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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59766	The practical Christian divided into four parts. I. The practice of self-examination, and a form of confession fitted thereunto; the Lord's Praier and penitential Psalms paraphrased; with meditations, and praiers to be made partakers of Christ's merits. II. Directions, meditations and praiers, in order to the worthy receiving of the Holy Communion of the body and bloud of Christ. III. Meditations with Psalms for the hours of praier, the ordinary actions of day and night, with other religious considerations and concerns. IV. Meditations with Psalms--- upon the four last things; 1. Death, 2. Judgment, 3. Hell, 4. Heav[en.] The third and fourth parts make the second volume, formerly called the second part. By R. Sherlock D.D. Rector of Winwick.	Sherlock, R. (Richard), 1612-1689.	1677 (1677)	Wing S3243; ESTC R221137	111,932	313

into Egypt to return into thy countrey to be subject to thy parents to be baptized by John to be afflicted with a forty days fast and thrice to be tempted of the Devil to be wearied with journeys and macerated by hunger and thirst and watchings to be tired with preaching to weep for compassion to be rejected of the Jews and frequently abused by them Thy Passion approaching thou vouchsafedst to be heavy and exceeding sorrowful to pray not onely with bended knees but thrice to fall upon thy face to be in a bitter Agony and to sweat drops of bloud to be betrayed by Judas with a deceitful kiss to be apprehended by the Jews and bound as a thief to be left desolate and alone for all thy Disciples forsook thee and fled To be led to Annas the High-priest first and there to be buffeted to be sent by him bound to Caiaphas and there to be many ways derided to be brought before the council of the Jews and there to be falsely accused and condemned to have thy face polluted with spittings to be provok'd by manifold repro●ches to be scorned and blasphemed and again smitten on the face and buffeted to be delivered bound unto Pilate and before him vehemently accused unto death and by him to be sent unto Herod and there to be calumniated and set at nought by him and his men of war to be arrayed in white and sent back unto Pilate by his command to be bound to a pillar and cruelly scourged unto bloud to be by him condemned and delivered up to the souldiers to be crucified by whom thou wast mockt with a purple garment and pierced with a Crown of thorns derided with a Reed in stead of a Regal sceptre and with bowing of knees named in contempt The King of the Jews again the third time bespatter'd with spittle and buffeted and beaten with a Reed on thy head laden with the weight of thy Cross and led away to the place of thy Passion there again stript naked of thy garments and profered to drink Gall mingled with Myrrh At last thou wast extended on the Cross thy hands and feet transfixed with nails crucified amongst thieves numbred amongst transgressours blasphemed both by them that stood by and by them that passed by and in the extremity of thy sufferings criedst out My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Thy head bowed down thou didst give up the ghost and thy Side was pierced by a Souldier whence issued both water and bloud Taken down from the Cross and buried by Joseph the third day thou didst rise again and appear to thy disciples The fortieth day thou ascendedst into Heaven and sitting on the right hand of God the Father thou didst send down the promise of the Holy Ghost upon thy blessed Apostles and Disciples and shalt come again to Judgment to render to all men according to their works done in the body whether they be good or whether they be evil O Blessed Lord Jesus by all these thy most sacred Sufferings by thy bitter death and most precious bloud shed for us and by all things foretold of thee and fulfill'd by thee vouchsafe in great mercy to deliver me a sordid sinner with all my friends and enemies parents brothers sisters all that are poor and desolate tempted and afflicted bound and imprison'd with all Christian people From all our tribulations and distresses from the snares of the Devil from the bonds and chains of our Sins and from all evils both of Soul and body good Lord deliver save and defend us All our imaginations and actions vouchsafe so to dispose and order that they may be acceptable unto thee fill us with thy grace and with holy peace and with all vertue and grant us herein to persevere even unto death that making a good end of this present life thou mayst bring us to eternal life in thy celestial Kingdom where thou livest and reignest CHAP. VI. Saint Gregorie 's Praiers upon the Passion of Christ I. I Adore thee Holy Lord Jesus hanging upon the Cross and bearing on thy venerable head a Crown of Thorns and I humbly beg by thy Cross to be delivered from the destroying Angel II. I Adore thee Holy Lord Jesus Christ expanded on the Cross with five great wounds in thy nailed hands and feet and pierced side and I humbly beg that thy dire and gastly wounds may be a healing remedy to my sin-sick Soul III. I Adore thee Holy Lord Jesus panting under the sad weight of the sins of the world and I humbly beg by that unconceivable bitterness of sorrow thy innocent Soul suffered in that moment when it left the body have mercy upon my Soul in the memert of her departure hence IV. I Adore thee Holy Lord Jesus laid in the Sepulchre and anointed with Myrrh and Aloes and I humbly beg that thy death may be the life of my Soul V. O Save Holy Jesus the good Shepherd who laid down his life for his Sheep save and preserve the righteous call home the wicked justifie the penitent have mercy upon all true believers and upon me a miserable sinner Amen CHAP. VII The Form of Praier used by our Lord upon the Cross viz. the XXII Psalm paraphrased Verse 1. MY God my God So prayed my dear Redeemer hanging upon the Cross the gemination of his words expressing both the great Devotion and also the bitter Anguish of his Soul look upon me imploring divine commiseration and assistence in the sufferings of his humane nature why hast thou forsaken me That 's the height of sorrow and suffering to be therein forsaken as if the personall union of his divine and humane nature were dissolved and art so far from my health not affording the least mitigation of my tormenting pains or consolation therein and from the words of my complaint or the voice of my roaring for with strong crying and tears I offer up my prayers and supplications a Heb. 5.7 2. O my God I will never cease to call thee so though now thine indignation for the sins of the world lieth heavy upon me so that though I cry in the day-time in the which I suffer the torments of crucifixion yet thou hearest not so as to deliver me from them and in the night-season also when I was in a bitter agony sweating drops of bloud under the pressure of the Sins of men and thy wrath for them in both seasons and sad sufferings I take no rest no ease of my Soul's sorrows no cessation of my bodily torments 3. And thou continuest holy just and faithfull in all thy promises of mercy to the miserable or thou dwellest in thy holy one in this holy and innocent body of mine though nailed to the cross So we reade God was in Christ reconciling the world b 2 Cor. 5.19 O thou worship of Israel who hast so often delivered thy people and been made both the subject matter of their prayers and praises and onely object of

throughly sanctified let thy loving Spirit the Spirit of love and verity lead me forth in the straight direct way that leads into the land of righteousness That 's the promised Land the celestial Canaan where alone is perfect everlasting righteousness in the blissful presence of the God of righteousness 11. Quicken me O Lord who am dull and dead-hearted and faint in the way towards the land of the living for thy name's sake which I invoke and adore and for thy righteousness sake not for mine which is little and good for little bring my soul out of trouble delivering me from whatever disturbs the peace of my Soul and hinders her progress in the way to Heaven 12. And of thy goodness slay mine enemies Mortifie in me all unruly lusts and passions that rebell against Reason and Religion and destroy all them that vex my soul by exciting and fomenting the flesh against the spirit the sensual against her rational faculties that the whole may be obedient unto thee for I am thy servant Created Redeemed not to serve my own lusts and exorbitant passions but to be Sanctified or devoted wholly to serve thee in holiness and righteousness before thee all the days of my life And so shall my Soul praise thee with joyfull lips and say Glory be to the Father As it was in the beginning I. O most just and merciful God who being by Sin offended art by true Repentance appeased be propitious to the Prayers of thy faithful people and in great mercy turn away from us those scourges of thy wrath which our sins have justly deserved through Jesus Christ our Lord. II. Remember not Lord our offences nor the offences of our fore-fathers neither take thou vengeance of our sins but spare us good Lord spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious bloud and be not angry with us for ever III. O God whose nature and property it is ever to have mercy and to forgive receive our humble Petitions and though we be tied and bound with the chain of our sins yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us for the honour of Jesus Christ our Mediatour and Advocate Amen CHAP. XII Meditations and Prayers to be partakers of the Merits of what our Blessed Redeemer hath done and suffered for us O Most Holy and ever-Blessed Jesus The Incarnation of the Son of God who vouchsafedst for the redemption of mankind to be made Man by the blessed merits of thy mysterious Incarnation grant me to become one Spirit with thee who becamest one flesh with me Thou Blessed Lord Nativity wert miraculously born of a pure immaculate Virgin by the power of the Holy Ghost overshadowing her grant me by the same power of the most High to possess a pure virgin Soul in a pure and chast body and to be fruitful in all good works Holy Jesus Circumcision who vouchsafedst to be circumcised the eighth day and made obedient to the Law for man grant unto me I humbly beg the true circumcision of the Spirit that my heart and all my members may be mortified from all carnal and worldly lusts and whatever hinders my regular obedience to thy most holy Laws By the merits and mysteries of thy Baptism in the river Jordan Baptism wash me throughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sins whereby I have unhallowed those sacred and saving waters of my Baptism and perjuriously broken my Vow and Promise made therein Holy Jesus Fasting who didst fast forty days and forty nights forgive me the manifold acts of Gluttony and Drunkenness Riot and Excess whereof I have been guilty and by the virtue and power of thy miraculous Fast grant me the mastery over my rebellious appetite to live soberly that I may also live righteously and godly in this present world Holy Jesus Temptation who being fasting wast tempted of the Devil and overcamest him grant me by the influences of thy Blessed Spirit so devoutly to intend the holy duties of Fasting and Prayer that by the power of thy victory over the Devil I may have strength and power to triumph over the Devil the world and the flesh and to continue thy faithful servant and souldier to my life's end Holy Jesus Doctrine and Example who being inaugurated in thy Prophetical office by Baptism and confirmed by the vanquishment of the Devil wentest about preaching the Gospel doing good healing all manner of sickness and all manner of diseases amongst the people being by thy doctrine and example the Way and the Truth that leads unto Life grant me to believe aright all thy Revelations to obey all thy Commands to walk in thy steps and so to follow thee the Light of the world that I walk not in darkness but may have the light of life Holy Jesus He is conspir'd against and betrayed who didst condescend to have thy precious life conspired against by the Jews and to be betrayed and sold by one of thine own Disciples for a vile price deliver me from the conspiracies of all mine enemies ghostly and bodily and specially from the treachery and corruption of mine own deceitful heart and from the rebellion of my flesh which for vile things and of no value daily betray my Soul into the hands and under the power and bondage of Sin and Satan the great enemies of my life in Grace and Glory Holy Jesus His Agonie in the Garden who didst begin thy last and bitter passion in a Garden where thy innocent Soul was sorrowful even unto death sanctifie I beseech thee all my natural infirmities and passions comfort me in all my troubles and disquietudes of mind and make me sensible with godly sorrow of that heavy wrath and curse for Sin which thou sufferedst and I deserved Holy Jesus Bloudy swear who didst prostrate thy self upon the cold earth sweating drops of bloud under the pressure of our sins and out of a sad apprehension of thy ensuing sufferings offering up strong ●●ies with tears unto him that is able to save O that my heart might inwardly bleed tears of compassion and of compunction and vent it self by such fervent and effectuall prayers with tears of devotion as to be heard in Heaven and healed of all my sinfull infirmities Holy Jesus Submission to the will of God who with all sweetness of patience and submission didst give up thy self wholly to the will of thy Heavenly Father endue me with the same spirit of lowliness and meckness patience and contentedness in all conditions submitting to the good will of my God both in prosperity and adversity health and sickness life and death Holy Jesus Apprehension who didst yield thy self to be apprehended when thou mightest escape and to be bound as a Malefactour being clearer then an Angel of light O let not my Soul be feised by any infernal Fiends to eternal horrour in the other world But out of the sangs and clutches of all the

I ought To believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith rightly and fully to understand all the Articles of the holy Christian Faith whereinto I was Baptized and made Christian and my Faith in those Fundamentals of the Religion I profess has been weak and wavering clouded by ignorance depraved by errour and distracted by many various Opinions and doubts of the Truth God be merciful to me a sinner I have not fram'd the affections of my heart and the actions of my life according to what each Article of my Christian Faith doth imply and implicitly command but I have profaned nay even denied that Faith by the sinful works of my hands which I have professed with my mouth God be merciful to me a miserable sinner I have too often neglected and been sometimes ashamed to make confession of my Faith when called hereunto by the Minister in the Congregation and most justly therefore may my Blessed Saviour be ashamed of me at the last great Day But he is merciful and I a miserable sinner God be merciful to my sin for it is great I have not studied fully to know what the Will of my God is To keep God's holy Will and Commandments and to understand aright those Divine Commandments I am obliged to observe neither have I obeyed thy Will and kept thy Commandments according to the knowledge I have had thereof To thee O Lord God belongeth mercy and forgiveness but to me shame and confusion of face for I have rebelled against thee and have not walked in those Laws which thou hast appointed for us Sins against the First Table of the Law I Have not so stedfastly and unfeignedly believed in thee my God Sins against the First Commandment as not many times to entertain wild and roving thoughts of Infidelity and Atheism I have lived too much and too long without God in the world Against Faith in God spending my time either in doing nothing or nothing to purpose or doing what I ought not as if there were no God to call me to an account for the expence of my time and for all my actions in time The whole course of my life has been a trade of rebellion to my Creatour of ingratitude to my Redeemer of obstinacy to my Sanctifier of contradiction to a sincere Faith in the Trin-une God Blessed Father Son and Holy Ghost being little better then one of those Atheists who profess to know God but in their works deny him being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate Remember not Lord the sins of my youth nor of my riper age but according to the multitude of thy mercies think upon me O God for thy goodness I have not fully relied upon the all-wise and good providence of God Trust in God and cast all my care upon him but I have often distracted my mind with carking cares and fears for the things of this life and have used unlawful and indirect means to obtain and advance my worldly ends and interests I have leaned to my own understanding trusted to my policy and cunning made flesh my arm and riches my confidence been puft up by prosperity cast down by adverse occurrents for want of a sure trust and holy confidence in my God God be merciful to me a miserable sinner I have not made my Creatour the chief object of my hope and desires Hope in God but being made in honour after the Image of God I have made my self like the beasts that perish roving in my desires and vain hopes of consolation in the Creature I have foolishly hoped to avoid thy threatned Judgments and yet have not avoided the Sins against which they are denounced and I have as vainly hoped to attain thy promised Mercies having not obeyed thy Precepts in order thereunto O turn thy face away from my sins and blot out all mine offences I have not stood in awe of thy dreadful Majesty Fear of God so as not to sin and provoke thee to anger I have more feared to commit sin before men then in the presence of the All-seeing God more feared the penalty of humane laws then the threatnings of the Divine more feared to lose a little empty credit and esteem amongst men then to incur the displeasure of the Almighty and the little fear I have had of God hath been more servile then filial more afraid of the punishment then of the sin Enter not into judgment with thyservants O Lord for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified The Love of God in my heart is weak and defective Love of God and no better then dissimulation and hypocrifie since I have not hated what is evil nor delighted my self in the Lord and in the ways of his service since I have not obeyed his Laws nor studied to please him more then to please my self and pleasure others since I have not longed after a more full enjoyment of God's Sacred Majesty in Heaven above but my Soul cleaveth to the dust and rubbish of worldly vanities Withdraw not thou thy mercy from me O Lord though my heart hath been withdrawn from thee but let thy loving mercy and truth alway preserve me I have too often neglected and omitted that indispensable duty of holy Prayers both publick and private Prayers unto God in the Church and in the Closet taking any light occasion sometimes to omit sometimes to curtail my Devotions and too often glad of such an occasion I have been too rash with my mouth to utter Prayers before God that have been impertinent irregular and unfit to be offered up to the infinite wisedom and purity of Heaven In the use of those holy Prayers which have been weighed in the balance of the Sanctuary I have been both indevout and irreverent weary of their length displeased at their return cold dull heavy and without advertency in the effusion of them And that which renders the best and most zealous prayers ineffectual I have presumed to pray in my sins with an impure heart and unclean hands so that wherein I might have most confidence I find nothing but imperfections weaknesses and defects God be mercifull unto me a miserable sinner I have not so seriously considered and entertained so deep a sense of thy great glories in thy self Praises of God and manifold graces to us sinful mortals as duly to praise thee both with heart and voice both in the congregation and in the closet neither hath the light of holy Truth so shined in the actions of my life that others seeing my good works may glorifie thee also God be merciful unto my sin for it is great O thou who art an Eternal Sins against the Second Commandment Incomprehensible Spiritual Pure Invisible Essence how have I misapprehended thy greatness My imaginations and conceptions of thee have been vain and mean and far below the excellency purity and perfection of thy Divine Nature And as my thoughts have

been rude and unworthy of thee Irreligious Worship so has my Worship also been far misbeseeming so great so holy so pure a Majesty I have not worshipt thee either with that humble low prostration of Body or yet with that sincere intense devotion of Soul as was meet I should I have drawn near to thee with my lips when often my heart has been far from thee God be merciful unto me a miserable sinner I have made a God of the World by Pride and Covetousness Idolatry which is Idolatry and a God of my Belly by Luxury and Wantonness wherein and in many more respects I have served the Creature more then the Creatour God over all blessed for ever I have too much idolized my own Imaginations both by believing and worshipping God otherwise then himself in his Holy Word and by the Ministry of his Holy and true Church hath commanded God be merciful unto me a miserable sinner I have too often sacrilegiously robbed my God in Tithes and offerings usurping and withholding what hath been consecrated to holy use diminishing and defrauding in the dues of the Church Remember not Lord our iniquities nor the iniquities of our fore-fathers but spare us good Lord spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious bloud That Name of Heaven Sins against the Third Commandment which is great wonderful and holy I have too slightly regarded and too often used to promote vanities and maintain lies I have not onely my self too often profaned Rash Swearing and Cursing but without regret in my self or reproof of others have heard thy holy Name blasphemed by rash Oaths and irreligious Execrations cursing the creatures my neighbours nay my self by that ever-blessed Name which is onely to be mentioned for adoration and blessing God be merciful unto me a miserable sinner I have taken many solemn Oaths Perjury in publick without a right understanding of the respective contents thereof and the obligation of my Conscience thereunto and what I have understood I have not conscienciously kept and observed being guilty of Perjury both in general Oaths and in many particular I have seen the reverend Name and Oath of God imposed upon the Consciences of men out of Tyranny as a covert of oppression and injustice and I also partly for fear partly for favour and affection to unjust defigns have wickedly taken the same Oaths and Engagements and though because of such unlawful Oaths the Land sadly mourned yet have not I been humbled for the sins and Perjuries of this sinful Nation Those holy and just Promises I have made both to God and man Breach of Promise I have not justly performed but have preferred sometimes my sinful pleasure sometimes my sordid gain and worldly advantage before the obligations of my Conscience both by oath and promise I have not given occasion to others to sanctifie thy Name by my discreet Scandal sober edifying speech and demeanour but have rather caused the same to be profaned by my idle light foolish sinful words and works For thy Name 's sake Blessed Jesus thy sweet and saving Name of JESVS be merciful unto my sin for it is great I have too slightly and negligently both read and heard the Sacred Word of God Against the Word of God through carelesness not understanding and through precipitancy and self-interest misunderstanding and wresting the contents thereof and what I have rightly understood I have not conscienciously put in practice God be merciful unto me a miserable sinner I have too much slighted and the Sacraments and too often profaned those Holy Sacraments Christ hath ordained in his Church as the blessed means of Grace and Salvation I have not seriously enough weighed Of Baptism and carefully observed the Covenant I made with my God in Baptism nor yet informed those committed to my charge of their obligation to perform the same I have not been so reverent and devout at the administration of that Holy Sacrament of Baptism as becometh so great a Mystery of Godliness and the holy offices of its Celebration God be merciful unto me and heal my Soul for I have sinned against thee When I have been invited to that Holy Communion of the Body and Bloud of Christ Of the Lord's Supper I have often slighted such invitations chusing rather to continue in my ignorance and neglect of so great a duty then to take pains to be informed and to practise the Religious acts and offices of due preparation thereunto I have pretended scruples of Conscience about harmless Ceremonies to neglect the Service of God it self and remembred the danger of unworthy receiving to keep me back but forgot the duty that is incumbent on me to eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. Many excuses and pretences I have fansied to my self and made to others to detain me from that Sacrament when the true cause has been want of Devotion in my heart and of a full purpose to leave my Sins and to turn unto the Lord sincerely from all the errours of my ways God be merciful unto me a miserable sinner I am much afraid that I have received that Blessed Sacrament unworthily by not discerning the Lord's Body being ignorant of the nature ends and benefits thereof and of what is required of them that come thereunto and by not observing strictly in my Preparation and Participation what I have known thereof As to Preparation I have not so duly and truly examined my heart and life confessed and bewailed my Sins humbly implored pardon fully resolved amendment carefully renewed my Vow and Covenant in Baptism as becometh a devout Communicant Thine infinite mercy O God in giving us thine onely Son to be both the price of our Redemption and the food of our Souls hath not sunk so deep into my heart as to be inflamed with Divine love and affection with a spiritual joy in the Lord and a through devoting of my self to thy service and to praise thee therefore both with heart and voice and through all the actions of my whole life God be merciful unto me a miserable sinner I have not performed my promises nor put into practice my resolutions I undertook upon my approach to thine Altar but have again returned to my old sins as the dog to his vomit I have sinned wo unto me that I have sinned O Father against Heaven and before thee and am not worthy to be called thy son Thy Holy Temple have I profaned by my often irreverent approaches thereunto and my careless The profanation of what is holy slovenly and indevout demeanour therein as if there were no difference betwixt the House of God and the houses of men betwixt a Church and a Barn I have too much undervalued the Ministers of thy Holy Word and Sacraments slighted and contemned holy persons profaned many holy actions and holy things which have thy mark enstamped on them and have been dedicated to the