hard and stony hearts to humble our selues before thée with dread and reuerence and on the other side the sauing feeling of thy loue shed abroad in our hearts by thy holy spirit may comfort vs in the stedfast assurance of the frée forgiuenesse of all our sinnes in the bloudshed and death of thy deare son Christ Iesus and incourage vs with all delight and chéerefulnesse constantly to practise all good duties both in time of afflictions and troubles and in time of peace and prosperity And séeing that it hath béene thy good pleasure to call vs with an holy calling into the communion and fellowship of Iesus Christ thy onely Sonne to the ende that denying all worldly and fleshly lusts wée should be vnto thée a chosen generation a royall Priest-hood an holy natition a peculiar people to shew forth the vertues and graces of thy good spirit inable vs to mortifie all euill workes and sinfull lusts that our liues may expresse our light and faith in thée And principally giue vs victory ouer those personall sins which thou knowest our nature most prone to commit Powre vpon vs thy holy spirit of wisedome and grace gouerne and lead vs by thy good word that it may be a lanthorne to our féete and a light to our paths So inlighten the naturall blindnesse of our darke hearts by thy spirit as that wée may daily be renued by the same By the which we pray thée to purge the grosnes of our hearing and vnderstanding that wée may euer-more profitably reade heare and vnderstand thine holy word and heauenly will And to that end O Lord beget in vs a true loue and reuerence of all the faithfull Ministers of thy Gospell Giue vs melting hearts to feare and tremble at thy voyce turbing all worldly vaine and light imaginations in vs that commonly shut the doore of the heart against the effectuall passage of thy word into the same O Lord our naturall hearts are so full of rebellion and hatred of thée as that we cannot abide to hear thy voyce or know thy will All our deuotion towards thée is as the morning dew and the exercises of Christian dueties quickly become wearisome vnto vs. Giue vs grace therefore to loue thy word feruently to search the Scriptures diligently to read them humbly to vnderstand them truely to heare thy word attentiuely and to liue thereafter effectually and carefully Giue vs such measure of wisedome and discerning of spirits that among the manifold errors opinions and iudgements that are in the world wée may stand vpright and constant in thy truth taught in thy holy word O Lord sanctifie euery one of vs throughout in spirit soule and body that wée may be kept blameles till the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ Strengthen our faith more and more confirme our hope increase our loue towards thée and our brethren for thy sake giue vs a feare of thy name a reuerence of thy maiesty a zeale of thy glory In time of peace and safety kéepe vs from contention oppression and cruelty In plenty and prosperity from pride vain-glory wantonnes intemperancy contempt of thee thy word thy Ministers and the poore In afflictions comfort vs that neyther we despaire nor blaspheme thy holy name but with patient thankefulnes trust in thy deliuerance And as wée daily fall into one sinne or other through humane frailty so giue vs continuall penitent hearts and spirits that wée may be sorry without desperation and trust in thy mercy without presumption That wée may more and more amend our liues and become truly religious without hypocrists lowly in heart without feigning faithfull without deceit ioyfull without lightnesse sad without distrust sober without slothfulnesse conscionable in all our dealings without gripplenesse content with that which thou sendest without couetousnesse ready to euery good worke apt to draw all men from vaine and foolish behauiour by our sober counsells godly spéeches and religious carriage To make much of them that feare God and entertaine them gladly to embrace the fellowship of the godly wise and to eschew the company of all prophane persons and despisers of them that are good to assist comfort and incourage the Ministers of thy worde in that high waighty and glorious calling to our vttermost power to gather together with them and constantly to withstand all scatterers spoylers and deuourers These vertues and graces of thy good spirit O heauenly Father like as wée acknowledge to receiue them from thée by vertue of our ingraffing into the mysticall body of thy Sonne Iesus Christ so wée beséech thée to beget to cherish preserue and increase the same in vs that wée may daily more and more be transtormed into the image of thée that hast translated vs out of darkenes into thy maruellous light and that to thy honour and glory the destruction of the kingdome of sinne and Satan and to the vtter and endlesse confusion of all Inffdells Idolaters and hypocrites that exalt and magnifie themselues against thée and thine holy ordinances And in these our weake and imperfect praiers O Lord we are not mindful of our selues alone but of the whole estate of the Catholike Church militant héere in earth and euery particular member thereof Blesse all Christian Kings and Princes that call vpon thy name and especially poure downe thy blessings vpon our dread Soueraigne whom next and immediately vnder thy selfe thou hast appointed to be our King and Gouernour Blesse him both in body and soule inrich him with all gifts necessary for so high a calling and make him long a nurcing Father in Israell Blesse him in his Quéene make her an helpe to him in all good things Blesse the young Prince and all their royall issue on this side and beyond the Seas and grant that there may not want one of that line to sit vpon this throne so long as the Sun and Moone endureth Blesse all his Maiesties most honourable priuy Counsell be thou present with them in all their Counsells and president ouer all their consultations that whatsoeuer they intend or doe may be to thy glory the honour of the King and comfort of thy people Blesse al Iudges Magistrates giue them thy heauenly grace indifferently to execute iustice to the punishment of wickednes and vice and to the maintenance of god inesse and vertue Blesse all the Ministers of thy word and Sacraments thou that art Lord of the haruest thrust forth many faithfull and painfull labourers that may féede thy people with knowledge and vnderstanding And giue to all thy people humble loyall and obedient hearts to thy Gospell with loue and reuerence to the Ministers thereof whom thou hast appointed to be the Shepheards Teachers and Gouernours of their souls in thy roome and place till thy comming to iudgement at the last day Moreouer we desire to render vnto thy heauenly Maiesty all hearty and possible thanks for all thy mercies and blessings bestowed on vs from the beginning of our dayes till this present time
signifieth two things First it signifieth the infinite knowledge of God whereby all things lye open to his eye-sight neither is there any thing hid from him no not the most secret intention of the spirit and he is therefore called in Gréeke Kardiognostos a Searcher of the heart Psal 139. 1. 2. 3. Secondly it signifieth the loue and fauour of God whereby hée doth not onely know but acknowledge approoue and grant the prayers of the godly whether they be vocall or the desires and sighes of the heart Contrarily not to heare is to forsake men and leaue them to themselues to disallow not to accept to deny and not to regard their prayers and desires Sinners Are all men vnregenerate whereof some are brutish some ciuill some outwardly religious As for the regenerate though they sinne yet they doe not commit sinne 1 Iohn 3. 8. 9. that is to say sinne doth not raigne in them Rom. 6. 12. Sinne raigneth when men obey it in their lusts That God heareth not sinners it is euident Prou. 28. 9. Hee that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law euen his prayers are abhominable Here is a lesson for them that come to heare the Word in a statute pace Esay saith When you shall stretch out your hands I will hide mine eyes from you and though you make many prayers yet I will not heare you Esay 1. 15. Zachary saith As hee cryed and they would not heare so they cryed and I would not heare saith the Lord Zach. 7. 13. As we are dead dull and drowsie in the worship and seruice of God and vnthankfull to him for his benefits mispending the same on our lusts euen so in affliction and trouble the Lord will be also heauy and slow of hearing Are you come to inquire of me saith the Lord as true as I liue when I am asked I will not answer Ezech. 20. 3. Here is a lesson for them that neuer offer to the Lord prayer praise and thanksgiuing for all the good things that they hold of him inioy by him and daily receiue from him And Dauid goeth further Psal 66. 16. If I incline my heart vnto wickednesse the Lord will not heare mee Héere is a lesson for hypocrites that babble much and pray little comming néere to the Lord with their lippes but kéepe their hearts from him There be sundry reasons why the Lord heareth not sinners First because they are not the Sons of God but the seruants of sinne and therefore haue they not the spirit of Sons whereby they might call God Father but the spirit of feare not of Sonne-like feare which proceedeth of loue and reuerence but of seruile and slauish feare whereby they rather auoide the presence of God as of an inexorable Iudge and are then most quiet in minde and least troubled in Conscience when they haue the least to doe with him and when they thinke speake and heare the least of him Héerein euidently shewing themselues to be sonnes of sinfull Adam who knowing himselfe guilty shrouded himselfe in the thicket from the presence of the Lord. This is the cause why sinners hate the Church where God speaketh vnto them and they should speake vnto God and contrarily loue the Tauerne Ale-house and vaine company euen a filthy polluted Conscience wherein the worme beginneth to gnaw vpon euery occasion This is the cause why they so hate yea persecute with deadly hatred the most godly Preachers euen because they take them to be their greatest tormentors saying in their spirits as Ahab said to Elias Hast thou found me O mine enemy 1. Kin. 21. 20. Art thou hee that troublest all Israell 1 King 18. 17. And as Amaziah said of Amos The land is not able to beare his words Amos 7. 10. And as Ahab spoke of Micah to Iehoshaphat There is one Micah the sonne of Imlah by whom we may aske counsell of the Lord but I hate him for hee neuer prophesieth good vnto mee but euill 1 King 22. 8. Secondly the Lord heareth not sinners because they do not pray aright yea their petitions are full of rebellion and derogatory to Gods Maiesty Therefore euen as the Prince throweth a wicked petition from him and casteth the petitioner into prison and it may be punisheth him with death as King Salomon did Adonijah for asking Abisag to wife so the Lord dealeth with those petitioners as Dauid saith let euen their prayer be turned into sinne So that the Lords answer to such requests is like the answer of Salomon to Bathsheba concerning Adonijah God do so to mee and more also if Adonijah hath not spoken this word against his owne life Now the wicked cannot pray rightly because they know not the Lord nor his wayes what pleaseth what displeaseth him And the reason hereof is because they despite the word of the Lord. The wicked know well what they would haue of God but they cannot abide to know what God would haue of them Gods benefits they loue but faith and obedience they loue not Thirdly the Lord heareth not sinners because they aske temporall things to consume them on their lusts and spirituall gifts many desire to glorifie themselues therewith Therefore saith Salomon the scorner seeketh wisedome and findeth it not Prou. 14 6. And S. Iames saith yee aske and receiue not because you aske amisse that you may consume it on your lusts Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the amity of the world is enmity with God and whosoeuer will make himselfe a friend of the world is an enemy of God Iames 4. 3. 4. Euen as the Adulterous wife asketh gold siluer iewels costly apparell c. of her husband that she may bestow them on her louers so do all wicked men euen all the men of this world aske and desire of God all good things for the sustenance of their bodies and maintenance of their persons onely to chéere and delight their flesh therewith to adorne and beautifie their persons therewith but not to glorifie God with the same Heerein they make vse of God to serue their owne turnes of him as it is now a common practise of these wretched times for one man to loue another onely for the vse that may be made of him for his owne gaine And as it is the practise of rouing whoremongers to marry a woman that is old or of base parentage because shee is rich that with her goods they may maintaine their Strumpets Euen such is the dealings of sinners with God They seeme to draw néere vnto God but it is with flattering and dissembling hearts for their heart goeth a whooring after his benefites to set their whole affections thereon to mispend the same vpon their bodily lusts without feare The wicked héerein are like Abimelech the King of Gerar that gaue kind intertainment to Abraham Gen. 20. and to Isaak Gen. 26. for their supposed sisters sake because they were faire and beautifull to looke vpon so the wicked make a shew of praising and thanking God
workes is counterfeit and hypocrisie the Lord cannot abide it Esay 1. The Lord saith that their sacrifices burnt offerings incense are abhominations that their new Moones Sabaoths solemne feasts solemne dayes and assemblies are a but then and wearisomnesse neyther will he heare their prayers But they must be washed they must be purged the euill of their workes must be taken away they must cease to doe euill they must learne to doe well This was the sinne of Saul he would séeme to be a true worshipper of God offering sacrifice and therein was he diligent enough but hée was slow enough in doing the will of the Lord when hee was commaunded to slay the Amalekites man woman childe beast c. he spared the King and brought of the best of the things to sacrifice with 1 Sam. 15. 21. 22. There be aboundance of Sauls in these dayes Therefore S. Iames teacheth Be ye doers of the word and not hearers onely deceiuing your owne selues Iam. 1. 22. Hee that looketh in the perfect Law of liberty and continueth therein he not being a forgetfull hearer shall be blessed in his deede And the whole second Chapter throughout Therefore Worship without Obedience is flat hypocrisie Againe concerning ciuill honesty or morall life wherein the common Protestant resteth himselfe with contentment is odious in the sight of God without sincere worship For the frame of mans heart is euill continually Gen. 8. 21. how good soeuer he séeme to be to himselfe and others that cannot discerne betwéene naturall and spirituall life but make a confusion of both vnder an outward profession or rather bare name and title All our righteousnes is as a menstrous cloth Esay 64. 6. and Iob saith Who can bring a cleane thing out of filthinesse Iob 144 vaine therefore are the supposed good works of Papists séeing that they worship not God rightly and as vaine are the workes of vaine-glorious worldlings séeing that they worship not God truely Therefore worship and obedience must go together procéeding from a right fountaine that is from an humble and obedient heart purged from hypocrisie by a working faith and vnfeigned repentance from sanctified affections and a good conscience This is onely acceptable to God and those actions obedience that procéed from this fountaine though stayned with many wants and imperfections God accepteth as pure the impurity not being imputed Psal 32. 1. 2. Furthermore there be sundry reasons why that God heareth the godly namely those that worship him sincerely and doe his will First because that they being redéemed from the bondage of sinne are the sonnes of God they haue the spirit of adoption or of ingenuous and frée-borne sonnes by which they both know God acknowledge God to be their God and loue God their Father and consequently call vpon him Prayers procéeding from a prophane heart doe not pierce the heauens but those which come from Gods owne spirit therefore S. Paul saith Ephes 6. 18. Pray alwaies with all manner prayer and supplication in the spirit And Rom. 8. 26. The spirit maketh request for vs with sighes that cannot be expressed Such holy motions and rauishments doth the spirit of God worke in our hearts as that wée are not able to expresse the same in words but with sighes euen as when words faile vs wée vse to declare our mindes by gestures Such prayers come as it were immediately from the spirit with little vse of mans discourse and phantasie and no vse of the tongue Esau prayed with wéeping eyes but with a prophane heart therefore he is not heard The Pharises make long prayers with an hypocriticall heart therefore they are not heard But Moses prayed onely in minde and his desire is heard Exod. 14. 15. Yea the Lord accepted his prayer as much as if he had earnestly cryed therefore the Lord sayd to him Why cryest thou Goe forward with the people So Anna prayed in her heart with submisse and vnperfect words which caused Eli to thinke that shée was drunke 1 Sam. 1. 13. Therefore the Lord heard her And hence it is that the Apostle bids vs pray continually 1 Thes 5. 17. For with the heart minde or spirit a man may pray alway This teacheth vs in praying to pray for the spirit of Prayer Secondly the Lord heareth the godly because they alone being taught by the word and spirit doe pray aright As Rom. 8. 27. He that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the meaning of the spirit for hee maketh request for the Saints according to the will of God both teaching them what to pray for and how to pray Which prayers the Lord accepteth as S. Iohn teacheth This is the assurance that wee haue of him that if we aske any thing according to his will hee heareth vs. An example héereof 1 King 3. 9. 10. Because Salomon prayed not for riches nor for long life nor the life of his enemies but that a wise and vnderstanding heart might be giuen him to iudge the Lords people righteously therefore it pleased the Lord and he granted his prayers Thus our Sauiour Christ prayed Not my will but thy will be done Thirdly the Lord heareth the godly because they are truely penitent and sorrowfull for sinne and therefore come into the presence of God clad with the righteousnesse of Christ Psalm 51. 17. The sacrifice of God is a contrite spirit a contrite and broken heart O Lord wilt thou not despise Psal 28. 7. Praised be the Lord for he hath heard the voyce of mine humble petitions Our Sauiour Christ calleth onely such vnto him Matth. 11. 28. Come vnto mee all yee that are heauy laden and I will ease you For the Lord hath annointed mee to binde vp the broken hearted Esay 61. 1. Therefore the poore Publicane confessing his sinnes with a penitent and sorrowfull spirit is heard before the Pharisée iustifying himselfe by his workes Luke 18. Fourthly the Lord heareth the godly because they pray feruently I am 5. 16. The praier of a righteous man preuaileth much if it be feruent Heereby two things are specially necessary in Prayer First a man must be a righteous man Hée is righteous that by faith is ingraffed into the righteous Iesus Christ and in him bringeth forth fruits of thankefull obedience to God Secondly he must pray feruently that is to say seriously or with earnest desire For this feruency argueth that a man praieth in the spirit which ouercommeth the dulnes and drowsines of the flesh which quencheth and oppresseth the spirit This wée may sée in the heauy and sléepy Disciples Matth. 26. 40. though they had a willingnesse and desire to watch and to pray yet the flesh quelled and dulled the spirit Secondly feruency argueth the necessity of the thing that wée pray for Wée most of all and most earnestly pray for that which wée haue most néede of Thirdly feruency argueth Faith in Gods power that hée is able to helpe and in his goodnesse that hée is willing and ready to helpe For this
Christ Iesus shall suffer persecution though not at all times with extremity as very many of the children of God haue done yet in some measure and degrée euen in the most reformed and established Church yea and almost in the best reformed house Noahs family was the most godly and best in all the world yet is there in it an vngratious Cham. In Abrahams house a mocking Ishmael In Isaaks a prophane and reuengefull Esau and amongst the Disciples of Christ a couetous theefe and a traitour Where was our Sauiour crucified but amongst his owne He came amongst his owne but his owne receiued him not Iohn 1. And where are the members of Christ afflicted persecuted but amongst their owne The brethren of Christ euen Church-men as we say betrayed him sold him put him to death so the brethren of the godly shall be their persecutors euen they I meane of the same profession as Dauid complaineth It was not mine open aduersary that did me this dishonour but euen thou my companion and familiar friend wee tooke sweet counsell together and went to the house of God as friends Vse This teacheth Christian men not to thinke the better of themselues for their worldly wisedome wealth honour learning degrées in the Vniuersity c. Séeing a man in the ample possession of all these these may be the least in the kingdome of heauen I speake not this to derogate from learning In Luke 10. 17. The seauenty Disciples that Christ sent to preach in the Cities whether himselfe would come returned againe with ioy saying Lord euen the Deuills are subdued to vs through thy name but in vers 20. Christ curbeth their reioycing which sauoured too much of the world Reioyce not saith hée that spirits are subiect to you but that your names are written in the booke of life Whereby wee plainely learne that a man may be excellently furnished with gifts for the discharge of any calling and for the ministery as well as any other and yet notwithstanding be a reprobate for the letter killeth but the spirit giueth life Therfore let a man glory in a good conscience which is a continuall feast Let him reioyce in that he féeleth the loue of God shedde abroad in his heart and in the testimony of the holy Ghost assuring his spirit that hée is one of the sonnes of God Secondly this teacheth the poorest not to thinke the worse of themselues for their meane estate because they want these outward things 1 Cor. 7. 21. 22. Art thou called being a seruant Care not for it For hee that is called in the Lord being a seruant is the Lords freeman likewise also he that is called being free is the Lords seruant And Iam. 1. 9. 10. Let the brother of low degree reioyce because hee is exalted Euen to be the brother of Christ the sonne of God and heyre to the kingdome of glory Ver. 10. And he that is rich in that hee is made low for as the flower of grasse so shall he vanish away The inward man of the one is euer flourishing the outward man of the other perishing He that hath much worlds wealth and dignity and but a small measure of Grace is inferiour to him that hath a great measure of grace and but little or no worlds wealth For spirituall things among themselues admit comparison but betwéene spirituall things and earthly things there is no comparison at all This knowledge and consideration that worldly men want whose felicity consisteth in these outward things this I say in the children of God worketh lowlinesse of heart humility of minde méekenesse of spirit in such sort as that they had rather make themselues equall with them of the lower sort than to stand vpon comparisons and to striue for preheminence as the fashion of the world is Lazarus the beggar found matter of reioycing and glorying in Christ though depriued of all earthly things Dauid the King found matter of reioycing and glorying in Christ onely Psalme 4 6. 7. 8. As other men euen the men of this world reioyced and gloried in the increase of their substance with the rich man in Luke 12 So he on the contrary reioyced in the loue fauour and countenance of the Lord. And Psalm 119. Thy Law is deerer vnto mee than thousands of gold and siluer And Paul the Apostle found matter of glorying in Christ onely Phil. 3. 8. He counteth all things losse for Christ and iudgeth them to be but doung And as concerning any worldly thing hée will glory onely in his infirmities and reioyce in this that he is counted worthy to suffer for Christs cause These thrée examples teach all men of all estates degrées and callings to reioyce in Christ alone and to estéeme of themselues by their Christianity not by worldly prerogatiues For as for the prophane rich though he had all the world with the glory thereof yet the losse of all shall be his inheritance and the godly poore though hée want all or rather séeme to want all for the time present yet shall hée haue not onely this world but the world to come for his inheritance Thirdly this reformeth the erronious conceit of them who measure men by the measure of their learning they haue indéede the greatest meanes and helpes but the grace of God is the onely cause reuealing the mistery of Christianity to whom hée will Otherwise the most learned men are often the most enemies of Christ and Christians and when they thinke themselues to be most wise they become the greatest fooles To this purpose Dauid acknowledgeth Psal 119. 98. 99. 100. That he had more vnderstanding than his teachers than the ancient than eyther the man of great reading or the man of much obseruation and great experience by reason of yéeres And why because hée kept the commaundements For indéede how much a man practiseth so much hée sauingly knoweth and vnderstandeth He that knoweth a country and can plainely describe it onely by the mappe is not to be compared with him that hath trauailed it through although the one be learned and eloquent and the other vnlearned and plaine of spéech The man that hath no tast may by relation of others talke and discourse of tasts and the differences therof euen so may hée talke much of the Lord that neuer tasted how swéet the Lord is and speake much of the Scriptures in whom they were neuer powerfull to his conuersion Hereof the Lord complaineth by Ieremy They say the Lord liueth and yet they sweare falsly Ier. 5. 2. Likewise by Ezechiell They say let vs goe and heare the word of the Lord and sit before the Preacher as the people vseth to do but their heart goeth after their couetousnesse and after their pride and after their adultery Ezech. 33. Their outward pompe sheweth their inward humility and not their heart-sicke but braine-sicke deuotion Thus much of the ground we know The Doctrine God heareth not sinners The Interpretation of the words First to heare
for thy fatherly care ouer vs in prouiding all things necessary for our soules and bodies for our food rayment health peace liberty friends which many of thy children want that are as déere vnto thée as our selues But especially aboue all we praise thy name for the blessings of a better life as namely for our election in Christ Iesus before the world was for our creation after thine owne image in the beginning for our estectuall vocation out of the darkenes of this world into thy glorious light and kingdome by the outward preaching of thy word and the inward operation of thy spirit for our iustification by the obedience bloudshed of thine owne sonne for our adoption from the thraldome of Satan into the glorious liberty and priuiledge of Sonnes for our sanctification in the crucifying of the body of sinne and quickning of the inner man for our continuall preseruation against the temptations and conquest of sinne Satan and this euill world for the frée donation of thy holy spirit the earnest of our inheritance vntill the redemption of the possession purchased and for the continuance of thy Gospell the word of truth and the meanes whereby wée are partakers of all these blessings O Lord open our blinde eyes euery day more and more to sée and consider of thy great and maruellous loue towards vs in all these things that by the due consideration thereof we may be drawne néerer vnto thée to loue thée much because thou hast giuen much And as thou doest abound towards vs in all goodnes so grant that wée may abound toward thee in all obedience and thankefulnesse And as O Lord thou being infinite in mercy hast had mercy on vs when wée deserued iudgement euen so we beséech thée be mercifull to all them that sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death cause the glorious light of thy Gospell to shine in their hearts according to the good pleasure of thine owne will and in whom thou hast already begun the worke of conuersion vouchsafe them also the grace of perseuerance that continuing to the end they may be partakers of glory with thy Saints in light And whereas saluation came of thine ancient people the Iewes but they through vnbeléefe were cut off that wée by faith might be grafted in Lord call them in thine appointed time take away the vaile from before their blinde and vncircumcised hearts and reueale the knowledge of thy sonne vnto them that they and wée may be one shéepefold vnder one shepheard Christ Iesus In the meane time destroy the kingdom of sinne Satan and Antichrist euery day more and more Build vp thine owne kingdome of Grace in the hearts of euery one of vs and hasten thy kingdome of glory that when this miserable life is ended wee may raigne with thée eternally in glory Be gratious and mercifull to them that suffer affliction for the testimony of a good Conscience deliuer them out of the hands of their enemies or so strengthen them with the comfortable assistance of thy spirit that in dying they may ouercome the world death and hell Comfort all that are troubled in mind with the burthen of their sins speake peace to their Consciences say vnto their soules I am thy saluation Come vnto me all ye that are weary and heauy laden and I will ease you And to this end giue the tongue of the learned to thy Ministers that they may know to Minister a word in time to him that is weary Be mercifull to them that are afflicted in body with paines sicknesses or diseases giue them grace to beare the crosse with patient thankefulnesse and to learne by those visitations to confesse their sinnes to acknowledge their faults to call vpon thy name to amend their liues that as heretofore they haue gone astray after the course of this world through the inticements of naturall concupiscence so they may now be brought to the knowledge of thée and of themselues And also strengthen them that are any manner of wayes assaulted by Satan giue them a ioyfull issue with the temptation that thy grace in their deliuerance by them may be glorified and thy power conquering Satan in their weakenesse may be manifested and for euer magnified Thankesgiuing before meate VVE thanke thée O Heauenly Father for all thy blessings and mercies heretofore bestowed vpon vs and still continued renued vnto vs. Especially at this time for these thy good creatures that of thine owne goodnesse and bounty thou hast ordained and prouided for the maintenance of our bodies giue them vertue and power to nourish vs that thereby our strengths being renued we may be more fit and able to serue thée in the duties of our callings to thine honour and glory and to the comfort of our owne soules and consciences through Iesus Christ our Lord Amen Thankesgiuing after meate VVE desire to return all honour glory praise thankesgiuing to thy Maiesty for thy fatherly care ouer vs since the beginning of our dayes till this present houre Chiefly for thy heauenly word the foode of our soules for thy Sabaoths and the peaceable exercises of all holy dueties therein And in speciall at this time for these thy good creatures whereof at this present wée haue béene partakers by thy good prouidence beséeching thée so to blesse and sanctifie the same vnto vs as that we may walke in the strength of them in the performance of all good duties to thy glory and our owne comforts through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen FINIS