our unfain thankfullnesse for thy innurable mercies multiplied up us from the first houre of birth yea before our birth a before time was Before foundations of the world wâ— laid thou out of thy free 〈◊〉 and meere mercy didst elect to eternall life when thou diâ— reject others Thou didst â—ate us after thine owne imaâ—â— engraving upon us the chaâ—â—cters of spirituall wisedom righteousnesse and true hoâ—â—nesse when it was in thy powâ—â— to have made us like unto beasts that perish yea to have â—qualled us to the basest of thy â—â—eatures And when through â—ur owne default wee lost that â—â—ignity thou didst so pittie us as â—â— send from thine owne boâ—ome thine onely begotten Son â—â— recover it for us and to reâ—tore it to us and that with no â—esse price then his owne heartâ—loud Besides it hath pleased â—hee continually to spread the wings of thy gracious protection over us to ward and guard â—s by thy providence to open â—â—y hand and to replenish us with good things to continue our life health strength food â—aiment peace and liberty to his very houre Thou hast even loaded us with thy benefits if we had hearts rightly to consider it thou renewest thy mercy towards us every morning and the night past hast given us a testimony of thy love For whereas for the sinnes committed the day before thou mightest even in the dead of sleepe have given us a sodaine call out of this world and so presently have brought us to that great account which wee must make before thee thou vouchsafest yet to spare us yea which is more to refresh us with comfortable rest to preserve us from all dangers that might have befallen our soules or bodies and to bring us in safety to the beginning of this day Heavenly Father grant that we may not be unmindfull of thy manifold mercies but that wee may often thinke of them and speake of them to thy glory and that the consideration thereof may stirre us up to devote all the powers of our soules and members of our bodies to thy service Forgive us our former unthankefulnesse for thy mercies and our severall abuses of them yea pardon all our sinnes past we most humbly beseech thee for thy owne mercies sake and for thy Sonnes merits Our sinnes are great and grievous for in sinne we were borne and ever since have we gone on in a course of sinne and rebellion against thee we doe daily breake thy holy precepts and that against the light of our owne knowledge albeit we know that thou art our Creatour who hast made us ouâ— Redeemer who hast bought us with the precious blood of thy onely begotten sonne and ouâ— Comforter who bestowesâ— upon us all things needfull foâ— our being and well-being foâ— this life and for a better life Yea even thee thee O Lord have we presumed to offend that hast beene thus abundantly mercifull unto us For this ouâ— unthankefulnesse and wicked nesse enter not into judgement with us wee most humbly beseech thee from the bottom of our hearts but have mercâ— upon us have mercy upon uâ— most mercifull Father and in mercy wash away all our sinnes with the bloud of Jesus Christ â—hat so they may never bee laid â—o our charge nor have power â—rise up in judgement against â—s Pierce our hearts with a â—eeling of our sinnes that wee â—ay mourne for them as wee â—ught to doe make us to loath â—nd abhorre them that we may â—ave and avoid them that wee may be watchfull against all occasions of sinne and circumâ—ect over our owne wayes â—owre thy Spirit and put thy â—ace into our hearts that thereby we may be inabled for thy â—â—vice and both in body and â—ule may glorifie thee heere â—â—at wee may be glorified of thee and with thee hereafter And as a speciall meanes to keepe us in subjection before thee work in us holy Father a continuall and effectuall remembrance of this earths vanity of our owne mortality oâ— that great and terrible judgement to come of the paines oâ— hell and joyes of heaven which follow after O let the remembrance of these things be a spuâ— to provoke us unto vertue and a bridle to hold us in from galloping after vice and wickednesse We know not how soon thou wilt set a period to ouâ— lives and call for our soules to appeare before thee whether this day or not before the evening O prepare us therefore for the houre of death that we may then neither feare nor faint but may with joy yeeld up our soules into thy mercifull hands and doe thou O Father of mercy receive them Let thy mercifull eye look upon us this day shield us from the temptations of the divell and grant us â—he custody of thy holy Angels to defend us in all our wayes â—nable us with diligence and â—onscience to discharge the duâ—â—es of our callings and crowne all our endeavours with thy blessing without thy blessing all mans labour is but vaine â—oe thou therefore blesse us in â—ur severall places O prosper â—hou our handy-work Provide â—or us all things which thou knowest to bee needfull for every one of us this day Give us a sanctified use of thy creatures agodly jealousie over ourselves a continual remembrance of thy omniscience omnipresence that we may labour to approve our very thoughts unto thee weane us from the love of thiâ— world and ravish our soule with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdome Defend the universall Church the Churches of this Land especially our gracious King Charles our illustrious Queen Mary together with the Princesse Elizabeth and her Princely issue crowne them with thy graces heere and with thy glory hereafter Bee with thâ— Magistracie and Ministerie of the Realme make thy Gospell to flourish amongst us by the labours of those whom thou hast appointed to this great service Comfort thine afflicted servants in what place or case soever they be give us a fellow feeling of their miseries and wisedome to prepare our selves against the evill day Heare us in these things and grant what else thou knowest needfull for us not for our worthinesse but for thy Sonnes sake our alone Saviour in whose name and words we conclude our imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. A houshold Prayer for private Families in the Evening O Glorious God in Jesus Christ our gracious Father we wretched creatures by nature but by thy grace thy servants and children doe heere make bold to appeare before thee in the humility of our soules to performe some part of that duty which we owe unto thee And first we offer unto thy divine Majestie the calves of our lips the sacrifice â—f praise and thanksgiving for â—ine infinite mercies which â—hou hast beene pleased to conâ—erre upon us out of thy boundnesse and endlesse goodnesse What thou hast done for us this â—hy is beyond all that we are â—ble to expresse or conceive â—hou hast preserved us from all â—erils and dangers
this thy Syon crowne her with plenty prosperity and victory Let not her enemies rejoyce in her subversion nor triumph in her destruction Hide not thy face from her in the day of trouble stoppe not thine eares at our prayers Be unto us all a horne of salvation a rocke of safety a wall of brasse a strong tower and fortresse against the face and force of our enemies divert their designes frustrate their envie abate their fury asswage their pride restraine their power and in thy name let us tread them under that maliciously and mischievously rise up against us Suffer not the light of thy Gospel to be ecâ—lipsed nor the splendor of thy glory to be obscured let not thy name be dishonoured nor thy Sanctuary defiled nor thy truth slandered but now and ever defend and deliver as thou hast formerly done this Church and State from Plague Pestilence and above all that most terrible vengeance the devouring sword and that for his sake who hath led captivity captive and like a victorious Conqueror hath triumphed over all his enemies even Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and Holy Ghost be all honour and glory Amen A Prayer for them that are about the Sicke HEare us Almighty and most mercifull God and Saviour extend thine accustomed goodâ—esse to this thy servant which â—s grieved with sicknes visit him O Lord as thou didst Peters wives mother and the Captains â—ervant restore unto this sicke â—ody his former health if it be â—hy will or else give him grace â—o take this thy visitation patiently that after this painfull life ended he may dwell with thee in everlasting life O Lord behold we bend our knees yea the knees of our hearts with unfained prayers and lift up our eyes to the throne of thy mercie seat to hearken to these our petitions according to thy promises therefore O Lord grant our requests we are gathered here together in thy name in the behalfe of this thy servant deliver him we humbly beseech thee from these his languishing paines and miseries of sicknesse and as it hath pleased thee to lay thine hand upon him so O Lord restore him to his former health keepe him O Lord from fearefull and terrible assaults and despightfull â—â—mptations of the Divell sinne â—â—d hell deliver him O Lord 〈◊〉 thou deliveredst Noah from â—e raging waves of the floods 〈◊〉 from the destruction of Soâ—me Abraham from the feare â—â— the Caldeans the children of â—â—rael from the tyranny of Phaâ—â—oh David from the hands of â—â—liah the three men from the â—lence of the fiery furnace in â—â—bylon Daniell from the mouth 〈◊〉 the Lyons Ionas from the â—â—lly of the Whale and Peter â—m the prison of Herod Even â— O gratious Lord deliver the â—â—le of this person both now 〈◊〉 whensoever he shall depart â—â—ce from all perill and danâ—â—r open unto him at the houre of death the doore of Paradice the gates of heaven and the entry of everlasting life O Lord Jesus Christ forgive him all his sinnes and lead him with joy into the kingdome of thy heavenly Father even unto the bosome of Abraham and appoint him his everlasting rest that hee may rejoyce with thee and all the elect children of God to whom be all honour glory power and dominion Amen The sicke persons Prayer LOrd hearken to my prayer and give eare to my humble request Lord be mercifull unto mee and give mee grace patiently to beare the crosse and in the midst of this my sicknesse alwaies to say thy will O heavenly Father be done and not mine forgive and forget most gracious Father all 〈…〉 quities bloâ— them out of thy remembrance and cast them from thy sight O Lord as farre as the East is from the West the North from the South they are many and innumerable let them not rise up in judgement against me neither enter thou into thy narrow judgement with thy servant O Lord for no flesh is righteous before thee handle me not according to my deserts deale not with me after my wickednesse neither reward me after mine iniquities O Lord my God looke not into my enormious nor incestious life I am ashamed of my sinnes and aske pardon for my faults even with a repenting heart and sorrowfull mind a bleeding soule with hidden teares of a true and unfained repentance for my misdeeds yea my wounded breast surcharged with oppressing griefes doth sigh groane and lament under the burthen of my hainous crimes wherefore O Lord wash them away with thy bloud which thou hast shed for my sinnes and I shall be clean and pure without spot purge me O Lord with those precious drops that distilled from thy tormented heart and I shall be whiter then the snow burie mine offences in the sepulcher of thy death and cloath me with the garment of righteousnesse O Lord for thine infinite goodnesse and mercy sake receive me into thy tuition and favour pardon O Lord and remit my sins as thou forgavest David his murther and adultery with Barsheba Saul his persecutions of thy people Peter his deniall Mary Magdalen her lascivious life and the Publican in the Temple with striking his breast craved thy gracious pardon saying Lord have mercy upon me a sinner and although my sinnes and offences are farre greater and more grievous then these yet O Lord thy mercies exceede and are far more compassionate then our sinnes manifold I justifie not my selfe O my God by the offences of these but declare thy righteousnesse and mercifull clemencies in forgetting and forgiving our abhominable trespasses and transgressions of thy will which though we are froward yet thou art gentle though we are stubborne yet thou art meeke and though we run headlong to the pits brinke and to the gates of hell yet thou of thy goodnesse callest us backe and remittest all that wee have done amisse O Lord I have acknowledged my faults that they are best knowne unto thee wherefore O Lord I aske forgivenes for the same send me the comfort of thy holy Spirit that if thou give me my former health and strength of body I may amend my life according to thy sacred will and walke worthily in thy Lawes and Commandements if it be thy pleasure to take mee hence out of this transitory life O Lord grant that I may rest and live with thee forever world without end O Lord hearken unto these my petitions for Jesus Christ his sake I aske them and all other things which thou shalt think meet both for my soule and bodie in the same forme of prayer as he himself hath taught me saying Our Father c. A Prayer at the houre of death O Lord Jesus Christ which art the only health of all men living the everlasting life of them which dye in thy faith I wretched sinner give and submit my selfe wholly to thy most blessed will being sure that the thing cannot perish which is committed unto thy mercy I most humbly beseech thee O Lord to give me
grace that I may now willingly leave this fraile and wicked flesh in hope of the resurrection which in better manner shall restore it to me againe grant me O Lord God that thou wilt by thy grace make strong my soule against all temptations and that thou wilt cover and defend me with the buckler of thy mercy against the assaults of Satan I acknowledge that there is in my selfe no hope of salvation but all my hope and trust is in thy most mercifull goodnesse I have no merits nor good workes which I may alleadge before thee of sinnes and evill works alas I see a great heape but through thy mercy I trust to be of the number of them to whom thou wilt not impute their sins but take and impute mee for righteous and just and to be the inheritor of everlasting glory Thou O most mercifull Lord wert borne for my sake thou didst suffer both hunger and thirst thou didst preach teach pray and fast for my sake thou didst all good works and sufferedst most grievous pangs and torments for my sake and finally thou gavest thy most precious body to dye and thy blessed bloud to bee shed on the Crosse for my sake wherefore most mercifull Saviour let all these things profit me which thou hast freely given mee which hast given thy selfe for me let thy bloud cleanse and wash away the spots and foulenesse of my sinnes let thy righteousnesse hide and cover my unrighteousnesse let the merits of thy bitter sufferings be a sufficient and propitiatory sacrifice and satisfaction for my sinnes give me O Lord thy grace that my faith and beleefe of thy true and grievous death waver not in me but ever be firme and constant that the hope of thy mercy life everlasting never decay in me that charity waxe not cold in me and finally that the weaknesse of my flesh be not overcome with the feare of death grant me also O most mercifull Saviour that when death hath shut up the eyes of my body yet the eyes of my soule may still behold and look upon thee and that when death hath taken away the use of my tongue and speech yet my heart may cry and say unto thee O Lord into thy hands I give and commit my soule Lord Jesus receive my spirit and take me to thy mercies Amen A Prayer for a Woman in time of her travaile RIghteous and holy Lord God I doe now finde by experience the fruit of my sinne that I must travaile in sorrow and bring forth in paine and I unfainedly adore the truth of thy sacred Word as certifying unto me that sorrow must be in the Evening so comforting me also against the Morning that a Childe shall be borne Willingly I doe desire to submit my selfe in hope unto this thy chastisement and to learne the desert of my sinnes horrible in themselves that these temporall paines are forerunners of eternall and yet by thy mercy may be so sanctified unto me as not onely to prevent eternall vengeance but also prepare for eternall comforts even to be saved by bearing of Children Grant me therefore gracious Father true repentance and pardon for my sinnes past that they may not stand at this time in this my need betweene mee and thy mercy Give mee a comfortable feeling of thy love in Christ which may sweeten all other pangs though never so violent or extreame make me still to lift up my soule unto thee in my greatest agonies knowing that thou alone must give a blessing to the ordinary meanes for my safe deliverance Lay no more upon me then I am able to endure strengthen my weake body to the bearing of what sorrowsoever by which it shall seeme good unto thee to make triall of me Grant mee to consider that howsoever it be with me yet I am alwaies at thine hand whose mercies faile not who wilt bee found in the Mount and greatest extremitie and to whom belong the issues of death so prepare me therefore to death that I may be fit for life even to yeeld fruit alive unto the world and to be renewed and enabled to nourish the same And when thou hast safely given mee the expected fruit of my wombe make me with a thankfull heart to consecrate both it and my selfe wholly to thy service all the daies of my life through Jesus Christ mine onely Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Thankesgiving after safe deliverance O Blessed for ever bee thy great and glorious Name most deere and loving Father for thy great mercy to me most weake and sinfull woman Wonderfull art thou in all thy workes O Lord the riches of thy mercies are past finding out thou hast plunged me with great afflictions and yet thou hast returned and refreshed me againe thou hast brought mee to the feare of the grave and yet thou hast raised me up again to life O how hast thou shewed thy power in my weaknesse How hath thy loving kindnesse prevailed against my unworthinesse Thou mightest for my sinnes have left me to perish in mine extremities but thou hast compassed me about with joyfull deliverance thou mightest have made my wombe a grave to bury the dead or in affoording life to another thou mightest have procured my death but yet thou hast not onely made my wombe a well-spring of life but restored life unto me also for the cherishing thereof Marveilous O Lord are thy workes infinite are thy mercies my soule by present experience knoweth it well O my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits Thou hast heard my prayers and looked upon my sorrow thou hast redeemed my life from death and healed mine infirmities and crowned me with thine everlasting compassions O give me I humbly pray thee a thankfull heart not onely now while the memory and sense of thy favour is fresh before me but continually even so long as I have any being Grant that I may learne by his lively evidence of thy power and mercy for ever hereafter â—o depend only on thee Quicâ—en me also to all holy duties â—hat my thankfullnesse may appeare in my pure and Christian â—arriage Make me a kind and carefull â—nother willing to undergoe the â—aine and trouble of education â—et no nicenesse or curiositie â—inder me from those services â—o whom both nature and reliâ—ion hath appointed me let me â—â—so be carefull when time reâ—uireth to season the fruit thou â—ast given me with the saving â—nowledge of thee thy deere on that my desire may manifestly appeare to be set for the â—ncrease of thy Kingdome Vouchsafe so to order my affections and to bring them in obedience unto thee that if it should bee thy pleasure either now oâ— hereafter to take this infant from me I may as willingly part with it as thou freely gave it me And now O God perfect in mee that strength which thou hast begun make me to grow in care to
doe farre excell her fame and that all which is spoken in praise of her is nothing in comparison of that which she is indeed That a man ought not to deferre his Repentance and Conversion unto God from day to day considering he hath so many debts to discharge by reason of the offences committed in his sinfull life already past NOw then if on the one side there be so many and so great respects that doe binde us to change our sinfull life and on the other side we have not any sufficient excuse why wee should not make this exchange How long wilt thou tarry untill thou fully resolve to doe it Turne thine eyes a little and look back upon thy life past and consider that at this present of what age soever thou be it is high time or rather the time well nigh past to begin to discharge some part of thy old debts Consider that thou which art a Christian regenerated in the water of holy Baptisme which doest acknowledge Almighty God for thy Father and the Catholike Church for thy Mother whom she hath nourished with the milke of the Gospell to wit with the doctrine of the Apostles and Evangelists consider I say that all this notwithstanding thou hast lived even as loosely and dissolutely as if thou hadst beene a meere Infidell that had never any knowledge of Almighty God And if thou doe denie this then tell me what kinde of sin is there which thou hast not committed What tree is there forbidden that thou hast not beholden with thine eyes What greene meddow is there in which thou hast not at the least in desire feasted thy letcherous lust what thing hath beene set before thine eyes that thou hast not wantonly desired What appetite hast thou left unexecuted notwithstanding that thou didst beleeve in Almighty God and that thou wert a Christian What wouldst thou have done more if thou hadst not had any faith at all If thou hadst not looked for any other life If thou hadst not feared the dreadfull day of judgement What hath all thy former life beene but a web of sinnes a sinke of vices a way full of brambles and thornes and a froward disobedience of God with whom hast thou hitherto lived but onely with thine appetite with thy flesh with thy pride and with the goods and riches of this transitory world These have beene thy gods these have beene thine idols whom thou hast served and whose lawes thou hast diligently obeyed Make thine account with the Almighty God with his lawes and with his obedience and peradventure thou shalt finde that thou hast esteemed him no more than if he had beene a god of wood or stone For it is certaine that there bee many Christians which beleeving that there is a God are induced to sinne with such facility as though they beleeved that there were no God at all and doe offend no whit the lesse though they beleeve that there is a God then they would doe if they beleeved there were none at all What greater injurie what greater despight can bee done than so to contemne his divine majestie Finally thou beleeving all such things as Christs Church doth beleeve hast notwithstanding so led thy life as if thou wert perswaded that the beleefe of Christians were the greatest fables or lies in the world And if the multitude of thy sinnes past and the faculty thou hast used in committing of them doe not make thee afraid why dost thou not feare at the least the Majesty and omnipotencie of him against whom thou hast sinned Lift up thine eyes and consider the infinite greatnesse and omnipotencie of the Lord whom the powers of Heaven do adore before whose Majesty the whole compasse of the wide world lyeth prostrate in whose presence all things created are no more than chaffe carried away with the winde Consider also with thy selfe how unseemely it is that such a vile worme as thou art should have audacity so many times to offend and provoke the wrath of so great a Majesty Consider the wonderfull and most terrible severity of his justice and what horrible punishments hee hath used from time to time in the world against sinne and that not onely upon particular persons but also upon Cities Nations Kingdomes and Provinces yea upon the universall World And not onely in earth but also in Heaven and not onely upon strangers sinners but even upon his owne most innocent sonne our sweet Saviour Jesus Christ when he tooke upon him to satisfie for the debt that we owed And if this severity was used upon greene and innocent wood and that for the sinnes of others what then will he doe upon dry and withered wood and against those that are loden with their owne sinnes Now what thing can bee thought more unreasonable then that such a fraile wretch as thou art should bee so saucie and malapert as to mocke with so mightie a Lord whose hand is so heavie that in case hee should strike but one stroke upon thee hee would at one blow drive thee downe headlong into the deepe bottomelesse pit of hell without remedy Consider likewise the great patience of this our mercifull Lord who hath expected thy repentance so long even from the time that thou didst first offend him and think that if after so long patience and tarrying for thee thou shalt still continue thy leaud and sinfull life abusing thus his mercy and provoking him to further indignation and wrath hee will then bend his bowe and shake his sword and raine downe upon thee even sharpe arrowes of everlasting wrath and death Consider also the profoundnesse of his deepe judgments wherof we read and see daily so great wonders We see how Salomon himselfe after his so great wisdome and after those three thousand parables and most profound mysteries uttered by him was forsaken by Almighty God and suffered to fall down and adore Idols Wee see how one of those seven first Deacons of the Primitive Church which were full of the Holy Ghost became not onely an hereticke but also an arch-hereticke and a father of heresies We see daily many starres fall downe from Heaven unto earth with miserable fals and to wallow themselves in the durt and to eate the meate of swine which sate before at Gods owne table and were fed with the very bread of Angels If then the just and righteous for some secret pride or negligence or else for some ingratitude of theirs be thus justly forsaken of Almighty God after they have bestowed so many yeares in his service What maist thou looke for that hast done in a manner nothing else in all thy life time but onely heaped sinnes upon sinnes and hast thereby offended Almighty God most grievously Now if thou hast lived after this sort were it not reason that thou shouldst now at the length give over and cease heaping sinne upon sinne and debt upon debt and begin to pacifie the wrath of Almighty God and to disburden thy sinnefull soule Were
mispent their time in vanity Oh that now I might die the death of the righteous Oh that I might not die at all Oh that I might feele in my conscience the least hope of pardon which is as unpossible as to unâ—ade all the water in the vast Ocean with aspoone Oh that God would give mee the least dram of grace which is as impossible as for the least graine of Mustardseed to fill the whole earth prevent this betimes which thou maist doe by abandoning the vanity of the world and so live that wheresoever or howsoever thou dyest whether abroad or at home by day or by night sleeping or waking whether a sodaine death or a deliberate death thou maist willingly commend thy spirit unto the hands of God as unto the hands of a faithfull Creator and maist say with the Bride Come Lord Iesu even so come Lord Iesu come quickly my heart is prepared to enter into thy rest receive me into the armes of thy mercy entertaine mee into thy owne kingdome that leaving the vanity of this world I may with thy glorified Angels and blessed Saints enjoy that everlasting felicity of a better world which never shall have an end Adew therfore vaine world with all worldly delights whatsoever and now solitary soule begin to take thy solace in better things And to prove the world vaine and consequently thy selfe vaine behold these shapes read these Verses and in order open the leaves that are folded up Herein as in a mirrour behold thy owne estate reade and consider what thou readest that thou maist know and see thy owne vanity Here thou shalt see what thou wert what thou art and what thou shalt be Dust thou wert dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt returne dust in thy creation dust in thy constitution dust in thy dissolution Hels Torments I. THough long it were since Adam was Yet seemes he here to be A blessed creature once he was Now naked as you see Whose wife was cause of all my care To say I may be bold Turne back the leaves and then you may My picture there behold II. To thinke upon the workes of God All worldly men may wonder But thinking on thy sinnes O man Thy heart may burst asunder The sinner sits and sweetly sings And so his heart beguiles Till I come with my bitter stings And turne to griefe his smiles III. Muse not to gaze upon my shape Whose nakednesse you see By flattering and deceitfull words The Divell deceived me Let me example be to all That once from God doe range Turne backe the leaves and then behold Another sight as strange IV. Had Adam and Eve never beene As there you saw their shape I never had deceived them Nor they ere made debate But turne behold where both doe stand And lay the fault on me Turne backe the upper and nether crests There each of them you see I. III. Here we doe standin perfect state All formed as we were But what the Serpent did by hate Shall sodainely appeare Then here behold how both doe stand And where the fault did lye Th' almighty power did so command That once we all must dye II. IV. See what comes of wicked deed As all men well doe know And for the same God hath decreed That we should live in woe The dust it was my daily food Vnto it we must turne And darknesse is my chiefe abode In sorrow so we mourne Of the punishments which the Lord threatneth unto such as live a sinfull life ONe of the principall meanes that our Lord hath used oftentimes to bridle the hearts of men and to draw them unto the obedience of his commandements hath beene to set before their eyes the horrible plagues and punishments that are prepared for such persons as bee rebels and transgressours of his Law For although the hope of the rewards that are promised unto the good in the life to come may move us very much hereunto yet are wee commonly more moved with things that be irkesome unto us than with such as be pleasant even as we see by daily experience that we are vexed more with an injury done unto us than delighted with any honour and we are more troubled with sicknesse than comforted with health and so by the discommodity of sicknes we come to understand the commodity of health as by a thing so much the better perceived by how much more it is sensibly felt Now for this cause did our Lord in times past use this meane more than any other as it appeareth most clearely by the writings of the Prophets which are every where full of dreadfull sayings and threatnings wherewith our Lord pretendeth to put a terrour into the hearts of men and so to bridle and subdue them under the obedience of his Law And for this end he commanded the Prophet Ieremie That hee should take a white booke and write in the same all the threatnings and calamities which hee had revealed unto him even from the first day he began to mlke with him untill that present houre and that he should read the same in the presence of all the people to see if peradventure they would bee moved therewith unto repentance and to change their former life to the end that hee might also change the determination of his wrath which he had purposed to execute upon them And the holy Scripture saith That when the Prophet had done according as hee was commanded by almighty God and had read all those threatnings in the presence of the people and of the Rulers there arose such a feare and terrour amongst them that they were all astonished and as it were bestraughted of their wits looking one in anothers face for the exceeding great fear which they had conceived of those words This was one of the principall means which Almighty God used with men in the time of the written Law and so he did also in the time of the Law of graces in vvhich the holy Apostle saith That as there is revealed a justice vvhereby God maketh men just so is there also revealed an indignation and vvrath vvhereby he punisheth the unjust for vvhich cause S. Iohn Baptist the glorious forerunner of our Saviour Christ was sent vvith this commission and embassage to preach unto the world That the axe was now put to the rooot of the tree and that every tree that brought not forth good fruit should bee cut downe and cast into the fire Hee said moreover That there was another come into the world more mighty than hee that carried in his hand a fanne to winnow and cleanse therewith his floore and that he would put up the corne into his garner but the chaffe hee will burne in a fire that should never bee quenched This was the preaching and embassage which â—he holy fore-runner of our Saviour Jesus Christ brought â—nto the world And so great was the thunder of these words â—nd the terrour which entered â—nto mens hearts so dreadfull that
so that none â—f those judgements which our â—â—nes have deserved have bin â—flicted upon us thou hast â—nlarged our time and opportuâ—ity to repent thou hast proâ—â—ded for our soules and bodies â—â—ou hast bin no way wanting â—nto us if we had hearts to acknowledge it Forgive us that â—e cannot acknowledge thy goodnesse as we ought to doe and more and more quicken uâ— in this dutie that we may with heart and voyce acknowledgâ— thee to be that Father of lights from whom we doe receivâ— every good and perfect giftâ— ascribing unto thee the whole glory of all that we enjoy both now and evermore And granâ— we pray thee that our thankefulnesse may not be onely verâ— ball but reall we labouring iâ— deede and in truth to be dutifulâ— unto thee that hast bin so bountifull unto us Pardon us for thâ— sinnes of this day wherein weâ— have offended thee whether open or secret of ignorance oâ— of knowledge of infirmity oâ— presumption of omission oâ— commission in thought word or deed The sinnes of this day are enough to plunge us soule and body into the bottomlesse gulfe of perdition If thou shouldest straightly mark them what answer shall we be able to make thee how shall wee dare to appeare in thy presence before whom all thy creatures feare and tremble But thy mercy is above all thy workes much more above all our works of sinne In the confidence of thy mercy we come unto thee beseeching thee in thy sonne Christ to be reconciled with us and to assure us hereof by the certificate of thine owne blessed spirit Breake the strength of sin that would subdue us more and more and reare in us cleane hearts and renew a right spirit within us Increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospell and our repentance from dead workes our hope of eternall life our feare of thy name our zeale for thy glory our hatred of sinne our love of righteousnesse our contentment in all estates our patience in adversity our prudence in prosperity that so being furnished with the endowments of grace here we may be fitted for the enjoyment of glory hereafter And because the night is now upon us and our bodies desirous of quiet rest wee pray thee to take us into thy blessed tuition and to refresh our wearied bodies with comfortable sleepe Protect us and all that doe belong unto us under the shadow of thy vings defend us from all evill both of sinne and punishment keepe us from security and carelesnesse from dulnesse and drowsinesse of spirit from fire and robbery from the malice of Satan and all his adherents from all perils into which for our sinnes wee might justly fall Let the sight of the bed minde us of that last bed the grave wherein wee are shortly to take up our lodging we know not how soone None of us here present can certainely tell whether these eyes of ours once closed up shall ever any more open againe in this world therfore receive us good Lord receive us into the armes of thy mercy unto thine Almighty protection wee bequeath our selves soules and bodies and all that we have upon thy mercy alone wee cast our selves both this present night and for evermore Bee mercifull to thy whole Church continue the flourishing state of the Kingdomes wherin we live Decrease in it the number of superstitious Papists and prophane Atheists and increase in it the number of such as unfainedly feare thee Preserve from all dangers and conspiracies our religious King Charles our gracious Queene Mary the Lady Elizabeth and her children Give them all such a measure of thy Spirit grace that they may seeke to advance thy kingdome on earth and at last be advanced to thine everlasting Kingdome in Heaven Endow the right Honourable of our Privie Counsell with all such graces as may make them fit for so high a place Stirre up Magistrates and men in authority to endeavour after the furthering of thine honour and the benefiting of thy people Make the Ministers able and willing to discharge the duties of their weighty calling with diligence and conscience water their indeavours with the dew of heaven that daily such as belong unto life eternall may be added unto the Church Comfort O comfort thine afflicted servants wheresoever or howsoever troubled sweeten their afflictions and season their sorrowes with the comforts of thy Spirit Give them all needfull assistance and in thy owne time a joyfull deliverance And make us ready for afflictions that they may not come upon us as a snare but that we may in good measure like wise Virgins bee prepared for the comming of Christ Jesus the sweet Bridegroome of our soules Finally wee pray thee beare with the weakenesse and coldnesse and imperfection of our prayers and to grant our requests not for our merits but for thine owne mercies and for the sake of thy dearely beloved Sonne Jesus Christ who died to make satisfaction for us and liveth to make intercession for us in whose words we shut up our imperfect prayers saying as himselfe hath taught us Our Father c. O Lord blesse and save us make thy face to shine upon us thy Word to instruct us thy grace to direct us thy Angels to protect us thy Spirit to comfort and support us unto the end and in the end Amen Amen A Prayer in time of VVarre O LORD GOD of Hoasts in power invincible in wisdome unsearchable in mercy incomprehensible that givest deliverance in the time of trouble assistance in the day of battel we most humbly and heartily beseech thee to save us from all those extremities and in speciall from our enemies which our sins do threaten to bring upon us Hitherto thou hast pleased to make our Nation a spectacle of thy ineffable goodnesse but we deserve to be made a spectacle of thy unsupportable wrath Our contempt of thy threatnings our abuse of thy mercies our neglect of thy judgements with infinite other innormities doe menace the taking away of thy old mercies and the bringing in of some judgement We have just cause to feare O Lord that our loud and crying sinnes doe call in our enemies upon us and arme them against us yea that they are already prest and prepared to execute thy vengeance Then open our eyes we pray thee that we may see thy Ensigne set up thy Banner displayed and the evidence of thy approaching sword open our eares that wee may heare thee blowing of thy trumpet and giving the alarum to warre open our hearts that we may not be secure in so great danger but may quake and tremble to see thy hand of vengeance before us And howsoever by our sinnes we are set in the middest of this danger yet let the hand of thy mercy which is as omnipotent as that of thy justice rescue us let thy out stretched arme deliver us Put up thy sword into the scabbard O bid it rest and be still Be favourable and gracious unto