if any spare time remains read some good Book but be sure so to order your Devotion and necessary Affairs as to be at Church at the beginning of Prayers As you go think of the great Priviledge and Mercy you enjoy in being admitted to the House of God to pray and hear his holy Law and the particular blessings of living in a Nation where God's Word is freely dispensed to all think what a sad aggravation of your Fault it will be if you resist or neglect such great Advantages but let not the sense of your unworthiness tempt you to despair or negligence but rather to love and admire the long Sufferance of God and to resolve to improve better these means of grace Enter the Church with reverence and gravity it is the House of Prayer make it not a Den of Thieves by sinful thoughts and hypocritical Designs nor yet a House of Merchandize by thinking or talking of worldly Affairs but so soon as you come to your Seat make an humble Prayer to God for attention and zeal grace to know and do his will a pure unprejudiced mind to apprehend and hold fast the Truth Pray for a blessing on the Minister then present and all other faithful Dispensers of the Word and Sacraments throughout the World that they may be successful Labourers in God's Vineyard and convince and convert many from their sins and build up all through Faith unto Salvation that the Word may be Seed sown in good ground bringing forth Fruit abundantly to the glory of God Pray also against wandring thoughts and drowsiness finally desire the union of your Prayers with all Christians and that the Intercessions of the Universal Church sent up in the Name of its common Redeemer may by him be presented acceptably to God and obtain for it all good things notwithstanding the blemishes imperfections and mistakes of its particular Members These or the like Petitions you may use as time permits till the Minister begins then standing up Of Publick Prayer Matth. 18.20 Isa 56.7 Luk. 2.37 Ioel 2.15 16 17. Hebr. 10.24 35. apply those Texts of Scripture that are read to your self To be able to do this the better read them over at home to consider them then attend to the Exhortation which is to inform you of your Obligation to the Worship of God by holy Scripture the end and benefit of it and manner how you should perform it with a truly penitent heart and therefore with seriousness apply it to your self and do not hear it as words of course which you are not concerned in gazing about as too many do but being composed and recollected as in the Presence of God with bended knees and a contrite heart sensible of your great unworthiness make the following Confession next comes the Absolution To hear this with profit you must first understand the meaning of it it is a short Declaration of God's Mercy and Pardon to penitent sinners that is to those who being truly penitent of their sins are heartily sorry they have committed them and resolve by the assising grace of God never more wilfully to do the like As for Example Almighty God These words sets forth God's infinite Power and Ability to Pardon The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who desireth not the death of a sinner This shews God's infinite goodness and willingness to pardon since he spared not his own Son will he not with him freely give us all things But rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live Here follows the conditions you must turn from your wickedness before you have any right to the Promise of Life and though God had much rather you should repent and live being desirous that none should perish but that all should come to Repentance yet here is no encouragement to hope for any that lead wicked lives but to the Penitent that is such as to the utmost of their power sincerely endeavour to obey God's Commands and to avoid what he forbids doing their Duty as well as they are able yet trusts not to any merit thereby but being sensible of the weakness of their best performance expect Mercy and Eternal Life as the free gift of God for the sake and merit of Christ Jesus only to such Penitents God has given power and commandment to his Ministers to declare and pronounce to his People being penitent the absolution and remission of their sins Which is no other then declaring the terms set forth in the Gospel more largely for the Minister only declares on what Conditions we may be pardoned by Almighty God but does not by this Absolution pardon any who do not perform the Conditions He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent Where observe the Minister does not say I pardon but he pardoneth that is God and that only those that truly repent that is confess and forsake their past sins for without amendment Repentance will not profit so that no one can with comfort apply this Absolution that indulges any wilful sin And unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel that is the Duties and Threatnings as well as the History and Promises Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true Repentance and his holy Gospel Where you may observe you must joyn Prayer to your Endeavours both for Repentance for what is past and the assistance of God's holy Spirit to enable you to do your Duty for the time to come for by our own strength we are not able to do any thing that is good and acceptable to God the rest is so easie that it needs no Explanation If you are sure of your â—art in performing the Conditions of Repentance and Amendment God will most certainly perform his promise which he has authorized his Servant to declare in his Name on which you may rely with comfort and apply with confidence to your self You must not say the Absolution after the Minister that being not properly a Prayer but setting forth the Condition of our Pardon While the Minister is saying the Absolution offer some such Ejaculations as these Let this gracious Absolution pronounced by the Minister be extended unto me Thou art the Father of Mercy who willest not the death of a sinner O fit me and all here present to receive the Remission of our sins by a faithful performing the Conditions on our part Encrease our Faith perfect Repentance and by the assistance of thy holy Spirit help us unfeignedly to believe and sincerely obey thy Gospel that those things may please thee which we do at this present and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy so that at the last we may come to thy Eternal Joy through Jesus Christ our Lord. At the end of this and other Prayers say Amen which signifies your consent to Prayer and desire that God will hear and answer it Then follow the Lord's Prayer which being the most perfect Pattern and comprehensive Form of Prayer is in our Liturgy several times
repeated repeating the Answers aloud in the Liturgy and other places may be of use to incite your Affection and keep you more wakeful and besides it makes a joyful and harmonious Melody when both the Minister and the People are thus united in the Service of God Then follows the Psalms which are read standing by reason the greatest of them are either Prayers to or Praises of God and Commemorations of his deliverance of his Church and People to excite our Faith and Confidence in him who also will deliver us in like manner if we faithfully serve him There are also Declarations of God's Judgment to the wicked to warn us to forsake our sins if we will escape the like Punishments You must not apply those Curses you meet with in the Psalms to your private or publick Enemies but only to the irreconcileable Enemies of God that is the Devil since we are not sure but the most wicked man may repent and be reconciled to God we must not pray for the Destruction but Conversion of all that are in a possibility of it Next comes the Chapters which you must hear with the greatest reverence and attention you can remembring 't is the Word of God by which you must be judged at the last Day What you hear apply it to your self as if it was spoken purposely for you If any thing is commanded think Do I do this If any thing is forbid Am I not guilty And so practise accordingly What you find too hard for your Understanding either humbly pass over praying to God that you may not be ignorant of any necessary Truth or else as soon as you have opportunity ask your Minister Above all things never dare to make that evil use of God's Word to remember it only to use profanely in idle Jests which is a great sin nor by misapplying or forcing any part of it to excuse any sinful practice but take it altogether as the Rule of your Faith and Life and do not think the examples of any holy Man or Woman in Scripture will excuse your wilful committing the like sins the use of which is to keep from despair those who have already committed such Crimes and repent and amend as they did not to encourage sin in those who sin wilfully who presuming on the grace of repentance God may perhaps withhold that grace as a just punishment for the abuse of his mercy So that what you are most particularly to observe is the Commands and Prohibitions of the Gospel and frame your Life according to those Rules You are to stand up at the Creed which is a short Summary of all the Christian Faith in token that you confess the same Faith and are ready to lay down your Life rather then renounce it Then follows the Prayers and Litany which you must attend unto with as much devotion as you can endeavouring to keep out all thoughts And do not think you spend too much time in Intercessions that is in praying for others as the Church your Governours those in Affliction and the like for publick Prayer is most proper for the Publick that is for all men it being impossible by any such Prayers to suit to all the particular wants to private Persons But besides Prayers for the Publick are not without great Advantages to our selves for every honest man finds the benefit of good Governours peaceable times seasonable weather and the like And surely can he be said to love his Neighbour as himself who grudges a little time to pray that God would deliver him out of those Evils he suffers either outward or inward Did all Mankind love God and one another as they ought to do 't would make a sort of Heaven on Earth there would be no such thing as Misery in the World Therefore to be sure whatever contributes to this must likewise contribute not only to the publick but every particular person's good The second Service or part of Communion Service used on Sundays and Holy days is to mind us of the ancient Custom of celebrating the Holy Sacrament and though now the coldness of some and unfitness of others makes so frequent a Communion hardly practicable especially in small Country Towns yet a devout Soul may live in a constant habitual preparation and desire of it which will help much to preserve a spiritual life and love of God You are not to say the Commandments as a Prayer though you continue on your knees which is only to be more ready to make that excellent request after every Commandment which is a short Prayer to implore forgiveness for any past Transgression you have been guilty of and the assistance of God's holy Spirit to enable you to keep them more Perfect for the time to come All the Prayers ended which an honest mind will not think long and is a good sign of our love to God when we are not wearied with his Service that you may joyn with greater devotion in singing Psalms it will be of good use to practice them often at home as I have advised Observe the same reverence and devotion in joyning with the Minister in his Prayer before Sermon that you may reap the more profit by the Sermon Be not prejudiced against the Minister but the weaker the Preacher is the more earnest let your Prayers be that the Power and Spirit of God may supply his defects Of hearing God's Word Luke 8.18 Eccl. 5.1 Luk. 10.16 Joh. 8.47 1 Joh. 4.1 Isa 8.20 Gal. 1.8 James 1.22 2 Thess 2.13 Rom. 10.14 15. Hebr. 2.1 God gives not gifts alike to all so that in some measure you murmur against God in despising his Servants and an honest heart cannot fail by the worst Sermons to benefit something and God will reward the meek and humble hearer and as plentifully water with his Spirit the Seed sown though with some Chaff as the more excellent Discourses when received into a proud heart If your Minister divides his Sermon endeavour to remember the head of each division and turn down a Text of Scripture to each head which will serve to recal the rest into your memory when you come to repeat to or examine your Children and Servants at home But especially do what you can to remember the Uses and Application to practice I could wish that some such method might be generally used especially in a plain Auditory for as the meanest want most instruction so most Congregations are made up by the greater part of these But if your Minister takes another method and goes on in one Discourse rest content with his choice endeavouring to carry away as many useful directions as your memory will retain which the more you use the better it will be if you continue a like care and diligence Sermon and Service being ended in a short Prayer desire God's blessing on his Ordinance and thank him for the opportunity he has given you to serve him Depart to your home with a cheerful heart and
you can spare imploy in reading good Books Prayer and Meditation the Friday or Saturday before the Communion keep as a Fast but if by reason of your labour you find your strength will not hold out eat a piece of bread and drink a cup of beer in the Morning or at Noon and eat your Supper with thankfulness as at other times and on the day imploy an hour or two in Examination and humble Confession of all your sins with earnest Supplication for Pardon through the Merits of Christ Jesus to which purpose use the following Form or the like enlarging according to your own particular case A general Confession of Sin O God who art light and in whom is no darkness at all with whom we can maintain no communion unless we walk in the light as thou art in the light O God who though thou art merciful and gracious to Penitents art a holy and a just God too and would by no means acquit the guilty and impenitent I present my self before thee at this time with an earnest desire to confess and bewail my past sins and to renew my Vows and Resolutions of forsaking them that I may find mercy When I look back upon all the parts of my past life Ah how do I find it defil'd and polluted by negligence and folly by wilfulness and presumption Ah how often hast thou called and I have refused how often have I set at nought thy counsel and would none of thy reproof Ah how long have I resisted thy Spirit slighted thy Promises and hardned my self against all the terrours of God Ah how often have I broke my solemn Vows and Covenant and returned to the same pollutions which I had before endeavoured to wash off by tears and prayers Lord when I call to mind Here mention your particular sin such especially as are most provoking my heart would fail me and I should sink under the weight of shame and despair did not thy Gospel raise and revive me I believe thy mercy infinite as thy Majesty O extend that mercy to me a miserable sinner who stand in need of mercy not less then infinite I believe that thine only Son the Son of thy bosom offered up himself a Sacrifice for sin O let my Soul be cleansed by his most precious Blood and let not my sins be imputed to me I repent O my God and do heartily wish that these my sins had never been committed But ah that cannot be I am ready therefore to do all that I can and this is that thou hast promised to accept through our Mediator to be sorry for and renounce my sin To thee belongs the glory of mercy and forgiveness to me belongs humility and sorrow And O! may this be my business and my delight too during the time of my pilgrimage I will no more hereafter seek my profit or my pleasure my ease or my revenge poverty of spirit meekness purity of heart mourning for sin hunger and thirst after righteousness charity and self-denial these are the things I will follow after practise and delight in this is that I will account my blessedness And whatever I have done to any by word or deed by example or any other way if there remain yet any restitution or reparation to be made I am ready and willing O my God to do it the business of my following life shall be by all the ways and means I can to blot out the remembrance of my past Offences and to advance the glory of God and the good of Man and after all I desire to glory only in the Lord to be clothed with humility and acknowledge my self an unprofitable servant and great sinner and O do thou pardon and deliver me from my sins and confirm and strengthen me in all goodness and bring me to everlasting Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. On Saturday be very careful of your Conversation that you quench not the Spirit by vain pleasures or too much wordly care Be much in singing Psalms at your work with devout Meditations If you go to Market come home as soon as you can possibly and be sure not to loose your time in an Ale-house If you work at home leave off two hours sooner then you are wont to do spend that time in reading and prayer for the assistance of God's grace and holy Spirit to enable you to subdue your sins and perfect your graces especially those you find most defective and that you may be led unto the ways of holiness and eternal happiness also that you may be a worthy partaker of the holy Sacrament and that God would make it effectual to those ends Then look over your Examination and if you find your Conscience troubled go to the Minister or some pious Friend and rest not under Doubts that may be so easily cured A Prayer for Grace according to the foregoing Heads O Eternal God the giver of all spiritual grace and the Author of everlasting life thou art pleased to call and invite me by thy Word and by thy Ministers to the Communion of the most holy and comfortable Sacrament of the Body and Blood of my dear Lord I come therefore but I come with reverence and humility not trusting in my own righteousness but thy mercy I am unworthy of any Temporal blessing how much more of the gift of thy Son and thy Spirit but 't is thy good will 't is thy free bounty to bestow grace and everlasting life upon all those that seek it through the merits and mediation of thy Son Jesus grant therefore to me most gracious God that I may be made partaker of all the benefits of his Passion let me be strengthned in Faith let my love of thee and of my dear Lord be inlarged and let the love of my Neighbour dwell plentifully in me give me humility and patience enable me more and more to mortifie all the remains of my Corruption and make me more fervent and stedfast in thy Service Especially grant that I may diligently labour after Here mention such particular Vertues as you need above others and never give over till I find my Soul possessed by them and transformed from glory And O blessed God who has begun a good work in me do thou finish and compleat it and preserve me by thy power through faith unto salvation that I cleaving constantly unto thee and never stray from the faith and obedience of the Gospel unto my lives end may be filled with peace and joy in the holy Ghost and at last obtain remission of my sins and an inheritance of glory with all those that are sanctified through faith in Jesus All which I beg through the Agonies and Passion through the Merits and Intercession of our Eternal High Priest Christ Jesus On Sunday rise as early or earlier then on other days add to your usual or private Prayers Petitions for the Spirit of God spiritual union and communion with Christ a new Nature and sincere Obedience Read
thy Servant O blessed Jesus thy Disciple and Follower O be thou my Prince and my Saviour be thou my strength and my glory and let me rejoyce always in thy Salvation I desire to imitate thee O holy Jesus and especially thy boundless Charity I forgive O let me find forgiveness from the mercy of God I am ready to do all the good I can for any one of my fellow Members and I am sorry I can do no more I will weep I will pray for all that are in distress and I will feed and clothe and comfort them as I can O accept then the mite of thy poor servant and remember me in the day of Judgment Grant O God according to the riches of thy glory that all we who receive the Sacrament this day may be strengthned by the might of thy Spirit in the inward man that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith that we being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heighth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that we may be filled with all the fulness of God Nor for our selves only do I bow my knees unto thee thou Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named but also for the whole Catholick Church O let the same presence and powerâ— of thy Spirit be amongst all those who believe in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ their Lord and ours build them up in their holy faith unite them in humility and love remove all the scandals and obstacles of righteousness that are in the midst of thy Church and support and protect it against all the Adversaries of the Cross and all the Enemies of holiness and vertue Let thy Son Jesus be glorified in the blameless and exemplary Lives of all that profess his Name let profaneness be put to confusion and Here sie and Errour be rooted out and let all with one mind and one mouth glorifie thee O God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Amen Amen O thou in whose hands are the hearts of Kings guide we beseech thee theirs whom thou hast set over us in thy faith and fear give them wisdom to rule this great People that under them we may live peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness and honesty and Lord possess all their Subjects with a due sense of their Authority and of the benefits we all reap from them that we may dutifully obey them and cheerfully contribute all we can to the maintainance and support of Law and Justice in this Realm that Righteousness and Peace may through thy blessing flourish amongst us and our Children after us through Jesus Christ our Lord. O merciful God and Saviour cause all them that sleep in sin to awake cause them to arise from the dead and let Christ give them light O thou God of tender mercies and compassions hearken to the voice of them that mourn break not the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax but bring forth righteousness unto victory O God who art the God of the fatherless and widow and judge of the oppressed and the Saviour of the meek and poor and distressed upon the earth visit with thy grace and salvation all that are in necessity or tribulation and hear them when they cry unto thee for succour O Lord our Defence O bless my Family and all my Relations possess them with the fear of God and Charity towards one another and make them all love the Lord Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be glory for ever O my God never suffer me to forget thy love or the love of Jesus never suffer me to break my holy Vows but strengthen me that I may always endeavour to walk as my Lord walked and may ever abide in him and he in me that I may be safe through thy protection and grace and when he who is my life shall appear I also may appear with him in glory Amen Amen Go home with a cheerful gravity and spend the remaining part of the day according to the Rule for the Lord's day only be more strictly careful to keep up a holy frame of mind and not by worldly thoughts and light discourse grieve the holy Spirit but improve every good inclination by Prayer that it may grow into practise and endeavour your good Resolutions by meditation and foreseeing what temptations may assault you to provide against them do not go abroad but spend that day in devotion reading and praying with your Family Of behaviour at Baptism and Marriage WHen you are present at the Baptising of Children attend to what is said let it put you in mind of what you vowed your self and think how well you have performed it joyn with great seriousness in Prayer with the Minister for the Child that it may live sutable to this dedication and enjoy the priviledges of the same If you are a Surety think your self obliged to take care that the Child learn what you undertook for it for that was the reason of God-fathers and God-mothers especially if the Parents die or are careless worldlings otherwise refuse being a Surety if you think you cannot Also at Marriages Churchings and the like avoid all vain behaviour but joyn in the Service with Reverence and Devotion and make particular applications to your self how you have performed your own duty when the Bannes are bid pray that the marriage may be to the glory of God These are some short Directions for your duty to God I shall now add some for your duty to your Neighbours CHAP. IV. The Country Man's Duty towards his Neighbour SECT I. To his Minister FIrst for your behaviour to your Minister be very just in paying Tithes and other Dues to him Duty to Ministers Mal. 2.7 Isa 30.20 Hebr. 13.17 1 Tim. 5.17 1 Cor. 6.7 9.7 8 9 11 13 14. Rom. 15 27. Gal. 6.6 Matth. 10.41 10.14 15. Luke 10.16 1 Cor. 4.1 1 Thess 12.13 and that in obedience to God who has taught us by his holy Apostle That they who wait at the Altar that is do the duty of a Minister should live by the Altar and if they minister to us spiritual things we ought to minister to them in temporal things for by attending the Ministry they are made incapable of gaining a livelyhood by other means Secondly Be very respectful in your behaviour to him never speaking rudely but believe in honouring your Minister you please God and let not any personal failing make you neglect your Duty for 't is not his person only but chiefly his office you must respect him for and God will reward you for it Supposing the worst that he has faults consider that he as well as you is liable to the same infirmities and temptations nay more for Satan is vigilant to ensnare him because by it he hopes to do more mischief either by