or the other according to His Majecties gracious Declaration concerning ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS THE Ordinary Publick-Worship ON THE LORDS-DAY The Congregation being reverently composed let the Minister first crave Gods assistance and acceptance of the Worship to bee performed in these or the like words ETERNAL Incomprehensible and Invisible GOD infinite in Power Wisdome and Goodness dwelling in the Light which no man can approach where thousand thousands minister unto Thée and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Thee yet dwelling with the humble and contrite and taking pleasure in thy People Thou hast consecrated for usâ—…a new and living way that with boldness wée may enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus and hast bid us séek Thée while thou mayest be found Wée come to Thée at thy call and worship at thy Footstool Behold us in thy tender Mercies Despise us not though unworthy Thou art greatly to be feared in the Assembly of the Saints and to be had in Reverence of all that are about thée Put thy fear into our hearts that with Reverence wée may serve Thée sanctifie us that thou mayest be sanctified of us when wée draw nigh Thée Give us the Spirit of Grace and Supplication to help our infirmities that our prayers may be faithful fervent and effectual Let the desire of our souls bée to Thée Let us draw néer Thée with our hearts and not only with our lips and worship Thée who art a Spirit in Spirit and Truth Let thy Word be spoken and heard by us as the Word of God Give us attentive hearing Ears and opened beleeving understanding hearts that wee may no more refuse thy calls nor disregardthy merciful cut-stretched-hand nor sleight thy Counsels and Reproofs but be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of Fools Put thy Laws into our hearts and write them in our minds and let us bee all taught of God Let thy Word bee unto us quick and powerful a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts mighty to pull down strong-holds casting down imaginations and reasonings and every high thing that advanceth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ Let us magnifie Thée with thanksgiving and triumph in thy Praise Let us rejoyce in thy Salvation and glory in thy holy Name Open thou our lips O Lord and let our mouths shew forth thy praise And let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts bee acceptable in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord and onely Saviour Amen Or thus when Brevity is necessary O Eternal Almighty and most gracious God Heaven is thy Throne and Earth is thy Footstool holy and reverend is thy Name Thou art praised by the heavenly Hosts and in the Congregation of thy Saints on Earth and wilt bee sanctified in all that come nigh unto Thee Wée are sinful and unworthy dust but being invited by Thée are bold through our blessed Mediator to present our selves and our supplications before Thée Receive us graciously help us by thy Spirit let thy Fear bee upon us let thy Word come unto us in power and bée received in love with attentive reverent and obedient minds Make it to us the savour of life unto life Cause us to be fervent in Prayer and joyful in thy Praises and to serve Thée this day without distraction that wee may finde that a day in thy Courts is better than a thousand and that it is good for us to draw néer to God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen Next let one of the Creeds bee read by the Minister saying In the Profession of this holy Christian Faith wee are here assembled I beleeve in God the Father c. I beleeve in one God c. And sometimes Athanasius Creed The Ten Commandements God spake these Words and said c. For the right informing and affecting the People and moveing them to a penitent beleeving confession some of these sentences may bee read GOd created man in his Image By one man sin entred into the World and death by sin and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God God so loved the world that hee gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Hee that beleeveth on him shall not bee condemned but hee that beleeveth not is condemned already because hee hath not beleeved in the name of the only begotten Son of God And this is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil For every one that doth evil hateth the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should bee reproved Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law beeing made a curse for us Except a man be born of water and of the spirit hee cannot enter into the Kingdome of God That which is born of the Flesh is Flâ—sh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit Verily I say unto you except yee bee converted and become as little Children yee shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Say unto them As I live saith the Lord God I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his way and live Turn yee turn yee from your evil waies for why will yee dye oh house of Israel I say unto you there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God over a sinner that repenteth I will arise and go to my Father and say unto him Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to bee called thy Son The Confession of Sin and Prayer for Pardon and Sanctification O Most Holy Righteous and Gracious God who hatest all the workers of iniquity and hast appointed death to bée the wages of sin but yet for the glory of thy mercy hast sent thy Son to be the Saviour of the world and hast promised forgiveness of sin through his blood to all that beléeve in him and by true Repentance turn unto Thée and that whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy Wée confess that wée are vile and miserable sinners being conceived in sin by nature children of wrath and transgressors from the womb All wée like shéep have gone astray and turned every one to his own way Thou madest us and not wée our selves Thou boughtest us with a price and wée are not our own and therefore wée should have wholly given up our selves unto Thée and have glorified Thée with our souls and bodies as being Thine What ever wée did should have been done to thy glory and to please Thée in the obeying of Thy Will But wee have displeased and dishonoured Thée and turned from Thée exalting séeking and pleasing
and filthy Communication and all unchaste behaviour Kéep us from stealing or wronging our Neighbour in his propriety from perverting Justice from false witnessing and deceit from slandering backbiting uncharitable censuring or other wrong to the reputation of our Neighbours Kéep us from coveting any thing that is our Neighbours Let us love our Neighbours as our selves and do to others as wee would they should do to us Cause us to love Christ in his members with a pure and fervent love and to love our Enemies and do good to all as wée are able but especially to the houshold of Faith Give us our necessary sustentation and provision for thy service and contentedness therewith Bless our labours and the fruits of the earth in their season and give us such temperate weather as tendeth hereunto Deliver us and all thy servants from such sickness wants and other distresses as may unseasonably take us off thy service Kéep us from gluttony and drunkenness slothfulness unlawful gain and from making provision for the flesh to satisfie its lusts When wée sui restore us by true Repentance and Faith in Christ Let us loath our selves for our transgressions Forgive them all and accept us in thy well beloved Son save us from the curse and punishment which they deserve and teach us heartily to forgive others Convert our enemies periâ—culors and slanderers and forgive them Cause us to watch against temptations to resist and overcome the Flesh the Devil and the World and by no Allurements of pleasure profit or honour to bee drawn from thée to sin let us patiently suffer with Christ that wée may reign with him Deliver us and all thy people from the enmity and rage of Satan and all his wicked Instruments and preserve us to thy Heavenly Kingdome For thou only art the Universal King All power is thine in Heaven and Earth of Thee and through Thee and to Thee are all things and the glory shall bée Thine for ever Amen Concerning the Psalms for Publick use Wee desire that instead of the imperfect version of the Psalms in Meeter now in use Mr. William Bartons Version and that perused and approved by the Church of Scotland there in use being the best that we have seen may bee received and corrected by some skilful men and both allowed for grateful variety to bee Printed together on several Columnes or Pages and publickly used At least until a better than either of them shall bee made A Thanksgiving for Christ and his gracious Benefits MOst Glorious God accept through thy beloved Son though from the hands of sinners of thanksgiving which thy unspeakable love and mercies as well as thy Command do binde us to offer up unto Thée Thou art the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation full of compassion Gracious long suffering Plenteous in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving Iniquitie Transgression and Sin For thy glory thou didst create us after thine Image Thou madest us a little lower than the Angels and Crownedst us with glory and honour giving us Dominion over the works of thy hands and putting all these things under our feet And when wee forsâ—â—k thée and broke thy Covenant and rebelled against Thée and corrupted our selves and turned our glory into shame thou didst not leave us in the hands of Death nor cast us out into utter Desperation But thou didst so love the sinful World as to give thy Son to bee our Saviour Hée took nor upon him the nature of Angels but of man The word was made flesh and dwelt among us This is the unsearchable Mystery of love which the Angels desire to pryints Hee was tempted that hee might succour them that are tempted and conquered the Tempter that had conquered us Hee became poor that was Lord of all to make us rich Hée did not sin but fulfilled all righteousness to save us from our unrighteousness Hée made himself of no reputation but was reviled scorned and spit upon enduring the Cross and despising the shame to cover our shame and to bring us unto glory thou laidst upon him the Iniquity of us all Hée was bruised and wounded for our Transgressious that wée might bée healed by his stripes Hée gave himself a Ransome for us and died for our sins And rose again for our justification Wée thank thée for his death that saveth us from death and that hée bore the curse to redeem us from the curse and for his life which opened us the way to life Thou hast given him to bée head over all things to the Church and hast given the Heathen to bée his Inheritance and given him a name above every name and given all power and judgement unto him Wée thank thée for the New and better Covenant for thy great and precious promises That thou hast given us eternal life in Christ That wée have the clear and sure Revelation of thy will in the Holy Scriptures That thou foundedst thy Church upon Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the head Corner stone And hast committed to thy Ministers the word of Reconciliation that as Embassadours speaking in the stead of Christ they might beseech us to bee reconciled unto thee Wée thank thée that by them thou hast opened our eyes and turned us from darkness unto Light and from the power of Satan unto God Wée were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures taken captive by Satan at his will but thy mercy saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Thou mightest justly have left us to the blindness of our mindes and to the hardness of our hearts to seared consciences to bee past feeling to our own hearts lusts to walk in our own Counsels and to work uncleanness with greediness when we so oft refused to come to Christ that wee might have life and would not have him to reign over us But thy patience waited on us in our sin And all the day long didst thou stretch forth thy hand to a disobedient and gain-saying People When wee turned from thee thou calledst after us to turn and live Thou drewest us to thy Son and openedst our hearts to attend unto thy calls Thou lovedst us first and was found of them that sought thee not Thou hast pardoned our great and manifold transgressions and iustified us by Faith in Christ and given us Repentance unto life Thou hast adopted us to bee thy sons and joynt heirs with Christ and made us his members and given us his spirit Wee are no more strangers but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of thy houshold Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus-Christ who of his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for us Thou keepest us by thy mighty power through Faith unto salvation
sins and renounce the Flesh the Devil and the World and consent to the Covenant of Grace giving up your self to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as your Creator and Reconciled Father your Redeemer and your Sanctifier Ans I do Or thus rather if the Parent bee fit to utter his own Faith Quest Do you remain stedfast in the Covenant which you made in Baptism your self Ans Repenting of my sins I do renounce the Flesh the Devil and the World and I give up my self to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost my Creator and Reconciled Father my Redeemer and my Sanctifier Quest Do you present and dedicate this Childe unto God to bee baptized into this Faith and solemnly ingaged in this Covenant unto God the Father Son and Holy Ghost against the Flesh the Devil and the World Ans It is my desire or I do present and dedicate him for this end Quest Do you here solemnly promise that if God continue it with you till it bee capable of Instructions you will faithfully indeavour to acquaint this Childe with the Covenant in which hee was here by you ingaged and to instruct and exhort him to perform this Covenant as ever hee looks for the blessings of it or to escape the curses and wrath of God that is That hee renounce the Flesh the World and the Devil and live not after them And that hee beleeve in this One God in Three Persons the Father Son and Holy Ghost his Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier That hee resign himself to him as his absolute Owner and obey hâ—m as his Supream Governour and love him as his most gracious Father hoping to injoy him as his Felicity in Endless Glory Ans I will faithfully indeavour it Quest Will you to this end faithfully endeavour to cause him to learn the Articles of the Christian Faith the Lords Prayer and the ten Commandements and to read or hear the holy Scriptures and to attend on the Publick Preaching of Gods Word Will you endeavour by your own Teaching and Example and Restraint to keep him from wickedness and train him up in a holy life Answ I will faithfully endeavour it by the help of God Then let the Minister pray thus or to this sense O Most merciful Father by the first Adam sin entred into the world and death by sin and wée are all by nature Children of Wrath But thou hast given thy only Son to bée the séed of the Woman the Saviour of the World the Captain of our Salvation to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself and to wash us in his blood and reconcile us unto thée and to renew us by the Holy Ghost and to bruise Satan under our féet In him thou hast established the Covenant of grace and hast appointed this Holy Sacrament of Baptism for our solemn Entrance into the Bonds of the Covenants and stating us in the blessings of it which thou extendest to the faithful and their séed Wée dedicate and offer this Childe to thée to bée received into thy Covenant and Church Wée beséech thée to accept him as a member of thy Son and wash him in his blood from the guilt of Sin as the Flesh is washed by this water Bée reconciled to him and take him for thy Childe renew him to the Image of thy Son make him a fellow Citizen with the Saints and one of thy Houshold Protect him and provide for him as thy own and finally preserve him to thy Heavenly Kingdome through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen Then the Minister shall ask of the Parent the name of the Childe to bee Baptized and naming him shall either dip him under the water or else pour water upon his face if hee cannot be safely or conveniently dipt and shall use these words without Alteration I Baptise thée in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And hee shall thus Declare THis Childe is now received by Christs appointment into his Church and solemnly entred into the holy Covenant and engaged if heâ— lives to the use of Reason to rise with Christ to newness of life as being buried with him by Baptism and to bear his Cross and confess Christ crucified and faithfully to fight under his Banner against the Flesh the Devil and the World and to continue his Faithful Souldier and Servant to the death that hee may receive the Crown of Life Then hee shall give Thanks and Pray WEe thank thée most merciful Father that when wée had broken thy Law and were condemned by it thou hast given us a Saviour and life in him and hast extended thy Covenant of Grace to Beleevers and to their â—éed and hast now received this Childe into thy Covenant and Church as a member of Christ by this Sacrament of Regeneration Wée beséech thée let him grow up in Holiness and when hee comes to years of discretion let thy spirit reveal unto him the mysteries of the Gospel and the riches of thy love in Jesus Christ and cause him to renew and perform the covenant that hée hath now made and to resign himself and all that hée hath entirely unto thée his Lord to bée subject and obedient to thée his Governour and to love thée his Father with all his heart and soul and might and adhere unto thée and delight in thée as the Portion of his soul desiring and hoping to enjoy thée in everlasting Glory Save him from the Lusts and Allurements of the Flesh the temptations of the Devil and the Baits of the pleasure profit and honour of the world and from all the Corruptions of his own heart and all the hurtful violence of his Enemies Kéep him in Communion with the Saints in the love and use of thy word and worship Let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow Christ the Captain of his Salvation and bée faithful unto the death and then receive the Crown of life through Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen Then use this Exhortation or the like to the Parents YOu that have devoted this Childe to God and ingaged it in Covenant to him must bee thankful for so great a mercy to the Childe and must be faithful in performing what you have promised on your parts in instructing and educating this Childe in the Faith and Fear of God that hee may own and perform the Covenant now made and receive all the Blessings which God hath promised Hear what God hath made your duty Ephes 6. 4. Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Prov. 22. 6. Train up a childe in the way hee should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Prov. 19. 15. The Rod and Reproof give Wisdome but a Childe left to himself bringeth his Mother to shame Deut. 6. 5 6 7. Thou shalt love thy Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might
person bee able and willing let him before the Congregation give the foresaid account at large of his Knowledge Faith and Obedience But if through backwardness or disability for publick speech hee shall refuse it let him make the same Profession privately to the Minister and own it in the Assembly when the Minister shall declare it and ask him whether hee owns it But unless it bee in case of some extraordinary natural Imperfection and disability of utterance let him at least openly recite the Creed and profess his consent to the Covenant with God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Let the Minister of every Parish keep a double Register one of the Names of all that are there baptized another of the Names of all that are approved upon their foresaid credible Profession and so admitted into the number of Communicants or that have a certificate of such Approbation regularly elsewhere performed And if Confirmation bee continued let His Majesties Declaration bee observed requiring That Confirmation bee rightly and solemnly performed by the Information and with the consent of the Minister of the place Let no Minister bee inforced to admit any himself to the Lords Supper who hath been clancularly and irregularly approved Those that after this Approbation prove scandalous offenders shall not by the Minister be suffered to partake of the Lords Table until they have openly declared themselves to have truly repented and amended their former naughty lives Of the Celebration of Matrimony BEfore the Solemnizing of Marriage between any Persons their purpose of marriage shall bee published by the Minister three several Lords daies in the Congregation at the place or places of their most usual abode respectively And of this Publication the Minister who is to joyn them in marriage shall have sufficient Testimony before hee proceed to Solemnize the Marriage The Parents consent being first sufficiently made known At the Celebration the Minister shall either by a Sermon or other Exhortation open to them the Institution Ends and Use of Marriage with the conjugal Duties which they are faithfully to perform to each other And then shall demand of them whether it bee their desire and purpose to bee joyned together in the Bond of the Marriage-Covenant and if they answer affirmatively hee shall say to them I require and charge you as you will answer at the dreadful day of Judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed that if either of you do know any Impediment by Preconâ—ract or otherwise why you may not lawâ—ully bee joyned together in marriage you discover it and proceed not If no Impediment bee discovered by them or others hee shall Proceed to Pray MOst merciful Father who hast ordained Marriage for mutual help and for the increase of mankinde with a legitimate Issue and of the Church with a Holy séed and for prevention of uncleanness Bless thy own Ordinance to these persons that entring this state of Marriage in thy fear they may there â—â—tirely devote themselves unto thée and bée faithful in all conâ—…gal Affections and duties unto each other and if thou bless them with Children let them bee devoted unto thée and accepted as thine own and blessed with thy grace and educated in thy fear Subdue those corruptioins that would make their lives unholy or uncomfortable and deliver them from temptations to impiety worldlyness unquietness discontent or disaffection to each other or to any Unfaithfulness to thée or to each other make them meet helps to each other in thy fear and in the lawful management of the affairs of this World Let them not hinder but provoke one another to love and good to works and foreséeing the day of their separation by death let them spend their daies in a Holy Preparation and live here together as the Heirs of life that must reâ—oyce at the great marriage day of the Lamb and live for ever with Christ and all the Holy Angels and Saints in the presence of thy glory Amen The Woman if shâ—e bâ—e under Parents or Governours being by one of them or some deputed by them given to bâ—e married the Man with his Right hand shall take the Woman by the Right hand and shall say I. A. do take thée B. to bée my Married Wife and do promise and Covenant in the presence of God and before this Congregation to bée a loving and faithful Husband to thée till God shall separate us by death Then the Woman shall take the Man by the Right hand with her Right hand and say I. B. do take thée A. to bée my Married Husband and I do promise and Covenant in the presence of God and before this Congregation to bée a loving obedient and faithful Wife unto thée till God shall separate us by death Then let the Minister say These two persons A. and B. being lawfully married according to Gods Ordinance I do pronounce them Husband and Wife And those whom God hath conjoyned let no man put asunder Next hee may read the duty of Husbands and Wives out of Eâ—hes 5. 2. Coll. 4. 2. 1 Pet. 3. and Psalm 128. or some other Pertinent Psalm may bee said or sung And let the Minister exhort them to their several duties and then Pray MOst merciful Father let thy Blessings rest upon these Persons now joyned in lawful Marriage Sanctify them and their Conversations their Family Estates and 〈◊〉 unto thy Glory Furnish them with love to thée and to each other with méekness patience and contentedness Let them not live unto the Flesh but unto the spirit that of the spirit they may reap Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Amen Then let him Conclude with a Benediction GOd Almighty the Creator Redéemer and Sanctifier bless you in your Souls and Bodies Family and Affairs and preserve you to his Heavenly Kingdome Amen The Visitation of the Sick and their Communion THe Visitation of the Sick being a private duty and no part of the Pubâ—ick Liturgy of the Church and the case of the Sick being so exceeding various as to soul and body and it being requisite that Ministers bee able to suiâ— their Exhortations and Prayers to the Condition of the Sick let the words of such Exhortations and Prayers bee left to their Prudence So urgent is the necessity of the Sick and so seasonable and advantagious the opportunity that Ministers may not negligently over-pass them but in love and tenderness instruct them according to their several Conditions Endeavouring the Conversion of the ungodly the strengthening of the weak and comforting such as need Consolation directing them how to improve their afflictions and helping them to bee sensible of the evil of sin the negligences and miscarriages of their lives the vanity of the World their necessity of a Saviour the sufficiency of Christ the Certainty and Excellency of the Everlasting Glory Exhorting them to repentance and to faith in Christ and to set their affections on the things above And if
of the Son of God to a perfect man hee is set at Gods right hand in the Celestials far above all Principalities and Powers and Might and Dominion and every name that is named not only in this World but in that to come God hath put all things under his feet and gave him to bee head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Without Controversie great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifested in the Flesh justified in the Spirit seen of Angels preached to the Gentiles beleeved on in the World received up into glory This is the Record that God hath given us Eternal life and this Life is in his Son Hee that hath the Son hath life and hee that hath not the Son hath not life Hee was in the World and the World was made by him and the world knew him not Hee came to his own and his own received him not This is the Condemnation that light is come into the world and men loved darkness rather than light because their Deeds are Evil. But as many as receive him to them gives hee Power to become the Sons of God even to them that beleeve in his Name There is therefore now no Condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit He forgiveth our Iniquities and will remember our sins no more who shall lay any thing to Charge of Gods elect It is God that Justifieth who is hee that Condemneth It is Christ that died Yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Who gave himself for us that hee might redéem us from all Iniquity purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his Hee that nameth the name of Christ must depart from Iniquity If wee regard Iniquity in our hearts God will not hear our Prayers But wee are washed wee are sanctified wee are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God Not by works of Righteousness which wee have done but according to his mercy hee saved us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost And being justified by faith wee have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also wee have Access by Faith into this Grace wherein wee stand and rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us For if when wee were Enemies wee were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being Reconciled wee shall bee saved by his life Hee that spared not his own Son but gave him up for us All how shall hee not with him also freely give us all things hee that is gone to prepare a place for us will come again and receive us to himself that where hee is there wee may bee also It is his will that they that the Father hath given him bee with him where hee is that they may behold the Glory that is given him Because hee liveth wee shall live also For wee are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall wee also appear with him in Glory when hee shall come to bee glorified in his Saints and to bee admired in all them that do beleeve Then shall men discern between the Righteous and the Wicked between those that serve God and those that serve him not Then shall the Righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Hee that overcometh shall inherit all things Hee shall enter into the Joy of his Lord Hee shall bee a Pillar in the Temple of God and shall go out no more Christ will grant him to fit with him in his Throne even as hee overcame and is set down with his Father in his Throne hee will rejoyce ever as with joy hee will test in his love Even in the Holy City the new Jerusalem prepared as a Bride adorned for her 〈◊〉 where the Tabernacle of God will bee with men and hee will dwell with them and they shall bee his people and God himself shall bee with them their God and shall wipe away all tears from their Eyes and there shall bee no more death nor sorrow nor crying nor pain for the former things are passed away And the City needeth not the Sun or the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof The Throne of God and of the Lamb shall bee in it and his Servants shall serve him and shall see his face who is the Blessed and only Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Of him Through him and To him are all things To him bee Glory for ever Amen FINIS 1 Tim. 1. 17. Psal 147. 5. Mat. 19. 17. 1 Tim. 6. 16. Dan. 7. 10. Isa 57. 15. Psal 149. 4. Heb. 10. 19 20. Isa 55. 6. Psa 95. 6. 1 2. 99. 5. 51. 1 17. 89. 7. Jer. 32. 40. Heb. 12. 28. 1 Thes 5. 23. Levit. 10. 3. Zech. 12. 10. Rom. 8. 26. Jam. 5. 16. 1. 6. Isa 26. 8. Matth. 15. 18. Joh. 4. 23 24. 1 Thes 2. 13. Act. 16. 14. Mark 4. 12. Phil. 1. 29. Prov. 1. 24 25. Eccles 5. 1. Joh. 6. 45. Heb. 4. 12 13. 2 Cor. 10. 4 6. Psal 69. 30. Psal 106. 46. Psal 9. 14. Psal 105. 3. Psal 51. 15. Psal 19. 14. Heb. 13. 21. Isa 66. 1. Psa 111. 9. Luke 2. 13. Psa 103. 20. Heb. 1. 6. Psa 149. 1. Lev. 10. 3. Gen 18 27. 2 Tim. 2. 5. Dan. 9. 18. Hos 14. 2. Rom. 8. 26. Heb. 12. 28. 〈◊〉 Thes 2. 10. Luke 19. 48. Isa 1. 19. 2 Cor. 2. 16. James 5 16. Psal 63. 5. 1 Cor. 7. 35. Psal 84. 10. 73. 28. Gen. 1. 27. Rom. 5. 12. Rom. 3. 23. Joh. 3. 16. 18 19 20. Gal. 3. 13. Joh. 3. 5. 6. Mat. 18. 3. Eze. 33. 11. Luk. 15. 10 18 19. Psal 5. 5. Rom. 6. 23. Ephes 1. 6. 12. John 4. 42. Rom. 3. 25. Ephes 1. 5. Luk. 24. 47. Act. 5. 37. Prov. 28. 13. Rev. 3. 17. Psal 51. 5. Ephes 2. 3. Isa 48. 8. Isa 53. 6. Psal 100. 3. 1 Corinth 6. 20. 2 Cor. 8. 5. 1 Cor. 10. 31. 7. 32. 1 Thes 4. 1. 1 Joh. 3. 22. Rom. 2. 23. 1 Chron. 21. 7. Phil. 2. 21. Luke 18. 14. Rom. 15. 1. Psal 47. 7. Rom. 7. 12. Dan. 9. 9. 10. Tit. 1. 7 10. Rom 8. 5. 13. 14. 4 20. Psal 78. 7. 22. Isa 51. 7 8.
worship It is easier to agree upon few things than upon many upon great and certain and necessary things than upon small uncertain and unnecessary things and upon things that God himself hath revealed or appointed than upon things that proceed from no surer an Original than the wit or will of man The strict prohibition of adding to or diminishing from the things commanded by the Law-giver of the Church Deut. 12. 3â— doth put such a fear in the minds of multitudes of the loyal subjects of Christ lest by such additions or diminutions in the matters of his worship they should provoke him to displeasure as will bee a certain perpetual hindrance to any common unity or Concord in such humane impositions of which many of the servants of the jealous God will have a continual jealousie With grieved hearts wee now renew the lamentable divisions occasioned already by these Impositions ever since the Reformation in the daies of King Edward 6th and the grievous fruits of those Divisions How they destroyed Charity the character of Christs Disciples and exasperated mens minds against each other How they corrupted mens prayers and other exercises of devotions and made them pray and preach against one another How their tongues were emboldned to the censuring of each other one party calling the other Factious Schismatical Singular and Disobedient and the other calling them Antichristian Proud Tirannical Superstitious Persecutors and Formalists And such language still increasing the uncharitableness and divisions till the increase of imposing rigour on the one side and of impatience under Sufferings on the other side was too great a preparation to those greater calamities which are yet bitter to the remembrance of all whose interests or passions have not Conquered their humanity And the continuance of so much of the causes and effects doth infallibly prove that if the same impositions bee setled upon us the same Heart-divisions will bee still continued Brethren will disdain the name and love of Brethren to each other which yet Christ himself by condiscending and reproving love vouchsafeth to them all Instead of loving one another with a pure heart fervently there will bee if not hating yet grudging at one another censuring and despising one another Which effects will still increase their cause and make one side think that they are necessitated to bee more rigorous in their Coercions and the other think that they are allowed to bee more censorious against those by whom they suffer And how many thousands on both sides by such a stream of temptations will undoubtedly bee carried on in a course of Sin from day to day and by heart sin and tongue sin by Pulpit sins or sins in other parts of Worship will dishonour God and provoke him to indignation against them and the Land wee may not without astonishment and grief of heart foresee or foretell And its easie to foresee how the innocent will bee numbred with the faulty and those that do but feel their sufferings and the sufferings of the Church on these occasions and do but groan and sigh to God and pray for succour and deliverance will bee thought to bee guilty of discontent and faction and bringing the Government of the Church and consequently of the Kingdome into hatred or dislike and so their sufferings will be increased And hee that is commanded by the Laws of humanity to be compassionately sensible of the Calamities of others shall bee thought an offender for being sensible of his own It s easie to fore-see how those expressions in mens Sermons or Prayers or familiar Conference which seem to any mis-understanding or suspicious or masicious hearers to intimate any sense of sufferings will be carried to the ears of Rulers and represented as a crime And nature having planted in all men an unwillingness to suffer and denied to all men a love of calamity and necessitated men to feel when they are hurt and made the tongue and countenance the Index of our sense these Effects will be unavoidable while such Impositions are continued and while a fear of sinning will not suffer men to swallow and digest them and what wrong such divisions about Religion will be to the Kingdome and to His Majesty wee shall not mention because our Governours themselves may better understand it On the other side what universal ease and peace and joy would be the fruits of that happy unity and concord which the reasonable forbearances which wee humbly petition for would certainly produce how comfortable would our Ministerial labours bee when wee had no such temptations burdens or disquietments When wee lay not under the Reproofs of Conscience nor the suspicions or displeasure of our Superiours but might serve the Lord without distraction and bee among his servants without such fears Phil. 1. 14. 1 Cor. 16. 10. How much would the hands of the Builders be strengthened for the work of God when they speak the same things and there are no divisions among them but they are perfectly joyned together in the same minde and judgement 1 Cor. 1. 10. when they are like-minded having the same love being of one accord of one minde doing nothing through strife or vain glory which will never be while the one calls the other factious and schismatical and the other calleth him superstitious and tyrannical but when Christ hath taught us in lowliness of minde to esteem others better than our selves and not to look every man on his own things his own gifts and virtues and worth and interest but every man also on the things of others and till the same mind bee in us that was in Christ Jesus that humbled himself and took upon him the form of a servant and made himself of no Reputation Phil. 1. 2 to 9. How much should wee honour the Body the Spirit the Hope the Lord the Faith the Baptism the God and Father of all Beleevers which are one if wee were one among our selves which will never be till with lowliness and meekness and long-suffering wee forbear one another in love instead of hating reviling and persecuting one another and till wee endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit though given in various degrees rather than an unity in unnecessary things in the bond of peace Ephes 4. 2 3 4 5 6 7. and till the well-joynted and compacted body do edifie it self in love by a due contribution of mutual supply and grow in Christ the proper head instead of contending with it self and dis-joynting and tearing it self into peeces because of our different measure of understanding and our unavoidable differences about some small unnecessary things vers 13 14 15 16. How beautiful would our holy Assemblies be and how delightful the worship of God there celebrated if wee had all laid by the unchristian spirit of hatred envy emulation murmuring wrath variance strife heresies seditions and all uncharitableness and with one minde and one mouth did glorifie God Gal. 5. 19 20 21. Rom. 15. 16. which will never
our selves Thou art the King of all the world and Thy Laws are holy iust and good But wée have denied Thée our due subjection and obedience being unruly and self-willed minding the things of the flesh and making provision for its lusts Wée have staggered at Thy Word through unbeléef and have not fully placed our trust and hope in Thée Wée have rather feared man that is dust and can but kill the body than Thée that canst destroy both soul and body in Hell Thou art infinitely good and love it self yet have wée not fully taken Thée for our portion nor loved Thée with all our heart and soul and might nor mads Thée our full desire and delight But wée have inordinately loved our selves and the world and the things of the world and lived by sense when wée should have lived by Faith and cared and laboured for the food that perisheth when wée should have laboured for the one thing néedful and that which indureth to everlasting life wée have béen slothful servants yéelding to temptations ashamed of our duty losing our precious time when wee should have béen fervent in spirit serving the Lord cleaving to Thée with full resolution redéeming the time and with diligence making sure our Calling and Election Wée have not with due holiness and reverence drawn neer Thée and used thy holy Name thy Worship and thy Day Wée have dishonoured and disobeyed our Superiours and neglected our Inferiours Wée have béen guilty of not loving our Neighbours as our selves and not doing to others as wée would they should do to us but have sought our own against their welfare not forbearing and forgiving not loving our enemies as wee ought nor following peace nor studying to do good to all according to our power Wee have sinned secretly and openly in thought word and déed ignorantly and presumptuously in passion and upon deliberation against thy Precepts Promises and Threats against thy mercies and thy judgements under thy patience and in thy sight against our consciences our purposes and our covenants when wée were hasting to death and judgement for which through all our lives wée should have prepared Thou hast commended thy wonderful love towards us in giving thy Son to dye for sinners to reconcile us to Thée while wée were enemies and all things being made ready thou hast sent thy Messengers to invite us to come in preaching to us the glad tidings of salvation and fréely offering us pardon and life in Jesus Christ but wee have made light of it and neglected this great Salvation and made excuses or too long delaies undervaluing our Redeemer his blood and merits his offered grace and endless glory rejecting his holy Doctrine and Example resisting his Spirit Ministers and Wrod Wee have sinned O Lord against Thée and against our own souls and are not worthy to be called thy children Wée have deserved everlasting wrath to us belongeth confusion but mercy and forgiveness unto Thée Have mercy upon us O God according to the multitude of thy Mercies Heal our souls that have sinned against Thée and enter not into judgement with thy servants Hide thy face from our sins and blot out all our iniquities Cast us not away from thy presence and avenge not upon us the quarrel of thy Covenant Wash us in the blood of the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world Accept us in thy Beloved Son who was made a curse for us and was wounded for our transgressions that wée might bee healed by his stripes Turn us O God of our salvation and cause thy face to shine upon us Give us Repentance unto life cause us to loathe our selves for all the evils that wée have committed Give us that broken contrite Spirit which thou wilt not despise Create in us a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within us Take out of us the old and strong heart and give us a new and tender heart Give us the Spirit of thy Son and bee our God and let us bée thy People Enlighten our understandings to know the wonderful things of thy Law the dimensions of thy love in Christ the mysteries of thy Kingdome and the riches of the glory of thy Inheritance in the Saints and that wee may approve the things that are excellent and may escape the snares of the Devil and may hate every false way Shed abroad thy love in our hearts by thy holy Spirit and cause us so to love Thee that nothing may separate us from thy love Put thy fear into our hearts that wee may never depart from Thee Cause us to seek first thy Kingdome and its Righteousness and as those that are risen with Christ to seek the things that are above and to lay up a treasure in Heaven and let our hearts and conversations bee there mortifie our earthly inclinations and desires Crucifie the world to us and us unto the world by the Cross of Christ Cause us to live by Faith and look at the things that are unseen and use the world as not over-using it seeing the fashion of it passeth away striving to enter in at the strait gate and running so as to obtain let us no longer live the rest of our time to the lusts of men but to the will of God studying in all things to please Thee and to bee accepted of Thee let us not seek our own wills but the will of him that called us yea let us delight to do thy will O God let our delight bee in thy Law and let us meditate therein day and night cause us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soverly and righteously and godly in this present world as obedient children not fashioning our selves to the former lusts of our ignorance but as hee that hath called us is holy let us be holy in all manner of conversation Cause us to love one another with a pure heart fervently forbearing and forgiving one another if any have a quarrel against other even as Christ forgave us Give us the wisdome which is first pure and then peaceable In our eyes let a vile person bee contemned but let us honour them that fear the Lord. Cause us to walk circumspectly without offence and to bee zealous of good Works to love our enemies and not to give place to wrath and in patience to possess our souls Help us to deny our selves and take up our Cross and follow Christ esteeming his reproach to bee greater riches than the treasures of the world that having suffered with him wee may also bee glorified with him Though wee must bee tempted help us to overcome and bee faithful unto the death and then let us receive that Crown of Life through the merits and intercession of Christ Jesus our Lord and onely Saviour in whose comprehensive words wee summ up our Requests saying as hee hath taught us Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed bee thy Name Thy Kingdome come c. Or thus when Brevity is
put yee on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof Love not the World neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the father is not in him For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world Enter yee in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction and many there bee that go in thereat Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there bee that finde it For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts wee should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who gave himself for us that hee might redeeme us from all Iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Blessed is the man that walketh not in the Counsel of the ungodly nor standeth in the way of Sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the Scornful But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in his law hee doth meditate day and night The ungodly shall not stand in the Judgement nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous Wherefore wee receiving a Kingdome which cannot bee moved let us have grace whereby wee may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming Fire Seeing then that these things shall bee dissolved what manner of persons ought yee to bee in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hasting to the Comming of the day of God Therefore my beloved Brethren bee yee stedfast unmovable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord for as much as yee know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord Then may bee said the 95. or the 100. Psalm or the 84. And next the Psalms in order for the day And next shall be read a Chapter of the Old Testament such as the Minister findeth most seasonable or with the liberty expressed in the Admonition before the second book of Homilies After which may be sung a Psalm or the Te Deum said then shall bee read a Chapter of the New Testament and then the Prayer for the King and Magistrates And after that the 67. or 98. or some other Psalm may bee sung or said or the Benedictus or Magnificat And the same order to bee observed at the Evening Worship if time allow it NExt after the Psalm the Minister shall in the Pulpit first reverently prudently and servently pray according to the State and necessities of the Church and those especially that are present and according to the subject that hee is to preach on And after prayer hee shall preach upon some Text of holy Scripture suiting his matter to the necessities of the Hearers and the manner of delivery to their quality and benefit Alwaies speaking from faith and holy experience in himself with plainness and perspicuity with reverence and gravity with convincing evidence and authority with prudence caution faithfulness and impartiality with tender love and melting compassion with servent zeal and perswading importunity and with frequency and unwearied Patience waiting on God for the success After Sermon hee shall pray for a blessing on the word of Instruction and Exhortation which was delivered And in his Prayers before or after Sermon ordinarily hee shall pray for the Conversion of Heathens Jews and other Infidels the subversion of Idolatry Infidelity Mahometanisme Heresie Papal Tiranny and Superstition Schisme and Prophaneness and for the free progress of the Gospel and the increase of Faith and godliness the honouring of Gods name the enlargement of the Kingdome of Christ and the obedience of his Saints through the Nations of the Earth And in special for these Nations for the Kings Majestie and the rest of the Royal Family for the Lords of his Majesties Counsel the Judges and other Magistrates of the Land for the Pastors of the Church and all Congregations committed to their Care and Government Alwaies taking heed that no mixtures of impâ—â—dent disorderly expressions of private discontent and passion of unreverent disobedient seditious or factious Intimations tending to corrupt and not to edifie the peoples minds do turn either Prayer or Preaching into sin And ordinarily in Church Communion especially on the Lords Day which is purposely separated for the joyful Commemoration of the Blessed Work of mans Redemption a considerable proportion of the Publick Worship must consist of Thanksgiving and Praises to God especially for Jesus Christ and his Benefits still leaving it to the Ministers discretion to abbreviate some parts of Worship when hee seeth it needful to bee longer or some other The Sermon and Prayer being ended let the Minister dismiss the Congregation with a Benediction in these or the like words Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and keep it The Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face to shine on you and bee gracious unto you The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you Peace The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Ghost bee with you all Amen Except there bee a Communion in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to bee celebrated or any further Worship to be performed and then the Minister may delay the Benediction till the End And because when there is leisure the Prayers of the Church should bee as full as the Rule and our Necessities require let the following General Prayer bee used when the Ministers findeth it convenient instead of the Letany and Collects Here are also adjoyned a Thanksgiving for Christ and his benefits and a Hymn to bee used at the discretion of the Minister either after Sermon or at the Communion or on other daies A Prayer for the King the Royal Family and Magistrates ALmighty God by whom Kings reign and Princes decree Justice who rulest in all the Kingdomes of men and givest them to whomsoever thou wilt who by thy special Providente hast set over us thy Servant Charls our King Crown him with thy Blessings and satisfie him with thy Goodness Save him by thy right hand and defend him against such as rise up against him prolong his life in Peace and Righteousness grant him the Spirit of Wisdome and Counsel the Spirit of Holiness and the fear of the Lord that he may know how to go in and out before this great People over whom thou hast fet him Let not thy Law depart out of his mind or mouth but let him meditate in it day and
night Make him as an Angel of God to discera between good and evil that in his eyes a vile person may be contemned due hee may honour them that fear the Lord that his eyes may bee upon the faithful of the Land that they may dwell with him and they that are perfect in the way serve him Remove the Wicked from before him that his Throne may bee established in Righteousness and grant that under him wee may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty And when hee hath finished his course on Earth let him inherit a Crown of Righteousness and reign with Christ for ever Bless the Queen Mother the Illustrious Prince James Duke of York and the rest of the Royal Family endue them with thy Holy Spirit inrich them with thy heavenly Grace and make them blessings in their Generation Endue the Lords of His Majesties Counsel and all the Nobility the Judges and all the Magistrates of the Land with Wisdome from above that they may rule as in thy fear and iudge Righteous Judgement and may take heed what they do as iudging not for man but for the Lord that Justice may run down as Water and Righteousness as a mighty stream Let all His Maiesties Subiects duly submit to him and obey him not only for wrath 〈◊〉 for conscience sake Let all his Kingdâ—mes bee the Kingdâ—mes of the Lord and of his Son Christ that God may dwell amongst us and if it may bee said of them The Lord bless thee O Habitation of Justice and Mountain of Holiness For Thine O Father with the Son and Holy Ghost is the Kingdome and Power and Glory for ever Amen The General Prayer OMost Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost Three Persons and One God our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier our Lordâ— our Governour and Father hear us and have mercy upon 〈◊〉 miserable sinners O Lord our Saviour God and man 〈◊〉 who having assumâ—… our nature by thy sufferings and death and burial wast made 〈◊〉 Ransome to take away the sins of the World who being raises from the dead ascended and glorified art made Head over all things to the Church which thou gatherest justifiest sanctifiest rulest and preservest and which at thy coming Thou wilt raise and judge to endless Glory Wee beseech Thee to hear us miserable sinners make sure to us our Calling and Election our unfeigned Faith and Repentance that being justified and made the Sons of God wee may have Peace with him as our Reconciled God and Father Let thy holy Spirit sanctifie us and dwell in us and cause us to deny our selves and to give up our selves entirely to Thee as being not our own but Thine As the World was created for thy Glory let thy Name bee glorified throughout the World Let Self-love and Pride and Uain-glory bee destroyed cause us to love Thee fear Thee and trust in Thee with all our hearts and to live to Thee Let all the Earth subject themselves to Thee their King Let the Kingdomes of the World become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ Let the Atheists Idolaters Mahometans Jews and other Infidels and ungodly People bee converted Send forth meet Labourers into the Harvest and let the Gospel bee preached throughout all the World Preserve and bless them in thy Work Sustain in patience and seasonably deliver the Churches that are oppressed by Idolaters Infidels Mahometans or other enemies or by the Roman Papal 〈◊〉 Unite all Christians in Jesus Christ the true and onely universal Head in the true Christian and Catholick Faith and Love cast out Heresies and Corruptions heal divisions let the strong receive the weak and bear their Infirmities Restrain the spirit of Pride and Cruelty and let nothing bee done in strife or vain-glory Keep us from Atheism Idolatry and Rebellion against Thee from Infidelity Ungodliness and Sensuality from Security Presumption and Despair Let us delight to please Thee and let thy Word bee the Rule of our Faith and Lives let us love it and understand iâ— and meditate in it day and night Let us not corrupt or neglect thy Worship nor take thy Holy Name in vain keep us from Blasphemy Perjury prophane Swearing Lying contempt of thy Ordinances and from false unworthy and unreverent thoughts and speeches of God or holy things and from the neglect and prophanation of thy Holy Day Put it into the hearts of the Kings and Rulers of the World to submit to Christ and rule for him as Nursing-Fathers to his Church and save them from the temptations that would drown them in sensuality or would break them upon Christ as a Rock of offence by engaging them against his holy Doctrine Waies and Servants Have mercy on thy Servant Charls our King protect his Person illuminate and sanctifie him by thy Spirit that above all things hee may seek thine honour the encrease of Faith and holy Obedience to thy Laws and may govern us as thy Minister appointed by Thee for the terrour of evil doers and the praise of them that do well that under him wee may live a quiet and peaceable life in all Godliness and Honesty Have mercy upon all the Royal Family upon the Lords of the Counsel and all the Nobility the Judges and other Magistrates of these Lands Let them fear Thee and hee Ensamples of Piety and Temperance haters of Injustice Covetousness and Pride and Defenders of the Innocent in their eyes let a vile person bee contemned but let them honour them that fear the Lord. Let every soul bee subject to the Higher Powers and not resist Let them obey the King and all in Authority not only for wrath but for conscience sake Give all the Churches able holy faithful Pastors that may soundly and diligently preach thy Word and guide the Flocks in waies of Holiness and Peace over-seeing and ruling them not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready minde not as being Lords over thy Heritage but the Servants of all and Ensamples to the Flock that when the chief Pastor shall appear they may receive the Crown of Glory Let the people know those that are over them in the Lord and labour among them preaching to them the Word of God let them highly esteem them in love for their works sake account them worthy of double honour and obey them in the Lord. Let Parents bring up their Children in Holy Nurture that they may remember their Creatour in the daies of their youth and let Children love honour and obey them Let husbands love their Wives and guide them in knowledge and holiness and let Wives love and obey their Husbands Let Masters rule their servants in thy fear and servants obey their Masters in the Lord. Kéep us from Murders and violence and injurious passionate words and actions Kéep us from Fornication and all uncleanness from Chambering and wantonness from Lustful thoughts
of his that do his pleasure Bless the Lord all his Works in all places of his Dominions Bless the Lord O my soul my mouth shall speak the Praises of the Lord And let all Flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise yee the Lord. The Order of Celebrating the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ This or the like Explication of the Nature Use and Benefits of this Sacrament may bee used at the discretion of the Minister when hee seeth it needful to the Instruction of the Communicants THat you may discern the Lords body and understand the nature use and benefits of this Sacrament you must know that God created man in his own Image to know and love and serve his Maker That man fell under the guilt of sin and condemnation and left his holy Fitness for the work for which hee was created That hereupon the wonderful love and wisdome of God provided us a Remedy in our Redeemer to the end hee might not lose the glory of his Creation that hee might pardon and save us upon terms Securing the honour of his Justice and attaining the ends of his Law and Government and recover us to his love and service by appearing to the world in the greatest demonstrations of Goodness Love and Mercy By the greatest Miracle of Condiscension hee first promised and then gave his onely Son the Eternal Word to take mans nature into personal union with his God-head that being God and Man hee might bee a fit Mediator between God and Man to restore us and reconcile us to himself Thus Jesus Christ conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary became the second Adam the Physician and Saviour of undone Sinners the Captain of our Salvation to bee the glorious King and Head of all that are sanctified and saved Hee revealed the Holiness the Goodness and the Love of God by the perfect Holiness Goodness and Love of his Blessed Person Doctrine and Conversation and by suffering for us all the Afflictions of this life and at last the cursed death of the Cross as a Sacrifice and Ransome for us That all this might be effectual to our Recovery hee made for us a new and better Covenant and preached it himself undertaking the Pardon Justification and Sanctification of all that by unfeigned Faith do take him for their Saviour repenting of their sins and consenting to be sanctified by his Word and Spirit by which also hee inviteth and draweth men to himself and giveth them to beleeve Into this blessed pardoning saving Covenant wee are first solemnly entred by Baptism And when Christ was ready to leave the world and to give up himself a Sacrifice for us and intercede and exercise the fulness of his Kingly Power as the Churches Head and by his grace to draw men to himself and prepare them for his glory hee did himself institute this Sacrament of his body and blood at his last Supper to bee a continued Representation and Remembrance of his Death and therein of his own and his Fathers Love until his coming appointing his Ministers by the Preaching of the Gospel and Administration of these Sacraments to bee his Agents without and his Spirit within effectually to communicate his Grace The Lords Supper then is a holy Sacrament instituted by Christ wherein Bread and Wine being first by Consecration made Sacramentally or Representatively the body and blood of Christ are used by breaking and pouring out to represent and commemorate the Sacrifice of Christs Body and Blood upon the Cross once offered up to God for sin and are given in the Name of Christ unto the Church to signifie solemnize the renewal of his holy Covenant with them and the giving of himself unto them to expiate their sins by his Sacrifice and sanctifie them further by his Spirit and confirm their right to everlasting life And they are received Eaten and drunk by the Church to profess that they willingly receive Christ himself to the Ends aforesaid their Justification Sanctification and Glorification and to signifie and solemnize the Renewal of their Covenant with him and their holy Communion with him and with one another It being the renewing of a mutual Covenant that is here solemnized as wee commemorate Christs Sacrifice and receive him and his saving benefits so wee offer and deliver to him our selves as his redeemed sanctified people to bee a living Acceptable Sacrifice thankfully and obediently to live unto his Praise Before the receiving of this holy Sacrament wee must examine our selves and come preparedly In the receiving of it wee must exercise holy affections suited to the work And after the receiving of it wee must by consideration of it indeavour to revive the same Affections and perform our Covenant there renewed The holy Qualifications to bee before Provided and in Receiving exercised and after Receiving are these 1. A true beleef of the Articles of the Christian Faith concerning the Father Son and Holy Ghost the Person Offices Works and Sufferings and Benefits of Christ 2. The sense of our sinful and undone condition as in our selves and of our need of Christ so as humbly to loath our selves for our transgressions with the sense of our present weaknesses to bee strengthened and sins to bee forgiven 3. A true desire after Christ for pardon and spiritual Nourishment and Salvation 4. A thankful sense of the Wonderful Love of God declared in our Redemption and in the present offers of Christ and Life 5. The exercise of holy love and joy in the sense of this unspeakable Love if these two bee not felt before wee come yet in and after the Sacrament we must strive to exercise them 6. A love to one another and forgiving wrongs to one another with a desire after the Communion of Saints 7. The giving up our selves in Covenant to God with resolution of renewed Obedience 8. A patient hope for the coming of Christ himself and of the Everlasting Kingdome where wee shall bee perfectly united in him and glorified with him Those onely are to bee invited to the Lords Table and to come that truly repent and beleeve and unfeignedly consent to the terms of the Covenant though all are not to bee invited thus to beleeve and repent and so to come But those are to be admitted by the Pastors if they come who having the use of reason to understand what they do and examine themselves have made a Personal Profession of Faith Repentance and Obedience and are Members of the Church and not justly for Heresie or scandalous sin removed from its present Communion The benefit of the Sacrament is not to be judged of onely by present Experience and Feeling but by Faith God having appointed us to use it and promised his Blessing wee may and must beleeve that hee will make good his Promise and what ever wee feel at present that wee sincerely wait not on him in
spirit of the humble and the heart of the Contrite ones for thou wilt not contend for ever neither wilt thou bee alwaies wroth for the spirit would fail before thée and the soul which thou hast made Look down in tender mercy on the affliction of this thy Servant O Lord rebuke him not in thy wrath neither chasten him in thy hot displeasure All his desire is before thée and his groaning is not hid from thée Have mercy upon him O Lord for hée is weak O Lord heal him whose boues and soul is vered In death there is no remembrance of thée In the grave who shall give thée thanks Remember that wée are but flesh a Wind that passeth away and cometh not again wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble Remember not the Iniquities of his youth or his transgressions look upon his Afffiction and his pain and forgive all his sins Though the sorrows of death do compass him about yet if it bée for thy glory and his good recover him and let him live and praise thy name Rebuke his sickness direct unto such means as thou wilt bless In the time of his trouble wée call upon thée do thou deliver him and let him glorifie thée however shew him the sin that doth offend thée let him search and try his waies and confess and turn from his Inquity and let it bée good for him that hée was afflicted Let this bée the fruit of it to purge and take away his sin That being chastened of the Lord hée may not bée condemned with the world And though chastisement for the present séemeth not to bée joyous but grievous yet afterwards let it yéeld the peaceable fruit of Righteousness to this thy Servant that is exercised therein In the mean time O Lord bée thou his Portion who art good to the Soul that séeketh thée and waiteth for thée Let him patiently and silently bear thy yoak let him hope and quietly wait for thy salvation Considering that thou wilt not cast off for ever that thy anger is but for a moment but in thy favour is Life Wéeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning and that whom thou lovest thou chastenest and scourgest every son whom thou receivest and that if hée indure Chastening thou dealest with him as a Son If hée bée recovered let him devote himself entirely to thy glory That when thou hast put off his sackcloath and mourning and girded him with gladness hee may speak thy praise and give thée thanks If hée receive the sentence of death in himself let it cause him to trust in thée that raisest the dead knowing that as thou didst raise up the Lord Jesus thou wilt raise him up also by Jesus Therefore suffer not his hope to faint but though his outward man perish yet let his inwardman bée renewed from day to day and let him live by faith and look at the things which are not séen even at the excéeding eternal weight of glory Let him bée found in Christ not having his own righteousness but that which is of God by faith Restrain the tempter and deliver thy servant from the sinful fears of death by Christ who through death destroyed the Devil that had the power of death That hée may finde that death hath lost his sting and Triumph over it by Faith in him through whom wée are made more than Conquerers That by faith and love his soul may now ascend with Christ that ascended unto his Father and our Father and to his God and our God and is gone to prepare a place for us and hath promised that where hée is there his servants shall bée also That they may behold the glory which thou hast given him Magnifie thy self in his Body whether by life or death and safely bring him into thy glorious presence where is fulness of Joy and Everlasting pleasures through Jesus Christ our Life and Righteousness Amen A Prayer for Women drawing neer the time of Childe-bearing MOst merciful Father who hast justly Sentenced Woman that was first in the Transgression to great and multiplyed sorrows and particularly in sorrow to bring forth Children yet grantest preservation and reliefe for the propagation of Mankinde Bée merciful to this thy servant bée néer her with thy present help in the néedful time of trouble and though in Travel shée hath sorrow give her strength to bring forth Being delivered let her remember no more the Anguish for ioy that a Childe is born into the World Bless her in the fruit of her body and being safely delivered let her return thée hearty thanks and devote it and the rest of her life to thy service through Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen A Thanksgiving for those that are restored from Dangerous Sickness WEe thank thée O Most Gracious God that thou hast heard us when wée cryed unto thée for thy servant in his weakness and distress that thou hast not turned away our Prayer nor thy mercy from him wée cryed to thée and thou hast delivered and healed him thou hast brought him from the grave thou hast kept him alive that hée should not go down into the Pit thou hast forgiven his iniquity and healed his diseases thou hast redéemed his life from destruction and hast crowned him with loving kindeness and tender mercies thou hast not deprived him of the residue of his years thou hast repented thée of the Evil His Age is nor departed Thou hast renewed his youth and given him to sée man with the Inhabitants of the World And to sée the Goodness of the Lord in the land of the living day and night thy hand was heavy upon him but thou hast turned away thy wrath and hast forgiven the iniquity of his sin for this every one that is godly shall pray unto thée in a time of trouble 〈◊〉 Thou art a hiding place thou preservest us from trouble when our Flesh and our heart faileth us thou art the strength of our heart and our Portion for ever indéed Lord thou art good unto thine Israel Even to such as are clean of heart many are the afflictions of the Righteous but thou deliverest them out of all Though all the day long they bée afflicted and chastened every morning yet are they continually with thée Thou holdest them by the right hand thou art a present help in trouble when all the help of man is vain Let thy servant love thée because thou hast heard his voice and supplication Let him offer unto thée the sacrifice of thanksgiving and pay his vowes to the most high and take the Cup of Salvation and call upon thée all his daies let him bée wholly devoted to thy praise and glorifie thée in Soul and Body as being Thine and seasonably depart in peace unto thy glory through Jesus Christ our life and righteousness Amen A
secrets shall bee opened and God will no more intreat you to confess Heb. 9. 7. Matth. 10. 26. Behold the Judge standeth at the door Jam. 5. 9. will sin goe then with you for as light a matter as it doth now Will you then deny it or will you stand to all the reasonings or excuses by which you would now extenuate or cover it Will you defend it as your friend and bee angry with Ministers and Reprovers as your Enemies Or will you not mourn at last with weeping and gnashing of teeth And say How have I hated Instruction and my heart despised Reproof And have not obeyed the voyce of my Teachers nor inclined mine Ear to them that Instructed mee Pro. 5. 11 12 13. Mat. 13. 4◠50. O that you were wise that you understood this and that you would consider your latter End Deut. 32. 29. beleeve Gods wrath before you feel it bee convinced by the word and servants of the Lord before you are confounded by the dreadfulness of his Majesty yet there is hope but shortly there will be none if you now neglect it yet if you consess and forsake your sins you shall have mercy but if you cover them you shall not prosper Prov. 28. 13. And if being oft reproved you harden your Neck you shall suddenly bee destroyed and that without remedy Pro. 29. 1. Bee not deceived God is not mocked whatsoever you sow that shall you also reap Gal. 6. 7. O man you know not what it is to deal with an offended and revenging God Nor what it is to hear Christ say depart from mee yee workers of Iniquity I never knew you depart from mee yee wicked into everlasting fire Matth. 7. 23. and 25. 41. You know not what it is to bee shut out of Heaven and concluded under utter desperation and in Hell to look back upon this obstinate Impenitence and rejecting of the mercy that would have saved you And there to have Conscience telling you for ever what it is that you have done Did you not know what this is could you think a Penitent confessing and forsaking your sin to be a condition too hard for the preventing of such a Doleful state O No! you know not what a case you are casting your immortal soul into The Lord give you repentance that you may never know it by experience To prevent this is our business with you Wee delight not to displease or shame you But God hath told us that if any do err from the truth and one convert him let him know that hee which converteth the sinner from the errour of his way shall save a soul from death and shall hide a multitude of sins Jam. 5. 20. I do therefore by the Command and in the name of Jesus Christ require and beseech you that you do without any more delay confess your sins and heartily bewail them and beg pardon of them and resolve and promise by the help of God to do so no more And bless God that you have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous whose blood will cleanse you from your sins if you penitently confess them 1 John 1. 7 9. and 2. 1 2. and that mercy may bee yet had on so easie terms If you had any sense of your sin and misery or any sense of the dishonour done to God or of the wrong that you have done to others and of the usefulness of your Penitent confession and amendment to the reparation of all these you would cast your self in the dust in shame and grief before the Lord and before the Church To day therefore if you will hear his voyce harden not your heart least God forsake you and give you over unto your own hearts lust to walk in your own counsels and resolve in his wrath you shall never enter into his rest Psalm 95. 8. 12. and 81. 11. 12. And then God and this Congregation will bee Witnesses that you were warned and your blood will bee upon your own head But if in Penitent confession you fly to Christ and loath your self for your iniquities and heartily forsake them I have Authority to promise you free Forgiveness and that your Iniquitie shall not bee your Ruine Luke 24. 4. 7. Ezek. 18. 30 31 32. A Form of Confession to bee made beeore the Congregation I do confess before God and this Congregation that I have greatly Sinned I have offended and dishonoured God wronged the Church and the Souls of others I have deserved to bée forsaken of the Lord and cast out of his presence and the communion of Saints into desperation and remediless misery in Hell I am no more worthy to bée called thy Son or to have a name or place among thy Servants I do here declare mine Iniquitys and am sorry for my sins They are gone over my head as a heavy burden they are too heavy for mée they take hold upon mée I am ashamed as unworthy to look up towards heaven but my hope is in the blood grace of Christ who made his life a Sacrifice for sin and came to séek and save that which was lost whose grace aboundeth where sin hath abounded The Lord bée merciful to mée a sinner I humbly beg of the Congregation that they will earnestly pray that God will wash mée throughly from mine Iniquity and cleanse mée from my sin that hée will forgive them and blot them out and hide his Face from them and remember them no more that hée will not cast mée away from his presence nor forsake mée as I have forsaken him nor deal with mée according to my deserts But that hée will create in mée a Clean heart and renew a right spirit in mée and grant mée the joy of his Salvation and I beg pardon of the Church and all that I have wronged and resolve by the grace of God to do so no more but to walk more watchfully as before the Lord and I desire all that are ungodly that they think never the worse of the Laws or waies or servants of the Lord for my misdoings For if I had béen ruled by God and by his servants I had never done as I have done There is nothing in Religion that befriendeth sin there is nothing so contrary to it as God and his Holy Laws which I should have obeyed Rather let all take warning by mée and avoid temptations and live not carelesly and hearken not to the Inclinatious or Reasonings of the Flesh nor trust not their weak and sinful hearts but live in godly fear and watchfulness and kéep under the Flesh and kéep close to God and hearken to the faithful Counsel of his servants and Intreat your Prayers to God that I may bée strengthened by his grace that I may sin thus no more least worse befal mée A Form of Prayer for a Sinner Impenitent after Publick Admonition MOst Gracious God According to thy Command wée have warned this sinner and told him of thy
that you return not to your vomit or to wallow again in the mire when you are washed but obey the spirit and keep close to God in the means of your preservation A Form of Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Restored Penitent OMost merciful Father Wée thank thée that thou hast brought us under so gracious a Covenant as not only to pardon the suis of our unregenerate state but also upon our Penitent confession and return to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness and pardon our falls by the blood of Christ and to restore our souls and lead us again in the Paths of Righteousness and command thy Servants to receive us Wée thank thée that thou hast thus restored this thy Servant giving him repentance and remissian of sin and returning him to the Communion of thy Church Wée beséech thée comfort him with the beleeving Apprehensions of thy forgiveness and reconciliation through Jesus Christ Restore unto him the joy of thy salvation and uphold him by thy frée spirit stablish strengththen settle him that with full purpose of heart he may cleave unto thée and now thou hast spoken peace to him hée may not return again to Folly as hée nameth the Name of Christ let him depart from Iniquity and never more dishonour Thée thy Church or truth nor his holy profession but save him from Temptation Let him watch and stand fast and sin no more least Worse befal him Let him not receive this grace in vain nor turn it into Wantonness nor continue in sin that grace may abound But let this old man bée crucified with Christ and the Body of sin be destroyed that henceforth hée may no more serve sin remembring what fruit hée had in those things whereof hée is now ashamed and that the Eud and waies of sin is death and let us all take warning by the falls of others and bee not high minded but fear And let him that thinketh hée standeth take héed least hée fall Let us watch and pray that wee enter not into Temptation remembring that the flesh is weak And our Adversary the Devil walketh about séeking whom hée may devour And let none of us hate our Brother in our hearts but in any wise rebuke our neighbour and not suffer sin upon him and confirm us unto the end that wée may bée blameless in the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thée O Father and thy Holy Spirit bée Kingdome and Power and Glory for ever Amen APPENDIX A Larger Letany or General Prayer to bee used at Discretion O Most Holy Blessed and Glorious Trinity Father Son and Holy Ghost thrée persons and one God Infinite in Power Wisdome and Goodness our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier our Owner Governour and Father hear our Prayers and have mercy upon us Miserable sinners O Lord our Saviour whose Jucarnation Nativity Subjection Fasting Temptation Poverty Reproaches Agony and Bloody sweat Scourging Desertion Crucifying Death and Burial were all undergone to take away the sins of the World Who being risen ascended and glorified art the great Priest and Prophet and King of thy Universal Church for which thou makest Intercession which thou doest gather teach and guide by thy Spirit Word and Ministers which thou dost justifie and wilt glorifie with thyself who wilt come again and raise the Dead and judge the world in righteousness Wée beséech thée hear us Miserable sinners Cast us not out that come unto thée Make sure to us our Calling and Election our unfeigned faith and repentance that being justified and made the Sons of God wee may have peace with him as our Reconciled God and Father Let our hearts bee right with thee our God and stedfast in thy Covenant cause us to deny our selves and give up our selves entirely unto thee our Creatour Redeemer and Sanctifier as being not our own but thine Let thy Holy spirit dwell in us and sanctifie us throughout that wee may bee new creatures and holy as thou art Holy let it bee in us the spirit of Adoption and supplication and the seal and earnest of our Glorious Inheritance and let us know that wee are thine and thou abidest in us by the spirit which thou hast given us As thy name O Lord is Holy and thy glory covereth the Heavens so let the Earth bee filled with thy praises Let our souls ever Magnifie thee O Lord and our Tongues extoll thée Let us speak of the glorious honor of thy Majesty of thy Greatness thy Power thy glorious Kingdome thy Wisdome Holiness Truth and Righteousness thy Goodness thy Mercy and thy wonderous Works Let all Flesh bless thy Holy Name Let the desire of our Souls bee to thy Name Cause us to love thee with all our hearts to fear thee trust in thee and to delight in thee and bee satisfied in thee as our Portion and what ever wee do to do it to thy glory Kéep us from Inordinate self love from Pride and vain Glory and self séeking and from dishonouring thée thy Word or service in the World Let the world acknowledge thee the Universal King Give thy Son the Heathen for his Inheritance and the utmost parts of the Earth for his Possession Let the Kingdomes of the world become his Kingdomes Convert the Atheistical Idolatrous Infidel Mahomitan and ungodly Nations of thè Earth that every knée may bow to Christ and every tongue confess him the King of Kings and Lord of Lords To the Glory of God the Father Let the Word of thy Kingdome and Salvation be preached to all the World let it have frée course and be glorified and by the Power of thy Spirit convert many unto Christ and let him be thy Salvation to the Ends of the Earth Send forth more Labourers into the Harvest which is great and fit them for so great a work and deliver them from unreasonable and wicked men that to fill up their sins forbid them to speak to the People that they might be saved Deliver the Churches that are oppressed by Idolaters Mahomitans or other Infidels and Enemies Give all thy Servants Prudence Patience and Innocency that suffering as Christians and not as Evil-Doers they may not be ashamed but may glorifie thée and wait for thy Salvation committing the kéeping of their souls unto thée in hope of a Reward in Heaven Deliver the Church from the Roman Papal Usurpations and Corruptions dispel the deceits of Heresies and false Worship by the light of thy prevailing Truth Unite all Christians in Christ Jesus the true and onely Universal Head that by the true Christian Catholick Faith and Love they may grow up in him and may kéep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace the strong receiving and bearing the Infirmities of the weak Heal the divisions that are among Beléevers Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory but in lowliness of mind let each