are strong to do evil and they also that hate me because they see my Conversion wrongfully and without cause are multiplyed and exceedingly increased 20 They also that unthankfully render evil to me for the good which I have done unto them are also become mine Adversaries and do unto me all the mischief they can and why because they perceive my conversion and that I follow and love the thing that good is which they hate 21 Forsake me not either in tentation or tribulation O Lord the Author of my salvation O my God whom I desire to serve be not far from me by with-drawing thy grace from me 22 Make haste lest I faint under the burthen of my sins to help me against my Enemies O Lord who art my only stay in this life and my salvation in the life to come Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 51. HAve mercy upon me miserable sinner O God full of mercy and compassion according to thy loving and infinite kindness to the Sons of men and as my sins are infinite so according to the multitude of thy tender mercies which thou hast ever shewed to penitent sinners blot out of the book of thy remembrance my innumerable transgressions 2 Wash me thorowly with the blood of thy dear Son from mine iniquity whereby I have so often offended thy Majesty and cleanse me in the fountain of thy mercies from my sin whereby I have also offended my Neighhour 3 For behold O Lord I hide not nor excuse but in the bitter tears of repentance acknowledge and confess my horrible transgressions against thee and my grievous sin in which I did for a time take delight is grown odious to me and is ever before me in remorse of Conscience 4. Against thee most mercifull Father only have I sinned and though I were ashamed to commit sin in the sight of men yet I have done this great evil in thy all-seeing sight yet O Lord be mercifull to me and pardon it that thou mightest be justified and found true and faithfull when thou speakest as thou hast often done of mercy and forgiveness to the penitent and be clear from the imputation of injustice when thou art arrogantly and falsly judged for severity thy punishments being just though the eyes of our understanding be not so clear as to perceive the justice of them 5 Behold O Lord that I as all man-kind was shapen in the iniquity of original sin from which fountain springeth my misery and in sin and concupiscence did my mother conceive me from whence groweth the infirmity of my flesh 6 Behold also O Lord I know that thou desirest Truth Faith and integrity in the inward parts of my conscience and in the hidden parts of me my soul Thou shalt make me by the illumination of thy Holy Spirit to know wisdom to eternal life 7. Purge me leprous sinner with spiritual Hisope the blood of thy Son instead of the Hysope which was wont to clense the leprous in the law and by that blood I shall be clean and purified from the leprosie of sin Wash me in the fountain of Grace and then by tears of repentance and the merits of my Saviour I shall be whiter in thy sight than Snow 8. Make me poor wretch to hear and sensibly feel the joy and comfort of remission of my sins and let me find gladness in the promise of life eternal that the spiritual bones of my soul which thou hast broken with tentations and afflictions may rejoyce and give thee thanks and praise 9 Hide and turn away thy face and wrathfull countenance from my sins lay them not to my charge and blot out of thy Register all mine iniquities that they never appear to condemn me 10 Create in me polluted a clean and pure heart O God the Creator of all things and renew by thy Grace a right and sanctified Spirit in me 11 Cast me not away into the pit of desperation by debarring me from thy presence where only is fulness of joy and take not for ever thy Holy Spirit of comfort from me 12 Restore unto me rather the unspeakable joy of thy Salvation in Christ Jesus which they feel in their consciences whose sins thou remittest and when I am reinstated in thy favour uphold and keep me from falling again with thy free powerfull and saving Spirit 13 Then even when I shall be restored I will by word of exhortation and example of conversation teach transgressors how they shall keep thy wayes and Commandements and by that means thy Grace assisting they which now are sinners shall forsake their wickedness and shall be truly converted unto thee 14 Deliver me and quit me from my former bloody offences and keep me henceforth from blood-guiltiness and carnal corruptions O God my Protector Thou God which art my Redeemer and the Author of my Salvation and all the dayes of my life my tongue for joy thereof shall sing unto thee and that aloud and chearfully and praise thy Name by extolling of thy righteousness who dost justifie sinners and art merciful to the penitent 15 O Lord that givest wisdom to the simple open thou my lips which are closed by sin from doing any service unto thee and then with boldness my mouth shall utter and shew forth thy praise For to thee alone belongeth all Honour and Glory 16 For thou O God desirest not that I should offer the Sacrifice of Goats and Calves to expiate my offences else would I willingly give it and lay it on thy Altar but thou having by sending thy Son Christ Jesus abrogated the Ceremonies of the Law delightest not any longer in burnt Offerings but in obedience to thy Commandements 17 The Sacrifices accepted of God and whereby we are in Christ reconciled to him are a broken and humble Spirit dejected with the sight of sin a broken and contrite heart truly mortified and repentant O God thou hast promised that thou wilt not despise but lovingly accept 18 Do good O God in thy good pleasure and be favourable and gracious unto Sion thy Catholick Church Build thou upon a sure Foundation of Religion and establish the hearts of thy Saints and Servants the walls of thy Church Ierusalem 19 Then shalt thou in Christ Jesus be pleased with us and with the Sacrifice of Righteousness in thy Congregation And with burnt Offerings and Oblations of our hearts Then shall they thy Servants thus established offer Bullocks the Sacrifice of praise upon thine Altar in thy presence to the honour of thy most holy Name Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 102. HEar my Prayer which in the bitterness of my Soul I make to thee O Lord whose mercy is the Sanctuary of distressed sinners and let nothing stand between that mercy and me which may hinder my cry to come to thee 2 Hide not thy face turn not away thy countenance from me as if thou wert offended at me but rather in the day of adversity when I am in trouble
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
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
man escape unpunished God will neither be made flexible by favour nor corrupt by gifts Riches profit not in the day of wrath And therefore say not I have sinned what harm hath happened to me For though God be long suffering he will in no wise let thee go unpunished Concerning propitiation be not without fear to add sin to sin And say not His mercy is great he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins for mercy and wrath come from him and his indignation resteth upon sinners We must all appear before his Tribunal and receive according to the thing which every one hath done His Sentence will be so Iust that though in this World we may say Veniet qui malè judicata rejudicabit dies The day will come when there will be a re-view of things ill carried Yet in the case between God and Man then it will not be not be so 3. Being Wise Omniscient Nothing is hid from his all-seeing eyes He beholdeth all our actions He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart All things are naked and open to his eyes He knoweth our thoughts long before our manifold transgressions and our mighty sins Therefore no hope of Evasion by hiding any thing from him 4. Being Good He will expect our Thankfulness He hath ever been gracious to us heaped many benefits on us And by how much the more beneficial he hath been to us the longer expected our conversion and the oftner admonished us by so much the more rigorously will he deal with us for neglecting these benefits Unto whom much is given of him much shall be required An accompt will be exacted of our Talents received Every man shall be rewarded according to his works He will exact an accompt from us How we have used the Body and Soul given unto us How we have employed our Natural Gifts Temporal Blessings and the rest The signes of his Goodness to us And can we answer one for a thousand Our Iudgement therefore the greater for abusing his Goodness Again If we consider this Iudgement in respect of the Parties lyable to it we shall have greater cause to betake our selves to a more serious consideration of our estates 1. In regard of the Nature and condition of Man A flower Of short continuance A leaf Dry stabble His substance but dust His life but a wind a shadow of no continuance Format us de terra Conceptus in culpa Natus ad poenam Made of earth Conceived in sin Born to suffer punishment In regard that he is sinful and wretched Composed of vanity Every man living altogether vanity Lighter than vanity Shaped in wickedness Conceived in sin Born in uncleanness A child of wrath A vessel of perdition dishonour Unclean like a silthy clout Drinking iniquity like water All have erred Agunt mala quae non licent vana quae non expediunt Faciles ad seducendum Debiles ad operandum Fragiles ad resistendum They do evil which is unlawful and are vain which is not meet Easie to deceive Weak to work Frail to resist So that our entrance into the world is miserable Conversation in it Culpable Dissolution from it Damnable The Consideration of this unworthiness hath terrified all the Saints and Servants of God lest they should fall under this judgement I have sinned what shall I doe saith Iob. How shall I answer O Lord correct me not in thine indignation saith David Correct me O Lord but yet not in thy fury lest I be brought to nothing saith Ieremy In respect of the sentence it self which will be to the good Venite Benedicti Come ye blessed to the bad Discedite Maledicti Depart ye cursed which last sentence is terrible 1. They are cast into eternal torments a punishment sensible for the pain and misery felt 2. They are deprived of the Beatifical vision of God a punishment prejudicial for the Glory lost The first is terrible 1. In regard of the Suddenness and Horrour At the time of the Iudges appearance A consuming fire shall goe before him and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up about him Their visitation shall be in Thunder Earthquake and great noise storm and Tempests and the flame of devouring fire The day of the Lord is very terrible who may abide it A day of wrath a day of trouble and distress c. It shall burn as an Oven and the proud and all that do wickedly shall be stubble They shall behold Above them The Angry Iudge disdaining them Under them The Horrible Pit gaping for them Within them The Worm of Conscience gnawing them About them The World burning Near to them The Devils accusing them Whither then shall a sinner flee It is impossible to be hidden and insufferable to abide If it were terrible for the Israelites to hear Gods voice delivered by an Angel who brought no ill news Insomuch as they said If we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more we shall die And to Moses Talk thou with us let not God lest we die What will it be for sinners to hear the Iudge pronounce this heavy sentence Discedite Maledicti 2. In regard of the Accusers 1. The Heaven and the Earth 2. Christ as Iudge Witness I will reprove thee and set before thee the things that thou hast done I will shew thy filthiness I was hungry and ye gave me no meat c. 3. The Angels Their attendants in this life 4. The Devils who attend them for future torments 5. The Books of their Consciences Thine own wickedness shall correct thee and thy turnings back shall reprove thee 6. The Creatures whom they have abused Consider this lest ye howl and weep in your misery In regard of the intollerable paines which follow the Sentence 1. Everlasting Chains of Darkness Vermis corum non morietur They shall weep for ever 2. Sharp Beyond the Fornace seven times heated 3. Various of divers sorts According to the diversity of sinners offences 4. Stinking In the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone 5. Affrighting Tormented by Devils 6. In Bonds not able to stir Bind him hand and foot Held with Cords of his own sin Bind the Tares c. Gathered as Prisoners into a pit Chains of darkness 7. In horrid darkness Prefigured by that of AEgypt A Land of darkness 8. With Company detestable In regard that Hell is a Place of no Order Dilatavit Infernus animam suam aperuit os suum absque ullo termino Hell hath enlarged it self and hath opened his mouth without measure Of no Rest or Comfort But cries vexation weeping and gnashing of teeth Not a drop of cool water to the thirsty Continual mourning sorrow without
iu my Mothers womb that I might come safe into this world and receive the mark and badge of all thine even the Sacrament of Baptism whereby I was cleansed from the guilt of Original sin Amongst a multitude of Infidels dispersed over the face of the Earth thou wouldest have me in the number of the Faithfal even of those to whom so happy a lot hath fallen to be thine regenerated with the water of Baptism From which time I was taken to be thine and that admirable and happy Contract was made between us that thou shouldest be my Lord and I thy Servant thou my Father and I thy Son that thou shouldest perform and shew to me the love of a Father and I to thee the duty of a Son Further O Lord thou didst descend from Heaven to Earth for my sake seeking me in all the ways wherein I had lost my self With thy humanity thou didst ennoble my nature and by thy bonds didst deliver me from bondage Thou didst challenge me from the power of the Devil by delivering thy self into the hands of sinners and didst destroy sin by taking upon thee the form of a sinner With what reverence shall I speak of that other blessed Sacrament which Thou also O Lord hast instituted and ordained for a remedy of all the miseries which have befallen me and the many sins I have committed since my Baptism and for a salve and cure for all my spiritual diseases even the Sacrament of thy most precious Body and Blood And as thou hast bestowed on me all these divine and heavenly blessings so likewise in plentiful manner hast thou heaped on me temporal favours Thou hast from my birth to this hour preserved nourished cloathed and fed me in most abundant manner giving to me the use of all thy creatures for my sustentation Nay what couldest thou have done more for me than thou hast done Or what couldest thou have given me more than thou hast bestowed upon me either of blessings of this world or of the world to come Now having received all these mercies and favours from thee how have I on my part behaved my self in thankfulness to thee for them Have I returned due praise unto thy Majesty for them or carried my self and ordered my life like to one that might any way deserve them O Lord I confess that I have not for such hath been the malice of my heart that instead of shewing my self conformable to thy will I dayly adde sin to sin and iniquity to iniquity heaping up wrath for my self against the day of wrath How can I without tears remember how often thou mightest justly have slain me and yet notwithstanding my sins which call for vengeance no evil hath happened unto me How many souls burn in Hell fire which have sinned far less than I and yet I remain alive What had become of me if thou hadst taken me away with those at the same time How strict had my Iudgement been if thy Iustice had laid hold on me laden with so many sins Who then O Lord hath bound the hands of thy Iustice who hath deprecated for me when I lay thus lulled asleep in the security of my sins What hath pleased thee in me that thou shouldst deal more mercifully with me than with those who in the midst of their dayes in the heat of their youth are taken away from amongst us My sins cryed out against me and thou stoppedst thine ears my offences dayly increased against thee yet thy mercy dayly abounded towards me I sinned thou didst expect me I fled from thee and thou followedst me I was weary in offending thee and thou not weary in expecting me And in the midst of all my sins I ever received many good inspirations and goodly reproofs from thy holy Spirit which checked me in the dissolute course of my life How often hast thou called me with the voice of Love How often hast thou terrified me with threats and fears laying before me the peril of death and the rigour of thy divine Iustice How often hast thou followed me with thy Word preached invited me with thy blessings chastened me with thy scourges compassing me about that I could by no means slee from thee And lastly which is not the least of thy mercies with what patience hast thou waited for my serious Repentance What then O Lord shall I render back to thee for all that thou hast done unto me In that thou hast created me I owe thee all that I am created in that thou hast preserved me and thus long expected my return to thee I owe thee life and all that I am But in that thou hast regenerated sanctified and redeemed me and left those excellent pledges for my salvation I know not what to render unto thee For if the lives of all men and Angels were in my power and that I could offer them unto thee for a sacrifice of praise and thanks yet were it nothing being compared to the least of all thy spiritual blessings bestowed on me VVho therefore will give a fountain of tears to mine eyes that I may lament my great ingratitude and unjust retribution for all these thy manifold blessings heaped upon me Help me thou O Lord and give me grace that I may heartily confess and grievously bewail my hainous offences and transgressions against thee that thou mayest be reconciled to me and in thy abundant mercies shew some pity to me for them I am thy creature O Lord made after thine own Likeness and Image acknowledge thy workmanship for it is thine own In taking away the soyl and filth wherewith it is defiled and stained thou shalt soon perceive it to be thine own handy-work Art not thou a Father of mercies which have neither number end nor measure Although I have shaken off the duty and obedience of a child towards thee yet cast not thou off the love of a Father toward me I beseech thee Although I have done many things whereby thou mightest justly condemn me yet thou hast not lost the means whereby thou mayest mercifully save me If thou forsake me to whom shall I flee who is there to help me besides thy self Acknowledge G Lord a straying sheep Behold I come to thee all wounded thou canst heal me blind thou canst enlighten me full of leprosie thou canst cleanse me and spiritually dead yet thou canst revive me Thy mercy is greater than my sin thy clemency more than my wickedness and thou canst remit more than I can commit Do not then O Lord put me back from thee look not so much upon my sins as upon thy infinite meocies who livest and reignest God of all mercies world without end Another O Almighty Lord God great in thy power and terrible in thy judgements who madest the Heaven the Earth the Sea and all things in them by thy Word whose Power cannot be resisted and whose Mercy is over all thy works All things are under
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
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
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
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
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
my vain cogitations and head-strong desires and order thou I beseech thee my words and rectifie all my actions O Lord as thou hast of thy bounty raised up my Body from sleep so stir up my drowzy Soul from the sleep of sin and carnal security Let my Body be ever assistant to my Soul in all good actions in this life that they may both be partakers of life everlasting Thou O Lord hast promised to those which shall faithfully ask all things necessary for this life give me I beseech thee if it seem good unto thee such a competent estate as shall be expedient to support my life in a civil modest and religious manner Give unto me that which shall be convenient but especially O Lord a heart and mind contented with whatsoever thou shalt be pleased to allot unto me Grant O Lord that in thy Name I may cast forth my Net into the Sea of this World and diligently carefully and with an upright Conscience follow that vocation in which thou hast placed me that by thine aid and assistance I may prosper and have good success in all my affairs Bless O Lord the Kings Majesty govern his heart in thy fear and guide his understanding to do those things which shall be acceptable to thee and profitable to his Kingdomes Give him loving and loyal Subjects and suppress his open and secret Enemies And together with him bless his Queen and Royal Issue make her as the fruitful Vine on the House-top Bless all the State Ecclesiastical and Civil from the highest to the lowest Comfort the comfortless and helpless Bring all Travellers to their own beings in safety and direct all upon the Seas to their safe Ports Shew the light of thy Truth to those which wander out of the right way Give to all sinnen true and hearty repentance strengthen those which have begun well and give thy assisting grace that they may persevere in goodness To all my Friends Kindred and Enemies and to those which pray for me give all thy good blessings Keep us all from all evil and make us to continue in thy Service to our lives end and after the course of this miserable life ended bring us to thine everlasting Kingdom through Iesus Christ our Lord. Or thus ALmighty and everlasting GOD I praise and bless thee from the bottom of my heart that of thy infinite goodness thou hast preserved me this night past and hast with the impregnable defence of thy Providence defended me from the power and malice of the Devil and kept me both in Soul and Body from all his devices and snares and raised me from sleep the image of death and not left me to be stifled in the darkness of my sins but hast given me a longer space to repent me of them I humbly intreat thee that thou wouldst not withdraw thy hand of Protection from me but take me into thy Tuition Watch over me with the eyes of thy mercy and direct me in the way of thy Commandements Endue me with those graces of thy Holy Spirit whereby I may pass this day and the rest of my life to the praise and glory of thy Name the benefit of my Neighbour and the salvation of my sinful Soul Keep me O Lord from all sin bridle and mortifie my flesh that I offend not nor fall into any transgressions which may provoke thy wrath against me Direct my Soul and Body my words and actions according to the rule of thy Will. Divert my heart from fastning too much upon transitory pleasures and convert it to the delight of eternal joyes And because I am not worthy O Lord that thou shouldst hear me poor wretched sinner for any worth in me behold I set before the merits of thy only Son who is the propitiation for our sins look upon him and for his Righteousness pardon the offences of me thy servant and grant to me those things by thy mercy which by the strict Rule of thy justice are not due to me Defend me O Lord from all mine Enemies Arm me with thy Spiritual Weapons put on me the Cloathing of Wisdom and Strength the Brestplate of Righteousness the Helmet of Salvation the Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit that in this earthly Pilgrimage I may manfully oppose the Enemies of my Soul the Concupiscence of the Flesh the Tentations of the World and Malice of the Devil that so having finished valiently the course of this Terrestial Warfare I may hereafter praise thee in thy Celestial Kingdom And thou O Lord who givest food to every living Creature and feedest the young Ravens which call upon thee be merciful unto me in the supply of those necessaries which I daily want Preserve me in health give me food and raiment and sufficient to maintain me in that course of life to which it hath pleased thee to call me that having sufficient in all things I may abound in good work And grant that I may lead a quiet life in all godly conversation That having and using thy blessings worthily I may pass this life with joy and comfort till it please thee to call me to a better Give thy blessings to the Kings Majesty the Queen the Royal Issue and the whole Estate of this Kingdom and grant that we may all bend our thoughts and studies to please thee that at the last by the merits and intercession of Iesus Christ we may be received to thy Heavenly Kingdom Amen Or thus O Almighty Lord God which day after day dost minister to sinful man infinite occasions whereby we may be stirred up to praise thy holy Name and art most plentiful in pitty and favourable to those which with pure hearts and unfeigned faith call upon thee behold me thy poor unworthy servant with the eyes of compassion that at this time am bold to offer up unto thee a Morning Sacrifice of praise and thanks for all thy blessings and amongst the rest for that thou hast vouchsafed after a sufficient and quiet sleep to raise me safe from my bed again which favour thou hast not afforded to many others who in far greater measure have deserved it than my self for which mercy of thine I am not able through my insufficiency and weakness to give unto thee due praise and thanksgiving I pray thee therefore in thy dear Sons Name in whom thou art well pleased to accept these poor and weak thanks and for his sake also to be further aiding and assisting unto me this day following in whatsoever I shall take in hand For thou knowest O Lord how feeble mans nature is insomuch that if he trust to his own strength of necessity he must fall into many miseries errors and dangers Have mercy therefore upon mine infirmities and be propitions and helping to me that by thy illumination I may discern and perceive good from evil and by thy leading and direction may follow the one and avoid the other Lord
life to come For a Young Man or Maid O Lord forasmuch as I am at these years in the heat of the flesh and in the most dangerous time of my life I beseech thee take not thy Mercy and Fatherly Providence from me but by how much the greater danger of Tentations I am in with so much the more care let thy Grace preserve me lest happily I become a Prey to mine Enemies who go about to load me with so many sins that if they prevail I shall never of my self get from under the burthen of them But O merciful Father distrusting in mine own strength I betake my self wholly to thy protection and desire thee both now and ever to keep me Let me not get that habit of sinning in my younger years that I be forced in my age if I be not stifled before in my Offences to bewail the sins of my youth and to say with David Remember not O Lord the sins of my youth But rather accustome me from this time forward to all goodness that I may daily more and more profit therein And that serving thee with a pure heart now I may in mine age say with good King Ezechias O Lord remember I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Most loving Father who takest care of all men I commend unto thee my Soul as a Child that can of himself do nothing Defend me I pray thee from all mine Enemies spiritual and temporal keep my Body and Soul pure chast and undefiled that I offend not either in obscene speech impure thought or unclean act My Chastity is a more precious Iewel than I can keep without thy help I therefore beseech thee who hast pronounced a blessing to the pure heart to keep my heart pure be thou my guide and preserver lest in the heat of Concupiscence I forget thee Give me grace O Lord to serve and obey my Parents and those to whose Government I am committed and that in all humility And grant that if thou shalt be pleased to call me to the honourable estate of Wedlock I may be matched with one with whom I may serve thee in peace and holiness all the dayes of my life and at the last rest with thee in thy Heavenly Kingdom through Iesus Christ our Lord. For a Servant BLessed Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ who when thou wert the Son of God and Lord of all the World didst take upon thee the form of a Servant that by thy obedience thou mightest work the salvation of all people as well bond as free I pray thee that since thou hast been pleased to call me to the state of a Servant thou wouldst give me an humble and obedient heart and make me contented with this condition of life as alotted to me by thy providence Grant that I may with gentleness of spirit and singleness of heart and willingness of mind serve those under whom I am placed and that I may not either murmure against them or envy those that are seated in a higher estate that I may obey them in all their honest commands in all fear and true respect not with Eye-service as Men-pleasers but with all my heart and the rather because thy commandement bindeth me so to doe Grant that serving them diligently faithfully and carefully I may avoid their displeasure and obtain thy favour and blessing and at the end of my dayes come to that blessed place where Thou with the Father and blessed Spirit dost raign world without end Before a Iourney ALmighty and everlasting God who art the Way the Life and the Truth behold I beseech thee to how many dangers of the World Flesh and Devil I am subject so that without thy aid I cannot safely pass through this Vale of Misery Lead guide and direct me therefore O Lord in the high and right way whither I would go that I turn neither to the right hand or the left nor become a Prey to mine Enemies O Lord thou hast a general care over thy Creatures I therefore in this my Iourney commend unto thee my Soul and Body Defend me from all perils I beseech thee O Lord which didst send thy Angel as a Companion or Fellow-Traveller with the Son of Tobias and didst preserve Abraham and all other thy Servants in their travels vouchsafe thy blessed Angel to guide and conduct me Be thou my comfort in the way and a defence in all dangers Prosper the business which I go about and make this enterprise successful to me And grant that my affairs being dispatched I may return home safe in body and mind Preserve in my absence my Family and all I possess that I being returned in safety and they securely preserved we may altogether give thanks to thy glorious Name through Iesus c. After a Iourney I Give thee thanks O gracious Lord for thy great mercies to me all the dayes of my Life Thou art he which created me and thou art also he that preservest that which thou hast created How often O Lord hast thou turned thine eyes from my sins and made as though thou didst not see them How often and that justly mightest thou have withheld thy hand of preservation from me And yet thy patience hath been so great towards me that thou hast suffered no harm to befall me And as I owe thee many thanks for thy former preservations so now I am further obliged to thee in that thou hast at this time not only guided me to the place whither I intended to go but hast also brought me back in safety and in my absence hast preserved all things unto me Good Lord give me grace to be alwayes mindful of these and all other thy benefits to me and to be truly thankful to thee for them And grant that as by thy mercy I have well ended my affairs abroad and am safely returned to this Temporal Habitation so my Spirit after this Pilgrimage may return to thy Heavenly Mansion and there abide with thee for ever and that even for the merits of our only Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ Amen Intercession IN which we are to pray For all Mankind For the conversion of Iews to the Truth For the conversion of Turks to the Truth For the conversion of Heathen to the Truth For all Christians That they may be strengthned that stand That they may be converted that are in errour For the Churches throughout the World that they may be united in Religion For our Church that whatsoever is amiss in it may be amended For the Kings Majesty and his prosperity For all Kingdoms Christian. For Ours and each part of it that it may flourish in peace For the Clergy That they may Teach well That they may Live well For Wisdom in the Council Integrity in the Iudges Strength in our Armies Discretion in the Magistrates Obedience in the People For
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
Comforter If I go not away the Comforter will not come to you but if I depart I will send him to you He sitteth at the right hand of the Father Instantly to intercede for us to shew himself head of the Church And sate at the right hand of the Father Seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Father Who is at the right hand of God He ever liveth to make intercession for them to appear in the presence of God for us Where I am there you may be also CHRIST is Head of the Church He set him at his own right hand far above all principalities and powers He shall come to judge both the quick and dead To receive us with power glory even to the consummation of all things I will come near to you in judgement Behold the Lord cometh c. The Father hath committed all judgement to the Son Ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of Heaven He hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained The dead shall arise first c. In the Holy Ghost I consider An hypostatical power sanctifying from above quickning to immortality working powerfully and invisibly in us By the illumination of knowledge Infusion of grace Regenerating us Reprehending things evil in us Teaching us the truth Joh. 14. 26. 1 Cor. 2. 13. With-holding us from doing evil Encouraging us to do good striving for our good Comforting us in our necessities Adopting us Helping our infirmities Sealing to us our inheritance Assuring us our inheritance The Holy Catholique Church Which is the mystical Body of the Head Christ Iesus composed of all people of the World which are called by the Spirit to the belief of Divine Truth and Holiness of Conversation Holy By imitation of Christs Righteousness Sanctification of the Holy Ghost Of all these Members of his Body there is a reciprocal participation to the Communion of Saints In the union of the Church with Christ. In the participation of his benefits Forgiveness of sins For the present To the hope of The Resurrection of the Body To be united with the Soul And Life Everlasting hereafter And that after this life there shall be a life wherein the Church shall be glorified and God by the members thereof praised for ever Of which I believe my self to be one Lord I believe Help the defects of my Faith 1. That I may love thee as a Father Reverence thee as Almighty Commend my self to thee as to a Faithful Creator 2. That I may be mindful to give thanks to Thy only Son As to the Purger of our Nature in his Conception and Birth As to our Deliverer In his Passion Cross and Death As to the Triumpher over Hell In his Descension Over Death In his Resurrection As to our Fore-rnner In his Ascension As to our Advocate In his Session As to the Establisher of our Faith In his Second Coming That he may be fashioned in me That I may be made conformable to him In Works To his Conception In Faith To his Nativity In Humility That for his Passions 1. I may sympathize with him as with one that suffered for me and be ready to suffer of him and for him when it shall be his good pleasure 2. I may have an Antipathy with Sin as being the cause of his Sufferings and be Revenged of Sin in my self Crucifie Sin in my self Morsifie Sin in my self Bury Sin in my self 3. I may conform my self 1. To his Descension into Hell By often descending thither in meditation 2. To his Resurrection By rising to newness of life 3. To his Ascension By savouring and seeking those things which are above and nearer to my Salvation 4. To his Iudgement By judging my self lest I be condemned with the world That when I am cold in Prayer and want any Spiritual Grace or Comfort I may remember thy Session and Intercession And when I am fervent in any evil Affection or Concupiscence I may not forget thy fearful and terrible Iudgement-Seat and the sound of the last Trump That for thy only Son Christs sake I may also receive thy Uiction even thy Saving Grace the unspeakable Gift of the Holy Ghost and never extinguish grieve resist or reproach it That so I may be called into thy Catholick Church where I may be partaker of the Persons Actions Prayers and Examples of Saints To the assured belief of Remission of Sins To the hope of Resurrection and Translation to Life Everlasting Lord increase my Faith as a grain of mustard-seed Not Dead Temporary or Hypocritical But pure and unfeigned most holy lively and working by charity Confession of Faith O Almighty and Eternal Lord God I poor unworthy and wretched sinner am bold to renew that Covenant of Faith which in my Baptism I made unto thee I believe and confess that all those things which thy most beloved Son Christ Iesus did suffered and taught while he was conversant in the Flesh here upon the Earth are most true and certain I profess that I believe all the Articles of the Apostles Creed and the Holy Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ which is preached through all the World To this Faith I bind my self and purpose Gods grace assisting me never to depart from it and acknowledge that without believing thus I cannot be saved I am heartily glad O Heavenly Father even in my Soul and give thee all possible thanks that into this Faith I was baptized and doe most humbly pray thee O Lord that this Faith may not fail me during this life nor at the hour of death And if I shall at any time hereafter either by the temptation of the Devil imperfection of my senses pain of any disease weakness or any other means speak any thing in any other manner than shall be agreeable to this Faith I renounce all such words as none of mine and desire thee O Lord to forgive them and pray all those which shall hear them if any such shall be to account them as none of mine This I protest thy Grace aiding me To thee be all honour and praise from this time forth forevermore Amen Confession of Gods Glory and Praise FOR his Great and wonderfull works Of Creation Preservation Governance For his Goodness The excellency of his Glory His Highness His Eternity His Omnipotence His Omnipresence His Omniscience The height of his Wisdom His Truth His Exquisite Iustice. His Great Mercy His Plentifull Mercy His Wonderfull Mercy His Everlasting Mercy For his Promise of the
Seed For Performance of that Promise For sending his only Sonne out of his bosome to work the great work of our Redemption In being born in pure and humble manner In being conversant on earth in painfull manner In suffering Death in grievous manner For all that he did or suffered For us on Earth For all his comfortable Parables of mercy Of the Two Debtors Of the Publican and Pharisee Of the lost Sheep Of the lost Groat Of the Prodigal Son Of those that were called at the eleventh hour For his comfortable sayings of Mercy God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it I came not to judge the World but to save it The Son of Man came not to destroy mens lives but to save them I am not sent to call the righteous but sinners to repentance The Son of Man came to save and seek that which was lost Come unto me all ye that labour c. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Father forgive them c. This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise For his Examples of Mercy The Woman of Canaan The Woman of Samaria The Woman with the Bloody Issue The Woman taken in Adultery Mary Magdalen Zacheus The Thief Peter Paul Sinners contradicting him That would have destroyed him That stoned him That reviled and blasphemed him That crucified him This man receiveth Sinners For the Holy Spirit In the Old Testament By moving on the waters By sending it into living creatures By inspiring it into man By descending on the Prophets In the New Testament visibly In the shape of a Dove at Christs Baptisme By the gift of Christ to the Apostles In the shape of fiery tongues to them Invisibly In the Virgins Conception of Christ. Upon the Congregation in prayer Cornelius and others The twelve Disciples at Ephesus For his care over us For the illumination of our understanding In our justification Our Regeneration Governing our actions Comforting us in Tentations Strengthning us in Tentations Bearing witness with us and assuring us that we are Gods Children Reproving us in evil actions Assisting us in good works Putting good things into our remembrance Interceding for us with groans unutterable Motives to Repentance NE erubescat poenitentiam agere qui non erubuit poenitenda committere BLush not thou to repent that wert not ashamed to commit things worthy to be repented of For as much as it is beyond the compass and out of the power of natural man not to sin at all but that we adde dayly sin to sin as a Fountain casting up her waters and that it hath pleased God of his mercy to mankind to promise forgiveness to those that shall truly and faithfully repent them of the same Therefore the duty of Repentance of all other parts of Devotion is most necessary for us seeing that by it God in Christ Iesus is reconciled to us His anger toward us is appeased We are restored to his favour Certainly it is a blessed act to confess our own wretchedness for whosoever humbleth himself and penitently bewaileth his sins shall be heard by God and by him be delivered from the punishment due for them A contrite heart suffereth no repulse Repentance is a bewailing for sins already committed and avoiding for the future the sins for which we grieve for he that mourns for his sins and leaves them not incurrs the greater punishment It consisteth not in the often repetition and confession of them without forsaking them for that is but a simple profession of them not a repenting for them But this is true Repentance when those things seem grievous and bitter to our souls which in the act were sweet and delightfull and when that ill which was formerly pleasing to us causeth a hearty and unfeigned grief in us and provoketh us to look more carefully to our wayes for the future Vera peccati confessio est sine intermissione temporis peonitere Peccati verò poenitentia est ab eo quod poenitendum intellexeris distitisse It is a true confession of sin when we repent without intermission But that is a true repentance of sin when we forsake that which we conceive we had cause to repent for And again Nultus id quod confessus est deinceps debet admittere quia confessio peccati est professio desinendi No man ought to commit again the same sin of which he confessed because there is no true confession of sin without a profession to leave the same And this is the fruit of Repentance as St. Iohn the Baptist calleth it to lament for sins past and utterly forsake them for the time to come Therefore saith one well Agere poenitentiam nihil aliud est quà m profiteri affirmare se non ulter us peccaturum To repent truly is nothing elle but to profess and promise never to offend again Seeing then what Repentance is let us take a view how necessary it is and for what respects 1. In regard of Gods hate to sin and of that God whom we offend who being infinite requireth infinite satisfaction 2. In regard of our Selves Hominos sumus ad poenitentiam nati We are Men and subject to fall and therefore upon the matter we are born to repent us of our sins that we may prevent Gods Iudgements in this world of all which hath formerly been treated to escape his Iudgement in the world to come Eternal Death For as Men we shall dye and as Christians we shall give an account To say somewhat of this Death for by it we shall pass to the other except Repentance and Gods mercies prevent it 1. Death is Certain it will come 2. It is Universal or General none shall escape it 3. It is Terrible especially to the wicked 1. It is appointed for all men to dye S. Hierome calleth it Irrecusabilis mort is necessitas The necessity of dying is not to be avoyded S. August saith That all things in this life are uncertain but death and Natus es certum est quia morieris Art thou born as certain it is thou shalt die It was the saying of the Heathen Philosopher Sciebam me genuisse mortalem I knew I had begotten no other than a mortal man hearing of his Sons death This point and the certainty of it is easily proved by experience of Former ages Our own time The longest liver Methusalah died The Patriarchs Prophets c. died and were gathered to their Fathers Where are the Princes of the Heathen become c. They are vanquished and gone down to the grave 2. And as it is certain so it is universal It is the house appointed for all the
once suffered for sin the just for the unjust that he might bring us to God Let not the third Mercy rejoyceth above judgement Let not the fourth If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Christ Iesus the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole world Let not thine own words be spoken in vain Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance I came not to judge the world but to save it These things are not cannot be spoken in vain Wherefore in the multitude of the sorrowes that are in my Heart thy comforts O Lord have refreshed my Soul Let us therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Which be pleased to grant For thy great and many Mercies Thy Names sake The Glory of thy Name Thy Promise sake Thy Practice sake My Misery My Infirmity Even for thy Son Iesus Christ's sake The Seven Penitential Psalms Paraphrased Psalm 6. O Lord my God rebuke me not I beseech thee in thy fierce indignation against my sins either in this life or at the day of judgement neither chasten or correct me in thy hot displeasure by condemning me to eternal death 2 Have mercy and compassion upon me according to thy accustomed goodness O Lord for I am weak and frail by nature strengthen me therefore by thy grace O Lord and heal me by curing the infirmities of my Soul for they are multiplied so greatly upon me that my bones and all my inward parts are vexed and disquieted with the remembrance of them 3 My sinful Soul considering my manifold offences and trembling at the thought of thy just anger against them is also like as is my flesh sore troubled and almost at the point of desparation but thou O Lord that desirest not the death of a sinner how long will it be ere thou look upon me and bring me out of this misery 4 Return from the rigour of thy justice O Lord to the sweetness of thy mercy and deliver my Soul from the bondage of sin O Lord save me from the assaults of the Devil not for any merits of mine but for thy mercies sake in Christ Jesus my Saviour 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee to praise and glorifie thy Name and who surely none there is that shall give thee thanks or celebrate thy goodness in the grave of Hell where nothing is to be heard but weeping gnashing of teeth and blasphemies 6 I am weary and faint with my groaning and sighing for my transgressions every night when I should take my rest I wash my bed weeping for them and I water my couch the place of my rest with my tears of unfeigned repentance 7 Mine eye of reason and understanding is consumed and groweth weak because of the grief I take fearing thy judgements yea it waxeth old and I continue in sin because of the united Forces of all mine Enemies the World the Flesh and the Devil 8 Depart therefore far form me al ye mine Enemies which are and have been the workers and causers of mine iniquity by your tentations and evil examples for henceforth I will have no more to do with you for my Conscience assureth me that the Lord of his infinite goodness hath heard and pitied the voice of my weeping and therefore I should be unthankful to him to return to those sins which he in his mercy hath forgiven 9 The Lord I cannot repeat it too often hath graciously heard my earnest supplication for the pardon of my sins and he the Lord plentiful in pity hath not only now but will also hereafter receive my prayer whensoever I call faithfully upon him 10 Let all mine Enemies therefore who have sought my destruction be ashamed at my Conversion and before vexed and troubled at the consideration os Gods judgements Let them no longer delay but repent and return to the Lord and be ashamed that they have so long deferred their conversion and suddenly without any longer delay make their peace with him by unfeigned repentance Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 32. BLessed is he in this life in assured hope and thrice blessed in full and perfect fruition in the life to come whose transgression by Gods mercy is forgiven in respect of the offence and whose sin by the imputation of Christs righteousness is so covered in this world that it be not laid open at the day of judgement in respect of the punishment 2 Blessed and happy is the man unto whom in regard either of offence or punishment the Lord accepting the merits of Christ imputeth no sin but giveth so ample a remission of them that he taketh no notice of any sin in him and in whose Spirit as well as in outward shew is no guile but penitently without hypocrisie bewaileth his offences 3 When I my self I speak by experience kept silence dissembling and covering my sins wherewith my Conscience was oppressed my bones and inward parts waxed old and feeble through my roaring which God regarded not though I cryed all the day long and that because I confessed not my sins aright unto him 4 For day and night continually thy hard hand of affliction was heavy upon me to punish my obstinacy and to reduce me to repentance and by reason thereof my moisture and vigour which I formerly had is turned like to the drought of Summer and is almost withered and dryed up 5 My sin therefore at the last I being thus handled by thee did I resolve to acknowledge unto thee in contrition of soul and mine iniquity which I formerly concealed I have but any longer hid but humbly confessed unto thee 6 I further said within my self when thy grace began to work in me that I will no longer continue in my rebellion but penitently confess all my transgressions and iniquity unto the Lord gracious and merciful and I had no sooner done it but thou of thy wonted compassion forgavest the iniquity and punishment of my sin committed against thee 7 For this remission of sin as it was necessary for me to pray for it so shall every one of what condition soever that is godly for the just also fall pray unto thee O Lord in a time when thou mayest be found in a fit season But in the greatest danger of floods and swelling of the great waters of afflictions God will so preserve serve the just man that they shall not have power to come nigh unto him to oppose or overwhelm him 8 Thou O God art my hiding place and refuge in all tribulations thou for in none other will I trust shalt preserve me by thy power from trouble and adversity Thou shalt compass me about with thy mercy and I will sing unto thee
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
before I fully understood how God useth to deal with his Servants I was so confident of my self that in my prosperity when I felt the grace of God abundantly in me I said and presumed that I was so fully setled in Gods favour that I shall never fall or be removed from it 7 Lord by thy favour and goodness thou hadst fixed and made my mountain of grace to stand so strong that I conceived my self so secure that I could not slide back or fall away Yet after a while I found by experience that I was in an errour for thou didst but hide thy face and a little while obscured thy grace from me and being left to my self I found such an alteration and defect in me to do good that I was therewith sore troubled and disquieted 8 I thereupon presently recalled my self and cryed earnestly by prayer to thee O Lord and betook my self unto the Lord who never utterly forsaketh his Servants and to him I made my earnest supplication never ceasing till I obtained his return and thus I said in my prayer 9 What profit O Lord is there can there be in my blood or death when I go down into the pit or if I dye in my sins surely none to thee for thou delighten not in blood or in the death of a sinner Shall the dust or they which are dissolved thereinto before repentance praise thee or shall it declare thy truth and shew thy glory Nay verily they shall rather in the horror of punishment blaspheme thy Name Suffer me not therefore O Lord to be of that reprobate number of which I must needs be one if thou absent thy self or with-draw thy grace any longer from me 10 Hear me therefore O Lord and that right soon for my spirit waxeth faint for want of thy gracious assistance and have mercy upon me in this distress O Lord I renounce all further confidence in mine own strength be thou my only stay and helper Upon this petition the Lord heard my request and thereupon I turned my prayer into a song of praise and said 11 Thou O Lord art worthy of all honour and praise for thou hast turned for me and for my good my mourning for thy absence into dancing and joy for thy gracious presence thou hast made me to put off my sad habit of sackcloath and sorrow and instead thereof hast girded and apparelled me with a vesture of gladness even the peace of conscience And all these things hast thou done for me 12 To the end that all my sorrow being removed and I being delivered from all fear my glory tongue and heart together may sing praise and thanks to thee who hast done so great things for me and that I should not be silent in extolling thy mercy And therefore O Lord my God as thy goodness deserveth and my duty requireth I will with all the affections and faculties of soul and body give thanks unto thee and praise thy Majesty for ever as the only Author and finisher of my salvation Glory be to the Father c. Psalm 34. I Will bless and praise the Lord for all that he hath done unto me at all times as well in adversity as prosperity and his praise as it shall ever be in my mind and heart so shall it be continually without intermission in my mouth by declaring it to others 2 My Soul especially shall make her boast and glory in the Lord and not in any thing that is in me so the humble and they which are any way dejected when they shall hear thereof how gracious God hath been to me shall in hope of the like mercy to them rejoyce and be glad also 3 O ye whosoever hath felt Gods favour as I have magnifie and extoll the mercies of the Lord with me for his goodness and let us joyfully with one accord exalt and praise his Name together 4 I my self when I was in trouble sought the Lord by prayer and humiliation and he rejected not my petition but graciously heard me and granted it and he not only delivered me from the danger I was in but from all my fears also which I conceived at it 5 They also that lived in former ages our fore-Fathers whensoever they were distressed looked up and cryed unto him and were relieved by his mercy and lightned by his grace their faces were not any whit ashamed because they did put their trust in him 6 This poor man even my self cryed by their example in my distress and the Lord plentiful in compassion graciously heard him and saved and delivered him immediately out of all his troubles and calamity 7 The good Angel of the Lord deputed by him for each mans protection encampeth and fortifieth round about them that with an unfeigned heart fear and serve him which Angel preserveth them in all their wayes and delivereth them from all the machinations of the Devil and his Angels 8 O taste ye therefore and see make experience aud you shall soon find that the Lord is good and loving to those that faithfully call upon him and you will also confess with me and say Blessed and happy is the man that layeth aside all confidence in himself and that in all his necessities trusteth in him and his protection 9 O fear reverence and love the Lord all ye that by truly believing in him become his Saints and observe his Commandements for take this as an infallible truth that there is no want to them they shall lack nothing that is needful for them that with an upright heart fear and serve him 10 The young Lyons mighty and worldly minded men although they think themselve 〈◊〉 do they lack true peace of Conscience and suffer hunger and want that which is truly good but they which with a pure heart and humble spirit seek the Lord and desire to please him shall not want any good thing when the Lord in his wisdom shall think it needful for them 11 Come therefore O ye Children that desire to be informed and with attentive minds hearken and give good ear unto me that am experienced in the mercies of the Lord and I will teach and instruct you in the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom 12 What man is he among the Sons of men that desireth to live a good life and loveth to spend many daye so in this life that he may see and enjoy good and happy dayes hereafter 13 Keep first of all thy tongue from speaking evil let that member do no man wrong and preserve thy lips from speaking guile or that which is false though to be to thine own prejudice for the Lord abhoreth lying lips 14 Depart from evil avoid all things which thou knowest displeasing to God and yet think not that sufficient except thou also apply thy self to do that which is good and acceptable to him Seek peace between God and thy self thy self and thy Conscience thy self and thy Neighbour and if thou shalt find that
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
from the servitude of sin The First Commandement Thou shalt have no other Gods before me HAving as it were setled in our hearts his Authority and Power to prescribe and make Laws unto us his just precept is that We have no other Gods before him 1. Neither by abating any reverence due to him But to worship him with all our heart By acknowledging him to be the only true God By honouring serving and praising him above all things By trusting and relying wholly upon him By expecting all good from him By humbling our selves before him and patiently bearing whatsoever he shall please to lay upon us and subjecting our wills wholly to his 2 Not by attributing any honour to other Gods or Idols or putting any confidence in Saints or Angels Earthly Pleasures Riches Honour or the like lest we offend thereby As Rachel did by asking Children of Iacob As the King of Syria by desiring Ioram to heal Naamans leprosie As Asa by too much trusting to his Physicians As the Fool in the Gospel trusting to his riches Neither secretly in thy heart Nor in the view of God and the World openly Not but that God is every where and seeth into the secret corners of our hearts and is Omniscient but to set a note or brand of impudence upon us for our indignity to him if we shall make open profession of our Idolatry to any false God or Idol in worshipping it or of our excessive love or doting upon any Creature by putting confidence in it neglecting our dependance on God who is only able by his Omnipotency to releive us This Commandement enjoyneth the inward worship of God The Second Commandement Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image AS in the first Commandement God requireth that we worship him only inwardly so in this he forbiddeth all undue and indirect outward worshipping of him and enjoyneth us not to make any resemblance to worship him by because he is a Spirit and is only to be worshipped in Spirit and Truth It consisteth of two parts 1. A prohibition of making any Image representing the Divine Godhead 2. Of exhibiting any worship to any Image And that 1. Because he is incomprehensible cannot be represented in any form visible 2. Because he is able to punish the contemners of his Name And to bless his true Worshippers 1. Therefore we are not to grave or make any Image or resemblance of him For when he gave the Law saith Moses he appeared in no manner of similitude To whom then will ye liken God or to what likeness will ye compare him 2. Neither are we to make the likeness of any thing to worship it For as we ought not to make any resemblance of him so neither when we make the similitude of any thing else the true use of making Pictures and the like being lawful not to worship or attribute any honour to it Not that all Images are hereby forbidden 1. For some in the Old Testament were Typical The Brazen Serpent being the Type of Christ. The two Cherubins on the Ark represented the Majesty of God attended by his Angels c. 2. Some are for Ornament many in the fabrique of the Temple and in the holy Vessels of it 3. Some Historical of stories either out of the Scriptures or of other Writers 4. Some for instruction in the nature of Beasts Cities and Countries Saint Paul saith that the Gentiles changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an Image like to corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things wherefore God gave them up to uncleanness c. 1. Either by bowing the body uncovering the head or bending the knee to them 2. Or by setting the same in any eminent place to worship them bestowing extraordinary cost on them making Pilgrimages to them or dedicating Altars Lamps or the like to them By this Commination he sheweth his power to punish Offenders and that he is able and all-sufficient to supply our wants likewise Like the jealous Husband who will have no partner in his love And suffereth no Corrival Competitor or Sharer in his Service My Son give me thy heart thy whole heart Punishing them that run after false Gods in many descents even as long as they shall continue in their idolatrous courses Though the Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father yet this is so odious to him that he will take vengeance of the Idolatrous Generation As of the Iews in general Solomon and others 1. To shew how odious Idolatry is to him 2. To force men who naturally have a love and care to their posterity by this Commination to abstain from it left their issue be plagued Confounded be all they that worship carved Images and that delight in vain Gods The mercy of the LORD is over all his Works is over his Iustice. For whereas he punisheth Idolaters in his Iustice but to three or four generations He is merciful to thousands of those that worship him aright throughout all generations His reward is alwayes greater than his punishment Of his own nature more bent to shew mercy than to execute severity It is his proper work and suitable to his nature to have mercy but he is hardly drawn to punish as being a work altogether unsuitable to his disposition With their whole heart without hypocrisie and do not impart that worship to others which is due to him In obedience walking in his wayes All his Commandements but chiefly this concerning his worship The Third Commandement Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain The scope of which is to shew what reverence is due to God in our Conversation especially in the use or abuse of an Oath THe Name of the Lord which in it self is Holy True and Iust. And therefore we ought not to prophane it or take it in our mouths lightly or upon every small occasion Herein we offend When we blaspheme God either openly or in our hearts When we use his holy Word to any prophane scurrilous or impure end When we commit Perjury When we murmure against him When we leave his Providence and consult with Witches or the like When we swear upon trivial and light causes When we curse or use unlawful Imprecations When we perform not that which we faithfully promise When we in any action of our own detract from Gods glory and attribute and arrogate too much to our selves An Oath is to be ministred when the glory of God is questioned for some weighty matter urgeth it upon the Magistrates command And to be taken by those who are of years of discretion and in their right senses The Lord and Iudge of Heaven and Earth who seeth and observeth all our actions is so far from conniving at this
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