in thy house Ps 84.1 4 10. Then be carefull to discharge those duties which God there requireth of thee and they ordinarily are two 1. Prayer 2. Hearing the Word In prayer first look to the devotion of thy soul It must be the lifting up of the soul Psal 25.1 The powring out of the soul 1 Sam. 1.15 A strong crying Heb. 5.7 A wrastling with God Hos 12.4 Without this thy prayer will be but babbling Mat. 6.7 The howling of a dog or wolf Hos 7.14 A bell without a clapper A pile of wood without fire A bullet without powder A bird without wings A cloud without water A tinkling cymball The Jews writ this sentence also over the doors of their Synagogues and Oratories Prayer without intention is as the body without the soul Then in the next place look to the reverence of thy body God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him Psal 89.7 Uncover thy head The four and twenty Elders fell down before him that sate on the throne casting their crowns from their heads Rev. 4.10 Bend thy knee O come let us worship and bow down let us kneel before the Lord our Maker Psal 95.6 The other duty is the hearing of the word read and preached which requires of us First attention Speak Lord for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.10 Hearken O daughter and consider and incline thine eare Psal 45.10 I will hear what God the Lord will speak unto me Psal 85.8 The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things that were spoken by Paul Acts 16.14 He that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit saith unto the Churches Rev. 2.11 My sheep hear my voice John 10.27 And for this end we must consider it is The word of God 1 Thes 2.13 The word of Grace Act. 14.3 The word of truth John 17.17 The word of reconciliation 2 Cor. 5.19 The word of righteousness Heb. 5.13 The word of faih Rom. 10.8 The word of etenal life John 9.68 That it is Good seed Mark 4. Sincere milk 1. Pet. 2.2 Strong meat Heb. 5.14 That it is A wholsom word 2 Tim. 6.3 A lively word Heb. 4.12 A good word Heb. 6.5 That it is Better then thousands of gold and silver Psal 119.72 Sweeter then the hony and the hony comb Psal 19.10 And all this because it is that word which is able to save our souls Jam. 1.21 Secondly the hearing of the Word requires retention as well as attention Therefore ye shall lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul Deut. 11.18 Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee Psal 119.11 Mary kept all these sayings in her heart Luke 2.51 And lastly people must be here admonished not to depart from the Church till the Minister hath pronounced the blessing All the people departed every man to his house 1 Chron. 16.42 But it was after David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings and had blessed the people in the name of the Lord ver 2. Surely there is something in the blessing of the Minister Then the Priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people and their voice was heard and their prayer came up to his holy dwelling place even unto heaven 2 Chron. 30.37 Leave not then thine Angel till he hath given thee a blessing AFTER CHURCH AND now being come home it is thy duty yet further 1. To meditate upon such things as have been taught thee His delight is in the Law of the Lord and in that Law doth he meditate day and night Psal 1.2 O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day Psal 119.97 I have more understanding then all my teachers for thy Testimonies are my Meditation vers 99. My meditation of him shal be sweet Ps 104.34 My heart was hot within me while I was musing the fire burned Psal 39.3 The beasts that chewed not the cud were unclean Secondly thou must praise God for so much of the means as he was pleased to afford thee that day Blessed be the God Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things Ephes 1.3 As the liberty of his house The comfort of his Day The communion of his Saints The instruction of his Word The dispensation of his Sacraments The gifts of his Ministers Thirdly we must pray for a blessing upon the means of our salvation He only it is that can put his Law in our inward parts and write it in our hearts Jer. 31.33 Paul may plant and Apollos water but God gives the increase 1 Cor. 3.6 The excellency of the power is of God not of us 2 Cor. 4.7 Lastly teach it thy family You shall teach them your children talking of them when thou fittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down and when thou risest up Deut. 11.19 I know him that hee will command his children and his houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord to doe justice and judgment Jer. 18.16 I and my house will serve the Lord Josh 24.15 If thou doest thus sanctifie this Day of rest here thou shalt celebrate an everlasting rest and Sabbath hereafter All manner of persons within the Church of England shall from henceforth celebrate keep the Lords day commonly called Sunday and other holy days according to Gods holy wil and pleasure and the orders of the Church of England prescribed in that behalf that is in hearing the word of God read and taught in private and publick prayers in acknowledging their offences to God and amendment of the same in reconciling themselves charitably to their neighbours where displeasure hath been in oftentimes receiving the communion of the body bloud of Christ in visiting of the poore and sick using all good and sober conversation Canon 13. of those 1603. A short Evening Prayer for the Lords day O Most glorious God and in Jesus Christ my mercifull and loving Father I confesse and acknowledge those many weaknesses imperfections which have passed from me in the performance of the duties of this day I have called upon thee for the pardon and forgivenesse of my sins but so coldly and carelessy that my very prayers are become sins and stand in need of pardon I have heard thy holy Word but with such deadnesse distraction of spirit that I have been a very unprofitable and forgetfull hearer So that O Lord though I have done thy work yet I have done it so negligently that I may rather expect a curse then a blessing from thee But O God who art rich in mercy and plenteous in redemption mark not what amisse hath passed from me remember that I am but dust pardon and passe by all my sins negligences and ignorances look not upon the weaknesse of my
own conscience I have quenched the motions of thy Spirit I have put off the good works whereby I might have glorified thee bettered my self benefited my neighbour Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have corrupted the best of my thoughts words works and ways by cherishing the corruptions of mine own nature by entertaining the secret temptations of Satan and the open inticements of the wicked world Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have been an evill husband of the talent of grace which was committed to my improvement I have been an unthrift of that time which was lent me for repentance and the work of my salvation Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have belied my corrupt heart with fair semblances of goodness and have hypocritically deceived the good opinion of charity which beleeveth the best I have boasted in the praise that I deserved not to thy offence who requirest truth in the inward parts Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have overweened the measure of grace in my self corrupted it with my pride I have undervalued the goodness of my neighbour and either have lessened it with abatements or depraved it with unjust imputations Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have heard and seen thee my God dishonoured my neighbour traduced and wronged I have done right to neither but either for fear of offence for partial affection for base flattery or ungodly modesty or for uncharitable envy I have forborn to arise in their just defence Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not alwayes sought the outward blessings of life by good meanes sanctified by prayer I have not alwayes received them with thanksgiving and contentednesse I have not alwayes used them with sobriety nor dispensed the over-measure with the piety and charity that I ought Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not used my lawful pleasures so seasonably so moderately so religiously so thankfully as I ought but I have offended thee my God in my mirth Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have not sought peace with all men nor always imbraced it when it hath been offered I have not loved mine enemy nor blessed him that cursed me nor done good to him that meant or did me hurt I have not given him such pardon as I begged from thee for my self Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sinned in vaine thoughts in vast desires in ungodly hopes in unchaste dreams in secret covetings of the goods or delights of my neighbour Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sinned in the unconscionable practice of these sins without remorse or repentance or if any good motions of thy Spirit have bred in me a godly sorrow for them the next temptation hath either replased me into the old or implunged mee in some new sin Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have hid some of these sins as Adam some of them I have excused with pretences some I have denied against the testimony of my accusing conscience some I have wickedly maintained none I have throughly repented amended Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have committed many secret sins that I have not been aware of I have sinned in the best of my works and intentions of piety and charity even when I most laboured to doe thee service Lord be merciful to me a sinner I have sinned all these wayes and done many evils that I have forgotten many that I have past over without consideration and repentance and now what shall I do to thee O thou preserver of men and Judge of the whole world Lord be merciful to me a sinner Have mercy upon me O Lord according to thy loving kindnesse according to the multitude of thy tender compassions blot out all my offences Amen Amen And that for Jesus Christ his sake in whose most blessed name and words we conclude these our imperfect prayers saying as he himself hath taught us OUR Father which art in heaven Hallowed be thy name Thy Kingdome come Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against us And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil For thine is the Kingdome the power and the glory for ever and ever Amen Morning Prayer OLord our heavenly Father almighty everlasting God which hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day defend us in the same with thy mighty power and grant that this day we fall into no sin neither run into any kinde of danger but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance to do always that is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Evening Prayer LIghten our darknesse we beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the love of thy onely Son our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen THe grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen II. DEPRECATION DEprecation is a branch of prayer directed to God either for the aversion and prevention of an evill before it comes or for the removing and taking it away when it is come And the evil which we deprecate may be either the evill of sin or the evill of punishment When we either feel or fear an evil we must not with Eliah or Jonah sit down and in a sullen humour wish our selves out of the world but we must pray as Christ did for his Disciples Joh. 17.15 not that he would take us out of the world but that he would keep us from the evil And so doing we have Gods promise not to be tempted above our strength For either he will abate the crosse or increase our strength to bear it either he will remove the temptation or give us his grace which is sufficient for us Deliver us from evil Luke 11.4 Deliver me from all my transgressions Make me not the reproach of the foolish Psal 39. Remove thy stroke from me Deliver my soul from the sword my darling from the dog Save me from the Lions mouth from the horns of the Unicorns Psal 22.20 21. THE LETANY of Deprecation FRom all the sinnes that I have done and from all that I would have done if thy grace had not prevented and restrained me Good Lord deliver me From my close bosome sins and from those sins to which I am inclined by nature or inticed by company or allured by pleasure and profit or drawn by the example of this evil world Good Lord deliver me From all the sins that I have felt in my conscience and confessed with my mouth and bewailed with my heart and begged pardon of thee with my tongue Good Lord deliver me From all the secret unknown sins which my conscience hath not felt nor my mouth confessed nor my heart bewailed
nor my tongue begged pardon Good Lord deliver me From the whole corruption of my nature from all the temptations of the Divel from the allurements of the world from the lusts of the flesh and eyes Good Lord deliver me From all vanity of minde dulness of understanding perversnesse of will crookedness of affections deadness hardness of heart and from a benummed blinded or seared conscience Good Lord deliver me From all wandring imaginations from all loosness of desires from all transgressions of thy holy and just commandments and from the first motions to any sin against thee or my neighbour Good Lord deliver me From relapsing into the sins that I have repented from turning thy grace into wantonnesse from treading under foot the bloud of thy covenant from neglect and contempt of the meanes of salvation Good Lord deliver me From all schism heresie from infidelity and apostasie from the sin against the holy Ghost Good Lord deliver me From famine scarcity from plague and pestilence and from all other thy sore and heavy judgements at this time and ever hereafter Good Lord deliver me From poverty and extreme necessity from sickness and diseases in my body from grief and vexation of mind from losse of liberty goods or friends from blemish and scādal of my good name Good Lord deliver me From giving offence unadvisedly and from taking offence unjustly Good Lord deliver me From thy wrath and indignation from final despair of thy grace and pardon and from sudden death Good Lord deliver me From the sentence of condemnation from the Lake of brimstone from the chains of everlasting darkness from the worm that dies not and the fire that shall never be quenched Good Lord deliver me O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul Psal 116.4 Amen Amen And that for Jesus Christ his sake in whose most blessed name and words we conclude these our imperfect prayers saying as he himself hath taught us OUR Father which art in heaven c. Morning Prayer O Lord our heavenly Father almighty everlasting God which hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day defend us in the same with thy mighty power grant that this day we fall into no sin neither run into any kind of danger but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance to doe alwayes that is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Evening Prayer LIghten our darkness we beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the love of thy only Son our Savior Jesus Christ Amen THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen III. SUPPLICATION SUpplication is another branch of praier whereby we intreat of God that hee would give us such blessings as we want or continue and inlarge such blessings as we have received And these blessings are either corporal or spiritual temporal or eternal For such blessings as are spiritual and accōpany salvation pray for them in the first place First seek the Kingdom of God the righteuosness thereof we may pray for them absolutely for the other we must pray conditionally with a reference submission of our will to Gods will who best knows what is good for us Not my will but thine be done Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven O Thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come Psal 65.2 Lord hear my voice let thine eares be attentive to my supplications Psal 130.2 Behold now that I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord who am but dust and ashes O let not the Lord bee angry and I will speak THE LETANY of Supplication THat it may pleafe thee to fill mine heart and my mouth with thy praise all my life long for all thy faithfulnesse and truth and loving kindness shewed to me in the land of the living I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to give me a clear judgment to see my sins holy affections to hate and abhorre them true repentance to bewail and forsake them with a stedfast purpose and resolution against them for the time to come I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to wash mee throwly from mine iniquities and to cleanse me from my sins that I may be whiter then snow I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to apply to my conscience the obedience of the life and the sacrifice of the death of Jesus Christ for the assurance of thy favour and my pardon I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to create in me a clean heart to renew a right spirit within me to give me truth in my inward parts and to establish me with thy free Spirit I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to give me such graces as I want and to increase those which I have that I may grow frō strength to strength till I become a perfect man I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to make me an instrument of thy glory to direct all my thoughts words works for the inlargement advancement of thy Kingdome I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to establish in mee the Kingdome of thy power to rule and awe me and the Kingdome of thy grace to sanctifie me to the knowledge love and obedience of thy will I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to enable me to doe thy will with chearfulness alacrity with perseverance and constancy as thy blessed Angels and Saints in heaven do it I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to open thy full hand to bestow upon me the necessaries of this life the fruits of the earth in due season with the continuance of health liberty and peace I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to give me thy blessing with them that I may use them wisely soberly justly charitably thankfully and contentedly I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to blesse me in all the works of my calling with grace and strength to obtain to keep and to use a good conscience towards thee my neighbours to my lives end I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. That it may please thee to sanctifie my life to sweeten my death and to raise up my body in the day of the Lo Jesus I beseech thee to heare me good Lord. Finally that it may please thee to give me my masters joy my fathers inheritance the Crown of righteousness the glory of the new Jerusalem to satisfie me with that fulness of joy which is in thy presence I beseech thee to heare me
good Lord. O Lord hear my praier and let my cry come unto thee Amen Amen And that for Jesus Christ his sake in whose most blessed name and words we conclude these our imperfect prayers saying as he himself hath taught us Our Father which art art in heaven c. Morning Prayer O Lord our heavenly Father almighty everlasting God which hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day defend us in the same with thy mighty power grant that this day we fall into no sin neither run into any kind of danger but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance to doe alwayes that is righteous in thy sight through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Evening Prayer LIghten our darkness we beseech thee O Lord and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night for the love of thy only Son our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the holy Ghost be with us all evermore Amen IV. THANKSGIVING Thanksgiving is a branch of praier which like the Leper in the Gospell turns back to God with a confession and â—â—â—â—â—tiation of what 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath done for 〈◊〉 And it is so necessary and essâ—â—tiall a part of Gods woâ—ship that it is the very condition of the obligation wherein God hath bound himself by his promise to hear us Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt praise me Psal 50.15 so that if we praise him not we break the Covenant and are usurpers upon all his blessings and deliverances Thy loving kindness is better then life therefore my lips shall praise thee Psal 63.3 4. Thus will I magnifie thee al my life and lift up my hands in thy Name Seven times a day do I praise thee Ps 119.164 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousnesse and thy salvation all the day long for I know no end thereof Ps 71.15 While I live I will praise the Lord I will sing praises to my God while I have any being Psal 146.2 Blesse the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Psal 103.2 O Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise Psal 51.15 THE LETANY of Thanksgiving FOR the grace of Election by which I was chosen according to the good pleasure of thy will My soule doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the grace of Creation by which I was made after thine image in righteousnesse and holiness My soule doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the grace of Redemption by which I was recovered from the guilt dominion of sin from the power of Satan and the second death My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the grace of Vocation wrought in me by the inward working of thy Spirit the outward ministry of thy holy Word and Sacraments My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the grace of Justification whereby I am clothed with the righteousness of Christ Jesus My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For my measure of Sanctification by which I am made a new Creature My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For my formation in the womb my birth my baptisme the illumination of my understanding the correction of my will and all the spiritual graces received froÌ„ thee My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the liberty of thy Word and Sacraments for thy sanctuary and solemne assemblies and for thy gracious presence with us in them My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For thy constant providence in supplying my necessities and defending me from dangers My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For my good parents my education my health liberty and peace for the comfort of my friends for my daily bread and for all thy temporall blessings My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For thy prevention of evils subvention in evils deliverance from evil My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For thy patience in forbearing for thy mercy in forgiving for thy bounty in giving even when I sinned against thee with a high hand My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For my life and the season given me for repentance good works and for thy holy means of grace and salvation My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the checks of mine own conscience for the instruction of thy word for the motions of thy good Spirit which have either restrained me from sin or caused me to repent of it My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For thy fatherly corrections by some spirituall conflicts with Satan by diseases or hurts in my body by griefs of mind losse of goods molestation of injuries discomforts for or from those to whom naturall civil or Christian acquaintance had indeared me My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For all the holy Patriarchs and Prophets for the ever blessed Mother of our Lord for all the holy Apostles and Evangelists for all the godly Bishops and Pastors of the Church for all the noble Army of Martyrs and Confessors and for all the faithfull that have lived and died in the Lord My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For the happy translation of all Saints departed in peace from this vale of tears to the inheritance of the just My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For thine holy Angels and the charge which thou hast given them to minister unto us to pitch their tents about us to keep us in all our ways and to convey our souls into Abrahams bosome My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For Jesus Christ the author and finisher of our faith and the fountain and foundation of all these favours For his conception birth For his circumcision and baptism For his fasting and temptation For his doctrine and miracles For his agony and bloody sweat For his cross passion For his death burial For his victorious descension into hell For his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven For his sitting at the right hand of God to make intercession always for us For his sending the holy Ghost to a bide with his Church for ever and for his being with us to the end of the world My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For thy blessed Spirit the enlightner of my understanding the sanctifier of my will the helper of my infirmities the comforter of my conscience the pledge and witness of my adoption and the seal of my salvation My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For all my personall particular deliverances for the religion peace plenty strength and honour of the State wherein I live for saving it all times especially from the Spanish invasion and the Popish powder treason My soul doth magnifie thee O Lord. For all the secret favours which thou hast done for us for all the mercies which we have received from thee and are slipt out of our remembrance and for all the goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee and
long ver 6. My loins are filled with a loathsome disease and there is no soundness in my flesh ver 7. I am feeble and sore broken I have rored by reason of the disquietness of my heart ver 8. Lord all my desire is before thee my groaning is not hid from thee ver 9. Forsake me not O Lord O my God be not far from me ver 21. Make haste to help me O Lord my salvation ver 22. DIRECTIONS for the Lords Day HEE that would spend a Sunday well living where he hath the liberty of Gods house and Ordinances must do something before Church something at Church something after Church Before Church 1. So soone as we awake we should have our hearts affected with the majesty and solemnity of the day putting a difference betwixt it and others considering that it is The Lords day An holy day An honourable day Great is the honour of this day above others God the Father honoured it On this day he formed the elements of the world On this day he created the Angels On this day he first rained Manna upon the Israelites God the Son honoured it with his glorious resurrection with his gracious apparitions after he was risen For On this day he appeared to the two Maries that came to the Sepulchre Matth. 28.1 9. On this day he appeared to his Disciples assembled together Thomas then not being present John 20.19 On this day he appeared again to his Disciples Thomas being with them Joh. 20.26 On this day S. John saw him walking in the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks Rev. 1.10 13. God the holy Ghost honoured it On this day he descended upon the Apostles in a golden showr of all spirituall gifts and graces Since which time The Church hath honoured it and made it the day of their solemn Assemblies Acts 20.7 What God and his Church hath thus honoured that do not thou profane Secondly we must lay aside the cares of the world and the works of our ordinary callings leaving them behind us as Abraham did his servants when he went to offer his sacrifice upon Mount Moriah Thirdly we must cleanse our selves by confession repentance for otherwise our prayers in the Church will not be acceptable to God nor his ordinances profitable to us Will ye steal murder commit adultery and swear falsly and burn incense unto Baal and walk after other gods whom ye know not and come and stand before me in this house Jer. 7.9 10. Shall I be enquired of by you ô house of Israel As I live saith the Lord I will not be enquired of by you Ezek. 20.31 God heareth not sinners but if any man be a worshipper of him and doth his will him he heareth John 9.31 The Lord had respect unto Abel and his offering But unto Cain and his offering he had not respect Gen. 4.4 5. I will wash my hands in innocency and so will I compasse thine Altar Psal 26.6 Hence was it that the Jews writ over the doors of their Synagogues this saying of David This is the gate of the Lord the righteous shall enter into it Psal 118.20 And now being thus qualified prepared go unto the house of God and in the way meditate of some of these sentences One thing I have desired of the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwel in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple Psal 27.4 I was glad when they said unto me Let us go up unto the house of the Lord Psal 122.1 We will go unto his Tabernacles we wil worship at his footstoole Psal 132.7 My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord Psal 84.2 A short morning Prayer for the Sunday O Most glorious and immortall God the eye of whose providence doth never slumber I yeeld thee humble and hearty thanks that thou hast preserved me from the perils of the night past brought me safe to the light of this day and the comforts thereof It is a day holy and honourable a day which is consecrated to thine own service and set apart for thine own honour Let my heart therefore gracious God be so affected with the glory and majesty of it that I may not doe mine own works nor seek mine own pleasure nor speak mine own words but may wait upon thee in the use of thine ordinances discharge those weighty duties which thou requirest of me Now forasmuch as thou art a God of pure eyes and wilt be sanctified in all those that draw near unto thee a God who regardest not the sacrifice of fools nor hearest sinners though they tread in thy courts and call upon thee in the House of praier I beseech thee to pard on and forgive me all my sins remove them out of thy presence as far as the East is from the West accept of me in the death and passion of thy Son Jesus Christ that when I shall come into thy Temple to compasse thine Altar my prayer may come up before thee as incense and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice And as I desire that thou wouldest hear me calling upon thee in my prayers so give me grace to hear thee calling upon me in thy word It is the word of truth of wisdome of righteousnesse of reconciliation that Word which is able to save my soul in the day of the Lord Jesus grant therefore that I may hear it with reverence receive it with meeknesse and mingle it with faith that it may accomplish in me that good work for which thou hast sent it And that this day may be every where a day of holinesse unto thee sanctifie and prepare the hearts of all thy people for thy service fill the places of thy worship with thy glory be present with the assemblies of thy Saints open the mouths of thy Ministers second the ministry of thy word by the efficacy of thy Spirit that it may be powerfull to the casting down of the strong holds of sin and Satan to the advancing inlarging of thy Kingdome to the edifying building up of thy body the Church and to the perfecting of thy Saints till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man Thou ô God who art able to do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we can ask or think hear me and answer me even for the sake of thy dear Sonne Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and the blessed Spirit be ascribed given all power praise might majesty and dominion now and evermore Amen At Church COnsider first the place where thou art it is The gate of heaven Holy ground The house of God Josh 5.15 Gen. 28.17 O how amiable are thy tabernacles ô Lord of Hosts A day in thy Courts is better then a thousand Blessed are they that may dwell
22 Fourthly there is required a stedfast purpose and settled resolution against sin for the trme to come The Church in the administration of this Sacrament cals such only as intend to lead a new life to follow the Commandements of God to walk from thenceforth in his holy ways The Paschall Lambe was to be eaten by such only as were circumcised The Manna was to be put into a pot of pure gold The body of Christ crucified was wrapt in fine linnen and laid in a new Spulchre Sorrow for sin without resolution of amendment is like the pumping in a Ship without stopping the leak that lets in the water In the Law if a man held the unclean thing still in his hand he was unclean though he washed his hand never so often Fiftly there is required Charity with all men The Paschall Lambe was to be eaten without leaven The Serpent disgorges his poison when he coms to drink Be as wise as Serpents Let us keep the feast not with old leaven neither with the leaven of malice 1 Cor. 5.8 If thou bring thy gift to the Altar and there remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee Leave there thy gift before the altar and go thy way first be reconciled to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift Mat. 5.23 24. The three wise men went first to Ierusalem then to Bethlehem first to the vision of peace then to the house of bread The cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the bloud of Christ The bread which we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ For we being many are one bread and one body 1 Cor. 10.16 17. The signs of bread wine used in the Sacrament may teach us love charity Many grains are kneaded together into one loafe Many grapes are pressed together in one cup. If thus thou hast made thy peace with God and the world draw neare Tast and see how sweet the Lord is Psal 34.8 Eate O friend drink yea drink abundantly O beloved Cant. 5.1 A short Prayer before we receive the Sacrament O Most gracious and merciful Lord God thou hast called all those that are weary heavy laden with the burthen of their sins to come unto thee and hast promised that thou wilt ease and refresh them thou hast invited all those that hunger and thirst after thy Kingdome and the righteousnesse thereof to come to thy Table to taste of thy Supper and hast promised that thou wilt satisfie them In affiance therefore of these promises I come to thee blessed Lord Jesus beseeching thee to ease me to refresh me to satisfie me with thy mercy for my soul hungers and thirsts after thee thy salvation I confesse and acknowledge that my daily sins have made me unworthy of my daily bread much more of this Manna this bread of life which came down from heaven I confesse also that I am not prepared according to the preparation of thy Sanctuary yet for as much as I have this day set my heart to seek thee thou O good God be merciful unto me And though I cannot bring with me a clean heart for who can say his heart is clean yet behold O Lord I bring with me a contrite heart and a broken spirit despise not O God this sacrifice As for the sinnes that I have committed against thee binde them up into one bundle and cast them into the bottomlesse sea of thy mercy bury them in the wounds and wash them away in the bloud of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus and for the time to come so sprinkle my conscience with the same bloud that being clensed from dead works I may serve thee the living God in righteousness and true holiness all the days of my life That so this blessed Sacrament may be a means to quiet my conscience to increase my faith to inflame my charity to amend my life to save my soul to assure me that I am in the number of those blessed ones who shal eate at thy table and be called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Grant this O Lord for Jesus Christ his sake in whose name and words I conclude these my imperfect prayers saying as he himself hath taught me Our Father c. At the receiving of this Sacrament IN the receiving of the Lords Supper many particulars would rather distract us then direct us these few I suppose most considerable First let thine eyes be upon the actions of the Minister observe the breaking of the bread and the powring out of the wine The breaking of the bread will minde thee how the body of Christ was bruised and broken The pouring out of the wine wil remēber thee of the shedding of his bloud It was shed for thee When he was circumcised When he was scourged When he sweat in the garden When he was crowned with thorns But especially to which this Sacrament hath immediate relation When he was nailed to the cross When his fide was pierced The bloud of Christ clenseth us from all sins 1 John 1.17 It speaketh better things then the bloud of Abel Heb. 12.24 It is precious bloud 1 Pet. 1.19 And all this because it is the bloud of God Acts 20.28 Secondly discern the Lords body 1 Cor. 11.29 We must consider the consecrated bread not as the bread of the Lord but as that bread which is the Lord. Not as our common ordinary daily bread but as the body of Christ sacramentally We must consider the wine not as the bloud of the grape but as the bloud of Christ in a true yet sacramentall manner Christ is truly present in the Sacrament it is the eating of his flesh and the drinking of his bloud John 6.56 Not naturally and corporally This is an hard saying who can hear it Joh. 6.60 The flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and life Joh. 6.63 Thirdly receive it kneeling This gesture is most sutable It signifies an humble and gratefull acknowledgement of those benefits we receive in this Sacrament Again the Minister when he gives and we when we receive joyn together in a short but sweet prayer The body of our Lord Jesus Christ which was given for thee c. The bloud of our Lord Jesus Christ which was shed for thee c. No gesture so sutable for prayer as kneeling Again it is appointed ordered by the Church Let all things be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 Though I be absent frō you in the flesh yet am I present with you in the spirit joying and beholding your order Col. 2.5 After the receiving of this Sacrament WHen thou hast been partaker of the Lords Supper First of all give thanks It is a duty which we owe for our ordinary suppers It was called the Eucharist from this duty of thanksgiving It is the cup of blessing God blesseth us and we must blesse God God gives us the cup of