there ran unto him of all â—sates and conditions of men â—ven of the very Pharisees and Publicans yea and Souldiers also which of all others are wont to be most dissolute and to have the least care of their consciences and each of them demanded for himselfe particularly of that holy man what he should doe to attaine unto salvation and to escape those terrible threatnings which hee had denounced unto them so great was the feare they had conceived of them And this is that deare Christian brother which I doe a this present in the behalfe oâ— Almighty God deliver unto thee although not with such fervency of spirit and like holinesse of life yet that which importeth more in this case with the same truth and certainty for so much as the faith and Gospell which Saint Iohn Baptist then preached is even the same now taught Now if thou be desirous to understand in few words how great the punishment is that Almighty God hath threatned in his holy Scriptures to the wicked that which may most briefly and most to the purpose be spoken in this matter is this That â—â—ke as the reward of the good is â—â— universall good thing even â—o the punishment of the wicked is an universall evill which comprehendeth in it al the evils â—â—at are For the better understanding whereof it is to be noâ—â—d That all the evils of this life are particular evils and therefore doe not torment all our sences generally but onely one or some of them As taking an example of the diseases of our body we see that one hath a disease in his eyes another iâ— his eares one is sicke in thâ— heart another in the stomacke some other in his head And so divers men are diseased in diver parts of the body howbeit â— such wise that none of all the diseases be generally through out all the members of the body but particular to some on of them And yet for all thiâ— we see what griefe onely one â— these diseases may put us untâ— and how painefull a night tâ— sicke man hath in any one these infirmities yea although â—t be nothing else but a little ach â—n one tooth Now let us put the case that there were some one man sicke of such an universall disease that he had no part of his body neither any one joynt or sence free from his proper paine but that at one â—ime and instant hee suffered most exceeding sharpe torment â—n his head in his eyes and â—ares in his teeth and stomack â—n his liver and heart and to be â—hort in all the rest of his members and joynts of his body and â—hat he lay after this sort stretâ—hing himselfe in his bed being â—ained with these greeses and â—orments every member of his â—ody having his particular torment and griefe Hee I say that should lye thus pained and afflicted how great torment and griefe of minde and body thinke ye should he sustaine Oh what thing could any man imagine more miserable and more worthy of compassion Surely if thou shouldest see buâ— a dogge to be so tormented and grieved in the street his very paines would move thy hear to take pitty upon him Now this is that my deare Christian brother if any comparison may be made betweene them which is suffered in that most curseâ— and horrible place of hell and not onely during for the spacâ— of one night but everlastingly for ever and ever For like the wicked men have offended Almighty God with all their members and sences and have made armour of them all to serve sinne even so will he ordaine that they shall bee there tormented every one of them with his propertorment There shall the wanton unchaste eyes be tormented with the terrible sight of Divels the cares with the confusion of such horrible cries and lamentations which shall there be heard the nose with the intollerable stinke of that ougly filthy and loathsome place the taste with a most ravenous hunger and thirst the touching and all the members of the body with extreame burning fire The imagination shall be tormented by the conceiving of griefes present the memory by calling to minde the pleasures past the understanding by considering what benefits are lost and what endlesse miseries are to come This multitude of punishments the holy Scripture signifieth unto us when it saith Mat. 15. Psal 10. That in hell there shall be hunger thirst weeping wailing gnashing of teeth swords double edged spirits created for revengement serpents wormes scorpions hammers wormewood water of gall the spirit of tempest and other things of like sort Whereby are signified unto us as in a figure the multitude and dreadfull terrous of the most horrible torments and paines that be in that cursed place There shall bee likewise darkenesse inward and outward both of body and soule farre more obscure than the darkenesse of Aegypt which was to be felt even with hands Exod. 20. There shall be fire also not as this fire here that tormenteth a little and shortly endeth but such a fire as that place requireth which tormenteth exceedingly and shall never make an end of that tormenting This being true what greater wonder can there be than that they which beleeve and confesse this for truth should live with such most strange negligence and carelesnesse as they doe What travell and paines would not a man willingly take to escape even one onely day yea one houre the very least of these torments and wherefore doe they not then to escape the everlastingnesse of so great paines and horrible torments endure so little a travell as to follow the exercise of vertue Surely the consideration of this matter were able to make any sinfull soule to feare and tremble in case it were deepely regarded And if amongst so great number of paines there were any manner hope of end or release it would be some kinde of comfort but alas it is not so for there the gates are fast shut up from all expectation of any manner of ease or hope In all kinde of paines and calamities that be in this world there is alwaies some gap lying open whereby the patient may receive some kinde of comfort sometimes reason sometimes the weather sometimes his friends sometimes the hearing that others are troubled with the very same disease and sometimes at the least the hope of an end may cheare him onely in these most horrible paines and miseries that be in hell all the waies are shut up in such sort and all the havens of comfort so embarred that the miserable sinner cannot hope for remedy on any side neither of heaven nor of earth neither of the time past or present or of the time to come or of any other meanes The damned soules thinke that all men are shooting darts at them and that all creatures have conspired against them and that even they themselves are cruell against themselves This is that distresse whereof the sinners doe lament by the Prophet saying The
world Have men their right sences doe they understand what these words import or are they peradventure perswaded that these are onely the fables of Poets or doe they thinke that this appertaineth not to them or else that it was onely ment for others None of all this can they say for so much as our faith assureth us most certainely herein And our Saviour Christ himselfe who is everlasting truth crieth out in his Gospell saying Heaven and earth shall faile but my word shall not faile Of this misery there followeth another as great as it which is that the paines are alwaies continuing in one like degree without any manner of intermission or decreasing All manner of things that are under the cope of heaven doe move and turn round about with the same heaven and doe never stand still at one state or being but are continually either ascending or descending The sea and the rivers have their ebbing and flowing the times the ages and the mutable fortune of men and of kingdomes are evermore in continuall motion There is no feaver so fervent that doth not decline neither griefe so sharp but that after it is much augmented it doth forthwith decrease To be short all the tribulations and miseries are by little and little worne away with time and as the common saying is Nothing is sooner dried up than teares Onely that paine â—n hell is alwaies greene onely that feaver never decreaseth onely that extremity of heat knoweth not what is either evening or morning In the time of Noahs flood Almighty God â—ained forty daies and forty â—ights continually without â—easing upon the earth and this â—â—fficed to drowne the whole world But in that place of torment in hell there shall raine everlasting vengeance and darts â—f furie upon that cursed land without ever ceasing so much as â—e onely minute or moment â—ow what torment can bee â—eater and more to be abhorâ—d than continually to suffer â—â—r one like manner without any kinde of alteration or change Though a meat bee never so delicate yet in case we feed continually thereupon it will in very short time be very loathsome unto us for no meat can be more precious and delicate than that Manna was which almighty God sent down unto the children of Israel in the Desart and yet because they did eat continually thereof iâ— made them to loath it yea and provoked them to vomit it up againe The way that is all plaine they say wearieth more than any other because alwaies the variety yea even in punishment is a kinde of comfort Tell me then if things that be pleasant and savoury when theâ— be alwaies after one manner are an occasion of loathsomenesse and paine what kinde of loathsomenesse will that bee which shall be caused by those most horrible paines and torments in hell which doe continue everlastingly after one like sort What will the damned and cursed creatures think when they shall there see themselves so utterly obhorred and forsaken of Almighty God that he will not so much as with the remission of any one sinne mitigate somwhat their torments And so great shall the fury and rage be which they shall there conceive against him that they shall never cease continually to curse and blaspheme his holy name Unto all these paines there is also added the paine of that everlasting consumer to wit the worme of conscience whereof the holy Scripture maketh so oftentimes mention saying Their worme shall never die and their fire shall never bee quenched This worme is a furious raging despight and bitter repentance without any fruit which the wicked shall alwaies have in hell by calling to their remembrance the opportunity and time they had whiles they were in this world to escape those most grievous and horrible torments and how they would not use the benefit thereof And therefore when the miserable sinner seeth himselfe thus to be tormented and vexed on every side and doth call to minde how many dayes and yeeres he hath spent idely in vanities pastimes and pleasures and how oftentimes he was advertised of this perill and how little regard he tooke thereof What shall he thinke What anguish and sorrow shall there be in his heart Hast thou not read in the Gospell that there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth The famine of Aegypt endur'd onely seven yeares but that in hell shall endure everlastingly In Aegypt they found a remedy though with great difficulty and charge out for this there shall never aâ—y remedy bee found Theirs was redeemed with money and cattell but this can never be redeemed with any manner of exchange This punishment cannot bee pardoned this paine cannot be exchanged this sentence cannot be revoked Oh if thou knewest and wouldest consider how every one condemned to hell shall there remaine tormenting and renting himselfe weeping and wailing and saying O miserable and unfortunate wretch that I am what times and opportunities have I suffered to passe in vaine A time there was when with one cup of cold water I might have purchased to my selfe a crowne of glory and when also with such necessary workes of mercy in relieving the poore I might have gained life everlasting Wherefore did I not looke before me How was I blinded with things present How did J let passe the fruitfull yeares of abundance and did not enrich my selfe If J had beene brought up amongst Infidels and Pagans and had beleeved that there had beene nothing else but only to be borne and to die then might I have had some kinde of excuse and might have said I knew not what was commanded or prohibited me but for so much as I have lived amongst Christians and was my selfe one of them professed and held it for an article of my beleefe that the houre should come when I should give up an account after what order I had spent my life forsomuch also as it was daily cried out unto me by the continuall preaching and teaching of Gods Embassadours whose advertisements many following made preparation in time and laboured earnestly for the provision of good workes forasmuch I say as I made light of all these examples and perswaded my selfe very fondly that Heaven was prepared for me though I tooke no paines for it at all what deserve I that have thus led my life O ye infernall furies come and rent me in peeces and devoure these my bowels for so have I justly deserved I have deserved eternall famishment seeing I would not provide for my selfe while I had time I deserve not to reape because I have not sowne I am worthy to be destitute because I have not laid up in store I deserve that my request should now be denied me sith when the poore made request unto me I refused to releeve them I have deserved to sigh and lament so long as God shall be God I have deserved that this worme of conscience shall gnaw â—ine entrails for ever and ever by representing unto mee
Almighty God for the waies of the world sith there is so great difference betweene the one and the other not onely in the end of the way but also in all the steps of the same What madnesse can be greater than to choose one torment to gaine another by rather than with one rest to gaine another rest And that thou maist more clearely perceive the excellency of this rest and what a number of benefits are presently incident thereunto I beseech thee hearken attentively even what Almighty God himselfe hath promised by his Prophet Esay to the observers of his law in a manner with these words as divers interpreters doe expound them When thou shalt doe saith hee such and such things which I have commanded thee to doe there shall forthwith appeare unto thee the dawning of the cleare day that is the sonne of justice which shall drive away all the darkenesse of thy errours and miseries and then shalt thou begin to enjoy true and perfect salvation Now these are the benefits which Almighty God hath promised to his servants And albeit some of them bee for the time to come yet are some of them to be presently received in this life as that new light and shining from heaven that safety and abundance of all good things that assured confidence and trust in the Almighty God that divine assistance in all our Prayers and Petitions made unto him that peace and tranquility of conscience that protection and providence of Almighty God All these are the gracious gifts and favours which Almighty God hath promised to his servants in this life They all are the works of his mercy effects of his grace testimonies of his love and blessings which he of his fatherly providence extendeth To be short all these benefits doe the godly injoy both in this present life and in the life to come and of all these are the ungodly deprived both in the one life and in the other Whereby thou maist easily perceive what difference there is betweene the one sort and the other seeing the one is so rich in graces and the other so poore and needy For if thou ponder well Gods promised blessings and consider the state and condition of the good and the wicked thou shalt find that the one sort is highly in the favour of Almighty God and the other deepely in his displeasure the one be his friends and the other his enemies the one be in light and the other in darkenesse the one doe enjoy the company of Angels and the other the filthy pleasures and delights of Swine the one are truely free and Lords over themselves and the other are become bond-slaves unto Satan and unto their owne lusts and appetites The one are joyfull with the witnesse of a good conscience and the other except they bee utterly blinded are continually bitten with the worme of conscience evermore gnawing on them the one in tribulation stand stedfastly in their proper place and the other like light chaffe are carried up and downe with every blast of winde the one stand secure and firme with the anker of hope and the other are unstable and evermore yeelding unto the assaults of fortune the prayers of the one are acceptable and liking unto God and the prayers of the other are abhorred and accursed the death of the one is quiet peaceable and precious in the sight of God and the death of the other is unquiet painefull and troubled with a thousand frights and terrours To conclude the one live like children under the protection and defence of Almighty God and sleepe sweetly under the shaddow of his pastorall providence and the other being excluded from this kinde of providence wander abroad as straied sheepe without their shepheard and Master lying wide open to all the perills dangers and assaults of the world Seeing then that a vertuous life is accompanied with all these benefits what is the cause that should withdraw thee and perswade thee not to embrace such a precious treasure what art thou able to alledge for excuse of thy great negligence To say that this is not true it cannot be admitted for so much as Gods word doth avouch the certaintie hereof To say that these are but small benefits thou canst not for so much as they doe exceede all that mans heart can desire To say that thou art an enemy unto thy selfe and that thou doest not desire these benefits cannot be considering that a man is even naturally a friend to himselfe the will of man hath ever an eye to his owne benefit which is the very object or mark that his desire shooteth at To say that thou hast no understanding nor taste of these benefits it will not serve to discharge thine offence forsomuch as thou hast the faith and beleefe thereof though thou hast not the taste for the taste is lost through sinne but not the faith and the faith is a witnesse more certaine more secure better to be trusted than all other experiences and witnesses in the world Why doest thou not then discredit all other witnesses with this one assured testimony Why doest thou not rather give credit unto faith than to thine owne opinion and judgement O that thou wouldest make a resolute determination to submit thy selfe into the hands of Almighty God and to put thy whole trust assuredly in him How soone shouldest thou then see all these Prophesies fulfilled in thee then shouldest thou see the excellency of these divine treasures then shouldest thou see how starke blinde the lovers of this world are that seeke not after this high treasure then shouldest thou see upon what good ground our Saviour inviteth us to this kind of life saying Come unto me all yee that travell and are loaden and I will refresh you take my yoake upon you and you shall finde rest for your soules for my yoake is sweet and my burden is light Almighty God is no deceiver nor false promiser neither yet is hee a great boaster of such things as he promiseth Why dost thou then shrinke backe why dost thou refuse peace and true quietnesse why dost thou refuse the gentle offers and sweet callings of thy Pastor how darest thou despise and banish away vertue from thee which hath such prerogatives and priviledges as these be and withall confirmed and signed even with the hand of Almighty God The Queene of Sheba heard far lesse things than these of Salomon and yet she travelled from the uttermost parts of the world to try the truth of those things that she had heard And why doest not thou then hearing such notable yea and so certaine newes of vertue adventure to take a little paines to try the truth and sequell thereof O deare Christian brother put thy trust in Almighty God and in his Word and commit thy selfe most boldly without all feare into his armes and unloose from thy hands those trifling knots that have hitherto deceived thee and thou shalt finde that the merits of vertue
so that none â—f those judgements which our â—â—nes have deserved have bin â—flicted upon us thou hast â—nlarged our time and opportuâ—ity to repent thou hast proâ—â—ded for our soules and bodies â—â—ou hast bin no way wanting â—nto us if we had hearts to acknowledge it Forgive us that â—e cannot acknowledge thy goodnesse as we ought to doe and more and more quicken uâ— in this dutie that we may with heart and voyce acknowledgâ— thee to be that Father of lights from whom we doe receivâ— every good and perfect giftâ— ascribing unto thee the whole glory of all that we enjoy both now and evermore And granâ— we pray thee that our thankefulnesse may not be onely verâ— ball but reall we labouring iâ— deede and in truth to be dutifulâ— unto thee that hast bin so bountifull unto us Pardon us for thâ— sinnes of this day wherein weâ— have offended thee whether open or secret of ignorance oâ— of knowledge of infirmity oâ— presumption of omission oâ— commission in thought word or deed The sinnes of this day are enough to plunge us soule and body into the bottomlesse gulfe of perdition If thou shouldest straightly mark them what answer shall we be able to make thee how shall wee dare to appeare in thy presence before whom all thy creatures feare and tremble But thy mercy is above all thy workes much more above all our works of sinne In the confidence of thy mercy we come unto thee beseeching thee in thy sonne Christ to be reconciled with us and to assure us hereof by the certificate of thine owne blessed spirit Breake the strength of sin that would subdue us more and more and reare in us cleane hearts and renew a right spirit within us Increase our faith in the sweet promises of the Gospell and our repentance from dead workes our hope of eternall life our feare of thy name our zeale for thy glory our hatred of sinne our love of righteousnesse our contentment in all estates our patience in adversity our prudence in prosperity that so being furnished with the endowments of grace here we may be fitted for the enjoyment of glory hereafter And because the night is now upon us and our bodies desirous of quiet rest wee pray thee to take us into thy blessed tuition and to refresh our wearied bodies with comfortable sleepe Protect us and all that doe belong unto us under the shadow of thy vings defend us from all evill both of sinne and punishment keepe us from security and carelesnesse from dulnesse and drowsinesse of spirit from fire and robbery from the malice of Satan and all his adherents from all perils into which for our sinnes wee might justly fall Let the sight of the bed minde us of that last bed the grave wherein wee are shortly to take up our lodging we know not how soone None of us here present can certainely tell whether these eyes of ours once closed up shall ever any more open againe in this world therfore receive us good Lord receive us into the armes of thy mercy unto thine Almighty protection wee bequeath our selves soules and bodies and all that we have upon thy mercy alone wee cast our selves both this present night and for evermore Bee mercifull to thy whole Church continue the flourishing state of the Kingdomes wherin we live Decrease in it the number of superstitious Papists and prophane Atheists and increase in it the number of such as unfainedly feare thee Preserve from all dangers and conspiracies our religious King Charles our gracious Queene Mary the Lady Elizabeth and her children Give them all such a measure of thy Spirit grace that they may seeke to advance thy kingdome on earth and at last be advanced to thine everlasting Kingdome in Heaven Endow the right Honourable of our Privie Counsell with all such graces as may make them fit for so high a place Stirre up Magistrates and men in authority to endeavour after the furthering of thine honour and the benefiting of thy people Make the Ministers able and willing to discharge the duties of their weighty calling with diligence and conscience water their indeavours with the dew of heaven that daily such as belong unto life eternall may be added unto the Church Comfort O comfort thine afflicted servants wheresoever or howsoever troubled sweeten their afflictions and season their sorrowes with the comforts of thy Spirit Give them all needfull assistance and in thy owne time a joyfull deliverance And make us ready for afflictions that they may not come upon us as a snare but that we may in good measure like wise Virgins bee prepared for the comming of Christ Jesus the sweet Bridegroome of our soules Finally wee pray thee beare with the weakenesse and coldnesse and imperfection of our prayers and to grant our requests not for our merits but for thine owne mercies and for the sake of thy dearely beloved Sonne Jesus Christ who died to make satisfaction for us and liveth to make intercession for us in whose words we shut up our imperfect prayers saying as himselfe hath taught us Our Father c. O Lord blesse and save us make thy face to shine upon us thy Word to instruct us thy grace to direct us thy Angels to protect us thy Spirit to comfort and support us unto the end and in the end Amen Amen A Prayer in time of VVarre O LORD GOD of Hoasts in power invincible in wisdome unsearchable in mercy incomprehensible that givest deliverance in the time of trouble assistance in the day of battel we most humbly and heartily beseech thee to save us from all those extremities and in speciall from our enemies which our sins do threaten to bring upon us Hitherto thou hast pleased to make our Nation a spectacle of thy ineffable goodnesse but we deserve to be made a spectacle of thy unsupportable wrath Our contempt of thy threatnings our abuse of thy mercies our neglect of thy judgements with infinite other innormities doe menace the taking away of thy old mercies and the bringing in of some judgement We have just cause to feare O Lord that our loud and crying sinnes doe call in our enemies upon us and arme them against us yea that they are already prest and prepared to execute thy vengeance Then open our eyes we pray thee that we may see thy Ensigne set up thy Banner displayed and the evidence of thy approaching sword open our eares that wee may heare thee blowing of thy trumpet and giving the alarum to warre open our hearts that we may not be secure in so great danger but may quake and tremble to see thy hand of vengeance before us And howsoever by our sinnes we are set in the middest of this danger yet let the hand of thy mercy which is as omnipotent as that of thy justice rescue us let thy out stretched arme deliver us Put up thy sword into the scabbard O bid it rest and be still Be favourable and gracious unto
grace that I may now willingly leave this fraile and wicked flesh in hope of the resurrection which in better manner shall restore it to me againe grant me O Lord God that thou wilt by thy grace make strong my soule against all temptations and that thou wilt cover and defend me with the buckler of thy mercy against the assaults of Satan I acknowledge that there is in my selfe no hope of salvation but all my hope and trust is in thy most mercifull goodnesse I have no merits nor good workes which I may alleadge before thee of sinnes and evill works alas I see a great heape but through thy mercy I trust to be of the number of them to whom thou wilt not impute their sins but take and impute mee for righteous and just and to be the inheritor of everlasting glory Thou O most mercifull Lord wert borne for my sake thou didst suffer both hunger and thirst thou didst preach teach pray and fast for my sake thou didst all good works and sufferedst most grievous pangs and torments for my sake and finally thou gavest thy most precious body to dye and thy blessed bloud to bee shed on the Crosse for my sake wherefore most mercifull Saviour let all these things profit me which thou hast freely given mee which hast given thy selfe for me let thy bloud cleanse and wash away the spots and foulenesse of my sinnes let thy righteousnesse hide and cover my unrighteousnesse let the merits of thy bitter sufferings be a sufficient and propitiatory sacrifice and satisfaction for my sinnes give me O Lord thy grace that my faith and beleefe of thy true and grievous death waver not in me but ever be firme and constant that the hope of thy mercy life everlasting never decay in me that charity waxe not cold in me and finally that the weaknesse of my flesh be not overcome with the feare of death grant me also O most mercifull Saviour that when death hath shut up the eyes of my body yet the eyes of my soule may still behold and look upon thee and that when death hath taken away the use of my tongue and speech yet my heart may cry and say unto thee O Lord into thy hands I give and commit my soule Lord Jesus receive my spirit and take me to thy mercies Amen A Prayer for a Woman in time of her travaile RIghteous and holy Lord God I doe now finde by experience the fruit of my sinne that I must travaile in sorrow and bring forth in paine and I unfainedly adore the truth of thy sacred Word as certifying unto me that sorrow must be in the Evening so comforting me also against the Morning that a Childe shall be borne Willingly I doe desire to submit my selfe in hope unto this thy chastisement and to learne the desert of my sinnes horrible in themselves that these temporall paines are forerunners of eternall and yet by thy mercy may be so sanctified unto me as not onely to prevent eternall vengeance but also prepare for eternall comforts even to be saved by bearing of Children Grant me therefore gracious Father true repentance and pardon for my sinnes past that they may not stand at this time in this my need betweene mee and thy mercy Give mee a comfortable feeling of thy love in Christ which may sweeten all other pangs though never so violent or extreame make me still to lift up my soule unto thee in my greatest agonies knowing that thou alone must give a blessing to the ordinary meanes for my safe deliverance Lay no more upon me then I am able to endure strengthen my weake body to the bearing of what sorrowsoever by which it shall seeme good unto thee to make triall of me Grant mee to consider that howsoever it be with me yet I am alwaies at thine hand whose mercies faile not who wilt bee found in the Mount and greatest extremitie and to whom belong the issues of death so prepare me therefore to death that I may be fit for life even to yeeld fruit alive unto the world and to be renewed and enabled to nourish the same And when thou hast safely given mee the expected fruit of my wombe make me with a thankfull heart to consecrate both it and my selfe wholly to thy service all the daies of my life through Jesus Christ mine onely Saviour and Redeemer Amen A Thankesgiving after safe deliverance O Blessed for ever bee thy great and glorious Name most deere and loving Father for thy great mercy to me most weake and sinfull woman Wonderfull art thou in all thy workes O Lord the riches of thy mercies are past finding out thou hast plunged me with great afflictions and yet thou hast returned and refreshed me againe thou hast brought mee to the feare of the grave and yet thou hast raised me up again to life O how hast thou shewed thy power in my weaknesse How hath thy loving kindnesse prevailed against my unworthinesse Thou mightest for my sinnes have left me to perish in mine extremities but thou hast compassed me about with joyfull deliverance thou mightest have made my wombe a grave to bury the dead or in affoording life to another thou mightest have procured my death but yet thou hast not onely made my wombe a well-spring of life but restored life unto me also for the cherishing thereof Marveilous O Lord are thy workes infinite are thy mercies my soule by present experience knoweth it well O my soule praise thou the Lord and all that is within me praise his holy name My soule praise thou the Lord and forget not all his benefits Thou hast heard my prayers and looked upon my sorrow thou hast redeemed my life from death and healed mine infirmities and crowned me with thine everlasting compassions O give me I humbly pray thee a thankfull heart not onely now while the memory and sense of thy favour is fresh before me but continually even so long as I have any being Grant that I may learne by his lively evidence of thy power and mercy for ever hereafter â—o depend only on thee Quicâ—en me also to all holy duties â—hat my thankfullnesse may appeare in my pure and Christian â—arriage Make me a kind and carefull â—nother willing to undergoe the â—aine and trouble of education â—et no nicenesse or curiositie â—inder me from those services â—o whom both nature and reliâ—ion hath appointed me let me â—â—so be carefull when time reâ—uireth to season the fruit thou â—ast given me with the saving â—nowledge of thee thy deere on that my desire may manifestly appeare to be set for the â—ncrease of thy Kingdome Vouchsafe so to order my affections and to bring them in obedience unto thee that if it should bee thy pleasure either now oâ— hereafter to take this infant from me I may as willingly part with it as thou freely gave it me And now O God perfect in mee that strength which thou hast begun make me to grow in care to