most and blowne in thee O my lustfull soule O turne thine eare from the pleadings of Nature and make a Covenant with thine eyes Let not the language of Delilah inchant thee left the hands of the Philisâ—ims surprize thee Review thy past pleasures with the charge and paines thou hadst to compasse them and show mee where 's thy pennyworth Foresee what punishments are prepa'rd to meet thee and tell mee what 's thy purchase Thou hast barterd away thy God for a lust sold thy eternitie for a trifle If this bargaine may not bee recall'd by teares dissolve thee O my soule into a Spring of waters if not to be revers'd with price reduce thy whole estate into a Sackcloth and an Ashtub Thou whose Liver hath scorch't in the flames of lust humble thy heart in the Ashes of repentance And as with Esau thou hast sold thy Birthright for Broth so with Iacob wrestle by Prayer till thou get a blessing His Prayer O God before whose face the Angels are impure before whose cleare omniscience all Actions appeare to whom the very secrets of the hearts are open I here acknowledge to thy glory and my shame the filthinesse and vile impuritie of my Nature Lord I was filthy in my very conception and in filthiness my mothers wombe enclosed me brought forth in filthinesse and filthy in my very innocency filthy in the motions of my flesh and filthy in the apprehensions of my soule my words all cloath'd with filthinesse and in all my actions filthy and uncleane in my inclination filthy and in the whole course of my life nothing but a continued filthinesse Wash mee O God and make mee cleane cleanse me from the filthinesse of my corruption Purge me O Lord with Hyssop and create a cleane heart within mee Correct the vagrant motions of my flesh and quench the fiery darts of Satan Let not the Law of my corrupted members rule mee O let concupiscence have no dominion over mee Give mee courage to fight against my lusts and give my weakenesse strength to overcome make sharpe my sword against this body of sinne but most against my Delilah my bosome sinne Deliver mee from the tyranny of temptation or give mee power to subdue it Confine the libertie of my wanton appetite and give mee temperance in a sober diet Grant mee a heart to strive with thee in Prayer and hopefull patience to attend thy leisure Keepe mee from the habit of an idle life and close mine eares against corrupt communication Set thou a watch before my lippes that all my words may savour of sobrietie Preserve mee from the vanitie and pride of life that I may walke blamelesse in my conversation Protect mee from the fellowship of the uncleane and from all such as are of evill report Let thy Grace O God bee sufficient for mee to protect my soule from the buffetings of Satan Make mee industrious and diligent in my calling left the enemy get advantage over me In all my temptations let mee have recourse to thee Bee thou my refuge when I call upon thee Forgive O God the sinnes of my youth O pardon the multitudes of my secret sinnes Encrease my hatred to my former life and strengthen my resolution for the time future Heare mee O God and let the words of my mouth bee alwayes acceptable to â—hee O God my strength and my Redeemer The Sabbath-breakers profanation THe glittering Prince that sits upon his regall and imperiall Throne and the ignoble Pâ—sant that sleeps within his sordid house of Thatch are both alike to God An Ivory Temple and a Church of Clay are priz'd alike by him The flesh of Bulls and the perfumes of Merrh and Cassia smoake his Altars with an equall pleasure And does he make such difference of dayes ' Is hee that was so weary of the New-Moones so taken with the Sunne to tie his Sabbath to that onely day The tenth in tithes is any one in tenne and why the seventh day not any one in seaven We sanctifie the day the day not us But are we Iewes Are we still bound to keepe a legall Sabbath in the strictnesse of the Letter Have the Gentiles no priviledge by the vertue of Messiaâ—s comming or has the Evangelicall Sabbath no immunities The service done the day 's discharg'd my libertie restored And if I meet my profits or my pleasures then I 'le give them entertainment If businesse call mee to account I dare afford a carefull care Or if my sports invite me I 'le entertaine them with a cherefull heart I 'le goe to Mattens with as much devotion as my neighbour I 'le make as low obeysance and as just responds as any but soone as Evensong 's ended my Church-devotion and my Psalter shall sanctifie my Pue till the next Sabbath call Were it no more for an old custome sake then for the good I find in Sabbaths that Ceremony might as well bee spared It is a day of Rest And what 's a Rest A relaxation from the toyle of labour And what is labour but a painefull exercise of the fraile body But where the exercise admits no toyle there Relaxation makes no Rest What labour is it for the worldly man to compasse Sea and Land to accomplish his desires What labour is it for the impatient lover to measure Hellespont with his widened armes to hasten his delight What labour for the youth to number muâ—ick with their sprightly paces Where pleasure 's reconcil'd to labour labour is but an active rest Why should the Sabbath then a day of rest divorce thee from those delights that make thy Rest Afflict their soules that please my rest shall bee what most conduces to my hearts delight Two howers will vent more prayers then I shall need the rest remaines for pleasure COnscience why start'st thou A judgement strikes mee from the mouth of heaven and saith Whosoever doth any worke on my Sabbath his soule shall be cut off Exod. 31. 14. Exod. 20. Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day six dayes shalt thou labour and doe all that thou hast to doe but the seventh day c. Exod. 31. 14. Ye shall keepe my Sabbath for it is holy unto you Exod. 31. 13. Verily my Sabbaths thou shalt keep for this is a signe betwixt mee and you throughout your Generations Luke 23. 56. And they returned and prepared spices and oyntments and rested on the Sabbath day according to the Commandement Gregor. Wee ought upon the Lords day to rest from bodily labour and wholly to addict our selves to prayers that what soever hath been done amisse the weeke before may upon the day of our Lords resurrection be expiated and purged by fervent prayers Cyr. Alex. Sinne is the storehouse of death and misery it kindles flames for it 's dearest friends Therefore whosoever when he should rest from sinne busieth himselfe in the dead and fruitlesse workes of wickednesse and renouncing all piety lusts after such things as will bring him into eternall destruction
from me the drowzinesse of my heart open mine eyes that I may see the truth and mine eares that I may understand thy Word and strengthen my memory that I may lay it up in my heart and show it in my life and vocation to thy glory and my comfort and the comfort of my friends Lord write thy will in my heart that when I know it I may doe it willingly O teach me what thy pleasure is that I may doe my best to performe it Give mee faith to lay hold of Christ Jesus who died for mee that after I am dead I may riâ—e againe and live with him Give mee a good heart that I may deale honestly with all men and doe as I would be done to Blesse mee in my calling and prosper the labour of my hands that I may have enough to feed mee and cloathe me and to give to the poore Mend all that is amisse in me and expect from me according to the measure thou hast given me Forgive me all my sinnes and make mee willing to please thee that living a good life I may make a gratious death and so at last I may come to heaven and live for ever for Jesus Christ his sake Amen The sloathfull mans slumber O What a world of Curses the eating of the forbidden fruit hath brought upon mankinde and unavoydably entail'd upon the sonnes of men Among all which no one appeares to me more terrible and full of sorrow and bewraying greater wrath then that insufferable that horrible punishment of labour and to purchase Bread with so extreame a price as sweat But O what happe what happinesse have they whose dying Parents have procured a quieâ— fortune for their unmolested Children and conveigh'd descended Rents to their succeeding heirs whose easie and contented lives may sit and suck the sweetnesse of their cumberlesse estates and with their folded hands enjoy the delicates of this toylsome world How blessed how delicious are those easie morsells that can finde the way to my soft palat and then attend upon the wanton Leasure of my silken slumbers without the painefull practise of my bosome folded hands or sad contrivement of my studious and contracted Browes Why should I tire my tender youth and â—orture out my groaning dayes in â—oyle and travell and discompose the happy peace of my harmonious thoughts with painefull grinding in the common mill of dull mortalitie Why should I rob my craving eyelids of their delightfull Rest to cark and care and purvey for that Bread which every work-abhorring vagaboâ—d can finde of Almes at every good mans doore Why should I leave the warme protection of my care-beguiling Doune to play the droyling drudge for daily food when the young empty Râ—vens that have no hands to worke nor providence but heaven can call and be supplied The pale fac'd Lilly and the blushing Rose neither spinnes nor sâ—wes yet princely Solomon was never robed with so much glory And shall I then afflict my body and beslave my heaven-borne soule to purchase Rags to cloathe my nakednesse Is my condition worse then Sheepe ordain'd for slaughter that crop the springing Grasse cloath'd warme in soft Arrayment purchac'd without their Providence or paines Or shall the pamper'd Beast that shines with fatnesse and growes wanton through his carefull Groomes indulgence find better measure at the worlds too partiall hands then I Come come let those take paines that love to leave their names enroll'd in memorable monuments of Parchment The day has griefe enough without my helpe and let Tomorrowâ—â— shoulders beare to morrows burthens BUt stay my soule O stay thy rash resolves take heed whilst thou avoyd the punishment of sinne labour thou meet not the reward of idleâ—esse a judgement The idle soule shall suffer hunger Prov. 19. 15. Eccles. 10. 18. By much slothfulnesse the building decayeth and through idlenesse of the hands the house droppeth thorough Exod. 16. 49. Behold this was the iniquitie of thy sâ—ster Sodome pride fulnesse of Bread and abundance of idlenesse was in her and in her daughters neither did shee strengthen the band of the poore and needy Prov. 6. 6 7 8. Goe to the Pismire O sluggard behold her wayes and be wise For she having no guide governour nor ruler prepareth her meat in Summer and gathereth her food in harvest Nilus in Paraenes Idlenesse is the wombe or fountaine of all wickednesse for it consumes and wastes the riches and vermes which wee have already and disinables us to get those we have not Nilus in Paraen Was bee to the idle soulâ— for he shall hunger after that which his riot consumed HOw presumptuously hast thou my soule transgrest the expresse Commandement of thy God! How hast thou dasht thy selfe against his judgements How hath thy undeserving hand usurpt thy diet and wearest on thy back the wages of the painefull soule Art thou not condemned to Rags to Famine by him whose Law commanded thee to labour And yet thou pamper'st up thy sides with stollen food and yet thou deck'st thy wanton body with unearn'd ornaments whiles they that spend their daily strength in their commanded callings whose labour gives them interest in them want Bread to feed and Rags to cloathe them Thou art no young Ravâ—n my soule no Lilly Where abilitie to labour is there Providence meets action and crownes it Hee that forbids to cark for to morrow denies Bread to the Idlenesse of to day Consider O my soule thy owne delinquency and let imployment make thee capable of thy Gods protection The Bird that sits is a faire mark for the Fowler while they that use the wing escape the danger follow thy calling and heaven will follow thee with his Blessing What thou hast formerly omitted present repentance may redeeme and what judgements God hath threatned early Peâ—itions may avert His Prayer MOst great and most glorious God who for the sinne of our first parents hast condemned our fraile bodies to the punishment of labour and hast commanded every one a Calling and a Trade of life that hatest idlenesse as the root of evill and threatnest povertie to the slothfull hand I thy poore suppliant convicted by thy judgements and conscious of my own transgression flie from my selfe to Thee and humbly appeale from the high Tribunall of thy Justice and seeke for refuge in the Sanctuary of thy Mercy Lord I have led a life displeasing to thee and have been a scandall to my profession I have slighted those Blessings which thy goodnesse hath promised to a conscionable calling and have swallowed downe the Bread of idlenesse I have impaired the Talent thou gavest me and have lost the opportunity of doing much good I have filled my heart with idle imaginations and have layd my felse open to the lusts of the flesh I have abused thy favours in the misexpending of my pretious time and have taken no delight in thy Sabbaths I have doted too much on the pleasures of this world and like a Droane have fed
upon the hony of Bees If thou O God shouldst bee extreame to search my wayes with too severe an eye thou couldst not choose but wheâ— thy indignation and powre the vialls of thy wrath upon mee looke therefore not upon my sinnes O Lord but through the merits of my Saviour who hath made a full satisfaction for all my sinnes What through my weaknesse I have fail'd to doe the fulnesse of his sufferings hath most exactly done In Him O God in whom thou art well pleased and for his sake bee gracious to my finne Alter my heart and make it willing to please thee that in my life I may adorne my profession Give me a care and a conscience in my calling and grant thy blessing to the lawfull labours of my hand Let the fidelitie of my vocation improve my Talent that I may enter into my Masters joy Rouze up the dulnesse and deadnesse of my heart and quench those flames of lust within mee Assist mee O God in the redemption of my time and deliver my soule from the evilnesse of my dayes Let thy providence accompany my moderate endeavours and let all my imployments depend upon thy providence that when the labours of this sinfull world shall cease I may feele and enjoy the benefit of a good conscience and obtaine the rest of new Jerusalem in the Eternity of glory The proud mans Ostentation I ' Le make him feele the weight of displeasure and teach him to repent his saucy boldnesse How dare his basenesse once presume to breathe so neare my person much more to take my name into his dunghill mouth me thinks the lustre of my sparkling eye might have had the power to astonish him into good manners and sent him back to cast his mind into a faire Petition humbly presented with his trembling hand But thus to presse into my presence to presse so neare my face and then to spâ—ake and speake to me as if I were his equall is more then sufferable The way to be contemn'd is to digest contempt but he that would be honour'd by the vulgar sort must wisely keepe a distance A countenance that 's reserv'd breeds feare and observation but affâ—bility and too easie an accesse makes fooles too bold and reputation cheape What price I set upon my owne deserts instructs opinion how to prize me That which base ignorance miscalls thy pride is but a conscious knowledge of thy meriâ—s dejected soules craven'd with their owne disâ—rusts are the worlds Footballs to be kickt spurnd but brave and true heroick spirits that know the strength of their owne worth shall baffold basenesse and presumption into a reverentiall silence and spite of envie flourish in an honorable repute Come then my soule advance thy noble thy sublimer thoughts and prize thy self according to those parts which all may wonder at few imitate but none can equall Let not the insolent affronts of vassals interrupt thy Peace nor seeme one sâ—ruple lesse then what thon art Bee thou thy selfe Respect thy selfe receive thou honour from thy selfe Rejoyce thy selfe in thy self and prize thy selfe for thy selfe Like Caesar admit no equall and like Pompey acknowledge no superior Be covetous of thine owne Honour and hold anothers glory as thy injury Renounce humilitie as an Heresie in reputation and meeknesse as the worst disease of a true-bred noble Spirit Disparage worth in all but in thy selfe and make anothers infamy a foyl to magnifie thy glory Let such as have no reason to bee proud be humbled of necessitie and let them that have no parts to value be despondent But as for thee thy Cards are good and having skill enough to play thy hopefull Game vie boldly conquer and triumph BUt stay my soule the Trump is yet unturn'd boast not too soon nor call it a faire day till night the turning of a hand may make such alterations in thy flat'ring fortunes that all thy glorious expectations may chance to end in losse and unsuspected ruine That God which thrust that Babylonian Prince from his Imperiall Throne to graze with beasts hath said The Lord will destroy the house of the proud Prov. Prov. 11. When pride commeth then commeth shame but with the lowly is wisdome Jer. 11. 15. Heare ye and give eare and be not proud for the Lord hath spoken Esay 2. 12. The day of the Lord of Hosts shall bee upon every one that is proud and loftie and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low Prov. 16. 5. Every one that is proud in heart is abomination to the Lord St. James God rejecteth the proud and giveth grace to the simple Isidor Hispal Pride mâ—de Satan fall from the highest heaven therefore they that pride themselves in their virtues imitate the Devill and faâ—l more dangerously because they aspire and climbe to the highest pitch from whence is the greatest fall Greg. Mor. Pride growes stronger in the root whilst it braves it selfe with presumptuous advances yet the higher it climes the lower it fals for he that heightens himselfe by his owne pride is always destroyed by the judgement of God HOw wert thou muffled O my soule How were thine eyes blinded with the corruption of thine owne heart When I beheld my selfe by my owne light I seem'd a glorious thing My sanne knew no eclipse and all my imperfections were gilded over with vaine-glory But now the day-spring from above hath shin'd upon my heart and the diviner light hath driven away those foggy mists I finde my selfe another thing My Diamonds are all turn'd Pebbles and my glory is turn'd to shame O my deceived foule how great a darknesse was thy light The thing that seem'd so glorious and sparkled in the night by day appeares but rotten wood and that bright Ghâ—-worme that in darkenesse out-shined the Chrysolite is by this new-found light no better then a crawling worme How inseparable O my soule is pride and folly which like Hippocrates â—winnes still live and die together It blinds the eye befooles the judgement knowes no superiours hates equals disdaines inferiors the wise mans scorne and the fooles Idol Renounce it O my soule lest thy God renounce thee Hee that hath threatned to resist the proud hath promised to give Grace to the humble and what true Repentance speakes free mercy heares and crownes His Prayer O God the fountaine of all true Glory and the griver of all free grace whose Name is onely honorable and whose workes are onely glorious that shewest thy wayes to bee meeke and takest compassion upon an humble spirit that hatest the presence of a loftie eye and destroyest the proud in the imaginations of their hearts vouchsafe O Lord thy gratious eare and heare the sighing of a contrite heart I know O God the qualitie of my sinne can look for nothing but the extremitie of thy wrath I know the crookednesse of my condition can expect nothing but the Fornace of thy indignation I know the insolence of my corrupted nature can
and everlasting flames justly deserves to die perish with the damned because when he might have enjoyed a pious rest he laboured to run headlong to his own destruction MY soul how hast thou profaned that day thy God hath sanctified How hast thou encroach'd on that which heaven hath set apart If thy impatience cannot act a Sabbath twelve houres what happinesse canst thou expect in a perpetuall Sabbath Is six dayes too little for thy selfe and two houres too much for thy God O my soule how dost thou prize temporalls beyond eternalls Is it equall that God who gave thee a body and six dayes to provide for it should demand one day of thee and bee denied it How liberall a receiver art thou and how miserable a Requiter But know my soule his Sabbaths are the Apple of his eye Hee that hath power to vindicate the breach of it hath threatned judgements to the breaker of it The God of mercy that hath mitigated the rigor of it for charity sake will not diminish the honour of it for profanenesse sake forget not then my soule to remember his Sabbaths and remember not to forget his judgements lest hee forget to remember thee in Mercy What thou hast neglected bewaile with contrition and what thou hast repented forsake with resolution and what thou hast resolved strengthen with devotion His Prayer O Eternall just and all-discerning Judge in thy selfe glorious in thy Sonne gracious who tryest without a witnesse and condemnest without a Jury O! I confesse my very actions have betray'd me thy word hath brought in evidence against mee my owne conscience hath witnessed against me and thy judgement hath past sentence against mee And what have I now to pleade but mine owne misery and whither should that misery flee but to the God of mercy And since O Lord the way to mercy is to leave my selfe I here disclaime all interest in my self and utterly renounce my selfe I that was created for thy glory have dishonored thy Name I that was made for thy service have profaned thy Sabbaths I have sleighted thy Ordinances turned my back upon thy Sanctuary I have neglected thy Sacraments abused thy Word despis'd thy Ministers and despis'd their ministery I have come into thy Courts with an unprovided heart and have drawne neare with uncircumcised lippes And Lord I know thou art a jealous God and most severe against all such as violate thy â—est The glory of thy Name is pretious to thee and thine honour is as the Apple of thine eye But thou O God that art the God of Hosts hast published and declared thy self the Lord of mercy The constitution of thy Sabbath was a worke of time but Lord thy mercy is from all eternitie I that have broke thy Sabbaths doe here present thee with a broken heart thy hand is not shortned that thou canst not heale nor thy eare deafned that thou canst not heare Stretch forth thy hand O God and heale my wounds Bow downe thine eare O Lordâ— and heare my Prayers Alter the fabrick of my sinfull heart and make it tender of thy glory Make mee ambitious of thy service and let thy Sabbaths bee my whole delight Give mee a holy reverence of thy Word that it may prove a light to my steppes and a Lanthorne to my feet Endue my heart with Charity and Faith that I may finde a comfort in thy Sacraments Blesse thou the Ministers of thy sacred Word and make them holy in their lifes sound in their doctrine and laborious in their callings Preserve the universall Church in these distracted times give her peace unitie and uniformity purge her of all Schisme error and superstition Let the Kings daughter be all glorious within and let thine eyes take pleasure in her beautie that being honor'd here to bee a member of her Militant I may be glorified with her triumphant The censorious mans Crimination I Know there is much of the seed of the Serpent in him by his very lookes if his words betray'd him not He hath eaten the Egge of the Cockatrice and surely hee remaineth in the state of perdition He is not within the Covenant and abideth in the Gall of bitternesse His studied Prayers show him to bee a high Malignant and his Iesu-worship concludes him popishly affected Hee comes not to our private meetings nor contributes a penny to the cause Hee cries up learning and the booke of Common-Prayer and takes no armes to hasten Reformation Hee feares God for his owne ends for the spirit of Antichrist is in him His eyes are full of Adulteries and goes a whoring after his owne inventions Hee can heare an oath from his superiors without reproof and the heathenish Gods named without spitting in his face Wherefore my soule detesteth him and I will have no conversation with him for what fellowship hath light with darknesse or the pure in heart with the uncleane Sometimes hee is a Publican sometimes a Pharisee and alwayes an Hypocrite Hee railes against the Altar as loud as we and yet he cringes and makes an Idol of the name of Iesus hee is quick-sighted to the infirmities of the Saints and in his heart rejoyceth at our failings hee honours not a preaching ministery and too much leanes to a Church-government hee paints devotion on his face whilst pride is stampt within his heart hee places sanctitie in the walls of a Steeple-house and adores the Sacrament with his popish knee His Religion is a Weathercock and turnes brest to every blast of wind With the pure hee seemes pure and with the wicked hee will joyne in fellowship A sober language is in his mouth but the poyson of Aspes is under his tongue His workes conduce not to edification nor are the motions of his heart sanctified Hee adores great ones for preferment and speakes too partially of authority Hee is a Laâ—dicean in his faith a Nicolaitane in his workes a Pharisee in his disguise a rank Papist in his heart and I thanke my God I am not as this man BUt stay my soule take heed whilst thou judgest another lest God judge thee how com'st thou so expert in anothers heart being so often deceived in thy owne A Sâ—ul to day may prove a Paul to morrow Take heed whilst thou wouldst seeme religious thou appeare not uncharitable and whilst thou judgest man thou be not judg'd of God who saith Iudge not lest yee bee judged Matth. 7. 1. John 7. 24. Iudge not according to appearance but judge righteous judgement Rom. 14. 10. But why dost thou judge thy brother or why dost thou set at naught thy brother Wee shall all stand before the judgement seate of Christ 1 Cor. 4. 5. hudge nothing before the time untill the Lord who will both bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and will make manifest the counsell of the heart Rom. 14. 13. Let us not therefore judge one another any more but judge this rather that no man put a stumbling block or an accusation to fall