so that none â—f those judgements which our â—â—nes have deserved have bin â—flicted upon us thou hast â—nlarged our time and opportuâ—ity to repent thou hast proâ—â—ded for our soules and bodies â—â—ou hast bin no way wanting â—nto us if we had hearts to acknowledge it Forgive us that â—e cannot acknowledge thy goodnesse as we ought to doe and more and more quicken uâ— in this dutie that we may with heart and voyce acknowledgâ— thee to be that Father of lights from whom we doe receivâ— every good and perfect giftâ— ascribing unto thee the whole glory of all that we enjoy both now and evermore And granâ— we pray thee that our thankefulnesse may not be onely verâ— ball but reall we labouring iâ— deede and in truth to be dutifulâ— unto thee that hast bin so bountifull unto us Pardon us for thâ— sinnes of this day wherein weâ— have offended thee whether open or secret of ignorance oâ— of knowledge of infirmity oâ— presumption of omission oâ— commission in thought word or deed The sinnes of this day are enough to plunge us soule and body into the bottomlesse gulfe of perdition If thou shouldest straightly mark them what answer shall we be able to make thee how shall wee dare to appeare in thy presence before whom all thy creatures feare and tremble But thy mercy is above all thy workes much more above all our works of sinne In the confidence of thy mercy we come unto thee beseeching thee in thy sonne Christ to be reconciled with us and to assure us hereof by the certificate of thine owne blessed spirit Breake the strength of sin that would subdue us more and more and reare in us cleane hearts and renew a right spirit within us Increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospell and our repentance from dead workes our hope of eternall life our feare of thy name our zeale for thy glory our hatred of sinne our love of righteousnesse our contentment in all estates our patience in adversity our prudence in prosperity that so being furnished with the endowments of grace here we may be fitted for the enjoyment of glory hereafter And because the night is now upon us and our bodies desirous of quiet rest wee pray thee to take us into thy blessed tuition and to refresh our wearied bodies with comfortable sleepe Protect us and all that doe belong unto us under the shadow of thy vings defend us from all evill both of sinne and punishment keepe us from security and carelesnesse from dulnesse and drowsinesse of spirit from fire and robbery from the malice of Satan and all his adherents from all perils into which for our sinnes wee might justly fall Let the sight of the bed minde us of that last bed the grave wherein wee are shortly to take up our lodging we know not how soone None of us here present can certainely tell whether these eyes of ours once closed up shall ever any more open againe in this world therfore receive us good Lord receive us into the armes of thy mercy unto thine Almighty protection wee bequeath our selves soules and bodies and all that we have upon thy mercy alone wee cast our selves both this present night and for evermore Bee mercifull to thy whole Church continue the flourishing state of the Kingdomes wherin we live Decrease in it the number of superstitious Papists and prophane Atheists and increase in it the number of such as unfainedly feare thee Preserve from all dangers and conspiracies our religious King Charles our gracious Queene Mary the Lady Elizabeth and her children Give them all such a measure of thy Spirit grace that they may seeke to advance thy kingdome on earth and at last be advanced to thine everlasting Kingdome in Heaven Endow the right Honourable of our Privie Counsell with all such graces as may make them fit for so high a place Stirre up Magistrates and men in authority to endeavour after the furthering of thine honour and the benefiting of thy people Make the Ministers able and willing to discharge the duties of their weighty calling with diligence and conscience water their indeavours with the dew of heaven that daily such as belong unto life eternall may be added unto the Church Comfort O comfort thine afflicted servants wheresoever or howsoever troubled sweeten their afflictions and season their sorrowes with the comforts of thy Spirit Give them all needfull assistance and in thy owne time a joyfull deliverance And make us ready for afflictions that they may not come upon us as a snare but that we may in good measure like wise Virgins bee prepared for the comming of Christ Jesus the sweet Bridegroome of our soules Finally wee pray thee beare with the weakenesse and coldnesse and imperfection of our prayers and to grant our requests not for our merits but for thine owne mercies and for the sake of thy dearely beloved Sonne Jesus Christ who died to make satisfaction for us and liveth to make intercession for us in whose words we shut up our imperfect prayers saying as himselfe hath taught us Our Father c. O Lord blesse and save us make thy face to shine upon us thy Word to instruct us thy grace to direct us thy Angels to protect us thy Spirit to comfort and support us unto the end and in the end Amen Amen A Prayer in time of VVarre O LORD GOD of Hoasts in power invincible in wisdome unsearchable in mercy incomprehensible that givest deliverance in the time of trouble assistance in the day of battel we most humbly and heartily beseech thee to save us from all those extremities and in speciall from our enemies which our sins do threaten to bring upon us Hitherto thou hast pleased to make our Nation a spectacle of thy ineffable goodnesse but we deserve to be made a spectacle of thy unsupportable wrath Our contempt of thy threatnings our abuse of thy mercies our neglect of thy judgements with infinite other innormities doe menace the taking away of thy old mercies and the bringing in of some judgement We have just cause to feare O Lord that our loud and crying sinnes doe call in our enemies upon us and arme them against us yea that they are already prest and prepared to execute thy vengeance Then open our eyes we pray thee that we may see thy Ensigne set up thy Banner displayed and the evidence of thy approaching sword open our eares that wee may heare thee blowing of thy trumpet and giving the alarum to warre open our hearts that we may not be secure in so great danger but may quake and tremble to see thy hand of vengeance before us And howsoever by our sinnes we are set in the middest of this danger yet let the hand of thy mercy which is as omnipotent as that of thy justice rescue us let thy out stretched arme deliver us Put up thy sword into the scabbard O bid it rest and be still Be favourable and gracious unto
our unfain thankfullnesse for thy innurable mercies multiplied up us from the first houre of birth yea before our birth a before time was Before foundations of the world wâ— laid thou out of thy free 〈◊〉 and meere mercy didst elect to eternall life when thou diâ— reject others Thou didst â—ate us after thine owne imaâ—â— engraving upon us the chaâ—â—cters of spirituall wisedom righteousnesse and true hoâ—â—nesse when it was in thy powâ—â— to have made us like unto beasts that perish yea to have â—qualled us to the basest of thy â—â—eatures And when through â—ur owne default wee lost that â—â—ignity thou didst so pittie us as â—â— send from thine owne boâ—ome thine onely begotten Son â—â— recover it for us and to reâ—tore it to us and that with no â—esse price then his owne heartâ—loud Besides it hath pleased â—hee continually to spread the wings of thy gracious protection over us to ward and guard â—s by thy providence to open â—â—y hand and to replenish us with good things to continue our life health strength food â—aiment peace and liberty to his very houre Thou hast even loaded us with thy benefits if we had hearts rightly to consider it thou renewest thy mercy towards us every morning and the night past hast given us a testimony of thy love For whereas for the sinnes committed the day before thou mightest even in the dead of sleepe have given us a sodaine call out of this world and so presently have brought us to that great account which wee must make before thee thou vouchsafest yet to spare us yea which is more to refresh us with comfortable rest to preserve us from all dangers that might have befallen our soules or bodies and to bring us in safety to the beginning of this day Heavenly Father grant that we may not be unmindfull of thy manifold mercies but that wee may often thinke of them and speake of them to thy glory and that the consideration thereof may stirre us up to devote all the powers of our soules and members of our bodies to thy service Forgive us our former unthankefulnesse for thy mercies and our severall abuses of them yea pardon all our sinnes past we most humbly beseech thee for thy owne mercies sake and for thy Sonnes merits Our sinnes are great and grievous for in sinne we were borne and ever since have we gone on in a course of sinne and rebellion against thee we doe daily breake thy holy precepts and that against the light of our owne knowledge albeit we know that thou art our Creatour who hast made us ouâ— Redeemer who hast bought us with the precious blood of thy onely begotten sonne and ouâ— Comforter who bestowesâ— upon us all things needfull foâ— our being and well-being foâ— this life and for a better life Yea even thee thee O Lord have we presumed to offend that hast beene thus abundantly mercifull unto us For this ouâ— unthankefulnesse and wicked nesse enter not into judgement with us wee most humbly beseech thee from the bottom of our hearts but have mercâ— upon us have mercy upon uâ— most mercifull Father and in mercy wash away all our sinnes with the bloud of Jesus Christ â—hat so they may never bee laid â—o our charge nor have power â—rise up in judgement against â—s Pierce our hearts with a â—eeling of our sinnes that wee â—ay mourne for them as wee â—ught to doe make us to loath â—nd abhorre them that we may â—ave and avoid them that wee may be watchfull against all occasions of sinne and circumâ—ect over our owne wayes â—owre thy Spirit and put thy â—ace into our hearts that thereby we may be inabled for thy â—â—vice and both in body and â—ule may glorifie thee heere â—â—at wee may be glorified of thee and with thee hereafter And as a speciall meanes to keepe us in subjection before thee work in us holy Father a continuall and effectuall remembrance of this earths vanity of our owne mortality oâ— that great and terrible judgement to come of the paines oâ— hell and joyes of heaven which follow after O let the remembrance of these things be a spuâ— to provoke us unto vertue and a bridle to hold us in from galloping after vice and wickednesse We know not how soon thou wilt set a period to ouâ— lives and call for our soules to appeare before thee whether this day or not before the evening O prepare us therefore for the houre of death that we may then neither feare nor faint but may with joy yeeld up our soules into thy mercifull hands and doe thou O Father of mercy receive them Let thy mercifull eye look upon us this day shield us from the temptations of the divell and grant us â—he custody of thy holy Angels to defend us in all our wayes â—nable us with diligence and â—onscience to discharge the duâ—â—es of our callings and crowne all our endeavours with thy blessing without thy blessing all mans labour is but vaine â—oe thou therefore blesse us in â—ur severall places O prosper â—hou our handy-work Provide â—or us all things which thou knowest to bee needfull for every one of us this day Give us a sanctified use of thy creatures agodly jealousie over ourselves a continual remembrance of thy omniscience omnipresence that we may labour to approve our very thoughts unto thee weane us from the love of thiâ— world and ravish our soule with the love of our home and thine everlasting Kingdome Defend the universall Church the Churches of this Land especially our gracious King Charles our illustrious Queen Mary together with the Princesse Elizabeth and her Princely issue crowne them with thy graces heere and with thy glory hereafter Bee with thâ— Magistracie and Ministerie of the Realme make thy Gospell to flourish amongst us by the labours of those whom thou hast appointed to this great service Comfort thine afflicted servants in what place or case soever they be give us a fellow feeling of their miseries and wisedome to prepare our selves against the evill day Heare us in these things and grant what else thou knowest needfull for us not for our worthinesse but for thy Sonnes sake our alone Saviour in whose name and words we conclude our imperfect prayers saying Our Father c. A houshold Prayer for private Families in the Evening O Glorious God in Jesus Christ our gracious Father we wretched creatures by nature but by thy grace thy servants and children doe heere make bold to appeare before thee in the humility of our soules to performe some part of that duty which we owe unto thee And first we offer unto thy divine Majestie the calves of our lips the sacrifice â—f praise and thanksgiving for â—ine infinite mercies which â—hou hast beene pleased to conâ—erre upon us out of thy boundnesse and endlesse goodnesse What thou hast done for us this â—hy is beyond all that we are â—ble to expresse or conceive â—hou hast preserved us from all â—erils and dangers
and covered about with massie gold where no uncleane thing may enter neither doth any abide there that is defiled Faire and beautifull in thy delights art thou O Ierusalem our mother none of those things are suffered in thee that are suffered here There is great diversitie betweene thy things and the things that wee doe continually see in this life In thee is never seene neither darkenesse nor night neither yet any change of time The light that shineth in thee commeth neither of lampes nor of Sunne or Moone nor yet of bright glittering Starres but God that proceedeth of God and the light that commeth of light is he that giveth clearenes unto thee Even the very King of Kings himselfe keepeth continuall residence in the middest of thee compassed about with his officers and servants There doe the Angels in their orders and Quires sing a most sweere and melodious harmony There is celebrated a perpetuall solemnity and feast with every one of them that cōmeth thither after his departure out of this pilgrimage There be the orders of Prophets there is the famous company of the Apostles there is the invincible army of Martyrs there is the most reverentassembly of confessors there are the true and perfect religious persons there are the holy Virgins which have overcome both the pleasures of the world and the frailty of their owne nature there are the young men and young women more ancient in vertue than in yeares there are the sheepe and little lambes that have escaped from the Wolves and from the deceitfull snares of this life and therefore doe now keepe a perpetuall feast each one in his place all alike in joy though different in degree There Charity raigneth in her full perfection for unto them God is all in all whom they behold without end in whose love they bee all continually inflamed whom they doe alwaies love and in loving doe praise and in praising doe love and all their exercises consist in praises without wearinesse and without travell O happie were I yea and very happy indeed if at what time I shall bee loosed out of the prison of this wretched body I might be thought worthy to heare those songs of that heavenly melody sung in the praise of the everlasting King by all the Citizens of that so noble Citie Happie were I and very happie if I might obtaine a roome among the Chaplaines of that Chappell and wait for my turne also to sing my Hallelujah If I might bee neare to my King my God my Lord and see him in his glory even as he hath promised me when he said O Father this is my last determinate will that all those that thou hast given unto me may be with me and see the glory which I had with thee before the world was created Hetherto are the words of S. Augustine Now tell me Christian brother what a day of glorious shine shall that be unto thee if thou lead thy life in Gods feare when after the course of this pilgrimage thou shalt passe from death to immortality and in that passage when others shall beginne to feare thou shalt beginne to rejoyce and lift up thy head because the day of thy deliverance is at hand Come forth a little saith S. Ierome unto the Virgine Eustochia out of the prison of this body and when thou art before the gate of this Tabernacle set before thy eyes the reward that thou hopest to have for thy present labours Tell me what a day shall that bee when our Lord himselfe with all his Saints shall come and meete thee in the way saying unto thee Arise and make hast O my beloved my delight and my Turtle dove for now the VVinter is past and the tempestuous waters are ceased the flowers doe beginne to appeare in our land Cant. 2. How great joy shall thy soule then receive when it shall be at that time presented before the Throne of the most blessed Trinity by the hands of the holy Angels and when shall be declared thy good workes and what crosses tribulations and injuries thou hast suffered for Gods sake Acts 9. S. Luke writeth That when holy Tabitha the great almes giver was dead all the Widdowes and poore folke came about the Apostle S. Peter shewing unto him the garments which shee had given them wherewith the Apostle being moved made his prayer unto Almighty God for that so mercifull a woman and by his prayers he raised her againe to life Now what a gladnesse will it be to thy soule when in the middest of those blessed spirits thou shalt bee placed with remembrance of thy almes-deeds thy prayers and fastings the innocency of thy life thy suffering of wrongs and injuries thy patience in afflictions thy temperance in diet with all other vertues and good workes that thou hast done in all thy life O how great joy shalt thou receive at that time for all the good deeds that thou hast wrought how clearely then shalt thou understand the value and the excellencie of vertue There the obedient man shall talke of victories there vertue shall receive her reward and the good honoured according to their merit Moreover vvhat a pleasure vvill it bee unto thee when thou shalt see thy selfe to bee in that sure haven and shalt looke back upon the course of thy navigation which thou hast sailed here in this life when thou shalt remember the tempests wherein thou hast beene tossed the straits through which thou hast passed and the dangers of theeves and pyrats from whom thou hast escaped There is the place where they shall sing the song of the Prophet which saith Had it not beene that our Lord had beene mine helper it could not be but my soule had gone into hell Especially when from thence thou shalt behold so many sins as are committed every houre in the world so many soules as doe descend every day into hell and how it hath pleased Almighty God that among such a multitude of damned persons thou shouldst be of the number of his elect and one of those to whom he would grant such exceeding great felicity and glory Besides all this what a goodly sight will it bee to see those seats filled up and the Citie builded and the wals of that noble Ierusalem repaired againe With what chearefull embracings shall the whole court of Heaven entertaine them beholding them when they come loaden with the spoiles of their vanquished enemies There shall those valiant men and women enter with triumph which have together with the world conquered the weakenesse of their owne fraile nature There shall they enter which have suffered martyrdome for Christs sake with double triumph over the flesh and the world adorned with all coelestiall glory There shall also daily enter many young men and children which have vanquished the tendernesse of their young yeares with discretion and vertue Oh how sweet and savorie shall the fruit of vertue then be although for a time before her roots seemed very bitter sweete