withstand not thy tender of that Peace which is a Pearl of such great Price Verily Verily my Lord and my God now I may and ought and will laud and address thee tho' it be with Trembling and Confusion For as Dread belongs unto Creatures and Sinners so doth Confidence belong unto the Immaculate the Eternal and only Begotten Son of God CLASS II. Expressions of Praise both by way of Recital and Address 1. GLory therefore be to God Condescension to his Creatures Grace and Mercy Peace and Purgation Redemption and Forgiveness to me a Sinner May the Good God who pardoneth Iniquity Transgression and Sin accept the Incense of a lowly Heart 2. Great is the Lord and marvellous worthy to be prais'd there there are no bounds of his Greatness 3. He is Wonderful in Counsel Mighty in Working Glorious in Holiness Fearful in Praises He dwells in inaccessible Light The Heaven of Heavens cannot contain him His Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom His Dominion lasteth longer than Ages Ten thousand times ten thousand and Thousands of thousands of Glorious Spirits are the awful Retinue of the Lord God 4. The Heavens declare the Glory of God the Firmament shews his Handy-work One Day tells another and one Night certiâ—â—es another 5. Thou Lord in the beginning didst lay the Corner-stone of the Earth when the Morning-Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for Joy All the Beasts of the Forest are thine and so are the Cattel on a thousand Hills 6. Fearfully and Wonderfully hast thou made Man and O that my Soul did ponder it well Thine Eyes did see my Substance when I was yet imperfect and in thy Everlasting Book were all my Members written Day after Day were they a fashioning To this Day are they preserv'd by thy hand 7. Every Morning thy Loving Kindness is renew'd I laid me down and slept and rose again for the Lord sustain'd me O how dear are thy Counsels unto me O God O how great is the summ of them * Here particular Mercies may be inserted 8. How should I count them They are more in number than I can conceive Whenever I awake they are present with me Have I not for this reason remembred thee on my Bed and thought upon thee when I was waking Now do I sing and always will sing of thy Mercies betimes in the Morning even unto thee O my strength for thou art my Refuge and my mercifuâ— God CLASS IV. The Dedicatory THis Day I dedicate my self Spirit Soul and Body to thy Spirit Honour and Service and do resign all my Care and Concerns to the Direction and Influence of thy Providence and am dispos'd chearfully to embrace all the Dispensations of thy Fatherly Goodness Thus will I by thy Grace and Assistance throughout my whole Life wait upon thee in Holiness that I may at last behold thy Power and Glory everlasting 2. I hate and abhor all my past evil ways and from the depth of my Soul do renounce mine own Wickedness * Here you may confess your Constitution Sin or other Sins O that I may obtain Victory over my whole Body of Sin and live Then shall Jesus be my Jesus indeed and say Soul Be of good cheer thy sins are forgiven thee and at the Great Day declare before Angels and Saints and Devils and the Desperate Thy monstrous iniquities are blotted out They shall not be thy ruine Thou shalt live for I dy'd for the penitent 3. Hence 't is O Lord that my Soul hangs upon thee To this purpose with extreme Thirst of Soul I seek thy Strength and thy Face O therefore do thou who delight'st not in the Desolation but divine Resurrection of Humane Spirits chear and replenish me with the Light of thy Countenance for without thee we must needs be desolate CLASS V. Acts of Daily Petition for God's Protection and Blessing LORD I have dedicated my Judgment to thee O shew me the way that I should walk in I lift up my Soul unto thee Lord sanctifie it I have devoted my Spirit Lord separate the Light from the Darkness thereof and refine it with the fiery Baptism of the Holy Ghost that thy Will may be the Magnet of mine Lord I beseech thee set a Watch over my Heart and Lips that my Words and Meditations may please thee 2. O that all my Actions and Intentions and Discourses may be begun and govern'd and ended in thy Fear so shall the Lord prosper my Handy-work so shall my Studies thrive under his Blessing and all my Resolutions be establish'd O that the Disposals of my Heavenly Father be they grateful or ungrateful to Flesh and Blood may find their Ends answer'd by my Demeanor under and use of them 3. Arm me I beseech thee with the Armour of God that no presumptuous Sin may ever again get the Dominion over me Array my Soul with a competent Conformity of Mind to the Image of thy Son that I may grow in Grace and heavenly Experience that so this and every remaining Day of my short stay here may be reflected on with less Sorrow and more spiritual Joy in the Lord than the foregoing O may thy Loving Spirit lead me in the ways of Evangelical Righteousness so shall the Land of Righteousness be mine Inheritance and the God of Righteousness my Portion for ever CLASS VI. A Catholick Conclusion LOrd I beseech thee of thine infinite Compassion over-look my numerous Infirmities accept of this imperfect Sacrifice and of the following Expression of my Delight in the Joys of the Church Triumphant and of my Commiseration of all the Perils Straits and Necessities of thy Israel Militant here on Earth in the powerful Name and Words of thine only Son and Man's only Saviour JESUS CHRIST Our Father c. Noon-Office OF VIGILANCE AND CHARITY CLASS I. Vigilance excited by Expressions of a sense of Man's and the World's Vanity 1. VAnity of Vanities all is Vanity and Vexation of Spirit 2. God made Man upright little lower than the Angels and plac'd all sublunary Things under him But Man hath sought out many foolish Inventions and lets some Creature or other lord it over his Heart tho' they were all put under his feet 3. For the Lord look'd down from Heaven on the Children of Men to see if there were any seeking after God But oh how are they gone out of the way Destruction and Vnhappiness is in their ways The way to Reconciliation and Glory they neither see nor seek 4. Nay the humble Soul and his Care for Eternity is had in derision by them numerous are those Wretches which combine with the disorderly Tendencies of Birth and the Princes of Darkness to pluck him from his God CLASS II. Expressions of Trust in God and Holy Resolution 1. BUt my Soul shall not run any more after Idols neither shall their Scoffs make me draw back for I will seek the Kingdom of God and Christ and the Righteousness thereof 2. Seek seek I say O
Supream Mercy of the Supream Majesty manifested in the Death and Resurrection of his Son I have deliberately in many Instances committed Impiety against my God and Saviour Iniquity against his Creation and Impurity against my own Soul and Body * Here you may confess particular Sins as I have at such a time and under such and such circumstances Yea this very day have I provok'd the Lord to Jealousie by the addition of a new Sin or Sins to my former crying Offences so like a Brute so like a Devil nay worse than either Brute or Deviâ— have I been before thee For nâ— Brute ever spurn'd at Conscience nor did ever any Devil trample upon Redemption Sinful Man alone is that Monster of Ingratitude that fights both against Light and a Jesus at once 3. Wrath and Vengeance Shame and Confusion ineffable Anguish and Bitterness of Soul Blackness and Darkness for ever Communion with Devils and all the Damn'd unquenchable Flames and disregarded Cries even the ever-gnawing and never consuming Envy of a Judas and laps'd Angels is O Lord I must acknowledge the true Portion of my corrupted Nature and the just Reward of this or these and all my other sinful Deeds All this I must own O Lord and all the known and unknown terrible Ingredients of Hell belongs to all who have forgot God and Crucify'd the Son of God afresh and therefore also unto me O God who have thus again sinn'd with so high a hand against thee and after all thy long-suffering and condescension have still presum'd by new Sins to make my self a Derision to Devils a Burden to my self a Traitor to Christ and a noisom Spectacle to God and Holy Angels nay for ought that I know the Dregs of thy Fury ought to be drunk by so vile and villainous a Soul if thou wert extream to mark what has been done amiss 4. But tho' to me belongeth Damnation yet to the Lord belongs Compassion for the Lord is God and not Man and as is his Majesty such is his Mercy For doubtless were thy Ways as our Ways or thy Thoughts like our Thoughts doubtless were not the Bowels of God larger in extent than the wide and deep Sea doubtless were it it impossible for fallen Man to find a favourable access to the Throne of Grace and to be reconcil'd to his offended Maker thou wou'dst never have sent thy eternal Begotten Son into this disorderly Portion of thy World For wherefore O Lord did he shed his infinitely precious Blood if Blood and Vapour and Smoak if showres of fierce and flaming Brimstone if eternal exile of Spirit Soul and Body from thee be the irreversible Fate of poor Man and he be not capable of a repentance which is more acceptable than the Repentance of Devil and those Souls who are departed this Life even a Repentance unto everlasting Life which is never to be repented of 5. Wherefore Heavenly Father since I make use of the Name of no less a Person than the Christ of God and the Jesus of Men since he is as mighty to soften and save as thou art to destroy since his Merits are as charming to thy Goodness as thy Rage is formidable to us let not the Dread Majesty of the Heavens and Earth and all that are therein take up the Weapons of his Anger against me tho' a vain Man which has not shew'd himself a Man venture to expostulate with his Maker and his Judge and to take unto himself Words and say Wilt thou enter into Controversie with a Worm Is there no difference betwixt the Strength of a Devil and a Man Is not Christ a potent Saviour Shall not thy Mercy have its Triumphs as well as thy Justice O Lord hearken O Lord be gracious O Lord forgive Lord hide not thy face from me but from my Sins O Lord most Holy O God most Mighty most Merciful God and Saviour suffer me not to fall into the bitter Pains of eternal Death O Preserver of Men do thou draw nigh unto me for as I have sinn'd so I return and draw nigh unto God I know now that 't is not in vain still to repent and therefore I humble my self and supplicate thee for thy Pardon I level my self with the Worms of the Earth under the Scepter of thy Grace I confess and grieve and hide my self in the Rock Christ Jesus for fear of the Lord and the Glory of his Majesty I come not Lord of mine own head or in mine own Name but by the Direction and in the Name of the great High Priest I beseech thee forgive me O speak peace to my Soul say to the Mempest within me Be still O do thou so wonderfully bless and be merciful unto me as to shew me the light of thy Countenance O that my Soul could hear thee saying I am reconcil'd thy Prayers and thy Tears are regarded my nâ—e Could I but believe in the Lord Jesus and repent effectually there would be no room for doubt for surely those Words are the Motto of that Cross on which Jesus Christ gave up the Ghost 6. O therefore I beseech thee do thou spare me a while till my Soul has thro' Christ recover'd that Strength which by my Sin I have lost 'T is not for the sake of living here that I desire a continuance of Life but that I may have an opportunity once more of enrobing my self with Divine Graces that I may be a Partaker of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light to look on the Lamb of God that was slain for returning Sinners hear the Sighs of a broken Heart supply me with a practical Faith work in my Mind an effectual Change from all Unrighteousness to a steddy flourishing fruitful Habit of universal Holiness make me truly lowly in Heart a zealous Imitator of Christ fight my Battels against the Hosts of Hell and bring me at last I entreat thee to thy everlasting Kingdom 7. With this Hope I will labour to purifie my self and do commit my self with all my Fellow-Creatures especially my particular Friends and Enemies to the kind Influences of thy Grace and thy protection this Night Grant that my Sleep may be wholesom and temperate that I may rise early the next Morning to renew my Thanks to thee for thy continu'd forbearance and to offer my Vows of Gratitude in all sincerity Let not my being now inspir'd with this soft Temper of Soul puff me up or make me less aware of the deceitfulness of Sin But may the Grace Mercy and Peace which I enjoy now from God the Father thro' Christ by being husbanded with Vigilance and Humility usher me into the Regions of Glory Amen Amen so be it for Christ his sake In his Name and Words I conclude my Address together with my Thanks to thee for all thy Mercies Our Father c. CLASS III. THE Wary Christian's EVENING OFFICE OF Daily Repentance for Sins of Infirmity 1. MY Lord and my God Glory be to thy
and his Father grant these Petitions 4. Give me Grace O Father of Lights to add to my Faith Fortitude and to Fortitude Temperance and to Temperance Piety and to Piety Lowliness and to Lowliness Charity To be subject to the higher Powers to render to all their Dues to esteem the Laborers in thy Vineyard for their Works sake to live up to my Light and to walk honestly as in the day to please my Neighbour to Edification to bear the Infirmities of the Weak and the Reproaches of the Wicked to resist the Devil mortifie the Body and be one Spirit with the Lord. This I beg for the sake of Christ Jesus hear me therefore O my God 5. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and all thy Soul and all thy Mind and all thy Strength This is the First and Great Commandment and I cannot but own my God that it is most Holy and Just and Good Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self This is the next and like unto it 6. But Lord who is sufficient for these things Where is the Man that liveth and transgresseth not these Laws O therefore Lord enter not into Judgment with me but for Christ's sake pardon my manifold Violations of thy Laws and for the future I beseech thee fortifie me with a plentiful Portion of thy Grace and Spirit Henceforward I will not receive the former in vain nor quench the latter but will love my God with a Supream Love entirely and constantly and my Neighbour as my self and my self according as my Love of God shall recommend me So help my God CLASS V. Office of Charity PART I. The Gratulatory of the Church Triumphant HAppy are those Spirits that wait on God's Throne and do continually minister with Halelujahs to the Holy Holy Holy God and the Lamb for ever and ever Happy and Blessed are those Saints who live in the Regions of inaccessible Light where neither Moral nor Natural Death hath any place Happy indeed are they that are made eternal Priests and Kings to God and are above the need of Care and Watching gratulated be their Joy May it be mine and mine theirs in the eternal Salvation of my Soul 2. A Heavenly Aspiration My Soul is a thirst for the Living God This is the Communion which my Soul is inflam'd with Longings after O that I had Wings like a Dove then should I flee away and be at rest When shall I gratulate and be gratulated there O that I may be united to my God! When shall my Exile be at an end When shall I see and know him as I am seen and known O that I were certify'd that I am a true Son and Servant of God that I might long to be dissolv'd and say How long Lord how long holy and true The Submission But be this as the Lord will whose it is to appoint the number of the Days of his Servant if so be that while Days do not commence Eternity I may number them and be wise and fit my self for my great Change This is my Desire Lord regard it this shall be my Endeavour Lord further it PART II. Intercession for the Church Militant 1. MAy the Creator of all Universes both visible and invisible visit the dark parts of the Earth with the glorious Beams of the Sun of Righteousness that the Knowledge of Christ crucify'd may fill the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea Let the People praise thee O God yea let all Peoples Nations and Languages praise thee 2. And oh that those Countries which enjoy the Gospel may not slander it so shamefully by the black and blasphemous Lives of its Professors Lord grant that the Power of thy Gospel may display the Lustre of its native Brightness Simplicity and Purity in our Lives 3. Restore I beseech thee Beauty and Discipline Soundness of Faith genuine Ordinances and Decency and Perfection of Worship to all Ecclesiastical Bodies professing Christianity And to this end give to them such true Christian Ingenuity as that they may all severally and unanimously own lament and reform their different Excesses and Defects that as there is but one true Christ and but one true Christianity which can secure a Soul of Happiness so we may all glorifie thee the same God and Father of us all with one Mind and with one Mouth 4. Look down O Lord I beseech thee from the Habitation of thy Glory with a special Eye of Favour on this Church and Kingdom which thou hast so long bless'd with many signal Mercies and preserv'd in such amazing and endearing Methods of Providence Pardon our great and crying Abuses of the same and wherein soever all Orders of Men amongst us in our own and the days of our Forefathers have fallen short of the Glory of God let it not any longer I pray thee be laid to our charge Put a stop to that Latitude of Life and Opinion which divides and corrupts us O Lord reform us if we are still reformable that we may not be deliver'd over into the Will of our Enemies whose Mercies are cruel 5. Guard with the Guardianship of thy Holy Angels the Sacred Person of William our King grant that all his Designs and Vndertakings may be so truly Christian and Honourable that they may prove in the end successful Let no Weapon form'd against him prosper and whensoever the number of his Days on Earth shall be fulfill'd grant that he may be found such a Conquerour of all his spiritual and temporal Enemies as may make Death to him a kind Translation of his Soul into a World of glorious Spirits Bless him in his Royal Relatives and especially Catherine the Queen-Dowager her Royal Highness the Princess Ann of Denmark Counsel O Lord our Counsellors and teach our Senators true Wisdom Plant a true Affection for the Welfare of true Piety and these Kingdoms in all the Nobility Judges and Inferior Magistrates that Righteousness may run down like a mighty Stream and there may be no Complaints of Oppression in our Streets 6. Showr down a very liberal Portion of thy Spirit on all that are separated to wait at thine Altar give them all a commanding Sense of their own Insufficiency of themselves and Sufficiency in and by Christ to turn many to Righteousness of the great Dignity of their Office of the infinite Value of Souls and that Blood which was shed for them and of the Greatness of their Trust and of that Account which at the last Day will be exacted from them Enflame them with a genuine Zeal from above for thy Glory that their Loins may be always girt for every good Enterprize which may promote the Plantation of New Colonies of Souls in Heaven Adorn them with Meekness and Prudence Circumspection and Humility that they may be burning and shining Lights in this perverse Generation that so they may recover the drooping Credit of their Sacred Function and manifest it to be no less Honourable in the sight of God
and is divided into several Parts of Purity Charity and the like according to the different Relations wherein we stand plac'd with respect ro the Creator and his Creation and which do severally display themselves in our Lives at those Seasons which Divine Providence allows for each 'T is not a Christian's business to be solicitous as to his particular external Exercises provided they be lawful and laudable in the Judgment of the Gospel and those be preferr'd if two or more such stand in competition which Providence and the Gospel prefer but his solicitude must be vigorously to exercise and improve within himself during every exercise of Vertue the particular part of universal Grace which is the Blood and Life of a renew'd Soul that is peculiar to and mostly ornamental of every present external Exercise Hence it is that a poor honest Mechanick Christian may thrive as much in Grace in his Shop as a Priest by the daily use of the Altar provided he prefers his honest Work before the Sacrament because Providence has so preferr'd it in him Tho receiving the Sacrament as to the external Solemnity of it and the intrinsick Worth of the Exercise it self is more preferrible to him and all pious Souls in it self when it does not stand in competition with that degree of secular Industry which Justice and moderate Care for a Family requires Hence also it comes to pass that as the thriving Mechanick Christian is better every Sunday or Sacrament-Day than he was the Day before because that intentness of Spirit which is the peculiar ornamental internal Exercise of the conjoin'd Worship both of Soul and Body especially when offer'd with the Memorials of the Mediator's Passion exceeds the degree of his contented submission and heavenly-mindedness which is the greatest internal Ornament of a Christian then during his last external Exercise of his secular Calling So also the next Day after the said Sunday or last Sacrament-Day if he thrives he is better than he was then because his Heavenly-mindedness during the Exercise of his secular Calling exceeds the intent Fervour of his Spirit during his last Exercise of the most solemn Worship on the last Lord's Day if Allowances in the Examination be made for the different Natures of both the external Exercises For though one external Exercise has more Religious Splendour in it self than another yet the Religious internal Splendour of the Spirit of a Christian may be diffusing it self with a daily encrease both of extent and power under both alike in case they are all us'd in their Seasons and those that are the more immediately Charitable and Religious are heartily preferr'd all Opportunities Wherefore a Christian that would daily know whether or no he grows in Grace either first considers daily the Chain of his lawful external Exercises the day past and then considers what particular Concomitant Divine Tempers of Mind are the peculiar ornamental Tempers of a Christian during each Exercise and after that takes the height of its advance in each Divine Temper during each Exercise and so by deep abstraction of Thought sees whether the progress of the Soul in the different Divine Temper which is ornamental of each subsequent Exercise exceeded its progress in the particular internal Divine Temper of each foregoing different Exercise In which procedure of practical Abstraction it always also compares the proportionable or disproportionable Advantages and Disadvantages of Divine Assistance Temptations Place Time State of Body and the different Natures of the external Exercises and the like Or secondly the Soul takes an account of its Carriage at different times during similar Exercises and compares the different Improvements of the similar Tempers of each similar or like Exercises at different times with the Circumstances of Assistance and Temptation and the like during each time of Exercise This in short seems to me to be what St. Peter exhorts us to when he exhorts the Christians to grow in Grace and to give all diligence to add to our Faith Vertue c. for if these things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barnen nor unfruitful in the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ But he that lacketh these things is blind From which latter Words 't is evident the Apostle does not suppose any Man in a State of Grace who has not all these Vertues always ready within him to be elicited and vigorously exerted at different Times A Man must have the Seeds of Grace within him to be in an infant-state of Grace and must be growing in all if he is a real thriving adult Christian But the Contents of this Chapter may he clearly discuss'd if God grant me Life in a particular Discourse concerning Birth May this suffice for the present purpose CHAP. III. Of Closet-Devotion's furtherance of daily Growth in Grace and the Reasonableness of the Method of this New daily Method of Devotion in general WHatever external Exercises of Religion may be only Providentially or tho' constantly yet but at some set Times necessary I presume 't is agreed by all That the Exercises of the United Devotion of our Hearts and Tongues with reverent Postures of Body in our Closets if Health and opportunity of Retirement will allow it is constantly the daily Duty of a Christian be he in the state of Infancy or Perfection He that wholly omits the Duty of Prayer and Piety lives without God He that omits it in secret is a Pharisee perhaps worse in a Congregation He that performs but always performs it only in his Mind is to be commended so far for doing that which in a lower or higher Degree is the perpetual Duty and Employ of a wakeful Christian whose continual sense of God's Presence and Goodness join'd with God's Grace and Spirit is the very Sôul of a supernatural Life But nevertheless he cannot be commended for forgetting that he is a compounded Creature and I cannot but think it my Duty Friendly to inform him That as humble Gestures of Body without a sprightly Awe of God in the Mind are the Skeleton of not real Worship since 't is not only imperfect but lifeless So the bare elation of the Soul to God if it be never accompany'd with Reverence of Body is not the compleat Worship of a Man Why should we part the Body and Spirit which God has join'd together Dost thou not believe the Resurrection of the Body If God designs to glorifie thy Body to all eternity i. e in case thou hallow it by the Purity of thy Soul why shouldst thou deny it the Honour of joining sometimes with thy Soul to do all the Honour it can to thy God Or dost thou think that thy solitary mental Homage is equal to the Homage of a simple Spirit who darest to refuse solemnly sometimes according to St. Paul's Exhortation to present and bow thy Body before God whilst thou canst present it a living Sacrifice on Earth By this united Devotion of Spirit Soul and
Body in our Closets we make our Senses do Obeisance to Faith and give an irresistible Evidence of our sense of God's Omnipresence to our own Consciences By this we keep our Souls intent on the other World and we see how far the things of the World do and how far they do not make deep Impression on our Affections But because the happy Tryal of the constant Observance of this Religious Practice recommends it more than the Tongue even of an Angel can I resign those who neglect it to the Discipline of that Mighty Spirit of God whose methods of bringing Souls to God surpass our comprehension and will proceed to shew what method makes this Religious Exercise contribute most to a Soul's growth in Grace And since I have given a Specimen of the most advantagious daily Method of Ordinary Devotion that I know of this may be done as well as I can do it by a clear and brief Representation of the Reasonableness of this Method in general As for the Seasons of the Day the Three first of them were the set Seasons of those two great Masters of Address to God DAVID and DANIEL and the Fourth Season sometimes is mention'd by the former of them and was famous in the Infancy of the Christian Religion The different Natures of the several Parts of Addresses to God and those particular holy Tempers of Soul that are peculiarly ornamental of each Part and the Propriety of each Part to the Season herein allotted for it together with the Reasons of the different Structures of each Office shall God willing be laid open in the next Chapter Wherefore the only thing which remains to be accounted for in the defence of the General Structure of the whole Daily Office is our allotment of a distinct Season foâ— each principal different Part of Address to God It is agreed by all devout Persons be the Nature of our Address to God what it will That Humility an awful Sense of God and Faith are necessary Recommendations of it because these are general Essential Ingredients of all acceptable Address to God and therefore peculiar to none accordingly I took particular care to contrive that a Vein of these run thro' every one of the Offices 'T is I presume also agreed that Petitionary Penitential Eucharistical and Intercessive Addresses to God have each of them besides those already-mention'd Qualifications that are common to them all their certain peculiar ornamental holy Tempers of Spirit which differ very much with respect to the natural Modifications of Sense which attend them tho' as they are sanctify'd they all conspire to the same end as Grief for our Sins a sense of our Wants and a joyful sweet sense of God's Mercies and the like Consequently these different postures or Spirit with respect to the different Modifications of Soul wherewith they are necessarily attended in this state tho' they are very reconcilable at different times or at the same time in very low degrees since as they are sanctify'd they carry on the same end and are but the same universal holy Frame of Spirit differently modifying the Soul at different Seasons upon different Occasions cannot be all together at the same time each in their Zenith or immediately in succession so The consequence of which is that those different parts of pious Addresses to God which require the said different holy Tempers of Mind cannot be all so solemnly perform'â— together as at different Seasons oâ— the Day tho' every part may bâ— implicitely in each and yet each Office require the vigorous exertion of but one holy Modification of Soul Wherefore whereas the usual Method of using every sort of Devotion thrice a day distinctly and explicitely either makes the solemn use of each part of Address wholly impracticable which betrays into Lukewarmness or else makes it impracticable without a great deal of time and trouble to change so many different Postures of Soul immediately one after another which inconvenience induce Tediousness and often betrays in to frequent omission of Closet Devotion to God On the contrary the Method of Distinction iâ— this Book makes Devotion be more pleasantly and intently perform'd in all its parts and with less expence of Time and hinderance of our social Duties For the Soul by this means agit quod agit does what it does to the purpose because it has but one posture of Soul at a time to provide and yet by the use of the Lord's Prayer which of it self is a compleat Office of mix'd Devotion it uses all together every Season with due Reverence though not with the utmost heighth of every Passion Thus in all the inspir'd Psalms be they Penitential or Eucharistical or of any other kind 't is easie to observe that though here and there a sprinkling of some other part of Devotion be incidently inserted yet the solemn use of it require but one reigning Cardinal Posture of Soul CHAP. IV. A View of the particular Structure of every Office OUr Sprightliness after the Refreshment of sound and temperate Sleep being a lively Image of the future Resurrection of our Bodies and naturally disposing our Minds to be brisk and chearful I could not but think the Morning the properest time for the pleasant Exercise of Religious Gratitude This Office is divided into Five Classes The First is preparatory to the due Exercise of Gratitude The two First Sections may be us'd before any Address to God it being only an Acknowledgment of the Apostacy of our Nature and our unworthiness to approach to God in order to engage us to Reverence and Humility in our Addresses and also a Remembrance of our Saviour's purchasing the Favour of Access and a Capableness of Regeneration in order to maintain within us a modest Faith and Confidence But the Third Section must be appropriated to this Office it being an express Resolution to praise God from the Consideration of our Liberty under the Gospel and Obligation thereto and especially upon the account of Christ's shedding his Blood for us which being here mention'd by the way of Eminence it is not mention'd in the next Class This Second Class begins with Glory therefore putting in execution what was resolv'd upon before By Recital is meant speaking of God in the Third Person HE and by address in the Second as THOV The former is almost as frequent in the Psalter as the latter The Second Section Commemorates God's Infinite and Incomprehensibleness in general the Third His Attributes and splendid Attendance the Fourth the Beauty and Order of the Inanimate Worlds the Fifth and Sixth the Works of Creation and Providence and particularly the Preservation of Human Nature by Birth which is a very Instructive Subject to the Thoughtful and excites wonderful Thoughts of God for our last Night's particular Preservation At last the Soul perceiving God's Mercies too many to be numbred concludes in an holy Amaze Therefore the Soul after oral Gratitude prostrates the Body to the Ground and uses
my Soul the Lord and his Strength seek his Face evermore All other things when weigh'd in the Balance are found wanting God alone can be the Marrow and real Plenitude of a Spirit whose are infinite Worlds and all the Fulnesses of the same He and He alone can be an Enjoyment adaequate to a Will 3. O theresore Love the Lord who is the Heaven of Angels He is my stony Rock and my Defence my Saviour my God and my Might in whom I will trust my Buckler the Horn also of my Salvation I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised so wall I be safe from mine Enemies For whoso dwelleth under his Defence doth abide under the Shadow of the Almighty CLASS III. An Address to God for Spiritual Strength and Christian Violence in general GReat Creator of the Vniverse Benefactor of Angels Humbler of Devils and Restorer of Man Marvellous for Strength marvellous for Wisdom and marvellous for Goodness Thou hast promis'd to hear them that call upon thee faithfully in time of Trouble O do thou now say unto my Soul in this state of Difficulty I am thy Salvation Pity O Lord my darkned Mind cleanse a Heart stain'd with Sin Terrible Hosts thou seest O Lord do encompass my poor Soul Thousands fall beside me and thousands behind me and ten thousands round about me Thrones and Principalities plot against us and those whom we are too apt because of Sense to reckon our Best Friends do ensnare and betray us But alas tho' we are beleper'd with Guilt tho' we are near the Portals of Death and the Talons of Hell how apt are we to put the evil Day far from us Wherefore I beseech thee do thou by a Divine Power make me constantly sensible of Death and Judgment and the Tortures of the Damn'd invest my Soul with that Noble Violence wherewith the Kingdom of Heaven must be taken O my God I know thy Grace and that only is sufficient for me work in me therefore I beseech thee effectually in the inner Man by thy Spirit that I may habitually will and do according to thy gooâ— Pleasure so shall I be strong indeed even in the Lord and thâ— Power of his Might and be morâ— than Conqueror thro' Christ anâ— hold out to the end so shall I noâ— be dismay'd for any Terror by Night nor for the Pestilence thaâ— invisibly wounds at Noon so shalâ— I triumph the Triumphs of thy Saints and trample upon Dangers Death and Devils and keep a perpetual Jubilee with my God and his Christ CLASS IV. Prayers for particular Graces collected out of our Blessed Lord's Sermon on the Mount and St. Paul AND to the end O Lord I may be found in the Blessed Number of those who are Christ's Disciples indeed make me I beseech thee poor in Spirit a godly Mourner meek hungry and thirsty after Righteousness merciful pure in Heart dispos'd to promote Peace and Vnity ready to be persecuted for Righteousness sake and to rejoice when I am revil'd instead of reviling again O suffer no worldly Emulation to sway in my Heart and to taint my Fastings and Prayers Give me a Heavenly Prudence that my Light may shine before Men and I may nevertheless do many Good Works secretly looking for my Praise and Reward from thee Give me courage to pluck out my scandalous Eye and to cut off the scandalous Hand of my corrupt Nature and all Superfluity of Tongue and Thought for the mean Concerns of this Life O may thy Name never be utter'd without Reverence by me Suffer me not so to be angry with my Brother as to sin or to be a Judge but rather a Doer of thy Law Make me so mindful of my own Ingratitude and of that great Goodness which has nevertheless been continu'd by thee to me that in imitation of this thy great Perfection I may forgive bless and pray for mine Enemies Drive earthly Solicitude out of my Mind that my Distributions to the Necessities of the Saints laying up for me a Treasure in Heaven my Heart may be there also O illuminate my Mind that that Faculty which thou hast planted in me to be my Light may not by being dark it self overwhelm me all over with horrible Darkness I earnestly entreat thee to lay a deep Foundation of Faith within me that like a wise Builder I may build upon the Rock and be proof against Storms and Waves and Tempests always striving more and more earnestly to enter in at the strait Gate that I may bring forth the excellent Fruits of a Mind thoroughly chang'd and with diligence and trembling do those things which my Lord commands O that when my Lord comes when Death seizes me I may be found so doing O subject my Body to my Soul and my Soul entirely unto thee and erect and enlarge the Kingdom of God in it that it may be fill'd with an equitable Disposition of behaving it self so towards God and God Man Angels and Devils its Fellow Creatures and the whole subordinatâ— Creation as becomes a Christian and so be fill'd with Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost Finally O Lord since thou hast promis'd it to those who ask it of thee with Faith and Purity Importunateness and Humility give me I beseech thee all Celestial Favours and truly valuable Bounties in that inestimable Gift of Gifts thy Holy Spirit Lord how shall our Souls be nurs'd for Heaven without the support of this Manna of the Seraphim Give me therefore thy Spirit I do again and again beseech thee else I perish to all Eternity Lord I trust in thee O let me not be confounded 2. O my God thy Mercies towards me are ineffable wherefore I present my Body which is daily fed and preserv'd by thy Bounty before thee O do thou so renew my Mind that it may be transform'd from the World to thy Likeness and make my Body and all my Actions in their Station wherein I am or hereafter may be plac'd by thy Providence a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto thee and I may experimentally prove what is that good and acceptable Will of God 3. Awe me I beseech thee with a sense of thy Greatness and my own Meanness that I may not think of my self more highly than I ought to think supply me with Grace to have my Conversation in Heaven anâ— with all Men in all godly simplicity to love without dissimulation to abhor that which is evil and to stand fast in the Lord to prefer others in Honour before my self not to be slothful in Business to be fervent in Spirit to rejoice in the Hope to be patient in Tribulation and instant in Prayer to rejoice with them that rejoice to weep with them that weep in indifferent things to be of the same mind with others not to minâ— high things but to condescend not to be wise in my own Conceit not be overcome of evil but to overcome eviâ— with good For Christ his sake O my Father
and Angels than 't is slighted by Men of scornful and licentious Minds and Manners Sublimate their Minds with a noble Degree of Sincerity that they may divide the Word without deceit and without reserve Set their Faces like a Flint against the reigning Impudence of the Age and against the unjust Reproaches of unreasonable and disorderly Men and in what respect soever they may sometimes happen to be partly too Just may they thereby be provoked to an Holy Jealousie over themselves O fortifie them with the Courage of a Baptist that they may denounce the Terrors of the Lord against all Impiety without partiality or respect of Persons rebuking Vice boldly both in season and out of season with that spiritual Majesty and Authority and that degree of Faith and Faithfulness which becomes the Embassadors of Christ and the Stewards of the Mysteries of the Gospel O send skilful and laborious Husbandmen into thy Vineyard in the midst of our great distress Furnish all Bishops with a wise and discerning Spirit that they may lay hands suddenly on no Man but stock the Church with such Holy and Judicious such Active and Orthodox Priests as may honourably and manfully employ the Power of the Keys put to shame and silene all Gainsayers and win many Strangers nay even profest Enemies over to Christ that so having cultivated the Seeds of Heaven in themselves and others they may stand with great Joy before Christ's Tribunal and save both their own and the Souls of them who are committed to their Care Lord of thy abundant and unbounded Goodness do thou hasten this Enlargement of thy true Invisible Church O how long how long O our God shall it be before the great Affairs of Eternity prosper in their hands 7. Do thou so prosper the Education of our Youth in our Universities and other Seminaries of Learning that the Publick Spiritedness Profound Learning and Generous Piety of our Posterity may shame the Selfishness conceited Ignorance and Degeneracy of this present Generation 8. Give to Children Servants and all Inferiors Docility and Submission and to all Parents Masters and Benefactors the Gift of wise Inspection and Conduct that their Management of those that are under them may not fail of thy Blessing and the making them prove Blessings to themselves and the whole Community in their several Stations Vocations and Relations 9. Reward all that have done me good with the Rewards of the better sort Pardon and pacifie all that have wrong'd or slander'd me Blast all malicious Intrigues and breathe kindly on all laudable Endeavours 10. Sanctifie all Afflictions to all afflicted Persons and as soon as the ends of thy Fatherly Goodness have been answer'd do thou speedily deliver them 11. Finally I laud and magnifie thy Holy Name in the behalf of my Country for all thy Mercies conferr'd on me in my National Capacity 12. Lord pardon my manifold Infirmities and accept of this poor Tribute of Worship in the Mighty Name of Christ and concluded with that compleat Form of Prayer which he himself hath taught us Our Father c. Evening Offices OF Daily Repentance CLASS I. A PRAYER Proper to be us'd before the Evening Office of Self-Reflection 1. INcomprehensible Soveraign of the World thou art encircled with Light with thee there can be no Darkness for the Dahkness and Light to thee are both alike The highest Heights and the deepest Depths even Angels and Devils Heaven and Hell are naked before thee How much more then the Hearts of the Children of Men. 2. The Great and Good God print a firm and lively Sense of this All-searchingness of his Nature on my Mind that by being always mindful of the piercing Consciousness of him with whom I have to do I may always act and speak and intend as in the Presence of the Highest and by a profound Reverence of thy unspotted Purity and unlimitted Presence I may be excited to make it the great Business of my Life to cleanse my self daily more and more from all Filthiness of Flesh and Spirit 3. Particularly I intreat God at this time to enlarge my Conscience with the Presence of that Spirit which searcheth the very Depths of God that I may dexterously apply the Maxims of my Blessed Lord to the state of my Soul and pass an impartial Sentence upon my Behaviour this day O place me in a clear Light to my self O enable me to re-call to my Memory all the Actions Words and Thoughts that not the least Rebellion may be overlook'd I know O Lord to what a gracious and wonderful Being I offer this Request all Natures lie dissected in thy infinite Mind how therefore should any Crevise of my Soul be hid from thee Vniversal Knowledge is the Lord's and to Him alone it does belong Such Knowledge is too wonderful for Man What Creature is there that can attain unto it The Knowledge of my self Lord is the subject oâ— my Petition a Knowledge which is most necessary for and which with thy Blessing is attainable by me O Witness of all my Ways thy Wisdom can impart to me this Gift thy Goodness will not suffer thee to let such an useful Pursuit go without a Blessing O therefore I beseech thee make the Method of my Pursuit acceptable in thy sight and so prosper it whatever things thou think'st fit to keep secret suffer not any wilful sin to lie hidden from me and if my present Recollection discovers any wilful Sin or Sins that has been hitherto undiscern'd by me do thou direct and enable me so to bewail and lament it or them and whatsoever new Guilt of this Day may be charg'd upon me by my Conscience as never to sink under the everlasting Terrour of the Flame or the Horrour of the Dark where there is endless Weeping and gnashing of Teeth O bow down thine Ear to this humble Desire even for Jesus Christ his sake to whom with thee Father and the Holy Ghost all Honour Praise and Glory as by Mights and Thrones Principalities and Dominions Angels and Archangels and all the Triumphant Host above so by me be ascrib'd for ever and ever Amen CLASS II. After the careful Application of that daily Method of Self-Examination prescrib'd in the Directory if your Conscience accuses you of any wilful Sin or Sins committed the Day past or brings to memory any Sin or Sins of a longer Date which you never solemnly unsinn'd by Repentance use this following Form THE First Evening Office OF Daily Repentance for Deliberate Sin 1. GReat and Terrible God! the Scepter of thy Kingdom is a Scepter of Equity for thou art of purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity with delight Thy Wrath is insupportable and tames the most Haughty of Apostate Spirits Who can withstand the Judgment who can grapple with the extream Justice of the Most High 2. And yet sottish and ungrateful Wretch that I am I have departed from my God and liv'd as tho' I could escape his eyes In spight of the
to all their deluded Courtiers Many and mean Enjoyments may cloy but the true the supream Enjoyment only can fill an intellectual â—nd voluntary Creature Let this Consideration constantly find room in thy Thoughts and let this make thee wise in the choice of the Subâ—ect matter of thy Application to â—he Throne of Grace Let the â—arnal Soul pray for Long Life â—ere for Wealth and Dignity â—n this Stage of a World and the Philosopher for Natural Knowledge but let a Christian pray for an Eternal Kingdom and all those Qualifications which will secure thy Investiture in it In the use of these Petitions thou canst not be too earnest or too particular and that thou may'st pray with the greater largeness of Soul frequently meditate on the Scriptures especially on our Saviour's Sermon on the Mount and the Parables of our Lord with the 12th and 13th Chapters of St. Paul to the Romans and some parts of St. Peter's and St. James's and the other Epistles of St. Paul which are more useful for the Generality thaâ— reading the Historical Scriptures iâ— order tho' 't is very useful in Ecclesiastical Assemblies for every thing which becomes an Assembly is not so convenient for private Persons of all Circumstances in their Closets Many Persons have little Leisure and perhaps less Judgment and therefore may be the worse for too inquisitive an use of some parts of Scripture and therefore their precious Time should be spent in Thoughtfulness on the plainest and most moving Scriptures that their Souls may thrive in Grace and Divine Love Do thou therefore daily use some of the Portions appointed by our Church for Epistles and Gospels and before thou readest and after thou hast read both ponder and pray that that which was intended for a Savour of Life may not prove a Savour of Death by Irreverence or Negligence God's Spirit will be an Interpreter to those who consult him with Simplicity and an ingenuous readiness of Mind to receive the Truth be it kind to their Temporal Interest or not and when we read the Scriptures thus we should trust firmly and boldly in God that if we are patient and humble in the use of this Method he will inform us clearly of all those Truths which his infinite Wisdom knows to be convenient to be known by us in our present Circumstances 'T is Men's Deficience more or less in these Tempers and Methods of handling the Scriptures together with their daring Neglect of not endeavouring to keep pace in their Lives with their Light that causes the different Irregularities of their different Creeds Wherefore Fellow Christian when thou usest the Prayer taken out of the Sermon on the Mount take care to fix thy Mind so that iâ— may be the Prayer of thy Spirit and the Epitome of thy Conversation The Favours we request in it are the greatest we can ask and are the Fruits of a large Thirst and an assiduous Vigilance do not therefore only ask but seek and knock too that thy Soul may be seal'd with that no counterfeit Arrhabon which will be a Key to the Kingdom of Heaven Open therefore thy Soul and if thou canst not yet perceive what it is to be poor in Spirit and pure in Heart the Bounty of God shall give thee this Knowledge with the Gifts themselves If the Clause concerning Distributions does not suit thy Circumstances thou may'st understand it of Spiritual Charity or alter it thus Lift up my Thoughts from the Earth and fix my Heart upon Heavenly Things 4. And now having endeavour'd to conduct thee safe thro' the Temptations of the Day let me entreat thee in the Evening to look into thy self and to consider what Company thou hast been in what Time has been allotted for external Religious Duties what Time for Industry in thy Human Calling and to exact a strict Account of the Use of the Whole Day 's Time And do not pass thy Sentence according to some external Wariness or Unwariness but according to the Biass of thy Mind Outward Wariness without the Renovation of the Mind signifies nothing Let this be truly rectify'd and 't is morally impossible that a Man should be guilty of any imputable Degrees of Incircumspection Be not over rash in judging of thy self lest thou be found at last among that Generation who are pure in their own eyes tho' they are not cleans'd from their Filthiness There are Three sorts of unclean Men in the World Some that are so unclean and wicked that tho' the Consideration of the state of their Souls has no dwelling in their Thoughts yet cannot but know their own Uncleanness these know it but lay it not so truly to heart as is necessary for their Purification Others there are who labour under Degrees of voluntary Uncleanness which cannot be consistent with a state of Salvation even according to the gracious Covenant of the Gospel But this is a Secret to them because they have not examin'd themselves so carefully as they ought Others again there are who notwithstanding strict Catechizings of Conscience are unclean in certain Degrees in the Eyes of God but not of God-Man of the Conscience under the Law but not of Faith under the Gospel which they know in general and therefore ascribe Righteousness to their Maker and Him only but that cannot explain Particulars so mysteriously deep is the Corruption of our Human Nature This Uncleanness would exclude from Heaven were it not for Christ's Death But now it shall not exclude those that are truly humble industrious to be at peace with God for such are unclean in the Creator's sight but not in the Mediator's All of these always were and are still unclean but the last alone daily become less so They are all unclean but not in the same degree nor alike sensible of nor affected to it One neither repents of known nor secret Impurity the other repents of known Impurity but knows not as much as he might were he very diligent in search and therefore is guilty of his secret Sins But the other is not guilty of known or secret Uncleanness for the known is savingly repented of and the Secret is secret only because it can't be yet known by the Soul altho' it searcheth daily and diligently Whatever degree of Uncleanness is not owing to obstinate Self-negligence is wash'd away by the Blood of Jesus if there be but a general Repentance for them Here then is encouragement for a Soul to labour to be as clean as iâ— can for then all secret Degrees oâ— Uncleanness will be remitted foâ— humble Deprecation and wholly remov'd in another World If we are of the first sort we have the great Work of Repentance to begin and yet 't is much more difficult after it has been begun to be compleated No Devotions are assign'd for them for they whilsâ— such will use none If we are oâ— the second we must probe our Hearts with severe Cancinations of Conscience that we may know more of
the Dedicatory of the Third Class and dedicates it self without the least reserve to God's Spirit whose Temples St. Paul hath told us good Christians are This Custom obliges us daily to remember our Baptismal Vow and 'till we have renounc'd this I do not see why this may not be an ordinary practise For our Baptismal Vow is not made the less Obligatory by our neglect of the laudable practise of the daily recognition of it Therefore I desire the Reader to say daily This Day I again dedicate c. This being done it immediately resigns it self to Providence which is another essential part of Gratitude to God And now it says I am thine O save me 't is but fitting that the Soul being wholly God's it should quite abandon the World the Flesh and the Devil as it does in the Second Section of this Class and long for the Victory over its predominant Constitution-Corruptions which is the main Victory of a Christian And because he is suppos'd the Night before to have made his Peace with God a prudent Glance upon this need not hinder but rather enhance its Gratitude by the consideration of his Compassion and Long-suffering with such noisom Creatures The third and last Section is a modest Dependance upon God for his Grace And indeed if we can rely on God for our Bodies much more should we for our Souls In the Fourth Class the Soul having discharg'd its part of Gratitude to God assumes the Boldness of Petition for spiritual Favours and vents its holy trembling and solicitude to perform its Vows The Fifth Class minds us that the Lord's Prayer is a sufficient joining of the Will with the Choir of Heaven in their Praises of the Divine Majesty and an expression of our sympathy with all who are yet left in a state of Trial and therefore 't is call'd a Catholick i. e. an universal Conclusion we do thereby extend our Benevolence to all Creatures that are actually happy or still capable of Happiness and make them Partners of our Petitionary Addresses II. Of the Noon-Office IN the midst of the Day the Soul is surrounded with Temptations and most in danger of being plung'd in the mean Solicitudes and Thoughts of this Life and therefore I cannot but think that at this time Exercises of Vigilance are a very necessary Antidote against the Infections of Darkness This first Part may be us'd before Dinner And lest the pleasing of Sense should abate our Expectation of the noble Enjoyment of Heaven we have allotted a Gratulatory Office to raise our Affections upwards and because the use of Food does naturally suggest to serious and wise Men the close social Dependence of all God's Works one upon the other which Consideration is a great Friend to Charity We have also allotted for after-Dinner an Office of Intercession for the Church Militant In the Office of Vigilance the Soul first complains of the unsatisfactoriness of all earthly Things and in the second Section strives to enlarge it self and reach after God Himself who is a real and really Noble Enjoyment and more than commensurate to the Capacity of a spiritual Nature after this in the other Class Sect. 1. to bring it self to a firm habit of Seriousness through the consideration of the difficulty of being sav'd and the greatness of natural Weakness and the vastness of the Strength and Number of its Enemies it earnestly prays for the Power of being acceptably obedient unto death And because our Saviour has assur'd us that if we seek the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof all things shall be added to us and that God best knows whether Plenty or Poverty Honour or Dishonour in this World be best one for this another for that Person and one at one time and another at another time for the same Christian and therefore that we should equally be prepar'd for both the Soul does not trouble it self to make particular Prayers in the Dark for temporal Uncertainties but goes the next Class to acquaint God particularly with what it unfeignedly desires by turning the great Sermon on the Mount into a Prayer because it knows that Poverty of Spirit and Purity of Heart and the other Dispositions therein inculcated are absolutely necessary for a Man that would be eternally happy Different Circumstances of Life here may be of a very different Nature to different Persons but these are certain and necessary for every wise Petitioner he that gets these and he only is a true Favourite of Heaven Tho' 't is unlawful to Worship Angels yet 't is a great part of Charity which teaches to Rejoice with them that Rejoice to gratulate them and their happy state and helps very much towards the sublimating the Affections In the Intercessive Part of Charity I have offer'd a very long Prayer for the Clergy being very well satisfy'd that if the Laity were mov'd by our great Defects to pray as affectionately and constantly for us as they slight and rail against us not considering that our Office is still as Venerable as ever God would restore Christian Discipline some way or other and raise up many Faithful Pastors amongst us tho' it were at the expence of a second miraculous effusion of his Spirit Good Lord encrease our Faith in the use of this Prayer Of the Structure of the Evening Office The End of the Day being ordinarily the time of the greatest leisure the good Christian takes an opportunity to converse with himself and to see whether he has kept himself unspotted from the World in the pursuit of his Business Perhaps it may be thought improper to use Prayer of such a length daily before this Exercise but if we consider that the Falshood or Soundness of Internal Peace depends upon the right management of this Exercise and what a Mystery of Treachery our Hearts are a Man can never too solemnly set about it or think himself above the need of a peculiar Assistance from God in it 'T is an easie thing to know whether we are externally innocent but not so easie to know according to the true Rules of daily Growth in Grace already laid down whether or no we are in a growing or improving state of Grace which is an internal Habit. The observance of the said Two Rules after we have compar'd our Carriage and examin'd from Hour to Hour with the Sermon on the Mount is the usefullest way of examining our selves that I can prescribe This Method will be tedious to those who are not us'd to abstract themselves but by use it will grow as familiar and compendious as 't is certain and safe The abuse of the same General or Particular Confession of Sins howsoever the Day has been spent is very obvious to Men of but very little Judgment it making Confession it self to be slightly us'd nay sometimes sinful when Men are taught to live always in a tepid state by making the same Confession to our Lives end which can be only proper in