old Prophets besides we may easily beleeve that Christ with a Key of David in his hand is nothing else but Christ fully open'd and manifested to us in the Psalmes in the whole mystery of our Redemption Omnes penè Psalmi Christi personam sustinent saith Tertullian Almost all the Psalmes represent the Person of Christ. Now this Key of David opens not onely the Kingdome of Grace by Revelation of the mysteries of our Religion but the Kingdome of Heaven too it being such a Collection of Prayers Eucharist acts of hope of love of patience and all other Christian vertues that as the everlasting Kingdome is given to the Heire of the House of David so the Honour of opening that Kingdome is given to the first Prince of that Family the Psalmes of his Father David are one of the best inlets into the Kingdome of the Sonne Something to this purpose is that saying of one of the old Doctors Vox psalmodiae si recto corde dirigatur in tantum omnipotenti Deo aditum ad animum aperit ut intentae animae vel Propheâ—iae mysteria vel compunctionis spiritum insundat The saying or singing of Psalmes opens a way so wide for God to enter into the heart that a devout soule does usually from such an imployment receive the grace of compunction and contrition or of understanding Prophecies Upon such premises as these or better the Church of God in all ages hath made Davids Psalter the greatest part of her publike and private devotions sometimes dividing the Psalter into seven parts that every weeks devotion might spend it all Sometimes decreeing that it should be said day and night Otherwhile injoyned the recitation of the whole Psalter before the celebration of the blessed Sacrament and after some time it was made the publike office of the Church It was the generall use of Christendome to say the Psalmes Antiphonatim by way of verse and answer saith Suidas and so ancient that the Religious of S. Mark in Alexandria used it saith Philo the Jew and S Ignatius or else Flavianus and Diodorus brought it first into the Church of Antioch And for the private Devotions that they chiefly consisted of the Psalmes we have great probability from the strict requiring it of the Clergy and particularly from them who came to be ordained great readinesse of saying the Psalter by heart It was S. Hieroms counsell to Rusticus and when S. Gregory was to ordain the Bishop of Ancona his inquiry concerning his Canonicall sufficiency was if he could say Davids Psalmes without book and for a disability of doing it John the Priest was rejected from the Bishoprick of Ravenna But this I conceive more relates to their private then to their publick devotions for I cannot think but that in respect of the publick Liturgy it was enough for Bishops and Priests to read the Psalm the requiring ability to remember them was to ingage them to a frequent use of so admirable devotions in their private offices But the Psalms were not onely of use to the Church as they lay in their own position and form but the devout men of severall ages drew them into Collects Antiphonaries Responsories and all other parts of their devotions Thâ—y made their Prayers out of the Psalms their confâ—ssions their doxologies their ejaculations for the most part were clauses or periods of the Psalter S. Hierome made a collection of choyce versicles and put them together into their severall classes and that was much of his devotion the Collection is still extant under the Name of S. Hierome's Psalter S. Athanasius made an Index of the severall occasions and matters of prayer and Eucharist and fitted Psalms to each particular that was his devotion the Psalms intire as they lay onely he made titles of his own I have seen of latter time a short hymne of some eight verses which are indeed very choyce sentences out of severall Psalms set together to make a compendium of Liturgy of Breviary of our necessity and devotions collected by S. Bernardine it is a very good Copy to be followed But if we look into the old Liturgies of the Eastern and Western Churches and where we will almost into the the private devotions of the old Writers we may say of them in the expression of the Prophet Hauriebant aquas è sontibus Salvatoris they drew their waters from the fountains of our Blessed Saviour but through the limbecks of David But the practice of this devotion I derived from a higher precedent even of Christ and his Apostles for before the passion immediately they sung a Psalm saith the Scripture Hymno dicto saith the vulgar Latine having recited or said a Psalm But however it was part of Davids Psalter that was sung it was the great Allelujah as the Jews called it beginning at the 113. Psalme to the 119. exclusively part of that was sung But this devotion continued with our Blessed Saviour as long as breath was in him for when he was upon the Crosse he recited the 22. Psalme ad verbum saith the Tradition of the Church and that he began it saith the Scripture My God my God why hast thou forsaken me The whole Psalme is rather a history then a prediction of the Passion and what Tertullian saith of the whole Psalter is particularly verified of this Filium ad Patrem id est Christum ad Deum verba facientem repraesentat it represents the Sonnes addresse to his Father that is Câ—rist speaking to God Against the example of Christ if we confront the practice of Antichrist nothing can be said greater in commendâ—tion of this manner of devotion for B. Hippolytus in his Oration of the end of the world saith that in the days of Antichrist Psalmorum decantatio cessabit they shall then no more use the singing or saying of the Psalmes which when I had observed without any further deliberation I fix'd upon the Psalter as the best weapon against him whose comming we have great reason to beleeve is not far off so great preparation is making for him From the example of Christ this grew to be a Practice Apostolicall and their devotion came exactly home to the likenesse of the design of this very Book they turn'd the Psalmes into Prayers Thus it was said of Paul and Silas Act. 16. They prayed a Psalme so it is in the Greek and we have a Copy left us of one of the Prayers or Collects which they made out of the bowels of the second Psalme it is in the fourth Chapter of the Acts beginning at the 24. verse and ends at the 31. And now I have shown the reasons of my choyce and the precedents that I have followed This last comes home to every circumstâ—nce of my Book I onely adde this that since according to the instruction of our blessed Saviour God is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth no worshipping can be more true or more spirituâ—ll then the Psalter said with a pure minde and
live a godly life 13 O Lord God of hosts blessed is the man that putteth his trust in thee The Prayer O Lord God of â—â—sts who dwellest in the heavens seated in essentiall and eternall felicities fill our hearts with desires and longings to enter into those Courts where thou sittest attended with the beauteous orders of Angels and millions of beatified spirits and that our desires may receive infinite satisfactions give us thy help that we going through the vale of misery the pools may be filled with water our hearts and eyes may run over with tears of repentance and overflow with sorrow and contrition for our sins that we living a godly life going from strength to strength from vertue to vertue at last we may appear in Sion unto the God of gods beholding the face of thine Anointed thy Christ and our Jesus and may dwell one day in thy Courts even all the long day of eternity through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 85. A thanksgiving for Gods free mercy in the pardon of our sinnes and a prayer for the continuance and increase of his mercies to us LOrd thou art become gracious unto thy land thou haâ—t turned away the captivity of Jacob. 2 Thou hast forgiven the offence of thy people and â—overed all their sins 3 Thou hast taken away all thy displeasure and turâ—ed thy self from thy wrathfull indignation 4 Turn us then O God our Saviour and let thine â—nger cease from us 5 Wilt thou be displeased at us for ever and wilt thou stretch out thy wrath from one generation to another 6 Wilt thou not turn again and quicken us that thy people may rejoyce in thee 7 Shew us thy mercy O Lord and grant us thy salvation 8 I will hearken what the Lord God will say concerning me for he shall speak peace unto his people and to â—is saints that they turn not again 9 For his salvation is nigh them that fear him that glory may dwell in our land 10 Mercy and truth are met together righteousnesse and peace have kissâ—d each other 11 Truth shall flourish out of the earth and righteousnesse hath looked down from heaven 12 Yea the Lord shal shew loving kindnesse and our land shall give her encrease 13 Righteousnesse shall goe before him and he shall direct his going in the way The Prayer O Most gracious God who art reconciled unto us in our Saviour Jesus having for his sake forgiven the offences of thy people covered all their sins with the robe of his most immaculate sanctity and righteousnesse let thy grace convert and quicken us that we may rejoyce in thee and thy salvation in faith of thy promises in the hope of actuall communication of thy mercies to us and in love to thee for so great blessings and redemption and when thou hast spoken peace unto our souls and reconciled us to thy self in the bloud of thy Son give us the grace of perseverance that we may never turn again to folly but may follow mercy and truth all our days and at last be satisfied with thy righteousnesse and peace eternall through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Morning Prayer PSALME 86. A Prayer for sanctity and preservation BOw down thine ear O Lord and hear me for I am poor and in misery 2 Preserve thou my soule for I am holy my God save thy servant that putteth his trust in thee 3 Be mercifull unto me O Lord for I will call daily upon thee 4 Comfort the soul of thy servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou Lord art good and gracious and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee 6 Give ear Lord unto my prayer and ponder the voyce of my humble desires 7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon thee for thou hearest me 8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee O Lord there is not one that can do as thou doest 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and â—orship thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy Name 10 For thou art great and doest wondrous things â—â—ou art God alone 11 Teach me thy way O Lord and I will walk in â—hy truth O knit my heart unto thee that I may fear thy Name 12 I will thank thee O Lord my God with all my heart and will praise thy Name for evermore 13 For great is thy mercy toward me and thou hast delivered my soul from the nethermost hell 14 O God the proud are risen against me and the congregations of naughty men have sought after my soul and have not set thee before their eyes 15 But thou O Lord God art full of compassion â—nd mercy long-suffering plenteous in goodnesse and truth 16 O turn thee then unto me and have mercy upon me give thy strength unto thy servant and help the son of thine handmaid 17 Shew some good token upon mee for good that they which hate me may see it and be ashamed because thou Lord hast holpen me and comforted me The Prayer O Lord God good and gracious and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee give ear unto our prayers ponder the voice of our desires when ever we call upon thee in our trouble Let the souls of thy servants be refreshed with thy comforts and defend us from the congregations of proud and naughty men Turn thee unto us with mercy give thy strength unto us teach us thy laws make us to walk in thy truth give us the fear of thy Name and knit our hearts to thee with the indissoluble bands of charity and obedience that our souls being saved from the nethermost hell we may worship thee O Lord and glorifie thy name who art full of compassion and mercy long-suffering and plenteous in goodnesse and truth which thou hast manifested to us in our deliverance and redemption through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 87. A contemplation of the excellencies of Sion or the celestiall Jerusalem HEr foundations are upon the holy hils the Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob. 2 Very excellent things are spoken of thee thou city of God 3 I will think upon Rahab and Babylon with them that know thee 4 Behold yee the Philistines also and they of Tyre with the Morians lo there was he born 5 And of Sion it shall be reported that he was born in her and the most High shall stablish her 6 The Lord shall rehearse it when he writeth up the people that he was born there 7 The singers also and trumpeters shall be rehearse all my fresh springs shall be in thee The Prayer O Lord God who dwellest in Sion and delightest to have thy habitation in the hearts of men thou hast built the Church as a City upon a hill and laid the foundation of it upon the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ being the chief Corner-stone make us to be a spirituall building fit for thy
a hearty devotion For David was Gods instrument to the Church teaching and admonishing us as our duty is to each oâ—her in Psalmes and Hymnes and spirituall Songs anâ— the Spirit of Truth was the Grand Dictator of what David wrote so that we may confidently use this devotion as the Church of God ever did making her addresses to God most frequently by the Psalms so Prudentius reports the guise of Christendome Te mente purâ simplici Te voce te cantu pio Rogare curvato genu Flendo canendo discimus Hymn 2. Cathemer The Prayers which I have collected out of the Psalms are nothing else but the matter of the Psalmes put into â—nother mood and fitted to the necessities of Christendome and of our selves in particular according to the first designation or secondary intention of the blessed Spirit for the use of them could not expire in the person of David though first occasioned many of them by his personall necessities for all Scripture was written for our learning upon whom the ends of the world are come saith the Apostle and Christ and his Apostles and the Church of all ages hath taught us by their example and precepts that the purposes of the holy Ghost were of great extent and the profits universall both for times and occasions so also were the Prayers which the Church made out of the Psalms and sung them in her publick offices S. Austin found great advantages by such devotions as himselfe witnesses Cùm reminiscor lachrymas meas quas fudi ad cantus Ecclesiae in primordiis recuperatae fidei meae magnam instituti hujus utilitatem agnosco When I call to minde the many teares I shed when I heard the Hymnes and Psalms of the Church I cannot but acknowledge the great benefit of this institution And yet besides the spirituall sense of an actuall devotion which is sooner had in this use of the Psalms then of other Prayers I have had a meditation that this manner of devotion might be a good Symbol and instrument of Communion between Christians of a different Perswasion For if we all would communicate in the same private devotions it were a great degree of Peace and Charity The Nicenâ— Fathers in their zeale against Heresie forbad their people to be present at the Prayers of Heretiques and they had great reason so long as they derived their Heresie into their Liturgy into their very formes of Baptisme But I am much scandalized when I see a man refuse to communicate with me in my Prayers even such as are in his own Breviary or Manuall For me thinks it is strange that the Lords Prayer it selfe should be unhallowed in the mouth of a Protestant and yet the whole office from the mouth of one of their Priests though never so wicked though a Necromancer a secret Jew or any thing so of their Communion shall lose no title of its sanctity and value So long as nothing of controversie is brought into our Prayers and certainly we may very well pray to God without disputing and Devotion is not made a party he that refuses to joyn with me in what himself confesses true and holy upon pretence I am a heretick will certainly prove himself a Schismatick For true it is a Heretick is to be avoyded that is in his temptation and in his heresie just as a notorious Fornicator an Adulterer a sentenc'd drunkard and no more the Apostles rule excommunicates all alike with such men no not to eat and this rule cannot with so much ease and certainty bee put to practice in the case of heresie as in the case of drunkennesse because heresie is as much harder to be judg'd as the soule is more invisible then the body especially if wee make heresy to be an error not in the great articles of faith only but to consist in minutes also as all they do who refuse to communicate with Persons disagreeing even in the smallest article But hee that is ready to joyne with all the societies of Christians in the world in those things which are certainly true just and pious gives great probation that he hath at least animum Catholicam no Schismaticall soul because he would actually communicate with all Christendome if bona fides in falso articulo sincere perswasion be it true or false did not disoblige him since he clearly distinguishes persons from things and in all good things communicates with persons bad enough in others This is the Communion of charity and when the Communion of beleef is interrupted by misperswasion on one side and too much confidence and want of charity on the other the erring party hath humane infirmity to excuse him but the uncharitable nothing at all This therefore is the best and surest way because we are all apt to be deceived to be sincere in our disquisitions modest in our determinations charitable in our censures and apt to communicate in things of evident truth and confessed holinesse And such is this devotion the whole matter whereof is the Psalms of David and the prayers Symbolicall and alike in substance and of the same expression throughout where it is not altered by circumstances So that I thought I might not imprudently intend this Book as an instrument of publike charity to Christians of different confessions For I see that all sorts of people sing or say Davids Psalms and by that use if they understand the consequences of their own Religion accept sâ—t forms of prayer for their Liturgy and this form in speciall is one of their own choyces for devotion so that if all Christians that think Davids Psalmes lawfull devotion and shall observe the Collects from them to be just of the same Religion would joyn in this or the like form I am something confident the product would be charity besides other spirituall advantages For my own particular since all Christendome is so much divided and subdivided into innumerable Sects I knew not how to give a better evidence of my own beleef and love of the Communion of Saints and detestation of Schisme then by an act of Religion whose consequence might be if men please the advancement of an universall Communion For in that which is most concerning and is the best preserver of charity I mean practicall devotion and active piety the differences of Christendome are not so great and many to make an eternall dis-union and fracture and if we instance in Prayer there is none at all abroad some indeed wee have commenc'd at home but in the great divisions of Christendome none at all but concerning the object of our prayers and adorations For the Socinian shuts the Holy Ghost from his Letanies and places the Sonne of God in a lower form of addresse But concerning him I must say as S. Paul said of the unbeleevers What have I to doe with them that are without For this very thing that they disbeleeve the article of the holy Trinity they make themselves uncapable of the communion of