sinners grievously afflicted on the crosse God dies upon the crosse God suffers God poureth forth his bloud Judge the greatnesse of the danger by the greatnesse of the prize Judge the danger of the disease by the value of the remedie Surely those wounds were great indeed which could no otherwise be cured but by the wounds of the living and quickening flesh Surely that disease must needs be great which could not be cured but by the death of the physician Consider thou faithfull soul Gods most fierce anger against us After the fall of our first father the eternall onely begotten and well beloved sonne of God becomes suter unto his Father for us And yet his anger was not turned away from us He by whom the world was made interceded for us became our advocate and took the cause of us miserable sinners upon himself And yet his anger was not turned away from us Our Saviour took upon him our flesh that by the glorie of the divinitie communicated unto the humanitie he might expiate and purge our sinfull flesh that by the saving vertue of his most perfect righteousnesse communicated unto our nature he might wipe away that venemous qualitie of sinne which cleaveth to our nature and in stead thereof conferre grace upon us And yet his anger was not turned away from us Our sinnes and the punishment of our sins he taketh upon himself His body is bound whipped wounded pierced crucified buried His bloud like a dew distilled most copiously down all his members at his passion His most holy soul is made sorrowfull above measure yea even unto death He feels the pains of hell The eternall Sonne of God crieth out that he is forsaken of God So great was his bloudie sweat so great was his anguish that he which comforteth the angels stood in need of an angel to comfort him He dies who is the authour and giver of life to every living thing If this comes to paâ—se in the green tree what shall become of the dry wood If this comes to passe in the just and holy what shall become of sinners How shall God punish us for our own sinnes who is so wrathfully displeased with his own sonne for other mens sinnes If his sonne is so grievously punished shall we his servants think to escape alwayes unpunished What shall the reprobate suffer if such be the sufferings of his best beloved If Christ departed not without a scourge and yet came into the world without sinne what scourges do they deserve which come into the world in sin live in sin and depart in sinne The servant rejoyceth whilest the sonne is in grievous dolour and pain and that for his sinne The servant heapeth up the anger of God whilest the sonne doth thus labour to pacifie and appease his Fathers wrath Oh the infinite anger of God! oh his unspeakable furie oh the inestimable rigour of his justice He which is thus enraged against his onely and best beloved sonne the partaker of his own essence and that not for any sinne of his own but because he intercedeth for the servant what will he do to the servant that persevereth and continueth still securely in his sinnes Let the servant fear and tremble and be sorrowfull for his own merits when the sonne is thus punished and yet not for his own Let the servant fear who ceaseth not to sinne when the sonne of God is thus afflicted for sinne Let the creature fear which hath crucified his Creatour Let the servant fear which hath slain his Lord. Let the sinner and the ungodly fear which hath thus tormented the pious and the godly Beloved let us heare his cries let us behold his teares he cries from the crosse Behold O man what I suffer for thee I cry unto thee because I die for thee behold the punishments that I suffer behold the nails with which I am pierced and see if any grief be like unto my grief Although my outward grief be thus great yet my inward grief is more grievous because I finde thee so unthankfull Have mercy have mercy on us thou whose propertie it is to have mercy and convert our stony hearts unto thee Meditat. III. Of the fruit of true and serious repentance Our Saviour cry'd Repent repent As John that 'fore our Saviour went THe foundation and beginning of holy life is saving repentance For where there is true repentance there is remission of sinnes And where there is remission of sinnes there is the grace of God And where there is the grace of God there is Christ And where Christ is there is his merit And where there is Christs merit there is satisfaction for sinnes And where there is satisfaction for sinnes there is righteousnes And where there is righteousnesse there is joy and tranquillitie of conscience And where there is tranquillitie of conscience there is the holy Spirit And where the holy Spirit is there is the sacred and holy Trinitie And where the holy Trinitie is there is eternall life Therefore where there is true repentance there is eternall life Where there is not true repentance neither is there remission of sinnes nor the grace of God nor Christ nor his merit nor satisfaction for sinnes nor righteousnesse nor tranquillitie of conscience nor the holy Spirit nor the holy Trinitie nor eternall life Why therefore do we deferre our repentance and why do we procrastinate it from day to day To morrow is not ours and to repent truely is not in our power And in the day of judgement we must give an account not onely for to morrow but also for the present day To morrow is not so certain as the destruction of the impenitent is certain God hath promised remission to the repentant but he hath not promised to morrow There is no place for Christ his satisfaction where there is not true contrition in the heart Our sinnes do separate betwixt God and us so saith the Prophet Esay And by repentance we return again unto him Acknowledge and bewail thy sinnes so shalt thou finde God in Christ appeased towards thee I blot out thine iniquities saith the Lord Therefore our sinnes are enrolled in the court of heaven Turn away thy face from my sinnes begs the Prophet Therefore our iniquities are set in the sight of God Be converted unto us O God prayeth Moses Therefore our sinnes do separate us from God Our sinnes have answered us complaineth Esay Therefore they accuse us before Gods judgement-seat Cleanse me from my sinnes prayeth David Therefore our sinnes appeare most foul and filthie in the sight of God Cure my soul for I have sinned against thee prayeth the same David Therefore sinne is the disease of the soul. Whosoever shall sinne against me I will blot him out of my book saith the Lord Therefore for our sinnes are we blotted out of the book of life Cast me not away from thy face prayeth the Psalmist
her prayers may she worship in spirit So shall she be able with Abraham to escape the everlasting fire prepared For the plain of this world Bethanie signifieth a village of humilitie and affliction by which we must passe to the kingdome of heaven even as Christ himself passed from the place of affliction to the joyes of heaven Till this time heaven was shut and paradise which is above was kept by a flaming sword But now Christ being conquerour doth set open heaven unto us to shew us the way into our heavenly countrey from which we had fallen away The disciples stood lifting up their eyes and looking up towards heaven So let the true disciples of Christ lift up the eyes of their heart to behold heavenly things Lord Jesus what a glorious clause followed thy passion How happie and sudden a change is this How did I see thee suffering on mount Calvarie and how do I behold thee now in the mount of Olives There thou wast alone here thou art accompanied with many thousands of angels There thou didst ascend up to the crosse here thou dost ascend up into heaven in a cloud There thou wast crucified between theeves here thou rejoyced among the companies of angelâ— There thou wast nailed to the crosse as a condemned man here thou aâ—â— at libertie and dost deliver those thaâ— were condemned There dying and suffering here rejoycing and triumphing Christ is our head we are his members Rejoyce therefore and be glad thou faithfull soul for the ascension of thy head The glory of the head is the glory also of the members Where our flesh doth reigne there let us beleeve that we shall also reigne Where our bloud doth rule let us hope that we shall also obtain glorie Though our sinnes do hinder us yet the communion of nature doth not repell us Where the head is there shall the other members be also Our head is entred into heaven Therefore the members have just cause to hope for entrance not onely so but that they have possession there already Christ descended from heaven to redeem us and again he ascended up into heaven to glorifie us Unto us was he born for us did he suffer For us therefore did he ascend Our charitie is confirmed by Christs passion our faith by Christs resurrection our hope by Christs ascension We must follow Christ our bridegroom not onely with our ardent desires but also with our good works Into that citie which is above nothing shall enter that is defiled In token of this the angels that came from the heavenly Jerusalem appeared in white apparel by which puritie and innocencie is figured With the Doctour of humilitie there ascended no pride with the Authour of goodnesse there ascended no malice with the Lover of peace there ascended no discord and with the Sonne of the Virgin there ascended no lust After the Parent of vertues there ascend no vices after the Just there ascend no sinnes and after the Physician there can ascend no infirmities He that desires to see God hereafter face to face let him here so live as in his sight He that hopes for celestiall things let him contemn terrestriall O draw our hearts thee good Jesus Meditat. XXII An Homilie of the holy Ghost God sealeth by his holy Spirit As many as shall life inherit OUr Lord ascending up into the heavens and entring into his glory sent the holy Ghost unto the disciples upon the day of Pentecost As in the old Testament God when he proclaimed the law in mount Sinai came down unto Moses So when the gospel was by the apostles to be propagated throughout all the world the holy Ghost came down upon them There was thundering and lightning and the loud sound of the trumpet because the law doth thunder against our disobedience and makes us subject to Gods indignation But here is the sound of a gentle winde for the preaching of the gospel doth lift up the souls that are cast down There was the fear and trembling of all the people because the law worketh wrath But here the whole multitude doth flock together to heare the wonderfull things of God for by the gospel we have accesse unto God There the Lord descended in fire but it was in the fire of his wrath and furie therefore was the mountain moved and did smoke But here the holy Ghost descendeth in the fire of love so that all the house is not shaken by the wrath of God but is rather replenished with the glory of the holy Ghost What wonder is it if the holy Ghost be sent from the court of heaven to sanctifie us seeing that the Sonne was sent to redeem us The passion of Christ had not profited us unlesse by the gospel it had been preached unto us For what use is there of a treasure that is hid Therefore our most mercifull Father did not onely prepare a great benefit by the passion of his Sonne but also would have it offered to all the world by sending the holy Ghost The faithfull mother giveth unto her tender infant both her dugs God who is faithfull doth send unto us both the Sonne and the holy Ghost But the holy Ghost came upon the apostles when they were assembled together at prayer with one accord For he is the Spirit of prayer he iâ— obtained by prayer and he moveth us to pray Wherefore Because he is that bond by which our hearts are united with God as he doth unite the Father with the Sonne and the Sonne with the Father For he is the mutuall substantiall love of the Father and the Sonne This our spirituall conjunction with God is wrought by faith But faith is the gift of the Spirit It is obtained by prayer But true prayer is made in the Spirit In the temple of Solomon when incense was offered unto God the temple was filled with the glory of the Lord So if thou offerest unto God the sweet odours of prayers the holy Ghost shall fill the temple of thy heart with glory Let us here admire the mercy and grace of God The Father promiseth to heare our prayers the Sonne maketh intercession for us and the holy Ghost prayeth in us The angels carrie our prayers unto God and the court of heaven is open to receive our prayers God of his mercie doth give unto us the affect of prayer because he giveth unto us the spirit of grace and prayer He giveth unto us also the effect of prayer because he doth alwayes heare our prayers if not according to our will yet according to that which is most profitable for us The holy Ghost came when they were all met together with one accord in the same place For he is the Spirit of love and concord that joyneth us unto Christ by faith unto God by love and unto our neighbour by charitie The devil is the authour of discord and separation by
God for the expectation of our conversion I Render unto thee most mercifull Father immortall thanks for that thou wouldest with so great patience and long-suffering expect my conversion and hast brought me out of the path of sinne unto the fellowship of thy kingdome How great is thy long-suffering that thou hast not cast me away from thy face and thrust me down into everlasting torments whereas I have deserved it a thousand times How many thousands hath death prevented before they could attain unto true repentance How many sinners hath the devil made obstinate that they might not obtain forgivenesse of their sinnes There was no distinction in nature between me and them onely thy goodnesse and long-suffering My offence was no lesse then theirs but thy grace did abound Thy mercie strove with my miserie I went on in my sinne and thou didst go on in thy mercy I deferred my conversion and thou didst deferre my punishment I went astray and thou didst call me I refused to come and still thou didst expect me This thy goodnesse most indulgent Father I cannot extoll with sufficient praises This thy long patience most mercifull God I cannot recompense with any merits Thou didst preserve me from many sinnes whereinto the corruption of the flesh the deceit of the world and the perswasion of the devil would have thrown me headlong as well as others Neither hast thou onely kept me from falling into sinne but also hast most graciously expected my conversion from sinne into which I had fallen I finde thee more mercifull then I am sinfull I sinned and thou madest as if thou didst not see it I contained not my self from wickednesse and yet thou didst abstain from punishment I did long time prolong my iniquity and thou didst prolong thy pitie What were then my deserts Surely evil and the worst of evils to wit my sinnes many in number most grievous for weight and detestable for varietie Therefore to thy grace and bountie alone do I attribute it that thou hast so long expected my conversion and delivered my soul out of the snares of â—â—nne To thee O Lord be praise hoâ—our and glory for ever and ever Amen PRAYER VIII He renders thanks for our conversion I Render thanks unto thee my God for that thou hast converted my heart that was hard and knew not how to repent and for that thou hast taken from me my stony heart and given me an heart of flesh I had of my self power to sinne But I had not of my self power to rise again to repentance I could go astray of my self But I could not return again into the way without thee For even as he that is born crooked from his mothers wombe cannot be made straight by naturall means but onely by divine and supernaturall power So my soul being by nature crooked and prone to sinne and the love of earthly things could by no humane power but thy grace onely be rectified and lifted up to the love of thee and heavenly things I could deform my self by my sinnes most foully But thou onely couldst reform me As the Ethiopian cannot change his skinne nor the leopard his spots Sâ— neither can I do that which is good being by nature addicted unto the love of that which is evil Thou my God didst convert me and I was converted and when I was converted then I repented and when I was instructed then I smote my thigh I was dead in sinne And thou didst quicken me As much power as a dead man hath to raise himself So much had I to convert my self Unlesse thou hadst drawn me I had never come unto thee unlesse thou hadst stirred me up I had never watched unto thee unlesse thou hadst illuminated me I had never seen thee My sinnes were more sweet unto me then hony and the hony-combe But I am to thank thee that now they are sharp and bitter unto me for thou hast given me a spirituall taste The works of vertue were more bitter unto me then gall and aloes But I am to thank thee that now they are become pleasant and sweet for thou hast by thy Spirit changed the corrupt judgement of my flesh I went astray as a sheep that is lost and declined to the way of iniquitie But thou which art the good shepherd hast found me out and brought me again unto the flock of thy saints It was late ere I knew thee for there was a great and darksome cloud of vanitie before mine eyes which would not suffer me to see the light of the truth It was late ere I saw the true light because I was blinde and loved blindnesse and walked through the darknesse of sinne into the darknesse of hell But thou hast illuminated me thou soughtest me when I sought not thee thou calledst me when I called not upon thee thou convertedst me when I was not converted unto thee and thou saidst with a most powerfull voice Let there be light in the inward parts of his heart and there was a light and I saw thy light and I knew mine own blindnesse For this thy immense and infinite benefit I will praise thy name for ever and ever Amen PRAYER IX He renders thanks for the forgivenesse of sinnes I Ow and render unto thee eternall and mercifull God great thanks for that thou hast not rejected me when I came unto thee but diddest most readily receive me and most mercifully forgive me all my sinnes I was that prodigall sonne most indulgent Father I was that prodigall sonne that by living riotously wasted his Fathers substance For I have defiled the gifts of nature I have refused the gifts of grace I have deprived my self of the gifts of glory I was naked and destitute of all good things and thou coveredst and enrichedst me with the robe of righteousnesse I was lost and condemned and thou of thy free grace hast bestowed upon me eternall salvation Thou of thine ardent mercy didst embrace me and kisse me in sending thy most beloved Sonne that is in thy bosome and thy holy Spirit which is the kisse of thy mouth as ample witnesses of thine infinite love Thou clothedst me with my first robe in restoring me my former innocencie Thou gavest me a ring for my hand by sealing me with thy Spirit of grace Thou didst put shoes upon my feet by arming me with the Gospel of peace Thou killedst the fat calf for me by delivering thy most deare Sonne to death for me Thou didst cause me to feast and make merrie by restoring the joy of heart and the true peace of conscience unto me I was dead and through thee I was restored to life I went astray and through thee I came again into the way I was consumed with povertie and through thee I entred again into my former possession Thou mightest in thy just judgement have rejected me seeing that I was polluted with so many sinnes covered with so
evening of this world would Christ be born to shew that the benefits of his incarnation concern not this life but that which is everlasting In the time of Augustus the peace-maker would he be born because he made peace between God and man In the time of Israels servitude would he be born because he is the redeemer and deliverer of his people Under the reigne of a forrein king would he be born because his kingdome was not of this world He is born of a virgin to signifie that he is not conceived or born but in the hearts of those that are spirituall virgins that is whose mindes adhere not unto the world and the devil but unto God in one spirit His birth was pure and holy to sanctifie our impure and polluted nativity He is born of a virgin betrothed to an husband to honour matrimony which was Gods institution He is born in the darknesse of the night because he was the true light which illuminateth the darknesse of the world He is laid in a manger because he is the true food of our souls He is born betwixt an ox and an asse that men which were become like unto the beasts might be restored to their former dignitie He is born in Bethlehem that is in the house of bread because he brought with him most plentifull food of divine benefits He is the first and onely begotten of his mother upon earth because he was according to his divine nature the first and onely begotten of his Father in heaven He is born poore and needie to purchase for us celestiall riches He is born in a stable to bring us to his royall palace which is in heaven From heaven is sent the messenger of this so great a benefit because no man on earth understood the greatnesse thereof And further it was meet that the messenger of celestiall gifts should be celestiall The armies of the angels rejoyce because we are by the incarnation of the Son made partakers of their happinesse To the shepherds first is declared this so great a miracle because the truâ— shepherd of our souls came to bring back the lost sheep into the way To the ignoble and those that were despised is the matter of so great joy declared because no man can partake thereof unlesse he become vile in his own eyes To them that watch over their flocks is his nativitie declared because they onely whose hearts do watch unto God and not they that lie snorting in their sinnes are made partakers of so great a gift The quire of heaven which was made sorrowfull for the sinne of our first father doth now sing and rejoyce The brightnesse and glory of that Lord and King appeareth now in the heavens whose lowlinesse men despised here on earth The angel sayes unto them Fear not because he was born who would quite take away all cause of fear Joy was declared from heaven because the authour and giver of joy was born Joy is commanded because enmity between God and man the cause of all sorrow is removed Glory in the highest is rendred unto God which our first father by his unlawfull transgression of the commandment would have taken away True peace is obtained by his nativitie because before men were enemies unto God before their own conscience was their adversarie before they were at dissension one with another True peace is restored to the earth because he is overcome which held us captive Let us go with the shepherds to Christs manger that is to the church and in his swadling-clothes that is in the sacred scriptures shall we finde the infant enwrapped Let us with Mary the holy mother of our Lord keep the words of so great a mysterie and let us every day recall them to our memorie Let us follow with our voice the angels which sing before us and let us render unto God due thanks for so great a benefit Let us rejoyce and be glad with all the heavenly army For if the angels do so greatly rejoyce for our sake How much more ought we to rejoyce seeing unto us he is born and given If the Israelites did lift up their voices with jubile when the ark of the covenant was brought unto them which was but a figure and shadow of the Lords incarnation How much more ought we to rejoyce unto whom the Lord himself is come and hath taken our flesh upon him If Abraham rejoyced when he saw the day of the Lord when the Lord in an humane shape assumed for a time appeared unto him What should we do now Christ hath coupled unto himself our nature by an everlasting and inviolable covenant Let us admire here the infinite goodnesse of God who himself would descend unto us seeing that we could not ascend unto him Let us admire the infinite power of God who of two things most distant I mean the divine and humane nature could make one so nearly that one and the same should be God and man Let us admire the infinite wisdome of God who could finde out means to work our salvation when men and angels saw no means An infinite good was offended and an infinite satisfaction was required Man had offended God of man was satisfaction required But by man neither could an infinite satisfaction be made neither could Gods justice be satisfied without an infinite price Therefore God was made man that both he which had sinned might satisfie and he which was infinite might pay an infinite price Let us admire this wonderfull temper of Gods justice and mercie which no creature could finde before God did manifest it and none could fully perceive after it was made manifest Let us admire these things and not curiously prie into them Let us desire to look in though we cannot conceive all Let us rather confesse our ignorance then deny Gods omnipotence Meditat. XV. Of the saving fruit of the Incarnation Christ was conceiv'd in Virgins wombe That thou might'st sonne of God become I Bring you tidings of great joy saith the angel at our Saviours nativitie Of great joy indeed that is such as passeth mans understanding It was a very great evil that we were held captive under the wrath of God under the power of the devil and under eternall damnation But it was yet greater because men either knew it not or else did neglect it But now great joy is declared unto us because he that delivereth us from all evils is come into the world He is come a physician to the sick a redeemer to the captives the way to the wanderers life to them that were dead salvation to them that were condemned As Moses was sent from the Lord to deliver the people of Israel from the servitude of Egypt So Christ was sent from his Father to redeem all mankinde from the devils slavery As the dove after the drying up of the waters
of the deluge brought an olive-branch into the ark of Noah So Christ came into the world to preach peace and the reconciliation of man with God Therefore we have cause to rejoyce and conceive great things of the mercy of God He which loved us so being his enemies that he did vouchsafe to assume our nature to be united to his divinitie what will he deny unto us being joyned unto him by participation of our flesh Who ever hated his own flesh How then can that chief and infinite mercy repell us from him being now made partakers of his nature Who can in words expresse or in thought conceive the greatnesse of this mystery Here is the greatest sublimitie and the greatest humilitie the greatest power and the greatest infirmity the greatest majestie and the greatest frailtie What is higher then God and lower then man What is more powerfull then God and weaker then man What is more glorious then God and more frail then man But that chief power found out a means to conjoyn these seeing that the chief justice did necessarily require such a conjunction Who also can conceive the greatnesse of this mysterie An equivalent and infinite price was required for the sinne of man because man had turned himself away from the infinite good which is God But what could be equivalent to the infinite God Therefore infinite justice it self takes as it were of himself an equivalent price and God the Creatour suffers in the flesh that the flesh of the creature should not suffer for ever An infinite goodnesse was offended and none could intercede but a mediatour of infinite power And what is infinite but God Therefore God himself reconciled the world unto himself God himself became mediatour God himself redeemed mankinde by his own bloud Who can conceive the greatnes of this mystery The chief Creatour was offended and the creature sought not with care to appease him and to be reconciled unto him So he which was offended assumes the flesh of the creature and becomes Reconciliatour Man had forsaken God and turned away himself unto the devil the enemy of God and he that was forsaken makes diligent inquisition after the forsaker and invites him most bountifully to come again unto him Man had departed from that infinite good and fallen into an infinite evil And that same infinite good by giving an infinite price of redemption delivered the creature from that infinite evil Is not this infinite mercie farre exceeding all the finite understanding and thought of man Our nature is become more glorious by Christ then it was dishonoured by Adams sinne We have received more in Christ then we lost in Adam Where sinne did abound Gods grace did superabound In Adam we lost our innocency in Christ we have received perfect righteousnes Let others admire Gods power But his divine mercy is yet more to be admired although power and mercy in God are equall for both are infinite Let others admire our creation But I had rather admire our redemption although creation and redemption are both acts of infinite power It was a great thing to create man having deserved nothing for as yet he had no being But it seems yet to be greater to take upon him to satisfie for the debt of man and to redeem him when he deserved evil It was a wonderfull thing that our flâ—sh and our bones were formed by God but yet it is more wonderfull that God would become flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones Be thankfull O my soul unto God who created thee when thou wast not who redeemed thee when for sinne thou wast condemned and who hath prepared for thee if by faith thou adhere unto Christ the joyes of heaven Meditat. XVI Of the spirituall refection of the godly Christ unto thee if thou art his Both light and food and medâ—cine is OUr most bountifull God hath prepared a great feast but hearts that be hungrie must be brought unto it He that tasteth not feeleth not the sweetnes of the heavenly feast and he which hungreth not tasteth not To beleeve on Christ is to come to his heavenly feast But no man can beleeve unlesse he confesse his sinnes with contrition and repent him of the same Contrition is the spirituall hunger of the soul and faith is the spirituall feeding To the Israelites God gave Manna in the wildernesse being the bread of angels In this feast of the new Testament God giveth unto us the heavenly â—anna that is his grace and forgivenesse of sinnes yea his Sonne the Lord of the angels Christ is that spirituall bread which came down from heaven to give life unto the world He that is full with the husks of the swine that is with the delights of this world desires not that sweetnesse The outward man perceiveth not what is sweet unto the inward God gives his Manna in the wildernesse that is where all earthly meat and all earthly consolation is taken from the soul. He which had married a wife refused to come But the chaste virgins that is those souls which neither cleave unto the devil by sinnes nor to the world by delights do come unto this feast I have espoused you as a chaste virgin to one husband saith the Apostle Our soul must not commit spirituall adultery that so God may contract spirituall marriage with her He which had a desire to go see his field refused to come They which love the pleasures of this world come not unto the sweetnesse of the heavenly feast The desire is the foot of the soul Our soul comes not to this mysticall feast unlesse it desires and it cannot desire the heavenly sweetnesse if it be full with this worldly comfort When the rich young man heard that for Christ he should forsake his riches unto which his soul did cleave he went away sorrowfull Christ the celestiall Elisha poureth not the oyl of celestiall sweetnesse but into vessels which are emptie The love of God enters not into the soul unlesse self-love and the love of the world first go forth Where our treasure is there will our heart be also If thou makest the world thy treasure thy heart will be on the world Love hath force to unite If thou lovest earth thou art united to earth Love hath force to alter and change If thou lovest the world thou shalt become worldly They which buy oxen and are negotiating come not unto Christ They which set their hearts upon riches desire not the heavenly riches Earthly riches by a kinde of false shew of sufficiency satisfie the desire of the soul that she may not seek after her true sufficiencie in God which onely doth fully satiate the appetite All earthly riches consist in the creatures in silver gold building ground cattel but no creature doth fully satisfie the soul because she is more excellent then all the creatures for they
life and the words of eternall life The cup of benediction is the communion of the bloud of Christ and the bread which we break is the participation of the Lords bodie We cleave unto the Lord Therefore we are one Spirit with him We are united unto him not onely by the communion of nature but also by the participation of his bodie and bloud I do not therefore say with the Jews How can this man give us his flesh to eat But rather crie out How doth the Lord distribute unto us his flesh to eat and his bloud to drink I do not prie into his power but do admire his benevolence I do not examine his majestie but I reverence his goodnesse His presence I beleeve the manner of his presence I know not I am certainly assured that it is most neare and inward We are members of his body flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones He dwelleth in us and we in him My soul desireth to dive by cogitation into this most profound abysse but cannot finde with what words to set forth and declare that goodnesse and therefore is altogether amazed at the sight of the greatnesse of the grace of the Lord and the glory of the blessed Meditat. XIX Of the mysterie of the Lords Supper Be wise Do not to farre enquire 'To that thou rather shouldst admire IN the Lords holy Supper there is set before us a mysterie to be trembled at and to be adored of us by all means There is the treasure and treasurie of divine grace We know that there was a tree of life planted by God whose fruit might have conserved our first parents and their posteritie by the fertilitie and felicitie thereof There was also placed in paradise a tree of the knowledge of good and evil But even that which was appointed by God for their salvation and life and for an exercise of their obedience became unto them an occasion of death and condemnation whilest they poore wretches obeyed the devils allurements and their own desires Here also is prepared a tree of life that sweet wood whose leaves are for medicine and whose fruit for meat The sweetnesse thereof doth take away the bitternesse of all evils yea of death it self Unto the Israelites was given Manna that they might be fed with heavenly food Here is that true Manna which came down from heaven to give life unto the world This is the heavenly bread and the angelicall meat of which whosoever eateth shall never hunger The Israelites had the ark of the covenant and the mercy-seat where they might heare the Lord speak face to face Here is the true ark of the covenant that is the most sacred bodie of Christ wherein the treasures of all science knowledge and wisdome are laid up Here is the true mercy-seat in the bloud of Christ which makes us to be beloved in the beloved neither doth he speak unto us onely by his inward consolation but also dwelleth in us neither doth he feed us onely with heavenly Manna but with himself Here is the gate of heaven indeed here is the angels ladder For can heaven be greater then he that is in heaven Can heaven be more nearly united unto God then the flesh and humane nature which he hath assumed Heaven indeed is the throne of God But in the humane nature assumed by Christ resteth the holy Spirit God is in heaven But in Christ dwelleth the fulnesse of the divinitie Certainly this is a great and infallible pledge of our salvation He had no greater thing to give unto us For what is greater then himself What is so closely united unto him as his humane nature which is assumed into the fellowship of the most blessed Trinitie and made the treasurie of all heavenly goods What is so nearly conjoyned unto him as flesh and bloud And yet with these most heavenly nourishments doth he refresh us miserable worms and make us partakers of his nature And shall not he then make us partakers of his grace Who ever hated his own flesh How can the Lord then despise us whom he feedeth with his own flesh and bloud How can he forget those unto whom he hath given the pledge of his own bodie How can Satan be able to overcome us seeing that we are fed with heavenly food that we faint not in battel We are deare unto Christ because he bought us at so deare a price We are deare unto Christ because he feeds us with such deare and precious things We are deare unto Christ because we are his flesh and members This is the onely Panacea of all spirituall diseases this is the medicine of immortalitie For what sinne is there so great that the sacred flesh of God cannot expiate What sinne is so great that the quickning flesh of Christ cannot heal What sinne so mortall that is not taken away by the death of the Sonne of God What fierie darts of the devil can be so deadly that they cannot be quenched in this fountain of divine grace What so great stain of the conscience that this bloud cannot purge The Lord was present to the Israelites in a cloud and in fire But here is no cloud but the sunne of righteousnesse the present light of our souls Here is not felt the fire of Gods fury but the heat of his love neither doth he depart from us but makes his mansion with us Our first parents were brought into paradise that most sweet and fragrant garden the type of eternall beatitude that being put in minde of Gods bountie they might perform due obedience unto their Creatour Behold Here is more then paradise in this place For the creature is filled with the flesh of the Creatour The penitent conscience is cleansed by the bloud of the Sonne of God By the body of Christ are nourished the members of Christ the head The faithfull soul is fed with divine and heavenly dainties The sacred flesh of God which the angels adore in the unitie of person which the archangels reverence at which the Powers do tremble and which the Vertues admire is our spirituall food Let the heavens rejoyce and let the earth be glad but much more the faithfull soul upon whom such and so great benefits are bestowed Meditat. XX. Of serious preparation before we come to the Lords Supper A wedding garment put thou on Or keep from this communion HEre is no common cheere nor the feast of some ordinarie king but here is the holy mysterie of the body and bloud of Christ to be handled of us Therefore a due preparation is required lest we finde death in stead of life and receive condemnation in stead of mercy How did that most holy Patriarch so famous for the strength of his faith how did he fear and tremble when the Sonne of God appeared unto him in the
hands O God how liberall art thou to mankindeâ— All things thou createdst long ago for the use of man All things thou dost as yet preserve for the good of man Whatsoever thou of thine infinite goodnesse affordest to the other creatures thou affordest also unto me for as much as thou dost wonderfully form furnish and conserve them for my sake Some of the creatures serve to obey me some to nourish me some to clothe me some to cure me some to chastise me But all of them to teach and inform me Who can reckon up those divers kindes of nutriments which thou hast created and dost as yet produce out of the earth unto this day to nourish us Who can enumerate those divers species of herbs which thou dost every yeare cause the earth to bring forth to cure us Who can in words comprehend those sundry kindes of living creatures which were made for mans use and do yet all serve him To thee be praise and honour for ever who art the Creatour and Conserver of all things Without thee the true sunne I should vanish away as doth the shadow Without thee the true life I should presently depart out of this life Without thee the true being I should suddenly fall to nothing To thee onely is due that I live move and have my being Therefore to thee alone will I live and adhere for ever Amen PRAYER III. He renders thanks for our redemption wrought by Christ. I Ow unto thee O eternall and Almighty God most heartie thanks for that thou hast created me when I was nothing But much more for that thou hast redeemed me when I was lost and condemned I did hang in the jaws of hell And thou didst pluck me out by the bloud of thy Sonne I was the slave of Satan but thy grace hath delivered me out of the power of the devil and translated me into the kingdome of Christ. I ow my self wholly unto thee because thou createdst me wholly My tongue ought alwayes to praise thee because thou gavest it unto me My mouth ought alwayes to set forth thy praise because the aire and breath which it drawes is thine My heart ought alwayes to cleave unto thee with perpetuall love because thou didst form it All my members ought to be ready for thy service because thou didst wonderfully frame them how many and how great soever they be But if I ow my self wholly unto thee because thou createdst me What shall I repay unto thee for redeeming me out of slavery and captivity The lost sheep thou hast delivered out of the claws of the infernall wolf The fugitive slave thou hast pluckt out of the prison of the devil The lost groat thou hast sought out with great carefulnesse In Adam I fell and thou hast erected me In Adam I was captivated in the bonds of sinne but thou hast set me at liberty In Adam I was lost and again thou hast saved me What am I worm that thou shouldest be so solicitous for redeeming me What am I worm that thou shouldest be so prodigally bountifull for saving me If thou hadst altogether cast off our first parents after their fall and hadst thrown them with all their posteritie out from the presence of thy glory into the lowest pit of hell there is none of us could justly complain of any wrong done unto him For they had received and we had received for our deeds a just reward What else could we have desired or expected from thee who createdst us after thine own image and furnishedst us with power and sufficiencie to have kept our innocencie But in this thou didst manifest thy incomprehensible and unspeakable love towards us in that thou didst promise unto our first parents after their fall thy Sonne for their Redeemer and in the fulnesse of time didst send him unto us to call us from death to life from sinne to righteousnesse and from the infernall pit unto celestiall glorie O thou lover of man whose delight is with the sonnes of men who can worthily set forth the praise of thy love to man Yea who can in minde conceive the worthines thereof These are the incomprehensible riches of thy goodnesse This is the infinite treasure of thy gifts which the slendernesse of our capacitie and understanding cannot conceive Was a servant so deare unto thee that thy Sonne must be delivered to death for his redemption Was an enemie so much to be beloved that thou shouldest appoint thy most beloved Sonne to be his redeemer My soul is astonisht with the very consideration of this thy goodnesse â—nd doth wholly turn and dissolve it self into the love of thee Amen PRAYER IIII. He rendreth thanks for the incarnation of the Sonne I Render thanks unto thee Jesu Christ thou alone Mediatour and Redeemer of mankinde for that thou hast in the fulnesse of time personally united unto thee the true humane nature and hast vouchsafed to be born of a Virgin How great is thy love to man in that thou didst not assume the nature of angels but the seed of Abraham How great is the mystery of godlinesse that thou being very God wouldest be made manifest in the flesh How great is the inclination of thy pity that descending from heaven for my sake thou hast endured to be born of a Virgin For me most vile creature Creatour Almighty thou art become man For me most abject servant most glorious Lord thou hast put on the shape of a servant that by taking flesh upon thee thou mightest set my flesh at libertie To me thou art born Whatsoever celestiall good therefore thou bringest with thee in thy Nativitie shall be mine To me thou art given And therefore all things with thee My nature in thee is more glorified then it was in Adam dishonoured For thou dost assume it into the Unitie of thy Person whereas it was weakened with accidentall corruption onely by Satan Thou art flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone Thou art my brother And what canst thou deny unto me seeing thou art most nearly joyned unto me in the same flesh and affection of brotherly love Thou art the Bridegroom who according to the good pleasure of thy heavenly Father hast coupled unto thee by a personall league the humane nature as a spouse To the joy of those nuptials I do proclaim and thankfully acknowledge that I my self am invited I wonder now no more that the heaven the earth the sea and all things that are in them were made for man by God seeing that God himself would for man become man Thou canst not utterly divorce me and cast me away from thee seeing that thou canst not deny that thou art a man and therefore my brother Thou canst not altogether forget me because thou hast graven me in thine own hands For the very communion of the flesh doth daily and continually put thee in minde of me Thou canst not altogether forsake me seeing that it
hath pleased thee to conjoyn unto thee the humane nature in a most neare bond of personall union Although therefore my sinnes do hinder me yet the communion of nature doth not repell me I will adhere wholly unto thee because thou hast wholly assumed me wholly Amen PRAYER V. He renders thanks for Christs passion HOw great thanks do I ow unto thee O most holy Jesu for that thou hast taken upon thee the punishment of my sinnes and hast endured hunger thirst cold wearinesse reproches persecutions sorrows povertie bonds whips pricking of thorns yea and that most bitter death of the crosse for me sinner How great is the flame of thy love which forced thee of thine own accord to throw thy self into that sea of passions and that for me most vile and unthankfull servant Thy innocency and righteousnesse made thee free from all sufferings But thy infinite and unspeakable love made thee debter and guilty in my room It is I that trespassed and thou makest satisfaction It is I that committed rapine and thou makest restitution It is I that sinned and thou undergoest the passion O Jesu most benigne I acknowledge the bowels of thy mercy and the fiery heat of love Thou seemest to love me more then thy self seeing thou deliverest up thy self for me O most innocent Jesu what hast thou to do with the sentence of death O thou most beautifull amongst the sonnes of men what hast thou to do with spittings upon thee O thou most righteous what hast thou to do with whips and bonds These things belong not unto thee They are all due unto me But thou of thine unspeakable love didst descend into the prison of this world and take upon thee the shape of a servant and most willingly undergo the punishment that was due unto me I was for my sinnes to be adjudged to the lake that burneth with everlasting fire But thou by the fire of love being burnt upon the altar of the crosse dost free me from it I was to be cast away for my sinnes from the face of my heavenly Father And thou for my sake complainest that thou art forsaken of thy heavenly Father I was to be tormented of the devil and his angels for ever And thou of thine infinite love dost deliver thy self unto the ministers of Satan to be afflicted and crucified for me As many instruments as I see of thy passion so many tokens do I see of thy love towards me For my sinnes are those bonds those whips and those thorns which afflicted thee all which of thine unspeakable love thou enduredst for me Thy love was not yet satisfied with taking my flesh upon thee but thou wouldest make it as yet more manifest by that most bitter passion of thy soul and bodie Who am I most mighty Lord that for me disobedient servant thou thy self wouldst become a servant so many yeares Who am I most beautifull Bridegroom that for me the most filthy vassal of sinne and whore of the devil thou hast not refused to die Who am I most bountifull Creatour that for me most vile creature thou hast not been afraid of the passion of the crosse I am to thee most loving Bridegroom the true spouse of bloud for whom thou dost poure forth such plenty of bloud I am to thee most beautifull Lily a thorn indeed that is full of prickles It is I that laid upon thee a heavy and sharp burthen with the weight whereof thou wast so squeezed that drops of bloud did distill abundantly from thy sacred bodie To thee Lord Jesu my alone Redeemer and Mediatour for this thine unspeakable love will I sing praises for ever Amen PRAYER VI. He renders thanks for our calling by the word VNto thee O Lord my God is most due all praise honour and thanksgiving for that thou wouldest by the preaching of thy word make manifest unto us that thy Fatherly will and determinate counsel concerning our salvation By nature we are darknesse we sit in darknesse and in the region of the shadow of death But thou by the most clear light of the Gospel dost dispell this darknes In thy light do we see light that is in the light of thy word we see that true light that lighteneth every one that cometh into this world What use were there of a treasure that is hid and a light that is put under a bushel I do therefore declare with thankfulnesse that great benefit in that thou hast by the word of thy Gospel revealed unto us that treasure of benefits in thy Sonne How beautifull are the feet of those that bring good tidings and tell of salvation This peace of conscience and salvation of the soul by the preaching of the Gospel thou dost yet declare unto us and call us unto the kingdome of thy Sonne I was led into the by-paths of errours as it were a weak and miserable sheep But thou hast called me into the way again by the preaching of thy word I was condemned and utterly lost But thou in the word of thy Gospel dost offer unto me the benefits of Christ and in the benefits of Christ thy grace and in thy grace remission of sinnes and in remission of sinnes righteousnesse and in righteousnesse salvation and life everlasting Who can sufficiently in words expresse those bowels of thy mercy yea who can in minde conceive the greatnesse the riches of thy goodnesse The mysterie of our salvation kept secret from eternitie by the manifestation of thy Gospel thou dost lay open unto us The counsels which thou hadst concerning our peace before the foundations of the world were laid thou dost reveal unto us by the preaching of thy word which is a lantern unto our feet whiles we go through this darksome valley intâ— light everlasting What had it profited us to have been born unlesse by Christ thou hadst delivered us when we were captivated through sinne What had it profited us to have been redeemed unlesse thou hadst by thy word declared unto us the great benefit of our redemption Thou dost spread forth thy hands unto us all the day Thou knockest at the gate of our heart every day and callest us all unto thee by thy word O Lord most benigne how many thousand thousands of men do live in the blindenesse of Gentilisme and in errours and have not seen that light of thy heavenly word which thy bounty hath granted us of all men most unthankfull Alas how often through our contempt and unthankfulnesse do we deserve that thou shouldest take from us the candlestick of thy word But thou of thy long patience dost make as if thou sawest not our sinnes and of thy unspeakable mercy dost yet continue unto us that most holy pledge and most precious treasure of thy word For which thy great benefit we render unto thee eternall thanks and we humbly beseech thee to continue it still unto us Amen PRAYER VII He renders thanks unto
many offences and corrupted with so many iniquities But thy mercy did abound above my sinnes thy goodnesse was greater then mine iniquity How often have I shut the gate of my heart when thou diddest knock Therefore when I knocked thou mightest most justly have shut the doore of mercy against me How often have I stopt mine eares that I might not heare thy voice Therefore when I sighed unto thee thou mightest most justly have stopped thine eares and not hearkened unto my voice But thy grace was more abundant then all my sinne and transgression Thou didst receive me with thy hands spread forth and put away mine iniquities as it were a cloud and cast all my sinnes behinde thy back Thou remembrest my sinnes no more but receivest me into the most ample bosome of thy mercy For this thy inestimable benefit I will give thanks unto thee for ever Amen PRAYER X. He renders thanks unto God for conserving us in that which is good TO thee Lord be honour and glorie and blessing and thanksgiving for that thou hast not onely in mercy received me upon my repentance but also hast enabled me to abstain from sinne and live more reformedly What should it profit a man to be free from his sicknesse and presently to fall into a worse relapse What should it profit to be absolved from sinnes past unlesse grace be conferred to lead a godly life Thou God most faithfull hast shewed all the parts and offices of a faithfull and skilfull Physician in the cure of my souls wounds My wounds were deadly and thou didst cure them by the wounds of thy Sonne But there was cause to fear that the wounds that were healed might wax raw again And thou by the grace of thy holy Spirit as it were a fomentation hast hindred it How many be those that after remission of sinnes obtained return again to their former course of life and reiterating their sinnes more grievously offend God! Alas how many do we see that being freed from the yoke of sinne return to their former captivitie and being brought out of the spirituall Egypt look back again to the pots They have fled from the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of Christ and do wallow again in the same by repeating the former conversation of their most wicked life They were freed out of the bonds of Satan by their conversion and again are held entangled in the same by the delusion of wicked spirits Surely their latter end is worse then their beginning And it had been better for them never to have known the way of righteousnesse then having known it to turn away from the path of the holy commandments which were delivered unto them These are the dogs that return again to their vomit and sowes that after their washing wallow again in the mire Whatsoever hath happened unto them might have happened unto me but that it hath pleased thee by the grace of thy power and the efficacie of thy holy Spirit to enable me to continue in that which is good The same wicked spirit that vanquished them assaulted me The same world that seduced them enticed me The same flesh that overcame them allured me Onely thy grace protected me against their assaults and furnished me with power sufficient for victory Thy strength was powerfull in my weaknes From thee the strength of the Spirit descended with which I was enabled to bridle the assaults of the flesh Whatsoever good there is in me it descends all from thee who art the fountain of all good for in me by nature there is nothing but sinne Therefore as many good works as I finde in me which notwithstanding are impure and imperfect by reason of my flesh so many gifts they are of thy grace I must needs confesse For this thine inestimable gift conferred upon me I will give thee thanks for ever Amen PRAYER XI He renders thanks for all the gifts of the soul and bodie and for externall goods I Render unto thee eternall and mercifull God as it is most due eternall thanks for that thou hast not onely made me a bodie and a soul but moreover hast furnished me with sundry gifts of the soul and bodie and also with externall goods Thou which art wisdome it self teachest man all knowledge If therefore I know any good it is a demonstration of thine abundant grace towards me Without thy light my minde is darksome Without thy grace my will is captive If there be in me either any wit or prudence it is all to be attributed to thy clemencie Wisdome is the eye of the soul and divine grace is the eye of wisdome Whatsoever we know we know either by the light of nature or by the revelation of thy word But from thee O thou light of eternall wisdome doth the illumination of nature spring From thee also doth the revelation of the word come Therefore whatsoever we know descendeth unto us as thy gift Thou O indeficient fountain of life art my life and the length of my dayes Thou O eternall health it self art the strength of my body and the vigour of my vertue Man liveth not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of thy mouth So then man is not preserved in health and strength by bread onely neither is he preserved from diseases by physick onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God Tranquillitie of the minde preserveth the health of the bodie And true godlinesse begetteth tranquillitie of the conscience From thee O thou chief good all true godlinesse all tranquillitie of the minde without disturbance and all wished-for health of body doth come Moreover whatsoever externall good I do possesse all that I ow unto thy liberality and bounty A crust of bread is not due unto my deserts How much lesse then are all these externall goods which thou dost heap upon me They are called indeed the gifts of fortune But they are in deed and in truth the gifts of thy grace There is nothing more blessed then to do good and to be liberall to others and thou hast made me partaker of this blessednesse by bestowing liberally these outward goods upon me Thou hast sowed in me the seed of thy grace that from thence there may arise to others an harvest of liberality and beneficency Thou hast committed many things unto me as unto a steward that I might have wherewithall to do good to my fellow-servants From thee the fountain of all good there descends upon me streams of goods Whatsoever I am whatsoever I possesse whatsoever I bestow depends all I confesse upon thy bounty For this thine inestimable mercy I will give thee thanks for ever Amen PRAYER XII He renders thanks for the sacrament of Baptisme TO thee O eternall and mercifull God Father Sonne and holy Ghost I render humble thaâ—â—s for that thou hast washed me in the holy laver of baptisme from all my sinnes and for
clothedst us with innocencie as with a garment thou seatedst us in paradise a place of all delight and pleasure But we have defaced thine image we have cast off our first covering we have thrust our selves out of that pleasant place We ran away from thee and were not obedient unto thy voice We were lost and condemned before we came into this world Our first parents sinned against thee and we sinned in them They were corrupted and we are inheriters of their corruption They were the parents of disobedience and we are by nature the children of wrath Sinfull and unhappie children of sinfull and unhappie parents Thou mightest in thy displeasure after their fall have plunged them into the bottomlesse pit and made them the fewel of hell and sent their posteritie after them And neither they nor we could justly have complained Righteous O Lord art thou in thy judgements And our miserie is from our selves But great was thy mercie unto us We came into this world in a floud of uncleannesse wallowing in our mothers bloud and thou didst set open a fountain for us to wash in We were washed in the laver of Baptisme and we have returned with the swine to our wallowing in the mire We came from a place of darknesse into this world we lived as children of darknesse we sat in darknesse and in the shadow of death Thou gavest us thy word to be a lantern unto our feet and a light unto our paths that in thy light we might see light that so walking in the way of truth we might attain everlasting life But we have loved darknesse more then light and have not been obedient unto thy word We came into this world crooked even from our mothers wombe and thou gavest us thy law to be a glasse wherein we might see our deformitie and a rule whereby to square all our actions words and thoughts But we have shut our eyes that we might not see and we have refused to be ruled by thy law The law of sinne in our flesh doth daily captivate us The root of originall sinne which lieth hidden in us doth every day put forth new branches All the parts and faculties of our bodies and souls are as so many instruments of unrighteousnesse to fight against thy divine Majestie Our hearts imagine wicked things our mouthes utter them and our hands put them in practise Thy mercies every day are renewed unto us and our sinnes are every day multiplied against thee In the day of health and prosperitie we forget thee and we never think upon the day of sicknesse and adversitie Thy benefits heaped upon us do not allure us to obey thee Neither do thy judgements inflicted upon others make us afraid to offend thee What couldest thou O Lord have done more for us or what could we have done more against thee Thou didst send thy Sonne in the fulnesse of time to take our nature upon him to fulfill thy law for us and to be crucified for our sinnes We have not followed the example of his holy life but have every day afresh crucified him by our sinnes And now O Lord if we shall become our own judges we cannot but confesse that we have â—eserved everlasting torments in hellâ—ire But there is mercie with thee O Lord therefore will we not despair Our sinnes are many in number But thy mercies are without number The weight of our sinnes is great But the weight of thy Sonnes crosse was greater Our sinnes presse us down unto hell But thy mercie in Christ Jesus raiseth us up By Satan we are accused But by Jesus Christ we are defended By the law we are convicted But by Jesus Christ we are justified By our own conscience we are condemned But by Jesus Christ we are absolved In us there is nothing but sinne death and damnation In him there is treasured up for us righteousnesse life and salvation We are poore He is our riches We are naked He is our covering We are exposed to thy fury pursuing us He is the buckler of our defence and our refuge He is the rock of our salvation and in him do we trust His wounds are the clefts of the rock Give us we beseech thee the wings of a Dove that by faith we may hide our selves in the clefts of this rock that thine anger wax not hot against us to consume us Let not thy justice triumph in our confusion but let thy mercie rejoyce in our salvation Pardon the sinfull course of our life past and guide us by thy holy Spirit for the time to come Amend what is amisse increase all gifts and graces which thou hast already given and give unto us what thou best knowest to be wanting Be gracious and favourable to thy whole church especially to that part thereof which thou hast committed unto the protection of thy servant and our Sovereigne King Charles Grant that he may see it flourishing in peace and prosperity in the profession and practise of thy Gospel all the dayes of his life and after this life ended crown him we beseech thee with a crown of immortall glorie Let not the sceptre of this kingdome depart from his house neither let there be wanting a man of his race to sit upon his throne so long as the sunne and moon endureth Of this thou hast given us a pledge alreadie in blessing the fruit of the Queens wombe Let the Queen still be like a fruitfull vine And let the Prince grow up like a plant in thine house Let thy mercy be extended to the Ladie Elisabeth our Kings onely sister and her princely issue How long Lord just and true how long shall their enemies prevail and say There there so would we have it It is time for thee to lay to thine hand for they have laid waste their dwelling-place Arise O Lord and let their enemies be scattered and let them that hate them flee before them Carrie them back again into their own countrey if it may be for thy glorie and their good make them glad with the joy of thy countenance and let them rejoyce under their own vines We return home again and beseech thee to be gracious and mercifull to the Kings Counsel the Nobilitie the Magistracie the Ministerie the Gentry and the Commonaltie Give unto those whom thou hast used as instruments for our good rewards temporall and eternall Forgive those that be our enemies and turn their hearts Forget not those that grone under the crosse Clothe the naked feed the hungrie visit the sick deliver the captives defend the fatherlesse and widows relieve the oppressed confirm and strengthen those that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake cure those that are broken in heart speak peace unto their consciences that are tormented with the sense of their sinnes suffer them not to be swallowed up in despair Stand by those that are ready to depart out of this life When their eyes shall be darkned in the agony of death kindle in their hearts the