heart came unto thee Behold I come unto thee in great necessity and cast my self at thy feet confessing the greatness and multitude of my sins They have brought me into that evil state and condition that I am not worthy to be called thy Son yet I pray thee receive me into the number of thy hired Servants Give me grace heartily to repent me of my sins feed and cherish me with the bread and drink of the Body and Blood of thy Son Christ Iesus that by thy mercy I may be received to grace and restored to the former dignity from which I am worthily cast and to the inheritance of thy everlasting Kingdom through the same our Saviour Iesus Christ. Another O Blessed Saviour I poor unworthy sinner have a great desire and earnest longing to come to thy Table but considering my many and grievous sins tremble and fear to approach unto it For when I consider thy words to thy Disciples Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood you have no life in you And on the other side the words of the Apostle whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord I am in such a streight that I know not what to do For gladly would I receive this Sacrament being desirous to live but fearful I am to take it unworthily trembling at thy Comination I come therefore to thee the Fountain of Mercy hoping that thou wilt wash me I come to thee the good Samaritan hoping that thou wilt cleanse my wounds I open my grief and discover my iniquities to thee I look upon my sins great and grievous and thereupon tremble yet beholding thy mercies great and plentiful I am therewith again refreshed Remember O Lord how many drops of Sweat and Blood thou didst shed how many Pains and Sorrows thou didst sustain to expiate my sins I intreat thee therefore by them to purge and purifie me that I may worthily be incorporated into thy body which is thy Church and may worthily also receive this blessed Sacrament that so together with thy whole Church I may give thee praise everlastingly Or thus O Merciful Lord Iesus I confess my self to be a most grievous and wretched sinner not worthy to approach into thy presence altogether unfit and unmeet to receive thee under the roof of my Soul in respect of the stains and pollutions thereof and that it is not decked and fitted with such good graces as thy Majesty and Presence requireth and therefore am afraid to come near unto thee Yet O Lord considering thy comfortable saying that Thou dost not desire the death of a sinner but that he should turn unto thee and live and thy blessed invitation how lovingly with the armes of thy mercy stretched out thou hast called all that are heavily oppressed with the burden of their sins to come to thee for comfort and ease And lastly thy usual practice in pitying and relieving those which were cast down with the thought of their misdeeds as the Thief on the Cross Mary Magdalen the Woman taken in Adultery the Publican Peter and Paul all of them grievous sinners I am comforted and emboldned to come unto thee assuredly trusting that thou wilt of thy goodness supply my defects and make me a worthy receiver of the high mystery and benefit of thy blessed Sacrament whereof of my self I am altogether unworthy Stretch out thy right hand O sweet Iesu to me thy poor servant and give out of thy rich store-house of mercy what I want that thereby I may be made a living Temple to thee and an acceptable habitation for thine honour to abide in And grant that being cleansed by thy mercy and goodness I may by thy grace and power persevere in all godliness and holiness of conversation to the end of my days and attain to that blessed place where thou reignest with the
creature that thou hast created me and given to me a body the workmanship and excellency whereof when I behold and well consider I find so many several benefits received as I have members veins joynts sinews and nerves all which discover and manifest the wisdom and power of the Maker of them The benefit of which several parts none can so well know as they which want any of them or are grieved with the infirmity or weakness of them I therefore bless thee that thou hast not created me blind lame deaf or dumb evil-shaped or weak in my senses but hast given me a sound and right mind in a healthful body I further praise thy Name O Lord for that thou hast infused a soul into this my body a work so glorious and transcendent that if I were not altogether stupid and void of all judgement I would not by my actions account so basely of it as I seem to do nor defile it with such impure contemptible and unclean works as I daily commit I thank thee O Lord that I was not born amongst Infidels and amongst those who do not truly call upon thy Name but in that part of the world where thy Gospel is truly preached and thy Sacraments duly administred I thank thee also for thy gracious preservation of me from my birth to this present hour I confess O Lord that it is of thy mercy and goodness that I am thus preserved for if thou shouldest but withdraw thine hand of preservation from me it could not be but that in the twinkling of an eye I should miserably perish and return to nothing I thank thee that thou hast of thy providence appointed all thy Creatures for my sustenance and service some for health and some for delight Grant O Lord that I may use them to those ends for which thou hast created them and that by them I may be moved truly to meditate on thy goodness and seriously praise thee for them I further thank thee O Father that when as by our first Parents fall all mankind was in the state of damnation it pleased thee not to deal with us as thou didst with Lucifer whom thou utterly expelledst thy presence but to send thy only Son from thy bosom into this world that by his bitter death we might be restored to our former estate I acknowledge O Lord that I owe much unto thee for my Creation but much more for my Redemption For what would it have profited me nay what misery should I not have suffered to have been born and afterward to be condemned for ever I thank thee O Lord that thou hast also vouchsafed to call me out of the depth of darkness and shadow of death wherein I lay by the admirable light of thy justifying grace to the true knowledge and love of thee It is not the least of thy benefits O Lord it sheweth not the least part of thy power that thou hast called me from so vile an estate whereinto I had cast my self after Baptism and in the same had continued many years rebelliously to the estate of Salvation For it must needs be acknowledged that thy mercy is great in pardoning sinners their offences but withall it cannot be denied but that thy power is greater in making sinners righteous and just Great was the benefit of my Creation but by that act I was not only made the Son of man but greater is the benefit of Iustification for thereby in Christ I am made the Son of God Great is the benefit of Redemption and indeed the greatest of all others but without Vocation and Iustification it had availed me nothing Great is the benefit which ariseth by the expectation of Glory and no less is this of Iustification for it is a work of no less power to make a just man of a sinner than to make a just man happy and blessed for as much as the difference between sin and grace is more than between Grace and Glory I acknowledge therefore O Lord that the benefits which arise by these heavenly gifts and graces are so great that my tongue faileth and my heart wanteth ability wherewith sufficiently to praise thee for them I praise thee also O Lord for thy blessed Sacraments for that of Baptism whereby I was cleansed from the guilt of original sins and regenerated and adopted into the number of thy Children and for the other of the blessed body and blood of our Saviour Iesus Christ the Sacrament of Grace Unity Charity and Remission of sins the food of our Souls in this Pilgrimage and the Conduit through which all graces are conveyed to our fainting Souls Lastly I thank thee for thy preservation of me in thy Grace by which I am restrained from returning to the mire with the washed Sow and to the vomit with the Dog and by which I am strengthned to doe something acceptable and pleasing unto thee I confess O Lord that whatsoever good I have done is wrought in me by thee and whatsoever tentation or evil I escape is meerly by thy providence O Lord continue and keep me still in this grace that I may so use all thy blessings and so keep them in mind that they may stir up in me a more ardent desire to magnifie thy blessed Name and a greater care of ordering my wayes hereafter that I may no more grieve thy troubled Spirit who with thee and thy blessed Son our only Saviour liveth and reigneth one God world without end Another ALL praise honour and glory be given to thee O Lord God Father Almighty for all thy inestimable benefits bestowed upon me and all mankind whether private or publick general or particular spiritual or temporal Who is able to reckon up or declare the several kinds or parts of them for creating the world beautifying enriching and making it fruitful for the use of man for giving unto us souls and bodies and adorning them with infinite faculties and gifts and which exceeds the rest of thy blessings for delivering us from the power and servitude of sin and the Devil for forbearing and expecting our repentance so loug preserving us from all dangers and furnishing us with all things necessary for this life What praise shall we render to thee O sweet Iesus for all that thou hast done and suffered for us VVee praise and bless thee for thy Incarnation and Birth for all the labours pains sorrows wounds and disgraces together with the vile and ignominious death which thou didst suffer to reconcile us to thy Fathers favour from which our sins had justly excluded us for which thy great love to the Sons of men blessed be thy holy Name O holy and blessed Spirit who in the beginning of time didst move upon the face of the waters at our Saviours Baptism in the shape of a Dove and on the Apostles in the shape of fiery tongues we praise and worship thee for enlightning our understandings for fitting and making us apt to conceive the
peace in any of these particulars shall fly from thee pursue it with all thy might that thou mayest recover it 15 The provident eyes of the Lord for thy comfort in taking this course are ever fixed upon the righteous to preserve them from all evil and to confirm them in all good and his ears of compassion are alwayes open unto their cry to deliver them from all distress 16 The face of displeasure and the angry countenance of the Lord on the contrary is set and bent against them that forsake good and do evil without remorse of Conscience to cut off and root out not only such wicked persons themselves but the very remembrance of them from the face of the Earth that there shall remain no memorial of them 17 The righteous in their affliction cry and flee unto God for succour and the Lord in mercy heareth their prayer yea and in his good time delivereth them out of all their troubles either by aiding them with spiritual comfort that they faint not under them or by removing their afflictions from them or them from their afflictions by taking them into heavenly joyes 18 The Lord who hath a continual care over his Elect is ever nigh unto them in comfort that are of a broken and humble heart and always saveth such and no other as are of a contrite and bruised spirit that they fall not into desparation 19 Many in number and great in weight are the afflictions and troubles of the righteous for they that will live godly in Christ must suffer persecution but the Lord of his infinite goodness forsaketh him not but delivereth him in due time out of them all that they shall not be able to do him harm 20 He even the Lord keepeth and preserveth all his bones which though the wicked go about to break yet notwithstanding all their attempts not so much as one of them is or shall be broken by them and not only so but the hairs of his head are numbred also 21 Evil on the other side shall slay the wicked and turn them to destruction and they whosoever they be that hate the righteous whom the Lord loveth shall be desolate and deprived of the comfort of Gods holy Spirit 22 The Lord by his power and goodness redeemeth and saveth the soul of every one of his servants from all evil and none of them that put their trust and confidence in him and his mercy shall be left desolate or without consolation Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. Psalm 103. BLess and magnifie the Lord thy Creator O my Soul for all his mercies and favours extended to thee and all that is within me holy and pure give praise unto and bless his holy and great Name 2 Bless the Lord O my Soul I say again as well for thy Creation as for all other his great and glorious works and at any hand take heed thou be not ingrateful to him and forget not nor let slip out of thy remembrance all or any of his benefits as well in forming thee after his own Image as in his continual care and preserving thee from many dangers 3 Who only by his power can and of his meer mercy and goodness forgiveth all thine iniquities pardoneth all thy sins as well actual as original how great soever how many soever as often as with a pure heart and humble spirit thou repentest thee of them Who like a good Physician healeth all thy diseases and thy infirmities by the regeneration and renewing of his holy Spirit in thee 4 Who only redeemeth and saveth thy life from destruction and utter ruine and who instead of taking of just and severe revenge of thee for thy sins crowneth and compasseth thee with loving kindness many blessings and comforteth thee with his tender mercies which are above the rest of his works 5 Who in his providence satisfieth and filleth thy mouth and desire with all good things necessary for thy sustentation so that thy youth by his power is renewed like the Eagles by curing thy weakness and infirmity and making thee lasty and strong 6 The Lord relieveth them that suffer wrong and executeth righteousness and judgement without respect of persons and standeth for all that are unjustly oppressed against those that are too mighty for them 7 He in former times at the publishing of the Law made known his wayes and taught his Commandements unto Moses by whom he gave directions to succeeding ages what they were to follow and what to avoid and his mighty acts were well known unto the Children of Israel by their many and great Deliverances 8 The Lord our God is merciful in forgiving offences and gracious in not imputing our sins unto us he is slow to anger expecting the conversion of sinners and plenteous in mercy exceeding in his love and liberal in his benefits to those that fear him 9 He will not alwayes chide nor be ever displeased with his Children neither will he remember our sins and keep his anger against us for them for ever but in his wrath he will ever be mindful of his mercy 10 He hath not dealt with us nor punished us rebellious wretches after the quality of our sins wherewith we have daily offended his patience nor hath he rewarded nor retributed to us according to the hainousness of our iniquities for he knoweth that if he should strictly enter into judgement with us no flesh could be saved 11 For like as the Heaven is high as we see and far above the Earth so great is his mercy above his justice toward them that fear him and in remorse for their offences truly turn unto him 12 As far also in distance as the East part of the World is situate from the West which by reason of their separation can never come near to each other so far at the least hath he removed and put away our transgressions and sins from us that they never shall come near unto us to do us any harm 13 Like as a tender and compassionate Father pityeth his disobedient Children and upon submission receiveth them again to grace so the Lord who is the Father of mercies pityeth and grieveth to see the afflictions of them that in fear and trembling for their sins return unto him 14 For he the Lord which knoweth all things knoweth also our frame that we consist of flesh and blood subject to corruption and frailty and he withall remembreth and considereth that we are but even dust fashioned out of the Earth and therefore must needs partake and savour of earthly substance 15 As for wretched and frail Man therefore his dayes are but as grass which is green in the morning and before night is cut down and withered and as a fading flower of the field which for a while only in the Spring time is beautiful and afterward in cropt or decayeth even so and in no more assurance is he that in the greatest prosperity flourisheth For after a while in
a short time he is no more seen nor his remembrance shall be no where found 16 For as the wind and storms passeth over it and every flower and presently it is gone and withered and the place thereof where it grew shall not know it not bear it any more So Man after he hath a while felt the troubles and storms of this World shall soon dye and be forgotten and the place of his being will be no more known 17 But yet the mercy and loving kindness of the Lord to the Sons of Men is and was from everlasting and shall continue to everlasting to the end of the World and shall ever be upon them especially that with unfeigned hearts serve love and fear him and his righteousness in all his promises shall be accomplished to his servants and unto their Childrens Children their posterity through many generations 18 To such especially as forget not his Commandements faithfully keep and observe his Covenant and to those that remember and be mindful of his Commandements and frame themselves to do them 19 The Lord who commandeth the observance of his Laws is most worthy of all honour and not to be neglected for he hath before the Foundations of the World prepared his Throne and Seat of Majesty in the Heavens where he is attended on by the glorious Company of Angels and his Kingdom is not straitned or limited to one peculiar Place or Country but he ruleth and commandeth over all People and Nations 20 Bless therefore the Lord that is so mighty ye that be his holy Angels magnifie and laud his holy Name ye that excell in strength and that gladly do and execute his Commandements and that by hearkning unto and obeying the voice of his Word willingly execute his will and pleasure 21 Bless ye and praise I say the Lord your and our God all ye his Heavenly Hosts ye blessed Angels ye that are Ministers and Servants of his that willingly and gladly execute and do his pleasure 22 Bless and praise together with one accord the Lord our God all his works which he hath created for the celebration of his glory wheresover ye remain in all places of his Dominion even every where And lastly as I began with thee O my Soul to stir thee up to his praise so I end with the same excitation Bless Praise Laud and Magnifie the Lord thy God O my Soul to whom he hath ever been so gracious and merciful Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 111. I Will praise the Lord and give thanks unto his holy Name with my whole heart and that not only in my private Devotions but in the publick Assembly and Meeting of the Upright in heart and in the Congregation of the Faithful the Church also 2 The wondrous works of the Lord our God even from the beginning thorow all ages even to this time are so great and glorious that worthily he alone deserveth to be magnified for them they are sought out and searched into of all them that have pleasure and delight in meditating and contemplating therein 3 His work in the Creation and Fabrique of the Universe is honourable and glorious of all his Creatures worthily to be admired and his Righteousness and Equity his Care and Providence in the preservation and government of it is likewise to be magnified because it is permanent and endureth for ever 4 He hath made and perfected his wonderful works with such wisdom and power that they ought to be remembred and his Name to be celebrated for them And as he is omnipotent so the Lord is also gracious and loving to his Servants and full of compassion plenteous in mercy to every repentant sinner 5 He hath of his providence and bounty ever given meat and all other necessaries to them that fear and serve him yea and he as he hath formerly so will he ever to the end of the World be mindfull of his Covenant of Grace to his Servants 6 He hath shewed and manifested to his people his elect the power and efficacy of his great works not only in the creation but in the Redemption of mankind that he may give unto them that are in Chirst the heritage of the heathen according to the promise made to our fore-fathers 7 The works of his hands all his actions are done in verity and Iudgement and all his Commandements are sure just holy and worthy to be observed 8 They stand fast and are setled firm for ever and ever to the end of the world and they are done and commanded upon good grounds in truth and uprightness as being enjoyned by the Author of Truth and Equity 9 He in the fulness of time sons Redemption and Salvation unto his Elect People by Jesus Christ he hath commanded his Covenant of the New Testament for ever to be observed by them and it concerneth them carefully to keep it because he which commanded it is a jealous God and severe to transgressors and Holy reverend is his Name 10 The filial fear of the same holy and reverend Lord is the beginning and basis of all true wisdom which whosoever hath not attained to is not really wise howsoever he may be esteemed by the world but a good and perfect understanding have they and they are truly wise indeed that do his Commandements and keep his Precepts his praise and remembrance endureth for-ever and continueth throughout all generations Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 138. I Will praise and blesse thee O Lord with my whole heart with all my strength yea before the Gods in the presence of thy holy Angels will I sing praise and laud unto thee 2 I will worship in fear and reverence towards thy holy Temple dedicated to thy honour and service and I will praise thy holy and great Name for two of thy blessings especially namely for thy loving kindness in comforting distressed sinners and for thy Truth in performing thy promises for thou thy self hast preferred and magnified thy Word of Truth above all the Attributes of thy Name else whatsoever 3 In the day and time of my affliction when I cryed unto thee by earnest prayer thou didst not stop thine ears but graciously answeredst me yea and strengthned me with thy Grace and strength in my Soul 4 All the Kings and mighty men of the earth be they never so high in condition shall and may worthily praise thee without disparagement to themselves when they by the preaching of the Gospel hear the words of thy mouth which are nothing but Truth 5 Yea they shall sing and rejoyce in excercising themselves in the wayes and Commandements of the Lord for great and unutterable is the glory and Majesty of the Lord of Hosts 6 Though the Lord our God be high and his Majesty be above all things yet in his abundant mercy hath he respect unto the lowly in their own eyes and the more humble they are the more he regardeth them but as for the proud and those
which exalt themselves he despiseth them and knoweth them as it were a farre off 8 Though I walk and live in the midst of trouble and sorrow and in the shadow of death yet whensoever I call upon thee faithfully thou wilt I know revive and raise me up thou shalt also stretch forth and reach unto me thy hand of power against the wrath and malice of mine Enemies and bridle their fury and thy right hand of omnipotence shall save me from all their enterprizes 8. The Lord of his goodness will perfect and finish that which concerneth me and my salvation thy mercy and loving kindness O Lord never faileth but endureth from generation to generation even for ever Withdraw not therefore that mercy of thine from me O Lord and forsake not thou the work of thine owne hands not made by any strange God but by thee the only and true God Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 145. I Will extoll and praise thee my God and Creator O King or Majesty and Glory and I will blesse and magnifie thy Name O preserver of mankind for ever and ever even all the dayes of my life 2 Every day not a day shall passe over my head but I will blesse thee and be speaking of thy mercies and I will praise and give thanks unto thee and to thy Name for ever and ever as long as I live 3 Great and glorious is the Lord far exceeding all the false Gods of the heathen and greatly is he to be praised for all his works and his greatness hath neither end nor beginning but is unsearchable and past mans finding out 4 One generation and age shall praise and leave the memory of thy goodnesse and thy works of power wisdom and mercy to another succeeding generation and shall declare to posterity the remembrance of thy mighty acts 5 I my self as well as I am able will as I have good cause speak of and extoll the glorious honour and the exceeding greatness of thy Majesty and tell unto the people the excellency of thy wondrous works 6 And not only I but all other Men shall be forced to confess and speak of the exceeding might and the wonderfull effects of thy terrible acts against thine enemies and I according to my poor ability will declare unto posterity thy greatness and Majesty 7 They even all people which are governed by thy power and satisfied with thy goodness shall abundantly utter and continually with praise acknowledge and keep the memory of thy great and super-abundant goodness and mercy and shall in all Assemblies and Congregations sing and rejoyce because of thy Righteousness wherewith thou rulest and disposest all things 8 The Lord our God notwithstanding our grievous sins is gracious and loving yea and full of compassion by nature evermore slow and unwilling to wreak his anger upon us it being an act contrary to his disposition and instead of punishing he is of great mercy and ready to pardon the repentant 9 The Lord is also good and gracious not to any particular persons or people only but to all that turn unto him and if we shall consider his tender mercies to the Sons of Men they are over his justice and all his other works 10 All thy works and creatures shall therefore praise and magnifie thee O Lord in general and above the rest thy Saints and Servants to whom in particular thou extendest thy mercy shall bless and continually praise thee for the same 11 They especially shall not be silent but speak of and declare unto those that have not known thy Name the Glory and Majesty of thy Kingdom which is above all the Kingdoms of the Earth and shall wheresoever they come talk of and set forth thy mighty power which no Potentate is able to resist 12 To make known and to make manifest thereby to the Sons of Men even all the generations to come his mighty and wonderful acts which he hath done in our time and in the ages fore-going and also the glorious Majesty and Super-excellency of his Kingdom and Power 13 Thy Kingdom O Lord is not temporary or of short continuance but it is an everlasting Kingdom was without beginning and never shall have end and this thy Dominion and Rule endureth firm and stable throughout all generations to the end of the World 14 The Lord in his mercy upholdeth and lifteth up all those that fall by frailty and weakness and raiseth up by the grace of his holy Spirit all those that be dejected bowed and cast down with the thought of their sinnes 15 The eyes of all Creatures wait and are fixed upon thee as upon their careful Father for sustenance and help and they no sooner call unto thee but thou of thy providence supplyest their wants and givest them their meat and all things necessary for them not only in due proportion but in due season and time also 16 Thou openest thy hand of bounty and satisfiest the insatiable desire of men which nothing but thy self can satisfie and of every other living thing besides 17 The Lord is only righteous just and unreprovable in all his wayes and actions and it is he only that is holy and pure in all his works 18 The Lord is nigh and ready at hand unto all them that in distress call upon him and seek unto him for help Yea to all without respect of persons that call upon him in truth faith and uprightness of heart 19 He is so gracious that he will not only hear them but grant their petitions and fullfil and satisfie the desire and request of them that fear and serve him he also will hear their cry in time of affliction and will save and deliver them out of all their trouble 20 The Lord by his omnipotent power preserveth and keepeth all them that love him sincerely and obey his Commandements but as for all the wicked and unrepentant obstinate sinners those will he destroy from the face of the Earth 21 My mouth shall as long as I have any being speak of and declare the Praise and Majesty of the Lord most mighty and as I do so let all Flesh People Nations and Kindreds from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof bless laud and magnifie together with me his holy and great Name even for ever and ever from this time forth for evermore Glory be to the Father and to the Son c. Imprecation THis part of Devotion or of Zeal as I may call it although it seem harsh and not well to stand with the Charity of a Christian yet in some caeses it hath been and may be lawfully used 1. When the Church of God in any part of the World lyeth as it were at the Stake and groaneth under the burden of Persecution and the Enemies thereof are incorrigible and not to be reconciled In this case not only a private man in his Devotions but the Church also in generel may use these Imprecations to the end that
sin that without repentance he will condemn every one that offendeth therein Saul for unadvised cursing and adjuration lost a Victory against the Philistines For consulting with a Witch was with his Sons brought to untimely end Sennacherib for blaspheming God was slain by his own Sons Ananias for lying to the Holy Ghost dyed suddenly The Fourth Commandement Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day c. IN this Commandement are two things contained 1. A Precept or Declaration of the will of God To set apart some day 1. To the publick worship of God 2. In ceasing from our labours 2. A Reason of the Commandement 1. Because God after the Creation rested on the seventh day 2. Because he also blessed and sanctified it Let not worldly cares put it out of thy mind but observe it with all Care and Religion And not without great cause was this Precept so strictly urged 1. Because by the neglect of it ariseth the neglect of all spiritual duty 2. Because in it was contained a Type or Shadow of the great and everlasting Sabbath which is our Sanctification 3. Because we have thereby some time to shew mercy to our Servants and Beasts wearied with labour In frequenting the Church and there to exercise thy self In Prayer Hearing the Word Receiving the Sacrament In pious and religious Works as Visiting the Sick Relieving the Poor Meditating on Gods Works Praising him for them In refraining from Sin In resting from servile Labour And although that part of the Iews Sabbath be abrogated which respected the Seventh day Sacrifices and other exteriour acts of Gods worship commanded and enjoyned to the Iews yet the Church hath appointed instead thereof the Lords day or Sunday called the first day of the week wherein all Christians are bound to retain and observe all the duties of the first Sabbath avoiding the Iewish strict and superstitious Ceremonies In following the Vocation appointed thee by God wherein thou art to omit nothing necessary for the sustentation of thy Family And not to spend those six dayes wholly in idleness pleasure or excess Nor in the publique duties of the Sabbath and thereby nelecting the Care over thy Family In that day neither thou nor any of thy Family or Cattel shall do any servile labour except in case of necessity and preservation of Gods Creatures from damage or loss but ye shall spend it in those religious duties formerly set down In case of necessity The Sabbath being made for Man and not Man for the Sabbath we are to conceive that it was ordained not to destroy but to preserve him and therefore all works are not forbidden that day 1. As dressing of meat By the example of the Priests who on the Sabbath killed the Beasts for Sacrifice and dressed the rest And of Christs Disciples plucking ears of Corn. And Tertullian saith That the Antient and Primitive Church never fasted on the Sabbath day 2. Ministring Physick to the Sick By the example of our Saviour healing on that day 3. Saving Corn Hay-Houses and the like from perishing By our Saviours question to the Pharisees 2. The Reason why God commanded the observation of the first Sabbath was 1. Because after God by his Word had created the Universe of nothing he rested himself from all the work that he had made 2. Because this day was by him blessed and sanctified And the reason why the Seventh day was changed by the Apostles and continued by Christian Emperours into the first day of the week upon which the Christians Sabbath is observed was in remembrance of our Saviours Resurrection which happned on this day as may be gathered by Christs selecting that day to appear twice to his Apostles after his Resurrection The Second Table The Fifth Commandement Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy dayes may be long on the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee AS the first Table teacheth the honour and love of God so doth the second the duty we owe to our Neighbour And the first Commandement of this Table enjoyneth us to honour and reverence our Parents as being the thing which God esteemeth next in degree to his Honour And it containeth First A Precept Secondly A Promise 1. The Precept is General and Particular 1. The General comprehendeth our Duty to all our Elders and Superiours whom God hath set over us for our government and preservation which duty is of necessity to be performed in respect of the upholding of Politique Government 2. The Particular Precept containeth our Duty to our natural Parents Father and Mother of what degree estate or condition soever they be Whether Poor or Rich Good or Bad this Commandement layeth hold on us That which we are enjoyned to do by these words is to Reverence them as from whom we received our being Love them for their care sorrow and pains in our education Obey them in all lawful things at being appointed by God to command over us Be thankful to them in requiting their charge and love in ministring to their necessities Be patient with them in their corrections and bearing with all their infirmities That which we are forbidden to do against them is Not to speak evil of them or to curse them Not to see them want Not to be ashamed of them for poverty or other cause whatsoever 2. The Promise is made to all such as shall keep this Precept which is Long dayes of life here and happy too else they would be no better than a curse Long dayes hereafter for ever in bliss which is the highest blessing that can befall to any It was Saint Pauls observation that this was the first Commandement that had a Promise annexed to it This Promise God made 1. To allure us to the Duty of reverencing and obeying our Parents and Superiours 2. To shew how highly he esteemeth of it 3. It suits with the Commandements if we honour our Parents who gave us life we shall be rewarded with long life The Sixth Commandement Thou shalt not Kill THis Commandement followeth properly and in order in the next place For mans life being the most precious thing in this World and upon which all other things depend God seemeth to take care by this Commandement for peace and quietness whereby mans life may be preserved The life of man ought to be preserved for three respects 1. Because God is the Iudge of man only 2. Nature desireth nothing more than the preservation of life 3. Murther destroyeth all society Neither thy self nor others Neither shalt thou have any desire to do any such act Under this Commandement are divers other particulars forbidden For as God forbiddeth the act so doth he command that all occasions or means to execute that act be forborn and taken away If God commands us not to kill then he prohibits the affections to Slaughter Anger Unjust War Quarrelling
daily sinned and not repented considering that from the Infernal pit there is no redemption Be thou merciful to me O Lord and save me for thy Names sake and in thy strength deliver and comfort me I know O Lord that thy judgements are just and that thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled Oh let this light affliction which will quickly be gone cause unto me afterward a more excellent and eternal weight of glory In the midst of the sorrows that are in my heart let thy comforts O Lord refresh my soul. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me round about yet thou dost destroy me Remember I beseech thee that thou hast made me as the clay and wilt thou bring me into the dust again Hast thou not powred me out like milk and curdled me like a cheese Thou hast cloathed me with skin and flesh and fenced me with bones and sinews Thou hast granted me life and favour and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit O Lord thou numberest my steps and dost set a watch over my sin My breath is corrupt my dayes are extinct the grave is ready for me I have said to Corruption Thou art my Father and to the Worm Thou art my Mother and Sister Is there not an appointed time to man upon Earth and are not his dayes as the dayes of an hireling My dayes are swifter than a Post they flee away and see no good I know thou wilt bring me to death and to the house appointed for all the living Woe is me therefore O Lord that I have sinned What shall I do Whither shall I flee but to thee O Lord my God Be merciful to me in the last day My Soul is very much disquieted within me But Lord I require thy aid and comfort Be mindful O Lord of thy Word wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust and let thy mercy come unto me according to thy Promise For thou art my Maker and I am the work of thy hands Deliver me O Lord from eternal death in that day wherein Heaven and Earth shall be dissolved when thou comest to judge the Earth I am affrighted when I consider that day the day of thy wrath the day of misery that great and exceeding bitter day O Lord in that day where shall I hide my self from the face of thine anger O Lord when thou comest to Iudgement condemn me not I beseech thee but deliver from the Gates of Hell my poor Soul which I commend unto thee Acknowledge then O Lord thy Creature not made by any strange Gods but by thee the true and living God Make my Soul joyful with thy presence and remember not my sins but according to thy great mercy think upon me in that day for the merits of my blessed Saviour Iesus Christ Amen A Prayer for the Sick ALmighty and most merciful Lord God who by the infirmities of this life dost put us in mind of our mortality and by these outward afflictions dost call us to inward Repentance I cry unto thee with my whole heart Rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy displeasure Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed Thou art He O Lord That woundest and healest again that killest and revivest that leadest to the Gates of Hell and bringest back again If this my sickness O Lord be not unto death help me on this my bed of infirmity and strengthen me If thou thinkest expedient rather that I should dye than live do with me according to thy good pleasure and receive my spirit to thy peace which I commend into thy hands who livest and reignest God of all mercy world without end AMEN Or thus O Merciful Lord God who of thy great mercy dost forgive the offences of those who truly repent mercifully look upon me thy poor servant and hearken unto me who humbly crave of thee remission of my sins Renew O Lord in me whatsoever is corrupt and decayed by the Devils malice or mine own frailty Pity my sighs pity my tears pity my groans vouchsafe to be reconciled to me that have confidence in nothing but thy meer mercy O Lord it grieveth me that I have offended thy Majesty and it grieveth me much that I can grieve no more than I do And I humbly pray thee by the Death Passion and Intercession of thy Son Christ Iesus to pardon my offences promising that if I recover my former health thy grace assisting me to abstain from displeasing thy Majesty hereafter I willingly O Lord and freely from my heart for thy sake forgive all offenders and offences against me and I heartily desire all those whom I have any way offended to forgive me O Lord though my natural man trembleth at the thought of death yet I profess that I am willing to dye if it be thy good pleasure I. have received life and all the blessings of this life from thee What shall I render back to thee for them I will willingly receive this Cup of Death and praise thy Name I commend into thy hands my Spirit And whether thou disposest of me to live or dye I resign it to thy good will and disposition and humbly pray thee that if thou seest it good for me to prolong my dayes on Earth that thou wouldest renew my conversation by the direction of thy Holy Spirit that I may pass those dayes in thy fear If thou be otherwise pleased to dispose of me take me I beseech thee into the armes of thy mercy for Iesus Christs sake my only Saviour and Redeemer Or Thus. O God of all Consolation who hast promised to hear all those that faithfully call upon thee and not to reject any that with a contrite heart and penitent soul shall humble himself before thee I humbly intreat thee in the Name and Mediation of thy Son Iesus Christ that thou wouldest be pleased to be merciful to me thy poor servant at this time afflicted with sickness O Lord pardon forget and blot out of thy remembrance whatsoever I have committed against thee in the whole course of my life Seal and confirm unto me by thy Spirit a pardon unto me for all my offences that I may thereby receive such comfort in my soul that I may with all joy and willingness depart out of this life unto thee Let me be certified That there is no condemnation to those which are united and ingrafted into Iesus Christ by Faith That I may be confident That neither my Sins Death the Devil nor ought else can draw me away or separate me from thee And that I may be assured that thy Throne will not be to me a Barr of Severity but a Haven of Safety and a sure Sanctuary and Refuge for me to flee unto Strengthen this Faith in me which may serve as a Buckler to defend me from all tentations and that