patient with them In their Correction and bearing with all their Infirmities That which we are forbidden to do against them is Exo. 21.17 Leuit. 20.9 Not to speake euill of them or to curse them Mat. 15.5 Mat. 7.11 Not to see them want Not to be ashamed of them for pouerty or other cause whatsoeuer That thy dayes may c. 2. The Promise is made to all such as shall keepe this Precept which is Long dayes of life here and happy too else they would be no better then a Curse Long dayes hereafter for euer in blisse which is the highest blessing that can befall to any This Promise God made 1. To prouoke vs to that Dutie of reuerencing and obeying our Parents and Superiours 2. To shew how highly he esteemeth of it The sixth Commandement Thou shalt not kill THis Commandement followeth properly and in order in the next place for mans life being the most previous thing in this world and vpon which all other things depend God seemeth to take care by this Commandement for peace and quietnesse whereby mans life may be preserued Thou shalt not kill Neither thy selfe nor others Neither shalt thou haue any desire to doe any such act Vnder this Commandement are diuers other particulars forbidden for as God forbiddeth the Act so doth he command that all occasions or meanes to execute that Act be forborne and taken away If God command vs not to kil then he prohibits Anger Quarrelling Chiding Hatred Mat. 5.22 And all other things of this nature which may be as prouocations ro flaughter And on the contrary hee enioyneth vs. To loue our neighbours as our selues To liue peaceably and quietly with them To doe good for euill And all this because Man is the Image of God Flesh of our Flesh The thing that Christ paid so deare for The seuenth Commandement Thou shalt not commit Adulterie Thou shalt not commit adulterie THe chiefe aime and scope of this Commandement is to preserue the marriage bed inuiolate And with great reason it is placed next to the prohibiting of homicide because that next and dearest to a man after his owne life is the preseruation and Honot of his wife for they two are but one flesh Gen. 2.24 And by this Commandement is also implicitly and secretly forbidden Whoredome Incest Sodomy a Rom. 1.26 Sinnes against Nature b Mat. 5.28 Vnlawfull desires and affections Vncleannesse Euill talke Obscene songs and impudent behauiour vnciuill sights Lasciuions Pictures Intemperance of diet Delicacy and excesse in Apparrell and the like being prouocations to the Sinne here forbidden And as wee are prohibited these things so are we commanded hereby To liue Chastely Temperately Mat. 5.8 Modestly and Purely in heart For by these Vertues as our Sauiour telleth vs wee shall come to the beatificiall vision of God and enioy that Blessednesse which he hath promised to those that in purenesse of heart loue and serue him The eight Commandement Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not steale THat is thou shalt not take from another any thing which is not thine owne And against this Commandement we may offend diuers waies By committing Sacriledge taking any thing from the Church By with holding that which is due to King or Prince By robbing on the high way or out of houses By deceiuing any man In bargaining In false weights and measures In being bankrupt without cause By oppressing the poore or keeping his pledge By encroching vpon the possessions of any other either by violence openly or by fraud in remouing Land markes c. By keeping that which is found from the true owner By denying or concealing a trust By detaining the Laborers hire By Liuing idlely and eating out of another mans labour By neglecting a Masters Seruice and mispending his goods The Ninth Commandement Thou shalt not beare false witnesse against thy Neighbour Thou shalt not beare false witnesse c. THou shalt not giue false euidence before a Iudge against any man Whosoeuer doth so is not only guilty of the breach of this Commandement but of the Third also in committing Periurie Neither is false Testimony with an Oath forbidden only but also without an Oath 1 Thou shalt not accuse thy brother vniustly Slander him Reuile him Backebite him Abuse him by vnciuill iests 2 Thou shalt not lie or equiuocate Either for sport Or to auoid danger or losse For although some seeme to approue Of Iacob Gen. 27.19 in lying to his Father that he was Esau The Midwines Exo. 1.19 to saue the Children Rahab the Harlot Iosu 2.4.5 to saue the spies Michol 1. Sam. 19.14 to saue Dauid her Husband Iudith Iud. 11.5 to deceiue Holofernes Aug. Yet it is safer with Saint August to hold that all lyes being directly opposite to truth must needs be sinne The Tenth Commandement Thou shalt not couet thy Neighbours house Thou shalt not c. THis Commandement is directly against Couetousnesse or euill Concupiscence the issue of Originall Sinne which was deriued to all mankinde after the fall of Adam Not Couet No man ought to couet or desire no not so much as in his heart any thing which belongeth to another man and whereby he may receiue any damage or detriment Neither his house which is his inheritance and his defence against the heate of the Sunne and the sharpnesse of the cold Nor his wife which is bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh His partner as well in sorrow as pleasure Nor his Seruants without whose helpe and labour he cannot dispatch his affaires Nor his Cattell which doe his worke In conclusion nothing which may any way preiudice him Now seeing that Ia. 2.10 He which is guiltie in breaking one part of the Law offendeth in all and that to the keeping of it the whole inward and outward man is required and that the flesh while wee are in this world is wholly opposite to the Spirit It is impossible for vs to fulfill the same by our owne endeauours For it is with vs as it was with Saint Paul Rom. 7.18 In our flesh dwelleth no good thing and the good that we would we doe not but the euill which we would not that we doe And seeing also that Rom. 3.20 by thee deedes of the Lawe no man can be iustified not that the Lawe is in fault being good of it selfe but our owne flesh Rom. 8.7.8 the carnall minde being enmitie with God and they which are in the flesh not being able to please him for the comfort therefore of all when as neither the workes of the Law could iustifie vs nor we were able to fulfill the same God of his infinite mercy sent his Sonne Christ Iesus into the world Galat. 3.13.14 that he suffering death for vs might redeeme vs from the curse of the Law that we might receiue the promise of the Spirit through Faith For in him all the
Promises Ceremonies and the Law it selfe were fulfilled and ended 1 The Promises As Gen. 1.15 the seed of the woman shall breake the Serpents head Gen. 22.18 In thee shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed 2 The Ceremonies The Priesthood by his eternall Priesthood Psal 110.4 The Sacrifices by his owne Oblation Heb. 7.27 Circumcision Luc. 2.21 3.21 by his Circumcision and Baptisme Passeouer by the Eucharist Mar. 14.22 3 The Lawe By his satisfaction and absolute fulfilling of it in whom was no sinne nor spot Cant. but an absolute and perfect Righteousnesse which Righteousnesse hee hath of his free will and mercy imputed to vs and made ours if with a liuely Faith we apprehend him and beleeue on him And in this respect it may be said that he obserueth and fulfilleth the Law of God who not trusting to himselfe or his owne workes commendeth himselfe wholly to the Grace of God Rom. 8.3.4 2. Cor. 5.21 and seeketh all his righteousnesse by Faith in Christ Iesus So that wee are to rely on those words which Saint Paul spake in his Sermon at Antioch Bee it knowne vnto you therefore Act. 13.38 men and brethren that through this man Christ Iesus is preached vnto you the forgiuenesse of sinnes And by him all that beleeue are iustified from all things from which you could not be iustified by the Law of Moses But yet wee must take this along with vs. That this Faith whereby we beleeue that Christ satisfied the Lawe and is become our Righteousnesse and Perfection is meerely by Gods Grace and Fauour infused into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which stirreth vp in vs a loue and desire to keep the Law of God which though the same desire neuer attaineth to perfection while we liue in these earthly tabernacles for the frailtie and indisposition of the Flesh yet God in his mercy accepteth the same for Christs sake For the better conceiuing of the drift and scope of these Commandements wee are to take notice of two things 1 Whereas in euery Commandement the grossest sinne tending to the breach of that commandement is only forbidden by name yet wee are to conceiue that all sinnes of that nature though lesser in degree and not named togither with the prouocations thereunto are likewise inclusiuely contained in that prohibition 2 And where any Vertue is commanded to be obserued there all the Vices and Sinnes contrary to that Vertue are forbidden And where any Vice is prohibited there all opposite Vertues to it are enioyned Meditations of Death THat all men must dye being long since enacted by Statute in the Parliament of Heauen vnrepealed and the knowledge of the day of Death being by God kept from vs Aug. in Psal 34. Conc. 1. lest we should promise to our selues any thing for future time I shall not neede to spend many words to proue either the absolute necessitie of the one or the vncertaintie of the other Only giue mee leaue to conclude this worke with a few meditations and Prayers which may serue as well for those who feele the hand of God by sickenesse as for those which are in perfect health to meditate and thinke vpon that they be not taken vnprouided And this exercise of Meditation of death and resolution to die ought not to seeme strange or hard to Christians For the Philosopher in his time accounted all dayes spent without serious consideration of our end to be but fondly consumed and affirmed that the whole life of a wise man Plato was nothing but a meditation of death And therefore it hath been obserued that Abraham Gen. 23.3 19. when he was in the Land of Canaan purchased no more Land then would serue to bury his dead To teach vs that we should not fixe or fasten our mindes upon the transitory things of the World but haue our affections bent vpon another world and meditate vpon the day of our death which bringeth two benefits with it first it deliuereth vs out of many cares and troubles and secondly it leadeth vs to ioyes vnspeakeable The first of these benefits the Heathen man could see Artabanus to Xerxes Herod l. 7. by the light of Nature when hee said that No man liued in so flourishing estate who if not often yet once iâ— his life did not desire rather to die then to liue For the vnauoidable calamitie and greeuous diseases incident to this life doe so often disquiet and vexe a man that notwithstanding our life is naturally short yet sometime it seemeth ouer long vnto him And therefore saith he Death is the most acceptable and wished for Sanctuary and place of refuge for a life full of misery and griefe And for the second take amongst many that of Saint Cyprian Cypr. Wee passe by death to immortality neither can wee come or attaine to eternall life but by leauing this life Nor is our corporall death to bee accounted an end or period of life but a passage to a better for by this temporall journey wee passe to Eternitie For this separation of the soule and body commonly called Death if we consider the true scope and aime of God in it is not inflicted by him as a seuere Iudge to punish the Elect but as a most mercifull Father who only calleth his Children from a dungeon of misery to a place of all felicitie and happinesse And this is that which hath alwaies made the Godly to leaue this life with such willingnesse and ioy and to endure with so great courage and constancie all their greatest agonies Meditations for the sicke Set thy house in order for thou shalt die Esa 38.1 Iob. 19.25 I Know that my Redeemer liueth and that he shall stand at the latter day vpon the earth Iob. 19.26 And that I shall be againe cloathed with this skin and in my flesh I shall see God Iob. 19.27 whom I my selfe shall see and mine eyes shall behold This hope is laid vp in my brest Lord let me know mine end and the number of my dayes that I Psal 39.5 may be certified how long I haue to liue Psal 39.6 Behold thou hast made my dayes as it were a span long and mine age is as nothing in respect of thee and verily euery man liuing is altogether vanity Psal 39.7 For man walketh in a vaine shadow and disquieteth himselfe in vaine he heapeth vp riches and cannot tell who shall gather them Psal 39.8 And now Lord what is nay hope truely my hope is euen in thee Psal 39.9 Deliuer me from all mine offences and make me not a rebuke to the foolish Psal 3911. Take away thy stroake from me for I am consumed by the meanes of thy heauy hand Psal 39.12 When thou with rebukes dost chasten man for sinne thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moath fretting a garment euery man therefore is but vanity Psal 39.13
O Lord. Psal 119.31 Put me not to shame Psal 119.39 Turne away reproch from me Psal 25.2 Let not mine enemies triumph ouer me Psal 27.12 Deliuer mee not ouer to their will Psal 64.1 Preserue my life from them Deliuer me O Lord From Eph. 4.19 hardnesse of heart to impenitence Act. 28.27 Grossenesse of heart Prou 7.13 Impudence of countenance Esa 48.4 Hardnesse of countenance From a seared conscience Tit. 1.16 A reprobate minde 1. Ioh. 5.16 Sinne vnto death Viz. Mat. 12.32 against the holy Ghost From Ia. 1.21 all superfluity of naughtines Heb. 12.1 The waight of sinne 1. Ioh. 2.16 The lusts of the flesh and eyes and pride of life All wicked vaine desires Hurtful vncleane thoghts Desire of Vaine-glory From a deceitfull tongue Mat. 6.2 Ecclus. 51.5 Vnpure lips Hands stretched out to couetousnesse Feet swift to euill Eyes open to Vanity Eares open to Toyes From blindnesse of heart Inconstancie of minde Scurrilitie of speech Intemperance of the belly From desire of Riches Reproch of my neighbours Contempt of the poore Oppression of the weake Rancor of minde Roote out of me O Lord. Prophanenesse and Superstition Pride and Vndecency Anger and Contention Swearing and Cursing Passion and Corruption Fraud and Rapine Lying and Slander Enuy and Malice Take from me The sinne of Gluttony Giue to me The Vertue of Abstinence Take from me The spirit of vncleanenesse Giue to me The Loue of Chastitie Take from me The Desire of the World Giue to me Content of Minde Take from me The heate of Anger Giue to me The spirit of meeknesse Take from me The Care of this Life Giue to me Thy SPIRITVALL Ioy. Take from me Haughtinesse of Minde Giue to me Compunction of Heart Deliuer me O Lord From All euill and mischiefe All noysome diseases All things hurtfull to my Soule Health Estate Quiet From all Scandall Griefe Infamy From all enemies Secret Open Crafty Potent From Sudden death Violent death In all my Prayers and petitions Distresses and dangers Infirmities and neede Tentations and tribulations Good Lord deliuer me and helpe me From the Terrors of Hell Eternall Damnation Apo. 6.6 The angry countenance of the Iudge The fearefull sentence of Mat. 25.41 8.12 Depart from me into vtter darknesse Iude. 6. The chaines of euerlasting darknesse The Apo. 20.10 Lake of Fire and Brimstone The Apo. 14.11 smoke of the torment which ascends for euer Good Lord of thy great mercy deliuer me In Affliction MOst mercifull Redeemer alwaies louing to vs whither thou sendest vs heauinesse or ioy for thy mercy is great whilest by afflictions as by bitter pilles thou curest the inward diseased man and by temporary troubles thou preparest vs and makest vs fit for Ioyes Eternall Grant O Sweete Sauiour that I may drinke of this cup of aduersitie and all others as reached to me by thy hand Thou knowest O Lord that they are bitter to flesh and blood yet withall I know that thou didst endure farre greater things for mee and that I haue deserued to suffer much more then thou hast laid vpon me O Lord thou knowest also the weakenesse and frailtie of mans nature and therefore I doe assuredly beleeue that thou the good Samaritan wilt not only cleanse the woundes of my sinnes Luc. 10.33 with the sharpe Wine of thy Iustice but wilt also adde the oyle of thy Mercy and comfort whereby I may be strengthned againe If thou thinkest not yet sufficient or that enough which thou hast laid vpon mee yet adde patience I beseech thee to my further griefe and grant that these thy punishments may prouoke mee to true repentance whereby I may by thy merits obtaine remission of my sinnes But if thy Fatherly clemencie shall be contented with this gentle and milde chastisement take off thy corrections and heauy hand from me that so I may for both thy mercies to me praise thy holy Name as well that thou hast so gently dealt with me in amending me so vnprofitable a Seruant as that thou hast in time taken of the bitternesse of affliction and not vtterly confounded mee in the first of thy workes of mercy respecting my Necessity and in the last not forgetting my Infirmity To thee O Sauiour with the Father and Holy Spirit be all Praise Laud and Glory now and euermore Amen In time of Pestilence O Lord God who reiectest none that trusting in thy goodnesse and beleeuing in thy promises come to thee for succour and helpe Behold wee beseech thee with the eyes of compassion and mercy thy poore sinfull and miserable people who now are much afflicted and visited with the Plague of Pestilence with the scourge of thine angry hand Our streets are full of griefe and our houses are filled with heauinesse and all our ioy is turned into mourning by reason of thy heauy wrath and hot displeasure which now is gone out to destroy and consume vs from the face of the earth Wee confesse O Lord it is but iust that all thy Creatures should rebell against man and oppose themselues against him who hath so desperately rebelled against thee his Creator for they are all obedient to thee only Man sinfull and wretched Man is continually stubborne and rebellious dayly abusing thy Blessings and hourly transgressing thy Commandements not leauing his euill waies for feare of thy threates nor being allured to goodnesse with the hope of thy promises We daily heare by thy messengers and read in thy Sacred Word what thou hast threatned of old to thy rebellious people and in them to vs. How that if they kept not thy Commandements thou wouldest send vpon them the Sword Leuit. 26.25 to auenge the quarrell of thy couenant and when they should be gathered in their Cities Ierem. 14.12 thou wouldest send the Pestilence among them and they should be deliuered into the hands of the enemie and yet wee haue hitherto beene so sencelesse thereof that wee feare not to adde sinne to sinne and to multiply iniquitie vpon iniquitie And now O Lord we reape the iust reward of our impiety and feele too soone that we are iustly plagued for our disobedience O Lord we confesse that thy Iudgements are iust and withall humbly acknowledge our misdeeds and heartily repent vs of them and earnestly beg and craue that thou wouldest in mercy pardon them and remit the punishment which in Iustice is due vnto vs for them O Lord In thy iust anger remember thy mercy encline thine eare and heare open thine eyes and behold our desolations and vpon our repentance and humiliation remooue this thy punishment which in thy displeasure thou hast begunne to inflict vpon vs. Command thy destroying Angell to spare vs Ezech. 9. and not to strike vs to vtter desolation Be mercifull vnto vs who are euery houre in danger of thy heauy Iudgements Take away the vnwholsomnesse of the ayre and purifie our
him and forgaue him the debt Not only ready to forgiue but profuse in mercy Psal 130.7 With thee is plenteous Redemption Luc. 15.22 The father of the Prodigall not only pardoned him but put on him the best Robe and a Ring and killed the fat Calfe for him Luc. 15.7 He will haue ioy in Heauen for a sinner repenting Thy pardon extendeth not only to small but great sinnes and sinners Such as Peter Luc. 26.74 who forsware thee Paul â— Tim. 1.13 who blaspheamed thee The Luc. 23.43 Theefe on the Crosse The Ioh 8. Adultresse Luc. 7.36 Mary Magdalen Ier. 3.1 They say if a man put away his Wife and shee goe from him and become another mans shall he returne vnto her againe shall not the Land be greatly polluted But thou hast played the harlot with many Louers yet returne againe to me saith the Lord. Luc. 6.35 He is kinde to the vnthankefull and euill But all these are recapitulated and summed vp in Christ Iesus 1. Pet. 1.4 In whom he hath giuen vs great and precious promises 2. Cor. 1.19 And in whom all the promises of God are Yea and Amen In Ioh. 16.23 naming of whom it will bee sufficient Mat. 15.22 Iesu thou Sonne of Dauid haue mercy on me Mat. 1.21 Which name Iesus was giuen vnto him because he saueth vs from our sinnes Aug. Lord doe not so earnestly marke our sinnes as that thereby thou forget thine owne Name Thou Sonne of Dauid 2. Sam. 19. who forgaue Shemei his sworne enemie reuiling him Forgiue me O Christ heare me Intercede for me Make the Father propitious to me Say vnto my Soule Psal 35.3 I am thy Saluation Let not thy Apostle comfort me in vaine when he saith 1. Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation that Iesus Christ came into the world to saue sinners Rom. 5.20 Where six hath abounded there grace hath super-abounded God hath concluded all vnder Rom. 11.32 sinne that he might haue mercy vpon all Rom. 5.10 When we were Gods enemies we were reconciled to him by the death of his Sonne Let not another of thy Apostles say in vaine 1. Pet. 3.18 Christ once suffered for sinne the iust for the vniust that hee might bring vs to God Let not the third Ia. 2.13 Mercy reioyceth aboue Iudgement Let not the fourth 1. Ioh. 2.1 If any man sinne wee haue an Aduocate with the Father Christ Iesus the Righteous 1. Ioh. 2.2 And hee is the propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world Let not thine owne Words be spoken in vaine Mat. 11.28 Come vnto mee all yee that labour and are heauie laden and I will giue yee rest Luc. 5.32 I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Ioh. 12.47 I came not to Iudge the World but to saue it These things are not cannot be spoken in vaine Psal 94.19 Wherefore in the multitude of the sorrowes that are in my heart thy comforts O Lord haue refreshed my soule Heb. 4.16 Let vs therefore come boldly to the Throne of Grace that we may obtaine mercy and finde Grace to helpe in time of neede Which I beseech thee to grant me For thy great and many mercies Thy Names sake The Glory of thy Name Thy promise sake Thy practize sake My misery My infirmitie Euen for thy Sonne Iesus Christs sake The seuen penitentiall Psalmes analysed 1 Psalme 6. 1 O Lord my God rebuke me not I beseech thee in thy fierce indignation against my sinnes either in this life or at the day of Iudgement neither chasten or correct mee in thy hot displeasure by condemning mee to eternall death 2 Haue mercy and compassion vpon me according to thy accustomed goodnesse O Lord for I am weake and fraile by nature strengthen me therefore by thy Grace O Lord and heale me by curing the infirmities of my soule for they are multiplied so greatly vpon me that my bones and all my inward parts are vexed and disquieted with the remembrance of them 3 My sinfull Soule considering my manifold offences and trembling at the thought of thy iust anger against them is also like as is my flesh sore troubled and almost at the point of desperation but thou O Lord that desirest not the death of a sinner how long will it be ere thou looke vpon me and bring mee out of this misery 4 Returne from the rigour of thy Iustice O Lord to the sweetnesse of thy mercie and deliuer my soule from the bondage of sinne O Lord saue mee from the assaults of the Deuill not for any merits of mine but for thy mercies sake in Christ Iesus my Sauiour 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee to praise and glorifie thy Name and who surely none there is that shall giue thee thankes or celebrate thy goodnesse in the Graue of Hell where nothing is to be heard but weeping gnashing of teeth and blasphemies 6 I am weary and faint with my groaning and sighing for my transgressions euery night when I should take my rest I wash my bed weeping for them and I water my couch the place of my rest with my teares of vnfeined repentance 7 Mine eye of reason and vnderstanding is consumed and groweth weake because of the griefe I take fearing thy Iudgements yet it waxeth Old and I continue in sinne because of the vnited forces of all mine enemies the World the Flesh and the Deuill 8 Depart therefore farre from me all ye mine enemies which are and haue beene the workers and causers of mine iniquitie by your tentations and euill examples for henceforth I will haue no more to doe with you for my conscience assureth mee that the Lord of his infinite goodnesse hath heard and pittied the voyce of my weeping and therefore I should be vnthankefull to him to returne to those sinnes which he in his mercy hath forgiuen 9 The Lord I cannot repeat it too often hath gratiously heard my earnest supplication for the pardon of my sinnes and he The Lord plentifull in pittie hath not only now but will also hereafter receiue my prayer whensoeuer I call faithfully vpon him 10 Let all mine enemies therefore who haue sought my destruction be ashamed at my conuersion and bee sore vexed and troubled at the consideration of Gods Iudgements Let them no longer delay but repent and returne to the Lord and bee ashamed that they haue so long deferred their conuersion and suddenly without any longer delay make their peace with him by vnfeined repentance Glory be to the Father c. 2 Psalme 32. BLessed is he in this life in assured hope and thrice blessed in full and perfect fruition in the life to come Whose transgression by Gods mercy is forgiuen in respect of the offence and whose sinne by the imputation of Christs