wherefore David having experience of Gods goodnesse in his deliverance from the hand of Saul said I will love thee O Lord my strength The Lord is my rocke and my fortresse and my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will e Ps 18.1.2.3 trust my Buckler and the horne of my salvation and my high tower I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to bee praised so shall I bee saved from mine enimies It proceedeth also from beliefe in God and in his word which beliefe God graciously giveth unto those that feare him and diligently pray for the same as Saint Paul signifieth to the Ephesians saying In whom wee have boldnesse and accesse with f Eph. 3.12 confidence by the faith of him Ieremiah saith Cursed bee the man that g Ier. 17.5.6.7.8 trusteth in man and maketh flesh his arme and whose heart departeth from the Lord. But blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is The seventh duty is to call upon God The seventh duty to call upon God And that is to pray unto him David saith offer unto God thankesgiving and pay thy vowes unto the most High and h Ps 50.14.15 call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me It proceedeth also out of beliefe as it is written How shall they i Rom. 10.14 call on him in whom they have not beleeved People obedient to Christ and his k Mat. 18.17 Church which humble themselves and faithfully endeavour to observe all the ordinances of Christs Church have the promise to be heard when they call on the Lord and doe in the name and mediation of Iesus Christ aske such things as bee agreeable to his will as Saint Iohn saith Whatsoever we l 1 Ioh. 3.22 aske wee receive of him because wee keepe his Commandement and doe those things that are pleasing in his sight The eight duty is to honour Gods Holy name The eight duty To honour Gods holy name And for the performance thereof wee pray when we say Hallowed be thy name They that make conscience of breaking the third Commandement of m Exod 20.7 taking his name in vaine are such as have a regard to honour his n Mal. 3.16.17.18 name By the Name of the Lord is not onely meant a word or words proper to the Creator whereby he is distinguished from all creatures in speaking of him or unto him but also sundry other things whereby the Lord becommeth knowne unto us The name of the Lord is observed sometimes to signifie God himselfe his holy being which is infinite almighty c as where it is said The o Prov. 18.10 Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the righteous runneth into it and is safe Where name may signifie also power and protection So in Moses where it is said If thou wilt not observe to doe all the words of this Law that are written in this Booke that thou maist feare his glorious and fearefull p Deut. 28.58 Name The Lord thy God then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderfull c. It signifieth also the will and Commandement of God as where it is said whosoever will not hearken unto my words which my Prophet shall speake in my q Deut. 18.19 Name I will require it of him Officers under the Royall Majestie use the word name in the like sense when they say I charge thee in the Kings name c. It also signifieth the religion or worship of God as where it is said in Micah All people will walke every one in the name of his god and wee will walke in the r Micah 4.5 name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Other significations it is observed to have It is our duty to honour to reverence both with soule and body with heart and mouth and with due respect for to esteem whatsoever Name God is called by or knowne The Lord said by Samuel unto Eli Them that s 1 Sam. 2.30 honour me I will honour And his Omnipotencie looketh for honour to be performed by us unto him signifying it by his Prophet Malachie saying A sonne honoureth his Father and a servant his Master If then I bee a Father where mine t Mal. 1.6 honour And if I be a Master where is my feare The ninth duty To honour Gods holy word saith the Lord of Hosts unto you O priests that despise my name and yet yee say wherein have we despised thy name The ninth duty is to honour Gods holy word David saith I will worship towards thy holy Temple and praise thy Name for thy loving kindnesse for thy truth for thou hast magnified thy u Ps 138.2 word above all thy name Christ saith to his Father Sanctifie them through the truth thy w Ioh. 17.17 word is truth And David saith unto the Lord Thy x Ps 119.142 Law is the truth Now for to make mention of any sentence in any deliverie by the Kings Majestie or by the Parliament or by the Convocation without due reverence thereto is justly a lightnesse or rather a lewdnesse Likewise for to mention any sentence of holy Scripture Gods holy word without due reverence thereto both with heart and voice honouring it as a word that y 1 Pet. 1.23.24 25. endureth for ever and as that whereby we shall every one without respect of persons bee z Iob. 12 48. judged in the last day lightly to alleage any divine deliverie is by all that truely feare God judged to proceed from a heart full of impiety and iniquity Isaiah signifieth that wee are to a Isa 66.5 tremble at Gods word and in no wise to make jests with any of it or rashly to utter any part of it but when wee speake any portion of holy Scripture to have a most serious care that it may tend directly to the glory of God and as much as may bee to the b Eph 4 2â— edification of the hearers Also we are not onely at all times with feare and honourable respect to recite holy Scripture when wee have occasion thereto but also to bee obedient or obediently enclined unto every document thereof which wee mention Else our honouring of Gods word is but a c Mat. 15.8.7 lip honour whereof Christ saith This people draw nigh to mee with their mouth and honoureth me with their lips but their heart is farre from me Which doing Christ in the verse afore signifieth to be but a kind of hypocrisie Herein saith Christ is my Father glorified or his word honoured that yee beare d Ioh. 13.8.16 much fruit so shall ye be my Disciples He is not accounted a true honourer of the Lawes of a Realme which meerely with due regard doth rehearse them but hee that also conscionably endeavoureth to live according to every of them The tenth duty to serve God truly all the dayes of
as absolute necessitie requireth to stay at home ought duly to resort unto the church When Peter was to preach unto y Acts 10.33 Deut. 32.12 13 Neh. 8.2 Cornelius it appeareth that Cornelius brought his whole houshold with him as he said Now are wee all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God And in the Psalme or Song for the Sabbath day it is expressed at what time in the morning of the Sabbath wee should begin our devotion and untill what time it should continue Hebraea vox 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 à Lexicographis reddita est Lucis matâ—tinae primordium c. Hinc verbâ—â— Arabicum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mane seu ante lucem surrexit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 autem ab Arabe interpretatum est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Mat. 20.1 exprimit Graecam phrasin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 summo mane where it is said z Psal 92.1 2. It is a good thing to give thankes unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name Omost Highest To tell of thy loving kindnesse * According to the Translation of the Psalter in the divine Service early in the morning and of thy truth in the night season CHAP. 44. Of Prayer Thanksgiving and Confession unto God in publike and in private IN the Exhortation before the generall Confession it is said Although wee ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sinnes before God yet ought wee most chiefly so to doe when wee assemble and meet together to render thankes for the great benefits that wee have received at his hands to set forth his most worthy praise to heare his most holy word and to aske those things which be requisite and necessary as well for the body as the soule How greatly God requireth publike prayer it may appeare from that hee would have his house called an house of a Isa 56. â— prayer for all people Thither it is said b Acts 3.1 Peter and Iohn went up together at the houre of prayer being the ninth houre And S. Paul c Acts 22.17 praying in the Temple at Ierusalem was rapt in the spirit and did see Iesus speaking unto him And publike prayer made for d Acts 12.5.7 Peter being in prison so farre prevailed with God that he was miraculously thence delivered Christ Iesus said unto his Disciples c Mat. 18.19.20 It two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall aske it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven For where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Concerning prayer it is said in the first part of the * T. 2. p. 110. Homily of prayer The necessity thereof is so great that without it nothing may bee well-obtained at Gods hand He is said to be rich and liberall towards all them that f Rom. 10.12 call upon him not because hee either will not or cannot give without asking but because hee hath appointed prayer as an ordinary meanes betweene him and us In the * T. 2. p. 134. Homily of Common prayer and Sacraments it is said In the Scriptures wee read of three sorts of prayers whereof two are private and the third is common The first is that which S. Paul speaketh of in his Epistle to Timothy saying g 1 Tim. 2.8 I will that men pray in every place lifting up pure hands without wrath or striving And it is the devout lifting up of the mind to God without the uttering of the hearts griefe or desire by open voice So h 1 Sam. 1.13 Anna prayed After this sort must all Christians pray not once in a weeke or once in a day onely but as S. Paul writeth to the Thessalonians i Thes 5.17 without ceasing And S. Iames writeth k Iam. 5.16.17 The continuall prayer of a just man is of much force The second sort of prayer is spoken in the Gospell of Matthew where it is said l Mat. 6.6 When thou prayest enter into thy secret closet and when thou hast shut the doore to thee pray to thy father in secret and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee So m Acts 10.2 Cornelius prayed These be the two private sorts of prayer the one mentall that is to say the devout lifting up of the minde to God and the other vocall that is to say the secret uttering of the griefes and desires of the heart with words but yet in a secret closet or some solitary place The third sort of prayer is publike or common And of it mention was first of all The Prophet David said n Ps 55.17 Evening and morning and at noone will I pray and cry aloud and hee shall heare my voyce It is written that Daniel also kneeled upon his knees o Dan. 6.10 three times a day and prayed and gave thankes before God David also saith p Ps 119 6â— At midnight will I arise to give thankes unto thee because of thy righteous judgements The Church saith in the aforenamed * p. 141. Homily If we will that our prayers bee not abominable before God let us so prepare our hearts before we pray and so understand the things that we aske when we pray that both our hearts and voyces may together sound in the cares of Gods Majestie and then we shall not faile to receive at his hand the things that we aske as good men which have beene before us did and so have from time to time received that which for their soules health they did at any time desire Saint Augustine said It is not the voyce but the affection of the minde that commeth to the eares of God Concerning thankesgiving in publike The first part of the Homily concerning the right use of the Church Of thanksgiving saith That the Temple is likewise the place of thankesgiving unto the Lord for his innumerable and unspeakeable benefits bestowed upon us appeareth notably in the latter end of Saint Lukes Gospell and the beginning of the story of the Acts where it is written that the Apostles and Disciples after the ascension of our Lord q Act. 2.46 47. continued with one accord daily in the Temple alwayes praising and blessing God The Prophet David said My prayse shall be of thee in the great r Ps 22.25 congregation And Enter into his gates with Å¿ Ps 100.4 thankesgiving and into his Courts with praise be thankfull unto him and blesse his name In the first part of the * T. 2. p. 218. Homily for Rogation weeke it is said There can be none other end of such as draw nigh to God by knowledge and yet depart from him in unthankfulnesse but utter destruction St. Paul saith In every thing t 1 Thes 5.18 give thankes for this is the will of God in Christ
2.13.14.15 Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evill doers and for the praise of them that do well For so is the will of God that with well doing yee may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men Saint Paul exhorteth Timothy that first all Supplications Prayers Intercessions and giving of thankes be made for all men For Kings and for Å¿ 1. Tim. 2.1.2.3 all that are in authority that wee may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty The Apostle saith to the Hebrewes t Heb. 13.17 Obey them that have the rule over you The Lord hath commanded his people by Moses saying If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgement between blood and blood betweene plea and plea and between stroke and stroke betweene matters of controversie within thy gates Then shalt thou arise and get thee up into the place which the Lord thy God shall choose And thou shalt come unto the Priests the Levites and unto the u Deut. 17.8 c. Iudge that shall be in those dayes and enquire and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgement And thou shalt doe according to the sentence which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee and thou shalt observe to doe according to all that they enforme thee c. In the Book of Ioshua there is recorded an example of profession of obedience where the people answered Ioshua saying w Ios 1.17.18 All that thou commandest us wee will doe and whithersoever thou sendest us wee will goe According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things so will wee hearken unto thee only the Lord thy God be with thee as he was with Moses Whosoever he be that doth rebell against thy commandement and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him hee shall bee put to death onely bee strong and of a good courage That which is afterward mentioned concerning the obedience of the Reubenites Gadites and the halfe Tribe of Manasseh is written for all professed Christians to marke for an example the which Ioshua spake and said unto them Yee have keept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in * Ios 22.1.2 all that I commanded you Salomons saying is hereto considerable I counsell thee to keepe the y Eccles. 8.1 Kings commandement and that in regard of the oath of God Yea for to maintaine peace and to avoide giving of any the least offence to such as are in office it is the duty of Christians to condiscend unto the performance of any indifferent matter though there be no expresse Law or statute requiring the same And this may appeare to bee a subjects duty from the precept of Christ who knowing that tribute was there properly to be paid by strangers and that the Children were free notwithstanding saith hee lest wee should z Mat. 17.24 25 26 27. offend them pay thou for mee and for thine owne selfe CHAP. 72. Of Magistrates duties in generall IN the Prayer for the whole estate of Christs Church militant here in earth the dutie of Magistrates is signified where it is said And grant unto his whole Counsell and to all that be put in Authoritie under him that they may truly and indifferently minister Iustice to the punishment of wickednesse and vice and to the maintenance of Gods true religion and vertue Likewise in the Letany where it is said That it may please thee to blesse and keepe the Magistrates giving them grace to execute justice and to maintaine truth In the second part of the * T. 1. p. 44 45. Homily of Charity it is said As every loving father correcteth his naturall sonne when he doth amisse or else hee loveth him not So all governours of Realmes Countries Townes and Houses should lovingly correct them which be offenders under their governance and cherish them which live innoceÌ„tly if they have any respect either unto God or their office or love unto them of whom they have governance And such rebukes and punishments of them that offend must be done in due time lest by delay the offenders fall headlong into all manner of mischiefe and not onely bee evill themselves but also doe hurt unto many men drawing other by their evill example to sinne and outrage after them As one Theefe may both robbe many men and also make many Theeves and one seditious person may allure many and annoy a whole Towne or Countrey And such evill persons that be so great offenders to God and the Common-weale charity requireth to bee cut from the body of the Common-weale lest they corrupt other good and honest persons like as a good Surgion cutteth away a rotten and festered member for love hee hath to the whole body lest it infect other members adioyning to it In the * T. 2. p. 254 255. Homily against idlenesse it is said God of his mercy put it into the hearts and mindes of all them that have the sword of punishment in their hands or have families under their governance to labour for to redresse this great enormitie of all such as love idlely and vnprofitably in the Common-weale to the great dishonour of God and the grievous plague of his silly people To leave siâ—â—e unpunished and to neglect the good bringing vp of youth is nothing else but to kindle the Lords wrath against us and to heape plagues upon our owne heads Let all Officers therefore looke straitly to their Charge Let none maintain vagabonds idle persons but deliver the Realme and their housholds from such noysome loyterers that idlenesse the mother of all mischiefe being cleane taken away Almighty God may turne his dreadfull anger away from us and confirme the covenant of peace upon us for ever a Exod. 18.21 Iethro signified to Moses of what affection Governours should be saying Thou shalt provide out of all the people able men such as feare God men of truth bating covetousnesse c. So King Iehoshaphat in saying to the Iudges b 2 Chron. 19.6 7 11. Take heed what you doe for yee judge not for man but for the Lord who is with you in the judgement wherefore now let the feare of the Lord bee upon you take heed and doe it for there is no iniquitie with the Lord our God nor respect of persons nor taking of gifts Deale couragiously and the Lord shall bee with the good The Prophet David saith c Ps 82.1 2 3 4 6 7. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty hee judgeth among the gods How long will ye judge unjustly and accept the persons of the wicked Defend the poore and fatherlesse doe justice to the afflicted and needy deliver the poore and needy rid them out of the hand of the wicked I have said Yee are gods and all of you are the Children of the most High but ye shall dye like men