our desires with submission to Gods will so also we must limit the importunity of our prayers by the moderation and term of our desires Pray for it as earnestly as you may desire it 7. Our desires must be lasting and our prayers frequent assiduous and continual not asking for a blessing once and then leaving it but daily renewing our suits and exercising our hope and faith and patience and long-suffering and Religion and resignation and self-denyal in all the degrees we shall be put to This circumstance of duty our blessed Saviour taught saying That men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint Alwayes to pray signifies the frequent doing of the duty in general but because we cannot alwayes ask several things and we also have frequent need of the same things and those are such as concern our great interest the precept comes home to this very circumstance S. Paul cals it praying witâ—oâ—t ceasing and himself in his own case gave a precedent For this cause I besought the Lord thrice and so did our blessed Lord he went thrice to God on the same errand with the same words in a short space about half a night for his time to sollicite his suit was but short and the Philippians were remembred by the Apostle their spiritual Father alwayes in every prayer of his And thus we must alwayes pray for the pardon of our sins for the assistance of Gods grace for charity for life eternal never giving over till we dye and thus also we pray for supply of great temporal needs in their several proportions in all cases being curious we do not give over out of wearinesse or impatience For God oftentimes defers to grant our suit because he loves to hear us beg it and hath a design to give us more then we ask even a satisfaction of our desires and a blessing for the very importunity 8 Let the words of our prayers be pertinent grave material not studiously many but according to our need sufficient to expresse our wants and to signifie our importunity God hears us not the sooner for our many words but much the sooner for an earnest desire to which let apt and sufficient words minister be they few or many according as it happens A long prayer and a short differ not in their capacities of being accepted for both of them take their value according to the fervency of spirit and the charity of the prayer That prayer which is short by reason of an impatient spirit or dulnesse or despite of holy things or indifferency of desires is very often criminall alwayes imperfect and that prayer which is long out of ostentation or superstition or a trifling spirit is as criminal and imperfect as the other in their several instances This rule relates to private prayer In publick our devotion is to be measured by the appointed office and we are to support our spirit with spiritual arts that our private spirit may be a part of the publick spirit be adopted into the society and blessings of the communion of Saints 9. In all formes of prayer mingle petition with thanksgiving that you may endear the present prayer and the future blessing by returning praise and thanks for what we have already received This is Saint Pauls advice Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God 10. Whatever we beg of God let us also work for it if the thing be matter of duty or a consequent to industry For God loves to blesse labour and to reward it but not to support idlenesse And therefore our blessed Saviour in his Sermons joyns watchfulness with prayer for Gods graces are but assistances not new creations of the whole habit in every instant or period of our life Reade Scriptures and then pray to GOD for understanding Pray against temptation but you must also resist the Devil and then hee will flee from you Ask of GOD competency of living but you must also work with your hands the things that are honest that ye may have to supply in time of need We can but do our endeavour and pray for blessing and then leave the successâ— with GOD and beyond this we cannot deliberate we cannot take care but so far we must 11. In all our prayers we must be carefull to attend our present work having a present minde not wandring upon impertinent things not distant from our words much lesse contrary to them and if our thoughts do at any time wander and divert upon other objects bring them back again with prudent and severe arts by all means striving to obtain a diligent a sober an untroubled and a composed spirit 12. Let your posture and gesture of body in prayers bee reverent grave and humble according to publike order or the best examples if it be in publick if it be in private either stand or kneel or lye flat upon the ground on your face in your ordinary and more solemn prayers but in extraordinary casual and ejaculatory prayers the reverence and devotion of the soul and the lifting up the eyes and hands to God with any other posture not undecent is usual and commendable for we may pray in bed on horseback every where and at all times and in all circumstances and it is well if we do so and some servants have not opportunity to pray so often as they would unlesse they supply the appetiâ—es of Religion by such accidental devotions 13. Let prayers and supplications and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in authority For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour We who must love our Neighbours as our selves must also pray for them as for our selves with this onely difâ—erence that we may enlarge in our temporal desires for Kings and pray for secular prosperity to them with more importunity then for our selves because they need more to enable their duty and government and for the interests of Religion and Justice This part of prayer is by the Apostle called intercession in which with special care we are to remember our Relatives our Family our Charge our Benefactours our Creditours not forgetting to beg pardon and charity for our Enemies and protection against them 14. Relye not on a single prayer in matters of great concernment but make it as publick as you can by obtaining of others to pray for you this being the great blessing of the communion of Saints that a prayer united is strong like a well ordered Army and God loves to be tyed fast with such cords of love and constrain'd by a holy violence 15. Every time that is not seiz'd upon by some other duty is seasonable enough for prayer but let it be performed as a solemn duty morning and evening that God may begin and end all our businesse and the out goings of the morning and evening
endearments and noblest usages you have past upon me But so men in their Religion give a piece of Gum or the fat of a cheap Lamb in Sacrifice to him that gives them all that they have or need and unlesse He who was pleased to imploy your Lordship as a great Minister of his Providence in making a Promise of his good to me the meanest of his servants that he would never leave me nor forsake me shall enable me by greater services of Religion to pay my great Debt to your Honour I must still increase my score since I shall now spend as much in my needs of pardon for this boldnesse as in the reception of those favours by which I stand accountable to your Lordship in all the bands of service and gratitude though I am in the deepest sense of duty and affection My most Honoured Lord Your Honours most obliged and Most Humble Servant TAYLOR THE TABLE CHAP. I. Consideration of the general instruments and means serving to a holy life by way of introduction Page 1 Sect. 1. Care of our time and the manner of spending it Page 4 23 Rules for imploying our time Page 7 The 5 benefits of this exercise Page 16 Sect. 2. Purity of intention or purpose in all our actions c. Page 17 10. Rules for our intentions Page 19 8 Signes of purity of intention Page 22 3 Appendant Considerations Page 26 Sect. 3. The consideration and practise of the presence of God Page 27 6 Several manners of the divine presence Page 28 10 Rules of exercising this consideration Page 33 The 5 benefits of this exercise Page 36 Prayers and Devotions according to the Religion and purposes of the faregoing considerations Page 39 Devotions for ordinary dayes Page 40 CHAP. II. Of Christian sobriety Page 61 Sect. 1. Of sobriety in the general sence Page 61 5 Evil consequents of voluptuousnesse or sensuality Page 62 3 Degrees of sobriety Page 63 6 Rules for suppressing voluptuousnesse Page 64 Sect. 2. Of Temperance in eating and drinking Page 67 4 Measures of Temperance in eating Page 69 8 Signes and effects of Temperance Page 70 Of Drunkennesse Page 72 7 Evil consequents to drunkennesse Page 73 8 Signes of drunkennesse Page 75 11 Rules for the obtaining temperance Page 76 Sect. 3. Of Chastity Page 80 The 10 evil consequents of uncleannesse Page 83 7 Acts of Chastity in general Page 88 5 Acts of Virginal or Maiden Chastity Page 89 5 Rules for Widows or Vidual Chastity Page 91 6 Rules for married persons or maâ—rimonial chastity Page 92 10 Remedies against uncleannesse Page 95 Sect. 4. Of Humility Page 100 9 Arguments against pride by way of consideration Page 100 19 Acts or offices of humility Page 103 14 Means and exercises of obtaining and increasing the grace of humility Page 111 17 Signes of humility Page 117 Sect. 5. Of Modesty Page 119 4 Acts duties of Modesty as it is opposed to curiosity Page 119 6 Acts of Modesty as it is opposed to boldness Page 123 10 Acts of Modesty as it is opposed to undecency Page 124 Sect. 6. Of Contentednesse in all estates and accidents Page 128 2 General arguments for content Page 129 8 Instruments or exercises to procure contentednes Page 135 8 Means to obtain content by way of consideration Page 148 The Considerations applyed to particular cases Page 148 Of Poverty Page 156 The charge of many Children Page 163 Violent Necessities Page 164 Death of Children Friends c. Page 166 Vntimely Death Page 167 Death unseasonable Page 169 Sudden Deaths or violent Page 171 Being Childlesse Page 171 Evil or unfortunate Children Page 172 Our own Death Page 172 Prayers for the several graces and parts of Christian sobriety fitted to the necessity of several persons Page 173 CHAP. III. Of Christian Iustice. Page 180 Sect. 1. Of Obedience to our Superiours Page 182 15 Acts and duties of obedience to all our Superiours Page 183 12 Remedies against disobedience by way of consideration Page 187 3 Degrees of obedience Page 192 Sect. 2. Of Provision or that part of justice which is due from Superiours to inferiours Page 193 12 Duties of kings and all the supream power as Law-givers Page 194 2 Duties of Superiours as they are Iudges Page 197 5 Duties of parents to their children Page 199 Duty of Husbands and wives reciprocally Page 202 7 Duties of Masters of Families Page 203 Duty of Guardians or Tutors Page 204 Sect. 3. Of Negotiation or civil contracts Page 205 13 Rules and measures of Iustice in bargaining Page 205 Sect. 4. Of Restitution Page 211 7 Rules of making Restitution as it concerns the persons obliged Page 212 9 As it concerns other circumstances Page 216 Prayers to be said in relation to the several obligations and offices of Iustice. Page 220 CHAP. IIII. Of Christian religion Page 227 1. Of the internal actions of religion Page 228 Sect. 1. Of Faith Page 229 The 7 acts and offices of Faith Page 229 8 Signes of true Faith Page 231 8 Means and instruments to obtain Faith Page 234 Sect. 2. Of Christian Hope Page 236 The 5 acts of Hope Page 237 5 Rules to govern our Hope Page 238 12 Means of Hope and Remedies against despair Page 240 Sect. 3. Of Charity or the Love of God Page 246 The 8 acts of Love to God Page 248 The 3 measures and rules of Divine Love Page 251 6 Helps to encrease our Love to God by way of exercise Page 252 The 2 several states of Love to God Page 256 viz. The state of obedience Page 256 The state of zeal Page 256 8 Cautions and rules concerning zeal Page 257 2. Of the external actions of Religion Page 260 Sect. 4. Of Reading or Hearing the word of God Page 260 5 General considerations concerning it Page 263 5 Rules for hearing or reading the word of God Page 262 4 Rules for reading spiritual books or hearing sermons Page 264 Sect. 5. Of Fasting Page 266 15 Rules for Christian Fasting Page 266 Benefits of Fasting Page 272 Sect. 6. Of keeping Festivals and dayes holy to the Lord particularly the Lords day Page 273 10 Rules for keeping the Lords day other Christian Festivals Page 276 3. Of the mixt actions of Religion Page 281 Sect. 7. Of Prayer Page 281 8 Motives to Prayer Page 281 16 Rules for the practise of Prayer Page 283 6 Cautions for making vowes Page 291 7 Remedies against wandring thoughts in Prayer Page 293 10 Signes of tediousnesse of Spirit in our prayers and all actions of Religion Page 295 11 Remedies against tediousnesse of Spirit Page 296 Sect. 8. Of Almes Page 302 The 18 several kindes of corporal Almes Page 303 The 14 several kindes of spiritual Almes Page 304 The 5 several kindes of mixt Almes Page 305 16 Rules for giving Almes Page 305 13 Motives to Charity Page 313 Remedies against the parents of unmercifulness Page 316 1.9 Against Envy by way of consideration Page 316 2.12 Remedies against anger by
of charity that this day and ever I may serve thee according to all my opportunities and capacities growing from grace to grace till at last by thy mercies I shall receive the consummation and perfection of grace even the glories of thy Kingdom in the full fruition of the face and excellencies of God the Father the Son and the holy Ghost to whom be glory and praise honour and adoration given by all Angels and all Men and all Creatures now and to all eternity Amen To this may be added the prayer of intercession for others whom we are bound to remember which is at the end of the foregoing prayer or else you may take such special prayers which follow at the end of the fourth Chapter for parents for children c. After which conclude with this ejaculation Now and in all tribulation and anguish of spirit in all dangers of soul and body in prosperity and adversity in the hour of death and in the day of judgement holy and most blessed Saviour Jesus have mercy upon me save me and deliver me and all faithful people Amen Between this and Noâ—n usually are said the publick prayers appointed by Authority to which all the Clergy are obliged and other devout persons that have leisure do accompany them Afternoon or at any time of the day when a devout person retires into his closer for private prayer or spiritual exercises he may say the following devotions An exercise to be used at any time of the day In the name of the Father and of the Son c. Our Father c. The hymn collected out of the Psalms recounting the excellencies and greatnesse of God O be joyful in God all ye lands sing praises unto the honour of his Name make his Name to be glorious * O Come hither behold the works of God how wonderful he is in his doings toward the children of men He ruleth with his power for ever He is the Father of the fatherlesse and defendeth the cause of the widow even God in his holy habitation He is the God that maketh men to be of one minde in a house and bringeth the prisoners out of captivity but letteth the runnagates continue in scarcenesse It is the Lord that commandeth the warers it is the glorious God that maketh the thunder * It is the Lord that ruleth the sea the voice of the Lord is mighty in operation the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice Let all the Earth fear the Lord stand in awe of him all ye that dwell in the world Thou shalt shew us wonderful things in thy righteousnesse O God of our salvation thou that art the hope of all the ends of the Earth and of them that remaine in the broad Sea Glory be to the Father c. Or this O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee I will praise thy Name for thou hast done wonderful things thy counsels of old are faithfulnesse and truth Isay 25.1 Thou in thy strength â—etst fast the Mountains and art girded about with power Thou stillest the raging of the Sea and the noise of his waves and the madnesse of his people They also that remain in the uttermost parts of the Earth shall be afraid at thy tokens thou that makest the out-goings of the morning and evening to praise thee O Lord God of Hosts who is like unto thee thy truth most mighty Lord is on every side Among the gods there is none like unto thee O Lord there is none that can do as thou doest * For thou art great doest wondrous things thou art God alone God is very greatly to be feared in the counsel of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are round about him Righteousnesse and equity is in the habitation of thy seat mercy and truth shall go before thy face * Glory and worship are before him power and honour are in his Sanctuary Thou Lord art the thing that I long for thou art my hope even from my youth through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art he that took me out of my mothers womb my praise shall be alwayes of thee Glory be to the Father c. After this may be read some portion of holy Scripture out of the New Testament or out of the sapiential bookes of the Old viz. Proverbs Ecclesiastes c. because these are of great use to piety and to civil conversation Vpon which when you have a while meditated humbly composing your self upon your knees say as followeth Ejaculations My help standeth in the Name of the Lord who hath made Heaven and Earth Shew the light of thy countenance upon thy servant and I shall be safe Do well O Lord to them that be true of heart and evermore mightily defend them Direct me in thy truth and teach me for thou art my Saviour and my great Master Keep me from sin and death eternal and from my enemies visible and invisible Give me grace to live a holy life and thy favour that I may dye a godly and happy death Lord hear the prayer of thy servant and give me thy holy Spirit The prayer O Eternal God mercifull and gracious vouchsafe thy favour and thy blessing to thy servant let the love of thy mercies and the dread and fear of thy Majesty make me careful and inquisitive to search thy will and diligent to perform it and to persevere in the practises of a holy life even till the last of my dayes II. KEep me O Lord for I am thine by creation guide me for I am thine by purchase thou hast redeemed me by the blood of thy Son and love me with the love of a Father for I am thy childe by adoption and grace let thy mercy pardon my sins thy providence secure me from the punishments and evils I have deserved and thy care watch over me that I may never any more offend thee make me in malice to be a childe but in understanding piety and the fear of God let me be a perfect man in Christ innocent and prudent readily furnished and instructed to every good work III. KEep me O Lord from the destroying Angel and from the wrath of God let thy anger never rise against mee but thy rod gently correct my follies and guide me in thy ways and thy staffe support me in all sufferings and changes Preserve me from fracture of bones from noisome infections and sharp sicknesses from great violences of Fortune and sudden surprizes keep all my senses intire till the day of my death and let my death be neither sudden untimely nor unprovided let it be after the common manner of men having in it nothing extraordinary but an extraordinary piety and the manifestation of thy great and miraculous mercy IV. LEt no riches ever make me forget my self no poverty ever make me to forget thee Let no hope or fear no pleasure or pain no accident without no weaknesse within hinder or
Tragedians and from them by Arrianus saying That all our Tragedies are of Kings and Princes and rich or ambitious personages but you never see a poor man have a part unlesse it be as a Chorus or to fill up the Scenes to dance or to be derided but the Kings and the great Generals First sayes he they begin with joy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crown the houses but about the third or fourth Act they cry out O Citheron why didst thou spare my life to reserve me for this more sad calamity And this is really true in the great accidents of the World for a great estate hath great crosses and a mean fortune hath but small ones It may be the poor man loses a Cow for if his Childe dyes he is quit of his biggest care but such an accident in a rich and splendid Family doubles upon the spirits of the parents Or it may be the poor man is troubled to pay his rent and that 's his biggest trouble but it is a bigger care to secure a great fortune in a troubled estate or with equal greatnesse or with the circumstances of honour and the nicenesse of reputation to defend a Law-suit and that which will secure a common mans whole estate is not enough to defend a great mans honour And therefore it was not without mystery observ'd among the Ancients that they who made gods of gold and silver of hope and fear peace and fortune Garlick and Onions Beasts and Serpents and a quartan Ague yet never deified money meaning that however wealth was admired by common or abused understandings yet from riches that is from that proportion of good things which is beyond the necessities of Nature no moment could be added to a mans real content or happinesse Corn from Sardinia herds of Calabrian cattel meadows through which pleasant Liris glides silkes from Tyrus and golden Chalices to drown my health in are nothing but instruments of vanity or sinne and suppose a disease in the soul of him that longs for them or admires them And this I have otherwhere represented more largely to which I here adde that riches have very great dangers to their souls not onely who covet them but to all that have them For if a great personage undertakes an action passionately and upon great interest let him manage it indiscreetly let the whole designe be unjust let it be acted with all the malice and impotency in the World he shall have enough to flatter him but not enough to reprove him He had need be a bold man that shall tell his Patron he is going to Hell and that Prince had need be a good man that shall suffer such a Monitor And though it bee a strange kinde of civility and an evil dutifulnesse in Friends and Relatives to suffer him to perish without reproofe or medicine rather then to seem unmannerly to a great sinner yet it is none of their least infelicities that their wealth and greatnesse shall put them into sinne and yet put them past reproof I need not instance in the habitual intemperance of rich Tables nor the evil accidents and effects of fulnesse pride and lust wantonnesse and softnesse of disposition huge talking and an imperious spirit despite of Religion and contempt of poor persons At the best it is a great temptation for a man to have in his power whatsoever he can have in his sensual desires and therefore riches is a blessing like to a present made of a whole Vintage to a Man in a Hectick Feaver he will be much tempted to drink of it and if he does he is inflam d and may chance to dye with the kindnesse Now besides what hath been already noted in the state of poverty there is nothing to be accounted for but the fear of wanting necessaries of which if a man could be secured that he might live free from care all the other parts of it might be reckoned amongst the advantages of wise and sober persons rather then objections against that state of fortune But concerning this I consider that there must needs be great security to all Christians since CHRIST not onely made expresse promises that we should have sufficient for this life but also took great pains and used many arguments to create confidence in us and such they were which by their own strength were sufficient though you abate the authority of the Speaker The Sonne of GOD told us his Father takes care of us Hee that knew all his Fathers counsels and his whole kindnesse towards mankinde told us so How great is that truth how certain how necessary which CHRIST himself proved by arguments The excellent words and most comfortable sentences which are our Bills of Exchange upon the credit of which we lay our cares down and receive provisions for our need are these Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on Is not the life more then meat and the body then raiment Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly Father feedeth them Are ye not much better then they which of you by taking thought can adde one cubit to his stature And why take ye thought for raiment Consider the Lillies of the field how they grow They toil not neither do they spin and yet I say unto you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arayed like one of these Therefore if God so clothe the grasse of the field which to day is and to morrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more clothe you O ye of little faith Therefore take no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithall shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousnesse and all these things shall bee added unto you Take therefore no thought for the morrow for the morrow shall take thought for the things of it self sufficient to the day is the evil thereof The same discourse is repeated by S. Luke and accordingly our duty is urged and our confidence abetted by the Disciples of our Lord in divers places of holy Scripture So S. Paul Be careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God And againe Charge them that are rich in this world that they bee not high minded nor trust in uncertaine riches but in the living GOD who giveth us richly all things to enjoy and and yet again Let your conversation be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as ye have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper And all
the publick wisdom and necessity shall impose upon me at no hand murmuring against government lest the Spirit of pride and mutiny of murmur and disorder enter into me and consigne me to the portion of the disobedient and rebellious of the Despisers of dominion and revilers of dignity Grant this O holy God for his sake who for his obedience to the Father hath obtained the glorification of eternal ages our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen Prayers for Kings and all Magistrates for our Parents spiritual and natural are in the following Letanies at the end of the fourth Chapter A Prayer to be said by Subjects when their Land is invaded and over-run by barbarous or wicked people enemies of the Religion or the Government I. O Eternal God thou alone rulest in the Kingdoms of men thou art the great God of battels and recompences and by thy glorious wisdom by thy Almighty power by thy secret providence doest determine the events of war and the issues of humane counsels and the returns of peace and victory now at least be pleased to let the light of thy countenance and the effects of a glorious mercy a gracious pardon return to this Land Thou seest how great evils we suffer under the power tyranny of war although we submit to adore thy justice in our sufferings yet be pleased to pity our misery to hear our complaints and to provide us of remedy against our present calamities let not the defenders of a righteous cause go away ashamed nor our counsels be for ever confounded nor our parties defeated nor religion suppressed nor learning discountenanced and we be spoiled of all the exteriour ornaments instruments and advantages of piety which thou hast been pleased formerly to minister to our infirmities for the interests of learning and religion Amen II. WE confesse dear God that we have deserved to be totally extinct and separate from the Communion of Saints and the comforts of Religion to be made servants to ignorant unjust and inferiour persons or to suffer any other calamitie which thou shalt allot us as the instrument of thy anger whom we have so often provoked to wrath and jealousie Lord we humbly lye down under the burden of thy rod begging of thee to remember our infirmities and no more to remember our sins to support us with thy staff to lift us up with thy hand to refresh us with thy gracious eye and if a sad cloud of temporal infelicities must still encircle us open unto us the window of Heaven that with an eye of faith and hope we may see beyond the cloud looking upon those mercies which in thy secret providence and admirable wisdom thou designest to all thy servants from such unlikely and sad beginnings Teach us diligently to do all our duty and cheerfully to submit to all thy will and at last be gracious to thy people that call upon thee that put their trust in thee that have laid up all their hopes in the bosome of God that besides thee have no helper Amen A Prayer to be said by Parents for their Children O Almighty and most merciful Father who hast promised children as a reward to the Righteous and hast given them to me as a testimony of thy mercy and an engagement of my duty be pleased to be a Father unto them and give them healthful bodies understanding souls and sanctified spirits that they may be thy servants and thy children all their dayes Let a great mercy and providence lead them through the dangers and temptations and ignorances of their youth that they may never run into folly and the evils of an unbridled appetite So order the accidents of their lives that by good education careful Tutors holy example innocent company prudent counsel and thy restraining grace their duty to thee may be secured in the midst of a crooked and untoward generation and if it seem good in thy eyes let me be enabled to provide conveniently for the support of their persons that they may not be destitute and miserable in my death or if thou shalt call me off from this World by a more timely summons let their portion be thy care mercy and providence over their bodies and souls and may they never live vitious lives nor dye violent or untimely deaths but let them glorifie thee here with a free obedience and the duties of a whole life that when they have served thee in their generations and have profited the Christian Common-wealth they may be coheirs with Jesus in the glories of thy eternal Kingdom through the same our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen A Prayer to be said by Masters of Families Curats Tutors or other obliged persons for their charges O Almighty God merciful and gracious have mercy upon my Family or Pupils or Parishioners c. and all committed to my charge sanctifie them with thy grace preserve them with thy providence guard them from all evil by the custody of Angels direct them in the wayes of peace and holy Religion by my Ministery and the conduct of thy most holy Spirit and consigne them all with the participation of thy blessings and graces in this World with healthful bodies with good understandings and sanctified spirits to a full fruition of thy glories hereafter through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer to be said by Merchants Tradesmen and Handicrafts men O Eternal God thou Fountain of justice mercy and benediction who by my education and other effects of thy providence hast called me to this profession that by my industry I may in my small proportion work together for the good of my self and others I humbly beg thy grace to guide me in my intention and in the transaction of my affairs that I may be diligent just and faithful and give me thy favour that this my labour may be accepted by thee as a part of my necessary duty and give me thy blessing to assist and prosper me in my Calling to such measures as thou shalt in mercy choose for me and be pleased to let thy holy Spirit be for ever present with me that I may never be given to covetousnesse and sordid appetites to lying and falsehood or any other base indirect and beggerly arts but give me prudence honesty and Christian sincerity that my trade may be sanctified by my Religion my labour by my intention and thy blessing that when I have done my portion of work thou hast allotted me and improv'd the talent thou hast intrusted to me and serv'd the Common-wealth in my capacity I may receive the mighty price of my high calling which I expect and beg in the portion and inheritance of the ever blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen A Prayer to be said by Debtors and all persons obliged whether by crime or contract O Almighty God who art rich unto all the treasure and Fountain of all good of all justice and all mercy and all bounty to whom we owe all that we are and all
Divine instrument it does not prevail by the force of deduction and artificial discoursings onely but chieâ—ly by way of blessing in the ordinance and in the ministery of an appointed person At least obey the publick order and reverence the constitution and give good example of humility charity and obedience 8. When Scriptures are read you are onely to enquire with diligence and modesty into the meaning of the Spirit but if homilies or sermons be made upon the words of Scripture you are to consider whether all that be spoken be conformable to the Scriptures For although you may practise for humane reasons and humane arguments ministred from the Preacherâ— art yet you must practise nothing but the command of God nothing but the Doctrine of Scripture that is the text 9. Use the advice of some spirituall or other prudent man for the choice of such spiritual books which may be of use and benefit for the edification of thy spirit in the wayes of holy living and esteem that time well accounted for that is prudently and affectionately imployed in hearing or reading good books and pious discourses ever remembring that God by hearing us speak to him in prayer obliges us to hear him speak to us in his word by what instrument soever it be conveyed SECT V. Of Fasting FAsting if it be considered in it self without relation to Spiritual ends is a duty no where enjoyned or counselled But Christianity hath to do with it as it may be made an instrument of the Spirit by subduing the lusts of the flesh or removing any hindrances of religion And it hath been practised by all ages of the Church and advised in order to three ministeries 1. To Prayer 2. To Mortification of bodily lusts 3. To Repentance and is to be practised according to the following measures Rules for Christian Fasting 1. Fasting in order to prayer is to be measured by the proportions of the times of prayer that is it ought to be a total faft from all things during the solemnity unlesse a probable necessity intervene Thus the Jews eate nothing upon the Sabbath-dayes till their great offices were performed that is about the sixth hour and S. Peter used it as an argument that the Apostles in Penteâ—ost were not drunk because it was but the third hour of the day of such a day in which it was not lawful to eat or drink til the sixth hour and the Jews were offended at the Disciples for plucking the ears of corn upon the Sabbath early in the morning because it was before the time in which by their customs they esteemed it lawful to break their fast In imitation of this custom and in prosecution of the reason of it the Christian Church hath religiously observed fasting before the Holy Communion and the more devout persons though without any obligation at all refused to eat or drink till they had finished their morning devotions and further yet upon dayes of publick humiliation which are designed to be spent wholly in Devotion and for the averting Gods judgements if they were imminent fasting is commanded together with prayer commanded I say by the Church to this end that the Spirit might be clearer and more Angelical when it is quitted in some proportions from the loads of flesh 2. Fasting when it is in order to Prayer must be a total abstinence from all meat or else an abatement of the quantity for the help which fasting does to prayer cannot be served by changing flesh into fish or milk-meats into dry diet but by turning much into little or little into none at all during the time of solemn and extraordinary prayer 3. Fasting as it is instrumental to Prayer must be attended with other aids of the like vertue and efficacy such as are removing for the time all worldly cares and secular businesses and therefore our blessed Saviour enfolds these parts within the same caution Take heed lest your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and the cares of this world and that day overtake you unawares To which adde alms for upon the wings of fasting and alms holy prayer infallibly mounts up to Heaven 4. When Fasting is intended to serve the duty of Repentance it is then best chosen when it is short sharp and afflictive that is either a total abstinence from all nourishment according as we shall appoint or be appointed during such a time as is separate for the solemnity and attendance upon the imployment or if we shall extend our severity beyond the solemn dayes and keep our anger against our sin as we are to keep our sorrow that is alwayes in a readinesse and often to be called upon then to refuse a pleasant morsel to abstaine from the bread of our desires and onely to take wholsome and lesse pleasing nourishment vexing our appetite by the refusing a lawful satisfaction since in its petulancie and luxurie it preyed upon an unlawfull 5. Fasting designed for repentance must be ever joyned with an extream care that we fast from sin for there is no greater folly or undecency in the world then to commit that for which I am now judging and condemning my self This is the best fast and the other may serve to promote the interest of this by increasing the disaffection to it and multiplying arguments against it 6. He that fasts for repentance must during that solemnity abstain from all bodily delights and the sensuality of all his senses and his appetites for a man must not when he mourns in his fast be merry in his sport weep at dinner and laugh all day after have a silence in his kitchen and musick in his chamber judge the stomack and feast the other seâ—ses I deny not but a man may in a single instance punish a particular sin with a proper instrument If a man have offended in his palate he may choose to fast onely if he have sinned in softnesse and in his touch he may choose to lye hard or work hard and use sharp inflictions but although this Discipline be proper and particular yet because the sorrow is of the whole man no sense must rejoyce or be with any study or purpose feasted and entertained softly This rule is intended to relate to the solemn dayes appointed for repentance publickly or privately besides which in the whole course of our life even in the midst of our most festival and freer joyes we may sprinkle some single instances and acts of self condemning or punishing as to refuse a pleasant morsel or a delicious draught with a tâ—cit remembrance of the sin that now returns to displease my spirit and though these actions be single there is no undecency in them because a man may abate of his ordinary liberty bold freedom w th great prudence so he does â—t without singularity in himself or trouble to others but he may not abate of his solemn sorrow that may be caution but this would be softnesse effoeminacy and undecency 7· When
it made the Sun to go from West to East and the Moon to stand still and rocks and mountains to walk and it cures diâ—eases without physick and makes physick to do the work of nature and nature to do the work of grace and grace to do the work of God and it does miracles of accident and event and yet prayer that does all this is of it self nothing but an ascent of the minde to God a desiring things fit to be desired and an expression of this desire to God as we can and as becomes us And our unwillingnesse to pray is nothing else but a not desiring what we ought passionately to long for or if we do desire it it is a choosing rather to misse our satisfaction and felicity then to ask for it There is no more to be said in this affair but that we reduce it to practise according to the following Rules Rules for the practise of Prayer 1. We must be careful that we never ask any thing of God that is sinful or that directly ministers to sin for that is to ask of God to dishonour himself and to undoe us we had need consider what we pray for before it returns in blessing it must be joyn'd with Christs intercession and presented to God Let us principally ask of God power and assistances to do our duty to glorifie God to do good works to live a good life to dye in the fear and favour of God and eternal life these things God delights to give and commands that we shall ask and we may with confidence expect to be answered graciously for these things are promised without any reservation of a secret condition if we ask them and do our duty towards the obtaining them we are sure never to misse them 2. We may lawfully pray to God for the gifts of the Spirit that minister to holy ends such as are the gift of preaching the spirit of prayer good expression a ready and unloosed tongue good understanding learning opportunities to publish them c. with these onely restraints 1. That we cannot be so confident of the event of those prayers as of the former 2. That we must be curious to secure our intention in these desires that we may not ask them to serve our own ends but only for Gods glory and then we shall have them or a blessing for desiring them In order to such purposes our intentions in the first desires cannot be amisse because they are able to sanctifie other things and therefore cannot be unhallowed themselves 3. We must submit to Gods will desiring him to choose our imployment and to furnish out our persons as he shall see expedient 3. Whatsoever we may lawfully desire of temporall things wee may lawfully ask of God in prayer and we may expect them as they are promised 1. Whatsoever is necessary to our life and being is promised to us and therefore we may with certainty expect food and raiment food to keep us alive clothing to keepe us from nakednesse and shame so long as our life is permitted to us so long all things necessary to our life shall be ministred we may be secure of maintenance but not secure of our life for that is promised not this onely concerning food and raiment we are not to make accounts by the measure of our desires but by the measure of our needs 2. Whatsoever is convenient for us pleasant and modestly delectable we may pray for so we do it 1. with submission to Gods will 2. Without impatient desires 3. That it be not a trifle and inconsiderable but a matter so grave and concerning as to be a fit matter to be treated on between God and our souls 4. That we ask it not to spend upon our lusts but for ends of justice or charity or religion and that they be imployed with sobriety 4. He that would pray with effect must live with care and piety For although God gives to sinners and evil persons the common blessings of life and chance yet either they want the comfort and blessing of those blessings or they become occasions of sadder accidents to them or serve to upbraid them in their ingratitude or irreligion and in all cases they are not the effects of prayer or the fruits of promise or instances of a fathers love for they cannot be expected with confidence or received without danger or used without a curse and mischief in their company * But as all sin is an impediment to prayer so some have a special indisposition towards acceptation such are uncharitablenesse and wrath Hypocrisie in the present action Pride and Lust because these by defiling the body or the spirit or by contradicting some necessary ingredient in prayer such as are Mercy Humility Purity and Sincerity do defile the prayer and make it a direct sin in the circumstances or formality of the action 5. All prayer must be made with Faith and Hope that is we must certainly believe wee shall receive the grace which GOD hath commanded us to ask and wee must hope for such things which hee hath permitted us to ask and our Hâ—pe shall not bee vain though wee misse what is not absolutely promised because we shall at least have an equal blessing in the denial as in the grant And therefore the former conditions must first be secured that is that we ask things necessary or at least good and innocent and profitable and that our persons be gracious in the eyes of God or else what God hath promised to our natural needs he may in many degrees deny to our personal incapacity but the thing being secur'd and the person dispos'd there can be no fault at all for whatsoever else remains is on Gods part and that cannot possibly fail But because the things which are not commanded cannot possibly be secur'd for we are not sure they are good in all circumstances we can but hope for such things even after we have secur'd our good intentions Wee are sure of a blessing but in what instance we are not yet assured 6. Our prayers must be fervent intense earnest and importunate when we pray for things of high concernment and necessity Continuing instant in prayer striving in prayer labouring fervently in prayer night and day praying exceedingly praying alwayes with all prayer so S. Paul calls it watching unto prayer so Saint Peter praying earnestly so S. Iames and this is not at all to be abated in matters spiritual and of duty for according as our desires are so are our prayers and as our prayers are so shall be the grace and as that is so shall be the measure of glory But this admits of degrees according to the perfection or imperfection of our state of life but it hath no other measures but ought to be as great as it can the bigger the better we must make no positive restraints upon it our selves In other things we are to use a bridle and as we must limit
may praise him for so we blesse God and God blesses us And yet fail not to finde or make opportunities to worship God at some other times of the day at least by ejaculations and short addresses more or lesse longer or shorter solemnly or without solemnity privately or publickly as you can or are permitted alwayes remembring that as every sin is a degree of danger and unsafety so every pious prayer and well imployed opportunity is a degree of return to hope and pardon Cautions for making vowes 16. A vow to God is an act of prayer and a great degree and instance of opportunity an increase of duty by some new uncommanded instance or some more eminent degree of duty or frequency of action or earnestnesse of spirit in the same And because it hath pleased God in all Ages of the World to admit of entercourse with his servants in the matter of vows it is not ill advice that we make vows to God in such cases in which we have great need or great danger But let it be done according to these rules and by these cautions 1. That the matter of the vow be lawful 2. That it be useful in order to Religion or charity 3. That it be grave not trifling and impertinent but great in our proportion of duty towards the blessing 4. That it be in an uncommanded instance that is that it be of something or in some manner or in some degree to which formerly wee were not obliged or which wee might have omitted without sinne 5. That it bee done with prudence that is that it be safe in all the circumstances of person lest we beg a blessing and fall into a snare 6. That every vow of a new action bee also accompanied with a new degree and enforcement of our essential and unalterable duty such as was Iacobs vow that besides the payment of a tithe God should be his God that so hee might strengthen his duty to him first in essentials and precepts and then in additionals and accidentals For it is but an ill Tree that spends more in leaves and suckers and gummes then in fruit and that thankfulnesse and Religion is best that first secures duty and then enlarges in counsels Therefore let every great prayer and great need and great danger draw us to GOD neerer by the approach of a pious purpose to live more strictly and let every mercy of GOD answering that prayer produce a real performance of it 7. Let not young beginners in Religion enlarge their hearts and streighten their liberty by vowes of long continuance nor indeed any one else without a great experience of himself and of all accidental dangers Vowes of single actions are safest and proportionable to those single blessings ever begg'd in such cases of sudden and transient importunities 8. Let no action which is matter of question and dispute in Religion ever become the matter of a vow He vowes foolishly that promises to God to live and dye in such an opinion in an article not necessary not certain or that upon confidence of his present guide bindes himself for ever to the profession of what he may afterwards more reasonably contradict or may finde not to be useful or not profitable but of some danger or of no necessity If we observe the former rules we shall pray piously and effectually but because even this duty hath in it some especial temptations it is necessary that we be armed by special remedies against them The dangers are 1. Wandring thoughts 2. Tediousnesse of spirit Against the first these advices are profitable Remedies against wandring thoughts in Prayer If we feel our spirits apt to wander in our prayers and to retire into the World or to things unprofitable or vain and impertinent 1. Use prayer to bee assisted in prayer pray for the spirit of supplication for a sober fixed and recollected spirit and when to this you adde a moral industry to be steady in your thoughts whatsoever wandrings after this do return irremediably are a misery of Nature and an imperfection but no sinne while it is not cherished and indulged too 2. In private it is not amisse to attempt the cure by reducing your prayers into Collects and short forms of prayer making voluntary interruptions and beginning again that the want of spirit and breath may be supplied by the short stages and periods 3. When you have observed any considerable wandring of your thoughts binde your self to repeat that prayer again with actual attention or else revolve the full sense of it in your spirit and repeat it in all the effect and desires of it and possibly the tempter may be driven away with his own art and may cease to interpose his trifles when hee perceives they doe but vex the person into carefulnesse and piety and yet hee loses nothing of his devotion but doubles the earnestnesse of his care 4. If this bee not seasonable or opportune or apt to any Mans circumstances yet be sure with actual attention to say a hearty Amen to the whole prayer with one united desire earnestly begging the graces mentioned in the prayer for that desire does the great work of the prayer and secures the blessing if the wandring thoughts were against our will and disclaimed by contending against them 5. Avoid multiplicity of businesses of the World and in those that are unavoidable labour for an evennesse and tranquillity of spirit that you may be untroubled and smooth in all tempests of fortune for so we shall better tend Religion when we are not torn in pieces with the cares of the World and seiz'd upon with low affections passions and interest 6. It helps much to attention and actual advertisement in our prayers if we say our prayers silently without the voice onely by the â—pirit For in mental prayer if our thoughts wander we onely stand still when our minde returns we go on again there is none of the prayer lost as it is if our mouths speak and our hearts wander 7. To incite you to the use of these or any other counsels you shall meet with remember that it is a great undecency to desire of God to hear those prayers a great part whereof we do not hear our selves If they be not worthy of our attention they are far more unworthy of Gods Signes of tediousnesse of spirit in our prayers and all actions of religion The second temptation in our prayer is a tediousnesse of spirit or a wearinesse of the imployment like that of the Jews who complained that they were weary of the new moons and their souls loathed the frequent return of their Sabbaths so do very many Christians who first pray without fervour and earnestnesse of spirit and secondly meditate but seldom and that without fruit or sence or affection or thirdly who seldom examine their consciences and when they do it they do it but sleepily slightly without compunction or hearty purpose or fruits of amendment 4. They
receive it into an unhallowed soul and body is to receive the dust of the Tabernacle in the waterâ— of jealousie it will make the belly to swell and the thigh to rot it will not convey Christ to us but the Devil will enter and dwell there till with it he returns to his dwelling of torment Remember alwayes that after a great sin or after a habit of sins a Man is not soon made clean and no unclean thing must come to this Feast It is not thâ— preparation of two or three dayes that can render a person capable of this banqueâ— For in this seast all Christ and Christs passion and all his graces the blessings and effects of his sufferings are conveyed nothing can fit us for this but what can unite us to Christ and obtain of him to present our needs to his heavenly Father this Sacrament can no otherwise be celebrated but upon the same terms on which we may hope for pardon and Heaven it self 5. When we have this general and indispensably necessary preparation we are to make our souls more adorn'd and trimm'd up with circumstances of pious actions and special devotions setting apart some portion of our time immediately before the day of solemnity according as our great occasions will permit and this time is specially to be spent in actions of repentance confession of our sins renewing our purposes of holy living praying for pardon of our failings and for those graces which may prevent the like sadnesses for the time to come meditation upon the passion upon the infinite love of God expressed in so great mysterious manners of redemption and indefinitely in all acts of vertue which may build our soules up into a Temple fit for the reception of Christ himself and the inhabitation of the holy Spirit 6. The celebration of the holy Sacrament being the most solemne prayer joyned with the most effectual instrument of its acceptance must suppose us in the love of God and in charity with all the World and therefore we must before every Communion especially remember what differences or jealousies are between us and any one else and recompose all disunions and cause right understandings betweene each other offering to satisfie whom we have injur'd and to forgive them who have injur'd us without thoughts of resuming the quarrel when the solemnity is over for that is but to rake the embers in light and phantastick ashes it must be quenched and a holy flame enkindled no fires must be at all but the fires of love and zeal and the altar of incense will send up a sweet perfume and make atonement for us 7. When the day of the feast is come lay aside all cares and impertinencies of the World and remember that this is thy Souls day a day of traffique and entercourse with Heaven Arise early in the morning 1. Give God thanks for the approach of so great a blessing 2. Confesse thy own unworthinesse to admit so Divine a Guest 3. Then remember and deplore thy sinnes which have made thee so unworthy 4. Then confesse Gods goodnesse and take sanctuary there and upon him place thy hopes 5. And invite him to thee with renewed acts of love of holy desire of hatred of his enemy sin 6. Make oblation of thy self wholly to be disposed by him to the obedience of him to his providence and possession and pray him to enter and dwell there for ever And after this with joy and holy fear and the forwardness of love addresse thy self to the receiving of him to whom and by whom and for whom all faith and all hope and all love in the whole Catholick Church both in Heaven Earth is design'd him whom Kings and Queens and whole Kingdoms are in love with and count it the greatest honour in the World that their Crowns and Scepters are laid at his holy feet 8. When the holy Man stands at the Table of blessing and ministers the rite of consecration then do as the Angels do who behold love and wonder that the Son of God should become food to the souls of his servants that he who cannot suffer any change or lessening should be broken into pieces and enter into the body to support and nourish the spirit and yet at the same time remain in Heaven while he descends to thee upon Earth that he who hath essential felicity should become miserable and dye sor thee and then give himself to thee for ever to redeem thee from sin and misery that by his wounds he should procure health to thee by his affronts he should intitle thee to glory by his death he should bring thee to life and by becoming a Man he should make thee partaker of the Divine nature These are such glories that although they are made so obvious that each eye may behold them yet they are also so deep that no thought can fathome them But so it hath pleased him to make these mysteries to be sensible because the excellency and depth of the mercy is not intelligible that while wee are ravished and comprehended within the infinitenesse of so vast mysterious a mercy yet we may be as sure of it as of that thing we see and feel and smell and taste but yet is so great that we cannot understand it 9. These holy mysteries are offered to our senses but not to bee placed under our feet they are sensible but not common and therefore as the weaknesse of the Elements addes wonder to the excellency of the Sacrament so let our reverence and venerable usages of them adde honour to the Elements and acknowledge the glory of the mystery and the Divinity of the mercy Let us receive the consecrated Elements with all devotion and humility of body and spirit and do this honour to it that it be the first food we eat and the first beverage we drink that day unlesse it he in case of sicknesse or other great necessity and that your body and soul both be prepared to its reception with abstinence from secular pleasures that you may better have attended fastings and preparatory prayers For if ever it be seasonable to observe the counsel of Saint Paul that married persons by consent should abstain for a time that they may attend to solemne Religion it is now It was not by Saint Paul nor the after ages of the Church called a duty so to do but it is most reasonable that the more solemne actions of Religion should be attended to without the mixture of any thing that may discompose the minde and make it more secular or lesse religious 10. In the act of receiving exercise acts of Faith with much confidence and resignation believing it not to be common bread and wine but holy in their use holy in their signification holy in their change and holy in their effect and believe if thou art a worthy Communicant thou doest as verily receive Christs body and blood to all effects and purposes of the spirit as
of secular imployments must come onely they must leave their secular thoughts and affections behinde them and then come and converse with God If any man be well grown in grace he must needs come because he is excellently disposed to so holy a feast but he that is but in the infancy of piety had need to come that so he may grow in grace The strong must come lest they become weak the weak that they may become strong The sick must come to be cured the healthful to be preserved They that have leisure must come because they have no excuse They that have no leisure must come hither that by so excellent religion they may sanctifie their businesse The penitent sinners must come that they may be justified and they that are justified that they may be justified still They that have fears and great reverence to these mysteries and think no preparation to be sufficient must receive that they may learn how to receive the more worthily and they that have a lesse degree of reverence must come often to have it heightned that as those Creatures that live amongst the snowes of the Mountains turne white with their food and conversation with such perpetual whitenesses so our souls may be transformed into the similitude and union with Christ by our perpetual feeding on him and conversation not onely in his Courts but in his very heart and most secret affections and incomparable purities Prayers for all sorts of Men and all necessities relating to the several parts of the vertue of Religion A Prayer for the Graces of Faith Hope Charity O Lord God of infinite mercy of infinite excellency who hast sent thy holy Son into the world to redeem us from an intolerable misery and to teach us a holy religion and to forgive us an infinite debt give me thy holy Spirit that my understanding and all my faculties may be so resigned to the discipline and doctrine of my Lord that I may be prepared in minde and will to dye for the testimony of Jesus and to suffer any affliction or calamity that shall offer to hinder my duty or tempt me to shame or sin or apostacy and let my faith be the parent of a good life a strong shield to repell the fiery darts of the Devil and the Author of a holy hope of modest desires of confidence in God and of a never failing charity to thee my God and to all the world that I may never have my portion with the unbelievers or uncharitable and desperate persons but may be supported by the strengths of faith in all temptations and may be refreshed with the comforts of a holy hope in all my sorrows and may bear the burden of the Lord and the infirmities of my neighbour by the support of charity that the yoak of Jesus may become easy to me and my love may do all the miracles of grace till from grace it swell to glory from earth to heaven from duty to reward from the imperfections of a beginning and little growing love it may arrive to the consummation of an eternal and never ceasing charity through Jesus Christ the Son of thy love the Anchor of our hope and the Author and finisher of our faith to whom with thee O Lord God Father of Heaven and Earth and with thy holy Spirit be all glory and love and obedience and dominion now and for ever Amen Acts of love by way of prayer and ejaculation to be used in private O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is to see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary because thy loving kindnes is better then life my lips shall praise thee Psal. 63. I am ready not only to be bound but to dye for the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 23. How amiable are thy Tabernacles thou Lord of Hosts my soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Blessed are they that dwell in thy house they will still be praising thee Psal. 84. O blessed Jesu thou art worthy of all adoration and all honour and all love Thou art the Wondeâ—ful the Counsellor the mighty God the Everlasting Father the Prince of peace of thy government and peace there shall be no end thou art the brightnesse of thy Fathers glory the expresse image of his person the appointed Heir of all things Thou upholdest all things by the word of thy power Thou didst by thy self purge our sins Thou art set on the right hand of the Majesty on high Thou art made better then the Angels thou hast by inheritance obtain'd a more excellent name then they Thou O dearest Jesus art the head of the Church the beginning and the first born from the dead in all things thou hast the preheminence and it pleased the Father that in thee should all fulnesse dwell Kingdoms are in love with thee Kings lay their crowns and scepters at thy feet and Queens are thy handmaids and wash the feet of thy servants A Prayer to be said in any affliction as death of children of husband or wife in great poverty in imprisonment in a sad and disconsolate spirit in temptations to despair O Eternal God Father of Mercyes and God of all comfort with much mercy look upon the sadnesses and sorrowes of thy servant My sins lye heavy upon me and presse me sore and there is no health in my bones by reason of thy displeasure and my sin The waters are gone over me and I stick fast in the deep mire and my miseries are without comfort because they are punishments of my sin and I am so evil and unworthy a person that though I have great desires yet I have no dispositions or worthiness towards receiving comfort My sins have caused my sorrow and my sorrow does not cure my sins and unless for thy own sake and merely because thou art good thou shalt pity me relieve me I am as much without remedy as now I am without comfort Lord pity me Lord let thy grace refresh my Spirit Let thy comforts support me thy mercy pardon me and never let my portion be amongst hopelesse and accursed spirits for thou art good and gracious and I throw my self upon thy mercy Let me never let my hold go do thou with me what seems good in thy own eyes I cannot suffer more then I have deserved and yet I can need no relief so great as thy mercy is for thou art infinitely more merciful then I can be miserable and thy mercy which is above all thy own works must needs be far above all my sin and all my misery Dearest Jesus let me trust in thee for ever and let me never be confounded Amen Ejaculations and short meditations to be used in time of sickness and sorrow or danger of
THE RULE AND EXERCISES OF HOLY LIVING By Ier. Taylor D D Non magna loquimur sed vivimus LONDON printed for R Royston in Iâ—ye lane 1650. THE RVLE AND EXERCISES OF HOLY LIVING In which are described The MEANS and INSTRUMENTS of obtaining every Vertue and the Remedies against every Vice and Considerations serving to the resisting all temptations Together with Prayers containing the whole duty of A Christian and the parts of Devotion fitted to all Occasions and furnish'd for all Necessities LONDON Printed for Richard Royston at the Angel in Ivie-Lane MDCL To the right Honourable and truly Noble RICHARD Lord VAUGHAN Earl of Carbery Baron of Emlin and Molingar Knight of the honourable Order of the Bath My Lord I Have lived to see Religion painted upon Banners and thrust out of Churches and the Temple turned into a Tabernacle and that Tabernacle made ambulatory and covered with skins of Beasts and torn Curtains and God to be worshipped not as he is the Father of our Lord Iesus an afflicted Prince the King of sufferings nor as the God of peace which two appellatives God newly took upon him in the New Testament and glories in for ever but he is owned now rather as the Lord of Hosts which title he was pleased to lay aside when the Kingdom of the Gospel was preached by the Prince of peace But when Religion puts on Armor and God is not acknowledged by his New Testament titles Religion may have in it the power of the Sword but not the power of Godliness and we may complain of this to God and amongst them that are afflicted but we have no remedy but what we must expect from the fellowship of Christs sufferings and the returns of the God of peace In the mean time and now that Religion pretends to stranger actions upon new principles and men are apt to prefer a prosperous errour before an afflicted truth and some will think they are religious enough if their worshipings have in them the prevailing ingredient and the Ministers of Religion are so scattered that they cannot unite to stop the inundation and from Chaires or Pulpits from their Synods or Tribunals chastise the iniquity of the errour and the ambition of evil Guides and the infidelity of the willingly seduced multitude and that those few good people who have no other plot in their religion but to serve God and save their soules do want such assistances of ghostly counsel as may serve their emergent needs and assist their endeavours in the acquist of vertues and relieve their dangers when they are tempted to sinne and death I thought I had reasons enough inviting me to draw into one body those advices which the severall necessities of many men must use at some time or other and many of them daily that by a collection of holy precepts they might lesse feel the want of personall and attending Guides and that the rules for conduct of soules might be committed to a Book which they might alwayes have since they could not alwayes have a Prophet at their needs nor be suffered to go up to the house of the Lord to inquire of the appointed Oracles I know my Lord that there are some interested persons who adde scorn to the afflictions of the Church of ENGLAND and because she is afflicted by Men call her forsaken of the Lord and because her solemn assemblies are scattered think that the Religion is lost and the Church divorc'd from God supposing CHRIST who was a Man of sorrows to be angry with his Spouse when she is like him for that 's the true state of the Errour and that he who promised his Spirit to assist his servants in their troubles will because they are in trouble take away the Comforter from them who cannot be a comforter but while he cures our sadnesses and relieves our sorrowes and turnes our persecutions into joyes and Crowns Scepters But concerning the present state of the Church of England I consider that because we now want the blessings of external communion in many degrees and the circumstances of a prosperous and unafflicted people we are to take estimate of our selves with single judgements and every Man is to give sentence concerning the state of his own soul by the precepts and rules of our Lawgiver not by the after decrees and usages of the Church that is by the essential parts of Religion rather then by the uncertain significations of any exteriour adherencies for though it be uncertain when a Man is the Member of a Church whether he be a Member of Christ or no because in the Churches Net there are fishes good and bad yet we may be sure that if we be Members of Christ we are of a Church to all purposes of spiritual religion and salvation and in order to this give me leave to speak this great truth That Man does certainly belong to God who 1 Believes and is baptized into all the Articles of the Christian faith and studies to improve his knowledge in the matters of God so as may best make him to live a holy life 2 He that in obedience to Christ worships God diligently frequently and constantly with natural Religion that is of prayer praises and thanksgiving 3 He that takes all opportunities to remember Christs death by a frequent Sacrament as it can be had or else by inward acts of understanding will and memory which is the spiritual communion supplies the want of the external rite 4 He that lives chastly 5 And is merciful 6 And despises the World using it as a Man but never suffering it to rifâ—e a duty 7 And is just in his dealing and diligent in his calling 8 He that is humble in his spirit 9 And obedient to Government 10 And content in his fortune and imployment 11 He that does his duty because he loves God 12 And especially if after all this he be afflicted patient or prepared to suffer affliction for the cause of God The Man that hath these twelve signes of grace predestination does as certainly belong to God is his Son as surely as he is his creature And if my brethren in persecution and in the bands of the Lord Iesus can truly shew these markes they shall not need be troubled that others can shew a prosperous outside great revenues publick assemblies uninterrupted successions of Bishops prevailing Armies or any arme of flesh or lesse certain circumstance These are the markes of the Lord Jesus and the characters of a Christian This is a good Religion and these things Gods grace hath put into our powers and Gods Lawes have made to be our duty and the nature of Men and the needs of Common-wealths have made to be necessary the other accidents pomps of a Church are things without our power and are not in our choice they are good to be used when they may be had and they help to illustrate or advantage it but if any of them constitute a Church in
way of exercise Page 317 13 Remedies against anger by way of consid Page 322 3.7 Remedies against Covetousnesse Page 325 Sect. 9. Of Repentance Page 332 11 Acts and parts of Repentance Page 335 4 Motives to Repentance Page 344 Sect. 10. Of Preparation to and the manner how to receive the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper Page 347 14 Rules for Preparation and worthy Communicating Page 349 The effects and benefits of worthy Communicating Page 357 Prayers for all sorts of Men and all necessities relating to the several parts of the vertue of religion Page 360 The Rule and Exercises of Holy Living c. CHAP. I. Consideration of the general instruments and means serving to a holy Life by way of Introduction IT is necessary that every Man should consider that since God hath given him an excellent nature wisdom and choice an understanding soul and an immortal spirit having made him Lord over the Beasts and but a little lower then the Angels he hath also appointed for him a work and a service great enough to imploy those abilities and hath also designed him to a state of life after this to which he can onely arrive by that service and obedience And therefore as every man is wholly Gods own portion by the title of creation so all our labours and care all our powers and faculties must be wholly imployed in the service of God even all the dayes of our life that this life being ended we may live with him for ever Neither is it sufficient that we think of the service of God as a work of the least necessity or of small imployment but that it be done by us as God intended it that it be done with great earnestnesse and passion with much zeal and desire that we refuse no labour that we bestow upon it much time that we use the best guides and arrive at the end of glory by all the wayes of grace of prudence and religion And indeed if we consider how much of our lives is taken up by the needs of nature how many years are wholly spent before we come to any use of reason how many years more before that reason is useful to us to any great purposes how imperfect our discourse is made by our evil education false principles ill company bad examples and want of experience how many parts of our wisest and best years are spent in eating and sleeping in necessary businesses and unnecessary vanities in worldly civilities and lesse useful circumstances in the learning arts and sciences languages or trades that little portion of hours that is left for the practises of piety and religious walking with God is so short and trifling that were not the goodnesse of God infinitely great it might seem unreasonable or impossible for us to expect of him eternal joyes in heaven even after the well spending those few minutes which are left for God and Gods service after we have served our selves and our own occasions And yet it is considerable that the fruit which comes from the many dayes of recreation and vanity is very little and although we scatter much yet we gather but little profit but from the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life the return is great and profitable and what we sowe in the minutes and spare portions of a few years grows up to crowns and scepters in a happy and a glorious eternity 1. Therefore Although it cannot be enjoyn'd that the greatest part of our time be spent in the direct actions of devotion and religion yet it will become not onely a duty but also a great providence to lay aside for the services of God and the businesses of the Spirit as much as we can because God rewards our minutes with long and eternal happinesse and the greater portion of our time we give to God the more we treasure up for our selves and No man is a better Merchant than he that layes out his time upon God and his money upon the Poor 2. Onely it becomes us to remember and to adore Gods goodnesse for it that God hath not onely permitted us to serve the necessities of our nature but hath made them to become parts of our duty that if we by directing these actions to the glory of God intend them as instruments to continue our persons in his service he by adopting them into religion may turn our nature into grace and accept our natural actions as actions of religion God is pleased to esteem it for a part of his service if we eat or drink so it be done temperately and as may best preserve our health that our health may enable our services towards him And there is no one minute of our lives after we are come to the use of reason but we are or may be doing the work of God even then when we most of all serve our selves 3. To which if we adde that in these and all other actions of our lives we alwayes stand before God acting and speaking and thinking in his presence and that it matters not that our conscience is seal'd with secresie since it lies open to God it will concern us to behave our selves carefully as in the presence of our Judge These three considerations rightly manag'd and applyed to the several parts and instances of our lives will be like Elisha stretched upon the childe apt to put life and quicknesse into every part of it and to make us live the life of grace and do the work of God I shall therefore by way of introduction reduce these three to practise and shew how every Christian may improve all and each of these to the advantage of piety in the whole course of his life that if he please to bear but one of them upon his spirit he may feel the benefit like an universal instrument helpful in all spiritual and temporal actions SECT I. The first general instrument of holy living Care of our time HE that is choice of his time will also be choice of his company and choice of his actions lest the first ingage him in vanity and losse and the latter by being criminal be a throwing his time and himself away and a going back in the accounts of eternity God hath given to man a short time here upon earth and yet upon this short time eternity depends but so that for every hour of our life after we are persons capable of laws know good from evil we must give account to the great Judge of Men and Angels And this is it which our blessed Saviour told us that we must account for every idle word not meaning that every word which is not designd to edification or is lesse prudent shall be reckoned for a sin but that the time which we spend in our idle talking and unprofitable discoursings that time which might and ought to have been imployed to spiritual and useful purposes that is to be accounted for For we must remember
doing the same thing because this man did it to upbraid his brother the other to obtain a mercy of God Zecharias questioned with the Angel about his message and was made speechlesse for his incredulity but the blessed Virgin Mary questioned too and was blamelesse for she did it to enquire after the manner of the thing but he did not believe the thing it self He doubted of Gods power or the truth of the Messenger but â—he onely of her own incapacity This was it which distinguished the mourning of David from the exclamation of Saul the confession of Pharaoh from that of Manasses the tears of Peter from the repentance of Iudas For the praise is not in the deed done but in the manner of its doing If a man visits his sick friend and watches at his pillow for charity sake and because of his old affection we approve it but if he does it in hope of legacy he is a Vulture and onely watches for the carkasse The same things are honest and dishonest the manner of doing them and the end of the designe makes the separation Holy intention is to the actions of a man that which the soul is to the body or form to its matter or the root to the tree or the Sun to the World or the Fountain to a River or the Base to a Pillar for without these the body is a dead trunk the matter is sluggish the tree is a block the world is darknesse the river is quickly dry the pillar rushes into flatnesse and a ruine and the action is sinful or unprofitable and vain The poor Farmer that gave a dish oâ— cold water to Artaxerxes was rewarded with a golden goblet and he that gives the same present to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple shall have a Crown but if he gives water in despite when the Disciple needs wine or a Cordial his reward shall be to want that water to cool his tongue * But this duty must be reduced to rules Rules for our intentions 1. In every action reflect upon the end and in your undertaking it consider why you do it and what you propound to your self for a reward and to your action as its end 2. Begin every action in the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost the meaning of which is that we be careful that we do not the action without the permission or warrant of God 2. That we designe it to the glory of God if not in the direct action yet at least in its consequence if not in the particular yet at least in the whole order of things and accidents 3. That it may be so blessed that what you intend for innocent and holy purposes may not by any chance or abuse or misunderstanding of men be turned into evil or made the occasion of sin 3. Let every action of concernment be begun with prayer that God would not onely blesse the action but sanctifie your purpose and make an oblation of the action to God holy and well intended actions being the best oblations and presents we can make to God and when God is entitled to them he will the rather keep the fire upon the Altar bright and shining 4. In the prosecution of the action renew and re-inkindle your purpose by short ejaculations to these purposes Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name let all praise be given and consider Now I am working the work of God I am his servant I am in a happy imployment I am doing my Masters businesse I am not at my own dispose I am using his talents and all the gain must be his for then be sure as the glory is his so the reward shall be thine If thou bringest his goods home with increase he will make thee ruler over Cities 5. Have a care that while the Altar thus sends up a holy fume thou doest not suffer the birds to come carry away the Sacrifice that is let not that which began well and was intended for Gods glory decline and end in thy owne praise or temporal satisfaction or a sin A story told to represent the vilenesse of unchastity is well begun but if thy female auditor be pleased with thy language and begins rather to like thy person for thy story then to dislike the crime be watchful lest this goodly head of gold descend in silver and brasse and end in iron and clay like Nebuchadnezzars image for from the end it shall have its name and reward 6. If any accidental event which was not first intended by thee can come to passe let it not be taken into thy purposes nor at all be made use of as if by telling a true story you can do an ill turn to your enemy by no means do it but when the temptation is found out turn all thine enmity upon that 7 In every more solemne action of Religion joyn together many good ends that the consideration of them may entertain all your affections and that when any one ceases the purity of your intention may be supported by another supply He that fasts onely to tame a rebellious body when he is provided of a remedy either in Grace or Nature may be tempted to leave off his fasting But he that in his fast intends the mortification of every unruly appetite an accustoming himself to bear the yoke of the Lord a contempt of the pleasures of meat and drink humiliation of all wilder thoughts obedience and humility austerity and charity and the convenience and assistance to devotion and to do an act of repentance whatever happens will have reason enough to make him to continue his purpose and to sanctifie it And certain it is the more good ends are designed in an action the more degrees of excellency the man obtains 8. If any temptation to spoil your purpose happens in a religious duty do not presently omit the action but rather strive to rectifie your intention and to mortifie the temptation S. Bernard taught us this rule For when the Devil observing him to preach excellently and to do much benefit to his hearers tempted him to vain glory hoping that the good man to avoid that would cease preaching he gave this answer onely I neither began for thee neither for thee will I make an end 9. In all actions which are of long continuance deliberation and abode let your holy and pious intention be actual that is that it be by a special prayer or action by a peculiar act of resignation or oblation be given to God but in smaller actions and little things and indifferent fail not to secure a pious habitual intention that is that it be included within your general care that no action have an ill end and that it be comprehended in your general prayers whereby you offer your self and all you do to Gods glory 10. Call not every temporal end a defiling of thy intention but onely 1. When it contradicts any of
discompose my duty or turn me from the wayes of thy Commandements O let thy Spirit dwell with me for ever and make my soul just and charitable full of honesty full of religion resolute and constant in holy purposes but inflexible to evil Make me humble and obedient peaceable and pious let me never envy any mans good nor deserve to be despised my self and if I be teach me to bear it with meeknesse and charity V. GIve me a tender conscience a conversation discreet and aâ—fable modest and patient liberal and obliging body a chaste and healthful competency of living according to my condition contentednesse in all estates a resigned will and mortified affections that I may be as thou wouldst have me and my portion may be in the lot of the righteous in the brightnesse of thy countenance and the glories of eternity Amen Holy is our God * Holy is the Almighty * Holy is the Immortal Holy holy holy Lord God of Sabbath have mercy upon me A form of Prayer for the evening to be said by such who have not time or opportunity to say the publick prayers appointed for this office I. O Eternal God Great Father of Men and Angels who hast established the Heavens and the Earth in a wonderful order making day and night to succeed each other I make my humble addresse to thy Divine Majesty begging of thee mercy protection this night ever O Lord pardon all my sins my light and rash words the vanity and impiety of my thoughts my unjust and uncharitable actions and whatsoever I have transgressed against thee this day or at any time before Behold O God my soul is troubled in the remembrance of my sins in the frailty and sinfulnesse of my flesh exposed to every temptation and of it self not able to resist any Lord God of mercy I earnestly beg of thee to give me a great portion of thy grace such as may be sufficient and effectual for the mortification of all my sins and vanities and disorders that as I have formerly served my lust and unworthy desires so now I may give my self up wholly to thy service and the studies of a holy life II. BLessed Lord teach me frequently and sadly to remember my sins and be thou pleased to remember them no more let me never forget thy mercies and do thou still remember to do me good Teach me to walk alwayes as in thy presence Ennoble my soul with great degrees of love to thee and configne my spirit with great fear religion and veneration of thy holy Name and laws that it may become the great imployment of my whole life to serve thee to advance thy glory to root out all the accursed habits of sin that in holinesse of life in humility in charity in chastity and all the ornaments of grace I may by patience wait for the coming of our Lord Jesus Amen III. Teach me O Lord to number my dayes that I may apply my heart unto wisdom ever to remember my last end that I may not dare to sin against thee Let thy holy Angels be ever present with me to keep me in all my wayes from the malice and violence of the spirits of darknesse from evil company and the occasions and opportunities of evil from perishing in popular judgements from all the wayes of sinful shame from the hands of all mine enemies from a sinful life and from despair in the day of my death Then O brightest Jesu shine gloriously upon me let thy mercies and the light of thy Countenance sustain me in all my agonies weaknesses and temptations Give me opportunity of a prudent and spiritual Guide and of receiving the holy Sacrament let thy loving spirit so guide me in the wayes of peace and safety that with the testimony of a good conscience and the sense of thy mercies and refreshment I may depart this life in the unity of the Church in the love of God and a certain hope of salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and most blessed Saviour Amen Our Father c. Another form of Evening Prayer which may also be used at bed-time Our Father c. I Will lift up my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help My help cometh of the Lord which made heaven and earth He will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slumber Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand The sun shall not smite thee by day neither the moon by night The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth for evermore Glory be to the Father c. I. VIsit I beseech thee O Lord this habitation with thy mercy and me with thy grace and salvation Let thy holy Angels pitch their tents round about and dwell here that no illusion of the night may abuse me the spirits of darknesse may not come neer to hurt me no evil or sad accident oppresse me and let the eternal spirit of the Father dwell in my soul and body filling every corner of my heart with light and grace Let no deed of darknesse overtake me and thy blessing most blessed God be upon me for ever through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen II. INto thy hands most blessed Jesu I commend my soul and body for thou hast redeemed both with thy most precious blood So blesse and sanctifie my sleep unto me that it may be temperate holy and safe a refreshment to my wearied body to enable it so to serve my soul that both may serve thee with a never failing duty O let me never sleep in sin or death eternal but give me a watchful a prudent spirit that I may omit no oportunity of serving thee that whether I sleep or wake live or die I may be thy servant and thy childe that when the work of my life is done I may rest in the bosom of my Lord till by the voice of the Archangel the trump of God I shall be awakened and called to sit down and feast in the eternal supper of the Lamb. Grant this O Lamb of God for the honour of thy mercies and the glory of thy name O most merciful Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Amen III. BLessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus who hath sent his Angels and kept me this day from the destruction that walketh at noon and the arrow that flyeth by day and hath given me his Spirit to restrain me from those evils to which my own weaknesses and my evil habits and my unquiet enemies would easily betray me Blessed and for ever hallowed be thy name for that never ceasing showre os blessing by which I live and am content and blessed and provided for in all necessities and set forward in my duty and way to heaven * Blessing honour
who brought a part of the stars with his tail from Heaven 4. Of all carnal sins it is that alone which the Devil takes delight to imitate counterfeit communicating with Witches impure persons in no corporal act but in this onely 5. Uncleannesse with all its kindes is a vice which hath a professed enmity against the body Every sin which a man doth is without the body but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body 6. Uncleannesse is hugely contrary to the spirit of Government by embasing the spirit of a man making it effeminate sneaking soft and foolish without courage without confidence David felt this after his folly with Bathsheba he fell to unkingly arts and stratagems to hide the crime and he did nothing but increase it and remaind timorous poor spirited till he prayed to God once more to establish him with a free and a Princely spirit And no superiour dare strictly observe discipline upon his charge if he hath let himself loose to the shame of incontinence 7. The Gospel hath added two arguments against uncleannesse which were never before used nor indeed could be since GOD hath given the holy Spirit to them that are baptized and rightly confirmed and entered into covenant with him our bodies are made temples of the holy Ghost in which he dwels and therfore uncleanness is Sacriledge defiles a Temple It is S. Pauls argument Know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy Ghost He that defiles a Temple him will God destroy Therfore Glorifie God in your bodies that is flee fornication To which for the likeness of the argument adde That our bodies are members of Christ and therefore God forbid that we should take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot So that uncleannesse dishonours Christ and dishonours the holy Spirit it is a sin against God and in this sence a sin against the Holy Ghost 8. The next special argument which the Gospel ministers especially against adultery for preservation of the purity of marriage is that Marriage is by Christ hallowed into a mystery to signifie the Sacramental and mystical union of Christ and his Church He therefore that breaks this knot which the Church and their mutual faith hath tyed and Christ hath knit up into a mystery dishonours a great rite of Christianity of high spiritual and excellent signification 9. S. Gregory reckons uncleannesse to be the parent of these monsters Blindnesse of minde inconsideration precipitancy or giddinesse in actions self love hatred of God love of the present pleasures a despite or despair of the joyes of religion here and of Heaven hereafter Whereas a pure minde in a chast body is the Mother of wisdom and deliberation sober counsells and ingenuous actions open deportment and sweet carriage sincere principles and unprejudicate understanding love of God and self-denyall peace and confidence holy prayers and spiritual comfort and a pleasure of Spirit infinitely greater then the sottish and beastly pleasures of unchastity For to overcome pleasure is the greatest pleasure and no victory is greater then that which is gotten over our lusts and filthy inclinations 10. Adde to all these the publick dishonesty and disreputation that all the Nations of the world have cast upon adulterous and unhallowed embraces Abimelech to the men of Gerar made it death to meddle with the wife of Isaac and Iudah condemned Thamar to be burnt for her adulterous conception and God besides the Law made to put the adulterous person to death did constitute a setled and constant miracle to discover the adultery of a suspected woman that her bowels should burst with drinking the waters of Jealousie The Egyptian Law was to cut off the nose of the adulteresse and the offending part of the adulterer The Locrians put out the adulterers both eyes The Germanes as Tacitus reports placed the Adulteresse amidst her kinred naked and shaved her head and caused her husband to beat her with clubs thorough the city The Gortinaeans crowned the man with wool to shame him for his effeminacy and the Cumani caused the woman to ride upon an asse naked and hooted at and for ever after called her by an appellative of scorn A rider upon the asse All nations barbaroâ—s and civil agreeing in their general designe of rooting so dishonest and shameful vice from under heaven The middle ages of the Church were not pleased that the Adulteresse should be put to death but in the primitive ages the civil Lawes by which Christians were then governed gave leave to the wronged husband to kill his adulterous wife if he took her in the fact but because it was a priviledge indulg'd to men rather than a direct detestation of the crime a consideration of the injury rather then of the uncleannesse therefore it was soon altered but yet hath caused an inquiry whether is worse the Adultery of the man or the woman The resolution of which case in order to our present affair is thus In respect of the person the fault is greater in a man then in a woman who is of a more plyant and easie spirit and weaker understanding and hath nothing to supply the unequal strengths of men but the defensative of a passive nature and armour of modesty which is the natural ornament of that sex And it is unjust that the man should demand chastity and severity from his wife which himself will not observe towards her said the good Emperour Antoninus It is as if the man should perswade his wife to fight against those enemies to which he had yielded himself a prisoner 2. In respect of the effects and evil consequents the adultery of the woman is worse as bringing bastardy into a family and disinherisons or great injuries to the Lawful children and infinite violations of peace and murders and divorces and all the effects of rage and madnesse 3. But in respect of the crime and as relating to God they are equal intollerable and damnable And the Church anciently refused to admit such persons to the holy Communion until they had done seven yeers penances in fasting in sackcloth in severe inflictions and instruments of chastity and sorrow according to the discipline of those ages Acts of chastity in general The actions and proper offices of the grace of chastity in general are these 1. To resist all unchast thoughts at no hand entertaining pleasure in the unfruitful fancies and remembrances of uncleannesse although no definite desire or resolution be entertained 2. At no hand to entertain any desire or any phantastick imaginative loves though by shame or disability or other circumstance they be restrained from act 3. To have a chast eye and hand for it is all one with what part of the body we commit adultery and if a man lets his eye loose and enjoyes the lust of that he is an adulterer Look not upon a
table hereafter at the Eternal supper of the Lamb to sing an Allelujah to God the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost for ever and ever Amen For Chastity to be said especially by unmarried persons ALmighty God our most holy and eternal Father who art of pure eyes and canst behold no uncleannesse let thy gracious and holy Spirit descend upon thy servant and reprove the spirit of Fornication and Uncleannesse and cast him out that my body may be a holy Temple and my soul a Sanctuary to entertain the Prince of purities the holy and eternal Spirit of God O let no impure thoughts pollute that soul which God hath sanctified no unclean words pollute that tongue which God hath commanded to be an Organ of his praises no unholy and unchaste action rend the vail of that Temple where the holy JESUS hath been pleased to enter and hath chosen for his habitation but seal up all my senses from all vain objects and let them be intirely possessed with Religion and fortified with prudence watchfulnesse and mortification that I possessing my vessel in holiness may lay it down with a holy hope and receive it again in a joyful resurrection through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen A Prayer for the love of God to be said by Virgins and Widows professed or resolved so to live and may be used by any one O Holy and purest Jesus who wert pleased to espouse every holy soul and joyn it to thee with a holy union and mysterious instruments of religious society and communications O fill my soul with Religion and desires holy as the thoughts of Cherubim passionate beyond the love of women that I may love thee as much as ever any creature loved thee even with all my soul and all my faculties and all the degrees of every faculty let me know no loves but those of duty and charity obedience and devotion that I may for ever run after thee who art the King of Virgins and with whom whole kingdoms are in love for whose sake Queens have dyed and at whose feet Kings with joy have laid their Crowns and Scepters My soul is thine O dearest Jesu thou art my Lord and hast bound up my eyes and heart from all stranger affections give me for my dowry purity and humility modesâ—y and devotion charity and patience at last bring me into the Bride-chamber to partake of the felicities and to lye in the bosome of the Bride-groom to eternal ages O holy and sweetest Saviour Jesus Amen A Prayer to be said by married persons in behalf of themselves and each other O Eternal and gracious Father who hast consecrated the holy estate of marriage to become mysterious and to represent the union of Christ and his Church let thy holy Spirit so guide me in the doing the duties of this state that it may not become a sin unto me nor that liberty which thou hast hallowed by the holy Jesus become an occasion of licentiousnesse by my own weaknesse and sensuality and do thou forgive all those irregularities and too sensual applications which may have in any degree discomposed my spirit and the severity of a Christian. Let me in all accidents and circumstances be severe in my duty towards thee affectionate and dear to my wife or Husband a guide and good example to my family and in all quietnesse sobriety prudence and peace a follower of those holy pairs who have served thee with godlinesse and a good testimony and the blessings of the eternal God blessings of the right hand and of the left be upon the body and soul of thy servant my Wife or Husband and abide upon her or him till the end of a holy and happy life and grant that both of us may live together for ever in the embraces of the holy and eternal Jesus our Lord and Saviour Amen A Prayer for the grace of Humility O Holy and most gracious Master and Saviour Jesus who by thy example and by thy precept by the practise of a whole life and frequent discourses didst command us to be meek and humble in imitation of thy incomparable sweetnesse and great humility be pleased to give me the grace as thou hast given me the commandment enable me to do whatsoever thou commandest and command whatsoever thou pleasest O mortifie in me all proud thoughts and vain opinions of my self let me return to thee the acknowledgement and the sruits of all those good things thou hast given me that by confessing I am wholly in debt to thee for them I may not boast my self for what I have received and for what I am highly accountable and for what is my own teach me to be asham d and humbled it being nothing but sin and misery weaknesse uncleannesse Let me go before my brethren in nothing but in striving to do them honour and thee glory never to seek my own praise never to delight in it when it is offered that despising my self I may be accepted by thee in the honours with which thou shalt crown thy humble despised servants for Jesus's sake in the kingdom of eternal glory Amen Acts of Humility and modesty by way of prayer and meditation 1. Lord I know that my spirit is light and thorny my body is bruitish and expos'd to sicknesse I am constant to folly and inconstant in holy purposes My labours are vain and fruitlesse my fortune full of change and trouble seldome pleasing never perfect My wisdom is folly being ignorant even of the parts and passions of my own body and what am I O Lord before thee but a miserable person hugely in debt not able to pay 2. Lord I am nothing and I have nothing of my self I am lesse then the least of all thy mercies 3. What was I before my birth First nothing and then uncleannesse What during my childehood weaknesse and folly What in my youth folly still and passion lust and wildenesse What in my whole life a great sinner a deceived and an abused person Lord pity me for it is thy goodnesse that I am kept from confusion and amazement when I consider the misery and shame of my person and the defilements of my nature 4. Lord what am I and Lord what art thou What is man that thou art mindeful of him and the son of Man that thou so regardest him 5. How can Man be justified with God or how can he be clean that is born of a Woman Behold even to the Moon and it shineth not yea the Stars are not pure in his sight How much lesse Man that is a Worm and the son of Man which is a Worm Iob 25. A Prayer for a contented spirit and the grace of moderation and patience O Almighty God Father and Lord of all the Creatures who hast disposed all things and all chances so as may best glorifie thy wisdom and serve the ends of thy justice and magnifie thy mercy by secret and undiscernable wayes bringing good out of evil
duty the greatest love that God requires of Man And yet he that is the most imperfect must have this love also in preparation of minde and must differ from another in nothing except in the degrees of promptnesse and alacrity And in this sense he that loves God truly though but with a beginning and tender love yet he loves God with all his heart that is with that degree of love which is the highest point of duty and of Gods charge upon us and he that loves God with all his heart may yet increase with the increase of God just as there are degrees of love to God among the Saints and yet each of them love him with all their powers and capacities 2. But the greater state of love is the zeal of love which runs out into excrescencies and suckers like a fruitful and pleasant tree or bursting into gums and producing fruits not of a monstrous but of an extraordinary and heroical greatnesse Concerning which these cautions are to be observed Cautions and rules concerning zeal 1. If zeal be in the beginnings of our spiritual birth or be short sudden and transient or be a consequent of a mans natural temper or come upon any cause but after a long growth of a temperate and well regulated love it is to be suspected for passion and forwardnesse rather then the vertical point of love 2. That zeal onely is good which in a fervent love hath temperate expressions For let the affection boyl as high as it can yet if it boyl over into irregular and strange actions it will have but few but will need many excuses Elijah was zealous for the Lord of Hosts and yet he was so transported with it that he could not receive answer from God till by Musick he was recompos d and tam'd and Moses broke both the Tables of the Law by being passionately zealous against them that brake the first 3. Zeal must spend its greatest heat principally in those things that concern our selves but with great care and restraint in those that concern others 4. Remember that zeal being an excrescence of Divine love must in no sense contradict any action of love Love to God includes love to our Neighbour and therefore no pretence of zeal for Gods glory must make us uncharitable to our brother for that is just so pleasing to God as hatred is an act of love 5. That zeal that concernes others can spend it self in nothing but arts and actions and charitable instruments for their good and when it concernes the good of many that one should suffer it must bee done by persons of a competent authority and in great necessity in seldom instances according to the Law of God or Man but never by private right or for trifling accidents or in mistaken propositions The Zealots in the Old Law had authority to transfix and stab some certain persons but GOD gave them warrant it was in the case of Idolatry or such notorious huge crimes the danger of which was insuportable and the cognizance of which was infallible And yet that warrant expired with the Synagogue 6. Zeal in the instances of our own duty and personal deportment is more safe then in matters of counsel and actions besides our just duty and tending towards perfection Though in these instances there is not a direct sin even where the zeal is lesse wary yet there is much trouble and some danger as if it be spent in the too forward vowes of Chastity and restraints of natural and innocent liberties 7. Zeal may be let loose in the instances of internal personal and spiritual actions that are matters of direct duty as in prayers and acts of adoration and thanksgiving and frequent addresses provided that no indirect act passe upon them to defile them such as complacency and opinions of sanctity censuring others scruples and opinions of necessity unnecessary fears superstitious numbrings of times and houres but let the zeal be as forward as it will as devout as it will as Seraphicall as it will in the direct addresse and entercourse with God there is no danger no transgression Do all the parts of your duty as earnestly as if the salvation of all the world and the whole glory of God and the confusion of all Devils and all that you hope or desire did depend upon every one action 8. Let zeal be seated in the will and choice and regulated with prudence and a sober understanding not in the fancies and affections for these will make it full of noise and empty of profit but that will make it deep and smooth material and devout The summe is this That zeal is not a direct duty no where commanded for it self and is nothing but a forwardnesse and circumstance of another duty and therfore is then onely acceptable when it advances the love of God and our Neighbours whose circumstance it is That zeal is onely safe onely acceptable which increases charity directly and because love to our Neighbour and obedience to God are the two great portions of charity we must never account our zeal to be good but as it advances both these if it be in a matter that relates to both or severally if it relates severally S. Pauls zeal was expressed in preaching without any offerings or stipend in travelling in spending and being spent for his flock in suffering in being willing to be accursed for love of the people of God and his Countreymen Let our zeal be as great as his was so it be in affections to others but not at all in angers against them In the first then is no danger in the second there is no safety In brief let your zeal if it must be expressed in anger be alwayes more severe against thy self then against others The other part of Love to God is Love to our Neighbour for which I have reserved the Paragraph of Alms. Of the external actions of Religion Religion teaches us to present to God our bodies as well as our souls for God is the Lord of both and if the body serves the soul in actions natural and civil and intellectual it must not be eased in the onely offices of Religion unlesâ—e the body shall expect no portion of the rewards of Religion such as are resurrection reunion and glorification Our bodies are to God a living sacrifice and to present them to God is holy and acceptable The actions of the body as it serves to religion and as it is distinguished from Sobriety and Justice either relate to the word of God or to prayer or to repentance and make these kindes of external actions of religion 1. Reading and hearing the word of God 2. Fasting and corporal austerities called by S. Paul bodily exercise 3. Feasting or keeping dayes of publick joy and thanksgiving SECT IV. Of Reading or Hearing the Word of God REading and Hearing the word of God are but the several circumstances of the same duty instrumental
but when we have an object present to our eye then we must pity for there the providence of God hath fitted our charity with circumstances He that is in thy sight or in thy Neighbourhood is fallen into the lot of thy charity 16. If thou hast no money yet thou must have mercy and art bound to pity the poor and pray for them and throw thy holy desires and devotions into the treasure of the Church and if thou doest what thou art able be it little or great corporal or spiritual the charity of almes or the charity of prayers a cup of wine or a cup of water if it be but love to the brethren or a desire to help all or any of Christs poor it shall be accepted according to what a man hath not according to what he hath not For Love is all this and all the other Commandments and it will expresse it self where it can and where it cannot yet it is love still and it is also sorrow that it cannot Motives to Charity The motives to this duty are such as holy Scripture hath propounded to us by way of consideration and proposition of its excellencies and consequent reward 1. There is no one duty which our blessed Saviour did recommend to his Disciples with so repeated an injunction as this of Charity and Almes To which adde the words spoken by our Lord It is better to give then to receive and when we consider how great a blessing it is that we beg not from door to door it is a ready instance of our thankfulnes to God for his sake to relieve them that do 2. This duty is that alone wherby the future day of judgment shall be transacted For nothing but charity almes is that whereby Christ shall declare the justice and mercy of the eternal sentence Martyrdom it self is not there expressed and no otherwise involved but as it is the greatest charity 3. Christ made himself the greatest and daily example of almes or charity He went up down doing good preaching the Gospel healing all diseases and God the Father is imitable by us in nothing but in purity and mercy 4. Almes given to the poor redound to the emolument of the Giver both temporal and eternal 5. They are instrumental to the remission of sins Our forgivenesse and mercy to others being made the very rule and proportion of our confidence and hope and our prayer to be forgiven our selves 6. It is a treasure in Heaven it procures friends when we dye It is reckoned as done to Christ whatsoever we do to our poor brother and therefore when a poor man begs for Christ his sake if he have reason to ask for Ch i st his sake give it him if thou canst Now every man hath title to ask for Ch ists sake whose need is great and himself unable to cure it and if the man be a Christian. Whatsoever charity Christ will reward all that is given for Christs sake and therefore it may be asked in his name but every man that uses that sacred name for an endearment hath not a title to it neither he nor his need 7. It is one of the wings of prayer by which it flyes to the throne of grace 8. It crowns all the works of piety 9. It causes thanksgiving to God on our behalf 10. And the bowels of the poor blesse us and they pray for us 11. And that portion of our estate out of which a tenth or a fifth or a twentieth or some offering to God for religion and the poor goes forth certainly returns with a greater blessing upon all the rest It is like the effusion of oyl by the Sidonian woman as long as she poures into empty vessels it could never cease running or like the Widows barrel of meal it consumes not as long as she fed the Prophet 12. The summe of all is contained in the words of our blessed Saviour Give almes of such things as you have â—nd behold all things are clean unto you 13. To which may be added that charity or mercy is the peculiar character of Gods Elect and a signe of predestination which advantage we are taught by S. Paul Put on therefore as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercy kindnesse c. forbearing one another and forgiving oâ—e another if any man have a quarrel against any The result of all which we may reade in the words of S. Chrysostome To know the art of almes is greater then to be crowned with the Diadem of kings And yet to convert one soul is greater then to poure out ten thousand talents into the baskets of the poor But because giving Almes is an act of the vertue of mercifulnesse our endeavour must be by proper arts to mortifie the parents of unmercifulnesse which are 1. Envy 2. Anger 3. Covetousnesse in which we may be helped by the following rules or instruments Remedies against unmercifulnesse and uncharitablenesse 1. Against Envy by way of consideration Against Envy I shall use the same argument I would use to perswade a man from the Fever or the dropsie 1. Because it is a disease it is so far from having pleasure in it or a temptation to it that it is full of pain a great instrument of vexation it eats the flesh and dries up the marrow and makes hollow eyes and lean cheeks and a pale face 2. It is nothing but a direct resolution never to enter into Heaven by the way of noble pleasure taken in the good of others 3. It is most contrary to God 4. And a just contrary state to the felicities and actions of Heaven where every star encreases the light of the other and the multitude of guests at the supper of the Lamb makes the eternal meal more festival 5. It is perfectly the state of Hell and the passion of Devils for they do nothing but despair in themselves and envy others quiet or safety and yet cannot rejoyce either in their good or in their evil although they endeavour to hinder that and procure this with all the devices and arts of malice and of a great understanding 6. Envy can serve no end in the world it cannot please any thing nor do any thing nor hinder any thing but the content and felicity of him that hath it 7. Envy can never pretend to justice as hatred and uncharitableness sometimes may for there may be causes of hatred and I may have wrong done me and then hatred hath some pretence though no just argument But no man is unjust or injurious for being prosperous or wise 8. And therefore many men prosesse to hate another but no man owns envy as being an enmity and displeasure for no cause but goodnesse or felicity Envious men being like Cantharides and Caterpillars that delight most to devour ripe and most excellent fruits 9. It is of all crimes the basest for malice and anger are appeased with benefits but
take a death-bed sigh or groan and a few unprofitable tears and promises in exchange for all our duty If these motives joyned together with our own interest even as much as felicity and the sight of God and the avoyding the intolerable pains of Hell and many intermedial judgements comes to will not move us to leave 1. The filthinesse and 2. The trouble and 3. The uneasinesse and 4. The unreasonablenesse of sinne and turn to God there is no more to be said we must perish in our folly SECT X. Of preparation to and the manner how to receive the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper THe celebration of the holy Sacrament is the great mysteriousnesse of the Christian religion and succeeds to the most solemn rite of natural and Judaical religion the Law of sacrificing For God spared mankinde and took the sacrifie of beasts together with our solemn prayers for an instrument of expiation But these could not purifie the soul from sin but were typical of the sacrifice of something that could But nothing could do this but either the offering of all that sinned that every man should be the anathema or devoâ—ed thing or else by some one of the same capacity who by some superadded excellency might in his own personal sufferings have a value great enough to satisfie for all the whole kinde of sinning persons This the Son of God JESUS CHRIST God and Man undertook and finished by a Sacrifice of himself upon the Altar of the Crosse. 2. This Sacrifice because it was perfect could be but one and that once but because the needs of the world should last as long as the world self it was necesâ—ary that there should be a perpeâ—ual ministery established whereby this one sufficient sacrifice should be made eternally effectual to the several new aâ—iâ—ing needs of all the world who should desire it or in any sence be capable of it 3. To this end Christ was made a Priest for ever he was initiated or consecrated on the crosse and there began his Priesthood which was to last till his coming to judgement It began on earth but was to last and be officiated in Heaven where he sits perpetually representing and exhibiting to the Father that great effective sacrifice which he ofâ—ered on the crosse to eternal and never failing purposes 4. As Christ is pleased to represent to his Father that great Sacrifice as a means of atonement and expiation for all mankinde and with special purposes and intendment for all the elect all that serve him in holinesse so he hath appointed that the same ministery shall be done upon earth too in our manner and according to our proportion and therefore hath constituted and separated an order of men who by shewing forth the Lords death by Sacramental representation may pray unto God after the same manner that our Lord and high â—riest does that is offer to God and represâ—nt in this solemn prayer and Sacrament Christ as already offered so sending up a gracious instrument whereby our prayers may for his sake and in the same manner of intercession be offered up to God in our behalf and for all them for whom we pray to all those purposes for which Christ dyed 5. As the Ministers of the Sacrament do in a Sacramental manner present to God the sacrifice of the crosse by being imitators of Christs intercession so the people are sacrificers too in their manner for besides that by saying Amen they joyn in the act of him that ministers and make it also to be their own so when they eat and drink the consecrated and blessed Elelements worthily they receive Christ within them and therefore may also offer him to God while in their sacrifice of obedience thanksgiving they present themselves to God with Christ whom they have spiritually received that is themselves with that which will make them gracious and acceptable The offering their bodies and souls and services to God in him and by him and with him who is his Fathers well-beloved and in whom he is well pleased cannot but be accepted to all the purposes of blessing grace and glory 6. This is the sum of the greatest mystery of our Religion it is the copy of the passion and the ministration of the great mystery of our Redemption and therefore whatsoever intitles us to the general priviledges of Christs passion all that is necessary by way of disposition to the celebration of the Sacrament of his passion because this celebration is our manner of applying or using it The particulars of which preparation are represented in the following rules 1. No Man must dare to approach to the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper if he be in a state of any one sin that is unlesse he have entred into the state of repentance that is of sorrow and amendment lest it be said concerning him as it was concerning Iudas the hand of him that betraieth me is with me on the Table and he that receiveth Christ into an impure soul or body first turns his most excellent nourishment into poyson and then â—eeds upon it 2. Every communicant must first have examined himself that is tried the condition and state of his soul searched out the secret Ulcers enquired out its weaknesses and indiscretions and all those aptnesses where it is exposed to temptation that by finding out its diseases he may finde a cure and by discovering its aptnesses he may secure his present purposes of future amendment and may be arm'd against dangers and temptations 3. This examination must be a Man 's own act and inquisition into his life but then also it should leade a Man on to run to those whom the Great Physician of our souls Christ Jesus hath appointed to minister physick to our diseases that in all dangers and great accidents we may be assisted for comfort and remedy for medicine and caution 4. In this affair let no Man deceive himself and against such a time which publick Authority hath appointed for us to receive the Sacrament weep for his sins by way of solemnity and ceremony and still retain the affection but he that comes to this feast must have on the Wedding garment that is he must have put on Iesus Christ and he must have put off the old man with his affections and lusts and he must be wholly conformed to Christ in the image of his minde For then we have put on Christ when our souls are clothed with his righteousnesse when every faculty of our foul is proportioned and vested according to the patern of Christs life And therefore a Man must not leape from his last nights Surfet and Bath and then communicate but when he hath begun the work of God effectually and made some progresse in repentance and hath walked some stages and periods in the wayes of godlinesse then let him come to him that is to minister it and having made known the state of his soul he is to be admitted but to
and will save such as are of an humble spirit Psal. 34.17 Thou Lord shalt save both man and beast how excellent is thy mercy O God and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings Psal. 36.7 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of thy house and thou shalt give them to drink of thy pleasures as out of the rivers v. 8. For with thee is the well of life and in thy light we shall see light v. 9. Commit thy way unto the Lord and put thy trust in him he shall bring it to passe Ps. 37.5 But the salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord who is also their strength in the time of trouble v. 40. So that a Man shall say verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlesse there is a God that judgeth the earth Psal. 58.10 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and receivest unto thee he shall dwell in thy court and shall be satisfied with the pleasures of thy house even of thy holy temple Psal. 65.4 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy Psal. 126.6 It is written I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13.5 The prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up and if he have committed sins they shal be forgiven Iam. 5.15 Come and let us return unto the Lord for he hath torn and he will heal us he hath smitten and he will binde us up Hos. 6.1 If we sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins 1 Iohn 2.2 If we confesse our sins he is faithful righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse 1 Iohn 1.9 He that forgives shall be forgiven Luke 6.37 And this is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us 1 Iohn 5 14. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins 1 Iohn 3.5 If ye being evil know to give good things to your children how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him Matth. 7.11 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners * He that hath given us his Son how should not he with him give us all things else Acts of hope to be used by sick persons after a pious life I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord Rom. 8.38 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but unto all them also that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.7 Blessed be the God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comforts who comforts us in all our tribulation 2 Cor. 1.3 A prayer to be said in behalf of a sick or dying person O Lord God there is no number of thy dayes nor of thy mercies and the sins and sorrowes of thy servant also are multiplied Lord look upon him with much mercy and pity forgive him all his sinnes comfort his sorrowes ease his pain satisfie his doubts relieve his feares instruct his ignorances strengthen his understanding take from him all disorders of spirit weaknesse and abuse of fancy Restraine the malice and power of the spirits of darknesse and suffer him to be injured neither by his ghostly enemies nor his own infirmities and let a holy and a just peace the peace of God be within his conscience Lord preserve his senses till the last of his time strengthen his faith confirm his hope and give him a never ceasing charity to thee our God and to all the world stir up in him a great and proportionable contrition for all the evils he hath done and give him a just measure of patience for all he suffers give him prudence memory and consideration rightly to state the accounts of his soul and do thou remind him of all his duty that when it shall please thee that his soul goes out from the prison of his body it may be receiv'd by Angels and preserved from the surprize of evil spirits and from the horrors and amazements of new and stranger Regions and be laid up in the bosom of our Lord till at the day of thy second coming it shall be reunited to the body which is now to be laid down in weaknes and dishonour but we humbly beg may then be raised up with glory power for ever to live and to behold the face of God in the glories of the Lord Jesus who is our hope our resurrection and our life the light of our eyes and the joy of our soules our blessed and ever glorious Redeemer Amen Hither the sick person may draw in and use the acts of several vertues respersed in the several parts of this book the several Letanies viz. of repentance of the passion and the single prayâ—rs according to his present needs A prayer to be said in a storm at Sea O my God thou didst create the earth and the Sea for thy glory and the use of Man and doest daily shew wonders in the deep look upon the danger and fear of thy servant my sins have taken hold upon me and without the supporting arm of thy mercy I cannot look up but my trust is in thee Do thou O Lord rebuke the Sea and make it calm for to thee the windes and the sea obey let not the waters swallow me up but let thy Spirit the Spirit of gentlenesse and mercy move upon the waters Be thou reconcil'd unto thy servants and then the face of the waters will be smooth I fear that my sinnes make me like Ionas the cause of the tempest Cast out all my sins and throw not thy servants away from thy presence and from the land of the living into the depths where all things are forgotten But if it be thy wil that we shall go down into the waters Lord receive my soul into thy holy hands and preserve it in mercy and safety till the day of restitution of all things and be pleased to unite my death to the death of thy Son and to accept of it so united as a punishment for all my sinnes that thou mayest forget all thine anger and blot my sinnes out of thy book and write my soul there for Jesus Christ his sake our dearest Lord and most mighty Redeemer Amen Then make an act of resignation thus To God pertain the issues of life and death It is the Lord let him do
Mary O Holy and Almighty God Father of mercies Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of thy love and Eternal mercies I adore and praise and glorifie thy infinite and unspeakable love and wisdom who hast sent thy Son from the bosom of felicities to take upon him our nature and our misery and our guilt and hast made the Son of God to become the Son of Man that we might become the Sons of God and partakers of the divine nature since thou hast so exalted humane nature be pleased also to sanctify my person that by a conformity to the humility and laws and sufferings of my dearest Saviour I may be united to his spirit and be made all one with the most Holy â—esus Amen O Holy and Eternal Jesus who didst pity mankinde lying in his blood and sin and misery and didst choose our sadnesses and sorrows that thou mightest make us to pertake of thy felicities let thine eyes pity me thy hands support me thy holy feet tread down all the difficulties in my way to Heaven let me dwell in thy heart be instructed with thy wisdom moved by thy affections choose with thy will and be clothed with thy righteousness that in the day of judgement I may be found having on thy garments sealed with thy impression and that bearing upon every faculty and member the character of my elder brother I may not be cast out with strangers and unbelievers Amen To God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ. * To the eternal Son that was incarnate and born of a virgin * To the spirit of the Father and the Son be all honour and glory worship and adoration now and for ever Amen The same Form of Prayer may be used upon our own Birth-day or day of our Baptisme adding the following prayer A Prayer to be said upon our Birth-day or day of Baptisme O Blessed and Eternal God I give thee praise and glory for thy great mercy to me in causing me to be born of Chrisâ—ian parents and didst not allot to me a portion with Misbelievers and Heathen that have not known thee thou didst not suffer me to be strangled at the gate of the womb but thy hand sustained and brought me to the light of the world and the illumination of baptisme with thy grace preventing my election and by an artificial necessity and holy prevention engaging me to the profession and practises of Christianity Lord since that I have broken the promises made in my behalf and which I confirmed by my after act I went back from them by an evil life and yet thou hast still continued to me life and time of repentance and didst not cut me off in the beginning of my dayes and the progresse of my sins O Dearest God pardon the errours and ignorances the vices and vanities of my youth and the faults of my more forward years and let me never more stain the whiteness of my baptismal robe and now that by thy grace I still persist in the purposes of obedience and do give up my name to Christ and glory to be a Disciple of thy institution and a servant of Jesus let me never fail of thy grace let no root of bitterness spring up and disorder my purposes and desile my spirit O let my years be so many degrees of neerer approach to thee and forsake me not O God in my old age when I am gray-headed and when my strength faileth me be thou my strength and my guide unto death that I may reckon my years and apply my heart unto wisdom and at last after the spending a holy and a blessed life I may be brought unto a glorious eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Then adde the form of thanksgiving formerly described A prayer to be said upon the dayes of the memory of Apostles Martyrs c. O Eternal God to whom do live the spirits of them that depart hence in the Lord and in whom the souls of them that be elected after they be delivered from the burden of the flesh be â—n peace and rest from their labours and their works follow them and their memory is blessed I blesse and magnifie thy holy and ever glorious name for the great grace and blessing manifested to thy Apostles and Martyrs and other holy persons who have glorified thy name in the dayes of their flesh and have served the interest of religion and of thy service and this day we have thy servant name the Apostle or Martyr c. in remembrance whom thou hast lead thorough the troubles and temptations of this World and now hast lodged in the bosome of a certain hope and great beatitude until the day of restitution of all things Blessed be the mercy and eternal goodnesse of God and the memory of all thy Saints is blessed Teach me to practise their doctrine to imitate their lives following their example and being united as a part of the same mystical body by the band of the same â—aith and a holy hope and a never ceasing charity and may it please thee of thy gracious goodnesse shortly to accomplish the number of thine elect to hasten thy Kingdom that we with thy servant * and all others departed in the true faith fear of thy holy Name may have our perfect consummation and blisse in body and soul in thy eternal and everlasting kingdom Amen A form of prayer recording all the parts and mysteries of Christs passion being a short history of it to be used especially in the week of the passion and before the receiving the blessed Sacrament All praise honour and glory be to the holy and eternal Jesus I adore thee O blesâ—ed Redeemer eternal God the light of the Gentiles and the glory of Israel for thou hast done and suffered for me more then I could wish more â—hen I could think of even all that a lost and a miserable perishing sinner could possibly need Thou wert afflicted with thirst and hunger with heat and cold with labours and sorrowes with hard journeys and restlesse nights and when thou wert contriving all the mysterious and admirable wayes of paying our scores thou didst suffer thy self to be designed to slaughter by those for whom in love thou wert ready to dye What is man that thou art mindful of him and the Son of man that thou thus visitâ—st him Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus for thou wentest about doing good working miracles of mercy healing the sick comforting the distressed instructing the ignorant raising the dead inlightning the blinde strengthning the â—ame straitning the crooked relieving the poor preaching the Gospel and reconciling sinners by the mightinesse of thy power by the wisdom of thy Spirit by the Word of God and the merits of thy Passion thy heaâ—thful and bitter passion Lord what is man that thou art mindful of him c. Blessed be thy Name O holy Jesus who wert content to be conspired against by the Jews to be sold by thy servant for
prayer of preparation or addresse to the holy Sacrament An act of Love O most gracious and eternal God the helper of the helplesse the comforter of the comfortlesse the hope of the afflicted the bread of the hungry the drink of the thirsty and the Saviour of all them that wait upon thee I blesse and glorifie thy Name and adore thy goodnesse and delight in thy love that thou hast once more giveâ— me the opportunity of receiving the greatest favour which I can receive in this World even the body and blood of my dearest Saviour O take from me all affection to sin or vanity let not mâ— affections dwell below but soar upwards to the element of love to the seat of God to â—he Regions of Glory and the inheritance of â—esus that I may hunger and thirst for the bread of life and the wine of â—lect soules and may know no loves but the love of God and the most merciful Jesus Amen An act of Desire O blessed Jesus thou hast used many arts to save mee thou hast given thy life to redeem me thy holy Spirit to sanctifie me thy self for my example thy Word for my Rule thy grace for my guide the fruit of thy body hanging on the tree of the crosse for the sin of my soul and after all this thou hast sent thy Apostles and Ministers of salvation to call me to importune me to constraine me to holinesse and peace and felicity O now come Lord â—esus come quickly my heart is desirous of thy presence and thirsty of thy grace and would fain entertain thee not as a guest but as an inhabitant as the Lord of all my faculties Enter in and take possession and dwell with me for ever that I also may dwell in the heart of my dearest Lord which was opened for me with a spear and love An act of contrition Lord thou shalt finde my heart full of cares and worldly desires cheated with love of riches and neglect of holy things proud unmortified false and crafty to deceive it self intricated and intangled with difficult cases of conscience with knots which my own wildnesse and inconsideration and impatience have tied and shuffled together O my dearest Lord if thou canst behold such an impure seat behold the place to which thou art invited is full of passion and prejudice evil principles and evil habits peevish and disobedient lustful and intemperate and full of sad remembrances that I have often provoked to jealousie and to anger thee my God my dearest Saviour him that dyed for me him that suffered torments sor me that is infinitely good to me and infinitely good and perfect in himself This O dearest Saviour is a sad truâ—h and I am heartily ashamed and truly sorrowful for it and do deeply hate all my fins and am full of indignation against my self for so unworthy so carelesse so continued so great a folly and humbly beg of thee to increase my sorrow and my care and my hatâ—ed against sin and make my love to thee swell up to a great grace and then to glory and immensity An act of Faith This indeed is my condition But I know O blessed Jesus that thou didst take upon thee my nature that thou mightest suffer for my sins and thou didst suffer to deliver me from them and from thy Fathers wrath and I was delivered from this wrath that I might serve thee in holinesse and righteousnesse all my dayes Lord I am as sure thou didst the great work of Redemption for me and all mankinde as that I am alive This is my hope the strength of my spirit my joy my confidence and do thou never let the spirit of unbelief enter into me and take me from this Rock Here I will dwell for I have a delight therein Here I will live and here I desire to dye The Petition Therefore O blessed Jesu who art my Saviour and my God whose body is my food and thy righteousnesse is my robe thou art the Priest and the Sacrifice the Master of the feast and the Feast it self the Physician of my soul the light of my eyes the purifier of my stains enter into my heart and cast out from thence all impurities all the remains of the Old man and grant I may partake of this holy Sacrament with much reverence and holy relish and great effect receiving hence the communication of thy holy body and blood for the establishment of an unreproveable faith of an unfained love for the fulnesse of wisdom for the healing my soul for the blessing and preservation of my body for the taking out the sting of temporal death and for the assurance of a holy resurrection for the ejection of all evil from within me and the fulfilling all thy righteous Commandements and to procure for me a mercy and a fair reception at the day of judgement through thy mercies O holy and ever blessed Saviour Jesus Amen Here also may be added the prayer after receiving the cup. * Ejaculations to be said before or at the receiving the holy Sacrament Like as the Hart desireth the water-brooks so longeth my soul after thee O God My soul is athirst for God yea even for the living God when shall I come before the presence of God O Lord my God great are thy wondrous works which thou hast done like as be also thy thoughts which are to us-ward and yet there is no man that ordereth them unto thee O send out thy light and thy truth that they may lead me and bring me unto thy holy hill and to thy dwelling And that I may go unto the Altar of God even unto the God of my joy and gladnesse and with my heart will I give thanks to thee O God my God I will wash my hands in innocency O Lord so will I go to thine altar that I may shew the voice of thanksgiving tell of all thy wondrous works Examine me O Lord and prove me try out my reins and my heart For thy loving kindnesse is now and ever before my eyes and I will walk in thy truth Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble me thou hast anointed my head with oil and my cup shall be full But thy loving kindnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever This is the bread that cometh down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not dye Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him and hath eternal life abiding in him I wil raise him up at the last day Lord whither shall we go but to thee thou hast the words of eternal life If any man thirst let him come unto me drink The bread which we break is it not the communication of the body of Christ and the cup which we drink is it not the communication of the blood of Christ What are those wounds
be express'd in all our actions and the light of thy countenance be upon us in all our sufferings that we may delight in the service and in the mercies of God for ever Amen O gracious Father and merciful God if it be thy wil say unto the destroying Angel it is enough and though we are not better then our brethren who are smitten with the rod of God but much worse yet may it please thee even because thou art good and because we are timerous and sinful not yet fitted for our appearance to set thy mark upon our foreheads that the Angel thy Minister of thy justice may passe over us and hurt us not let thy hand cover thy servants and hide us in the clefts of the rock in the wounds of the holy Jesus from the present anger that is gone out against us that though we walk thorough the valley of the shadow of death we may fear no evil and sufâ—er none and those whom thou hast smitten with thy rod support with thy staff and visit them with thy mercies and salvation through Jesus Christ. Amen 8. For all women with childe and for unborn children O Lord God who art the Father of them that trust in thee and shewest mercy to a thousand generations of them that fear thee have mercy upon all women great with childe * be pleased to give them a joyful a safe deliverance let thy grace preserve the fruit of their wombs and conduct them to the holy Sacrament of Baptisme that they being regenerated by thy Spirit and adopted into thy family and the portion and duty of Sons may live to the glory of God to the comfort of their parents and friends to the edification of the Christian Common-wealth and the salvation of their own souls thorough Jesus Christ. Amen 9. For all estates of Men and Women in the Christian Church O Holy God King Eternal out of the infinite stâ—re-houses of thy grace and mercy give unto all Virgins chastity and a religious spirit to all persons dedicated to thee and to religion continence and meekness an active zeal and an unwearied spirit to all married paires faith and holinesse to widows and fatherless and all that are oppressed â—hy paâ—ronage comfort and defence to all Christian women simplicity and modâ—sâ—y humility and chastity pâ—tience aâ—d charity give unto the poor to all â—hat are robbed and spoiled of their goods a competent supporâ— and a contented spirit and a treasure in heaven hereafter give unto prisoners and captives to them that toil in the mines and row in â—he gallâ—es strength of body and of spirit liberty and redemption comfort and restitution to all that travel by land thy Angel for their guide and a holy and prosperous return to all that travel by sea freedom from Pirates and shipwrack and bring them to the Haven where they would be to distressed and scrupulous consciences to melancholy and disconsolate persons to all that are afflicted with evil and unclean spirits give a light from heaven great grace and proportionable comforts and â—imely deliverance give them patience and resignation let their sorrows be changed into grace and comfort and let the sâ—orm waft them certainly to the regions of rest and glory Lord God of Mercy give to thy Martyrs Confessors and all thy persecuted constancy and prudence boldness and hope a full faith and a never failing charity To all who are condemned to death do thou minister comfort a strong a quiet and a resigned spirit take from them the fear of death and all remaining affections to sin and all imperfections of duty and cause them to dye full of grace full of hope and give to all faithfull and particularly to them who have recommended themselves to the prayers of thy unworthy servant a supply of all their needs temporal and spiritual and according to their several states and necessities rest and peace pardon and refreshment and shew us all a mercy in the day of judgment Amen Give O Lord to the Magistrates equity sinceritie courage and prudence that they may protect the good defend religion and punish the wrong doers Give to the Nobility wisdom valour and loyalty To Merchants justice and faithfulnesse to all Artificers and Labourers truth and honesty to our enemies forgivenesse and brotherly kindnesse Preserve to us the Heavens and the Ayre in healthful influence and disposition the Earth in plenty the kingdom in peace and good government our marriages in peace and sweetnesse and innocence of society thy people from famine and pestilence our houses from burning and robbery our persons from being burnt alive from banishment and prison from Widowhood destitution from violence of pains and passions from tempests and earth-quakes from inundation of waters from rebellion and invasion from impatience and inordinate cares from tediousnes of spirit and despair from murder and all violent accursed and unusual deaths from the surprize of sudden and violent accidents from passionate and unreasonable fears from all thy wrath and from all our sins good Lord deliver and preserve thy servants for ever Amen Represse the violence of all implacable warring and tyrant Nations bring home unto thy fold all that are gone astray call into the Church all strangers increase the number and holinesse of thy own people bring infants to ripenesse of age and reason confirm all baptized people with thy grace and with thy Spirit instruct the Novices and new Christians let a great grace and merciful providence bring youthful persons safely and holily through the indiscretions and passions and temptations of their younger years those whom thou hast or shalt permit to live to the age of a man give competent strength and wisdom take from them covetousnesse and churlishnesse pride and impatience fill them full of devotion and charity repentance and sobriety holy thoughts and longing desires after Heaven and heavenly things give them a holy and a blessed death and to us all a joyful resurrection through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Ad. Sect. 10. The manner of using these devotions by way of preparation to the receiving the blessed Sacrament of the Lords Supper The just prepararion to this holy Feast consisting principally in a holy life and consequently in the repetition of the acts of all vertues and especially of Faith Repentance Charity and Thanksgiving to the exercise of these four graces let the person that intends to communicate in the times set apart for his preparation and devotion for the exercise of his faith recite the prayer or Letany of the passion For the exercise of Repentance the form of confession of sins with the prayer annexed And for the graces of thanksgiving and charity let him use the special formes of prayer above described or if a lesse time can be allotted for preparatory devotion the two first will be the more proper as containing in them all the personal duty of the communicant To which upon the morning of that holy solemnity let him adde A