of our deceased friends unto the Grave we do not lay up these precious Reliques in the Wardrobe of the Earth as Carkasses lost and perished but as having in them a seed of Eternity in sure and certain hope of a Resurrection to Eternal Life this is to bury Christianly the hope of the Resurrection being the proper hope of Christians Vid. August de Civit. Dei lib. 1. c. 13. Now this hope is grounded upon Christ's Resurrection who is our Resurrection and Life John 11.25 He is Primogenitus mortuorum Colos 1.18 As he rose in se so he rose Pro aliis As an Angel proclaimed at his Grave Resurrexit non est hic Mat. 28.6 So from his Resurrection we have added on our Tomb-stones to Hic jacet this happy clause Spe Resurgendi What is gone before in the Head shall follow in the Members if the Head be above there is hope for the whole Body if the Root have Life the Branches shall not long be without Christ the first fruits being restored to life all the rest of the dead who die in him are in him entitled to the same hope Rubrick Then shall be said or sung Note This following is another 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or triumphant Hymn to be sung by Priest and People or said by the Priest alone to show our expressions of joy over our deceased friends whereby we do in a holy valour laugh at death I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me write From henceforth blessed are the dead which die in the Lord even so saith the Spirit for they rest from their labours Note This place of Scripture is primarily applied to the great Trials and Persecutions which were then to fall upon the Church within a short time which should be so great that they should be counted happy who were well dead before and were gone to enjoy their reward of peace and bliss being taken away from the Earth before such combats and storms as these should fall The holy Divine accounts those happiest who should die soonest and be taken out of this life from having their parts in the evil to come Isay 57.1 So upon mention of oppressors and strength on their side and the no comforter the Preacher tells us that he praised the dead which are already dead Eccles 4.1 2. And to this belongs the answer of the Spirit in the words following they shall have rest from their labours that is from those Persecutions which attend them here and which only death can put an end to But our Church very fitly applies it to all the Saints and Servants of God departing this life as finishing their warfare and going out of the World to receive the reward both of their Christian combat and conquest Rubrick Then the Priest shall say Note Here the Priest is Vox Populi the Peoples Mouth to God-ward Luk. 18.13 Lord have mercy upon us To God the Father Mat. 15.22 Christ have mercy upon us To God the Son Mark 10.48 Lord have mercy upon us To God the Holy Ghost Note This is thrice repeated to shew our faith in the Trinity This was called the lesser Litany and was of very early usage in Church Offices Clem. constit lib. 8. cap. 5. 6. Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name Our Father Great in our Creation Good in our Redemption Rich in Goodness and good in the riches of thy mercy sweet in love and slow to wrath willing to hear us for our Father able to help us for in Heaven Which art in Heaven The Glass of Eternity the Crown of Felicity the Treasure of all Complacency In Heaven Eminenter chiefly there but not only there in Heaven the Throne of thy Glory the Place of thy Majesty teaching us both whither to direct our Prayers and where to setle our affections when we pray Hallowed be thy Name in us by us upon us thy Kingdom come That it may be as Hony in the Mouth Melody in the Ear Jubily in the heart as Holiness is chief in Thee so let it be chief in our account and esteem of Thee May thy Name of Father be so hallowed in us and by us in our words lives and actions that we may deserve the title of Sons Thy Kingdom come Thy Kingdom of Grace come to us that we may come to thy Kingdom of Glory Thy Kingdom come that the Kingdom of Sin Satan and Death may be destroyed Thy Kingdom of Power to defend us Thy Kingdom of Grace to Sanctifie us Thy Kingdom of Glory to establish us in all bliss and happiness We are in this World but thy Kingdom is not of this World call us out of the one into the other Here thy Kingdom is begun in us by grace hereafter it must be perfected in us by glory Here is truth mixed with error here is joy mixed with grief here is tranquility mixed with trouble Here thy Kingdom thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven hath many enemies who seek the division of it labour the ruine of it malice the glory of it though avert it they may evert it they cannot The gates of Hell cannot prevail against the gates of Sion nor the kingdom of Satan against the Kingdom of Christ But O Lord let it come in its power and full glory that there may be in it Truth not mixed with errour Joy not mixed with sorrow Peace without trouble Glory without shame and a Kingdom so setled it upon us and we in it that there may be no more fear of losing it Thy will be done c. Thy will not ours be done in us and by us Freely without coaction fully without imperfection faithfully without fraud or hypocrisie In us that is in us men as it is done in Heaven that is in and by the holy Angels So that we may love those things which thou lovest hate those things which thou hatest shun those things which thou forbidest and do those things which thou commandest Give us this day and suffer those things with patience which thou art pleased in thy wise providence to inflict upon us Give us this day c. Give for we cannot have it except thou give it Dicimus da nobis ne putetur esse a nobis We are taught to ask it of God to shew that we have it not of our selves Us thou teacheth us that we are not to pray for our selves alone but that we are to seek the good one of another Pro se orat necessitas pro aliis charitas This day Day is here taken for life so long as we live so long shall we stand in need of God's givings and may say this Prayer Give us c. This day should teach us moderation in the pursuit of earthly things They are Utenda not Fruenda things to use not to enjoy Like Israel's Manna we are to feed upon them only till we come to the borders of our Canaan This life is Via the way Daily bread is
us and our enjoyments yet then we are uncertain who shall enjoy the benefit of our labours whether our selves our Heirs or our Enemies Vers 7. There is nothing therefore in this Life that is worth the patience of our expectance or the solicitude of losing what we have acquired There is only one thing which is the matter of a sober Man's ambition and that is to be in favour with Thee O God and to glorify thee in what ever condition thy mercy shall chose for us Vers 8. Therefore I desire thee to pardon my many sins by thy grace and to free me from those punishments which are due to them by thy mercy and let not wicked men thy enemies and mine prosper in their wickedness least they triumph over me and piety and reproach my dependance on Thee as the greatest folly for this will turn to the dishonour of thee and thy service Vers 9. What is hitherto befallen me I take patiently without either murmuring or repining for I know it comes from thee whose disposals are most wise and be it never so sharp I am sure it is less than I have deserved Vers 10. Yet let it be thy pleasure now to set a period to my calamities that I be not utterly destroyed by them Vers 11. 'T is most certain that when Thou by our sins art justly provoked the very with-drawing thy favour doth insensibly blast and consume us every way in our health and wealth and beauty and whatever is most precious to us so very a truth it is that we Men and all that we have are meer nothing Vers 12. O Lord be pleased to hear this sad request which I now pour out before thee that seeing my time and all Mens is so short and transitory in this World Vers 13. Thou wouldst give me a little space of relaxation from my present pressures and calamities that so I may devoutly serve and glorify Thee some space of time longer here on Earth before I depart hence to the Grave and Land of Forgetfulness never more to return into this frail and brittle life to be seen and looked upon by any mortal Eys Vid. Dr. Hammond Paraphrase Note This Psalm or Prayer was either composed by Moses that eminent Prophet of God who in Gods stead governed the People of Israel and conducted them out of Aegypt or else by some other as in his Person for it reflects on those times wherein Moses lived when the children of Israel were many Years afflicted in the Wilderness and great Multitudes of them untimely cut off for their provocations it sets before us the afflictions and shortness of life together with a Prayer for the return of mercy Psal 90. Vers 1. Blessed Lord God we have never had any Helper refuge or place of protection to flie unto for aid and relief from time to time but Thee only Thou hast hitherto been our only defence and safeguard do not now forsake us and destroy us utterly Vers 2. Before any part of this World was formed by Thee or the Earth by thy wise disposal brought forth the Mountains thou hadst an incomprehensible power and beeing within thy self by which power this World wherein we now live was at first created yet thou remainedst immutably the same before it had beginning and so shalt do when it shall have ending O let thy afflicted Creatures at this time receive the benefits of this thy Holy Power and Mercy Vers 3. Thou art the great and most just Disposer of all events when thy Creatures fall off and make defection from thee it is just with thee to punish them for their sins and to return them back to the Earth from whence by thy Creative Power they were at first produced This was the Sentence passed upon Adam and according to the same art thou now pleased to deal with many of us Vers 4. And though some in the old World who were great Offenders were permitted to live neer a Thousand Years yet what is that compared with thy Infinity a Thousand Years considered in thy duration are but as a drop spilt and lost in the Ocean It is but as a day past and gone or but the sixth part of it the space of some hours in the night which is insensibly past over in sleep Vers 5. As for us Men we are frail and short-liv'd our whole Age is quickly at an end by the course of Nature but when thy wrath breaks forth upon us then death comes as a torrent and sweeps us away in the midst of our strength our life is then but as a dream when one awakes out of sleep a phansie at first and that soon vanish'd whilst we live we do but seem to live death comes and the phansy of life vanisheth Vers 6. Our condition is no more stable and durable than that of the flower or grass of the Field which when it flourisheth most is subject to soon fading and withering but if the Sickle come the emblem of thy judgments upon sinners then it falls in the prime of its verdure and so do we flourish in the morning fade and loose our beauty moisture life and all ere it be night Vers 7. For by reason of our sins thou art provoked to cut us off in the prime and most flourishing part of our Age. Vers 8. Our open and crying sins thou thinkest fit thus to punish with excision and besides there are many secret sins unknown to Men but not unknown to Thee which also provoke thy wrath and call forth thy vengeance against us such are our Apostasies turnings back dislike of thy Methods in the guiding and governing of us preferring the satisfaction of our own lusts before an obediential submission to thy Commands and for such sins as these are we swept away and consumed in a visible formidable manner Vers 9. By reason of our provocations thy displeasure is gone out against us so that our Years are suddenly cut off sooner then one can speak and that is as soon as one can think like the Spider we weave such Webs as the next Broom sweeps away our Age is spent in fruitless labours which presently come to nothing Vers 10. Thy Oath being gone out to cut short our time here for our impieties multitudes of us die before we can advance to more than the seventieth Year of our Age few live up to eighty and they who live beyond it have little joy in their life being combred with weakness weariness and diseases so that our Age is nothing in respect of true duration it being but a thought or breath Vers 11. Whilst thus we are daily cut off the great unhappiness of it is that no Man is careful to lay to heart these terrible effects of God's wrath upon us no Man is so far instructed by what he sees daily befall others as to be sensible of his own danger and the shortness of his life so as to live well whilst he is permitted to live Vers 12. But O
as being to sit in a more eminent place in the Congregation to pay her thanks to God for her safe deliverance from so great a danger which Veil may not only mind her of her subjection but teach her also to make reflexion upon that first sin wherein the Woman was the first which brought the Sex first under subjection and withall subjected them to the great danger of Child-birth Indeed some superstitious Persons who are apt to create fears to themselves where there is no ground of fear which is the right meaning of superstition taken in a bad sense scruple more at this Vestment than at the committing of a gross sin and where-ever this Veil is used I verily believe it may be to convince these pittiful Christians of their gross ignorance who scruple so at every indifferent thing that they do not only destroy all Christian duty but all Christian liberty too which they so much contend for I do not read it injoyned by any Ecclesiastical Canon nor by any injunction of the Church only it is a civil custom and fashion of the Country and hath no more offence in it than the wearing of new Gloves at Marriages or blacks at Funerals Dr. Whitgift Defence of his Answer to the Admonition Fol. 537. 3. Note The Woman is to kneel in a convenient place For kneeling I suppose no just exception can be taken out against that for it hath ever been the manner in Christ's Church Note 1. Book of Edward VI. unto the Quire Door whether we offer to God or receive ought offered from him in this wise to do it Vid. Bishop Andrews Serm. on Phil. 2.8 9 10 11. Now the Woman at this time hath a peculiar offring of praise and thanksgiving to offer up to God for her deliverance and therefore it is fit she do it in most decent and humble manner But as to the convenient place we must take our directions from custom and the Ordinary however in case it be more within the publick view and the publick hearing than any other place the Chancel and as neer to the Communion Table as may be approached the Woman not pressing or presuming within the Rail which is a place peculiar to the Priest only is the fittest place and hath ever been so accounted in the Churches practise For that is indeed properly the Sacrarium where Oblations were wont to be made They who brought any gift were to bring it unto the Altar or to the Holy Table which in Ignatius is frequently termed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Altar According to that of our Saviour If thou bring thy gift to the Altar Mat. 5.23 which is clearly a Christian injunction implying when we bring any special gift to God for any special mercy received thither we must bring it It was the usual place whither all oblations donations and gifts devoted to God and the maintenance of his Service were brought Vid. Capital Caroli Magni Wormatiae lib. 6. c. 285. And then the Priest shall say unto Her For as much as it hath pleased Almighty God of his goodness to give you safe deliverance and hath preserved you in the great danger of Child-birth you shall therefore give hearty thanks unto God and say Rubrick Then shall the Priest say this Psalm Note 1. In the former Liturgy this Preface For as much as it hath pleased c. was left arbitrary to the Priest these words or such like as the case shall require but since our Reformers very prudently noting of how dangerous a consequence it is to leave things arbitrary in publick Offices especially when some extravagant Ministers took occasion thereby to depart clearly from the sense sometimes as well as from the words and assumed such a liberty as did exceed the due bounds of modesty and sobriety therefore to avoid all such extravagancies for the future have tied up the Ministers to use these very words which words are to be applied to the Woman who is to return her thanks and that she may discharge this duty of thankfulness with the more fervency and devotion she is in few words put in mind 1. Of the greatness of her danger 2. Of God's goodness to her in her deliverance Note 2. The Minister is to go before the Woman I suppose in the reading of the Psalm and she to make her Response of every Verse after him for in the Preface she is to say as well as the Priest is to say in the Rubrick The usual Psalm both in the Scotch Liturgy and our former Liturgy was Psalm 121. which was a Psalm not abused but very appositly applied in regard the Contents of it are expresly thus That the faithful ought only to look for help from God But in regard some Persons have made their exceptions against it by reason of some passages in the Psalm which were not plain enough to their capacities in their literal meaning therefore our late Reformers being willing to give satisfaction to all truly tender Consciences have laid that Psalm aside and made choice of two other less liable to exception for to supply that defect Psal 116. This Psalm is a grateful acknowledgment of God's seasonable deliverances and gracious returns to the prayers of his afflicted distressed Servant which are to be answered with vows of new obedience and intire affiance in God This Psalm indeed was not Penn'd for such a particular occasion as this but yet it is thought seasonable at this time to be used and may very fitly be applied to this occasion Paraphrase Vers 1. I desired of the Lord in whom I reposed my chief and only confidence that he would be pleased to hear my prayer and in his good time consider my distress and send me a seasonable and gracious deliverance Vers 2. Now seeing he hath thus graciously heard my request and bestowed upon me the mercy which I prayed for I shall when ever my calamities approach me or seize upon me apply my self by my prayers chiefly and solely to God and however I neglect not any other lawful means yet will I make him my chief trust and dependance Vers 3. My dangers indeed which by the strength and goodness of my God I have escaped were very great menacing death Vers 4. And when I had small or no hopes of rescue left me from any humane means I made my address to God's over-ruling help and providence I humbly and fervently besought him in my Prayers that he would send me a seasonable deliverance Vers 5. For certainly thought I be my dangers what they will yet I have a merciful and faithful God in whom I trust who will make good his promise of mercy to all who depend upon his promises and faithfully by prayer solicite him for performance Vers 6. It is his proper attribute to be the supporter of the weak and the reliever of those who are in distress and accordingly hath he dealt with me in my greatest destitution Vers 7. And now being thus rescued
by him and delivered from those dangers which did encompass me I have nothing to do but to serve him in all sincerity and integrity of conversation Vers 8. For he hath rescued my life from death wiped all tears from my eyes restored me from my weakness to a perfect strength and soundness Vers 9. Therefore will I spend the remainder of my days which he shall afford me in this World in his service and at the present make my humble address to the place of God's special presence there to celebrate that mercy which he hath afforded me in so signal a deliverance Vers 10 11. When my calamities were most pressing and my dangers greatest by which I was clearly convinced that the arm of flesh was not to be trusted in for my relief yet I knew there was one sure hold to which I might hopefully and successfully resort the never failing Omnipotent hand of God therfore to that I betook my self entirely and from that I received my deliverance Vers 12 13 14. For this and for all other abundant mercies which God hath so graciously bestowed upon me I am bound up by all obligations to make my most thankful acknowledgment and to do it in the most solemn manner in the presence of the whole Congregation by way of publick Festival blessing and magnifying God's Holy Name who hath preserved my life from so great a danger and kept it as a Jewel of his own Cabinet as being by me humbly deposited with and intrusted to him And this is his gracious way of dealing not with me only but with all who truly rely and depend upon Him For which signal mercy of his I here present my self at this time to pay that gratitude and oblation of praise which if I did not promise in my danger yet am now bound up to perform after my deliverance Vers 16. O most gracious Lord how am I obliged to Thee by all the bonds that any ingagement can lay upon me No Servant bought with a price or born in a Man's house can be more closely bound to him than I am bound to Thee who hast rescued me by so great a deliverance from so great a danger Vers 17 18 19. What remains now but that I should return to Thee the humblest offrings of praise and prayer and spend my whole life as a vow'd oblation to thy service rendring Thee all possible praise in the publick Assembly and in the most solemn manner saying Blessed be the name of the Lord or Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the begining is now and ever shall be World without end Amen Vid. Dr. Hammond Or this Psalm 127. Note This or the former is left to the prudence and discretion of the Minister but the Church in both hath made so good a choice that the Minister in either cannot make an ill one Paraphrase This Psalm was composed by Solomon as a Compendium of his Ecclesiastes wherein is set down the vanity of worldly sollicitude without God's blessing as in all things else so in that of Children the greatest blessing of life Vers 1. There is no way in the World to attain any secular wealth or safety save only from the blessing of God the author and dispenser of all good things The building up of Houses and Families of gathering Riches and begetting Children to inherit them is not to be imputed to Man's sollicitude but is wholly imputable to God's blessing Unless God by his special protection guard a City all the guards of Men can do but little to the securing or preserving of it and unless God build up a Family all the industry of Men will not be successful to it Vers 2. 'T is to little purpose for Men to deny Nature that rest which God hath indulged to her to moil incessantly and to debar themselves the enjoyment of worldly comforts thinking by this means to inrich their Posterity for they who trust and depend upon their own anxious and sollicitous indeavours are generally frustrated and disappointed in their aims and ends whereas they who take God's blessing along with them thrive insensibly and become prosperous though they never loose any sleep in the pursuit of it Vers 3. And for Children that 's a particular blessing of God's from whom all increase comes and he gives them as he pleases and sees good as a present reward to the piety and other virtues of Men. Vers 4. And of all blessings this of a numerous Progeny is the greatest every Child being an addition of strength and safety to the Father Children of Youth are as arrows in the hand of a mighty Man and defend the House from Hostil Invasions as well as Weapons can Vers 5. As the Military Man guards himself with Weapons Arrows and Darts having them in a full quiver all in a readiness and prepared so the Master of a Family is fortified from Hostile Invasions and all other insolencies and molestations by the multitude and strength of his numerous Children who are in a readiness to back and defend him at all turns from injuries of any kind which the open violence or more secret fraud of Men can design against him either in the Field or in any Court of Judicature Vid. Dr. Hammond Therefore for other blessings and for these amongst the rest Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. Note Two more excellent Psalms could not have been selected out of the whole Book of Psalms for this Office which though not Penn'd for this particular occasion yet are most admirably fitted to it and most seasonably applied and no Church in the World is more happy for her Verba Opportuna as our Church of England is Then the Priest shall say Let us Pray Note This is like the Prophet David â—s invitatory Psal 95.1 and is frequently used in other Offices of the Service Book especially before the Lord's Prayer to shew what requests we desire more particularly to summe up in that Prayer at that time For this reason is this clause inserted into the Absolution at the begining of Morning Prayer Wherefore let us bâ—seech Him to grant us true repentance and his holy Spirit c. The meaning is that we are incited more particularly to pray for the grace of repentance and the gifts of the Spirit in the Lord's Prayer immediately following which Prayer was undoubtedly indicted by our Saviour for such a purpose or else it is set before these Three Versicles Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us which antiquity called the lesser Litany and were of very early admission into the service of the Church Clemens lib. 8. c. 5. c. 6. And fitly are they placed before â—â—e Lord's Prayer because expedient it is we implore God's mercy before we resort to him in Prayer Durand rational lib. 4. c. 12. It is an address to the blessed Trinity whereby