of our deceased friends unto the Grave we do not lay up these precious Reliques in the Wardrobe of the Earth as Carkasses lost and perished but as having in them a seed of Eternity in sure and certain hope of a Resurrection to Eternal Life this is to bury Christianly the hope of the Resurrection being the proper hope of Christians Vid. August de Civit. Dei lib. 1. c. 13. Now this hope is grounded upon Christ's Resurrection who is our Resurrection and Life John 11.25 He is Primogenitus mortuorum Colos 1.18 As he rose in se so he rose Pro aliis As an Angel proclaimed at his Grave Resurrexit non est hic Mat. 28.6 So from his Resurrection we have added on our Tomb-stones to Hic jacet this happy clause Spe Resurgendi What is gone before in the Head shall follow in the Members if the Head be above there is hope for the whole Body if the Root have Life the Branches shall not long be without Christ the first fruits being restored to life all the rest of the dead who die in him are in him entitled to the same hope Rubrick Then shall be said or sung Note This following is another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or triumphant Hymn to be sung by Priest and People or said by the Priest alone to show our expressions of joy over our deceased friends whereby we do in a holy valour laugh at death I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me write From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours Note This place of Scripture is primarily applied to the great Trials and Persecutions which were then to fall upon the Church within a short time which should be so great that they should be counted happy who were well dead before and were gone to enjoy their reward of peace and bliss being taken away from the Earth before such combats and storms as these should fall The holy Divine accounts those happiest who should die soonest and be taken out of this life from having their parts in the evil to come Isay 57.1 So upon mention of oppressors and strength on their side and the no comforter the Preacher tells us that he praised the dead which are already dead Eccles 4.1 2. And to this belongs the answer of the Spirit in the words following they shall have rest from their labours that is from those Persecutions which attend them here and which only death can put an end to But our Church very fitly applies it to all the Saints and Servants of God departing this life as finishing their warfare and going out of the World to receive the reward both of their Christian combat and conquest Rubrick Then the Priest shall say Note Here the Priest is Vox Populi the Peoples Mouth to God-ward Luk. 18.13 Lord have mercy upon us To God the Father Mat. 15.22 Christ have mercy upon us To God the Son Mark 10.48 Lord have mercy upon us To God the Holy Ghost Note This is thrice repeated to shew our faith in the Trinity This was called the lesser Litany and was of very early usage in Church Offices Clem. constit lib. 8. cap. 5. 6. Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Our Father Great in our Creation Good in our Redemption Rich in Goodness and good in the riches of thy mercy sweet in love and slow to wrath willing to hear us for our Father able to help us for in Heaven Which art in Heaven The Glass of Eternity the Crown of Felicity the Treasure of all Complacency In Heaven Eminenter chiefly there but not only there in Heaven the Throne of thy Glory the Place of thy Majesty teaching us both whither to direct our Prayers and where to setle our affections when we pray Hallowed be thy Name in us by us upon us thy Kingdom come That it may be as Hony in the Mouth Melody in the Ear Jubily in the heart as Holiness is chief in Thee so let it be chief in our account and esteem of Thee May thy Name of Father be so hallowed in us and by us in our words lives and actions that we may deserve the title of Sons Thy Kingdom come Thy Kingdom of Grace come to us that we may come to thy Kingdom of Glory Thy Kingdom come that the Kingdom of Sin Satan and Death may be destroyed Thy Kingdom of Power to defend us Thy Kingdom of Grace to Sanctifie us Thy Kingdom of Glory to establish us in all bliss and happiness We are in this World but thy Kingdom is not of this World call us out of the one into the other Here thy Kingdom is begun in us by grace hereafter it must be perfected in us by glory Here is truth mixed with error here is joy mixed with grief here is tranquility mixed with trouble Here thy Kingdom thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven hath many enemies who seek the division of it labour the ruine of it malice the glory of it though avert it they may evert it they cannot The gates of Hell cannot prevail against the gates of Sion nor the kingdom of Satan against the Kingdom of Christ But O Lord let it come in its power and full glory that there may be in it Truth not mixed with errour Joy not mixed with sorrow Peace without trouble Glory without shame and a Kingdom so setled it upon us and we in it that there may be no more fear of losing it Thy will be done c. Thy will not ours be done in us and by us Freely without coaction fully without imperfection faithfully without fraud or hypocrisie In us that is in us men as it is done in Heaven that is in and by the holy Angels So that we may love those things which thou lovest hate those things which thou hatest shun those things which thou forbidest and do those things which thou commandest Give us this day and suffer those things with patience which thou art pleased in thy wise providence to inflict upon us Give us this day c. Give for we cannot have it except thou give it Dicimus da nobis ne putetur esse a nobis We are taught to ask it of God to shew that we have it not of our selves Us thou teacheth us that we are not to pray for our selves alone but that we are to seek the good one of another Pro se orat necessitas pro aliis charitas This day Day is here taken for life so long as we live so long shall we stand in need of God's givings and may say this Prayer Give us c. This day should teach us moderation in the pursuit of earthly things They are Utenda not Fruenda things to use not to enjoy Like Israel's Manna we are to feed upon them only till we come to the borders of our Canaan This life is Via the way Daily bread is
circumstance of place is not much material yet I observe the vulgar and grosser sort of Christians who have more zeal than light make a great matter of it and take the Ordinance of Preaching I think to be of more universal concernment than the great duty of Prayer for no other reason but because the Pulpit stands higher then the Pew in so much I am able to speak it out of a known experience in places where I have been that the very same Sermon delivered in the Pew hath been taken for no Sermon nor edified at all which hath wrought vigorously and powerfully when passionately and with another action and tone delivered out of the Pulpit Nay more I have known another experiment tried of the judgment of these Zealots who presume themselves to be the only knowing Christians by taking the Book of Homilies which I judg to be none of the worst Sermons because composed by most able and learned men where were more heads than one in the contrivance of them these I have known read in the Pew where they had no more relish or tast than Job's white of an Egg but the same Sermons advanced a step or two higher and delivered by the advantage of a Text of Scripture fitted to the Homily only prefixed with a graceful action or knack as they call it out of the Pulpit have passed in the worst of times when Preaching was most in fashion for most excellent and Soul-saving Sermons By which it is apparent that the very Pulpit and Place especially when the Hour-Glass is turned up to add the more solemnity is very much to the making of a Sermon for the pleasing at least if not for the profiting of some humorists In so much that I have often question'd it within my own thoughts whether if Common Prayer was advanced into the Pulpit and Preaching brought down into the Pew these easie sort of Christians and yet not so easie to be brought to order or disciplin would not mistake Common-Prayer for Preaching and Preaching for Prayer and so become in time as very Recusants in respect of preaching as they have been and still are in point of Prayer But I hope so long as we have good laws made there will not be that want of the due execution of them as that Ministers should make use of such wiles and innocent sallacies to seduce the People out of their errours and to couzen them into conformity Note 5. That however the Church upon the matter confesseth this her Office not to be ancient but appointed instead of an ancient Godly Discipline yet is it a very useful penitential Service either in publick or private consisting of holy sentences taken out of Gods word fit for the work of repentance and holy penitential Prayers taken for the most part Verbatim out of holy Scriptures so that he who prays this form is sure to pray by the spirit both for words and matter Vid. Dr. Sparrow Rational pag. 363.364 The chief thing scrupled at in it is the Amen to be pronounced by the People after the Curses first pronounced by the Minister but this scruple I have endeavoured to remove in my foregoing Sermon For the present I desire you to take notice that the Maledictions or Curses and the following admonition annexed are all taken out of and grounded upon the holy Scripture which because it is already cited to my hands spares me the labour Therefore I shall proceed in the next Place to my Paraphrase upon the following Psalm which is adapted and very fitly chosen to bear a part in this Office Rubrick Then shall they all knéel upon their Knées and the Priest and Clerks kneeling in the place where they are accustomed to say the Litany shall say this Psalm Miserere mei Deus c. Note 1. Kneeling was ever the posture of Penitents Vid. Bishop Andrews Sermons on Philip. 2.8 9 10 11. Hence the Penitentiaries were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from their prostration Note 2. That as the accustomed posture was kneeling so the accustomed place for the Litany was the midst of the Church Injunct Elizab. 18. Injunct Edward 6.23 For the Posture Vid. Chrysost Homil. in Psal 4. Vid. Haman Lestrange Alliance of Divine Offices pag. 102. For the accustomed Place it is grounded upon Joel 2.17 But this I suppose is left to the discretion of the Ordinary for to order it Psal 51. Note This is a penitential Psalm which David penned when he was brought to a due humiliation for those sins which he committed in the matter of Uriah and to remove the scandal of them he commended it to the prefect of his Musick to be solemnly sung Paraphrase Vers 1. O Father of mercies suffer me who am an unworthy Servant and therefore unworthy because a miserable and vile sinner to make my humble address unto thee and out of the abundance of thy melting compassions be pleased to look graciously upon me and to be reconciled to me Vers 2. Let not the least of my great crimes be permitted to appear in thy sight or to rise up in judgment against me but seal me thy perfect pardon for every one of them Vers 3. For I do willingly confess that to gratifie my carnal lusts I have committed horrid and hainous sins which are a perpetual terror to my conscience and as an amazing prospect ever tormenting me Vers 4. And however it may be possible for me to escape the judicature of man yet am I sadly culpable and liable to vengeance from thee the pure God of Heaven thou mayst justly proceed against me as against the most criminous rebel indite me and arraign me of all those odious sins which I am guilty of and whatever suit thou wagest against me thou art sure to cast me whatever vengeance thou inflictest upon me I must most deservedly and inevitably fall under it Note Though Kings are not subjected to humane Tribunals yet to Gods they are Vid. Doctor Hammond Annotat. in locum Vers 5. and 6. Lord I am a most polluted Creature the very corruption of my nature ought to be strictly watched and industriously rejected by me and thy grace continually solicited to inable me to overcome it For I know thou requirest purity of heart and the affections and forbiddest the very first thoughts of any unlawful enjoyments and besides thy revealed will thou art pleased to grant me thy grace to make me inwardly sensible of this part of my duty which doth but aggravate my sin committed against all these obligations Note Touching the doctrine of original sin Vid. Dr. Hammond Annotat. in locum And the purity of Marriage asserted Eod. Loc. We are not to charge our actual sins upon original as unavoidably resulting from it Eod. Loc. Original sin proved and asserted Eod. loc Vers 7. Lord be pleased to pardon me and solemnly to declare and seal thy reconciliation unto me after the same manner as the Priest is wont to do by using a solemn Ceremony for the
Purification of sin whereby the Blood of the Lamb of God and the death of the Messias was prefigured Levit. 14.6 7. Numb 19.6 So shall I be restored to that blessed estate from which I have so sadly fallen by my sinful miscarriages Vers 8. I am yet in a sad and most wretched condition thy wrath continuing over me sets my soul upon torture my own conscience under thee being my dreadful executioner but O be thou pacified unto me again and that shall be the most joyful news which ever came to any poor tortured suppliants ears when he is taken from the rack his bones set and he restored to ease again Vers 9. Lord pardon my sins return thy wonted favour towards me Vers 10. I have sadly fallen from my wonted purity and sincerity but O Lord by the good work of thy grace upon my heart restore me to it again renew me inwardly and throughly my thoughts as well as actions that I never fall into the least beginning of any such pollutions again Vers 11. It is just with thee to cast me from thy spiritual commerce who have resisted thy spirit it is just with thee to withdraw thy grace to which I have done such despite but O do not thus severely punish me by withdrawing that which I now more than ever stand in need of Vers 12. Without thy gracious aid and assistance I am not able to get out of this broken condition the free assistances of thy Spirit are so necessary to me that without them I cannot indeavour in the least the recovering of that purity from which I am fallen Therefore Lord restore them to me that I may be restored unto thee Vers 13. This thy exceeding mercy to me a sinner so sadly lapsed may be a means to bring wicked livers home to repentance by mine own happy success I shall encourage them to return who have fallen as sadly as any of them can have done and yet have met with mercy and many I doubt not encouraged on by my example by the assistance of thy grace will be brought home to thy service and the practise of the duties of new life Vers 14. The sin of Murder is an horrid and crying sin of a black and deep die deliver me from that so far as my conscience assures me guilty though my own hands have not been polluted with it Blessed Lord from whom all deliverance comes be pleased to deliver me from this and all other foul commissions which will be welcome news to me and make me with greatest exultation of Heart to proclaim abroad thy abundant mercies Vers 15. Thy work of grace towards me shall set my lipps wide open in praysing thee Vers 16. It is not any Hecatombe or most chargeable oblation for sin thou requirest of me for the truth is my sins are such as for which all exteriour performances afford no reconciliation Vers 17. 'T is my sincere humiliation confession and renovation which alone thou admittest and which thou art mercifully pleased to have respect to however I am in this foul condition and to look upon them as the most acceptable oblation These with an honest heart presented unto Thee will be sure to find a favourable and welcome reception Vers 18. Be merciful O Lord not to me only but to all that love and fear thy Name and meet uniformly in the place appointed for thy service Be thou a defence and succour to all such Let them be walled about with thy protection and preserve them from falling into any wilful and presumptuous sins Vers 19. For then shall all our services of Prayers and praises typified by the Legal sacrifices our solemn acts of the most ardent devotion to Thee and most diffusive charity to our brethren be accepted by Thee being upon an humble but cheerful confidence of thy acceptance presented to Thee upon the Altars of our very hearts Vid. Dr. Hammond Glory be to God the Father maker of all the World and to God the Son Redeemer of all Mankind and to God the Holy Ghost Sanctifier of the Church or all the Elect People of God Answer This was the confession of faith taken up from the first beginning of the Christian name and grounded upon Christ's own institution Matth. 28.19 therefore against all Arrians and Antitrinitarians we make confession of the same faith in the ever blessed Trinity and pray for the continuance of it to the Worlds end subjoyning our Amen of confirmation that so it is and of option that so it may continue Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us Note These Versicles are of very ancient usage in the Church-Service mention'd in the Clementine Constitutions lib. 8. c. 5. c. 6. Council of Vas c. 5. Ann. Dom. 440. received both in the Eastern and Western Church called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seasonable at all times and therefore it hath a part in all our divine Offices and is set ever or for the most part before the Lord's Prayer as a fit preparative to usher it in Vid. Haman Lestrange Alliance of Divine Offices Pag. 83. Dr. Sparrow's Rational pag. 71 72 73. Our Father which art in Heaven c. Note This Prayer is Tanquam sal omnium divinorum Officiorum Upon which I have here added this Paraphrastical Prayer Preface O Lord God who art great in power rich in mercy whose glory is above the Heavens whose goodness is over all the Earth who art Almighty for in Heaven who art most merciful for our Father in Heaven so able to help us our Father so willing to hear us Lord what art not thou able to do for us who art in Heaven Lord what art not thou willing to do for us who art our Father Here we lie prostrate before Thee upon the Earth yet pressing in our affections towards the Heaven where thou art and presume not for any merit in us but for thy mercies in Christ that thou wilt deny us nothing which may do us good who vouchsafest us this to call Thee Father 1 Petit. Thou art an Holy God and delightest that all thy Worshipers should worship Thee in the beauties of holiness we desire Thee to shed thy Holy Spirit abroad in our hearts that we may perform this our bounden duty and service in an holy manner that we may lift up holy hands with holy hearts to Thee who dwellest in the Heavens Thou who art the sanctifier of all that is made holy make us to be holy as Thou art holy give us holiness in our thoughts words and actions sanctify us inwardly and outwardly in our Souls and Bodies make us holy in our lives that we may be happy at our deaths Let thy Name of Father be hallowed in us and upon us that we may in our lives and conversations walk before Thee in newness of life and as it becometh the Sons of God 2 Petit. To this end we humbly beg of Thee to sanctifie our corrupt nature and to beautifie
our debauched souls with thy grace extirpate sin that grace may be implanted break the power of sin in us bruise Satan under our feet and set up the Throne and Scepter of Jesus Christ in our hearts bring down every exalting thought and proud imagination in us to the obedience of Christ translate us out of the kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of thy dear Son Let not Sin nor Satan reign in us but let thy Son reign in us by the Scepter of his Holy Spirit May thy Kingdom of Grace come to us that we may come to thy Kingdom of Glory 3 Petit. And O Lord we desire Thee to cloath our Souls with those Divine affections that we may love the same love choose the same objects and delight in unions and holy conformities with Thee Lord so incline our hearts and affections that we may make thy providence which is the guide of the World the measure of our desires that we may be patient in all accidents and conform to thy will both in doing and in suffering that we may submit to all changes even to persecutions for thy Holy Name Make us to do thy will in the manner of Angelical obedience promptly readily cheerfully and with all our faculties as the Angels in Heaven serve Thee with concord harmony and peace so may we joyntly serve Thee here on Earth with peace and purity and love unfeigned That we may have nothing in us that may displease Thee but that quitting all our own desires and pretensions we may live in all Angelical conformity Make our Souls subject to Thee and our passions to our Souls that thy will may be done by us here on Earth as it is done by the Holy Angels in Heaven 4 Petit. And O Lord we pray Thee to give us all that is necessary for the support of our lives that portion of bread which is Day by Day needful for us we pray Thee for the poor who want it and have it not but as it is deposited in thy hand Let thy mercy O Lord ploughing the Fields of Heaven bring them in their Meat in due season we pray Thee for the rich who have it and yet may stand in need of thy blessing with it From the highest to the lowest we all wait upon Thee that thou would'st be pleased to feed us with food convenient for us We beg but for a Day that we may always have our dependance on Thee to minister to us as we need it 5 Petit. And seeing every sin entertained with a free choice and a full understanding is an obstruction to our Prayers keeping our Prayers from Thee and thy blessings from us as sinful delinquents and penitent Servants we desire Thee to pardon and forgive us all our sins not only our sins of infirmity invasion and sudden surprize which through natural weakness may adhere to most of our best actions but also our sins of a deeper dye our sins of wilfulness and wickedness Pardon O Lord what is past in thy mercy and keep us from such presumptuous sins and all other for the time to come by thy grace And when we ask forgiveness of Thee incline our hearts to discharge the obligation which thy condition of pardon hath laid upon us in forgiving one another May the indearing mercy of Thee our Father lay an engagement upon our Souls not to contrive the least revenge or entertain the least malice against our erring brethren and follow Christians who have in the least been injurious to us we implore thy mercy to forgive our grand trespasses which are talents and we beg thy grace that we may forgive petty injuries done to us which are but pence 6 Petit. And seeing O Lord we are in this World hemm'd about with many dangers and lie exposed to many afflictions as Persons placed in the midst of dangers we make our addresses to Thee the only great and most gracious deliverer humbly beseeching Thee to guard and defend us from all adversities which may happen to the Body and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the Soul Lord suffer us not to be led into temptation but if through frailty and weakness we fall into any gross sin give us the grace of repentance to rise again and work in us such a detestation of sin for the time to come that we may stand the firmer after our fall may the fear of falling with thy supporting grace be for ever after the best tenure of our standing 7 Petit. Deliver us O Lord from the evil of sin by thy grace from the evil of punishment by thy mercy From our selves O Lord deliver us from the allurements of the flesh from the temptations of the World from the suggestions of the Devil From evil men from the Men of this World from all their plots plausible snares terrible threats violent and rude armes may their power only prevail to exercise our patience but not to subvert our faith or destroy our confidence in Thee Shelter us under the covert of thy Wings against all fraud and every violence that no temptation may destroy our hopes weaken our strength alter our state or overthrow our glories this we beg for our selves for thy whole Church hear them we pray Thee for us hear us for them and thy Son Jesus Christ for us all Doxology To whom with Thee and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all honour power and glory for thine One God in Essence distinguished in Personality is the Kingdom Power and Glory now and for ever Amen So it is Lord so be it Minister O Lord save thy Servants c. Note These short Ejaculatory Prayers by way of Response for which the reason is already given in my first essay upon the Service-Book are so grave so clearly Scriptural that they are delivered in the very Scripture phrase so that I look upon it as a very needless task to put my self to any further trouble about the recommending of them to the vulgar I know rational Men are able to give a right judgment upon rational things and to acquiesce and truly for the inferiour sort of People whom I have no small value for they costing Christ as dear as the most Potent in Superiority I advise them to trust the judgment of the Church in the ordering of these external things which are not contrariant to the Word of God and assure them withall that their obedience in such matters is better than Sacrifice or any exteriour act of Religion performed meerly in a customary manner and for fashion-sake as I fear too many are guilty of Minister Let us pray Note The reason for this I have given already it is only when we are turning our selves as it were to any special part of devotion required in any special and distinct Office to be intent upon it and to make it our Hoc age O Lord we beseech thee mercifully c. O most mighty God c. Note These are for the substance Scriptur'd