above all for your obstinacy and long impenitence in them Yet let not therefore Despair seize your Hearts nor ' pall your Courage against Men or take off the Point of your Faith towards God but rather increase and add a double Vigour to both T is true the Work of Faith or Repentance and much less of what crowns both a compleat Regeneration and Reformation is not the work of a day and much less of a few moments which a Man who may be killed may have in or before a Battel nor are old Habits of Sin or rooted wicked Customs so soon to be destroyed But tho' this ought to make Men that have time to fear and tremble and be afraid to deferr the work of Repentance to the last or make more work for it than Humane Frailty forces them to yet it ought not however to make them afraid of any thing else but Despair or the Mother of it final Impenitence which only can Damn them at last nor tempt them to throw away all Thoughts of Repentance and Trust in God's Mercy which can and will and does actually Save many Souls how wicked soever they have been before that make good use of those last Moments the short time of the expectation of a Battel gives them in preparing themselves with such Pious Reflections and Resolutions as the effectual Prospect of present Death before them and Retrospection and backward Glances upon their past Life behind them will afford to them that will give themselves leave but to think seriously never so small a while And for their Comfort let me tell them this that Men of sound Reason and none but such can be truly Couragious how mad or hot-brain'd soever they have been at other times or may be in the heat of Fight will always have some Serious Thoughts upon the sight of an approaching Foe which well digested in their Minds will redouble their Courage in Battel fence them against all Surprises which alone can cause Fear in a Valiant Soldier and render their Hearts impenetrable to any Affright or Amazement I say 't is almost impossible that a Man of true Reason and Courage that orders his Thoughts aright before-hand and considers the worst of the dangers he is to encounter before he comes at them or they reach him can fear them at all when he is in them because he can find nothing in them that surprises him nothing worse than he expected and nothing in fine but what he is armed with a most invincible Resolution against And tho' perhaps in Battel you have but one Moment left to Pray in and one Cast for your Lives both in this and the other World yet if you endeavour to Throw that well you may Win both What tho' like Samson you have lived in Debauchery and resisted the Spirit of God yet in Fighting for His Cause as you do and with such Thoughts as I shall direct tho' you like him fall in the Attempt yet may you likewise become Victorious over those Spiritual Philistins that have so oft assaulted your Souls and Conquer them by your Death and by that of your Saviour's tho' you could never Subdue them in your Life It is true our Lord says 't is harder for a Rich Man to enter into Heaven than for a Camel to pass thro' a Needles-eye but yet He tells us 't is not impossible for all that And 't is without doubt at least as hard for an Old Sinner to enter into Heaven as for a Rich Man and questionless very hard for a Death-bed or Momentary Repentance to obtain Salvation because 't is extreamly dubious whether it can be real but yet 't is not impossible for we see the Thief on the Cross was Saved with one single Act of it exerted a moment before he died That Example indeed is but one but yet it shows there may be and is sometimes more or else the Example would be to no purpose And as it evidences on one side that Continuation in Sin is extream dangerous so on the other it demonstrates that Despair is still more so and never to be entertained even at our latest breath But then it ought to be particularly considered in favour of Souldiers that a Late Repentance in them may more justly be accounted true and more likely to be accepted from them by God than from a wicked man that dies on his Bed because their Case every way comes nearer that of the Thief on the Cross and may by God's Grace and their strong Endeavours far exceed it in all acceptable qualifications For a Man that has gone on all his life-time in Sin and Dies in his Bed has no opportunities to give any marks of a true Repentance but meer Wishes and Resolves of the Sincerity of which God only is Judge Whereas a Soldier that will but seriously employ a few moments before a Battel or while he is alive even in a Surprize in such Thoughts and Resolves as he may have by due application to God he may in great measure shew the Truth of his Repentance and repair tho' in a short scantling of time the Errours of his whole Life-past and Entitle himself to all the Advantages of the Blood of his Suffering Saviour For let a Soldier how wild and wicked soever before he has been but thus Think and Resolve when he goes to Fight and if he does it sincerely never let him fear Victory for his Soul tho' the first Bullet that comes next should part it from his Body Let him I say thus Think and Resolve Have I been ignorant by Carelesness or Education hitherto of the Saving Knowledge of Faith and Repentance Lord yet according to my imperfect Notions I Believe and Repent help my Imperfect Repentance and my Vnbelief I will if I out-live this Battel endeavour for better Instruction by frequenting thy Ministers and Holy Ordinances Have I been guilty of Damning Swearing Cursing Blasphemy Intemperance and the rest of the Sins that stick so close to Men of my Profession I will endeavour to abstain from 'em and all thoughts of 'em during the Fight and strive against them with more care hereafter I will not fear my Enemies but my GOD only and tho' I have spent my Life in the Devil's Service I will endeavour to sacrifice the last moments of it to GOD by Fighting for His True Worship and Cause I will with my best Blood endeavour to Purchase a glorious and happy Quiet for His Church and People And tho' my Tongue has been false and injurious to Him with Rash Oaths and Execrations yet my Sword shall prove the Sincerity of my Good Intentions And if Time and the black fortune of this days Action will not permit my future Amendment of Life to speak it yet my willing and resigned Death shall Proclaim it and my Hearts Blood shall Seal the Truth of my Repentance And tho' my Dear Saviour's Dying for me had not power enough 't influence me to Live to him yet
Angles charge over me Forgive my Infirmities and deal with me not according to my Merits but thy Mercies in Jesus thy Son and my alone Saviour in whose Name and Words I conclude my imperfect Prayers saying as he has taught me OVR FATHER c. III. Directions for Evening 1. As in the Morning Enquire what Sin you have committed and how you came to fall into it 2. What Good omitted and for what reasons humbling your self before God making new resolutions to be more upon your guard for the future 3. If no remarkable fault or omission if you have done any Good or received any Mercy or Deliverance or been preserved even from the fear of Evil heartily bless God for it 4. Repeat the Morning Prayer only changing the Words Day or Night as the Sence requires 5. If lying down think upon the Grave and Death and before you go to sleep say I will lay me down in peace and take my rest for 't is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord thou God of Truth If upon Duty Meditate on good Things If you can read God's Word or any good Book If not read his Works Look into the Heavens the Works of his Fingers the Moon and Stars which he hath ordained and thence argue the Wisdom and Power of their Maker and praise him for them saying with the Psalmist At Midnight will I praise him because of his righteous Judgments IV. After Morning and Evening Devotions always add this Prayer for His MAJESTY and the CONFEDERATE Princes ALmighty and most Gracious God who hast in all ages shown thy Power and Providence in the raising up Pious and Religious Princes to be the Savers and Deliverers of thy People and hast promised that Kings shall be Nursing Fathers and Queens Nursing Mothers to thy Church I yield thee hearty thanks for raising up thy Servant King William to be the happy Instrument of our Deliverance by whom thou hast preserved thy pure Religion amongst us and all besides that is dear unto us Praised be thy Name for thy wonderful Preservation of him from all those great Dangers to which he has been exposed both by Sea and Land And most humbly I beseech thee still to continue him under the merciful Care and Protection of thy good Providence to preserve him from all secret and treacherous Practices and Attempts to stand by him and to cover his Head in the day of Danger and to bless him with Victory and all good Success Visit him as thou didst visit Moses in the Bush Gideon in the Field and Joshua in the Battel and by him be pleased in thy own good time to accomplish that great work which thou hast begun for the Salvation of thy People and Confusion of thy Enemies Be pleased also to Bless all those Princes which are joined together with him in the just Defence of their Countries and the Liberties of Europe and give such success to their Arms that they may humble the Pride of him who is the great Troubler of the World Grant this O Lord for thy Mercies sake in Jesus Christ our blessed Lord and Saviour Amen V. Preparation and Prayer before a Fight and Ejaculations in it 1. Prepare as for Death and think of nothing but that or Victory and in order thereunto first Examine the State the Condition of your Soul for sure you have Souls to be saved as well as others and think not that being of the right Side or very dying for it or your Country and Religion will save you unless you have repented of your Sins and are reconciled to God Since then you mayn't have many moments to live in this World you can't doubt but 't is the highest Wisdom to secure a better In order to which ask your self how you are prepared for 't and take this one short infallible Rule Whosoever continues in the habit of any one wilful Sin be it Swearing Cruelty Impurity or whatever else is not in God's Favour nor can if he so die expect any Mercy at his Hand Now there 's no way to recover from this Condition but Repentance and Faith The first Sorrow for Sin and leaving it the second an humble Trust in God's Mercy for the sake of Christ Jesus with a sincere Obedience to his Commands Without which Faith 't is impossible to please God as without Repentance we must all perish But because these Graces require generally Time and Labour to be produced in the Mind 't is a more desperate hazard to delay the getting 'em till such an Exigence than 't would be to put off your Arming your self 'till the Enemy were just upon you Therefore make this the business of your Lives and then you 'll not want Comfort at the approach or apprehension of Death However if this has been neglected before now begin it if practis'd renew it Humble your self for your Sins and cry for Mercy say God be merciful to me a Sinner and I Believe Lord help my Vnbelief 2. When that 's done consider What you are Fighting for your Country your Religion the Liberties of Europe Whom you are Fighting under King William Whom you are Fighting against the French whom you us'd to beat when the odds was on their side and they never you without it Commend your Soul to God in the following †Prayer and then Fall on in God's Name and May HE be with you But if any of you as is but too much to be fear'd thro' your rude and ignorant manner of Education or thro' your long and daily converse with Debauch'd and Irreligious Comrades wherewith all even the best of Armies swarm or by your own negligence and wilfulness in slighting o◠contemning the Means of better Instruction and the Holy Ordinances Instituted by God for the working in us those Graces of Repentance and Regeneration so necessary to Salvation we have been discoursing of I say if any of you by these or any other depraved disposition of Mind or Body or unlucky circumstances of your Lives have hitherto been so unhappy as to spend your whole time in a continual course and habit of Sin and particularly in those which Men of your Vocation are most guilty of as Oaths Blasphemies Curses Damning your selves or others as likewise Drunkenness Vncleanness Malice Wrathful and Foolish Quarrels Vnjust Rapines Barbarous and Vnmanly Cruelties Rapes and such Bloodshed as is downright Murther and against all the Rules of War as well as the Laws both of Nature and Christianity and in a word have lived all along in all the gross Sins that Prophaness Licenciousness and Atheistical Infidelity can inspire and now are come perhaps within view of a Battel with a fierce and potent Enemy by whose hands you know not how soon God may call you to an Account for all those many Blasphemous Vollies you have formerly shot against Heaven and for all both your open and private Transgressions and
which or at least to Receive Forgiveness from God tho' you should not have the happiness to hear it declar'd and pronounc'd by his Minister set about a serious and exact Review of your Life past a Tryal of your State and Actions I. The End for which you engage in the War which if only Gain or any such mean Prospect rather than the Excellency of the Cause and Love to your Country and Religion you are now to Repent of and heartily ask Pardon for it II. The Manner how you have Prosecuted it What Life you have led Whether you have observ'd those good Lessons Do Violence to no Man no Friend by Plunder c. and be content with your Wages Be not mutinous or unruly Whether you have not been cowardly in Fight or cruel in Victory or born malice against any Ha'nt thought your self like the Sons of Belial without Yoak or Law either of God or Man Bin lewd or atheistical or impious or have Encourag'd others in the same or other Crimes If you have wrong'd any Man as far as possible to make Restitution If you have offended God never to be at rest 'till you find your self truly sorrowful for it begging Pardon for his Dear Son Jesus Christ's sake who has assur'd us That those who come unto him he will in no wise cast off 3. Resolve by God's Grace if he thinks good to restore you to amend your Life and reform whatever you have now found amiss and Pray heartily for the help of his Holy Spirit in the bringing those Resolutions to a good Effect since otherwise they 'll be but as the Morning Cloud and Early Dew that soon passes away To whom you may Address your self in these or the like Words or get some other to do it for you A Prayer in the time of Sickness or any other Affliction O Just and Holy Lord who with Rebukes dost chasten Man for Sin and yet dost always punish less than our Iniquities deserve I desire unfeignedly to humble my self under thy mighty hand which now lies heavy upon me I heartily acknowledge O Lord that all I do or can suffer is but the due reward of my Deeds and therefore in thy most severe Inflictions I must still say righteous art thou O Lord and upright are thy Judgments But O Lord I beseech thee in Wrath remember Mercy and though my Sins have enforced thee to strike yet consider my weakness and let not thy stripes be more heavy or more lasting than thou seest profitable for my Soul Correct me but with the Chastisements of a Father not with the Wounds of an Enemy and tho' thou take not off thy Rod yet take away thine Anger Lord do not abhor my Soul nor cast thy Servant away in displeasure but Pardon my Sins I beseech thee and if yet in thy Fatherly Wisdom thou seest fit to prolong thy Corrections thy blessed Will be done I cast my self O Lord at thy Feet do with me what thou pleasest try me as Silver is tryed so thou bring me out purified And Lord make even my Flesh also subscribe to this Resignation that there may be nothing in me that may rebel against thy Hand but that having perfectly supprest all repining Thoughts I may chearfully drink of this Cup. And how bitter soever thou shalt please to make it Lord let it prove Medicinal and cure all the Diseases of my Soul that it may bring forth in me the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness that so these light Afflictions which are but for a moment may work for me a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory thro' Jesus Christ Amen Psalms to be used in Sickness In thee O Lord have I put my Trust let me never be put to confusion but rid me and deliver me in thy Righteousness incline thine Ear unto me and save me Be thou my strong hold whereunto I may always resort thou hast promised to help me for thou art my House of Defence and my Castle Deliver me O Lord God out of the hand of the ungodly out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel Man For thou O Lord God art the thing that I long for thou art my hope even from my Youth Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art he that took me out of my Mothers Womb my Praise shall be always of thee I am become as a Monster unto many but my sure trust is in thee O let my mouth by filled with thy Praise that I may sing of thy Glory and Honour all the day long Cast me not away in the time of my misery neither forsake me when my strength faileth me Go not far from me O God my God hast thee to help me Forsake me not O my God until I have shewed thy strength unto this Generation and thy power unto all them that are yet to come Thy Righteousness O God is very high and great things are they that thou hast done O God who is like unto thee Ejaculations in Sickness O Saviour of the World who by thy Cross and precious Blood hast redeemed me save and help me I humbly beseech thee Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy Son yet do not cast off the Bowels and Compassion of a Father But as a Father pittieth his own Children so be thou merciful unto me O Lord of whom may I seek for for succour but of thee who for my Sins art justly displeased Yet O Lord God most Holy O Lord most mighty O Holy and most Merciful Saviour deliver me not into the bitter Pains of eternal Death neither suffer me at my last hour for any Pains of Death to fall from thee O Lord in thee have I trusted let me never be confounded Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redâ—emed me O Lord thou God of Truth Come Lord Jesus come quickly 4. If it shall please God to restore you to Health again have a care you don't forget you Sickness and the Promises you then made to lead a better life which God will never forget though you may perhaps do it When you are tempted to any Sin ask your own Soul whether it would be a handsom return to him who so lately saved your Life so soon to rebeâ— against him And every Evening examin your self how you have performed those Vows which you made in your Trouble If you love your Country Victory Glory live Holy Lives for the English-mans Sins are his most formidable Enemies Swearing is unprofitable Lewdness is damnable Theft is base Cruelty is inhuman and Cowardie fit for none but Traytors Fight the good Fight keep the Truth lay hold on Eternal Life From henceforth there is laid up for you a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give to all those that love his Appearance The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen FINIS