application of your mind runs upon the World this is a State to be repented of and you must enter upon resolutions of greater care and watchfulness and fervency and having done this you may proceed to the Sacrament without making so long a trial of your selves as in the former case because neither the Church nor your Neighbour can receive any scandal thereby Now beside this part of Examination consisting in an enquiry what sins you have been guilty of or now live in there is a second part of Examination consisting in this enquiry what good you have done what resemblance there is between your life and the life of Jesus your Spirit and the Spirit of Jesus for negative righteousness is not sufficient to make a man a good Christian and though it be true that we are not bound to the highest perfection under pain of damnation yet the love of God the love of Jesus and the hopes of eternal glory do all oblige us to aim at it and therefore we ought to bemoan our non-proficiency barreness and unprofitableness I mean not absolutely such but comparatively with respect to what we should attain to And that you may do this aright demand of your selves what requital have we made our Parents What assistance have we afforded them since God has blessed us What share of what God has prosper'd us with have we given to the poor the hungry and the naked What service have we done for the comfort and support of any that have been any ways distressed After this read with a sober devotion the Beatitudes Mat. 5. and examine the state of your Souls by 'em thus am I poor in Spirit contented in the lowest state resign'd up to God both as to my undderstanding and my will filled with humble thoughts of my own endowments both natural and moral do I mourn under the sense of my past sins and my present defects and infirmities Do I weep in secrets for the sins of my people for the Desolations and Divisions of the Church of Christ for the infidelity of Jew and Gentile and in general for the dishonour God's name suffers in the World Am I of a meek and quiet Spirit peaceable and slow to anger full of humility and reverence towards all but especially my Governours and Masters studying to do my own business and to live quietly in my Station Do I hunger and thirst after righteousnes Is my Soul inflamed with a desire of saying knowledge Do I delight in the meditation of Heavenly truths Am I ravish't with the Loveliness and Beauty of works truly great and truly Christian Am I merciful do I delight to imitate my heavenly Father as far as I am able being bountiful to the needy compassionate to the distressed long suffering towards the offender gentle and easily intreated carefully studying and resolv'dly pursuing the good of all even of mine Enemies and such whose either Ingratitude to me or their aversion to their own good renders the work much more difficult Am I pure in heart Is the World crucified to me Do I account all things but dung and dross in comparison of the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord Do I love my God and love my Jesus even to a thirst after a dissolution that putting off the body I may enjoy 'em in Heaven Do I in the singleness and simplicity of my heart pursue the honour of God without regard to any by-interest or corrupt affection Am I a peace-maker content to purchase it for my self or promote it amongst others by any travail or pains and by very great disadvantages to my self Do I pursue peace in the Church of Christ in the State in the Neighbour hood in the Family in my narrow capacity withal imaginable zeal Lastly Am I willing if the will of God so be to part with all and follow Christ to undergo not only reproach and contempt but if need be the spoil of all I have nay Stripes Imprisonment and Death it self These are the heights you are to labour after and though you may fall very short of 'em this Examination will serve to encrease your humility to make you more importunate for the assistance of God and more desirous of being strengthen'd and refresh't by the Holy Sacrament nay it will excite and quicken your graces in you for there is a loveliness in Virtue and therefore the oftner you seriously behold it the more you 'l be enamour'd of it When you have discover'd by this Examination the state of your Souls then proceed to bewail 'em before God thus These and many more which I cannot recollect are my sins O thou Judge of the World and these have all been repeated from time to time so that they now are grown formidable to me for their very number yet besides this how provoking are the aggravations of them that I should sin thus in defiance of the brightest revelation of thy will in contempt of thy long suffering patience and goodness in contempt of thy astonishing love manifested in my redemption by the blood of Jesus in defiance of thy great and precious promises and of all the calls of thy Spirit and of thy Providence nay O my God I have trampled under foot all my most solemn engagements and returned to the commission of sin in contempt even of my repentance my vows and resolutions and canst thou have mercy upon such a wretch as I am I know I have most justly provok't thy wrath and indignation against me my sins are gone over my head as a thick cloud they are a sore burthen too heavy for me to to bear they are more in number than the hairs of my head and my heart has fail'd me but O Lord God I do earnestly repent and am heartily sorry for these my misdoings the remembrance of 'em is grievous to me the burden of 'em is intolerable I am ashamed yea even confounded under the sense of my folly and ingratitude I have consider'd thy terrour and fearfulness and trembling has taken hold upon me I have consider'd thy tender mercies and my Soul is wounded within me for having so falsly and unworthily forsaken and offended thee I have consider'd the humiliation and the sufferings of my blessed Saviour and my Soul suffers an Agony of love and shame with in me for what I have done against my dear Lord. I have consider'd the Beauty of Holiness and I loath my self for the deformity and pollutions of my sins O therefore thou who dost delight to shew mercy to repenting Sinners thou God of love and mercy have mercy upon me and O thou Lamb of God which didst shed thy blood for sinners have mercy upon me thou that takest away the sins of the World have mercy upon me and O my Heavenly Father deliver me not only from the guilt but from the power of my sin I tremble indeed at thy wrath and my soul faints within me when I think of being excluded forever from tny
THE DUTY OF SERVANTS CONTAINING First Their Preparation for and Choice of a Service Secondly Their Duty in Service Together with Prayers suited to each Duty To this is added A Discourse of the Sacrament suited peculiarly to Servants By the Author of Practical Christianity LONDON Printed for Sam. Smith at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1685. THE EPISTLE TO SERVANTS Good Fellow-Christians I Will not increase the Bulk or Price of this Book by giving the World an account of all the Reasons that mov'd me to publish it let it suffice to tell you that 't is a Design of great Charity for your Temporal and Eternal Interest I would as much as lies in me render your Estate easie profitable and at least not dishonourable which I shall certainly effect if I can persuade you to Contentment and a faithful discharge of your Duty in your Place for 't is not the Nature of Service but the Faults of Servants which render this state uneasie and contemptible the greatest Burthen and Dishonour of it being in truth to be imputed to the unreasonable Discontents to the negligent unfaithful or undiscreet behaviour of many Servants I would possess you therefore with such Virtues as may render you the Favourites and Confidents of your Masters dear to them as you ought to be next to their own Children and by being so you will become more considerable to all that know you and nearer every day to Advancement These Virtues are Contentment in your Condition Justice Truth Industry Humility the Fear of God and such like By the Practice of these you will convince the World that you differ from the Rich and Great only in outward Circumstances that you have true Honour and Goodness in your Souls and that you have nothing mean in you besides your Fortune These therefore cannot miss of making you worthy to be esteemed to be beloved to be trusted to be encouraged But this is not the utmost of my Design I would make you Happy and Glorious hereafter I would make you the Children the Heirs of God and Joynt-Heirs with Christ though the Servants of Men I would deliver you from the Bondage of Sin and Satan and make you partakers of the true Liberty of the Sons of God Now this cannot be done unless you can be prevail'd with to love and pursue after those Virtues which become your condition in the World and so discharge your Duties conscientiously for I must deal faithfully with you no man can be a good Christian who is not good in that station wherein God has placed him You cannot then be Obedient Servants of God unless you be Faithful Servants of Men nor yet do I confine the whole of your Duty within the compass of your Service to Man there is a Duty also which you owe to God which you are to perform in the first place not only because he is your Chief and Best Master I should rather have said your Good Lord and Father too but also because this is the best and most solid Foundation of your Duty towards Man and therefore easily conceiving that no good nay no wise Man will grudge you the time that is necessary for the Service of God since unless this be perform'd they can neither expect that you should serve them as you ought nor if they did that God would give a Blessing to your Service I have taken care to direct you also in this little Treatise how to imploy this time laying down such Rules as may be more peculiarly useful to you in Reading Hearing the Word Receiving the Sacrament c. The Method I have followed is very plain and I need give you no other account of it than what you have in the Title I have nothing more but to beseech you that you would joyn with me in hearty Prayers to God that he would bless this my Endeavour with success not only to your Advantage and Comfort but to the Peace and Interest of all Families which is nearly concern'd in your Behaviour that he would possess all of you with Virtues suitable to your Quality and Condition in the World with a Spirit of Meekness and Humility with a Spirit of Faithfulness and Industry with a Spirit of Love and Gratitude and with a Spirit of Fear of and Dependence upon him our God that so you may not only be considerable and useful in your Places but also Examples of an Excellent Virtue and by a necessary consequence happy here and glorious hereafter which is the sincere Desire of Your Affectionate Friend Richard Lucas The Contents PART I. Of Preparation for and Choice of a Service Ch. 1. Of Preparation for Service The Duty of Parents in this point The Duty of those who design themselves for Service Ch. 2. Of the Choice of a Service The Importance of this Choice Rules to be followed in making it PART II. Containing the Duty of Servants Ch. 1. Of the Servant's Duty towards God Ch. 2. Of the Servant's Duty towards his Master and Mistress Ch. 3. Of the Servant's Duty towards the Children of the Family Sojurners Strangers Ch. 4. Of the Servant's Duty towards his Fellow-Servants Ch. 5. Of the Servant's Duty towards himself with 6. The Conclusion of this part containing general Motives to the Servant's conscientious performance of his Duty PART III. Containing The Seruant's Preparation for the Sacrament PART I. Of Preparation for and Choice of a Service CHAP. I. Of Preparation for Service as 't is the Duty partly of Parents and partly of those Young People who resolve upon Service THERE is scarce any particular Work The Necessity of Preparation or any single Action that is well done unless by such who are train'd up to it or fitted for it either by an actual or habitual preparation how can it then be imagin'd that Service which is a state of Life of so great importance to the welfare of all the other members of a Family as well as that of Servants themselves should be wisely entred into and happily discharg'd without any Preparation Many and important are the Duties of Servants great is the Trust repos'd in 'em the Estate the Honour of their Masters and Mistresses the Peace the Happiness and Virtue too of the whole Family doth very often depend much upon 'em and can any one question whether such a Charge such a Trust as this does not require many Virtues and Excellent Qualifications and these cannot be obtain'd without due Preparation for as no man is happy so neither is any man wise or virtuous by chance The Qualifications of a good Servant Now the Qualifications which make a good Servant are such as these Fear of and Dependence upon God Contentment in their Condition Love of their Masters and Mistresses Humility Meekness and Patience Faithfulness Industry and Discretion These I confess are eminent Virtues and though they are necessary in this lower station they make men fit for and worthy of the highest These will make
religious Lastly O Lord God I resign and recommend these my Children unto thee O be thou their Father take thou the Care of providing for 'em upon thee and do thou so direct the whole Course of their Lives by thy Gracious Providence that every passage of it may tend to thy Glory to my Comfort and to their own Honour and Happiness All which I most humbly and most earnestly beg for the sake of thy dear Son Jesus Christ A Prayer to be used by Children under the Government of their Parents O Eternal God and Heavenly Father thou that art the kind Author of my Being be thou the gracious Guide of my Life my Age is simple and unexperienced O be thou pleased to inspire me with true Wisdom from above I am come into a World full of Snares and Temptations O do thou fill me with the Knowledge and Love of thy Truth that it may keep me from the path of the Destroyer O possess my heart with the Fear of thee and dependence upon thee that I may walk before thee the Almighty God and be perfect that I knowing that thou art my exceeding great Reward may neither be discontented in my present state nor distrustful of a Provision for the future Possess also my heart O my God with that natural tenderness for my Parents and with that Christian sense of my Duty towards 'em that my Language may be respectful my Actions dutiful and my whole Behaviour such that I may not increase the Burden and Care of their Life but prove a comfort and support to ' em O my God possess me lastly with a spirit of Meekness Justice Truth and Industry that by Reverence to my Betters by Courteousness Truth and Faithfulness towards all and by Diligence in whatever I am employed I may grow like a Tree planted by the Rivers of Water my Leaf may not wither whatsoever I do may prosper and I may bring forth my fruit in due season increasing daily in Wisdom and Stature and in Favour with God and Man Hear O hear the Voice of my Petition for in thee only is my Trust through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer to be used by such as are just entring into Service O Almighty God and Heavenly Father who art wont to lead and defend all those who call upon thee be thou pleased to go now and ever along with me and make my ways plain and prosperous before my face Vouchsafe me I beseech thee the Assistance of thy Grace that I may both contentedly submit to thy blessed Providence and also do my Duty faithfully in that station to which thou dost call me Make me always to remember that I do Service to thee my God whilst I do it as I ought to Man and that I am not only to expect my Wages from my Earthly but also my Reward from thee my Heavenly Master And O my God because I know that I am frail flesh and blood I beseech thee to confirm and strengthen me against all Temptations that nothing may be able to prevail with me to deceive the Trust that is repos'd in me Keep me also from all unchristian frowardness and passion which may disturb the Peace and Charity of the Family whither I go Above all keep me from forgetting thee in my Success and Plenty and from preferring my Worldly Interest before thy Favour Let me find Favour in their sight with whom I go to sojourn and bless thou them and do good unto 'em for thy Servants sake Thou art my God in thee is my Trust to thee I dedicate and devote my Life O hear me now and whenever I call upon thee O God of my Salvation through Jesus Christ my Lord. CHAP. II. Directions to be followed in the Choice of a Service The Rules to be followed in this Choice I Do not design here to lay down any Rules of Carnal Policy there are very few so stupid as not to be able to discern what sort of Services do best promote their Worldly Interest passing therefore over these I shall only direct you what way Servants are most likely to secure their Peace and Tranquility and a good Conscience Sometimes the Straits and Necessities of Servants are pressing and the Choice of Services is little or none at all And in this case whoever draws you as the Midianites did Joseph out of this Pit is to be lookt upon as appointed by Providence for your Master provided the Employment be lawful and not repugnant to your Christian Profession for then it is much better to suffer by the want of an Employment than thrive by a sinful one But whenever your wants are not urgent 't is much more adviseable to attend the Providence of God for a more suitable place than out of Distrust to put your selves into men as you must again soon quit not without some guilt of Lightness and Ingratitude or continue in very uncomfortably But you must in this deliberation take care that you do not impose upon your selves and pretend to do that out of Religion which you do really out of Pride or Idleness or Wantonness If several Services be offer'd it is no doubt on 't highly agreeable to Reason and Religion that a Servant should with great wariness proceed to chuse a Master whose Commands must be Laws to him to chuse that company which he must always live in 'T is in a word highly reasonable that a Servant should with good Advice put himself into a Family by whose Orders and Customs the whole manner of his Life is to be regulated and determin'd and both his Mind and Fortune probably to be shaped and fashioned Now that you may not miscarry in this Choice you are in the first place earnestly to implore the Guidance and Direction of God for if he interpose in those things which seem wholly given up to Chance as Solomon assures us * Prov. 16.33 The Lot is cast into the lap but the coming forth is of the Lord. How much more will he be intreated to be present in those Affairs wherein Men proceed by Rules of Wisdom and Religion And if the slightest matter of Life do fall under his notice which our Saviour intimates by telling us that †Matth. 6. The Hairs of our head are all numbred how much more the weightiest 1. Beg Gods Direction Look then up to God and call upon him for his Direction in this matter 't is he who by a secret Providence can over-rule all things 't is he who can give Light to obscure and doubtful things or a more discerning Judgment to weak and simple minds 2. Consult Virtuous Friends In the second place you are to take the Advice of Wise and Virtuous Friends and you are generally to look upon that Advice most sound which presses you most to Duty and Religion and flatters not your Pride nor Sloth In the third place 3. Weigh your own Capacities you must well weigh your own Capacities and
Use and Necessity of those Virtues that qualifie 'em for it they do not feel the want of Spiritual and Inward Pleasures who are wholly taken up with Carnal ones they need not the support of Faith or the Belief of another World who are more than well enough content with this they see not the Use of Dependance upon God who have goods laid up for many years and are secure in their hearts as if their station were such that they could defie the common Events of Providence to reduce 'em to Necessity What business have they for Patience Industry Moderation where every thing not only obeys their Will but flatters their Fancy and their Wealth is sufficient to support Idleness and Riot too But in the condition of Servitude all is the quite contrary they cannot only not live happily in another World but they cannot live pleasantly in this without Virtue the Peace and pleasure of their Minds is necessary to compensate the Travail of their Bodies the belief of another Life to render this tolerable and easy Patience Meekness Industry is absolutely necessary in them to render them contented and satisfied in their station The Reason's plain without these they cannot be good Servants and every Service is a burden and slavery to an ill one So that Virtue is as needful to the Happiness of a Servant as his Food or his Wages his state is slavish unsupportable without it free and easie with it I will take upon my self the person of a Servant that I may the better express the force and strength of these Arguments which I have made use of to persuade Servants to become Religious I see my Condition my Parents are unable to serve me I have no Friends none that can or none that will be of any considerable use to me What shall I do I have but one way to render my self dear to God or valuable to Man and that is by living religiously and virtuously if I do otherwise God will cast me off I shall meet with Contempt from Man and what is worse I shall deserve it I shall ever be a slave and ever deserve to be so Pity and compassion is the highest honour and favour from Man that I must ever aspire to and when my strength for drudgery fails that it may be will do so too and then Beggery and Reproach must be the Portion of my decay'd Age. I can never think on these things but I am filled with blushes and disdain surely I have a Rational and Immortal Soul as well as the Rich and Wealthy and sure the Incense of Virtuous Actions and devout Prayers would smell as sweet to God if offer'd up by me as by a more Fortunate Man and if so what Reason have I to distrust but that God who is rich in bounty towards all would be so towards me too Well then I am stedfastly resolv'd that I will lead an unblameable life and whatever my Fortune be the World shall see I can deserve a good one and by this if I do not thrive and prosper and get in time into a better station I shall obtain this unspeakable Advantage that I shall render my present one both honourable and easie 'T is not a servile Birth nor servile Fortune but a servile Mind that makes a Man contemptible a Mind that has no Faith no Truth no Courage no Industry no Gratitude that is in one word no Honour in it But if I have all these and if together with all this Moderation so that I am my own Master though another's Servant I am in such case full of Honour no Cloud of Meanness can obscure or conceal me I am a Star visible by my own Light a Gem valuable for my own intrinsick worth I shall be beloved and respected wherever I am for Virtue how ever it be clad has beauty and majesty on its forehead nor is this all my station will be full of ease as well as credit for what should trouble me The Travail and Care of my Place Alas this is but pleasure to the industrious the displeasure of those I depend upon Alas I shall never fall under it or at least I shall never deserve it and then the peace and the satisfaction of my mind will more delight me than ever their weakness can disturb me Finally what can it be that can trouble me The uncertainty of a Servants station why while I live virtuously I can never want whatever betides me I have a God an Almighty God that cares for me and if the worst comes to the worst my trouble can be but short my Life and it will end at least together and then Glory and Eternity will receive me Thus I hope I have convinced Servants of the many Obligations they lie under to be Religious I have insisted a little largely upon this because I have ever found it a harder Task to persuade people to do their Duty than to teach 'em what it is But against all that has been said two things are wont to be objected First The meanness of their Capacity or at least Education And secondly their want of time or opportunity for Religious Duties Objection of the Servant's Incapacity answer'd but both these are mere shifts and pretences for as to the first their Souls are endow'd with the same Faculties and Capacities they have the same Reason Courage and Immortality with the Rich or Mighty as 't is evident from innumerable Instances of men who ascending from the lowest to the highest station have not only filled but adorn'd it too As to Education here I confess there is some difference between those of a higher and lower Rank but as 't is generally manag'd it consists in such poor punctilio's such trifling and slight Accomplishments that 't is not easie to say on which side the Advantage lies But omitting this I will put you in mind of one thing that will silence all excuses of this sort The Philosophy of Christianity which is the only true Wisdom doth not require a learned Education a poor Fisher-man now as well as formerly is as capable and fit for it as he that is bred up at the feet of Gamaliel The Belief of another Life depends not on niceties and subtilties of arguing but on the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead not the acutest Philosopher but the best liver has the fullest Convictions and the most lively and transporting Representations of Divine Truths * John 7.17 If any man will do his will he shall know of my Doctrine whether it be of God One thing further I am to put you in mind of that the Book of God is the great Rule and Standard of Discretion as well as Duty and that Religion naturally tends to make men wise as well as good There is no action of life so indifferent but it has in some part or other of it a Connexion with or Dependance on our Duty some degree or other of Service or Dis service to
our great End so that true Rules of Policy are no where more successfully to be sought than in that Book which contains all the wise Rules of every Imaginable Duty If these things be rightly consider'd there is no man can ever justly think himself excus'd for his Folly or Irreligion by the meanness of his Birth his Fortune or his Education there is not one Christian Servant but may prove an Epictetus or something much greater * 1 Pet. 2.9 a holy Prophet a Royal Priest He may in a word be truly wise and truly good 2 Objction want of time answer'd As to the second Objection want of time When I think upon Epictetus his Lamp and Cleanthes his Labour who wrought and earn'd by night what might maintain him in the study of Philosophy by day when I observe how indefatigable Ambition is how wakeful Covetousness how restless and obstinate all our Lusts and Passions are I cannot but blush to see how lazy our Religion is your Meals your Sleeps your Divertions your Talk and Chat for there are few Servants who spend not some portion of their days and nights in these last can lend you time for Reading and Devotion He can never want time who wants not Zeal for the Service of God But besides this I must tell you the Religion of all Christians in general if it be perfect consists more in practice than speculation and yours no less in the faithful discharge of the Duties of your place than in acts of Devotion towards God but I know how apt weak people are to run from one extream to another and therefore I will not insist longer on this Argument lest I should be thought to place the Religion of a Servant merely and solely in the Duties of his Service There are many ways by which Servants may redeem time and consecrate it to the Interest of their Souls and the Honour of God namely by exalting their minds to Heaven in frequent Ejaculations by Pious and Religious Discourses to one another by easing and assisting one another which will make the burden of the Family lie easier on all and gain time to each Having thus shew'd the Obligations Servants lie under to Religion and answer'd the little Pretences by which they endeavour to palliate their Coldness and Negligence I proceed to consider the Duties wherein their Religion towards God consists which are First such as may be called Instrumental or Relative as Prayer Hearing and Reading the Word and Receiving the Sacrament Secondly Trust in God Thirdly Contentment And Fourthly Fidelity to their Masters The Duty of Reading the Word I will begin with Reading the Word The Book of God is a Legacy of that value containing not only the Wisdom of God but the ravishing expressions of his Love too and in a word the only way to Life and Immortality that no one can be guilty of the neglect of it but at the same time he must be guilty of the most ingrateful Contempt of God and the most sottish Contempt of his own true Interest This therefore is the Book which the Servant must endeavour to be familiarly acquainted with with some portion of this he should begin the Morning and close the Evening Hence is that Wisdom to be learnt of whose manifold use * Prov. 6.22 Solomon speaks in those few but weighty words When thou goest it shall lead thee when thou sleepest it shall keep thee and when thou awakest it shall talk with thee No Guide no Guard no Company no Divertion is wanting to any one who is instructed as he ought to be in the Book of God Now if you would read profitably you must observe the Direction of St. Peter * 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby When you set your self to read endeavour to banish all unruly Lusts and Passions all worldly Cares and Distractions and to possess your Soul with an humble Awe and Reverence for the Word as the Word of God and with a devout thirst for it as the Word of Life Secondly Be not more fond of strong Meat than of Milk of Mysteries than of practical Truths chuse especially to read those parts of the Bible which are most plain most practical most moving and affecting Thirdly Propose this as the chief nay sole End of thy Reading that thou mayest grow thereby that is that thy Conscience may be more and more awakened that thy Resolutions of Obedience may be more and more strengthen'd that thy Heart may be more purified thy Affections more exalted and in a word thy Faith may be more confirm'd and thy Love of God thy Love of Jesus thy Love of Heaven and thy Love of Righteousness may be more and more quickned and enflam'd If your leisure will permit and you desire to joyn the reading of other Books with the Bible let 'em be but very few very plain and very practical and such if you can find 'em as concern more particularly the Duties of your station or the particular state of your Soul for 't is good Advice especially to persons in your circumstances in Spiritual as well as Temporal Affairs * 1 Thes 4.11 Study to be quiet and to do your own business The Catechism of Our Church is an excellent Abridgment of Christian Faith and Practice 't is a compleat System of all necessary Catholick Doctrines not as some others are of the Controverted Opinions of a Sect and Party I would therefore recommend this to you as being plain short and free from dispute and if well digested you will not want any necessary Instruction The same Rules The Duty of Hearing the Word with little variety are to be observed in Hearing which were prescrib'd in Reading the Word rising something the earlier on the Sunday that you may the sooner dispatch your necessary business and be the freer from any distraction retire and consider with thy self the great End to which God has dedicated that day namely to bless and praise him for the Redemption of the World by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus to commemorate that his bitter Death and Passion in the Holy Sacrament to prepare our selves for a Holy Death a glorious Resurrection and a Kingdom wherein dwells Righteousness to glorifie and honour God by a solemn and publick Worship of him that so his Name may be honour'd upon Earth and finally to hear and learn his blessed Will and to be strengthened and comforted in our Warfare upon Earth by his heavenly Truths and by his great and precious Promises and then earnestly beg of God to dispose thy heart into such an humble and grateful frame that thy praises and adorations may be acceptable to him to possess thee with such a due sense of thy wants and infirmities and with such a devout thirst after the Grace of God and his Truth that thou mayest pray with a steady fervency and hear the Word with pure
and murmur'd at thy Providence been discontent in my Condition and complain'd of thy Dealings towards me 'T is true O my God that thou of thine infinite goodness hast convinc'd my Conscience of sin affected my Soul with a sorrow for it and wrought in me Resolutions of amendment but oh how many have been my falls how many and grievous have been my Relapses how negligent have I been of the Covenant of my God! Oh how soon have the tears of my Repentance dried up how soon has the flame of my Devotion and Love slackened and even gone out O God thou holy God thou Witness of all my actions and Judge of all my thoughts and affections what would become of me if thou shouldest enter into strict Judgment with me how should I stand before thy Tribunal cover'd with the guilt and shame of so many sins But O thou God of Mercy O thou God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ I know that thou art always ready to pardon poor Penitents Lord I repent increase thou my Repentance trouble has taken hold of me my Soul is cast down and disquieted within me I am asham'd yea even confounded for I do bear the Reproach of the folly and ingratitude of my sins O be thou reconciled to me pardon me I beseech thee by the Merits and Intercession by the Agony and Passion and by all the painful Sufferings of thy Son pardon me O pardon me I beseech thee by thine own boundless goodness by those tender Mercies and Compassion which thou art wont to exercise towards Repenting sinners And Lord not only pardon my sins but deliver me I beseech thee from the Dominion and Power of 'em O assist me to break off those Chains of carnal Lusts and worldly Cares in which I have been held bound I have a false deceitful heart O give me Sincerity and Truth have a sluggish and drowsie body O enkindle in me fervency of spirit I am conscious to my self of great weakness and fraily O do thou confirm and strengthen me who alone canst make me a clean heart O O God and renew a right spirit within me give me a true Faith and enflame my heart with a holy Love that I may delight my self in thy Commandments that I may walk before thee in uprightness and fear diligently seeking thee constantly depending upon thee chearfully submitting to thy Will and doing the Duty of my place in singleness of heart as knowing that I shall be accountable to thee as well for those Duties which I owe Man as for those which are more immediately to be paid to thee O Lord keep me that my foot stray not out of the path of Justice O Lord keep me that I offend not with my Tongue and after I have done all O Lord suffer me not to fall short of my Reward through my pride or ingratitude but make me always thankful always humble neither defrauding thee of the Praise due to thine infinite Bounty and Mercy nor Man of the Thanks due to him for any act of kindness or charity towards me help me O my God to walk thus that my Soul may enjoy a true Liberty that my Life may be full of comfort my Death of peace and my Eternity of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. And O my God bless not me only but this whole Family thou that art the God of Love the God of Peace sow in all our hearts the seeds of unfeigned Charity that we may all enjoy the comfort of a mutual Affection and of a mutual Assistance and Aid in our several places and Lord possess every Soul of this Family with a just sense of our Duty towards God and Man that all of us may be living Members of thy blessed Son and being protected by thy Providence directed by thy Word and assisted by the Influence of thy Spirit we may all at last meet in the Family of Heaven where we shall adore and praise thee love and enjoy thee to all Eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for the Evening O My God my Strength and the Rock of my Salvation the Day is past and the Evening is come O give me grace to remember that this Life will one time be past and Death will come that I may live so that my work may be then finisht as 't is this day and I may have nothing else to do but go to my Rest where I shall be invested with Liberty and Glory Eternal Eternal O blessed Wages of a short Lifes service how does my Soul praise thee O Lord in Transports and even Extasies thou hast called me indeed to be a Servant but thou hast called me too to be a Son thou hast not indeed given me any great portion of the Wealth or Honour of this Life but thou hast given me the blessed Jesus to be my Redeemer and thy holy Spirit to be my Sanctifier O do but ever continue thus to me the Light of thy Countenance thy Grace and thy Truth and I shall never think my self to stand in need of any thing that the World admires but O my God how often are these my Comforts abated nay even interrupted how often is this blessed this chearful Light obscur'd and orecast by my infirmities and sins my sins the only causes that keep good things from me my sins the only real troubles of my Life Thus O my God though I renew'd my Covenant with thee but this morning though I devoted my self to thee vowing Obedience to thee and faithfulness to my Master yet have I prevaricated my Duty here mention the Errours and Infirmities of the day past have mercy upon me O Lord have mercy upon me and forgive me these and all other my offences and give me grace to keep my self upon my watch and guard against them Enable me sincerely to endeavour to repair and reform 'em as much as in me lies that I may every day grow and increase in goodness and be so much the fiter for Death the nearer I do every day approach to it and whenever it comes let it find me O Lord with my Loyns girt and my Lamp burning in a disposition and frame of spirit fit to die possessed with an unshaken Faith with an humble Resignation and Submission of Mind with a holy Contempt of Earth and a devout Love of Heaven In the mean time thou keeper of Israel thou who never slumbrest nor sleepest watch over me and this whole Family protecting and delivering us in our coming in and going out particularly let thine Angels pitch their Tents about us this night let us lie down securely and let our sleep be sweet to us for thou Lord shalt make us dwell in safety Amen Amen Blessed Jesus If any one expects from me Directions here for Mental or Extemporary Prayers I must tell 'em freely that little less than a Volume much bigger than I purpose this is sufficient for such an undertaking What I have to say in a word here
the Eye of the World but why should you think that Condition too mean for you which our dear Lord thought not too mean for him For he came in the form of a Servant Phil. 2. But if this trouble you I have shewed you before an infallible way of redeeming your selves from Contempt namely by a Religious and excellent Behaviour for true Virtue is much more honourable than Nobility of Blood or Ampleness of Fortune A Prayer for Contentment in your Condition O Eternal and gracious Lord God before whom a meek and humble spirit is of great price O God who givest Grace to the humble but resistest the proud keep me I beseech thee from pride and frowardness from discontent and murmuring and give me a meek and humble spirit Make me adore thy Wisdom and Goodness in every dispensation of thy Providence and chearfully submit to thy Will and follow thy Conduct O suffer me not to dispise or murmure at that state which my great Lord and Master honour'd by taking it upon himself for he came not to be ministred to but to minister Make me always thankful to thee for those Real Advantages which I enjoy in this state thou hast given me all the necessary Comforts of Life without the Cares and Troubles of it thou hast hedg'd in my ways and kept me from Idleness and Worldly and Carnal Lusts by my Necessities and indispensible Restraints of my Calling O never suffer me to break thorow all these to commit sin and die O grant that since my station has fewer Temptations to sin and more Encouragements to Virtue than that of others I may be so much more eminent and exemplary than others in all virtuous and holy living as knowing my offence more inexcusable So shall I ever have reason to bless thy Love for the meanness and necessities of my state when they shall have made me rich in goodness then shall I adore and magnifie thy Love for those Restraints and Confinements thou hast put upon me when they shall prove the meanest Instruments of my Eternal Preservation and Safety then shall I adore thy Mercy for the bodily hardships of my Service when they shall prove to me an excellent Discipline to train me up to Virtue and Glory Amen so be it blessed Jesus A Prayer for Fidelity to your Master and Trust in God O Holy and Righteous God whose Eyes are set upon the Righteous and thine Ears are always open to their Prayers who feedest those that fear thee and art a present help in time of trouble possess me I humbly beseech thee with such a sincere Faith in all thy Promises with such a firm persuasion of thy Wisdom Power and Goodness that I may ever trust and relie upon thee as my God and my Saviour and O let me never be ashamed of my hope in thee nor let my distrustful or fearful heart ever give thee occasion to be ashamed to be called my God And because O Lord the Sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to thee and the Prayers of the unjust a mere prophanation of thy holy Name therefore I beseech thee let thy fear be before mine Eyes and make me faithful and diligent in the station to which it has pleased thee to call me I know O Lord that thou art a holy and a righteous God and an Avenger of all Covenant-breakers O suffer me not therefore to fall into breach of Trust with Man lest I fall under the Vengeance of my God I know that my Duty towards my Master is one great part of my Religion towards thee O suffer me not by idleness or falshood to lose the Eternal Reward of my Service I know O Lord that all things are naked and bare before thee and that though my Master's Eye cannot yet thine does in all times and in all places behold me that thou mayest render to me according to my works O how fatal then must that Laziness prove for which I must be condemn'd to everlasting pain O how fatal must my frauds be since though I may deceive my Master I cannot thee Lord therefore inable me so to serve with fear and trembling and singleness of heart that I may have a good ground to trust and depend upon thee for protection and provision in this World and for reward in another through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for right performance of Instrumental or Relative Duties O Lord my God I know that my Lamp will soon go out unless there be Oil to feed it that my Graces will soon languish unless they be nourisht and refresht by thy Word and Sacraments I know O Lord that my spiritual life my corporal life cannot be upheld but by a daily supply a supply of thy Grace the life and strength of my Soul and I know that this is not in thy ordinary course otherwise to be obtain'd than by fervent Prayer awful Meditatation of thy Word and a devout and frequent Use of the Communion I beseech thee therefore O my God not only that thou wouldest imprint upon my heart a just sense of the necessity of these Duties but also that thou wouldest instruct and assist me that I may perform 'em devoutly and conscientiously and persevere in them constantly to my lifes end O do thou teach me to pray in contrite groans and transporting love O do thou open my heart that it may receive thy Word with true Faith and devout Affection O do thou raise in me such a grateful passion for the love of Jesus that I may not only commemorate his Death in joy and tears but meet him with ardent love and be inseparably united to him and he to me But O my God how often shall I fall short of this through my own default Ah how seldom shall I come up to it O therefore pardon pardon the infirmities of thy Servant Ah! pardon me my want of preparation to these Duties my heaviness and distraction in 'em and whatever mixtures of other frailties may cleave to them and however weak my performances may be let 'em not be wholly unprofitable let 'em at least beget in me Humility clearer Convictions of my spiritual Poverty and Weakness greater Watchfulness and new Resolutions for the time to come and all this I most earnestly and most humbly beg for the sake of Jesus Christ my Lord. CHAP. II. Of the Servant's Duty towards his Master and Mistress consisting in Obedience Faithfulness Love I Think Injustice or Uncharitableness in Servants implies a double guilt nothing can be more evident than that every Servant owes his Master and Mistress in the first place all those Duties at least which every Man owes another whether he be Friend or Enemy Neighbour or Stranger namely Truth Justice and Charity nay I believe all will readily confess that the transgression of these Duties in Servants towards their Masters and Mistresses has many more and greater Aggravations in it than any Errour of this kind in one Man towards another for
the nearer any Relation is the stricter is its obligation to those Virtues Two things do evidently aggravate the guilt of a Servants Injustice or Uncharitableness First Trust repos'd in Servants makes it much more easie for them to do wrong and much more difficult for their Masters to guard themselves against it Secondly The Obligation Servants lie under to Gratitude for the Benefits they enjoy and to Fidelity enjoyn'd 'em by the Law of God and Nature must needs render any wrong they do their Masters or Mistresses a more abominable Crime in the sight of God and Man as being not only a sin of Injustice and Uncharitableness which is of it self a sin big enough to damn any man but also of the foulest Ingratitude and basest Treachery and Perfidiousness This I would have well consider'd because if it were it would make Servants dread the commission of some Crimes which they seem not to have that sense of which they ought Such are for instance raising Dissention and Feuds in the Family by lying and whispering Secondly Blasting the Credit and Reputation of their Masters and Mistresses whether by false or true Reports the guilt of these practices will be evident to him who considers The spreading Report though true to another's disadvantage is uncharitableness in any man but in a Servant 't is not only a breach of Charity but of Faith and Secrecy too and the blackest Ingratitude to boot and if it be a sin to spread an Uncharitable Truth how much a greater to forge a Malicious Lye For one Neighbour or one Stranger to belie or slander another by a false Charge is an effect property not only of a mean but devilish spirit what name then can this sin find when a Master or a Mistress is thus treated by a Servant who lies under not only the general Obligations of Charity Truth and Justice but also more particular and if it can be more sacred ones of Secrecy Faith and Gratitude The same thing may be said of kindling strife for if it be a hainous wickedness in any one to stir up Contention by Lying and Whispering how much more in a Servant who is so strictly obliged to preserve the Peace of the Family he lives in The very same is the case of a Servant in all other Injuries committed against his Master they are not only Violations of his Christian Profession as every act of Injustice or Uncharitableness in all other men is but also of the particular Obligations of his Calling and therefore such sins as they have greater aggravations so shall they receive greater punishment than other men's This is extremely necessary to be remembred that as you have easier opportunities of doing wrong so you may also have greater dread and horrour of it as looking upon every Injury that were but a single act of Injustice or Defect of Charity in others as a Complication of sins and villanies in you being a transgression not only of your Duty as Christians but as Servants too Having laid this before you as a strong Engagement to a most strict and conscientious discharge of your Duty I come now in the Second place to consider the particulars of this Duty I might sum up all as our Saviour doth under one Virtue of Faithfulness for he makes a Good and Faithful Servant to be terms equivalent Matth. 25. Well done good and faithful Servant But that you may more fully and distinctly comprehend the whole of your Duty I will speak of it under these three Heads 1. Obedience 2. Faithfulness 3. Love First therefore of Obedience 1 Obedience This is that which constitutes the very nature of Service Right to command makes a Master and obligation to obey a Servant that Subjection which the Centurion describes Luke 7.8 I say unto one go and he goes and to another come and he cometh and to my Servant do this and he does it is an indispensible Duty of every one that professes himself a Servant This Reason teaches us His Servants ye are Rom 6.6 to whom ye obey And the very nature of the Covenant between the Master and his Servant implies this Obedience on the one hand and maintenance on the the other God doth strictly exact this Duty of Servants and that upon pain of damnation to the transgressor and promise of an Eternal Reward to the observer of it Thus Col. 3.22 c. Servants obey in all things your Masters according to the flesh not with eye-service as men-pleasers but in singleness of heart fearing God And whatsoever ye do do it heartily as unto the Lord and not unto men Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the Reward of the Inheritance for ye serve the Lord Christ But he that doth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done and there is no respect of persons To the same purpose is Eph. 6.5 1 Pet. 2.18 and innumerable other Texts of Scripture by all this put together you may easily discern how grievous a sin the Disobedience of Servants is 't is a downright contempt of God's revealed Will 't is a violation of the Law of Nature disturbing that just and wise Government which the Providence of God has introduced into the World by that difference he has put between the several Ranks of Mankind 't is a manifest breach of the Servant's Covenant which he entred into with his Master and by consequence the Disobedient Servant has no right to the Bread he eats or to the Wages he receives and he can expect nothing from God who is the Supreme Lord of all and by whose Appointment the Distinction and Order which now is in the World was establisht but some severe Judgment as upon an unrighteous person and a Covenant-breaker and 't is no wonder that God should so strictly exact this Duty or so severely punish the Violation of it for this sin of Disobedience proceeds from Pride or Frowardness or Idleness and ends in Wrath and Contention and Confusion Nor is the Spirit of God in Scripture content only to enjoyn Servants Obedience The properties of this Obedience but it takes care to acquaint 'em what kind of Obedience this must be First It must be in all things that is all things that are not repugnant to the Will of God who is our supreme Master or the Laws of the Land which are stampt with an Authority superior to that of their Master in all things else Servants are not to dispute nor interpret but obey the Commands of their Master for they are not to answer for the discretion or reasonableness of his Commands Their Obedience Secondly must be in singleness of heart not with eye-service as men-pleasers He is a very ill Servant who obeys only when his disobedience cannot be concealed or excus'd for at this rate the Master would be the greatest Drudge in his Family and the Care and Toil of overseeing others in their work would be more intolerable than the work it self Thirdly
God not Man Or can he ever have the impudence to expect a reward from God for this kind of Deportment What such a one has reason to expect he may learn from the Parable of the Lord and his Servants Matth. 25. where he is called a wicked and a slothful Servant and adjudged to outer Darkness who had not answered the trust committed to him who had only behaved himself idly and unprofitably tho' he had neither wrong'd his Master by fraud or theft or wast and riot Alas The unprofitable Servant must not flatter himself that he doth his Duty for care and industry are as essential and necessary parts of the Faithfulness of a Servant as truth and honesty and he that any time stands idle can never be excus'd unless he can plead what they in the Market-place did to that question Why stand ye here idle all the day long Because no man has hired us But you are hired you have no doubt work to do for no Master will purchase heedlesness and sloth at the rate of such a charge as a Servant puts him to Nor can I think that a Servant himself would judge this behaviour a good discharge of any man's Duty in any other Station Would he think that Master did his Duty who made no provision for his Family And yet care and industry is as indispensible a Duty of the Servant as provision or maintenance of the Master But I need say no more if nothing else will the effects of this ill demeanour may convince a Servant how great an evil this is for besides the loss and vexation which it creates the Master it begets perpetual quarrels and discontents in the Family for the Fellow-Servants of a sluggard are not only bereav'd of that assistance which they should receive from him but also oppressed by that burden of which he eases his Shoulders the Drone himself is forced upon many Lies and Shifts to excuse his omissions and errors and finally after some time spent in the displeasure of his Master the contempt and hatred of his Fellow-Servants He is at last reproachfully cast off and branded with such a character as makes all that know him shut their Doors against him as unwilling to receive such a trouble and incumbrance into their Families There is a Third vice Of Consumption and Wast which Servants are too often guilty of where the Fortune of the Family can allow it and that is Consumption Wast whether by wantonness and delicacy whether by riot and excess whether by junketting and drinking amongst themselves or also by drawing in others into the Club and Association it matters little 't is a downright injustice committed against the Master 't is every jot as bad as theft much worse than the common theft of poor people for the poor steal to relieve their necessities but these rob to feed their gluttony and wantonness nay 't is every jot as bad as theft in a Servant the guilt of which has been sufficiently display'd to you before for what difference is there either in respect of the guilt of the Crime or in respect of the effects of it towards a Master whether a Servant steal from him out of Covetousness or fear of future want or whether he rob and plunder him out of Luxury and Riot if so then you may be sure that if the wrong be the same in respect of the Master and the guilt the same in respect of the Servant the Temporal ill consequences of it in this Life and the punishment of it in another will be much the same for such Servants must finally without Repentance and Amendment be abandoned and forsaken by God and Man And accordingly 't is generally observ'd and I have mark't it my self that such as have been extreamly Prodigal Wanton and Wastful in their Master's Houses have been afterwards reduced to extream Poverty even to the want of a Morsel of Bread and that which adds to their misery in this state is commonly this that such as have been sharers with 'em in the wast of their Master's goods have been the most apt to reproach their former Pride and Wantonness and to despise their present Poverty and the only Persons from whom they could expect relief have been those very Masters and Mistresses whom they had before abus'd and wrong'd Besides this Duty of Justice in Deed there is another sort of Justice in Word which a Servant owes his Master which is Truth but because this is a common and avow'd Duty between Man and Man I think 't is not needful to dwell upon it here there is no body can be ignorant of the wickedness of this sin which makes one of the greatest Prerogatives of Mankind that is Speech an Instrument of the greatest Mischiefs which is 2dly An Argument of a mean base Spirit and destitute of the Faith and Fear of God which is 3dly The Product and Effect of some sin or other for Virtue never needs the Service or Protection of a Lye which Lastly Prevents Repentance for sin for as soon as men have obtain'd a great slight and dexterity in Lying they grow hard and confident in their faults because they find they can without any difficulty conceal or excuse 'em by a Lye And as no one can be ignorant of the evil of this sin so neither of the evil which will punish it Who knows not how many plagues are denounc'd against it by God What infamy attends it from Man What secret shame and disquiet it tortures the mind with and finally how it certainly involves the Lyar in Temporal and Eternal Ruine Let the Servant therefore as he would avoid all this alwaies keep up to strict Truth in his words if he have committed a fault let him not go about to excuse it by the commission of a greater that is by Lying let him rather chuse to try the goodness of his Master by an humble and honest confession than tempt him to suspicion by frivolous Excuses or barefaced Untruths however if he should think his Master stupid enough to be imposed on by any idle Tale yet let him remember that he has a Master in Heaven who may be conquer'd by Confession and Repentance but cannot be imposed upon or mockt by any slight or artifice of words I have now spoke sufficiently of the Duty of Faithfulness and will therefore pass on to the Third and last great Duty of Servants 3dly Of Love of Masters and Mistresses The Love of their Masters and Mistresses This is a Virtue which is extremely necessary in Servants it being a very difficult matter to do their Duty without it but if this be once implanted in their hearts if the Master be lookt upon as a Father one whose Affection and Esteem for 'em they value as their greatest worldly happiness there will need no other motive either to their Obedience or Faithfulness For what St. John observes concerning the Service of God Eph. 5. that to them who love him
ours you are become one with him and he with you and with us all for in Jesus Christ there is neither bond nor free you all sit equal guests equal favourites at this table O let not the humility the condecension the love of Jesus be slighted and despis'd by you ah how trifling a favour in comparison of this conferr'd upon you by your Master or any body else wherein you value as supposing him rich and great would transport you into all the heats of thankfulness and put you upon any task how hard or how mean soever by which you might do him honour I 'le insist no longer on this point I 'le only mention the little and mean objections against this Duty Objections Answer'd with which you are nevertheless wont to content your selves you have you 'l say so much business so much work that you have no time to prepare for the Communion You do then serve not only a very hard but a very foolish Master so foolish that I can scarce believe there is any such for who can be such a sott as to be unwilling to give you time wherein you may give him the greatest security the surest pledge of your Fidelity Industry Humility and all other Virtues of a good Servant that his heart can desire Can any man be such a sott as not to give a bad Servant time to reform in or a good one time to repeat his Vows and Resolutions of his perseverance and to fortifie himself in his Duty by fresh engagements And this benefit certainly every Master reaps by his Servant's conscientious frequenting the Communion and yet after all let your Master be never so unreasonable towards you or ungrateful towards God for he is both in this I must tell you to your comfort no Servant is rendred unfit for the Communion by doing the Duty of his place the discharge of your Duty towards man is a part of your Religion towards God this peradventure may render your preparation less solemn and laborious but never less acceptable a sincere sigh or groan from you in such a case as this if such a one can be supposed shall be admitted for as good satisfaction as the most solemn confession consisting in a particular enumeration of every sin and an act of sorrow appropriated to each when perform'd by others who are Master's of their own time a Devout Ejaculation shall be accepted from you as well as the most careful trimming of their Lamps the most studious dressing of their Souls from others But here let me beseech you that you do not abuse that unto a plea for your negligence and security which I have taught you only as a comfort under the necessity of your circumstances For when you have time for more solemn preparation you must not out of presumption or laziness content your self with this but this I must leave to your own consciences and to God the searcher of hearts to determine this then that you have no time is a vain excuse but you 'l say you are ignorant and unlearned and do not understand the nature of this Duty why do you not then consult those that do Is it so that there is no good Christian in the Family Is there no Pastor in the Parish Is it possible that in these days of light any though the meanest of the people should perish for lack of knowledg But you are unworthy to approach that table and are you resolv'd that you 'l ever continue so If by unworthiness you mean any course of sin break it off speedily lest you perish in it peradventure this call to the Sacrament may otherwise be the last Invitation to Repentance the last tender of mercy that shall be ever made you but if by unfitness you mean Frailties and Imperfections Defects and Weaknesses if this should make us unfit who then could be fit If this should make us unworthy who then could be worthy Sin and folly would be a qualification for the Communion if none were fit for it but such as were arrogant enough to think themselves so for that in this sense of fitness were to think themselves void of defect and frailty which were flatly repugnant not only to Humility but Truth too But you 'l lastly say you are conscious to your selves of great weakness and are afraid of entring into Engagements which you have much ground to fear you shall not be able to perform If you prove unable it will not be your sin but misfortune but I am afraid you mean which you shall not be always willing to perform And if so I must confess I fear you are not fit for the Communion for this insinuates that your Heart at present is not sincere that your meaning is not right and that you have some darling sin or at least some remainder of sin which you cannot yet be fully perswaded to part with If it be otherwise the weaker you are the more need you have of that Sacrament by which you will be confirm'd and strengthen'd if you are sincere you are always safe PART III. CHAP. II. Directions for the Servants Worthy Receiving the Lords Supper Contemplations tending to stir up a Devout Conviction of this Duty in the Soul OUR Savour's Institution of this Sacrament is thus related Our Lord Jesus the same Night that he was betray'd took bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and gave it to his Disciples saying Take eat this is my body which is given for you do this in remembrance of me Likewise after Supper he took the Cup and when he had given thanks he gave it to 'em saying drink ye all of this for this is my Blood of the New Testament which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins Do this as oft as ye shall drink it in remembrance of me Out of these words our Church forms that excellent Prayer Almighty God our Heavenly Father who of thy tender mercy didst give thy only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the Cross for our Redemption who made there by his one oblation of himself once offer'd a full perfect and sufficient Sacrafice Oblation and Satisfaction for the sins of the whole World and did institute and in his Holy Gospel command us to continue a perpetual memory of that his precious death until his coming again hear us O merciful Father we most humbly beseech thee and grant that we receiving these thy Creatures of Bread and Wine according to thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ's Holy Institution in remembrance of his death and passion may be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood On the parts of this Prayer you may descant thus O my God and my Father didst thou give thine onely begotten Son to suffer death upon the Cross for my Redemption what then was my state that it was capable of no lesser Redemption than the bitter death of thy Son A state of sin and misery a state of bondage
attention and devout affection Enter into the Church as into the House of God and the place of his more immediate Residence In hearing attend to the great End that is that thou mayest grow thereby that some Infirmity may be cured some Virtue improv'd some fresh Resolution form'd and in a word thy Soul rais'd into a more heavenly and holy frame being return'd home as soon as thou canst find an opportunity bless God that he has spoke to thy Soul that he has affected thee by his Word and his Spirit and endeavour by a solemn Review and Consideration of those things by which thou wast most affected to fix 'em better in thy memory I should have said in thy heart and then lay all thy Desires and Resolutions in devout Prayers before God and earnestly beg and depend upon his goodness for the obtaining the one and his grace for the performing the other In the evening the last thing thou dost call thy self to an account look back on every part of the day examine thy behaviour bewail thy defects bless God for all thy spiritual Advantages of the day and thou shalt find unspeakable comfort and peace thy delight in spiritual things will encrease and thy hopes will grow up thou wilt begin to relish and anticipate the joys and long for the possession of Heaven The Duty of Prayer Another Duty we owe to God is Prayer concerning which a Servant is to observe these three or four things First you must endeavour to awaken a steady Devotion in your heart by imprinting in it a holy Reverence and awful Dread of the Divine Majesty by these or the like thoughts O God thou art the Eternal God the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth all things are upheld by thy Power and filled by thy Goodness at thy Rebuke the foundations of the Earth will tremble and the Heavens at the Voice of thy displeasure all the Nations upon Earth are but as the Drop of the Bucket and the Grain of the Ballance before thee Oh what then am I a poor despicable sinful and extremely small part of ' em O suffer me not to forget thy Majesty suffer me not to forget my self Or thus O just and holy God thou art the Creator and Redeemer thou art the Judge of all Mankind thou art the Searcher of the Heart and Trier of the Reins O suffer me not to be cold or careless much less hypocritical in my Addresses to thee for not only * Eccl. 16.11 mercy but wrath is with thee and as thou art mighty to forgive so art thou too to pour out displeasure O suffer me not therefore rudely and inconsiderately to stretch forth my hands towards thine Ark the place where thine Honour dwelleth lest I be smitten like Uzzah and perish in my folly Or thus O Lord thou art MY God by thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art my God and I will praise thee I will love thee O Lord my God for thou hast redeem'd me O Lord thou God of Truth thou Rock of my Salvation my Soul thirsteth after thee open thou my mouth that I may praise thee in the joys and transports of my Soul enflame my heart that I may cleave to thee by the Embraces of Love that I may wrestle with thee by unfeigned Faith and devout Desire and not let thee go till I have obtain'd a Blessing for still I have many Infirmities that will separate between thee and me O let me never be divided from thee Lord save me or I perish Secondly See that thou do nothing that is repugnant to thy Prayers for 't is in vain to beg of God that which thou deniest thy self nay 't is extreme Hypocrisie to importune God for that Grace which thou dost manifestly resist or incapacitate thy self for by thy actions if God or his Prophet bid thee wash and be clean 't is mere presumption to expect the Cure of thy Leprosie without the use of the means prescrib'd Thirdly Mark the Issue and Return of thy Prayers that thou mayest be thankful as thou hast been importunate for a Blessing or if thou receive it not that thou mayest correct and reform what is amiss it may be thy Prayer wants Sincerity or it wants Faith or there is a Babylonish Garment and a Wedge of Gold hid in thy Tent some darling Lust conceal'd in thy bosom or thy Petition it self is a foolish Lust or wanton Passion and 't is well if it bring not down a Curse instead of a Blessing As to your Prayer I think it matters not much whether it be a form or a sudden Effusion provided it have in it a steady Faith and humble Devotion which is the Life and Soul of Prayer But as far as I am able to see good forms fitted to their necessities are most useful for Servants because mental Prayer e're it can be such as it ought requires good ability solemn preparation or at least an habitual exaltation of mind and takes up much time Particular Forms suited to particular occasions I have endeavour'd to provide in this Treatise for general ones Morning and Evening you may use these which follow A Prayer for the Morning O Lord my God thou hast preserv'd me this night which might have been my last and for this my Soul blesses thee Thou hast given me another day O give me Grace too to spend it so as if it were to be my last O let it not increase my guilt and the number of my sins but enable me to work in it the work for which thou hast sent me into the World for the night cometh wherein I cannot work The number of my sins is great enough already they would sink my Soul down to Hell if the blessed Jesus had not loved me and given himself for me and if thy Mercy were not as thy Majesty that is Infinite for I have forgotten thee too too often though thou hast given me my Being and hast provided for me when there was none other to help me I have forgotten thee though thou gavest me thine own Son to redeem me not only to free me from the punishment due to my sins but also to procure for me Life Eternal I have fear'd the displeasure of man whose breath is in his Nostrils more than I have fear'd thine O thou just and holy Judge of Mankind I have been more solicitous for the Bread that perishes than for thy Favour which is better than the Life it self and oh well were it for me if I had only omitted my Duty towards thee or perform'd it lifelesly or sluggishly but woe is me I have despis'd thy Goodness and Long-suffering I have harden'd my heart against thy Commandments I have dealt proudly and presumptuously and have done wickedly here mention those sins which most burden thy Conscience if thou hast any such and particularly those of thy Service and yet after all this vain and sensless Creature that I am I have repin'd