it may discerne thy wonderfull goodnesse and that I may have alwayes such a burning desire to serve thee as no overflowings of the waters of this world may quench it let me with Moses put off my shooes of worldly thoughts cares and sinfull imaginations when I shall presume to come before thee for the place where thou art is holy and places consecrated unto thee and thy service in the assembly of Saints are not to be prophaned by any kinde of unholy actions for we must worship towards thy holy temple and enter into it with reverence for so O Lord thou didst command all thy people in all nations of the world Give me grace to obey thy good inspirations as Moses did obey thee by going unto Pharaoh Lord let thy wonderfull works that thou hast done and that I daily see strengthen my faith and confidence in thee and not to distrust thy power and goodnesse but that I may resolutely goe on to serve thee with a blessed perseverance untill my soule shall be delivered out of this Egyptian bondage be freed from the taskmasters of afflictions and the fleshpots of the pleasures of this world Moses was slow in speech and doubtfull of himselfe yet God did worke mightily by him By his example let us master our fleshly opinions and know that God hath his owne work and not to judge of the defects of other men And good Lord teach me to looke into my selfe for if I have received that which others want it is thy meere mercy and goodnesse and as I ought alwayes to be thankfull for thy gifts yet let me not be proud of them for as thy goodnesse gives them so thou canst take them away as thou pleasest for the foot of pride brings downe thy wrath upon us the chiefe of men and though Moses had that defect yet by thy power he did greater matters then either Absolon or Achitophel could bring to passe for thou makest our speaking and hearing and all our senses to serve thy commands and my Reâ—eemer made the dumbe to speake and the lame to walke as by thy great mercy thou hast delivered me from the Egyptian plagues which the hardnes of my heart hath deserved so prepare me I do most humbly beseech thee and make me ready to goe out of this Egypt of the world and to be obedient unto my Leaders and Governours Moses and Aaron in the midst of all perversenesse and perverse men whomsoever In the darknesse of this world enlighten me and as thou diddest send a distinct light to the children of Israel in Goshen so enlighten O Lord my inward soule with the light of thy blessed spirit to discerne thy wonderfull mercies towards me and grant that I may praise thee for thy goodnesse and obey thee as a man separate from all the world prepare me O God to be ready for my passage to the Celestiall Countrey of eternitie as the Israelites were with my loines girt in câ—aritie my shooes on in mortification and my staffe in confidence sprinkle the posts and lintles of my heart with the hysope of thy grace and the precious bloud of thy salvation that I may be knowne to be thine and be received into thy mercy when thou shalt come to visit me and to bring me through the Red Sea of that dangerous passage to the heavenly Canaan of eternitie Keepe me at that time O Lord from distrust and diffidence strengthen me in the narrow passage betweene the two wals of that dangerous water of presumption and despaire that I be not drowned with the Egyptians of this world whose trust is in their chariots and not in thee and whose hardnesse of heart and contempt of thee brought them to destruction O Lord be mercifull to my thirsty soule and preserve me from murmuring against thee thou which diedst upon the tree of the Crosse take all bitternesse from my soule and quench my thirst with the holy water of thy grace and grant that I may cheerefully goe on towards the land of promise Without thy continuall helpe how fraile and perverse are we as the rebellious Israelites ever murmuring and repining against Moses and Aaron send therefore that heavenly Manna unto me that may strengthen my soule and preserve it unto thee in faith and obedience Thou knowest my frailty O God and how feeble I am as likewise my unruly and unbridled conditions my stubbornes and hardnesse of heart therefore I doe most humbly beseech thee for thy mercy sake in Jesus Christ with thy miraculous and mercifull Rod of grace to strike upon my stony heart that from that rock may ascend unto mine eyes a fountaine of teares with such a true and perfect contrition as may come before thee and by thy mercy my sinnes may be washed away and that I may thirst no more after vanity O Lord how weake is the arme of the strongest man without thy help for Moses could not hold up his hand with the Rod without assistance from thee where Amalek fought with Israel but Aaron and Hur assisted him I do most humbly beseech thee in the fight that I have against the Amalek of sin and impiety give me thy Rod of grace and strengthen me and make me able to hold up my hands heart unto thee and in my weaknesse and distresse send me O Lord spirituall comforters which may assist and strengthen my faith that I may hold out untill the sunne of my age be set and obtain victory over all my spirituall enemies With what wonderfull feare diddest thou O Lord deliver thy holy Commandements unto Moses and with what reverence and feare did the children of Israel stand without the bounds of Mount Sinai and onely Moses Aaron Nadab Abihu and seventy Elders of Israel went into the mountaine who worshipped a far off onely Moses came neare the Lord. Good Lord make me to feare and tremble to break these thy holy commandements which thou diddest deliver with such circumstances of glory and terrour and with thy children of Israel let me keepe without the bounds of mount Sinai as thou appointedst them and out of all humane curiosity humbly waite to receive thy lawes from the hands of Moses and the Prophets and Ministers of thy Church Keepe rash presumption from the soule of thy servant for though Aaron Nadab and Abihu and the seventy Elders were good and holy men yet they kept their distance in their worship towards thee O God and at the writing of the Law So good Lord give me lowlinesse to stand before thee without the bounds of Sinai with such as are humble of heart and there worship and waite thy leisure for what thou shalt command me by Moses my spirituall guide by whom I must be directed for I must not be my owne director Without this continuall helpe of thine O Lord and by thy Ministers and Shepherds thou appointest over us how dangerously doth that Wolfe the devil assault and prevaile against this britle and corrupt flesh of ours
blastings of the temptations and vanities of this world which are so dangerous in the bud and blossome of my good purposes and resolutions towards thee O Lord as thy wonderful works in the Creation are far beyond the weake capacity and apprehension of mortall man to conceive yet by thy goodnesse some things thou makest us sensible of which are so visible to our mortall eyes and so admirable to our due consideration whereby we may so see thy such infinite power and providence for which to magnifie extoll and praise thee O thou God of omnipotency As in wonder thou diddest create thy Creatures abundantly both by Sea and Land so thy goodnesse did this great worke at a time of great mercie and providence to Adam whose Creation did next follow O Lord how abundant is thy goodnesse and thy wayes of mercy except our sins provoke and stop the current of thy blessings What creature is more miserable then man in his birth first breeding yet how wonderfully hast thou ordained and provided for him that though he came most feeble and crying into this miserable world no creature more unable to help himselfe yet thou O God by thy goodnesse even before his being hast thus provided thy creatures and comforts to him for his preservation O Lord how unsearchable are thy workes and how infinite was thy goodnesse in the Creation of our first Father of which substance I am let me with wonder admire â—e astonished that whiles I consider that being so made of the very dust of the Earth and yet to thy blessed Image O Lord most mighty O thou my only hope and comfort of my soule I want new words to expresse this thy boundlesse goodnesse for how doth this thy so high and divine mercy herein meet with my so deepe and earthly misery Therefore let me who am this dust fall downe in all humility before thee upon that Earth of which I am made And O Lord my maker whose Image I am let thy power strength look in pitty upon me and bring mee to the true knowledge of my selfe and thy goodnesse and grant that this thy holy countenance may so shine in me that therby I may be so enlightned by the splendor of thy grace as I may break from the danger and darksome corners of my owne blinde and corrupt conditions so derived unto me and so by seeing thy goodnesse and mercy with most ardent and burning zeal I may adore and magnifie thee my Creator O the unconceivable losse of that happinesse which was once in Paradise that just reward of disobedience and the dangerous â—â—endant of spirituall pride 〈…〉 knowledge the bane of 〈…〉 â—nhappy children of Adam 〈◊〉 â—eeth are set on edge by the forbidden fruit that he did eate we still pursuing to know more then is needefull or that we ought to doe the which even at this unhappy time â—s so like to destroy us and to throw us out of this our fooles paradise which we esteem of so much 〈…〉 pleasure the which indeed though it come farre short of the Paradise of happinesse in Eden yet by thy mercie O God to a sinfull Nation one of the best amongst the thistles and thorns of this our banishment from the happinesse we have lost O Lord open thou mine eyes that I may discern before the coole of the day and my latter end my great offence against thee not to esteeme it any safety for me to run from thee or by covering my secret or open sins with the fig-leaves of hypocrisie it being of such weake and deceitefull â—â—vert to thy All-seeing eye But oh thy mercy my Creator in the depth of thy so just judgements whereby wee were lost and by thy so great mercy whereby we were redeemed and preserved By one womans pride being seduced by the Serpent we suffered and by the humility of another being full of grace who was the Mother of our Redeemer that saved us the one by the Cherubin in thy wrath was kept out of that terrestriall Eden The other with a heavenly salvation brought us the blessed tidings of that happinesse in celestiall Paradise And thus by thy mercy diddest thou breake the head of the Serpent and saved us by that Messias the Saviour of the world This is hee that in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God and the same was in the beginning with God and all things were made by it He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not He came to his owne and his owne received him not O unmeasurable mercie of thine O God thou pattern of perfect goodnesse from thy glorious seat of mercy in heaven thus to looke upon us the great map of earthly misery and objects of thy wrath As for our redemption to make this word flesh to dwel amongst us and to see the glory of it as the glory of the only begotten Sonne full of grace and truth Surely there is no mercie or comfort like this thy incomprehensible goodnesse O Lord thus to give thy selfe unto us This is even such a gift as may sufficiently astonish the Receiver Therefore O thou bountifull Benefactor give me grace even to forsake my selfe and give it unto thee Let me out-strip by a heavenly expedition those Shepheards and Kings who came first to offer unto thee the Angels theÌ„ rejoycing when this thy Word was made flesh and came amongst us Lead mee O Lord by that blessed star of thy grace to that manger of mercie Let no difficulties hinder mee in this my holy pilgrimage to the blessed Bethlehem where thou art And if these three Kings tooke such a long journey to see thee O god in that homely stable What difficulties should we undergoe to enjoy thy heavenly salvation Let me imitate these Shepheards Kings by their humility and offerings O Lord by offering even all that I have unto thee my heart in perfect humiliation with those Shepheards both heart and goods in charity to the poore and distressed inimitation of the humility and Presents of these three Kings That at last in the fulness of thy mercie being delivered out of this misery wherein I am fallen by the fall of Adam out of earthly Paradise And being thus redeemed by thee as these devout Shepheards and Kings did see thy face here upon earth in such humility grant that I may so follow thee here by such humble and harmlesse steps as hereafter I may enjoy the happy fight of thee in glory in the heavenly Paradise where the Saints and Angels doe rejoyce in thy presence even for ever and ever THE HISTORY of Cain and Abel CAin being a Tiller of ground brought an oblation of the fruit thereof unto the Lord and Abel did the like with the encrease of his Cattell and of the fatt of them unto the which the Lord had respect but unto the offering of Cain he
Creation of Heaven and Earth and the life of ADAM IN the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth the Earth being a meere Chaos without forme and darkenesse was upon the deepe and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters And God commanded there should bee light and separated the light from darknesse which was day and night Then God commanded a Firmament which was made and called it Heaven After by his power hee made â—he herbs and trees to bud and beare fruit Then hee commanded to be made the two great Lights in the Firmament the Sunne and the Moone and it was so and there was Morning and Evening After God caused the waters to bring forth abundance of Creatures of all kinds with feathered Fowles Moreover he made the Earth to bring forth Creatures of his kind After these great workes God created Man even according to his owne Image to rule over the Earth and all these Creatures This wonderfull worke by Gods power was done in sixe dayes and God rested the seventh day and sanctified it The Lord made this Man of the dust of the ground and breathed in him life and then was he a living soule Then the Lord planting a Garden in Eden put therein the man whom he had thus created that place being planted with all sorts of trees of pleasure and for meat the tree of Life and the tree of Knowledge of good and evill being in the midst of that Garden And out of Eden went a river to water the Garden Then was the man put into the Garden by God to dresse and keep it giving him leave to eate of every tree only forbad him to eat of the Tree of Knowledge the which if he did he should die the death Then the Lord for his comfort formed of the Earth the Beasts of the field and the Fowles of Heaven and brought them to the man who named them But besides for Adam he created one of greater comfort and helpe for the Lord causing a heavy sleepe to fall upon him took out of his side one of his Ribs of which hee made Woman and brought her to Adam who called her Woman And they were both naked but were not ashamed Now in this Garden was a Serpent who was more crafty then any beast of the field who said to the Woman hath god said that yee shall not eate of every tree of the Garden Yes said the Woman of every tree but that in the middest of the Garden God hath commanded we should not touch it lest we dye Then the Serpent said to the Woman ye shall not die at all but God doth know that when you shall eat thereof your eyes shall be opened and yee shall be as Gods to know both good and evill So the Woman seeing the tree was good to eate pleasant to the eye and a tree to get knowledg took of the fruit thereof and gave likewise to her Husband then both their eyes were opened and finding themselves naked they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves breeches After this in the coole of the day hearing of the voyce of God they hidde themselves amongst the trees from his presence but the Lord called the man who answered I heard thy voyce in the Garden and was affraid being naked Then the Lord said unto him hast thou eaten of the tree I forbad thee And the man said the woman thou gavest me she gave it me and I did eate thereof Then said the Lord to the woman why hast thou done this who answered the Serpent did beguile me and I did eate And then the Lord said unto the Serpent because thou hast done this thou art accursed above all Cattell upon thy belly shalt thou goe and dust shalt thou eate all thy dayes I will also put enmity betweene thy seede and her seede shee shall break thine head and thou shalt bruise his heel And to the woman he said he would encrease her sorrows and that in sorrow should she bring â—orth her children and be subject to her Husband And to Adam for his disobedience he cursed the earth for his sake that thorns and thistles should it bring forth and that in sorrow hee should eate his meat all the dayes of his life and in the sweate of his face hee should eate his bread till he returned to the earth from wheÌ„ce hee was taken and as hee came from dust thither he should returne and Adam called his Wife Hevah The Lord made them coates of skins and cloathed them then the Lord sent him forth from the Garden of Eden least hee should eaâ—e likewise of the tree fo Life sending him to till the earth from wheÌ„ce he was taken And being so cast out at the East side of the Garden of Eden hee set the Cherubims with the blade of a sword to keepe them from the tree of Life After this Adam knew Hevah his Wife who conceived bare Cain who became a tiller of the ground and againe shee brought forth Abel who was after a keeper of sheep After this when hee was one hundred and thirty years old he begat another child calling him Seth and hee lived after that eight hundred yeares and begat sonnes and daughters So al the dayes of Adam were nine hundred and thirty yeares and then he dyed Meditations prayers upon the Creation and life of Adam O Thou incomprehensible God who wast from all beginning even before the Creation of this Heaven and this Earth and who for all Eternity wilt continue after the dissolution of this thy great workmanship the world which thou hast created O Lord I that am thy Creature and composed of this Earth by reason of sinne and ingratitude doe finde my selfe most deformed and ful of darknesse even as that Chaos the world it was before thou O Lord diddest looke upon it and give it light Now my God being in this depraved condition and sitting in this darknesse In thy mercy looke thou upon me enlighten my soule and create a new heart in me and let thy blessed Spirit move upon the waters and troublesome waves of my vast unbridled concupiscence vaine affections whose floods are uncessant in this deepe and darkesome Sea which is so full of danger to my distressed soule O thou fructifier of the Earth which by thy wonderful and unsearchable power and comfort to mankinde created the trees and herbs and by making them to bud and bring forth both blossomb and fruit in their due time Looke mercifully O Lord upon this lump of earth I am composed of and so refresh mee with the dew of thy grace as that timely me from this thy Plant growing from this earth there may spring out the tender buds of contrition the blossome of Charity and the fruit of good workes and piety And let the holy Sun-beames of thy goodnesse which thou hast set in the Firmament of thy mercy preserve me from the bitter cold and frosts of Afflictions the mildewes and
had no regard for which he was wroth and his countenance fell downe Then the Lord said unto him why art thou wrath and why is thy countenance cast down If thou dost well shalt not thou be accepted and if thou dost not well sinne lyeth at the door After this Cain spake to his brother and meeting him in the field did murther him Then the Lord said unto Cain where is Abel thy brother who answered I cannot tell am I my brothers keeper Again the Lord said what hast thou done the voyce of thy brothers blood cryeth unto me from the earth Therefore thou art now cursed from the Earth which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thine hand When thou shalt till the ground it shall not henceforth yeeld unto thee her strength a Vagabond and a Run-agate shalt thou be in the earth Then Cain said to the Lord my punishment is greater then I can beare behold thou hast cast me out this day from the Earth and from thy face shall I be hid and shall be a vagabond and whosoever findeth mee shall slay mee Then the Lord said unto him whosoever killeth thee he shall be punished seven fold and the Lord set a mark upon Cain lest any man finding of him should kill him Then hee went out of the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the Land of Nod toward the East fide of Eden and he knew his Wife who conceived and bare a sonne called Enoch and he built a City calling it by his name Enoch Meditations Prayers upon the Historie of Cain and Abel OThe miseries mischiefs that befall us when we have lost thy favour and the happinesse of thy guard and protection O LORD For so it fell out with Adam his generation after their falling from thee and losse of that happinesse safety the which in their innocency they enjoyed in Eden and lost by their disobedience unto thee How are our natures thus depraved when we have lost thy heavenly guidance being made weake and miserable by our own perverse wills as appeares but this so sudden and most unnaturall murther of Cain the first childe of Adam thus to kill Abel his most innocent brother O Lord be mercifull unto mee a sinner one of the sonnes of Adam and who stands in the same corrupted condition and under the lash of thy judgements for my manifold sins strengthen me with thy grace Let the teares my Saviour in obedience unto thee and shed for me in the garden of sorrow strengthen my soule and repaire the losse of thy favour O God which my first Parents lost by their disobedience in that Garden of pleasure in Paradise Let the vigour of thy blessed grace prevent all vice in me and so endew me with thy goodnesse as in stead of murthering I may doe all the workes of mercy to my brother Grant that the sacrifice of my prayers in humility may be presented unto thee with zeale and perfectnâ—â— of heart for as thou art of much mercy so thou art a jelous God therefore with Abel let me bring unto thee even the fatnesse of uprightness and innocency in the sincerity of my soule then with the piety and humility of Abel shall I be acceptable unto thee O Lord keep me harmlesse that I may die in the happiness of Abel and deliver me from the cruelty hardness of heart which was in Cain and from the marke of thy wrath for sin and iniquity O Lord deliver me from such despair as was in Cain for murthering this his innocent brother wherby he became a vagabond or to lose all hopes of thy mercy with Judas forbetraying his Master and my Saviour But make me sensible of thy bounty and my penury thy mercie and my miserie thy strength and my weakenesse And Lord let thy insinite goodnesse and power helpe and strenthen me in all the inevitable dangers so subject unto me by the fall of these my first Parents whose infirmities I carry thus about me But in Jesus Christ thy Son my Saviour looke in mercie upon mee whose innocence did exceede that of Abel's the sonne of Adam and whose sacrifice was of such incomparable value for hee sacrificed even himselfe for me a sinner It was not the fat of Lambs upon the Altar but this immaculate Lamb the Son of God he shed his most precious blood upon the Altar of the Crosse for my Redemption The sprinkling of whose blood speakes better things then that of Abel's for his cryed for vengeance to thy seate of Justice O God but tbis most precious blood did call for and procured mercie from thy seat of mercie And therefore with much comfort in my suite and most humble confidence of thy mercy I beseech thee with this most precious blood so shed for me to wash from me the foule blemishes and heal the putrifactions of my soule fallen upon me by that offence of my first Parents in Paradise which sore I have made worse by my owne loose and sinfull scratching But O my God let his sufferings patience and obedience satisfie for the vanity rashnesse and disobedience that reignes in mee Let the sufferings of him in whom there was no guile stand for me which am so full of guilt Let the blessing of that fruit of my redemption more sweet then Manna which came from that tree the Crosse in this vaile of misery to which we are allotted O Lord it being of such inestimable value let it take off the bitternesse of that curse which is so justly due unto me for that pleasant and banefull deceiving fruit of that tree in Paradise whereby we are made thus miserable and subject to such cruelties as was in Cain and all other infirmities and by thy grace so qualifie me with the gifts of innocencie and harmlesse living that by avoiding all the acts of cruelty and shunning that dangerous rocke of despair at last I may arrive to that happy habitation of Eternity prepared for the innocent and such as trust in thee and thy incomprehensible mercie it being that place of happinesse those Innocents enjoy who were the first most happy harmlesse Martyrs in their Infancy for thy sake O my Saviour THE HISTORY of Noah NOah was the sonne of Lamech who did prophesie concerning him of the comfort that should proceede from him because of the earth the Lord had cursed Lamech lived after hee begat Noah five hundred ninety and five yeares and begat sons and daughters And it came to pass when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth and great impiety did abound that Gods wrath was kindled against theÌ„ for their iniquities for God saw the wickedness of man was great on the earth that every thought and imagination of his heart was evill continually and the Lord said I will destroy man from the face of the earth both man and beast and the creeping things the fowls of the aire for it repenteth mee
care for a Wife for his sonne Isaac hee then calling for his Steward making him put his hand under his thigh and causing him to sweare by the Lord God of Heaven and Earth that his sonne should not take a Canaanitish woman to Wife but to goe into his owne Countrey and Kindred and there to take a Wife for him Then said his servant what if the Woman will not come with me into this Land shall I bring back thy sonne To whom Abraham answered beware that thou bring not back my sonne thither againe The Lord God of Heaven who tooke me from my fathers house even from the Land where I was born that spake and sware unto me saying unto thy seed will I give this Land he shal send his Angell before thee and thou shalt take a Wife unto my sonne from thence Neverthelesse if the Woman will not follow thee then shalt thou be discharged of thy oath only bring not my son thither againe and the servant swore unto Abraham so he tooke tenne of his Masters Camels who went his journey obtained Rebecka to be his wife as in the story of Isaac is more at large exprest Now after the death of Sarah Abraham took another Wife called Keturah which bare him divers children and Ahraham gave all his goods unto Isaac but unto the sonnes of his Concubines he gave them gifts and sent them away from Isaac his son this he did in his life-time And Abraham being one hundred seventy and five years old hee yeelded up his Spirit dying in a good age and was gathered to his people and his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the Cave with Sarah in the field Ephron PRAYERS upon the History of ABRAHAM GIve mee obedience O Lord to follow the steps of my Governors and to bee guided by my Parents as Abraham was by Terah his Father who brought him to Haran So likewise let mee be obedient to thy blessed Inspirations which may bring me to the heavenly Canaan And as Abraham carried with him in his journey his wife Lot his Brother with his servants and substance grant that all my nearest affections my flesh blood may cheerfully goe along with mee in this my pilgrimage to my â—eavenly happinesse with the servants substanâ—e of piety and good workes to attend me And in this progresse in Moreh and in the middle of the worldly Canaan let thy blessed grace appeare unto mee and grant that I may build an Altar of thanksgiving in my heart unto thee and call upon thy Name Preserve me in the famine necessity and miseries of this world as thou diddest Abraham But above all worldly helps keepe me from the famine of thy favour and grace that in thee my soule may be safe from the spirituall danger of faith and a good conscience By thy good guidance remove me from danger as Abraham was by his going into Aegypt Let not the feare and jealousie of worldly respects make mee to dissemble before thee O Lord who knows 't the secrets of my heart as Abraham did by his Wife for his earthly safety and deliver mee from such bad intions of fleshly desires as was in Pharaoh King of Aegypt by detaining of Sarah lest I partake of such punishments as befell unto him And for such offences against thee as wrongs and bad intentions done to any man or woman grant thaâ— I may not continue in them but timely to repent and by leaving such sinnes give satisfaction for wrongs done as Pharoah did to Abraham at his departure And still to praise thee for thy mercies O Lord as Abraham did at his return to Bethel Give unto me the like charitable love as was between Abraham Lot in their parting yea in the middle of such worldly fortunes as they had that most dangerous rocke of ambition pride and Emulation and let mee not bee too much in love with the pleasant Plains of this worldly Jordan of earthly and vaine delight with Lot in his choise for then shal I not be so neare the like dangerâ— as he was at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah Good Lord give unto me continuall comforts and assurances unto my soule by thy mercies unto mee in the hope of that blessed eternity as thou diddest give unto Abraham his seede for their blessing in the earthly Canaan and in this Plain of Mamre the Hebron of this world still let me praise thee for all thy mercies with this father of the faithful Give unto me O my helper a helping hand unto my distressed Brethren and friends of this world as Abraham did to Lot in his captivity With such blessings and comforts as was given to Abraham by that King and Priest Melchisadech and not only to be humbly thankefull unto thee for the same but to pay that tithe of duty and obedience due unto thy Ministers as he did In the sadnesse of my dejected spirit and coldnesse of devotion towards thee be thou my strength and comfort as thou wast to Abraham in thy promise to his seede so shall not this my earthly Steward of vain and worldly suggestions possesse annoy and supplant my good thoughts intentions and hopes in thee but still I may be made happy by thy heavenly mercies In the barrennesse of my soule as it was in Sarah her body in such fruitfulnesse as was with Hagar let me not despair with the one nor presume with the other lest I be cast out of thy mercies but in my cries send mee thy good Inspirations to make me returne timely and humbly with Hagar and with leasure to receive thy promised blessing with Sarah So by the humiliation of Hagar and the hope of Sarah I shall by thy mercie with Abraham enjoy the Ishmael of worldly comfort here the Isaac of everlasting happinesse hereafter Grant O Lord that I may be courteous and charitable to all men as Abraham was to the three who came to his Tent doore with the like agility and alacrity to do good works as he did for their provision that aâ— hee in stead of men received Angelâ— so by thy promised mercie to wel doers shall I receive with Abraham thy comfort here and thy heavenly reward hereafter where the Angels waite at the doors of heaven to receive the righteous Take from me O Lord all distrusts of thy promises with Sarah's second doubt and with her wonder at thy mercies for by this faith and confidence in thee I shall by thy goodnesse and in good time with this hope and wel-doing enjoy the happinesse in heaven as she did after in earth in thy promise of Isaac O Lord keep me from the unrighteousnesse which was in Sodome lost by mine unworthinesse the mediations and prayers of the faithfull do not prevail for me before the Throne of mercy lest that for my sins I partake of their punishment from thy seate of justice O Lord how miserable and wretched are we even the best of us without thy continuall
helpe as it befell once more unto Abraham in Gerer by calling his Wife sister O Lord keep me thy servant from relapsing into deadly sinnes yea in the least offence against thee as he did by this his infirmity And in my wicked intentions and thy just punishments for them deale with mee as thou diddest with Abimilech to repent and leave off before sin fully passes me Keepe me O Lord from a scoffing and mocking condition as was in Ishmael lest I be made a scorne amongst my friends and bee thrust from the society of the discreet Let me O Lord admire and imitate the great faith and resolution of this thy servant Abraham the father of the faithfull give me grace cheerefully and faithfully to goe towards that holy Morah and there to sacrifice my soule and what is most neare and deare unto me to thee to carry that soveraine wood to inkindle 〈◊〉 zeale in mee and the sacred and sharp kniâ—e to cut off the branches of my iâ—bred corruptions and fleshly love and let the two servants the World the Devill stay behind that they may not hinder my good purpose and obedience to thy commands and so by this blessed resolution and sincerity I shall receive thy mercie and a timely offering from thee as Abraham had the Ram with the comfort of thy heavenly grace and blessings still more more to â—â—nforme and strengthen me in a holy progresse towards thee O Lord. Great was this faith in Abraham the Father and perfect was the obedience of Isaac his sonne But oh the incomprehensible goodnesse and mercy of our God and heavenly Father and his sonne my Saviour by that his humiliation and obedience This omnipotent God brought this his only begotten Son unto Mount-Calvary where neither Ramme nor Bullocke was sufficient for that Sacriâ—ice which was for our Redemption but that Lamb of God who tooke away the sinnes of the world he humbled himselfe and was offered as a sacrifice for our sins upon the Crosse whose blood was far more precious theÌ„ that of Rams for this most precious holy and unvaluable blood is the cure of our corrupttd soules by washing away the foule spots of sin Oh was ever the like obedience or ever any love like to this O Lord as the two servants whom Abraham left below the mountaine might wonder at the resolution of their Master his son's obedience so let my soul and body that desires to serve thee in imitation of these two servants with much humility waiting in the bottome and valley where thou hast appointed us to stay with wonder aâ—mire thy goodnesse mercie for this thy fatherly mercie unto us and thy Son's goodnesse and obedience for us for this is mercie beyond measure to us most miserable sinners O Lord it is far beyond the apprehension of sinful man to comprehend this thy so infinite goodnesse and mercie therefore let mee for ever with admiration looke up to heaven from whence thou descendedst to do this so unspeakable a work of pitty mercie and looke downe into my self who was the cause of this severe suffering and see my owne unworthinesse so by seeing this thy incomprehensible goodnesse and my own vilenesse in the humblenesse of my heart mith admiration of thy goodnesse that I may magnifie thy Name for ever O Lord and let sorrow compuÌ„ction for my sins be my companions for ever Let mee O God see the foulness of sin and shun it with perfect hatred it being of that danger to mee and such an offence against thee O Lord even of such a dangerous consequence as nothing could sufficiently satisfie for it but that all-sufficient and great sacrifice upon the Crosse even by such a holy oblation as thy selfe O rightâ—ous God for sinfull man Therefore let the consideration of the shame and pain thou sufferedst upon that Tree make me be ashamed to offend thee Crucifie all the wicked and vaine affections that reigne in my corrupted flesh and bring me in true obedience unto thee O thou Redeemer and Saviour of the world give me patience and moderate sorrow for the loss of near friends as Abraham was for Sarah his wife and to have a charitable venerable regard unto them as Abraham had by the decent burying of Sarah O Lord with Abraham make me carefull for the lawfull and discreet disposing of my children as he did for Isaac And grant that thy good Angel may goe before me in such actions and thy good inspirations so to guide me not only for the earthly marriage of my sonne but likewise that I may so use and enjoy these earthly comforts here as that at last I may bee brought to that blessed marriage in heaven which happinesse there Abraham Isaac and Jacob with the Patriarks Prophets Apostles Martyrs and Professors of the true faith enjoy for all Eternity THE HISTORY of ISAAC THE servant of Abraham having taken his journey according to the direction of Abraham his Master for the obtaining of a Wife for Isaac and said he began his journey having in his charge ten Camels with such goods delivered unto him by Abraham as were fit for his journey who journeyed came to a City called Nahur where comming he there made his Camels to lie downe without the City by a well of water being eventide the time that women used to come for water and then he said O Lord God of my Master Abraham I beseech thee send me good speed this day shew thy mercy to him Loe I stand by the well of water whiles the daughters of the City come hither grant that the Maid to whoÌ„ I say bow downe thy pitcher I pray thee that I may drinke If she say drink and I will give thy Camels drink also let her be she that thou hast ordained for thy servant Isaac and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed mercy on my Master Now while hee was speaking Rebeckah the daughter of Bethuel came out with her pitcher upon her shoulder who was very fair and a Virgin and going downe into the Well and filling her pitcher and comming up the servant ran and met her saying let me drinke I pray thee a little water of thy pitcher Then she hastily put the pitcher to her hand and gave him to drink saying moreover I will draw likewise some water for thy Camels that they may drinke and then she ran againe to the Well and drew water for the Camels So the man wondred at her but held his peace to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not And when the Camels had left drinking the man took a golden Abilloment and two bracelets with ten sheckles of gold and gave them her and he asked her whose daughter she was saying I pray thee tell mee as likewise if there be any roome in thy Fathers house to lodge in she answered I am the daughter of Bethuel whom she bare to Nahor Moreover she said we have litter
and the cheerfulnesse of Rebecka to be going by the one to discharge the trust to my friend and by the other to gaine the love of my neighbour So O Lord in that which concerns thy service let me with resolution and alacrity come speedily vnto thee so shall not the Bethuel of self-love nor the Laban of worldly care hinder me from my due obedience service of thee Give mee grace in imitation of this Grand-fire of the holy Patriarks the pattern of obedience upon his Fathers Altar and in his constant serving of thee that with a contemplative heart and a penitent soule I may continually call unto thee both morning evening and at all times as he did in that evening he so happily met Rebecka so by thy mercie shall I obtaine thy heavenly Comfort as hee did in earthly respects by meeting of her and so be joyned unto thee for all Eternity Give me a tender care regard for the obsequies of my Parents and to joine in charity for the performance thereof though with my enemies and most jealous friends as it was done by Isaac and Ishmael to their father Abraham Grant me patience O Lord in the barrennesse of my dejected spirit give mee grace to persevere in my prayers unto thee as Isaac did in the barrenness of Rebecka so in due time thou wilt heare me as thou did'st Isaac and in thy good time shall I receive the fruit of thy consolation In the strivings between the flesh and the spirit as was in Rebecka's womb the which by reason of sin and my infirmities I am so subjected unto be mercifull unto me O God and grant that stil I may pray unto thee so by thy grace shall I bee delivered and know thy goodnesse and good pleasure as she did in her two twins And grant O Lord that the blessings of thy good grace may bear rule over this my rough and rude flesh to keepe it in subjection O Lord deliver and preserve me thy servant from the like hunger wearinesse in my soul as it was with Esau in his body that I may not endanger it for the lentill light vanities fading refreshments of fleshly desires thereby to lose my heavenly inheritance that blessed birth-right in heaven purchased for me by the birth and left me by the death of thou my blessed Saviour and Redeemer In much griefe of heart I must confesse O God with great shame and confusion to my self that I have done much evil in thy sight Esau was not more ready by that deare Bargain to eat those lentill potage than I have bin to swallow up sin offences against thee even for a lesse value my greedinesse to sin was such as even for a peice of bread have I finned against thee having been lead away by the meanest of temptations and therefore I have no other plea for my self but thy mercy O Lord and the merits of my blessed Saviour whose Sacrifice for sin upon the Crosse for us that were Gentiles was of far more effecacy then the blood of Buls or Goites were for the Israelites Deliver me O Lord from the power of my infirmities which still persues me to indanger my soule as it dealt with Isacc who fell into his father Abrahams error by calling his wife sister when he came to Gerer amongst the Philistims and give me the like Chastity and Charity as was in Abimeleck towards him and Rebekah Give me O Lord that increase of thy grace and mercy to sustaine my soule as thou diddest give unto Isacc in his corne to preserve his body and graunt that I may be that good ground mentioned in thy Gospel to bring forth the fruit of good works a hundred fold as it was in Isacc's graine Preserve me from the envy of the wicked anâ— from the suggestions to sin that the well-springs of thy grace may not be taken from me but raise up unto me the living well-spring of thy mercy that the stirrings of flesh and blood may have no power to take from me as the matteriall wells were taken from Isacc and bring me O Lord unto the spirituall Beersheba so appeare thou in mercy unto me there as knowing thy goodnes and believing thy promises I may build an Altar of praise and that thanksgiving unto thee In the passages of this world grant that I may alwayes preserve love and friendship both with my friends neighbours and even my enemies with firmnesse and integrity of heart as was between Isacc and Abimeleck And let me so obey my Parents in my courses carriages of this world that I may not prove a griefe of heart unto them as Easu was to Isacc and Rebekah by his marrying of Judeth the Hitite O Lord give me such obedience unto them as may cause and draw their blessings upon me both in their lives and at their deaths to be near unto them in duty obedience as Jacob was whome in mercy thou diddest looke upon and after gave such blessings unto by whose off-spring all the Nations of the world were made happy And still to continue obedient unto them as Jacob was unto his father in his marriage for this obedience to Parents is pleasing to thee O Lord and calls downe for thy blessings upon us the children of men let there alwayes continue in me a neare and pious regard for the interring of 〈◊〉 Parents with a conjunction of charity in the doing of it even with thy greatest emulaters as it was in the charitable performance of this solâ—mnetie between Jacob and Easu in the burying of Isacc their father So by this brotherly concord and charitable deportment wee shall be made partakers of that mercy thou O â—ord hast promised to them that doe the works of mercy to which happy to coâ—â—ition and the fruition of that haâ—pinesse bring me O Lord even 〈◊〉 his sake who was the true 〈◊〉 of patience amongst his enemieâ— and gave forgivenes even to his crucifiers THE HISTORY of JACOB AFter Isaac had blessed Jacob and in obedience to his Father and Mother departing from Beersheba taking his journey to Padan-Aram comming to a certaine place it being night hee took a stone and laying it under his head he fell asleepe and falling into a dreame there appeared unto him a ladder which reached from the earth to heaven Angels going up and down upon it and the Lord standing above it who said I am the Lord the God of Abraham and of Isaac thy Father the Land whereupon thou sleepest will I give unto thee and thy seede and they shall multiply exceedingly in them shall the families of the Earth be blessed and promising to preserve him in all his journeys and to bring him again to that Land Now Jacob awaking was affraid but did thinke the Lord was in that place saying to himselfe it was the house of God and that there was the gates of Heaven Then after hee had risen early in the morning he took that stone
him how the soule of his sonne loved Dinah and desired she might be his wife and how by that there should be a continuall freindship betweene them their children and people with great expressions of what love happines this would produce now they seem'd to likewel of those Propositions only they would not marry with an uncircumcised people but if they would be circumcised they would approve thereof all which Hamor and his son Shechem liked well of consenting there unto and Shechem deferred not the doing of it his love was such to Dinah so the father and the sonne acquainted the Citie therewith who considering of the conveniencie and neighbour-hood that hereby might come so they consented and all the men children were circumcised even as they went out at the gate of the City But on the third day after when they were sore two sonnes of Jacob Simeon and Levi took each of them a sword and going boldly into the Citie killed every male as likewise Hamor and Shechem taking Dinah out of Shechem's house and so went away and the other sons of Jacob came up and spoiled the City taking all their goods because of this wrong done to their sister Dinah But Jacob was troubled at this act of Simeon and Levi saying they had made him stinck among the Inhabitants After this God commanded him to arise and goe to Bethel and there to make an Altar unto him the which he did before commanding all his house-hold to put away their false Gods whose counsell they observed giving him all their Gods or Idols and there eare-rings and buryed them under an Oake So they went towards Bethel and there built an Altar and after many promises there of God unto him and his seed with his worship and testimonies of thanksgiving unto God for all his mercies he departed from Bethel and in their journey Rachel travel'd in child-birth and was in danger but the Midwife did comfort her telling her shee should have a son and in her extreamity before she died being delivered called the child Benjamine and so gave up the Ghost was buried at Bethlehem Jacob comaÌ„nding a Pillar to be set upon her grave Then Jacob went on his journey and came to Isaac his Father to Mamre where Isaac died After this Jacob lived in the Land of Canaan where after his other sonnes sold Joseph into Egypt unto which Land in the time of famine by Gods great Providence Jacob and all his sons did repaire All which and the rest of the life and acts of Jacob and his sonnes with Jacobs Death and Buryall are at large exprest in the ensuing History of Joseph PRAYERS upon the History of JACOB O Lord as Jacob by his obedience vnto his Parents obtained the blessing from them in his journey to Padan-Aram thou diddest mercifully preserve him So blesse mee O Lord in what I goe about and give me true obedience towards thee that thou maist give me the blessings of thy holy grace to protect mee through the manifold dangers of my soule in the pilgrimage of this world and that thy blessed inspirations may abide with me In the distresses so subject unto me for my sinnes be thou mercifull unto me as thou wast unto Jacob when his lodging was the earth and his pillow a stone If the Father of the Patriarks and descended from the Father of the faithfull was well contented with such thine appointment and did praise thee for thy mercies Let me O Lord a most miserable sinner and who have been most disobedient unto thee reflect into my self with sincerity of soule by looking into my bad deservings so see them as with compassion to my selfe I may bewaile my manifold sinnes and by the remembrance of them fall down upon this earth and think my selfe so unworthy as to esteeme all the sufferings and hâ—rd passages of this world not punishments sufficient to expiate my câ—ying offences but sâ—ill to bewaile my sins and to lie downe with my head upon this sâ—one of Contrition with patience and thankfulnesse to submit to thy blessed will And in these my streights and most just sufferings thou who sittest in heaven and then stood upon the toppe of that ladder which reached downe to the earth â—here Jacob was Looke downe from thence O Lord and speak mercifully unto me and let thy blessed Angels descend downe upon this ladder and steps of thy favour to assist and comfort mee in all my troubles O Lord awaken thou my drousie spirit that by thy grace casting off all feares I may apprehend thy goodnesse and discern the gates of heavenly mercie for which let me rise early and by taking up stedfast thoughts and good resolutions I may raise up a pillar of praise powring thereon the oyle of chearefull thankefulnesse for all thy mercies as Jacob did upon that stone he stept on and for all thy preservations let me pay my vowes unto thee Lord keepe mee thy servant from voluptuousnesse and curiosity the great distempers of these times and by the example of Jacob thy servant and the Predecessor of Kings who desired but bread raiment give me grace to mortifie all my vain affections surfeitnig pleasures of this world and most willingly to be contented with thy good pleasure Continue thy good providence towards me as thou diddest unto Jacob in his journey when hee came to that Well where he so happily met with Rachel Let mee alwayes admire thy wonderfull wayes and meanes whereby thou bringst thy mercies and blessings unto us And let me O Lord well consider and see how many times in the course of my life thou hast shewed mee thy works of mercie by preventing me in things whereby my owne weak judgement and intentions destructions of soule and bodie had been the issâ—e And likewise how by wayes and meanes of thy speciall providence thou hast protected and directed me into the wayes of safety and therefore as Jacob after thy good guidance was brought unto that Well from which he rowled the stone to doe the office of courtesie So good Lord in imitation of him for thy goodnesse let me remove by thy mercie all sad and heavy thoughts from over those good inspirations which thou hast infused into the dry well of my heart springing from thy grace And that I may abundantly distribute this holy water to the rich by friendship and courtesie and to the poor by love charity And as Jacob in the fulnesse of joy in his heart by meeting of Rachel wept so good Lord when I shall finde at any time the blessed comfort of thy grace and good inspirations let mee embrace them with true thankfulnesse and rejoycing in thee for thy mercies and in fear for thy judgements weep for my offences against thee In the manifold uncertainties unconstancies of the friendships of this world and worldly men give me such honest care and patience as Jacob had by Laban's hard servitude unto him Still to discharge the trust committed
unto me never to distrust thy mercies and deliverance And though things fall not according to my will and choise as it fell out with him about Rachels let me O 〈◊〉 with Jacob's other seven yeares â—â—tiently waite thy liesure and 〈◊〉 time So for thy heavenly mercies in 〈◊〉 drynesse and coldnesse of my resolâ—â—â—ons and devotions towards thee let mee with patience and prayer waite for that good time when thou shalt enlarge and deliver my soule from this thraldome and bondage of selfe-love and the snares of worldly slavery whereby I may be fitted for my journey to the heavenly Canaan there with joy to meete Isaac and all that rest in the happinesse to see thy presence O God Remove from mee all distrusts of thy promises and providence that common and dangerous rock whereupon this weake Vessell we saile in is so subject to fall upon by the crosse windes and troubled Seas of our unfaithfull constitutions for so it was with Rachel when in the bitterness of her anguish shee said to Jacob give me children or else I dye But O Lord so instruct my heart with such firme hope in thee as all doubts may depart from my weak and stupid sences and open thou the eyes of my understanding clearly to discerne how much thy mercy and goodnesse are unto me beyond my deservings and so by this pious patience I shall in thy good time enjoy the fruit of my hopes as Rachel after did by her issue in Joseph that happie sonne of so good a father the very comfort and preserver of the seed of Israel Good Lord let it enter into my heart to see with admiratioÌ„ wonder how thou diddest performe thy promises unto Abraham by this numerous generation of Jacob. After so many doubts by fleshly weakenesse barrennesse of constitutions and the great difficulties and dangers in the sâ—verall stations journeys perigrinatioÌ„s of Abraham and Isaac and the great opppession of the seed of Jacob in Aegypt and their long and dangerous perigrination to that land of promise how from them to come our Saviour O mercie beyond mans apprehension or deserving whereof they did only hope for and the which wee the sons of the bond-woman now see and so happily enjoy and by the enjoyment of which promise both the seed of Jacob and the Gentiles receive such an unvaluable blessing being such as all the hopes promises to Abraham Isaac and Jacob were but types and the tempoall plenty of the Patriarks in their land of milke and honey and all their deliverances were but shadowes in comparison of the fruits of this hope and the super-aboundant mercy of our redemption from sin and the fulnesse of heavenly grace bestowed upon us by this promised Messias in whom they in hope did rejoyce by whom they and we are made so happy in the enjoyment and fruition Oh the hidden treasure of happiness now so transparent glorious inlighten my soule O Lord that by this blessed enlightning I may see thy wonderfull mercy and my owne misery to put off all worldly love and vaine delight and make sale of all my earthly merchandise to purchase this jewell even the love of thee my Saviour farre more precious then that manna was to to the children of Israel for no earthly love is like in perfect happinesse to this of thine O thou Saviour of the world Good Lord let me continually obey blessed command and holy inspirations and as Jacob by thine appointment returned into Canaan and with expedition tooke his journey with his wives children family and goods So Lord let me breake from the love of this world wherein I am made a slave to sin and so subjected to uncertainties as Jacob was for twenty years with so many changes of his wages And let not the allurements and vain promises of this world detaine mee either for the enjoying the fading profits therein or to stay in the vanities thereof with such hopelesse and helplesse promises as Laban did intend to him But let me with resolution and sincerily follow thy good directions break from such things as may offend thee to the hurt of my soule Deliver me O Lord from the fears and jealousies so subject to the infirmities of flesh and blood from the danger of my enemies as thou did'st Jacob from his brother Esau let thy protection be with me and thy holy Angels to guard me And as Jacob sent his wives children servants and goods in order and came before him with such Presents and directions as might appease the fury of his brother Esau. So O Lord in my progres towards thee by a true faith and humble confidence give me a holy care prudence to send unto thee before-hand my heart and good intentions with my goods of piety and good workes that in mercy thou maist receive me so shall I escape thy judgements so justly due to me for my sins O Lord keep me from a wandring spirit and a loose condition so shall I avoid evill and all occasions of evill Let me not doe like Dinah who went a gadding to see the daughters of Shechem whereby she was entrap'd and brought to solly so shall I avoid sin to my selfe and the punishment of others as it befell to that unhappy Prince and Citie of Shechem And O Lord preserve mee from the like cruelty that was in Simeon and Levi whose revenge was implacable and transcendent being odious in the eyes of their Father and to all good people yet by this terrible judgement teach mee to know thy displeasure against sinne and leave such severe punishments to thy unsearchable judgements O thou my Creator Redeemer Preserver or wonderfull in my creation infinitely good in my redemption and most mercifull in my preservation the great strength guide and directer of Abraham Isaac Jacob in all their passages through the Desarts and Labyrinths of this crooked world which mercies of thine O Lord have beene most bountifully and mercifully extended unto me a most miserable sinner Therefore as they at all times and upon all occasions in their severall stations for thy mercies deliverances unto them did build Altars and offer Sacrifices of thankesgiving unto thee for thy goodnesse and Jacob according to his vow at the beginning of his perigrination where he set up that stone did now at his returne in that very place pay his vows even at Bethel with much solempnity and piety So O Lord let it enter into my heart duly to consider of thy great mercies unto me from time to time let me not cast them behind mee but call them to minde and as Jacob by finding thy mercies did not forget them when he came backe to Bethel but there did performe his duty and promise unto thee so let me alwayes remember thy deliverances unto me and how in my severall distresses I have so seen and found them as they having moved good thoughts and purposes in mee of better living good Lord let not
tooke Joshua and set him before Eleazar the Priest and the congregation and he laid his hands upon him and gave him a charge as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses After this the children of Israel warred against the Midianites and they slew the King of Midian and burnt their cities and their goodly castles and there Balaam was slaine they divided the spoyle of the Countrey And Moses growing old he called Joshuah unto him before the people giving him good counsell and bidding him to be valiant and encouraged the people and setteth forth a song of Gods mercies and vengeance After which the Lord spake unto Moses saying Get thee up into this mountain Abarim unto mount Nebo which is in the land of Moab that is over against Jericho and behold the land of Canaan which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession and dye in the mount whither thou goest up and be gathered unto thy people as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor and was gathered unto his people because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh in the wildernesse of Zin because ye sanctified me not in the midst of the children of Israel yet thou shalt see the land but thou shalt not goe thither and after Moses had blessed the twelve Tribes of Israel he went up from the plaines of Moab unto the mountaine of Nebo and the Lord shewed him the land of promise which was promised to Abraham Isaac and Jacob so Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab according to the word of the Lord and he buryed him in a valley in the land of Moab over against Beth Peor but no man knoweth of his sepulchre unto this day he was 120. yeares old when he died his eye was not dim nor his naturall force abated and the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plaines of Moab thirty dayes and there arose not a Prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face In all the signes and wonders which the Lord sent him to doe in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh to all his servants and to all his land and in all that mighty hand and in all that great terrour which Moses shewed in the sight of Israel MEDITATIONS Upon some parts of the History of Moses O Lord direct my meditations and assist me humbly and truely to contemplate this thy great work of the deliverance of thy children of Israel out of Egypt by Moses after they had sojourned there foure hundred and thirty yeares after which time according to thy promise thou diddest deliver them and brought them to the land of promise This great deliverance O Lord is the true type of a great mercy that did follow which was by our Moses Jesus Christ who redeemed and brought us that were Gentiles and under the bondage and slavery of sinne to serve and follow him out of the darknesse wherein we were inthraled being far worse then the Egyptian yoke O Lord my God let it enter into my heart most humbly and seriously to consider of this inestimable mercy of my redemption and of thy wonderfull and unvaluable goodnesse towards me a sinner by sending into this Egypt of the world such a guide such a deliverer and such a Redeemer as all the Angels and powers in heaven doe adore even thy onely Sonne Let me be astonished O Lord with wonder at this thy so great mercy and be confounded in my selfe for offending thee so glorious and so gracious a God And let my sinfull soule be converted unto thee to serve thee with all humblenesse of heart O Lord how sutable in mischiefe were Pharaoh and Herod by giving way to Ambition and Jealousie and the reignes to commit cruelty to an unlimited height for the murdering of innocent Infants Pharaohs ambition was to destroy the Hebrew children amongst whom was Moses which thou O God preservedst to deliver the people of Israel out of Egypt and Herods designe to destroy the children in Jury amongst whom was that immaculate Lambe Christ Jesus even to destroy him who delivered the Gentiles and was after crucified to deliver and redeeme both Jew and Gentile O Lord how wonderfull are thy workes and all thy goodnesse for flesh and blood could not prevaile against thy providence for the cruelty of Pharaoh could not prevent thy goodnesse for thou diddest multiply and blesse thy children of Israel and preservedst Moses in a poore basket of bulrushes to doe thy great worke to deliver thy people out of the thraldome of Egypt And O wonder of wonders and mercy of mercies out of the manger at Bethlehem came our blessed Saviour who redeemed the world and how wonderfully O Lord hast thou preserved thy Church for whom he died and multiplied thy servants through the persecutions of this world As it was thy great mercy and blessing O Lord to preserve Noah and his family in that great Arke whereby mankind was preserved upon earth So it was thy mercy to preserve thy servant Moses in that little arke amongst the watery flags of danger to preserve and bring thy children of Israel descended from Noah out of Egypt to the land of promise from which stock so preserved came my Saviour Jesus Christ as these have beene thy mercies O God to preserve thy people of Israel by thy Prophet Moses the type of Christ and to redeeme the world by thy Sonne my Saviour Jesus So O Lord many have beene thy mercies unto me a sinner by thy manifold mercies and deliverances even since my infancie hitherto both by sea and land Good Lord in thy mercy take from over me this thick and mysty cloud of stupidity that so much darkens my understanding that I may discerne these thy mercies and feare love and serve thee with all the faculties of soule and body and good Lord grant that I may love my kinred and neighbours as Moses did love his Nation the Hebrews with kindnesse and affability to all men as he used to the daughters of Jethro Let the soule of thy servant know that in the places of peace quietnesse and retirednesse from the eye of this world so full of vanity and pleasures there art thou to be found for in the desart behinde the mountain and neare Horeb thou wast with Moses O Lord bring my soule from these worldly cares afflictions and temptations amongst which I live and lead me with thy saving grace toward thy holy mountaine with contemplations of holinesse and penitency for my sins and there let me rest in thee and be freed from the thorny and scorching passages of this world As thou O God didst wonderfully appeare unto Moses in the Bush by a flame of fire which did not burne nor consume it so I doe most humbly beseech thee enter into the heart of thy servant and enflame it with holy love and zeale towards thee and enlighten it O Lord that
altar Ed as a witnesse betweene the Lord and them and after that God gave rest unto Israel from their enemies round about And Joshua waxen old called for all Israel and for their Elders for their heads aâ—d for their Judges and told them of all things the Lord had done for them and what the Lord would doe if they served him counselling them to be valiant and couragious and to keepe the Law delivered by Moses and not to turne neither to the right hand nor to the left nor to leane to the gods of the heathens not to sweare by them or make mariages with them if they did so that they would be snares and traps unto them and thorns in their eyes untill they perished from off the good land the Lord had given them And he said I am going the way of all the earth and you know nothing hath failed you that the Lord promised you but if you transgresse the Covenant of the Lord your God and serve other gods and bow your selves to them then shall the anger of the Lord be kindled against you and ye shall perish from the land And Joshua againe gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shichem and called for all the Elders of Israel and they presented themselves before God and Joshua told them of all the good things that the Lord had done to the children of Israel from Abraham Isaac and Jacob to that time And the people said they would serve no other gods then the God that brought them and their fathers out the land of Egypt from the house of bondage and which did those great things in their sight and preserved them in all their waies and after much perswasions of Joshua unto the people to serve the Lord he made a covenant with them that day and set them a Statute and an Ordinance in Shechem Joshua wrote it in the book of the law of God and took a great stone and set it up there under an oke that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord so Joshua let the people depart every man to his inheritaece and after he departed to his fathers being one hundred and ten yeares old and they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnah-Serah which is in mount Ephraim MEDITATIONS upon the History of Joshua O Lord thou art gracious unto thine Inheritance for though thou diddest take thy servant Moses to his fathers yet thou diddest not leave thy children of Israel destitute and without a Leader to goe before them but sent them Joshua thy servant to be their captaine and defender This is thy goodnesse O Lord still from time to time to be a preserver of thy people whom thou hast chosen and this mercy of thy speciall providence and love extended it selfe O God not onely to thy children of Israel but to thy holy Church militant here upon earth and likewise to us most miserable sinners by thy continuall providence over us How often O Lord hast thou delivered me the sonne of thy handmaide from time to time and raised me helpers and preservers I have found these thy mercies and let the due consideration of them enter into the closet of my heart and there rest by a blessed remembrance of them never to be forgotten and grant that I may humble my selfe before thee with all due thankfulnesse and obedience to serve thee and thou O God which continuedst thy mercy unto thy servant Joshuah and the children of Israel continue thy good mercies unto me direct and guide me over this Jordan of danger that I be not drowned in sinne and grant that I may rightly and truly follow my guides and the Arke of thy holy Covenant by an humble and true distance directly to follow their feete lest I fall into the crooked by-pathes of my owne inventions and as thy children of Israel after their deliverance over Jordan did shew their thankfulnesse by picking up stones at Gilgall so fix and pitch in my heart O Lord some Sacred monuments of praise and thankesgiving for my redemption from the deep waters of pride and mischief and circumcise thou my corrupted heart and so cleanse and purge me that I may be made fit to fight against sinne and Satan and the Jericho of this inconstant world and grant that I may keepe a holy passeover here in the plaines of my pilgrimage before I approach before the wals of Jericho to conquer the lusts and vanities thereof let my soule know O Lord that the Princes of darknesse will rise up against me to destroy my soule as the Canaâ—nites and the Amorites did rise against Joshua and therefore arme me with thy shield of faith and strengthen me with the helmet of salvation and as the Reubenites the Gadites and the halfe tribe of Manasseh did goe before the children of Israel towards Jericho so let thy blessed Angels O Lord goe before me in this my passage of life and danger of sinne and let the enemies of my soule be astonished and in feare as they were before the children of Israel and as thy holy Army O Lord did goe by thy command seven times about Jericho with such solemnities as thou didst appoint and by thy wonderfull mercy the wals of Jericho fell downe and the city was destroyed by fire so give me thy servant grace to obey thee as thou commandest thought it please not my sense and to imitate thy holy Prophet David to worship thee seven times a day and to obey and serve thee in those things and in that way as thou by thy holy word and the Church of Christ commands me though it seeme contrary to mine owne unruly fancy conceit and opinion that by thy mercy and my obedience the stony wals of my wilfulnesse and iniquity may fall downe in me and thy divine fire may consume all the drosse of my inward and sinfull soule and as Rahab the harlot though a sinfull woman was the instrument of safety to the spies sent by Joshua to view Jericho and by her was discovered the fears of that countrey and people which charity and hospitality of hers proved afterwards the saving of her selfe her kinred and all that she had so by this example let me know O Lord that thou canst worke good out of evil for the good of thy servants and them that go forward to serve thee in the obedience of thy commands And good Lord by this let me know and discerne the great reward thou preparest for them that doe the workes of charity and what a buckler and defence it is unto them in the time of danger when the judgement and strength of man is feeble for O Lord it is thy promise to reward the works of mercy furthermore good Lord keepe covetousnesse pride and dissembling from the soule of thy servant let not the Babylonish garment of pride take hold on me nor let me encline to the wedge of gold to infatuate my understanding thereby to draw me from my obedience to
should not for ever most thankfully acknowledg thy many mercies deliverances unto me not only in my temporall preservations blessings but thou hast brought me into the field of thy plentifull goodness to the bottles of comfort and the sheaves of thy strength and saving grace shewing me all thy blessings to strengthen my confidence in thee and bought mee at a dearer rate then Boaz paid for Ruth Boaz comming into thâ— field amongst the reapers said to them the Lord be with you they answering the Lord blesse thee Admirable and exemplary was the goodnesse and plainenesse of the hearts of our Ancestors whose blessings was one upon another by such their good meanings the blessings of God being upon them What blessings froÌ„ time to time did God give unto the blessings which Abraham Isaac and Jacob gave to their children and people Lamentable is the condition we are grown unto in this our iron ungodly age whiles this blessing is accouÌ„ted superstition and common courtesie being even departed from amongst us Our very children having left off thet common duty and civility which formerly they used even with their milke learning to be surly sawcy and disobedient O Lord deliver mee from this bad custome that tends to such ungodliness from spirituall pride â—nd an over-weening opinion and conceit of my owne judgement But give me grace to follow the good and plaine paths of my fore-fathers in such things as concerns my obedience unto thee and my duty to my Parents Superiours with christian courtesie to be friendly humble and charitable to all men for thou promisest thy blessing and exaltation to the humble but confusion will fall upon the proud whom thou O Lord dost resist The love of Ruth to Naomi was great the comfort she received from her did exceed with her integrity in the doing of it being so sincere by leaving her countrey her parents and her deceased Husbands house And therefore as Boaz by his blessing prayer for her said the Lord recompence thy work and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel under whose wings thou art come to trust So God the rewarder of the righteous and mercifull seeing her humility and goodness did hear the prayers of this righteous man by shewing such great mercie unto hâ—r the which did after follow even in a plentifull manner indeed for though by her first husband she had no Issue yet by Boaz she had Obed from whom descended the wel-spring of our happinesse and salvation Oh thy goodness O Lord whose bounds are without limit and whose workes and wayes are unsearchable thy rewards are the fulnes of happines thy mercie extends from generation to generation to such as love and fear thee Therefore O Lord mortifie all vaine wicked affections which are so inbred in mee by thy grace cast them out and place in stead thereof the strength of a lively faith and the fulnesse of love and charity that thereby I may forsake my selfe and all things that are dear and near unto mee and follow the good steps of the godly as Ruth did Naomi So that at last I may arrive to the happinesse and rest within the limits of thy true Church that pillar of truth and safety and there with an humble heart to serve thee as Ruth did by comming into Judah that once limited place of thy worship O â—he good plainness harmless simplicity of that golden age of the world when bread and water was their common viands parched corn the masters food as it was with Boaz an eminent man in his age for such was his fare and entertainment to a stranger when he reached some to Ruth yet then did God blesse them with comfort health and length of dayes O Lord deliver mee from the pampering of this my corrupt flesh with the voluptuous sensuality of these licentious times the bane of the soule by such luxury and the shortning of our dayes by such surfeits But give me such moderation as I may rather fast then feast and by which in this health of my soul I may the better serve thee here that thereby hereafter I may attaine unto that happinesse where the length of dayes both for soule and bodie is life everlasting O Lord make me studious to requite courtesies zealous to ballance the workes of charity piety as Naomi her zeal was for Ruth by wishing her to Boaz and give prosperity to all my good intentions with the blessing ef a thankfull heart for the successe of thy mecies unto me Grant O God that I may be faithfull and firm in my promise as Boaz was to Ruth true to my friend as he was to his kinsman and discreet in my actions as be was in his performance before the Elders Gods divine providence did mightily appeare by the marriage of these two righteous Boaz Ruth as his blessings upon them after made it manifest O happy Bethlehem to which place Ruth the mirrour of love and pitty with so much difficulty came unto led thither by the light of divine power and following the good steps of Naomi who there was made happy in her sonne Obed. O happy Bethlehem to which place that ever blessed virgin Mary came that most resplendent Vessell of blisse and happiness being led thither by the light of the holy Ghost and then comming upon devotions towards Jerusalem O thou blessed Bethlehem consecrated to our happiness for there was born a Saviour Ruth was happy in her son Obed but this Mary blessed amongst women by her sonne redemption and salvation came into us O Lord my God let the star of thy brightness appear unto me that with them lowly Shepheards I may come to this sacred Bethlehem and there find out that lamb of God that takes away the sinnes of the world more happy were them Kings who came to see thy holy face in the manger at Bethlehem by their humiliations and offerings this blessed sight of thee then in all their glistering loyalties vain-glory of this world Let me O Lord partake with these Kings in their devotions humiliations thou King of heaven Indue lead me with the starre of thy grace that I may come unto thee with the presents of perfect humility patience and perseverance in the pursuit of such things as shall be pleasing unto thee So after thine enlightning here by this light of thy holy countenance and favour unto me grant that at last I may attaine unto that everlasting light in heaven where from the manger and thy crucifying for our sinnes thou art exalted into glory everlasting THE HISTORY OF Hezekiah and the destruction of Ierusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the reigne of Zedekiah IT came to passe in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah that Senacherib King of Assyria came into Judah and tooke all the strong holds and he sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto Hezekiah with a great Army then came forth unto him from the