that our first Parents fell from that primitive Holiness and Righteousness and so lost the Image of God for after that by the perswasion of the Devil they had entertained a love of themselves contrary to God and to the love of their Creator preferring their own Glory and Delectation before the love and glory of God and desiring to be equal with God himself their understandings were presently overspread with ignorance and blindness instead of Wisdom Their Wills grew Refractory and Disobedient to God and all their affections were perverse irregular and out of order so that now the thoughts of man from his infancy are evil and thus man not only fell from that eternal life for which he was Created but also became obnoxious to eternal Damnation Thirdly 'T is firmly to be believ'd that God took pitty on fallen Mankind and sent his Son to take upon him Humane Flesh and being made Man did by suffering and dying satisfie for us and deliver us from eternal death And did by his Merits relied on by a true Faith again make us Heirs of that blessed life which by our sins we lost and restored in us the decayed image of God and made us his and Sanctified us by his Holy Spirit that we might serve him in Righteousness and Holiness all the days of our life From whence it plainly appears who Christ is and what is the duty of a Christian viz. Christ is our Redeemer who reconciled us unto his Father and by his Merits made us his Brethren and Coheirs of his Kingdom when we were enemies to God defiled with sin and deserved to be punished with eternal death And a Christian who derives his name from Christ is one who acknowledges that he was indeed created by God in Righteousness and Holiness but by the Wiles of Satan fell from and rebelled against God and so being polluted by the stains of Original Sin and contaminated with many actual Transgressions he became liable to the wrath of God and everlasting punishment from which he is freed and redeemed by the alone Merits and Righteousness of Christ which by Faith is imputed unto him so that now he is to undertake such a way of living as may be well pleasing not to the Devil but unto God and therefore he is to avoid all sins from which he is redeemed by the pretious Merits of Christ and to serve God alone in an holy and religious life And from hence arises a threefold duty of a Christian The first is to acknowledge himself a sinner and to bewail his sins Secondly To believe Christ to be his Redeemer and to trust only in his Merits Thirdly To obey his Laws to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit not to relapse into sins from which by the death of Christ he is redeemed but to love God above all things and his Neighbour as himself Or to comprize all in a word the life of a Christian is a continual Repentance For since he is defiled with Original Sin and even the Just Man falls seven times Prov. 24.16 He will therefore be always sorrowful for his sins and sly to the Merits of Christ and serve God in true Righteousness and Holiness In sum 't is the Duty of a Christian to believe in Christ and to live holily which if he doth for Christs sake he will be acceptable unto God and shall in the end inherit eternal life But if he shall be deprived of this happiness if he is not in favour with God although he should possess the Riches of the whole World although he were Monarch over all the Earth although he were wiser than the best Philosophers yet would all be in vain and to no purpose Vanity of Vanities Eccles 1. all is Vanity except to serve God and to please him There are indeed many things to be done which are allowed of God but there is one thing necessary None shall be Condemned in the last Day that they were not rich that they were not in high places that they did not enjoy great honours that they were ignorant of many nice Subtilties of Nature But they alone shall be Condemned who do not believe in Christ and who are not the Children of God The Prayer GRant O Lord Jesus Christ that I may never forget those Vows wherewith I have obliged my self unto thee in the Holy Sacrament of Baptism but that renouncing the Devil and all his Works I may obey thy Commandments with my whole Heart and confessing my self to be a Miserable Sinner I may confide in thy Merits and serve Thee in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of my life Amen CHAP. XI That we must repent And first of sorrowing for our sins FOR as much as the Christian knows that he is conceiv'd and born in sins and that in this corruption of Humane Nature no body can sufficiently resist the Temptations of the World the Flesh and the Devil that there is no Man which sinneth not 2 Chr. 6.36 Prov. 20.9 for who can say I have made my Heart clean I am pure from my sin and that even the Just man falleth seven times Prov. 24.16 therefore he hates and bewails his sins and confesseth that by them he hath provoked Gods anger against him so that he justly deserveth the eternal pains of Hell But the Christian must bewail his sins seriously and from his heart 2 Cor. 7.10 For that is godly sorrow which worketh Repentance unto Salvation not to be repented of that is a true sorrow for sins joyn'd with faith Now this grief and sadness the Holy Ghost excites in us as also doth the Consideration and Meditation of Christs Passion As if a Man considers who he is whom he hath offended who it is that is angry with him and that his sins were the cause of his Saviours Passion For Man from himself is nothing but he is Gods Creature and whatever any one hath he hath it from God But God is the Creator of all things the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Omnipotent Immense most Wise most Good and most Great insomuch that between Man and God there is no proportion And yet Man by his sins rebell'd against God and deliver'd himself up into the Bondage of Satan and so provoked the infinite anger of his God against him Now the Passion of Christ is the Mirrior of the Divine anger And whoever considers with himself the reasons that mov'd the Son of God to become Man to suffer and to die and confesseth that it was the sins of the World which could no other ways be atton'd for than by the Death and Passion of the Son of God himself he who shall consider that Man who is Dust and Ashes fell away from his Creator the great and good God and listed himself under the Devils Banner and so by his sins provoked Gods anger enough to have thrown him headlong into Hell and withal shall confess it to be in part his own fault that the
your Conscience to Judgment to set in order the miscarriages of the day past to see what things you have omitted that you ought to have done what you are to do the day following and what you are to beware of Nor is this a business of small importance For although our sleep may be quiet and pleasing without it yet it can never be safe He only rests securely that is reconciled unto his God and hath adjusted his accounts with him so that whether he dies in the Night or awakens in the Morning he is sure to have God propitious to him But it is most impudent rashness most pernicious presumption to indulge your self in sleep whilst your Soul is defiled with guilt your Conscience wounded in the day by sin And not made sound again by Repentance For should death seize on you in your sleep before you are restor'd to Gods favour by Repentance whether will your Soul go they therefore very foolishly consult their own Welfare who spend the Evening in Drunkenness and Jollity and when they are satiated with Wine and Mirth and rest invites them they go the next way to their beds and are soon quite overcome with sleep Such precipitancy as this is most desperate madness If therefore you would have your sleep quiet and without fear first examine your own Conscience bring to your remembrance the Divine Favours if you have done any good that day rejoyce and give God the glory but if any evil bewail it beg Gods Pardon for your sins and firmly resolve to live better for the future But if you do not not daily follow this course and that not negligently but with care and diligence the same sins after divers months and years are past will still live and thrive in you Whereas on the contrary such an examination of the Conscience is a powerful incitement to vertue he who daily examins himself neither desires others praises nor stands in need of their Admonitions or Reprehensions He doth not seek aster the praise of Men but he hath the applauses of his own Conscience for saith the Apostle Our Rejoycing is this 2 Cor. 1.12 the Testimony of our Conscience And those Reprooâ—â— which he doth not hear from others he hath within from himself There is no one so cautions who doth not daily sometimes forget himself allowing himself too much liberty or falling into the snares of Passion Idleness or some other Vice Now in the Evening it is in his own power to recover his steps and again set himself free from the cruel Bondage of sin And thus every day reproving and correcting himself for his Errours he will at length utterly extirpate the whole Body of sin in him When ever you find your self to have transgressed for there is no Man that sinneth not if you have not time for more yet devoutly and from you heart say Lord be merciful to me a sinner Have mercy upon me O God after thy great goodness according to the multitude of thy mercies do away mine offences But if you neglect this Examination and hush your Conscience to sleep whilst it is grieved and guilty of sin and out of favour with God you are ruin'd and for ever undone if this night should be your last and what security have you for your life one night longer Now he frees himself from these dangers who searches diligently into his own Soul before he betakes himself to rest endeavours to appease his offended God by a lively Faith and sincere Repentance through the Merits of our Saviour for should his Soul even that night be taken away from him yet would he die well and happily And more especially if by any Temptation you should be drawn aside to strife and contentions with your Neighbour do not suffer the Sun to go down upon your Wrath but be reconciled unto him and forgive him even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Furthermore it is necessary before you go to sleep that you read some portion of the Holy Scriptures and then humbly return thanks to God for all the Mercies and Benefits of the day past and pray unto him that he would mercifully forgive you all your sins by which you have so grievously offended him that he would please to preserve you the following night from the power and wiles of Satan and from all perils and dangers of Soul and Body and with your self commend all yours and all faithful Christians to the protection of God When you put off your Cloaths bethink your self that the time will surely come and that for ought you know very speedily when you must for ever leave all things in this World Lastly When you lay you down in your bed let it put you in mind of your Grave in which your body is to sleep till the day of Judgment let your bed mind you of the Earth that is to cover you your Cloaths your Winding Sheet in which when dead you are to be wrapt and let your approaching sleep mind you of Death it self And as you desire to awake safe and in good health in the Morning so desire of God that you may joyfully arise our of your Grave at the last day and may with good assurance stand before the Throne of Christ our Judge and at last when you are going to sleep say I will lay me down in peace Ps 4. ult and take my rest for it is thou Lord only that makest me dwell in safety The Prayer O Eternal and most gracious God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hast been pleased mercifully to preserve me in safety to this present day and hast defended me from the violence of Satan let thy Holy Spirit direct and rule me in all my ways that I may know how frail I am how few and evil the days of the years of my life are that so I may apply my heart unto Wisdom Forgive me I beseech thee all the sins which from my Child-hood until now I have committed against thee by Thought Word and Deed and by omitting to do those good things which thou hast commanded me to perform Have mercy upon me O God according to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my Transgressions And enter not into Judgment with thy Servant O Lord for in thy sight shall no Man living be justified And grant O Lord that I may spend the remaining part of my time in working out my own Salvation with fear and trembling doing always such things as are well pleasing in thy sight O let the thoughts of death be continually in my mind O let the apprehensions of that strict account which I must make before thee at the last day deter me from Transgressing thy Laws that I may so spend every day and hour of my life as if they were the last I had to live Establish in me a full purpose of mind to direct all my Thoughts Words and Actions to the glory of thy
heart for with thee there is mercy and plenteous redemption To thee then O thou Son of God and my Saviour I fly for succour Thou camest into the World to save sinners thou hast called unto thee all that are weary and heavy laden and hast promised to give them rest and ease Behold I come unto thee bowed together with the weight of my sins O do thou lift me up for thou art the Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the World thou didest that all that believe in thee should not perish but have everlasting life Lord Jesu I believe in thee O pity and help my infirmities Amen CHAP. XIII That we must live Holily BUT it is not enough barely to know that Christ died for sin Since the Devils are not ignorant of this mere knowledge which puffeth up 1 Cor. 8.1 is one thing and a vain boasting of Faith is another and a true lively Faith is another which as by an inward formal Act it receives and apprehends Christ with all his benefits to Justification Gal. 5.6 so also outwardly it worketh by love And therefore Christ having redeemed us from the hands of our Enemies we ought to serve him in Righteousness and Holiness all the days of our life To this purpose St. Paul exhorts us 2 Cor. 5.15 That Christ died for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them and rose again For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation Tit. 2.11 hath appeared to all Men Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly Lusts vers 12. we should live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World vers 13. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Who gave himself for us vers 14. that he might Redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good works All they therefore that think to have their sins remitted whilst they go on in their wickedness deceive themselves and make a mock at the Merits of Christ and may so fall away Heb. 6.6 as even to Crucifie unto themselves the Son of God afresh Heb. 10.29 and put him to an open shame And account the blood of the Covenant wherewith they were Sanctified an unholy thing and do despight unto the spirit of grace For since Christ hath redeemed us from the Slavery of Satan and restored us again to our former liberty it is very fitting that we should lead a new life bid farewel to all iniquity and serve God with a pure heart fervently Now this restoring Man to his pristine state in which God at first created him and from whence by sin he fell is in holy Writ called a Renovation Or a new Creature For so says the Apostle Eph. 4.22 23 c. Put off concerning the former Conversation the old Man which is corrupt according to the deceitful Lusts And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind and put on the new Man which after God is Created in Righteousness in true Holiness Wherefore putting away lying speak every Man truth with his Neighbour for we are members one of another Be ye angry and sin not let not the Sun go down upon your wrath Neither give place to the Devil Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth Let no corrupt Communication proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the Hearers And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all Malice And be ye kind one to another tender-hearted forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you And a little after Eph. 5.3 But Fornication and all Vncleanness or Covetousness let it not be once named amongst you Although it plainly appears from this Exhortation of the Apostle what a Regenerate Man whose sins are pardon'd is to do and what he is to avoid yet we may briefly comprize the whole exercise of Godliness under these two Heads viz. the love of God and of our Neighbour This is the Sum of all the Commandments as our Saviour himself teaches us Mat. 22.37 Luke 10.27 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Strength and with all thy Mind and thy Neighbour as thy self The Prayer O Merciful Father who in thy Son Jesus Christ hast pardoned all my sins what shall I render unto thee for all the Benefits which thou hast bestowed on me Grant that I may delight my self in thy Commandments that I may not love the World nor the things in it but may Crucifie my flesh with its Affections and Lusts guide me with thy Holy Spirit that I may daily persevere in true Repentance may war a good warfare keep Faith and a good Conscience and increase more and more in Righteousness and Holiness working that which is well pleasing in thy sight And for as much as of my self I am not able to do any good thing do thou O Lord who givest both to will and to do perfect that good work which thou hast begun in me and bring it to an Happy Issue and keep me in all my ways that I depart not from thy Statutes Lead me in the paths of thy Commandments Thy word is a Lanthern unto my Feet and a light unto my paths Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquity have Dominion over me Ps 119.133 CHAP. XIV That God is to be loved above all things FOR as much as God at first created us Christ by his Death redeemed us from eternal Death and the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and leads us to everlasting life therefore are we to love God above all things whatever Love naturally desires what is good and excellent and what any one loves that he always esteems best most profitable and beautiful now there is nothing can be suppos'd better and more beautiful than God and therefore he is to be loved above all things This is the first Commandment Exod. 20.3 Thou shalt have no other Gods before me Deut. 5.7.6.4 Mar. 12.29 And hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Might He who loves God above all things hath no other Gods but who ever loves any thing more than God he makes that his God for he prefers it before God and sets it up as an Idol in his Heart Therefore a Christian is to despise all things in respect of God how great and profitable how beautiful and
shall be Forgiven The Apostle St. Paul reckons these amongst the works of the Flesh Gal. 5.20 21. Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Envyings and such like and pronounceth that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And St. John saith 1 Joh. 3.14 15. He that loveth not his Brother abideth in Death Whosoever hateth his Brother is a Murderer We have good reason to bear with the infirmities of others because there are many things which others must bear with in us For no one is perfect You see plainly that you are not able to bring your self to live according to those Rules which you could wish and why then should you be angry with others if they do not live just as you would have them Mat. 7.5 first cast out the Beam out of thine own Eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the Mote out of thy Brothers Eye let us therefore bear one anothers Burthens Gal. 6.2 for there is no body without fault And then farther let us endeavour to keep our selves from Slandering and Calumniating of others by not being too curious in enquiring into the Words and Actions and Lives of our Neighbours for what O Man is it to thee what another says or does Rom. 14.4 Who art thou that judgest another Mans Servant To his own Master he standeth or falleth Do thy best to give a good account of thine own Words and Actions to God and he also is obliged to render an account of his to the same God to whom all things are naked and open he sees all things under the Sun and knows what every one thinks and desires and to what end they direct their Actions therefore commit all to him rest contented and do not disquiet thy self with others cares The Prayer O Lord our most Merciful Father who in thy Son Jesus Christ hath called me to Eternal Life and forgiven me all my sins let thy Holy Spirit also direct and rule my heart that I may daily persevere in a true Repentance continually strive against my sins and increase more and more in all vertuous and godly living And for as much as my own strength is not sufficient to contend against so many Enemies and to bring my good purposes to effect do thou O Lord stretch forth thy Right Hand to assist me least I saint in the Warfare and Satan get the Dominion over me Thou O Lord resistest the Proud but givest grace to the Humble The proud in heart is an Abomination to thee vouchsafe me therefore O Lord an humble Spirit devoid of all High-mindedness according to the example of our Blessed Lord who being in the form of God humbled himself even to the Death of the Cross that he might exalt us unto everlasting life Make me to consider that I am but Dust and Ashes and have no reason to lift up my self let me not be proud of those gifts which thou hast bestowed on me and scornfully despise others but confess that what ever good is in me I have received it all from thee O Lord naked came I out of my Mothers Womb but thou hast bountifully given me Meat and Drink Cloathing and Habitation and all things necessary for the preservation of my life Make me to be contented with my Daily Bread that my mind may never be possess'd with Covetousness But may remember that I must go out of this World naked as I came and therefore may lay up my Treasure in Heaven which I may enjoy to all Eternity And because I know that in me dwelleth no good thing and the Flesh always Lusteth against the Spirit and is daily enticing me to the pleasures of this World grant O Lord that by the assistance of thy Holy Spirit I may crucifie and mortifie the Flesh with its affections and Lusts and may live soberly righteonsly and godly in this present World and serve thee in pureness of Spirit all the days of my life Grant also that according to thy command and example we may love one another Root out of our Hearts all bitterness and malice that the Sun may never go down upon our Wrath but that we may do good to those that hate us and forgive all that have offended us Lord I beseech thee take from me Pride and give me the Spirit of Humility Extinguish in me the desires of the Flesh and inflame my Heart with the love of thee Cast out of my mind the fury of anger and implant therein the gift of Patience Remove from me the love of Vain-glory the bitterness of Envy and bestow on me the sweetness of Charity and Humility the gift of a meek and quiet Spirit which is in thy sight of great price CHAP. XVII A Diary of the practice of Piety BUT for as much as the Exercises of Piety ought to be every day performed because no body can be certain which shall be that last day when he shall depart out of this life and every day for ought we know may be our last It will therefore be very useful to have both in our view and memory the course of one day regularly dispos'd according to the pattern whereof we may lead our lives that so every day we may be prepared for an happy Death First then O Man when you awake out of sleep in the Morning let your earliest Meditations be on God nor ever let any thing but the thoughts of God first enter into your mind For serious Contemplations of God being once admitted into our minds will keep out all evil Devices think then first that God will easily hereafter raise you from the dead as now you are awaken'd from your sleep Afterwards when with open'd eyes you behold the light of the Sun think with your self how great the Glory and Majesty of the last day will be when so many hundred thousand glorious Bodies shining like the Sun and Stars shall go with Christ their Judge like so many Suns into eternal life and therefore use all diligence that you may appear one of that blessed number Afterwards revolve in your mind that the Devil like a Roaring Lion 1 Pet. 5.8 walketh about seeking whom he may devour That he was not far from you the night past and had a desire to hurt you and could have done it unless God had defended you by the Ministry of his Holy Angels And withal think that the Holy Angels were encamped all night round about you that now you are rising from your Bed they stand by you and therefore take care to behave your self Circumspectly as being placed in the presence of God and the blessed Angels When you put on your Cloaths think that they are the Tokens of guilt with which we cover our shame and nakedness and therefore you have no cause to be proud of them and whilst you cover your Body let not your Soul be naked but put on the wedding Garment even the Righteousness of Christ and think
how unsuitable it would be to have a mind filthy and stained with sin under a fair and clean garment Never undertake any business unless you have first humbly compos'd your mind and body to Prayer Thank God from your very heart that he hath been pleased to preserve you the last night and even all your life from the Snares and Violence of Satan and to keep you and yours from all outward perils and dangers and pray unto him that he would mercifully forgive you all your sins for the Merits of Christ that he would preserve you and yours all the faithful and the universal Church from the power and subtilty of the Devil that he would please to defend you from all dangers of Body and Soul and so guide you by his Holy Spirit that you may not offend him this day by any sin but that all your Thoughts Words and Actions may be directed to the glory of God and the good of Mankind that he will please not to take you out of the World unprepared by a sudden death and that if he should think it fitting to take away your life this very day he would be merciful unto you and receive you to himself Every Morning renew your resolutions of serving God and as if this were the first day of your returning to God and that hitherto you had done no kind of good firmly purpose in your mind to love the Lord your God and serve him only And humbly pray unto God that he would please to keep and assist you in these your good Resolutions of serving him In the Morning advise with your self what you are to do that day in the Evening take an account of what you have done And that you may have comfort at night stedfastly determine to spend the day well Having offer'd up your prayers to God read a Chapter or two in the Holy Scriptures and attentively consider what there is contained in it for your Consolation or Instruction or Admonition From the Sacred History you may observe how great Gods anger is against sins and with what terrible plagues he hath punish'd sinners and on the contrary with what signal Rewards he hath recompenced Holiness and how wonderfully he hath conducted his own People In short so read the Scriptures as thereby to confirm your Faith and excite in you the practice of Piety Do the same also at night when you are going to Bed and thus in no long space of time you will have read over the whole Bible and so will be provided with a sure guide in the paths of Virtue all the days of your life As Holy David saith Thy Word is a Lamp unto my Feet Ps 119.105 and a Light unto my Path. The Law of the Lord is perfect Ps 19.8 c. converting the Soul The Testimony of the Lord is sure making Wise the simple The Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the Heart the Commandment of the Lord is pure enlightning the Eyes The fear of the Lord is clean enduring for ever The Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous all together More to be desired are they than Gold yea than much fine Gold Sweeter also than Hony and the Hony Comb. Moreover by them is thy Servant warned and in keeping of them there is great reward Be careful therefore not to read the Holy Scriptures out of Custom only and as it were by the by but stay a while in the Meditation of what you have read for there is no Chapter but will yield very profitable matter for Holy Contemplations to wit on the Wisdom of God his Omnipotency Infinity Goodness Mercy and Justice On the Corruption of Humane Nature our own sins the Snares and Temptations of the Devil the punishments of the Wicked and the Rewards of the Righteous on the frailty shortness and mortality of Humane Nature On Repentance Faith the exercise of Holiness On our Blessed Saviours Incarnation Nativity Miracles Passion Death Resurrection Ascention Intercession and his Redemption of Mankind On the last Judgment the Happy State of the Blessed in the life to come and the misery of the Damned in Hell These and the like as they offer themselves are to be heedfully attended to and some time Meditated upon until some sorrow of Mind some ardor of Devotion some act of Faith some Divine flame of love springs up in your Soul Having thus performed your Devotions from which never suffer your self to be withdrawn by any thing whatever since there is nothing so serious and weighty as to be preferr'd before God you may then apply your self to the Duties of your Calling with a full intention to discharge them faithfully for the due performance whereof you are not only diligently to beware of offending God either in Thought Word or Deed and of injuring your Neighbour but you ought also to direct all your Actions to Gods glory and the good of others First as to what concerns your thoughts although the godly by reason of the Corruption of Humane Nature cannot avoid all evil thoughts yet be careful least you too much indulge them but suppress them betimes and be sure never to bring them forth to act nor suffer your self to be seduced in your Affections to any thing contrary to Honesty and Piety and which may in the least alienate your mind from the happiness of the life Eternal Never seek after popular Fame Be not Ambitious after Honours Riches or any Worldly thing but more especially do not prefer them before God be humble and contented with a competency and a good Conscience he is very happy and hath every thing who hath God for his Friend He is most miserable and hath nothing who hath God for his Enemy When ever any sinful affections begin by little and little to steal into your mind as Avarice Voluptuousness Envy Anger Enmity and Hatred and such like as we have before mentioned in the precedeing Chapter be diligent to stifle them in their first motions As to what concerns your words and discourse so govern your self as always remembring that severe expression of our Lords Mat. 12.36 That every idle word that Men shall speak they shall give an account thereof in the day of Judgment And therefore in your jesting observe never to cast a blot upon Religion or Scandalize any one or offend against the Rules of Honesty and Modesty So order all your Speech that you never Scandalize your Neighbour but endeavour to build him up in the most Holy Faith to this end pray with David Set a Watch O Lord Ps 141.3 and keep the Door of my Lips There is no true joy but what is joyned with the love of God and a good Conscience We often laugh when if the great danger we are in were rightly consider'd there is more need we should weep let your words and your Heart go together and let both always agree with truth avoid lying and desraud none with deceitful words when ever you
Holy Name The good of my Neighbour and the Eternal Welfare of my own Soul O let me not dare to sin against thee for the sake of any thing in the World but grant that with a constant resolution of serving and pleasing thee and by a lively Faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ I may be always provided for an happy departure out of this life Ah! Merciful Lord let not a sudden death overtake me unawares but â—nable me to War a good Warfare to keep Faith and a good Conscience that so wheresoever or whensoever it shall please thee to call for me out of this World I may follow thee chearfully and without delay and joyfully stand before the Tribunal of my Redeemer Jesus Christ and receive that Crown of Righteousness which is laid up for all those that love his appearing O Father of mercies and God of all Consolation let thy Holy Spirit never depart from me especially when I am yielding up the Ghost but vouchsafe me his Divine help and Assistance to vanquish all the difficulties of this World and all the Temptations of the Flesh and the Devil Grant me grace to fix my mind on nothing but thee thy goodness and mercy and to put my Trust and Confidence in the alone Merits of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ to the last breath of my life and then O Lord receive my Soul Into thy hands I commend my Spirit O Father Son and Holy Ghost O Blessed Trinity O Eternal Unity save and defend me in this life and at the hour of Death O do not leave me nor forsake me CHAP. XVIII Of the more special and particular preparation for Death HAving now treated of the general preparation for Death which is to be performed the whole course of our life even whilst we are young and in our greatest health and vigour We now come to that more special and particular preparation which is necessary to be done when we are worn out with old Age or taken with any sudden and dangerous Disease so that we think the time of our departure is at hand For Death when we look on it at a distance only doth not much affect us but when we find it making its approaches near us we are then very pensive and disturb'd with the thoughts of it When ever therefore O Man any Disease seizeth on you think that sickness is the Harbinger of Death and that you are now admonished from Heaven as Hezechiah once was by the Prophet to set thine House in order Isa 38.2 for thou shalt die And rather look for Death than life For the event of sickness is very uncertain though at first it may seem but a light indisposition and it often happens that the Disease gaining more and more strength doth unexpectedly deprive a Man of the use of his Reason and of all serious Thoughts So that as soon as ever you find your self ill prepare your self for Death for if you should soon be well again yet your Care and Labour would not be in vain but if Death should come upon you before you are provided for it you run the hazard of losing your Soul for ever Heb. 9.27 For it is appointed unto Men once to die but after this the Judgment It is a most false and foolish opinion which hath obtained amongst some that the sick person will most certainly die if he makes his Will and receives the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ This hath no doubt been suggested by the Devil and spread abroad by ill Men that by this means they might frighten Men from fitting themselves for an happy Death Now this pre-paration consists in two parts the first thereof respects the dying Man and the other his Neighbour As to the first the dying Man is to take great care to reconcile himself to God whom he hath offended and to arm himself against all those Temptations which usually happen at that time To this end it will be necessary for him to search into his own Heart and examine over his whole life from the beginning to confess and bewail all his sins to God to pour out most Ardent Prayers and Sighs by the Assistance of the Holy Spirit for the obtaining pardon of his sins and Reconciliation with God in Christ our Saviour Examples of such Prayers may be found in the Penitential Psalms the prayer of Manasses and the like And although the sick Man ought chiefly to conless his sins to God against whom they were committed yet it is fit by the advice of the Apostle St. James James 5.16 that he should confess his faults to his Brethren to the Ministers of the Church and word of God to whom Christ hath committed the keys of binding and absolving Of remitting and retaining sins And chiefly let him confess those Crimes which most trouble his mind and with which Satan most disquiets him such let him repose in their Bosoms who are ready to assist him and to Administer suitable Consolations for sick Mens minds are many times not sedate enough for Divine Thoughts and Meditations and the Devil is very ready to divert those that offer themselves 'T is therefore the part of the Minister of Gods Word and his Friends to pray for the sick person that he may obtain pardon of his sins and not be overcome by the Temptations of the Devil It often happens that when Satan cannot drive Men to despair he then puts on another disguise and puffs them up with an opinion of their Merits This Temptation is diligently to be withstood For Satan exalteth those whom before he could not sink down that so he may cast them headlong with a more grievous fall Therefore O Man if ever such thoughts as these flatter thee consider that it is owing to Gods grace and not to your self if you are innocent from such and such offences and remember how many other ways you have offended him Or if you have been diligent in the performance of many good deeds and these come into your mind say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am what I am it was not I but the grace of God which was with me Ps 115.1 And not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory Remember that Admonition of our Saviour Luk. 17.10 When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable Servants we we have done that which was our duty to do 1 Eph. 1.8 And that of St. John if we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us As also that of St. Vae omni laudabili vitae hominum si remota misericordiâ eam discutias Domine Cons lib. 9. Cap. 13. Augustin Wo to the most perfect life of Man if thou Lord shouldest lay aside thy mercy and examine it If we read the Histories of dying Men or the