grant unto me of his goodnesse that I may beleeve his word and promises I will use the help and support of prayer to strengthen my faith and I will not suffer the Lord to depart out of the chamber of my heart untill I have obtained salvation By the power of the Lord I shall be able to be preserved unto salvation The power of the Lord doth lift me up and comfort me but mine own infirmitie doth cast me down and make me sorrowfull But the power of the Lord shall be perfected in my weaknesse He shall strengthen me from whom cometh all the strength of my faith The grace of God doth lift me up but mine unworthinesse doth cast me down But if there were any worthinesse in me then it were no grace but a reward If of works then certainly not of grace For grace is not any way grace unlesse it be every way gratis Therefore have I no respect unto my works That which is amisse he will amend that which is wanting he will make up that which he will not impute against me shall be as if it were not Therefore is my salvation onely from God and therefore sure Meditat. XLIII That we must think daily upon our death Think every day to be thy last And when night comes thy life is past O Faithfull soul look foâ— death every houre Because it waits for thee every houre In the morning when thou risest O man think that it is thy last day And in the evening when thou goest to bed think that it is thy last night upon earth Whatsoever thou doest whatsoever thou goest about look about thee and consider with thy self first whether thou wouldest do such things or no if thou shouldest die that houre and so go to Gods judgement What! Dost thou think that death doth not approch because thou thinkest not of it or dost thou think that it draweth nearer because thou thinkest upon it whether thou thinkest upon it or no whether thou speakest of it or no it hangs alwayes over thy head Life was lent unto thee not given as a free-hold Upon this condition thou didst enter in that thou shouldest go out Naked thou camest and naked thou must go This life is a pilgrimage when thou hast travelled a good while then thou must return home again Thou art but a farmer and tenant in this world and not a perpetuall lord Every houre think with thy self whither thou hastenest every moment In this we are deceived in that we think we die then when we breathe out our last Every day every houre every moment we die Whatsoever is added unto our life is taken from it and as it increaseth it also decreaseth we fall not into death suddenly but walk into it step after step This life of ours is a way and every day we must ridde some of it Life and death seem to be most distant but they are as neare as neare can be For one passeth away and the other cometh on As it is with those that travel by sea they oftentimes come to the haven and yet they neither feel nor so much as think whither they are carried So likewise it is with us whatsoever we do whether we eat drink or sleep we draw nearer alwayes to our death Many have passed away their life even in the time whiles they were seeking after things belonging to the sustentation of this life No man entertains death joyfully unlesse he hath long before prepared himself for it In this life die daily unto thy self that so in death thou mayst live unto God Before thou diest let thy sinnes die in thee In thy life time let the old Adam die in thee So at thy death Christ shall live in thee In thy life time let the outward man daily decay that at thy death the inward man may be renewed in thee Death translateth thee from time to eternitie for as the tree falls so it lies How carefully then ought we to think upon the houre of death Time passeth away but the infinite space of eternitie remains behinde In time therefore make thy self ready for eternitie What we shall be for ever whether blessed or miserable it shall be decreed at the houre of death In that one moment is eternall felicitie either enjoyed or lost Wherefore O faithfull soul how solicitous and carefull oughtest thou to be in preparing thy self for that houre Thou wilt easily contemn all worldly things if thou considerest with thy self that thou must die Consider that thine eyes shall be darkened in death and thou wilt easily turn away thine eyes from beholding vanitie Consider that thy eares shall wax deaf at thy death and it shall be easie for thee to stop thy eares against impious and filthy speeches Consider that thy tongue shall be tied at thy death and thou wilt have more regard unto thy words Set before thine eyes the cold sweat and anxietie of those that are ready to die and thou wilt easily contemn all worldly delights Look upon the nakednesse of them that depart out of this world and povertie in this life will not seem grievous unto thee Consider the trembling of the whole bodie at the point of death and thou wilt easily contemn the splendour of the world Consider the mourning of the soul being compelled to go out of the house of the bodie and thou wilt easily beware of the guilt of all sinne Consider the corruption that followeth after death and thou wilt easily bring down thy proud flesh Consider how naked thou art left at thy death being forsaken of all the creatures and thou wilt easily turn away thy love from them and turn it towards the Creatour Consider how narrowly death looks to thee that thou carrie away nothing with thee at thy death and thou wilt easily contemn all the riches of the world He that in this life dieth daily through his sinnes doth passe from death temporall unto the punishments of death eternall No man is translated unto everlasting life but he that begins here to live in Christ. That in death therefore thou mayest live be ingrafted into Christ by faith Let death be alwayes in thy thoughts because it is to be expected alwayes We carry death alwayes about us because we alwayes carry sinne about us and the wages of sinne is death But if thou wouldest escape the bitternesse of death keep the word of Christ. Faith doth conjoyn and unite us unto Christ Therefore they which are in Christ die not For Christ is their life He that is joyned unto God by faith is one spirit with him And therefore the faithfull man dieth not for ever because God is his life The people of Israel passed through the Red sea unto the promised land but Pharaoh and his host were drowned So the death of the godly is unto them the beginning of true life and the gate of paradise but the death of the wicked is not
the end of their evils but it coupleth together those evils which are past and those that follow after They passe from the first unto the second death So neare is the union between Christ and the faithfull that death it self cannot dissolve it In the thickest cloud of death the torch of Gods grace shineth before them In their dangerous journey Christ provideth for his beloved the angels to be their protectours The bodies of the Saints are the temples of the holy Ghost The holy Ghost will not suffer his own temples altogether to be destroyed by death The word of God is the incorruptible seed It is not destroyed by death but it is hid in the hearts of the godly and shall quicken them in their due time Meditat. XLIIII Consolations at the death of friends Grieve not when friends and kinsfolks die They gain by death eternitie THink O devout soul upon Christ thy Saviour and thou shalt not be afraid for the terrours of death If the violence of death doth make thee sorrowfull let the power of Christ make thee joyfull The Israelites could not drink the waters of Marah by reason of their bitternesse but God shewed unto Moses a tree which being cast into the waters made them sweet If thou art affrighted by reason of he bitternesse of death God sheweth unto thee a tree which turneth it into sweetnesse that is a branch that did spring from the root of Jesse This branch is Christ and whosoever keepeth his word shall never see death This life is burdensome And therefore it is good to be eased of it The miserie of a Christian dieth But the Christian man dieth not That which we call death is but going a journey it is not an end of life but a beginning of a better life We do not lose our friends at their death but send them before us our friends do not die but life enjoy they go before us they do not go from us for ever It is not death but a departure When the godly depart out of this life they enter again into life The death of thâ— godly is gain unto them Do our friends die Make this interpretation of it That they cease to sinne they cease to be tossed and they cease to be miserable Do they die in the faith Interpret that thus That they depart out of the shadow of life that they may passe unto true life from darknesse to light and from men to God Our life is a navigation and death is the haven of securitie and safetie Therefore we must not grieve that our friends are dead but rather rejoyce in their behalf that out of the turbulent sea they are come safe to the haven This life is the souls imprisonment but death sets her at libertie Therefore old Simeon being about to die crieth out Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace He desires to be set at libertie being shut up in the prison of the bodie We must rejoyce therefore in the behalf of our friends that they are as it were delivered out of prison and received into true libertie In like manner the Apostle desires to be dissolved as being bound to his body of earth in a kinde of miserable servitude What shall we be sorrowfull that our friends are delivered out of their bonds and set at libertie What shall we for their sakes put on black mourning clothes when as they have put on white robes For it is written that unto the elect are given white robes in token of innocencie and palms in their hands in token of victory Shall we macerate our selves with tears and sighs for their sakes when as God hath wiped all tears from their eyes Shall we mourn and trouble our selves with grief when as they are in the place where there is neither mourning nor grief nor any cry heard but they rest from their labours Shall we for their departure kill our selves with immoderate grief when as they do enjoy the fellowship of the angels and true solid joy Shall we for their sakes weep and wail when as they sing a new song of the Lambe having harps and golden phials Shall we grieve that they are departed from the earth when they themselves rejoyce that they are departed What profit it is for to depart out of this world Christ shewed who when his disciples were sad because that he said he should depart answered If ye loved me ye would rejoyce rather If as thou wert sailing a stormie tempest should arise and the windes lift up the waves and threaten shipwrack wouldest not thou haste to the haven Behold the world staggereth and reeleth and threatneth her ruine not onely for her old age but also by the end of things And dost not thou thank God and art not thou glad for thy friends that being departed the sooner they are delivered from ruines shipwracks and imminent plagues In whose hands art thou kept safer then in the hands of Christ In what place can the souls of thy friends rest safer then in the kingdome of paradise Heare what the Apostle saith concerning death Death is gain It is gain to have escaped the increase of sinne it is gain to have left the things that are worse and to have passed to the better Although those whom by death thou hast lost were very deare unto thee yet let God be more deare unto thee whose will it was to take them unto himself Be not angry with the Lord for taking away what he hath given He hath received his own he hath taken nothing from thee Do not take it ill that the Lord doth require what he did onely lend thee It is onely the Lord that foreseeth evils to come It was his providence therefore to take away thy friends that they might not be entangled in the misfortunes to come They that die in the Lord rest sweetly in their graves when those that are alive are tormented grievously even in the palaces of their kingdome If by death thou hast lost those that were deare unto thee Beleeve that thou shalt hereafter receive them more deare unto thee A little distance of time doth separate thee from them But blessed and secure eternitie shall joyn thee again unto them For we hope upon a most true promise that we shall depart out of this life from whence some of our friends are departed before us and that we shall come to that life where the more known the more deare they shall be unto us and amiable without fear of any dissension What'ever souls have been before or shall hereafter be Shall be receiv'd i' th theatre of huge capacitie There shall we know the face of them that of our kindred be And speak answer in our course each interchangeably There with the brother sister shall and sonne with father be And there they shall keep
must strive to go thither where at length we must remain for all eternitie Into this glorie of the Lord shall no man enter but he that desireth to enter Dost thou hope to appear hereafter before the face of the Lord Studie then after holinesse because he is holy Dost thou look for the fellowship of the heavenly angels Take heed then that thou dost not by thy sinnes deprive thy self of their ministerie Dost thou hope after things eternall Why then dost thou so much desire things temporall Dost thou seek for a citie to come Why then dost thou desire here an abiding place Dost thou desire to come to Christ Why then dost thou fear death It is the propertie of him that would not come to Christ to fear death Dost thou desire to enter into the heavenly Jerusalem Why then dost thou defile thy self with so many and such grievous sinnes Whereas it is written that nothing which is defiled shall enter in there Dost thou desire to enjoy at length the tree of life Lay hold then on Christ the true tree of life by true faith in this life For it is written Blessed are they that have their robes washed in the bloud of the lambe that they may have part in the tree of life and enter into the citie by the gates Without are dogs and sorcerers Beware therefore of the losse of chastitie Without are murtherers Take heed therefore of anger Without are idolaters Beware therefore of covetousnesse Without are lyars Beware therefore of all the malice of sinne If thou desirest to enter in to the marriage of the Lambe desire the bridegrooms coming The Spirit and the Spouse say COME If thou hast not the earnest of the Spirit by which thou mayst cry Come Lord the bridegroom will never leade thee in unto the heavenly marriage Thou art not the spouse if thou desirest not the coming of the bridegroom Wouldest thou have a place in the new heaven and the new earth Why then dost thou so cleave unto the old Wouldest thou be made partaker of the Creatour Wherefore then dost thou so cleave unto the simple creatures Dost thou expect the building of God the house not made with hands eternall in the heavens Why then dost thou not desire that this earthly house of thy dwelling may be dissolved Dost thou desire to be clothed Why then dost thou not provide for thy self that thou beest not found naked If the holy Trinitie dwelleth not in thy heart by grace in this life it shall never dwell in thee by glorie in the life to come If thou hast not a taste of eternall felicitie in this life thou shalt never have a full draught in the life to come Meditat. XLVII Of the beatificall vision of God in heaven The saints are pilgrims here below And tow'rds their countrey heaven go IN my Fathers house are many mansions they are the words of our Saviour Lord I desire to see that place where thou hast prepared for me an everlasting mansion For I am a stranger and a sojourner here as all my fathers were The dayes of my pilgrimage are few and evil Therefore in this life wherein I live in exile I do long after my heavenly countrey My conversation is in heaven I desire to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living This life passeth away in a shadow my dayes are measured out and my substance is even as nothing in thy sight What then is my hope Is it not the Lord Lord Jesus when will it be that I shall come unto thee When shall I appeare before thy face As the hart panteth after the fountain of waters so doth my soul after thee O God Oh the true perfect and full joy Oh joy of joyes surpassing all joy without which there is no joy When shall I enter into thee that I may see my God that dwelleth in thee Thou shalt fill me O Lord with the joy of thy countenance At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore I shall be abundantly satisfied with the plentifulnesse of thy house and thou shalt give me to drink of the brook of thy pleasures For with thee is the fountain of life Oh life to be desired Oh blessed felicitie in which the most holy Trinitie shall be the perfection of our desires which we shall see without end love without loathing and praise without being weary To see God will surpasse all joyes To see Christ to live with Christ to heare Christ will surpasse all the desires of our hearts O Jesus Christ the most sweet bridegroom of my soul when wilt thou leade thy spouse into thy royall palace What can there be wanting there What to be desired or expected where God shall be all in all He shall be beautie to the eye hony to the taste musick to the eare balsame to the nose and flower to the touch God shall be all in all and shall distribute unto every one good things according to the desires of his own heart If thou desirest life if health if peace if honour God shall be there all in all The mysteries which are now sealed up in the great doctours of the Church shall be then revealed even unto babes The blessed humanitie of Christ shall be there present unto us and shall preach unto us with a most sweet voice concerning the mysterie of our salvation His voice is sweet and his face is comely Full of grace are his lips And he is crowned with glory and honour But if God shall be all in all then shall he be fulnesse of light to the understanding plenty of peace to the will and continuance of eternitie to the memorie The Sonne will satisfie the understanding with perfect knowledge the holy Ghost will satisfie the will with most sweet love and the Father will satisfie the memory with the remembrance of both Thou O God shalt be our light and in thy light shall we see light that is we shall see thee in thy self in the brightnesse of thy countenance when we shall see thee face to face Neither shall we onely see thee but we shall also live with thee neither shall we onely live with thee but we shall also praise thee neither shall we onely praise thee but we shall also rejoyce with thee neither shall we onely rejoyce with thee but we shall also be like unto the angels neither shall we be like unto the angels onely but even unto God himself blessed for ever Let the faithfull soul be here astonished and adore the mercy of her Saviour He doth not onely receive us his enemies into favour but he doth also forgive our sinnes neither doth he forgive our sinnes onely but he doth also bestow righteousnesse upon us neither so onely but he doth leade us also into our heavenly inheritance yea he makes us like
Therefore for our sinnes God casts us off Take not thy holy Spirit from me Therefore as bees are driven away with smoak and pigeons with ill savours so by our sinnes is the holy Spirit driven out of the temples of our hearts Restore me the joy of thy salvation Therefore sinne doth torment the minde and dry up the moisture of the heart The earth is defiled by the inhabitants thereof which have transgressed the law crieth Esay Therefore sinne is a contagious and infectious poison Out of the deeps have I cryed unto thee O Lord saith the Psalmist Therefore our sinnes presse us down unto hell We were sometimes dead in our sinnes saith the apostle Therefore sinne is the spirituall death of the soul. By mortall sinne man loseth God God is the infinite and incomprehensible good Therefore to lose God is an infinite and incomprehensible evil As God is the chiefest good so sinne is the chiefest evil Punishments and calamities are not absolutely evil for many times there comes good of them Yea rather it appeares that they are good because they come from God who is the chiefest good from whom can proceed nothing but that which is good They were in the chiefest good to wit in Christ And the chiefest good cannot partake in that which is evil truely so called And moreover they leade us unto the chiefest good that is to life everlasting Christ by his passion entred into his glorie And so do Christians by tribulations enter into eternall life Therefore sinne is the chiefest evil because it withdraws us from the chiefest good The nearer thou comest unto God the further thou departest from sinne The nearer thou comest unto sinne the further thou departest from God How saving therefore is repentance which withdraws us from sinne and brings us back again unto God! Sinne is measured by the greatnesse of him that is offended But him the heavens the earth cannot contain In like manner such is our repentance as he unto whom we return by repentance The sinner is accused by his conscience which he hath defiled by the Creatour whom he hath offended by the sinnes which he hath committed by the creatures which he hath abused and by the devil by whom he hath been seduced How saving then is repentance which frees us from such accusations Let us make haste therefore let us make haste to such a saving medicine for such a grievous disease If thou repentest at thy death thou dost not leave thy sinnes but thy sinnes leave thee Thou shalt scarce finde any one that repented truely at his death unlesse it were the thief upon the crosse Fourteen yeares have I served thee said Jacob to Laban it is time now that I should provide for mine own house And if thou hast served the world and this life so many yeares is it not fit that thou shouldest begin now to make provision for thy soul Every day doth our flesh heap sinne upon sinne Let the Spirit therefore every day wash them away by repentance Christ died that sinne might die in us And shall we suffer that to live and reigne in our hearts for the destroying whereof the sonne of God himself died Christ enters not into the heart of man by grace unlesse John Baptist prepare the way by repentance God poureth not the oyl of mercie but into the vessel of a contrite heart God doth first mortifie us by contrition that afterwards he may quicken us by the consolation of the Spirit He first leads us into hell by serious grief that afterwards he may bring us back again by the taste of grace Elias first heard a great and strong winde overturning mountains and cleaving rocks and after the winde an earthquake and after the earthquake there appeared fire At length there followed a small and still voice In like manner terrour goes before the taste of Gods love and sorrow before comfort God bindes not up thy wounds unlesse thou lay them open by confession and bewail them He covers not unlesse thou first uncover He pardons not unlesse thou first acknowledge He justifies not unlesse thou first condemne thy self He comforts not unlesse thou first despair in thy self This true repentance God by his holy Spirit work in us Meditat. IIII. Of the name of JESVS Blessed blessed name of Jesus Who tormented was to ease us O Good Jesus be thou my Jesus for thy holy names sake have mercy on me My life condemnes me but the name of Jesus shall save me For this thy names sâ—ke do unto me according to thy name seeing that thou art a true and a great Saviour surely thou dost respect those that are sinners indeed yea great sinners Have mercie on me O good Jesus in the time of mercie that I be not condemned in the time of judgement If thou receive me into the bosome of thy mercy thou shalt have never the lesse room If thou bestow upon me the crumbes of thy goodnesse yet thou shalt want never the more For me thou wast born for me thou wast circumcised to me also thou art become a Jesus How sweet and delightfull is this name For what is Jesus but a Saviour and what harm can happen to those that are saved what else can we desire or expect beyond salvation Receive me Lord Jesus into the number of thy sonnes that together with them I may land thy holy and saving name Though I have lost my integritie yet thou hast not forgotten thy mercy Though I had power to lose and condemne my self yet thou in thy mercie art more powerfull to save me Lord do not thou so look upon my sinnes as to forget thy mercy do not so ponder and weigh my offences that they overpoise thy merit do not so remember my wickednesse as therefore to forget thy goodnesse Remember not thy anger against my guiltinesse but remember thy mercie towards my miserie Thou who hast given me a minde to desire thee withdraw not thy self from my desire Thou who hast shewed unto me my unworthinesse and just damnation hide not from me thy merit and the promise of everlasting salvation My cause is to be tried at the heavenly tribunall but this is my comfort that in the court of heaven thou hast assigned unto thee the name of a Saviour for that name was brought down from heaven by an angel O most mercifull Jesus to whom wilt thou be Jesus if not to miserable sinners that seek thy grace and salvation They that trust in their own righteousnesse and holinesse seek salvation in themselves but I flie unto thee my Saviour for I finde nothing in my self worthy of eternall life Save the condemned shew mercie to the sinner justifie the unrighteous absolve the accused Thou Lord art truth thy name is holy and true Let thy name also become true in respect of me and become thou my Jesus and Saviour Be thou unto me Jesus
in this present life be thou unto me Jesus in death be thou unto me Jesus in the last judgement be thou unto me Jesus in the life which is everlasting I know thou wilt sweet Jesus for as thou art immutable in thy essâ—nce so also thou art immutable in thy mercy Thou wilt not change thy name Lord Jesus for my sake alone who am a miserable sinner Yea rather thou wilt become my Saviour For thou dost not cast out him that cometh unto thee Thou that hast given me a will to come unto thee grant also unto me that coming I may be received For thy words are truth and life Let the propagation of originall sinne within me condemne me yet thou art my Jesus Let my conception in sinne condemne me yet thou art my Jesus Let my forming in sinne and under the curse condemne me yet thou art my Saviour Let the corruption of my nativitie condemne me yet thou art my Saviour Let the sinnes of my youth condemne me yet thou art my Jesus Let the course of my whole life defiled with most grievous sinnes condemne me yet thou art still my Jesus Let deâ—th the just punishment of my many and grievous sinnes and offences condemne me yet thou art my Saviour Let the severe sentence in the last judgement condemne me yet thou art my Jesus In me is sinne reprobation damnation In thy name is righteousnesse election salvation I was baptized in thy name I beleeve in thy name In thy name will I die In thy name will I rise again In thy name will I appeare in judgement In this name are all good things prepared for us and shut up as it were a treasure So much are they diminished as my diffidence is increased which that it may be farre from me I beseech thee by this thy name good Jesus that for my sinne and unbelief I be not damned whom by thy precious merit and saving name thou wouldst have saved Meditat. V. An exercise of faith from the love of Christ in the agonie of death The grace of Jesus Christ to me Is th' onely true felicity SEe Lord Jesus how injurious I am to thy passion My heart is vexed and my soul is very sorrowfull because I have no good works of mine own because I have no merits when as thy passion is my action thy works my merits I am injurious to thy passion when as I seek for the supplement of my works whereas it is in it self all-sufficient If I should finde righteousnesse in my self thy righteousnesse would profit me nothing or else I should not so much desire it If I seek for the works of the law by the law shall I be condemned But I know that now I am no longer under the law but under grace I have lived wickedly I have sinned holy Father against heaven and before thee I am not worthy to be called thy sonne yet thou wilt not refuse to call me thy servant Deny me not I pray thee the fruit of thy passion let not thy bloud wax barren but let it bring forth fruit and deliver my soul. My sinnes have alwayes lived in my flesh but I intreat thee let them at length die with me Hitherto the flesh hath alwayes ruled over me but let the Spirit at length triumph Let the outward man be subject to corruption and worms that the inward man may be glorified Hitherto I have alwayes given way to the suggestions of the devil but grant hereafter I beseech thee that I may trample them under my feet Satan is readie at hand to accuse me but he hath nothing in me The sight of death affrighteth me but death is the end of my sinnes and the beginning of an holy life Now at length shall I be able perfectly to please thee O my God Now at length shall I be confirmed in goodnesse and vertue Satan terrifieth me with my sinnes but let him accuse him which took upon him my infirmities whom the Lord hath smitten for my sinnes The debt which I ow is great indeed and I cannot pay any part thereof but my trust is in the riches and bounty of him that hath undertaken the payment Let him discharge me who hath made himself suretie for me Let him pay for me who took my debt upon himself I have sinned O Lord and my sinnes are many and grievous But this horrible sinne I will not commit to make thee a lyar who by thy words works and oath dost testifie that satisfaction is made for my iniquities I am not afraid by reason of my sinnes for thou art my righteousnesse I am not afraid by reason of my ignorance for thou art my wisdome I am not afraid of death for thou art my life I am not afraid of my errours for thou art my truth I am not afraid of corruption for thou art my resurrection I am not afraid of the sorrows of death for thou art my joy I am not afraid of the severitie of judgement for thou art my righteousnesse Distill upon my withered soul the dew of thy grace and quickening consolation My spirit waxeth dry but it shall shortly rejoyce in thee My flesh doth languish and is withered but it shall shortly bud forth I am subject to corruption but thou shalt deliver me from corruption for thou hast delivered me from all evils Thou hast created me How then can the workmanship of thy hands be dissolved Thou hast redeemed me from all mine enemies How then can death have rule over me Thou hast bestowed thy body and bloud and all that thou hadst yea even thy self for my salvation How then shall death withhold them which thou hast redeemed with so precious a ransome Thou Lord Jesus art righteousnesse it self So then my sins cannot prevail against thee Thou art life it self and the resurrection So then my death cannot prevail against thee Thou art God Therefore Satan cannot prevail against thee Thou hast given me the earnest of thy Spirit in that do I glorie in that do I triumph and am fully perswaded without doubting that I shall be admitted to the marriage of the Lambe Most deare bridegroom thou art my wedding-garment which I put on in baptisme thou shalt cover my nakednesse neither will I sow the supplement of my righteousnesse to this most precious and beautifull garment What is mans righteousnes but the cloth of a menstruous woman How then can I dare to patch that most precious garment of Christs righteousnesse with this abominable ragge In this garment will I appear before thy face in judgement when thou shalt judge the world in righteousnesse and equitie In this garment will I appear before thy face in the kingdome of heaven This garment shall cover my confusion and reproch that no man remember it any more for ever There shall I appear glorious and holy in thy sight And this my flesh this my body shall be arayed with beatificall glory which glory shall be
infinite love of the eternall Father in that he would deliver his onely begotten Sonne to death for us He loved us when we were his enemies And can he forget us when we are reconciled unto him by the death of his Sonne Can he forget the precious bloud of his Sonne when as he telleth the tears and the steps of the godly Can Christ in his life forget those for whom he was willing to undergo death Can he in the time of his glory forget those for whom he suffered so great torments Consider thou faithfull soul the manifold fruits of the Lords passion Christ poured forth for us a bloudy sweat that in the agonie of death a cold sweat might not oppresse us It was his pleasure to wrestle with death that we might not faint in the agony of death It was his will to suffer most grievous anxietie and sorrow even unto death that he might make us partakers of everlasting joy in the heavens He would be betrayed with a kisse which is a signe of friendship and good will that he might blot out the sinne by the which Satan betrayed our first parents under the colour of friendship He would be apprehended and bound by the Jews that he might set us at liberty which were bound in the chain of our sinnes and subject to be cast into everlasting damnation He would begin his passion in the garden that he might purge away sinne which took its beginning in the garden of paradise He would be comforted by an angel that he might make us angels fellows in the heavens He was forsaken of his own disciples that he might glue unto himself us who had most shamefully revolted from God Before the Councel he was accused by false witnesses that Satan might not accuse us by the law of God He was condemned on earth that we might be absolved in heaven He that committed no sinne was speechlesse that we might not in the day of judgement be strucken dumbe by reason of our sinnes He was willing to be buffeted that we might be freed from the sting of conscience and buffetings of Satan He suffered himself to be mocked that we might insult over Satan the insulter His face was covered that he might remove from us the vail of sinne by which we were hindred that we could not behold the face of God as being involved in damnable ignorance He would be disrobed that he might restore unto us the robe of innocencie which we had lost by sinne He was pricked with thorns that he might cure the compunctions of our hearts He underwent the burden of the crosse that he might take from us the burden of everlasting punishment He crâ—â—d out that he was forsakâ—n of God that he might purchase for us an everlasting habitation with God He thirsted on the crosse that he might merit for us the dew of Gods grace and free us from everlasting thirst He would be scorched in the fire of Gods anger that he might free us from the fire of hell He stood as guiltie that he might absolve us He was condemned that we might be delivered from condemnation He was scourged by the hands of the unrighteous that he might free us from the scourges of the devil He cried out for grief that he might preserve us from everlasting exclamation He poured forth tears that he might wipe away tears from our eyes He died that we might live He felt the pains of hell that we might never feel them He was humbled that so he might cure our sinfull tumour He was crowned with thorns that he might merit for us a celestiall crown He suffered of all that he might save all His eyes were darkened in death that we might live in the light of celestiall glory He suffered ignominie and reproches that we might heare the angels sing chearfully in heaven Despair not then O faithfull soul An infinite good was offâ—nded by thy sinnes and an infinite price is payed for them Thou shouldest have been condemned for thy sinnes But the Sonne of God took upon him the sinnes of the whole world and was condemned for them Thou deservedst to be punished for thy sinnes But God hath punished them alreadie in his Sonne The wounds of thy sinnes are great But the balsam of Christs bloud is more precious and of vertue to cure them Moses pronounceth thee cursed because thou hast not kept all that was wrote in the book of the law But Christ was made the curse for thee In the court of heaven there is an hand-writing against thee But Christ hath cancelled that with his bloud Let thy passion therefore O Christ be my last refuge Meditat. VIII Of the certainty of our salvation My hope shall never be confounded Because my hope on Christ is grounded WHy art thou troubled O my soul and why dâ—st thou still doubt of the mercie of God Remember thy Creatour Who created thee without thee Who formed thy body in secret in the lower parts of the earth Who took care of thee when thou wast not will not he have care of thee now he hath made thee after his own image I am the creature of God to the Creatour do I convert my self Though my nature be infected by the devil though it be wounded by theeves that is by my sinnes yet my Creatour liveth He which made me can also renew me He which created me without any evil can take all evil from me whatsoever hath entred into me by the suggestion of the devil by Adams prevarication by my own action yea though it hath over-run my whole substance Therefore my Creatour can reform me if so be that it stands with his good pleasure and will and certainly he will for who ever hated his own workmanship Are we not before him like clay in the hands of the potter If he had hated me certainly he would never have created me when I was nothing He is the Saviour of all men but especially of them that beleeve He created me wonderfully but he redeemed me more wonderfully It never appeared more plainly that he loved us then in his wounds and passion Surely he is truly beloved for whose sake the onely begotten Sonne of God is sent from the bosome of his Father Iâ— thou didst not desire my salvation Lord Jesus why didst thou descend from heaven But thou didst descend upon earth to die on the crosse God to redeem a servant spared not his own Sonne Therefore assuredly God loveth man with a wonderfull love seeing that he hath delivered up his Sonne to be afflicted slain and crucified for the redemption of man Very deare and very great was the price of our redemption Therefore great and deare is the mercy of our Redeemer It might seem to some that God loves his adopted sonnes as dearly as his onely begotten Sonne For that on which we bestow any thing is dearer then that which we bestow That he might
make us his adopted sonnes he spared not his natural and coessentiall Sonne It is no wonder then if he hath prepared for us mansions in his heavenly house seeing that he hath given us his own Sonne in whom is the fulnesse of the divinity Certainly where there is the fulnesse of the divinitie there is also the fulnesse of life and glory everlasting But if he in Christ hath given unto us the fulnesse of life everlasting how shall he denie unto us a little particle thereof Assuredly our heavenly Father loveth us his adopted sonnes with exceeding great love seeing he hath delivered up his onely begotten Sonne for us Assuredly the Sonne embraceth us with exceeding great love seeing that he hath delivered up himself for us To make us rich he endured extreme povertie for he had not where to lay his head To make us the sonnes of God he is made man neither doth he neglect us now having finished the work of our redemption but still intercedeth for us sitting at the right hand of the divine Majestie What thing is there necessary for my salvation which he shall not obtain seeing that he hath bestowed himself to merit salvation for me What will the Father denie unto his Sonne who became obâ—dient unto him unto death even the death of the crosse What will the Father denie unto his Sonne seeing that long ago he hath accepted the price of our redemption paid by him Let my sinnes accuse me yet in this my Mediatour do I trust He which excuseth me is greater then he that accuseth me Let my weaknesse affright me yet in his strength will I glory Let Satan accuse me if my Mediatour excuse me Let heaven and earth accuse me and mine iniquities prove me guiltie it is sufficient for me that the Creatour of heaven and earth and righteousnesse it self doth intercede for me The sufficiencie of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient It shall be sufficient for me to have him propitious against whom onely I have sinned Whatsoever he hath decreed not to impute shall be as if it had not been Neither doth it trouble me that my sinnes are both grievous and divers and often repeated For if I were not burdened with sinnes what need I desire his righteousnesse If I had no disease what need I implore the help of the physician He is the Physician he is the Saviour he is righteousnesse it self he cannot deny himself I am sick I am condemned I am a sinner I cannot deny my self Have mercy on me O thou my Physician my Saviour and my righteousnesse Amen Meditat. IX That God alone is to be loved By love cleave fast to God above For nought on earth deserves thy love RAise up thy self O faithfull soul and love that chief good in whom are all goods without whom there is no other true good No creature can satisfie our desire because no creature is perfectly good but onely good by participation Some current of good doth descend upon the creature from the Creatour but the fountain is still in God Why therefore should we forsake the fountain and follow the current All good in the creatures is but the image of that perfect good which is in God yea which is God Why therefore should we lay hold on the image and let go the thing it self Noahs dove could not finde on the moveable waters where her foot might rest Even so our soul amongst all sublunarie things cannot finde out which can fully satisfie her desire by reason of their inconstancie and frailtie Doth not he wrong himself which loveth any thing unworthy of his love Now the soul of man is more noble then all the creatures because it was redeemed by the passion and death of God Why therefore should it love the creatures Is it not contrary to that majestie unto which God hath exalted the Saints Whatsoever we love we love either for power or wisdome or beauty And what is more powerfull then God what is more wise then God what is more beautifull then God All the power of earthly kingdomes is from him and under him All the wisdome of men compared with the wisdome of God is foolishnesse All the beautie of the creatures compared with the beautie of God is deformitie If some powerfull king should treat by messengers with a virgin of mean rank and condition concerning marriage should she not do foolishly in neglecting the king and settling her affection upon the messengers the kings servants So God by the beautie of all the creatures desires to call us unto him invite us to love him why therefore should our soul which Christ would have to be his spouse cleave unto the creatures the messengers of this spirituall marriage The creatures themselves crie Why do ye cleave unto us why do ye place the end of your desire in us We cannot satiate your appetite Come ye rather to the Creatour of us both From the creatures we can expect no reciprocall love The creatures did not begin first to love us But God who is love it self cannot but love those that love him Yea he prevents our desires and our love by loving us first How greatly then is God to be loved who in the first place hath loved us so greatly He loved us when as yet we were not For it was the love of God that we came into this world He loved us when we were his enemies For it was his mercy and his love that he sent his sonne to be our redeemer He loved us when we were fallen into sin For it is his love that he doth not presently deliver us to death in our sinnes but still expects our conversion It is his love that beyond our merits yea contrary to our merits he translateth us to the celestiall palaces Without the love of God thou canst never come to the saving knowledge of God without the love of God all knowledge is unprofitable yea hurtfull Wherefore love exceedeth the knowledge of all mysteries because this may be in the devils but that cannot be but in the godly Why is the divel most unhappy Because he cannot love the chiefest good Contrarywise why is God most happy and blessed Because he loveth all things because he is delighted in all his works Why is not our love of God perfect in this life Because the measure of our love is according to the measure of our knowledge Now in this life we know but in part and in a glasse In the life to come we shall be perfectly blessed because we shall perfectly love God We shall perfectly love God because we shall perfectly know him No man can hope to have the perfect love of God in the world to come which beginneth not to love God in this world The kingdome of God must begin in the heart of man in this life or else it cannot be consummated in the life to come
Without the love of God there is no desire of eternall life How then can any one be partaker of the chiefest good which loveth not which seeketh not which desireth not Such as thy love is such art thou because thy love transformeth thee into it self Love is the chiefest couple because the lover and the thing loved become one What hath conjoyned the most just God and wretched sinners What hath conjoyned them being infinitely distant one from the other Infinite love And yet that the infinite justice of God might not be weakned the infinite price of Christ interceded Again what hath conjoyned together God the Creatour and the faithfull soul created things infinitely distant Love In the life which is eternall we shall be joyned to God in the chiefest degree Why Because we shall love him in the chiefest degree Love uniteth and transformeth if thou lovest carnall things thou art carnall If thou lovest the world thou shalt become worldly But flesh and bloud cannot enter into the kingdome of God If thou lovest God and celestiall things thou shalt become celestiall The love of God is the chariot of Elias ascending up into heaven The love of God is the joy of the minde the paradise of the soul it excludeth the world it overcometh the devil it shutteth hell it openeth heaven The love of God is that seal by which God sealeth the elect and beleevers God at the last judgement will acknowledge none to be his but those that are sealed with this seal For faith it self the onely instrument of our justification and salvation is not true unlesse it doth demonstrate it self by love There is no true faith unlesse there be a firm confidence and there is no confidence without the love of God That benefit is not acknowledged for which we do not give thanks and we do not give thanks to him whom we do not love If therefore thy faith be true it will acknowledge the benefit of our redemption wrought by Christ it will acknowledge and give thanks it will give thanks and love The love of God is the life and rest of the soul When the soul departs from the body by death then the life of the body departeth When God departs out of the soul by reason of sins then the life of the soul departeth Again God dwells in our hearts by faith God dwells in the soul by love because the love of God is diffused in the hearts of the elect by the holy Spirit There is no tranquillitie to the soul without the love of God The world and Satan do much disquiet it But God is the chief rest of the soul There is no peace of conscience but to those that are justified by faith there is no true love of God but in them that have a filiall confidence in God Therefore let the love of our selves the love of the world the love of the creatures die in us that the love of God may live in us Which God begin in us in this world and perfect in the world to come Meditat. X. Of our reconciliation with God Fear not my soul be not dismaid For Iesus Christ thy debts hath paid CHrist truly took our infirmities and bare our griefs and sicknesses O Lord Jesus That which in us merited eternall punishment thou tookest upon thy self That burden which would have pressed us down into hell thou hast undergone Thou wast wounded for our iniquities thou wast broken for our sinnes By the bluenesse of thy wounds are we healed The Lord hath laid upon thee the iniquities of us all Surely wonderfull indeed is this change Thou takest our sinnes upon thy self and bestowest thy righteousnesse upon us Death due unto us thou undergoest thy self and conferrest life upon us I cannot therefore by any means doubt of thy grace or despair by reason of my sinnes The worst thing that was in us thou tookest upon thy self How then canst thou despise that which is the best in us and thine own work to wit our soul and body Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption For he is truly sanctified whose sinnes are abolished and taken away Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and to whom the Lord imputeth not his sinnes How can God impute our sinnes to us when he hath already imputed them to another For the wickednesse of his people he hath smitten his best beloved Sonne By the knowledge of him therefore he shall justifie many and shall bear their iniquities How shall he justifie those that are his Heare and attend O my soul He shall save them by the knowledge of him that is by the saving acknowledgement and firm apprehension by faith of the mercie and grace of God in Christ. This is life eternall to know and acknowledge thee the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent And therefore if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and beleeve in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Faith apprehendeth Christs satisfaction He bare the iniquities of those that are his he suffered for the sinnes of many he interceded for the transgressours For he should have had very few just unlesse in mercy he had received sinners Thou shouldst have had few just O Jesus unlesse thou hadst remitted the sinnes of the unjust How then shall Christ judge according to severitie the sinnes of the penitent which he hath taken upon himself How shall he condemn him that is guilty of sinne seeing that he himself was made sinne for us Will he condemn those whom he calleth his friends Will he condemn those for whom he hath intreated Will he condemn those for whom he died Lift up thy self therefore O my soul and forget thy sinnes for the Lord hath forgotten them Whom dost thou fear as the punisher of thy sinnes but the Lord who himself made satisfaction for thy sinnes If any other had payed the price of my redemption I might have doubted whether the just Judge would accept of that satisfaction If a man or an angel had satisfied for my sinnes yet still there might be a doubt whether the price of redemption were sufficient But now there is no place for doubt How can it be that he will not accept of that price which he hath payd himself How can that choose but be sufficient which is from God himself Why art thou troubled O my soul All the wayes of God are mercie and truth Iust is the Lord and just are his judgements Why art thou troubled O my soul Let the mercy of God raise thee up let the justice of God also raise thee up For if God be just for one offence he will not exact double satisfaction For our sinnes he hath smitten his Sonne How then can he smite us his servants for them How can he punish our sinnes in us which
he hath already punished in his Sonne The truth of the Lord endureth for ever As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn from his wickednesse and live Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you saith our Saviour Shall we make God a liar and labour by the weight of our sinnes to bear down his mercy To make God a liar and to denie his mercy is a greater sinne then all the sinnes of the whole world and therefore Judas sinned more in despairing then the Jews in crucifying Christ. But rather where sinne hath abounded there also grace hath abounded much more and overweigheth our sinnes by infinite degrees For sinnes are but the sinnes of men but grace is the grace of God Sinnes are temporall but the grace of our Lord is from eternitie to eternitie Satisfaction hath been made for our sinnes and the grace of God is repaired by the death of Christ and is established for ever unto which I betake my self as a devout suppliant Meditat. XI Of the satisfaction made for our sinnes The death of Christ is life to thee If thou a Christian truly be COme unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will refresh you they are the words of our Saviour It is true indeed Lord Jesus I am burdened overmuch and I sigh under the weight of my sinne But I make haste unto thee the fountain of living water Come unto me Lord Jesus that so I may come unto thee I come unto thee Lord because thou first camest unto me I come unto thee Lord Jesus and with anxietie I desire thee for I finde no goodnesse in my self But if I found any goodnesse in my self I should not with such anxietie desire thee True Lord Jesus I labour and am heavy laden neither can I compare my self with any of the saints or penitent sinners unlesse it be with the thief upon the crosse Lord have mercy upon me thou which hadst mercy on the thief upon the crosse I have lived wickedly I have lived iâ— sinne but I desire to die the death of the holy and righteous But holinesse and righteousnes are farre from my heart Therefore to thy holinesse and righteousnesse do I flie Let thy soul Lord Jesus succour me let it succour me seeing that thou layedst it down for a price of redemption for many Let thy most sacred body which was afflicted with rods spittings buffetings and thorns and fastened to the crosse for me let that succour me Let thy sacred and holy bloud O Jesus let that bloud succour me which ran out of thy side at thy death and passion which cleanseth us from all our sinnes Let thy most holy divinitie succour me thy divinitie which upheld thy humanitie at thy passion which also resting and not shewing it self the great mysterie of our redemption was finished which added infinite strength and weight unto thy passion Insomuch that God by his own bloud hath purchased unto himself me miserable man Let thy wounds succour me in which all my cure consisteth Let thy most holy passion succour me Let thy merit succour me as being my last refuge and a remedie against my sinnes For in that thou sufferedst thou sufferedst for me Therefore in that thou meritedst thou meritedst for me and for mine unworthinesse Therefore God commendeth his love towards us and proveth it by a testimonie surpassing the understanding of all men yea of the angels themselves in that Christ died for us when as yet we were sinners and the enemies of God Who can choose but admire this Who can choose but be astonished at it The Sonne of God intreated by no man yea hated of all men in great mercy intreated for us who were sinners and his enemies Neither intreated he onely but also satisfied Gods justice for us by his most poore nativitie by his most holy life by his most bitter passion by his most cruel death O Lord Jesus Thou that intreatedst for me sufferedst for me and diedst for me before I could desire thy merit and passion or move thee by my prayers to pay the ransome for me how canst thou cast me away from thy face How canst thou denie unto me the fruit of thy most holy passion when as now out of the deeps I cry unto thee and beg the fruit of thy merit with tears and sighs I was an enemie by nature when thou diedst for me but I am made by grace thy friend thy brother and thy sonne Thou heardst an enemie before he prayed unto thee and how canst thou despise thy friend which comes unto thee with prayers and tears Thou wilt not cast out him that cometh unto thee because thy word is truth Thou hast spoken unto us in spirit and truth and we have received from thee the words oâ— eternall life Attend and raise up thy self O my soul Before we were sinners by nature but now we are just by grace Before we were enemies but now we are friends and kinsfolks Before our help was in the death of Christ but now it is in Christ his life Before we were dead in sinnes but now we are quickned in Christ Oh the exceeding love of God wherewith he loved us Oh the superabundant riches of his grace whereby he hath in heaven provided a place for us Oh the tender mercie of our God whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us But if the death of Christ hath brought unto us righteousnesse and life what shall his life do If our Saviour dying paid the price unto his Father what shall he do now being alive and interceding for us For Christ liveth and dwells in our heart if the remembrance of his most holy merit live and flourish in it Draw me Lord Jesus that I may possesse in the truth of the thing that which here I expect by the firmnesse of hope Let thy servant I pray thee be with thee and let him behold the glorie which the Father hath given to thee and let him inhabit the mansion which thou hast prepared in thy Fathers house Blessed are they that dwell in thy house O Lord They shall praise thee for ever and ever Meditat. XII Of the nature and properties of true faith Faith is not faith or if it be Faith is but dead wants charity O Thou beloved soul consider the power of faith and give thanks unto God who is the onely giver thereof It is faith alone that doth in such manner ingraft us into Christ that as vine-branches do draw their sap from the vine so we also from him do draw life righteousnesse and salvation Adam fell from the grace of God and lost the divine image by his incredulitie But we are again received to grace and the image of God begins to be renewed in us by faith By faith Christ becomes
think upon three things present the brevitie of this present life the difficultie of being saved and the paâ—citie of them that shall be saved Alwayes think upon three things to come Death then which nothing is more horrible judgement then which nothing is more terrible the pains of hell then which nothing is more intolerable Let thy evening prayers amend the sinnes of the day past Let the last day of the week amend the faults of the dayes past In the evening think how many are plunged that day into hell and give thanks unto God for granting thee time to repent There are three things above thee which never let slip out of thy memorie The eye that sees all the eare that heares all and the book wherein all things are written God hath communicated himself wholly unto thee Communicate thou thy self wholly unto thy neighbour That is the best life which is busied in the service of others Shew obedience and reverence to thy superiour give counsel and aid to thy equall defend and instruct thy inferiour Let thy bodie be subject to thy minde and thy minde to God Bewail thy evils past and esteem not the goods that are present and desire with all thy heart the goods which are future Remember thy sinne to grieve for it Remember death that thou mayst cease from sinne Remember Gods justice that thou mayst be kept in fear Remember Gods mercie that thou mayst not despair As much as thou canst withdraw thy self from the world and addict thy self wholly unto the service of the Lord. Alwayes in delights think that thy chastitie is in danger in riches think that thy humilitie is in danger in many businesses think that thy godlinesse is in danger Study to please none but Christ Fear to displease none but Christ. Alwayes pray thou unto God to command what he will and to give what he commands Pray unto him to cover what is past and to govern what is to come As thou desirest to seem so also thou must be For God judgeth not according to the shew but according to the truth In thy words take heed of much babling because for every idle word thou must give an account in the day of judgement Thy works be they what they will do not passe away but are cast as certain seeds of eternitie If thou sowest in the flesh of the flesh thou shalt reap corruption If thou sowest in the spirit of the spirit thou shalt reap life everlasting The honours of the world shall not follow thee after death neither shall thy heaps of riches follow thee neither shall thy pleasures follow thee neither shall the vanities of the world follow thee But after all thy works shall follow thee As therefore thou desirest to be at the day of judgement to day appeare to be such in the sight of God Do not esteem those things that thou hast but rather esteem those that thou wantest Be not proud for what is given thee but be humbled rather for that which is denied thee Learn to live whiles thou mayst live In this life is eternall life either obtained or lost After death there is no time to work but the time of recompense begins In the life to come working is not expected but the reward of working Let holy meditation bring forth in thee knowledge and knowledge compunction and compunction devotion and let devotion make prayer The silence of the mouth is a great good for the peace of the heart The more thou art separated from the world the more acceptable thou art unto God Whatsoever thou desirest to have ask of God whatsoever thou hast give unto God He that is not thankfull for that which is given already is unworthy to receive more Gods graces cease to descend when our thanks cease to ascend Whatsoever happeneth unto thee make use of it for good When thou art in prosperity think that thou hast then an occasion to blesse and praise God When thou art in adversitie think that thou art then put in minde of thy repentance and conversion Shew the strength of thy power in helping the strength of thy wisdome in instructing and the strength of thy riches in doing good Let not adversitie cast thee down neither let prosperitie lift thee up Let all thy life be directed unto Christ as unto the mark Follow him in the way that thou mayst overtake him in thy countrey In all things have a speciall care of profound humilitie and ardent charitie Let charitie lift up thy heart unto God that thou mayest cleave unto him And let humilitie keep thy heart down that thou beest not proud Judge God to be a Father for his clemencie a Lord for his discipline a Father for his power and gentlenesse a Lord for his severitie and justice Love him as a Father piously fear him as a Lord necessarily Love him because he willeth mercy fear him because he willeth not sinne Fear the Lord and trust in him acknowledge thy misery and proclaim his mercy O God thou that hast given us to will give us also grace to perfect Meditat. XXIX Of the shaking off securitie To live it is not but to die To live in all securitie COnsider thou devout soul what an hard matter it is to be saved and thou shalt easily shake off all securitie At no time and in no place is there securitie Neither in heaven nor in paradise and then much lesse in the world An angel fell in the presence of the divinitie and Adam fell in the place of pleasure Adam was created after the image of God and yet notwithstanding he was deceived by the treacheries of the devil Solomon was the wisest of men and yet his wives turned away his heart from the Lord. Judas was in the school of our Saviour and did every day heare the saving word of that chief Doctour and yet was not he safe from the snares of Satan He was plunged headlong into the pit of covetousnesse and so into the pit of eternall punishment David was a man after Gods own heart and he was unto the Lord as a most deare sonne and yet by murder and adulterie he became the sonne of death Where then is there securitie in this life Relie with an assured confidence of heart upon the promises of God and thou shalt be safe from the invasions of the devil There is no securitie in this life but that which is infallibly promised to those that beleeve and walk in the way of the Lord But when we come unto future happâ—nesse then at length we shall have full securitie In this life fear and religion are coupled together neither must one be without the other Be not secure in adversitie but whatsoever adversitie happâ—neth unto thee in this life think that it iâ— the reward of thy sinnes God often punisheth secret offences by open corrections Think upon the grievous stains of
power of Christ Against the terrour of the law she rests in the gospel of Christ Against the sinnes which accuse her she rests in the bloud of Christ which speaketh better things before God then the bloud of Abel Against the terrour of death she rests with confidence in the session of Christ at the right hand of the Father And thus our faith findeth rest in Christ and our love findeth great rest also He that by his love cleaveth unto earthly things hath no true rest because earthly things themselves have it not in them They cannot fully satiate the souls appetite because they are all finite But our soul being created after the image of God doth desire that infinite good in which is all good As therefore our faith ought not to relie upon any of the creatures but upon the merit of Christ onely So also our love should not be settled upon any of the creatures nor upon our selves For self-love hindereth the love of God We must preferre the love of God before all Our soul is the spouse of Christ To him alone therefore must she adhere Our soul is the temple of God Therefore she must give entertainment to none but him Many seek for rest in riches But without Christ there is no rest to the soul. Where Christ is there is povertie if not in act yet in affect He being the Lord of heaven and earth had not where to rest his head And so would he commend and sanctifie povertie unto us Riches are without us But that which will quiet the soul must be within To what shall our soul cleave unto at death when we must leave all worldly things Either our riches forsake us or we them often in our life but alwayes at our death Where then shall our soul finde peace and rest Many seek for rest in pleasures But pleasures can bring no rest or delight unto the soul although they may unto the body for a time At length grief and sorrow follow as companions Pleasures belong unto this life But the soul was not created for this life because she is by death compelled to depart How then should she finde rest in pleasures Without Christ there is no rest to the soul But what was the life of Christ Extreme grief from the first moment of his nativitie even unto his death By this means he the true prizer of things would teach us what to think concerning pleasure Many seek for rest in honours But miserable are they that at every change of popular breath are compelled to want their rest Honour is without and a flitting good But that which will give rest unto the soul must be within What canst thou say more of the praise and glory given by men then of Apelles his commended picture Consider the corner wherein thou keepest What is the proportion thereof to a whole province to all Europe and to all the habitable world That is true honour indeed which God shall hereafter give unto the elect The rest of a thing is in its end neither doth a thing rest naturally untill it hath attained to its end and place God is the end whereunto the soul was created For it was made after the image of God Therefore it cannot be quiet and at rest but in its end that is in God As the soul is the life of the body So is God the life of the soul. As therefore that soul doth truly live in which God dwelleth by spirituall grace So likewise that soul is dead which hath not God dwelling in it And what rest can there be to the soul that is dead That first death in sinne doth necessarily draw with it the second death of damnation Whosoever therefore doth firmly cleave unto God with his love and inwardly enjoyeth divine consolation his rest can no outward things disquiet In the midst of sorrows he is joyfull in povertie rich in the tribulations of this world secure in troubles quiet in the reproches and contumelies of men still and in death it self living He regards not the threats of tyrants Because he feels within the riches of divine consolation In adversitie he is not made sorrowfull Because the holy Spirit within doth comfort him effectually In povertie he is not vexed Because he is rich in the goodnesse of God The reproches of men do not trouble him Because he enjoyeth the delights of divine honour He regards not the pleasure of the flesh Because the sweetnesse of the Spirit is more acceptable unto him He seeketh not after the friendship of the world Because he seeketh the love of God who is mercifull and a friend unto him He gapeth not after earthly treasures Because his chief treasure is hidden in the heavens He feareth not death Because in God he alwayes liveth He doth not much desire the wisdome of the world Because he hath the Spirit within to be his teacher That which is perfect taketh away that which is imperfect He feareth neither lightning nor tempests nor fire nor water nor flouds nor the sorrowfull aspects of the planets nor the obscuration of the lights of heaven Because he is carried up above the sphear of nature and by faith resteth and liveth in Christ. He is not drawn away by the allurements of the world Because he heares within him the voice of Christ which is sweeter He fears not the power of the devil Because he feels Gods indulgence He that lives and overcomes in him is stronger then the devil that in vain labours to overcome him He follows not the enticements of the flesh Because living in the Spirit he feels the riches of the Spirit and by the vivification of the Spirit mortifies and crucifies the flesh He fears not the devil his accuser Because he knows Christ to be his Advocate This true rest of the soul he grant unto us who is the onely authour and giver thereof our Lord God blessed for ever Meditat. XXXIII Of the puritie of conscience Labour to have a conscience pure When all things fail that will endure IN every thing thou takest in hand have a great care of thy conscience If the devil incites thee to any sinne stand in fear of the inward check of thy conscience If thou art afraid to sinne in the presence of men let thine own conscience much more deterre thee from sinne The inward testimonie is of more efficacy then the outward Therefore although thy sinnes could escape the accusations of all men yet they can never escape the inward witnesse of thy conscience Thy conscience shall be in the number of those books that shall be opened at the judgement to come as is testified in the Revelation The first is the book of Gods omniscience in which the thoughts words and deeds of all men shall manifestly appeare The second book is Christ which is the book of life in this book whosoever shall be found written by true faith shall be carried by the angels
bubble Such is man Whose lâ—fe in length is but a span COnsider thou faithfull soul the miserable condition of man and thou shalt easily avoid all tentations of pride Man is vile in his ingresse miserable in his progresse and lamentable in his egresse He is assaulted by devils provoked by tentations allured by delights cast down by tribulations entangled by accusations bestripped of vertues and ensnared in evil customes Wherefore then art thou proud O earth and ashes What wast thou before thou wast brought forth Stinking seed What is thy life A sack of dung What after death Meat for worms If there be any thing good in thee it is not thine but Gods Nothing is thine but sinne Challenge therefore unto thy self nothing that is within thee but thy sinnes He is a fool an unfaithfull servant that will be proud of his masters goods Behold O man the example of Christ All the glory of heaven serveth him yea he himself alone is the true glory And yet he rejected all worldly glory And still he cries Learn of me for I am meek and humble in heart He is the true lover of Christ that is the follower of Christ. He that loveth Christ loveth also humilitie Let the servant that is proud blush and be ashamed seeing that the Lord of heaven is so humble Our Saviour saith of himself that he is the Lily of the valleys because he the most noble amongst flowers is born and bred not in the mountains that is in proud and lofty hearts but in the low valleys that is in the contrite and humble mindes of the godly For the soul that is truely humble is a seat and delectable bed for Christ as a godly man saith True grace doth not lift a man up but doth rather humble him Therefore he is not yet partaker of grace who walketh not in humblenesse of heart The fluents of Gods grace flow downwards not upwards As water by nature doth not seek high places So the grace of God doth not flow upwards but downwards upon the hearts that are humble The Psalmist saith God dwelleth on high and yet beholdeth he the things that are humble in heaven and in earth Surely this is a marvellous thing that we cannot draw nigh unto God who is the highest of all unlesse we walk in the path of humilitie He that is vile in his own eyes is great in the eyes of God He that displeaseth himself pleaseth God Of nothing did God create the heaven and the earth And as it was in the creation so also is it in the reparation of man God creates of nothing and repairs of nothing Therefore that thou mayest be made partaker of regeneration and reparation seem nothing in thine own eyes that is arrogate and attribute nothing unto thy self We are all weak and frail And think thou no man more frail then thy self It hurts not to make thy self inferiour to all and by humilitie to put thy self under all But it hurts very much to preferre thy self before any one The twenty foure elders that is all the church triumphant cast down their crowns before the throne and give unto God all righteousnesse and glorie And what then should the vile sinner do The holy angels the Seraphims cover their faces before the face of Gods majestie And what then should man do who is so vile a creature and so unthankfull to his Creatour Christ the true and onely begotten Sonne of God in wonderfull humilitie descended from heaven and took our weak nature upon him and condescended to take upon him our flesh to die and to be crucified And what should man do who by his sinnes is gone so farre astray from God Behold O faithfull soul with what wonderfull humilitie Christ hath cured our pride And dost thou still desire to be proud By the way of humilitie and his passion Christ entred into glorie And dost thou think ever to come to the glorie of heaven walking in the way of pride The devil for his pride was banished out of the kingdome of heaven And doest thou having not yet the fruition of celestiall glorie think to come thither by the way of pride Adam for his pride was cast out of paradise And dost thou think to come to the celestiall paradise by the way of pride Let us rather wish to serve and to wash the feet of others with Christ then to seek ambitiously with the devil for an higher place Let us be humbled in this life that we may be exalted in the life to come Think not O faithfull soul what thou hast but what thou wantest Grieve for the vertues which thou hast not rather then glorie for the vertues which thou hast Cover thy vertues but lay open thy sinnes For thou hast great cause to fear that if thou shewest the treasure of thy good works by glorying in them the devil will steal them away by making thee proud of them Fire is best kept if it be covered with ashes So the fire of charitie is never more securely kept then when it is covered with the ashes of humilitie Pride is the seed of all sinne Take heed therefore of being lifted up lest it happen that thou beest cast headlong into the abysse of sinne Pride is a pleasing bed for the devil Take heed therefore of being lifted up lest it happen that thy miserable soul be made subject to the devils yoke Pride is a winde that burneth and drieth up the fountain of Gods grace Take heed therefore of being lifted up lest it happen that thou beest separated from the grace of God Cure O Christ the tumour of our pride Let thy holy humilitie be our onely merit in this life and let it be the pattern of our life Let our faith firmly embrace thy humilitie and let our life constantly follow after it Meditat. XXXV Of fleeing from covetousnesse The man that covets is but poore Although he riches have great store AS thou dost tender the salvation of thy soul see that thou dost hate the sinne of covetousnesse The covetous man is the poorest amongst men because he wanteth as well that which he hath as that which he hath not The covetous man is the most miserable of all men because he is good to no man and worst to himself Pride is the beginning of all sinne and covetousnesse the root of all evil That by turning us away from God and this by turning us unto the creatures Riches bring forth sweat in the getting create fear in the possessing and bring grief in the losing And which is worse the labour of the covetous shall not onely perish but shall also cause them to perish Riches do either forsake thee or thou dost forsake them If therefore thou puttest thy trust in riches what will be thy hope at the houre of death How wilt thou commend thy soul unto God if thou dost
humilitie of Christ thy bridegroom and of him learn also chastitie Great is the dignitie of chastitie which was consecrated in the body of Christ Great is the dignitie of chastitie because whiles we are in the flesh it makes us to live as out of the flesh As nothing is more vile then to be overcome of the flesh So nothing is more glorious then to overcome the flesh Neither must we onely avoid outward fornication but also impure cogitations Because God is judge not onely of the outward acts but also of the inward thoughts Piety is often wounded by the looks and chastitie is often wounded by the eyes Heare what truth it self saith He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath alreadie committed adulterie with her in his heart As the fight is difficult So shall the victorie also be glorious It is a difficult thing to quench the flaming fires of lust Lust incites them that are not yet come to the yeares of youth it inflames those that are young and it wearieth those that are old and decrepit It despiseth not cottages neither doth it reverence palaces But as difficult as it is here to fight so laudable shall it be hereafter to triumph The first sparks are presently to be quenched and we must not adde fewel to the fire of evil concupiscences The Apostle when he reckons up the vices with which we must strive bids us not fight with fornication but flee from it Flee saith he from fornication For even as a stranger feigning simplicitie comes to us like a beggar to deceive us if we denie him entrance he goes his way if we receive him in he becomes our guest and gathers strength and at length if we consent he becomes our lord and master So the motions of evil concupiscence assail us if we foster them not they depart away if thou wouldest not have this enemie to rule over thee receive him not into the house of thy heart Keep us O God in sanctitie of life and chastitie of body Meditat. XXXVIII Of the flitting swiftnesse of this present life The life of man's a rolling stone Mov'd to and fro and quickly gone THink O devout soul upon the miserie and brevitie of this life that thy heart may be lifted up to the desire of the celestiall inheritance This life whiles it increaseth it decreaseth whiles it is augmented it is diminished Whatsoever is added to it is also taken from it It is but a point of time that we live yea it is yet lesse then a point Whilest we turn our selves immortalitie comes upon us We are in this life as in a strange house Abraham had not in the land of Canaan a place to dwell in but onely an hereditarie place for buriall So this present life is like unto an inne and to a burying-place The beginning of this life is presently the beginning of death Our life is like unto him that saileth for whether he stand sit or lie down still he comes nearer nearer unto the havē goeth thither whither he is carried by the motion of the ship So also we whether we sleep or wake lie down or walk will or nill are carried still moment after moment till we come to our end This life is rather a death because every day we die For every day we spend some of our life This life is full of grief for things past full of labour for things present and full of fear for things to come Our ingresse into this life is lamentable because the infant begins his life with tears as it were foreseeing the evils to come Our progresse is weak because many diseases afflict us and many cares torment us Our egresse is horrible because we do not depart alone but our works follow us and we must passe from death to Gods severe judgement We are conceived in sinne we are brought forth in miserie we live in pain and we die in anguish We are begotten in uncleannesse we are nourished in darknesse and brought forth in sorrow Before we come forth we are a burden to our wretched mothers and when we do come forth we do like vipers tear a way We are strangers in our birth and pilgrims in our life because we are compelled to depart away by death The first part of our life is ignorant of it self the middle part is overwhelmed with cares and the last part is burdened with grievous old age All the time of our life is either present past or to come If it be present it is flitting if it be past it is then nothing if it be to come it is then uncertain We are filthines in our originall we are bubbles in our life and we are meat for worms at our death From earth we come on earth we go to earth we must return The necessitie of our birth is base our life miserable and our death lamentable Our body is an earthly house in which do dwell together sinne and death which every day consume it All our life is a spirituall warfare Above devils lie in wait for our destruction On the right hand and on the left the world oppugnes us Beneath and within the flesh fighteth against us The life of man is a warfare Because in this life there is a continuall fight between the flesh and the spirit What true joy then can a man have in this life when there is in it no certain felicitie What thing present can delight us when other things do passe away but that which hangeth over our heads doth never passe away And again what can delight us when that which we love is quite ended and grief that shall never have end doth approch still nearer unto us This is all we gain by long life To do more evil to see more evil and to suffer more evil This is all that long life doeth for us It makes our accusation the greater at the last judgement What is man The slave of death and as a passenger on the way He is lighter then a bubble shorter then a moment more vain then an image more empty then a sound more brittle then glasse more changeable then the winde more flitting then a shadow and more deceitfull then a dream What is this life The expectation of death the stage of mockeries the sea of miseries an hemine or phial of bloud which every light fall breaketh and every fit of an ague corrupteth The course of our life is a labyrinth we enter into it when we come out of the wombe and we go out of it by the passage of death Ware nought but earth and earth is but a fume A fume is nought as nought do we consume This life is frail as glasse is sliding as a river is miserable as a warfare And yet it seems to many much to be desired This life seems outwardly as a gilded nut But if thou openest
worldly comfort but by tentations Stephen when he was stoned saw the glorie of Christ So Christ manifests himself unto the contrite soul in calamities There is no true and solid joy but where God dwelleth and Gods dwelling is in the contrite and humbled spirit Affliction it is and tentation which humbleth the spirit and maketh it contrite Therefore true and solid joy is in the soul of the afflicted Tentation is the way to come to the knowledge of God Therefore the Lord saith I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and make him see my salvation Blinde Tobie saw nothing either above him beneath him or before him and therefore he saw not himself But being enlightned of God by the angel Raphael he saw all things which before he could not see using no other medicine but the gall of a fish To shew that our eyes are to be anointed with the gall of bitternesse that so we may be enlightned and come to the true knowledge of our selves and worldly things Why saith the Apostle that we know but in a glasse Because in tentations we come to know that God maketh the elect joyfull under the shew of sorrow and quickeneth them under the shew of death and healeth them under the shew of sicknesse and enricheth them under the shew of povertie Therefore must the crosse and tentation be welcome unto him whosoever is not unthankfull to Christ who was crucified and tempted for us O good Jesus Let me be burned here let me be smitten here that I may be spared hereafter O good Jesus Thou which dost often cast us off from thee by sparing us make us to return unto thee by striking us Afflict and presse the outward man that the inward man may grow and increase O good Jesus Fight within me against me Be thou the moderatour of the fight and the crown of my victorie Whatsoever adversitie I feel in this life let it tend to the strengthening and increasing of my faith O good Jesus Help my weak faith For so thou hast promised by thy holy prophet As a mother comforteth her children so will I comfort you As a mother cherisheth and nourisheth her sucking infant with much care So do thou O good Jesus erect and confirm my languishing faith Grant that thy inward comforts may prevail more with me then the contradictions of all men and the devil himself yea and the cogitations of mine own heart O thou good Samaritane poure the sharp wine into the wounds made by my sinnes but poure in also the oyl of divine comfort Multiply my crosses but give me also strength to endure them Meditat. XLI Here are foundations of Christian patience Take up thy crosse do but endure To overcome thou shalt be sure BE quiet O devout soul and endure with patience the crosse which God hath laid upon thee Consider the passion of Christ thy bridegroom He suffered for all of all and in all He suffered for all yea even for them which despise his precious passion and wickedly trample his bloud under their feet He suffered of all He is delivered he is broken in pieces he is forsaken of his heavenly Father he is forsaken of his disciples he is rejected of the Jews his own peculiar people For they preferred Barabbas the thief before him He is crucified of the Gentiles He suffers for the sinnes of all men And therefore he is afflicted of all men He suffered also in all His soul was sorrowfull even unto death and being pressed with the sense and feeling of Gods anger cries out that he was forsaken of God All the members of his bodie are in a bloudy sweat His head is crowned with thorns His tongue tastes a cup of gall and vineger his hands and feet are boared with nails his side is wounded his whole bodie is scourged and he is stretched forth on the crosse He suffered hunger thirst cold contempt povertie reproches wounds death and the crosse And then how unjust a thing were it for the servant to rejoyce when the Lord suffereth How unjust were it that we should rejoyce in our sinnes when our Saviour is so grievously punished for them How unjust were it that the other members should not condole when the head is afflicted But rather it is necessary that we enter through many tribulations into the kingdome of heaven as it was necessary that our Saviour should by his passion enter into celestiall glorie Consider also the bountifull reward The sufferings of this present life are not worthy of the glorie which shall be revealed unto us How great soever our suffering is it is but temporall yea sometimes but for a day But the glorie is everlasting God doth exactly observe all our adversities and will at length bring them to judgement How disgracefull a thing then will it be at the generall assembly of the whole world to appear without the jewels and bracelets of the crosse and passions He shall wipe away all tears from the eyes of those that are his O happy tears which shall be wiped away by the hand of such a great Lord O happy crosse that shall finde a crown in heaven David was not ten whole yeares in his exile but he was fourtie in his kingdome Here we have the shortnesse of our suffering prefigured and the eternitie of the glorie which is to follow It is but a moment of time wherein the Saints are exercised by the crosse But the mercies by which they are comforted are for ever And thus after adversitie in the morning follows prosperitie in the evening Consider also the tribulation of all the Saints Behold Job mourning on the dunghill John hungry in the wildernesse Peter stretched out upon the crosse James beheaded of Herod with the sword Behold Mary the blessed mother of our Saviour standing under the crosse She was the type of the Church the spirituall mother of our Lord. Blessed are ye saith Christ when men shall persecute you for my names sake For so have they done to the Prophets O glorious persecution which makes us conformable unto the Prophets and Apostles and all the Saints and even unto Christ himself Let us therefore suffer with those that suffer let us be crucified with those that are crucified that we may be glorified with those that are glorified If we be true sonnes indeed let us not refuse the condition of the rest of our brethren If we truly desire the inheritance of God let us accept it wholly For the sonnes of God are not onely heirs of joy and glory in the world to come but also of heavinesse and sufferings in this present world For God scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth He punisheth their sinnes here that he may spare them at the judgement to come He multiplies tribulations here that he may multiply their reward hereafter And so not
its greatnesse exceeded heaven and earth Imagine also that some bird every thousandth yeare should carrie from this mountain one grain of the smallest dust There might be some hope that at length after the end of many incomprehensible thousands of yeares the greatnesse of that mountain might be consumed But it cannot be hoped that the fire of hell should ever go out The rewards of the elect shall never be ended therefore the punishments of the damned shall never be ended Because as the mercy of God is infinite towards the elect so the justice of God is infinite towards the reprobate Imagine that the damned had so many kindes of torments as there are little drops in the vast sea Imagine also that at every thousandth yeare some little bird should fly thither and suck a small drop thereof There might be some hope that at length the sea would be exhausted and become dry But it cannot be hoped that the punishments of the damned should ever have an end O devout soul think alwayes upon the eternall punishments of the damned To think upon hell preserves a man from falling into hell Have a care to repent whiles yet there is time for pardon What else shall the fire devoure but thy sinnes The more thou heapest up sinnes the more matter thou layest up for the fire O Lord Jesus which by thy passion hast made satisfaction for our sinnes deliver us from eternall damnation Amen Meditat. LI. Of the spirituall resurrection of the godly Doth Adam die Christ in thee live Christ shall eternall life thee give CHrists resurrection profits thee nothing unlesse Christ also rise in thee As Christ must be conceived born and live in thee So also must he rise in thee Before resurrection goes death because none riseth again but he that is fallen And so it fares in this spirituall resurrection Christ riseth not in thee unlesse Adam first die in thee The inward man riseth not unlesse the outward man be first buried The newnesse of the spirit will not come forth unlesse the oldnesse of the flesh be first hidden It is not enough for thee to have Christ once risen in thee because the old Adam cannot be extinct in one moment The old Adam will revive in thee daily And thou must daily mortifie him that Christ may begin to live in thee daily Christ ascended not into heaven neither entred he into his glory before he rose from death So neither canst thou enter into celestiall glory unlesse Christ first rise in thee and live in thee He is not a member of the mysticall bodie of Christ in whom Christ liveth not Neither shall he be brought by Christ into the Church triumphant who hath not been a member of his bodie in the Church militant Betrothing goes before matrimonie And that soul shall not be brought in unto the marriage of the heavenly Lambe which is not in this life betrothed to Christ by faith and sealed by the earnest of the holy Spirit Let Christ therefore rise and live in thee that thou mayst live with him for ever This is the fiâ—st resurrection Blessed and holy it be that hath part in the first resurrection over him shall the second death have no power If thou wilt at the resurrection come forth unto life Christ must daily rise in thee in this life At the resurrection of Christ the sunne rose So if Christ be spiritually risen in thee the light of the saving knowledge of God shall rise in thy soul. How can the light of the saving knowledge of God be there where the darknesse of most grievous sinnes still hath place The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdome How then can heavenly wisdome be there where the fear of God hath no place But he that is destitute of the light of divine knowledge in this life how can he be made partaker of eternall light in the life to come The sonnes of light onely do passe unto eternall light but the sonnes of darknesse unto eternall darknesse Christ at his resurrection triumphed over death So he in whom Christ is spiritually risen is passed from death to life For he cannot be overcome by death in whom Christ the conquerour of death doth live Christ rising again brought with him perfect righteousnesse for he died for our sinnes and rose again for our justification So he also in whom Christ is spiritually risen is justified from his sinnes For how can sinne have place there where the perfect righteousnesse of Christ liveth and flourisheth Now this righteousnesse of Christ is applyed unto us by faith Christ rising from the dead got the victory over Satan for in his descent to hell he destroyed his kingdome spoiled his palace and broke his weapons in pieces And so also in whomsoever Christ is spiritually risen against him shall not Satan prevail for how can he be overcome of Satan in whom Christ liveth who overcame Satan At Christs resurrection there was a great earthquake So the spirituall resurrection with Christ is not without the earnest commotion and contrition of heart The old Adam cannot be overcome without striving and resistance Therefore Christ also cannot rise in thee spiritually without great commotion There is no spirituall resurrection with Christ unlesse there be a blotting out of sinne and there is no blotting out of sinne unlesse acknowledgement of sinne go before and there is no true acknowledgement of sinne without serious contrition of heart Therefore there is no spirituall resurrection of Christ in thee without inward contrition of heart Holy Ezechias said As a lion hath he broken in pieces my bones Behold great contrition But he addes presently O Lord so shall they live again and so shall my spirit be quickned Thou shalt correct me and thou shalt quicken me Again Thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy back Behold a spirituall resurrection from sinne At Christs resurrection an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and sat upon the sepulchre So if Christ be risen in thee spiritually thou mayest rejoyce in the fellowship of the angels Where the old Adam lives and reignes there is a pleasing bed for the devil But where Christ liveth and reigneth there the angels rejoyce to dwell For it is written There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth But where there is true repentance there also is Christ risen spiritually Where Christ is not yet risen spiritually neither is there yet the grace of God and where there is not yet the grace of God neither is there the guard of angels Where Christ is not yet spiritually risen there still doth the old Adam reigne and where the old Adam doth reigne there doth sinne also yet reigne and where sinne doth reigne there the devil doth reigne And what communion can there be between the blessed angels and the devil Christ after his resurrection presented himself alive unto his disciples So if thou beest
made a partaker of the spirituall resurrection by faith shew thy self to be a lively member of Christ by love A man is not judged to be alive unles he shew forth outwardly the actions of life Where Christ is there is also the holy Spirit where the holy Spirit is there he inciteth and moveth to every good work because they which are led by the Spirit of God are the sonnes of God If therefore we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit The light of the sunne doth every way disperse the brightnesse of his beams So the light of faith doth every way diffuse the heat of love Take light from the sunne and thou mayest separate love from true faith Sinnes are dead works If thou walkest in dead works how dost thou live in Christ and Christ in thee Sinnes belong unto the old Adam If the old Adam doth still reigne in thee how art thou spiritually risen with Christ Sinnes belong to the old flesh If thou walkest in the old flesh how doth the new man live in thee Raise us up O good Jesus from the death of sinne that we may walk in newnesse of life Let thy death kill the old Adam in us and let thy resurrection raise up the inward man unto life Let thy bloud wash us from our sinnes and let thy resurrection put upon us the robe of righteousnesse To the vertuous gentlewomen Mris Anne Henshaw Mris Elisabeth Dilk and Mris Helen Probey the daughters of Mr. William Bonham late citizen of London now citizen of the celestiall Jerusalem health and happinesse VErtuous Gentlewomen It was the respect which I owed unto your father and to your fathers house that first moved me to translate Gerards Prayers and being translated to dedicate them unto you But the Stationer whom I would not name because he is dead and yet I must name for fear lest by my silence I may seem to wrong others Richard Jackson of Fleetstreet to whose trust I committed the book to be printed usurped the dedication and obtruded it upon a Religious Countesse whose name for honour I conceal Hereupon I committed it unto the presse at Cambridge being first purged from innumerable errates Since Jacksons death the copie it seems came to one Williams his hands Stationer in Popes-head-alley With him I had conference as one desirous to restore unto you what of right belonged unto you But in stead of satisfaction I received nothing but ill language To conclude I bade him if he thought good go on to do you wrong but I promised withall that you should finde one to do you right as long as I lived In part I hope I have made good my promise If you accept of this my service as a scholars New-yeares-gift for so the time of the Edition makes it I have my desire and shall alwayes remain A true lover of your family R. W. From Kings Colledge in Cambridge January 1. 1631. Pray alwayes Luke 18. DIstressed soul if thou conceiv'st what 't is To mount unto the tower of endlesse blissâ— Embrace this work it reacheth to the skie And higher if beyond it ought do lie Mans dull capacitie weak humane sense Wide worlds expansion starres circumference Cannot it comprehend Prayer presseth even To Gods pavilion to th' imperiall â—eaven That is the golden chain fixt to Gods care Knock and hee 'l open call and he will heare This surely this is blessed Jacobs ladder On which our souls climbe by Christ to Christs Father Faith is praiers chief attendant Christ the way Gods Spirit both moves helps how to pray True love admittance gains humble confession Both helps devotion and procures remission Edmund Sheaf IF lothed ulcers do thy soul possesse See see a med'cine hither make addresse Or if tentations fears or future harms 'Gainst such assaults receive these pow'rfull charms These prayers may prove if well these prayers thou note 'Gainst those a balm 'gainst these an antidote Th. Bonham THe sunne doth shine the blinde man doth not see Light is but dark if eye-sight none there be Gerard to Latines gave a glorious light But in our English Hemisphere 't was night Th' eclipse is past night gone 't is now high day Gerard hath learn'd i th' English tongue to pray Fr. Winterton A Margarite's a precious thing but he that hath no skill â—steemeth it no more then that the cock found on the hill A candle lights not if it be in lantern dark conceal'd But turn the lantern and there is an usefull light reveal'd The Englishman knew not the worth of Gerards Margarite But now it is in English priz'd there 's profit and delight The lantern's turn'd the light appears which was before conceal'd And now there 's English none so blinde to whom 't is not reveal'd John Noare The contents of this book divided into foure parts I. Confession of sinnes Prayer 1 HE weigheth and considereth the grievousnesse of originall sinne Page 1 Prayer 2 He recalls to our memorie the sinnes of our youth Page 4 Prayer 3 He reckons up our daily falls and slips Page 6 Prayer 4 He examines our life according to the first table of the commandments Page 8 Prayer 5 He examines our life according to the second table of the commandments Page 11 Prayer 6 He sheweth that we often partake in other mens sinnes Page 14 Prayer 7 He sheweth that we are many wayes convinced of sinne Page 17 Prayer 8 He argues us to be convinced of the grievousnesse of our sinnes by the effects of contrition Page 19 Prayer 9 He aggravates our sinnes by the greatnesse of Gods benefits Page 22 Prayer 10 He considereth the severitie of Gods anger against our sinnes in the passion death of Christ. Page 24 II. Thanksgiving for Gods benefits Prayer 1 HE renders thanks to God for forming us in our mothers wombe and for our nativity Page 28 Prayer 2 He renders thanks for our sustentation Page 31 Prayer 3 He renders thanks for our redemption wrought by Christ. Page 33 Prayer 4 He renders thanks for the incarnation of the Sonne Page 36 Prayer 5 He renders thanks for the passion of Christ. Page 39 Prayer 6 He renders thanks for our vocation by the word Page 42 Prayer 7 He renders thanks for the expectation of our conversion Page 45 Prayer 8 He renders thanks for our conversion Page 47 Prayer 9 He renders thanks for the forgivenesse of our sinnes Page 50 Prayer 10 He renders thanks for our continuance in good Page 53 Prayer 11 He renders thanks for all the gifts of the soul and body and for externall goods Page 56 Prayer 12 He renders thanks for the sacrament of Baptisme Page 59 Prayer 13 He renders thanks for the sacrament of the Lords supper Page 62 Prayer 14 He renders thanks for our preservation from evil Page 65 Prayer 15 He renders thanks for the promise of eternall salvation Page 68 III. Petitions for our selves Prayer 1 HE prayes for mortification of
the old man Page 72 Prayer 2 For conservation and increase of faith Page 74 Prayer 2 For conservation and increase of faith Page 74 Prayer 3 For conservation and increase of hope Page 77 Prayer 4 For conservation and increase of charitie Page 80 Prayer 5 For conservation and increase of humility Page 83 Prayer 6 For the gift and increase of patience Page 86 Prayer 7 For the gift and increase of meeknesse and gentlenesse Page 89 Prayer 8 For the gift and increase of chastitie Page 91 Prayer 9 For contempt of all earthly things Page 94 Prayer 10 For deniall of himself Page 97 Prayer 11 For victorie over the world Page 100 Prayer 12 For consolation in adversity and true rest of the soul. Page 103 Prayer 13 For victory in tentations for deliverance from the snares and treacheries of the devil Page 106 14 For a blessed departure out of this life and a blessed resurrection unto life everlasting Page 109 IIII. Supplications for others Prayer 1 HE prayes for the conservation of the word and increase of the Church Page 114 Prayer 2 He prayes for pastours and hearers Page 117 Prayer 3 He prayes for Magistrates and subjects Page 121 Prayer 4 He prayes for houshold-government and private families Page 124 Prayer 5 He prayes for parents brethren sisters kinsfolk and benefactours Page 128 Prayer 6 He prayes for enemies and persecutours Page 131 Prayer 7 He prayes for those that are afflicted and in miserie Page 134 The disposition and method of this daily Practise of pietie THis Practise of piety is reduced to foure heads according to the number of the objects about which it is employed For we must every day weigh and consider with our selves 1 The grievousnesse of our sinnes and ask pardon thereof for Christs sake 2 GODS benefits for which we must offer humble and heartie thanksgiving 3 Our own necessities where we must pray for conservation and increase of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and for a spirituall victory in all tentations 4 Our neighbours necessities where we must pray for all things needfull for them for this life and that which is to come The first Part. Of Confession of sinnes The Argument The meditation of our sinnes comprehendeth in it these two heads of originall and actuall sinnes Actuall sinnes are committed in thought word and deed By the committing of evil and by the omitting of good Against GOD our neighbour and our selves The offences of our youth aâ—e many and our daily infirmities many We are often tempted of the flesh and we do often yeeld unto it We partake many times in other mens sinnes and in many things we are defective our selves We are convicted of our sinnes by all the creatures and we behold the severitie of GODS anger against our sinnes in the passion and death of CHRIST PRAYER I. He weigheth and considereth the grievousnesse of originall sinne HOly God and just Judge I know that I was conceived and born in sinne I know that I was formed of unclean seed in the wombe of my mother That poyson of sinne hath so corrupted and putrified my whole nature that no facultie of my soul is free from the contagion thereof That holy pledge of the divine image which was committed unto me in our first father is perished in me There is no power at all in me to begin to come unto the saving knowledge of thee the fear of thee confidence in thee and love of thee There remains no sufficiencie in me to perform obedience unto thy commandments My will is averse from thy law and the law of sinne in my members being repugnant to the law of my minde makes my whole nature become corrupt and perverse I wretched and miserable man do feel the power of sinne cleaving fast to my members I do feel the yoke of wicked concupiscence grievously pressing me For although I am regenerate and renewed by the spirit of grace in the laver of baptisme yet am I not as yet wholly free from the yoke and captivitie of sinne For that root of bitternesse which lieth hidden in me doth alwayes desire to put forth new branches The law of sinne reigning in my flesh doth strive to captivate me I am full of doubts distrust and desire of mine own honour Out of my heart proceed wicked cogitations Filthy thoughts defile me throughout in thy sight Out of that poysoned fountain flow forth rivers of poyson Enter not therefore into judgement with thy servant O Lord but be propitious unto me according to thy great mercie The deep of my miserie calleth upon the deep of thy mercy For this uncleannesse and filthinesse of my polluted nature I offer unto thee the most sacred conception of thy Sonne For me he was born For me therefore he was conceived For me he was made sanctification and righteousnesse For me therefore he is become purification and cleannesse Through him and for him thy Sonne have mercy on me O thou most highest and set not in the light of thy countenance that hidden corruption that cleaveth to my nature but look upon thy beloved Sonne my Mediatour and let his most holy and immaculate conception succour my miserie Amen PRAYER II. He recalls to our memorie the sinnes of our youth HOly God and just Judge Remember not the offences of my youth and call to minde no more my sinnes that are past How many venemous fruits hath the vicious root of concupiscence that is inherent in me brought forth In my childhood what an innumerable brood of actuall transgressions hath the evil of originall sinne hatched The very thoughts of my heart are wicked and perverse even from my childhood yea even from my tender infancie For when I was an infant but of one day I was in no wise innocent before thee As many as the dayes of my life are so many offences do burden me yea many more by farre in number seeing that the just man falls seven times in one day But if the just fall seven times in one day then I wretched and unjust man without doubt have fallen seventy times seven times As my life hath increased so hath the web of my sinnes increased and as much as hath been added to my life by thy bounty so much hath been added to the course of my sinnes by the wickednesse of my corrupt nature I examine my life that is past and what else do I behold but a filthy stinking cloke of sinne I attend unto the light of thy precepts and what do I finde in the course of my yeares that are past but darknesse and blindnesse The tender flower of my youth ought to have been crowned with vertues and offered to thee for a sweet savour The best part of my age past did ow it self unto thee the best Creatour of nature But the dirty filth of my sinnes hath most foully polluted the flower of my age and the stinking
requires that I should live chastly modestly and temperately But how often hath the love of drunkennesse and lust made my soul captive to sinne How often do fires of lust flame within me although my outward members be restrained He that looketh upon a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart saith the Text How often therefore in the sight of God do we commit adultery The inordinate and immoderate use of meat drink and wedlock often steals upon us and makes us appear guilty before thee if thou wouldest enter into judgement with us Thy holy Writ requireth that in bargaining I deceive not my neighbour in any sort but that I rather further and procure his good that I traduce not his faults but rather cover them with the cloke of charitie and that I do not censure him rashly and unadvisedly But how often do I seek mine own profit by injustice How often do I spend my judgement rashly upon my neighbour Thy holy will requires that my spirit minde and soul be free from concupiscence But how often doth my flesh solicite me to sinne and contaminateth my spirit with wicked concupiscences As a fountain doth abound with continuall bubbling of water So doth my heart alwayes swell with evil concupiscence For these and all other my sinnes and defects I offer unto thee most holy Father the most perfect obedience of thy Sonne who loved all men with perfect love and in whose mouth was found no guiâ—◠〈◊〉 whose words and deeds no aberrations no corruption in nature To this propitiation I flee with true faith and by faith I â—uck out of his wounds as much as is sufficient to justifie me and save me Have mercy on me my God and my Father Amen PRAYER VI. He sheweth that we often partake in other mens sinnes HOly God and just Judge Thou â—ast committed unto me not onely the care of mine own soul but also the care of my neighbours But how often doth my neighbour through my negligence suffer great losse of godlinesse How often do I neglect freely and boldly to chide him when he sinnes How often do I being hindred either by favour or fear reprove him for his sinnes more slightly then I ought In pouring out prayers for his salvation I am too remisse in reprehending his sinnes I am too-too timorous in furthering his salvation I am too slothfull insomuch that thou mayest justly require at my hands the bloud of my neighbour that perisheth If there were in me a perfect and sincere love of my neighbour surely from thence would proceed freedome in reproving of sinne If the fire of sincere charitie did burn in my heart surely it would break forth more clearly into the spirituall incense of prayers to be made for the salvation of my neighâ—ours For a man to pray for himself it is a duty of necessity But to pray for the salvation of his neighbour it is a deed of charity As often therefore as I neglect to pray for the salvation of my neighbour so often I condemne my self for the breach of the commandment of the love of my neighbour My neighbour dies the death of the body and sorrow fills all with lamentation and mourning when as yet the death of the body brings no hurt to a godly man but rather gives him a passage into a celestiall countrey My neighbour dies the death of the soul and behold I am nothing troubled at it I see him die and grieve not at all when as yet sinne is the true death of the soul and brings with it the losse of the inestimable grace of God and eternall life My neighbour delinquisheth against the king who can onely kill the body and behold I seek by all means his reconciliation but he sinneth against the King of all kings that can cast both body and soul into hell-fire and yet I behold it in security and consider not that this offence is an infinite evil My neighbour stumbles at a stone and I runne presently to save him from a fall or otherwise to raise him up if he be fallen He stumbles at the corner-stone of our salvation and behold I securely passe by it and labour noâ— with care and diligence to lift him up again Mine own sinnes are grievous enough And yet I have not been afraid to participate in other mens sinnes Be propitious O God unto me great sinner and overburdened To thy mercy I flee in Christ and through Christ promised unto me I come unto this Life being dead in sinne I come unto this Way having gone astray in the path of sinne I come unto this Salvation being by reason of my sinne guilty of damnation Quicken me guide me and save me thou which art my Life my Way and my Salvation for ever and ever Amen PRAYER VII He sheweth that we are many wayes convinced of sinne HOly God and just Judge If I look up to heaven I think with my self that I have many wayes offended thee my God and Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not worthy to be called thy sonne If I look down upon the earth I think with my self how I have abused thy creatures by my sinnes I have infinitely abused not onely the darknesse of the night but also the light of the day to work works of darknesse If I look upon the examples of sinners upon whom thou in thy just judgement hast inflicted punishment I finde that the weight of my sins will counterpoise theirs If I look upon the examples of the saints I finde that I come farre short of them in my holy service of thee If I think upon the angel my keeper I finde that often I put him to flight by my sinnes If I think of the devils I finde that I have often given place to their suggestions If I weigh with my self the rigour of thy law I finde that my life is many wayes irregular If I look upon my self I finde that the very cogitations of my heart do accuse me before thy judgement If I think upon the houre of death to come I finde that it is the just reward of my sinnes and unlesse thou of thy meere mercie for Christ his sake shalt receive me the gate and entrance into everlasting death If I think upon the judgement to come I finde my deserts such that thou mayst justly call me to the most exact account and punish my sinnes according to the strict severitie of thy law If I think upon hell I finde that I have deserved by my sinnes the most just punishment there If I think upon eternall life I finde that I have by my sinnes justly fallen away from all hope of attainment All things therefore convince me of my sinnes Onely thou O my God be not thou extreme against me To Christ thy beloved Sonne my onely Mediatour I betake my self By him I most firmly beleeve I shall obtain thy
grace and remission of my sinnes Thy creatures accuse me the book of my conscience accuseth me both the tables of thy divine law accuse me Satan accuseth me day and night But take thou upon thee my patronage O sweet Jesus To thee the poore man is left bereft of all solace of the creatures All my refuge is placed in thy satisfaction for my sinnes and in thy intercession at the right hand of the Father for me My soul take thou the wings of the morning and like a dove hide thy self in the clefts of the rock that is in the wounds of Christ thy Saviour Hide thy self in this rock till the anger of the Lord be passed by and thou shalt finde rest and thou shalt finde protection and thou shalt finde deliverance therein Amen PRAYER VIII He by the effects of contrition argues us to be convicted of the hainousnesse of sinne HOly God and just Judge My heart is contrite and humbled my spirit is heavy and in a great strait by reason of the burden of my sinnes wherewith I am oppressed The courage of my heart hath failed and the sharpnesse of my eyes is decayed My heart is pressed and from thence gush out tears My spirit is oppressed and I forget to take my bread My heart is wounded and from thence gusheth out bloud and a fountain of tears Who knows how oft he offendeth Who knows the sorrow of the heart that is in a great strait by reason of offences My soul is dry and broken in pieces and thirsteth after the fountain of life O Christ feed me with the dew of thy Spirit of grace My heart that is in a great strait sigheth unto thee O thou true joy give unto me peace and quietnesse of heart that being justified by faith I may have peace with God My heart condemneth me But do thou absolve me who art greater then my heart My conscience accuseth me But do thou absolve me who hast fastned to the crosse the hand-writing of my conscience I offer unto thee O my God my contrite and humbled heart for a most acceptable sacrifice I offer unto thee my sighs as the messengers of true and serious contrition I offer unto thee my tears as abundant witnesses of my unfeigned grief In my self I despair In thee is my trust In my self I faint In thee I am refreshed In my self I feel straitnesse In thee again I finde enlargement I am troubled and burdened overmuch Thou shalt refresh me and give rest unto my soul. One deep calleth upon another The deep of my misery calleth upon the deep of thy mercy Out of the deeps do I cry unto thee Cast thou my sinnes into the deep of the sea There is no soundâ—esse in my flesh by reason of thy anger neither is there any rest to my bones by reason of my sinne For mine iniquities are gone over my head and become too heavy for me Cure my soul thou heavenly Physician that I be not swallowed up of eternall death Take the burden of my sinnes from me thou that hast taken it upon thy self on the crosse that I despair not under the intolerable burden thereof Have mercy on me thou fountain of grace and mercy Amen PRAYER IX He declareth the number and greatnesse of Gods benefits unto us and the grievousnesse of our sinnes HOly God and just Judge By how much the more benefits thou hast bestowed upon me by so much the more I grieve that I have so often displeased thee so loving a Father As many gifts as thou hast heaped upon me so many bonds of love hast thou sent over unto me Thou wouldest have bound me unto thy self but I have forgotten thee and thy beneficencie and linked sinne unto sinne Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee I am not worthy to be called thy sonne make me as one of thy hired servants I am altogether displeased with my self Make thou me altogether to please thee Thy large bounty and wonderfull patience have often invited me to repentance But hitherto I have been backward to come Thou hast often called me O most bountifull God by the preaching of thy word by the teaching of thy creatures by the punishment of the crosse and by inward inspiration But I have stopped the eares of my heart altogether at thy call All the faculties of my soul all the members of my bodie are thy gifts I ought therefore with all the powers of my soul and parts of my bodie be ready to do thee all holy service which is due unto theâ— But I have made them the more is my grief the weapons of iniquitie and unrighteousnesse The breath which I fetch is thine the aire which I suck in is thine the sun whose light I see daily is thine All these ought to have been unto me as furtherances and instruments to sanctitie of life But I have abused them the more is my grief to the slavery of sin Thy creatures I should have used to the glory of thee the Creatour But I have wickedly abused them to thy dishonour In the light of the sunne I should have put on the armour of light But therein have I committed the works of darknesse How much soever is added unto my life comes all from thy bountie Therefore my whole life ought to be employed in thy service on whom it doth wholly depend And yet I have scarce bestowed the least part thereof in thy service As many good inspirations as I have felt within me so many hand-maids of thy grace hast thou sent as ambassadours to invite me mosâ— lovingly to return unto thee by true repentance But alas how often have I stubbornly refused to give them audience But yet receive him who now at length returns unto thee with sighing and a contrite heart Sprinkle me with the bloud of thy Sonne that so being purged fâ—om all the pollutions of the flesh and the spirit I may become whiter then snow and with all thy elect praise thee in the heavenly Jerusalem world without end Amen PRAYER X. He considereth the severitie of Gods angeâ— against our sinnes in the death and passioâ— of Christ. HOly God and just Judge I behold thy Sonne hanging upon the crosse and pouring forth plentifull rivers of bloud I behold him and behold for very terrour I faint altogether My sinnes are those iron nails with which I have bored his hands and his feet My sinnes are â—hose pricking thorns with which his most sacred head which is to be reverenced of the angelicall powers was crowned My sinnes are those stinging thongs with which his most â—ure bodie the proper temple of Diâ—inity was scourged A cruel wilde â—east hath torn in pieces the heavenly Joseph and embrewed his coat with his bloud I miserable sinnner am that wicked beast for my sinnes did make an assault and rush upon thy most beloved Sonne If thy most obedient Sonne is so vexed
hands O God how liberall art thou to mankindeâ— All things thou createdst long ago for the use of man All things thou dost as yet preserve for the good of man Whatsoever thou of thine infinite goodnesse affordest to the other creatures thou affordest also unto me for as much as thou dost wonderfully form furnish and conserve them for my sake Some of the creatures serve to obey me some to nourish me some to clothe me some to cure me some to chastise me But all of them to teach and inform me Who can reckon up those divers kindes of nutriments which thou hast created and dost as yet produce out of the earth unto this day to nourish us Who can enumerate those divers species of herbs which thou dost every yeare cause the earth to bring forth to cure us Who can in words comprehend those sundry kindes of living creatures which were made for mans use and do yet all serve him To thee be praise and honour for ever who art the Creatour and Conserver of all things Without thee the true sunne I should vanish away as doth the shadow Without thee the true life I should presently depart out of this life Without thee the true being I should suddenly fall to nothing To thee onely is due that I live move and have my being Therefore to thee alone will I live and adhere for ever Amen PRAYER III. He renders thanks for our redemption wrought by Christ. I Ow unto thee O eternall and Almighty God most heartie thanks for that thou hast created me when I was nothing But much more for that thou hast redeemed me when I was lost and condemned I did hang in the jaws of hell And thou didst pluck me out by the bloud of thy Sonne I was the slave of Satan but thy grace hath delivered me out of the power of the devil and translated me into the kingdome of Christ. I ow my self wholly unto thee because thou createdst me wholly My tongue ought alwayes to praise thee because thou gavest it unto me My mouth ought alwayes to set forth thy praise because the aire and breath which it drawes is thine My heart ought alwayes to cleave unto thee with perpetuall love because thou didst form it All my members ought to be ready for thy service because thou didst wonderfully frame them how many and how great soever they be But if I ow my self wholly unto thee because thou createdst me What shall I repay unto thee for redeeming me out of slavery and captivity The lost sheep thou hast delivered out of the claws of the infernall wolf The fugitive slave thou hast pluckt out of the prison of the devil The lost groat thou hast sought out with great carefulnesse In Adam I fell and thou hast erected me In Adam I was captivated in the bonds of sinne but thou hast set me at liberty In Adam I was lost and again thou hast saved me What am I worm that thou shouldest be so solicitous for redeeming me What am I worm that thou shouldest be so prodigally bountifull for saving me If thou hadst altogether cast off our first parents after their fall and hadst thrown them with all their posteritie out from the presence of thy glory into the lowest pit of hell there is none of us could justly complain of any wrong done unto him For they had received and we had received for our deeds a just reward What else could we have desired or expected from thee who createdst us after thine own image and furnishedst us with power and sufficiencie to have kept our innocencie But in this thou didst manifest thy incomprehensible and unspeakable love towards us in that thou didst promise unto our first parents after their fall thy Sonne for their Redeemer and in the fulnesse of time didst send him unto us to call us from death to life from sinne to righteousnesse and from the infernall pit unto celestiall glorie O thou lover of man whose delight is with the sonnes of men who can worthily set forth the praise of thy love to man Yea who can in minde conceive the worthines thereof These are the incomprehensible riches of thy goodnesse This is the infinite treasure of thy gifts which the slendernesse of our capacitie and understanding cannot conceive Was a servant so deare unto thee that thy Sonne must be delivered to death for his redemption Was an enemie so much to be beloved that thou shouldest appoint thy most beloved Sonne to be his redeemer My soul is astonisht with the very consideration of this thy goodnesse â—nd doth wholly turn and dissolve it self into the love of thee Amen PRAYER IIII. He rendreth thanks for the incarnation of the Sonne I Render thanks unto thee Jesu Christ thou alone Mediatour and Redeemer of mankinde for that thou hast in the fulnesse of time personally united unto thee the true humane nature and hast vouchsafed to be born of a Virgin How great is thy love to man in that thou didst not assume the nature of angels but the seed of Abraham How great is the mystery of godlinesse that thou being very God wouldest be made manifest in the flesh How great is the inclination of thy pity that descending from heaven for my sake thou hast endured to be born of a Virgin For me most vile creature Creatour Almighty thou art become man For me most abject servant most glorious Lord thou hast put on the shape of a servant that by taking flesh upon thee thou mightest set my flesh at libertie To me thou art born Whatsoever celestiall good therefore thou bringest with thee in thy Nativitie shall be mine To me thou art given And therefore all things with thee My nature in thee is more glorified then it was in Adam dishonoured For thou dost assume it into the Unitie of thy Person whereas it was weakened with accidentall corruption onely by Satan Thou art flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone Thou art my brother And what canst thou deny unto me seeing thou art most nearly joyned unto me in the same flesh and affection of brotherly love Thou art the Bridegroom who according to the good pleasure of thy heavenly Father hast coupled unto thee by a personall league the humane nature as a spouse To the joy of those nuptials I do proclaim and thankfully acknowledge that I my self am invited I wonder now no more that the heaven the earth the sea and all things that are in them were made for man by God seeing that God himself would for man become man Thou canst not utterly divorce me and cast me away from thee seeing that thou canst not deny that thou art a man and therefore my brother Thou canst not altogether forget me because thou hast graven me in thine own hands For the very communion of the flesh doth daily and continually put thee in minde of me Thou canst not altogether forsake me seeing that it
God for the expectation of our conversion I Render unto thee most mercifull Father immortall thanks for that thou wouldest with so great patience and long-suffering expect my conversion and hast brought me out of the path of sinne unto the fellowship of thy kingdome How great is thy long-suffering that thou hast not cast me away from thy face and thrust me down into everlasting torments whereas I have deserved it a thousand times How many thousands hath death prevented before they could attain unto true repentance How many sinners hath the devil made obstinate that they might not obtain forgivenesse of their sinnes There was no distinction in nature between me and them onely thy goodnesse and long-suffering My offence was no lesse then theirs but thy grace did abound Thy mercie strove with my miserie I went on in my sinne and thou didst go on in thy mercy I deferred my conversion and thou didst deferre my punishment I went astray and thou didst call me I refused to come and still thou didst expect me This thy goodnesse most indulgent Father I cannot extoll with sufficient praises This thy long patience most mercifull God I cannot recompense with any merits Thou didst preserve me from many sinnes whereinto the corruption of the flesh the deceit of the world and the perswasion of the devil would have thrown me headlong as well as others Neither hast thou onely kept me from falling into sinne but also hast most graciously expected my conversion from sinne into which I had fallen I finde thee more mercifull then I am sinfull I sinned and thou madest as if thou didst not see it I contained not my self from wickednesse and yet thou didst abstain from punishment I did long time prolong my iniquity and thou didst prolong thy pitie What were then my deserts Surely evil and the worst of evils to wit my sinnes many in number most grievous for weight and detestable for varietie Therefore to thy grace and bountie alone do I attribute it that thou hast so long expected my conversion and delivered my soul out of the snares of â—â—nne To thee O Lord be praise hoâ—our and glory for ever and ever Amen PRAYER VIII He renders thanks for our conversion I Render thanks unto thee my God for that thou hast converted my heart that was hard and knew not how to repent and for that thou hast taken from me my stony heart and given me an heart of flesh I had of my self power to sinne But I had not of my self power to rise again to repentance I could go astray of my self But I could not return again into the way without thee For even as he that is born crooked from his mothers wombe cannot be made straight by naturall means but onely by divine and supernaturall power So my soul being by nature crooked and prone to sinne and the love of earthly things could by no humane power but thy grace onely be rectified and lifted up to the love of thee and heavenly things I could deform my self by my sinnes most foully But thou onely couldst reform me As the Ethiopian cannot change his skinne nor the leopard his spots Sâ— neither can I do that which is good being by nature addicted unto the love of that which is evil Thou my God didst convert me and I was converted and when I was converted then I repented and when I was instructed then I smote my thigh I was dead in sinne And thou didst quicken me As much power as a dead man hath to raise himself So much had I to convert my self Unlesse thou hadst drawn me I had never come unto thee unlesse thou hadst stirred me up I had never watched unto thee unlesse thou hadst illuminated me I had never seen thee My sinnes were more sweet unto me then hony and the hony-combe But I am to thank thee that now they are sharp and bitter unto me for thou hast given me a spirituall taste The works of vertue were more bitter unto me then gall and aloes But I am to thank thee that now they are become pleasant and sweet for thou hast by thy Spirit changed the corrupt judgement of my flesh I went astray as a sheep that is lost and declined to the way of iniquitie But thou which art the good shepherd hast found me out and brought me again unto the flock of thy saints It was late ere I knew thee for there was a great and darksome cloud of vanitie before mine eyes which would not suffer me to see the light of the truth It was late ere I saw the true light because I was blinde and loved blindnesse and walked through the darknesse of sinne into the darknesse of hell But thou hast illuminated me thou soughtest me when I sought not thee thou calledst me when I called not upon thee thou convertedst me when I was not converted unto thee and thou saidst with a most powerfull voice Let there be light in the inward parts of his heart and there was a light and I saw thy light and I knew mine own blindnesse For this thy immense and infinite benefit I will praise thy name for ever and ever Amen PRAYER IX He renders thanks for the forgivenesse of sinnes I Ow and render unto thee eternall and mercifull God great thanks for that thou hast not rejected me when I came unto thee but diddest most readily receive me and most mercifully forgive me all my sinnes I was that prodigall sonne most indulgent Father I was that prodigall sonne that by living riotously wasted his Fathers substance For I have defiled the gifts of nature I have refused the gifts of grace I have deprived my self of the gifts of glory I was naked and destitute of all good things and thou coveredst and enrichedst me with the robe of righteousnesse I was lost and condemned and thou of thy free grace hast bestowed upon me eternall salvation Thou of thine ardent mercy didst embrace me and kisse me in sending thy most beloved Sonne that is in thy bosome and thy holy Spirit which is the kisse of thy mouth as ample witnesses of thine infinite love Thou clothedst me with my first robe in restoring me my former innocencie Thou gavest me a ring for my hand by sealing me with thy Spirit of grace Thou didst put shoes upon my feet by arming me with the Gospel of peace Thou killedst the fat calf for me by delivering thy most deare Sonne to death for me Thou didst cause me to feast and make merrie by restoring the joy of heart and the true peace of conscience unto me I was dead and through thee I was restored to life I went astray and through thee I came again into the way I was consumed with povertie and through thee I entred again into my former possession Thou mightest in thy just judgement have rejected me seeing that I was polluted with so many sinnes covered with so
that thou hast received me into the covenant of grace and made me an heir of everlasting life I acknowledge it is thy gift that I was born of Christian parents and by them brought unto this heavenly fount How many thousands of infants are born in Gentilisme and without this sacrament do die in their sinnes There is no difference in nature between me them Onely thy superabundant grace hath made a difference I was joyned with them in communion of sinne But I was separated from them by participation of thy grace How great is this thy goodnesse that thou diddest finde me when I sought thee not that thou didst heare me before I asked that thou didst open unto me before I knockt This thy mercie exceeds all praise yea and all admiration I was baptized in thy holy name thy name for me was called upon Therefore I am received into the heavenly family being made the sonne of my heavenly Father the brother of Christ and the temple of the holy Ghost This is an holy and heavenly laver In it therefore I am washed and purged from all my uncleannesse It is the laver of regeneration and renovation By it therefore I am regenerated renewed by the grace of the holy Ghost Whatsoever Christ my Saviour merited by his most holy obedience by the effusion of his most precious bloud of all that he hath left the saving fount of baptisme as a pledge Therefore the conferring of baptisme is the besprinkling of the bloud of Christ. That precious bloud of Christ doth make me clean from all my sinnes and makes me whiter then snow in the sight of God O eternall God thou hast made an eternall covenant with me in baptisme unto which I have alwayes recourse by true and serious repentance Thou hast betrothed me unto thee for ever in judgement and righteousnesse in grace and mercy Thou hast given me an earnest and pledge of thy Spirit in baptisme Therefore thou wilt not cast me away from thy face but being mindefull of thy promise thou wilt lead me into the joyes of the celestiall marriage As at the baptisme of Christ my Mediatour and head the heavens were opened So by the communion of the same baptisme thou hast opened unto me the gate of paradise As at the baptisme of Christ the holy Ghost descended upon him and a voice from heaven did testifie that he was the beloved Sonne of God So by the same communion of the same baptisme I am made a partaker of the holy Ghost and adopted to be a sonne of God For which inestimable benefit I will give thanks unto thee my God for ever Amen PRAYER XIII He renders thanks for the sacrament of the Lords supper HOw great thanks do I ow unto thee most high God for that in the most sacred mystery of the supper thou dost feed me with the bodie and bloud of thy Sonne What is there in heaven or in earth of more price and excellency then that body which is united to thy Sonne personally What more certain testimonie and pledge of thy grace can there be then the precious bloud of thy Sonne poured out for my sinnes on the altar of the crosse The very price of my redemption thou bestowest upon me that I may have a most certain testimony of thy grace towards me As often as I fall through my sinnes from the covenant of baptisme So often by true repentance and the saving use of this supper I am restored unto it again It is a sacrament of the new Testament and it alwayes enriches me with new gifts of the Spirit In this body life it self dwells and therefore it refresheth me and quickneth me unto everlasting life By the effusion of this bloud satisfaction is made for our sinnes And therefore by the drinking thereof the remission of my sinnes is confirmed unto me Christ saith it Truth it self saith it Whosoever shall eat my flesh and drink my bloud hath eternall life and I will raise him up at the last day that is to the life of glory For this is the bread of life which descended from heaven that whosoever shall eat thereof may not die but have everlasting life It is the eating by faith that Christ so commends which must needs be added unto the sacramentall eating that so that which was appointed to life may be received by us unto life I come therefore with true faith unto this heavenly banquet being firmly perswaded that the body which I eat was delivered unto death for me and the bloud which I drink was poured forth for my sinnes I cannot in any wise doubt of the remission of my sinnes when as it is confirmed by the participation of the price which was offered for my sinnes I cannot in any wise doubt of Christ his dwelling in me when he seals unto me the same by the communion of his body and bloud I cannot in any wise doubt of the assistance of the holy Spirit when my infirmity is strengthened with such safegard I am not afraid of Satans assaults when as this angelicall food doth make me strong to fight I am not afraid of the allurements of the flesh when as this quickning and spirituall food doth corroborate me by the vertue of the Spirit These taken and drunk do make Christ to dwell in me and me in Christ. The good shepherd will not suffer the sheep that is fed with his own body and bloud to be devoured by the infernall wolf Neither will the power of the Spirit suffer me to be overcome by the weaknesse of the flesh To thee O Saviour most benigne be praise honour and thanksgiving for ever and ever Amen PRAYER XIIII He renders thanks to God for preserving us from sundry evils TO thee O eternall and mercifull God I render eternall thanks for that thou hast hitherto preserved me from infinite evils and dangers and hast kept me safe by the guard of thy holy angels Thy privative blessings by which thou dost keep me from evil are more in number then thy positive by which thou dost conferre good upon me As many evils of soul and bodie as I see in others so many tokens do I see of thy mercie toward me For my deliverance from those evils is to be attributed as due onely to thy goodnesse How great is the power of the devil How great is his subtiltie As often therefore as that malignant and most subtile spirit and our most potent adversarie doth labour to do us any mischief so often by the buckler of thy benignity and by the guard of thy holy angels being protected I have been able to escape his nets But who can reckon up the treacherous assaults and invasions of the devil Who can therefore reckon up the riches of thy bounty When I sleep by night the eye of thy providence doth watch over me that the infernall enemy which goeth about like a roaring lion may not be able by his
The law of sinne in my members is repugnant unto the law of mâ— minde which is renewed But givâ— unto me the Spirit of thy grace that I may captivate the law of sinne and not be captivated by the old flesh The flesh within me lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh The spirit indeed is ready but the flesh is weak Grant therefore unto my spirit the riches of thy strength and vertue that it may overcome the evil concupiscences of the rebellious flesh That whorish Dalilah with her allurements doth daily set upon me But strengthen thou me by thy Spirit in the inward maâ— that at length she overcome me not O how grievous and hard a thing is it for a man to fight against himself that is against his flesh How difficult and hard a matter is it for one to overcome a domestick enemie Unlesse in this combate thou dost arm me with thy heavenly strength there is great fear that I shall be constrained to yeeld unto this enemie by reason of her secret and hidden treacheries Presse burn â—aunce mortifie the old man that I may escape his fawning deceit and seducement Grant unto me that I may daily die in my self that by the allurements of the flesh I be not separated from the life that is in Christ. Kindle in my heart the fire of the Spirit that I may sacrifice unto thee the beloved sonne of all my evil lusts and mine own will Flesh and bloud cannot inherit the kingdome of God Let them therefore die in me that I be not excluded from the kingdome of heaven They that live according to the flesh shall die But they which by the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the flesh shall live They that are Christs do crucifie the flesh with the lusts thereof Therefore strike thorow and crucifie my flesh O Christ thou that wast upon the altar of the crosse pierced thorow and crucified for me Amen PRAYER II. He prayes for the conservation and increase of faith THou hast lighted in my heart thou living and eternall God the light of saving faith which I humbly beseech thee of thy goodnesse and clemencie to keep and increase I often feel weaknesse of faith I often waver and am tossed with storms of doubts and fears Therefore I humbly call upon thee with thy blessed Apostles that thou wouldest vouchsafe to increase it My heart propounds unto thee a good word Thou wilt not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax I carrie my treasure in a vessel of clay The torch of faith I bear about me in a brittle vessel What else remains there but that with serious prayers and sighs I commend it unto thy custodie and daily pray unto thee for increase of the same In the darknesse of this life and present world make me partaker of the heavenly light of faith Thy word is light and life Grant unto me of thy mercie that by true faith I may stick unto thy word and be made by thee a sonne of light and life Against all the tentations of Satan against all oblocutions of the world yea against the cogitations of mine own heart let the comfort of thy word prevail in me One word of Scripture is of more worth then heaven and earth in that it is more firm then heaven and earth Effect in me by thy holy Spirit that I may firmly beleeve thy word and yeeld my reason and my senses to the obedience of faith Thy promises are of thy meer free grace neither do they depend upon the condition of my worth and merits I may therefore with most assured faith relie upon them and with my whole heart trust in thy goodnesse By faith Christ dwells and lives in my heart Conserve therefore in me the free gift of faith that my heart may be and alwayes remain the habitacle of Christ. Faith is the seed of all good works and the foundation of holy life Conserve therefore most bountifull Lord and confirm this in me that my spirituall harvest and dwelling suffer no losse Strengthen my faith that it may overcome the world and the prince of the world Increase the light thereof that it may daily cast forth more clear beams outwardly Conserve it in the midst of the darknesse of death that it may cast a light before me to true life Rule me by thy holy Spirit that I lose not this faith by consenting unto the lusts of the flesh and taking pleasure in sinne against my conscience But confirm in me that good work which thou hast begun that by perseverance of my faith I may obtain the inheritance of eternall life Amen PRAYER III. He prayes for the conservation and increasâ— of hope ALmighty eternall and mercifull God I beseech thee by the most sacred wounds of thy Sonne to uphold in me the prop of saving hope Sometimes my heart doth wave lik a ship in the midst of the sea But grant thou unto me the safe and firm anchor of immoveable hope Still the waves of tentations and doubts Thou that art the God of hope and all consolation As certain and immoveable as the truth of thy promise is so certain may the firmnesse of holy hope be in me I rest upon thy promises And thou wilt not leave me destitute of aid My confidence is in thy bountie And thou wilt not leave me destitute of comfort I know on whom I have beleeved and I am sure that he is able to keep that which is committed unto him by me against that day I am most certainly perswaded that thou which hast begun a good work in me wilt also finish it untill the day of Jesus Christ. There are three things that lift me up when I am prostrate that uphold me when I am falling that direct me when I am wavering to wit thy love in my adoption the truth of thy promise and thy power in performance This is the threefold cord that thou lettest down unto me into this prison out of my heavenly countrey that thou mayst lift me up and draw me unto thee unto the sight of thy glory This hope is the anchor of my salvation This is the way that leadeth unto paradise The meditation of thy command makes me hope The meditation of thy goodnesse suffers me not to despair of thy mercie the meditation of mine own frailtie suffers me not to hope and trust in my self or mine own power and merit By how much the lesse my hope is fastened on these frail and fluxible sands of present goods and humane aid By so much the more solidly and certainly it is stablished upon the firm and immoveable rock of thy promise and celestiall things Unite my heart unto thee that I may altogether withdraw my self from the woâ—ld and cleave unto thee with all my heart Unto thee I flee as unto the throne of grace and altar of mercie and ark of the covenant
by thy guard and upholden by thy aid I may become at length the conquerour Within are fears without are fights For within the devil doth wound my soul with venemous and fiery darts of tentations Without he wearies me with sundrie adversities and a thousand kindes of treacheries He is a serpent for his subtiltie and fallacie a lion for his violence and invasion a dragon for his crueltie and oppression He attempted to assault the very captain of the heavenly host And will he spare me a common souldier He did not doubt to set himself in opposition against the very head And what wonder then if he go about to overthrow a weak member of the mysticall bodie There is no power in me to withstand him being strong and armed There is no wisdome in me to escape the snares and gins of this enginer that hath a thousand stratagemes To thee therefore with humble sighs do I betake my self whose power cannot be termed and whose wisdome cannot be numbred Be present with me O Christ thou which art the most strong Lion of the tribe of Judah that in thee and through thee I may be able to get the conquest over that lion of hell Thou hast fought and overcome for me Fight likewise and overcome in me that thy strength may be perfected in my weaknesse Enlighten the eyes of my minde that I may discern the treacheries of Satan Direct my feet that I may escape his hidden snares Let the victory in tentation be a testimonie unto my heart of my heavenly regeneration Let the presence of thy grace confirm unto me the promise of victorie Furnish me and arm me with the strength of thy fortitude that in this combat I may be able to stand and hereafter judge him of whom I am now oppugned The more in number and the more dangerous the treacherous assaults of this enemy are the more ardently do I flee unto the aid of thy mercy One while he inspires into me the unsatiable desire of earthly things that having bound me in the fetters of avarice he may lead me out of the way of righteousnesse Another while he inflames me with the fire of anger that my heart may burn within me till I have done my neighbour some mischief Another while he solicits me to lust and the love of pleasures Another while he suggests into my minde envie and ambition Before he precipitates and throws me headlong into sinne he perswades me it is lighter then the aire or a feather or an autumn leaf and this is to make me secure And when he hath precipitated me into sin then he tells me it is greater then the universe of heaven and earth and more weighty then the balance of Gods mercy and this is to make me despair These so many and so great and treacherous assaults and fallacies I cannot foresee How much lesse then shall I be able of my self to escape them Unto thee therefore do I flee who art my strength and the rock of my fortitude for ever Amen PRAYER XIIII He prayes for a blessed departure out of this life and for a blessed resurrection unto life everlasting O Jesu Christ Sonne of the everliving God thou that wast crucified and raised up again for us thou that didst destroy our death by thy death thou that hast merited by thy resurrection a blessed resurrection for us unto life everlasting I worship thee I pray unto thee with my whole heart the onely true God together with the Father and the holy Spirit to grant unto me a happie egresse out of the miseries of this life and a blessed ingresse in the resurrection and in the day of judgement unto life everlasting I know that there is an appointed term of my life in thy divine determination and that after death follows judgement Be present with me in the houre of death thou that sufferedst death for me on the crosse Protect me in the day of judgement thou that wast for me unjustly condemned When the tabernacle of this my earthly house shall be dissolved lead my soul into an habitation in my heavenly countrey When my eyes shall be darkened in the agony of death kindle in my heart the light of saving faith When my eares shall be stopped in the houre of death speak unto me inwardly by thy Spirit and comfort me When a cold sweat doth come forth out of my dying members make me to remember thy bloudy sweat which is a sufficient ransome for my sinnes and a defensive remedie for me against death In thy sweat there appeareth fervency in thy bloud a price and in the running down thereof sufficiency When my speech shall begin to fail me in that last agonie grant that I may sigh unto thee by the grace of thy holy Spirit When those extreme distresses seize upon my heart be thou present with me by the consolation and help of thy quickning grace and take me into thy charge and tuition when all other creatures denie me aid Grant unto me that I may patiently endure all horrours and troubles and bring my soul at length out of this prison I beseech thee by thy most sacred wounds which thou enduredst in thy pâ—ssion upon the crosse for me to grant unto me that I may be able to quench the fiery darts of Satan wherewith he doth strike at me in the houre of death I beseech thee by those most bitter torments which thou sufferedst that I may be able to endure and overcome all the violent invasions of the infernall powers Let my last word in this life be the same with which thou didst consummate all upon the crosse and receive my soul which thou hast redeemed with so deare a price when I shall commend it into thy hands Let a blessed resurrection follow a blessed death In that great day of thy severe judgement deliver me from that cruel sentence thou which in my life didst with thy ready help protect me Let my sinnes be covered with the shadow of thy grace and overwhelmed in the bottom of the sea Let my soul be bound up in the bundle of the living that with all the elect I may come into the fellowship of everlasting joy Amen The fourth Part. Of Supplications for others The Argument The meditation of our neiâ—hbours wants and indigencies concern the common good and welfare of the Church and Common-wealth anâ— makes us look upon others miseries as our own This is the fruit of tâ—ue and sinceâ—e charitie which bindes us altogether into one mystiâ—all body under one head which is Christ and commends unto us a serious care of the whole Church and of all the particular members thereof That is not a true member of the bodie which labours not as much as in it lies to preserve in safetie the whole structure of the body That is not a true member of the 〈…〉 that suffereth And the same reason is of force in the mysticall body of Christ.
that the raging madnesse and desire to persecute which they have in their mindes may hereafter cease Let them know O Lord and acknowledge that it is not onely a vain thing but also very dangerous to kick against the pricks Why do they imitate the furie of wolves when as they know that the bloud of Christ the immaculate Lambe was poured 〈◊〉 for us Why do they thirst to shed that innocent bloud for which they know that the bloud of the very Sonne of God was poured â—orth upon the altar of the crosse Convert them O Lord that they may be converted unto thee from their heart and so obtain the fruit of their conversion in this life and in that which is to come Amen PRAYER VII He supplicates for those that are afflicted and in miserie ALmighty eternall and mercifull God which art the Saviour of all men especially of the faithfull and by thy Apostle hast commanded us to make prayers for all men I intreat thee for all those that are afflicted and in miserie that thou wouldest support them by the consolation of thy grace and succour them by the aid of thy power Indue with power and strength from above those that labour and sweat in the most grievous agonie of Satans tentations Make them partakers of thy victory O Christ thou which didst most powerfully overcome Satan Let the cooler of thy heavenly comfort raise up those whose bones are become dry with the fire of grief and sorrow Bear up all those that are ready to fall and raise up those that are already fallen Be mercifull unto those that are sick and diseased and grant that the disease of the body may be unto them the medicine of the soul and the adversities of the flesh the remedies of the spirit Let them know that diseases are the handmaids of sinne and the forerunners of death Give unto them the strength of faith and patience O thou which art the most true Physician both of soul and body Restore them again unto their former health if it be for the everlasting salvation of their souls Protect all those that are great with childe and those that be in labour Thou art he that dost deliver children out of the straits of their mothers wombe and dost propagate mankinde by thy blessing be present with those that be in labour O thou lover and giver of life that they be not oppressed with an immoderate weight of sorrows Nourish those that are orphans and destitute of all help and succour Defend the widows that are subject to the reproches of all men thou which hast called thy self the Father of the fatherlesse and the judge and defender of the widows Let the tears of the widows which flow down from their cheeks break through the clouds and rest not untill they come before thy throne Heare those that be in danger by sea which cry to thee and send up their sighs unto thee seeing before their eyes their neighbours suffer shipwrack Restore libertie unto those that are captive that with a thankfull heart they may sing of thy bounty Confirm those that suffer persecution for righteousnesse sake that they may get the conquest over all their enemies and purchase the everlasting crown of martyrdome Be present with all those that be in danger and calamitie and grant that they may possesse their souls in true patience and denying their own wills take up their crosse Let them follow him under the crosse on whom they beleeve that he died for us upon the crosse And especially I commend unto thee most gracious Father those which are about the gates of death and are between time and eternitie and wrestle with all their strength with that last enemie Confirm them O thou most potent Conquerour of death Deliver them O most glorious Captain and Authour of life that they be not overwhelmed in the waves of tentations but by thy conduct they may be brought unto the haven of everlasting rest Have mercy upon all men thou which art the Creatour of all Have mercy upon all men thou which art the Redeemer of all To thee be praise and glory for ever and ever Amen FINIS The summe of Gerards prayers redâ—ced into a form of morning prayer for the use of an English familie The foure capitall words signifie the foure parts of Gerards prayers and the Arithmeticall figures point 〈◊〉 every prayer of those parts HOly God and just Judge Thine eyes are more purâ— then the sunne and cannot behold any thing that is unclear The Cherubims and Seraphims cover their faces before thy glorious majestie The heavens of heavens are not clean in thy sight How theâ— shall earth sinfull earth dust and ashes appear before thee We presume not O Lord to come before thâ— tribunal to plead for our righteousnesse for all our righteousnesse is aâ— filthie rags But we prostrate our selves with all humilitie of body and soul at thy mercy-seat to make CONFESSION of our sinnes Heare Lord and have mercy We confesse that 1 We sinned in the loyns of our first parents we were conceived in sinne we were shapen in iniquitie 2 In our childhood originall sinne brought forth actuall and actuall sinnes have increased in us ever since as our dayes have increased Who can reckon up the sinnes of his youth Who can tell how oft he offendeth The just man sinneth seven times a day But 3 We have sinned seventy times seven times every day â— 5 All thy holy laws and commandments we have broken in thought word and deed 6 We have been partakers of other mens sinnes 7 We are many wayes convinced of our sinnes We are convinced 8 By the contrition of heart and the testimonie of our conscience 9 By the greatnesse of thy mercy and thy benefits bestowed upon us 10 By the severitie of thy â—ustice declared in the death and passion of thy Sonne our Saviour Iesus Christ. Thou art an holy God and nearest not sinners Thou art a just Judge and thy justice must be satisfied We are sinners and the wages of sinne is death Thy justice must be satisfied or else we cannot escape death We have nothing of our own to give for the ransome of our souls Therefore we offer unto thee holy Father that which is not ours but thy Sonnes 1 For our originall sinne we offer unto thee just Judge his originall righteousnesse who is righteousneâ— it self for our conception in sinne we offer unto thee his most sacred conception who was conceived by the holy Ghost for our birth in sinne we offer unto thee his most pure nativitie who was born of a pure virgin 2 For the offences of our youth we offer unto thee his most perfect innocencie in whose mouth was found no guile 3 For our daily slips and falls we offer unto thee his most perfect obedience who made it his meat and drink to do thy will in all things 4 5 For our often breach of thy commandments we offer